A/N Hey guys! Here's a Then update because I needed some Pat and Virge BONDING. Enjoy!!!!!!

8.)

Virgil was anxious.

Crazy, right?

He was pacing in his apartment alone, hugging himself nervously and imagining several ways his day could go horribly.

This may come as a surprise to you but Virgil had an intensified anxiety disorder that he had been diagnosed with early on. It often led him to believe that things would be worse than they actually turned out to be.

"You're gonna be fine!" Emile said cheerfully from the other side of the phone, "Patton's a super sweet kid, even sweeter than Steven Universe himself! There's no trouble to be had."

Virgil huffed out a laugh, "Oh, sure. Emile, the only other kid I've ever looked after is Logan and I love him but he's not exactly what I'd call normal. What if I screw up?"

"What if you don't? What if you're just worrying because you don't want to disappoint Roman? What if all it takes is providing Patton with basic needs and you're just afraid of being yourself?" Emile said curiously.

Virgil paused in the middle of his apartment and stopped fiddling with the zipper of his hoodie. He glared at the wall,"Why the hell are you so perceptive?!?!"

Emile laughed lightly, "I have no idea!"

Virgil fell onto his couch and sighed, "I just don't want to disappoint them..."

"Aw, Virge!" Emile sounded concerned, "You know if anything goes wrong, which I severely doubt it will, I'll run over there with my Gravity Falls DVDs! You'll always have friends in your corner, okay?"

After a moment of silence, Virgil laughed a bit, "I feel strangely reassured...thanks Picani."

"No problem! Have fun, Virgil!"

"'Kay, bye." Virgil smiled and hung up. The apartment was far too quiet and far too big for Virgil by himself. Logan was at a gifted program for his school all weekend so Virgil had found himself missing the sound of shuffling papers and clacking computer keys.

His smile quickly dissipated and Virgil let out another long sigh, draping an arm over his eyes. Roman had an audition for a theatre role and had trusted Virgil enough to look after his ten year old son, a boy so unlike him and Logan, being based almost entirely on positive emotion.

It was nerve wracking.

But before Virgil could freak out even more, there was a knock at his door that matched the opening notes of Hamilton. Which meant it could only be one person.

"Princey."

"Gerard Gay!"

Virgil snorted, "Breathtakingly accurate title. You ready for your audition?"

Roman's face flickered to an expression Virgil recognized as severe anxiety but quickly masked it with a confident smirk. "I was born ready, Moretti."

"Mhm." Virgil replied, narrowing his eyes. He reached up and flicked Roman between the eyes, making the man yelp.

"What was that for?!?!"

"Lying to me. It's okay to be nervous. You're gonna do great, Princey."

Roman rubbed the bridge of his nose and grumbled, "There could've been a nicer way of reassuring me but thank you."

Virgil grinned, "Where's Patton?"

A boy slightly shorter and more widely built than Logan (who was basically a lanky cat in stature) stepped out from behind Roman, covering a smile. He wore khaki pants and a light blue shirt patterned with white cats. "Hi Virgil!!!"

"Hey, Pat. What are you smiling about?" Virgil himself couldn't seem to wipe the smile off his face, neither could Roman. What could they say? The little Castillo had a contagious smile.

Patton's gaze flickered between the two and he giggled to himself knowingly, "Nothing~!"

Virgil and Roman shared a glance and then quickly looked away. "Go inside and set down your bag, amor. I'm going to say goodbye to your Tío Virgil." Roman said swiftly in Spanish, planting a kiss on the top of Patton's head. Patton said goodbye to his father and then ran inside the apartment happily.

Once Patton was out of earshot, Roman turned back to Virgil. His expression grew a bit more serious, "How's Logan doing?"

Virgil's heart sank and he sighed heavily, "The same. Still not a single tear or emotional reaction." He leaned against the doorframe and hugged himself, "It's been years since she died, Roman...what if he never gets better?"

