Virgil sat on top of the couch wrapped up in a thick black comforter and holding his mug of tea like a lifeline. His headache had gone down most of the way, but he still had very little patience for the day. Disgruntled, maybe. Not that Virgil was sure he ever felt 'gruntled'. It wasn't that far from meeting time for the story sharing. Virgil couldn't wait to get this over with, either. He might even duck out early, but he may as well try. Sitting with his face over a mug of chamomile quietly on the couch was certainly doable. It would be too much effort to come up with an excuse to leave, anyway.

Logan was already here, as usual, writing on a clipboard with his collated story papers on the coffee table. Virgil hadn't been up to proofreading what he wrote yesterday, but today his bitterness slightly overwrote his fear of grammatical errors annoying his friends. Whatever. It was probably fine. He was too tired to find those kinds of errors anyway. He just wanted to get through this and sit in the dark with more tea and his music. He watched Logan examine him briefly and couldn't stop from glaring back slightly.

"Virgil, I see your mood is still dour. Are you still struggling with cranial discomfort?" Logan asked, sounding slightly distracted. Virgil gave a half-assed nod in response and sipped his tea. Logan went back to writing on his clipboard right away without acknowledging him any further. Why bother asking if he would not do anything with that information. Is there a check-box for participant pain level or something? Virgil needed to get a hold of that clipboard sometime and see what terrible things Logan was writing about them.

Patton and Roman appeared shortly, and the summaries went on as usual. Logan had written a story about Thomas curing a skin disease in parrots, and it was full of medical jargon that annoyed Virgil's headache. Delightfully enough, the parrot in his lab he used the final cure on thanked him for treating him. According to the story, the parrot learned to speak as science!Thomas talked over the creating cure. Virgil supposed Patton was finally rubbing off on him. Talking animals is so his thing. Though this had more wish-fulfillment elements to it. It wasn't exactly Thomas's degree, but it was in part using science to save the rain forest. Logan must have finally caught on that stories can be fun. Virgil doubted he'd be complaining about writing fiction again, but also had a feeling Logan wouldn't admit it either.

The others were also pretty heartwarming. Virgil knew they were all optimists, but this was nice instead of grating like it normally was. Optimism was just easier to stomach in fiction, maybe. Patton wrote about a Dad who was nostalgic about his son as a kid when he went off to college, telling his new kittens about all the things he and his son used to do together. The single dad was trying to overcome the empty feeling of the house now that his son was gone for college and growing up and not needing him as much anymore. Virgil wasn't too sure about Patton's definition of strife, but there was a type of conflict. It was a little melancholy, and Virgil really liked it. It felt like the kind of story he needed today. It was easy to follow, and he included some fond memories Thomas had with his own dad in the story. And kittens. The kittens were the best, and Virgil possibly was way too attached to these fictional kittens because of Patton's ridiculous emotional prowess. Knowing Patton, they would live long and happy lives, so Virgil could rest easy about them.

Roman wrote about friends who started out going to a theme park together for a few days but had solved a strange murder mystery by the Sunday night fireworks. It was incredibly gay, which was always a bonus. It was a park attendee who tried to hide their catastrophic mistake that caused a ride to shut down and the park police after the culprit. So the culprit ran around trying to cause some other problems in the park and tried to spread the rumor it was haunted. There were plenty of tongue-in-cheek references to Scooby-Doo by the characters. They called each other gang, and there was a stuffed dog they carted along with them as they searched for clues. The mystery strained his head a bit, but he liked that Roman picked a murder mystery as overcoming strife and as a really odd way to bring friends into admitting their feelings. It was like the gay version of meet-cute, except they'd been friends for years and just never noticed until they found a body on the water ride and felt compelled to solve it.

Remus's summation was way too loud and Virgil barely caught a quarter of it, but from all the thrusting movements he was pretty certain it was also very gay. Patton wasn't freaking out too much, so it must have not been too R rated. Or maybe he was scared stiff. Perhaps the motions were unrelated to the contents of the story. It's hard to say when the duke is involved. Virgil had trouble following the random story that seemed to constantly switch perspective. He had enough problems focusing with his headache, so he'd resolved to read it again later. It was something about a couple at a creepy carnival of nightmares. Virgil didn't know if it was a dream or some crazed killer situation, but Virgil would be surprised if the adversary didn't overcome the couple by the end. Maybe the couple was supposed to be the strife to overcome, like the villain is the real protagonist, but the perspective switching is supposed to confuse you. Virgil genuinely had no clue. It would be a very cool use of narrative as a distraction if that was the case.

