Because it's been long overdue...

Patton walked into the school building and instantly managed to get separated from  Logan when all of his friends, Spices and Sweets alike, rushed to check on him.

"You actually salt-tried? Are you okay?"

"I heard that you vomited up your insides."

"What did it taste like?"

"Are you grounded or something?"

Luckily, Roman came to the rescue. "Padre, there you are!" He said loudly, forcing his way through the crowd. "Come with me, I need to talk to you about some cute Sours I just saw."

Patton mouthed, 'thank you,' as his friend grabbed his wrist and dragged him from the people who still seemed eager to ask questions. That's how Patton found himself sitting on the surprisingly clean window ledge, with Roman leaning near the sinks, adding on the tiniest hint of red eyeshadow to his eyes.

"And then I said to him, no, you were fine, but he managed to interpret it as, yes, Patton is dying. Like, bruh," Roman snorted.

Patton shrugged. "Well, he's not the only person I know who likes drama," He taunted cheekily.

Roman gasped. "I don't like drama! Theatre, yes, but petty gossip? Never!"

"You're literally bitching about your friends to me while we miss first period, you are totally into  gossip."

The fanciful Spice arched an eyebrow. "Wow, you just cursed. Something's up."

"I dunno," The Sweet huffed. "I had been with Logan on the bus and we had been talking then the moment I get inside the school building everyone crowds around me and he just vanishes."

"That's rough, buddy," Hummed Thomas as the doors opened.

A Bland stepped in. Blands are interesting. They look like any Flavour just without, well, flavouring. They are dull, with no sprinkles, chilli, salt or lemons. Imagine that. The Bland looked almost horrified upon seeing two incredibly popular Flavours in the bathroom and he began to mouth some apologies quietly, turning away.

"No," Patton called out. "It's fine if you need to use the toilet," The Bland hesitated quietly and Patton offered him a calm, reassuring smile. "Roman's only gossiping, really. Seriously, I'm actually kind of bored of it."

Roman pulled back, offended. "Patton, how could you?" He gasped. "Do you suggest I'm boring? Am I not fabulous enough to meet your expectations as much as a certain Sour?"

Patton flushed as the Bland gently crept his way into a cubicle. "Roman, shush!"

"Oh, Logan," Roman breathed huskily, smiling mischievously at Patton as he playfully mimicked his best friend. "You're so beautiful-! Why, Patton," His voice turned monochrome and robotic. "Please accept my deepest gratitude for that compliment. You are also satisfactory to look at-!"

"Oh, shut up!" Patton laughed, swiping at Roman with a giggle. "Two can play at that game, y'know!"

Roman rolled his eyes. "Oh, come now, Patton. We both know that no one has caught my eye-"

"It's vinegar, pussy," Patton said, in such a perfect imitation of the Salt that it was creepy.

His Spice friend blushed brightly. "Hey, now, that's not fair! I am not at all interested in Salty McVinegar, no, sir. Salts and Spices don't mix, remember?"

"Stupid Flavours," Groaned Patton. "At least, when you're a Bland, you can be with whoever you want. Blands just go well with everyone-"

The Bland who had been using the toilet quietly emerged and nudged his way over to the sink. Roman perked up. "Hey, so, what's your name?"

"It's Thomas," He replied quietly, shying away from the flavours.

"That's such a nice name!" Patton cooed. "Patton's a lame name. It's good when you're a toddler but it doesn't have the same ring to it when you're a teenager-"

"Padre, if you keep talking bad about yourself, I will kill you with my beautifully manicured sword," Roman threatened.

Patton looked unamused. "Roman, you don't have a sword."

"A blade."

"Nope."

"A dagger?"

"Roman, it's a penknife."

Roman crossed his arms. "I can dream, Padre!"

Thomas giggled quietly at the conversation then looked like he remembered something. "Um... Earlier, you weren't talking about Logan Smith, were you?"

Patton turned pink and Roman quirked an eyebrow. "That's the one."

"I sit next to him in chemistry. I can, I dunno, put in a good word for you?" Thomas offered Patton.

Patton sat up as straightly as his gay self could muster. "Really?!"

"Yeah, and, uhm, I also have Virgil Whitlaw in my English and Science, I could mention in a few passing compliments?"

Roman flushed. "Highly unnecessary, that Salt is awful. Besides, Salts and Spices don't mix, everyone knows that. And he'd just laugh at it all anyway," His voice trailed off slightly.

Patton sighed and an idea sprung to mind. "Y'know, Roman, I heard Virgil is a gay bottom and is starved of any affection and needs a romantic, loving boyfriend who has no other motives except maybe a shipping partner."

You could practically hear Roman's' brain working. "Okay, so a few positive words wouldn't hurt," He admitted, smirking to himself.

~(*-*)~

"Hello, Logan."

"Greetings and salutations, Thomas," Logan replied as the Bland sat down. "How has your day been? Adequate, I hope?"

