Home Sweet Home [REWRITTEN] (TSS foster AU)

III - New Friends

When they arrived home, Thomas did indeed help Virgil decorate his new room. He even hung up a sign with "Virgil's Room" written on it.

"There you go, Virge. Dinner'll be in about an hour. How about burgers?" Thomas suggested, smiling.

"Sounds great," Virgil said, smiling a little.

"Cool, I'll leave you to chill out for a bit then."

His bedding for the bottom bunk was now black, with purple on the top one. On the top bunk sat his spider, surrounded by some new friends: a stuffed bat, his Bulbasaur, a huge Squirtle that smelled like bubble gum, and an assortment of other scented Pokémon plushes from Build-a-Bear, all of them way too stuffed.

After mentioning he liked Pokémon, Thomas also bought him some cards and promised to get him some of the games. This made Virgil incredibly happy because no one had bothered to get him any Pokémon stuff before, or at least, none had actually gone through with it. Virgil smiled as he put his new Pokémon plushes in the closet. So far, today had been a good day.

Virgil was taking care of his new clothes when Thomas called him down for dinner.

"Hope you enjoy them, they're freshly grilled. You can put whatever you like on it, and I have some chips too." Virgil made his burger and sat across from Thomas, eating in silence.

Thomas suddenly spoke up. "I know it's gotta be tough, moving to a new house with a man you've never met before, but I hope I've been able to make your transition a little easier." He smiled. "And you can take as long as you need to get comfortable, I won't push you to do anything you don't want to."

Virgil wanted to cry. No one had been this kind to him in years, if ever, especially right out the gate. But still, he found it hard to trust Thomas, however badly he wanted to. There was just no way to ensure he would always be nice.

Virgil set his food down, beginning to speak. "I appreciate the effort. Thank you for the stuff. I'll... try to remember that. Just, p- please don't be hurt if I take a- a bit longer than most people, my anxiety can get really bad, so-"

Thomas's reassuring expression turned to one of concern. "Hang on, anxiety? Do you have an anxiety disorder? They never mentioned any mental health issues..." He paused. "N- not that that's an issue, I just want to make sure you get the help you need."

Virgil was a bit caught off guard. Most people told him he was being too sensitive when he mentioned anxiety, or being 'overreactive'. "I don't know," he shrugged. "I've never been to anyone who could tell me if I did. I just have looked into it a lot myself, so I figured maybe I do..." His voice trailed off.

"Well," Thomas began, putting his burger down. "I could schedule an appointment with a professional if you'd like. Maybe they can help you out."

Virgil stared at Thomas. In all his life, no one had offered any mental health resources. No one had given a shit about his mental health since he was 7. He felt tears pricking at his eyes as he nodded. Thomas smiled.

"I'll call tomorrow. First, we'll get you diagnosed and maybe on some meds, then we can go looking for a therapist. Alright?" Virgil nodded, silently thanking the man.

After dinner, Virgil joined Thomas on the couch for a mini-marathon, specifically for Disney movies. Although Virgil wasn't paying much attention to the films, he was still quite happy. The two stayed up until 11 pm watching movies until Virgil got tired.

"I'm going to head to bed," Virgil yawned. Thomas nodded.

"Alright, Virge. Sleep well." Virgil bid Thomas goodnight, smiling as he went upstairs. Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad place to stay. Careful, Virgil, he thought, feeling his smile slowly drop. It's only temporary...