Hello again and welcome back. This chapter contains panic attacks and feeling of being helpless or belittled. I believe that is all, please correct me if I'm wrong. That you for your patients thus far and going forward. As always take care of yourselves and thank you for reading.

Stupid Remy, he totally ditched him. He didn't even know what the guy was doing; he just left Virgil to his own devices until dinner. It was weird being alone. His mother never let him be alone unless it was a safe location like school or his house, this was entirely different. It was fine, he didn't need to rely on anyone to take care of him. He could take care of himself. He'd successfully gone on his walk and now he just needed to get back to campus. He was going to be late to meet up with Remy for dinner at this point if the traffic lights didn't hurry up. He'd gone for a walk just outside of campus, where Remy had shown him before. Now he stood on the lumpy edge of the sidewalk preparing to cross the road, listening for each beep and distorted voice recording that signaled him what to do. Ember shifted beside him waiting patiently for when it was safe to take him across the road. The crosswalk signal changed and he stepped forward. Traffic roared parallel to him and he could hear engines idling to the opposite side. The short leash to Ember's harness pulled tight behind him. He only paused for a moment, trying to figure out what was wrong, when it happened. The sound of speeding tires and a roaring engine barreling towards him. Something hit his walking stick which had been extended in front of him ripping it roughly from his hands, he could only barely imagine how lucky he was that the built in strap hadn't been around his wrist. He could physically feel the car centimeters in front of him as it ran the red through the oncoming traffic and nearly hitting him. The force of the hot air surging around the large car knocked him back, tumbling onto his rump on the ground.

He nearly died. That driver nearly killed him. He hadn't even noticed the sound, it blended into the other traffic sounds. Damn, he took that landing pretty hard on his left side, his arm, hip and ankle hurt pretty badly, but it was nothing compared to what could have happened. He almost died. He's lying on the ground, people might not be able to see him now. Someone might almost hit him again. He needed to get up. He didn't know where his walking stick was. He wasn't even sure which direction he was facing anymore. He might be all turned around and lost. No, he just needed to focus, he knew he could hear the cars, he knew he'd be able to figure out which direction was the right way if he just stopped to concentrate. But he couldn't. The blood was rushing in his ears, he couldn't stop shaking. He didn't think he could stand even if he wanted to, his body felt too weak. He hated it. He felt terrified and helpless, his mind screamed danger but he didn't feel able to do anything about it.

"Shh, you're safe kiddo, we've got you. Are you okay?"

That voice, that soft sweet voice. His mind cleared a bit to give way to what was going on in the present, listening to the close voice. The voice, the scent, it was the same as the boy he knew two years ago, but it couldn't be possible. There was yelling in the background, very loud, very panicked. There was the distinct clicking of hazard lights from a car that had at some point inched closer to him to force cars to go around him so he wouldn't be hurt. There were two bodies near him, the one that reminded him of Patton crouching to his left and another calmer presence that knelt in front of him, knees brushing.

"I believe you're having a panic attack, I need you to breathe along with me please," a new voice, the one in front of him, requested.

Virgil tried but he didn't feel safe. It was so loud. So many people were honking and yelling out their windows for them to get out of the road. He felt so terrified. This must be why his mother never let him go anywhere or do anything alone, he was helpless.

The man continued his efforts, tapping out the rhythm on his hand. Virgil slowly got the hang of it, managing to calm down enough he was able to think more clearly.

"Are you alright?" The calmer man asked.

Virgil gave a meek nod, his cheeks heating up with embarrassment. He couldn't believe he had a full out breakdown in the middle of a busy intersection.

"Let's get you onto the sidewalk okay?" The cheerful one suggested.

He felt the man in front of him gently guiding him to his feet and leading him off the street, back onto the sidewalk where he was then sat down on a roadside bench.

"Roman, please go park my car over in that parking lot," he then called out.

"Got it!" Another more distant voice yelled in return.

This Roman must have been the one that he'd heard freaking out and then again while directing traffic around them earlier.

