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Rummaging through old boxes of stuff was always one of Patton’s favorite rainy day activities. All of Thomas’s nostalgic memories were his domain, and it could sometimes get a bit cluttered in his end of the mindscape. So Patton would go through them every now and then, looking through all of the good times Thomas has had, sorting which memories to keep and which can be allowed to roam. He usually liked setting them free in the Imagination. Roman would be able to make use of them usually. Sometimes Roman would come back with an idea using one of these old forgotten memories and they’d come up in dreams. Dreams are forgotten most of the time, according to Logan. Roman doesn’t like that very much, he likes to think dreams are forever.
Patton was up to his elbows in an old box of memory he was sorting, this one from around three years ago. Thomas was pursuing all of these cool creative dreams and Roman was on a high. He’d go on and on about things he’d done in the Imagination, a dream he’d given Thomas the previous night, or the callback he was looking forward to.
The callback that, ultimately, wasn’t meant to be.
Patton picked up a photograph of all of the sides. It appeared to be a still from one of their videos. Janus was nowhere to be seen, or at least visibly. He wondered how many times a side wasn’t actually themselves. As far as he knew, he’d only impersonated himself and Logan. The picture looked a bit faded with time, Roman’s suit and gleaming smile starting to fade to a more gray color, barely noticeable unless he looked at it from a certain angle. But it was there. Roman appeared to be gesturing wildly at Logan, who was clearly giving as good as he got. It was then he noticed the old outfits. He checked the date scrawled on the back, grinning - ah yes, he thought so. The rap battle. That was a good day. He set it aside to save the memory.
Roman hadn’t done anything like that in a while.
He picked up the next photograph and smiled again. Virgil had joined the group properly by then but didn’t have his purple hoodie yet. Roman’s eyes crinkled with laughter as he was ruffling Virgil’s hair. Virgil appeared utterly exasperated. Roman was well on his way to treating Virgil like one of them, Patton was so proud of Roman. No one had seen Virgil very much after Remus came. He hadn’t seen Roman a lot either. Not for lack of trying, he had tried to speak to them, comfort them. The two of them became so close that they were almost like brothers, inseparable. He set aside the memory to keep.
Sometimes, you find comfort in the most unlikely places.
After the breakup happened, Roman tried so hard to put on a brave face afterward, and appeared to be doing beautifully. He would go on little trips in the Imagination. Virgil had been hard on him during the discussion but he knew they were helping each other. Patton had talked with Roman after as well. Roman understood his role in it and he knew the right way to go now, he was ready to focus on ideas for a while. He understood it was for the best. The picture Roman had made for Patton afterwards was in his hand now. It was simple, a landscape with a single unicorn, carrying its head high as its mane flowed in the wind. Patton was definitely saving this one, Roman had used his beloved oil paint set that he saved for special occasions.
Being alone is good sometimes, it lets you get back in touch with yourself.
Patton suddenly touched a piece of cloth, he took it out of the box and nearly dropped it like a hot ember. A scarf. He hadn’t even realized until it was too late. Thankfully Virgil eventually sounded the alarm. Once Roman knew what was going on he fought valiantly for everything he knew. Roman had been different after that for a while, but he bounced back as he always did. Soon enough he’d been happily arguing with Logan about the practicalities of sports cars made of precious gems in mansions behind waterfalls and singing about jelly. The scarf was going away, but the sheet of lyrics to the Crofters musical was definitely staying. Roman and Logan worked very well together, even if they didn’t realize it yet. Patton put the lyrics somewhere safe, grinning to himself.
He was so proud of Roman, how he was learning to work with rather than fight against.
He felt something papery slip against his palms. Oh, it was his puppet, little brown bag and all! That was such a great video, and the Sesame Street inspired format was so much fun. He’d missed his little puppet, what a pity it was squished down here. He remembered Logan’s robot, Virgil’s sock puppet, and Roman’s muppet. It all came together so nicely, and the emotional conversation they’d had was one of his favorite memories with his family. But he hadn’t forgotten about Roman. Something had been off. He’d known Roman liked attention and could be a bit jealous, but… hated? The disbelief on his face when Virgil said that…
If only Roman knew how much he was loved.
