Patton still had tear marks on his cardigan when he had come to pick Thomas up from his brother's house. Of course Virgil had asked about it since he knew his brother well enough to assume that he had made someone cry with joy again. It was becoming a nasty habit by now.
Patton didn't explain in much detail, something along the lines of "Funding a project for someone who's passion really needed a lift." Virgil completely understood since Patton had helped him with the whole book publishing thing. He had done so much research (most of it prodding Logan) to help Virgil through his publishing process that Virgil was sure that Patton could recite how to publish a book in his sleep. Virgil was a goddamn mess the day the books went for sale too.
Of course, speaking of passions, Virgil told him the great news of a person who wanted to use the plotline of his book as a play. He left out many details since he wanted to surprise Patton with the show later on and Patton understood, but still celebrated with happy squeals and a lot of cookies.
When six-thirty had rolled around, Patton decided to take Thomas home to celebrate his last day of Kindergarten. He was so super proud of his son for graduating Kindergarten! He was growing up too fast!  Patton pretended to not cry as he was driving home and listening to Thomas's unintelligible babble about his day. He had finally defeated the evil dragon with Joan! Why wouldn't Patton be proud?
The graduation was tomorrow to Patton's delightment. That meant he could watch during rush time and make Logan do all the work. He giggled at the thought, knowing that Logan could probably handle it. But, it was Saturday, so of course the nerd was going to be absolutely flooded. Of course Patton wasn't that harsh though, the interns were probably going to be there too.
But, after that he had promised that Thomas could stay with him for the work day; he could help with the baking, the cleaning, or he could greet customers when they walked up in line. Needless to say, Thomas was very excited about tomorrow.
When they got home, Thomas begged his Dad to play outside while there was still daylight. Of course, Patton agreed. So they played outside in the backyard for a while in the orange sunlight. People who were walking by gave friendly looks to them and Patton returned to them and waved as he jumped up on a table or dove for the porch stairs. The floor was lava, he had to play along or else he'd melt!
Thomas got tired after a while. His movements were sluggish and he wasn't as energetic before. Once Patton had noticed this, he picked up Thomas with a "It's time to wind down for the night." It was long overdue for dinner, Thomas was sweaty and tired, and the stars had started making an appearance as only a small sliver of the sun could be seen. The air had cooled and it was getting rather chilly, so the dad took his cardigan and wrapped his son in it while Thomas protested.
"No-o-o-o-o! I want to play-y-y-y!" Thomas whined.
"No can do kiddo, we have to eat dinner!" Patton smiled as he walked around front. The front porch was decorated with flowers and a chair, so Patton sat him down on the chair so he could get his keys out and unlock the door. Thomas was too tired to get up and run away so he let it happen to him. He didn't care. He was hungry too. He could eat twenty dragons! He supposed. No! He could eat a whole clan of dragons!
When they had walked inside, Thomas made a beeline to his room, saying he thought he heard something. Of course, Patton knew this was Thomas language for the princess is kidnapped by an evil wizard, so he let him run up the stairs to his room with a warning to be careful. There was also another warning about running up the stairs but if Thomas heard it, he didn't do anything about it. The princess is getting kidnapped; this is no time or be following the rules!
Thomas was right, he had heard something! He opened the door to his room, and there by his window was the evil warlock with the princess in his hands!
"Hey!" Thomas yelled bravely, and the warlock looked back at him evilly.
Suddenly, Thomas's room melted into a tall tower surrounded by lava. This was a normal thing by now. For some reason everytime that Thomas came home there was some conflict going on, and he had to save the day! He didn't mind of course.
The warlock grinned.
"Fool, you shall never retrieve the princess!" Thomas looked around the room for a quick solution. His eyes spotted a sword on the floor. He dove for it, but by the time he had grabbed it, the warlock and the princess were gone. Thomas sighed.
"I will save the princess if it's the last thing I do!" Thomas declared. But then, he gasped, he was locked in the tower! How would he get out?!
Thomas, like any other self-respecting knight, was one step ahead. He took the rags on the floor and tied them together, making a makeshift rope. He tossed it out the window and silently hoped that the lava wouldn't catch it on fire.
Of course it didn't, so Thomas scaled down the tower, sword in hand. But now where did he go? He had no idea of where the princess was! As he thought this, he heard a scream.
