#a third perspective

 Patton once again sighed in relief and smiled, getting into the hand like before. But thankfully without an injured shoulder this time.

 Logan moved Patton all of four feet, bringing his hand to rest awkwardly at the bottom of the large beaker still sitting on the counter.

 Patton blinked, not getting off of the hand. “W-What are you doing?” He asked.

 “I thought you wanted to stay here.” Logan reminded him.

 “I-I mean, yeah, but I uh...would rather not be trapped, ya know?” Patton said, looking up at Logan with a sudden worry.

 “Well, considering I still lack more suitable accommodations, I figured this was the best course of action,” Logan explained. “It should still allow adequate circulation and shelter for the time being.”

 “Well, uh, you know what else is good shelter and...the other thing? This nifty apartment that I’m already inside of.” Patton said, motioning all around him.

 “Well, it’s actually a bit drafty in here.” Logan glanced around at the walls. “But more importantly, it would be illogical to leave you to your own devices while I was away. Especially given your injured state. It would certainly be unfortunate if you got yourself into trouble and got even more grievous injuries.”

 “I wouldn’t get into trouble…” Patton mumbled. But at least Logan’s reasoning for trying to get him in this glass thing was for safety. “How about I just go with you then? That way you don’t have to be so worried about me and you can focus on class better!”

 Logan pondered this idea. The only danger that Virgil had faced while in the pocket had been Roman, and an incident like that could be prevented with better vigilance on Logan’s part. If it truly made the borrower more comfortable, perhaps it would be alright to bring Patton along. After all, he certainly preferred Patton’s complacent attitude to Virgil’s accusatory one any day of the week.

 “Very well then.” Logan lifted his hand out of the glass container, instead lifting it so that it was next to the entrance of his pocket. “Pocket it is.” With his other hand he gently grabbed Patton’s sides, lifting him up and then into the pocket.

 Patton squirmed a bit when he felt his sides being pinched and him being lifted, but stopped as he was placed in the pocket. He sat up slightly but was mostly leaning against the fabric. He hadn’t been able to really focus on the pocket earlier, having been too scared. But without fear playing a part, he had to admit it wasn’t bad. In fact, “wow, it’s comfy in here!”

 Logan gave a small chuckle, not expecting that response. Once again, so different from the response he had received from Virgil. He gathered up his bag, careful to place the strap so that it wasn’t overlaying Patton. Logan walked through the rooms of his apartment, double checking that he had everything necessary for class.

 “Alright, I’m heading out.” Logan informed Patton, heading to the door.

 “Okay!” He settled down, noticing for the first time how a steady beat played on his right. It took Patton a second to realize it was Logan’s heartbeat. Huh, weird.

 Logan sent a brief glance to the stairwell going up, wondering if perhaps Roman was home yet. Unfortunately, there was no time to check. Logan would just have to investigate after class. Logan instead headed out to his car, taking the short trip back to the University. He walked into the Biology building, heading for the second floor.

 “Good afternoon, Logan.” Dr. Dee’s voice stopped Logan in his tracks. “Back again, I see.” Heart pounding, Logan turned to face him, trying not to think about how inconspicuous Patton may look on the outline of his chest.

 Patton blinked at the shift in heartbeat, how it started to go faster. The borrower frowned, that was weird. Was something wrong?

 “Ah, yes.” Logan nodded. “I’m just on my way to anatomy, sir.”

 “I always enjoyed my anatomy courses.” Dee took a sip of his coffee mug, despite the fact it was well into the afternoon. “Do they have you dissecting cats yet?”

 “No, not for another month.” Logan explained. “We’re still in the exposition phase of the course.”

 “That’s a shame.” The doctor made a tut-tut sound with his tongue. “Science is no fun until you get some hands-on experience.”

 “Absolutely, sir.” Logan readily agreed, barely paying attention.

 “But!” Dee clapped Logan on the shoulder, giving him a cheshire cat grin. “I’m sure you’ll get your hands dirty soon, eh? Chin up, there’s plenty of science to go around for those who keep our heads.”

