Anxiety woke up the next morning to a series of unread texts waiting for him. He squinted at the unsaved number, already knowing it was going to be that Side from his shop.

Unknown Number: Hi, V! This is Patton. The Morality Side from yesterday? You tattooed kittens on my friend.

Unknown Number: I want to be honest with you; I met a Side before you and he hurt me. Emotionally, I mean. He betrayed my trust and because of that, I don't want to rush into a Side relationship again. He was mean and scary and a liar.

Unknown Number: But I like you. At least, I think I would like you, if I got to know you. I want to get to know you. I want to trust you. I hope you want the same from me.

Unknown Number: I want to be good, and I'm scared that I won't be, when I'm Established.

Unknown Number: I work at a daycare with Expression - they're the Side you tattooed. I love kids, and I want some in the future. My dream is to be a dad, and take care of others.

Unknown Number: I also like cartoons and sweets. I was diagnosed when I was really young. And I'm scared of spiders. I use he/him pronouns.

Unknown Number: Maybe we could get coffee together sometime?

Anxiety groaned and set his phone back down. He just woke up, he wasn't ready to respond to paragraphs.

He padded across his apartment in bare feet, heading to the kitchen. His mouth was dry from sleeping and his stomach was in angry knots.

Take care of yourself first, then deal with others. He poured himself some juice and stuck two slices of bread in the toaster. It was quiet as he waited for the bread to pop back up. He didn't have a shift today, and he silently thanked the gods for that. He took a small sip from his juice and the toaster popped. Quickly, he buttered the bread then returned to his room.

He checked his phone, even though he just did so when he woke up. There weren't any new notifications since he left to make breakfast.

He took a bite of his toast and opened his messaging app. Missy hadn't messaged him again since he ran out on them. He didn't expect her to. He didn't blame either of them for losing interest in him, once he wasn't useful anymore. That's life, apparently.

Anxiety clicked on Patton's conversation and stared at the messages. Another bite of toast, and he saved his number. The infodump wasn't as intimidating as he thought it would be. The other Side seemed … friendly, at least.

In a way, he reminded Anxiety of Remy and Missy, when they first met him at the doctor's office. Excited, naive, unaware of who they were dealing with.

Slowly, Anxiety crafted a simple message. He didn't usually like talking to, well, anyone. But he told Patton he'd help him, and the least he could do is respond.

Me: I'm sorry you had a bad experience in the past. How many Sides have you met?

While he waited for a response, he reread the messages again. A Morality Side. Would an Ethical Side be picky about Anxiety's trait? He said he doesn't want to be bad. Is Anxiety bad?

Virgil certainly thought so.

Patton: Good morning! Did you sleep well?

Patton: Just two; you and the meanie Deceit.

Anxiety finished his breakfast, chewing thoughtfully as he read the new messages. A Deceit Side? No wonder they didn't get along. That'd be like mixing himself with an Impulsive trait; they'd drive each other insane.

Me: yeah, u?

Me: do you still talk to him?

Patton: I had a bad dream, but it's ok. No, I haven't seen or talked to him since we unfused. I don't want to interact with him again

Me: ok

Anxiety didn't know what to say after that, so he closed the app and laid down. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, contemplating his options.

He should tell Patton about Remy and Missy, right? Since he had told Anxiety about Deceit, it was only fair.

But was he ready to talk about it? He had only ran out a few days ago. He wasn't sure if he was ready to bring up those memories.

He could feel his heart rate pick up as his trait tried to activate. He set his phone down and took a deep breath. There's no reason to get anxious right now. He's fine, there's no one around to judge him or yell at him or ignore him. He's okay.

Still, Anxiety turned on his TV and shifted through the channels until he found something interesting. He needed a distraction; he'd deal with Patton later.

It was later when he got another text. This one was from Spunk; he clicked on the notification.

Spunky: I need a favor.

Me: hmmm no

Spunky: don't be a dicc :p

Spunky: Expression said they'd go out to dinner with me but only if you and Patton come too

Anxiety froze. He felt his mouth run dry and he had to swallow a few times to fix it. A double date? Seriously? What are they, sixteen?

He struggled to think of an excuse that would get him out of it indefinitely.

Me: I can't, I died

Spunky: that's fine, I'll have Elliot puppeteer your corpse

He snorted, then typed 'thats gross' he got the response, 'then come to dinner'.

