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Logan wasn’t the kind to provoke anyone. The boy was the opposite, in fact. That was why this situation seemed so unbelievable and almost laughable. Logan wasn’t moving, and that was the most alarming part. The principle cast another worried glance at the lad, who was looking somewhere off to the left. He made no comment on the bruise that was forming on his right cheek or the, thankfully, slowing stream of blood that was coming out of his left nostril. Logan held the tissue against his nose, looking nothing like the boy he was sitting next to. The other child was slumped over, covered in dirt and sniffing quietly. He didn’t appear to be hurt but steady tears were making their way down his cheeks. The door opened and a plump woman with dark curly hair made her way inside. She looked around before bounding over to the other boy,
“Nathan!” She cried, wringing her hands and looking back and forth between the boys and the principle. “What happened?!” The principle, a quiet man with fire-red hair and an abundance of freckles, rose and crossed his arms.
“I’ll be sure to tell you once the other party arrives.” As he spoke, there was a commotion out in the hall.
Students scattered left and right to duck into classrooms and stare back at the spectacle making its way down the hall towards the principle’s office. The steady and determined tap of two shining shoes across the scuffed floor were preceded by a pair of fluffy bunny slippers. Remus was marching down the hall with a large plunger in one hand and the confidence of a professional forger in a pawn shop. He was whistling happy birthday in a minor key and was wearing his driver’s uniform backwards. Mr. D paid no attention to the stares. His eyes were focused forward and he was glaring at the wooden door. Remus dashed ahead of him and knocked politely twice before kicking the door open. All three occupants jumped and turned. Remus smiled his devious smile and let his eyes lock on the principle. Mr. D brushed past him, eyes alighting on the boy in the glasses. He crouched down to be eyelevel with the lad,
“Logan?” He waited to see if the lad would look at him, sighing when Logan refused to make eye contact. He rose and placed one gloved hand on the mess of brown hair, “I am Logan’s emergency contact, D. What happened here?” Remus hadn’t moved from his place at the door. The principle looked uncomfortable.
“The boys were brought in from the cafeteria after a fight broke out. There’s conflicting reports as to who started it, but Nathan Grimes here is claiming that Logan Storm was using offensive language against some of the students.” Mr. D raised a delicate eyebrow but otherwise showed no emotion. Nathan’s mother looked at her son,
“Why did you attack him, then?” She demanded with her hands on her hips. The boy looked at her with a pleading expression,
“I couldn’t just let him talk about those people that way! Besides, I only slapped him a little.” Mr. D scoffed slightly,
“Almost good enough to be an actor.” He commented dryly the principle and mother turned to him with appalled expressions. Mr. D looked at Nathan directly,
“I work with actors for a living, I’ll have you know, and your technique is lacking.” He then turned to the silent boy, “Logan, what happened exactly?” There was no answer.
“Little Birdie doesn’t want to be a snitch.” Remus popped up behind the principle’s desk, startling the poor man. “Logan,” he said, directing the boy’s attention to himself, “are you protecting yourself or the poor boys?” Logan bit his lip before tearing his eyes away,
“Please, uncle,” he said in a voice that sounded like steel, “the incident is entirely my fault, I’ll take the blame. Let’s get this over with.” Mr. D glared at the wall,
“Logan, do you realize the gravity of the consequences of the accusations that have been raised against you?” Logan twisted his fingers in the fabric of his shirt. Mr. D continued, “Regardless of whether you plead guilty or innocent here, Virgil will find out and he will be angry. Wouldn’t it be better just to let the justice-seeking end here?” He studied Logan’s expression, watching the boy think over the request. Finally, Logan looked towards Mr. D and rose, taking the man by the hand and tugging him towards the door. The principle began to protest before Remus forcefully slammed his plunger onto the shiny desk and sent him a maniacal grin.
“They’ll be right back.” He hissed. The principle gulped and sat back down.
Mr. D let himself be pulled into the nearly empty hallway. He crouched to Logan’s level to keep the boy from making his nose worse. Logan still looked hesitant, shifting his gaze left and right, trying to scope out some imaginary threat. Mr. D tutted softly, capturing the lad’s gaze in his own,
“Tell me what happened.” Logan’s eyes filled and he swallowed hard,
“He was,” another pause, “he was threatening a girl in my class. She told him to stop and leave her alone but he grabbed her phone and tried to smash it. I shouldn’t have gotten involved, but I knew that I couldn’t just stand there so I…I took the phone from him. He asked what I thought I was doing, and I explained that he was breaking the law and then he…he hit me.” Mr. D could envision the scene perfectly.