"Alright, now did you sustain any injuries?" the man asked.

"Just a few scrapes and bruises I think. It would have been worse if Ember hadn't suddenly tried to pull back," Virgil paused, panic coursing through him, he wasn't holding Ember's leash. "Ember! Where is she? Is she okay?"

He couldn't remember if he'd heard her at any point, he was so used to her presence he tuned it out. He wasn't sure if he heard panting, he thought he did but it could be just a phantom noise because he knew he should hear it. If anything happened to her he wouldn't forgive himself.

"Your dog? It's alright, I have her. She was the first thing I grabbed hold of when I jumped out of the car. I didn't want her freaking out and getting herself hurt, even if she is trained to help you it was a bit of an extreme circumstance," the cheerful one said, placing the leash in his hand. "I also found your walking stick, although it's a little banged up from being run over."

He let out a shaky breath of relief. He had been able to hear her, she was here. The warm, soft fur pressed against his leg comfortingly. She was here, she wasn't hurt.

"Thank you," Virgil smiled.

"It's okay, we're happy to help, Virgil," he chirped before letting out an embarrassed squeak. "Oh goodness, I'm sorry, you just remind me of an old friend from high school and…"

"Patton?" Virgil asked in disbelief.

"Wait, is it really you? Wow it's been ages," Patton exclaimed excitedly.

"I, uh, I thought it sounded like you but… I couldn't imagine it was actually you," Virgil chuckled nervously, swallowing the anxiety that was creeping up in his throat.

All of the feelings from before were back. The pain, the longing, the regret. He fished out his phone and fumbled with trying to turn it on.

"Do you… Do you want some help?" Patton asked awkwardly. "I know you can probably do it yourself. But you still seem a bit shaken up. I can contact someone for you if you'd like."

Virgil sighed, lowering his phone.

"Y-yeah… Yeah that would probably be best. I just want Remy… Janus or Remus would be okay too. Even Emile would be pretty comforting to have right about now," Virgil stated with a wry chuckle.

"Remus? As in Remus Prinz?" The calmer voice piped up curiously.

Virgil jumped a bit, he'd almost forgotten the other man's presence. He'd just been so quiet, letting Patton take care of him since they realized they knew each other.

"Oh um. Yeah, you know him?" Virgil replied, his voice a bit tight from the mini heart attack he'd been given.

"Forget calling him. We can just take you to him, we're dating his brother," Patton laughed.

"I'd still suggest calling them Patton. I'd heard the four of them were meeting to discuss something then going out shopping at the mall. It'd be best to inform Remus they should end their escapade a bit early and that he could bring Remy to his and Roman's dorm," the other one stated bluntly.

"I know Logie, I was still planning on it," Patton paused a moment before giving a small gasp of realization. "Oh! I totally forgot. Virgil, this is one of my soulmates, Logan."

"Greeting Virgil, Patton has mentioned you on several occasions. It's a pleasure to meet someone he speaks quite fondly of. I wish we could have met in a better situation," Logan stated formally.

"N-nice to meet you too," Virgil stammered.

He wasn't sure if he was mortified or absolutely thrilled. He'd told his soulmates about him. He didn't even think he existed in Patton's eyes, just another one in the crowd of his many friends and acquaintances.

"Fear not my loves for I have returned," a voice called out, breaking Virgil free from his internal panic.

"And here comes my other soulmate, Roman," Patton said.

"So is this guy, like, okay now?" Roman asked.

"He's quite alright, but would you mind calling your brother to meet us back at your dorm with Remy?" Logan requested.

"Why would we need Remus and Remy of all people?"

"Turns out Virgil here is friends with them," Patton chirped.

"Uhg, that idiot of a brother has friends? Never thought I'd see the day," Roman scoffed as he stopped walking just a few paces from Virgil.

His clothing rustled as he fished his phone from his pockets, his nails clicking against the screen of a phone.