Virgil was buried deep in his blanket listening to his friends talk animatedly about the stories after they finished up and started the discussion. Their themes were diverging slightly, showing influence from the other sides and that excited Patton and intrigued Logan even further on the subject of cross-studying. Virgil's mind started drifting as the chamomile tea he was sipping made him sleepier. He was very comfortable, and it was nice listening to his friends talk about things that didn't need some deep debate or Virgil's full attention because Thomas was in danger if they made some dumb choice. He didn't really feel like skipping out on the end anymore. He closed his eyes and just let the chamomile smell and the voices wash over him.

"And Kiddo!" Patton exclaimed, pulling Virgil back to reality.

"Huh?" He said, shaking his head lightly to loosen up the sleepiness that had sneaked up on him. God, how much could a side sleep in one day? He had definitely drifted earlier before the meeting and thought he finally was awake. That was not the case.

"It's clear that I influenced you this week! What a nice ending! I'm so glad they found their daughter, and she was okay!" Patton declared. Oh right, he wrote a story about a kid getting distracted and subsequently lost. She had to escape the dangers of the wild trying to get back to them. Virgil remembers she got scolded, and that's where he ended it, so either Patton thought getting scolded by a parent was a good thing, or he's set a very, very low bar for happy endings. It was easier to write a milder ending when he wasn't as worried about all the various horrible things that could happen to his characters as an extension of himself in those situations. But Virgil was afraid of getting scolded, so it wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows.

"Uh, yeah. Guess somebody needs to lean towards a 'Roman' ending next week to make up for two 'Pattons'," Virgil mused somewhat absentmindedly.

"Or, I could write a story so quintessentially me that feels like there is 3 times as much 'Roman' next week!" Roman declared, flexing. Virgil chuckled soundlessly at Roman's dumb pose behind his mug.

"Well, I want to see Logan try to write a 'Roman' type story with no science or explanations and all magic," Virgil said, bemused and stifling a small yawn. That would be weird. Logan grunted quietly.

"That is as implausible as Patton writing a 'Virgil' type story." Logan supplied, sounding very annoyed. Ugh, it was just a joke. Virgil rolled his eyes and finished his tea.

"Okay, Logan! I will!" Patton said, giving Logan the double thumbs up. "I'll need some tips from my dark strange son, though," He said while winking at Virgil. Logan just stared blankly for a moment. Virgil also felt equally baffled. They knew it was just a joke, right?

"Backed into a corner, Meganerd, nowhere to go but to my room for a lesson on writing the adventure of a lifetime!" Roman said mockingly, running his fingers through his bangs. "Shall I write a 'Logan story' with a severe lack in wonderment and Virgil double down on a 'Patton' to round it out?" He asked the group facetiously. At least Roman knew it was a joke.

"Oh my gosh, that sounds so exciting!" Patton said nearly clapping but stopping himself with an apologetic look towards Virgil, realizing that would be loud. Virgil appreciated the consideration but was too concerned to feel gratitude. It… didn't sound like Patton knew that was a joke. Roman looked shocked, himself. Patton's great at reading moods. What the hell was happening right now.

"To the best idea, I award you, Roman, a trophy of a light bulb!" Patton announced, pulling a small trophy out of nowhere. Roman accepted it, rolling his eyes, but bowing slightly appreciation.

"Thank you kindly, young padre, for this gracious award," Roman beamed, acting a little too over the top. Roman clearly wasn't pleased, but he also was a people pleaser and would not back down from a challenge. Virgil wasn't a fan of that 'award-winning' idea in the slightest. He was positive he couldn't write anymore like Patton then he already did. Especially not without going to Deceit again for the help, and he hated the idea of bothering him again after all the times he's needed help lately. He really didn't want to piss off Deceit again by being needy and annoying. Things had only just gotten better with him. Virgil must have been making a panicked expression bigger than his mug, because Patton noticed something was off.

"Don't worry, kiddo, you did a great job this week! I'm sure you can do it!" Virgil tried to smile, but he just made a weird face. He took a deep breath and tried to look around for something to ground him. He shot a glance at Logan, but he was statue-still. That had amused him enough to settle down a bit, though he was still freaking out in the back of his head.

"Great job, princeps, you've broken Logan with that suggestion," Virgil growled, realizing Logan hadn't reacted or responded. Logan was the only one who would object, and a Logic statue couldn't save Virgil from this mess.

