Family Reunion (A Virgil Afton Story)

2- Research? Research.

   Loud footsteps could be heard as a frustrated Virgil paced the hall. His arms crossed, his shoulders hunched, his mind feeling like he was racing around the same track over, and over, and over again. He felt like he would explode right then and there. He just couldn't decide! He'd nearly worn a hole in the floor when someone else came up the stairs to his hallway.

   "Virgie?" Virgil's head whipped up from its looking on the floor, meeting Patton's concerned gaze. "What's the matter kiddo?"

   The silence that followed was deafening. The only sound that could be heard was the ticking clock on the wall opposite Virgil, which obviously did NOT help his anxiety. He rubbed the back of his neck, debating whether or not to tell the fatherly side. Come on Virgil, Patton's always been there for you. You know you can trust him.

   The purple side took a deep breath, and proceeded to explain his situation.

   "Ummm... I'm having trouble making a decision. It's been making me really anxious lately because... it's really important to me... and it's most likely going to leave a big impact on my future... Got any advice?"

   Patton looked a bit shocked, as well as puzzled. Well, it's,more accurate to say he WAS those things. He was still going to do the best he could for his dark strange son. "Well," he began, "whenever I make a decision and my brain can't decide," he explained, touching Virgil's head with his pinky finger, "I listen to what my heart," he touched his son's chest, "has to say on the matter."

   Virgil looked as though he was about to break down. In all honesty, he was barely keeping it together. His unofficial dad had that effect on him. "What if my heart doesn't know either?" He asked, "What if all of me is too scared of what might or might not happen, and I never come to a decision? What do I do then pops?"

   The other side was heartbroken at his words. If there was one thing Patton couldn't stand, it was seeing his kiddos sad. "Listen Virgil," he responded in a sober tone that shocked his son, "I'm not very good at making big decisions." He softly smiled to himself as he continued, "I'm impulsive, and tend to let my emotional state overrule my logic. There's a reason it's not my job." Pat chuckled to himself, then suddenly stopped. Virgil seemed to pick up on what he was thinking.

   "Then let's go see someone whose it is!" Virgil exclaimed, his eyeshadow flashing a dazzling violet out of excitement. Patton nodded and the two raced through the maze of a house that was the mindscape.

   Maybe I'll finally come to an answer.

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   The duo came to a stop in front of a dark stained wooden door with Logan's logo painted on in dark blue. Patton looked at Virgil who quickly shook his head "no" to opening the door. The logical side was scary when interrupted from a project. Patton was the only one out of all the sides in the mindscape that he wouldn't kill upon entry. Patton shook his head, smiling at Virgil's frantic antics. He raised his hand to the door, summoned all his courage, and knocked on the door to the rhythm of Do You Wanna Build A Snowman.

   Logan stood up in fury, thinking it was Roman at the door. "I SWEAR TO GOD ROMAN, THATS THE THIRD TIME THIS WEEK!!" He was fuming as he opened the door. His usual composure had turned into that of a rabid beast in his frustration, but broke down when he saw that it was not, in fact, Roman.

   "Nope! Good guess though!" Patton giggled, making Logan's face as red as a solanum lycopersicum. "Can we come in?"

   Logan took that time to notice Virgil's presence, obviously frightened by his previous outburst, yet still managing to make a smug look at the sight, somehow making him even more embarrassed. Logan rubbed the bridge of his nose in defeat, "May we, Patton. May we..." and stepped aside, signaling the sides waiting in the hallway to come in.

   Virgil followed into the cramped room. Logan didn't have much in there, just a bookshelf, bed, and desk, yet Virgil always found it rather claustrophobic. He sat down on the single bed and fiddled with the deep blue blanket. He saw Patton sit down next to him, but didn't bother to look up.

   "So," Logan started, catching Virgil's attention, "what brings you here, fam?" He asked, pulling out his slang flashcards and noting the cringe plastered on the gloomy side's face.

   "Well Logie," Patton explained, knowing full well Virgil wouldn't want to do it himself, "Virgil here asked me for advice that I didn't really know how to give... I just didn't have an answer that would work for him and his- er, situation."

   "Well, I do know a lot of things, so I might have an answer for you." Logan humble-bragged.

   Virgil looked to Patton, who simply gave him a sympathetic nod, or maybe it was supposed to be encouraging? He took a deep breath in, and let it out in a brief sigh. He then proceeded to explain his situation to the other side, who remained unnervingly stoic the whole time. After about three minutes, the nervous side finished up his short ramble, sighing in relief when he was finally done.

   "Hm. That is quite the predicament." Virgil nodded, somewhat exasperated. "Well..." Logan continued, "oftentimes when faced with a difficult decision, it is a good idea to imagine the possible outcomes."

   "That's legit all I've been doing." Virgil responded with sarcasm. "Anxiety." He gestured to himself while falling back onto the bed.

   "Well have you tried researching the topic of your decision to determine the most likely outcome?" Logan asked while scribbling "legit" on a new flashcard.

   Virgil sat back up, pondering his new option. "Research?"

   Logan nodded proudly. "Research. You can start right now. Ask me something about your topic, and I will most likely have enough information to get you started. At the very least, I'll be able to help you find some good sources." Logan kept his gaze on Virgil, who was doing his best to come up with a good question.

   He would know a lot about it... Virgil thought, coming to his question. He looked up at Logan, then turned to look at Patton, who gave him an encouraging thumbs up and a smile. I don't want to make either of them uncomfortable... he looked back at Logan, who just nodded. Here goes nothing...

   He took a deep breath.

"... Logan?" He was practically shaking with nerves.

"...How did you die?..."

A/N- Phew! That was a doozie to write. Hate to leave you guys on a cliffhanger like that, but I think it's best for the story. (Yeah because you're totally not a sick son of a biscuit, fanboi.) Hey! Anyways, I hope you all are enjoying this so far. It's mildly draining to write this much, but worth it! Yes, I did have to look up the spelling of solanum lycopersicum. Still worth it. Hope you all have a good day! (Who are you kidding, no one reads this.) STFU.