Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Logan Sanders was five years old, his parents died.

A plane crash. Technical failures, they said. Nobody had seen it coming, and by the time they did, it was far too late. He had been staying with his grandmother when they found out. She had been taking care of him while they were on vacation. He still remembered what happened. His grandmother had answered the phone smiling, but by the end of the conversation she had been on the couch, sobbing, and asking him to come speak with her for a moment.

He barely even remembered what they looked like.

His grandmother had wanted to continue caring for him, but she had been getting on in age, and her health had been slowly declining. So, the courts decided that the best place for Logan to be would be the foster care system.

At this point, Logan had started kindergarten. He had just begun living with a new family, and they insisted he started school at the same time as everyone else. Logan enjoyed school, it let him learn, which is something he greatly enjoyed, but there was one thing wrong with school.

They lied.

School said that everyone was your friend, some people even had best friends. But, Logan had no friends. No one wanted to talk to Logan during recess. No one wanted to be his library buddy or his nap time partner. All the other kids had partners and friends they talked to, why couldn't Logan have the same thing?

His foster family told him it was because he was broken, that no one wanted to be friends with the orphan. Logan wasn't even sure most of his class knew what orphan meant, never mind actively ignoring him for that reason. Something else had to be wrong with him.

As the years passed on, Logan was passed from foster family to foster family. Some were nice, others were not, but one thing remained the same. None of these families wanted him. At least his lack of friends was also consistent. At this point though, Logan didn't care. He had discovered a love for books somewhere between the fourth and fifth foster homes, and now fictional characters were his friends. He didn't need real ones.

Until Patton Hart came along.

He had just moved to the city that year from another town, and immediately became a school favourite. Always with a smile (and extra cookies!) Patton was everyone's favourite kid. Which is why Logan was so confused when the boy approached him at lunch one day.

“Hey Logan!”

Logan looked up from the book he had been reading. Patton was there, circular glasses in front of his bright eyes as he waved. He closed his book as Patton sat down at his table.

“Salutations, Patton. May I inquire about why you are seated here?”

If Patton was surprised at the formal language, he didn’t show it. He just smiled again (God, does this boy ever not smile?) before beginning to speak in a bubbly voice.

“I just wanted to say hi! You seemed so lonely over here, I wanted to cheer you up!”

“Well Patton, I was doing adequate by myself, so I’m afraid your attempts were futile.”

Now Patton seemed surprised at the clear dismissal in Logan’s voice. He craned his neck to see the book in the other boy’s lap.

“Whatcha reading there?”

“What are you, and it’s Sherlock Holmes.”

“Ooh, that’s the mystery guy, right?”

“He’s a detective. So yes, I suppose, he could be referred to as ‘the mystery guy’.”

Patton laughed, “Logan, I had no clue you were so funny!”

Logan wasn’t sure what he had said that was ‘so funny’. But, this was the kindest anyone had been to him in years, so he brushed it off.

After a little bit more talking, Patton invited Logan to hang out with him at lunch the next day. Hesitating for a moment, Logan agreed. How bad could it be?

Turns out, it wasn’t that bad. Everybody loved Patton, which meant that the people he hung out with were generally immune to teasing, which was a new experience for Logan. For once, no one was trying to trip him in the hallways, no one was trying to take what little money he was given for lunches when his foster families didn't stock enough food in the house, all that was over. All because of Patton.

The two of them had gotten close too. The first time Patton called Logan his friend, he nearly cried. The first time Patton called him his best friend, he actually did. The two hung out constantly, conversations flowing easily and silence being just as comfortable.

Logan was sure this friendship would last forever.

Boy, was he wrong.

Chapter Text

Middle school passed, full of sleepovers, tests, and entering the world of the internet. The two were attached at the hip, sitting together at lunch and always partnering up for projects in their shared classes. They had other friends, sure, but their priorities were each other.

Then came high school.

Ah yes, high school. Every teenager's favourite place.

That seemed the case for Patton, at least. He walked into his first day full of smiles and cookies and ready to make friends. And he succeeded, too. After only a week at their new school he had managed to make a close-knit group of friends, and had joined so many clubs and teams no one knew how he had time for homework.

