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“Virgil, sweetie, can you come here for a minute?” Patton called from downstairs.
“Sure,” Virgil agreed, stashing away the book he’d been trying to force himself to read for English class. He was happy for the excuse to leave the thing be for a bit. He wandered down the steps and met Patton in the living room.
Patton smiled when he saw him, and Virgil found himself smiling back. He’d only been with them for a few months, and he was always happy to be met with one of Patton’s smiles. It usually meant something good was going to happen. “Hey, kiddo, can you help me with something?”
“What?” Virgil asked.
“Logan has a research paper he wants to submit for review at the end of the month.”
Virgil blinked. “Uh, okay. Do you need me to pick up more chores, so he has more time? I can walk Missy more and do the dishes and…”
“No, no,” Patton said, waving his hands around. “Nothing like that. He has it mostly finished anyway. He just needs to proofread it.”
“Oh, so, then why did you need me?”
“Because he wasn’t in bed this morning, and I haven’t seen him except for when he’s been sneaking into the kitchen to get coffee all day, and it’s past lunch.”
“So?”
“So, he gets into a loop sometimes when he’s done with something but feels like he hasn’t done enough work on it. He stares at it so long he thinks he’s done something wrong and then gets more and more frustrated and keeps thinking he did more stuff wrong until he attempts to throw his computer out. My job as his husband is to stop him before he throws anything more than pens.” That was weird… it also really did sound like a Logan thing. He hoped Patton did stop him before he started throwing things though.
“And why do you need me?”
“Mostly to look cute in the corner so he’ll fight me on it less.”
Virgil’s nose scrunched up at that statement. “I…”
“No arguing,” Patton said, wagging his finger, and then leaning forward to softly bop him on the nose with the same finger. “You are cute.” Virgil frowned at him. “Yes,” Patton said. “Keep your face like that, and Logan will surely not be able to resist cuddling you.” He winked at Virgil and turned on his heels.
Virgil glared at his back, but followed anyway, mostly because he wanted to see whatever this was.
Patton knocked on the door to Logan’s office with a cheerful little beat. “Logan,” he called. “It’s past lunch.”
“I’m not hungry right now, Patton,” Logan said, sounding slightly aggravated. It made Virgil shift a little nervously, but Patton didn’t seem at all concerned.
“I made little finger sandwiches and cut them into different polygons,” Patton tempted. “I even got out the ruler!”
“No, thank you, Patton.”
“I also made an entire pot of your favorite tea.”
“I have coffee.”
Patton glared at the door, placing his hands on his hips. “I haven’t gotten my morning kiss and it is 2pm,” Patton said. “Come out and rectify this now.”
“I will be done soon, love.”
“But I want cuddles now,” Patton said.
“In a bit.”
Patton paused for a few seconds. “Logan Sanders,” he said darkly. “I will forcibly remove you from that office if you don’t come out this instant.”
Logan seemed to catch on to… whatever was happening because there was just the smallest hint of a whine in his voice. “Patton no. I need to get this fixed before the due date.”
“Food and cuddles are what you need,” he knocked on the door with the same cheery pattern from before, “and that is a threat.” He paused and waited. “Logan.”
“Patton.”
Patton gave up on knocking and turned the doorknob, shoving the door open. Virgil inched forward to look inside the office while Patton stormed it. It was even more sticky note covered than usual and there was red string on the bulletin board that looked like it was from a detective movie and not a math professor’s office.
“Patton, no,” Logan said. “I need to…”
“Save the document, Logan,” Patton said.
“But…” Patton’s hand hung threateningly over the laptop on Logan’s desk. He quickly reached forward, likely to push the save button. “You don’t…”
Patton snapped the laptop closed. “Break time.”
“I don’t need a break.”
Patton rounded the desk and pulled on the back of Logan’s chair. It scooted a couple of inches across the floor “Break time.”
Logan sputtered as he was forcibly pulled away from his desk, but nothing was sent flying through the air, so Virgil assumed he wasn’t nearly as crabby about it as he was pretending to be.
“Look, Virgil is here, and he wants to watch a movie with us, don’t you Virgil?”
Virgil had indicated nothing of the sort, but he nodded anyway.
“Pout at him Virgil. He’s defenseless.”
Virgil blinked at him.
“Or look adorably confused, that’ll work too,” Patton said. Virgil frowned. “Ah! There’s the pout.”
“I…” Logan said, “but the paper.”
“I promise you, the paper will be better off if you take a break.”
“I hardly see how not working on the paper will make it better.” Logan said with a scowl. Patton rolled his eyes.
“I’m going to drag you to the living room if you don’t get up right now, mister.” Patton said. Logan didn’t move. “Three,” Patton started. “You know I’m right. Tw-”
Logan stood from his chair. “Don’t count at me like a misbehaving child.”
“I’m not,” Patton said. “I’m counting at you like a misbehaving husband.”
“We will compromise. I will take a five-minute break and eat a sandwich.”
“Mmm deal,” Patton acquiesced strangely easily.
“Very well then,” Logan said, turning to move out of the office. Patton winked at Virgil on the way by and Virgil raised an eyebrow, following them both.
Patton managed to catch up to Logan and blocked off the door to the kitchen with his body.
“I thought you wanted me to eat,” Logan said grumpily.
“Oh, I do,” Patton said, “but it’s an eating on the couch day.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
They stared at each other for a long moment. “If I sit on the couch, will this be over sooner?” Logan asked.
“Maybe.”
Logan rolled his eyes and stomped off to the couch.
“Great!” Patton said, coming over to him. He picked up a pile of blankets he’d had waiting there and dropped them on top of him before fussing with them to get them in the right place. “Here, have some tea.” He turned to the waiting teapot and poured Logan a cup of tea, before handing it to him. “Hmm,” Patton said consideringly as Logan took a small sip. “Almost perfect. Virgil come here, please,” he requested.
Virgil walked over and Patton pushed him gently until he let the man press him into the pile of blankets next to Logan on the couch. He then reached for Virgil’s legs and Virgil confusedly let him pick them up and maneuver him, so he was reclined against the side of the couch with his legs over Logan’s lap.
“Perfect! Now you’re trapped forever and ever!”
Virgil could see a fond smile twitching at the corners of Logan’s mouth. “You said five minutes.”
“I lied,” Patton said airily. “We’re watching How to Train Your Dragon, and you have no choice in the matter as you are completely at the mercy of me and my evil henchman.”
“Henchman?” Virgil complained. “I was a supervillain and now I’ve been demoted to henchman?”
“Just while you’re in training. You’ll be my partner in crime next time when you know what you’re doing.”
Virgil considered this. He really had only acted as a weighted blanket. “Fine,” he agreed.
“Now!” Patton said. “Lay back and relax, or else. I’ll get the sandwiches.”
Logan shook his head in exasperation as Patton pranced off to the kitchen. “You don’t need to sit on me,” Logan told Virgil.
“I take my part in defeating the great superhero Bluebird very seriously,” Virgil said. Logan just rolled his eyes and took a sip of tea.