Logan’s calm and collected side that came out under sever pressure, citing the Florida law precisely and accurately, down to the letter. He could also see the anger that burned behind Logan’s actions. He was often times run over by the “muscle” around him. He could hold his own, though, with his mind,
“With his food tray.” Mr. D snapped back to the present moment.
“He…what?” He asked, his eyes blown wide as Logan shifted nervously,
“He hit me…with his food tray?” Mr. D’s face went dark. He rose stiffly and pushed open the door to the office once more. Remus snapped his gaze towards the agent and froze. The stormy expression that clouded the agent’s face was a rare sight and it meant business.
“Mr. Hawthorn,” Mr. D’s charming voice broke through the silence, “I would request to return to the scene of the crime.” The principle looked startled and opened his mouth to protest but Mr. D was already turning, “Lead the way, Logan.”
The parade to the cafeteria was one that turned many heads. The agent followed the spectacled boy, next came the mother and the plaintiff, the principle shuffled along behind them, glancing back at Remus who waved at all the spectators. Mr. D opened the door to the cafeteria with a flourish. Students looked up with startled expressions. Staff members were just cleaning up the remnants of the fight. Mr. D strode over and plucked a tray from the ground, flipping it over in his hands and studying it.
“There’s blood on here.” He extended the tray towards the principle, “Care to explain, Nathan?” The other boy shrugged,
“I don’t know.” He muttered, avoiding the man’s gaze. Mr. D looked sharply down at the boy.
“Really? I would attest that you hit Logan with this, and not your hand as you previously claimed.” The other adults looked back and forth between the agent and the boy. Mr. D leaned forward slightly, staring at the boy pointedly. “Is there anything else you’d like to amend in your accusation before I completely humiliate you?” Nathan’s mother stepped forwards,
“Don’t speak to my child that way!” She snapped. “If he is going to be disciplined, I will be the one to discipline him. I raised my children to be better than to be provokers and liars.” She turned sharply to her child, “Nathan Anderson Grimes, if you have something to tell me, you’d better do it now.” She planted her hands on her hips and scowled at the boy. Logan stared at her with wide eyes and slunk back behind Mr. D. The agent placed a comforting hand on the child’s head. Given Logan’s background, confrontation was a dangerous topic for him. Nathan twisted his fingers together,
“Well…maybe I kind of accidentally hit him with the tray.” He mumbled. The woman didn’t seemed satisfied with this answer.
“Is that all you need to confess or do we need to discuss this with your father too?” Mr. D wasn’t sure Logan could take much more of this standoff. It was obvious he was tense and his face paled slightly at the mention of Nathan’s father. Remus crept closer, standing behind Logan, successfully sandwiching the boy between two walls of safety. Logan cast a glance back at Remus who offered him a smile.
“W-well…” Nathan stuttered, “He didn’t really say any of that stuff either…” He stared down at his feet. The woman’s face went red.
“Do you have any idea how serious an accusation you made against this young man?!” She spoke in a voice that was deceptively calm. She turned to Mr. D, “I would like to apologize on behalf of my son’s behavior. Logan seems to be a very nice and I would never have that thought that my son would target him. I promise you that you’re not going to hear of such behavior from any child of mine ever again.” She turned towards the principal, “I’m taking Nathan home, if you don’t mind. I’m sure you’ll want to suspend him, send me the details, please. You have my email.” She gripped Nathan’s collar and pulled him along behind her.
Silence filled the room before the principal turned back towards Logan and his protectors.
“I apologize for the inconvenience,” he said, “you can take Logan home, thank you for coming.” Mr. D didn’t reply, only nodded and turned, taking Logan by the hand and leading him out.
They walked to the car together while Remus ran ahead, nearly knocking over every student around him. The agent tutted softly as he walked.
“On a day Patton is coming over to visit, too.” He sighed, “Well, it can’t be helped, I suppose.” He smiled down at the lad who was blushing and looked fairly embarrassed, “Come on, we still have to pick up ingredients for dinner.”