Logan on the other hand, struggled with the switch. He had been wary of people his whole life, how could he make friends with people he didn't know? So he sat on the sidelines and watched his best friend become known throughout the school as everyone's friend, while he sat there unnoticed. Alone.

~

It was a surprise it hadn't happened sooner.

With his only friend always off talking to a student about their problems or assisting a teacher with their heavy load, it left Logan a lot of time in solitude. A solitude that got interrupted by a group of teenagers one day in his freshman year. They walked up to him at lunch while he was sitting and eating his pitiful lunch alone. The tallest moved forward and looked down on him menacingly.

"Hey kid" the leader said in a gruff voice, "those fists look like they've seen some action. Any good with 'em?"

Logan looked down at his knuckles. They were bandaged from last night with his newest foster 'father'. He had begun to fight back against the man, but his body hadn't quite agreed with him. Besides, it's not like it did him any good. But he wasn't about to tell this complete stranger that. So, Logan nodded slightly, and watched as the leader's grimace turned into a grin.

At the motion of the leader, the rest of the group surrounded him, taking up the rest of the seats at the table, as the leader took the spot directly across Logan. He leaned in slightly, and began to talk quietly.

Logan listened with an uninterested face as the leader talked. Apparently the group had started some mischief in the area. Nothing big yet, just the odd vandalism here and there. But, they had plans to get bigger. And they saw Logan, quiet and all alone, and thought he'd be a good fit. A good fit for a potential gang.

Logan went to immediately refuse, he didn't do that kind of thing. But, he spared a glance across the cafeteria. Patton, surrounded by friends, was animatedly telling a story, everyone around him paying attention. He had friends. He didn't need Logan anymore.

Logan took a deep breath, and said goodbye to him from his childhood. The child who was a stickler for the rules, the child who made sure everyone was enjoying themselves. The child who was curious, who wanted to know everything he could. The child who was innocent and free. Logan looked the leader in the eyes, and agreed to join them.

How far the mighty have fallen.

~

Logan had changed, Patton could tell.

Right as they entered high school, his friend had seemed more closed off. He talked less, wasn't as excited or eager to share his knowledge, and wasn’t jumping to join clubs and teams Patton knew he would enjoy. Yes, Patton had been busy. It's just that high-school was so exciting! There were all these new people and opportunities, he couldn't help it! He felt bad for leaving Logan behind a little, sure he did, but Logan couldn't blame him for wanting to live, could he? After all, they were still best friends.

Except once the two began hanging out again, something had changed between them. Logan seemed more reserved, closed off, and Patton had no idea why. Until one day in the middle of the year when Logan came up to him with a bloody nose.

"Oh my god Logan!" Patton cried, concerned, "Are you okay? What happened?"

"It's nothing, Pat. Just a fight." Logan replied, far too casually in Patton's opinion.

"What do you mean, nothing? Who were you fighting? Why?"

"No one, Patton! Just drop it, okay?" Logan snapped, and Patton took a step back.

"Fine then."

By the time they spoke next, Logan's nose had healed, and he pretended it never happened.

This seemed to be the system. Logan would get hurt from an unknown source (usually a fight of some kind), Patton would be concerned, and Logan would tell him to leave it alone. Most of the time Patton did, albeit reluctantly. He didn't like seeing anyone hurt, most of all his best friend.

~

One day, it became too much.

It had begun a normal day. Patton and Logan had walked to school together as always, talking and laughing together. It had seemed stilted as of late, but the two tried to not let it show. Once they arrived, they split up to go to their lockers. From there, Patton went to meet up with some of his other friends, while Logan met up with his.

Logan's gang skipped class, as they always did. Logan didn't care, there was no one at home that was going to be receiving a call about it. No one who would care, at least. They went to a nearby park, leaning against the benches. As they discussed their plans for the day, Logan glanced around at the group.