"Thomas! Time for dinner!" Wait, what? Dinner? Was it a dragon? Did the dragon want to eat him?
Then a second time, "Thomas, you okay up there kiddo?" This time, the fantasy world melted around him and there he was in his room again, holding a cardboard sword and a sock rope in his hands. Oh, right! Dinner.
Thomas zoomed out of his room and down the stairs and into his usual chair at the table. Patton looked back from the stove and smiled.
"Hey kiddo, glad you could make it." Patton brought Thomas's dinner plate to the table and sat it down in front of him. Thomas grimaced with amount of carrots on his plate.
"Ew-w-w, carrots." Thomas pushed his plate away and huffed, not even sparing the other tasty foods a glance. They had to be friends with the carrots, and any friend of a carrot was no friend to Thomas.
Patton glanced over at Thomas. Oh here we go, Patton thought. How should I convince him this time?
"Kiddo, you know you're making those carrots so super sad..." Patton started, and of course Thomas  had to turn away from him to make sure his dad didn't see that he was worried about the carrots. Were they sad? Did he make them upset? Wait, why should he care? They were dumb!
"You didn't even get to know them! That's a mean thing to do Thomas." Patton hid his smirk by turning away. His tone was cold and disappointed but Patton didn't really mean it. If push came to shove, he could just say Thomas would never get to eat another cookie ever again and then Thomas wold be all for it.
He could hear Thomas's forced huff. He knew that kid didn't have a mean bone in his body. Thomas didn't know that, then again he didn't want to be mean either.
So, super slowly, Thomas turned around, grabbed his fork and ate the carrots. He wasn't happy, but at least the carrots were, and somehow that made Thomas feel a little better too.
"Aw, kiddo I'm proud of you." Patton turned around and smiled with his own plate of food and sat it down. He didn't like carrots either, but he didn't want to make them sad either so he took a bite of them. With Thomas, he was willing to endure that pain.

The key turned in the lock and made a click, signifying that the door was locked. Logan, satisfied, turned and walked away from the bakery. It was late, but it was his job. He did most of the financial work while Patton did all the manual labor. Of course both helped each other when they needed it, so Logan couldn't be upset with his current position. Besides, he loved all the things he did in his job and Patton loved all the things he did in his job. What else would they complain about?
Logan had turned to walk to his apartment that was only a few blocks away when he felt someone drag him away into a dark setting. Of course they kept him there. He was pinned with his chest and face against the wall. His vision went blurry seeing as he got thrown against a cold- was it brick? It felt like brick- wall. Logan turned his head to the only discernible light he could see so his glasses wouldn't break. He didn't want his vision to be permanently blurry.
Logan kept calm though despite the alarming situation at hand and waited for demands that this person was about to give him. Money wasn't worth his life. If someone so desired money then Logan would deliver. However, if this person so desired his life, the Logan said a small prayer to a random deity while he still could.
Then again, he didn't feel any cold metal or a blade on or around him so he assumed that his life was not what the person was looking for.
"Wow Logan, how smart of you to cooperate." That got Logan's heartbeat up, because he knew exactly who this person was. Mother-
Logan also knew how much he wanted to punch this person in the face, but he remained calm as he tried his best not to stutter while speaking.
"Hello De, how unpleasant to see you. Do you mind letting me go so we could forget this happened? I'm still very unhappy with you." And oh how unhappy Logan was, but it wasn't about him, was it?
"Oh Logan, stop being cynical." De said.
"Oh wow! Finally a big word!" Logan nearly yelled his response, but he kept his voice down. He had to think rationally. If he resisted now, it would likely end in physical pain. Wait it out. Wait it out. Wait it out. Logan told himself in a mantra, but of course he was petrified. He stood calm though. That almost frustrated De, but he kept calm as well. It was almost like a game. Who would lose their cool first? The nerd, or the bully?
De frowned, Logan could tell because he was no longer pinned and smushed against the wall. He sighed in relief and turned around to meet his face. The really scary thing was that he oddly looked like Patton. That was enough to unsettle him. But if Logan was unsettled, he didn't show it. He was stoic it seemed, and that annoyed the hell out of De.
