Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Patton ran through the forest, barely taking in his surroundings. All he knew was that he had to get away. Away from everything. His home, his father, his so-called friends...he was done.

Patton ignored all the warnings he had grown up with as he continued blindly into the trees. 

Warnings of fae and other supernatural forces that dwelled within the depths of the forest. Warnings of strangers and magic.

Patton didn’t care.

He tripped on an exposed root, not bothering to get back up. He instead pulled himself into a sitting position, wrapping his arms around his legs. He couldn’t hold back his sobs any longer.

He cried for what seemed like hours. When he finally felt himself calming down, he noticed someone standing at the edge of his vision.

Great, just another thing to make people think he was weird.

“I’m sorry. I can go.”

“Oh, that won’t be necessary,” the stranger said. “I was merely curious. What could have happened to make such a sweet-looking young man so upset?”

“It’s not important…”

“It is to you. I would be glad to listen if you require someone to speak to.”

“No,” a new voice announced. “You shouldn’t be here, Deceit. Leave.”

The man called Deceit rose hastily in surprise. 

“Of course,” he drawled, giving a quick, stiff nod of acknowledgment to the newcomer before averting his gaze. “I did not realize how near you were. It had been quite some time and you made no move to deal with-”

“Yeah, well I am now.”

“Of course.” 

Deceit disappeared into the trees, leaving Patton alone with the second stranger. He seemed to radiate power and intensity yet, while Patton knew most people would have been intimidated, he couldn’t find it in himself to be afraid.

“You shouldn’t be here either.”

“You’re probably right,” Patton admitted.

The man, no, fae’s lips thinned into a line and his already-dark eyes darkened further.

“You need to leave.”

“I don’t want to go back. In fact...I’d be alright if I never had to go back to that town again.”

“You don’t mean that. It may feel that way now, but soon enough you’d regret it.”

“I wouldn’t. I can prove it, too. Patton-”

“Stop.”

The fae was behind him now, and long, thin fingers curled around Patton’s mouth.

“A name is a powerful thing.” The fae’s breath tickled Patton’s ear, making him shiver. “You should never give someone you do not fully trust your full name, especially in a place like this. You have heard stories of the dangers, I presume, but this is not the way to get whatever it is you want. Despite whatever has hurt you, you still have your mind. It may not seem like much, but you are still yourself, and you can decide for yourself your actions. I want you to think a bit more carefully about the full implications before you give that up.”

The slender fingers pulled away gently and Patton took a deep breath, preparing himself.

“Patton James Miller.”

“Patton!”

Roman had found him. The only reason he had hesitated had found him, too late. 

“Get away from him you braid, irregulous meacock!”

“...excuse me?” the stranger asked, lips quirking upwards.

“Enough talk. Release him at once!”

Roman lunged, but instead of knocking the other two to the ground, his face slammed into the dirt. When he sat up, he found himself alone in the clearing.

He pounded at the forest floor in anger.

“I will avenge you, Patton! I swear it on my life!”

Chapter Text

“Thank you again for coming with me, brother.”

“‘Course! Pat was awesome. I didn’t know him as well as you, but he was a good person. He deserves to be avenged.”

“And he will be, no matter what it takes.”

“Onward, then!”

The twins trekked through the trees quietly, eyes and ears open for any abnormality.

After half an hour of combing the forest, the two paused by a fallen tree. They sat, leaning against it.

“This is nice. It has been far too long since we’ve been able to spend a whole day together.”

“I think we ought-”

“Shh.”

“Shh? I’m older, you don’t get to-”

“I mean it. Shh.”

Roman gestured beyond the tree trunk they were leaning against. Then Remus heard it: a light crunching of leaves and twigs beyond the large log.

Roman gave a series of instructions in the form of complicated hand gestures. Luckily, Remus understood perfectly. He nodded, moving to a low crouch to get to the necessary location without being spotted or making much noise.

Within the minute, both were in place with weapons drawn.

“Now!” Remus shouted, charging out from his hiding spot. 

He succeeded in drawing the fae’s attention, giving Roman the perfect opportunity to pin him to a tree, the iron blade hovering at his neck ceasing all struggle in an instant.

“Can I help you?” the fae bit out with a glare.

Roman moved the flat of the blade closer, pressing it firmly against the fae’s pale skin. He recoiled, pushing himself as close as he could to the tree at his back with a sharp hiss of pain.

“If you’re going to kill me, get it over with.”

“Oh, I don’t want to kill you right away. That is far too kind a fate. Do you remember me?”

“Not particularly. Maybe a name would jog my memory,” the fae said with a joyless smirk, eyes glinting darkly.

Roman brought his pure iron knife in contact with the fae’s neck again.

“Not a chance, you dissembling rampallion.”

Roman pulled away slightly, knife no longer touching the fae but still millimeters from his neck.

“O-oh,” the fae choked out, understanding dawning at the insult. “You.”

“Ah, so iron can jog your memory too, then. Perhaps if I do it again you’ll tell me what you did to my friend.”

“Uh, Ro? We’ve got-” Remus cut off in a screech followed by a thud. Roman turned just enough to see his brother on the ground underneath another body.

A curly blonde head popped up, helping Remus up with him.

“Sorry! Came in a little fast there! I didn’t mean to knock you over. Are you okay?”

Remus just stared at Patton in shock.

“You’re not dead?” Roman asked, drawing his old friend’s attention. 

“Well no…” Patton took in Roman’s current position, still holding a knife to the fae’s throat, with a frown. “Ro, please put your knife down.”

“Why should I? He kidnapped you!”

“Ro-”

“No!” Roman shouted, turning back to his prisoner. “What did you do to him? Why is he standing up for a monster like you?”

“Knife. Down. Now,” Patton commanded, voice stern but slightly trembling.

“Pat-”

“No. It’s not a negotiation. You need to drop it. I’ll explain everything but first, you need to let Vee go.”

Roman took several steps back, blade still in hand and brandished toward the fae in case of any sudden movement.

The fae glared, bringing a hand up to his neck and rubbing at it gingerly.

“Are you okay?” Patton asked worriedly.

“Fine,” the fae growled out.

“Vee…”

“I said I’m fine. Now deal with your friends.”

Patton walked over sadly, grabbing Vee’s arm.

“They were just trying to protect me, sweetie.”

“No, they thought you were dead. They thought I killed you.”

“But you didn’t, so everything’s fine! I want you to meet them.”

“I have. Didn’t go so well.”

“Ro, apologize.”

Roman scoffed.

“Not a chance.”

“Pretty please?”

Roman glared at Patton’s puppy dog eyes, but he couldn’t hold out for long.

“Fiiine, I’m sorry,” Roman forced out, obviously displeased with the turn of events.

“For what?” Patton prompted.

“Patton!”

Patton just frowned, looking up with those big, manipulatively innocent blue eyes.

“Hey, quit it,” the fae interjected. “He obviously doesn’t feel he’s done anything wrong. And that’s not what I meant by ‘deal with’ them. I don’t want his pity .”

The fae eyed Roman up and down. Something he saw must have made an impact because the fae’s gaze hardened.

“I don’t want yours, either,” he said, turning back to Patton. “Leave with them. I won’t change my mind again.”

The air around them seemed to still and even the normal sounds of the woods faded to the background. Roman couldn’t believe his ears. The fae was letting Patton go? Roman grabbed Patton’s hand, moving slowly and deliberately as though anything else would shatter the illusion and Roman would find out that Patton was no longer close enough to touch, to save. 

He threaded his fingers through Patton’s, pulling him away gently, but he seemed to be frozen to the spot. He was staring in shock at the fae, but Roman couldn’t blame him. Surely freedom after the past two years of adhering to the fae’s every whim and desire was astounding and more than a bit difficult to comprehend.

“Come on, we have to go,” Roman urged as Remus took Patton’s other hand.

“No!” Patton finally responded, pulling away from the twins and crashing into the fae, wrapping his arms tightly around the creature’s lithe torso. “No. I don’t want to leave. Why-” Patton was crying now. “Why do you want me to? I thought you cared about me, liked-”

“You thought wrong,” the fae spat out, cutting Patton off and untangling the arms wrapped around his body. He pushed Patton back towards Roman and Remus. “I was using you. And you know what? I wish I had never met you.”

“You’re lying,” Patton sniffled, eyes still leaking tears.

“You know I can’t. Now go.”

Tears began to pour down Patton’s face again more rapidly, but he couldn’t bring himself to fight them or the twins as he was led away from the fae in the clearing.

Chapter Text

Roman shifted the friend he had thought he had lost in his arms. And maybe he had , Roman pondered, before shoving that thought from his head. Patton was nestled in his arms, still crying against Roman’s shoulder, though he was running out of tears. 

