Sanders Sides: Sleep-Walking (Full Collection)

Sleep-Walking Updated

-----Author's Note-----

Update of the original story

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Virgil's eyes drifted to the clock on his dresser, though it was late for most people, three o'clock in the morning wasn't an unusual time for him to be awake. His nights were often spent thinking or brooding while his companions rested; because, as his host's fight-or-flight reflex, sleep was all but out of the question for him. There was no way of knowing when there could be a break in, freak natural disaster, or something even worse. That being the case, he couldn't allow himself to drift into the realm of dreams often, leading to days of no sleep with occasional naps if he was completely certain that the other sides were in a position to watch over Thomas.

Since the nights were generally uneventful, he was left to the mercy of his quiet yet mundane routine in the dim light of his room. He attempted to keep his focus on the book he had been reading, but the worries and fears he embodied tormented him relentlessly. Already his fingers had been picked to the point of bleeding, and his lip was nearly chewed through, but he continued to carry the burden of the late and lonely hours alone.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of footfall in the corridor, that while out of place, he had come to expect. More than once, the other sides had made it apparent that they abhorred the night for various and sundry reasons. Logan was always pressing for a healthy sleep schedule, Patton tried to enforce a strict bedtime, and Roman frequently complained about needing his beauty sleep. Despite the other sides' insistence on the necessities of rest, it had become commonplace for Virgil to hear them wandering about the halls long after they had retired for the night. One afternoon he had questioned them on the topic, but each had denied staying awake or getting up, and he had instead received stern words about his own sleeping habits.

At the time he had allowed the topic to be pushed to the wayside and focused on more important matters, but as the nights passed, his curiosity only grew. His mind enjoyed playing tricks on him, so at first he had passed the sounds off as paranoia, but with the weeks slipping by and the trend continuing he decided that he wasn't just hearing things. His senses were sharper than those of his colleagues, so even from behind a closed door, he was able to work out a rough pattern from the footsteps. He wasn't able to distinguish who was up, but the slight variations in the sounds betrayed that it wasn't just one side getting up regularly. Over the course of a single night, one to all of his friends would get up and walk around for a bit, sometimes more than once, but the individual incidents never lasted more than five minutes.

Finally, Virgil decided to ignore the others' claims and get to the bottom of the mystery which had plagued him for months. Silently he placed his book on the bedside table and made his way across the carpeted floor; opening the door with care, he stepped out into the darkness beyond his room. While waiting for his eyes to adjust, he listened intently until he recognized the upbeat, bouncy tread of Patton's footsteps. Turning in the direction of the sounds, Virgil was just barely able to make out his friend's silhouette, but there was something off about him. He seemed to be wandering about aimlessly, as if he had no destination in mind or even a reason for being awake at all.

Morality wore his dark grey cat onesie with the hood pulled up over his head, though the mittens that went with it were missing. Virgil nearly ducked back into his room when Patton turned in his direction, but something told him he didn't need to. His companion was missing his glasses, and while his eyes were open, it was like he was focusing on something between the two of them. Suddenly things began to click into place, the foot fall, the distant gaze, and the lack of memory, he was sleep-walking.

Feeling confident in his answer to the enigma, he moved to return to his room when the low tone of his counterpart caused him to stop. It had been too quiet to decipher what he had said, but Anxiety decided to remain in the corridor nonetheless. Remaining still he waited to see if Patton would speak again, and when he did the words shocked Virgil to his very core. "-What do you mean you don't need me anymore?" Before he had time to ponder what his companion had meant, he spoke once more on the verge of tears, "I-I'm doing all I can kiddos! Please-" There was an abrupt pause, but his soft tone filled the air again a moment later, "you know that I only want what's best for all of you. I'll do anything! Don't make me leave...I don't want to lose any of you! I-" Morality's terrified whisper was cut short as he walked back into his corner of the mind-palace, the door closing gently behind him.