#kid!Patton

[edupunkn00b]

Guardian ad Liber, Chapter 6: Something Personal

Photo by Matt Tulos, CC 4.0. Edited by author. n.b. Liber can mean book or child.

Prev - Something Personal - Masterpost - [ AO3 ]

WC: 1552 - Rated: G - CW: Courtroom Final chapter in my @loceitweek story. -

The seconds ticked slowly on the clock outside Patton’s hearing room. Waiting in an empty hearing room, Logan hadn’t needed the text from Janus’ paralegal that Patton had arrived with the social worker. The little boy’s cries, hoarse and broken, tore through Logan’s heart as he passed. Not daring to risk a glance, he stood behind the cracked-open door, listening as Patton’s his voice warbled then was muffled as he was brought into his own hearing room.

The moment Tasha’s notification popped up on his phone, Logan slipped out with a grateful wave to the observing clerk and closed the door behind him. Copies of his expedited emergency placement application held like a shield, Logan tried to pretend he couldn’t still hear Patton’s voice as the parties attempted to be heard over Patton’s protests.

If anything, his shouts grew more frantic, likely when Grace joined Janus at the GAL table. After the escalation, he suddenly quieted and Logan breathed for what felt like the first time since Patton had left their offices that morning. Forcing his eyes closed, he flexed his fingers, the small owl and Janus’ scarf damp and wrinkled from his grasp. Counting slowly, he took another deep breath.

All of their preparation would be for nothing if he lost control like he had earlier today.

“Lo… Love, drink this and then go home,” Janus had murmured to him, pressing a cup of tea into his hands. “The hearing’s not until two o’clock. Take a nap and a shower, change into your favorite suit and come back to the courthouse.”

“No, I should help you prepare, I can—”

Janus cut him off with a gentle look. “Tasha’s already reviewing the file and Linda’s pushing your application through. The best thing you can do to help us prepare is to rest and ready yourself.” In the privacy of their office, he stroked Logan’s cheek, wiping away a fresh tear. “Demonstrate to the Court you have your own oxygen mask firmly in place before you commit to helping Patton with his.”

It was an old argument but an effective one.

Smoothing down the bundle in his hands, Logan looked up when the hearing room door swung open. “Mr. Sanders?” the clerk asked out of formality. “We’re ready for you.”

Taking one more deep breath, Logan squared his shoulders and entered the hearing room.

Ms. Croft’s court-appointed attorney sat alone at the defendant’s table, the chair beside him conspicuously empty. Grace and a junior litigant from the prosecuting attorney’s office sat at the opposing counsel’s table. Three redwell’s worth of files were stacked between them, a wall of evidence Croft’s overworked 18-B lawyer looked hard-pressed to counter.

Logan’s brow furrowed. Though surrounded by mounds of evidence in support of the State’s termination of parental rights, Patton himself was conspicuously missing from Grace’s arms. Shoulders falling, Logan realized Patton’s sudden quiet wasn’t due to being soothed but had instead been his expulsion from the hearing room.

He turned to the GAL table where Tasha and Janus sat, quietly conferring. The angle of their table left their backs to the door. Neither looked up as he entered and moved to the examination chair next to the judge’s bench. As Logan approached, though, a flash of blond curls peeked up over Janus’ shoulder, followed by puffy, bloodshot blue eyes.

Wordless, Patton shouted and wiggled his way out of Janus’ arms. He dashed across the room and flung himself at Logan’s legs.

“Apologies, Your Honor,” Janus purred, bowing his head as he rose. “I did not have the grip I thought I had on the child,” he explained, casting a quick glance at Logan as he knelt and wrapped both arms around Patton as he quietly cried.

“Everything will be okay, Patton,” he whispered, half-listening as Ms. Croft’s attorney objected to the demonstration. “Look who I brought,” he said, holding up the owl. 

Grinning through tears, Patton grabbed the stuffie and Janus’ scarf and hugged them, his tiny, “Thank you,” impossible to miss in the tiny hearing room.

“Surely you are not objecting to the return of the child’s attachment object, are you Mr. Mackie?” Janus countered, the raised eyebrow directed at Ms. Croft's attorney made it clear the dual meaning of his words were fully intentional. “Requesting the Court’s permission for my client to remain with Mr. Sanders while he testifies.” He turned again to Ms. Croft’s attorney. “Unless, of course, the esteemed Mr. Mackie requires a live reenactment of the child’s trauma from this morning?”

“No objection, Your Honor,” he said, shaking his head.

“Very well. Mr. Sanders, you may take your seat.”

“Thank you, Judge,” Logan said before smiling down at Patton. “May I carry you?” Nodding, Patton wrapped both arms around Logan’s neck as he rose to his feet and sat behind the prosecuting attorney’s table.

“Yes, thank you, Judge,” Janus said, turning to watch them settle into their seat. He caught Patton’s eye and smiled.

Patton grinned back and repeated, “Thank you, Judge.” 

Logan suppressed his own grin and brushed a lock of hair away from Patton’s eyes. “Let’s listen quietly now, okay?”

He bit his lip and looked away, but still held on to him. If anything, he clung to both Logan’s jacket and the little owl that much tighter. Logan tilted his head, waiting to see if he’d meet his gaze. After a moment, Patton peeked up at him and Logan broadened his smile, nodding before looking up when the judge began to speak.

“Ms. Henkes,” she addressed Patton’s social worker. “Has Children’s Services received Mr. Sander’s completed application as an emergency foster placement for the child?”

After a quick nod from the prosecuting attorney, Grace rose. “Yes, Your Honor.”

“And has his application been approved?”

Grace’s pause felt entirely too long and Logan fought to keep his expression neutral. Finally she nodded. “Yes, Your Honor.”

“Your Honor.” Mackie stood, stiffly waiting for Judge Bloom’s nod of acknowledgement. “Is the Court declining to address the clear defensive wounds littering Mr. Sander’s hands and face?”

Janus stood. “Your honor, the Court is well aware of Ms. Henkes’ account of this morning's—”

Judge Bloom raised a single hand, frowning. “Mr. Williams?”

The prosecutor stood, a quaver in his voice. It was the first Logan had heard him speak. “Yes, Your Honor?” 

“Do you have any corroborating evidence of said account?”

“Ah…” he looked hopefully at Grace.

She gave him a half shrug. “Their office was full of people—”

“Yes, full of people employed by Mr. Sanders!”

Janus waited, watching the judge swallow back annoyance at the outburst. “Mr. Mackie, allow Ms. Henkes to answer. Ms. Henkes,” Judge Bloom nodded. "Were all the other witnesses to the child's outburst QLaw staff?"

“Well, yes, Your Honor,” Grace said. “We were in the QLaw office.”

Fingers steepled together, Judge Bloom frowned, eyes down on the file before her. Nudging Janus, Tasha slid her notepad across the table to him and he scanned it, rising to his feet. “Your Honor, if I may?” At her terse nod, Janus smiled warmly. “Thank you, Judge. Yes, most of the other witnesses are QLaw staff.” The smile he cast at Ms. Croft’s attorney was considerably frostier. “However we were also hosting a deposition this morning and two of our esteemed opposing counsel were visiting our office and witnessed everything.”

“And these attorneys are?” Judge Bloom asked. Logan couldn’t tell if she was relieved or amused.

“Berner and Pollock,” he said, then turned to face Ms. Croft’s attorney. “Colleagues of the esteemed Mr. Mackie.”

Judge Bloom sighed and glared at Mackie. “Have you discussed this case with Messers Berner and Pollock?”

Mackie pressed the cap down on his pen and took a deep breath. “Yes, Your Honor.”

Janus took his seat, giving a small nod to his paralegal. “Well done, Tasha,” he whispered.

“And yet you declined to share this information with the Court?”

He swallowed visibly and nodded, not quite meeting the judge’s gaze. Logan hid the smile he couldn’t quite suppress behind Patton’s curls. “Merely doing my best to enact an aggressive defense for my client.”

“Your client who could not be bothered to attend her own motion?”

The empty chair beside him shouted out its presence and Logan held Patton a little closer, grateful both the judge and counsel were avoiding referring to Ms. Croft by name. Patton turned his head, snuggling into his hold and dancing the owl up his arm.

Ms. Croft’s attorney nodded. “Yes, Your Honor.”

“Take your seat.” He’d barely touched his seat when Judge Bloom shook her head. “Defendant's motion is denied. The termination stands and the minor child’s placement is left to the determination of Children’s Services.” She stood, smoothing down her robes and everyone stood with her. 

“Hey, um, Sanders,” Mackie gathered his folders and turned to face Logan. 

Patton flinched in his arms, one hand gripping the owl, the other twisting his lapel. Logan tightened his hold, rubbing little circles into his back. “No need to worry,” he murmured. “You’re safe.”

