Patton seemed distressed. He didn't speak much for the rest of the party, and he would repeatedly check his phone when it wasn't his turn. Logic had finished his game with Structure, winning by three points. He hadn't had that close of a game of Battle Scrabble since he was a kid. Their guests left shortly after Prankster broke a glass plate. They insisted they could juggle.

Even when the household was alone, Patton's mood didn't improve. He stayed in his seat, frowning down at his phone.

Virgil excused himself to his room. Roman stretched his arms, pleased with the successful party. Janus stood by the windows, keeping his hands in his pockets. Logic's gaze landed on Patton once again. He approached, sitting at the table next to him.

"You seem upset." Logic said.

Patton glanced up at him before resuming his texting. "My family has this big, annual family reunion every year."

"That's what 'annual' means, yes." Logic folded his hands and rested his chin on them.

Roman sat across from him, interested in the conversation. Janus swayed side to side, staring out the window. He would send a glance their way occasionally, but otherwise was silent.

"And Jonny told Mom that I met all of you and now they expect me to bring someone." Patton said, his voice falling quieter as he finished, "And the only one available is…"

Janus turned to them. He was frowning, his head tilted. "Why don't you just tell them we all can't go?"

"Because that would be a lie !" Patton groaned. "You're free! You don't do anything!"

"Okay." Logic held up a hand, stopping Patton. Janus was glaring at the ground, his jaw tight. Logic asked, "Could you tell your parental figures that most of us are busy and the last one doesn't want to go?"

Patton looked horrified. "No! Logan! You can't just tell people you don't want to go to things!"

"Why not?" Roman asked.

Patton sputtered, "Guys, that is so rude !"

Janus spoke then, his voice commanding attention. "I'll do it."

"What?" Patton's jaw dropped. Roman gasped loudly, placing a hand on his chest. Logic didn't see what was so surprising. There was a fifty per cent chance he'd agree.

"I'll go." Janus shrugged, looking at his nails. They were painted black today. "How long will it take? Two hours, plus travel?"

"Two days." Patton said, shaking his head. "I have to drive to our estate-"

"Estate?" Roman and Janus both said.

"And we'll spend the night. We always have a bonfire at midnight." Patton worried his lip. "Oh, Aunt Sharon will be there."

Logic put a hand on Patton's wrist. He immediately twisted their hands so he was holding onto Logic's tightly. Logic rubbed his knuckles soothingly. "Janus is willing to participate, so you won't disappoint your family by arriving alone."

"Yeah, but-" Patton glanced at Janus and then looked down at his lap. He mumbled something that Logic couldn't hear.

"What?" Logic leaned closer.

"But he's the first! The first Side that'll be introduced to my parents! I'm the first kid to find them all! And-" Patton's face paled. He ran a hand through his hair and whispered, "Oh my God, I'm bringing home a Negative!"

Janus leaned against the wall, his arms crossed and a deep frown on his face. "Ah, yes, how could I forget. Patton's too good to have a Negative Side. You know, 30% of people have a primarily Negative Side."

"Twenty-six point six." Logic quickly corrected.

"Rounding up," Janus said without missing a beat, "27 percent of people, okay, there's seven billion people. That's- that's-"

Janus didn't know the answer was 1,890 million. It probably didn't matter, Patton wasn't listening anymore.

"Frick. What would Mom think?" Patton whispered, pressing his hands into his eyes. Logic made eye contact with Janus. He could see something in his expression. Like he was expecting this sort of reaction. Janus rolled his eyes, and didn't look back up. Logic squeezed Patton's hand and frowned at the table.

Roman suggested, "Why not just have Janus pretend to be something else?"

"Good idea, Roman." Janus all but purred. Roman sat up straighter, smiling a little. "Let's bring up that little trauma again. Like the circle of life. What would you call that Patton? Destiny ?"

Roman's smile fell again. He turned to see Patton wince. Logic placed his hand on Roman's knee under the table, aware of his confused pout.

Patton sighed. He said, barely loud enough to hear. "I can't lie to my family."

"Well, you have a week to figure out how to tell Mumsey and Popsey that you're bringing Deceit home." Janus said, walking to the door. "Good luck with that."

