Chapter Text
Perhaps Logan delayed his trip downstairs for water a bit more than necessary. Perhaps he delayed said trip because of a certain someone he knew was going to be in his room when he got back. Perhaps that certain someone was Patton.
With light steps and careful balance, Logan walked back up the stairs, both his hands occupied with two big glasses of water. He walked slowly through the hallway, passing the bathrooms and guest rooms, careful not to let any water slip.
But, as many of his plans seem to end up, Roman ruined his careful steps.
As Logic passed by Creativity's door, the loudly decorated door swing open and Logan was pulled inside, too shocked to utter a sound. He stumbled, as one would do if you're suddenly pulled to a room without your knowing consent, and dropped both glasses of water.
Logan's face barely had enough time to pale before he realized his hands were empty. He shut his eyes tightly, awaiting the inevitable crash and shatter, but it never came.
After the initial dread and adrenaline had faded to a full thud, the physical embodiment of logic opened his tightly shut eyes, leading the calculating orbs to the two glasses of water floating midair, less than a foot off the ground in an elegant display of frozen water spilling gracefully.
Logan let out a sigh of relief before confronting the side that pulled him in the room. "Roman, what the fuck."
Creativity stood a towering height in front of him, looking more annoyed than apologetic. With a quick flick of his wrist, Roman willed the glasses and the water to disappear completely. "Okay, we have to talk."
Logan raised an eyebrow, a growing unease settling in the pits of his already nervous stomach. "U-Uh... what about?"
The deep voice of another side spoke up from Roman's bed. Virgil, laying down with his attention on his phone, snorted. "Roman, you're scaring the poor nerd."
Roman's expression softened at that as he sighed. "Logan, there comes a time in everybody's life where they have to accept something."
Logan looked at Roman, pursing his lips. "...Am I dying?"
Virgil burst into laughter. Roman gave a chuckle and rolled his melted chocolate eyes. "Geez, calm down, Logay, you're not dying—"
Logan let out a relieved breath.
"—but you may feel like you are."
And in goes another nervous breath. "That's..." he searched for a suitable word, "reassuring?"
Another roll of eyes. "All right, dude, here's the deal: two doors away, the love of your life is waiting for you, and it's your choice to do what you want to do. This is the perfect opportunity to perhaps confess, but I need to know one thing— how do you feel?"
Logic's eyebrows furrowed in concentration at the question. "Umm? Satisfactory?"
Roman fixed him with a stare. "Don't give me that bullshit, Lo. You're a poetic guy."
Logan shook his head. "Why are you so concerned with how I feel?" It was an attempt to keep the conversation from the subject of feelings, of course, but Roman only sighed.
"Why would I not be?" Roman chuckled. "You've been dancing around each other for weeks on end now, and quite frankly, it's getting annoying to sit around and wait for you both to rant to me about how 'he's so smart, Roman!' or 'he's so sweet, Roman!' and all that! Quite frankly, I'm the romantic side, and if neither of you will make a move, I'll make a move for you."
Logan blinked owlishly. He looked to Virgil on the bed who returned the look with a shrug. Logan sighed defeatedly. "All right, then. That's fair. I suppose I was pretty... hung up on talking only about Patton, huh?"
"No shit, Sherlock," Virgil called.
Logan let out a sigh. "Alright, fine. I've... accepted the fact that I may have an infatuation with him, but I'm... not quite sure what to do next."
Roman's expression softened, eyes crinkling in soft amusement and sides of his mouth gently quirking up to a fond smile one might give to a child. "You do your best."
Virgil let out a monotone, "Woo, you did it, nice pep talk. Princey, come back here and look at this meme I found."
Roman rolled his eyes.
Logan grinned, turning his attention to Virgil. "How long have you been in that position on Roman's bed."
Virgil glanced at him with a blank expression, eyebags prominent on his pale and angular face. "I haven't moved my legs in seventy five years," he answered.
Logan held back a laugh. "That has got to be unhealthy."
Virgil gave him a lazy once-over before letting a sharp smile grace his lips. "You know what's unhealthy? Bottling your hopeless emotions up for days at a time and continuously asking my boyfriend for relationship advice."
Offended, Logan shot Anxiety the bird. "You have problems."
"Shut your fuck."
"Shut your fuck."
"Wow, L, copying my words?" Virgil raised a joking eyebrow. "I know you're in love with me and everything, but there can only be one real Virgil in this family, and I've been cast to play the part."
"Trust me, I wouldn't wish to be you at all."
Virgil rolled his eyes. "Sure, buddy, keep telling yourself that. We all know I'm the favorite side." Virgil winked. Logan pretended to vomit.
"With your bad habits and defeatist attitude?" He shot back playfully. "I wouldn't wish to be you for the price of a penny. You may be the favorite side, but everyone knows I'm the best."
"Keep telling yourself that, love."