“Nothing personal, you know,” Mackie said with a shrug. “We all do what we need for our clients.”

“Indeed,” Janus said, moving to stand between Mackie and Logan. “Nothing personal.”

Logan smiled when Patton laid his head on his shoulder, relaxing in his arms. “Nothing personal at all.”

[jungle321jungle]

Something Worth Stealing: Five

“What do you think?”

Truthfully Virgil was terrified at the very prospect. There was a reason each nanny didn’t last long, and Virgil had heard enough horror stories about the Ackroyd boys to avoid them at all costs when he had worked in the past. Hell the only reason he still got some to come in now and then was because the job was so high paying. Mr. Ackroyd knew exactly what he was doing advertising with all those zeroes, he was reeling in any nanny who would skip talking to peers at the sight. And now by some twist of fate that very bait was dangling above Virgil, and even worse there wasn’t anyway he could feasibly afford to ignore it. A sigh escaped his lips as he looked the man in the eye, “I think it is more than a generous offer that I would be happy to accept.”

(Virgil becomes the newest nanny for his very attracti- for Logan.)

Ao3 - Previous Parts - Masterlist

Five

Virgil was burning up. He wasn’t sick or anything, but the nerves surrounding this date had every nerve on fire to the point he was surprised he hadn’t melted into a puddle. Was it possible to get heat stroke while blasting AC in a car? If not, he’d likely be the first victim of such insanity. There was just too much riding on tonight. Sure, romance was on the line- but more than that, his job was on the line, and so were his relationships with Logan’s sons. 

Because what if he did something so horribly stupid tonight that left Logan’s fancy suit covered in fancy dinner? Surely, he’d be fired on the spot. And just like that, no job. No money. He wouldn’t see the twins or Patton. Janus would lose some friends. Janus would never get his own room. He’d-

“Are you okay?”

The deafening silence that was swirling around Virgil began to splinter at the sound of his nephew’s voice. Glancing in the rearview, he could see that Janus had looked up from the book he had been reading- was it too dark to be reading that now? The sun was beginning to set, so he shouldn't be straining his eyes. Virgil opened his mouth to tell his nephew so when he saw Janus frown, “So you’re not okay.”

“No-no! I’m fine. I’m fine! I was just going to say you should stop reading for now. But I’m fine!”

“You said that three times.”

“Because it’s three times the truth.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“Well, yes, um… it doesn’t matter. I'm fine, Janus.”

“No, you’re not. Are you worried about your date?”

“A- a little- just the tiniest bit. It’s been a while since I was even on a date.”

“Was that with the guy who cheated on you?”

“W-what? What?” Virgil sputtered. 

“When I talked to Mom this morning, I told her you were going on a date. And then she said that the last guy was really mean, and he cheated on you, and he made you cry. So she said it’s now my job to watch out for you ‘cause sometimes you have bad taste like she does. But Mr. Logan is nice, so I don’t think you need to be nervous.”

Virgil gave a long and heavy sigh before he couldn’t help but smile, “Well, I’m always grateful to have you on my side, Jan… But what else did your mom say about me? Or my past boyfriends?”

“Nothing really,” Janus shrugged (to Virgil’s relief). “Just that you should take her advice more.”

Virgil gave a frown and mumbled to himself, “Did she tell you she’s a hypocrite too?” 

“What’s that mean?” 

Apparently, Janus had good hearing. Good to know. “I’ll tell you later,” Virgil said, pulling into Logan’s driveway. “For now, let’s head inside.”

Inside the home, Virgil found Logan in the family room talking with three other staff members, likely talking about watching the children for the evening… Virgil wished them luck. Upon realizing their arrival, Logan turned to grave Virgil with a small, slight, barely there smile, which somehow made Virgil’s knees feel like goo. He was dressed nicely (as always)- Logan’s attention snapped back to the few he was speaking to, and hushed voices were heard as they crowded Logan before they abruptly shoved Logan in Virgil’s direction. 

Virgil was about to comment on it, when he noticed that in the second he had turned around Logan’s perfect hairstyle had been messed up the tiniest amount in what was clearly an intentional way. Perhaps those three weren’t discussing babysitting at all, had he asked them for advice? The mental image was one Virgil couldn’t help but smile at. 

“You look nice,” Logan said with a nod. 

“You as well, I-”

“Mr. Logan?” Janus interrupted. 

“What can I do for you, Janus?” Logan asked, redirecting his attention. “If you’re looking for my boys, they’re in Roman’s room.”

“Okay! But first, what’s ‘hypocrite’ mean?”

Virgil gave a heavy sigh as Logan answered the question. “A person who says one thing then does another. Like if I told you to eat your vegetables but I never do. Does that make sense?”

Janus pondered for a moment or two before he nodded and turned to Virgil, “Then my mom’s one for not listening to you but wanting you to listen to her?”

“…She listens sometimes.”

“No, she doesn’t. I’m gonna go upstairs to play. Have fun!”

When his nephew disappeared, Logan let out a slight chuckle, “It sounds like you two are having quite… intellectual conversations.”

Virgil’s huff in reply only made Logan’s smile widen, so he turned away. “Let’s not miss our reservation.”

Dinner did not go as planned. 

Despite arriving at their reservation early- their table had apparently been given away which led to waiting. And upon finally being seated their waiter took the drink and appetizer orders and then promptly ignored their existence. The drinks had eventually found a way to them, but as time passed Virgil had the sneaking feeling that the appetizers would never come. This was only proven correct as the waiter vanished from the floor entirely, and according to the whispers of employees in the dining room- he had left the building entirely. Virgil couldn’t help but want to be a tad nosier, but he caught Logan’s amused gaze. 

“Any more info?” 

Virgil shook his head as he sipped at his near-empty water, “Nothing I can hear from here. But sorry, I forgot what I was saying.”

“I don’t recall myself,” Logan admitted. “I was staring at the couple behind you who received their meal. We have been here far longer than they have.”

“Does the food look good, at least?”

“As hungry as I am, everything does. I neglected to eat lunch today.”

“What? Why?”

“I was distracted by the boys and pulled in different directions. I had to make some calls, and then I had a meeting over Zoom. Ultimately, I didn’t even realize I had missed a meal until I began to get ready. So I simply ate an apple to tide myself over until dinner.”

“That’s not like you at all.”

“I agree. But I digress; how was your day off with Janus?”

“Good, good. I had told him to pick what we would do today, so we ended up at one of those pottery places where kids can paint the pieces. He was very meticulous over a few pieces of dish ware. He wanted a perfect matching set.”

“That’s adorable,” Logan smiled. “I’ve wanted to take my boys to do that, but I have a feeling that Remus would break far more than he’d paint. But he also wouldn’t take kindly to me just taking Roman even if I took him elsewhere.”

“Yeah, I can see that.”

“What did you paint?”

“I chose a shark piggy bank because… because it was there? Anyway, I made it purple with different colored polka dots because it annoyed Janus.”

“Brilliant reasoning.”

“I think so.”

“You-”

Logan’s words and Virgil’s train of thought flew off the tracks at that moment as a server walked by, holding a tray of dishes that looked beautiful but also smelled divine. 

“As good as that looks, I regret not choosing a place I am familiar with,” Logan frowned. Apologies.”

“Don’t apologize; you had heard good things about it. It seems like this is an off day. And I appreciate the thought process that we could try something new together.”

“Why do I sense a but coming?”

“However,” Virgil started because it was a different word than ‘but.’ “It is clear we are both starving, and it’s also clear that our food will never get here considering we still have menus. So, would it be such a bad idea to go elsewhere? I know a hole-in-the-wall a few blocks away with the best tacos I’ve ever had.”

Logan didn’t speak for the longest moment. Rather, his piercing eyes stared into Virgil’s as he folded his hands and sat up straighter in his seat. And in that moment Virgil couldn’t stop the strike of fear that shot through him as he wondered if he had accidentally insulted his date- if he had offended his boss. Logan had put in all this effort for tonight and yet, Virgil just wanted to throw it away. He opened his mouth to quickly amend his statement, but Logan spoke first. 

“Couldn't you have said that ages ago? Do they have quesadillas?”

Virgil gave a slight sigh of relief, “Real good ones.”

“No point in bothering for the check, it’ll take forever. I’ll leave more than enough cash for the drinks. Lead the way.”