There were the three he was closest to, Remus, Janus, and Virgil. Logan might even call them his friends, if he was the kind of person to have those anymore. The four of them had very quickly risen to the top of their little gang, the other three choosing Logan specifically to be their head. So, if one were to really care about this sort of thing, Logan would be the leader of this ragtag group of teenagers that called themselves a gang. He didn't care though, much more content to let the others plan out the 'fun' activities, while he did most of the logistics, and making sure they didn't get caught. That's not to say he didn't join in once in a while.

Virgil and him were very similar. The other boy was very anxious, always worried about the gang getting caught in the act and in trouble. So, he stayed with Logan most of the time, planning and watching while the activities took place. Janus Janus and Remus on the other hand, were nearly completely opposites. Janus could be very manipulative when they wanted to be, which proved helpful while negotiating with other gangs. They also certainly didn't oppose getting their hands a bit dirty, as the saying went. Remus was the same. Xe always wanted to jump into the fray and fight someone. Of the whole gang, xe were usually the one the most injured after a fight with a rival, but xe were also the one who inflicted the most damage. They were a strange group, but they worked.

Today was their most ambitious plan yet. They mostly stuck to graffiti, and the occasional jumping of someone who they thought deserved it. There were a lot of people who the group thought fit that category. There had been rumors of another gang starting, composed of quite a few people they had fought in the past, and the gang was not eager to let this rival group truly begin. So, they would be putting a stop to it. Even Logan was getting in on the action, and he, along with his friends, could not wait.

~

As Logan left the school yard, blood dripping down him, he noticed Patton running towards him, a smile on his face.

Fuck. Logan forgot today was the day he and Patton planned to hang out, to "catch up", as his friend had put it.

"Oh my gosh, Logie, what happened?" Patton cried, looking at him concerned.

"It's nothing, Pat." Logan replied, as he always did.

"No! It's not nothing!" Patton snapped, and Logan took a step back in shock. This was new.

Students began to crowd around the front of the school, watching them. Most hadn't ever seen Patton, usually so kind and friendly, this angry. Some kids even had their phones out, filming the event.

"I can't do this anymore, Logan!" Patton shouted, tears streaming down his face. "I can't take the fights and the blood and the fact that you're going to get seriously hurt one day and there's nothing I can do about it! Either stop with all this, or I'm done. I can't take it anymore…"

"Patton, I-" He stammered, desperate. The crowds were around him, making noises, there was too much going on.

"What?"

"I...I can't."

"Well, you've made your choice, I've made mine. Have a nice life, Logan. I hope you don't regret today, because I sure won't."

With that, he left.

And Logan was alone.

Chapter Text

~15 years later~

The bakery smelled like freshly baked bread. Rows of pastries and other treats sat behind a glass cabinet, trays filled with samples on top. A cash register beside it, with a line of people waiting to order and pay.

Patton, the worker behind the register, glanced at the line, and the smile he wore became just a little more forced. He loved his job, but it could get tiring at times. He usually rotated between helping bake the delicious treats the bakery sold, and working the register. But, as a favourite of the customers, more often than not he was doing the latter.

The next customer walked up to meet him at the register and began ordering, a long list in front of her. It was a woman, and the tone of her voice indicated that unless Patton did everything he could to please her, she would be asking to speak to his manager. So, he sucked it up, smiling politely as the lady ordered, and ignored her snide comments as he grabbed her pastires. He sighed in relief once the lady left (without even leaving a tip!) as the next person moved up to order. Patton sighed in relief as he recognized the man.

"Roman!"

"Hey Padre! The usual for me, how have you been?"

Roman had been Patton's best friend in high-school. After he and Logan...fell apart, Roman was the one who helped him recover, and go back to being his happy pappy self. The two had continued to stay close throughout college, and now the aspiring actor always visited him during shifts at the bakery, and they made plans for movies and dinner almost every week. The two were close as could be.

The two caught up quickly as Patton prepared Roman's usual order, promising to hang out that night for a movie. After Patton rang it up, Roman left, and Patton continued serving the next person in line.

~

After his shift finally ended, Patton collected his belongings, said goodbye to his coworkers, and left the bakery for the day. He was typing on his phone, responding to a text from Roman about their next movie night, when he accidentally bumped into someone.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!"

