8:16pm

It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

Trigger warning: peer pressure, almost-kidnap

Au
—

"Roman, Kiddo?" Patton called sweetly to his son who looked up from his younger baby brother, Virgil, who rolled around in his crib, clenching onto a small teddy tightly. "Yeah, dad?" He responded, moving across the room to sit beside him when he patted the spot on the couch.

"You're starting middle school how, and I want to give the same rules I gave to Logan when he was your age" Roman nodded, sitting up right and attentive. Before he got to speak, Roman's two younger twins stumbled in through the door - it was Remy and Deceit, they had obviously gotten bored with what they were doing, and wanted to see what everyone else was getting up to. They were only young, and just started kindergarten.

"Daaaad" Remy smiled when they found their dad, climbing onto his lap while whispering; "yasss". Deceit, on the other hand, climbed up and sat beside Roman who smiled and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Virgil began to cry, as if he could sense he was being left out, and Patton sighed fondly, holding Remy in one arm while he picked up Virgil.

"Looks like I'll tell all of you" Patton giggled, sitting cross-legged with Remy on his lap, and Virgil in Remy's lap.

"When Logan was younger, your age" Patton began, gesturing to his second oldest child. "I taught him some code words to keep him safe" Roman nodded to show he was listening, Deceit slowly began to suck his thumb, staring at his dad with wide, curious eyes. Remy, on the other hand, kept their gaze on Virgil, making sure one arm was holding his head up, even if he was old enough to hold it up himself. Even with most of their attention on their baby brother, Remy still managed to listen to their dad.

"If his friends were to invite him out when he did not want to, or do something he didn't want to do, he would call me up and ask for "permission"" Patton explained in the best way he could, "on the end, he would add 'please, dad?' and I would know he didn't want to go - so, I wouldn't allow it" Patton smiled, tilting his head to the side, hoping Roman understood.

The boy dressed brightly slowly nodded, "but I call you dad... what if I say it accidentally when I want to go?"

"That was only because he preferred to call me father, little Prince" Patton smiled lovingly, patting his knee. "You can says 'please, father?' instead, okay? I'll come pick you up as soon as I can" Roman nodded and beamed, waving his wooden sword in the air. "And I'll protect myself until you arrive!" He declared, nearly knocking into Deceit who fell onto his side, head now resting on Patton's knee.

"Be careful, little Prince" Patton chuckled softly, scooping Deceit up so he could also sit in his lap beside Remy. He kissed both of their cheeks, giggling when they whined and whipped at their faces vigorously. (Remy made sure to keep Virgil up right as they did).

"I'll look after Virgil, why don't you two play outside? It's a lovely day" Remy and Deceit contemplated the offer for a moment, in the end they agreed, Remy carefully handing Virgil over before they were following their twin across the house, their voices disappearing as they stepped outside. Patton made a mental note to check on them later.

"Roman, one more thing" Patton called him over, cradling Virgil as he spoke. "I didn't want to say this with the twins because I didn't want to scare them, but if a stranger ever comes up to you and tells you I'm busy and I can't pick you up, ask for the code word - if they say cookies, they're safe, if they don't have one, run away to the nearest safe place, okay? Promise me?" Roman nodded hurriedly, shifting closer to hug his dad tightly, being cautious with Virgil.

"I promise!" He grinned, "no one can take me away from you, I will fight them!"

Patton giggled, brushing away some of Roman's growing hair from his face. "Only fight them if they grab you, okay? Never try and attack, only to get away. And if they do pick you up, forget all manners that I've taught you, and do everything in your power to get away" Patton spoke in a stern tone so Roman knew this was serious; that made him nod reluctantly, because he's always wanted to fight someone, but he trusted his dad, and would rather follow his rules than anything else.

"And make sure to scream" Patton added, "scream as loud as you can, repeat over and over you don't know who that person is, that they're not your mom or dad, okay? Can you do that?"

