Trigger warnings: mention of sex toys (remus), use of anti-depressants, brief mentions of past self-harm, domestic abuse

Plot: Patton had always been secretive about his home life, changing the subject whenever it was brought up, and the 6 never staying at his house for parties or sleepovers. He finally spills about what living in his household is like.

Ship: Platonic DR LAMP

Word count: 2453

Patton gingerly slid his key into the lock on his front door. He heard the mechanism fall into place within the lock and he quietly pushed open the front door. He stepped inside, shutting it cautiously. The house was silent.

His assumptions where proved correct when he spotted his father. He was passed out on the couch, the tv still on, some show he'd never heard off. A half full bottle of clear alcohol was propped dangerously in his hand. Patton quickly and quietly shifted the bottle so it wouldn't fall, wincing slightly when his father stirred. Relief flooded through him when he stayed unconscious.

He made his way to his bedroom, shutting the door behind him, the broken lock clicking slightly. He sighed as he practically collapsed on his bed, sweeping his curly light brown hair out of his eyes. He pulled out his phone, smiling when he saw he had notifications from his groupchat.

Dark strange son 💜: im free tomorrow afternoon, anyone wanna come to my place? parents are out of town

Slimy Boi 🐍: you're like the protag of an anime, ur parents are never at home. but yeah, I guess I can hang out

Princey 👑: does dear brother Remus have to come?

Trash rat 🐀: rude, bro I'm offended

Dark strange son 💜: no, he doesn't have to come. and you should be, rem.

Smart boi🧠: The lack of capital letters and basic punctuation in this group chat is appalling.

Smart Boi 🧠: And yes, I am free for tommorow afternoon.

Trash rat 🐀: want me to bring my sex toys?

Dark strange son 💜: EW REMUS WTF

Princey 👑: I have to live with him and I am only like 40% sure he's kidding

Dark strange son 💜: I'm sorry for u

Slimy Boi 🐍: okay, everyone in? @Pattoncake u wanna come dad?

Pattoncake 🐶: sure kiddos! I'm in, want me to grab snacks?

Princey 👑: yes please dad!

Pattoncake: okay, cool! oh, virge do u want me to bring u spicy doritos?

Dark strange son 💜: ily so much yes please

Patton giggled slightly. He loved his friends, even Remus. Not only did he care for them, but they provided a much needed distraction from the not so great things in his life.

Speaking of not so great things, he heard heavy, uneven footsteps downstairs, indicating his father had woken up. A shot of fear spiked through him as he took a deep breath in a attempt to calm his frazzled nerves. He reassured himself that he had done nothing wrong yet, he'd done everything his father had asked of him. He had no reason to speak to Patton or punish him in any way.

Alas, that had never stopped his father before.

But he didn't yet hear his father stumbling up the stairs, so he forced himself to relax. He unwrapped his cat hoodie from around his shoulders, slipping it on. He buried his freckle covered face in the warmth of the hoodie, pulling the sleeves over his hands. It had been a gift from Logan a little over a year ago, and it quickly became his favourite and most comforting item of clothing. He wore it as much as possible, and was always reluctant to take it off and wash it.

He pulled the hood over his head. The cat ears flopped down slightly and he fiddled with his hoodie strings, smiling slightly. He pulled his knees up to his chest, drawing his hoodie over those too. The hoodie was a few sizes too big, Logan was well aware of Patton and Virgil's shared love for oversized clothes.

Patton scrolled through his phone for a few hours, before just staring off into space. When he checked the time, after the sun had set, he saw he'd been meant to take his meds an hour ago.

"Darn," he whispered under his breath, before getting up. Patton didn't swear.

He had a bathroom adjoining to his room and he opened a cabinet, pulling out a small orange bottle. He tipped two of the small anti-depressants into his hand, filling a glass with water before swallowing the pills. He'd waited long enough so he'd have to wait a few hours to eat, but he didn't mind, he wasn't hungry yet.

