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clemjolichose · 2 years

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Would You Be So Kind?

Summary: During his college years, Patton falls in love with a boy he often sees at the coffee shop in the morning. His best friend Emile helps him approach the very handsome young man.

AU: Burning Pile - a college Sanders Sides AU. This one-shot takes place before the main events of the AU and represents Logan, Patton, Emile and Remy’s backstories.

Characters: Logan (he/him), Patton (he/they), Emile (he/she), Remy (he/him), Willy (OC, he/him)

Pairings: logicality (Logan x Patton) and remile (Remy x Emile)

TW/CW: ableism, fatphobia (for one interaction around the middle)

Patton Warren and Emile Picani had only entered the Remy's when the second man exclaimed:

"Oh! Cutie at twelve o'clock!"

Patton looked and blushed immediately.

"Shush! He will hear you!"

He put a finger over his own mouth, accompanying his words with a shushing gesture. Emile laughed it off and walked over to the counter, turning to the barista. He smiled at him and laughed awkwardly, all flirtatious.

"Hey Rem- hum, my friend and I would like your darkest coffee, as usual."

The man wiggled his eyebrows, making the barista laugh.

"As dark as your soul, I suppose? All right, two cups of cream coming up!"

He turned around to just prepare their usual - and not two cups of cream - as Emile watched him. Patton, however, was a little distracted by the first cutie spotted when they entered the coffee shop. He had already seen his face around the campus, but every time his heart failed him like the first, skipping beats and accelerating. His stomach would twist at the thought of talking to this stranger, hearing his voice... though he never entertained the idea long enough to build up the courage to do it. It didn't matter how many times Emile pushed him towards him. It had been two months now and they still didn't know his name or what he was studying here.

"Hey, sleeping beauty, you can get your coffee now, Remy teased him, handing him the cup."

Patton snapped back into reality and blinked a few times at the barista who laughed again.

"You're really all head over heels for him. Falling hard, uh? Can't blame you, you have the same look as Emily.

-You call Em "Emily"? Patton asked, finally taking the cup.

-Yeah, well, he's real cute. You better run back to him or he'll start thinking something is up, Remy advised him."

Patton turned his head to see Emile waving at him from a table. He hesitated.

"He paid for you, you'll pay next time; the barista informed him."

So he smiled at Remy while walking over to his best friend.

Logan had been here for an hour, barely looking up from his notebook and textbooks scattered around the table. He sometimes sipped from his black coffee in which he secretly added liquor. Not that he liked the taste, but it was to keep him going. The stress of being near the finals of the first semester was getting to him and he needed this to not fall apart. After all, he was already doing that in high school, which, of course, should be considered a bad idea because he was a teenager. The thing is: as long as he was getting perfect grades, it didn't matter how he was doing it. Nobody cared. So he kept doing it and it started being a habit - and Logan really struggled to fall out of it, or get another one. His autistic brain had found a way to cope with the stress of being inadequate and no other methods could get to that level. He was fucked...

Still, he didn't drink too much alcohol at once. Only a sip of liquor in a coffee every now and then, not more than once a week. Though he knew that alcoholism was around the corner, waiting for him, he just didn't want to think about it. Losing himself and his sense of reality into his work was the best way to forget about it. And that was how he didn't spot the two guys loudly talking about him. Remy hadn't missed them though and was about to make things move fast.

There weren't a lot of clients, actually no one was coming in, so Remy got out from behind the counter and walked over to Patton and Emile, sitting beside them on a reversed chair. He supported himself by putting his crossed arms on the backrest.

"Hey, by the way, the Remy's will host a game show tomorrow night. Something chill, so people can get to know each other. I was wondering if two cute, clever guys like you would like to come and bless us with their presence?"

Both men blushed and giggled softly, but Emile was definitely the most flustered. Patton answered for the both of them:

"Yeah, that could be fun. What time?

-Six pm, be on time 'cause I know someone will."

Remy eyed over to Logan who had just rolled his sleeves all the way above his elbows. It was Patton's turn to get flustered and Emile's turn to answer, hooking his arm around his friend's shoulders.

"We will be there. Thanks!"

With a satisfied and rather proud expression, Remy rose up. He gave a last piece of information before returning to his job, though:

"He will want to get first place in the Trivia Game. Make him know you're clever, get on his team, and win his heart. That's the way."

And with those words, he fingerguned his way out.

