Chapter Text
The portion of Thomas' mind where dreams were formed was connected to the Imagination, though it was farther down and closer to the Subconscious. Like the Imagination, it was mainly Roman and Remus' territory, though any side could access and utilize both.
Logan didn't often enter the Imagination; when Thomas required the combined forces of logic and creativity for something, it was normally enough for him and Roman to offer their inputs separately and allow Thomas to consolidate them as he saw fit. For other situations, where Thomas felt he would benefit most from hearing their suggestions directly and simultaneously, they would rise up to meet Thomas and discuss the situation at hand together.
'Discuss' was a rather charitable word for it, though. As was 'together.'
As uncommon as it was for Logan to access the Imagination, it was even more rare for him to step foot inside what Roman called 'the dream machine,' despite it being a large room rather than a mechanical apparatus. Remus called it 'hallucination station,' which was slightly more accurate; as an area in which specific work was done, it could be considered a station, though dreams and hallucinations were two distinct and different occurrences which both frequently included sensory experiences internal in origin rather than resultant from external stimuli.
He had tried explaining that to Remus once, but Remus had responded by aiming a lit roman candle at him, cackling, "How's this for stimuli?" and "Do you see the irony? I'm Remus, but I have a roman candle!"
The area's true name was the Temp Room, a term which fit for multiple reasons. It was located in Thomas' temporal lobe, for one, and it was only ever temporarily in use, specifically whenever Thomas was asleep.
And speaking of Sleep...
Logan stepped off the final stair and into the Temp Room proper, looking around the vast space with slight unfamiliarity. He was so unused to this place that it had been easier to walk down the staircase rather than sink directly into it, and though it had been quite a while since he'd last visited, the figure lounging across the back of a brightly-colored patchwork couch recognized him immediately and sat up with a smile.
"Logic! Wow, it's been slick minute, what brings Higher Thot to the slumber party?"
Based on the emphasis he had put on the words, Logan guessed that Sleep was making some sort of joke or reference by calling him 'higher thought.' He ignored it, but greeted the man himself politely. "Hello, Sleep. It has been some time since we last spoke. I am not - "
"Haha, yeah, some time since we chatted but no time at all since I've been on your mind, huh?" Sleep gestured with his cup of iced coffee, grinning smugly. "I know I drink this stuff by the gallon but I've got nothing on your thirst, babe. Please don't ever stop teaching Thomas all those little tips and tricks to entice me, it's so adorable to watch you two try so hard. Really makes a boy feel special."
Logan sighed. It seemed Sleep was still just as flirtatious and frivolous as he had been at their last interaction. "As I was saying," he continued, "I am not here for a slumber party. In fact I am not here for any sort of sleeping or social gathering. I am here to craft a dream for Thomas."
"You're gonna make a dream for him?" Sleep asked, lowering his unnecessary sunglasses and peering at him from over the lenses. "That's new. Did you find out Mussy burns and eats most of your dream memos?"
Logan frowned. "Mussy...?"
Sleep rolled his eyes. "Remus, duh. Re-mus, Mussy. Get it?"
He did get it, so he nodded. "Yes, I suppose that nickname does suit him. Remus is certainly an untidy individual."
After a sip of his coffee, Sleep snickered. "Yeah, also it's just a letter away from pussy and bussy, so of course he likes it - "
"Anyway," Logan interrupted, walking past the couch Sleep was still reclining on, "Remus' nicknames and misuse of my memos aside - I will speak to him about that - I am going to work on a dream now, so please keep noise and other disruptions to a minimum."
Sleep got up and followed him at a relaxed, sauntering pace that left him several steps behind Logan's own brisk walk. "What, are the Creativitwins in time-out or something? No one ever makes dreams on their own besides them. What's up, teach?"