Logic saw Janus' expression, his lips pulled down, his brow furrowed. He reached up and touched the scar on his cheek. Janus dropped his hand quickly, like it burned, then ducked around the corner. Logic sighed out his nose. Well, this would take some work on both their parts.

Maybe this would be a good thing for them. Patton and Janus would never spend time together voluntarily. This would be a good exercise in sharing space.

Patton stood silently, his hand slipping from Logic's grip. He chewed his lip for a moment before he said, "I'm going to find Virgil."

"Okay." Roman said, then belatedly added, "Good night."

Patton nodded, replying, "It was."

He left with a small wave. Logic and Roman shared concerned looks.

"I think they'll kill each other." Roman muttered once they were sure Patton was gone.

"It's possible, figuratively." Logic hummed. He drummed his fingers on the table and said, "Aside from Patton's reunion news, I would call Game Night a success."

Logic stood and began gathering empty plastic cups. The sun was sinking low, and he was starting to feel tired from the long day. Roman watched him as he cleaned.

"Yeah, we should do it again. Kai left with Vogue." He said, resting his head on his hand. His hair was messy, and Logic wanted to brush his fingers through it.

"I saw that." Logic smiled. "And Prankster didn't unfuse, so who knows where they ran off to."

"I think Elliot said they were all going to go to their place." Roman said, stretching his arms above his head. He yawned. "We accidentally brought two fusion groups together."

"We seem to be good at that." Logic said. He tossed the stack of used cups into the trash, then held out his hand, "Come on, let's get some sleep. You have rehearsal in the morning, correct?"

"It's just dance practice." Roman said with another yawn.

"All the more reason you should rest." Logic said.

Roman let Logic pull him up. Without letting go of his hand, Roman leaned closer and kissed him. Logic closed his eyes and wrapped his other arm around Roman's waist. He felt Roman press closer, and Logic never wanted to let go. Roman pulled back just a second later, pressing their foreheads together. Logic's glasses were ajar, and all he could see of Roman was his breathtakingly honey brown eyes. Logic couldn't tell if the heat of his face was from a blush or the sign of an upcoming fusion. His throat felt dry.

Roman gave his shoulder a squeeze before he mumbled, "Good night, Lo."

Logic nodded, unsure if he could speak. He stayed in the kitchen long enough to put away the leftover cheeses and turn off the lights. He still felt the warmth of Roman's lips on his own as he headed upstairs to his room. As he passed Virgil's room, he saw the light was on, and he could hear quiet voices.

He hesitated just long enough to hear a frustrated, " I don't know what to do! " Then he quietly walked to his room. He shut the door and pondered if he could be of any help, or if he should stay out of the situation. He sat down at his desk and yawned. He would have to debate that minor delima later. He had homework for four different classes, and he wasn't one to procrastinate.

Logic worked well into the night. Occasionally, he heard movement around the house. Someone opening a door or footsteps sneaking down stairs. But the others were mostly settled for the night.

As he was reading about cellular mitosis, he felt his eyelids droop. His body decided for him it was time to rest. Tired from his classes, and then a successful social event. He could admit he was even a little tired from pondering Patton's situation. Logic didn't finish the paragraph he was reading. His head slumped against his arm, his glasses pressed against his cheek. His nose touched the page of his textbook.

He dreamed of Roman kissing his lips, and Janus whispering his name.

On Saturday, he and Roman went out to lunch. They went to a tiny Italian place on the other side of campus. Logic had never been there before, and Roman insisted he try their breadsticks. They were planning on discussing Roman's Side name. He brought an Encyclopedia of Side Diagnoses to assist in their conversation. Roman was visibly nervous as he ordered, an emotion Logic didn't usually detect from him. This clearly meant a lot to him. Logic's shoulders grew heavier with the realization, metaphorically.

Once they had received their orders, Logic set the Encyclopedia on the table. Roman glanced at it before returning to his soup. Logic was surprised, he anticipated he would have to lead this conversation.

"We're positive you're a Creative-Emotional Side, so I've compiled a list of various Creative and Emotional traits to go through." He said, turning to the first page he had tabbed. He said, "Let me know if any of these sound right to you."

Roman nodded, and Logic began reading.

"Artistic, Dreamer, Fanciful, Silly."