Remus had been silent, not knowing how to respond to whatever had just happened, not that Roman could blame him. Roman himself still couldn’t believe that they had actually found Patton, much less gotten him back.

“Pat?” Remus eventually asked, only for Patton to bury his head farther into Roman’s shirt. “Hey, I get you’re upset, but whatever spell he cast on you will wear off soon enough, and then maybe you’ll realize that we’re just trying to help you. You’ve been gone almost two years, Pat.”

“I wanna go back,” Patton mumbled through fabric.

“Pat…” 

Roman trailed off as movement caught his eye. Patton finally looked up, following Roman’s eye line to a place in the trees. He launched himself from his friend’s arms and ran towards the spot, sending both Roman and Remus bolting after him.

A humanoid figure was standing several feet away from Patton. He held himself rigid and tall, only growing more so at Remus and Roman’s appearance. His cold gaze scanned the brothers. Roman instinctively reached for the blade at his hip only to get thrown backward.

His head was forced against the trunk of a tree none too gently, and he found that the rest of his body was similarly pinned. Remus was in a similar position several feet away. Wind whipped around the both of them in a way that wasn’t quite natural, and when Roman turned his attention back to the fae on the ground with Patton, he found a discolored hand stretching out toward him and Remus each. 

“Wait! Dee, please,” Patton’s voice was hoarse from his crying. 

He wiped at his eyes to get rid of the last drops, though he still looked as though he might break down again any second.

“Please…”

“They’re hunters,” the fae hissed out.

His slitted eyes darted up to the two men he was holding immobile.

“I know, I know. But they won’t hurt you. I won’t let them,” Patton reassured.

“Where is Vee? What did they do to him?”

“Nothing. He told me to go home. These two were taking me. I knew them from before; they were from my village.”

If possible, the fae’s expression got even more severe, his distrust radiating off him in waves.

“‘member my one friend? Vee called him Princey. That’s him.”

“Which one?” the fae asked, the wind still whipping wildly about Roman and Remus.

Patton didn’t answer, instead posing his own question as to why the fae needed to know.

“Don’t test me, human,” the fae growled.

“Dee-”

A flash of light momentarily blinded all present as something reminiscent of a shockwave shook the forest, cutting off Patton’s plea. Roman and Remus found themselves roughly deposited on the ground, their captor’s attention elsewhere

“I’ll help you,” Patton announced, gazing worriedly at the fae. “I’ll help until you’ve fulfilled your debt to him.”

The twins protested Patton’s statement, but the deadly glare they received from his companion was enough to silence them.

“Follow me,” the fae instructed.

Patton did as he was told with only a glance back at Roman and Remus. Roman hesitated, but his brother grabbed him by the arm and dragged him after Patton and the fae recklessly. They trekked through the forest in silence, the fae hissing at them whenever he felt they were being too loud in even their steps; he was obviously displeased that they had followed.

Out of nowhere, the fae stopped short, putting an arm out to stop anyone from advancing further. Patton looked to the fae curiously, who nodded forward with his head to silently draw attention to movement up ahead. They were still too far to completely decipher what was going on, but several figures could be made out.

The fae gestured for everyone to remain as he inched forward using the cover of trees. Once the fae was a fair distance away, Roman began a whispered argument with Patton. He tried to convince his friend that he shouldn’t remain through all sorts of methods, but none worked. Patton stayed resolute in his decision to help. He ignored Roman’s questions as to what was going on, instead turning his attention back to the fae moving steadily closer to the clearing. 

The wind began to pick up, though for now it remained reasonable, not the wild gusts that had pinned the twins earlier. The fae had stopped mere feet from the clearing, hidden completely for sight from those there, when a pained cry rang out, making Patton’s brow crease in worry. 

“Stay here,” Patton pleaded, beginning the short journey towards the sound before anyone could stop him.

Needless to say, neither Roman nor Remus listened. Roman found himself wondering if he should forgo stealth in favor of alerting whoever was past the trees of the spying fae. He looked to Remus, who understood his consideration immediately.

Before either could act on the impulse, though, a sorrowful keen escaped the clearing, its sharp ending spurring the fae into motion. He stepped from behind his tree cover, a turbulent maelstrom spinning into existence with the fae at the eye of the whirlwind. Shrieks of surprise and fear echoed out, convincing Roman and Remus that they should have warned the (probably) humans of their uninvited guest.

The circling wind was strong, but despite that, Patton ran closer, disappearing from view. Remus and Roman nodded at each other. Remus took off running at full speed into the wind to where the fae should be while Roman set off to find Patton.

Roman wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t what he found. Once he forced his way past the two-foot-deep barrier of wind, the inside resulting circle was completely calm. He watched Remus topple over at the unexpected lack of force. It was like the famed “eye of a hurricane”, but the sizing was disproportionate, thoroughly throwing Roman off.

Inside, Patton knelt next to what took Roman several moments to figure out was the fae that had abducted Patton in the first place. A wire net wrapped haphazardly around him from the knees down. His prone form was unmoving and his wrist lay sprawled above his head, bound tightly at the wrists in thin iron chain.

A hoarse whine slipped through the fae’s lips as Patton shifted his legs to untangle the wire netting.

“No time,” the other fae called out, pulling one hand from the wall of wind and pointing it to the center of the circle. 

A smaller circle of wind began to form, this one standing up at about as tall as a person. Patton pulled at Roman’s pant leg, drawing his attention downwards.

“Carry him. Please.”

Those big blue eyes stared up at Roman.

The fae let out another pitiful whine to which Patton responded by threading his fingers through his hair

“...you need to come home.”

Patton nodded vigorously.

“I will, I promise. After…” he trailed off, looking down at the dangerous creature next to him with worry, still combing gently through his thick locks. 

Roman sighed, crouching to move the being to his arms with Patton’s help. 

“Any day, now,” a strained voice hissed.

Patton nodded, pulling Roman to the vertical whirlwind. He gestured Remus over before pulling all of them through. 

Chapter Text

When Roman opened his eyes, they were someplace entirely different. They were still in presumably the same forest, but instead of the dark, dense, ongoing trees, they stood in the back of a sunny little cottage. A white picket fence stood guard around the stone home with the pretty grey-blue roof and the expansive garden behind it.

“Could you wait out here for Dee and make sure he doesn’t pass out on his way inside? He’ll be awful exhausted from using all that energy,” Patton asked Remus, thanking him at his uncertain nod before turning to Roman. “Come on. I’ve got to get that iron off him.”

Roman followed Patton through the little gate warily. He didn’t know where he was or who’s home he was about to enter. It could be “Dee’s”, and Roman didn’t really want to enter a fae’s house, especially without explicit permission. Roman found himself wondering if fae even lived in normal houses.

“Coming, Ro?”

Patton gestured inside from the doorstep.

“Are we...is this…okay?”

Patton gave Roman a confused look that he probably deserved. He wasn’t feeling very coherent at the moment.

“Later, Ro. We can figure everything out later.”

Roman conceded, following Patton into the cottage. The creature in his arms had gone silent and worryingly still...if Roman would ever be worried about a fae. Roman was glad when Patton instructed him to lay the fae down on a couch. He disappeared for several moments, returning with wire cutters, long strips of clean, white cloth, and a small jar made of green-tinted glass. Patton handed over the wire cutters.

“Start on the net,” Patton instructed as he began to carefully unwind the chain that was digging sharply into the fae’s wrists. 

The sound of a door opening and shutting came from down the hall after a short while.

“Down here!” Patton called, and soon Remus came into view supporting the second fae. As soon as they got in view of the couch, he pushed out of Remus’s grip, hissing something angrily under his breath. He collapsed painfully to his knees next to Patton. 

“How is he?” the fae asked.

“He...should be fine. He’ll live. You’ve repaid your life debt, don’t worry. Now get some rest, Dee.”

Dee’s gaze hovered on the other fae’s face. 

“I shouldn’t linger, Little Bird.”

“It’s fine. He wouldn’t mind, and I’m giving you permission.”

“It isn’t proper.”

Dee rose shakily.

“Dee…” Patton trailed off nervously when Dee turned his intense gaze to meet his eyes. “I, well...I helped you. You owe me.”

Dee’s eyes darkened.

“I didn’t ask for your help.”

“Stay. That’s all that I ask. Just until he’s conscious. I don’t want to leave him alone.”

Dee’s slitted eyes roved over Roman and Remus.

“You still plan to leave?”

“I promised I would,” Patton said with a forced smile. “Now go upstairs. You need sleep.” 

Dee obeyed after one last look at all the occupants of the room. 