 “Yes, sir.” Logan ducked out from underneath Dee’s grasp. “In that case, I best be going, sir.”

 “Keep a watch out for the fairy folk!” The professor called after him before laughing at his own joke. Logan hurried his pace along, not looking back.

 Patton couldn’t help but listen in to the conversation, only to find his eyes going wide and his body start to shake. Science? Fairy folk? Dissection? Wh-Why were they talking about that stuff? It couldn’t be true that Logan was...was a scientist. Right?

 Maybe he had misunderstood the conversation. Or had even misheard it! Yeah…

 Logan greeted his anatomy professor, taking his seat at the front of the class. Throughout the period he took his extensive notes as per usual, but his heart wasn’t in it. His second encounter with the Dean had him frazzled, concerned for Patton’s wellbeing as long as they were in this building. Unfortunately, this was going to be a common occurrence, as Logan had many classes held here. He was a biology student, after all.

 Logan sighed, laying his head in his hand and allowing his eyes to wander around the room as he became lost in his thoughts. Why couldn’t Patton have stayed in the apartment? Granted, the beaker was a bit cramped, but it could do in a pinch. Unfortunately, even if Patton had agreed to it Logan still needed another solution. Once he had Virgil back, the beaker wasn’t big enough for both to reside, and Logan would be forced to bring one along to class regardless. If only Logan had better accommodations. Something that would be comfortable enough for both borrowers without Logan having to worry about them in class…

 Logan’s eyes locked on a solution sitting at the back of the room. Once the idea was planted in his head, he couldn’t shake it. Sure, it was a bit demeaning, but it would certainly get the job done. It was just what Logan needed. He waited until after class, when most of the students had filed out, to approach his teacher about it.

 “Excuse me, professor?” Logan spoke up. “Do you know if that cage is part of the regular equipment circulation?”

 Patton’s thoughts had been preoccupied the entire class period. His mind going through the conversation he overheard over and over and trying to work around it in a way that would mean Logan wasn’t a scientist. Unfortunately, it hadn’t seemed to be working.

 And then, he heard Logan speak again and his eyes widened. W-Why was Logan asking about a cage?

 “What, that old thing?” The professor scoffed. “I haven’t seen anybody touch it since I’ve been here. I’m sure you could just take it.”

 “That’s not what I asked…!” Logan trailed off, watching the professor leave the room to head to another class. He sighed, looking back at the cage. Logan approached it. This would be tricky, considering he still had to be cautious of Patton in his pocket. Thankfully the cage proved to be lighter than it looked, and Logan was able to hold it to the side of his body with moderate success. He began to hobble out into the hall and down the stairs, back towards his car.

 “Logan?” Logan sighed, once again stopped by the Dean’s voice. Didn’t he have important business to attend to? It usually took Logan a few days to find a time to meet with him, and yet now it seemed Dr. Dee had a few hours to spend just drinking coffee and spiking Logan’s anxiety. “Where are you going with that cage?”

 “I apologize.” Logan winced. “I was informed that this was up for the taking-”

 “Oh, it is.” Dr. Dee folded his arms, walking over. “Well, it might be. If you have a good reason for taking it. See, I don’t like watching things go to waste.”

 “Agreed.” Logan found he actually agreed with the doctor, surprisingly. “Don’t worry, I’ll be putting it to good use.”

 “Doing what, exactly?” Dr. Dee sidestepped to block Logan’s path. Logan gulped.

 “...All scientists are entitled to their secrets?” Logan recited, quoting the response Dr. Dee had famously written when answering inquiries about the origins of his master thesis.

 “Using my own words against me.” Dr. Dee’s eyes narrowed, but he had a small grin of amusement. “Well played, Logan Sanders.” Logan nodded, continuing on his way once the professor stepped aside.

 “I just hope you remember there are no secrets kept in my master’s program.” Dr. Dee’s tone was a bit more sinister. Logan had no response; how could he? Was he being threatened? Was this just another aspect of the Dean’s unpredictable personality?