The food was wonderful, and with it in their stomachs, conversation flowed easily. It was almost scary how easily Virgil forgot he worked for Logan. Right now, they weren’t boss and employee; they were just two (severely overdressed) guys on a date, and that was perfect. There was something alluring about just watching Logan be Logan. Just in the way he spoke and expressed himself as if trying to remain reserved but in the same way allowing Virgil to see his true expressions underneath. Virgil had always known how nice it was to listen to Logan speak of his children, but it was just as nice to hear him speak about his life and dreams. And even nicer was how smoothly he came up with ideas on how to integrate Virgil into them. It was a first date unlike any Virgil had been on, and as Logan took his hand as they walked back to the car- Virgil couldn’t have been more thrilled with that fact.

~~~~

All Parts

[lesbianyuuga]

have they domesticated me?

Pairing: Analogical & Child! Patton

Summary: Fae!Virgil&Logan adopt a 6-year-old Human!Patton not realizing it wouldn't be the easiest.

Triggers: child neglect/abuse + nightmares (not caued by virgil or logan this is not unsympathetic sides)

Word Count: 923

I originally posted this on ao3 under the username steampunkgoggles ^_^

Being lonely was never a problem for Patton, he’d been lonely his whole life, his parents had given up on raising him years ago, only doing the basics to avoid getting arrested, and due to that, he’d never learned the social skills he needed to make friends. So yeah sure Patton didn’t have friends or parents who wanted him but at least he had his stuffed animals and the animals in the woods.

—

It had been a mistake to walk into the woods because now he was lost, cold, and scared. Trembling Patton wrapped his cardigan around himself tighter, he was trying his hardest not to cry, he was a big boy! Big boys don’t cry over things that were their fault in the first place. Sniffling Patton sat down, he wasn’t a big boy, he was a lonely sad boy whose own parents didn’t want him. Laying down Patton curdled up under a tree and cried himself to sleep.

—

“He’s waking up”

“Oh shit”

Rubbing his eyes Patton sat up yawning

“Who’s there?” he asked looking around

“Ah good you’re awake”, the blue creature said to him

“W-what are you”, Patton trembled

“We’re fae” the purple one piped in standing protectively next to the blue one as if little 6-year-old Patton could do anything to the nearly 6-foot fae.  

“Oh! My grammy told me about you” Patton mumbled to himself trying to remember the rules of the fae she also told him

“Yes well, what are you doing under this tree?” The blue one said

“Uhm Parents don’ want me anymore”, he sniffled eyes filling with tears. 

The fae gave each other a look but the purple one was the first to speak up.

“Why don’t you stay with us?”

Perking up Patton gasps 

“Really?”

Both of the faes nodded. 

Jumping up Patton goes to hug the faes 

“I appreciate it”

—

The trek back home was long, but somehow having Patton along made it much faster, which was strange considering the fae were much faster than he was usually. 

“So what do I call you guys?” Patton smiled up at the two fae 

“You can call me anxiety I guess” The purple one muttered

“I am referred to as Logic” The blue one nodded

“Oh golly you must be really smart then” Patton giggled

“Erm well I- I suppose so” Logan blushes pushing his glasses back up his nose. 

“Hmmm I need a name don’t I hmm” Patton trailed off eyes lighting up as he got an idea

“Frogger! Like the video game character”, Patton laughed clapping his hands

“Of course, you’d choose that for a name” Virgil responded rolling his eyes

“Oh! Uhm, thank you?” Patton questioned

“No problem short stack” Virgil smiled ruffling Patton’s hair

—

Patton was asleep on Virgil and Logan’s couch, the two faes having made him go to bed as soon as he got home, of course, he obliged, exhausted from the walk home, which had lasted nearly half a day as Patton was very small and also very prone to getting distracted and lost.

“Are we really going to be able to take care of him you think?” Virgil said anxiously 

“We’ll do our best and that’s what matters” Logan smiled at his husband

Letting out a breath Virgil nodded and held his husband tightly and watched his son sleep. 

—

Raising a human son in a town full of mythical creatures was not as easy as Virgil and Logan had hoped it would be. They had to teach Patton the rules of course, and then proceed to explain to the 6-year-old why no he could not call his father's daddy and dada in public, and then proceed to comfort said 6-year-old and tell him that no they wouldn’t leave him. It was albeit harder than the men had thought it to be. But they made it work, and soon Patton was fully knowledgeable in all rules regarding the mythical creatures that resided in the forest. Getting him to follow those rules was a different matter 

“Frogger stop trying to touch centaur's tails it’s incredibly disrespectful” Logan hissed his patience wearing thin

“But Logic it’s so fluffy” Patton whined stomping his foot 

“Imagine if someone came up to you and started touching your butt” The centaur neighed 

“Frogger apologize” Logan commanded in a warning tone

“I’m sorry Mister,” Patton said sadly 

Huffing the centaur turned dramatically tail swooshing as he walked away. 

—

The hardest part about raising Patton though was the nightmares, not because the two thought it was annoying when Patton crawled into their bed in the middle of the night, clearly shaken up from whatever dream had plagued his brain prior, no that was the easy part. The hard part was realizing that they couldn’t help him, that no matter how many soothing words, bedtime stories, and cuddles they’d give him, that crippling fear, the nightmare-inducing thought that the two people who had grown to care about him most in the world, were going to leave him one day all alone. And that, that scared them. It hurt more than any iron, insults, or physical pain ever had. They cared about their son so seeing him hurt like this? Heartwrenching. 

Today was another night like all the others, Patton had come into their room sniffling, climbed into their bed, and snuggled right in between his fathers. Both faes smiled knowing that Patton felt safe in between them. And all three cuddled together, keeping each other safe from any night terrors that might plague their thoughts.

[onthevirgeofdestruction]

Words: 5,024 Warnings: Food, Fear, Pain/Sickness (due to food texture/intolerance), Crying, Bickering (Playful), Misconceptions Characters: Patton, Virgil, Janus, Roman, Logan Genre: Hurt/Comfort Additional Tags: Virgil Sanders is a good Brother, Logan Sanders is extra about nutrition, Patton Sanders has a sensitive palette, Janus Sanders is a chaos gremlin, Roman Sanders is extra about cooking, Boys will be Boys™

A Whole Castle - Chapter 25 (timeline: #5)

   Patton stiffened when he heard the front door open, but Virgil hugged Patton to his side tighter in a gesture of safety. Patton had been glued to Virgil since he got here, but he hadn’t gotten better about the adults, yet. Roman smiled widely at the trio and came in, locking up behind himself and carrying a few bags of groceries. Both Virgil and Janus sat up to greet him, though Virgil kept his arm around Patton.

   “Good evening boys. Lovely to see you again, Janus. Are you staying for dinner?” Roman greeted with a dramatic bow. Patton liked it when he did that and calmed down a little.

   “Are you cooking?” Janus asked evenly with a raised eyebrow.

   “Roasted pork stuffed with spinach, prosciutto, and gruyère served with crispy potatoes, green beans, honey-glazed carrots, and cranberry sauce,” Roman announced proudly. Virgil and Janus shared a lovingly exasperated smile with each other from the couch. Patton grimaced at the mention of carrots, and he didn’t know what those ‘stuffed’ words meant, and he didn’t like the sound of them.

   “Yes, then I believe I will. Is the spinach—”

   “The flavour is well-hidden, yes. Just a few more greens to get away with the sides without a lecture from dad. I also picked up shortbread cookies for a little dessert. I want sweet things today.” Roman lifted his arm to display the grocery bags with a grin before heading into the kitchen.

   “Dad’s still going to want to kill you for the fancy ham and cheese,” Virgil called after him. Patton didn’t like the sound of that either, and he didn’t remember Roman mentioning those. He didn’t follow what was happening for dinner.

   “It’s only just enough to hide the spinach. He married me, he can deal with my refined palette,” Roman replied airily and started pulling out the things he needed to make dinner, feeling pleased with himself. The more they talked about dinner, the more scared and confused Patton got about it.

   Virgil just laughed quietly at that, keeping a careful hold on Patton. Janus smiled and reclined back into the couch. “He’s going to spoil me for my own cooking one day,” Janus joked mildly.

   “We’re all going to grow up into being food snobs. When we’re living off of instant noodles in college, we’ll be shoplifting fancy things to class it up, so we can stomach it,” Virgil joked back, leaning into the couch again.

   “No shoplifting boys, you can always come home to get spoiled on my cooking even worse,” Roman called from the kitchen playfully. Patton gripped Mrs. Bunnyface harder. He didn’t like that word. That was a mean word, but he hadn’t heard it used like that before. Patton thought that spoiled food is food that had gone bad.  

   “You’re not gonna eat gross food, are you?” Patton looked up at Virgil, asking quietly.

   Virgil laughed and ruffled Patton’s hair with his hand. “No, Pat, it’s good food,” he reassured Patton lightheartedly.

   “Spoiled for something means you have so many fancy things that the regular things aren’t as good anymore,” Janus explained, crossing his leg on the other side of the couch and leaning on the couch arm.

   “Oh. Can he do that?” Patton looked at Janus with concern. He didn’t understand how that worked.

   “They’re good at it, if anything,” Virgil said lightheartedly and wrapped his other arm around to give Patton a hug. “It’s not a bad thing, Pat,” he added when he didn’t see Patton’s face un-scrunch from the idea.

   “It sounds bad,” Patton muttered.

   “It just means having standards,” Janus said flippantly, tossing out his hand. The motion knocked some hair loose from his newsboy cap, and he tucked it back in carefully.

   “Having high standards sucks sometimes,” Virgil said bitterly, sinking back into the couch.

   “’Tis better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all,” Roman quoted from the kitchen, still busying himself on preparing this large dinner.

   “Hard pass,” Janus muttered, and Virgil snickered at that. Patton was completely lost, chewing on his thumb, while he tried to turn his focus back to the TV. He didn’t know what Phineas and Ferb were up to anymore, either. Patton felt funny.

   “Virge?” Patton muttered, holding his stomach.

   “What’s up?” Virgil looked down at him, frowning when he saw his face.  

   “Can you get me water?” Patton whispered, not wanting Roman to know or to be alone in the kitchen with him.

   “’Course, Patty.” Virgil kissed Patton’s hair and got up from the couch. “Hold on to Mrs. Bunnyface for me tight, okay?” He pointed to the rabbit and headed to the kitchen to get Patton water in one of his no-spill cups.

   “Are you alright, Patton? If you’re worried about what we were talking about, we were just playing,” Janus said softly, throwing a glance at Virgil as he passed.

   “Mm-hm,” Patton hummed, keeping his grip on his doll as Virgil told him to. He pulled up his feet onto the couch all the way and wrapped up around his bunny. Something blew up in the cartoon, attracting Janus’s interest, but Patton just kept brushing his fingers against Mrs. Bunnyface’s fur and looking at the floor.

