Sander Sides One Shots

No Longer Alone (Non-Ship)

A/N (So this is a none ship story about how the traits first meet anxiety. I found it abit cute to be honest. Credit goes out to the author. "Amydiddle" on AO3)

Anxiety had been free to move around the mind space for two years now. The day that Thomas had entered fifth grade was the day he finally got a door handle to escape his dark room. The first few days he did not dare touch the handle in case it was a trick. After that he hung around in the basement space listening to people move around upstairs yet never venturing there himself.

When that week was up he finally did go up and had been making trips ever since. Only, he made sure the others did not see him. He was fast and stuck to the shadows. He never let them see him once.

In the beginning he only went up when they were all asleep but eventually he started to go up to just listen to them all. Hear what they had to say and watch them as they worked with Thomas. Learn who Logic, Creativity, and Heart where or rather learn who Logan, Roman, and Patton where. Use that information to figure out who he, as Virgil, was.

Yet, even with the silent observation, he let time pass without saying a word; without getting their attention. He let them go on thinking they were the only three sides to Thomas.

Thomas was now in seventh grade. No longer the ten year old that he was when Anxiety was released and there was still so much to come in his young life. Virgil could tell; he just had this feeling.

The thought of more work and the higher likelihood of getting caught plagued his mind. The silent pre-teen laid awake at night worried about a future he knew nothing about. It was always some strange topic that his thoughts wandered to.

Tonight in particular it was just jumping around Thomas’ minor fears.

What if Greg hates Thomas now? He has been talking to those other people a lot lately. I bet he is talking to them and making fun of Thomas.

High school is so close. That is where all the really bad things happen. I don’t want Thomas to get hurt or fail or have harder tests. Maybe he can just skip it and join a circus?

Wait...did Thomas put his math homework in his backpack? IF HE FORGETS IT HE WILL FAIL! IF HE FAILS HE WILL BE HELD BACK! IF HE IS HELD BACK HIS PARENTS WITH HATE HIM! EVERYONE WILL HATE HIM-!

Anxiety gave a small grunt of annoyance and sat up. The voices in his mind going silent at the outward burst of aggravation as if they were satisfied with annoying the child out of his sleep. It was not like Virgil had anywhere to go but he did like to be awake during some of the day.

The child ran a hand through his hair and let the bangs fall back over his eyes. He was so tired. He had noticed that bags had started to form under his eyes the last time he went to the bathroom. The mirror was now covered up by a towel because it also showed how pale and skinny and pathetic he was.

Virgil pushed himself from the bed and grabbed the hoodie that had been thrown on the floor. The pulled it over and sighed when the familiar weight encompassed him. The simple jacket hung almost to his knees and way past his hands. It was a comfort he had always had.

With his ‘armor’ on he took a breath and stepped out of the dark room.

The basement was darker than the bedroom he had just left. There was no small nightlight to keep him sane. No pictures from so long ago hanging on the walls. Just a dark screen that he never got to work and ominous doors filled with forgotten things and memories that were more blurs of feelings than an actual thing.

He pulled the hood of the jacket over his head and rushed his sock covered feet over to the stairs. Virgil took eat step quickly and cautiously. He let a hand out to hold onto the railing so he would not fall and let the fast pace of his heart drive him to get up and out into the main hub where the other three lived.