No Longer Normal (Part 2)

When Logan was waking up, he was slowly starting to notice that he wasn't in his room. As he was cleaning his glasses with his tie and acknowledging the stench of raw meat and some blood, he remembered what happened: he came to give Patton a well-deserved apology, and promised to help him emotionally. He looked over in Patton's direction only to notice that he was staring at the ceiling. Though Logan didn't make a lot of noise, Patton turned his face towards the egghead and smiled.

"Good morning, Logan," Patton greeted.

"Oh, um, good morning, Patton. How long have you been awake?" Logan asked with concern and confusion.

"Long enough to hear Roman pacing in his room for new ideas, and even debate with himself on whether to come up with new ideas or give in to the need for beauty sleep," Patton responded with a giggle like it was no big deal.

Logan would admit that he would excuse the new traits Patton was demonstrating as a collection of skills he has as a Side, but reading minds, increased intellect, being okay with raw meat, and eyes changing color were where he drew the line. He had his suspicions on what Patton had become, but he wanted to remain polite in case he was incorrect.

"You know, you can always just ask me," Patton insisted, snapping Logan out of his thoughts.

Logan was both amazed and embarrassed that Patton seemed to know about his curiosity, but he eventually took advantage of the permission he had been given.

"Umm, are you a vampire, Patton?" Logan asked.

"Well, yes I am," Patton answered.

Initially, the father figure was worried about how anyone else would react to his transformation, but something about Logan casually wondering about it without disgust coating his thoughts calmed Patton down.

Logan wasn't sure how to respond and Patton decided against reading his mind anymore since he thought it wouldn't be polite. After a moment of silence shared by the two, Logan looked up.

"It's pretty ironic, really," Logan broke the ice.

"What is?" Patton asked.

"As personified sunshine, you'd think you'd give yourself blisters without stepping out the door," the teacher shyly responded.

Patton took in what Logan said, and smiled before hugging the teacher gently. Logan didn't back away or feel uncomfortable since he knew this was still Patton, someone he promised he'd be there for since the prior night.

"If I may ask, Patton, when did this happen?" Logan asked.

Patton pulled away and took a deep breath. He looked at Logan and his irises were orange.

"Remember when I went out the other day and I said my highlights were playing with Gavin, and a stranger letting me play with their poodle?"

"Yes, I remember, Patton. You seemed pretty excited when looking back on those moments."

"Well, there was... more to it than that. As I was headed home, someone told me to stop walking and went through my pockets. I tried to lighten the mood by saying that they should be careful of the wocket, or that if they found a cookie, it's theirs. I, soon, heard a growling and felt a piercing sting in my back. I grew tired and I fell on my knees before I made it to the ground. I heard footsteps in front of me fade away as keeping my eyes open started to feel like a chore. I heard two sets of footsteps coming in from behind me: regular running and the pitter-patter of a dog. I felt the dog lick my back before it came up to me, and I recognized it as the poodle I was playing with earlier. The dog snuggled close to me, and I felt a sting on the other side of my neck. Along with the sting, I felt a headache, but I no longer felt tired. I stood up carefully with the dog in my arms and looked at the owner. They told me their dog barked as soon as he saw me fall over and they ran towards me to help. I saw the strangers pointed teeth and had so many questions. They explained that they are a vampire and they turned me into a vampire, because, as was evident by the dog licking me, I was losing blood and not a lot of people were near enough to see, let alone help. Somehow, I was absolutely certain they were genuine and concerned. They told me I might experience some traits, but not all, and that it would take time to adjust. They said their dog would recognize me if I was ever in the park again and we parted ways."

Logan knew Patton wasn't lying, though he was still in awe of the situation. He was worried that Patton would be scared of the realization that he was close to death, but he figured that the knowledge was probably why he never brought it up in the first place.

"Why didn't you call the cops on the guy that wanted to rob you?" Logan asked.

"I didn't see him and I'm dead as far as he knows," Patton answered.

Patton lied down on his back and felt his stomach growl harshly.

"So, you see. I'm not an airhead, I'm a freak of nature," Patton concluded casually.

Logan moved a little on Patton's bed and stroked his hair, suddenly noticing blisters buried within the locks.

"Patton, none of us are necessarily normal. As for you, you still enjoy wordplay, you're still trusting, you still love animals, you're still too precious to process. Even with these new adjustments to your life, you're still the same Patton that we all adore, that, surprisingly, hasn't put any of us or the fanders in a sugar coma," Logan stated as a way to comfort him.

Patton smiled at Logan as he didn't express regret for making another joke. His smile made the nerd smile before he started to get up.

"Do you need anything in particular for breakfast?" Logan asked.

"Well, I've been eating raw meat for the sake of the cravings and nutrients," Patton explained.

"Smoked sausage hold the smoked. Got it," Logan declared before he left for the kitchen.

Patton went to his dresser and looked into the mirror. It felt like a metaphor, really: he may not look like he's there, but he knew that he was still there deep down. It felt good that at least one Side knew; he just had to wait 'til he was ready to tell everyone else.