   Virgil came back with the water, bumping Patton’s hand with it. “Great job, bud, you kept Mrs. Bunnyface nice and safe,” he said softly. Patton looked at him with wide eyes and accepted the water, and Virgil sat back down on the couch next to him, wrapping his arm back over his little shoulders.

   Patton drank tentatively, holding the cup on his lap next to the rabbit plush when he was done. “Sorry, Janus, I think I need to stay with Patton,” Virgil whispered over to him.

   “It’s a non-issue, Virgil, I actually enjoy Phineas and Ferb.” Janus waved him off, looking bored all the same.

   “You’re just idea-mining for good pranks, aren’t you,” Virgil teased.

   Janus shot Virgil a mischievous grin. “That, too.” His face reset back to neutral quickly. “But I’m not at home and haven’t been doing schoolwork, so this is preferable.”

   “Oh, shoot. Homework, I almost forgot. Dad can help us with any math after dinner, but we still have an English assignment,” Virgil hissed, sounding concerned. Patton turned back to the screen, watching the colours and hoping that didn’t mean Virgil was going to leave.

   “I’ll get you the textbook, you can read the passage out loud, and I’ll come up with some answers. We can figure it out from there,” Janus suggested, reaching over the side of the couch for his backpack.

   “You also just don’t want to have to read it yourself,” Virgil accused playfully, accepting the textbook that Janus passed over to him and adjusting his arm around Patton after he set it on his lap.

   “What must you think of me, Virgil.” Janus held his hand to his chest in mock offense, and Virgil stuck out his tongue. Janus returned the expression with an additional sneer before flipping out a notebook to take notes. “Page 148 is the start of the story.”

   Virgil sighed and flipped the pages to the correct one with one hand and put up his feet on the couch to hold up the textbook to read. “North Richmond Street, being blind, was a quiet street except at the hour when the Christian Brothers' School set the boys free,” Virgil started to read out loud.

   “Boys, is this okay for Patton to hear?” Roman called out from the kitchen, accompanied by the sounds of his knife on the cutting board as he prepped the food.

   “It’s about a boy who likes a girl who doesn’t like him back, Mr. Sanders,” Janus let him know right away.

   “Yeah, and the language is stupid flowery, it should be okay. I’ll stop if it sounds dicey.”

   “Ah, wonderful. You know I worry. Thank you boys for getting your homework done, too. Would you like to sneak some milk and cookies before Logan gets home?” Roman offered temptingly. Virgil and Janus shared a grin at each other, and Janus hopped up from the couch to head into the kitchen for their spoils.

   “Why we would never, Mr. Sanders. Which cabinet has Patton’s cups in them, again?” Janus asked as he entered the kitchen.

   “Oh, of course you wouldn’t. To the right, bottom shelf.” Roman pointed with the knife he was using. “Cookies are still in the bag, two each I think is plenty for you two, but just give Patton one with less milk, he has a small appetite. Use a plate so you don’t get crumbs all over the couch. Store-bought is very crumbly.” He smiled conspiratorially and got back to chopping.

   Janus pulled out the cookies, looking around the kitchen in surprise when the cookie package was the only thing left in the bag. “Did you already get the pork in the oven?”

   “I had to learn to be fast to get away with the things I want to cook, didn’t I?” Roman winked at Janus, who smiled at that. He doled out a shared plate for himself and Virgil, and got a smaller one for Patton, and returned to the living room. “Bring the dishes back in twenty minutes tops so that I can clean them off, and he’ll be none the wiser,” Roman requested after Janus, who’s smile only grew. Janus liked Roman’s style sometimes.

   Everyone in the living room took a cookie break, including Patton, who was a little confused to get the single cookie on the plate from Janus and a half-filled cup of milk. He liked shortbread cookies, and it helped him feel a little better. He was able to focus back on the cartoon, and Janus returned their dishes to the kitchen hastily to an extremely pleased Roman before he settled back down on the couch and picked up the notebook again with a “Proceed.”

   Virgil rolled his eyes and grabbed the open textbook off the couch and returned it to his legs to read. “An uninhabited house of two stories stood at the blind end, detached from its neighbours in a square ground,” Virgil continued on with the story, and they worked on their homework together.

   When Logan got home, he was pleased to see the boys doing—well, perhaps arguing over—their homework and Patton accounted for along with them. Whatever Roman was making hit his nose, and it smelled utterly enticing, so he went to go kiss his husband to thank him for all of his hard work in the kitchen before he did anything else. Roman was delighted to see him as usual, making the long staff meeting feel much farther away with each kiss. He headed off to shower after a quick check up for the amount of time he had left until dinner was ready in the meantime.

   Things were much quieter after they finished answering the questions for their English homework. Virgil’s notebook remained open to copy Janus’s answers after dinner, and they left out their math textbook to get help from Logan after dinner and reclined on the couch. Virgil had checked to see if Patton wanted to play outside, but he didn’t feel up to it, so they just kept watching TV, though Virgil and Janus were also partially on their phones.

   “Dinner’s ready! Come eat, boys!” Roman announced proudly, now singing about how food was best fresh. He set up Patton’s booster in a chair and started serving him, though he substituted out the carrots for a dinner roll.

   “Thank you again, love,” Logan said fondly, though now that he could see the whole meal out on the table, he blinked a few times. “Isn’t this… excessive?” He asked as kindly as he could manage, though his concern was clear.

   “There’s spinach in that small pork roast, darling,” Roman said airily.

   Logan looked at the slices in the roasting pan, seeing the contents. “That’s not just spinach.”

   “Young tongues don’t find spinach quite as good as we do.” Roman shrugged, brushing off his concern.

   “Yeah, dad, it’s kind of gross unless you smother it in cheese or dressing,” Virgil agreed, walking into the kitchen holding Patton’s hand, then helping him up on the chair.

   “I likely wouldn’t eat it without the frills, either, Mr. Sanders,” Janus stated, backing up Roman. Virgil set up Patton in his seat and sat next to him, Janus sitting on the other side of Virgil.

   “There are plenty of frills here already,” Logan pointed out, eying the spread.

   “Oh, hush up and eat.” Roman kissed Logan’s head and handed him a plate to serve himself, passing off plates to everyone else at the table quickly.

   “It looks awesome, papa,” Virgil said excitedly, taking a fork to grab a slice of pork from the roast right away. Roman sat down, absolutely beaming and happy to enjoy exactly what he’d been craving since he started cooking.

   “Thank you so much, Mr. Sanders,” Janus added, jostling Virgil playfully to reach for food himself.

   Patton looked at the plate with concern. He didn’t have the carrots Roman mentioned, but… He picked up his fork tentatively and poked at a green bean. It looked bad. “Make sure you eat your meat, Patton,” Roman said softly. Patton nodded and looked at it. It looked okay? He watched Virgil take a bite, and he seemed to like it.

   “You’re right, the prosciutto and gruyère are way better than stupid bacon and cheddar,” Virgil said happily, looking incredibly mischievous.

   “Roman,” Logan said flatly, staring him down. Roman shot Virgil a quick bitter look before turning to Logan with a soft smile.

   “What, I only bought just enough for the meal, it wasn’t much,” Roman defended himself and Virgil snickered softly. “Try it, trust me.” Logan took a tentative bite, clearly enjoying it as well. He deflated slightly and nodded to Roman, motioning that he conceded the victory to him. “Thank you,” Roman said smugly and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek before digging in himself.

   Patton watched them all eat, and they all looked like they were enjoying it, so he took a bite of the cut-up pieces of roast pork himself. As soon as the filling hit his tongue, his mouth hurt badly. It felt really wrong. He tried to chew it, but it just made him sicker. After some fighting, he swallowed it, but that feeling only made him feel worse. Patton put down his fork and held his stomach.

   Logan glanced over to check on Patton, seeing he had barely touched anything. “Patton, is something wrong?” Logan asked softly while Virgil and Janus bickered about their English homework again.

   “N-no,” Patton responded, not wanting to get in trouble.

   “Then please eat, Patton. You don’t have to finish the plate, but as much as you can. You’ve had one of those rolls before if you’re concerned about unfamiliar food,” Logan told him, pointing with his fork to the roll. Patton looked at the roll and reached out for it, taking a bite. He didn’t know what those other words were, but he liked the roll. It made his head hurt, though.

   “It’s not too hard, Patton, just eat what you can and let us know what you can’t,” Roman reassured him. Patton frowned. ‘Not hard’ is one of those lies adults tell. They mean it’s hard, but they want him to do it anyway. Then they get mad.  

   Patton paused, staring at the roll. Did that mean all the food hurt? Was this a punishment? Why were they making him eat food that hurt? Did he have to eat it because it hurt and he’s been bad? Patton put down his fork and roll as the tears welled up, hopping out of his dining chair to run to his room. Everyone watched him rush off in surprise, the kitchen going silent.

   “Patton?” Virgil asked, hearing a door close on the other side of the living room. Logan and Roman got up to follow, while Janus and Virgil tried to figure out what the hell just happened.

   “Do you think we were arguing too much?” Virgil asked quietly.

   “I doubt it, he didn’t mind us arguing on the couch earlier. He stayed under your arm the whole time and watched TV like he didn’t care,” Janus replied softly. Virgil looked at Patton’s plate, but the only thing even touched was the roast pork.

   “Crap, I should probably go in there. I think Logan and Roman scare him more than he lets on,” Virgil whispered. “Sorry about this,” he added, getting up out of his seat.

   “More for me.” Janus just shrugged, taking a big bite of potato. Virgil just rolled his eyes and went to Patton’s bedroom. Patton started openly bawling right as he exited the kitchen, so Virgil picked up the pace.

   “Hey, uh, dads?” Virgil got their attention at the door and motioned with his head. They looked at him, both wearing completely panicked expressions.

   “We need to handle this, Virgil,” Logan said just loud enough to be heard over the sobbing child.

   “I know, maybe I should, though?” Virgil said warily.

   “Virgil, we appreciate it, but—”

   “I think you guys scare him!” Virgil blurted out, pushing his way into the bedroom anyway. “Please?” He sat down on the floor next to Patton and pulled him in, who fell into Virgil’s chest immediately, even though he’d shied away from the other two before Virgil got here. Roman and Logan looked at each other, deciding what was best for both of their wards, and Roman took Logan’s hand, pulling Logan out of the room.

   “There could be a real problem, Roman,” Logan protested in a hushed voice.