Patton sighed, brushing the fae’s hair from his face before turning his attention back to the chain around his wrists. 

“Would you get me some water from the well out back?” he asked Remus as he removed the last of it. “You can get a dish from the far right cabinet in the kitchen to put it in. If you could grab a rag or two from that cabinet too, that would be fantastic.”

Remus agreed, happy to have something to do. By the time he got back, Roman had nearly completely untangled and cut apart the net.

Patton thanked Remus, cleaning off the blood from the fae’s wrists and revealing the raw, inflamed skin beneath. He opened the green jar he had brought, gently rubbing the semi-transparent cream inside around the red areas before tying the cloth bandages securely around them. Remus came over to help Roman remove the mangled net from the fae’s legs. Patton then scoured the fae’s legs, sighing in relief when he discovered that the wires hadn’t done much damage through his trousers. 

Paton knelt back at his previous place, picking up the rag and dipping it in water. He carefully dabbed at the blood and dirt slugging down the fae’s face that stemmed from his nose. 

“Not broken, thankfully,” Patton remarked. “Broken noses are never fun.”

The twins waited awkwardly as Patton finished up his ministrations and covered his patient in a blanket.

“Come with me,” Patton said after he had returned everything to its proper place.

He led them out through the back door and out to a bench among the many rows of plants and flowers. Patton offered the bench to the twins, instead opting to sit on the ground. 

“Thank you for letting me come back to help him. I know you don’t trust fae, but I don’t think I could handle him dying when I could do something to help.”

“Patty-cake,” Remus said, “you know that freak abducted you, right?”

Patton didn’t answer.

“Hey,” Roman tried a bit more gently. “It’s okay. You didn’t have any control over that, but you don’t have to worry anymore. You can come back home. You’ll be safe.”

“Do you like my garden?” Patton asked, changing the subject with a pleading look.

“Woah, this is yours?” Remus asked, acquiescing to Patton’s silent desire.

“Mhm. All mine. Vee helped a little bit, but he let me do most of it. I love the sunflowers, don’t you?”

They sat in companionable silence, admiring the result of Patton’s green thumb until the sun began to dip below the trees. 

“We should stay the night. I don’t want to walk all the way back to town in the dark. It could be dangerous.”

Roman wasn’t fooled – he knew that that had been Patton’s goal the whole time – but he couldn’t find it in him to disagree. It would be dangerous, though how much more than inside a house with two fae Roman didn’t know.

Patton led them all inside, giving a short tour and offering his bedroom for their use. After the tour, they all returned downstairs to eat a simple meal. Roman and Remus told stories about the town happenings during Patton’s absence. After they all finished, they went their separate ways: the twins upstairs and Patton to a chair next to the injured fae.

Chapter Text

Roman couldn’t sleep. He had assumed he would face such a problem due to his current location, but it was still annoying. He found himself envious of Remus’s ability to sleep just about anywhere and in any condition. Roman had managed sleep for a couple hours before waking up for no particular reason. He had been laying in the dark listening to Remus’s even breaths for what felt like hours, though he couldn’t tell how accurate that was.

The quiet stillness of the room became overwhelming, making Roman climb out of bed. He didn’t want to wake Patton who he knew to be a fairly light sleeper, so instead he moved to the window. Not really thinking through a plan of any sort, Roman pushed it out and climbed through the windowsill, making his way to the ground below with nothing more than a scrape or two.

“What are you doing?” a sharp voice accused from Roman’s right.

Roman spun around, eyes just making out a humanoid figure on the porch.

“I...don’t owe you any sort of explanation. You have no power over me.”

The fae shrugged.

“Okay.”

He sat back down on the porch railing he must have been sitting on before Roman had arrived. Roman didn’t know how to respond to the fae’s nonchalance, so he turned back away, no longer wanting to be in such abysmal company. He began to walk away from the cottage without interference. Roman glanced back inconspicuously, but the fae hadn’t moved. He made it to the gate before the fae reacted.

“You might not want to leave the property.”

Roman glared over his shoulder, fiddling with the latch of the gate.

“You know, you could at least try to be civil. If I were anyone else in these woods, you would already be suffering for your insolence. It was just a suggestion.”

Roman paused, before realizing that was exactly what the monster wanted.

“Why aren’t I, then?” Roman asked, buying himself time to undo the overly complicated latch. 

“Mostly just good timing. Well, good timing for you anyway. It would also make Pat upset, and he did just save me. It wouldn’t be very honorable of me to not repay the favor, now would it?”

Roman glowered at the latch, thoroughly confused. He let go of the mechanism, approaching the porch.

“Why are you out here?” Roman asked, sitting himself on the top step.

The fae stared at Roman as though he had grown two heads, presumably at Roman’s sudden civility and change in course. He shook his head, regaining his glare.

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

The fae nodded like he understood that well.

“Why the sudden change in heart, Princey? Where did this friendliness come from? Seemed pretty keen on slitting my throat earlier, not sitting down and having a conversation.”

Roman suppressed the urge to edge away in case the fae wanted retaliation of any sort for his earlier threat.

“You said you wouldn’t hurt me, and I’m not actually going to leave, not without my brother and my best friend anyway.”

He had been taught that to get what you want, you have to let others talk freely. You could learn a lot about a person, or fae, without them even meaning to give you that information when presented with an ordinary conversation.

“I never said that,” the fae growled. “If all three of you plan on getting out of this without consequence, you should pay far more attention to wording.”

Roman was learning already.

“Why did you let Pat go?”

The fae stiffened, off balancing himself accidentally. He stumbled off of the railing, landing heavily on the porch. He clenched his eyes shut tightly, grabbing the rail with a white-knuckled grip.

“I’m sorry!”

The fae pried his eyes open after a moment, glaring at Roman.

“What is it with humans and apologies? That wasn’t even your fault!”

“But-” the fae silenced Roman with another glare.

“ Don’t apologize and don’t say thank you. That indicates that you owe someone something. You’ve either wronged them or they’ve done you a favor that you need to repay.”

“Why...why are you telling me all of this? Shouldn’t you be taking advantage of the fact that I don't know your kind’s rules?”

The fae slid down into a sitting position against the rail, leaning his head back with a sigh.

“I should be. I really should be.”

“...are you alright?”

It was just for Patton, Roman assured himself. He didn’t care one bit if the vile creature on the other side of the porch was suffering, but Patton would, so he would try to find out what was wrong.

“Probably shouldn’t be up and around yet. I still feel like I’m going to pass out, but I couldn’t be inside any longer. I couldn’t…” Something in the fae’s expression shifted. “Why are you still here? I gave you what you wanted.”

“Pat wouldn’t let us leave until you were safe, and we ran into trouble anyway.”

“Fool,” the fae scoffed fondly, before registering the second part of Roman’s explanation. “Trouble? What kind of trouble?”

“Another fae. Dee, I think? He’s here. Pat told him to stay at least until you were conscious.”

The fae’s dark eyes narrowed.

“Is that a part of human culture? Is it common for you to invite others into your territory? I mean, I can understand merchants and shopkeepers I guess, but just everyone does it? What’s the purpose?”

“Yes, it’s fairly common. It, well...the purpose is friendship, usually. Forming and strengthening relationships with those around us. It shows love and trust and hospitality. You don’t gather with friends?”

“I don’t really have friends, Princey.”

“What about Dee? He seemed to care about you, and got you to safety despite how much it exhausted him or put him at risk. That seems like a friend to me.”

The fae gave Roman an odd look.

“We work differently than humans. He was honorbound to protect my life because I did the same for him. That’s all there is to it.”

Roman wasn’t convinced, but he didn’t push the matter, instead looking silently out at the forest. A bit of light was starting to rise above the horizon, refracting and dispersing in the clouds to shine through in different hues of purple and pink. It was...beautiful. The trees brought out the colors perfectly, their dark silhouettes making the pastels even more vibrant. 

“We should go inside,” the fae said, ruining the moment. “Pat’ll be worried if he wakes up and we’re both gone.”

That...was a good point. Roman stood, offering a hand to help the fae up out of instinct. He eyed the hand warily but took it after several moments of deliberation. Roman pulled him to his feet, the wince of pain not escaping his notice.

“I’m-”

“ What did I say about apologies?”

“...right, s-” Roman caught himself, changing his course. “Inside?”

The fae nodded, a smile tugging at his lips.

“Quick learner,” he remarked, opening the door and gesturing for Roman to walk through. “Maybe Pat’s just too nice. It took him at least two months to cut it out for the most part, but I still don’t think he quite gets it.”

“You didn’t use that against him, did you?” Roman worried.