Thomas nodded. "My day's been pretty good. I ran into Patton, y'know, the Sweet who salt-tried."

Logan gaze twitched from his book to the distance before returning calmly back to the pages, as if nothing had happened. "I don't think the salt-trying was intentional. Patton clearly seemed to not know of the consequences."

The Bland hide his smirk, by leaning over into his backpack, rooting around for his pencil case. "You sound like you're close with him."

"Sadly, I'm not," Logan admitted. "We have only bumped into each other a few times but I do wish to seek a friendship with him, for he is quite compatible."

"What d'you mean by that?" Thomas subtly pressed.

"I believe he has the right traits that could land us in a healthy and comfortable relationship," Logan said, now catching onto Thomas by making his sentences as needlessly nerdy and wordy as possible.

~(*-*)~

Virgil sat down next to Thomas. "Hey, Thomathy."

"Hey, Virge. You good?"

"I'm fucking tired of some bitchy Spices trying to attack me in the corridor for poisoning Patton Parker, but, yeah, I'm moderately functional."

Thomas scoffed slightly. "Woah, Roman and his goons really that bad?"

Virgil hesitated, on the edge of saying yes, before admitting, "Roman never actually does anything. It's just his lackeys who do it when he's not around. Like, can't he just keep them on a leash?" The Sea Salt pulled out a water bottle filled with vinegar, taking a sip, and Thomas scrunched his nose at the gross smell.

"It's a shame," Thomas said slowly. "That those freaks are friends with Roman. He's really nice sometimes, just dumb."

The Bland received a hostile glare. "Don't tell me you're gonna be trailing after that whore like everyone else in this school."

Thomas raised his eyebrows. "Wow,  no love for Spices, I see." Virgil just grunted and Thomas tried again. "All I'm saying is that I heard a few things. Apparently, he lowkey ships Patton Parker and Logan Smith, and does all he can to get them together."

That seemed to merit a few points in the Salt's' books. Virgil leaned back slowly in his chair, sipping his vinegar thoughtfully. "Maybe Spicey does have a brain cell-"

A kid yanked Virgil's' chair from beneath him and Thomas flinched as his friend fell to the ground, got up, and punched the kid in the face. Well, at least he thought about it for a little bit.

~(*-*)~

Patton was in for a pleasant surprise when he found Logan in the library at lunch. "Hey," He chirped, making the Sour look up as he walked over. "What ya doing?"

"Studying," Logan replied calmly.

"Cool," Patton replied. He glanced around. "Where's Virgil?

Logan shrugged. "He said he needed to find someone but didn't specify who or where."

"Cool," Echoed Patton, sitting opposite Logan, knowing his face was probably as red as a strawberry. "What are you studying?"

"Psychology. I'm usually very good but the test coming up is unnecessarily empathetic. I am struggling quite a bit."

Patton perked up. "Ooh, I can help! Here, let me, I'm really good at emotions. After all, I'm not a Sweet for nothing."

Logan frowned but gently handed Patton a notebook. "You seem to think flavour defines you." He observed, making Patton's' heart jump.

"N-No," Laughed the Sweet, avoiding the Sour's' worried gaze. "I've just been hanging around Roman too much."

The Sour's' worry seemed to increase. "The way you phrase that makes your friendship with him sound unhealthy.

Patton shook his head, mood switching quickly to hostility. "Roman is anything but toxic!  It's not his fault that his parents are strict Flavourists." Logan seemed taken aback and was about to apologise, but it looked like Patton had a lot more he needed to get off his chest. "Did you know Roman has a twin brother?"

"No-"

"Exactly! No one knows because his twin brother is a Salt and their parents banned from talking to each other. If one was seen talking to the other, they'd be grounded or worse because Spices and Salts don't mix!" Patton clenched his fingers in his lightly cloured hair. "And it's scary knowing that if Roman's' parents saw him hanging out with Salts or Blands, he might come into school with another set of bruises and it's stupid! And that's why he's such a jerk and I don't know how to help him or what to do, he says it's all fine and-!"

"Wow, Pat, thanks."

Patton froze when he heard the Spice's' voice from behind him. He didn't even want to turn around, feeling the glare burning into his skull and his eyes began to brim with tears. Roman's' voice was filled with hurt as he snarled, "Didn't know you liked gossiping too."

It was only when he heard Roman's' footsteps walking away did Patton suddenly respond. "Roman-!"

"Give him some time, Patton," Logan hurried. "If I know anything from psychology lessons, it's that he'll need to calm down before you chase after him. Chasing after people, especially Spices, can evoke the wrong kind of emotions in them and they'll believe you're lying."

Patton stared after his leaving Spice, looking heartbroken. He pulled back in the chair he sat in, curling into a ball and bringing his knees up to his chin. "Oh, fiddlesticks," He mumbled.

This does not mean I'm off hiatus. This took a pretty long time to write but I feel relaxed enough to post it and happy enough with this. It's been about two months since I posted Pt.1, so I hope you guys like this.