Roman nodded once more, smiling when his dad pulled him into a hug. "I love you, Little Prince"

"I love you too, padre!"

A few months later...

"I should be free this weekend, how is Roman doing in his new school?" Logan asked on the other end of the phone, Patton giddily exploding into the topic, explaining how he had made many friends already, and he was heavily getting into theatre productions and acting in plays. Logan scoffed lightly at the idea, reminding his dad to make sure Roman focused on his school work, too.

Patton chuckled, "Logan, I have five kids, I don't think I need lessons on how to be a dad"

"I am only caring about his education" he excused, Patton imagined him waving his hand around lightly as he spoke. That made him giggle lightly, ready to fall into another topic when his phone buzzed. Pulling it away from his ear, his eyes widened when he saw a text from Roman.

Little Prince 👑 - Please answer the phone

"I need to go, little nerd! Stay safe!" Patton called with no explanation, hanging up before Logan could reply. Almost instantly, his phone began to ring from Roman, and he answered hurriedly.

"You okay, Kiddo?" Patton worried, standing up and biting his nail.

"My friends want to go to the pier and I want to go to, can I? Please, father?"

Patton tensed, "no, Roman, where are you? I told you to come straight home from school today! I'm picking you up right now"

"But father!" Roman whined on the other end, glancing at the boys with wide eyes, desperately trying to hide his fear. They were older than Roman, and had somehow managed to get him this far away from school, the last place he wanted to go to was the pier with them, though, which was what brought him here, using the code system to get home. The boys rolled their eyes and huffed, for Roman had put the phone on speaker, so they could hear Patton's response.

"No, Roman" Patton spoke coldly, hating speaking to his son like this when he had done nothing wrong. "Where are you?" He asked again, holding the phone to his ear by his shoulder while strapping in his other kids into the back seats. Roman begrudgingly told him his whereabouts, and Patton smiled, proud of his sons acting - looks like the theatre practice comes in handy.

Not too long later Patton found Roman standing a little ways away from a group of boys who were egging him on to do something he obviously didn't want to do. Turning to his three other sons, he told them to stay put before he was marching over to his son, arms crossed.

"Roman? What are you doing?" He demanded icily, inwardly wincing after when Roman flinched at his sudden voice. The boys snickered and scampered off, once out of sight Patton knelt down and hugged Roman tightly, heart shattering when he felt his trembling form. "I'm sorry, dad" he whispered, allowing Patton to pick him up, even if he was getting heavy.

"I-I shouldn't have co-come here" his voice broke when he spoke, wiping away the fat tears that rolled down his cheeks. "Hey, hey" Patton soothed, bouncing him up and down lightly. "You did so good, little Prince, you remembered the code, that's all I could ask for. Why don't we go get some ice cream?" Roman bit his lip as a smile grew at the suggestion, Patton giggled and tenderly kissed his forehead, letting him down and holding his hand as he lead him back to the car.

Remy and Deceit both asked what was wrong when they realised Roman had been crying, Patton turned to them and told them exactly what happened so they would know never to fall into the same situation. They both nodded obediently while Virgil made a noise in the back of his throat, reaching into the air. Remy leaned over, allowing their baby brother to grip their hand tightly with both of his own, and he did with a noise of delight.

They all got ice cream that afternoon. Each making a squeal of excitement when Patton mentioned Logan was coming down.

When Logan did come down, Patton sent him to go pick up Roman, as he was preoccupied with the other children. He did so with hesitance, as staying in a car with Roman was quite the test on his endurance, but it was better than caring for five year old twins and a baby. He parked his car outside Roman's school - his old one - and spotted him leaning on the wall, taking a selfie on his phone. Rolling his eyes, Logan stepped out the car, straightening out his tie before walking across the ground.

A few of the girls from the older years eyed him and giggled when he walked by, but he didn't seem bothered.

"Roman?"

Said boy looked up, almost ready to run into Logan's arms when he stopped himself, a sly smile resting on his lips. "Yeah?"

