Poisonous

Thomas was going to do it. He'd debated the subject for hours, both with his friends and with his Sides. And the conclusion had been unanimous; He should try anxiety medication. Joan and Talyn were completely on board, citing how anxious he'd been lately. Logan also concurred, pulling statistics that proved how helpful it could be. Princey and Morality weren't sure at first. They didn't want to accidentally hurt Virgil. But when the Anxious trait himself agreed, albeit hesitantly, they respected his decision.

Virgil...was anxious about it. He was scared what the pills might do to him, but all of Logan's highly convoluted explanations showed that it would most likely just tone him down a little. And he wanted Thomas to be happy.

So before he went to bed, Thomas popped a small white pill. The sides were all there, searching for any ill effects it may have on Virgil. But no such terror befell them, so they all went to bed as well.

It wasn't until the next morning that Virgil noticed anything off. Everything was fairly normal. He walked down to the kitchen in his pjs; a ratty old sweatshirt and purple and black flannel bottoms. Patton had made hash browns, toast, and eggs, and the others were already there, digging in. But as Virgil took a bite, the flavor felt off. Slightly bitter. But he couldn't insult Patton's cooking. So he ate it all, though he felt a bit nauseous.

Later, at lunch, he found the egg salad sandwiches and caesar salad were also not right. But everyone else was enjoying it, so he kept his mouth shut and finished his meal. His stomach lurched, but he said nothing.

In the weeks following, Virgil found himself growing weaker and weaker. Not just in how effected Thomas either. Though that had taken a turn for the better, with Thomas feeling more confident and Virgil only acting up when it was important. But he was also losing strength physically. He couldn't sleep anymore, his stomach pain growing worse and worse as time went on. His veins on his arms started to bulge, turning black, and he noticed he was always cold. The usual jacket was joined by several long sleeved shirts underneath and blankets when the other sides weren't around. He didn't have an appetite, but ate anyway. Patton would worry if he didn't.

One night, he had finally drifted off to sleep, when his stomach suddenly twisted painfully. A scream tore its way through his throat before he could stop it. The other sides charged into his room, expecting a monster, or something dangerous. Instead, they found the youngest side convulsing on his bed, being strangled by a mountain of blankets and foaming at the mouth.

Patton and Roman leapt into action as another scream rent the air. Roman started frantically ripping the blankets away while Patton attempted to calm Virgil down. Logan attempted to assess what was wrong and the cause.

Roman finally got all the blankets off, and Patton started stepping layers of clothing off his dark, strange son. Logan's eyes widened as the purple-gray veins came into view.

"I believe he has been poisoned," the logical side stated gravely, and Roman gasped.

"Who would dare…" Then it hit Princey like a ton of bricks. "Oh…"

"The meds," Patton whispered, tearing up as he tried to get Virgil to stop thrashing. "They've been affecting him the whole time. And he didn't say anything…"

"We need to get him to Thomas," Roman cut through. The others nodded and helped him rise up in Thomas's room. The host looked up on fear when he clapped eyes on Virgil.

"What's happening?"

Logan took a step forward as Roman and Patton tried to help him empty his stomach in the bathroom. "The medicine you have been taking seems to have been poisoning Virgil slowly. My theory is that the mind palace food that we eat was laced with the medication, but it was only affecting anxiety. For some reason, Virgil did not tell us about the effects until tonight, when he began screaming."

Thomas paled, glancing at the orange bottle on his night stand guilty. He walked over and threw the bottle in the trash before seeing if Virgil would be okay.

"He has a fever," Patton almost sobbed, "at his pulse is almost non-existent. I don't know of he'll be ok."

"He will be Padre," Roman said, "Verge is strong. Stronger than we give him credit for. I know he will be okay, he just needs some tlc and medical help. Logan knows a lot about being a doctor, and you are literally Thomas's heart. And as long as Thomas no longer takes the meds, the effects should wear off."

Patton nodded, and everyone went on for a group hug. Even Logan awkwardly tried. As long as they stayed together, they'd be ok.