“And… what should the curtains be made of?” Logan asked, but his mind was elsewhere. He glanced around the room out of the corner of his eye.

“Well, I was actually thinking Virgil and I could make them! I have some fabric back at my place that would work perfectly!” Patton continued, unaware of what was going on above him.

It was a good thing Virgil was paying attention, because he caught the sudden shift in Logan. But...there was no way Logan knew he was there, right? Virgil shifted closer to the bag on instinct.

Catching movement, Logan immediately got up from his chair to go investigate.

Patton stopped, noticing Logan getting up. “What are you doing?”

Virgil, mind going into a panic, practically dived behind the bag. He looked towards his exit, debating if he should leave or not. He could always come back for Patton later, come up with a better plan even. But the guilt at leaving caused him to pause.

Of course, as soon as Virgil moved Logan spotted him. He reached around the bag, quickly grabbing up Virgil in a fist. Logan raised an eyebrow, surprised that it was Virgil and not some third borrower. After all, wasn’t Virgil supposed to be in Roman’s custody?

Logan turned around, coming back to the desk with a borrower in hand.

Virgil gasped in surprise as he was suddenly grabbed in an unfortunately familiar way. As he was raised to Logan’s eyes, Virgil couldn’t do much but panic. No, no, no, no! Not again! This was not how this was supposed to go.

Patton watched Logan curiously, wondering what on earth the human was doing, when he finally turned back around. Patton’s eyes snapped to what was in Logan’s hand and he grinned. “Virgil! You found him!” Patton exclaimed in excitement. He was so happy to see Virgil was safe and away from Roman.

“It would seem he found us.” Logan corrected. “Judging by the way he was staring at us from a distance.” Logan looked down at Virgil as he sat down. “Just how long have you been watching us, exactly?”

It was weird, how he could go from talking back to Roman one minute and then be completely paralyzed with Logan in the next. All he could do was shake in the grip.

Patton noticed this and frowned, looking up at Logan. “I think you should put him down, you’re scaring him.”

“Ah yes, I had nearly forgotten.” Logan said with a slight wince. It had been so nice with Patton that Logan had almost erased all traces of Virgil’s opposing behaviors. He set the borrower within the cage, which was still for the most part barren.

Patton wasted no time in hopping into the cage and pulling Virgil into a bear hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay...How on earth did you get away from Roman? He didn’t hurt you did he?” Granted, Roman hadn’t really hurt Patton either, but Patton also hadn’t been with him too long. He pulled Virgil and arms length away from him to check him over.

But instead of answering, Virgil shook his head and Patton recognized the look of panic on his face. “Pat, what are you doing?”

“Huh?” Patton asked. What did Virgil mean?

Logan glanced at his phone, checking the time. He was never very invested in emotions, such as this little reunion. Logan has many questions about Virgil’s sudden appearance, but his timing was awful. Hopefully Patton could calm Virgil down quickly.

“What are you doing with-” Virgil stopped and glanced at Logan, before pulling Patton closer to him and turning around. “What are you doing with Logan. You-You looked like you were helping him design your own cage!” Virgil whispered. Patton blinked, before he smiled softly.

“No, you got it all wrong!” Patton said, speaking normally and turning back around towards Logan, causing Virgil to pale. “Logan’s refurbishing this old thing into some sort of dollhouse type thing! And he said we could help him! Right Logan?” He asked, looking towards the human. Virgil’s grip on his arm grew tighter.

“Hmm?” Logan didn’t even look up, trying to plan out his evening schedule still especially with this new change of plans. Things were going to be tight, and difficult decisions had to be made. “Oh, yes.”

Virgil shook his head and pulled Patton closer again. Turning back around. “Patton, he’s lying to you.” Patton blinked.

“But-” Virgil held a finger to his mouth.

“Shh!” Virgil took in a deep breath. “Pat, we have to get out of here. Now, while he’s distracted.” Virgil glanced back, happy to see Logan still focused on his phone. Without waiting for any answer from Patton, Virgil pulled Patton along as they exited the cage and headed towards the edge of the desk.

