The Melting Pot Complex

Chapter Seventy-Eight ~ Patton

{Possible trigger warnings: minor swearing

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

"Ready to go, babe?"

Patton grabbed his jacket from the hook on the back of his door. "I'll be down in 5."

"You tell your roommates yet?" Remy asked. Patton could hear music playing in the background, so he must be leaning forward on his motorcycle.

"Nope. I was thinking I'd tell them once we made a decision." Patton paused and listened for his roommates out in the apartment. "Does that make me a bad person?"

"Of course not, baby." Remy said immediately. "I think that's completely understandable. I was just asking out of idle curiosity."

Patton sighed and left his room, going to the door and tugging on his shoes. "Right, okay. I'll be down in a moment."

"See you then, sweet pea."

Patton smiled. "See you soon."

He hung up and turned to Virgil, who was lying across the couch with his head in Emile's lap and playing a game on his phone while Emile read a book. "I'm going out with Remy, I'll be back in a few hours."

"Use protection." Virgil grunted. Patton grabbed a pillow off the couch and threw it at his head.

"Bye Patton!" Emile grinned, looking up from his book. "Have fun!"

"Thanks Emile." Patton smiled back and pulled the door open. "And if anyone needs to use protection, I think it's you two!"

The same pillow he'd thrown hit the door as he pulled it closed, and he giggled to himself as he made his way downstairs to the lobby.

"Hi there, sunshine!" Remy called. "Your chariot awaits!"

"Not much of a chariot if it can only fit two people." Patton joked as he took the offered helmet. "How was your morning?"

"Boring and long." Remy grinned at him. "I've got a few places that I've discussed with Marilyn already, but she's looking for more to show us."

Patton kissed his cheek before putting on the helmet. "Great! I can't wait to see them."

"Are we thinking dogs?" Remy asked as Patton got onto the back of the motorcycle. "That might change some decisions."

"I'd like to! But we don't have to if we can't find a good place." Patton shrugged, wrapping his arms around Remy's waist. "Let's look first, then decide if we need to narrow or broaden anything."

The motorcycle roared to life beneath them and Remy pulled away from the curb, heading for their meeting spot. Patton leaned against him, excitedly wondering what was in store for them today.

Marilyn was standing next to her car in front of the first house, her teal blouse catching their attention right before her pink hair did. She waved as Remy slowed and did a U-turn in the street, parking his bike right behind her Honda.

"Hi guys! How're we doing today?"

"Great!" Patton chirped as he pulled his helmet off. "How are you Mary?"

"Oh, you know." Marilyn waved her hand, shrugging. "Underworked, looking for things to do. Glad you two reached out to me during the quiet season."

"Whatever we can do to help, babes." Remy winked and took Patton's hand. "House number one, what are we looking at?"

Marilyn led them towards the front door, pulling her phone out to check for the code to the lock-box. "It's a very old house, but it's very well kept. We found the exact address on a directory from 1852."

"Wow!" Patton looked up at the little one story building. "It looks incredible."

"Especially for it's age." Marilyn grinned at him. "Don't ever say that to a woman."

Remy snorted. "Is it in our price range?"

"Oh yeah, well within. I could probably show you any place that's for sale in a fifty mile radius and you could afford it, honestly." She unlocked the door and let them inside.

Patton gasped. "Oh, it's so pretty! Remy, look!"

The interior of the house was gorgeous and open through most of the floor plan. The kitchen wrapped into the dining room, which opened into the living room. There was a small hallway that led to a bathroom, laundry room, and the master bedroom, and then a door that opened to a set of stairs going downward.

"Only part of the basement is done, but it's separated out enough that you wouldn't really have to worry about it, and it wouldn't take too much to finish it up." Marilyn told them, leaning against the wall next to the basement doorway. "You could probably get a small reduction in the price for it, but considering the condition of the rest of the house, I doubt it would be much."

"We can go for it anyway, if we go with this one." Remy shrugged. "Is everything up to code?"

Marilyn nodded. "Meticulously, for the most part. Seems like current owner is either a stickler for rule-following, or an independent contractor who knew exactly what needed to be done to keep the house in the best condition possible. It's a beautiful place."

She led Remy and Patton into the bedroom. "However, this is one of the few problems I've seen."

There was a huge shrub growing in front of the bedroom window, blocking 90% of the light coming into the room.

"It's an eyesore and ruins the view, but the owners are refusing to get rid of it and refusing a price reduction for it." Marilyn frowned at the ugly bush. "I don't know if you'd get the lease if you tried to argue it, but it should definitely be a price reduction because I can't think of a single person I've met in my life who would keep that thing after buying the place."

Patton eyed the thing, then looked to Remy.

"It's something to think about. We do have five more houses to look at today, and we don't have to just do it today." Remy was also staring in distaste. "It is really ugly... how the hell does someone live with that right in front of their face?"

"God only knows." Marilyn shook her head. "I haven't been able to have anyone check, but it's big enough to possibly be causing foundation issues. We could potentially work that into the agreement,that they have to get their foundation tested in some way or another before you sign the lease."

"Good idea, Mary. Let's see the backyard."

Patton squeezed Remy's hand as they walked through the house. "This is a house I could see having littles in."

Remy grinned at him. "Anything that'll make you happy, babes."