"That is curious, I suppose Remus is branching out in his friend group. Say, Virgil, I don't mean to be insensitive, but out of curiosity how long have you been blind?" Logan asked.

"Oh, well, my whole life I guess? I was born very prematurely and the receptors and neurons in my eyes hadn't fully developed and I had some issue with an abnormal amount of blood cells behind my eyes or something. They apparently did a couple surgeries to try to fix everything but it ended up not saving my sight so my parents decided to give up on further procedures," Virgil replied, raising a brow in Logan's general direction.

"I see, fascinating," Logan mused, seeming a bit distant before quickly regaining his composure. "Sorry, thank you for telling me. I'm quite fascinated by those sorts of things. Now, would you be willing to accompany the three of us to Roman's dorm? He's done texting them so I assume Remy and Remus will be meeting us there."

"I suppose so," Virgil replied a bit reluctantly as he leaned down to cuddle closer to Ember, who'd been nuzzling his leg just moments before out of concern.

"Hey, no need to be nervous Kiddo, you know I'd never hurt you. You'll be safe with us until your friends come, okay?" Patton said, taking his hand gently.

Virgil smiled softly, warmth budding in his chest at the familiar kindness of his old highschool crush. After nearly two years he still hadn't lost any of his sentiments toward Patton. He grasped onto his hand and used it to stand up, choking up on Ember's leash a bit so he wasn't afraid of losing her again. They lead him across the road, safely this time, to where Roman had parked their car. Virgil slid into the backseat, Patton sliding in right beside him while Roman took the wheel and Logan took the passenger seat.

"So how have you been since we lost touch midway through my senior year?" Patton asked as the car started moving.

"Well nothing really changed until this year. I'm rooming with Remy and he introduced me to all of his soulmates, including my old childhood friend, Janus, who I'd lost touch with. Think I told you about him right?"

"Mhm! That's awesome. What about… that thing we talked about in the greenhouse the last time we actually spoke. How'd it go? How'd your parents take it?" Patton asked, sounding a bit nervous but sympathetic about how sensitive it might be to talk about.

"I didn't tell them. Turns out she's aro ace and I just said I was the same," Virgil chuckled, trying to make light of the conversation he truly hated having.

"But are you?" Patton asked.

Virgil's nails dug into the fabric of his jeans, his throat tightening.

"No," he managed tightly.

Patton watched him with almost sad eyes before giving a small smile.

"So you're rooming with Remy, huh? I've met him and the rest of Remus's soulmates a couple times, they are a pretty interesting bunch. I bet you have some stories to tell about your experience being friends with them the past month or so," Patton chirped, changing the topic.

"Huh? Oh yeah, well they are actually pretty fun! It's pretty funny how Emile and Jan are kind of the mom and dad type while the other two are chaos demons. Which has been making it pretty interesting since Rem and Re have been hanging out with me the most dragging me around on every whim. Seriously, you should have been there last week."

Virgil found himself relaxing in the company of his old friend as he rambled on about his new friends, with continual prompting from Patton who happily listened. Logan remained mostly quiet but chimed in once in a while to comment on the places he'd been dragged to. Meanwhile Roman kept muttering about how he grew up with the two of them and he was fairly certain a demon had replaced them with its own children when they were babies. Before he knew it Roman had put the car in park.

"We're here emo nightmare, shall I carry you to our dorm so you don't run into anything?" Roman asked.

"First of all, so original, Remus already came up with that one. Secondly I might be blind but I'm not helpless, I can walk on my own," Virgil huffed, pushing open his car door as he gave a gentle tug on Ember's leash so she'd follow him out.

"Hey! I only offered because your walking stick got wrecked, don't turn me into the asshole here 'sunshine'," Roman scoffed back as he slammed his own car door shut.

"Roman please cease this useless arguing," Logan sighed from where he and Patton were approaching them from the other side of the car.

"It's good on you to have been trying to be helpful but let's not get snappy with each other okay? Come on, let's go up to Roman's dorm, okay? The other's should be here soon, just walk right behind me and you shouldn't run into anything," Patton said in his seemingly ever pleasant and happy tone.

