This chapter have lots of emotional rifts, so have fun!
Do tell what you think of this chapter. It's one of the most challenging chapters to write so far, so I might have missed a few marks here and there.

**********

Lily and her children walked out of the room with a somber mood. She told them to wait for her in the dining room while she composed herself. As they entered the living room, they could hear faint laughter and chatter. Logan had joined the others on the floor, discussing something with Virgil. Remy and Roman were occupied by little Faye. When the others saw their gloomy faces, they paused. The room became dead silent.

"Can you guys go to the dining room?" Patton said, approaching Faye who was sitting on the floor like the others. "Hey, kiddo. Do you want to watch TV for a little bit?"

"Okay," Faye said with a smile. Her smile soon vanished when she saw the tears in Patton's eyes. "Why are you crying? Are you okay? Are you hurt? Who hurt you? I'm going to kill them."

"I'm fine, kiddo." Patton gave her a watery laugh. "Come on, let's get you cozy on the couch."

Damien ushered the others to the dining room, telling them to sit and wait. He didn't bother telling them what was going on. Damien sat in silence as Patton came to sit with them and waited for Lily. Damien held his letter with care, flipping it from side to side. He remembered his father's fountain pen that must have been used to write the names on the envelopes. His father was always so proud of that pen, saying it was an old pen given to him by his grandfather. Damien couldn't understand why his father would have written a letter for them.

When Lily stepped into the room, she had no traces of tears though her face was a little flushed. She chose not to sit, instead looking down at the crowd of young men in her dining room. She let out a deep sigh and looked at her sons with sorrow.

"Okay, I'm sorry I haven't told anyone about this." Lily let out another long breath. "I only want to say a few things. After that, you are free to choose to stay here until later or leave. Alright. I lost my soulmate. I also lost my best friend, my companion, and to put it dramatically I lost a piece of myself. Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to know that this will happen to you in the future. Maybe not in a year, five years, or a decade... but it'll happen to you no matter what."

The room somehow became more silent than before. Only the faint sound of the television and Faye's occasional little giggle was heard. It was as though even the air had stopped moving around them and listened. As if the shadows had started to come alive with curiosity as the oppressive silence weighed heavier and heavier on their shoulders.

"I only want you, young men, to know. I wanted to let you know what I learned. I don't want any of you to waste your time fighting nonsense with your soulmates," Lily directed her gaze at Roman and Virgil. She had noticed how they argued about nothing earlier. And although she had nothing to do with either of them, she thought it would be a shame to see them fail like so many others.

"I want you to be open to each other." She shifted her gaze to her own son. She knew how Damien was always very closed, shutting himself out from the world and keep everything to himself. She didn't want her own son to hurt himself and those he will love. "Secrets, while necessary from time to time, can be dangerous.

"And appreciate each other. All their flaws and their quirks and everything about them," Lily took a deep breath, keeping the tears that threatened to spill to stop. She was tired of grief. She was tired of having her heart clench at the very thought of her lost love. "Please, love each with all you have, because someday all you will have are each other. Please, because you never know when they are going to leave the world. And by then, you'd regret everything you haven't done and not the things you have."

Patton sat rigid on his chair, clenching his fists into a white-knuckled grip. He bit his cheeks, trying not to let his emotions known to the world. Usually, he'd let himself cry or just lose himself in all the melancholy and heartache that consumed him. This time he couldn't. Patton found himself forgetting to breathe. He squeezed around the material of his pants, trying not to break. Not now, not yet. Just then, Logan's hand found his under the table. Logan, who sat next to him, was still paying attention to Lily. Patton let Logan pried his fingers and intertwined their fingers gently as Logan rubbed a small circle on the back of his hand with his thumb.

As soon as his mother left the room, Patton exploded with tears. Damien had wanted to comfort him, but to his surprise Logan told him to go.

"I'll do this," Logan told Damien, hand still intertwined with Patton's. "I thought I'd take your mother's advice."

Damien nodded. He took Remy's hand and towed him away to the backyard. It was cool outside with the cool air around them. The night was quiet, the crickets didn't bother to chirp. Remy followed him, not bothered by the hand enclosing his. At the back of the small garden was a tree—stout but thick—with a small treehouse sitting on one of its mighty branches. Letting go of Remy's hand, Damien climbed the tree until his feet were on the lower landing of the wooden structure. Waving for Remy to follow after him, he scanned the old treehouse. It was small, but it held many memories.

They sat side by side in silence. The two had had their silent moments before, but never like this. It was a good thing that the Harveys' home was located in a suburban neighborhood, so night times will always be quiet—unlike the constant humming of the city. The rustle of the leaves was appeasing in some ways. Like they could sway to the music that nature itself has created.