As Patton looked at the person he had just walked into, he noticed with shock that they looked like someone Patton used to know very well.

"Logan?"

~ • ~

They sat at a circular wooden table, Logan at the head, Janus at his right hand side. Virgil and Remus a couple chairs down, with other caporegimes seated too. Logan hadn't bothered to learn their names. He nodded to Janus to begin, and the meeting began.

Ever since Patton and him had broken apart, Logan had fallen even deeper into a life of crime. Their little, ragtag gang grew, becoming an intimidating mob with him at the head. They targeted corporations, specifically CEO's who profited off of others' hard work and suffering. Their associates did most of the dirty work, but those seated at the table were the ones who planned what had to be done.

There was Logan, the boss. He ran the whole production, doing his best to make sure those who worked for him didn't get caught, while still accomplishing all their goals. His underboss was Janus: cunning, manipulative, and all too willing to do whatever they needed to to get their way. One would have thought they would be better as the boss, but Janus claimed they were happy with their role and didn't want to have any more responsibilities than they already did. Just under them, were the caporegimes. Virgil, Remus, and two others, who Logan believed were named Thomas and Terence, though he wasn't totally sure. He had offered his friends higher positions, after all, he was the boss, he could do whatever the hell he wanted. But, they both refused. Virgil because the responsibility of this job already made him anxious enough, and Remus because xe thought it would just mean bad news for the gang. Remus was not meant for responsibility, as xe said themself. So, the two of them ran their teams of soldiers and associates, handing out tasks for them to complete that worked to strengthen the mob and their agenda.

~

A few hours later, their meeting had come to a close. Remus, Virgil, Thomas, and the other caporegimes had new assignments to send out to their teams, and Logan and Janus had a soldier to meet with. There had been rumors of them being a rat, and so they must be dealt with. Those would wait for another day, though. For now, it was the end of the day for the mob.

Logan exited the restaurant the group had made their front, and made his way down the street. The mob wasn't exactly short on money, so they had bought an abandoned storefront, and transformed it into a restaurant, with a basement perfect for their...less public matters. Soldiers and associates not able to go out into the field, whether because of probation, suspension, or another reason altogether, were required to work in the restaurant to keep up appearances. If anyone asked Logan what he did for a living, he told them he was a restaurant owner, alongside a few of his best friends. People thought it was sweet. What fools people often are.

As Logan walked down the street, he was lost in thought, thinking about the next steps being taken to secure both his mob and his dream.

All of a sudden, someone walked into him, and he stumbled back. The person immediately began to stammer out an apology, before staring at him for a moment. Then, a look of shock washed over the other man's face.

"Logan?"

How did this man know his name? As Logan scrambled to cover up his surprise, to deny it, to say he wasn't this Logan person, you must have confused him with someone else, he realized something. This man looked awfully familiar.

Wait a second.

"Patton?"

Chapter Text

The two ex-friends stared at each other. Patton cleared his throat anxiously. The last time he had talked to Logan had been their screaming match all the way back in high-school. But, that had been years ago, Logan must have changed by then. The man in front of him certainly had.

As much as the two stopped being friends, Patton could appreciate when someone was attractive. Logan had grown into his long, gangly, limbs, and Patton could see the outline of muscles through his shirt. His dark hair was neatly combed and styled, and his clothes were put together and formal. Patton noticed with a small glow in his chest that Logan had the same glasses frames from their childhood, the exact same ones that Patton used too. Overall, he looked nothing like the troubled teenager he had seemed to become. 

Patton realized he had been quiet for far too long. 

"Uh, yeah Logan. It's me."

Logan startled at his sudden sentence, before stammering out one of his own.

"Patton, I- I-"

He waited, letting his old friend recollect himself before starting again.

"Would you like to go get a coffee?"