Logan held himself together only through years of being forced to by his traumatic environment growing up. Even now, the likelihood of him showing the true depth of his emotions was rare and reserved for a select few. Janus felt the silence of his young companion as they wandered around the store together. Logan’s bruise was getting darker now and Janus selected a bag of frozen peas. He wrapped it carefully in his handkerchief and handed it to the boy. Logan took it and carefully applied it to his bruise. He shot Janus a grateful look which the man acknowledged with a nod.
The rest of the shopping trip ended as smoothly as any shopping trip with Remus can be. For the first half hour, the younger twin just rolled himself around in a spare shopping cart. The trip ended when Remus somehow got inside the freezer with the ice cream. The ride home was just as hectic as Remus always managed to make it and they were soon back at the Prince’s mansion. Logan helped to carry in the groceries and settled them onto the counter. Janus rolled up his sleeves and began to wash his hands,
“Want to help me make dinner?” He asked Logan, “Virgil won’t be home for a few more hours and Roman is out for an interview.” Logan didn’t answer right away but settled down at the bar counter to peel potatoes. Janus worked diligently and delegated tasks to Logan. The two were in the middle of adding the finishing touches when the sound of the front door opening caught them off guard.
“Hello?!” The cheery voice carried to the kitchen and Logan perked up, casting a questioning look towards Janus. The man shooed him away with one hand,
“Patton’s waiting, go greet him.” The boy jumped off his stool and hurried out of the room.
Patton turned at the sound of hurrying footsteps approaching him. Logan came into view a few moments later. He smiled at the boy and scooped him into a hug. He squeezed the boy tightly for a moment, taking in how Logan was doing. The boy was taller than last time and he’d put on some weight. Patton smiled and pulled the boy back, eyes searching the boy’s features. The man’s smile faltered as his eyes found the bruise. He touched the area around it lightly as concern flooded his face,
“Oh, Logan,” he breathed as the boy dropped his gaze and became very still, “what happened?” The tenderness in Patton’s voice was everything that Logan remembered from his last visit and, finally, the spell was broken.
Tears filled the bright eyes and he pushed close to Patton. The kind man wrapped his arms around the child again and pulled him close. Logan’s tears were, as always, silent. Patton let the lad cry himself out but didn’t release his hold on him. Logan needed time to collect himself before he could proceed with whatever he needed to do next. Patton slowly rose and pulled the boy along with him,
“Let’s go sit on the sofa.” He said with a smile.
Once on the couch, Patton pulled him into a hug again, letting Logan settle against him. The boy sat and played with the edge of Patton’s cardigan; a sure sign that he was anxious. He finally allowed himself to speak. The words were quiet and Logan seemed to recoil at the sound of his own voice,
“I don’t want to go to school anymore.” He whispered. “I tried so hard to be there to be normal and I’m tired of everyone staring at me.” There was a lot left unspoken in that confession and Patton knew it.
Logan wasn’t the kind to tell about his hardships. They wouldn’t hear about the relentless bullying, the endless teasing, and the pointless insults, all intended to goad the boy into a reaction. Nor would his guardians ever learn that he was always terrified of what was waiting for him at school. Patton looked at him with new concern flooding his features,
“Logan, how about you go get cleaned up.” Janus said as he walked into the room. Patton looked up at the newcomer and smiled. Logan nodded and left, rubbing his eyes.
“Janus,” Patton greeted the agent with a hug, “good to see you again!” The agent smiled and nodded,
“You’re looking well, Patton.” He seated himself on the sofa and Patton sat next to him, “I trust your trip over wasn’t too difficult?”
“Oh, not at all.” Patton smiled, “It’s nice to drive towards something you love.”
They sat in quiet conversation but it didn’t take long for the topic to switch to the events of Logan’s day.
“He said he doesn’t want to go to school anymore.” Patton noted with furrowed brows, “How is he doing in school?” Janus sighed,
“Not very well, honestly. His grades have been steadily going down and I don’t really know how to explain it. He understands the material and will discuss concepts with anyone here for hours, but his teachers say he’s not motivated. Some even asked if everything was alright here at home.” Patton tapped his chin thoughtfully,
“He’s used to learning for the enjoyment and understanding the topics. That’s one benefit of homeschooling. In school, everyone is taught at the same level, it seems. He has to memorize to pass a test rather than to improve his own understanding of a topic.” Janus nodded,
“That’s another issue, Logan is struggling to pass the big tests that come his way. He freezes up and says his mind goes blank. I believe he has quite the case of testing anxiety.” Patton sighed,
“Logan rarely asks to quit anything, especially if he asks for it in the first place. Even if he doesn’t like it, he’s too worried about how much trouble he’ll cause.” Janus sighed,
“I know. I’m trying to get him to talk to Roman. I know Roman would be more than willing to help if Logan would only ask.” At that moment, the sound of shouting came from outside.
