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warcats-cat · 1 year

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Wide Eyed in Wonder (AKA: Two)

Patton has an unfortunate mishap with some wayward magic. Some chaos and some softness ensue.

A/N: Please read The Long Road Home (Tumblr) (Ao3) before reading this fic! It will make a lot more sense with the context from that work.

You can also read this work on Ao3 if preferred!

I'm doing it I'm posting this!!! I've been messing with it since literally before the first chapter of Long Road Home was *posted*. And I know that if I don't just bite the bullet and *post* it, I'll never stop messing with it. Not that I'm not happy with it!! This has one of my favorite one-liner's I've ever written. I just never stop editing...

As always, please let me know if I missed any tags! I hope you enjoy this very silly piece as much as I enjoyed writing it!

- set roughly 3 months after leaving Wardenthall Manor -

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Virgil was still grumbling, wondering why he had been put in the lead when Roman was going on and on about some mysterious fountain that he just had to see, when Patton yelped next to him. The half-fairy had stiffened and fallen backwards, as if something had pushed him over. The party stopped abruptly, Virgil rushing immediately to his fairy’s side.

“Pat? You ok?” he asked softly, kneeling to help him back up if needed.

Patton forced himself back up, bracing with one arm and holding the other to his face. He groaned.

“ ‘M ok. Just a little shocked, I think.” he said, strained. He shook his head as if to clear it, before accepting Virgil’s hand gratefully, and being pulled to his feet.

Upon standing, he immediately stumbled, but quickly righted himself. Virgil could tell the fairy was becoming uncomfortable, watching as he fiddled with the edges of the half-cape that laid over his shoulder.

“Are you ready to continue?” Logan asked, looking like he very much wanted to check Patton for injuries in the meantime. Patton roughly nodded, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms, before setting off once more.

Patton made it about two steps before he stumbled again, flailing his arms out and almost slapping Virgil in the process.

"Woah," the mage said, reaching an arm under Patton's to help support him, "You sure you're ok?"

Patton made a face, as if the question was particularly difficult. "I feel… funny." He said finally.

Virgil shuffled him a little closer, noticing the fairy's eyes had gone a little unfocused, tinged red at the corners. What had happened? This time, Logan did come closer, and gently inspected the back of Patton’s head.

“You have no visible injuries. Perhaps you and Virgil should walk closely for a while, in case you continue to feel disoriented.” the scholar said softly. Patton made no motion to acknowledge that Logan had spoken at all, which was extremely weird for him. Patton always acknowledged whoever was speaking, at the very least nodding to signal that he’d heard; a habit long ingrained from his time with the Marquis of Assholes.

Virgil felt Patton start to tremble, just slightly, and as he took another step, he almost seemed to swing his leg, as if it were detached. Virgil had to grab the fairy completely around the chest to keep him from falling flat on his face.

"Hey Ro, need your help." Virgil grunted, and Patton made a hysterical, almost strangled laugh. And yet, at the same time, Patton tilted towards Virgil, as if trying to press the side of his head into Virgil's face. The Prince came carefully from behind the pair, taking a firm but gentle hold of Patton's waist.

"Hello love," Roman said lowly in his ear, "may I pick you up?" The fairy leaned into his touch easily, and nodded. And yet, as Roman adjusted his hold to lift him from the knees, the fairy squeaked, grabbing desperately at Roman's vest and tucking his face into the prince's chest.

"You're alright, tadpole. I've got you." He murmured into Patton's hair, to which the smaller man hummed and relaxed some in his grip, although he made no move to turn his head back around to the others.

To say Virgil was concerned was an understatement.

Patton was still getting used to them as friends, occasionally allowing Virgil to hold his hand, but never one to initiate, especially outside the safety of their little group. It had taken almost a month for him to so much as look Roman in the eye, let alone accept compliments or physical affection. And yet here he was now. He'd flipped faster than a coin from nervous about the situation to red faced, almost purring at snuggling with Roman while the prince held him; and from the side they could see a light, relaxed smile on his face. Virgil exchanged a nervous glance with Logan's curious one.