Patton stepped back, surprised. The two hadn't talked in years, yet Logan wanted to go have coffee with him? Patton's instinct was the decline, after what Logan had done, but looking at his old friend, at his put together appearance, he realized he didn't know the man in front of him at all. Clearly, he had gotten his life turned around, and it wasn't fair of Patton to judge Logan for what he was like as a teenager. Teenagers are stupid. God, did Patton know that. 

He hesitated a moment, before smiling at his once friend.

"Sure, Lo. I'd love to."

~

Logan didn't know what had come over him to make him ask such a thing.

Perhaps it was the shock of seeing Patton again after so long. Perhaps it was the thought of how attractive his old friend had become. Perhaps it was because even after all these years running a mob, with three of his best and only friends, he was still lonely. Maybe it was a mix of all three. There was no way to know for sure, and Logan was content to keep it that way. 

He was even more surprised though, when Patton said yes. The two hadn't spoken in years, it was sure to be awkward. Logan knew nothing about his life, and Patton knew nothing about his. He had no clue who Patton was close to, if he even saw anyone from school anymore.

But, Patton had said yes. So, the two walked down the busy street, engaging in small talk about the communities and the weather. The serious talk would wait until they were seated at a table, preferably with some caffeine between them.

Once they arrived at the nearest café, Deja Brew, Logan opened the door for Patton, who nodded gratefully before stepping inside. 

The café was lively, buzzing with people despite the later hour. The two got in the line, making their way to the front quite quickly despite the number of people there. They were met with a barista sporting sunglasses, the name tag Remy flashed at the two. 

"Medium black coffee for me, please. Patton?"

"I'll have a French vanilla frappuccino, thanks Remy!"

The barista paused at the mention of their name. 

"No probs, babes. Now which one of y'all will be paying for this?"

Logan moved forward slightly, cash already in hand.

"I got it." Logan pressed the money into Remy's hand before Patton could move.

"Lo, I could've paid for my own." Patton protested, though they remained unanswered. After Logan paid, the two waited on the side for a moment while their drinks were made. 

Once the two had collected their drinks, they searched for an unoccupied table. After a little searching, they found one hidden in the back corner, already set up for two. They sat down, and there was silence, too long to be considered normal. Patton shifted slightly. Logan cleared his throat, thoughts racing. This had been a bad idea, they hadn't spoken in years, what had made him think that asking him out for coffee would end well, why-

"So, uh, Logan. How have you been?" Patton asked awkwardly. He looked about as uncomfortable as Logan felt, but an attempt at communicating had been made. Logan felt the least he could do was make an attempt back.

"Oh, I've been alright. How about you? Have you remained in contact with anyone from high school?"

"Sure have! Me and Roman chat all the time. You remember him, don't ya?"

Logan nodded in affirmative, and Patton beamed, before continuing.

"I actually work at a bakery now, you remember how much I love cookies. What have you been up to? Do you still talk to your...old friends?"

Patton's face pinched slightly at the mention of his friends, and Logan felt a lump rise in his chest. On one hand, he was still very much involved with crime in the city, hell he was the boss of it. But, if he told Patton that he was still connected with it and his old gang, he knew Patton would get up and leave then and there, with no hope of them reconnecting. And Logan, loathe as he was to admit it, found himself needing this old connection between them. As much as starting this new potential friendship off with a lie wouldn't be a good start, it was something Logan was very used to doing.

"Oh, I own a restaurant now, over on 96th. You should come visit sometime. My old...friends work there too, managers of the place."

At Patton's disbelieving look, Logan reached a hand out, channeling Janus' charm and manipulative skills.

"Patton, I promise you, I'm past all of that in highschool. We were dumb teenagers who made dumb decisions. But, there's nothing we can do about it now, and I only hope you can forgive me."

Patton smiled slightly, and the sight of that smile being directed towards him made Logan's heart melt ever so slightly. It had been far too long since he had last seen that face.

"Oh Logan, of course I forgive you."

~

The two continued talking for hours, topics flowing easily after that first conversation ended. Eventually, Patton said he had to go, to meet Roman for a promised movie night.

"Of course, Patton. I do not wish to keep you while you have other matters to attend to."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Lo. We need to do this again sometime. How's next week, same place, same time?"

