Chapter Text
“Do you mind if I stay over again tonight?” Patton asked as Logan handed him another plate. It was Logan’s job to do the dishes as Patton had cooked, but Patton had managed to weasel his way into helping even if that help was only to dry the dishes and set them on the table for Logan to put back in place later.
“Of course, I don’t mind,” Logan said, glancing at him. Patton was looking down at the plate instead of at Logan. “You’re free to stay over as often as you’d like. You don’t need to ask.”
“I know,” Patton said, but immediately proved he did not know by saying, “I’ve just slept here three nights this week already, and I just wanted to make sure.”
Logan turned to face him fully. “You are free to stay over as often as you’d like,” he said again.
“Yeah,” Patton said, glancing at him briefly before looking away once again. “Okay. Thanks.” He continued to dry the plate Logan had handed him.
The kitchen was silent but for water dripping from the sink for another few seconds.
“You should move in,” Logan suddenly said.
Patton jumped, dropping the plate, but luckily his hands had been hovering over the counter and the drop was not enough to break the plate. “What?” he asked.
“Is the suggestion that much of a surprise?” asked Logan. “We are engaged, are we not? I would assume moving in with each other was an eventuality.”
“Well, sure,” Patton said, “but I mean...”
“And it isn’t as though we are waiting for marriage for a physical relationship as would be the reason some couples would wait to move in with one another,” Logan continued. “You already spent 73.2% of your nights here seeing as it is closer to the hospital.”
“Oh,” Patton said. “Is it really that often?”
“And you ask for permission to stay 59.8% of those times which implies that you believe you are welcome only an average of 3 times a week.”
“You’ve been counting that sort of thing?” Patton asked, rubbing his own arm in a self-soothing gesture.
“Yes,” Logan said, “and you being under the impression that I want you in my life less than 50% of the time is unacceptable.”
“You… want me to move in?” Patton asked.
“I would not ask you to move in if I did not want you here,” Logan said, trying to keep any frustration he had about the conversation out of his voice.
Patton tended to misinterpret any negative intonation in Logan’s voice during these types of conversations, Logan had learned. He was also often silent about these misinterpretations and the only reason Logan was aware of the problem now was because of multiple discussions with a relationship counselor.
“I would not have asked you to marry me if I did not want you to move in with me.” Logan continued firmly.
Patton opened his mouth, but then closed it again with a frown. Logan waited for him to gather his thoughts.
“But this is your space,” Patton finally settled on saying.
“I’m willing to make space for you in my space.”
“Logan, you don’t even let me put away the dishes,” Patton said.
“Yes, and?” Logan asked, not knowing what that had to do with the topic at hand.
Patton grimaced. “Do you really think you’re ready to let me move in here if you don’t even trust me to put your dishes back in the right places.”
“I trust you to put my dishes back in the right places,” Logan said. Patton was one of the few people he could imagine trusting with something like that.
“Then why do you always insist you put them away?” asked Patton with a frown.
“You always cook,” Logan said simply.
Patton blinked at him.
“Cleaning dishes often stresses you out. You have mentioned this to me,” Logan pointed out, “You enjoy cooking, but not the clean-up. I don’t mind cleaning, so I clean. Besides that, if you cook, it is my job to clean the dishes.”
Patton squinted at him. “Where did that rule come from?”
“That is the way cohabitation works, is it not? That is how my parents often divided up cooking and dishes. The person who did not cook would clean the dishes”
Patton bit his lip. “Oh,” he said. “That… isn’t how it worked in my houses.”
“I see,” Logan said.
There was a beat of silence.
“Would me allowing you to put away the dishes make you feel better?” Logan asked.
“I,” Patton said, shifting his weight between his feet. “I don’t know.”
“Why don’t I finish the dishes for tonight?” Logan suggested, gently taking the towel Patton had been using to dry the dishes from his hand. “We will talk about it again at a later date, perhaps with the relationship counselor.”
“Okay,” Patton agreed. “I might go take a shower then.”
“Good idea,” Logan said.
Patton leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek. “I love you,” he said.
“I love you too,” Logan said as Patton turned to walk towards the bathroom. Logan turned back to the sink full of dishes, planning to be done with them by the time Patton was out of the shower so they could both relax.
He’d have to make a note to discus Patton moving in again at another time.