Roman shrugged, not sounding enthusiastic. "I like Fanciful. It sounds fancy."

Logic made note of the response, then read, "Cheery, Imaginative, Gleeful, Fragile-"

"Hey! I am not Fragile!" Roman pointed his spoon at him. Logic smiled and made a note of that reaction. He couldn't help but find Roman's little outburst cute.

"I'm not calling you fragile, I'm trying to help you find a diagnosis." Logic said. He adjusted his glasses and added, "There's nothing wrong with being a Fragile Side."

"Yeah, yeah, of course." Roman said, waving his hand. "But I'm not one of 'em."

Logic nodded, looking at his next list of words. "Duly noted. Hm. Courageous, Hopeful, Perfectionist, Professional."

Roman groaned and leaned over the table. "Perfectionist was such a dick today. So I was dancing, right? And he was like 'you need to go faster', and I was like 'during which part?' and-"

Logic tapped on his paper, biting his lip. He wrote as he spoke, "Maybe you're Distractible? Inattentive?"

Roman crossed his arms. "You're not funny."

Logic smiled and closed the book. "And you don't want to talk about what we came here to talk about."

Roman sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I'm sorry, Logic. I know you took time to pick out words, but," Logic felt a little offended at the oversimplification, but he stayed silent as Roman continued. "I've done this hundreds of times. It just never clicks."

Logic nodded, "That may be so, but one day it will. The right word is somewhere in here." He tapped his encyclopedia for emphasis.

Roman shrugged and muttered. He stared at the thick book, purely miserable. "I guess."

They would discuss it more at another time. Logic tried to not be upset that Roman was avoiding talking about his diagnosis at the lunch they scheduled to discuss his diagnosis. It wasn't his place to push. He was offering assistance, not demanding answers.

Even still, Logic felt like he was given a few more pieces of his puzzle. He ran through their brief conversation in his mind a few times before he broke the silence.

"This is a nice place." He said. He finally picked up his fork and took his first bite of his salad.

Roman nodded, not looking at him. He said noncommittally, "Good soup."

They didn't speak anymore about Side names or traits. Roman led most of the conversation, and Logic spent the time categorizing his smiles.

Sunday Logic stayed in his room most of the day. He worked on his homework and his portfolio. He was alone for the entire morning, until Janus came into his room at ten til' noon. He entered without knocking, holding a simple white button down and black pants.

"Does this look like a good, Puritan outfit?" Janus asked, with no hint of sarcasm in his voice. Logic blinked as he held the outfit up to himself. Janus wore black so often, the idea of him in anything bright was humorous.

Logic nodded and stood up. "Do you have a tie? Puritans love ties."

Janus shook his head. "Not any that aren't torn."

"Why are your ties torn?" Logic asked.

Janus glanced away. "No reason."

"I have plenty." Logic decided to ignore that response. He led Janus to his closet and pulled out his collection of ties. He kept them on a series of hangers. Logic surveyed them quickly before he pulled out two; a solid blue one, and a striped black and yellow one. He showed them to Janus. "Will these suffice? One for each day."

"Um." Janus took the ties, rubbing the fabric distractedly.

"Do you know how to tie a tie?" Logic asked. Janus nodded. Then he shuffled his feet and shook his head. Logic smiled and wrapped the blue tie around Janus' neck. "It's simple. This part of the tie will be longer than this part. Then, we cross it over like this."

He moved without thinking, putting himself behind Janus, his arms around his shoulders as he tied the tie.

"Once you've got it here, pull this piece through the hole right here." Logic spoke quietly, aware that he was right next to Janus' ear. His Side didn't talk much, and Logic thought he might be holding his breath. "Then tuck it in, and adjust this bottom part."

He smoothed the tie against Janus' chest and stepped back. He smiled at Janus, who was watching him with a slightly agape mouth. "It just takes practice."

"Um. Yeah." Janus said. He cleared his throat and muttered, "Thanks, Logan."

Logic smiled, his chest warming at the sound of his name. "It's no problem."

Janus stepped forward and placed a small kiss on his cheekbone. Logic blinked in surprise, and didn't have a response. Janus left him without another word, fiddling with the blue tie around his neck.

On Monday, Janus followed him into his room when he got home. Patton and Virgil were both at work still, and Roman had apparently gone to the gym. Janus was pacing like he was waiting for Logic.