“Use what against who?” a sleep-heavy voice asked.

Chapter Text

Patton yawned, stretching out in his place on the floor. He got unsteadily to his feet, rubbing his eyes.

“What were you two doing out there? You should both still be asleep. It’s barely sunrise,” Patton made his way over to the door to give a hug to both Roman and the fae. “I was worried.”

The fae brushed off the hand Patton had brought to his forehead in a show of checking for temperature. 

“I’m fine, Pat,” he grumbled.

“Well you could have not been. Do you need anything?”

The fae shook his head, leaving the room in uncomfortable silence. Patton’s gaze flickered between Roman and the fae. He obviously wanted to end the tension-filled quiet but couldn’t seem to get past a few false starts. The discomfort carried on until pounding footsteps ran down the stairs.

Remus appeared at the bottom of the stairs in panic. 

“The hell, bro? Where were you? The window was open and you were just...gone!”

Roman felt a twinge of guilt at causing his brother distress. Remus usually was the brother that was okay with anything. He was never squeamish and was more than happy to get a little dirty when it was necessary...or even just a suggestion. He didn’t much care what others did and was content as long as no one he cared about got severely hurt, but Roman should have known that his unannounced disappearance while in enemy territory would cause Remus worry.

“I was just getting a breath of fresh air, brother. Forgive me?”

Remus rolled his eyes, masking the lingering fear. 

“Are we heading out soon?” he asked with an uncomfortable glance around the cottage. “We oughta get home. Lo-”

Remus tripped over the last syllable, cutting off his sentence abruptly, but Roman knew what he had been about to say. The twins hadn’t told anyone of their excursion for fear of being stopped save one man. He was a shopkeeper near the edge of the forest that provided supplies, mostly medical, to the nearby towns. He was a neutral party that wasn’t constrained by the thoughts of any of the towns he cycled through, so the most he would do would be to give them a warning or two about safety.

The shopkeeper went by Logic because of his numerous encounters near those who could use his name against him and always encouraged his acquaintances to do the same. Due to this fact, neither of the twins knew Logic’s real name so it probably wouldn’t have hurt anything too badly if Remus hadn’t stopped himself, but Roman understood his brother’s unwillingness to reveal anything about the man.

Logic had travelled all across the globe and was always willing to regale Roman and Remus with tales of his adventures as he worked, and the trio had formed a strong friendship in the past several years. They often frequented his residence when he was back from his adventures out of the area. 

“Yes. Our friend will be worried,” Roman agreed. “Pat?”

Patton looked down, unwilling to look anyone in the eyes. He had been stalling the inevitable for a while now, and it didn’t seem that he was going to let go just yet.

“Dee’s here.”

“I’m aware,” the fae replied with a dark eyebrow arched.

“I’m sor-”

“No!” Roman interrupted. “Don’t apologize.”

Patton looked up in surprise with guiltily wide eyes.

“Oh, I see,” the fae remarked, a sharp grin twisting his mouth. “That time it was on purpose, wasn’t it? You did hear what I said earlier, didn’t you?”

“You weren’t using me, silly,” Patton scrunched up his face in a confident smile. “And I’m sorry if you regret meeting me, but that was a long time ago. I think I might have changed your mind at least a little bit since then.”

“That’s not-”

“Then what did you mean, Vee?”

The fae, Vee, grimaced.

“...you’re far too forgiving.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“...your friends are waiting for you,” he tried.

“You’re really bad at answering questions, Stormcloud.”

“Pat…” Roman tried.

“One sec, Ro. Please? I gotta know.”

“And then we leave, yes?” Roman asked after getting a reluctant nod from Remus.

Patton sent the twins a confirming nod before turning expectantly to Vee.

“I hate...this.”

“But you don’t hate me?”

The fae sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

“Of course I don’t hate you, Pat. You’re too...you. It’s annoying.”

Patton giggled. He enveloped the fae in a tight hug, burying his head into the taller’s chest. 

“Hey, fae? What’s wrong?” Remus interrupted Patton’s joy, picking up on Vee’s tense form and the flash of pain across his face he had tried to hide.

Patton pulled back, scanning the fae with a careful eye. 

“Vee?”

Vee brushed off Patton’s concern. Patton wasn’t deterred so easily, though. He reached for the fae’s hand in what seemed to be a show of comfort, but he immediately paused when Vee pulled back as though burned. 

“Hey, let me see.”

Patton waited patiently for the fae to return his arm to Patton’s waiting hands. He pushed up Vee’s sleeve, gasping at the dark, inflamed lines spider webbing out erratically an inch or two down the underside of his arm. 

“What’s wrong? How do I help?”

“Just leave it. A couple days and I won’t have to worry about it anymore. It’ll be fine, Pat.”

“You’re lying, aren’t you? No, never mind. Not lying. You can’t lie. But you are deceiving me, Vee. I can tell. What’s really gonna happen in a couple days?”

The fae pulled his sleeve carefully back down, hiding the angry lines from view.

“It’ll be fine, Pat. Things take time to heal, okay? Go home.”

“I am home,” Patton declared. “Now tell me. Are you going to be okay, yes or no?”

“No,” Dee’s silky voice answered the question Vee clearly wasn’t going to. “He has a high excess of pure iron in his veins from some sort of infusion from the hunters that clearly wanted to ensure that he wouldn’t live even with escape. It will burn him up from the inside out.”

A glowing blast of energy shot from Vee’s hands, arching wildly through the air towards Dee like lightning. The other fae barely ducked out of the way before it struck him, leaving a scorch mark on the wall behind where he had just narrowly escaped.

“ Out .”

Dee didn’t have to be told twice.

No more than a second or two after he fled, Vee swayed, falling heavily against Patton. Patton lowered him carefully to the ground.

“Hey-”

“You, too. Take your friends and go,” the fae forced out.

“Vee, you can’t even stand. I’m not leaving you to die.

“Don’t make me regret my actions. Go.”

Patton’s eyes widened in understanding, but he didn’t budge from his spot next to Vee.

“Do it, then. I’m not leaving you otherwise.”

Roman watched on in confusion as a look of resignation crossed the fae’s face.

“Patton James Miller.”

A shiver shook Patton’s entire frame. Involuntary fear shone through in his eyes for a split second, though it was gone again before Roman could act and Patton was back to staring determinedly at Vee.

“I can make you forget,” Vee offered quietly.

Patton bit at his lip, trying to stave off the glistening in his eyes. He shook his head violently. 

“Then go. Go back to your village with your friends, Patton, and don’t feel bad about doing so. Don’t try to stop them and don’t come back here, either.”

Patton got his feet under him and stood, moving to Roman and Remus as if in a trance.

“Ready?” he asked with a smile, not even looking back at the fae.

Roman glanced at the fae. He looked absolutely miserable, though the moment he caught Roman staring, a mask of cool indifference slipped back over his features.

“You should go now. It’s a long walk.”

Chapter Text

“I don’t get it, Ro! What even-? And then he just...ugh!”

“Brother...I don’t know.”

Roman fell silent, gaze lingering on Patton. He was happily leading the way back to the village. The change from the last time they had tried to take him away was making Roman uncomfortable.

“Pat?”

Patton hummed in acknowledgement.

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Course! Why wouldn’t I be?”

“He used your name, Pat. He’s taken away your free will!”

Sadness crept into Patton’s bright blue eyes, dulling them.

“I did tell him to. It’s okay, Ro. I’m fine. And we’re going home! Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“Perhaps, but you obviously didn’t. I may not understand why, but-”

“Why? Because...he didn’t kidnap me, Ro. I went with him willingly. He always made sure I knew I could leave if I wanted. I gave him my name because I was desperate, Ro. Nobody liked me, not even my own dad, except you and you were going away and I didn’t think I could make it without anyone there who cared, so I ran. I disobeyed all the rules and I was gonna give up. 

“But he didn’t hurt me or make life bad for me, Ro. I gave him my name and he didn’t even use it, and it only has power if it’s used. Today was the first time. He really is a good person, Ro. He’s not like most fae. He’s an outcast like me. He isn’t welcome in the courts because other fae think he’s too lenient and too kind, and he associates with humans too much. Dee’s one of the only exceptions. They’ve known each other forever, and deep down, Dee cares about him. He’ll visit saying he needs supplies or something. He’s really fascinated by the house, too.

“It’s actually kind of funny. It’s modeled after human structures because Vee wanted me to be comfy, but both of them are super confused by the things humans do and have. There’s been a lot of learning for all of us. 

“So...I guess that’s why. Does that answer your question?”

“...oh. Sure,” Roman replied, not knowing what else to say to all that. 

