Sunsets in Paradise (Sanders Side's Simulation AU)

A glint in his eye.

"Doctor Emile Picani," The man with the glasses stated. "Prepare to enter the simulation."

Picani shook, his body stinging with a tingling pain throughout him, like tiny needles poking into his bones. His head pounded, running, and if he'd screamed in the process he hadn't remembered it.

It was white. Bright light, white light, then no light at all. Picani shivered, quivered, moves with no sound. His body ached, baked, and he looked down.

Endless. The light was endless. No up or down, no left or right, no wrong or right or good or bad. Just him, and an endless amount of bright white light.

Then he shot up, covered in a blanket he never remembered putting on and wondering where he was as moonlight poured through the open window.

He looked outside to find a school, only about a block away, and he decided to sit down. Something was inside of him, churning and making him shake, inching its way up his throat like acid burning on his skin.

If he could've choked, he would've. If he could've cried, he would've. His mouth was sweet and suddenly he was on his feet running to the bathroom.

Oh geez, he shouldn't have eaten before this.

Stretching out in his bed, Picani yawned. Finally, a decent night's sleep. As he dragged his aching, sleep-deprived body out of bed, he thought over today's goals:

• Find Remy.
• After yelling at Remy, meet the sides.

That was all he could afford for today, and then tomorrow he'd start the process of trying to get them out. He wondered if it would even be that easy when they'd only given him one word of instruction: Take the exit, and when it's black, tell them that it's okay.

He swallowed, hating them for being vague and hating his sleep-deprived self for not asking more questions, and spat out the toothpaste in his mouth that he didn't even remember putting in his mouth. Then his body dragged itself on autopilot down to the kitchen for breakfast.

After a rushed series of morning routines and realising that he was going to be late, Picani was out the door and trying to find the school he'd been enrolled in. The simulation, Picani thought, was pretty good at getting new people in discreetly. He wondered if that was a government addition, or if they'd just been really smart.

The gates of the school were open, a large and wide arch that had the school's name carved into a wooden board. Picani couldn't tell what part of him thought it was familiar, and he didn't have time to dwell on it before Remy had spotted him.

"Picani!?" Remy's familiar voice rang through his mind. He hadn't heard it in so long, not since the scream he'd hear outside of the office after Remy's departure into the simulation. When he turned around, he expected to tell himself there was no one there, but Remy was suddenly embracing him in the tightest hug of his life. "Dude, I missed you!"

He had to pull himself from Remy. "Hello, Remy." He stated. "Just as excited to see me as usual."

"I thought they... I thought you weren't...?" He trailed off, and Picani could tell why. A few metres back, the sides stood. He didn't have the strength to look over each of them or the strength to smile at Remy, but all of them looked so happy and suddenly he doubted they'd even needed this whole simulation. "I thought you'd stayed back."

"Well," Picani cleared his throat, smiling softly. "They sent me to fix your mess."

"My mess?" Remy looked genuinely confused, and Picani bubbled with something he hadn't felt before. Something so weirdly human he forgot that he was in a simulation for a second or two. "I didn't mess up."

"It's been five months, Remy," Picani glared at him. "Five months and you didn't come back. Of course, you messed up, you didn't get them back quick enough. Now, I'm here, to fix your issue."

"But..." Remy took his glasses off to stare up at Picani with those soft brown eyes of his. "But I couldn't force them to leave, they didn't want to."

Picani sighed. "So soft, so innocent," He hummed. "I guess that's what time does to someone living the dream. I've been stuck in a world where colour means nothing, where everything I knew of is black and white and grey, where I've seen people mourn because their loved ones are stuck in a stupid simulation. I made a promise, Remy, and I'm extremely loyal."

Hushed voices and whispers were all he could afford. "Picani..." Remy sounded so pained. He sounded so genuinely pained that Picani almost doubted that he wasn't trying to do the harm he so knew  Remy was doing.  "Picani I can't force them too, they haven't resolved the issue yet."

"The issue?" He snarled. "The issue is that Thomas has been gone for two years, Remy."

"Not two years," Remy said. "I don't know how long but not two years."

"Then I don't know either," Picani sighs. "But long enough for people to think he's dead."

Remy grabs his hand. "I can't force them out, Picani," He says. "They don't even remember this is a simulation, they think is the real deal, because the moment they missed the closing date they were added to the simulation. Removing them won't be easy."

"I know," Picani sighs. "Trust me, they briefed me, I know. It's going to hurt, but it's my mission."

Remy's hands were warm and soft like Picani remembered. Remy's style was relaxed and black like Picani remembered. It was everything that Picani remembered, everything but the world around them. It was too bright, too busy and moving so slowly it was artificial.

Then Remy had led them over to the group, and he'd put on that smile he remembered in some weird Deja Voo way. "Hello!" He said, smiling. "I'm Picani!"

They all smiled back at him, at the same time, the way they did when he first met them. Logan and Patton, who'd been rather distant when Picani had first met them, were now holding hands as Patton leaned against Logan. Roman and Virgil, which had been feisty with one another, were now standing next to each other with smiles on their face, no argument in sight.

"I'm Patton!" Patton says, letting go of Logan's hand to hold it out for Picani. "It's nice to meet you, Picani!" So cheery, just like always. Picani shakes his hand, trying to escape the suck of the memories tugging at him. He doesn't need to be distracted.

Picani sees a glint of something in Patton's eyes, something that calls him back to the time before the simulation mess. Something he saw in that circle before the night was over, the moment he looked at the group and said 'We can't'. Something that Picani had searched for over and over again, something so unique he didn't even realise both him and Patton hadn't let go of the handshake and were now just looking at each other.

It was as if someone, a piece of something, were calling out to him.

"And I'm Logan," Logan says, pulling them both back to reality as they awkwardly break their handshake so that Patton can hold Logan's hand again. "It's so nice to meet you." His words are harsh, the tone defensive, but Picani only smiles and moves over to Virgil.

"Hey," Virgil pipes up softly. "I'm Virgil."

They don't shake hands, but Picani can see that glimpse, even if it is dulled, in Virgil's eyes. Roman is the one that he wonders about because it's hiding. "I'm Roman," Roman smiles. "How do you know Remy?"

"We went to school together," Remy pipes up. "Before I moved here. I thought he'd left the country, but apparently not. He's a sly dog."

"I never left the country," Picani refutes, a smile on his face. "I just had to move and didn't want people following me. New start and everything."

Patton is the only one that nods. Picani sighs, smiling awkwardly. Logan grips Patton's hand a little tighter as they smile at each other, as if defensively. Picani can't even begin to think of breaking into whatever relationship they have and splitting them up, because he knows Logan will probably fight him and win.

Oh boy, if only today was going quicker.

(A/N: aaaaaayyeeee it's me
I'm still here. Also please check out my little Patton Says things, I love them more than is humanely possible.

-Winter)