"I am here to pick you up"

"Code word?"

Logan paused momentarily. "Cookies"

"Logan!" Roman cheered, running to his brother to hug him tightly. Logan couldn't help but feel his lips twitch into some form of a fond smile, basically carrying Roman to the car. He was proud the rather flamboyant boy remembered the code words he was sure Patton taught him at the start of the year. He remembered using them himself a few times - gosh, Patton really was the best. Not that he'd admit that out loud, but he'd definitely use the same technique for his own children. If he were to have any.

A few weeks after Logan left Roman found himself to be in a bit of a predicament. Patton was running late due to his job and caring for the younger kids, so Roman took it upon himself to walk home. At this point, the streets were mostly empty due to everyone else already inside, but he didn't really notice, too absorbed into his phone.

He didn't notice a car pull up beside him, or a tall figure step out. He only realised someone was following him when he spotted a shadow beside his own. Turning his head, his eyes widened a little when he let his head tilt back to gaze up at the freakishly tall man behind him.

"Hey, son" he spoke, voice surprisingly trustworthy. "Your dad told me to come get you, come on" he motioned his head towards his car, but Roman didn't budge, slowly pocketing his phone. "Code word?" He responded, tilting his head. The man drew his eyebrows together, "What? What code word?"

"You don't know the code word?" Roman gulped, ready to run. The man realised and huffed out, reaching over to grab Roman by his arm. He let out a yelp, struggling against his hold before remembering what Patton told him, and in a flash he was screaming louder than he's ever screamed before, thrashing, kicking, begging for someone to help, the man was momentarily dazed by how loud his yell was, so much so he lost grip on Roman, letting the boy fall to the floor and scramble to his feet.

Before the man had a chance, Roman was sprinting away, still screaming, a few tears slipping down his cheeks. The man groaned and got into his car, speeding after the boy he realised was smarter than any other child he's come across. Roman pulled a trick that Logan taught him - once the car was beside him, he twirled around and headed down the opposite direction, giving him enough time while the man had to turn around.

He gripped for his phone, ducking into an alleyway and hiding behind a few bins. He called up his dad and shrunk into a ball, shaking.

"Roman? Where are you? Why aren't you outside?" Patton spoke before Roman, which made the boy curse himself - why didn't he wait!?

"The-there's a man chasing me" Roman whispered quietly in case he would be caught, shuffling further against the tall bin. "Please help me, dad" he cried quietly, whimpering. In that moment, Patton felt his heart stop, all life draining from his being as he replayed what Roman said over and over. "Roman, I need you to stay calm, where are you?" He tried to keep his composure, sitting back inside his car, his other kids talking to each other, clueless.

Roman followed his dad's instructions, explaining where he was while often peaking around the side of the bins to see if he could spot the man. All he could see was a small section of the road, no black car in sight. He tried to calm down from that, but the chances of the man finding him were still high - and he knew that. Patton rushed down the street, but didn't go too fast, very aware of his other kids in the back seat who all giggled in excitement at the fast speed.

Patton's eyes scanned the scenery, turning onto the street Roman was on. He parked his car, eyes narrowing on a man who was slowly walking down the street, pausing beside an alley. Patton stopped breathing for a moment, but his slight paralysation didn't last, for he dropped his phone, jumped out his car and sprinted down the street faster than he's ever moved in his life. Gripping the man by the back of his shirt, he slammed him into the wall with sudden strength from his pumping adrenaline, reeling his arm back to punch the tall man right in his nose, feeling something crack under his knuckles.

Leaving the man to fall to the floor, Patton found Roman sitting beside a bin and picked him up, cradling him to his chest while darting back to his car, relieved all his kids were now safe in his presence. He drove home with a hammering heart, holding Roman tightly when they were in the garage.