Roman pursed his lips, "I can't guarantee if he'll ever go back to the way he was but healing takes time. Especially for a kid."

The two stood in silence for a moment before Virgil spoke up, his voice quavering slightly, "Will he always hate me?"

"He doesn't hate you Virge..."

"Sure." Virgil said sharply, glaring at his shoes, "Doesn't talk to me, hardly even makes eye contact. What was I thinking? I'm sure he loves me." His tone was heavy with bitter sarcasm.

Now it was Roman's turn to sigh. For as long as he'd known them, the brothers had had a complicated relationship. While from an outside perspective it was obvious they cared for each other, the Moretti children themselves were too stubborn to notice.

Virgil looked back up, "Sorry. You're supposed to be thinking about your audition, not my sibling trouble." Before Roman could say anything, Virgil took a chance and fixed a strand of hair that had gone astray on Roman's forehead. They both ignored the furious blushes on each other's faces as Virgil stepped away once more with his arms crossed, "Now go or else you're gonna be late."

Roman shook his head, exasperated. "I swear I can never understand you."

Virgil observed his expresion for a moment and then smirked, "Well I can't just make it easy for you, Princey."

"Why?" Roman grinned slyly, "Are you exhibiting some tough love?"

Virgil stepped back a bit, "Maybe." He said calmly, winking. He quickly shut the door in Roman's shocked face before he could reply.

~~~~~

Patton was lying flat on his back in the middle of the living room when Virgil walked in, humming "Castle On a Cloud" from Les Mis to himself in a perfect Soprano.

When he heard Virgil walk in he stopped and waved him over, "Come join me!"

"What are you doing?" The man asked, crouching and then laying on his back beside the small boy. He fiddled nervously with his hoodie strings, barely noticing the unconscious action.

Patton hummed happily, "Looking for shapes in the clouds!"

"...What?"

"The clouds!" Patton pointed at the popcorn ceiling, "I can't see any shapes with all the rain so I look at the ceiling instead."

Virgil raised an eyebrow and glanced over at the child to find him smiling fondly. He was definitely a polar opposite to Logan, optimistic and warm. He was the kind of person who cried when someone else was sad. In comparison, Logan would be puzzled by any emotions he came across. And Virgil...well, he had enough of his own emotions to deal with.

The thought made Virgil smile. "Hey, Pat, how do you feel about taking a trip to the country?"

Patton looked over at Virgil, eyes wide. "The country? But isn't that super far away?"

"About an hour's drive and your dad isn't picking you up until 10pm tonight. I can call him to ask if it's okay." Virgil suggested. He felt unsure, maybe his idea wasn't that good after all. He'd blurted it out in a brief and unexpected moment of bravery...

"That would be awesome!" Patton squealed, jumping to his feet with his eyes sparkling excitedly. "Oooh, can we, can we, can we?"

Virgil suppressed a laugh, his anxiety giving in to relief. He stood up as well, "Give me a sec to call Roman. He should still be on the bus to the audition."

Pulling out his phone and dialing, he placed a tentative hand on Patton's shoulder, "Go on into Logan's room and take one of his jackets, it's gonna be a bit chilly in the open air and they should fit you fine."

"Ok!" With that, Patton ran off to Logan's room.

~~~~~~~~

The room didn't look like one for an eleven year old boy. It was painted dark blue and had solid black geometric furniture.

Everything was neat and organized except a big desk covered in lab equipment and dozens of papers filled with scribbled notes. The bed was made with black sheets. The only sign that the room belonged to a child were the glow-in-the-dark stars stuck on the ceiling.

Patton looked around, walking on his tippy-toes with his arms behind his back and observing the room of his once best friend. It had been worse years before, the room empty of anything except bed and dresser. The desk and stars were signs of slow but occurring progress.

The boy smiled at one of Logan's drawings, a model of how constellations moved through the sky in a year. It was detailed and precise, the thin pencil lines crafting a chart that Patton thought was beautiful.