"What are we doing, Day?" Remy asked. He noticed the letter Damien had in his hand. The yellow envelope looked almost grey in the dim light given by the streetlight nearby. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Damien answered, crossing his legs in front of him. "My dad wrote a letter for me and Patton. I'm supposed to—I have to read it with you. I don't want to read it yet, though."

"Okay? Then why are we here, moy milyy? "

"Because... I don't know.

"So?"

"So, I guess I'm going to ask you questions. You're also going to ask me questions. No secrets this time. Like mom said."

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"Patton?" Logan was starting to question his decision. Maybe he should have let Damien help his brother. He tightened his hold on Patton's hand, reminding him that Logan was there with him. "I'm—uh, Patton, do you need anything?"

Patton shook his head through his sobs, squeezing Logan's hand. "I'm sorry," He whispered between hiccups after his sobs subsided.

"It's alright." Logan was aware of Roman and Virgil's watching eyes, so he urged Patton to stand up. "Do you want to go somewhere you can calm yourself down?"

With a nod, Patton pulled Logan away from the dining room into his old bedroom. Letting go of Logan's hand, he crossed the room to open the window. The cool air of the night blew into the room. Patton had intentionally left the lights off, preferring the dim light given off by the streetlight outside.

"Are you feeling better?" Logan asked, walking closer to stand by the window with Patton. Patton answered with a hum of affirmation, pushing his face onto Logan's arm.

"I don't want to do this again, Logan."

"Do what exactly?"

"I dunno... I just don't wanna be a burden. I always cry and get too emotional with everything that happens. It gets tiring, but usually it feels better."

"If it makes you feel better, why would you want to stop? Crying has been proven to be significantly beneficial to your emotional stability. It is much better to cry rather than keeping everything in, scientifically speaking."

"Yeah, but then you get confused sometimes. I want you to—I don't want to be a burden to anyone, y'know. Everyone have to take care of me when I'm crying. That's so childish of me." Patton looked up to see Logan's blue eyes. There was something there that he couldn't explain. As if the coldness of the icy blue was what give Logan's gaze its warmth. "I don't want to be a baby forever, Lo."

"Who said you were a burden to anyone? Being emotional, I believe, is not a flaw. I myself am struggling with emotions and understanding them. For the longest time, I didn't care. But after I know you, it made me appreciate the little things. And even if it was a flaw, who is to say that people wouldn't love you?"

"I—okay..." They stood quietly side by side for a moment. Patton slowly turned and tucked himself against Logan's chest. Logan instinctively wrapped his arms around him, looking down at him with confusion. Patton leaned his forehead gently against Logan's, careful as if the littlest movement would scare Logan away. "What if it does happen, Lo?" He asked softly.

"What happens?"

"What mom said. What if I lose you? Maybe—maybe not now... but what if..."

"You won't," Logan answered in a low voice. "I promise."

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The dining room was almost empty with only Roman and Virgil sitting next to each other awkwardly. Roman almost wished that he could kill the tension in the room with a sword. However, tension was not a tangible thing, and he didn't have a sword.

"Well," Roman gave Virgil an awkward glance. "What are we gonna do now?"

"Don't know. All I know, I'm not doing anything with you." Virgil stood from his seat, walking out to the porch.

Leaving the front door open, he sat on the cold tile floor. He looked out to the dark, empty street where only the night could be seen. There was a small wooden gate next to the house, presumably leading to the backyard. He replayed what Patton's mom said earlier in his head. He hadn't expected such a serious moment to happen. He thought they were just going to spend time together for no reason. Virgil did enjoy the day more than he'd like to admit. He did have a complaint with having Roman there, but only because he didn't want to see that soulmate of his."Don't fight. Be open. Appreciate each other," she said. How was Virgil supposed to do that?

He could hear faint footsteps coming closer, but he didn't bother checking who it was. Maybe he was just imagining things. Maybe there was no one coming at all. A few seconds later, Roman joined him on the floor, sitting an arm-lengths away.

"What are you doing?" Roman asked, staring out into the night.

"No. What are you doing?" Virgil retorted without thinking, letting his sarcastic mind take over. "I thought you were supposed to avoid me at all cost. Didn't I do you a favor by getting away from you? Don't waste your precious energy doing useless things."

"Why are you always so angry at me?" Roman said, his voice flat without a trace of emotion.

"Why do you think genius?" Virgil exploded with exasperation. "Oh wait, you never think. Of course you wouldn't know."