The door to the Prince mansion opened and Roman came stumbling in, shouting the whole time,
“Get off me! I swear to all that is considered sacred do you how valuable this piece of clothing is?! I just designed it, for Pete’s sake! Let go of me this instant!” The string of shouting continued as the man came into view.
Remus was clinging to Roman’s back, cackling the whole time. He appeared to be covered in fresh paint that was dripping down his face and was coating his hair. The bright green was clashing brilliantly with the deep red of Roman’s three piece suit. Janus rose as and expression of horror clouded his features,
“Remus Alonzo St. Thomas Prince!” He growled in a voice that dripped threatening, “Get yourself back outside this instant! I’ve told you not to play with paint but you have pointedly ignored me. Go outside now, I’ll deal with you shortly.”
Remus had the decency to look properly chastised and a tiny bit scared as he slowly detached himself from his brother and slunk back outside. Roman looked aghast at his attire and let out a series of high-pitched noises that Virgil had deemed ‘offended prince-y sounds’. A new voice drifted into the space,
“Ummm…are we decorating or something?” Virgil Storm wandered in with his skateboard still tucked under his arm.
He sported a pair of ripped up jeans and wore a loose black shirt. His hair was still bright purple and the lip piercing that he’d gotten recently was healing up nicely. He looked at Patton and smiled,
“Hey, Dad.” The title, which had been the source of so much anxiety a few months before now fell easily from the slightly chapped lips. Virgil let himself be bundled into a tight hug, grunting when Patton squeezed him a little too tightly. He took in Roman’s appearance and burst out laughing. Roman glowered at him,
“I don’t see anything funny here at all!” He huffed angrily.
“On the contrary, this is highly amusing.” The comment came from the doorway, where Logan was leaning casually with his arms crossed. A smirk pulled at his lips as he adjusted his glasses. Virgil gapped for a moment,
“What happened?” He asked finally. His voice was cold and his expression dark as he walked over to Logan and tilted his brother’s chin up. Logan rolled his eyes and sighed as Virgil examined the bruise,
“Please relax, Uncle Remus and Uncle Janus took care of it.”
Silence filled the room. Logan glanced around when he realized they were all staring at him. He blinked a few times before blushing,
“What?” Patton squealed,
“Did you just call him ‘Uncle’ Janus?!” Logan’s face turned a brighter shade of red,
“I-I,” He stammered a few times before leaning forward and hiding against Virgil. The older teen chuckled,
“Hey, as long as Janus…I mean, Uncle Janus, doesn’t mind, I don’t see a problem.” Janus cleared his throat,
“I am hardly your uncle.” He sighed, “But I supposed there’s no real harm to it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go figure out where Remus keeps getting all this paint.” He stepped out quickly, ducking his head to hide his expression. Roman watched him go,
“I think you broke him.” He mused before looking down at himself again. “I should go change. I’ll be right back.” He disappeared from the room and Patton stood,
“I’m going to the kitchen to make some cookies. I have a feeling that we’ll need some for tonight.” He extended his hand to Virgil and Logan, “Wanna help?”
The sound of kitchen activities was a common accompaniment to Patton’s visits. Logan was watching Patton mix the filling for the sandwich cookies he was making while Virgil scooped more of the dough out onto trays. Patton hummed as he worked before holding the bowl out to Logan,
“Taste test for me?” He asked with a smile. Logan complied eagerly and, of course, Virgil had to have impute too. After both boys had approved the flavor, Patton separated the fluffy filling into two bowls and let the boys add food coloring. It wasn’t until they were frosting the cooled cookies that Patton addressed Logan, “Have you talked to Roman yet about transitioning?” Virgil glanced at Logan,
“Transitioning? What?” He asked. Logan bit his lip,
“I’ve been thinking about…not going to school anymore.” Virgil looked at him for a moment.
“This is linked to your new nightmares, isn’t it?” The question was spoken as a statement.