Patton tossed the now empty box aside and moved on to the next, reaching blindly for the first thing at the top of the box. A cream colored tie… weren’t ties Logan’s thing? Oh! Oh. Oh. The courtroom. Oh dear, the courtroom. That was when Janus truly joined the fray, fighting for his view and his right to a seat at the table now that Thomas was willing to acknowledge his presence. And Roman wanting to side with Janus, yet knowing the wedding was the right thing… that couldn’t have been an easy position. Especially with Janus messing with Roman. Patton wasn’t blind, he knew Roman struggled there, especially with so much at stake. But he pulled through, and Patton was proud. He set the tie on a separate shelf.
Doing the right thing can be hard.
And sometimes the struggle doesn’t end with the decision. Patton’s heart dropped into his throat when he saw Roman go down. The side said he was Roman’s brother. Roman said he was everything he didn’t want to be. Patton didn’t blame him, Remus was… uncomfortable. He was thankful when Logan helped send him away. He still hadn’t thanked Logan properly for that. Or for a lot of things. He needed to talk to Logan. He needed to talk to Roman as well, he said he was fine, but he wasn’t sure you came out of getting surprise attacked by your evil twin fine.
He was worried about Roman.
Patton didn’t find much else in this box of memories. This must have been something Thomas preferred to forget. Patton knew why the second he picked up an invitation and a wind-up frog. That had been a hard day for everyone. Thomas was upset even though he’d done the right thing. Roman had accepted the decision, he knew it was the right thing. He tried to help Patton soothe Thomas, defend Roman’s decision in the courtroom. They’d made the right decision, Thomas’s friends mattered more than this film role. And Thomas mattered to his friends. Then why, after Logan was unceremoniously shoved to the sidelines, Janus appeared to make his points that Thomas was in crisis and this was the final straw, Patton was pushed to the edge, Virgil nowhere to be found-
Roman refused to come to the door.
Patton really had tried to check on Roman after. He couldn’t just let this be, not after the way he sank out. He’d never seen Roman look so… broken. Defeated. Like he’d given up. And yet, Roman came out of his room the next day like everything was normal. He was a bit more subdued, but he was talking. What’s done is done, he’d said, now we can only focus on what’s ahead. When Patton tried to talk about it Roman had quickly excused himself to go work on a project. Roman had started working late more often than usual. The Roman went out with Thomas and Virgil to the mall so Thomas could distract himself from the oppressive sadness of his apartment, and oh what news they brought back.
It could change everything.
Patton picked up a ragged napkin from the box, a phone number messily scrawled on it, smudged by a tea stain. Roman and Virgil came back with stars in their eyes. He’d never seen Virgil with eyeshadow in any color other than black. Roman hadn’t pranced and twirled around the living room like this in months. A few days later they ended up going to an outdoor art exhibit with Nico. Logan had been in a foul mood. He’d tried to talk to Logan about it, but he’d been given the cold shoulder. Logan sat in stony silence the whole time while Patton talked to Roman and Virgil. Roman was bouncing on his heels, making those gestures with his hands like he used to. Even Virgil was cautiously optimistic, and Patton tried to mirror that energy. He didn't want to ruin this for them, he knew Roman needed something nice to look forward to after what he’d been through and he wanted so badly to give that to Roman.
But he’s not sure if he’s ready like Roman is.
Before Patton even knows it five years have gone by since that very first episode. They’ve come so far. A dad, a teacher, a snake boy, an emo, and a prince have become an unlikely family. He’s so proud of Thomas. Of Logan, of Virgil, of Janus… and of Roman. Even Remus has some rare, odd moments where it feels like he’s finding his place. They’re an odd group, to be sure, with their differences.
But they’ll always stay connected.