Chapter 26 - Bad Dreams

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Summary: Logan has anxiety about reading people.

Dreams had been amazing since Logan fell for Patton. They were sweet and romantic, and made Logan feel warm inside. It made him wake up the next day in a good mood, and every good dream gave Logan a little more confidence to ask Patton out on a date.

This dream seemed just as peaceful. In this dream, Logan and Patton were together as always, sitting together in the local path. A blue picnic blanket was underneath them and Crofters jam and bread acted as a snack. But they were close together, watching each other, smiling wide.

"I love you Logan." Logan begged to hear those words come out of Patton's mouth in real life, but this dazed state would do for now. Patton sat cross-legged in front of Logan was his big, pretty while Logan looked back in amazement. He didn't want this dream to end. "But... We need to talk about something."

Well, this was new. Usually Logan's dreams went by without a hitch until they were unfortunately cut short. "Hm, what about?"

Patton was looking at the picnic blanket, holding his hands in a clasp and looking sad. "I just thought... Do you think we do what you want most of the time? I mean, the picnic – the food – everything was what you wanted. You never ask me." Patton had tears in his eyes, and Logan wanted to lean over and wipe all those tears away with him thumb. But both Dream Logan and real-life Logan were stuck in place.

"Are you saying I'm controlling?" Is this what Patton really thought of Logan? He understood it partly, Logan had very specific routines, interests and triggers and he lived his life around them. That's why he believed he was destined for a life alone before he met Patton – maybe this was his brain's way of telling him that will still be the case.

Patton slowly nodded, and the dream world started to dissipate into the real world of Logan's dark and quiet bedroom. A bedroom he wished to share with Patton one day. It seemed as though that wasn't his destiny.

*******

"Big day today! I know he'll say yes, Logie." Logan's Mom drove Logan to school the Monday. It was the last week before Prom, and Logan had created a small poster to ask Patton to Prom with. The craft was in his backpack, but Logan himself wanted to hide in the backpack right now. The dream he had last night was really disturbing him. And it seemed as though Mom could tell something was wrong. "What are you worried about sweetie?"

Logan's Mom looked into the back of the car, still seeing the four-year-old she brought home thirteen years ago to start a family. Logan was still that scared and nervous child – the child was just inside his bigger body now. "I think he'll say no." Logan whispered, his heart sounded broken and Logan's Mom just wanted to scoop him up and shelter him.

"Well, if he does say no, he'll still be your friend!" Logan looked even more dejected at that, looking out the window and into the grounds of his high school. "And you don't have to do the elaborate display if you don't feel like it's right. You can just ask him the question like you would with any other question."

Logan didn't have time to respond as he was shocked by a sudden knocking at the back window the other side of him. He smiled softly when he saw the grins of his three best friends. And just like that, Logan was no longer that scared four-year-old. He was the confident and happy adult he was becoming. "Thanks Mom." Was all Logan said before climbing out of the car, Logan's Mom watched the teenager wave at his friends and walk into school. She drove away from the high school happily.

*******

Logan left from his lesson and made his way to the library as always. His friends were there already, each had grabbed a book and had started an impromptu book club while they waited. They were used to eating in the library now... But did they want to? Was Logan controlling them?

"Logie, come sit! How was Spanish?" Patton chirped and shuffled over to give Logan room to sit. Logan was stuck though – the bad dream he had last night was taking over. "Is everything OK Lo?"

"Do you want to have lunch here?" Logan was staring at Patton, even though he knew Virgil and Roman were there and watching the interaction confused. Patton looked to his other friends and then back at Logan, giving the same confused eyebrow as he spoke softly.

"We have lunch here everyday! Do you want to eat somewhere else?"

"Do you?" Logan snapped back, his nails scratching his arms as he looked to the ground. He was making himself smaller, and his voice was more monotone. The friends usually knew what that meant.

Virgil was the one to carefully take control of the situation. "Come sit." That was all he said, but that seemed like the exact wrong thing to say as Logan looked up and glared at his friends.

"No, no! If you don't want to eat in the library, then we shouldn't eat in the library. I mean, you all used to eat in the cafeteria, you must prefer the cafeteria right?" Logan was speaking quickly and his voice was getting louder to compensate for his hurrying voice. The only response he got from his ramble was confused faces. "So..."

This time Patton attempted to speak, in a half-smile that Logan honestly couldn't read. "We like to eat in the library, but if you want to give the cafeteria another go then we can!" Patton stood, coming to Logan's side and squeezing his hand. Then Logan could finally read the look Patton was giving him... Disappointment. Why was he disappointed?

Of course, Logan couldn't manage the cafeteria for the entire lunch period. He managed enough to eat his lunch, then left, not allowing his friends to follow him as he needed a couple of minutes alone. Patton watched Logan go with a frown, sighing and looking down once he left. "Well... That was great."

"You have plenty more times to ask him to Prom." Roman responded, coming over and giving Patton a hug. Patton was excited about this lunch period, he had prepared what he was going to say to ask Logan to Prom as more than a friend. Virgil and Roman were going to be there to watch and assess the situation in case either side needed back-up. It seemed as though Logan sabotaged the chance though – for no reason his friends could decipher.

"Maybe he just doesn't see me that way." Patton sighed, leaning into Roman's chest. He was honestly demotivated to ask after that show, he just wanted to make sure Logan was OK.

Out of the corner of his eye, Patton could see the blue backpack that belonged to his friend which he must have forgot to take when he left. "Oh, Logan forgot his bag..." He leant over and grabbed the bag, feeling an unusual texture towards the back that was as hard as cardboard. That explained everything. "He had a hard texture on his back! Remember he said that was his pet peeve last week? Why did he do that?"

Now, Patton's plan was to remove the cardboard which he assumed was a school project or homework, and then find Logan to give him the bag. When he opened the bag and brought out the cardboard though he found something very different.

"A PROMPOSAL SIGN?"

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