Hey There Little Red Riding Hood: Chapter 11 (final)
Parings: Romantic Logince/ Side Moxiety Characters: Logan Sanders, Roman Sanders, Thomas Sanders, Virgil Sanders, Patton Sanders, Emile, Remy Chapter warnings: I have no idea how to write fluff so this may be painful Word count:Â 3449
Summary:
One down, one to go. Problem is, itâs been nearly 400 years since Logan last confessed his love, and heâs rather unsure of how to do it. Â
Ao3 Link
<-Chapter 1| <-Chapter 10
Logan finished patching up the hole in the castle wall and wiped the sweat from his brow. Thomas walked to his side and gave a nod of approval, and Logan sent him a light smile. The king strode over to his window and looked out.
âThe town still needs a lot of work, but Iâm sure if we work together, we can get it fixed up in no time,â he commented. Thomas turned his attention back to Logan, who joined his side soon after.
âIâm sure I could make quick work of it,â Logan mentioned.
âI donât want you to exhaust yourself. Besides, I want to help return my people back to peace. Itâs the least I could do.â
Logan hummed and nodded his head. âYou are a good king indeed.â
Thomas smiled out of the corner of his lips. He thought for a moment before asking, âYou think sheâll be back?â
âIâm unsure,â Logan answered. âI have no idea where she went, nor do I know her whereabouts. Iâm assuming that wasnât the last we will see of her, but I cannot draw a concise conclusion.â
Thomasâs grimace proved that was not the answer he wanted, but he accepted it.
Someone cleared their throat loudly in the doorway, and both Thomas and Logan turned their heads.
Roman strode into the room, dressed in a loose white tunic with rolled up sleeves and black pants that clung to his black boots. It took a moment for Logan to realize he was staring.
âMorning, Ro,â Thomas greeted. Roman came to his side and crossed his arms as he stared out the window.
âNoble Joan is awake and asking to see you,â Roman informed. âI notified them you will be there to speak to them and Noble Talyn as soon as possible.â
âThank you,â Thomas replied and sighed in relief. He turned back to the window and looked out. âAre the knights out?â
âAll that are available. Leo wanted to speak with you as well. He was rather concerned we didn't locate the witch after the battle.â
âAs am I, but all we can do is be ready if she does decide to come back.â
Roman nodded his head in agreement. Â âI plan on joining the other knights soon to repair the town if you wish to stand by my side.â
âWouldnât dream of doing otherwise,â Thomas sent back.
âGood. Iâll meet you down at the palace gates in a few minutes. Donât be late.â Roman looked over Thomasâs shoulder and caught Loganâs expression. He sent a coy smile before winking and walking out of the room.
Logan watched him exit. It should be against the law to look that flawless this early in the morning.
âSo when are you going to tell him?â
Logan snapped his attention back to Thomas, who sent a knowing smile. His body stiffened, and he took in a deep breath.
âIâm unsure I know what youâre-â
âHeâd probably say yes, you know.â Thomas took a step back and added, âJust do me a favor and treat him right, okay? Heâs got a pretty fragile heart.â
Logan, for once, was at a complete loss for words. Thomas followed Roman out of the room and left Logan to his thoughts in the throne room.
Tell Roman?
Talk about his feelings?
What would he even say?
How would he even do it?
Logan ran a hand through his hair. If anyone could help him with this dilemma, it had to be Virgil. His friend was a walking ball of nerves, but he still managed to open up to Patton. Maybe there was a trick?
Logan strode out of the throne room doors and toward the guest room he and Virgil were currently occupying together. He knocked three times on their door and heard a moan on the other side.
âIâm coming in,â Logan announced. He opened the door, not caring if he got an answer.
Virgil sat up in his bed on his elbows, his eyes half open and an annoyed curl in his lips. Emile stretched at the foot of his bed.
âMorning already?â Emile asked with a yawn.
âVirgil, I realize it is within your normal resting hours, but I have an infinitesimal problem.â
âThen why do you need me?â
âI need your advice.â
âSounds like a big problem if youâre coming to me.â
Logan paused. Yes, thatâs what he said, wasnât it? Nevermind-
âVirgil, how did you confess your feelings to Patton?â
Virgil blinked at him twice before letting out a light laugh and rolling over to go back to sleep. Logan stiffened.
âVirgil, please, I need-â
âIâm not gonna be your wingman,â Virgil mumbled and yawned. Emile shook his head and stretched. He laid down on top of Virgil, earning a long grunt from the sorcerer.
âCome on, Virge. You owe him.â
âGuess again.â
âWell, you know, if it wasnât for Logan, youâd still be a wolf and Patton wouldnât be-â
âUgh, fine,â Virgil grumbled and attempted to push Emile off of his side. Emile rolled over and allowed Virgil to sit up. Virgil rubbed a hand over his face and glared at Logan through his fingertips.