“Hold it.” Logan leaned forward, placing his arm in front of the two would-be escapees. He put his phone down, now solely focused on the borrowers as he frowned down at Virgil. “Why must you make everything so difficult again? Where were you? What’s happened? How did you get back here?”

Virgil came to a screeching halt as Logan’s arm came down in front of them. He shook, backing away slowly, gripping Patton’s arm tight. The questions only reminded of him of his earlier time with Logan.

Patton still didn’t know what was going on, but he knew terrified when he saw it. “Logan, stop. Virgil’s probably been through a lot and your questions aren’t really helping.”

Logan took a long look at Patton, seeming to be calculating something out in his head.

“...fine.” Logan sighed, deciding his questions could wait until later. He did need to get going, after all. With the arm not currently blocking the borrower’s path, he set his palm down on the desk near Patton.

Patton stared at the hand for a second, glancing at Virgil, who was now clinging to his side. Half his face buried in his shirt with one eye looking warily at Logan. Patton sighed. “Um, I don’t think that’s the best idea right now.” Patton said, looking from the hand to Logan’s face. Virgil backed away, pulling Patton with him a few steps.

“Patton, I don’t have time for this.” Logan warned, looking at the borrower sternly.

Patton glared at the human. “Hey, Virgil is clearly terrified right now and in no state to do the things you want him to do. In fact, I think it might be best if you left us alone for a bit. Virgil’s more likely to talk to me than you.” He turned his attention back to Virgil, rubbing his arm soothingly.

“It’s okay bud, everything’s fine.” He whispered to the other borrower. But Virgil simply shook his head. Patton had just talked back to Logan, had basically told him no. And Virgil knew Logan would not be happy about that.

“...Alright, fair enough.” Logan answered. He reached out, trying to be gentle as he gathered up each borrower in a fist so as not to aggravate any injuries.

As Patton found himself in Logan’s grip, he struggled on instinct. “L-Logan! Hey! What are you doing?”

Seeing Patton get caught in a fist as well, Virgil finally found his voice. “Let us go!”

Logan ignored both sets of protests, depositing both back into the cage.

Patton blinked, only to see he was once again in the cage. “L-Logan…?” He asked, looking up at the human. To his side, Virgil groaned in pain, as he had landed on his arm after being put back in the cage.

Logan felt a strange pang in his chest at the look Patton was giving him. He felt the need to explain himself, justify his actions, but then his phone alarm went off signalling he had to go.

“I’m sorry about this.” Logan shut the cage door, standing up. He gathered up his things, looking at the borrowers with pity. “I’ll explain everything when I get back, Patton. I promise.” With this last promise, Logan left.

Patton flew towards the door of the cage, hands going around the bars. “Logan, wait!” He pushed against the door, but it held. His eyes widened in a sudden realization. “He...He locked us in…”

“Like I said, he was lying Pat.” Patton turned towards Virgil’s voice, who had sat up and was leaning against the bars, looking sad. “This cage had always been for you and me, to keep us locked away…”

“No…” Patton murmured softly, hand going to cover his mouth. Virgil saw the tears start to form in his eyes and he sighed.

“Come here, Pat.” Virgil opened his arms and Patton practically launched himself into them. He broke down.

“B-But he said-he said he would help me find you…” Virgil rubbed Patton’s back soothingly.

“I’m sorry, but he just wanted to find me for himself. I think...I think I need to tell you how Logan really is.” Virgil said, causing Patton to move apart a bit, just enough to look him in the eyes.

“Huh?”

 Roman winced, peering into the bag to get a second look at the stranger. “My sincerest apologies. I just…. I wasn’t expecting you.” Roman gazed around the rest of the bag. “Wait just a moment, where is Patton?”

 Virgil hadn’t expected an apology. That was...weird, coming from a human. At the question, he shrugged. He knew Pat was probably with Logan...but what would this human do with that information?

 “And who are you?” Roman squinted suspiciously, not sure if the borrower was holding back information. Roman found himself now bursting with questions, pulling the borrower back out in a loose fist.