He felt horrible that Patton had been dealing with all of that before and Roman hadn’t even noticed. He had known that the close-minded village hadn’t been too fond of Patton and that his father hadn’t been the world’s greatest dad, but he hadn’t realized to what extent the dislike had gotten to.

And...Vee. Roman didn’t quite know how to feel about the new developments about his character.

“You know what? Screw this. I’ve kept quiet. I’ve toned down my everything to not screw up fragile situations, but fuck that! I don’t like feeling like a villain when I’m not trying to be one! Lo knows about mythical creatures, right? Would he be able to fix one?”

Roman considered Remus’s outburst for a moment.

“We could always ask him, vaguely anyway.”

“Cool. You do that. I’m going to go abduct someone.”

With that, Remus skipped off into the trees back the way they came. Patton followed worriedly with his eyes.

“Abduct someone?”

Roman laughed at Patton’s expression.

“Do you want to help Vee or not?”

Patton nodded, still confused.

“Then come with me. It’ll be alright. I want you to meet someone.”

Roman and Patton walked in silence for about ten minutes more, Roman using the time to debate how he would pose the question to Logic, though he was unable to find one he was comfortable with.

They came upon the treeline and a small two-story shop roofed with a glass dome not unlike an observatory of sorts. The bottom floor was closed up and dark, but Logic often worked upstairs when he was in town even when his shop wasn’t open to the public. Roman only hoped that he hadn’t taken an unexpected trip.

Roman stepped forward, rapping quickly against the door in the practiced pattern that Logic had taught them meant “important.” Roman pressed his ear up against the door to listen for any indication of movement inside. After several moments of tense silence, Roman was rewarded with the sound of light, even footsteps.

“Good…” Logic looked up at the sky, brow furrowing at what he saw. “...morning. How can I be of assistance?”

“Tell me you slept last night, Lo.”

“I cannot, I’m afraid. I meant to, only I made a breakthrough in my research. I have discovered a potential medicinal use for the venom of a basilisk when properly distilled, though my explanations can wait. I presume you succeeded in your mission due to your additional companion. Only, where is your brother?”

“That’s actually kind of why we’re here.”

“Is he injured or in danger?”

Roman shook his head.

“Very well. Come in. We can speak upstairs.”

Logic walked briskly through the shop and up the narrow wooden steps, but Roman lagged behind a bit to stay with Patton, who was mesmerized by the countless jars organized on every wall by colors, shapes, and sizes. 

“Incredible, isn’t it Pat?”

Patton just nodded. When he breached the second floor, he completely stopped, spellbound by how the colored jars reflected the light funneling in from the glass ceiling like a kaleidoscope and in awe of the scattered equipment and papers taking up every available space.

“Do you require knowledge or supplies?”

“...um, knowledge? I think? It’s complicated.”

“Well?” Logic prodded with a confused frown.

“What do you know of the fae?”

Logic straightened. 

“Much,” he replied slowly. “Is there something specific you would like to know?”

“If…” Roman didn’t know how to ask the question without making Logic think he was either a complete monster or he was associating with one. “...one were to…”

Roman sighed, looking to his fisted hands. Best to just get it over with. What was it that Dee had said?

“If one were to infuse pure iron into a fae’s veins, what would happen?”

Roman looked back up to Logic’s face just in time to see a cool mask of indifference settling his face from whatever expression had slipped past. Roman wished he had been paying closer attention; whatever expression Logic had just made could have been a good look into the man’s thoughts on the matter of the fae.

“Have you done this?”

Logic’s voice was even, still betraying nothing of his thoughts.

Roman suppressed the urge to shake his head; it was probably better if Logic didn’t know the full story.

“I need to reverse it. I was wondering if you had any suggestions.”

Chapter Text

“Well...” Logic considered Roman’s question. “Phlebotomies are common for hemochromatosis, though-”

“English please, Specs.”

Logic adjusted his glasses, studying a stack of papers on his desk. 

“A phlebotomy, or the removal of a pint or so of blood from a person’s body, is a common method for rectifying hemochromatosis, or a condition in which a human’s body contains an excess of iron. It does not completely correct the situation, but it does diminish some of the symptoms. I assume it would work the same for fae. It would not be necessary to remove all of the iron in the fae’s body; the goal would be to rebalance the amount. Just because the raw element is toxic to them does not mean that it is not a part of their chemistry, much like a human.”

“You think it would work?”

“I do not know. I could perform the phlebotomy if you wish it.”

Roman agreed gratefully.

“Would it be possible for this fae to be brought here?”

Roman explained to Logic what Remus had gone to do.

“Go to greet your brother when he arrives, then. I will prepare up here. Will there be any issues of willingness?”

Roman shrugged, wishing he could give Logic more to go on. He climbed back down the stairs at Logic’s instruction and went to wait at the door. After several minutes, Remus broke through the trees with Vee limp in his arms.

“What did you do?” Roman hissed as he led Remus inside and to the stairs.

“It was an accident! He was being stubborn and ran. I gave chase and he tried to zap me, but it took a lot out of him. He fell and hit his head. I take it Specs is willing to help?”

Roman quickly filled his brother in on what Logic had said and was going to do.

“He agreed that easily?”

“You know how he is about new experiences. He loves to learn.”

“...I guess,” Remus agreed.

When they arrived at the top of the stairs, the first thing Roman noticed was the uncomfortable silence that stemmed from a conversation cutting off before its end. 

Patton‘s eyes were flicking worriedly between Logic and the twins and Logic looked almost fearful. Patton interrupted Roman’s chance to learn what was going on when he caught sight of Vee.

“Oh!” he exclaimed, ushering Remus to a blanket-draped table he and Logic had prepared.

Once Remus laid the fae down, Patton’s hands fluttered around him, desperate to help but never quite touching until Logic instructed him directly. Logic guided Patton efficiently, asking the twins to fetch herbs from his garden at the edge of the forest before too long. 

When Roman and Remus returned, Logic was taping a piece of cotton against the inside of the fae’s elbow, securing it and applying pressure with a wrapped gauze bandage.

Logic gratefully took the proffered items, laying them out across the workspace. Patton bounced over excitedly, asking questions here and there. Logic seemed pleased with the curious attention and prospect of a new receptive mind to teach; he explained how the mixture he was grinding together would help heal the fae’s outer injuries while his natural enhanced healing abilities were working within. He offered Patton the chance to add several ingredients to the mix and crush them together.

Eventually, Logic sent Roman and Remus to figure out something for dinner while he and Patton made space for all of them to stay the night. Roman had initially protested, but Logic had insisted that it was the smartest, cheapest, and safest option, and he wanted them near in case the fae’s condition changed; Roman couldn’t deny the soundness of his argument. The evening had some underlying tension, likely due to the guest upstairs and everyone’s unwillingness to bring up how he got in his current situation, but Roman was glad for the chance to spend time with Logic. It had been quite a while since the brothers had gotten the opportunity to spend time together with the man between Logic’s own duties and the twins’ training and traveling. Luckily, though, Patton hadn’t changed despite his time in the woods and he easily encouraged comfortable conversation.

The next few days passed uneventfully. Logic had insisted they all remain in his home until the fae woke up. Remus spent most of his time hunting their dinner, often dragging Roman along. When he wasn’t with his brother, Roman tried to convince Patton to come on walks with him, anything to get Pat away from the fae’s bedside. He had only agreed to even leave the house at Logic’s promise to monitor the fae’s condition and check in on him frequently.

It was after one of these walks that the fae finally began to stir. Remus had barreled out of the house to greet them and inform them of the change.

Patton’s eyes lit up, dragging Roman upstairs behind him.

“Vee,” Patton gasped happily at the sight of the fae; he looked awful and it seemed to take effort to stay sitting upright on the bed, but he was awake.

Instead of reciprocating Patton’s joy or, you know, showing any sort of gratitude for saving his life , the fae’s expression darkened.

“ What did you do?” he hissed viciously towards Patton, though his sharp eyes kept darting towards Logic.

Patton’s relief-filled smile dropped.

“It’s fine, Vee. I…nothing. You know I wouldn’t do anything like that.”

“He- I told you to leave, to not come back.”

“I didn’t,” Patton replied simply. “My friends did.”

The fae’s sharp, predatory gaze shot to Remus. Then, he did the unexpected.

“He attacked me,” the fae whined, face dropping into a pout. “He came into my house without permission and he attacked me!”

Patton sank onto the bed near him, giggling when the fae leaned over until he collapsed, head in Pat’s lap.

“Oh, poor baby. You still don’t feel good, do you?” Patton began running his fingers through the fae’s thick hair, eliciting something that could be compared to a purr.

