summary: logan is someone that heavily relies on a structure. when roman forgets to tell logan of a change in plans, the intrusive side steps in to help logic adjust
word count: 1064
this is entirely based on me when i was little, and i'm not diagnosed with anything, so this is not meant to portray or anything. my main point here is to say everyone deserves to be treated with kindness, no matter how "ridiculous" their problem might seem to someone else :)) (also, plz plz let me know if there's anything i need to fix!!)
tw/cw// scared logan, mentions of intrusive thoughts, paranoia, that should be it, let me know :)
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Logan always needed things to follow a specific routine or schedule. Being the logical and punctual side, it made sense. When they were younger, the other sides frequently had to deal with Logan's "tantrums" when they'd change plans or miss deadlines (or even break a routine). However, as he grew older, they found that the "tantrums" were limited symptom panic attacks that only Remus and Virgil really knew how to help.
The other sides had learned how to coax Logan out of his routines should they need to, but sometimes they'd forget.
Patton watched Logan strangely as the logical side sat at the dining room table. "Uh, Lo? Did Roman not tell you? We're going out tonight." Logan frowned and pulled out his pocket calendar, quickly searching through all the important dates. "Did I miss someone's birthday?" Patton shook his head. "No, nothing special today."
Logan paused and looked back up at Patton; his face was contorted in a way that let Patton know he didn't understand what was happening. The dad-like side sat down beside his logical counterpart. "We're going out just for fun. Nothing special, just because."
Logan's frown seemed to extend, if possible. "But that can't happen. The only point of going out to eat is if there's a holiday or a celebration of some sort. A-And today's the last Friday of the month, we're supposed to have spaghetti, then a movie night." The logical side bit his lip and bounced his leg nervously.
Remus appeared in front of the table, looking at the two confusedly. "What's going on? I just started getting someone's intrusive thoughts." Patton glanced at Logan sympathetically, "It's Logan. I think Roman forgot to tell him the plans changed."
Remus approached the logical side and sat beside him, opposite Patton. "Logan? What's wrong, buddy?" Logan glanced at Remus and Patton before getting up and going to the living room to adjust the furniture.
"What's going through his head?" Patton asked Remus quietly. "The fact that we're going out for no reason makes him think something's influencing us. So, something different will happen, and that something is bad; in his case, he's worried we could get in a car crash, we could forget to turn something off, causing the house to explode, he's even scared someone could break into the house. He's moving the furniture, so he'll know where everything is."
Patton sighed, thankful Remus was able to connect with Logan's thoughts. "How do we help him?" "I...could take his thoughts," Remus suggested. Patton shook his head. "That hurts you; we aren't doing that." Remus chewed his lip. "I have an idea. Go get the others." Patton nodded and sunk out as Remus stood from his chair, making his way to the logical side.
"Lolo, can you tell me what's wrong?" Logan frowned and began adjusting the position of the lamp. "We can't go out tonight, Remus. It's-" "I know, it's the last Friday of the month. Do you think we could have spaghetti from Olive Garden tonight, honeybee?" Logan stopped moving and glanced up at Remus before staring down at the ground, messing with his hands nervously. "I-I don't know."
Remus nodded and got closer to Logan. "Okay, how about this; we will still have spaghetti tonight, and we'll come back home immediately to have a movie night. Everything will still be the same, just a slightly different setting." Logan sighed and looked around. "I don't want to ruin things for everyone else." Remus shook his head. "You won't be. We're all here for you. Baby steps, remember?"
Logan eyed the back of the couch, catching Remus's attention. "You're worried about intruders, aren't you? That's why you were adjusting everything." Remus knew the answer, but he didn't want his friend to feel too exposed, knowing Remus could see his thoughts. Logan lightly tapped his fingers against his legs. "Logically...there's no way someone could break in. You and Roman create the people out there; they're fake, and I know that. But I can't help my thought process..." "Can I hug you, Lo?"
Logan nodded; Remus immediately pulled him into a hug. "I get it; thoughts suck, okay? I wish I could just permanently shut down my function, but apparently, that's not good for Thomas."
The duke pulled away from the hug and looked Logan in the eyes, not making eye contact as Logan still stared down at the ground. "I know you're worried, but focus as much as you can on us for tonight. When we leave, and once we get home, we will check every square inch of this place so we can make sure nobody's here. I'm sure Virgil would get some peace of mind too."
Logan looked up at Remus, an unsure expression on his face. "I suppose we can go out. But no longer than three hours." Remus nodded. "Can I hold your hand?" Logan nodded, taking Remus's hand in his.
~~~~
As soon as they got back home, Logan nervously followed Remus as he walked through the house, checking every possible hiding spot. The other sides followed behind but weren't paying as much attention as Remus was. Once they were done, Remus turned to Logan with a smile, "See? All clear."
Logan shakily nodded, sitting down on the couch and clasping his hands together. "Thank you, Remus. I'm sorry I can be a bit...high-maintenance." Remus frowned and kneeled beside his friend. "Logan, it's okay. I wouldn't say you're high-maintenance; that's mainly Roman." Logan weakly smiled before letting it drop again. "Besides, none of us mind helping you once in a while; it's not your fault. These thoughts come to your head, and you can't help it. The best you can do is attempt to soothe yourself, yeah?"
Logan nodded. Remus knew he wouldn't get anywhere else in the subject and decided to distract the logical side. "Hey, how about we get started on movie night, and you pick the movies?" Logan, who now seemed less tense, nodded and left in search of their movie collection.
Logan scanned the movies, pulling out the movies he needed. He rubbed his thumb against his pointer finger for a bit to soothe himself and keep from falling into his usual routine. After a moment, he found he couldn't stop himself and moved to touch each DVD case. 'It's okay.' Logan told himself. 'One step at a time.'
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i really hope this wasn't offensive; plz let me know if there's anything wrong. like i said, i mainly based this on myself when i was little (and even sometimes now) i'm not officially diagnosed with anything, so i left logan pretty vague. again, let me know if there is anything i should take out, improve, or add :)) hope y'all enjoyed, love you all, stay safe, buh bye!!
6/5/21