Logan's heart was being torn apart, figuratively of course, seeing as he would be dead if it was meant in a literal sense. His chest hurt though he smiled anyway. He shook his hand, trying not to crush it in his own.

"So, Logan this is my boyfriend, Tony!" Patton introduced him excitedly. The way he looked at him made him want to cry, knowing he was looking at him that way and not himself. He watched as Patton smiled and leaned into him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Logan managed, trying not to break down on the spot. "I apologize, but I have somewhere I need to be at the moment, so I'll have to say goodbye for now."

With that, he turned and fled. He power walked away, hiding behind a nearby building as he broke down. His breathing was shallow and quick as tears started to well up in his eyes. Logan cursed himself for reacting the way he was. "Logan?"

He looked up to see his friends Virgil and Roman had found him. They both frowned sadly as they approached and hugged him. "He'll realize he's too good for Tony eventually," Roman reassured. "And when he does, he'll realize how madly in love with you he is."

Logan laughed bitterly as more tears fell. He wiped at his cheeks as they pat his back. "Thanks, guys," he murmured. "Apologies for reacting so much."

"There's nothing wrong with feeling things," Virgil said quietly. "Believe me, I know what this feels like..."

Roman winced as he looked down, taking Virgil's hand comfortingly in his own as he recalled introducing him to his ex boyfriend. It must have hurt like a knife, and whenever he thought about it, he felt guilt for hurting him.

"Thanks," Logan said again, gaining his composure. "I'll be alright."

Months went by and Logan was less and less convinced. Patton was his roommate, and on more than one occasion, he'd catch him sobbing in his room through the walls. He wanted to ask what was wrong, but having walked in during an argument between him and Tony, he didn't exactly need to.

"Hey, Patton?" Logan said one evening as they played Mario Kart together.

"Yeah?" he replied, focused on the game.

He bit his lip, questioning if he was about to do this. "How often do you and Tony fight?"

There was silence. Patton hit pause on the game to stare at the screen with a blank face. There's something to be said about how terrifying it is when Patton goes silent. Logan was regretting his decision to ask as the silence dragged on.

"What makes you think that's your business exactly?"

Patton could have smacked him and it wouldn't have stung as much as his tone did. Logan shrunk back, guilty for asking. "I-I'm just w-worried," he managed, making Patton look at him with an unreadable expression. "I hear you crying at night and I've heard some of your fights and I'm just concerned, Patton. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you angry..."

He felt like a child after saying something he shouldn't have to his parent. Patton was just staring at him, eyes hard. They revealed nothing about what was going on inside his head. However, Logan had a guess as he selected quit on the menu in front of them that he'd seriously messed up.

"Patton I'm-"

"Do me and yourself a favor, Logan," he snapped, hiding his face as he headed toward his room. "Mind your own business."

The only problem was that he couldn't. He couldn't bring himself to ignore Patton's pain like it wasn't an issue. He pretended not to be concerned with it, acting like everything was perfectly fine whenever he was around him, but as soon as he was alone with Virgil and Roman the mask came crashing down. He gushed to them about how worried he was, how he'd snapped at him. They shared in his concern, but not to the extent that he'd hoped.

He sighed as he entered his apartment, knowing what came next. Fake smiles and lies. He made his way to the bathroom to take a shower after a day of working, pushing the door that was cracked open.

He froze, eyes widening as everything around him seemed to stop. Patton had been in the bathroom, but hadn't closed the door. His shirt was pulled up as he ran his fingers along marks Logan immediately recognized: bruises. He didn't need to asked himself where they'd come from as his strong suspicion rang clear in his mind. Logan didn't have time to say anything before he yanked down his shirt and pushed by him to immediately go to his room. He was left to ponder the possibilities of where they'd come from, and why he'd hide them from him. His leading suspicion made him want to vomit.

Logan was sitting at a table outside a cafe, inconspicuously watching his best friend interact with his boyfriend. He needed to know more about what was going on here, concerned for Patton's well being.

"We need to talk about this Tony," Patton was saying following his boyfriend. "I'm trying to make this work and you don't even seem to care about me anymore."

Logan's heart raced, listening intently as his best friend spoke his thoughts. This was what he'd been afraid of. Tony let out a huff, rolling his eyes. "You're just being delusional," he said, annoyance in his tone. "Even your friends know what I'm talking about."

His blood boiled at that remark, knowing full well how sensitive Patton was when people talked about his insecurities. He could see the hurt in his eyes from his place at his table.

"Logan might know..." he murmured quietly, shrinking as small as he could as Tony reached out to grab his wrist.

He watched with wide eyes, fear and horror jolting his system. Tony's hand was gripping Patton's wrist too tight; his knuckles were turning white and there was pain in his friend's eyes. "He better not," Tony muttered threateningly. "You know what'll happen if he does."

Patton nodded fearfully, looking away. Logan's blood was boiling as they continued walking. He stood up, following them. He jogged up, pretending to have just been passing by. "Hey, Patton!" he greeted, making him stop and turn. Tony had continued walking until he'd realized Patton had stopped. "Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to swing by Game Stop and grab a new game."

His eyes were wide and flashing with fear as Tony took a step back toward him. "Sorry, Logan, I gotta go," he started, turning to go.

"Patton, wait," he said more sternly, reaching out to take his hand. His voice dropped in volume as he leaned closer. "Patton, please, this isn't healthy. This isn't good for you."

He was looking at him with wide, glossy eyes. He jumped a little at Tony's voice. "Patton-"

"Please," Logan pleaded, not being able to bare seeing him like this. "He's not good for you. You know it's true. Please, come home with me. Call this off before he hurts you again. Please..."

Patton was crying now, tears falling down his cheeks. He fell toward him, making Logan hug him close and rub his back. Tony approached, but he shot him a glare that if looks could kill, he'd be dead. "Don't even think about it," he muttered, voice venomous. "He's done, you're done. Contact him again and we'll call the police."

He turned his back on Tony, Patton leaning on him for support as they began to walk back to their apartment. He was so exhausted from crying that he could barely stand. Logan looked at him sadly, and picked him up bridal style. "I've got you," he murmured into his ear as he clung to his neck. They entered their apartment and Logan gently put him down on the couch. His breathing picked up when he let go, making him quickly sit down next to him and wrapped his arm around him. "You're okay, shh... I've got you..."

Patton managed to look up. To Logan's surprise, he leaned forward to gently kiss his lips. He froze in shock as he pulled away and curled into his arms. He was clearly falling asleep as he spoke quietly. "T-Thank you, Logan..." he breathed with a small smile.

"Patton?" he started but he was asleep. His breathing was deep and there was a small smile on his lips as he relaxed in Logan's arms. He blushed, smiling a tiny bit as he held him closer. He pressed a gentle kiss to his hair. "I've got you..."