"Hey, has anyone seen Patton?" Roman inquired.
"No. Why don't you ask Remus. I heard them up talking last night." Logan suggested before taking another sip of coffee.
"Ok. Virgil, you're coming with me."
"Why?"
"Please?"
"Fine."
Roman knocked on Remus's door before calling out, "I'm coming in."
He just about froze when he saw Patton snuggled up in Remus's bed next to, you guessed it, Remus. Patton's eyes fluttered open and he gave a smile to his friends.
"Uhhhh… Patton… Don't be alarmed, but that's not your bed." Virgil said hesitantly.
"I know."
"Oh… Ok… Why are you sleeping with my brother?" Roman asked.
"We fell asleep talking last night."
"Uh huh. And you must have been cold at some point and pulled the covers over you." Virgil reasoned.
"Yep."
"Ok." Roman was satisfied with that answer.
"Besides," Wait. They were keeping it a secret while they figured it all out. "We slept with each other before."
"Hmmm? Pattycakes, waz hapnin?" Remus began to stir.
"Roman and Virgil are here."
"Pattycakes?" Virgil raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, uh, like the game! Why don't we go to the kitchen so Remus can sleep?"
Roman and Virgil nodded in agreement and followed him out.
"So what were you talking about that had you up so late?" Virgil asked.
"Oh, you know… Um… Stuff?"
"Why was that a question?"
"Oh, you know. We were just up so late that I forgot."
Roman and Virgil shared a glance. "Check's out."
Phew. He hadn't messed it up yet.
"We can just ask Remus when he gets up." Roman reasoned.
"Yeah!" Patton agreed. "I'm going to make some eggs. Want any?"
"I'm going to have some of the leftover pancakes. What about you, Virge?"
"Yeah, I'll take some eggs."
"What about you two over there?" Patton called over to Logan and Dee. "Want some eggs?"
"I've already eaten but Dee would like some," Logan called back.
"Sure thing!"
Remus walked into the kitchen about 20 minutes later. Patton had some eggs waiting for him so he went and sat down with the others.
"Hey, Pat. You good there?" Remus asked his rather nervous looking companion.
"Great!" Patton exclaimed a little too loudly.
"... Ok…"
"Ah, dearest brother. Virgil and I were curious as to what was so interesting that you two stayed up talking and fell asleep."
"Oh, well he was helping me with my book, and once creative juices flow, you just can't stop 'em."
"Please don't talk about your juices while we're eating," Virgil smirked causing Dee to snort.
"I should have left you on that street corner where you were standing."
"But you didn't."
"What street corner was Virgil on?" Logan asked.
"N-no. Logan. Honey." Dee's eyes were pleading the others to help.
"Oh. A pop culture reference."
"How are you a college professor but you don't know any memes? Especially Vines." Roman asked.
"I didn't know botany was so popular. I can get behind that."
Everyone except Patton groaned and face palmed while he gave Logan a sympathetic look.
"So the kids aren't into botany?"
"I'm sure some kids are," Patton offered.
"Perfect. Maybe I'll get a succulent for the classroom." Logan replied thoughtfully.
Breakfast was went well. No one was even the slightest bit suspicious. They all got caught up in the banter and didn't notice an unusual pair holding hands under the table. Remus and Patton offered to do the dishes which gave them the slightest bit of almost alone time, since they could be seen from the living room where the others went to talk. They could still talk softly to each other though.
"It's so pretty, isn't it?" Patton was looking out the frosted window to see the sun rays coming through the snow covered evergreens.
"Yeah." Remus thought it was a nice scene, but what really made it was Patton standing next to him.
Patton turned to him. "You're not even looking silly."
"I thought you were talking about the view, and I have to say it is gorgeous."
"Oh," Patton smiled and blushed. "You're sweet."
"As a lemon."
"One of these days I'll get you to admit it."
"That would be a miracle, though I'd say I'm experiencing one right now so you might."
Patton's cheeks were burning. "You're so cheesy!"
"Hello pot. I am kettle."
"What's the shouting about?" Roman appeared in the doorway.
Patton turned quickly hoping Roman wouldn't see his beet red face. "Just a funny joke."
"Really? Can I hear it?"
"You kind of had to be there."
"Ok… Are you lying?" Roman teased.
"No!"
"Relax, Pat. I'm just joking. You good?"
"Yeah. We'll be done in a minute. Do you want to get out a game?"
"I'll get Uno!" Roman dashed off to retrieve the game.
"Remus giggled. "You're too cute."
"Shut up and help me dry."
"I'd rather help you wet," Remus mumbled under his breath.
Patton whipped his head around eyes wide. "We're in public," he hissed.
"And that's your only objection?" Remus raised an eyebrow.
Patton somehow blushed even harder. "U-Uh… I…"
"Woah are you ok? I was just joking. Hey. Pattycakes?"
"I'm going to dry this plate and pretend I'm not a flustered mess."