"Patton," Logan moved closer, and the fairy hummed again. "May I see you please?" The scholar placed a careful hand on his shoulder, and after a moment he finally seemed to understand what Logan had asked, releasing his grip on Roman's vest and turning his upper body to face the other two.

Whatever had happened had happened fast.

Patton's eyes were lidded, glassy, his whole face and body relaxed. He smiled wider at seeing Logan, and when the scholar reached out to get a closer look at his face, the fairy turned to nuzzle into his palm as well. If it was possible, his blush seemed to grow darker red, flushing to the tips of his ears and maybe even down his shoulders.

What the hell?

Logan brushed a thumb over Patton’s cheek, and the fairy shut his eyes completely for a moment; but when Logan pulled his hand away, Patton pouted, and looked to the scholar as if asking what he had done wrong.

“His pupils are excessively dilated.” Logan said, half to himself. The scholar reached out to cup Patton’s cheek once more, and the fairy hummed happily, turning his face into the touch.

“Did we step in something?” Virgil asked, watching Patton’s strange behavior from a distance.

Roman was scanning the area over their heads, when suddenly his eyes widened.

“Virgil, those red flowers in the underbrush. Just next to you. Be careful.” he said lowly.

Virgil looked down where Roman was indicating, and sure enough, there were blood red poppy flowers peeking out. But that wasn’t the worst part.

The flowers were carefully arranged; they’d almost stepped right into a fairy ring. The fastest way into the FaeWilds with absolutely no way back. There were two that lay crumpled, having been crushed under Patton’s foot as he walked.

Logan reached his other hand out to Virgil, who took it and stepped carefully away from the deceivingly innocent flowers. The three moved back carefully, scanning through the underbrush again.

Patton whined at being deprived of Logan’s hand once again, which Roman tried to soothe by bringing the half-fairy’s face back to his chest, muttering, “Hush, tadpole. It’s alright.” There was a long pause between the three, staring at the circle.

“We should get moving,” Virgil said finally, “in case whoever left this here comes back.”

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Logan only had one working theory as to where Patton’s odd behavior had suddenly come from.

A fairy of sufficient power could, theoretically, disrupt whatever spells had been laid on a given fairy ring; the ring was only as strong as the fairy who planted it. And Patton, though reserved about his powers at the best of times, clearly had significant magical ability, especially for being only half-blooded. He’d been slowly gaining confidence and control with Virgil’s help (and the help of other mages they encountered in their travels); even in the early stages of his training, it was becoming more and more apparent to Logan that whomever had been his fae parent, they had to be of incredibly high rank.

So it was entirely possible that, when he had stepped on the flowers forming the circle, Patton had effectively snuffed out the magic there entirely, without even being aware of doing so. And, because he’d been connected to the ring for those few seconds before being thrown backwards by the release of excess magic, he’d absorbed some of it.

To put it in terms Roman would understand, Patton was Magic-Drunk.

Now, Patton walking of his own power back to their camp was entirely out of the question; both because it was clear his sense of balance had been all but obliterated, and because any attempt of Roman's to put him down only elicited upset whining, and that same incredibly broken face that tugged at even Logan's firm heartstrings.

As if Roman were going to abandon him in the woods forever, not just adjust his backpack.

At the same time, Virgil's nervous hovering only increased with each minute. He alternated between frantically scanning the woods around them for assailants and checking up on Patton. It was almost dizzying to watch, and yet also moderately adorable.

Perhaps Logan would admit to being the slightest bit envious of the pair's relationship. Virgil was the only one of their group with whom Patton would allow himself to completely relax, though he was slowly but surely becoming comfortable with Roman and Logan himself. It was slow-going, but well worth the effort.

And yet, here they were, walking through the woods back towards camp, the half-fairy snuggled comfortably into Roman's arms and occasionally softly swinging his feet. Virgil running a gentle hand over his hair every time the mage turned back to check on him.

They were, perhaps, two-thirds of the way back when Logan felt eyes on him; and sure enough, when he looked over, Patton's widened eyes were fixed solely on the scholar, peeking halfway out from his position tucked into Roman's chest. Logan couldn't control the smile that broke out on his face; whether it was from fondness or nervousness at being stared at, he couldn't be sure.