Patton had started taking anti-depressants a few months ago. His father didn't know, he'd gone behind his back, visiting Virgil's psychologist and had been prescribed them. They helped most of the time, but sometimes they had the opposite affect. He put the bottle back into the cabinet. The razors caught his eyes for a second, but he quickly looked away. He'd been clean for years now, and he had no intention of going back.

He spent a few hours doodling his friends in a notepad, before he looked up. It was late, Logan would not approve if him being up at this time, but he was hungry, so he decided, after a little internal debate, to go downstairs and get some food. Burying his hands in his pockets, he snuck down the stairs, not bothering or daring to turn on the lights.

He hadn't spotted his father, so he'd assumed he'd gone to his room. He decided to just grab some cereal, not caring that it was too late
(technically to early) to have a breakfast food. He was about to pick up the bowl and take it to his room to eat it, but the light was flicked on behind him. He blinked a few times, adjusting to the bright light, before fear shot through him.

He turned around. "Hi, dad," he said weakly. He tried to disguise the fear in his voice.

"Why are you up?" the question was turse and cold, and it made Patton tense.

"I, couldn't sleep, and I got hungr-"

Patton got cut off. His father roughly grabbed his arm, squeezing. Patton winced, attempting to weakly tug out of his grip.

"What have I told you about being awake at this time?" he growled. Patton was trembling, not meeting his father's eyes.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, something broken in his voice.

His father twisted his arm slightly, and Patton gasped, whimpering in pain.

"Look at me."

Patton's eyes where bright as he met his fathers steely gaze.

Don't cry.

"Go to bed. If I catch you awake at this time again, I'll do a lot worse then just twisting your arm. Do you understand?" his father growled. Patton could smell the strong alcohol on his breath.

Patton nodded frantically and his father released his arm. He quickly scrambled up the stairs and into his room. He wished his lock was working, but it had been broken a while ago by his father. He instead just curled up on his bed, and it took him a long time to fall asleep.

🏳️‍🌈

The next day was a Saturday, and Virgil said that they could show up whenever, so he decided to get up early and get out of the house. He kept his hoodie on, although he'd slept in it it wasn't to wrinkled and it was warm. He slipped quietly downstairs after leaving a vague note on his bed explaining his disappearance. He knew his father didn't care, but last time he'd forgotten much worse then his arm had been bruised. He'd had to say he'd walked into a pole.

He pushed his glasses up his nose as he left the house, his father not waking from his sleep. Unsurprisingly, he was the first to reach Virgil's house, which was only a 5 minute walk away. He knocked lightly on the door.

He heard presumably Virgil stumble slightly. There was a crash and a muffled "Shit-" before the door opened. Virgil's purple hair was messy and sticking up, his hoodie was half on and makeup smudged, it seemed Patton wasn't the only one who's slept in his clothes- although knowing Virgil he'd simply stayed up late and hadn't bothered to change his clothes.

"Oh, hey dad," he yawned into his mouth, and Patton smiled brightly at him.
"Good morning Virgil!" Patton chirped, smiling.
"It's early, I wasn't expecting you till like, 10am or something. It's barely 7,"

"Yeah, I know," Patton said. But he grinned as he held up a bag of Heatwave Doritos (not sponsored) and Virgil's eyes lit up as he took the bag, ripping into it.

"Aw, fuck yes! Thanks Dad!"

"Language, and you're welcome!" he said brightly. Virgil nodded inside. "C'mon Pat. Logan will probably be here soon, the boy wakes up at like 6am every single day, the mad man."

Patton joined him inside. They debated on putting on a movie, but decided to wait until everyone had arrived, as Roman would surely throw a fit if they chose without him. Virgil insisted it would be funny to see the look on Roman's face, but Patton convinced him to wait.

Logan arrived next, at 7:30 sharp. He berated Virgil for his unhealthy eating, but Virgil simply rolled his eyes. Logan had insisted Patton didn't bring him any snacks, but while in the store Patton had spotted a puzzle book about black holes, and just had to get it for his friend. Patton took great joy when Logan's eyes lit up with fascination as he flipped through it.

Janus arrived next, Patton had greeted him at the door with a bright smile, which he'd returned. Virgil just nodded in greeting, mouth full of doritos, and Logan smiled slightly. Patton pulled a bag of gummy snakes from his seemingly never ending pocket and Janus had thanked him while Virgil snorted something about cannibalism.