Anxiety sighed and stared up at his ceiling. A dinner would be … alright, he guessed. It was a limited amount of time; no longer than an hour. And he'd be with Spunk, who naturally dominated any conversation. He really couldn't imagine a better person to be by his side during this. Elliot was great, but they couldn't deflect attention away from him like Spunk could.

And if it started to go badly, Spunk didn't care about getting up and leaving. But she was really excited about meeting her Side, maybe she'd be too distracted with them to notice his discomfort. And he wouldn't be able to tell her that he wanted to leave, because she'd be having such a great time and he wouldn't want to ruin it.

And Patton - what if he asked him a bunch of personal questions that he wasn't ready to answer? What if he was one of Remy and Missy's Sides and this entire dinner would be a waste of their time? Could Anxiety handle another heartbreak like that?

Everything within him was telling him to not go. But then he got another group of texts.

Spunky: Just this once, after that you'll never have to go on a double date with me again

Spunky: I'll pay for your half, too.

Spunky: I really want to make this work with Expression. And they won't give me a chance without Patton there.

Spunky: Verge, please?

Anxiety sighed. He had been friends with Spunk for three years now, they met when he applied for a job at the tattoo parlor. She was one of his best friends; she knew how to calm him down and when to kick his ass. He wanted to keep her around and to be a good friend to her.

And good friends do things they may not want to…

Begrudgingly, he sent back a simple 'fine'. He got a string of excited emojis in response. Five minutes later, he was put in a group chat with Spunk, Patton, and Gender Expression. He didn't agree to that, but how else would they plan an impromptu double date?

Spunky: How do we feel about Japanese?

Patton: That sounds fun! I've never tried it!

Unknown Number: There's a hibachi grill on Fourth Street. Is that ok?

Spunky: I was thinking the same place ;)

Although he'd never message them, Anxiety added Gender Expression's number to his phone. He didn't respond as the three of them went back and forth deciding the time. It was mostly Patton and Spunk talking, with Gender Expression piping up every now and then. They finally decided on 5:30 and Anxiety confirmed it would work for him. And on his day off, too. The nerve of these people.

He sent Spunk a new message to talk about carpooling and she agreed to pick him up. Now he had plans tonight. How lovely. He was blessed with the luxury to panic about every little detail until it came time to get ready. He loved his life.

Spunk was chattery when she picked him up. He tried to not seem anxious or annoyed. He was here for her, so she could spend time with her Side. He needed to remember that as the night went on. This was for friendship.

They arrived at the restaurant and went inside to wait. They told the host that they'd need a table for four and then stepped aside after she wrote Spunk's name down. Anxiety took a deep breath and stared at the Japanese decor. There was a small fountain with a tiny waterfall in the corner and it's constant background noise soothed him, but just slightly.

Spunk gave his shoulder a squeeze, "Thank you for doing this. Elliot said you wouldn't."

"Oh, I'm glad they believe in me." He said with a little smirk.

Spunk laughed and shook her head, "They were trying to get me off your back. How ya feel, anyway?"

"Hmm, anxious." He tapped his hand against his side to release excess energy. He wouldn't make eye contact as he said, "But what else would I be, right?"

"If you want to leave, just tell me and we'll go. I'll tell Expression I got sick on the way or something." Spunk said, "I'll find another way to hang out with them."

Anxiety shook his head, "No, it's fine. I can't run away from Sides forever."
"What are you scared about?" Spunk asked, "For tonight, specifically."

That was a loaded question. He took a deep breath and listed the fears off on his fingers, "This place burns down because one of the chef's miscalculates one of their fire tricks-"

"Unlikely."

"Gender Expression starts a fight and yells at us, making you cry."

"I can handle them."

"Patton Morality is a holier-than-thou arrogant Ethical Side that will judge us."

"He seemed nice, but if he is, we don't need his approval anyway."

"Patton isn't my Side."

"Then you can send him to those other Sides and move on with your life."

"Patton is my Side." Anxiety looked at her and crossed his arms, "And he doesn't like me anyway."

Spunk smiled and said soothingly, "Affection is earned, it can take time and effort. That doesn't mean it's impossible."

He put his head in his hands and groaned, "I hate that you have an answer for everything."