The fairy's face didn't change, however; Patton continued unabashedly staring, as if Logan was suddenly the most fascinating thing in the vicinity.

Really, Logan couldn't help himself.

He ambled closer to Roman, reached over, and softly poked Patton's nose. Just as he'd seen Virgil do, dozens of times previous.

Patton made no sound, but his mouth opened, just a touch, and his eyes crossed to their extremes while trying to look at his nose where Logan's hand had been.

Roman, who had been watching the scene, snickered at the fairy's actions, angling his head down and pressing a light kiss into his hair. The noise then prompted Virgil to turn back, and upon seeing Patton's face broke into his own fond smile.

"What did you do to him?" Virgil asked softly, moving closer to Roman so that their company was now tightly packed against the unaware fairy. The mage waved a hand in front of Patton's face, which at the very least righted the position of his eyes.

"I did nothing." Logan said with a casual smile. "I merely tested a display of physical affection that I have seen you employ several times." The scholar then demonstrated by poking Patton's nose again, this time causing the poor fairy to cross his eyes and slightly tilt his head.

Virgil chuckled as he spoke, "Aww, Pat." He waved a hand once more in Patton's face to refocus his eyes, and it seemed that Patton had tired of the game as he blinked a few times before leaning his head back against Roman with his eyes now shut. "Nothin's goin' on in there right now, is there buddy?"

Virgil smiled fondly anyway, and ruffled Patton's hair for the fifth time that hour.

"Never fear!" Roman said, his voice lowered but tone still excited. "I'm sure we can take excellent care of our dear cupcake in the meantime." The prince adjusted his hold slightly, prompting Patton to curl inwards once more. "With my luck, he probably just needs some time to sleep it off."

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Virgil was really reaching his emotional limit today. First the fear of Patton stepping on a fairy ring, then the fear of what the hell happened, and now having no idea when it would wear off.

And Patton's face, every time Roman tried to set him down. It pulled on Virgil's heart worse than seeing him in the stockade.

They definitely couldn't leave him alone in the carriage or in the tent; if he couldn't see at least one of them, Patton would bury his face in his knees and just shudder with silent crying, and it had taken almost two hours before Roman had managed to coax a few words out of him. He was scared they were going to leave.

They'd propped Patton up at first in one of the bed rolls, and the fairy had watched with a downright creepy silence as the three worked around him. Then Roman had gotten the idea of setting the fairy a little higher, and strung up a (thankfully well secured) makeshift hammock for him to sit in.

Now Patton could see the whole camp, and they'd given him a blanket and pillow in the hopes that he would go to sleep, and maybe be back to normal.

Four and a half hours and counting, and Patton was still higher than a kite.

It was Virgil's turn to sit with him; they'd been rotating every fifteen minutes or so, so everyone could get a chance at getting work done. The mage was just chattering away about anything he could think of, his left arm going numb from reaching up to let Patton hold it.

It wasn't until hour five hit that Virgil got an idea.

The sun was still blazing its highest in the sky, Roman and Logan setting up something to eat for lunch, and thankfully Patton didn't protest when Virgil kissed his hand and let go, running off for a minute to the carriage.

No one was allowed inside Patton's backpack except for Virgil. He wore it constantly when they were traveling, refusing to let go, and Virgil had learned early on that everything inside was carefully organized into different pockets.

The fear of someone taking away all of his possessions ran deep; even if there had been a spell in place protecting anything in his room, apparently anything left outside the little living space had been fair game. Thankfully, Roman and Logan were graciously understanding of the situation.

Still, Virgil was very careful not to disrupt anything as he unbuckled an inner pocket in the bag where Patton's most precious possessions were hidden. From the safety of the very bottom, even hidden under the bag of the fairy's savings, Virgil fished out his prize.

Patton was testing the ropes of the hammock when Virgil returned, idly swaying his body and producing the slightest swinging motion. Virgil couldn't help the soft smile on his face; Patton would be doing that even if he wasn't a little out of his mind.

"Hey Pat, I got you something." Virgil said, leaning in a little. The fairy tilted his head and hummed; words were pretty hard at the moment. Still, Virgil smiled a little wider as he presented the gift; a tiny stuffed puppy that they had shared when they were still kids, a donation from the village that Patton had snatched up as his prize for being especially good one week, and apparently never given up.