Roman and Remus arrived at the same time on Remus's motorcycle, the twins lived the furthest away of all of them, a 10 minute ride on Remus's motorcycle or Roman's car. They'd decided on the motorcycle, aka they'd flipped a coin and Remus had won. Roman was complaining about his windswept hair and Remus was just laughing at his brother. Patton pulled out all the snacks he'd gotten and they set up on the couch. After a several minute argument between Roman, Logan and Virgil over what movie to watch, they finally all settled on Bambi, deciding they'd move onto Tangled, then Nightmare before Christmas, and then Big Hero 6.

The 6 of them settled on and around the couch. Virgil was laying across the top of the couch above all of them, (Roman had threatened him with death if he fell on him), cradling the doritos in his arms, Logan was leaning on the arm of the couch, Patton curled next to him. Roman was sat on the other end, legs across Patton's lap. Janus and Remus where on the floor, Remus leaning against Logan's legs and Janus by Romans head. There was nothing romantic between any of them although they where all some variation of lgbt, Patton, Logan and Janus had all gotten touch-starved on several occasions, and afterwards they had all just agreed to stay close when they needed to.

Patton, in this instance, was especially grateful for Roman's legs in his lap and Logan's calming, steady presence beside him. When Bambi's mother died, Logan wrapped his arm around Patton, who'd began to cry slightly. Janus reached up, patting Roman's hand when he'd started to get teary and Roman nodded in thanks.

Once the first movie had ended, Janus got up to put in the next movie on. Patton was feeling pleasantly sleepy and relaxed, until Logan said something.

"Patton, what's that on your arm?"

Patton quickly looked down. His sleeve had ridden up and there was a little bit of purple bruising visible. Patton hastily tugged his shirt sleeve down.
"It's nothing, kiddo, don't worry-"

Logan gently moved his hand to his sleeve, and he resisted the urge to flinch as he pulled it up slightly. The others had been watching them at Logans concerning words and Virgil gasped slightly.

"Patton, are you alright?" Virgil asked urgently, slipping down from above him and crouching next to him. Patton nodded, despite the purple bruising on his forearm.

"I told you kiddo, I'm fine."

There was a moment of slightly tense silence before Remus spoke.

"Was it your father?" he asked, with a tone that Patton didn't hear often from Remus, gentle and kind.

Patton looked at him, stunned. "How did you-"

"I didn't. Lucky guess,"

Roman had sat up. He gently took Patton's hand, Logan's arm remaining around his shoulders.
"What happened?"

The gentle question brought tears to Patton's eyes, and the truth spilled out of him before he could stop it. He told them everything, about what his father had done to him, and what he'd done to himself.

When he'd finished, Virgil had his arms wrapped around him from behind, Roman was still clutching his hand, and Janus and Remus where kneeling infront of him, each with a hand on Patton's knee and Logan had his other hand in his grasp. Tears had leaked down Patton's face, and Roman gently brushed them away with his sleeve.

"Oh pat... I'm so sorry," he murmured soothingly. Patton shook his head. "No, it's not your fault, don't apologise," he mumbled. Logan ran his thumb over Patton's knuckles and Patton smiled gratefully at him.

"Do you want to stay at my house tonight? We can sort everything out in the morning, if you'd like," Virgil said gently. Patton nodded gratefully.

"I'll stay too," mumbled Janus, and the others all nodded in agreement. Patton smiled around at his best friends. "Thank you guys," he said softly. The others all smiled back at him.

Patton stayed at Virgil's house that night. Janus went out for more snacks and they had a Disney movie marathon, all of them smiling and laughing. Roman and Remus bickered like children. It was all so familiar to Patton, it was all comforting. The six of them all fell asleep on and around the couch, all interlocked in some way, Patton in the center, everybody keeping him safe.

do ya'll want a part two to this? cause this lowkey took ages and i can't decide

anyway if u liked this then leave some requests for me to do because I have no ideas, pretty much anything goes except smut