Virgil sat on his bed, a small wistful smile playing at his lips. He had to admit that watching The Corpse Bride with Roman was fun. He would even do it again. Though he knew that he would probably never mention it, it was fun while it lasted. His look went sour, smile getting smaller. Then there was the insomnia ordeal. Now Roman knew why he looked tired all the time. Why he felt so tired all the time. He sighed, his smile dissipating completely. Maybe he should've skipped the fruit snacks. Then he wouldn't have had to explain it to Roman. But then again, he'd noticed how Roman looked less angry after he'd vented to Virgil. His shoulders had untensed. His gestures were less jerky. And the smile that Roman gave him when Virgil handed him the disc. He'd felt a little spark of happiness in his chest at the time. Now, he wasn't so sure what it was. He glared at the movie case in front of him.
The others weren't the only ones noticing that he was getting friendlier. He noticed it too. He wasn't sure why though. In the beginning, Patton was the only one who showed some sort of liking to him. Roman was always looking for a fight. Logan completely ignored him. Even Patton, who he considered a friend, had given him side glances of pity every now and again. He got to know Patton, who was the only one he really wanted to get to know. Then, all of the sudden, Patton caught him with his guard down and figured out that everyone had powers, then, he, for some reason, decided to get more comfortable with all of them. He was a fool, he knew it. A complete idiot. He heard a voice in the back of his mind. The old, dreaded voice.

Virgil bit down on his lip, purposefully making the pressure hard. He felt the blood bubble on the wound. He kept biting down. The blood started dripping down his chin. He stopped biting down, tears pin-pricking at the back of his eyes. He let out a shaky sigh, looking down at his hands. They were trembling. It made sense. He always started shaking when this happened. And it always got worse. He tried to lick the blood off his lip, but he was sure he only spread it. He pulled his sleeves over his hands, closing his eyes and trying to force out the thought in the back of his head. He knew why he decided to trust the others. They were like him. They liked him. His mind didn't let him calm down. He let out another shaky sigh, opening his eyes and scooting over to the edge of the bed. He hopped off, trudging over to his door. He paused with his hand hovering the doorknob. He wouldn't usually do this, going out of his room twice in one night, but he had to get out of his room for once. He scooted away from the door, shuffling to his phone. He grabbed the phone, quickly placing the buds in his ears and turning it on. Self-Conclusion. He smirked slightly.

Mouthing to the song, he stumbled out of his room, licking his bit lip in an attempt to stop the bleeding. It didn't work for much other than getting some of it off. He glanced down the hallway, more anxiety creeping up his spine. For someone with an aesthetic of black and darkness, he didn't do well in it. He took a shaky breath and closed his eyes, turning his music's volume up and starting down the corridor. The light Roman had turned on had been turned off after he and Virgil had left for the movie. That meant the only light source was the windows that showed shifting lights and shadows of cars. The t.v. sat untouched, the coffee table scattered with movies, stuffed animals and books, a coffee mug and a pencil sitting at one of the edges. The kitchen was dark, the light of the microwave the only thing coming out of it. Virgil thought they looked like eyes. He shivered and looked away, shoving his hands into his pockets. Patton and Logan's hallway stood next to the bar divider for the kitchen. The entryway to their hall was filled with shadows as well.

Virgil sighed, trudging over to the couch and flopping onto it. He let the couch sink, scrolling through his playlist and evaluating the number of emo songs that were in it. He stopped scrolling, clicking listen before i go by Billie Eilish, and closed his eyes. His nerves slowly ebbed away, leaving his body wracked and aching with tiredness. He turned his phone on, entering his messages and ignoring his mind telling him that all around him were shadow monsters. He clicked the contact labeled Dad and scrolled up through the mix of English and French throughout the messages. He let out a breath and started typing. It wasn't much, just a couple words, but he felt like it was the only thing keeping him grounded in his old life. He stared at the screen for a couple minutes without a response. Virgil sighed and put his phone down on the coffee table, sinking further into the couch. He wasn't sure what to do at this point. It was too late to even think about doing something. His laptop was in his room, but he didn't have any motivation to move, let alone summon a portal. He frowned. He honestly didn't like them. Sure, they came in handy from time to time. Getting him to and from places if he was going to be late for something. Even every once in a while when he was too lazy to get up. But he never liked them. His phone pinged, the sound of the 'skittles' vine echoing through the room. Virgil snorted, his thoughts momentarily deterred from his powers and onto the text. He grabbed his phone, unlocking it and opening the chat-head.

Dadinator: Hey Tig, nice to see that you've finally decided to text me

Virgil rolled his eyes at the nickname, typing a response.

stressedanddepressedbuttryingmybest: yea srry ab that dad

A minute or so passed by.

Dadinator: No problem.