“Don’t wanna be here,” the fae slurred out, looking to be already half asleep curled up in Patton’s lap. 

“I know, I know. You can go home soon.”

One of the fae’s hands reached out, finding Patton’s free hand and gripping it tightly, though the grip loosened significantly in moments as he dropped off to sleep.

Chapter Text

Patton sat quietly on the bed for a while longer with a dangerous fae still draped across his lap, softly purring like a content kitten.

“He always gets clingy when he doesn’t feel good,” Patton smiled softly, still carding through his hair. “Of course, the second he’s back to himself, he’ll deny every minute of it, and the fact that he was ever even sick at all. You two have that in common, at least,” Patton looked up to Roman, obviously addressing him with the last statement.

Roman smiled sheepishly, remembering all the times he had completely ignored sickness until Patton found him and physically forced him to lie down, usually cuddling right up next to him. But if asked, you see, Roman simply didn’t get sick.

Roman watched his friend now, a strange tinge of jealousy creeping up out of nowhere at the sight of Patton’s gentle fingers in some, some… fae’s hair. Roman left the room without warning, ignoring the hurt look he knew would be plastered on Patton’s face. Instead, he walked straight towards the forest, settling down on a stump somewhere out of view of Logic’s house. He pulled out his knife, beginning to whittle something to redirect his focus. Two hours later Roman was still upset, but now he had a little wooden bird. 

“For someone who doesn’t care for the inhabitants of this forest, you sure spend quite a bit of time in it.”

Roman shot to his feet, his small knife extended towards the voice. Dee, Roman recalled, the same fae from earlier. Roman sighed; he really wasn’t in the mood for this.

“Leave.”

“I don’t think I will,” the fae drawled. “I am quite content here.”

“Just leave ,” Roman growled without any bite to the words, sinking back to his stump.

“Oh, dear. Whatever has happened to upset the mighty hunter so?”

“Just shut up! Why are you even this close to the edge of the forest?”

All of the teasing lilt vanished from Dee’s tone, leaving only serious intensity behind.

“You have something that doesn’t belong to you.”

Roman’s brow furrowed; had Remus stolen something when he had gone to retrieve Patton’s fae? Roman wouldn’t put it past his brother.

“I don’t-”

“Stop that nonsense, human. This is your warning. Return him by sunset, or I will end your life, human.”

Suddenly, long talons were wrapped around his windpipe to solidify the threat. Then, just as suddenly they were gone; the entire fae was gone.

“Ro?” Patton’s voice called out, an undertone of worry weighing down his normally light voice.

“Over here, Pat,” Roman called out as soon as he got over his shock at what had just happened.

“Hey!” Patton grinned, bouncing over to Roman the second he saw him. “What’s wrong?”

Roman shook his head, instead presenting the bird he had carved.

“For me?” Patton gasped, taking it and cradling it to his chest happily. “Oh, Ro, it’s beautiful. I’ll cherish it forever.”

Patton sat down on the forest floor, close enough to brush Roman’s legs. 

“It’s not going to make me forget, though. What’s wrong, kiddo?”

Roman groaned, bumping into Patton’s shoulder.

“Nothing. I just needed some fresh air.”

Patton frowned at him, unimpressed. 

“I…I’m glad you met him. Sure, it was a real pain in the butt for me, but he…he makes you happy and protects you and I’m glad you met him. I can tell how much you care about him, so he has to be doing something right.”

Roman realized that, as much as it pained him to admit it, he meant what he said. While he had always wanted to be Patton’s protector, he was glad someone else had come along to succeed where he had so obviously failed. Even if that person wasn’t human.

“I still love you, you know,” Patton said, bumping Roman back. “And you protected me just as well as Vee does. You never once failed me.”

Curse Patton and the way he always knew exactly what Roman was thinking.

“I’m happy you found us, Ro. I’ve missed you so much.”

Patton threw himself into Roman’s arms for a hug, one that Roman gladly provided.

“Are you going to go back with him?” Roman asked once Patton had settled back to the ground.

“I’d like to. I still want to see you, though. Would you visit?”

Roman nodded sagely. 

“It would be an honor.”

“Silly,” Patton bopped Roman on the nose. “What are you going to do now? Are you still going to hunt fae?”

Patton forced a smile, but he was obviously desperately hoping Roman would respond in the negative.

“I…haven’t really thought about it. Maybe-” Patton’s smile wavered, “...there are still malignant magical creatures. Obviously there are exceptions, but some do cause harm. There are the goods and bads of every species, even humans. I think I’d still like to protect others. We…oh! There are many non-lethal trapping methods for all types of magical beings. I imagine employing some of those could take out threats long enough to judge their intentions, and maybe even work out compromises!”

Patton’s smile brightened.

“That sounds like a great plan, kiddo!”

Roman stood, helping Patton to his feet as well. He began excitedly recounting his new ideas to Patton as they made their way back to Logic’s place. 

“Oh! I didn’t even ask. How is the fae?”

“ Vee is fine. He was still asleep when I left. Logic says that if he keeps getting his sleep and manages to keep down food, he’ll probably only have to stay a few more days.”

“Why was he angry with you?” Roman remembered suddenly.

“Logic?”

“No, no. Vee. When he first woke up, he had seemed upset. He asked you what you did?”

“Oh, Vee thought I made a deal with Logic to make him heal him.”

“Wait, why would you make a deal with Logic?”

“I didn’t.”

“No, um…” Roman considered how to rephrase the question. “Why would Vee think you would make a deal with Logic? Humans don’t make deals like the fae do.”

“Oh, he’s fae!” Patton’s eyes widened. “Vee. Vee’s fae. He’s uh, you know, used to making deals. Not that Logic would, does, um…Vee isn’t used to free favors?”

“...okay?”

“Are you hungry? I’m hungry. Logic said we should watch the sunset after dinner tonight. The sky is really clear, so we’ll get to see all the colors super well!”

Roman really wanted to focus on the obvious subject change, but Patton’s mention of sunset reminded him of sharp talons on his throat.

“Sunset,” Roman muttered, horrified.

“Yeah, sunset. It’s…what’s wrong with sunset?”

“Dee came,” Roman told his friend. “He said that if I didn’t return him , Vee, by sunset, I would ‘regret the day’ I ‘ever stepped foot’ in the forest.”

Patton frowned. 

“That’s not…Dee?” he called into the trees, eyes searching for any movement. “Dee? Dee, it’s okay. Vee isn’t in danger. He’s healing. Come on, Dee.”

Patton turned back to Roman.

“We should…we should probably tell Logic.”

Chapter Text

“That violates the most basic laws of hospitality,” Logic growled, fist tightening around the handle of the wooden spoon in his hand; Patton and Roman had interrupted him during the preparation of some sort of soup for the night’s dinner. “Such a threat is nonsensical and entirely uncalled for.”

“He doesn’t know we’re trying to help,” Patton explained. “He thinks Vee was kidnapped.”

“Even if he were, it should not concern this ‘Dee’ in this way,” Logic continued. “Furthermore, he is not tasked with ensuring Vee’s well being, making such a threat on a third-party’s life obsolete in necessity. If he wishes to settle this, I am the owner of the property on which it will take place and therefore I am the one to engage.” 

“I mean…do you think the fae, um, Vee could explain the situation?” Roman proposed.

“I have already given him a strong sleeping draught with further healing properties,” Logic dismissed the idea. “He will not wake for at least several hours.”

Roman didn’t think he had ever seen his friend so distressed. Logic was always calm and level-headed, easily providing solutions or working diligently to find them if he didn’t yet know what to do. Now, though, beneath the anger was clear distress.

“Can you ever forgive me for putting you in such a situation as this?” Roman asked.

Logic’s eyes snapped to Roman, bewilderment in them.

“Forgive you?”

“None of this would be happening now if I hadn’t involved you in a situation that I knew could turn volatile quickly.”

“That, you think…what?” Logic sputtered in an uncharacteristic display of emotion.

Logic took a deep breath, muttering something Roman couldn’t quite catch under his breath as he planned his next words. 

“That is objectively false. Dee would still behave in this manner whether I had or had not gotten involved, meaning that if you hadn’t come to me, you would be in a situation you have no experience in without assistance. This scenario would likely end with your death, which is not an outcome I would like to see. You presented what you knew of the situation and I agreed to assist, meaning that my involvement is in no way your fault. You asked me, and I had every right and ability to deny your request. I chose to be a part of this, and I am choosing now to remain a part of it, so I would appreciate it if you would banish such ridiculous thoughts from your head and start being reasonable. I will not abandon you, and I do hope you remember that.”