 “Ah, hey!” Virgil yelled at being picked up again, before closing his mouth tight. What was with him and suddenly yelling at a human. Did he have a death wish? Either way, he found himself struggling within the grip.

 “What’s your name?” Roman turned the tiny person this way and that, inspecting him from all angles. “Where’d you come from? Why were you in my bag?”

 Virgil bit his tongue and didn’t even look at the human as he continued to struggle in the grip. If this was Logan, he’d be inclined to answer because he knew what Logan would do if he didn’t. But maybe...he could get away with not speaking?

 Probably not, but he was going to go as long as he could.

 “...Why are you so quiet?” Roman frowned, already missing Patton’s bubbly demeanor. What had happened to that little guy, anyhow? Roman felt a large mix of anxiety and fear brewing inside of him as he began to think where the borrower might be. After all, Roman was the one who had told Patton nothing was going to happen. If Patton was in trouble, it was Roman’s fault.

 Virgil simply glared at him, giving the human a look as if to say ‘why do you think?’ His struggles continued, but he could already feel himself getting tired.

 “Oh, that’s right.” Roman thought back to when he and Patton had first met. It felt as though it was only yesterday. Mostly because, well, it was. “You’re afraid, aren’t you?” Roman looked down at the borrower with a brief look of pity.

 Virgil stopped at that, to send the human another glare. “Well duh!” He couldn’t help but say. His heart beat hard and fast inside his chest. Yes, of course, he was scared. Who wouldn’t be when faced with a literal giant who has you in their grasp!

 “It’s okay!” Roman chuckled slightly at the response he got, glad they seemed to be getting somewhere. “You don’t need to be afraid of me, lil’ guy! I’m not going to hurt you, I swear it.”

 “You already have!” This was what Virgil hated, the human’s saying one thing but doing another.

 “Wait, what?” Roman’s eyes widened, quickly moving his hands about so that the borrower sat in his cupped palms. “I’m so sorry, I truly didn’t think it was so far of a fall…”

 While Virgil was glad the fingers were no longer constricting him, being in the hand was still less than ideal. “Not just that, but your carelessness walking up the stairs and just letting the bag I was in swing whichever way it wanted! Honestly, I’m worried about the state you left Patton in!” Virgil glared at the human for a moment, before realizing what he had said, about Patton. His hand flew to his mouth. Crap.

 Now the human would know that he did, in fact, know about Patton.

 “Now hold on just a moment!” Roman transferred the borrower so that he was only cupped in one hand, using the other to point an accusing finger. “Granted, I may have been a bit careless then, but I am doing my best. I never laid a finger on Patton! I would never dream of it. Patton is my friend, all I want to do is protect him and keep him from getting hurt. And if you have any information about his whereabouts you’d better spit it out so we can find him before he gets himself into trouble.”

 If Patton was where Virgil thought he was, then he was already in some serious trouble. At the very least he was sure that Logan wouldn’t be revealing their kind. But that didn’t mean Logan was going to stop with his ‘research’ either. A sudden picture of Patton being held in a beaker broke his heart and made him worry about Patton even more.

 But this human didn’t seem much better, honestly, no human would be better. So despite his worry for Patton and his fear towards this human, he glared. “And what if I don’t?”

 “Well, I, ah…” Roman found himself momentarily at a loss for words, his finger dropping back down to his side. He hadn’t actually thought that far.

 “I suppose I’d just find him alone then, eventually.” Roman shrugged. “But I would certainly think very poorly of you. Especially if you truly think of yourself as a friend of Patton’s. How could you live with yourself knowing that Patton suffered longer simply because you didn’t trust someone who was trying to help?”

 Virgil froze, gritting his teeth. “Don’t.” Virgil stood up and glared at the human. “Patton is my best friend. And the only reason I’m not telling you where I think he is, is because I’m protecting him.”