   “And I don’t think he’s saying anything until he calms down, honey. Let’s get back to dinner and Virgil will let us know, alright?” Roman said emphatically, looking at Virgil, who nodded in agreement. They both left the room and shut the door behind them, returning to the kitchen.

   Virgil felt incredibly out of his depth, but considering Patton was balled up in a corner, he was probably the only person here who could even help. He wrapped his arms around Patton and rubbed his back, and Patton gripped onto Virgil’s hoodie as he wailed. His hoodie was getting absolutely soaked with snot, he was sure, but Virgil had no idea what to say at all, since he had no idea what was so terrible about dinner that he had to work with.

   Patton just kept crying and hiccuping, and sometimes he’d let out broken words that Virgil couldn’t possibly understand, so Virgil just opted to let him cry himself out. Virgil couldn’t solve the problem right now, even if he wanted to. He just tried to be silently supportive the best he knew how.

   Eventually, the crying broke down into what seemed like a painful fit of hiccups, since it shook his whole tiny body when they struck. Virgil smiled sadly and told him, “Take as deep a breath as you can, and then breathe in more. And it’s going to hurt a little, but it’ll make the hiccups go away.”

   Patton stared at him while he processed that and did as asked, breathing in. He didn’t know how to breathe in more after he did as much as he could, so Virgil showed him by example, exaggerating the action. It made him a little light-headed, but Patton’s hiccups stopped a moment later. Virgil smiled and rubbed his back a few times, pulling him up to sit on his lap and hold on to him better. Patton gripped at Virgil’s hoodie again and leaned his head against Virgil’s chest, struggling through a pained yawn.

   “Are you okay, Patton?” Virgil asked quietly, not wanting to hurt Patton’s head or scare him any further.

   “Yeah,” Patton muttered.

   “Then what freaked you out so much?” Virgil whispered, and Patton sniffled hard, another tear rolling down his cheek.

   “I don’ wanna be punished,” he replied pitifully.

   “What do you think you’re getting punished for?” Virgil felt even more lost than before, and Patton balled up again on Virgil’s lap, crying a little more. Virgil hugged him and swayed lightly, hoping it would help.

   “I-I don’ know why,” Patton choked out.

   “What makes you think you’re being punished then?” Virgil followed up, not sure what was happening. They had had a very low-key day up until now.

   “It hurts, and they were telling me I gotta,” Patton sniffled pitifully.

   “What hurts, Pat?” Virgil kept him held close, making sure Patton felt safe, but Patton started crying again. Okay, he’d have to sleuth it out himself. “Spending time with them?” Patton shook his head into Virgil’s chest. “Me fighting with Janus?” He suggested guiltily. Patton shook his head again, letting out a whine this time. Okay, probably farther. “… Eating dinner?” Virgil guessed the last thing he could think of, and Patton nodded, crying again. “Was it too hot?” Patton shook his head once more. The food itself? “Pat, that food isn’t a punishment. We didn’t know it hurt you. We can just get you something else to eat, it’s okay.”

   Patton kept crying a little longer, and Virgil just tried to rub his back a little this time. He needed to change his hoodie and shirt at this point, and it felt gross, but he could wait it out for Patton a little bit longer. He shifted back into sniffles much quicker this time, loosening up his grip on Virgil’s hoodie with an exhausted expression on his face. “I’m not in trouble?” Patton finally asked, his voice creaking from his poor, worn-out throat.

   “You’re not in trouble. Are you still hungry?” Virgil asked with concern. He really hadn’t eaten much, and he was already so small. Patton nodded wearily, and Virgil tried to remember what snacks he’d seen Patton eat without complaint these last few days. He’d had applesauce, crackers, a few different fruits, rice, and french fries. So he could possibly eat some of what was made. “Okay, how about I put you together something?”

   Patton just looked at him for a moment before nodding. “Cool. Wait for me in here, I need to go change, and I’ll be right back,” Virgil requested and kissed Patton’s hair. Patton nodded weakly again, and Virgil gently moved Patton off his lap and got up to change his hoodie and shirt and wash off his chest before he went near food again. He decided not to look down and surveil the carnage, and instead just toss them in his hamper and grab a shirt off his clean clothes pile before washing off in the bathroom.

   Virgil was back quickly, and Patton hadn’t moved, just leaned up against the wall in the bedroom. “I’m sorry that was so bad, Pat,” Virgil murmured, leaning down to pick him up. “Let’s go wash your face first before we put more food in it.” He carried Patton to the bathroom and set Patton up on his stool, and he sluggishly washed off his face in the sink while Virgil texted Logan and Roman that he’d tell them what was wrong after dinner but to just let him be when they came back. He didn’t want to spook Patton back out of the kitchen. Virgil helped him dry off and Patton held up his arms again, so Virgil just carried him right into the kitchen and onto his booster chair, shooting Logan and Roman a meaningful look.

   Logan was about to start, but Virgil held up a finger to his mouth and pulled out his phone, and pointed to it before scooping everything but the cranberry sauce and potatoes off the plate and onto his own. Logan made a frustrated sound, but Roman hushed him, holding up his phone screen. Virgil took a deep breath to try to calm down, getting an apple and a banana and prepping them for Patton’s plate instead. He wasn’t sure it was enough food to be a meal, but they’d figure that out if he even finished this stuff. Patton looked up at Virgil with wet eyes, glancing down at the plate with worry and back up at him again.

   “These other two might be okay, and I saw you didn’t try them yet,” Virgil said reassuringly.

   “Virgil, there’s no protein there,” Logan whispered. Right. Okay. What was a protein that Patton had eaten recently? Virgil thought hard for a moment before remembering a childhood staple and pulling it out of the pantry. He dished out a scoop of smooth peanut butter on the plate with an apologetic shrug to Logan, capping it off and putting it away again.

   “Oh, apples and peanut butter were one of my favourites as a kid,” Janus hummed, trying to cheer Patton up a bit. Patton frowned, pushing his food around on the plate.

   “I jazz them up a bit more now, but I have them after school sometimes. Pat, if anything else hurts, just tell me and we’ll figure something else out. But your stomach might hurt a little from what you already ate, so start with the banana and some water to settle it, okay?” Virgil suggested softly, sitting back down in his seat. Thankfully, his food hadn’t gone cold by now, so he still got to eat. Logan and Roman looked extremely disconcerted by his comment, but he needed energy from his awesome dinner to deal with it.

   Patton had some water and reached for the banana slices, just opting to eat with his hands this time, and he ate slowly, but he did at least eat. Virgil breathed a sigh of relief, digging into his delicious dinner now. That stressed him the hell out, but he made it through it. Hopefully, he could deal with the extremely stressful conversation later, too, but they were letting him eat his dinner in peace for now.

   Janus jostled him and mouthed ‘you okay?’ at him, and Virgil nodded. “I’m fine. Dad, can we get help with our math homework after dinner?” Virgil looked up, asking through a mouth full of now slightly-less-than-crispy roasted potatoes.

   “Swallow before talking, Virgil,” Roman protested tiredly, though he did at least seem slightly amused.

   “After we—”

   “Yeah, dad, after I explain. Just let us eat dinner, okay?” Virgil requested, but Logan didn’t seem satisfied with that. Virgil tried to think of how to word this without Patton knowing what he was saying. “There are a… selection of topics I would need to verbalize… that might be distressing for… present company. Anything consumed is better than nothing.” As far as Virgil was concerned, there was no way he could figure out to say ‘he needs to see a doctor’ without using any words that Patton would understand and Logan would comprehend.

   “Oh, nice,” Janus congratulated him impishly. Logan and Roman stared at Virgil for a moment, but Virgil just turned to check on Patton instead. He had grabbed a potato medallion to try, and he didn’t like biting into it. Virgil picked up another medallion and took the skin off and handed Patton his fork to eat the soft inside, who tried this suspiciously but did at least go for another bite. Virgil wasn’t sure what was different from fries, but knew better than to question it and just wanted to make sure Patton ate something so that his parents wouldn’t have a conniption. Roman watched curiously but didn’t comment.

   After a pause, Logan finally responded. “I anticipate the situation warrants the lack of vegetal variety?” He asked and Virgil rolled his eyes while Patton chewed, looking mildly confused but much too tired to emote much.

   “It may very well be as such.” Virgil didn’t know any other way to disguise a plain ‘probably’, and Janus snickered at his statement. Patton looked at Virgil oddly, but Virgil just smiled at him, seeing that he made progress on the other roasted potatoes by taking off the skin himself. “See? Thanks for trying, Pat. I know it was scary,” Virgil congratulated him softly, which utterly melted Roman’s heart, and he covered his mouth trying to hide his reaction, but Janus noticed and snickered.

   Virgil just huffed and elbowed him, but he didn’t care, leaning over to tease Virgil behind his hand. “A little young to be a teen mom, aren’t we?”

   “I’m a better mother than you’ll ever be,” Virgil whispered back playfully.

   “You’re certainly right about that, but you’ll see who’s your daddy with the next prank I cooked up,” Janus whispered back again.

   “If you came up with it from Phineas and Ferb, I’m not that worried,” Virgil sassed back under his breath.

   “We’ll see,” Janus replied cryptically. Roman looked at Janus oddly. “You’re a wonderful cook, Mr. Sanders. Do you think you could show me a few tricks on a night when we don't have homework?” Janus asked enthusiastically, distracting Roman right away.

   “It would be my honour, Janus.” Roman beamed, and Virgil snickered behind his hand between bites of pork roast. Patton made more progress on his meal, eating slowly but surely without further complaint, so at least the stuff Virgil came up with as a substitute worked. Patton took an apple slice and curiously dipped it into the cranberry sauce and greedily went for another scoop, so it was going well now.

   ‘Suck up,’ Virgil mouthed at Janus, jostling him slightly.

   “You’re just jealous of my prowess,” Janus leaned in and informed him of his deficiencies under his breath.

   “Boys, why does this happen almost every dinner?” Logan asked rhetorically and rolled his eyes, no longer as concerned as earlier now that Patton was eating.

   “You know what it’s like to be a teen boy, darling, they’re just having fun,” Roman said cheerily, chuckling a little. Janus grinned and held up his fist for a fist bump from Virgil, who returned it right away, sharing in his victory. Roman hummed delightedly at the friendly expression, and Logan scooped some more green beans onto Roman’s plate with a smile. Roman was mock aghast at, pouting out his lip.

   “I suppose I do.”

[exsqueezememacaroni]

*swallowing/choking noises* oh jesus christ....THAT'S HOW YOU MAKE YOUR MAN CUM! you little motherfuckers....