Patton was freaking out. They had nothing to wear for a fun night out on the town - or on the campus! At least Emile, as a good roommate and best friend, was supporting them through a mental breakdown during which they changed their mind. Sitting at the end of their bed, their head in their hands, they were almost crying.

"Come on, Pat! It's gonna be okay!"

Emile held them, caressing their back with a smile.

"I know it means a lot to you. Hey- how about this: you go through my wardrobe and find something to wear there. Does it sound good?"

Patton lifted their head and wiped their cheeks.

"Yeah, huh, why not.

-Rise up then, Sleeping Beauty, it's time to get you changed to meet your Prince Charming before midnight.

-I think you're mixing tales..."

They both laughed while walking over to Emile's bedroom.

An hour or so later, Emile and Patton stepped in the Remy's, the music playing loudly with people dancing in the middle of the room where tables have been removed. Emile approached the young owner.

"Hey, you turned it into a nightclub.

-That wasn't the idea but someone took the DJ's place and I don't know where she went, Remy answered, lowering his glasses to look at Emile.

-Have you checked the bathroom? Patton said."

He shook his head.

"I should go. Are you coming with me, Emile?"

The man nodded excitedly and followed his crush to the bathroom, leaving Patton alone with a sorry expression, mouthing the word to them. He brushed it off, putting his thumbs up in encouragement. When both men were out of sight, he settled in a quiet corner before being approached by Remy's former boss - Willy. Willy sat down near them and talked to him:

"Look at that! That poor coffee shop! This not a way to keep the place nice, nay.

-It's students having fun. I wish we had a place like that when I started my studies here."

Patton looked at the people dancing with a pleased smile. Willy thought the student would agree with him, since he was just left by his friend and sitting in the corner, but they were happy seeing people happy, and right now the room was filled with laughter. He was just a grumpy old man before even reaching 40. He didn't answer, only muttering curses about the young generations that sometimes made Patton giggled. Willy was never hurtful, and could actually agree that progress was nice - he was himself a gay man after all - but he also didn't know how to express his feelings except through complaints. That's what his father did and his father's father before him. Patton never minded his company, nor did Remy who liked complaining with him or poking fun at him from time to time. Another person never minded him, and was actually eager to see him: Patton's crush. When he rolled over to them and settled next to Willy, Patton blushed and fell silent. He wished he had a drink to look down to and avert his eyes from the prettiest boy he had ever seen.

"Good evening, Willy. I didn't think you would come, the nerd greeted him with a low voice."

This wasn't the first time Patton heard him, but his voice was so deep and regular, almost like a bass rhythm that made his heart beat faster and louder - if the loud music didn't already.

"Well, you told me you'd be here, Willy answered sincerely. Though I don't know how the sound doesn't trigger you.

-Ear plugs.

-Ah, of course."

Patton had never heard Willy so relaxed. He was actually amazed hearing the two of them interact. Though it didn't last long because some dudes walked up to them, already laughing, looking like jerks already.

"Hey, what's up nerd? Not you since you're stuck in that chair!"

They high-fived and Patton's blood boiled in anger. They looked over at the said nerd who was looking at his legs, clutching his wheelchair's massive armrests. They were about to stand up when Willy snapped back, holding his cane in a threatening manner.

"You fuckers better go off and learn some respect before I kick your asses 'til you bleed! And I've done that to policemen in the 1980s so don't try me."

One of the guys went pale and tried to escape with his friend, but the other laughed.

"What you're gonna do, old man? You can't catch up if we run.

-See if you can run first. I'll have you on the ground."

They were getting close to fighting and the target of the mockery was very much upset, seeing how clenched his jaw was. Patton stepped in:

"You boys get off before I call Remy. You're just mean because you didn't find something else interesting to do, like getting girls. Be alone in another corner and let nice people enjoy nice things - that means not you.

-Oh, the fat boy is getting angry, the man cooed annoyingly. So what, you'll sit on us and make us suffocate? That's no muscle there, I bet I can lift you up."

So Patton did the only thing left to do: thanks to his smaller body, but very strong - the mean student was very wrong about Pat's strength - he kicked him right in the nuts. The boy fell and was led away by his scared friend. The violence wasn't usual for Patton and that made him snap back in reality. He turned to the man in the wheelchair who was breathing heavily while Willy was still cursing about them.

"Hey, are you alright? Do you mind if I-"

Patton was about to touch his hand in the hope to unclench it as he was visibly hurting himself, but he quickly shook his head, a movement so wide he might have pulled his neck.