"Oh my god, Logan take your water back and get out of mt room," Roman interrupted, snapping his fingers and willing the two glasses of water to Logans hands. "And Virgil, stop flirting with him, I'm your boyfriend."
Virgil let out a grin and a wink. "I've got two hands."
"And I wouldn't want to hold either of them," Logan shot jokingly.
With a quick and thankful smile to Roman and a tongue stick to Virgil, Logan left the room, the door closing behind him. Taking a deep intake of breath, Logan pushed the door to his room open and stepped inside.
Patton was asleep when he entered, a serene look on his angelic face with his gentle curls falling on bis rosy face and crooked glasses resting on his small nose. Under the blue lighting of Logan's room and surrounded by navy blue constellation blankets, Patton was the vision of perfection.
Logan, on the other hand, physicallt could not breathe at the sight of such an angel who seemingly fell asleep on his bed. The sight of such pureness in one person almost seemed scandalous. Logan debated walking out the room and screeching in gay panic, but the inner Roman in his head pressured him into staying.
Much too afraid to awaken the angel on his bed, Logan opted to set the water on his desk and sit on the swivel chair, turning it to face Patton's sleeping form.
Yes, maybe staring at someone sleep to admire their beauty was borderline creepy, but Logan's first reaction was to leave and scream, so he guessed the alternative was much better. He was almost tempted to capture the moment with his phone camera.
And so he did.
The picture didn't do Patton's ethereal beauty justice, but he guessed it would suffice. As for the privacy thing... Logan guessed he could always just ask Patton if it was okay he took a picture of him.
Standing up from the chair with a quiet exhale, Logan quietly tiptoed to his bed, giving Patton a gentle smile as he took off the man's glasses and set them down on the bedside desk. Unable to resist the Call of the Curls(tm), Logan ran his hands carefully through the hazelnut hair, the feathery soft texture surprising him as he brushed it out of Patton's face.
With a tender touch that surprised even himself, Logan positioned Patton in a much more comfortable placement he estimated wouldn't hurt the man's posture the next day and covered him on a blanket.
Smiling a soft goodbye, Logan turned to leave, but just as he took one step, Patton's tired voice muffled out, "Hm, there's enough space for the two of us on your bed." He yawned. "I'd feel bad if you had to sleep somewhere else."
Logan froze. Without a word, he climbed on the bed, positioning himself next to Patton, giving Morality plenty of space by keeping himself in a position that gave him much less room to move.
Patton tiredly chuckled at this, instead scooting closer to Logan. "Ease up, Lo."
And so he did, feeling his muscles release tension. Patton smiled. A long, comfortable silence surrounded the two in its warm embrace. Until Patton broke it.
"Hey, Logan?"
He felt his breath hitch. "Y-Yeah?" Logan internally slapped himself at the sound of the stutter.
"Why are you avoiding me?"
Logan tensed. "I'm not avoiding you."
He turned his head to look down at Patton who stared at him with owlish anf unblinking eyes. "...I really don't believe you," his company whispered, voice soaked in sorrow and disappointment. "I'm annoying, aren't I?"
Logan blinked and stared in disbelief. Patton? Annoying? Energetic sometimes, yes, but in the best way. Like a puppy longing to be acknowledged. Had he really been that insensitive to Patton.
Logan sat up. "Why do you think I'm avoiding you?"
Patton followed suit, sitting up with his back against the bed headboard. He sighed deeply and shrugged. "This past month you've barely even talked to me," he answered truthfully. "And when I made an effort to try to hang out with you, you always made up excuses."
Logan beckoned for him to continue, and Patton, with his eyes avoiding Logan's own stare, continued. "I thought you were just busy. That would have been reasonable. But every time Roman and Virgil even looked in your general direction, you're suddenly rapt in a conversation and it just... I don't know. I understand, I guess, but...."
Patton hiccupped, and it was in the moment that Logan noticed the way Patton gripped the bed sheets like it tethered him to reality as well as the small shimmer of a drop of a clear substance fall onto the sheets. Patton was crying.
It was both impressive and concerning how Patton's voice stayed moderately steady even as the silent hiccups fell from his mouth.
Logan suddenly wished he wasn't alone in the room. Not only ten minutes with Patton and he'd already made him cry. In an effort to comfort the crying side, Logan gave his shoulders short pats.
"Patton." Logan muttered the name breathlessly. He suddenly didn't feel like the ideal person to be saying the name. "Patton, could you please look at me?"
The slightest sound of a pathetic whimper escaped Patton's lips for a brief moment before he followed Logan's request and their eyes met. It was like a crashing sensation to see Patton's tear-streaked cheeks, honey brown eyes watering with silent tears gracing his delicate facial features.
Unlike the metaphorical roses that erupted whenever Logan had the priviledge to stare at Patton's eyes from this close, dread filled Logan's stomach. If a person like Patton had a reason to cry, then the universe didn't deserve his pure presence.
