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Give It Time

Summary:

Patton and Logan had been dating for eighteen months when they broke up. The split left a bit of animosity between the two and their best friends, Virgil and Roman. When Virgil ends up hurt by Patton’s choice to end the relationship, he confronts his ex and his best friend, and in turn uncovers lots of nasty little emotions he’d kept hidden before…

Chapter Text

Patton put his lunch down and Virgil looked up, but his eyes jumped away instantly.

“You okay, Virge?” Patton asked. His friend’s eyes were rimmed with red and his breathing was short and fast. “What happened?”

Virgil shook his head, which he was now holding between his hands.

“Virgil? Hey, breathe for me, okay? Breathe.”

Virgil tried to take a deep breath, but it came out as a sob.

Patton’s heart leaped onto his throat instantly. He moved to sit next to his friend.

“Can I touch you, V?”

Virgil nodded, but couldn’t speak. Patton put his hand on Virgil’s back and rubbed soothing circles on it, while holding his friend’s bicep with the other.

“It’s okay, Kiddo. You’re okay. Take deep breaths. You can do it, come on.”

Virgil shook his head again. Patton started tapping a rhythm on his back. Four, rest, seven, rest, eight.

“You can do it. Breathe in for four seconds—” Virgil did, but only after a few failed attempts. “Hold for seven… out for eight. There we go, that’s it. That’s it. Do it again for me, okay? A few more times.”

They did that for a few minutes, and when Virgil was finally breathing properly, he crossed his arms on the table and rested his head on them. Patton was still rubbing his back.

“You gonna tell me what’s wrong?”

Virgil shook his head.

“Okay. If I guess right, then would you tell me?”

There was a second of hesitation, then Virgil shrugged.

“I’m gonna take that as a yes. So, were you assigned loads of homework today?” Virgil shook his head, and Patton took that as encouragement. “Did you forget an assignment that’s due?” Another shake. Patton looked around the room, at all the people. Then, his eyes fell on two sat at the opposite end of the hall. His breath caught in his throat and tears suddenly stung his eyes. When he spoke, it came out as something barely above a whisper. “Was it… was it Roman?”

There was a brief hesitation, then Virgil met Patton’s eyes, and that was all he needed to do.

“I’m sorry, Virgil. I’m so, so sorry. I promise you, I’m going to put an end to this.”

“Patton, it’s fine. It wasn’t really anything, I don’t even think he meant to— to upset me, I just—“

“No. No you’re not blaming yourself for this. It’s my fault, and I’m gonna end it, kiddo. I promise.”

He stood up and stalked past Virgil, striding to the other end of the hall, tears running down his face.

He stopped in front of their table, and Logan and Roman looked up. Roman instantly appeared defensive, and Logan just looked…

It didn’t matter.

Patton sucked in a deep, shaky breath. “Listen, you two. I get that you hate me. That’s fine. I don’t mind. I don’t blame you. You’re allowed to hate me. I’m your ex-boyfriend. But not Virgil. You can hate me and you can be mean to me and you can do whatever you want to me but you do not hurt him, do you understand?”

He looked at them, at Roman’s cold, hateful stare and Logan’s wide, shocked eyes. Neither answered, so he continued.

“Virgil is my best friend in the world and I’ve just had to calm him down from a panic attack because of something you did to him — I don’t know what but it was you. And that is not allowed. This is between me and you, Logan. I don’t let Virgil go after you so you can’t go after him, okay? I don’t mind you getting Roman involved because I deserve it. I’ll take whatever you give to me. You can do whatever you want. You can hate me and ignore me and call me names in the halls—I couldn’t care less because I deserve it. I’m a terrible, horrible, no good person for what I put you through and I’m sorry, Lo, I really am. I’m sorry for asking you out and getting you to like me and I’m sorry for everything we did together because it all went up in flames and that’s my fault and I deserve everything you both give me, even though it isn’t enough. You’re allowed to hate me. Hell, sometimes I hate me. But not him. You don’t get him involved. You don’t ever say anything bad to him again, okay? Otherwise I…” His voice cracked, and Logan’s eyes somehow got even wider. “I don’t know what I’ll do,” Patton admitted, a small, guilty sob splintering the words. “But it won’t be good. For any of us. So… leave him be, okay? Leave him be and I won’t fight back, but… but you hurt him like this again and I will, I swear to God I will.”

He swallowed thickly, trying to get past the lump in his throat. Roman’s mouth opened, and Patton turned on his heel and left the cafeteria, trying to bite back the sobs now shaking his body.

Logan stood up and called his name, but he disappeared so quickly he didn’t get the chance to chase him. So instead he turned to find Virgil in the crowd.

The other boy didn’t look at him. He just stood, grabbed both of their bags and ran after Patton. His best friend.

Logan turned to Roman.

“What did you do to him?” he asked quietly as he sat back down.

“Nothing!” Roman said. Logan shot him a warning glare. “I swear! I didn’t…” A look of realisation crossed his face. “I didn’t think he’d have a panic attack,” he whispered.

Logans anger flared. “You attacked him?” he exclaimed.

“It wasn’t really an attack! I saw him in the hall and tripped him. It wasn’t even entirely on purpose, I didn’t think it’d work!”

“Roman!”

“He hurt you, Logan! He broke your heart into a thousand tiny pieces and didn’t regret it in the slightest!”

“Virgil didn’t!”

“But Patton did! And Virgil’s his best friend!”

Logan stared in disbelief. “I don’t believe this. I don’t believe you.”

“Logan, he was the first person you ever really opened yourself up to and he took your heart and stabbed it. And he doesn’t regret it in the slightest.”

“Roman, did we just witness the same thing? Look at him! You think he doesn’t regret it? He… he’s worse than I am, and now not only does he feel guilty about hurting me but he’ll feel guilty about hurting his best friend, too!”

Roman scoffed. “Do you honestly believe that? He doesn’t regret anything! That was all a show he put on to guilt trip you! Trust me, I know fake tears when I see them. I’m an actor.”

Logan shook his head and stood up. “I’m going to make sure he’s okay.”

“Logan, what? No!”

Logan ignored him and left the cafeteria.