Work Text:
Patton liked the softness of his bed. It was comfy and squishy and it made him feel safe. But as he opens his eyes to the silence of a darkened plains, he quickly feels that sense of security slip from his fingertips.
“Hello?” He calls, the sound of his voice echoing in the barren landscape. “Helloooooo?”
He stands up, finding himself still in his pjs. The dirt beneath his feet was muddy, despite a lack of rain above him. He could barely see from the darkness of the night, the moon and stars being his only comfort. Patton sighs, shivering quietly in his not-so-insulated clothes.
Patton decides wandering will do the trick in this situation. He feels the mud under his bare feet and the arid breeze around him. He calls out for his friends. Roman, Logan, Virgil, Thomas, Janus. Even Remus. He gets no response in the air nor his vision.
He doesn’t catch onto much for a while, but after so long his legs begin to ache, he sees something in the distance. Entranced and excited, Patton sprints towards it. What could this be? He wonders with hope filling his veins, Maybe something somebody left? Maybe a bag or- oh! Maybe a fluffy friend!
A blank gravestone, it was.
He sinks into himself upon finding the saddened relic. His hope still persists, as now he at least knows what he is in. He continues on in the direction he was going, ignoring once again the ache in his legs.
As he continues forward, still calling out for anyone, the number of graves increases. Patton grows melancholy every time he sees a new one, but he doesn’t pay much mind to it. He knows that someone’s likely nearby since he’s in a cemetery; a public place.
Something catches his eye, though. Out of the corner of his vision he sees a grave perfectly dug up for a casket or coffin. His empathy pulls him towards the hole, a sort of morbid curiosity holding its hand. He looks down, seeing the hole seeming to never end. “Hello?” He says, hoping for it to reach someone. That is one odd grave.
Questions pop into Patton’s head. Seeking an answer to one of these questions, he grabs a nearby rock, coated with moss. He tosses it in, listening closely. It takes some time, but eventually he hears a faint thud at the bottom.
He takes this as an invitation to answer another one of his questions, What’s down there?
As he lets himself fall into the hole, he prepares for impact, knowing it’ll hurt. But as he hits the ground, he sinks slightly, finding the mud at the bottom has softened his fall. It still hurt like H-E-double hockey sticks, but Patton would be able to handle it.
Morality sat up, looking around and finding himself in a labyrinth of some sorts. He seemed to be in a cave, with walls, floors, and ceilings made of dirt. Tunnels seemed to connect away from the clearing, leading off and away into what Patton could only assume to be other areas like the one he was in.
He grappled himself out of the mess, becoming free from the sludge easily. He shakes himself off as he chooses a random tunnel and crawls into it. The tunnels themselves were also complicated. They seperated like veins trying to find their way to the heart. He chooses at random to go to the right, curiosity guiding him.
It was rare, he found, for caverns to appear amongst the burrows. He kept searching, though, refusing to believe that he was lost, when he very truly was.
Something caught his ears as he searched. A quiet sound he couldn’t quite pin down. He snuck between the soil, searching for the source. The sound got louder as he gained in on where it was, and he figured out it was crying. This tugged at his heartstrings, and he only crept faster amongst the maze.
He finds a cavern, with a sobbing being sitting against the opposite wall from him, curled in on themself.
“Hello?” The being jumps, revealing a blindfold and purple curls.
Dark wings and a tail sprouted out from the person’s body, with digitigrade legs accompanying the attributes. They had on a white hoodie and sweatpants, freckled with stars and moons. A purple halo with stars and a moon attached to it floated above their head.
“Wh- I-“ The person rubs their eyes, “Who are you?”
“I’m Patton! Who are you?”
“I’m… I’m Heart.” His wings flutter gently. “How are you here?”
“I dunno. Kinda woke up on the surface and started to explore. How are you here?” Patton falls from the opening to the tunnel, approaching the being.
Its melodic voice explained, “One of my friends was being mean, and my other one didn’t know what to do, so I ran here. It’s safer away from them, I feel.”
Patton kneeled down in front of them, empathy gaining control of his voice, “I’m sorry about that. Do you need anything?”
Heart was surprised, but replied with a hushed tone, “Can I have a hug?”
“Of course!” Patton does exactly that, providing as much warmth and comfort as he could.
The creature hid his face as much as he could in the hold, wanting the comfort to last an eternity. “Thanks…” Heart murmured, sticking to the hug like glue.
“Don’t thank me, kiddo. It’s only a reasonable thing to do.” That made Heart shatter.
He never got any comfort anymore. Mind was cold and hated touch. He was distracted with petty matters anyways. Soul wasn’t ‘on our side’ as Mind would say, so there wasn’t much time to interact with him anymore. And he doesn’t think Soul would be in the mood to provide something as simple yet wholesome as a hug at the moment. He digs his fingers into the dad’s shoulders, letting his wings hide them both.
Patton just held him close. He knew what it was like to need to sob and sob and sob and nothing else. He stays silent, patting the being’s head gently.
Heart’s sobs filled the cavern loud and clear. Patton didn’t mind the crying, and Heart didn’t mind the comfort. A perfect duality, just like Soul had always wished, but with the wrong person.
Heart muttered through cries and hiccups, “S-sorry I’m being so clingy…”
“It’s fine! My legs were tired anyways. Had to walk a very long way to get here.” The creature nodded, silently clinging tighter.
Tears still fell down Heart’s cheeks, but he couldn’t help but ask, “Do you need to cry?”
“Not really! I’m sure my friends are around here somewhere. Besides, they can handle themselves better than I can handle them!” The moral side laughs at his own joke. Heart joins in, and they both turn into a giggling mess. “Ah, but seriously. They’ll be fine. I’m sure of it. Anyways, do you think we should stay here?”
“I’d say so. Soul, the mad one at the moment, is probably still doing whatever he does when upset.” The creature explains, separating itself from the hug.
“Alright! I do want to find my friends though- maybe we could just explore the surface?”
“Okay. Can we stay here a little bit longer, though?”
“Of course!”
Patton sits next to Heart, and a friendship forms in that moment.