"No, you don't." He could hear the amusement in Spunk's voice. He could admit to himself, that her answers did calm his racing heart slightly. He wouldn't have a panic attack while at the restaurant. He could survive this. Spunk piped up, "I think that's them."

He looked at the door and saw as Patton held it open for Expression. He was wearing a simple peach sweater that looked soft to the touch. Expression was wearing a leather jacket and tight, dark pants. When they spotted them and approached, Anxiety nodded down to their clunky boots.

"Nice kicks."

Expression glanced down and smiled, "Thanks."

He dressed up as much as he felt comfortable with. His black pants had no rips, and he wore a purple button-up under his favorite jacket. Spunk was wearing a short, red dress. She ran her hands down it nervously before saying, "I'm so glad you came!"

"Of course!" Patton smiled, glancing from her to him, "It'll be a fun night."

Anxiety lifted his lips in a poor attempt at a smile, his gaze skittering away from Patton's. They didn't get more time to make small talk, as the host called out Spunk's name.

"Parties: Spunk Taylor Side, and Compassion Jose Fusion."

The four of them followed the host with another group of four. They all sat around the grill in a semicircle. Anxiety was on the edge of their group, sitting next to a fusion. On the other side of the fusion were three Sides who looked like him. They were a complete set, out to eat together. For a second, Anxiety imagined himself in that position, surrounded by all his Sides, enjoying a good meal. It seemed … nice.

But he wasn't there yet. He had to survive this dinner first.

Patton sat next to him, then Expression, and Spunk on the far edge. He shot her a glare - why did she sit so far away from him?! - but she just shrugged. He knew she'd still be able to help him escape, if need be, but he hoped they'd be able to whisper back and forth.

A waiter came around and took their drink orders, then Patton turned to him and said, "Thank you for coming."

"Uh, yeah." Anxiety muttered, "You too?"

Patton swung his feet in the high chair and asked, "Have you ever been to one of these before?"

"No, they're too expensive." Anxiety said. The waiter came back and set their drinks in front of them, and he quickly took a sip of his water. She started taking the other group's orders. "I don't go out much."
"Oh, what do you like to do, then?" Patton shifted more to face him, and it felt weird having someone's full attention like that.

He shrugged, "Just watch Netflix and stuff. Practice drawing."

Patton's smile got bigger as he said, "I noticed all the drawings in your tattoo shop. Are those all yours?"
"Most of them, yeah."

"They're amazing! You're really talented!" Patton said, he continued to chatter, unaware of Anxiety's growing embarrassment. "I'd never get a tattoo, but the ones you drew were so pretty, I might change my mind!"

Anxiety glanced away, his cheeks hot, "Thanks."

Patton smiled again, but didn't say anything. Anxiety glanced at Spunk, she was talking Expression's ear off. Whenever they smiled, her eyes lit up and she fell even deeper into discussion. He looked back to Patton, who was staring at him.

"So, what do you do?" He asked, rubbing his thumb against the condensation of his drink.

"I work at a daycare." Patton said. Anxiety remembered that from his texts, and he felt like an asshole for not retaining the information. "I love being around kiddos, they're so fun and full of life."

Unlike me, Virgil thought. He exhaled at his own bitter joke.

The waiter came up to him and asked for his order. He frantically skimmed through the menu before settling on a chicken dish and a sushi slider. Patton ordered the same dish, but in beef, and the waiter moved on to Expression.

"I have a little brother." Anxiety offered, "He's in middle school."

"That's great!" Patton said, "I have a sister the same age!"

"Oh." Anxiety blinked in surprise, "Is she your only sibling?"

Patton shook his head, "I have five younger siblings."

Anxiety almost choked on air as he repeated, "Five siblings!?"

He couldn't imagine living with five siblings. Six kids, two adults, eight people in one house. That's twice what Anxiety grew up with. His mind couldn't wrap around that lifestyle.

Patton smiled again and nodded enthusiastically. "My mama wanted a big family."

"I'll bet." Anxiety muttered, taking a sip of his water, "So is that why you're a babysitter? Uh, daycare worker?"

"Kind of." Patton shrugged, his gaze growing distant. "I always felt like a third parent to my siblings, and when I moved out, I needed something to fill that spot. I feel like I'm born to be that caregiver role."