Logan soon reached his destination; a dusty, old-fashioned computer terminal on a desk at the far end of the room. This was his small section of workspace, where he could formulate dreams for Thomas when he so chose. The rest of the Temp Room was filled with paints and pencils, paper-mache and half-carved wood and marble, yarns and strings and fabrics of all textures and colors; it was a disorganized den of directionless decadence, filled with the most random of objects and cluttered to the point of being hazardous. But this little spot, Logan's area, held enough potential for real work to be done that not even the layer of dust and the scrawled swears on the wall beside it - courtesy of Remus no doubt - could erase the refreshing air of professionalism.
"Roman and Remus are still very much the overseers of Thomas' dreams," he answered, cleaning the build-up of grime away from the terminal with a flick of his wrist, leaving it far more sanitary to sit at. "I realize this is an unusual occurrence, but you can rest assured - "
"Oh, I can rest? Because I'm Sleep? Good one, cutie," Sleep flattered, walking up to lean against the desk with a smirk.
Logan blinked the compliment to his unintentional - and rather mediocre - pun, before pressing on. "You can trust that I am fully capable of making a dream without any creative consultation. I will sit here and work for some time, and then I will leave. As I said before, I would like you to please refrain from distracting me in any way."
He pulled the chair out from the desk and sat down, reaching around to flip the switch to turn the machine on. It booted up slowly but surely, the screen lighting up with blocky text which proclaimed the computer ready to receive input.
"Okay, and what kind of dream are you gonna be giving Tommy-boy all on your own, huh?" Sleep asked, still watching him. "No Ro-Ro, no Mussy, not even Hissy Fit or Patton-Cake? Just Logic? Hate to break it to ya, Moon Pi, but dreams aren't exactly where you shine."
Logan adjusted his glasses, looking up at Sleep with restrained annoyance. "I have no trouble admitting that dreams are not my area of expertise. But as Thomas' Logic, I am always looking to expand my horizons."
Sleep drank the rest of his coffee, dropped the empty container on the floor and summoned a new, full cup, never taking his eyes off of Logan. "You're dodging the question, honey," he said with a smirk. "Looks like someone has secret plans, ooh, fun. And speaking of horizons, because you said horizons, it's morning and I'm about to let Thomas wake up, so I really don't know what you think you're gonna accomplish right now...? I mean you're pretty late if you wanna be giving him dreams, unless you also came down here to ask me to... you know..." He bent down closer to Logan's face, whispering suggestively. "Keep him after class?"
"I would never make such a request," Logan said, unamused with Sleep's mischievous insinuation. "I would think by now you would know that I want Thomas' relationship with you to be as routine and reliable as possible, and causing him to sleep in past the time he should be waking up would be extremely counterproductive to that goal."
Sleep laughed, loud and bright, straightening up and flicking his hair away from his forehead. "Routine and reliable! Oh my God, you stuffy sourpatch, never stop chasing this sweet ass, I love it. But don't be a bore, mm'kay? For real though, there's not enough time for another dream, so you should come back tonight." He put a hand on his hip, swirling his coffee around in its cup. "Maybe I'll let you watch me work if you ask nicely."
"I'm well aware that Thomas will be waking up soon," Logan informed him, carefully avoiding the appearance of impatience; it would undoubtedly only cause Sleep to bother him further. "Once I have finished making this dream I will place it in the queue to be put to use another night. I'm here crafting it now because I knew that Roman and Remus would be finished by this time and I wanted more peace than can be achieved with either of them present, much less both of them."
"Hm. Well, the time draws near, and parting is such sweet sorrow or whatever, but when you talk for too long and it's not about me you get boring." Sleep wandered off, lazily waving goodbye with the hand not holding his coffee. "Just make sure our boy keeps clicking his heels and wishing on stars to get me into bed, or whatever it is you tell him to do. Gives me the warm and fuzzies."
Logan didn't care to watch and see if Sleep simply walked to the other side of the room or left completely. Instead, he turned his attention to the computer monitor and laid his fingers on the keyboard, ready to get to work coding the dream he had planned for Thomas.
He eyed the traditional starting code that was already on the screen. It was extremely simplistic, nothing to it at all but the classic and well-known greeting: Hello, World!
After a moment, and despite knowing it was unnecessary, Logan altered the line.
Hello, Thomas.