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Patton was known for being the caring one out of the four. It was no surprise to see him constantly yelling out his love for the other three. However, Patton had bad days, and expressing his love was harder on those days.
He was sitting in their living room, hidden under a pile of blankets, the only visible parts of Patton were his hair and his glasses that were framing his seemingly watery eyes.
It was four in the morning, an hour before he had to be awake, but Patton couldn't sleep. He was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to be able to sleep, but his mind wouldn't shut up.
The TV was on in the background, an episode of The Office playing, one that was long forgotten. Patton sighed, the stress of yesterday and the frustration of being unable to sleep was finally getting to him. The tears that had been built up in his eyes finally fell and silent sobs went through his body. Four o'clock came and passed by slowly for him.
Upstairs, Logan had woken up for his usual cup of coffee at five in the morning. He began to knock on his friends doors, following through on the routine to wake them up. He waited for them, only to be surprised by only Roman and Virgil coming out.
The three, still fighting off their sleepiness, looked at each other in question. Virgil opened his mouth to ask where Patton could be, when the three heard a sob coming from the downstairs area. They were immediately on high alert and made their way downstairs, stopping in front of the couch where Patton was curled up.
Roman crouched down to Patton's level and rested his hand on Patron's arm. “Pat, what's going on?”
The man in question looked up at him and Roman could swear he felt his heart ache for the man in front of him. His eyes were bloodshot red, the kind of red that only appears after hours of crying and for Patton to have reached that level was concerning. He was in his sleep clothes, a hoodie and shorts, though they were messy and bunched up from him closing in on himself frequently. His glasses and the blankets he once had over him lay abandoned next to him on the couch. The more Roman took in, the more his heart physically ached for Patton.
He could hear Logan and Virgil moving behind him, probably finding things to comfort Patton with or something to keep themselves busy while Roman assessed the situation at hand. Roman carefully picked up Patton’s glasses and placed them on the furthest edge of the couch and sat in their old spot. He looked at Patton and found Patton looking at him as well, though his gaze was downcast and not quite meeting Roman’s eyes.
Roman reached out for Patton’s hand and Patton gave it to him. The men sat in silence for a few seconds before Roman began to speak.
“What’s going on Patton?” He questions, trying to keep his voice as even as possible and not make Patton worry about him.
Patton looks up and meets Roman’s eyes for a second before shifting back down. He opens and closes his mouth a few times as if he wants to say something but can’t.
It’s then when Virgil and Logan join them. They sit silently on the floor at Roman and Patton’s feet. They want Patton to know they’re there, even if he can't quite express what he's feeling yet.
The silence between them isn't awkward, sure, it's tense but not awkward. Their closeness is one that isn't easily fazed by moments of silence, especially not under their current circumstances.
The silence is broken by Patton himself.
“I'm sorry, I just-” He pauses and pulls the sleeves of his hoodie down and begins to fidget with the ends of them, “It's just a bad day, and I had this feeling of dread and emptiness and in all honesty…” Patton cuts off his sentence and hugs himself, leaning further into Roman who reaches his arm around Patton and holds him to his side.
Logan rests a hand on Patton’s knee and waits until the man in question looks at him. “You can tell us anything, no matter what it is”.
The other two nod in agreement and Patton lets out a shaky breath.
“I didn’t feel loved and before you say anything, I know you all love me but it's the illogical side of me that feels like I'm not loved, even though I know that's not the case.” He rushes out his explanation and shrinks into himself even more when he finishes, as if he were ashamed.
Virgil reaches out to Patton and takes his hand in silent reassurance before saying, “We love you. I know it's hard to believe it but we love you. Bad days won't change that, ever. You're our best friend Patton and nothing will change that.”
They both look fondly at each other before Roman interrupts their moment with calming words. “Virgil’s right, padre. You're our rock and bring us together. No one expects you to be happy all the time, it just isn't possible. Bad days will happen but I promise you won't have to go through them alone.” He leans and kisses Patton on the forehead when he finishes talking and Patton feels himself start to calm down.
Logan adjusts his glasses, a nervous habit he picked up from Patton himself. “Patton,” he says, “We care for you deeply. I want you to know that no matter what, you can come to me and I will do my best to assist you. Even if it's just sitting with you, whatever you need.” He squeezes Patton’s knee and gives the man time to process everything they all just said.
After a few moments Patton untucks himself from Roman’s side and sheds a few tears, quickly brushing them aside.
He lets out a small, “Thank you all.”
And for now, that's all they need, because the other three know he means it and know that those few words hold so much more meaning. Just as Patton knows they meant everything they said, even if it's not always easy to remember when in a bad spot.
Virgil and Logan join the other two on the couch, pulling the nearby blankets Patton had pushed aside over all of them. Roman had put on a movie while they got adjusted and the four of them sat together, feeling comfortable and at ease.