9:10pm
Man, Doctor Who's great
—
"And you two are not taking that off until you have gotten along!" Patton told them pointedly, Logan and Roman merely rolled their eyes, grumbled their distaste but didn't say anything else as the dad-like aspect turned to his third son, Virgil, who was smirking at the scene, offering a movie which he agreed to, leaving the creative side and logical side alone in the common room, sitting on the couch in their 'getting along sweater' which was basically this massive sweater that they both fit into, they both had one arm each while the other was tucked inside of the sweater, unusable unless they pushed it under the end of the sweater and lifted the clothing up.
Which was apparently 'against the rules'.
The only reason why they were wearing this was because they had yet another argument, with Roman sprouting ideas and Logan knocking each and everyone down with his own reasoning - how would Logan know how much it shred Roman up inside? Or maybe he does, but Roman's feelings don't matter to him. He believed that more than he'd like too admit.
"We would not be in this mess if you listened to me" Logan piped up in the almost silent room. Roman snorted in disbelief, glancing at the side from the corner of his eye with an 'are you serious?' Look. However, Logan didn't need to answer that - people with neckties, especially him, we're always serious.
"Take the moral high ground all you want, nerd, but you were the first to start yelling" Roman fired back, trying to shuffle away from the side as much as he could. Now it was Logan's turn to snort; "because you wouldn't listen"
Roman was ready to whip around and rip the sweater in half, stand and start yelling so maybe he could get his point across but he refrained, knowing Patton made the sweater, and instead turned to him calmly, hoping maybe if he stayed collected Logan would take him more seriously.
"I did listen, Logan" he started, hand under the sweater clenched, "but you have to give me a chance to talk, too"
"I did!" Logan responded, and that wasn't a lie, he did allow Roman to talk. "However, when I bring up something you can't defend because it's true, you start to yell and talk about topics not even related to our argument!" Logan accused, staring at Roman's face that fell. It twisted, losing the anger, replacing itself with realisation. Logan waited impatiently for Roman to reply, instead he settled back into the couch, eyes gazing intently at the ground for awhile.
Logan had wondered why what he said affected Roman so; was this real? Did he try and want to end this by making it out like he was hurt? Or was he actually hurt? Logan couldn't see why - and if he was it would be a little over dramatic-
"The only time I defended myself" Roman began, Logan felt his heart plunge when his words were small, vulnerable, boarding a whisper, "is when you implied I was an idiot" Roman then shook his head and withdrew his arm out of the sleeve, sitting up in his seat once again. "But it's true; isn't it?" Roman then turned to Logan with eyes deep in hurt, "I'm just an idiot to you" the accusatory in his tone made Logan reel back, as if he was punched.
"Nothing more than an idiot" Roman whispered, pulling the sweater over his head and standing up. "Tell Patton I'm sorry" and in an instant, Roman's words hardened, dripping with a sudden venom, "I can't follow rules because I'm an idiot" he spat the word at the logical side who opened and closed his mouth, paralysed on the couch with the sweater still drooped around him - he had no idea what to say.
Roman left the room with a dark shadow shrouding him, and Logan sat, still, for what felt like forever, running over their conversation again and again, so deep in thought they didn't even hear Virgil and Patton enter.
"Where's Ro, Kiddo?" Patton snapped him from his trance. Logan suddenly stood up, mouth still parted, but no words coming out. "Did you two make up?" He then questioned, Virgil coming up beside him.
"Doubt it" Virgil murmured, noticing Logan's expression. Patton's eyes filled with sympathy, and Logan wanted to stop him, telling him his sympathy was directed at the wrong person. Finally, Logan could speak; "he couldn't follow your rules because he's an idiot" Logan found himself reciting like Roman had asked him to, guilt erupting deep inside of him, even more so when neither Patton or Virgil disagreed.
Logan gently lifted the sweater over his head, dropping it silently onto the couch. "We already know that, Lo" Virgil said, tone light, full of humour, but even if it was a joke, did he mean it? Did they all just dub Roman as the idiot without second question? Without even realising it?