“Lo, I-”

“Where is your brother?” Logic asked, hurriedly changing the subject. “He went to town to pick up supplies,” Patton piped up.

“I see. Well, while we wait for him to return, I suggest returning to dinner preparations. Will one of you set the table?”

Roman tried to protest, suggesting that maybe they had more important concerns at the moment than dinner, but Logic only waved him off, saying that they would be able to think better once they had eaten anyway.

It only took Remus about ten minutes to return, but those minutes felt like a lifetime. Finally, finally , they all sat down and Logic brought up the matter again. He briefly explained the situation to Remus before hesitating noticeably, eyes darting to Patton.

“Before we proceed, I feel it is necessary to inform you that…”

Logic trailed off, obviously conflicted.

“What’s wrong, dork? Cat got your tongue?” Remus grinned, though Roman could tell he was well aware of the seriousness and importance of whatever information Logic was about to impart on them.

“I first must ensure that you know I never intended to mislead you, and I will accept whatever reaction you display, though I do hope you will allow me to assist you with this issue, at least, before any rash decision is made.”

Roman had a very bad feeling about this.

Logan took a deep breath.

“I am not human; I am fae. Though, like Vee, I was banished from court.”

That…actually made some sense. Roman thought back through his interactions with Logic. The man, fae, discouraged the use of names, was painstakingly honest about everything , and excelled in all things magical.

“Okay,” Remus shrugged, looking completely underwhelmed at the admission. “I mean, we’ve already gone against everything we’ve ever learned, and we aren’t dead yet. This doesn’t change the fact that you’re cool in my books.”

Logic’s brows furrowed at the colloquialism, but a small smile found its way to Logic’s lips at the words. He turned to Roman, not quite meeting his eyes.

“And you? Will you turn me away?”

Roman took a deep breath, mulling over his options as quickly as possible. As Remus said, they were already helping another fae despite their training, and Vee hadn’t been an ally and friend for years before like Logic had. Roman didn’t appreciate being lied to or, rather, misled as Logic called it, but what exactly was he going to do? He couldn’t—wouldn’t—fight, incapacitate, or otherwise harm the man.

“As I said,” Logic continued, obviously taking Roman hesitation as a yes. “I will accept however you decide to react to this news. I understand if you want nothing to do with me, or even if you were to take action against me. However, again I will suggest waiting until after the situation with Dee has been resolved before you make your final decision.”

Roman nodded, not meeting Logic’s eyes. He felt guilty not being able to provide any more of an answer, but he also knew that if he rushed himself on a matter such as this, he would probably make the wrong decision, and Roman didn’t think that would be very fair for Logan. 

“I understand. I do hope I have not permanently ruined our…friendship.”

Logic turned immediately back to the situation at hand with Dee before Roman could say anything else. He explained how entering another fae’s territory without permission was highly frowned upon, and doing so when actively unwanted in the space was practically a declaration of war.

Roman was only half-listening; he hoped so too…

Chapter Text

The hour until sunset passed surprisingly normally. Logic had spent some time mixing ingredients into a boiling pot of water and then bottling said mixture. He had poured one bottle around the area Vee laid in and placed the rest on his shelves. Then, he had asked everyone to help him complete a puzzle he had been working on, seeming thoroughly unworried about the looming threat of Dee.

Patton was the first to pick up on the change in the wind outside. Logic stood and approached his door as the wind picked up speed and viciousness, buffeting the house angrily in only a matter of seconds.

“Remember, do not leave the property line and we should have nothing to worry about. This space has been protected and heavily warded against ill intentions.”

Logic pushed open the door after all had acknowledged him.

“Cease your attack,” Logic’s cool voice sliced through the winds, and just as fast as they had come, they dissipated, leaving a very disgruntled fae standing at Logic’s gate.

“Where is he?” Dee hissed as Roman and the others filed out through the door to stand with Logic; the fae perked up at the sight of Patton, a sharp grin twisting across his face.

“Little Bird, are you really going to resist me?” he purred, holding out an open palm to the blonde.

Patton glanced back at Roman with a reassuring smile before approaching the fae at the fence warily; Roman had to suppress the urge to lunge forward and throw Patton behind him, where he was protected. Instead Patton kept moving forward, finally stopping several feet from the fence. Personally, Roman wouldn’t dare even put that much trust in the fae beyond the fence.

“It’s okay, Dee,” he reassured with a smile. “They’re friends. Vee is perfectly safe. He’s healing now, okay? The iron damage was pretty bad, but he’s getting better.”

“And where is he now, Little Bird?”

Patton turned to gaze at the second floor window, his feet winding up minuely closer to the imminent danger.

“He’s just sleeping right now. He’s gotta get his rest if he wants to get better.” 

Patton took another step forward unconsciously, now beaming at Dee’s understanding nod.

“So you know everything’s okay? There’s not a problem here?”

Dee smiled again, the action still a bit too sharp to be genuine.

“I see no issue. Whether or not they meant it, your ‘friends’ have been quite compliant.”

One of Dee’s clawed hands shot out, wrapping tightly around Patton’s upper arm. He pulled back, unbalancing Patton and making him fall against the fae’s chest. Roman and Remus both dashed forward, but just before they could reach him, Patton and the fae dissipated into smoke.

“What was that?” Roman demanded to no one in particular.

It wasn’t lost on him that this was the second time this had happened, and he certainly hadn’t been thrilled the first time either. 

A gentle yet firm hand settled on Roman’s shoulder. 

“Was Vee ever mentioned directly?” Logic asked softly.

“You mean Vee was never his intended target?” Roman realized.

“Perhaps.”

“Then what do we do?”

“If your friend has remained unharmed so far, I doubt another night would change that status much.”

“I just got him back, Lo. I’m not…I can’t lose him.”

Logic sighed, leading Roman and Remus back inside.

“It would be illogical to go traipsing through the woods at night with no sure destination. That is how you get yourself killed.”

Roman sank into a chair, head in his hands.

“You’re right, as always. You’re sure Pat’ll be fine until we come up with a plan?”

“Not sure, no,” Logic corrected. “However…I feel there may be more behind Dee’s actions than we understand. I suspect he will be alright.”

Roman nodded. He didn’t want to be sitting around, but he wouldn’t know where to start if he did go after Patton. Remus sat next to him, taking one of Roman’s hands and squeezing reassuringly. They had found him once; they would do it again no matter what it took.

Unfortunately, patience was not a game Roman excelled in. He couldn’t settle down, mind running at a million miles an hour with thoughts of everything that could be happening to Patton while the fae slept upstairs. There was so much that could go wrong, and nothing Roman could do about any of it. Logic grew tired of his endless worst-case scenarios, eventually handing Roman a sketchpad to keep him quite and let his mind focus elsewhere.

He didn’t know how much time had passed, but a sound from above made Roman shoot up from his chair. Logic had dozed off on his couch and Remus was sprawled out on the floor, snoring, so that left one culprit. Roman climbed the stairs to find Vee on his knees and breathing heavily. It seemed he was currently trying to pull himself to his feet. Roman approached. He must have been more silent than he had thought because when he stuck out a hand in front of Vee to offer assistance, the fae jolted backwards, hissing violently in Roman’s direction. 

“Are you alright?” Roman asked, carefully keeping his distance this time. 

“Fine,” the fae spat out. 

After a few more moments of struggling to work his shaky limbs, Roman offered a hand again. This time, Vee accepted the help, though the second he was on his own two feet, he pulled back as though burned.

“Shouldn’t you be asleep?” Vee ground out as he slowly made his way towards one of the windows, gazing out at the stars though still clearly waiting for an answer.

“I cannot sleep,” Roman admitted. “Your, um, Dee came.”

“Here?” Vee demanded, spinning back around to face Roman, posture lined in unease.

“Yes. He…he took Pat.”

The fae’s unease snapped into frustration almost instantaneously. He shoved an open hand towards Roman, staring expectantly. After a moment of hesitation, Roman gingerly took the hand. Then, they melted.

Or, well…Roman didn’t quite know what else to call it. Everything in Roman’s line of vision just sort of dripped together and reformed as a different scene. Frankly, it was worse than Dee’s whirlwind that got them to the cottage the first time. The result was the same, though. Before Roman had regained his bearings, Vee was dragging him inside and through the house. Roman’s wrist was released once Vee caught sight of the fae sipping a cup of something that smelled like tea as he leaned up against one of the walls of the small kitchen. 

“Where is he?” Vee hissed, straightening to his full height though the movement obviously hurt; he also clenched one of the countertops in a death grip, and Roman wondered if he would have collapsed if he hadn’t. 

“In his bedroom,” Dee answered calmly, taking a slow sip of tea.

