The Melting Pot Complex

Chapter Fourteen ~ Patton

{Possible trigger warnings: A lot of Angst, bad news, losing a friend, mention of animal death, bad days all around, missed opportunity, characters upset, hit and run mention, panic attack mention, crying, divorce mention and lying to a court, one (1) swear censored

If I miss something, I apologize and please let me know}

Patton cranked up the radio as he began to vacuum the living room. Roman was out doing something, Logan was at the library researching for a video, and with Virgil at work he was the only one home. He wiggled his hips a little and grooved to the song as he cleaned.

Once the living room was vacuumed, Patton stuck a little hose to the end of the attachment piece and began to vacuum off the couch and chairs. He shook his head as the machine began to make that familiar grating noise that told him it was picking up quite a bit of debris. He'd have to ask the others to be a little cleaner when they were eating food on the couch.

He didn't hear his phone ringing until he shut the vacuum off. "Oh, shoot!"

It stopped by the time Patton got to it, but his recent call list said it was his Mom so he hit the redial button.

"Sorry, Momette, I was vacuuming." He hummed as he lowered the volume of the radio.

"Pat?" His mother's voice shook. "Patton-pie, you... you might want to sit down."

~~~That Afternoon~~~

He put on a brave face when the others came home. Virgil was first, barely saying a word before disappearing down the hallway, and if Patton's mood hadn't dropped so much from the phone call earlier he would have tried to check on him.

He honestly wasn't sure if he would be able to comfort his friend, which made his chest physically ache.

Logan returned from the library angry. He didn't say as much, but Patton could see the way his shoulders were set, and how he clenched his jaw as he marched into the kitchen and began to silently work on dinner.

Patton debated retreating to his own room, like Virgil had, but he knew if he locked himself away now he'd be completely miserable and probably get physically sick. So he waited for Roman, hoping the man had some good news. 

Seemed like the apartment needed it.

But apparently it was not to be. Their final roommate arrived with a loud huff, whirling through the living room and disappearing down the hall towards his room. 

"Looks like he didn't get his callback." Logan commented flatly. Patton hauled himself to his feet and shuffled into the kitchen.

"Poor guy... do you need help?" Patton offered half-heartedly, forcing a smile. Logan didn't even look up.

"If you wouldn't mind setting the table- er, island."

Patton nodded and began to wander around the room, getting out plates and silverware.

When he finished cooking, Logan set the platter of pancakes in the center of the island and walked down the hall. Patton heard him tap his knuckles sharply on what he assumed was Virgil's door, then he saw Logan cross the living room in the direction of the other hallway.

Virgil entered the kitchen silently and Patton winced. His face was puffy and red, like he'd been crying.

"Rough day?" He opened his arms to offer Virgil a hug.

"I hate people." Virgil muttered, walking over and hunching himself down to tuck against Patton's chest.

Patton chuckled, swallowing the lump that was growing in his throat. "Yeah..."

Roman and Logan joined them and the four sat down.

They ate dinner in silence for the first time since they had moved in together. No one seemed to want to comment on it, but once they'd cleaned the counter and put the leftovers in the fridge, Patton cleared his throat loudly.

"Who's going first?" He asked when the others finally looked at him.

Roman frowned. "What do you mean?"

Patton took a deep breath and shoved his hands in his pockets. "We've all clearly had miserable days, and it'll help to talk about it. We can say what happened, then have a moment of silence in... solidarity, I guess. Who wants to start?"

They all looked at each other, then Roman sighed dramatically.

"I didn't get a callback for that show. The cast list is entirely white and I hate to play the race card, but it's In the Heights for God's sake."

Patton nodded slowly. "I'm sorry, Roman, that's unfair."

The others nodded as well, taking the moment of silence in stride. Roman took a long, deep breath that ended in a sigh.

"Had a panic attack at work." Virgil muttered after a moment. "Some client-zilla ripped into my arm with her ugly-a** acrylics."

Patton offered another hug, but the younger man just shook his head.

After their moment of silence, they looked at Logan.

A muscle in his jaw twitched as he stared at the counter. "I was informed over the phone this morning that my parents finalized their divorce, and that my father, without my permission or consent, signed my name on a restraining order against my mother."

"What? Why?" Patton's eyes widened in horror. Why would a parent do that?

"The reason the court received is that my mother has psychotic tendencies and cannot be trusted around me. A complete falsehood fabricated by my father... the true reason is personal." Logan took a deep breath. "I will be attempting to remove the order, but the appeal could take months and I will not be able to see her or speak with her until afterward."

He didn't offer any more information, and no one pushed it. They had their moment of silence.

"Your turn, Pat."

Patton jumped. "What? Oh, no, I don't need to-"

Virgil looked up at him, hunching his shoulders. "You said we all had horrible days. Including yourself. And you're clearly upset, so now it's your turn."

Patton tried to protest, but his throat suddenly closed as the pain that he'd been shoving away hit him. He choked out a sob and plopped down into one of the island chairs.

Virgil moved first, startling the others as he rushed around the counter to hug Patton. "Hey hey hey- what happened?"

"Coco- she-" Patton gasped for air. "She got hit- hit by a car."

Coco. His first real responsibility. His best (non-human) friend. His sweet, beautiful, angel of a dog. He hadn't been able to bring her to the apartment because of a pet rule, and his mother had offered to take her. She'd been with him for almost fourteen years and now she was gone.

Virgil held him while he cried. The others stayed quiet, all four of them reaching for strength in each other.

{I like angst, so I'm sorry in advance for what will inevitably happen. Lots of pain}