"Okay, I'm not touching you, that's fine. You're fine, they're not there anymore."

They tried to talk loud enough to be heard, but not too much so he could still sound soft. The man wouldn't look up, his body tense.

"We should go outside, get you in a safe place where you can calm down. Can I touch your wheelchair to push you outside?"

He wasn't answering. Willy, who was finished cursing the jerks, explained:

"He's having a meltdown, he won't talk to you, you know...

-I'm not asking him to talk, there are other ways of communicating if we're willing to actually use empathy.

-We don't have the time, the older man sighed, annoyed."

He took the wheelchairs handles but then the man sitting in it jerked up, his hand flailing to Willy, smacking him to push him away.

"Ah fuck, Logan. You little shit."

And Patton understood the situation was very wrong.

"You should apologise to him, they said firmly, looking down at Willy.

-What? That shit hurts-

-Apologise now. Do you like to be respected? He would like that too and you showed disregard for his consent, so apologise!"

Willy stood there for a moment, leaning on his cane. Then he sighed again.

"You're right. Sorry boy, I didn't mean to hurt you. It was my fault."

Just like that, Logan calmed down, as if the guilt was removed from his shoulders and the sense of justice was rushing through him - a pleasant sensation for once. He looked up to stare at Patton's face, though not their eyes the student noted, saying nothing and standing still. After a moment, Patton asked again:

"Do you want me to push you outside?"

Logan nodded. Relieved, Patton turned around, took the handles and slowly made their way out. Willy stayed inside, ruminating about what he's done to the poor boy.

Outside, the air was chill and made the two men shiver. Logan squirmed and moaned in displeasure. Glancing over to him, Patton took off their scarf and showed it to him. When Logan looked at him with expectant eyes, not entirely understanding, they very slowly put it around him, smiling.

"There. Don't get cold."

Logan chuckled and snuggled in the soft light blue scarf. He looked away, very much embarrassed anyone had to see him during one of his meltdowns. He even smacked someone! But this kind stranger, who seemed so concerned about goodness and shoulds, stayed with him and didn't hold it against him. It was odd and he felt like he was about to be manipulated - a defence mechanism, though it fell apart when they spoke:

"So, do you have a partner for tonight's trivia game? It's in groups of two and I didn't find anyone."

He shook his head.

"Aw, too bad. Well, not really, because that means we can team up and win that game! Wouldn't it be fun?"

Logan chuckled while removing his ear plugs, now much more collected - there was something about the man next to him that calmed him in the most troubling, exciting, tender way.

"Weren't you with a friend?

-Emile? Oh, he plans to flirt with Remy all night. I don't want to be third wheeling.

-Third wheel- but you're... human."

Logan sounded genuinely confused about the expression, so Patton explained it - it was like explaining how college and city life worked to their parents. They were used to explaining things that looked easy to understand for some people, or even things that were the norm. But Patton wasn't normal, nor their family was, not even their best friend Emile. And they were more than happy to see their crush wasn't either, as they were afraid he would make fun of them.

"Being the third wheel is an expression - you say that about someone who is with friends that are in a relationship. The friends show their affection in front of the third person so that person becomes a third wheel, a witness of their affection.

-Ah, I see, Logan realised. Is it because a bicycle has two wheels so a third would be unnecessary? The third friend is the unnecessary wheel?

-That is a harsh way to put it but yeah. I mean, it really isn't far from the truth, because you feel unnecessary when you're the third wheel. So I better stay with you, huh? We're gonna have so much fun!""

Both of them were deeply focused on their conversation when Willy stepped out of the coffee shop.

"Well, gentlemen, I must head back home. I thought the Trivia Game would start sooner, he told them, playing with his cane's handle.

-Oh, I should try to find Remy, Patton said. I haven't seen him since Emile and him- Oh, I think I know what happened.

-You do that and I get some sleep. I'm sure I'll dream about kicking those bastards' asses."

Logan chuckled, moving back and forth in his wheelchair. Patton noticed it in the corner of their eye and smiled. It made them happy to see their crush so alive and energetic in their own weird way after their meltdown. Willy walked away, waving at Logan.

"You can go and search for Remy, I'll get back inside by myself.

-Alright, I'll get back to you for the game so don't try to hide!"

Patton hurried inside while Logan calmly made his way back into the party.