Anxiety nodded, "I get that. I miss my sister sometimes."

"Are you from around here?" Patton asked, "Could you easily visit her?"

"She lives with my parents upstate. I could travel there, but it'd be a day's visit." He said thoughtfully, "And I wouldn't want to stay there long. Too many bad memories."

Patton tried to make eye contact, but he wouldn't allow it. So, then he placed his hand on Anxiety's and said, "I would like to be a foster parent. So I can help people who wouldn't want to go back home."

"That's …" Anxiety tried to find the right word. He settled on, "Noble. But what if you just add to their baggage?"

Patton seemed surprised by the question, "Oh, gosh, I hope not! The idea is to lessen how much they have to carry on their own!"

"Was that a pun?" Anxiety asked suspiciously.

A sly smile crept across Patton's face, "Maybe."

The chef arrived at their grill and started the show. He was a fusion with four arms, which only made the performance more exciting. While two hands were frying rice and veggies, the other two were tossing chunks of potato into their open mouths. When it got to Anxiety's turn, he politely declined; not wanting to miss and embarrass himself. The chef bounced the potato off his spatula, and it hit Patton in the cheek. He laughed and caught it in his hands, popping it into his mouth.

"You'll get it next time." Anxiety told him.

Patton's face lit up in excitement, "So you'll come back here with me again?"

I didn't say I'd be there when you caught it. He wanted to say, but he hesitated. This conversation was going well, so far. And he - weirdly - didn't feel anxious around Patton. He shrugged and took a sip of his water again.

"Yeah," He said finally, "I would."

The smile Patton gave him then was different than all his previous ones. Small and genuine, reaching his eyes with a bright warmth. Anxiety looked away when the chef created a small volcano out of onions. He poured alcohol on it and the fire shot through the center of the onion rings. Anxiety didn't know when the waiter put his sushi slider in front of him, but he pulled it closer and picked up some chopsticks.

"I think you're supposed to eat sushi with your fingers." Patton said.

Anxiety picked the first one up with shaky control. He wasn't a master at chopsticks, but something about them felt fun. The sushi roll slipped past his grip and flopped back onto the plate. He grinned to himself and responded, "That takes away from the experience."
He let Patton try some of his sushi, and they decided they liked the salmon and the crab, but not the tuna and the squid. Patton didn't want to try the squid one at all; claiming it looked too alive. It wasn't, but you could definitely tell it was a squid. Anxiety only took one bite.

Soon the chef had finished his routine and dished out everyone's meals. They thanked him and he left. Anxiety didn't have to talk for a little bit, as they tried all of their food. It was delicious and he knew he'd eat the entire plate.

"Have you met any other of your Sides?" Patton asked, before taking a bite of his rice.

Anxiety let out a long breath, "Uh, kind of."

Did he want to talk about this right now? In public, where anyone could hear? Patton seemed to sense his unease at the topic and he gave him a sympathetic look, "Is it kind of like my situation?"

"Yes and no." Anxiety sighed, pushing his food around his plate. "They were Sides, but not mine. I thought they were, but, uh, we couldn't fuse."

"Oh…" Patton frowned, clearly taken aback by that, "I didn't think that was possible."

Anxiety shrugged, "They say there's seven people in the world who look like you."

"Is that seven Established people or seven sets of Sides?" Patton asked, worriedly.

Anxiety paused, lowering his drink in thought, "Uh- I don't know. I think the math's the same?"

Before Patton could respond, a clattering noise came from behind them. They turned to look and saw a frazzled fusion standing in between Spunk and Expression's chair. The Sides were missing.

"Spunk?" Anxiety said slowly, "Did you guys…?"

"IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" The fusion said, their eyes wide and their hands shaking. Their four eyes glanced between Patton and Anxiety rapidly. "We- we didn't mean to!"

A new voice spoke up from behind Anxiety, he turned to see the fusion from the other group standing up. Anxiety thinks he was called 'Compassion'. "Is this your first time fusing?"
"Um, y-yes." Their fusion said.

"Take a deep breath." Compassion said. The fusion did, and Anxiety made himself do the same. "Do you feel the air in your lungs? Those are yours now. You're you now. So, who is that?"

