Work Text:
It wasn't the first time in the last 45 minutes that Patton had sighed whilst adjusting the glasses, and telling the waitress who he was waiting for would arrive soon. The sad, sympathetic look she gave him made his fumbling hands shake.
The empath was always one for making up excuses to make up for the good in people.
Perhaps his date got lost in the small streets, or maybe his car ran out of gas and the only station he could use was an hour away, maybe there was a family emergency; it'd explain why he hadn't responded to any of Patton's naïve texts.
Patton waited another agonizingly slow 15 minutes staring at the two empty drink glasses, enduring the soft and sorry looks the other patrons gave him before he started to shift out of his seat. His heart felt heavy. Remy, his friend, had been trying for months to urge Patton out of his comfort zone and try to help him find a partner. With the first person he thought he had a connection with being the one to stand him up in public, Patton already had enough of trying to actively find someone. Looking to where Patton saw the waitress go, he waited to give her an apology and tip for letting him wait so long.
"I'm terribly sorry for being so late" A voice called out, a nervous tone in the air. As Patton turned to the voice, he saw a man a little taller than himself heading towards him. "I missed the first bus and the second was a little late. No excuse to keep you waiting this long of course, but my apologies for being so."
Patton blinked at the man, terribly confused. This didn't look like the man he had been talking to. His date had tanned skin and short black hair. This man was fairly pale, his brown hair shaved neatly at the sides. Had he been cat fished?
"My name is Logan" He introduced quietly now that he was closer, offering his hand to shake. "My friends and I noticed you were sat here a while, It seemed like you were waiting for someone? My apologies if they haven't shown, would you mind if I joined you instead?" Pushing up his glasses, Patton nodded gratefully.
"That would be nice, thanks" Shaking the mans outstretched hand, Patton slipped into his seat once more as a nervous heat settled on his cheeks. "I'm Patton. Sorry you had to leave your friends to save my dignity" He joked.
Looking over to where Logan had walked from and seeing two figures looking over, almost opposites of each other. One dressed in white jeans with a red and yellow college jacket sat proudly, an arm on the table as he offered a wink and a grin. The other was hunched over in his seat, the tips of his ears bright red as his fringe hid his eyes. He was nervously fidgeting with what looked like a handmade patchwork hoodie. He offered a small wave before glaring at Logan, then at the other as he seemed to mumble something. Patton felt a weight in his chest.
"They don't seem happy you came over here, the one on the left" Patton mumbled, giving a polite wave back. Logan glanced over to his friends and chuckled, pushing his glasses up to fit his face better.
"The one on the left is called Virgil, and he'll be more embarrassed if anything - not because of you though" He added quickly, offering a small lopsided smile. "You see, Roman, the one on the right, noticed you had been here a while and figured you were waiting for someone who, well...wasn't here yet. Virgil tried to stop him coming over as he can be fairly dramatic. Bowing to you, kissing you hand, that sort of thing" Logan explained, waving his hands as he spoke. "While Virgil was explaining you may be more embarrassed, I slipped over."
Patton couldn't suppress the proud smile as much as he would have liked. To know that there were people ready to save his bad night was humbling to him.
"They sound eccentric"
"That's certainly one way to describe them" Logan chuckled, offering a smile to the approaching waitress. Giving her their order and getting a refill of their drinks, the two resumed.
"If you'd describe them as eccentric, how would you describe yourself?" Patton asked, resting his arms on the table comfortably.
"Me?" Patton nodded, it seemed to take Logan off guard. He thought for a moment, his eyebrows furrowed as he scratched his neck above his collar. "Hardworking. I've always got something to do and I like to make things the best they can be. My love of learning helps with that too" He chuckled, waving his hands a little. Patton found the little habit cute. "Virgil calls me the 'Walking Thesaurus' and Roman nicknamed me the 'Mother Friend'." Logan chuckled. "What about you, how would you describe yourself, Patton?"
Patton smiled at his explanation. Logan's eyes had lit up a little when talking about his work. He made a note to ask him about it at some point.
"The father friend" Pat took a sip of his drink. "Which is kinda funny if you're the mother hen of your group! I have a friend called Remy, he calls me an empath, so that's another word for me. I'm fairly in tune with other people's emotions, although sometimes I struggle with mine. I like jokes and puns too, They're terrible but that's what makes them good, does that make sense?" Logan nodded, supressing a smile. "But yeah, that sums me up fairly well I think."
"You seem very patient, too."
"Sometimes too much for my good" Patton admitted, curling his fringe out of the way of his glasses. "Hey wait, we have the same glasses!" Logan paused for a moment, seemingly inspecting Patton's glasses.
"It seems we do. I've had this pair for a while, they don't break easy"
"I'd say! I tripped over the other day and head-butted a lamppost. My nose bled but the glasses were fine!" Patton laughed.
Conversation sparked easily between the two of them, switching effortlessly from topic to topic, barely faltering when their meals arrived. With every new fact Patton learned about Logan, he couldn't help but feel his heart become overwhelmed, knowing that this kind and interesting person had come to help him when he got stood up by a stranger. In a way, Patton was glad his date hadn't shown up. Of course, Logan could have enjoyed his food with his close friends if his date had shown up, but he allowed himself to be selfish this one time. If things had gone differently, he would have never known Logan, which means he would have never seen how his eyes lit up when he started explaining something, or how he waved his hands when he spoke about something he was passionate about. He wouldn't have noticed the small and subtle freckles on his ears and under his eyes, or how when he laughed or smiled a little wider he covered his mouth with his hand or ducked his head. When Patton was talking about something, Logan genuinely seemed interested, asking questions and nodding along to points Patton brought up. Patton didn't mind being selfish just once.