"That would be satisfactory, Patton. I assume your number from highschool is the same?"

"Yeppers! Perfect! Well, I better go. See you next week, Lo!"

Logan barely got the chance to utter a goodbye to Patton before the man had bounded away. What were the chances he would run into Patton and the two would reconnect?

And what were the chances Logan would ruin it?

Chapter Text

The two met together the next week, the week after, and the week after that, until it became a tradition. They would meet at Deja Brew , ordering their usual drinks. Then, they would sit down, in that same back corner table. (Save that one time it was occupied and they had to sit somewhere else.) There, they would catch up about their week, laughing and comparing stories.

"Fascinating. And he-?"

"Yep, right into the fridge! Oh! Then there was that time he-"

Logan noticed that Patton talked a lot about Roman. He remembered Roman, slightly. He had been a loud, dramatic, teenager, and based on the stories Patton had told him, that hadn't changed. He wasn't sure why, but knowing the two had remained connected, especially in such a seemingly intimate way, had Logan's chest feeling tight and pained.

Once he had asked about their relationship.

"Are you and Roman romantic partners?"

"Oh gosh no! I'm single still, though always ready to mingle." He had given Logan a wink then, and even Logan couldn't deny the red flush that filled his face.

At the end of their most recent get together was when it happened. They had both stood up, and Logan asked the customary question.

"I'll see you next week?"

But, instead of his normal reply of, "Perfect! See you then, Lo!", Patton smiled at him shyly.

"It's a date! If you're okay with that, that is."

Logan felt his brain freeze. He couldn't possibly mean a date as in a romantic outing, could he? With Logan? A blush creeped up his face once more, and he swallowed thickly. He scrambled to answer Patton, realizing he had been silent for far too long.

"That is…satisfactory. It is...a date."

~

A week later found Logan pacing back and forth in his room, Janus, Remus, and Virgil laughing at him. He had gone to his friends, thinking they may be helpful, but now he was lecturing himself for not knowing better. 

"Hey, Lo, don't worry about it, it's just a date! " Remus crowed, earning a glare from Logan.

"Even if we are friends, Remus, I do hope you remember I'm also your boss."

Remus gulped audibly at the hidden threat, though xe tried to cover it up with a "Kinky!"

Logan elected to ignore xem, for now, and turned back to the other two. 

"Please tell me that at least one of you has any clue as to what you're doing."

Virgil just shook his head, but Janus stood up, a proud look in his eye. The underboss walked over to his superior, tilting his head towards Remus.

"Well, me and Remus are happily married, do you think xe had any part in getting that relationship off the ground? Au contraire , my dear, if I hadn't said anything we'd still just be awkward friends."

Remus let out a token protest, before Virgil patted xem on the shoulder as a way to say "let it go." 

"Yes," Logan murmured, "however did you do it?"

"If I knew how, I'd let you know. Suffice to say," Janus said with a smirk, "I have some knowledge in this area. Although, I doubt what worked on Remus here will work with your dear Patton."

Logan nodded his agreement.

The two began to bounce ideas off each other, different ways Logan could impress Patton. Virgil or Remus occasionally contributed as well, though their ideas were often ignored. 

Eventually, the plans were finalized, and the four went to get Logan ready.

~

Patton wasn't sure how he'd come to be in this situation.

He had gotten ready for his date with Logan, with the help of Roman. He had been the one to convince him to even ask Logan in the first place, the least Patton could do was let him help get it ready. 

A half hour before he was supposed to meet Logan, Patton stepped out of the house. He wanted to grab some flowers before they met up. He hoped Logan would appreciate the gesture. As he moved towards his car, he got the feeling he was being watched. But, as Patton turned around, he saw nothing but the bushes planted by his house. Shrugging it off as nerves for the upcoming date, he continued.

He didn't notice as footsteps ran up behind him, and by the time he did it was too late. A handkerchief found its way in front of his mouth, the chemicals being inhaled as Patton felt himself lose consciousness.

~

Logan was just about to leave his house when his phone rang. Remus ran to answer it for him before Logan waved xem off, walking to the corner where the phone was located. He answered, speaking in a cold tone.