[hideousvampire]

doodle dump ft musical johnny cade with a lollipop and mike patton my gf

also this is my history project this year but minus the essay that goes with it except i used cuba and his teddy bear characters to stay motivated

for those who need it CW FOR BLOOD!!

[loganslowdown4]

Logan: If I was starting an interview, would you rather hear ‘Hello, I’m Logan Sanders..’ or ‘Hi there, Logan Sanders…’?

Patton: Well, you had me at HelLogan-

Logan:

Logan: I’ll go ask Janus-

[rubiisun]

If You Have The Time and Everything, Mind If I Request Some Patton and Windsor Doodles?

Love Your Art By The Way, Gives Me Some Inspiration So Keep Up The Good Work!

Here they are! First time drawing Windsor… he’s a favorite of mine 😂

(Two little bonus doodles as a thanks :))

[casart]

Toy Castle au because why not!🧸🏰

[pinkmeanschaos]

No he will not get over it

[kidsnextdoor-doodles]

Default mode

[edupunkn00b]

Guardian ad Liber, Ch. 4: A Boy Worth Fighting For

Photo by Matt Tulos, CC 4.0. Edited by author. n.b. Liber can mean book or child.

Prev - A Boy Worth Fighting For - Next - Masterpost - [ AO3 ]

WC: 1827 - Rated: T for some swearing, child welfare discussions, failure to thrive - Written for @loceitweek, a continuation of last year's story. - After a very special story, Patton settles into bed and our three get the chance to talk.

After one more trip to the bathroom, Patton was finally brushed and scrubbed and clad in soft pajamas. Toddling back to the office-turned playroom, he clutched what was formerly Janus’ yellow scarf in one hand and gripped Logan’s hand in the other.

Emerging from the conference room as they approached, Janus bowed and gestured broadly toward the office, both invitation and prevention. He’d positioned himself to block the path to the conference room where Grace and her relief were in a deep discussion. It likely was unnecessary, though, as the transformation of Logan and Janus’ office had successfully captured the little boy’s full attention.

Soft music played from Remus’ phone in one corner of the room, one of Beethoven’s more subdued pieces. Remus had also made adjustments to the room’s ordinarily bright lighting. The overhead lamps were off and shades drawn down over the tall windows facing street lights. The room was far from completely dark, though. Muted light spilled out from underneath each of their desks and from under the small pull-out couch where Remus had apparently wedged their desk lamps.

He hadn’t opened the sofa bed and instead had constructed a nest for Patton on top of the plush cushioned seats, sheets tucked in and a fluffy blanket imprinted with SpiderMan swinging between buildings spread over the top. A small stuffed owl with big round eyeglasses and what might pass for a necktie sat next to the pillow.

Patton looked up and waited for Logan's nod, then ran to the bed and hugged the stuffie to his chest. His happy hum and the brilliant smile pulling up his cheeks brought a welcome warmth to Logan’s chest and he smiled at Remus. “Where did you find that?” he whispered. 

Turning to wave at Janus as he rejoined the discussion in the conference room, Remus grinned and bumped Logan’s shoulder. “Unadulterated luck. It was by the checkstands on clearance. Think it was supposed to be for graduation or some sh—thing,” he quickly censored. Head tilted, he watched Patton climb up onto the couch. “Can’t deny the resemblance,” he teased, looking at Logan and adjusting imaginary eyeglasses.

“I suppose not,” he chuckled, then crouched next to the sofa, smiling at the drowsy toddler. “You look quite tired, Patton. You should rest for the night. We will be right across the hall if you need anything.”

Patton frowned at him, one tiny hand darting out to grab his sleeve as he shook his head, curls bouncing.

Remus laughed good naturedly and squeezed Logan’s shoulder. “You didn’t actually think that was going to work, did you?” He had one more magic trick to pull from the red Target bab and, with a flourish, he pressed a large picture book into Logan’s hands.

The little boy’s eyes were immediately drawn to the colorful picture on the cover. The riot of clashing colors that somehow still fit each other, reminding Logan of the ‘tattoos’ Patton had left on his arms. He’d temporarily rolled down his sleeves before helping Patton brush his teeth, protecting the washable ‘art,' and even now they seemed to glow in the half-lit room.

“Try reading him that,” Remus murmured to Logan before bowing his head at Patton. “G’night, Bud. See ya in the morning.” 

Patton waved at Remus with the stuffed owl’s wing before turning back to Logan with wide eyes.

Chuckling, Logan nodded and settled himself on the floor with the book, back pressed to the side of the couch and holding it up so they could both see the words and pictures. “‘A House for Hermit Crab,’” he read aloud, setting aside his concern at the oversimplified personification of the little sea creature. Not every book meant for a young audience needed to be perfectly scientifically accurate, even one of his favorite book series when he was a child had included species inaccuracies in the differences between frogs and toads. 

He continued reading and was immediately impressed with the more scientific explanation on the inside cover. “‘Hermit Crabs live on the ocean floor. Their skin is hard, except for the abdomen,’” Logan patted his own belly, smiling when Patton copied him with a giggle. “‘Which is soft. To protect this soft spot, the hermit crab borrows a shell…’”

The little boy was transfixed, curled on his side and staring at the pictures as he listened to Logan’s slow, low reading voice. Nodding, Logan turned the page and paused, looking up to see Remus had been watching him read from the hallway. He winked and gave him one more wave before joining Janus and the social workers in the other room.

Logan swallowed, steadying his voice before he spoke the next words aloud. “‘“Time to move,” said Hermit Crab one day in January. “I’ve grown too big for this little shell.”’” He glanced at Patton, whose big eyes had grown even wider. With Janus’ scarf and the stuffed owl hugged to his chest, he tangled his fingers in Logan’s sleeve, keeping him close. Logan smiled and went on with the story. “‘He had felt safe and snug in his shell. But now it was too snug…’”

Together, they followed the little hermit crab through his journey of finding a new home, gathering together new friends to help keep safe and comfortable in his shell. As the story progressed and the hermit crab became more comfortable with his new home, Patton’s eyelids grew heavier, each blink a little slower than the last. Until finally, his eyes slipped shut when the hermit crab joyfully declared his new home was perfect.

When it became clear the little boy was asleep, Logan read ahead silently, the story's bittersweet ending about the impermanence of even good things tightening his throat as he quietly closed the book and set it on the end table next to the sofa.

“Gets ya right here, huh?” Remus whispered from the doorway, tapping his own sternum.

Clearing his throat, Logan nodded and tried to blink away the heat growing behind his eyes. “Indeed,” he whispered back and patted the floor next to him. Patton’s grip on his shirt had barely loosened and, if asked, he would explain he intended to wait until the child was more deeply asleep before attempting to extricate himself. 

If Logan were to be completely honest, though, he’d have to admit that wasn’t the only thing keeping him at Patton's side.

“A remarkable attention span for a toddler,” he said once Remus had sat beside him. “Not at all what I would expect from one so young.”

“It’s not,” Remus agreed. He took a deep breath and paused before speaking again. “Y’know… I don’t think he’s a toddler, Lo. He’s fully potty trained and he’s already gotten fillings on his second molars,” he explain, voice low. “Did you see when we brushed his teeth?” 

Logan frowned, recalling the silver at the back of his mouth. “I… Well, yes. Frankly I assumed it was the result of parental neglect. Poor hygiene.” He hugged his knees to his chest, the memory of his own hours in dentists’ chairs tinting his thoughts.

Nodding, Remus leaned to his side until their heads rested against each other’s. “Yeah, it’s pretty fucked up for a kid his age to already have cavities. But those back teeth don’t come in until they’re at least two. I’d…” Remus shrugged and looked up over the top of Logan’s head, watching Patton sleep. “You saw the way he holds a marker? And his speech? He’s closer to four, I think.”

“Four years old? He’s…” Logan swallowed against the lump in his throat. The pajama set Remus had purchased was sized for an 18-month old toddler. “But he’s so small.”

“He is.” They both looked up at Janus’ silhouette in the doorway and Logan beckoned him in. Janus slid down onto the floor next to him, casually letting their thighs touch. The closeness was a comfort and, sandwiched between the two of them, Logan leaned in. "Grace will be back in the morning and Norman figured we had things covered well enough here. They're both gone."

All three relaxed for a moment, absorbing a bit of stolen time where they didn't need to be careful. After a while, though, Janus sighed. “I’m afraid Re’s correct. About his age." He stroked his cheek when Logan turned to him, shock stealing his voice. "I found a scan of his birth certificate at the back of his initial removal paperwork. He was born in 200 8.” He sighed again, turning with him to look at the toddler-sized child curled up behind them. “Patton is three and half years old.”

“Of course,” Logan muttered under his breath. His usual pleasure at learning something new crackled and ached in his chest. “Failure to thrive?” He didn't really need to ask.

Janus nodded. 

Logan’s hands fell to his lap, an odd emptiness dragging down his arms. His stomach suddenly dropped, a cold block of lead at his next realization. “How long has this poor child been in foster care? A contested TPR takes years.”

Letting out a slow breath, Janus hung his head and covered Logan’s hand with his own. “He was first removed at three months when his mother entered rehab as part of a plea bargain.”

“Fuck,” Remus swore, adam’s apple bobbing.

With his other hand, Logan threaded their fingers together. “Indeed,” he said again, shaky. 

“He was in and out of kinship care for the next two years. Maternal grandparents.” Patton shifted in his sleep and Janus smiled when he noticed the little boy had hugged the yellow scarf close. “They declined to care for him further.”

“He’s their grandchild,” Logan frowned, struggling to keep his voice down.

Janus looked like he’d eaten something rancid. “And I quote, ‘Kelly’s made her bed, she needs to lie in it.’”

Logan scoffed and shook his head. “And where’s his father in all this?”

“Some putz out of state,” Janus sneered. “Demanded a paternity test until they told him he’d have to pay for it himself. Signed away any rights faster than the social worker for the first removal could hang up the phone.”

The hushed cry at the back of Logan’s mind grew louder and he drew each of their hands close to his chest. “I can't be Patton’s GAL,” he announced, a radical idea growing in strength even as he struggled to find the words to explain his desire. “No judge would allow a GAL to serve dual roles.”

Mouth slack, Janus narrowed his eyes. “Are you suggesting what I think you are?”

He nodded slowly and Janus turned to look at Patton.

Remus watched them both, eyebrows pinched in confusion. “Hey, hot nerds, fill me in,” he said, scooting closer, eyes bouncing between each of them. “What do you mean, ‘dual roles?’”

Logan took a deep breath and smiled shakily at each of them. “I mean… Legally I cannot be both his GAL… and his foster parent.”

