#hitting someone

It was all blurry. Virgil felt like had had his head bashed in. There were little lights everywhere. For a minute Virgil’s mind was in a peaceful bliss.

Then everything came back; as well as a pounding headache.

Patton and him talking, Patton seeing the pictures from last Christmas, of him and the dark sides. Patton trying to mask his anger.

Patton hitting him in the head with a baseball bat.

“Kiddo! You’re awake!” Wasn’t there a saying for that? Speak of the devil and... “I was starting to get a little worried. I must have hit you awfully hard,” Virgil’s vision started to clear, allowing him to see the binds tying him to a dining room chair. Well, more like Christmas lights, “You’ve been out for so long. Even Roman and Logan were starting to ask for you! They must really be starting to care more,” ...he shall appear.

“Patton? What happened? Wh-Where am I?”

“You’re in my room, Silly!” Now that Virgil’s vision was clearer he could recognize the telltale signs of Patton. The animal posters, the memory boards, the walls filled with pictures, “I thought you might as well be comfortable! Ya’know, you’ve been really upsetting me with keeping your emblems from the past. Those dark sides were clearly not worth your time.”

“Wh-What are you talking about? Emblems?”

“Don’t lie to me Virgil! You know how I hate it,” Patton chastised, “Yes, emblems. Your old jacket in the closet, your drawings on the wall of you and the dark sides, the photo album you hid from me in your drawer. The photo of you and them at Christmas last year.”

“You went through my stuff? Patton! You had no right-“

“You were going to leave us again this year, weren’t you?” Patton pulled on a sad face, “go to them for Christmas and leave us out to dry?”

“No! I’d- I’d never. You guys mean way too much to me. I would never sacrifice you guys! I just- I like having my memories.”

“Well. If you're so sure you won’t ever leave us, why don’t you let me take care of all your stuff. Hm? Get rid of all the stuff to remind you?” He ran a hand of Virgil’s arm as he came closer, “it will be so much easier for you to get rid of it if you let me.”

“What!? Patton I don’t wanna get rid of my stuff! That’s my stuff! I just don’t plan on seeing them for Christmas!”

“I was worried you would say that,” Patton walked away to a pile in the corner, “I’m sorry Veve, but you have to learn your lesson. I can’t just let you destroy our happy little family with the dark sides,” Patton picked up a small mass of dark fabric. Virgil’s old hoodie.

“Patton what are you-“ he pulled out a knife and held it to the fabric, “Patton wait, wait, wait. We can-we can talk about this! We can! I promise! Just-- just wai- No!” Tears welled in Virgil’s eyes as Patton dug the knife into his hoodie dragged it down.

Patton picked up another item.

It wasn’t until Virgil’s voice went out and he thought had no tears left to cry that he thought that Patton might be done. He had abandoned taking a knife to things and started throwing them into a fire.

“Oh Storm-bug! I know you’re upset about your things, but, on the bright side there’s only one left!” Patton pulled a folded sheet of paper and a lighter out of his pocket. “Your photo! The one from last year's Christmas!” Virgil watched in horror as Patton brought the lighter closer to his photo. The only photo he had left. The only thing he had left from them.

Virgil frantically tried to beg Patton not to do it. Try to convince him that he’d done enough damage. Of course, it was kind of hard to do that without a voice. Patton watched the life drained out of Virgil’s eyes as the photo slowly became ashes. “I hope you know that this is your family now.”

Once the photo was completely gone and Patton was sure Virgil wouldn't try to work against him, he started to undo the lights from around him and carried him back to his room. So many things in there would have been a reminder of the dark sides. Now Virgil was safely away from all of it.