The fusion blinked, letting the words sink in. They took another breath, then nodded. Slowly, they sat down. They looked down at their four hands, then said, "I think I'm Vogue."

"Is that your Fusion name?" Compassion asked.

"No, no, that's…" Vogue sat for a second, contemplating the question. "I'm Fashionista Vogue Fusion."

Anxiety felt his shoulders relax as Vogue calmed down. He wasn't expecting this at all. Even if Spunk wanted to fuse, he didn't think Expression would be open to it already. Maybe they were more excited about it than they let on.

"Nice to meet you Vogue!" Patton said, taking their hand and shaking it. Vogue laughed and mumbled a reply Anxiety didn't hear.

"Congratulations!" The rest of the Sides at the table said.

Compassion sat back down and told Anxiety with a nudge, "We love seeing new fusions; they're like newborns that can talk."
That didn't sound exciting to Anxiety, but he gave them his best 'I Agree' smile that he gave his customers. He turned back to Patton, hoping the other group had their fill of social time and wouldn't talk to them again. The waiter returned with their bills and took away their empty plates.

They quickly finished up the rest of their food and paid their bills. Patton paid for his meal, even after Anxiety told him that wasn't necessary.

"I want to!" Patton said, with a smile. "You've been a delight, it wouldn't feel right to make you pay on a date."

Anxiety had forgotten this counted as a date. He had only agreed to it for Spunk, but now that they were leaving the restaurant; he considered this a successful first date. That was a weird feeling. He had only had one boyfriend in the past. They obviously weren't Sides, but they liked being around each other.

Vogue turned to them, four hands clasped together with a strange smile. "Hey guys, is it okay if I take Spunk's car and, uh, leave?"

"You mean not take me home?" Anxiety asked, crossing his arms.

"I'll take you home." Patton offered, gesturing to his car. "I drove us today, anyway."
Anxiety glanced at Vogue, who pouted at him in return. He sighed, "Yeah, that's fine. I'll see Spunk at work tomorrow."

"And I'll see Expression later!" Patton cheered, waving as the fusion backed up.

"Thanks guys! You're beautiful! I love you both!" They turned and sprinted away, their laughter fading in the wind.

Anxiety uncrossed his arms, shifting on his feet, "They seem happy."
"I never thought Expression would fuse." Patton said quietly, "They always talked badly about it. It's nice to see they changed their mind."
Anxiety followed Patton to his car and they drove in relative silence. Anxiety directed him to his apartment, relaxing during the quiet ride. The streetlights were on, illuminating the road in event intervals. Patton had a CD in, something up-beat, but soothing. It reminded him of lofi.

Patton stopped in the parking lot, turning to look at him. His smile was nervous, pinched at the edges, "I had a good time tonight."
"Yeah, me too." Anxiety said, honestly. "You're kinda cool, Patton."

The tips of his ears turned pink at that, and he mumbled, "Thank you, V."

Anxiety winced at that. He had almost forgotten: Patton didn't know who he was. He had no clue what his name or trait was. And he knew that was unfair, but Anxiety couldn't risk being rejected again.

"Uh, I gotta," He jutted his thumb in the direction of his apartment. Patton nodded in recognition, his smile fading slightly. Anxiety quickly added on, "But I did have a good time. Maybe we could do this again sometime."

"Without Vogue?" Patton said, like it was a sly suggestion.

Anxiety smirked, "Without Vogue."

Patton giggled and stared at him. Anxiety felt the air between them grow heavier, and he awkwardly tried to break the tension, "You're not gonna kiss me, are you?"

"No," Patton laughed again, but this time it sounded forced. He looked away, shaking his head, "No, I wasn't gonna…"

Anxiety felt bad for embarrassing the other Side. Before he lost his confidence, he took Patton's hand and pressed a small kiss to his palm. Then he got out of the car so he didn't have to deal with the aftermath. He smiled at Patton and said, "Night, Pat."

"Um- uh- yeah." Patton sputtered.

Anxiety closed the door and walked back to his apartment; his hands in his pockets. He got to his door and unlocked it, when he stepped inside, he glanced back at Patton's car. Apparently, he was the type to wait to see if you got inside before driving off.

He waved to the car and it started to back out of the parking spot. Anxiety closed the door and headed to his room, his phone in hand. He needed to tell Elliot everything.


Tell me what you think!