He started without prompting, "So I've been doing some research, and there's something I don't get."

"Very well." Logic gestured for him to continue as he set his bag down on his desk.

"So Western Puritans don't shake hands?" He frowned and crossed his arms. "What's up with that?"

"No. They shake hands, but a Side should not offer to shake the hand of an Established person." Logic said. He held out his hand, "If I'm Established and I hold out my hand, that's allowed. But if I'm Established and you hold your hand out to me, that's offensive."

Janus shook his head and chewed his nail. They weren't painted anymore. Logic wondered why he took the black off so soon.

"What about to other Sides?" He asked.

"That's fine, as far as I know." Logic said.

"So it's a class thing?" Janus nodded, not waiting for Logic's answer. "Okay. Got it. Thanks."

He left quickly, closing the door behind him. Logic wondered what exactly Janus was up to. If he didn't know any better, he'd think the boy was studying.

On Tuesday, Janus stopped him in the hall with a hand to his chest. Logic barely registered his quick, "Why doesn't Roman like Western Puritans?"

Logic hesitated, his brows pinching. "I wasn't aware he had a religious preference. But I would assume it's because Puritans, historically, don't get along with other religious groups."

"Hm." Janus didn't seem impressed with that answer. He left Logic alone in the dark hallway with no further context as to where that question came from.

On Wednesday and Thursday, Empathy wandered the house. He helped at the daycare, and rescheduled Virgil's appointments. When Roman asked if Patton and Virge were feeling okay, Empathy just awkwardly laughed and changed the topic.

Janus didn't join them for dinner either night. Logic brought him leftovers once the others went to sleep. He was rewarded both times with more questions about what was socially acceptable behavior. Logic prefaced his advice with the warning that Logics were typically socially inept.

"I'll be the judge of that." Janus said, crossing his arms. He listened intently to Logic's every word, regardless how long the explanation.

On Friday, Logic finally asked Janus what he was doing. Janus was standing in front of his mirror, brushing his curls around angrily. He had been irritable all day, snapping at Roman more than usual. Logic was able to detect his lies with a 4% increased accuracy in a 10% deceased timespan. He didn't 'call out' Janus on his lies, but he made note of the ones he heard. After three pages, he grew concerned.

"Oh, was I supposed to go into this blind?" Janus said. Then he added, grumpier, "I'll be two days in enemy territory, I had to do some recon. It'd be suicide not to."

Logic scoffed, "I'd hardly call Patton's family the 'enemy'. They're a harmless upper-middle class family."

"They're weird religious bigots with a hundred kids." Janus said, glaring at him through the mirror. "What part of that screams 'safety' to a Negative Side?"

"I don't have a Negative's perspective, but I suppose I see your point." Logic walked further into Janus's room. He took the brush from him and began brushing his hair at a much slower, gentler rate. "Patton's family has very specific expectations. I wouldn't want to meet all of them."

Janus sighed, looking miserable. "I'm not going to make it out of this without lying."

Logic said, "You don't have to. Our agreement was for you to try to not lie to us . I don't care if you lie to Patton's family."

That made Janus laugh, softly.

"Now, if you made an agreement with Patton to be honest, that's a different story." Logic said, setting the brush down and picking up some hair gel.

Janus scowled at his shoes. "Patton hasn't said a single word to me since Friday."

Logic didn't like hearing that, but he couldn't say he was surprised. They really didn't like each other.

"I don't even know if he actually wants me to go." Janus sighed, his shoulders sinking. "I mean, I know he doesn't want me to go, but I thought, maybe- I don't know."

Logic lowered his hands, observing Janus in the mirror. He was chewing his thumb nail again. Logic wondered if that was a nervous habit. Then he wondered how many nervous tics they share among themselves.

Logic stated quietly, "This is important to you."

Janus glanced at him. He didn't disagree. Instead he muttered, "I can't fuck this up, Logan."

Logic only then noticed just how large the bags under Janus's eyes were. And although Logic didn't want to go, he wished he could witness Janus during the reunion. He wanted to see what all this effort was leading to. Janus didn't seem like the type to waste his energy for nothing.

"You won't." He whispered into golden hair.

Tell me what you think!