"I noticed the dog sticker on your phone" Logan started, a smile quirking at his lips. "Dog man?"
"Nope, Cat dad" Patton grinned, chasing his food with his fork. "I'm allergic though, but they're just so cute! I can't help but pet them."
"I'll agree there. I have a black Bengal cat who likes to mess with my paperwork by sleeping on it." Logan chuckled, ducking his head a little. "Although please do be careful with your allergies" He added before taking a sip of his drink. The empath nodded.
"I try!" He came dangerously close to pouting as he looked to the side, remembering the calico ally cat near his apartment, and how it always meowed at him for attention. "It's not fair that they can be that adorable and be bad for my health"
Patton was momentarily caught off guard by the snort of laughter opposite him. Logan was quick to cover his mouth, the tips of his ears and cheeks slowly going red.
"My apologies, that was rather-"
"-No need to apologise, it was cute!" Patton grinned, putting his fork down as he covered his own mouth with balled hands. t was a childish habit he had when he got over exited or happy, but Patton didn't really mind his own childish antics, they made life fun.
"Are you really...are you sure?" Logan took a moment to process Patton's enthusiastic nod before slowly lowering his hand, showing the little lopsided smile that melted Patton's heart. "Well I...I'm glad you think so."
From cats to other animals, to dreams and desires, topics kept arriving. Likes and dislikes, work and hobbies, friends and family, and even a few puns sprinkled in was how their night progressed. When the waitress came to clear their table and ask if they wished for desert, Patton was surprised when Logan asked if he wanted the brownie.
"How'd you know?"
"You mentioned earlier how it was heavenly" Logan said, adjusting his glasses as his hand rested on his neck. When he was embarrassed and didn't want to show it, it seemed his neck was where his hand wandered. When he chuckled or noticed how he had started waving his hands, he fiddled with the woollen polo shirt poking out from underneath his black jumper.
Even though he was full from the meal, Patton always had room for desert, and nodded with an eager grin. Not only would he get dessert, but Patton also got more time with his new friend. Logan seemed to light up with the others' expression, and happily ordered.
Two small plates of rich brownies with ice-cream and a boatload of chocolate sauce later, the pair were ready to leave. Despite Patton's efforts or handing the waitress his card, Logan paid the bill. Patton did leave a large tip to their server, giving her quick thank you for a patience on the way out.
"Your friends!" Patton squeaked, seeing their table empty on the way out. "Oh gosh I kept you from them, I'm so sorry-"
"-No need to apologise" Logan said, waving his hands, a smile on his face. "They'll be in the car screaming the lyrics to musicals. I'd prefer to give them time to do that when I'm not there."
"From what you said about them, I'm gonna say it's either Heathers, or Beetlejuice! Dramatic with a dark twist" Patton guessed, his hands warm in his knit cardigan pockets. Logan nodded, laughing.
"That'll be spot on."
Feeling the wind chill around them, the two realized they couldn't stand in the car park talking all night. Logan fiddled with the sleeves of his jumper.
"Would you like a lift home? Or at least to be dropped off nearby?" Patton shook his hands.
"Oh no, that's alright! I'm just in the apartments over there." He waved his hand in the general direction of his street. Logan nodded. "Besides, you've already done enough for me. Thanks again, Lo"
"It was no bother, if anything it was rather enjoyable." He insisted, raising an eyebrow and a smirk at the nickname. He liked it.
Although dark outside, Patton could tell his eyes were sparkling again on the tone of his voice. It made him giddy and happy to know he'd recognised the quirk already. He could also tell that lighting brought out different things about someone. It wasn't bright enough for the moon to highlight Logan as much as it did the asphalt of the carpark, but the light from the porch of the restaurant was enough to illuminate the few flyways and thinner curls that Patton hadn't noticed yet. the freckles on his ears were more visible when light shone behind them.
"My apologies that your date never showed up, I hope you still had fun"
"I did! It might sound bad, But I'm kinda glad he didn't. It was nice to meet you!"
"And you, too." Logan agreed.
Logan's fiddling increased as a hand rose to play with the fabric of his collar. "If...If it's not too much I'd like to see you again, if you are willing of course. You've probably picked up that I can be a little...that conversation can be hard for me at some points, Socializing and its rules can be difficult for me to pick up on, but you're easy to talk to. It's as if those rules don't apply, it'd be nice to know someone like that. I know a wonderful picnic spot in the dog park not too far from here, if you'd like to join me sometime?" Logan offered, tripping over his words a few times as he rambled to try and get his point out. Patton couldn't help but grin for the hundredth time that night, the widest so far, as he nodded and took his phone out. The two exchanged numbers and Logan showed Patton a photo of his cat, laughing at his squeal and promising to give the cat affection from him.
The pair bid their goodbyes, and turned the opposing directions.
Sure enough for Logan, Roman and Virgil had been blasting Heathers, but were eagerly pressed against the car window watching the exchange. The moment he opened the driver door and sat down, he was bombarded with playful teasing and questions about his 'date' with the stranger, and how they'd never seen him laugh and smile that much.
Patton didn't have any teasing or questions, but he did have music playing softly as he walked down the lamp-lit street. Sending a text to Remy about how his night went, he turned into his neighbourhood, his stomach filled with wonderful food and his heart full of warm feelings.