Virgil's Secret

Pt. 7 - Binder

When the boys were thoroughly tired out from swimming, Patton assured they were all out and dry, before heading back to the car.

Patton decided to drive, because the other three were asleep, Logan leaning up against the window and Roman and Virgil in the backseats.

Virgil had easily fallen asleep in the warm car, and had fallen against Roman after a few sharp turns from Patton.  Roman hadn't had the strength(hadn't been able to find it for the life of him) to move the sleeping boy off of him.  He himself quickly fell asleep as well.

All three boys were sleeping soundly as Patton drove, him humming quietly to himself. 

When Logan woke, he found Patton not sitting in the drivers seat.  He turned in his seat and saw the two opposing sides sleeping on one another, and smiled.  He moved to adjust his glasses, but found them tucked neatly on his shirt.  He smiled at the find gesture that must have been performed by the fatherly trait. 

Patton soon reentered the car, handing Logan a sandwich that had seeming been formed out of thin air.  Logan took it, and with a small thanks, he ate it.  The blue-clad trait ate his own, making silent conversation with Logan through facial movements.

Eventually, the other two in the back woke up,(totally not due to Patton giggling, though it wasn't unpleasant to wake up to the two in the front totally not flirting with each other) and Patton handed them their own sandwiches to eat.

They ate in the car with a witty banter going around, Virgil hardly participating.  He shifted awkwardly every other moment, adjusting his sweatshirt spastically. 

The others paid him no mind, only  continuing to talk to one another.

None of them saw what Virgil felt, the tight, restricting squeeze around his lungs, unable to breath.  The low wheezing he made was silent, unable to be detected by the others.  They continued to talk and laugh, unaware of Virgil.

He kept trying to adjust his binder indiscreetly, trying not to alarm anyone in the car. 

And no one noticed.

...until he started wheezing louder.  His breaths were ragged, nearly panting, and for all the bad luck in the world, Roman noticed first,

"Virgil?  Are you okay?" He asked, and Virgil had meant to say he was fine, but instead ended up wheezing even more, uncomfortable under the stares of everyone in the car.

"Go....home...." he managed, and Patton understood.  He started the car, and took off, probably going much above the speed limit, but no one in the car cared.

Logan was trying to analyze Virgil, and talking Roman through Virgil's impending panic attack.

Patton was pressing the gas pedal into the floor, and offering reassuring words(apparently to Virgil, but only heard by himself.) .

Roman was holding Virgil, not too tightly on Logans instructions, in case Virgil needed to pull away, but still a reassuring presence to him nonetheless.  He was whispering words to him, quietly telling him that it's okay, we'll be home soon, and just held him.

And Virgil was bordering on a panic attack because why aren't we home yet I'm worrying them oh god they know they're disgusted oh god.  His breathing was restricted, and he had at some point fallen directly into Roman's arms.  He was holding Virgil, arms a prescience around him, but hesitant.  Not wanting to entrap him.

After what seemed like a million years, thee got home. 

Well, Patton screeched to a halt in front of the house, forgot to put the car in park, ran around the car without closing his door, opened Virgil's door, picked him up out of Roman's arms, and carried him into the house quickly. 

All of this happened in a matter of fifteen seconds. 

Roman and Logan sat in the car for a few seconds, then sprung into action, getting out of the car and closing all the doors. 

Meanwhile, Patton had ran to Virgil's own room, and sat him down upon the bed.  Virgil then waved his hands frantically a the door, and Patton hurried to close it. 

Virgil threw his shirt off, and started trying to take his binder off.

Patton stood transfixed for a moment, before locking the door and running over to help him.  Together, they got his binder off, and Virgil sighed in relief.

Patton grabbed his blanket and covered Virgil's chest with it, helping the anxious side run through breathing patterns. 

The two were vaguely aware of the knocking on the door from the other two traits who were terrified of what was happening to their friend.

Once Virgil had calmed down, and was breathing regularly, Patton put his arms around the anxious trait, who had started crying.

It took many hours of Patton calming down a crying Virgil and reassuring him over and over again that this didn't make him any less of a man, a handsome, strong man, and wasn't any less one of them.

The two fell asleep like that, Virgil wrapped up in a blanket, sobbing, curled into a warm, welcoming Patton, who truly wanted nothing more than to comfort the youngest of the four sides.