Sympathetic Deceit One Shots

Skin Care

[Written October 9-11, 2018]

A/N: My sympathetic!deceit hc name is Seth!

Genre: Hurt/Comfort; Loceit

Prompt: Hayride

Word count: 2417

Tws: Eczema!Deceit, explicit descriptions of eczema/his skin condition, harassment/bullying, censored trans slur, self alienation. Oh and also Seth scratches a lot so like if you've got eczema just a heads up [Happy ending]

The five of them had been planning it pretty much since they met.

Seth came along last, after their Halloween plans were already solidified. As he was told it, Patton and Virgil had been together since Sophomore year of high school. When Virgil found out his roommate was a flamboyant asshole, Patton had to frequently break up arguments. Sometimes Virgil and Roman would fight on purpose, because their arguments were never serious and it was funny watching Patton freaking out over their playful insults.

Early in September, Virgil and Logan ran into each other. Logan worked at the campus's library and Virgil had gone to pick up some books for an assignment, only to knock over a whole stack of books Logan had just organized. Virgil damn near burst into tears as Logan scrambled to clean it up, promising Virgil that it was fine and dear God don't cry I wouldn't even know how to handle it.

Virgil stuck around to help Logan reorganize them and then put them away as an apology. When Patton came around a few hours later to check on Virgil, only to find the two of them working on their homework in silent companionship, Patton immediately adopted Logan into their group.

It was early in October when Logan met Seth. Their professor had them all change seats, and they bonded quietly over their hatred for that teacher and cynicism of everything around them.

In just a few days, Seth went from being on his own, like always, to having people to sit with and talk to every day. He wouldn't really call them friends- He knew a lot about them, sure, but they were usually too caught up in themselves to learn anything about him -but it was still a welcome change from spending all his time alone in class or alone in his dorm.

Just a week before Halloween, they all suddenly remembered their new addition to the group, and invited him to join. He panicked a little bit and was both afraid of being rude and being questioned, so he just said yes. And now, Halloween day, he still hadn't worked up the courage to tell them he couldn't go.

They had planned back in September to go to a haunted hayride as a group. Since the first day of school, Seth wore a full face of makeup to hide eczema. Aside from occasionally catching Logan watching him scratch, or asking about scabs, it worked. There was no way for them to know he couldn't go.

He could just tell them, instead of thinking up all the excuses he could possibly give them, but... He didn't want to be harassed again. There was really no winning with him- If he wore makeup to hide it, he got called a tr*nny. If he didn't, he was called disgusting, a reptile.

One time, someone asked if it hurts when his scales shed. He didn't answer them, but he sort of wish he did. He knew it wouldn't get him anywhere, but he just wanted to yell about how yes, it did hurt. His skin was drying out and cracking apart and falling off his body layer by layer. He looked like a goddamn zombie half the time. He could take his makeup off and pretend it was his Halloween costume. It hurt like hell, and then there were assholes like that who couldn't keep their mouths shut.

Being with the others was the first and only time he didn't have to worry about that. As long as he kept his makeup on, he could just be comfortable. He was terrified of losing that.