"So do you have any demands," Logan stalled for time. He was quick witted, wasn't he? He could think of a plan to get out and warn Patton, couldn't he? ", or are you going to loiter here all night? There are plenty of things I'm sure you'd rather be doing on this lovely night." The words should've rolled off his tongue in a smooth manner, but instead he mixed it with just enough hatred and sarcasm that it probably could've set off a bomb.
"I demand for information, like where Patton lives for example. I know he moved." De moved backward the smallest of measurements, but it was a start. Logan grimaced.
"Like I'd ever tell you, you woefully unsightly filcher." Logan spat with venom. He was sure that De was too vapid to clearly understand what that meant, but hey, at least he knew it was an insult.
"You know if you want him back, you should talk to him, not stalk him like some sort of psychopath." Logan growled. And there it was, the thing to get De off of him for a few seconds. But Logan hesitated and his window closed as soon as it opened. Ok, keep going. It's working.
"I don't want him back." De spat. Of course he didn't. He made that clear when he left Patton for absolutely no reason. Logan even had the note he'd left Patton when he left. Patton threw it away of course, but Logan had taken it out and kept it for whatever reason possessed him. He supposed he kept it a constant reminder that De was a bitch.
"What I want," De started and backed away, opening the window of chance ever so slowly. Logan knew that was all a dirty trick, so he stayed put. Not yet.
", is the kid." Logan froze, of course he wanted the kid. For what reason? What fucked up reason did he want Thomas for? Logan felt his blood heat up, but his face remained emotionless.
"Over my dead body." Logan growled again, coming on as aggressive. And he wanted to, he wanted to break every bone in his body, but that was no solution. So he stayed put and put on the facade to keep opening the window a little more.
"Oh, did I strike a nerve?" De asked. Logan wanted to punch the cliché villain and his stupid cliché villain dialogue into the next dimension and then maybe Logan would be satisfied. Unfortunately, to Logan's dismay, that wasn't quite possible.
"Yeah, but you did that a long time ago too, so I really don't see the relevance in the matter." Logan countered. He almost wanted to stay now, so he could tell Patton everything that happened tonight, but that would be dangerous.
"Awe, I hope I didn't cross a line necktie." De made a bold move by turning and looking into the dark part of what Logan assumed to be an alley, but Logan could tell De knew what he was doing, so he still stayed put. All he was looking for was the small moments that De was really off his kilter, though, those moments were incredibly rare.
It's okay Logan, keep calm, keep talking. Good things come to those who wait. Good Logan, focus on that. Take deep breaths. That phrase was used by Violet Fane in her poem Tout vient ß qui sait attendre. Tout vient ß qui sait attendre. What did that mean? Oh yes, that was the phrase in French. Good Logan, you're doing fine. But was he? It was getting harder to think, harder to breathe, harder to stay sane. Whatever spell threatening his best friend had over him was strong and complete bullshit.
"You crossed the line a long time ago." Logan stated.
"True." De admitted and turned back to face Logan. Logan was sure that under normal circumstances his own face would be bright red with anger, but he remained emotionless. It was one of the many things he was good at. Calm, rational thinking.
"So are we going to make a deal? Patton and Thomas's safety and well-being for your information?" De asked. If he wanted to get a reaction out of Logan, that was the way to do it.
Logan tensed up the slightest bit, almost unnoticeable.
"Falsehood." Logan's voice went terrifyingly deep. "It would not be in their well-being if you knew this information so I shall keep that information to myself." Ugh, how did Patton ever see the good in him?
Logan was a force to be reckoned with De decided. If he didn't get some reaction from Logan soon, he would need to completely re-calibrate his plan.
Both seemed to be stuck, so Logan took this opportunity to push himself off the wall and towards the exit of the alleyway, but not enough to actually make a daring escape. Even that movement was a huge risk, but how boring would life be without taking risks? Logan wasn't a robot.
Surprisingly, De didn't do anything to signal that he was going to retaliate. Then again, De might have been an idiot, but he wasn't stupid, so Logan decided to inch back in the smallest amounts known to mankind.
"I'll find the information anyway, why not give it to me now?" De growled, and Logan was sure he was telling the truth.
"I would think that's call betrayal, and I hear that's a real friendship killer nowadays." Logan shifted his balance onto his left foot. He wouldn't- no he couldn't do that to Patton.