"Stop it."

"No! Why don't you stop it?! Maybe, I don't know, reflect back on whatever the fuck you did! Maybe then you'll get your answer!"

"Please, stop it."

"Have you ever think at all? Like, about what you did and everything? Of course , you've thought about yourself, but have you ever think about someone else other than your precious self? About the things you do that will affect other people and—"

"Just stop! "

Virgil paused, looking away, afraid that Roman will see the pool of tears in his eyes. He blinked it away before it ever fell. There was a streetlight, surrounded by bugs—not moths—across the street. He wrapped his hoodie tighter around him, putting a hand behind his neck as if it could ward off the cold that he felt deep inside. Nothing made sense.

"Why do you hate me?" Virgil asked, his voice diminished into a mere tremble. "What did I do to you?"

"You didn't do anything. It wasn't your fault. I've told you," Roman said with a hint of regret. Still, he held strong to his belief that he didn't need a soulmate. "I just didn't want a soulmate, okay. It's nothing."

"But why—"

"Because it's wrong! Don't you see that it's not real?" How could Virgil not understand. "You don't know what's gonna happen with your—look, one time a guy would be nice to you and then some time later he turns into a big brute! One second you feel safe and the next you're fighting for your life, it's just—"

"Is that what you think will happen to you? That's what you think I'll do to you? Have you seen me, Roman? I'm nothing! "

"No, I'm just saying it happened before. Who's to say it won't happen again?"

"Why do you assume that I'll—"

"No! I just don't want to be like him!" Roman stopped, his chest rising up and down quickly with every short breath he drew. He continued with a softer voice, "I don't know how this whole thing works. I don't know how... It would just be easier if I didn't have a soulmate, cus' then if it doesn't work we can leave each other. But soulmates don't work like that."

"I don't know what you're..." Virgil frowned deeper. "Who are you talking about?"

Virgil was only met with the shake of Roman's head. "Don't fight. Be open. Appreciate each other," she said. How was Virgil supposed to do that?

----------

"First question." Damien started, putting the letter on his lap. "What do you think you'll do if you knew you couldn't fail?"

"Really, babe? What kind of question is that?"

"Just answer. I just want to know how crazy you really are."

"Ugh, fine. I think, I would fly myself out of this hellish planet, bringing the hottest guy I know and live in a new habitable planet I can find. Then, I'll become magical and become immortal."

"That's not even remotely realistic. Also, who's the hottest guy you know?"

"Nope. It's my turn to ask a question now. Um... how gay are you?"

"Half gay. I'm bi," Damien said in a deadpanned tone, making Remy let out a small laugh. He thought he could get used to the sound of Remy's laugh. "Alright, my turn again!"

"Bring it!"

"What is..." Damien trailed off, tapping his chin in thought. "What's your ultimate turn on?"

Remy squinted with a smile. "What are you gonna do with that information?"

"Hey, it's not your turn to ask questions."

"Yeesh, okay, okay. Probably intense eye contact. And, it helps if the guy is really hot."

Damien raised his brows with a smirk. He moved his face closer to Remy's, staring deep into pale jade eyes. Remy couldn't move under his intense gaze, only staring back with silence. After a few long seconds, he flipped his sunglasses to cover his eyes with a smirk. Without missing a beat, Damien snatched the sunglasses off, smiling mischievously as he saw the slight pink of Remy's cheeks.

"I never really know what color your eyes are," Damien said lowly, maintaining eye contact. He wasn't aware how much affect he actually had on Remy. "It's like a really pale green. Almost grey, unless you see it under the sun."

"Uh—yeah, um—didn't know you were paying attention, babe," Remy said, trying to sound nonchalant. He finally looked away after a few moments, face visibly flushed even under the dim light. 'Shit. That was hot.'

His face turned darker when he heard Damien's low chuckle. How could someone's laugh sound hot, too? He tried staring at Damien with an annoyed look, but Damien only laughed harder. Well, this was frustrating. He tried his best to gain composure, but with Damien's eyes still watching him, he couldn't help his awkward shifting. There was something buzzing in the back of his mind that made his entire being shake—fear or excitement, he didn't know. He tried to push all his thoughts away to no avail.

"Alright, your turn to ask a question," Damien broke his train of thought.

"What do you like and dislike most about yourself?" Remy finally uttered after a long moment of silent contemplation.

Damien was silent for a few moments, blinking in thought. "I think, what I like the most... in myself... is that I can fake everything so easily. I can fake my confidence in a blink. I can pretend like I believe in something. People would never know how I feel inside, because it doesn't matter." He took a deep breath, unsure of what to say next. "But at the same time, I hate the fact that I lie... a lot... when I'm nervous or when I don't think properly. The first thing that comes out of me is a lie if I'm not careful. I guess it's a habit that started since I was in middle school."