âWell first off,â Virgil continued, âhe was gonna die, so it didnât really matter if he rejected me.â
âIâm not putting Roman in harmâs way to confess to him.â
âNo, Iâm not-â Virgil groaned. âI wasnât trying to say-â
âThen what were you insinuating?â
âI didn't really think about it, you know? I'm not good at talking about feelings.â
âSo the trick is to not think and just speak?â
âI guess.â
âWhat do I even say?â
âWell, I don't know! What do you like about him?â
Logan thought for a while. âEven if he is loud and obnoxious, I still enjoy his company.â
Virgil couldn't contain the snort that escaped through his nose.
âMan, listening to you two talk about love is like listening to two birds squawking at three in the morning,â Remy moaned from Loganâs bed. He stretched and shook his fur. âItâs painful.â
âWell, I donât see you helping,â Logan mumbled.
âIâve only been shipping you two since he came to the house,â Remy purred. He chose to ignore the question that formed on Loganâs lips. âJust be upfront and honest with him.â
âYes, but you remember how well that worked in my favor the last time.â
âYou scared Damian half to death. Iâd be scared if you asked me to copulate with you too.â
Virgil rose a brow. âWhat?â
âA minor setback. Apparently, thatâs not how humans work.â
âNo one works like that, Logan.â Remy jumped off the bed and walked toward him. Logan picked Remy up in his arms and ran his hand across Remyâs back. Stroking his soft silver fur always calmed his nerves.
âOkay, well, how about something romantic?â Emile offered. âI mean, Roman seems the type to like poetry and whatnot.â
âNothing like getting all tongue tied while youâre trying to be romantic,â Virgil mumbled.
Logan sighed heavily through his nose. âIf Roman so obviously has these feelings for me, why hasnât he said so yet?â
âChances are,â Emile informed, âhe has and you missed it.â
Logan rubbed a hand over his face. Remy crawled out of his arms and curled up into his hood.
âDonât worry, Lo. Iâll be your wingcat,â Remy mused. âIâm pretty good at this romance stuff.â
âAnd when have you had practice?â
The back of his hood settled into silence, and Logan let out an exasperated sigh.
Now realizing he wasnât going back to sleep- and somewhat curious to see just how badly Logan messed this all up- Virgil got dressed before following Logan out into the hallway. Emile followed at Virgilâs heels. The two walked out toward the courtyard, and they noticed a lack of Roman or Thomas.
âThey already left,â Logan mumbled. Great, there went the idea of a private confession.
Virgil hummed and crossed his arms. âSo where did they go?â
âProbably out to help people rebuild their homes.â Logan started forward again and exited the palace gates.
The sound of hammers conversed with the tweets of early birds. People chattered as they assisted their neighbors. The morning dew still sat in the air and blew a cool breeze over the smoldering town. The scent of burnt wood still floated in the air, but they were sure the smell would never truly leave.
âVirgil, Logan!â a voice called off in the distance.
Patton approached and waved his arm into the air. Around his neck sat a light gray cloak, and if one looked close enough, cat ears popped out of the top of the hood.
âGood morning!â Patton chirped as he came to a stop in front of them.
âSalutations,â Logan greeted him. âIs Roman around?â
âYeah, he and Thomas are fixing some roofs a few streets over, I think.â
âYouâre wearing gray today,â Virgil noted, for once very pleased to not see a red cloak around Pattonâs neck.
Patton looked down and smiled. âOh, yeah, this is my favorite. I didnât want to rip it in the woods, so Roman gave me his, and now that Iâm home I can wear this one.â He spun in a circle, and the cloak flared out around him. âYou like it?â
âYouâre beautiful,â Virgil spoke through reflex. He only realized it when Patton stopped spinning, and he turned away with a flush of his cheeks.
Patton scooped up Virgilâs right arm in his own and responded, âAww, thanks. I think youâre beautiful too.â
If Virgil wasnât red before, he was really red now. Patton pulled Virgil off through the town, chattering away about something. Virgil looked over at Logan for help, but all Logan did was smile and wave his friend farewell.
âSee, thatâs how you do it,â Remy purred, but Logan shushed him. He scanned through all the working people for any sign of Roman or Thomas. Surely where one was, the other wasnât that far behind, right?
Logan ducked under a log carried between two women when he spied Roman hammering away on a roof. Obviously, he didnât care about modesty, because at some point, he lost the white shirt he was wearing. Logan didnât miss the way Romanâs muscles rippled with every hit of his hammer, or how the sweat resting on his skin made him shimmer like a thousand gold coins. Logan swallowed the bile rising through his throat.
