Patton never liked being alone in the imagination.

Not because it was actively scary or anything, no, he adored going on dates with Remus there.

But because he knew things were hiding within it.

Roman had dealt with those things many times, one of them had wound up following him out.

Virgil had dealt with them, to, but never to the extent that Roman had.

Patton, Patton never wanted to go through that.

He remembered sleepless nights when he was a freshly formed side, when his only responsibilities were emotions and to be full of love and sunshine.

When he was at the mercy of morality.

He was in control now, yes, but the responsibilities were terrifying to him now that he knew what they meant.

He knew Romulus was harmless now of course, and he had no intention of causing an issue with him.

But Romulus' prescience in the mindscape.

Brennan's ability to impersonate and imprison Virgil for several weeks without even one side noticing.

It scared him.

It made him question what else might be lurking there, what might be able to return from it.

"Pattycake you're making your worry wart face again," Patton let out a small help as Remus pulled him back into his lap, calloused hands moving to grab at the fat rolls accentuated by a crop top.

"Mouse! that tickles!" Patton said, grabbing Remus' arms and bursting into a fit of laughter.

"Good! I wanna hear you laughing! No thinking, only pretty little Patton giggles!" Said Remus, now moving to attack Patton's neck, earning a shriek of laughter.

"Ok ok! I'll stop thinking!" Patton said, proceeding to cross his eyes. Remus lay his forehead on Patton's and followed suit.

They like that for a while, until Patton was struck with a sudden jolt of terror.

"Pattycake? What's wrong? What happened?" Remus had sat up before Patton jolted forward, narrowly avoiding a forehead collision.

"Bad feeling-" Patton said, latching to Remus' arms.

"About?" Remus prompted.

"Something in the imagination- I- I think-" Patton's breath hastened.

"Its him isnt it?" Remus' eyes widened in understanding.

"I have to go check- Remus please I cant let him get in here like the others- please-" Patton tried to fight his way past Remus, and with enough shoving, finally broke off.

The imagination was cold and dark, just as he remembered his room had been when he was younger.

"Dad? I know you're in here." Patton tried his best to put on a brave face.

"Oh? Dad am I? I thought I told you to call me Father." Patton stiffened as a growl sounded from the house.

"And quit grimacing. You look better when you smile." Doyle stepped out from the shadows. He looked exactly as Patton remembered him.

Blue sweater, gray tuxedo jacket, gray dress pants, Patton could almost smell the sawdust.

"I dont take orders from you anymore." Patton's voice was quivering now, it was one thing to talk to a disembodied voice, but a completely different thing for it to for looming over you.

And it was even harder feeling leather come in contact with flesh.

Patton wasnt sure when he got back to the mindscape, only that his face felt v e r y numb.

"Pattycake! What the hell happened in there!" Remus was worried, that wasnt a good sign.

"I-I cant feel my face- he- Remus what did he do to my face?" Patton said, trying to get a look at his reflection in any nearby surface.

"Oh you poor thing. . ." Remus said quietly, scooping Patton up into his arms.

"I'm taking you to Virgil, me Roman and Romulus will handle my bother-in-law," Remus said, before sinking out.

"DOUBLE BUBBLE DISCO QUEEN- HEADED TO THE GUILLOTINE-" Virgil's P!ATD karaoke session was cut off by Patton and Remus' sudden appearance in his room, and punctuated by a scream.

"ENGARDE YOU FI- WHAT THE HELL-"

"WHY IS EVERYONE YELLING???"

Roman and Romulus had arrived on the scene shortly after Virgil's declaration of terror.

"Patton what's on your face?" Virgil had already rushed over with a kit, Patton flinched as he ran his hands along his face.

"I dont know- he said I needed to smile more and then I just- blacked out-" Patton said, flinching every few words.

"Hold on. . . He? What do you mean he?" Virgil moved his hands away for a few seconds.

"That's what I need Ro and Ru for, the in-laws are back," Remus said, he and Roman shivered slightly.

"You go after him, I'll fix all this nonsense-" Virgil said, pressing something wet to Patton's face.

It was heaven when all the wire was finally removed, but Patton's face was now coated in blood, and holes.

"I wotn be able to fix it all, just think of it as new freckles, and try not to move your face to much ok?" Virgil said quietly, Patton merely nodded.

He went to bed in Remus' arms secure in the knowledge that the hyenas they considered like children were feasting on the bones of a man who never put thought into the feelings of other people.

----------------------------------------------

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