Summary: After getting upsetting news Logan, Roman, Virgil and Patton all decide to skip school together for the day and they meet an unlikely set of new friends.
TW - Mention of divorce at the very beginning and mention of religious schooling (Christian) - Janus is soft as hell though.
Words: 1690 (hehe funny number)
Patton walked on the bus and collapsed onto the creaky bus seat, covering his face with his beanie so he didn't cry. Today had already been a horrible day and the day hadn't even started yet. Why, you may ask? His parents had just revealed to him they were divorcing. They had tried their relationship for almost 20 years but now, when Patton was just 14 and his older sibling had moved to college, they decided they had enough.
At least Patton wasn't alone for long. At the next stop his neighbour Virgil arrived on the bus, and chat went quick between houses. "Hey Pat... You need a hug?" Virgil whispered and sat next to his best friend, revealing open arms which Patton immediately feel into. For the next two stops the two stayed like that waiting for their other two friends, Logan and Roman, who got the bus together.
The four boys had been best friends since the first day of elementary school, and even before. Patton and Virgil had been neighbours since they were toddlers or maybe even infants, and Roman and Logan were stepbrothers that met before their parents even met. The group were very different individuals but they all understood each other's quirks as if they were their own.
"I told you I deserve the last Crofters for my A in Social Studies!" Logan's shout to his stepbrother as he entered the bus signified the two other best friends were here - and that signifier was deemed true when Roman walked down the hallway raising a half-empty jar of jam to the ceiling and doing a triumphant walk. Logan followed behind carrying all the textbooks and reading books he needed.
"You always get an A!" Roman shouted back, before turning to his two friends and realising one of them was crying. "Shit - what happened Patty-Wat?"
"M-my parents are divorcing..." Patton managed to stutter out, covering his eyes with tissue paper as Roman and Logan sat behind him. The two stepbrothers peaked over, raising an eyebrow to each other and softly smiling.
"Well, I get how it's difficult right now..." Logan started. His parents divorced in first grade and he was a wreck, he understood what it was like to go through that trauma. "Things get better though. You might even get a very annoying step-brother." Logan poked Roman, who had stolen the precious strawberry jam and was inhaling it, sticking his tongue out in response.
Patton sniffled and leant against Virgil. "I just want my family back..." He whispered. He understood that his friends were trying to comfort him, especially since Logan still remembered what it was like when his parents divorced in first grade. It absolutely broke him - but that's what attracted curious Patton to become friends with him. Now it was fair to say Patton felt even more broken since he wasn't a naive six year old anymore - this had been building up for a while.
"You'll have your family still Pat. Just in two different places." Logan spoke gently again, now he had seemingly forgot about his jam argument to be a good friend. "And that's just one of your families - you have another family right here in terms of friends!"
Virgil had been annoying Roman with head flicks since he sat down but he spoke again once he heard his friendship group was apparently a family. "Bagsie emo teen brother."
"Logan's Mom." Roman joined in, getting a chuckle from Patton and Virgil and some kind of squeak he must have learnt to perform from his family. "What? Don't tell me you don't have a mom vibe when you forced me to clean my room last night."
"We share a room Ro I want to have a clean working environment..."
Even though two of Patton's four best friends were arguing with each other Patton already felt a lot better than before, probably because it was usual for Logan and Roman to annoy each other as part of their friendship. They were caring brothers too but in their own way. To let the two brothers settle their differences Virgil entertained Patton by talking to him. "You feel better Paps?"
Patton nodded and smiled. "Alright, I think I'll be alright for now. Lessons might be different though as silence makes all the thoughts worse."
"We could skip school." Logan spoke that sentence so quickly that it made the friendship group pause in place and analyse who really said that sentence. Logan adored school more than his favourite jam - no way would he actually want to miss any lessons that would be important for his education. There must be an imposter. "What? Good mood is optimal for learning so if Patton is too upset to learn there's no use going in."
Virgil was not taking this behaviour at face value. "But we should still go as we're not in a bad mood right? You're just suggesting we drop Patton off at the mall and go our separate ways... right?"
