Dark Light Blue

His Heart's Not In The Right Place.

Patton's eyes shoot open and immediately shut as he meets the floor. His glasses fall off his face after somewhat blocking his face from direct contact with the floor. He didn't take the chair with him, but still held the empty fork.

He groaned as he sat up, reaching for his glasses. The fall made his vision all shady and weird...

His hands rubbed the bridge of his nose. The glasses probably left a mark when they were hit.

They're set back on his face, and he expects his vision to go back to normal. How did he fall? Where did the chair go???

He gathers his surroundings as he stands. Everything's the same, but there's no dinner on the table. And why is everything so-

He flinches as he realizes.

'I'm on the Other Side.'

He stands, disoriented. His eyes, as panicked and confused as they are, adjust to the dim light. There are a few lamps on around the house, but no actual lights.

Looking around, Patton notices more and more things that are just a little bit different. There are more cushions on the couch. The TV remote looks worn and old. They must use it more often. There are only three seats at the table. Patton had fallen in the place where there wasn't a seat. He held the fork in his left hand so tightly that it left an indent. The fork itself seemed to glow, being a shade lighter than everything else in the room. He licks the remains of the pasta off of it.

Patton takes another step, completing his 360 of the whole room, and faces the stairs. Janus is looking back.

"Deh- Janus!" Patton jumps.

"Guh! Shhh!" Janus hushes him, a gloved hand stretching from under his cape all the way to Patton's mouth to secure the point.

Another hand comes out to put a finger over his lips, making the room silent again. Listening for something.

When nothing happens after a few seconds, his hands go back under his cape. He breathes out a sigh of relief and makes his way down the stairs.

Now, Patton and Janus had been getting along. Especially ever since Lee and Mary Lee had come over to hang with Thomas. It's been a couple weeks since that had happened, though, and Patton knew the ice was broken... but only a little bit.

"What am I doing here?" Patton asks in a quiet voice once Janus is beside him.

"What are you doing here???" He responds, whisper-yelling.

"I..." Patton trails off.

Janus reads his opposite's panicked, confused face.

"Do you want to talk?" He asks, "Or, just take a rest? I know you aren't one for words and whatnot."

Patton looked hopefully to the smaller side. Taking a break would be nice. He nods and scratches his head.

"Well, let's go then. I told Remus I'd be right back." He gives a polite smile, then turns to the stairs. "Do you know how to get to my room?"

Patton takes a second. Waaaay too many things going on.

For starters: 'Why do we have to be quiet?'

'We're going to see Remus???'

'Janus isn't concerned in the slightest on how the heck I got here???'

"We can talk in a second," Janus interrupts his racing thoughts, seeming to read them, "Not when you're all panicked and loud."

"I... No, can you tell me how... to get to your room?" Patton follows behind him.

Janus's lip turns upward smugly. At least, the part that isn't permanently turned upward.

"This might be a bit hard for you, but you'll need to think of bad things. Like judgement. Greed. Something you want and can't have..."

As Janus continued to list things, Patton was reminded of just a minute ago.

"They'll come around eventually."

"...pity, and- Oh! Look, there you go." Janus turns back to him, looking down.

Patton didn't notice he was sinking until he had to look up to see Janus, coming down behind him.

The two of them are in the upstairs hallway, in front of the door to the bedroom.

"That was easier than expected." Janus raises his eyebrows and leads Patton inside.

It's decorated neatly. Every Side's room has the same outline, except Logan's of course. Bed on the middle of the left wall, two night tables, a desk, and the window. Before he can take it all in, he jumps at the sight of Remus on the bed.

Now, all Sides look the same when interacting with Thomas, where they have less power than usual, as they're closer to reality than normal. They can change their looks based on other people, like being one of Thomas's friends, but changing their appearance there takes more effort if they're not basing it off of someone.

Here, in the Mindscape and everyone's rooms, all Sides have a little more ability to change how they look. Some more drastically, like Virgil and Patton. Others like the way Thomas looks, and keeps it close to that, like Roman.

And Remus, apparently.

Patton feels bad for getting them confused.

Patton has made himself taller, and more fatherly. He's the second oldest Light Side, it feels fair. His hair is lighter, and his skin has patches of freckles. Roman - and, obviously, Remus - both have Thomas's face and completion, just some added flair to the hair and cheekbones. Remus, however, has his gray streak and odd mustache that is kind of weird to see on Thomas's face.

'But,' Patton supposes, 'That's just Remus's whole being.'

"Come on, I even warned you." Janus chastises, seeing Patton flinch at Remus's presence.

"What's the daddio doin' in here?" Remus asks, looking the intruder up and down, not particularly displeased.

"He's asking for sugar, what else," The other sarcastically snaps back, adding, "And don't call him that."

Remus giggles to himself and follows Janus with his eyes as he goes to the desk.

Patton's gaze tears away from the Side on the bed, looking around the bedroom. There are plants all over the place. Shelves of succulents, a tall potted one in the corner Patton is 95% sure is called a Snake plant, one potted at the end of the bed that looks like it could grab your feet as you sleep, and one hanging from the ceiling that doesn't seem as healthy as the others. There are some along a shelf under the window, all turned to find light. It's light outside here, but clouds everywhere.

What interests Patton the most is Janus's desk. At first glance, it's just the computer and the monitor. As he looks over his counterpart's shoulder, however, he sees a small terrarium.

"He's spotted Chips, Jan," Remus says.

"Oh. Right." Janus sits up and turns around. "Do you want to meet my snake, Patton?"

"You have a snake named 'Chips!?'" Patton squeals.

Remus hops off the bed excitedly, offering Patton to come closer. He hovers over Janus's left shoulder, leaving room for him to see as well.

As he steps towards the others, the small, black and yellow snake comes into view. It's freaking tiny. Patton can't help but let out a squeak due to it's adorableness.

Remus sticks his hand in, wiggling a finger at Chips. The small snake looks for a second, and wraps itself once around it. He picks it up and the rest of it dangles off.

Janus watches fondly as Remus plays with Chips in his hands, impressing Patton.

And Patton... is smiling. It feels so nice to laugh with someone, and be close to someone again.

"Now that we've all been introduced," Janus turns to Patton, getting his and Remus's attention, "What in mind are you doing here?"