Storm Clouds (Sanders Sides)

On the Flip Side

A little snippet of a chapter showing the other side of things ;)

{Author's POV}-Thomas's Living Room

     Logan knew something was very wrong the second he and Brennan stepped into Thomas's living room. The Intelligent Side quickly noted that all of the shades were drawn, the door locked and barred with the couch pushed in front of it, and their host sitting on the floor in the corner, curled up into a ball. 

    "My Goodness, Thomas! What is this? The couch does not belong over-"

     "Don't! They can't get in that way!" Thomas cried as Logan moved to push the couch back to its original space. He slowly straightened himself out, hands up in a calming motion as he approached the corner. 

     "Thomas, nothing is coming. This is not you, I promise you. This is all due to what's happening inside of you right now, and the others are taking care of it. We're here for you, ok?" 

     Brennan appeared from somewhere in the back of the apartment. "Somehow, he managed to move the entire dining room table to barricade the backdoor. I set everything straight. What do you need me to do? I mean, I have abilities like the others, but those don't really have a positive benefit, so they won't really make him feel any better. I kind of just make people sad, you know? I-"

     "Brennan!" The Side broke free of his daze to lock eyes with Logan. "You're rambling, and you are fine. I understand. Just help me get him more comfortable. Anything has got to be better than the floor right now. Thomas, how about we get you into a chair, alright? Brennan, can you bring me a chair from the kitchen?" The other Side nodded and rushed into the kitchen while Logan made his way cautiously onto his knees in front of his Host, slowly reaching a hand out until it came into contact with his wrist. 

     "Thomas, it is me, Logan. Can you look at me, please?" he tried, testing the waters with settling a finger underneath his chin to help ease his head up. Thomas curled in on himself, leaning away from his touch. Logan signed, looking up as Brennan tapped his shoulder, gesturing to the chair he'd brought. "Thomas, please. Nobody is here except for myself and Brennan, uh, Sadness. He is a friend, he is just here to help me take care of you. You trust me, correct? It's Logan," he tried again.

     Finally, Thomas turned, meeting Logan's eyes with a hint of a smile. He jumped, throwing himself into the teacher's arms with a sob. "Don't let them get me, Logan, please!"

     Logan looked to Brennan in shock before turning back to his distraught Host, rubbing a hand in circles against his back. "We won't, Thomas. You have my word. May we move you to the chair, please? After that, I will go make you something to eat, and...perhaps we should talk a little. You have missed quite a lot." 

     Thomas eventually nodded, rising to his feet with Logan's help and flopping into the kitchen chair. Brennan sat with him while Logan brought out a cup of yogurt, knowing that it was proven to help ease the anxious mind. 

     Logan couldn't help but grimace at the forced substitution of the word anxious for what this really was, "paranoid", but he remained quiet on the subject while Thomas finished his yogurt. Brennan graciously took the cup and spoon from his hand and went to discard it while Logan took one of the other chairs the other Side had brought before and settled into it in front of Thomas. When Brennan returned, he spotted Virgil's spot on the stairs and took control of it, a smile hinting his face at the comfort it brought. 

     "You said I...missed a lot? Like what, what's going on? Why do I feel like this, Logan?" he asked, and for just a moment, the teacher could see a hint of clarity in his eyes. He wondered what was happening with the others that had granted them that moment of reprieve. It may not even be the others. Perhaps Virgil is fighting just that hard for him. The thought brought a smile to his face before he cleared his throat to address the question. He ran through the gist of everything they had to catch up on-the attack on Deceit and Remus, the latest additions to the House, the return of Virgil's brother and other half, and the current conquest to retrieve the splitting sides from the Dark Mindscape. Thomas absorbed the information as best as his torn mind could, perking up when Logan explained what had happened to Virgil. 

     "Is he going to be ok? What if they don't get to him in time? What if we lose him? Am I going to be a mess forever? We need Virgil, we proved that when he left! I need-"

     "Thomas, Thomas! Listen to me, breathe for a moment. You are alright. There is not a single one of us in this room or on that mission right now that would just sit by and let any harm come to Virgil. He is in a rough spot right now, yes, and it may be a long time until he returns to full function, but he will be alright. We are making sure of it."

     Thomas looked over at Brennan. "And you said you're...Virgil's friend? What do you do?" 

     Brennan hesitated for a moment. "I represent...Sadness."

     Thomas fell silent, eyes stuck on the floor. "So...a super-powerful Dark Side is trying to turn Virgil back into his super-powerful Dark Side other half so they can merge and form on unstoppable Dark Side, essentially killing Virgil for all we know. Roman, Remus, Janus, another side called "Doubt", and Patton are going to stop him, and you two are staying here to just sit with me...?" he asked, eyes returning to Logan with the most wild expression the facet had ever seen on an individual. "What is happening to me?!" 

     Logan sighed, feeling a lot of emotions that were not normal for him and left him at more of a loss for words than he cared to admit. "...A lot, honestly. I know, it is a lot. I am so sorry we allowed this to happen. Each of us could have done something better, and I'm sure when-when, not if-the others return, they will know that as well. We all slipped up somehow, and it only hurt you more. Our mistakes only serve to cause harm to you, Thomas, which is why we are so careful. However, at the same time, each and every one of us would fight to the end to make sure you did not suffer. It is why Brennan and I are here with you, to ensure that you physically are kept safe. It is why Patton accompanied the others, Janus believes that his ability to sway emotions may be able to bring Virgil back from the brink of wherever he is trapped in, and I must admit I believe he made the correct decision. You will be ok, Thomas, that I can promise you."

    Logan was nearly thrown off his chair as the Host wrapped his arms around him once again, sniffling into his shoulder. Surprising even himself, Logan did not startle, did not throw a fuss. He simply smiled at Brennan from across the room, and held the crying Host in his arms. He didn't understand emotions himself, but he knew that they were real, and he knew that Thomas had a lot of them that he needed to let out. 

     If that's what he needs from me right now, then that's what I will do. 

Well, it's nice to see Logan having a bit of a soft-spot, I think. 

Hope you're ready to get back to the angst. ;)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that little break from things. The next chapter will be up hopefully far sooner than this one was. I am trying to move my stories to Archive of our Own as well, and edit and re-work them into something a little neater, so that's taking up a lot of my time since there's a lot of material, but I have not abandoned this work or all of you! So, I hope to see you come back for the next chapter, and I will have it to you very soon! 

Bye! <3