âNice,â Remy purred, and Logan shoved the catâs head back in his hood. Logan cleared his throat.
âRoman,â he called out, âmay I have a word with you?â
Roman didnât hear him at first over the hammering, so Logan tried again. The second time, Roman wiped the sweat from his brow and looked over the side of the roof.
âOh, good morning!â Roman called down. âItâs about time you showed up. I was afraid you were skipping out.â
Logan hummed and looked around. He was overthinking this. Roman was obviously already interested, so he had no logical reason to be this nervous. Besides, it wasnât like this was his first relationship.
Roman seemed to forget about Logan and started conversing with another person on the roof. Logan groaned and ran a hand through his hair. Apparently, the most difficult part of this was going to be keeping Romanâs attention.
Thomas stopped at Loganâs side, carrying a few stones in a large metal bucket, and cleared his throat.
âWell, howâs it going?â Thomas asked and raised a brow.
âIâm working on it,â Logan snapped.
Thomas let out a light laugh. âOkay, sorry to rush you.â He nodded up to Roman, who turned to send a greeting to his brother, and started back down the road.
Logan watched Thomas leave. He heard Roman yelp. Logan turned and glanced up. Roman fell backward. Loganâs hand shot up. A rune flashed in his hand, and he barely finished the spell in time to catch Roman mid-air. He let out all the air in his lungs at once.
That was way too close.
A few people murmured as Logan lowered Roman carefully into his arms. Romanâs eyes melted from panic to adoration.
âGuess Iâve fallen for you once again,â Roman purred. Logan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Oh, wait, this is what they meant when they said Roman had told him already. He was using badly worded romantic lines. âWe have to stop meeting like this.â
âLike what?â Logan asked.
âOh you know, me falling from high places. You having to rescue me before I die. It seems to be a reoccurring theme.â
Logan cleared his throat and set Roman back down on the ground. However, as Romanâs right foot touched the dirt below, he sucked in a breath and fell back into Logan. Surprised but catching him in time, Logan assessed the situation.
âYouâve hurt your ankle.â
âIâm sure I merely turned it wrong,â
Roman tried to stand on it again, but if he was trying to hide his pain, he failed miserably. Logan put one of Romanâs arms over his shoulders.
âRelax. Youâll hurt yourself worse,â Logan grumbled.
âBut I canât just let them alone,â Roman whined. âTheyâre counting on me.â
âThey canât count on you if you cannot stand.â Logan led Roman over to a vacant area and sat him down in the dirt. He positioned Romanâs leg out in front of him, and Roman sucked in a breath through his teeth as Logan jostled his ankle. âMy apologies.â
âDonât worry about it,â Roman replied. He leaned back on his hands and watched Loganâs fingers move to produce a spell. The concentration that settled over Loganâs brow moved every organ in Romanâs body in different directions. He shifted to sit up closer but moved his ankle and winced.
âPatience. Iâll have you back on your feet in no time,â Logan murmured.
âOh, you have no idea how much restraint Iâm using,â Roman responded.
Loganâs eyes jumped up to Roman, and he wondered if Roman was talking about his ankle or himself.
The silver ring around Loganâs rune wrapped around Romanâs leg, and his ankle felt like he stuck it in fresh snow. Roman shuddered and swallowed a breath. The icy feeling disappeared as quickly as it came.
âThere,â Logan mumbled. âThat should fix your ailment.â
Roman tested Loganâs theory by rolling his ankle. There was a slight bite of pain, but it was nothing Roman couldnât tolerate.
Logan stood and offered his hand. Roman took it, and Logan helped pull Roman onto his feet. For a moment, Roman stood as close as he could and soaked in Loganâs overheating body.
âYou know, I thought you said you werenât leaving me out of your sight?â Roman teased.
Logan opened his mouth to speak, but the only thing that escaped was static. Roman laughed and shook his head. He patted Loganâs shoulder and started back toward the roof he was working on.
âRoman, wait,â Logan called out. He grabbed onto Romanâs wrist. Roman slowed to a halt and turned around to look at him. His eyes met Romanâs, and his whole body went as cold as Romanâs ankle.
Oh, there went all the words Logan planned on saying.
Logan cleared his throat. âI donât think you should go on any more roofs for the rest of the day.â
âWhat, afraid you wonât be there to catch me next time?â
Logan pursed his lips, and he took in a deep breath. The serious tone melted away the coy smile on Romanâs lips, and Logan feared his silence gave the wrong impression.
âRoman, I merely care about your safety,â Logan responded. âI donât want any more unfortunate accidents to befall you.â
âIâll try to be more careful,â Roman replied. His fingertips lingered as he slid out of Loganâs grip. He sighed before disappearing behind a group of people leading a cart of lumber.