Dadinator: Soooooo, how have you settled in? How's the new job? Roommates? Any of them a cute boy? ?

stressedanddepressedbuttryingmybest: DAD!

Dadinator: What, It's totally a question I can ask.

stressedanddepressedbuttryingmybest: ...whatever helps u sleep at night

Virgil sighed, quickly switching his song on Spotify to Mind is a Prison.

stressedanddepressedbuttryingmybest: anyway, the new job is good. youd be surprised how many people they were short on

Dadinator: Well, I'm sure you can't help with that height issue, can you?

stressedanddepressedbuttryingmybest: rlly? that was bad

Dadinator: You know you loved it

stressedanddepressedbuttryingmybest: i dont know wat ur talking ab

Dadinator: Mhm, sure. So, how are the roommates? Good people or the 'I might have to come there and throw off a roof' kind?

Virgil smiled, anxiety in his chest going to a trickle.

stressedanddepressedbuttryingmybest: lol. theyre good.

Dadinator: Good! What're their names? (and pronouns)

stressedanddepressedbuttryingmybest: Patton, Logan, and Roman. both Roman and Patton go by he/him but Logans enby. u know, Patton could replace u tho ngl

Dadinator: Oh, I've got some competition, eh? Good to know, good to know.

stressedanddepressedbuttryingmybest: u sound vaguely threatening

Dadinator: Hm? I have no idea what you're talking about.

stressedanddepressedbuttryingmybest: lol

Virgil took a deep breath, reading his dad's next text.

Dadinator: Besides the threatening message that I definitely didn't show, how's the anxiety been? I know you're not the biggest fan of change and all of that.

stressedanddepressedbuttryingmybest: fluctuating like usual. i havent had a bad panic attack so, theres something

Dadinator: That's good! One day at a time. And I'm going to guess that, because you're texting your old man, that you had a close encounter with one?

stressedanddepressedbuttryingmybest: u guessed it...honestly tho, it's been a bit hard not having u and mom there...

Dadinator: I know, Tig. And I'm sorry I don't have your portals because, you know, for a fact, that I'd go there in a heartbeat but I'm only a text or call away if you need anything. Panic attack? Just call. Bad day? I'll pick up. If I don't, I'll immediately text you back. Just because you're somewhere else, doesn't mean I'm not there with you every step of the way.

stressedanddepressedbuttryingmybest: that was cheesy

Virgil paused, quickly typing again.

stressedanddepressedbuttryingmybest: but...thanks dad that...that helped

Dadinator: Of course. Just remember that home is wherever you are, surrounded by people you can put up with or love. It follows you everywhere, you just need to find a place to put it.

Virgil smiled, his anxiety, for once stopping for a second.

stressedanddepressedbuttryingmybest: yea. thanks, dad, really...

stressedanddepressedbuttryingmybest: but if u keep saying a bunch of motivational nonsense youre gonna end up on a quote thing

Dadinator: Good! Then I could plaster it to your ceiling for you to wake up to.

stressedanddepressedbuttryingmybest: whatever ❤️

Dadinator: Hey Tig, I got a question

stressedanddepressedbuttryingmybest: shoot

Dadinator: What time is it over there? I know the time differences are a bit wacky.

Virgil quickly checked the time.

stressedanddepressedbuttryingmybest: ab 4:46 in the morning

A few minutes passed by.

Dadinator: And have you slept any?

stressedanddepressedbuttryingmybest: nah, tho i promised princey thatd id sleep at least a little bit

Virgil rolled his eyes as he typed, knowing he was going to be told to go to sleep again.

Dadinator: Princey?

stressedanddepressedbuttryingmybest: Roman acts like hes staring in a disney movie. i gave him a nickname cause he gave me one...more than one but yea

Dadinator: What's the main one?

stressedanddepressedbuttryingmybest: emo nightmare. wat he doesnt know is i like it

Dadinator: Lol, it fits you.

stressedanddepressedbuttryingmybest: thanks dad, nice to know you agree with sir-sings-a-lot

Dadinator: He is right though

Dadinator: Why don't you go get some sleep and we'll talk later. I got to go to work soon anyway.

stressedanddepressedbuttryingmybest: alright talk to u later, dad, love u. pls dont do anything i wouldn't do

Dadinator: Love you too, Tig. And that's a pretty high bar. ❤️

Virgil sighed and put his phone in his hoodie pocket. The room was a bit lighter than when he'd first walked in, the sky outside a small bit brighter. He grabbed his phone out of his pocket quickly and entered Spotify, searching up Anson Seabra and clicking Trying My Best. He slowly sunk further onto the couch, eyes getting heavier. He knew his dad was right and, if he was being honest with himself, he needed to hear all of that. A smile grew on his face as he slowly drifted into a quiet sleep.