“You don’t get to touch my things without permission,” Virgil growled.

Roman couldn’t help but bristle at the way the fae was objectifying Patton with his words. He now knew where his friend was, though, so he couldn’t be too upset.

“You told me to ensure his safety if you were ever unable to. I would consider you being unconscious from a potentially fatal wound ‘unable to’. Am I incorrect in that assumption?”

Roman thought back to what Logic had said about Dee having motives different than what they had known.

Vee hissed again.

“I told him to go with them. You knew that has been the plan since the first month of knowing him, Deceit.”

Dee (Deceit?) stared into his mug.

“An unknown fae was never the plan. You almost dying was never the plan. Things have changed.”

“Yeah, well Pat hasn’t. He has a home and I’m not going to be the one to take him from that.”

“And if he wants to remain?”

Vee glared. He turned on his heel and stalked out of the room, only stumbling slightly on his way to and up the stairs. Roman followed behind, correctly guessing that he was headed towards Patton’s room. 

Patton perked up at the opening of the door, smile brightening when he caught sight of Vee and Roman. He stretched out a hand, wiggling his fingers to beckon them both closer. When Roman approached the bed Patton was lying on, though, he noticed the rope securing his other arm and one of his legs in place.

Vee noticed at nearly the same moment, shooting a glare towards the hallway. He snapped his fingers and, just like that, the restraints were gone and Patton was grabbing for both of his guests. 

After assuring Patton was unharmed, Roman pulled back, giving Patton the chance to pull Vee onto the bed next to him, lamenting over his condition and fussing over the fae. 

The fae began to droop, approaching unconsciousness once again as he laid against Patton. As much as Roman hated it, he recognized that Patton was content and, most likely, safe. He caught Patton’s eye over the fae’s head, letting him know that he would leave them be for now.

“I know you have to get back to your brother and Logic, but you should come visit really soon, Ro,” Patton whispered, taking the look for the acceptance it was. “Thank you for everything.”

Roman nodded, leaving the room and closing the door softly behind him. He began down the stairs slowly, the length of the day catching up to him as he thought of the walk awaiting him.

Deceit cleared his throat at the base of the stairs, startling Roman. The fae rolled his eyes, waving a hand to produce yet another whirlwind.

“Unless you wish to walk, of course.”

After a moment of hesitation, Roman stepped forward.

“You really weren’t trying to harm him?” Roman asked, pausing close enough to feel the wind against his face.

“What do you think?” Dee responded, giving Roman a light shove through the whirlwind and into Logic’s home.

Just like that, he was alone in the silence. Downstairs, Logic and Remus were still asleep, and Roman thought they might have the right idea.

Chapter Text

Once the others awoke, Roman informed them of what had happened with Patton. They agreed to let Vee and Pat have a few days before setting out to the cottage again, this time with Logic in tow. It was mid morning, but late enough that Patton likely would have been up for at least an hour, probably more. The sun streamed through the trees, making the leaves above glow green and gold. Bright birdsong faded in and out of earshot. Overall, the forest seemed much more friendly than Roman’s previous encounters with it. Logic’s excited chattering about the various flora and fauna they passed made the trip pass more quickly, too. Roman was glad he had made the right decision and accepted Logic as a permanent ally and friend.

Soon, the traveling party came to the cottage once again. Roman led Logic and Remus to the gate. He took a step inside, though Logic almost immediately put a restraining hand on his shoulder.

“It is unwise to enter a fae’s property without permission.”

Roman nodded his agreement but countered with the fact that Patton had invited him back and that it couldn’t hurt too much to just go inside…probably. Logic released Roman’s shoulder with a warning to be careful. Roman nodded again, this time making it to the door before stopping. He knocked once, twice, three times with no answer before sighing and trying at the doorknob, surprised to find it unlocked. Roman glanced back, shooting his companions a reassuring smile before disappearing into the depths of the dark house. 

Roman…had no idea where Patton would be, or if he was even in the house at the moment. Roman just intended to locate him and then he would leave immediately if the residents of the house so wished. Slipping into Patton’s house unannounced would have been normal and acceptable in the past, but now…it struck Roman as odd that the door was even unlocked. 

Roman passed the kitchen, living room, and even scanned the outside garden, but he could find no sign of Patton or Vee. Roman didn’t know much about the house layout, but the only other rooms he knew of were the upstairs bedrooms. Roman tentatively approached the stairs. There were no lights coming from above, but Roman climbed to the second floor anyway. He paused for a moment to see if he could hear anything, but there was still no indication of anyone in the house. 

Roman was starting to get worried.

He gently nudged open the first door, finding nothing but a sparse bedroom. He closed the door. Roman worked his way down the hall in the same manner, finding one more bedroom, a bathroom, a cluttered room with a desk full of maps and papers at its center. He came upon the last room of the second floor, getting desperate. He nudged the last door open, this time making eye contact with a wide-eyed fae sprawled across a bed. Vee’s eyes narrowed at the sight of Roman.

“I’m s- leaving. Don’t worry. I shouldn’t, um…I’ll be going now.”

“Wait,” Vee commanded, voice low. “You should…you see that book on the desk over there?”

Roman paused. He turned, easily picking out the book on the otherwise clear desk. Why not? Roman picked up the book, noting the title.

“Fairy tales?” Roman asked, handing off the book.

“Gotta do something to keep the boredom away,” the fae gestured down with his chin, drawing Roman’s attention to a fluffy head of blonde hair that was half-obscured by a blanket that he hadn’t noticed before. “He won’t let me get up.”

Roman cracked a knowing smile. 

“He gets so protective and clingy when someone he cares about gets sick.”

Vee gave Roman a strange look, though he quickly shook it off, agreeing.

“I’m not even…I’m alright now. Logic did well. I’m a little sore, a little lightheaded sometimes, but that’s it. Speaking of, what does Logic enjoy?”

“Why?”

“I don’t feel like being indebted, Princey. It’ll be hard to counter a life debt, but…”

“It was a kindness,” Roman insisted.

Vee just scoffed.

“Nothing in life is free, Princey. You’ll do well to remember that.

Roman frowned.

“Oh! They’re here,” Roman remembered suddenly. “Logic and my brother are waiting at your gate. I bet guests would rouse Pat and maybe even convince him to lift your bedrest.”

Vee gently shook Patton until he blinked open his eyes blearily. 

“Mornin’,” he yawned, burrowing his head further into Vee’s chest.

Vee looked up at Roman once more.

“We should be down soon. You can invite your companions in.”

Roman nodded, giving the two privacy and heading back down the stairs. He wandered outside and to the gate, surprised to see only one of the two people he had left there.

“Lo’s off collecting potion ingredients or something,” Remus explained. “Apparently there’s a super high concentration of some sort of moss or fungus or something that’s…good. I don’t know. I didn’t understand half the words out of his mouth.”

Roman chuckled.

“So, how’d that,” Remus gestured to the house behind Roman,” go. You were gone a while. I was worried you’d died.”

Roman punched his brother lightly in the shoulder.

“What!”

“It went fine,” Roman rolled his eyes. “ Vee said we could all come in. Pat’s being clingy again, though, so it might be a bit before they join us.”

Just then, Logic came into sight through the trees. The shoulder bag he usually carried while out was noticeably more full. Roman relayed Vee’s words to him, and they entered the cottage. They found places to sit in the living room and Logic began to explain the items he had found while they waited.

“You sure like your plants, huh,” Vee’s voice startled them. In the next second, Patton was barreling down the last steps and launching himself at Roman, who accepted the hug with a grin. 

Vee asked Logic to follow him, leaving Patton to ask about what they had been up to in the past few days. Roman conceded, regaling Patton with the small adventures of the past days. Logic and Vee rejoined them during one such tale, Logic looking positively giddy. However, Roman didn’t get the chance to ask his friend about what had made him so happy until their trip home after spending the morning and early part of the afternoon with Patton and Vee with an invitation to return the following week.

“Vee is a collector, though he has little use for the items he finds, most of which are prominent in a variety of potions. He has offered me use of whatever I need from his cupboards as repayment for saving his life.”

Logic continued to ramble about the not-so-common ingredients he now had access to that were apparently easy to find in that part of the forest. 

Roman was just happy that Vee had found a repayment he was comfortable with that made Logic so happy despite knowing that his friend wouldn’t have insisted on any sort of reparation for the act despite his nature. Honestly, the whole situation had worked out well. Roman was now in contact with Patton again, and he now had new, powerful allies. He and Remus would still have to sever ties with the academy that had taught him to hunt and destroy those very same allies, but that was a worry for a different day. For now, he could listen to his friend ramble about obscure plants and be content.