~~~~ To see what got Logan so choked up at the end of the story he read to Patton, see this: https://edupunkn00b.tumblr.com/post/755214180312907777/a-house-for-hermit-crab

[haveyouseenthismovie-poll]

[onthevirgeofdestruction]

Words: 1,863 Warnings: Food, Eating Non-Food, Accidental Kidnapping Characters: Patton, Remus, Virgil, Roman Genre: Fluff Additional Tags: Remus Sanders Eating Non-Food, Little Kids being Little Kids

A Whole Castle - Chapter 27

   Roman stepped out into the living room with a bounce in his step, happy to get to greet Patton coming home today. He’d been having a rough time at school and Roman wanted to check on him and spend some time with him this afternoon if Patton would let him, just to ease some of the tension. He made a friend yesterday, of which he very excitedly announced while bouncing off the couch, so hopefully things were doing better for him.

   The front door cracked open just in time as Roman made it out, and he held his hands together in anticipation, hoping Patton would be open to the idea of letting Roman watch him instead of Virgil today. Roman didn’t expect the very sheepish grin on Virgil’s face as he opened the door, though. And even less the second small child that entered today instead of just the one. Patton had a happy grin as another six-year-old jostled him with equal joyous fervor.

   “So, who is our visitor today?” Roman asked curiously, looking down at them.

   The mysterious child rushed up to Roman and held up his arms in the air. “M’ name’s Remus!” He announced loudly, and Patton hurried over to grip at Remus’s shirt.