"He brought this on himself when he questioned Pat's ability to love the unlovable," Roman said, sounding slightly upset. Ouch. That... fucking hurt worse than any stab of Roman's sword.

"No," Logan finally spoke up. "It would be a good exercise in pushing our boundaries to make the distasteful more palpable," He said, adjusting his glasses which had gone slightly askew. Virgil pulled the blanket over his head and hid. Logan did not save anybody from this mess. He also rubbed salt in Princey's wound. Virgil hated today. Roman stood up and punched Virgil on the arm, which set off alarms in Virgil's head. He was already completely crushed felt like he was on a hair-trigger. His vision was blurring and wasn't sure what he was seeing in front of him anymore as he tried to breathe.

"It will be a nice change of pace to see you write like less of an incredible sulk," he heard Roman say, and he felt his heart break. Virgil stared straight ahead, not really seeing anything in front of him, quietly trying to catch his breath behind his mug.

"Kiddo? You okay?" Patton asked, coming over to him. Virgil stumbled off the back of the couch when he saw the light blue blob come closer and squatted to the side of it, creating a barrier between himself and anymore contact. He poked his head up and nodded. "Okay, well, did you want to watch Tangled with us tonight?" He asked, voice completely permeated with concern. A light-hearted distraction. That's a coping tactic, right? Virgil nodded over the couch. He strained his eyes to focus and make sure they didn't get too close, again.

"Wonderful!" Roman cried, spinning around in a flourish and posing in what was now a Flynn Rider onesie with a bucket of popcorn in hand. Patton stepped over to the table and picked up the remote, loading up the movie. He clapped and now was wearing his cat onesie and summoned extra pillows for the couch.

"Didya wanna sit next to your pop again, Virge?" Patton asked, sitting down and patting the spot next to him. Virgil stayed behind the couch and shook his head. "Well, alright, the spot'll be open for ya if you change your mind, champ!" He declared as the movie title sequence started up. Logan sat down at the end of the couch, sitting up straight and watching the TV. Virgil caught Logan stealing a glance at him, but he didn't make any comments. Virgil tried to breathe deep and focus his eyes on the TV, but it was still kind of blurry. But it was starting to work. Sounds got a little less distant and things were less fuzzy after a little bit. He must have managed his breathing enough to pull through. The victory felt empty, though.

Eventually, a little past 'When will my life begin', Virgil crawled back up on the couch and sat on top, leaning against the wall. He summoned himself his big fuzzy spider plush and held it against his chest and rested his head on top of it. He needed Vladimir right now and hoped nobody would notice. He hoped they couldn't see it under the giant blanket he was still wearing over his head and body. He held it close and hid it as well as he could, not wanting to spook Patton. Or get made fun of any further. Roman would laugh and Logan would say something about being too old for toys or whatever. He could almost hear them in his head. But comfort was comfort, and his plush should just look like a fuzzy pillow from the outside.

He wouldn't admit it to Roman, who clearly loved this film as much as he sang along with the cast, but he really liked Rapunzel. She was the most relatable Disney Princess to Virgil. While Virgil watched her freak out after she left the tower he relaxed a bit more, releasing tension in his back he didn't realize was there. Of course, there were still dark themes about trust and dying for strangers but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy all the good parts and very relatable anxiety attack. But it wasn't long until Roman started goading him into singing.

"Sing Flynn's part, Virge!" He said, nudging the air in the direction of Virgil. Welp, there goes that relaxation. Virgil sat stiffly, grimacing back at Roman. He wasn't in the mood to sing a damn song. He never was, and after some really scathing marks from the others, Roman was lucky Virgil wasn't attacking him. Roman paused the movie, obviously expecting some retaliation.

"Fuck off, Raprincezal. I don't do sing-alongs," Virgil spouted curtly, continuing his glare.

"Young man!" Patton shouted, shocked at Virgil's language. He looked over to Virgil with consternation as Virgil jumped from the volume.

"You can tell us to fuck off by singing about how you want to live in in a castle all alone," Roman suggested in a sing-song voice.

"Both of you! Language!" Patton nearly screeched. Virgil's head pounded from the volume and he introduced them both to a bird and his identical twin brother without realizing it. Patton blanched and Virgil realized he reflexively went way too far, dropping his arms quickly and pulling them back in under the blankets, squeezing Vladimir.

"Virgil. Apologize," Logan said, shooting Virgil a quick glare before returning to the screen.