"Okay," Virgil muttered, his shoulders loosening a bit as he felt the comforting warmth of Patton's close presence coming right up alongside him.

They made their way inside and to the elevator where he heard the elevator chime with each floor it passed until stopping on the fourth. They weren't far down the hall from the elevator just about twenty three paces to the right. Roman opened the door allowing Virgil to step in. He barely held in a gag as he did, the room smelled of dirty laundry and febreeze that was desperately trying to cover the scent.

"Mind your step, my brother is not the neatest person to put it lightly and I'm not cleaning his stuff anymore so his half is a mess, my half is fine, so stay left I guess," Roman instructed walking in himself to plop down on his bed.

Virgil uncomfortably shifted through the room, scooting his feet along the floor to tap out any random shirts or shoes that were thrown about. He let go of Ember's leash to let her wander around once he heard the door close and sat himself down on the window ledge he found on the opposite wall. Patton was quick to pick up conversation again when they'd all settled down, him sitting on the floor against the wall by Virgil's feet. It wasn't anything particularly interesting; what classes they were in, their usual daily schedules, their favorite places on campus, if they'd met anyone interesting in their new classes. Even still Virgil was so happy to be catching up with Patton and getting to know Logan and Roman, although the latter was being surprisingly quiet despite his seemingly loud personality. When he did make a comment it was typically something along the lines of him constantly being with and or doing something romantic with his soul mates, almost to the point where it seemed forced and purposeful. Still the conversation was far from unpleasant, lasting somewhere around twenty minutes when the unlocked door slammed open.

"Where is my Virgie and what is this I hear about him almost being hit by a car?"

Virgil leapt up at the sound of Remy's voice rushing to meet him halfway in a hug. He could feel the usually carefree man shaking a bit as he held him for a moment.

"Are you okay? Did you get hurt anywhere? I swear I'll hunt down whoever that douchebag was and make sure he never drives another day in his life," Remy huffed as he pushed Virgil away from him to check for any bloodstains on his dark clothes.

"Haha, chill Rem, I'm fine. Patton and his soulmates took care of me," Virgil smiled as he broke away from his friend.

Virgil noticed Remy tense a little at the comment but he heard him let out a soft laugh anyways.

"I'm glad that if it happened, it happened when… friends of ours were present to help," Remy said.

A heavy arm fell over the back of Virgil's shoulders, dragging him a few steps away from his previous spot, stumbling across Remus's dirty clothes.

"We are glad you're okay now, nightmare. You could have been a road pancake!" Remus laughed.

Virgil chuckled nervously, trying to cast away the morbid picture that Remus had brought to mind. The slightly disturbing man drew closer, his mustache tickling his ear as he spoke.

"Sounds like you fell pretty hard for your little Patty-Crush again," Remus purred into his ear.

Virgil felt the tips of his ears burning as he recoiled and delivered a solid punch to Remus's gut. He heard him let out an airy cough as he slowly made his way to the ground.

"Nice fist for a cripled," he replied in a choked out chuckle.

"Oh fuck you, my eyes might not work but my ears and fist? Oh they are just fine," Virgil glared down at the floor before storming off towards the door where he could smell coffee and leather.

"Aww, was he torturing you again babe?" Remy asked, patting him on the head.

Virgil pouted a bit and crossed his arms, still feeling the embarrassing burning across his face.

"I still can't believe you both knew and didn't tell me," Virgil muttered quietly so only Remy would hear.

Remy's blood ran cold and he felt his heart leap out of his chest at the insinuation.

"Knew what exactly?" Remy asked, his throat tightening.

Virgil rolled his eyes and raised a brow.

"About Patton? You know, my highschool friend, we were literally talking about him a few days ago? I can't believe you knew him and didn't say anything," Virgil replied.

"Oh, that."

"What did you think I was talking about?"

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing… Imma go sit I'm suddenly feeling pretty light headed."