"Salutations, may I inquire who this is? I have somewhere to be."

The person on the other line of the phone chuckled darkly. 

"Oh I wouldn't worry too much about getting to your little date, Logie."

Logan's eyes narrowed as his voice became even sharper.

"Orange. What do you want?"

Orange just laughed. 

"It's not about what I want, my dear Logan. It's about what you want. I have the very thing you desire. Or, shall I say, the very person ."

A pause.

"You fucker, what did you do with Patton. Where is he?"

Janus, Virgil, and Remus all gaped at Logan's words, before moving to stand around him.

"Where do you think he'd be? Really, Logie, you're getting slow."

Logan's face grew red, hands shaking as he held the phone. He went to say something else to Orange, most likely containing profanity, but he never got the chance. Orange hung up, and the phone line went dead.

Logan turned to face the other three.

"Get the others," he said, "Patton's been kidnapped."

Chapter Text

As Patton was brought back into consciousness, the first thing he noticed was the bright, fluorescent, lighting. He was in a warehouse, based on the high ceilings and large, open space. 

He noticed something in his mouth, but as he went to remove it, he realized he was bound as well as gagged. He was sitting in an uncomfortable wooden chair, which he immediately tried to wiggle out of. All he managed to do was rock the chair back and forth while choked noises left his lips.

He was so immersed in attempting to escape, he didn't notice the figure approaching from the shadows until they chuckled darkly.

"My Patton, I didn't expect you to be quite...like this."

Patton gasped, looking up at his kidnapper. He was tall and strongly built. Glasses over his face, though Patton could still see the scar running down it. He had quite a few visible scars, mostly on his arms. Most frightening of all though, was the loaded gun in his hand.

Noticing Patton's scared look, the man just laughed.

"You can call me Orange. You're here to get your dumbass boyfriend to show up. He owes me something, and I want my debt paid."

Patton reeled back. This was the kind of person Logan dealt with? People who kidnapped and carried guns? But, Logan had said he left that life behind him. Unless…

He lied to you , his brain helpfully supplied. 

Orange must have noticed Patton's face, because he leaned in closer to the man.

"Did he tell you that he was past all this? He didn't know people like me anymore? That it was all just teenage mistakes?"

At his dejected nod, Orange laughed again.

"Well I hate to break it to you dear, but Logan's a damn good liar. Truth is, he never left this life. Logan's the head of the most feared mob in town. Do you really think that's 'leaving it behind'?"

Patton felt his eyes begin to tear up. Not only was he scared about his current situation, but he was both mad and sad at Logan. Mad at him for lying, for continuing to endanger himself but have the nerve to tell Patton he had stopped, and sad that Logan felt like he couldn't leave. He knew the other's childhood had been rough, helped him through enough apathetic episodes, to know that very well, but knowing Logan was never able to leave this pit he had fallen into broke his heart more than anything.

Orange continued talking.

"As for me, I'm your dear boyfriend's biggest rival. We've always disagreed on how things should be done, and while he rides the top spot on crime in the city, I'm stuck in second place. But, all that will change today. That's why you're here." His grip on the gun tightened, and Patton suddenly felt terrified for his friend.

~

The mob members crowded around the table again, Logan calling their attention.

"We're going on a rescue mission. Patton Hart, a...friend of mine, was kidnapped by our rival, Orange. We're going to go get him back."

"Uh, that doesn't sound like our normal missions, boss." One of the caporegimes spoke up. Janus smirked. They must be new.

"Do you think I fucking care about 'what we normally do'?" Logan whirled around, eyes flashing.

It was in moments like these the mob was reminded why Logan was so dangerous. He was normally quiet, cold and calculating at all times. That was dangerous enough. But, when you got in the way of things he was passionate about, he would explode with a rage so fiery it burned anyone too close, with no control.

Logan turned back to the caporegime who had spoken up. 

"What's your name?"

They, quite reasonably, looked terrified.

"Uh, Thomas, sir."