"And I will dry this plate and pretend you aren't a flustered beauty."
"That's not helping."
"Can't help it. You know me. Being blunt is kind of my thing."
"We'll see about that."
"... Did you just make… an innuendo?"
"How'd I do?"
"Honestly? Not very good. But I appreciate the effort."
"How come you don't fluster?!"
"Keep it down. You're just a nice person."
"Rem! You don't think that's the only reason I compliment you."
"Well… I honestly don't know what you see in me."
"You're brave and caring and kind and sweet- don't interrupt me, and you're cute and funny and smart and handy and you like to do things and you're so creative and you'd do anything for the people you care about even if it poses a risk to you and you just want to take our burdens away from us and protect us. Don't think I didn't notice. In fact, that's one of the first things I noticed. In high school people asked me why I hung out with you. They said you were bad news and a delinquent and dangerous and a freak, but I never saw that in you. You're really amazing Rem and I'm sorry it took me a bit to notice and then even when I did, I didn't realize… Are you crying? Rem…"
"Is it too much to say I love you?"
"Come here," Patton pulled him over to the dining area since it wasn't visible from the living room and gave him the tightest hug he could. "You don't fluster because you're so convinced it's not true, but… I love you too."
Patton took Remus's chin between his pointer finger and thumb and stood on his tiptoes waiting only long enough for Remus to close the distance before giving him a kiss.
"You know, you taste just as good as you smell."
"I'm just going to be a tomato for the rest of my life, huh?" Patton backed away to finish the dishes.
He didn't realize, but that one statement meant so much to Remus. The rest of his life. Flustered. Because of him. Yeah, he'd be ok with that.
Uno created a highly competitive charged atmosphere. No one likes to lose, sure, but they all sought victory like freedom in a revolution. There's a reason monopoly was forbidden. The first round ended up lasting an hour with Roman winning, but the next round was quicker with Remus taking victory. Third round Virgil nearly rage quit when Roman and Logan kept skipping over him or giving him draw fours. For the fourth round he switched seats. They took a break for lunch and made grilled cheese before jumping right back in and playing a few more rounds.
They decided on leftovers for dinner so they could eat whenever. That also meant Patton didn't have to cook, which gave he and Remus plenty of time to hang out.
"You want to go watch the sunset?" Remus asked.
"Sure!"
Patton smiled brightly with the giddiness of doing the familiar activity but as boyfriends. Sure they were kind of sort of last time, but this time they were from the start. It felt like it couldn't have been only yesterday they got together. Their relationship felt so natural.
"Can I borrow your sweater?"
"I made you your own new one!"
"Yeah, but… Yours smells like you."
Remus snorted. "Ok, how about this. I'll wear my new one and you can have my old one until you want me to re-scent it?"
Patton gasped, "Really?"
"Of course."
"Yay!"
"You're so cute you're going to fry my brain."
"Shut up and give me the goods." Patton tried and failed to look intimidating.
"Ok, ok. I surrender." Remus took off the sweater he was wearing and handed it over.
Patton immediately put it on and hugged himself. "So warm."
"I'm glad you're appreciating the wasted heat energy from my cells that will never be reusable and is depleting the available usable energy in the universe."
"I'm glad I don't know what that means because it sounds existential."
"Maybe a little. I'm going to get my other sweater."
Remus stood behind Patton with his arms around him as they watched the sun set. He nuzzled Patton's neck between his scarf and fluffy hair. Patton giggled.
"Ticklish are we?"
"N-No!"
"You're a bad liar," Remus kept going until Patton was crying with laughter and pressed a kiss to the spot before resting his chin on top of the other's head.
"I like this. I like you."
"I like you too."
They basked in the warm glow and silence of the setting sun for a while until it set enough to get chilly.
"I think if I come to your room tonight I'm going to have to get up earlier."
"I can set an alarm."
"How sweet," Patton turned to him and rolled his eyes before cracking a smile.
"I think you know my response to that."
"It's not the only lemon thing about you."
Remus gasped. "That was too good of an innuendo! Who are you and what did you do to my Pattycakes?!"
His Pattycakes. Shoot. He was red again. Well, only one thing to do about that. He gave Remus a quick peck and became even redder. Might as well commit… Wait a minute.
"Are you blushing? You're blushing! Yes! I did it!"
"Shut up."
"I will not. You are blushing and I made it happen. This is my victory. They will sing songs about me!"
"You've definitely been hanging around Roman too much."
"Oh come one. You love dramatics. I've read your stories."
"Ok," Remus chuckled. "You caught me."
"You bet I did."
"Now can you put a sock in it so we can go back in before you freeze?"
"I can put something else in it."
"Wow. Two for two. If I didn't know better I'd say you're not as innocent as they make you out to be."
"Maybe. And you know what the best part is?"
"They'll never believe me?"
"Yep!"
Because this part was just for him.