The Impossible Death

CHAPTER 14 - TENSIONS

Deceit didn't truly know what to expect when he entered the real world once again.

Maybe they all got tired of waiting around and went off back to their rooms, or perhaps they were all sitting around waiting for him to appear again.

He wasn't expecting to pop up to see everyone running around the kitchen like chickens with their heads cut off and smoke filling the air.

"Patton, why did you leave the plastic on the burner? You know plastic will burn!" Logan shouted over the smoke alarm, attempting to scrape burnt plastic off of the stove.

"I'm sorry! I forgot I put it there!" Patton shouted in return as he fanned the smoke alarm with a metal tray.

"Why didn't you all just leave it to me?" Thomas asked, also fanning the smoke detector with a metal tray.

"Or you could have left it to me!" Roman shouted over it all, safely from the living room. "If I had done it, it would have been the most magnificent feast!"

With an abrupt halt, the smoke alarm turned off and everyone let out a light sigh of relief before they noticed Virgil and Deceit.

"Dee! How are ya feeling?" Patton asked happily as he wiped sweat off his brow, leaving a long black streak in its place.

"Fine. What in the world is happening?" Deceit asked as he went closer to the kitchen with Virgil in the lead.

"Why did you attempt to cook without me here?!" Virgil asked in panic as he looked around the smoke filled kitchen.

"Sorry Virgil. Patton wanted dinner to be warm when Deceit awoke, so we started it while you were both sleeping. Apologies." Logan said, wiping his hands on a towel and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Dinner?" Deceit asked, not bothering to hide his confusion.

Sharing a quick look with the others, Roman responded, "Yes, dinner! The best meal of the day!"

Deceit looked around at everyone's faces of agreement.

"You guys eat food?" Deceit asked and a stunned silence filled the room.

"Uh, why wouldn't we?" Roman asked, confusion all over his face.

"Well, I guess we technically don't have to eat." Logan said, pushing his glasses up his nose. "But it allows us a set time to bond and talk things over."

"Do... I mean... Do you not eat, Dee?" Patton asked quietly, seeming afraid for the answer and Deceit felt himself wilt inside.

"I mean, I have before. Just, not in a while I guess." he said softly, looking down and picking at his cuffs on his sleeves.

"How long?" Virgil asked, startling Deceit with his hard voice but soft and scared gaze. He looked afraid to hear the answer.

"I mean not too long ago. I think I ate a bagel the other day—" Deceit began but Virgil cut him off.

"How long, Dee? Don't lie, I'll know." Virgil said and Deceit felt himself deflate as he crossed his arms over his chest and curled inward on himself.

"Thomas's thirteenth birthday." he mumbled, so quietly he almost hoped Virgil had missed it, but of course he hadn't.

"Sixteen years ago?" Virgil asked and Deceit gave the slightest nod.

"That's... When I left." Virgil said and Deceit looked up to see tears welling in his eyes.

"I mean, it's as Logan said. It's not actually necessary for us to eat, so is it really that bad?"

"Yes, eating or not eating will have no physical effect on our well being. That is a fact." Logan spoke up, though Deceit could see the concern in his eyes. "However, food has been shown to help improve ones mood and make them happier, thus helping one's mental health."

Deceit gave a long sigh.

"I've already told you I'm fine, guys. Can't you just drop this?"

"What about the rest of your body, Deceit?" Logan asked suddenly, causing Deceit to stutter a bit.

"I'm not sorry, what?" he asked, hoping that this conversation wasn't leading where he thought it was.

Logan sighed and leaned backwards on the counter.

"My studies show that those who partake in self harm to the extent that you do often don't just stop at one part of their body. They usually will go on to do the same to other parts. So my question here is, what haven't we seen yet?"

Deceit felt his stomach sink as his mind went empty of any excuses he might have had.

"I don't see how that's relevant to food Logan." Deceit said cooley, thoughts knew his body language probably told Logan all he needed.

"I am simply trying to figure out why you are trying so desperately to keep us in the dark of your struggles, especially when we have expressed our desire to help."

Deceit froze at this, thinking back to all the times he has ever appeared to the others before and he could feel himself snap.

"Shut up. You never cared before. You only want to help now that you know, but you didn't care enough to know about me earlier. You may blame me for that, seeing as I never asked for help, but why would I? There isn't anything wrong here except for the fact that you're trying to what? Fix me? Fix me so I can be seen as the bad guy again? The side you despise and hate? Nah, no thanks. I'm fine, and that's the truth. What isn't fine is that you're now acting like you care when you never did before. So just do me a favor and leave me alone."

Deceit didn't stick around to get a reaction, instead sinking out and reappearing on the roof of the mindscapes house.

Heaving a sigh, he sat down on the edge, feeling his feet dangle into the grey nothingness of the rest of Thomas's mind.

He never asked for help. He never asked to be cared for. Why couldn't they just get that?