"But he's not" Logan found himself murmuring, "he's more than an idiot" he continued, pushing the tie closer to his neck. "Thomas's ego is a fragile thing - Roman is Thomas's ego, and like Thomas he tries to portray himself as confident when on the best of days he is not. And if us as a singularity are a mere amplified version of that part of Thomas Roman must feel...well, he must hate himself, right? And I cannot remember a time where we have comforted him over this" Logan stared at the sweater, then up at Patton and Virgil who were thinking over what he had said.
"Maybe if he didn't act like such a dick" Virgil defended, but Logan was already shaking his head. "This" he gestured, "has been going on for years. It is a back and forth battle - between us and him. Between me making him feel like an idiot, with you making him feel his ideas are stupid and account to nothing - and with...no reassurance from Patton, while he gives it to us in buckets, figuratively, Roman has nothing else left to defend himself" Logan picked up the sweater and turned to the two sides again.
"What does a wounded animal do? They do everything in their power to defend themselves, and if Roman insulting us, making us feel lower than him is his only coping mechanism because he simply cannot feel like he can talk to us than I fear we might've already lost him" Logan met Virgil's eyes, "his behaviour towards you was inexcusable, at most times, but all a wounded animal can do is bite back until it is left alone, and maybe this will all be over if we just...healed him. In anyway we can"
Logan swallowed and left the two sides in the living room, he sunk into the ground as he walked and appeared inside Roman's room. It was quiet, the lights were dim, and Roman sat on his bed, hands holding his face. Logan could see his shoulders hitching, shuddering, he was crying.
Logan felt two presences beside him, but he didn't look over at the other aspects, instead he held the sweater tightly in his hands and gently called Roman's name.
The sudden alertness to the sides in his room caused him to spring up, backing away to the corner of his bed, tears trailing down his cheeks. Logan held Patton back from comforting him yet.
"Get out-!" Roman demanded, but Logan ignored him and took a small step closer. "Roman, we came to talk-"
"I don't care! I said get out, nerd!"
He's biting at them again.
"Roman, we're sorry-"
"Go away!"
Logan inched forward, "we cannot take back what we have said but this is an ongoing battle between us all. You have said some regrettable things, too, to us all"
Roman's eyes hardened, gripping the blanket underneath him. "I said get out, you useless robot!"
Logan ignored it, and carried on. "But we can put this all behind us if we work together as a team. Take your decisions more seriously, and try to help you understand how you can improve your ideas. No one can create something without flaws - we can help you improve, rather than insult you and push you aside" all the while Logan talked he moved, slowly, slowly towards Roman who called out insult, insult, insult, bite after bite after bite, Logan knew what he was doing, he wanted them gone, and every time in the past insults have worked, but not this time, the words held no meaning, they were so empty the air around them took them away.
"We are all a team, Roman, us four, all working towards the same goal, to help our host. We cannot simply do it without you, Roman, please-" and finally, Logan was at the edge of his bed, and as soon as he placed his hand on Roman's knee, the creative side's words died on his tongue, and his lips sealed shut.
"We aren't going to hurt you anymore"
Roman stared at Logan's face for awhile, searching for anything that would make out he was lying, trying to earn his trust just to break it in the near future, but he saw nothing, nothing other than sincerity across his usual blank face. Roman's heads dropped - Logan thought he lost him, but when he felt Roman's hand atop of his, he smiled a slight smile, one Roman reciprocated.
"I'm sorry" Roman whispered, Logan shook his head and sat down beside him on the bed. "Bites without teeth do not hurt"
Roman cocked his head to the side slightly and Logan sighed, "I apologise, I have fallen quite deep into this metaphor" but when Roman's bright laughter filled the room, he felt himself elated once again.
Patton took a seat beside Roman and hugged him tightly, the creative side returned it, feeling warmth erupt in his chest. "I love you, Kiddo"
Finally, Virgil stepped up, hands in his pockets, awkwardly shifting on the spot until Roman patted the space before him. "I am sorry, emo nightmare" Virgil sat down and snorted, "I'll accept that when you start working with us"
Roman smiled and rested his head on Patton's shoulder, "I will not do anything but"
A few months later, Roman and Logan found themselves sitting on the couch, wearing the getting along sweater again, but not because they argued, because they found it rather comfortable, because it was nice to cuddle up to each other, Roman peppering him with affection while Logan tried to focus on the movie.
Because now...they were a team.
—
Did NOT mean for this to turn into Roman angst
10:13pm