When Patton entered the restroom, he heard the sound of smooching. He grimaced and knocked on a stall's door.

"Remy?"

Remy and Emile stumbled behind the door, with lots of "shit" and "fuck" and "sorry". When they got out, Patton's best friend was red as ever and dishevelled.

"We weren't doing- Emile tried to say.

-I don't wanna know, Patton cut him out.

-We were just kissing!

-And I'm happy for you but I'm here to get Remy. People are waiting for the game to start."

Remy seemed to remember the game just now as he put his sunglasses back on.

"Thanks for telling me. I was a bit... distracted."

He glanced over at Emile who giggled adorably and Patton smiled. They were cute.

The three of them walked back into the party and Remy reached for the microphone, so Patton joined Logan. Emile winked at his best friend and gave him space to get closer to him.

Logan had a drink with him, calmly waiting for Patton at a table. He smiled at him when he saw him coming.

"What are you having?

-Red wine, Logan answered carelessly. Do you want me to get you a glass?

-They serve red wine?? Patton exclaimed, surprised.

-It's from Remy's personal collection, the man answered with a grin, looking proud."

Patton giggled and acquiesced, so Logan rolled to the counter and stealed Remy's wine bottle. He came back laughing and filled another glass so they could toast. The game started as they both sipped their wine.

The first questions were fairly easy and just a few people were eliminated. Patton and Logan were leading, answering Remy's questions with ease, especially for the nerd. And to celebrate each point, they both drank some wine to the point they were completely drunk by the end of the night and the final questions were a complete black out for Patton.

The next day, Patton tried to talk to Logan at the coffee shop, but he was resolutely silent and wouldn't even look at him.

"Hey, Lo, it's me, don't you remember? We teamed up last night for the game!"

No answer. No smile. No reaction. He sighed, pained to be ignored.

"Hey, did I do something wrong? I know I blacked out last night but if I did anything that embarrassed or hurted you, I would prefer to know about it!"

That somehow got Logan more tense. He was flipping pages while obviously not reading them, actively ignoring him.

"Please, Logan, stop ignoring me."

All of a sudden, Logan looked up in annoyance and sighed.

"I made a mistake last night. That's what happened."

All of Patton's words left his mouth and he couldn't think of an answer. Emile was flirting with Remy at the counter, unaware of what was happening between Patton and Logan.

"I… kissed you, the latter murmured finally, looking down at his textbooks.

-What…"

Patton was more and more confused.

"And it was a mistake, for you? he asked in a tiny tiny voice."

His eyes watered, his heart ached and he was almost choking, unable to talk. When Logan looked up once again, he couldn't help but panic, putting a hand on Patton's arm with a tight grip.

"Fuck, Patton, I'm sorry- What I meant is… Uh, I kissed without your consent, while you were drunk, and you not remembering it is just another proof that I shouldn't have done that."

His hand moved from his arm to his cheek as he was wiping away the tears.

"I don't want to hurt you. I would never hurt you on purpose, he continued."

Patton smiled and Logan's stomach flipped. He wanted to see his smile again, he wanted to see him beaming, shining like the sun outside. He froze there, agape, his eyes darting at the man's lips.

"I know that, silly. And you were drunk too. Phew, I was afraid for a moment there, Patton giggled."

Logan smiled in return.

"Afraid of what? Logan asked, oblivious."

Patton got a little bit closer to his face.

"Afraid of– I don't know, my feelings not being reciprocated."

He played shyness, but was still smiling, knowing what would happen next. At least he hoped it would happen.

"But they are."

Logan was so red, his whole face was burning, and he didn't seem able to act on his feelings. He cleared his voice and talked again before Patton could:

"I've seen you at the theatre. You work at the theatre, right?

-I am a student in theatrical art, Patton nodded.

-And well… You, I couldn't get my eyes off you. I came back for each of your plays, I don't know what's happening to me…"

He sighed, because all these feelings were too much for him to handle. He was planting his nails in the palms of his hands, nervous and needing to stim his feelings out. Patton noticed and held his hand, playing with his fingers.

"Maybe we can talk about that after our lessons, this afternoon?

-We can, Logan acquiesced.

-Perfect, that's a date, Patton smiled. Do you mind if I kiss you?"

Logan blushed again and slightly turned his head to show his cheek. Patton laughed and planted a kiss there, before rushing outside, waving at his future boyfriend, a sweet man, kind enough to love him back. It was the start of a new exciting life-long adventure.

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