"Right. Well, thank you Thomas, for volunteering for you and your colleagues to stay behind and do clean up here while I go take care of this myself, since it's 'not what we normally do'. And I'll be speaking to you once I return. Dismissed."

The scared glint in Thomas's eye didn't leave, but he scrambled to get out of the room as fast as possible. The other caporegimes left the room as well, until only Janus, Remus, and Virgil remained.

"Remus, Virgil," Logan said through gritted teeth, "I believe I dismissed the caporegimes ."

"Like we're letting you do this alone." Remus scoffed, Virgil nodding next to xem.

"I will not be alone. Janus will be assisting me, and Patton will be there once we rescue him."

"You sure you don't want us there, Lo?" Virgil asked, a disbelieving look on his face.

"Yes, Virgil. Anymore than two of us and it will be too crowded, too messy. I want you to to stay here and supervise."

As disappointed the two were to not be invited on the mission, they left the room with no further protests, leaving Janus and Logan alone.

"Now," Logan said, Janus next to him, "let's get to work."

~

Janus and Logan stood in front of the warehouse, sizing the place up. It had been quite some time since Logan had last been there, although that was far from the first thing on his mind.

He turned to Janus. 

"You wait out here."

"Are you insane? I'm not letting you near that guy by yourself!"

"Janus," Logan put a hand on his underboss' shoulder, "do not worry about me. We've dealt with Orange before, he's nothing but a nuisance. Besides, this is between him and I. I can almost guarantee you no one else from his group is in that space with him. If it makes you feel any better, you may stay out here and keep watch for any suspicious movement. I'll be back shortly, with Patton. Got it?"

Janus nodded, and Logan smiled tightly. He hesitated a moment, before bringing his best friend into a quick hug. As soon as possible, he moved towards the door of the warehouse, and slipped inside.

Janus just laughed quietly, before taking watch. His boss was a funny man.

~

Logan ran into the warehouse, gun already drawn. He began calling out for Orange.

"Where are you, you fucker?"

He saw Patton, bound and gagged to a chair, and his heart clenched at the sight of the other.

"Patton!"

Patton heard him, but made no move to acknowledge his presence. Logan's already fragile heart cracked. Of course. Of course Patton had found out he lied. How could he not have?

Logan felt something behind him, and he whirled around to face Orange.

"My, my, Logan, we meet again," Orange smirked, gun loosely held in his hand. "how kind of you to join me." 

"Orange," Logan growled. His grip on the gun tightened as he pointed it at Orange, who seemed unbothered.

"Why don't we get started then, huh? I'll give you back your pretty little boytoy if-" 

The smile on Orange's face froze, as he dropped to his knees and collapsed to the floor, dead. Logan dropped the smoking gun in his hand before running over to Patton.

Logan's heart clenched as Patton shrunk away the closer he got. The poor man was shaking, not that anyone could blame him, he was kidnapped and witnessed a murder all in one day.

"Patton, Patton, look at me, you're okay, I got you." Logan removed the gag, and Patton immediately lashed out.

"Okay? How can I be okay, Logan, when not only am I kidnapped and then forced to watch said kidnapper die, but I also find out the person who I want to date is a mob boss!"

Logan took a few moments to process Patton's outburst before responding.

"You-want to date me?"

"Seriously? That's what you took from that?"

"It just seemed like the easiest to respond to."

"Yeah? Well respond to this. Why did you lie to me?"

Logan took even longer to respond, instead quietly untying Patton's bonds. He tried to stand up on shaky legs, and Logan helped steady him.

"I suppose," he eventually began, "that I was afraid. Afraid that you would never want to talk to me again. Afraid that I would be all alone, just like I was then. Afraid that I would be abandoned by my best friend, not once, but twice." 

Patton wasn't sure, but he thought Logan may have been crying.

"Oh, honey," he said gently, "it's okay to be afraid. And while I don't exactly...agree with your occupation, it's something we can talk about another day. Alright?"

Logan nodded slightly, a slight smile on his face. He helped Patton stand up, and together they slowly walked out of the warehouse.

They would figure it out.

Together.