Logan gave his friend a confused look. "If you want Virgil we can. But I was thinking we could just spend a fun day out."
On the other hand, Roman was oblivious to this new side to Logan and probably just wanted to avoid the English test second period. "Great idea!" He cheered, grabbing his backpack already and smirking at the group. "The mall is at the next stop - let's get ready now before Lo changes his mind."
*****
After a morning of loitering in different places the teens were deciding where to eat. The day had already been eventful: Roman saw a movie playing in the cinema and got tickets, then Patton demanded all the sweets available in the local confectionary store, Logan wanted to wonder into the nearby library to rent even more books, and Virgil hissed when the group didn't immediately accept they were going to Hot Topic. Now the group wondered around the mall with their new items of clothing to decide where to eat.
"Fifteen is not too old for a happy meal!" Roman exclaimed as the group passed a busy McDonalds - too busy for Virgil to go in and not be nervous. Still, that didn't mean Roman wouldn't try and at least get takeaway. "They have DC toys! Come on!"
"We can go and get something after the rush hour if you'd be patient." Logan responded calmly, looking at his phone for the time and every so often stopping so the slower walkers Patton and Virgil could catch up. His stepbrother was facing him as he marvelled over McDonalds toys, walking backwards and not particularly caring where he was going. Such a behaviour was normal for Roman. Most shoppers swerved out the way of the group, a few snapping under their breath about 'kids these days', but mostly the four of them were undisturbed in their chatter. That was until Logan noticed his stepbrother swerving a little too close to the right towards two slightly older teens leaning against the wall.
The collision seemed to stop time for both parties and drew Roman out of his monologue. "Watch where you're going dork." The older one, probably a senior, growled. His only distinguishing features were a vomit green hoodie, dark eyeshadow, and a growing moustache. He didn't seem too friendly though.
The other teen however seemed to be the complete opposite. He also wore black but he had much paler skin and light freckles, and seemed to be watching everything with a silent amazement. "We're so sorry to disturb." Logan mumbled and grabbed his brother, saving him from a possible punch as the moustache man seemed to want to do. Before the group could completely disappear however the naive looking teen perked up and smiled.
"Are you missing school too?" The boy chirped. He seemed a little younger than the moustache man but still older than the rest of the group - maybe like a sophomore even though his innocent personality seemed like that of an elementary schooler. "It's great if you are! I skipped Bible study at the moment to loiter around this place. It's so much more fun..."
The senior looked even more annoyed than when he was walked into, dragging the other teen back from geeking out about something as simple as a mall trip. "No Jan. We don't talk about homeschool with strangers." He commanded, treating the teen like a dog commanded to heel. 'Jan' did as told and smiled shyly before giving the same (or similar) stoic expression his friend was giving everything else.
"I'm Janus." Jan said, trying not to smile and looking to his older friend for approval. "And this is Remus. He's my big brother." Remus and Janus looked in no way similar - but as stepbrothers themselves (and friends of stepbrothers) Logan, Roman, Virgil and Patton didn't bat an eye. What they were slightly nerved out about though was Remus' behaviour towards his family member.
"What are you two doing with us?" Remus hissed again, just staring at his feet instead of making eye contact. "Don't you have like nerd shops to go to?"
Patton, the person in the group who often recruited random new friends, seemed to do his usual once he spotted Janus' expression sadden slightly at the notice these friendly teens were disappearing. "We were actually just about to get a bite to eat - does Janus want to come with us?" Like an excited animal Janus looked back at his brother for permission, Remus just sighed and nodded.
"Sure thing. Get him out my hair."
That was how, even though at the start of the day Patton felt broken without the biological family he always knew, he did also regain or remember the family he had all along. His family of friends. And Janus tagging along was nice too, although the rest of the group didn't trust his absolute innocence at first and believed him to be a fraud they eventually learnt to love him and his... eccentricities. There were a lot more mall hang-outs to come for the five of them.