He wasn't used to this dialect that was heavily flooded with sarcasm. Was this how it felt to be Virgil? Logan almost laughed at the thought then reminded himself that now was not the time. He had to focus.
"I should expect you won't tell him about this event then." De growled and put his hand in his back pocket. He might have had a weapon, but Logan wouldn't allow himself to spit out the truth.
"Lies of omission aren't the way I work De." Logan spat. "More so if they're towards a good friend. I shall not come up with a fabrication for you. If I have to get hurt to protect my friend and his son, you better believe I will throw myself into the fire." Logan was starting to get emotional which Logan severely disliked. But, then again, how could he not get emotional?
De was certainly dissatisfied by his answer. This again threw him off his guard, so Logan ran. He didn't bother to look back, he didn't stop, (even if he was tired, which he very severely was) all he did was run past the many different buildings. Some were being closed, others opening for the night, but Logan didn't care. He kept running and ignoring other people's glances. It was purely adrenaline; Logan didn't want to know when it would stop because then he'd run into a serious problem. Logan wasn't fit.
It was illogical for De to follow Logan, but that wasn't what he was concerned with. He needed to get to Patton. This was easier said than done though since the sun had set and he was running blindly without a guide. He mentally cursed himself for working late.
He remembered the way though, so he kept running. The directions were lost somewhere in the ocean of his thoughts so it was harder to decipher which way to go and why he was going such ways, but through the use of landmarks like the park in the center of downtown, the old theater, and Thomas's kindergarten he was able to track where he was in the lake of hysteria.
Then he bumped into someone near a small neighborhood. He wasn't near close to Patton's house, it was more like another ten to twenty blocks away so he was glad someone had stopped him so he could calm down and stop the adrenaline from pumping through him. Then again, he wasn't so glad that his driving force was no longer in him and he would probably be less efficient getting to Patton's house. Now he was on the ground, gasping for air and wiping sweat off his forehead. It was hot for a summer night Logan decided. He also decided to stay sitting with his eyes closed until he stopped trembling like a magnitude seven earthquake.
" Logan?" A voice asked, and Logan's eyes snapped open, looking straight at the color black. The black also had arms and legs and eye shadow smushed underneath it's eyes. It was a familiar black, and Logan sighed in relief.
"Oh my god Virgil I'm so glad it's you!" The emotion he had been running from had finally caught up to him and hit him hard in the gut, which is why Virgil was really worried for the crying grown man in front of him. Virgil had only ever seen him with overwhelming emotion once, and it was a really bad time back then, so it was probably safe to assume that this was something Virgil should be freaking the fuck out about.
"Oh shit, shit, shit." Virgil gasped and crawled over to Logan.
"Can I hug you? Or would that make things worse?" Virgil asked. Logan didn't do much but nod, so Virgil gave him a hug. He didn't exactly know how to do it, so he imagined he was hugging Thomas instead. That was something he was used to. He soon discovered it didn't make it any less awkward.
It helped though, because Logan quickly got his composure together; it was quicker than Virgil thought despite seeing him completely distraught a few minutes ago. Virgil sighed in relief once he had pulled away. Luckily they had been hidden by trees near the entrance of the neighborhood so anyone out in their yard for the summer night would have to crane their neck to see them.
"Lo, can you tell me what's wrong?" Virgil asked and Logan nodded.
"Listen to me Virgil. As soon as you hear this information, you need to drive me straight to my apartment and then call Patton from your house. Do not take action, ok?" Logan asked and gripped Virgil's shoulders almost desperately. Virgil was confused and shaking. What did this have to do with Patton? Was he in danger? Oh god, what if he was in danger?
"Logan you're freaking me out." He said.
"Promise me." Logan demanded and his grip on Virgil's shoulders tightened.
"Ok, I guess." Virgil said softly, still confused and scared beyond measure. He didn't necessarily like promises.
"Promise." Logan demanded again. He wouldn't say anything until Virgil said the words himself.
"Ok! Ok! I promise!" Virgil yelled rather defensively, but Logan didn't care. It was enough for him.
"De is back, and he wants Thomas."

————————————————————————

So I realize that the ex coming back thing is really cliche, but like

Why not :')