   “Remus? Did you pick that name out yourself?” Roman asked, casting a glance at Virgil, who just shrugged without responding.

   “No.” Remus shook his head and dropped his backpack on the floor.

   “Can Patton pronounce that?” Roman asked, looking at Patton. That might have explained why Patton never said his new friend’s name yesterday.

   “I call him Muss!” Patton beamed, still holding on to Remus’s shirt. “But I can say it if I try real hard,” Patton added, pausing to take a deep breath. “Remus”—he pronounced deliberately—“taught me how t’do it,” he looked very pleased with himself.

   “Can we play with play-doh? Pat said he had lots!” Remus bounced on the balls of his feet.

   “We do,” Roman paused, looking at the pair of them. “But did Remus get permission to come over here? I didn’t discuss it with his parents,” he asked with concern, but neither seemed deterred by the drop in mood.

   “The bus comes here, so I didn’t got to get a ride!” Remus nodded enthusiastically.

   “Oh boy,” Roman exhaled harshly. “Remus, do you have a phone?” He asked, and Remus nodded, and turned to dig a phone out of his backpack and held it up to show Roman. “Would you call your parents and hand it to me?” He requested. Remus just nodded happily again and did as asked, passing the phone over to Roman.

   He took the phone and stood up straight, holding it to his ear as it rang. It didn’t connect, though, and it went to a generic voicemail. Roman wanted to leave a message, but the inbox was full, which was even stranger. He sighed and passed the phone back to Remus. “Do you happen to know your address, Remus?” He inquired wearily.

   “Nah. Can we play play-doh, now?” Remus didn’t seem fazed at all. Roman looked at the pair of them and considered his options. The only things he could do to solve this accidental kidnapping was either return Remus to the school, which was closed, or try to call again later.

   “Remus, you shouldn’t go somewhere without telling your parents. They could get very scared, or you could get hurt,” Roman pointed out. Remus just tilted his head guilelessly.

   “I didn’ think they’d mind.” Remus just shrugged. Roman blinked a few times at that, unsure of what to do with that information. He wished Logan was home already to help. “I really wanna play play-doh, now,” Remus insisted, looking up at Roman with big eyes and a small pout.

   “Alright, but we’ll need to play together in the kitchen, so it doesn’t get in the carpet, and you’ll have to let me try to call your parents again, later.” Roman held up a finger each as he talked, indicating the two stipulations. Patton didn’t even seem to look worried at the idea, and Remus wiggling on the spot impatiently.

   “Fine, I don’t care, I’m hungry!” Remus rolled his eyes and passed his phone back to Roman, who took it in confusion. “You need it, right?” Remus didn’t seem suspicious in the slightest at the idea of leaving his personal property with someone he didn’t know, much less being in a strangers’ house. Roman nodded in agreement and pocketed the phone, heading over to the hall closet to get the play-doh bin out of the high shelf and take it to the kitchen. Remus and Patton both cheered when they saw the bin, and Patton grasped Remus’s arm, rushing off to the kitchen before Roman.

   “What do you two want for a snack, then?” Roman asked them as he put down the bins. Remus reached in for the brown and opened it up right away, pulling out a hunk of play-doh and eating it, which Roman briefly short-circuited at watching before reaching to take the play-doh container out of his hands.

   “Wha’?” Remus asked with a mouthful of play-doh.

   “That’s not food, Remus, you shouldn’t eat that,” Roman replied with exasperation.

   “Well, then why did they make it so good, huh?” Remus objected stubbornly and kept chewing.

   “Gross!” Patton laughed brightly, kicking his feet and gripping at the table.  

   “I thought they made it taste bad. I’ll get you something to eat, just don’t put anymore in your mouth, okay?” Roman pleaded. Remus just stared at him. “Please, Remus? I’ll make you Patton’s favourite snack if you don’t eat anymore. Don’t you want to try what he likes?” He bargained with Remus.

   Remus looked between Roman and Patton before smiling and nodding enthusiastically. Roman slowly returned the play-doh container to Remus, who took it quickly but thankfully didn’t eat anymore and instead dumped it out on the table and started pressing it flat. Roman sighed in relief and turned to the fridge.

   “Do you need any help?” Virgil whispered behind his hand, leaning in just before Roman opened the fridge door. “He kind of seems like a handful.” Roman didn’t want to say anything to Virgil and cause him to panic, but the problem was much more than eating play-doh.

   “I need a lawyer,” Roman hissed, adjusting his tunic flat. “Please watch them while I call Logan, he’s got to know the best protocol for this.” Roman rubbed his face, stepping away from the fridge to let Virgil take over.

   “His last name’s Belmanté, if it helps. Got it on the way back,” Virgil whispered conspiratorially at Roman as he passed, and Roman nodded. He was relieved Virgil thought of that, it would probably help locate his parents. Roman stepped out of the kitchen to go call Logan and figure out where to go from here.

   Virgil took two apples out of the crisper drawer and went over to the sink to wash them off, keeping an eye on the pair while he prepared Patton’s favourite snack, but they were absorbed in mashing the dough to soften it up, and he had no trouble doing both things at once.

   “We should make a giant dinosaur and have it eat these little guys!” Remus enthused, and Patton giggled and nodded, pulling out some shape cutters from the bin. Remus gasped and dug his hands in the bin with a loud clatter of plastic, rifling through the various shapes just to hear the noise while Patton began to roll out the white with tiny rolling pin.

   “I’ll make the teeth,” Patton announced, pressing the triangle cutter into the speckled white with supreme focus, pressing the triangle cutter in with the palm of his hand and struggling to pull it back out. He stuck the tongue out of the side of his mouth, while his fingers failed to get a hold of the edge of the small plastic piece.

   Remus dug around in the bin of plastic implements for play-doh, checking out the options. He pulled out each thing that seemed more interesting than a shape-cutter and tried them out on a wad of dough, getting excited about a wavy edge roller. “Woah! I can make spines!” Remus exclaimed, checking for any other rolling-cutters. He gathered all three and stole the rolling pin from Patton to flatten the hunk of dough he had, while Patton kept struggling with the triangle cutter. One of the cutters made triangles, and he passed that off to Patton. “Here, easier for teeth!” He said confidentially, and Patton frowned, looking at it oddly. “We’ll use the two you made for big fangs!” Remus nodded enthusiastically, and Patton perked up, taking the roller and running it along the off-white play-doh.

   Virgil dropped off the plate of apples and peanut butter with cinnamon and raisins in it and sat at the table, watching the pair both work at the dinosaur. Patton worked on a body piece while Remus rolled out a tail, both wearing determined expressions. “So, what kind of dinosaur are you making?” Virgil asked, stealing an apple slice for himself.

   “An cool one!” Remus hissed out, bobbing his head.

   “Yeah!” Patton agreed right away, picking up his wad of play-doh and throwing it down at the table to widen the shape.

   “Lots of spines and claws and stuff?” Virgil asked, smirking a little and leaning on his arm to watch them.

   “So many,” Remus nodded wisely, taking a spine he cut out with a roller and pressing it onto the tail.

   “So many,” Patton repeated, getting more play-doh.

   “Do you play with play-doh with any siblings or anyone else, Remus?” Virgil asked, digging for more information.

   “No, nobody.” Remus shook his head, hunching over his dinotail creation to look closely at it.

   “Muss doesn’t have play-doh at home,” Patton answered, also leaning in to look closely at the play-doh.

   “Good thing we have plenty, then. I used to make things to smash before Patton got here,” Virgil said, grabbing an untouched container of play-doh to join them in messing around with it.

   “Play-doh is the best to smash,” Remus said sagely, reaching up for a piece of play-doh and seeing the plate of apples. “Yes!” He grabbed the plate and pulled it close to himself, double-fisting apple slices covered in peanut butter. He didn’t have great aim, and some peanut butter with cinnamon dusted on top got on his face as he ate.

   Patton also reached for a slice and joined him in eating, and Virgil started making a little dragon. Remus looked around the kitchen for a moment, then put some play-doh on an apple slice to eat, Virgil breaking down cackling while Patton giggled delightedly as Remus chewed the thick texture and apple together. Virgil smushed the short amount of progress on the dragon and instead opted to make fake peanut butter with toppings for him to dip in.

   “This is so good,” Remus said with his mouth full, bits of apple mixed in the saliva-filled play-doh clearly visible in his mouth.

   “Ew!” Patton cackled delightedly, kicking his feet under the table as he wiggled in his seat.

[exsqueezememacaroni]

it's good to be back

Mike Patton with The Young Gods at Montreux Jazz Festival 2005

X

[spoondoodles]

I blacked out and more Logince HS AU appeared on my canvas idk what happened (also ty @oatmeal-stans-the-trash-rat for some inspiration sorry it took so long to make a post about Them <3)