"What? Did you stupid coffee adicted brain make you forget to drink water again today? You're going to get yourself killed you know," Virgil lectured annoyedly.

He heard snickering from off to the side. It was unfamiliar, one of Patton's soulmates, Roman if he had to guess.

"Sorry, I can't help it. The person that nearly got hit by a car is lecturing about the dangers of dehydration? "

That was most certainly Roman's voice.

"Go on, keep teasing the nightmare, see where you end up. You only just watched me getting punched by the same guy. Seems like the smartest thing in the world," Remus said sarcastically from where he still sat on the floor. "But actually… This is just a great opportunity. I've been wanting to introduce my good friend Virgy to you. I've been hanging out with him a lot lately. Virgil, that little sword in my back side is my twin brother Roman."

"You're twins? No wonder I find him so equally irritating," Virgil smirked teasingly.

"Well, hidy ho, asshole. I think you forgot I saved you today!" Roman snapped.

"That was actually Patton and Logan. You sat there prancing around uselessly, yelling at us and cars for a decent length of the incident if I recall," Virgil corrected.

"Well your recollection is wrong. I mean what do you know, you're… blind… You can't see anything… Shit. Your kidding right? Remus, please tell me your kidding?" Roman begged.

Patton frowned and walked over to give Virgil a hug.

"Roman stop being so mean to my little Virg. You can't make fun of people's disabilities," Patton lectured.

Roman either didn't hear of care since he had taken residence on the edge of his bed letting out a high pitched screech of disbelief. Meanwhile Virgil was having his own meltdown over the fact Patton was currently holding him and calling him his. Virgil knew he was probably ten shades of red and gwaking out into space like an idiot but he still was struggling to believe his reality. Remus on the other hand was cackling on the floor, his legs flailing in the air as he revelled in his brother's shock and horror about the situation. Remy had sprung up from his seat again, shuffling around with nervous energy as he tried to decide what to do. Finally Logan sat beside Roman, staring at him unamused.

"You seriously just figured it out. I expected Patton to be a little late on the draw, not you," Logan sighed.

"What?" Both of his boyfriends asked simultaneously in much different tones.

"Well your brother doesn't exactly have many friends-"

"And I'm proud of that!"

"Eh, yes, well, much less ones that wouldn't be able to see certain somethings," Logan finished his statement looking down at the grinning mustache man.

"And you didn't say anything?" Roman cried.

"I thought it was obvious who he was. Besides I didn't particularly want to talk about it in front of him," Logan replied.

"About what? Did Remus say something weird about me? I swear if it was anything embarrassing, I'm going to kill you," Virgil threatened.

"Nope, nope, we are not killing people today. That sounds like far too much legal paperwork. I promise it's nothing important or bad. Come on, why don't I take you home," Remy said, slowly stealing the struggling and seething individual from Patton's arms.

"What, no, don't leave!" Roman argued.

"Aww, but you just got here," Patton complained at nearly the same moment.

Logan let out a chuckle.

"I think Remy and Virgil probably should be heading off to dinner. It was very nice to meet you Virgil, I would like to be in your company again soon? Perhaps tomorrow for lunch? The three of us would love for you to join us. Remy can join as well if you feel uncomfortable, I just thought you might want to catch up more with Patton," Logan suggested.

"Oh, uh, yeah, I'd love to join the three of you," Virgil replied, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck, making a mental note that it was more so two of them he'd like to see than the third.

"Splendid. Remy can put our contacts in your phone, send me a message and I'll give you all the details," Logan instructed.

Remy narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"Wait but I don't have-"

"Don't worry Remus does. And I'm sure you'll be needing them as well," Logan cut him off.

Remy paused for a moment before smiling in relief.

"Thanks Logan," Remy said before leading Virgil out of the room.

Once the door was closed Patton began shifting around uncomfortably.

"So is anyone going to tell me what all of that was about or?"

"Well I was still right that he'd be the last one to figure it out."