"What happened in middle school?" Remy asked, scrunching his forehead.

Damien was about to tell Remy that it was his turn to ask, but he stopped himself. No secrets, he told himself. Secrets meant safety. Secrets meant no judgement. He wanted so desperately for Remy to like him—it didn't even have to be romantic. He didn't need Remy to know he was born a loser.

"Middle school. Middle school sucked. I had no friends. But really, I didn't have friends since... ever. I didn't have friends in elementary school, middle school or high school. It was fine. I mean, you know, I didn't get caught in school drama or some stuff like that. I wasn't afraid of being alone. I—it's just that I hate it when—when... I'd hear what they say sometimes. They told each other that I was a creep and I didn't care about anything. And then I did the most pathetic thing," Damien paused, letting out a self-deprecating laugh. "I lied. Lied about myself, so I looked better... I wish I didn't have to tell you these things. I faked everything. Logan was the first person I considered a friend, then I met you... and then I did it again. I faked everything."

Damien noticed the slight flinch of Remy's body next to him. "No, wait, I didn't mean that. I like you! I mean, like, as a person—didn't fake that, for sure. I just... haven't told you anything about myself, really. All those flirting games we have; I didn't usually know what to say. I'm not a confident person, y'know. But you always seem so relaxed that I can just let go somehow."

"I think you're alright, moy milyy. I like you—as a person." Remy poked Damien's cheek, urging him to smile. "Your turn to ask a question now."

"Kay, let's see." Damien ran his hand through his hair in thought. "Do you have an ex?"

Remy managed to bite back the violent gasp that almost escaped his lips. He swallowed, not knowing what to say. Of course, he could answer with only a yes or a no, but would Damien accept his answer?

"Yes." Remy forced out his answer. He's now reminded of the nightly terrors that he had. The dreams were irregular—sometimes he would dream of being chased by wolves, or he'd dream of a sharp pain running along his spine. He almost never see his face in his nightmares anymore. Yet, he knew exactly why he always ended up hurt in his dreams. If only Damien didn't ask. "Can I ask a question now?"

"You just did," Damien said with a smirk, unaware of the emotional turmoil happening in Remy's chest. "What ended your relationship with your ex?"

"Uh—I had to move to the States..."

"If you didn't move, would you think you'd still be with them?"

"It's my turn to ask now, darling."

"Wait, no secrets."

"I—" Remy stopped himself. Would he still be with him? It was difficult, he remembered, to get Varden away. When he stepped out of Varden's house for the last time it felt so wrong yet incredibly liberating in some ways. Remy was alone without friends after Varden hoarded Remy for himself. "I don't think so."

"Do you still love them?"

"God, no."

----------

The house was quiet now. Faye was startled by the loud shouting she could hear outside. When she peeked around the corner of the hallway, she could see Virgil and Roman having an argument, and they were getting louder by the second. Oh no. She needed to find uncle Logan. He'll know what to do. But, she had to find him first. She walked into the dining room to find it empty, so she wandered around. The kitchen smelled very nice, and empty. There were a few doors in the hallway next to the dining room, but all of them were shut. She didn't want to try opening them.

Oh, wait. One door was open—a tiny crack, letting out a sliver of light to the hallway. She stepped closer, peering inside. Uncle Lo wasn't there, but the nice woman from before was there. She had a big book open on her lap as she flipped each page carefully. Faye was about to leave to find her uncle until she heard a small sniffle from inside. She looked more closely to see the woman crying. Well, she had to fix this!

Opening the door, she stepped into the room. She halted her tiny steps in front of the older woman.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Faye asked with a small voice. She tried checking Lily's arms to see any evidence of harm. Lily gave the little girl a watery smile. Finding no evidence of any injuries, she stopped. "Maybe you're hurt inside here," she pointed at her own chest. "Do you need a hug, then?"

"Aw, aren't you the sweetest? A hug would be nice, right now." Lily lifted the little girl to sit next to her on the bed. Faye wrapped her small arms around Lily's waist tightly which Lily returned.

Faye turned to see the book Lily had on her lap. It was an album, which is a book for photos. "Who is that?" Faye pointed at a figure in one of the photographs. It was of a little boy standing under an unfinished treehouse holding a wood plank above his head.

"Oh, that's Damien when he was small. The twins were building a treehouse that time with their father."