"S-sorry. I shouldn't have done that," He said, rubbing the back of his head. Virgil's pocket buzzed. He looked around for a second while they all glared at him and checked it quickly. The phone screen said 'play nice' and Virgil's heart dropped further. "I'll sing the stupid part, okay princey? I'm sorry,"

Roman and Patton perked back up hearing that, but Patton was still shaken. God, Virgil hated how much of an ass he could be when he was upset. He wished he had gone to his bedroom instead of joining them. He should have skipped the discussion like he was going to do in the first place. He'd done nothing but fuck up since.

Roman unpaused the movie with a satisfied grin. Patton and Roman filled the various parts of the song that came up. The singing seemed to cheer Patton back up, at least. When it came Virgil's turn, he had trouble vocalizing, and he was sure it sounded like he wasn't really trying. He really would like his own private castle, though. He really wanted to sing well, to make it up to Patton for being an asshole. But he fell short again. Other than a mild stink-eye from Roman, though, they seemed to let it slide and went back to watching the movie. Virgil pressed himself firmly to the wall and rubbed his face. He was really trying to be positive and have fun watching the movie, but he just felt sick to his stomach.

It felt like an eternity later when the movie ended. Patton was crying at the wedding scene, blubbering about how sweet it was, and Roman was flipping through the movies looking for another one to watch. He buried his face in his spider pillow and rubbed it aggressively. He had to play nice. He had to stay here and play nice. It would probably be just one more movie before they all went to bed. He heard Logan clear his throat, standing next to him. Virgil jumped at the sudden sound, not realizing he had come over while his face was buried in acrylic purple fur.

"Virgil, you seem to be struggling with your progress today. Can I be of any assistance?" Logan asked quietly, clearly not trying to attract the other's attention.

"My progress?" Virgil asked before he fully processed the question.

"Yes, the goal you mentioned yesterday in our session," Logan clarified under his breath. "You seem to be more morose and tremulous in comparison to yesterday. I would like to offer expertise to facilitate your commendable goal," Logan explained while Virgil dropped his head down again and roughly ran his fingers through his hair. He hadn't even realized he was shaking. Virgil felt a ball growing in his throat.

"I, uh, need to do it myself." Virgil lied into his spider. "Otherwise it won't stick, right?" He knew he didn't have it in him. He was guilty about lying to Logan again. When did he become such a liar? He glanced up barely and saw Logan stiffen next to him through the fur.

"While that is an aspect of achieving personal growth, receiving help would not be adverse to your goal," Logan stated and seemed to be waiting for a response from him. Virgil slightly shuttered but said nothing. Logan let out a deep breath. "My offer will remain when you need it," Logan pulled out a lined sticky with some numbers on it. "Here is my number if you find text messages less apprehensive," He placed the note on the doll and walked back to where he was seated on the couch.

Virgil quickly grabbed the note with Logan's number and shoved it deep into his hoodie pocket. He felt empty inside. He knew he couldn't be who they wanted him to be. All evening it felt like they kept reminding him he wasn't the right fit with them. Virgil really tried to play nice, and he ended up flipping off people who didn't deserve it. He really was a fuckup.

Roman shook him from his head by announcing they were watching Anastasia next. Normally they voted, but nobody seemed to object to his choice. It was a similar plot to Rapunzel. An orphan goes on a journey and finds out she's the lost princess. Roman probably did that on purpose. He loved picking themes for movie night. Virgil didn't dare ask and see if he got it right, though. He was probably wrong, anyway. Maybe it was spunky princesses, or attractive male leads or something. Probably something Virgil never even noticed because he was an idiot.

Virgil didn't have the energy to lift his head, much less move from his spot, so he watched the movie. Some of the scenes were probably too much for Virgil this close to bedtime. When Rasputin controls Anastasia in her dreams to make her kill herself it really unsettled him. That scene always spooked him more than it should have. He was probably going to be worried about it all night. There was something about sleepwalking yourself to death that was just scarier than villains with ghost-demon magic. Thomas is going to be scared of something ridiculous just from a memory. He felt like a piece of shit. What a stupid thing to be afraid of. He was stupid for being afraid of it.

Virgil took a deep breath, but it felt hollow. He was breathing okay enough, but it just didn't feel relieving or relaxing. Virgil sighed and stared ahead, not really seeing the movie anymore. Virgil really hoped he didn't sleepwalk. He also really hoped if he had nightmares they wouldn't include those stupid bugs. The last thing he could bring himself to hope for was to be loved for who he was. But he had a sickening feeling all those hopes were just as empty and bleak as he felt.