A canon story about Patton's first apartment after he moved out. Takes place about 10 years before ALiP.

---

He clicked the door shut behind him and turned the lock on the doorknob. He turned back and took in the modest studio apartment that was now his own. A simple counter on one wall held a sink and a few cheap appliances and cheap tiles on the ground making the kitchen. The rest of the room was carpet and covered with a small mattress and a few boxes, the only other door leading to the bathroom. It wasn't the best, but for the price, it was all he needed.

Patton took in a big breath and slowly let it out. He walked in and placed his duffel bag down on the bare mattress. The place was pretty empty but it was his first apartment all to himself. He turned and closed the blinds closed and pulled the sheer, cheap curtain closed. The room grew a bit darker, but Patton marched over to the window in the kitchen and repeated the process. He stood back and noticed how much darker it had gotten with only the one cheap overhead light trying to illuminate the room. Patton stood in the center, looking around and taking everything.

He shut his eyes tight and brought in his arms, bracing himself. It had been so long since he had done this, so many years since he had tried... He had to focus on that old feeling he usually had to push down. The studio apartment let out a flash of light and Patton fell over, bracing himself on impact. He slowly pushed himself off of the cheap carpet and fixed the glasses on his face. Sitting up, he looked over to the other side of the room.

Also pushing himself off of the ground was a mirror image of himself. Hair just as frazzled and also adjusting his glasses on his face, the copy looked over and froze at what he saw.

"We're alone?" The copy whispered, looking around.

"Yeah." Patton sat up and got himself comfortable on the floor. "No one else but us."

The copy got up and stretched, inspecting the room as he did. "I know I-we- just looked around but..." He spun around, a smile stretching across his face. "Wow."

The original Patton on the floor enjoyed the view of his copy taking everything in. "You okay?"

The other stopped and looked down, meeting his eyes. "Yeah, it's just been so long since... I know what you were thinking, but a part of me-well a part of you- we... I wasn't sure if you would actually do it. Didn't know if you were still capable of it."

Patton got up off of the floor and put his hands on his hips. "And make me do all the unpacking myself? It's not much but I wouldn't mind the company!"

The copy smiled brighter than Patton could ever remember seeing himself do. "So, this is a thing now? Not just a one time thing. We you-we... are we doing this? For real?"

"I don't like to lie, it's wrong, but..." Patton looked over at the locked door. "No one will understand."

"Not like I do." The copy walked up, careful to not touch the other. "I get it. I, I mean we! We can already feel more like ourselves than we have in years."

"I haven't really done this since maybe early high school. Probably earlier." Patton smiled and ran over to the boxes. "Come on! The quicker we get sorted, the more room we will have."

"For what?" The copy asked. Patton smiled and started giggling to himself. "No, wait... you don't mean?"

"Who is gonna stop me from making more of me? No one is here but me!" Patton jumped up and down. "And we're just getting started!"