"How about that one?" She pointed to another figure in a photograph of Lily and her husband back when they were younger.

"That's my husband, dear."

"Oh?" Faye widened her eyes. "Where is he now? Can I meet him? He looks very nice."

"He was..." Lily answered, a little teary-eyed. "Unfortunately, you can't meet him. He's not here right now."

"When is he coming back?"

"He—he can't come back."

"Why not?"

"Well, he was in an accident. And then he was hurt, so he had to go."

"Oh..." Faye responded flatly. She understood what death was. She didn't know why people die. She only knew that they do. "Okay."

The two ended up spending the night looking at pictures. Lily shared her memories to the sweet little girl, cherishing every thought of her husband. She knew it was time to move on, but she didn't know if she was ready.

----------

The room was still quiet. The only sound they could hear was the sound of each other's long, steady breath. Logan found himself wanting to move closer to Patton. There was something about how Patton's smaller frame fit against his body so perfectly. There were many things he didn't understand, and for the first time he didn't know what to ask. He had noticed the letters that the twins had with them earlier—what were they? What was it for? But maybe it wasn't his business to know at all. There were many things he wished he could say, if only he could find the words.

"What are we doing, Patton?" Logan asked in a low voice.

"What do you mean?"

"Why are we doing this."

"Because we can? I don't know. You make me feel so weird, Logan. Like a good weird. I don't know if my brother knows, but I don't really care now. That's a weird thing to say, right? Usually, I care, but I can forget everything when you're here. You're always so serious, I don't get it. But then I also don't care that I don't get it. I'm confused about you sometimes, but I'm always confused about everything—never with feelings, though. But then you make me confused about my feelings. Not a bad thing. It's just a thing that happens—being confused, I mean. That didn't make sense. I don't know what we're doing, or why. We were supposed to read this letter that dad wrote to me, but we're not doing that right now, are we? I don't want to look inside and read what he thinks. Do you think he's watching me from up there? I don't know what he'd think of me. Of you. I wish he'd met you, because he would've loved you, Logan. Wait, no, we were talking about other things. Well, I was talking about other things, since you haven't said a wo—"

Patton was interrupted with a soft touch on his lips. It lasted only a second, but it felt like it could last forever. He inhaled a sharp breath, touching his lips with the tips of his fingers.

"Did you just—"

"Yes. I'm sorry, I didn't—"

"Wait, no..." Patton looked into Logan's shifting eyes, trying to hold its gaze. "Do it again?"

Logan leaned down slowly, giving Patton time to stop him. Instead, they met halfway. It was unsure and awkward at first, but they settled on a rhythm after a few moments. Logan held his arms around Patton's waist a fraction tighter, pulling him closer to his chest while Patton let his fingers played loosely with Logan's hair. Their lips glide against each other's smoothly in a slow cadence as they pulled each other closer still. Only when their lungs burned for air did they broke apart. They stayed close, foreheads still pressed together.

"Why did you do that?" Patton asked in a whisper, a small smile painted across his lips.

"Well, perhaps you should stop being so adorable when you ramble on and on about nothing."

There was a pause before they both broke into laughter. Patton pressed his face against Logan's shoulder as he let out uncontrollable giggles while Logan buried his face in Patton's wavy locks. Logan thought this was an odd turn of event. But perhaps odd isn't too bad of a thing.

**********

Hello again!! A day early, because I have to do stuff tomorrow. This chapter was a pain to write, but it was fun. Logan and Patton's conversation was quite the task, but I think it was alright (sorry if I didn't get the emotions right).

So, what do you think of Patton and Logan now? We know they're in (sort of) a relationship now, what do you think will happen? Please, please, please tell me what you think of these two, because they're just so hard to get right. At this point, some people will ask if they're dating yet. Answer is: I don't know *grins*

Do you think Remy will ever tell Damien about his past? Will Damien share more of his struggles to Remy? Those two are still brimming with secrets at the moment, especially on Remy's side. Can anyone spot Damien's lies? I thought Damien was a little out of character in this chapter, sorry 'bout that.

And then, Roman and Virgil. These two are an enigma. I tried to make the debate they had short, but emotionally charged. Hope I got that bit right. In past arguments they had, usually Roman always becomes hot-headed the second Virgil becomes frustrated, so I wanted to see what it would be like if he started out with a calm tone. It sorta worked fine, I think.

LASTLY, we have the letters that are yet to be discussed. Why do you think they haven't open the letters yet? I like reading your hypotheses, so do write some in the comments if you have any. That's it for now, see ya in the next one.
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Russian stuff:
мой милый
moy milyy
[my precious; my dear]