Sanders Sides (and more) One Shots

Friend in Need

Warnings: character death

Patton was, without a doubt, a really happy kid who can brighten the darkest of nights with a smile. He loved to play around the town and do good deeds for people even if they didn't know the deeds were done by him. No matter what, he wanted to make people happy, so when he saw a young boy sitting alone on a swing and looking down, he knew he was needed since everyone else seemed preoccupied.

Patton sat on the swing next to the boy dressed in black and purple and the boy looked in Patton's direction with surprise.

"What are you doing here?" Patton asked innocently.

"You know, serving as kid-repellent. I can't say I'm surprised," the boy responded.

"Are you new here?" Patton asked while gently swinging.

"I've been here for a while, actually. I wasn't born here but-oh, who am I kidding. You'll probably grow tired of me."

"I promise you I won't. Who wouldn't want to be your friend?"

"Well, if you're sure, I must warn you I'm not the best person to be around."

"I'm sure I'd beg to differ."

"My name is Virgil, then."

"I'm Patton. It's nice to meet you."

From then on, along with roaming around town, playing with puppies, and doing good deeds for people who don't seem to really notice, hanging out with Virgil by the swings had become a new addition to Patton's days. Virgil would always be certain that every day the two would spend time together would be their last, but Patton would always show a lot of kindness and love from his heart. He would always hear about Virgil's love for music and drawing and Patton would exchange knowledge of the animals he loves as well as crack some jokes just to see Virgil smile.

Patton didn't know why he was more aware of the gossip amongst his fellow townsfolk; maybe he felt bored of the feeling of roaming around with words used as background noise or maybe it they were discussing words he could understand as opposed to just taxes or real estate. However, he heard some people briefly mention speculations of a ghost or things moving on their own without the wind playing a role. Patton felt eager to bring up the new topic to Virgil, but he didn't want to scare his new best friend. He eventually made it to the swings and saw the kids were not paying attention to him, just like what his dark joke from when they first met implied. Virgil seemed happier when Patton came to see him and they resumed talking about topics that were random and not too abstract.

Patton really wanted to bring up the ghost gossip, but couldn't bring himself to cause to potential fear, so he asked a different question:
"How come I haven't met your parents?"

Virgil's eyes widened and Patton was starting to worry that he might've said something wrong. Virgil looked down and took a deep breath before he brought his attention back to the boy.

"Well, my mommy is a teacher. Before we came here, I was in a town where no one at school knew what to do when a kid...had urges to curl up in a ball and gasp for air as they...cry without knowing what they're feeling if it's not sadness. As a result, we moved here and mommy taught me from home. She wanted me to make friends, also, but you're my first and best friend," the boy explained before he flinched as if waiting for the sky to fall on him.

Patton took in the story and, although he felt that there was still something that he didn't know, he still wanted nothing more than to show Virgil that he was still loved by him.

"If I was at your other school, if you wanted, I would've given you a great big hug," Patton told him.

The remark made Virgil open his eyes and smile at the boy.

Eventually, Patton walked with Virgil to Virgil's house and they saw his mom exit the house to greet Virgil. The darker-clothed boy tried to ask if Patton could stay over, but it seemed as if his mommy was too busy to answer. As the two of them made it into the house, it dawned on Patton that time slipped away from him and his own mommy and daddy must've been worried sick about him being out late. Maybe he was able to do big kid activities for himself at home during the weeks, but it was the weekend, which meant that his parents would actually be home before it got too dark.

Patton strolled the route home that he immediately recalled after acknowledging the bakery in his path. When Patton made it to his house, he saw his mommy walk out of the house and looked a little closer to see a teddy bear in her grip. His mommy walked past him without looking down and it prompted Patton to follow her without acknowledging his surroundings. Soon, his mommy stopped in her tracks and crouched to place the teddy bear on the ground. She walked away and he saw that the teddy bear was joined by a plush dog, cat, aardvark, enough animals for a little plush zoo and they all surrounded a stone as large as Patton. It took a while for Patton to notice the writing using the little amount of light left in the day, but the message left a multitude of emotions blendering in his head:

'Patton Goldbloom
Guardian Angel to all
Never forgotten'

The next time the boys met in the park, neither of them were in the best of moods. They sat in their respective swings looked at each other, and looked down.

"I...told my mom about you," Virgil broke the ice.

"What did she say?" Patton muttered.
"According to another resident, a child of your description was no longer in the neighborhood...because he ignored a 'Beware of Dog' sign on a neighbor's fence."

Patton flinched while images of the description swirled into his mind. He wanted to play with the dog and thought it just needed friendship. He felt fear and so much pain before he blacked out. Next thing he knew, the dog was sleeping peacefully and he thought his work there was done.

"Am I wrong for trying to find good in everything?" Patton asked out of the blue.

Virgil remained motionless in his swing and sobbed softly.

"Why are you crying, Virgil? Did I scare you?" Patton asked with concern.

"N-no, it's just that...you'll leave...forever..."

Patton looked down at his hands before he looked up at the sky. He knew he was expecting...something, though he didn't know what or why. The fact that he couldn't see...whatever it was he was looking for made him feel more determined to help Virgil.

"Virgie, I don't have to go anywhere and I want to. I want to add to my promise that I wouldn't be tired of you; I promise to be your best friend forever and be there for you."

Virgil looked at his friend with tears strolling down his cheeks. He was looking for any sign that Patton could be making an empty promise, but couldn't find any.

"What will happen when I grow old?" Virgil asked.

"Then, I'll make friends with your grandchildren, but I'll still be your best friend. You can even have more than one if you want, but I just want to be there for you," Patton swore up and down.

Virgil might not have been able to see what was so special about himself, but he was able to see that Patton was willing to stay by his side for a really long time. So, through many challenges and then some, Virgil knew Patton was still there and did whatever he could to help him just as the boy had been helping Virgil for so long.