~ Wings ~ Sanders Sides ~

~ Chapter Nineteen ~ Patton ~

Art by: Me!

That night, as I'm looking at the stars again, I see a faint blue light from the corner of my eye. I turn my head to look at it, but I can't see it. Assuming it's coming from the sky, I climb a nearby tree.

What I see is stunning. The entire house is glowing pale blue. There's a small speck of red in the middle. I shake my head, confused. Why is the house glowing... my color. Everything clicks. I leap down and start running.

When I finally get back, what I see takes my breath away. There are candles everywhere. They line the walkway to the house and are scattered around the lawn. Some are on windowsills and there's even a few on the roof. Each one is lit with a blue flame. I also see a few lanterns floating around.

Standing a few feet away from me, in the middle of the walkway, is Roman. He holds his own candle, lit with a pure red flame, and it illuminates the tender smile on his face and the small wells of tears in his eyes.

"Ro.." I breathe, awestruck. "Is this all for me?"

Roman chuckles softly and nods before setting the candle down and walking over to me. He places a hand on my shoulder. "Don't ever run away again. Please." A few tears spill out of his eyes. "I missed you."

"Roman..." I reach up to wipe his tears away, my hands momentarily catching on my long sleeves. "Don't cry, kiddo, I'm here now."

"I know, Patton," Roman says, his voice catching ever so slightly. "And I never want to lose you again." I start tearing up myself, so I bury my face into Roman's chest and let the tears flow freely, my arms wrapped tightly around him. Roman doesn't hesitate to hug me back even tighter.

"Am I interrupting something?" Hailey asks. I can't see her, but I can hear the smirk in her voice. I want to tell her everything, but hold back so I only have to say it once.

"Get over here," I say instead. After a moment, I can hear footsteps on the pavement and I'm soon hugged from one side as well. I wiggle one arm out, then wrap it around Thomas's only female side. I run a finger along the spot on her back where her wings start, giving her silent permission to let them out. She does so and wraps those around us as well. I stay there, breathing in the scent of home, just enjoying this moment of calm before—

"PATTON!" The brief peace is shattered and I steady myself just in time to not be knocked over by Virgil tackle hugging me. "Don't ever do that again!" My dark strange son sobs into my chest. I pat his back reassuringly, not saying a word.

"Patton, are you alright?" Logan asks, walking up to us. "It is truly unlike you to run off unless there is something very wrong."

"I'm fine, Lo," I reply quietly.

"Falsehood. As I said, you do not normally run off unless something is truly bothering you."

What am I supposed to say, I couldn't stand being around everyone's wings and not having my own? No, they'll hate me! "I just needed some alone time, and I knew Remus wouldn't let me have that if he knew where I was." There. That's technically not a lie.

"You just have to scare me into submission," Remus says, high heeled boots clicking on the stone pavement. "Virgil used to do that all the time when he wanted me to leave him alone."

"That was different, Remus," Virgil said, his voice leaking veiled irritation. "First off, I was a dark side, and second off, I was able to scare you because of what I was. I could still technically do it as Anxiety, but it won't be as easy or effective as it was."

"Whatever." I can hear the eye roll in Remus's voice. "Either way, everyone else is waiting inside for you. Remy fell asleep and Dee wanted to stay with him." I chuckle.

"Lead the way."

Once we get inside, Deceit glances up at me and an obvious wave of relief washes over his face. "I knew you would be alright~," he lies, standing up to walk over to me.

I scoff. "No need to put on a brave face," I tell him. "Admit it, you were worried about me."

"Of course I was worried, Patton! You're the foundation of Thomas's personality, he has everything to lose if you're gone!"

"For once, Deceit has a valid point," Logan adds, walking in behind us. "Although I find it rather intriguing that he was worried. You are his complete offset."

"Even the apparent villains have a heart," I remind, casting a glance at Virgil, who winks at me. Then I realize something. I have to tell them while they're all together.