"Roman, why didn't you stay at school?" Patton whispered into his hair, holding him tighter. All Roman did in response was wail pathetically, fumbling to grip onto Patton's cardigan. Patton sat Roman in the living room, telling Remy and Deceit to care for Virgil in the play room - they did without question.

"Roman, why did you walk on your own without telling me?"

Roman sniffled loudly, messing with his sleeves. "I-I thought I would help 'cus-'cus you were busy..I-I'm sorry" his face twisted up as he began to cry again, and Patton held him close for awhile, carding a hand through his hair delicately. "Don't worry, little Prince, you did so well, promise to never do that again, until you're older?" Roman nodded fast with no arguing, tiredly slumping against his dad who kissed his hair gently.

"Why don't we all watch a Disney movie, huh?"

Roman cracked a smile and nodded, never leaving his fathers lap, his younger siblings cuddling up from either side with Virgil situated comfortably in his lap.

—

I'm scared that you won't be waiting on the other side

9:47pm

Bonus: Roman's older, and has learned more code words

—

"I'm just gonna call my son real quick, see how things are" Patton smiled to his date who nodded and sipped from his wine. Patton pulled out his phone and dialled Roman's number. Said boy was sitting beside Logan, the two going back and forth about some civil debate one of them started up. When his phone rang, he held up one finger to Logan who rolled his eyes and tapped his finger against the arm of the couch.

Deceit and Remy glanced up from what they were doing, but their interest was lost moments later. Virgil, who was colouring in, focused more on Roman as he answered the call and put it on speaker.

"Greetings, padre" he grinned, "Hows the date?"

"Oh! It's wonderful! How're you, little prince?"

Roman sat up in his seat, "I don't know, I heard a noise from the basement, me and the little ones are in my room, can you come home?" He swatted Logan when he opened his mouth to speak, obviously quite confused in Roman's sudden change of demeanour, and why he lied.

"Really? Okay, I'll come home straight away! Stay safe!"

The call hung up and Roman smiled, pocketing his phone, ready to fall back into the debate when Logan spoke before him. "Why did you lie? Are you purposely trying to sabotage his date?"

"Awh, babes" Remy cooed from across the room, "dad didn't tell you of the new code" they grinned smugly, Deceit snorting afterwards. "No, he did not. What is it?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow at Roman who sighed over dramatically, as if explaining it is such a big effort. "If he wants to get away on a date and has no other excuse, he calls us and tells us the dates going 'wonderful' - which means we ask him to come home" he shrugged, shooting him a sly smirk, slithering onto the ground beside Virgil who looked utterly lost, his big brown wide eyes staring up at his older brother through his bangs.

"Dad's coming home" he murmured, which made him sit up straighter, and stare at the living room door expectingly. Roman smiled and helped him colour in, Logan resorting to talking to Remy who actually had a lot of questions about sexualities and how Logan discovered his own - the eldest sibling was happy to help.

Soon, the door opened, and Patton was in the doorway, Virgil stumbling over to his legs and making grabby hands up towards him. Patton cooed and scooped him up, kissing his forehead lightly. "Hey, little diamond" he whispered, tickling his stomach lightly, earning an adorable, high-pitched laugh.

"The date went wonderfully, I presume?" Deceit smirked, fake-groaning when Patton kissed his forehead. "Hush, little snake, he just wasn't my type" Deceit shrugged, murmuring about more fish in the sea. Patton thanked him quietly, giving each of his children a forehead kiss before hiding himself away in the kitchen.

"Don't worry, ladies" Remy stood up, "I'll talk to him" they added, leaving the room to go after their dad. They found him sitting at the table, slowly sipping some orange juice while staring at the table, forlorn. Remy took a seat beside him, returning the weak smile they received.

"You'll find the one someday"

"Will I?" Patton murmured.

"Seven point five billion people, girl! Think of all the possibilities" Remy smirked when they got Patton to chuckle, happy they rose his mood.

"Thanks, little sun"

"Don't mention it, little bitch"

"Language!"

—

10:21pm