Chapter Text
“Thanks so much! Enjoy your day.”
Patton passed the driver his tip and stepped away from the cab. He turned...
Oh. Oh wow.
An hour after opening, and the line outside was still long enough to wrap around the far side of the convention hall.
For a moment he stood watching. Gawking, really, gape jawed and starry eyed. He couldn't help it!
Just a queue, a place to hurry up and wait. People shambled forward a step at a time, bleary eyed and hunched over their coffees like dragons guarding treasure. Early, yes, and bitterly cold, but Patton could feel the crowd's low, excited murmur resonating up from the gum-studded concrete under his feet.
Patton bounced. Thirty seconds in, and he was already helplessly, hopelessly in love with it all.
So many people! And Patton...Patton was one of them. He was here, here at long last, and it still didn't feel quite real.
Even last night part of him had been waiting. Waiting for the phone call. An emergency at the hospital, a bus crash maybe, all hands on deck. On the drive to the airport he'd expected a text from the shelter. A litter of orphaned feral kittens, or a hit-by-car dog in urgent need of transport to the nearest vet. Right up until the plane left the ground Patton had been so sure something would happen.
But now, now he was here. Feet on the ground, three states from home, too far away to be summoned back.
Patton scanned the plaza, looking for the blue vests of the TS volunteer squad. Most were busy shepherding the crowd, but he found one who looked unoccupied and hurried over.
“Good morning, friend!” Terrence, Dom, he/him...what a nifty idea! Patton would have to make a name tag just like it for himself. “I'm afraid I'm a bit confuddled. I've got this presenter's pass?”
Terrence was tall, with warm brown eyes and a perfectly adorable smile. He took Patton's badge and looked it over, front and back, then did a classic double-take at the name.
“Love your work!” he said, and didn't that make Patton squirm! “You can go straight on through the main entrance. They'll direct you from there.”
It felt strange and not-so-good, bypassing all those patient peeps in line. Patton kept his head down and hurried along, then did his own double take when a flash of crimson caught his eye.
Creativity, complete with sash and sword. Oh, and a Logic and an Anxiety and a Morality too! The foursome had clearly gone all in. Movie accurate costumes with a clever, steampunk twist, and Patton didn't even try to bite back his squeal.
Awesome-sauce, but also...brrr!
Logic especially looked like he was suffering. The short sleeves made sense for a spell caster in the ever-shifting realm of the Imagination, but here in reality they didn't offer much protection against the biting wind of a Boston winter. Patton shrugged his bag off his shoulder and pawed through it, muttering in frustration at the clutter.
Teething rings, fidget toys, crayons. A professional grade first-aid kit. A spare stethoscope. Every last just-in-case thingamabob Patton could think to pack, all of it crammed into a diaper bag in the most searing shade of fuchsia pink he could find. Getting through airport security had been an experience, but Patton couldn't imagine leaving home without it.
Aha! There, way down at the bottom, and wasn't that always the way?
“Love, love, love the costumes!” Anxiety even had a little clockwork spider on his shoulder....terrifying, but oh so cute! “But you look like you're about to turn into a Logic-cicle. Handwarmer?”
The cosplayers blinked at Patton. Patton blinked back. His smile faded.
“Sorry! Oh, gosh, I...geez, that was rude. I just...”
Patton took a long step back. Personal space! How many times did he need to be told?
“It's just...you looked cold,” he tried to explain, “And I brought a bunch, so...”
The man dressed as Creativity chuckled. “Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I am freezing my royal crown off. I'll take one if he won't.”
Patton passed around the little chemical packs, giving each a twist and a scrunch to activate it. The couple in line behind the costumed foursome were looking a little envious and, well, Patton could always buy more.
He gave priority to kids and anyone actively shivering. Soon enough his supply was exhausted, and Patton felt his gut twist when someone groaned in disappointment.
“Sorry!” he said to the crowd at large.
He was still apologizing when Terrence came hurrying over. “Hey, man...you should probably head in. They'll need time to set up...”
Oh, snickerdoodles! Patton settled his bag back on his shoulder, staggering only slightly (heavy!), and headed for the entrance. The nice girl he'd been in contact with over the past few months had been clear about schedule. Trust ditsy old Patton to throw everything off without even trying!
Terrence kept pace with him, dodging around stray con-goers with practiced ease. “Heading in now,” he said into his headset, “I'll bring him straight up to staging. Can...whoops!”
He skidded to a stop when Patton did, twisting to look back over his shoulder. “Problem?”
Patton could only gesture. A wide sweep of his arm, encompassing the entirely of the con hall spread out before him.
The banner, the vendors, the people. The crowd outside was nothing compared to the horde within.
It felt like...
Like stepping into a foreign land. Exciting, but also a little scary.
Like coming home for Christmas after being away at college. Familiar, comforting, safe.
These were his people.
Terrence laughed outright. “First time at a con?”
First time at a con. First time taking a week away from work. First time flying. First time traveling on his own.
A whole lot of firsts, and Patton was so glad he'd let his friends and family talk him into it!
“Guess you like diving into the deep end,” Terrence said as they started walking again, “You gonna be okay for the panel?”
Good question!
Sure, Patton had known TS East was big. The biggest, in fact, with some 20,000 guests in attendance last year. Between the movie release in May and an appearance by the reclusive author, this year was expected to crush that.
And Patton wasn't just attending. He was on a panel, and not some little panel in some out-of-the-way corner room either. He was headlining, right alongside the biggest names in the fandom and V. E. March himself.
“Wait, wait a sec...I think....”
“Too late!” Terrence got his arm around Patton, guiding him onto the escalator and crowding in close to keep him from bolting. “Just picture the crowd in their undies and you'll be fine.”
Deep end? Patton already felt like he was drowning.
Then he made the mistake of looking down. Being this high up made it easier to see the full scope of the teeming masses below. Patton snapped his head around to stare ahead again.
Terrence led him along a confusing path. Patton was definitely going to need a map if he wanted to survive the rest of the con. He was well and truly lost by the time they came to a small crowd of volunteers crowded outside an unassuming door.
“Here's the payload safe and sound,” Terrence announced, “Be gentle, he's a first-timer.”
“Great, he'll fit right in.” A volunteer with rainbow hued hair (Talyn, Submissive, they/them) passed Patton a water bottle. He gulped it down, caught off guard by his own jittery thirst. “Deceit is a no show so far, but he's the only one I'm not worried about. Cantero is having a meltdown over his make-up. The deep dive guy looks like he's either about to cry or burn the place down. And March...we can't get him out of the bathroom. He's been puking his guts up for the past hour.”
Patton passed the drained bottle back and gripped the strap of his bag, feeling its reassuring weight.
“Show me,” he said.