The fairy's face lit up, his smile wide and blinding. The first actual smile he had made since being carried around in Roman's arms. And, Virgil noticed, the very tips of his ears twitched just a hair upwards; the surest bet that Patton was extremely excited about something.

"Pup!" he said, almost in disbelief, and Virgil wondered for a moment if the fairy had forgotten the toy existed while in his present state.

Patton presented his open hands and carefully took the pup, cradling it close to his chest.

"I thought he might help you get some sleep," Virgil said softly, watching as Patton nuzzled the top of the puppy's head. "Since he used to be so good at chasing away the bad dreams."

The half-fairy only hummed in response, but that was all Virgil needed for now. While Patton was fixated on the stuffed animal, Virgil very carefully began threading his fingers through his hair, weaving a light spell to make the fairy drowsy.

It took almost instantly; usually Virgil had to work for a few minutes when trying to make Logan or Roman (usually Logan) sleep, and he had to be a lot more sneaky about it. But Patton was already half gone, and to the mage's relief, he was out like a light within seconds.

Logan would probably comment about pushing more into his system when he was already overloaded, but Virgil didn't care if it meant the fairy would sleep. And hopefully wake up normal…

----------

Patton did sleep for several hours, and it was early evening before he woke again.

However, his eyes, and therefore his mental state, seemed unchanged despite the rest; and now he was sitting up in the little hammock he'd been laid in, staring hard at his hands.

At first, Logan thought he might be pondering his family sigil, but as the scholar came closer, the fairy suddenly looked up at him with wide, deeply upset eyes; his dilated pupils almost completely obscuring the iris.

"What's wrong, starlight?" Logan asked, hesitantly using a more affectionate nickname. The words seemed to sail right over Patton's head, however, as he moved both hands and held them up, showing Logan his empty palms.

"Two." The fairy said sadly.

Logan had no idea how to respond to that.

"Yes?" He said, half questioningly, unsure of what to say. It was almost impossible to tell anything that was going on in the fairy's mind at the moment.

His response proved unhelpful, as Patton's eyes became watery, and his lip quivered as he openly, though silently, cried. He moved his hands back, staring down at them.

Well. Time to call for help.

It took some coercion to separate Roman from whatever project he had undertaken in the carriage, but at least Logan's urgency on the matter spurred Virgil into action. The mage spotted his now-sobbing love and immediately moved to his side, kneeling down next to the hammock.

"Hey Pat," he murmured, gently so as not to startle the other. "What's wrong sweetheart?"

Patton neglected to move his head this time, sniffling and repeating the heartbroken "Two," as if that was the answer alone. Virgil took this to mean he wanted to hold hands, but when he reached for both, Patton held them farther away from him, only allowing Virgil to take one.

Ah.

Logan couldn't help the fond smile, although he did try very hard to restrain his laughter. Roman gave the scholar a look, and Logan put a hand behind the Prince's back, moving them both closer to the upset fairy.

Maneuvering himself so that Logan was in between his two currently sober loves, Logan gestured for Roman to take Patton's empty, outstretched hand.

The prince made another face when this seemed to upset Patton even more, but Logan paid him no mind. Instead, the scholar gently took hold of either side of the fairy's face, and bent just slightly to touch their foreheads together.

The tears stopped almost instantly, Patton closing his eyes and seeming to calm, although his breaths were still heavy and watery.

"Easy, starlight. Deep breaths." He said softly, closing his own eyes, running his thumbs tenderly across the apples of Patton's cheeks.

"Hey Lo? Wanna fill us in here?" Virgil asked after a few minutes of silence. Logan smiled once more, brushing noses with Patton and eliciting a hiccup and pleased little hum.

"Our dear heart only has two hands, and there are three of us, creating quite a dilemma indeed." Logan said, fondness and just a touch of sarcasm lacing his words.

Both prince and mage then burst into their own snickering.

Poor Patton would never live this down.

#warcats writes #sanders sides #moxiety #analogince #LAMP #fluff #fantasy au #fae and faeries #fae magic #magically induced high #sanders sides fic #ts fic #Long Road Home

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