“You know about those?” Logan asked as he paled. Virgil rolled his eyes,
“Duh. I’m your brother.” It was like he’d just given an obvious answer to a simple question. “Besides, I’ve been bored without you here.”
Unlike Logan, Virgil had continued homeschooling under Janus and Roman’s joint efforts. He hadn’t seen a reason to stop as he was finally able to take his time on concepts that confused him as well as go as in depth as he pleased into subjects that intrigued him. Patton had also been able to help Virgil from afar over phone calls and countless emails and text messages. Logan wanted to find that joy again. He wanted to go back to that idea that learning was something he didn’t have to do to survive but was instead something that he wanted to do as an important part of his life.
“So, you gonna talk to Prince-y?” Virgil asked,
“Ask me what?”
All three jumped and turned to see Roman strut into the kitchen. He’d shed his ruined suit and was now decked in silk pjs with a billowing robe. He swept in and seated himself on the bar chairs. He rested his chin on his hands. Janus also walked in, looking thoroughly exhausted. He walked over to the crockpot and removed the lip. The smell of cooked chicken filled the room. Roman was still looking expectantly at Logan. The boy was pointedly not looking at his uncle. Remus came in a few moments later, hair still dripping wet from whatever lengths Janus had gone to in order to get the green paint out of his locks. He wandered over to the crockpot and tried to stick his hand into the steaming food. Janus smacked the approaching hand. The younger twin whined until Janus shot him a glare. Patton smiled at them before watching Virgil nudge Logan slightly,
“Go on, Lo-Lo.” He smiled encouragingly.
“Well.” Logan cleared his throat, “May I talk to you for a moment, Uncle? In private?” Roman blinked before smiling,
“Sure thing!” Patton placed a hand on Logan’s shoulder,
“I’ll finish up here, Kiddo, you go before you change your mind.” He gave Logan’s shoulder a squeeze before taking the frosting spreader Logan was handing him.
Roman led the boy out into the living room where Logan plopped down on the sofa and grabbed a pillow. He hugged the pillow to his chest, offering both comfort to himself and a barrier between himself and his uncle. Roman leaned forward and clasped his hands together, like he always did before being faced with a problem or a decision. Logan cleared his throat again and began.
“I would like to, um, transition my schooling.” Roman nodded with a slight frown,
“I’ve noticed that your grades haven’t been doing well and that you don’t seem excited anymore to go to school.” He knew how to communicate with Logan effectively after months of practice. Logan looked at problems objectively and looked at facts. If Roman could supply his own outside observations, Logan would often open up more. The boy shifted,
“I wouldn’t say that I have been enjoying school anymore.” His fingers brushed the bruise before they settled on the black frames of his glasses. “However, I do like having an environment where I can ask my teachers anything that falls in their special areas of expertise.” He looked at Roman with a crestfallen expression, “I apologize, I don’t know what I want anymore.” Roman smiled, scooting closer,
“Don’t worry about having all the answers right now, Logan. We’ll figure it out together, like we figured out school before. It’s okay not to be ready or never to be ready for something. Above everything else I want you to be happy and to succeed no matter what. I know that learning is important to you and I want you to have an education but, right now, you’re not getting one.” Logan looked up at his uncle in realization,
“I’m not, am I?” The anxiety, the worry, the constant panic; it was all attributing itself to a condition where Logan was unable to concentrate or even to learn. He was one to thrive in the world of books and facts but now he was struggling to even stay afloat. Roman rested a hand on his nephew’s shoulder,
“Hey, you wanna talk about what happened today?”
When Janus opened the door to call the two to dinner, he had to pause just to take in the view before him. Logan was seated in between Roman’s legs, hiding his face against his guardian’s neck. Roman’s larger form was wrapped around him, shielding him from the world.
Later that night, they would assume this position again, accompanied by the rest of their family. They would sit in quiet conversation or watch a movie and partake in whatever other peaceful activities they desired. There, Logan would be inclined to forget for a bit about the hardships of that day until he fell asleep, unplagued by nightmares for the first time in many weeks. He had no clue what he was going to do about school but, for the first time in a long time, he wasn’t worried about it. Roman pressed a kiss to the brown locks and removed the glasses, admiring the dark lashes that rested against the pale cheeks. Patton sighed,
“Soon he’ll be too big to carry to bed.” Roman looked at his boy before turning to the landlord,
“Not for me. I’ll always be here to protect them.”