He heard Virgil walking towards the room and quickly moved towards the dresser. "You find everything alright?" The man peeked in and Patton pretended to be looking at the jackets.

He looked over his shoulder and smiled, "Yeah I was just about to take...um...." Patton panicked, surveying the clothes he'd been shifting through for a jacket.

Virgil grinned, "Logan keeps his jackets in his drawers for some reason. Actually..." He furrowed his brow and went to stand by Patton, opening one of the drawers and shuffling through it. "Logan's gonna hate me for messing up his system buuut...here we go. I found it."

Patton watched as Virgil pulled out a nearly brand-new frog jacket. When Virgil saw Patton's shocked expression he looked away sheepishly, "He never wore it. I made it for him a few years ago but I figure it fits you."

The boy took the jacket and put it on. He thought about Logan wearing it and blushed slightly, to his confusion. "T-thank you. It's perfect. I hope he doesn't mind me borrowing it."

"I doubt he'd notice if you burned it." Virgil muttered glumly. Patton looked at him, even more confused. When he noticed, Virgil quickly looked away, "Uh, it's fine. I'm sure Logan will be okay with it. Lets start going so we're home before it gets dark."

Patton let the subject drop, smiling and nodding in excitement. The two left the apartment and began the long drive to the countryside.

~~~~~~~~

"Woah..."

"Right? I love this place." Virgil watched as Patton stared out at the ocean view, eyes glittering in the retreating sunlight.

They stood atop a cliff overlooking the open sea. It had taken a lengthy walk through the woods to reach the small clearing. Wildflowers looked faded as the autumn chill slowly killed them, making them look somber but lovely. Red, orange and yellow leaves littered the floor and clung to tree branches while pine needles withered and dried. Patton could hardly believe the lovely scene.

"How do you know about it?" Patton asked, still in awe of the beauty. "I mean, it's practically in the middle of nowhere!"

An uncomfortable but familiar feeling settled on Virgil's chest. "Oh, uh...Logan and I...our mom, well...she used to bring us here. She loved hiking and herbology and all that...she's the reason we both love science, actually..."

Patton looked away from the ocean, sensing the pain in Virgil's voice. He'd known the man studied Astronomy but had never known where the passion had come from. "Mrs. Moretti found this place?"

"Yeah." Virgil smiled sadly at the view, avoiding eye contact with Patton. "Mrs. Moretti, huh? It's been a while since I've heard someone call her that..."

The two stood in silence. An Unkindness of ravens squawked in the distance and Patton shuddered, pulling the frog jacket around him tighter. He glanced at Virgil.

"My...my Mom is gone too." Patton said quietly. He was staring down at his yellow rain boots and didn't see the confused look Virgil gave him. "She died when I was little and I know...I know how hard it can be. Losing someone you care about."

Virgil stared at the boy, "Roman told you...your mom died?" He mumbled.

"What?"

The Moretti brother shut his mouth, eyes still wide. "U-um, nothing Pat. Just...thanks a lot for saying that."

Patton nodded and ignored the odd behavior. "You're not alone, Tío, we're...we're family now. We can all be there for each other."

Virgil swallowed, trying to think about anything other than what he had just heard. He doesn't know...

Of all the secrets Roman had confided in him, this had to be the most troubling.

But the comforting comment Patton had made about them being family seemed to sooth his nerves for a moment. He swallowed and smiled, "That's...really sweet, tadpole. I-I...I feel like we're a family too."

Patton beamed back at him and then threw himself into Virgil's arms, giving him a bear hug to rival all bear hugs despite his small stature.

Virgil tensed for a moment, not used to being touched. Then, he relaxed and hugged back, Logan hadn't hugged him like that since their mother died.

They stayed like that for a second until Virgil ruffled Patton's hair, "C'mon Pat, we should be heading back."

Patton pulled away and nodded. The two took one last look at the ocean view and began the long journey home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The door swung open before Roman had a chance to knock it, revealing a disgruntled Virgil.