Gulping to find his voice, Logan stared at Patton with unblinking eyes. "Listen to me, Patton. You do not annoy me, and you do not and will never be able to evoke negative emotions from me, ever."
Patton sniffled, using the back of his hand to roughly wipe stray tears. He nodded as Logan pressed on. "You're nothing but a wonderful energy, and you're so good it almost hurts. Never, ever doubt that."
Patton's lips twisted to a watery smile, but the sadness in his normally happy eyes stayed prominent on his round face. "You mean that?"
Logan's steely and analytical eyes softened to a sweet expression. "Of course. This past month has just been... exhausting, and I was dealing with something that only Virgil and Roman could help with."
Patton pouted. "I could have done something," he insisted.
"I don't doubt that, Patton." It was true. Getting Patton involved in the first place would have made this a hell of a lot easier. "But I was a bit too stubborn to involve you. For the most part of the weeks, I felt as if I was... inconveniencing you and myself."
"What were you working on?"
The question was innocent enough. But Logan hadn't thought of a reasonable answer. He froze up.
Oh, how to control my hormones, he could say, to sum it all up.
"Emotions," he answered simply.
Patton's eyebrows furrowed together. "I'm the living personification of emotions."
"How about love?" Logan blurted out. As soon as he said it, he regretted it, but oh well... too late to turn back.
Morality, however, seemed to be urprised by the statement, but hw did his best to answer. "I think it's a wonderful thing, especially considering how I am love in a way. I love many things, and am responsible for the emotion."
Logan pursed his lips and thought before replying. "Not platonic love. Not objective love. Not materialistic love. Romantic love."
"...Were you helping Roman and Virgil with their relationship?"
Logan almost laughed aloud at that. Him? Helping with love? What a mess that would surely be. "Quite the contrary, Patton. They were helping me."
Patton seemed skeptical. "With... romantic love?"
Logan merely nodded. "Yes."
Caramel eyes bore into Logan's dirt brown ones, as if trying to detect a lie. In the end, Patton shrugged, loosening his frown and forcing it into a small, skeptic smile. "Well, if you wanted to learn about the subject, you still coul have consulted me, Lo—"
"IthinkI'minlovewithyou."
The moment he said it, he regretted it.
Patton's smile fell, his eyes widening in shock and a mix of emotions Logan wouldn't dare to decipher. Patton's open form stiffened, as if closing himself from the world— from Logan.
Small tears bubbled in Patton's clear eyes, rolling down his cheeks when he blinked. His expression remained unreadable, and Logan braced himself for the worst.
Too scared to reach out to Patton, Logan profusely blurted out apologies, guilt spilling from his mouth. "Oh my god, Patton, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have said anything, I crossed the line, I shouldn't have done anything, god I'm so sorry, I didn't think and I—"
"Logan." The interrupted was but a whisper, soft and frail and without emotion. Watery tears still streaked down Patton's tear-stained cheeks, right over his unreadable face. "It's okay."
"B-But it's not!" He cried, hands running through ebony hair. "It's not because you're so amazing and you're so wonderful and I didn't mean to fall in love, but I did, and I'm sorry."
Patton remained silent, blinking at him with an empty stare.
"I know I shouldn't feel this way, and I know you don't want me to feel this way, and I'm so stupid for feeling anyway, but you're just so great and it hurts, Patton. It hurts to know that you'll never feel the same and it hurts to know that I've failed myself as Logic, and now I'm keeping you from being Morality, and now, I just—" Logan hiccupped, mirrored tears falling from his angular face "—I don't know what to feel anymore. I don't even know if I should feel."
Logic sheilded his face with his hands. "I'm so sorry, Patton."
It was a minute of silence before Logan felt two warm arms around him. It was two minutes of silence when Logan lowered his hands from his face and returned the hug. It was five minutes when the two separated, the warmth of the hug lingering on their shoulders.
Their eyes met, and Patton spoke. "I think I've loved you for a while now," he confessed.
Logan blinked in disbelief. "But... you cried?"
Patton laughed, a bubbling one, raspy from the rawness od his throat from crying. It was genuine with a touch of desperation.
"Crying doesn't always mean sadness, Logan." Logan stated at him as he continued with a delicate smile plastered on his face. "Just like Logic doesn't mean unfeeling."
They stared at each other, not noticing how they slowly inched closer and closer until suddenly—
The smell of cookies and vanilla wafted into Logan's nostrils as the taste of strawberry and hot chocolate engulfed his tongue. Pale faces exploded with color and knotted stomachs filled with heat. And for a moment, just a moment, Logan's ever-thinking brain stopped thinking and started feeling. In his chest, his heart beat with warmth and determination.
They pulled away by inches, out of breath and grinning like fools. Patton laughed breathlessly. Logan smiled in agreement, touching foreheads with Patton.
Wordlessly, Patton englufed Logan in another hug, Logan mirroring the gesture gently.
"I love you."
"I love you, too."