Remy poked his head out of Loganâs hood. âWhat are you doing? You practically had him right there!â
Logan picked Remy out of his hood and set him roughly in the dirt. Remy let out a gasp of shock, and Logan chased after Roman.
The prince had started giving directions to a group of knights when Logan approached. Logan cleared his throat, and he had more eyes upon him than he wanted. He pushed past them and stood directly in front of Roman.
âYes, what is it?â Roman asked. The air around him was much colder than before, but the warm gaze in his eyes told Logan it was all a front. He did remember someone mentioning Roman disliked showing weakness in front of others.
âI need to speak with you,â Logan replied. Roman quirked an eyebrow. âIn private, if I may.â
Roman shrugged and excused himself. Logan led him to a secluded alley, coincidentally the one Virgil and Emile reunited in, and turned to face him.
Roman put his hand on the wall and stood awfully close to Logan. Logan panicked at the close proximity, but he noticed Roman made sure there was space for Logan to move away if he felt uncomfortable.
âWhat is so important that it canât wait?â Roman asked, a wide smile pulling on his lips.
âI-â Logan started, but found himself at a strange lack for words once again. He swallowed his nerves and took a deep breath. âI need to confess something to you.â
Romanâs eyebrow popped up in curiosity, and Logan swallowed his stomach back into his gut.
Logan continued, âI seem to have developed romantic feelings for you along our journey together, and I was wondering if you have felt the same.â
The smile from Romanâs face slipped away, and Logan froze. Did he examine Romanâs body posture wrong? Was he not feeling the same way? Were those words just banter and nothing to be taken seriously?
Logan opened his mouth to speak again, and Roman put a finger to Loganâs lips.
âIâm hurt you had to ask,â Roman responded. âI thought I was making it clear enough- is this why you were avoiding me?â
Logan guided Romanâs finger away from his mouth âI was not avoiding you.â
âNot physically, but you havenât spoken to me much in the past day.â
âRoman, we were asleep, and before I could contact you this morning, you already set off to work.â
âStill-â Roman ran a hand through his hair- âI wouldâve assumed youâd be better at confessing your feelings than that. You donât seem to be the nervous type.â
âItâs been a while since Iâve allowed myself to be vulnerable.â
The words brought both of their eyes together, and Logan concluded the feeling was mutual.
âRoman, if I may, Iâd like to offer you a kiss.â
Roman let out a breathy laugh, and Logan wondered why what he said was amusing.
âI thought youâd never ask.â
Roman put his finger under Loganâs chin, tipping his head up slightly to meet his. Romanâs breath heated up Loganâs cheeks, and his lips were surprisingly soft. The kiss was light, but it hit Loganâs heart hard and caused his gut to explode into a sizzling fireworks display.
Roman pulled back, and Logan allowed his body to rest against the wall. He didnât trust his legs to stand on their own.
âI have to return now. A princeâs duty is never done. However, Iâm not opposed to continuing this conversation in my room later tonight.â
Logan gave a weak nod. Roman winked and turned on his heel. Logan watched him go before allowing his body to slide down the wall.
Remy whistled at the end of the alley, and Logan turned his attention to the cat. Remyâs tail twitched as he strode forward.
âSo, did he taste good?â Remy asked.
Logan rolled his eyes and snuffed. Remy curled up in Loganâs arms and rubbed up against his face.
âBetter than I imagined.â
âOoooh, girl I need details... like now!â
Logan sighed and shook his head. He picked up the cat and allowed Remy to crawl over his shoulders and into his hood.
The rest of the day was spent fixing the town. The dragon witch- as the sorcerer was now dubbed- may have broken half the town, but she inadvertently managed to fix two very lonely people in the meantime. Whether sheâd be back to break what she had formed, they didnât know nor did they care at the moment.
However, they did know, if she decided to show her face again, theyâd be ready to take her on. It was going to take a lot more than dark magic to separate the bonds that were formed.
They had more than just a kingdom to fight for now.
The End
Authorâs Note:Â
Isnât it amazing how one song sparked a whole AU over 57,000 words? I wasnât even planning on it getting this long, and it went in a totally different direction than I expected!
And as always, thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for reading this far in! Iâm always floored when people take this much interest in my work, and itâs humbling to know so many adore and read every word.
That said, there will be a sequel, and I plan on Deceit being a chaotic neutral antagonist in it, so Iâm eager to write it. I love writing fleshed out antagonists, and his character is gonna be a trick to treat you. I understand if thatâs not your cup of tea, however, and I thank you for finishing at least this journey with me if this is our last meeting in this AU.
And again, thank you so much for all your support. I really couldnât have done any of this without you <3
-Cat
Continue the story in the sequel âEmperorâs New Clothesâ