Roman smiled easily, "What's that look for sunshi-"

"You haven't told him?" Virgil interrupted, glaring more intensely. His hair was messed up and he looked as if he'd been worrying for hours.

After he and Patton had returned from the woods, the small boy had fallen asleep quite quickly on the living room couch. This left Virgil completely alone to his thoughts.

That was never a good thing. Especially after learning what he just had.

At Roman's confused look, Virgil shoved him outside, closing the apartment door behind him so Patton wouldn't wake up. "Could you please explain to me why Patton thinks his mom is dead despite what you told me about her being, how should I say this, alive?!"

Roman's eyes widened, "He mentioned her? Why?"

Virgil shook his head, not seeing why that information was important. "We went to a spot in the woods my mom used to take us to. I told him that and he tried to reassure me because, I mean, he's Patton so, of course. Then he said his mom died too but that it was okay since we're all a family now and now I've been panicking for the last five hours."

Roman blinked, trying to process everything before noticing Virgil's distressed state. Black bags hung under the other man's eyes, far too noticeable than they should've been on his already dark brown skin. The purple paint on his nails was chipped, as if he had been picking at them nervously for a while.

"Virgil..." Roman's eyebrows furrowed and he carefully took one of his hands in his own. "It's true...I-I didn't tell Patton his mom was alive. I just...I didn't want him to think she left because of him."

Virgil shook his head faster, "This is worse, this is way worse. How do you think he's going to react when he finds out? Because he will find out one day. It's inevitable."

Roman pursed his lips, "I know. I just wanted him to grow up happy."

The admission settled over them like a heavy blanket. Virgil felt his anxiety give in to concern. He understood why Roman had done what he'd done. If it had been Logan, he probably would have done the same thing. But the regretful expression Roman wore was enough to make Virgil get off his back.

"Ok." Virgil sighed, gripping Roman's hand, "Ok, I get it. Sorry for freaking out."

"No, it's alright." Roman smiled, "It's nice to know you care for Patton." He leaned in a bit closer, "And he was right, you know."

Virgil leaned unconsciously into Roman's other hand which was placed gently on his cheek. "About what?" He said quietly.

Roman pecked him quickly on the forehead, "You're family."

Virgil felt his face flush and was slightly relieved (and disappointed)when Roman pulled away. "I...don't want to tell him yet. I'm not sure I'm ready to handle his reaction." Roman muttered.

Squeezing his hand, Virgil smiled tightly, "That makes sense. Just...make sure he finds out from you. Whenever it happens."

Roman nodded.

For a moment it seemed like something would happen. One of them would be brave and change everything in an instant.

Virgil's eyes flickered to Roman's lips. But just as he started leaning forward, Roman tensed a bit and cleared his throat. "Patton has school tomorrow. I...we should...I mean..."

"Yeah, I know." Virgil avoided his gaze and opened the door. "He's asleep on the couch."

Roman nodded wordlessly and walked inside. Virgil stayed put and took a deep breath. A few seconds later, Roman walked out with a sleeping Patton in his arms.

"Thanks for looking after Patton today." Roman said tentatively. Virgil still wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Yeah, no problem."

They stood in silence, the apartment hallway eerie in the dim moonlight. The air was cool and smelled of cardboard and dust.

After a moment, Roman shifted Patton in his arms, "Goodnight, Virgil."

The other man stayed silent, his gaze fixed on his socked feet.

When he didn't respond, Roman sighed and walked away. Virgil heard his footsteps and then the sound of the staircase door opening. As soon as it clicked closed, Virgil echoed the sigh.

"Goodnight, Princey." He whispered into the dark hall.

Then he walked inside his apartment and closed the door.

A/N I think I have a problem when it comes to angst, guys. I can't stop.

Sorry about the lack of updates. Between Unus Annus ending and life not ending, I've been pretty busy.

I'll try to fix it up over Thanksgiving break and give y'all the two chapters I owe you.

But until then,

DON'T DIE!

~Prongs 💙