 Virgil wanted to get Patton away from Logan. He really did. But he didn’t want to trade Logan for this human either. Despite how intimidating Logan is and all his research, Virgil was never hurt. So while Patton might be scared and stuck in a beaker at least he would physically be fine.

 But with this human? Well, he had only been with him for a few minutes and he had already been hurt. This human was careless and could very well be lying to him. So if he had to, he would find a way to get Patton away from Logan himself.

 “Protecting him from what?” Roman scoffed. Honestly, this borrower was so judgy.

 “From you!” Virgil exclaimed, almost as if the answer had been obvious. Which, to Virgil, it was. He didn’t let up on his glare.

 “I am not the enemy here!” Roman emphasized his point by bringing his free palm to his chest.

 Virgil scoffed. “You keep telling yourself that.” The borrower crossed his arms and looked away, even though the action sent a spike of panic in him.

 “I will, Mr. doubtful dormouse.” Roman huffed. He was determined to prove he was worthy of all borrower’s trust, even this stubborn one who still had refused to share his name.

 Virgil highly doubted that. “Can you put me down?” Virgil decided it was at least worth it to try to get the human to put him down.

 “...Oh, right.” Roman realized that he had been holding the little guy for a while. So, he set his palm down on the coffee table.

 Virgil was actually kind of surprised that the human had listened. He slid off the hand and onto the coffee table, looking up at the human before looking away. His arms were back to being crossed. He looked at the apartment around him, already trying to come up with a plan of escape.

 Roman slid off the couch, coming to rest on the floor in order to be more eye level with the table. He crossed his arms, placing them on the edge before resting his chin atop.

 Virgil looked back towards the human at the movement. Watching him warily. As the human settled and looked at him, Virgil couldn’t help but ask, “What?”

 “Now will you tell me about Patton?” Roman said, daring to be hopeful with a small smile.

 “No.”

 Roman deflated slightly, but he didn’t give up. “Come on, what’s it going to take for you to trust me?”

 “Leave and never come back.” Virgil deadpanned.

 “Stop being so dramatic.” Roman pouted. He tried to think back to the things he knew Patton enjoyed. “We could watch a movie. Are you a Disney fan, too?”

 “Disney?” Of course, he knew what movies were, but Disney was another thing. He had never heard of the word before. Was it...a type of movie?

 “Oh, you poor soul.” Roman reached across the table, grabbing the remote and turning the tv on. Netflix was still open from earlier that morning when he and Patton watched Aladdin. “That’s Disney,” Roman said, pointing to the screen.

 “Huh.” Virgil had to admit he was kind of intrigued. Not that he would let the human know that. “Looks boring.”

 Roman made a noise of offense. “Blasphemy!” He declared, already clicking play. “Disney is a series of beautiful masterpieces, this being one of them. Prepare to be enthralled, oh ye of little faith.”

 “Oh joy.” Virgil looked back at the TV as the human clicked play. Virgil, while actually interested in the movie, didn’t feel like watching it.

 He was then struck with a sudden realization though. If the human was distracted by the TV, he just might be able to escape! This was perfect! So, Virgil pretended to watch the movie but kept an eye on the human.

 Roman, meanwhile, was keeping an eye on the borrower. He had already watched Aladdin earlier in the day and was more focused on gauging his new friend’s reaction. Unfortunately, the little guy seemed to spend more time turning back to face him than actually watching the screen. Then he would quickly turn back, as if hoping Roman wouldn’t take notice. Roman frowned, wondering what was up. Was the borrower still just frightened? He did seem a lot jumpier than Patton. Although thinking back, Patton was pretty jumpy too.

 Virgil was getting frustrated because the human was paying more attention to him than the actual movie. Virgil mentally groaned. How was he supposed to escape now?

 “Are you enjoying it?” Roman asked hopefully, wondering if this was just how all borrowers watched movies.

 Virgil had no clue what was even going on in the movie, spending all his focus on the human. “No.”

 Honestly, he wasn’t sure why he was seemingly trying to annoy the human, what with him being a human and all, but Virgil had to admit it was kind of fun. But he couldn’t ignore how dangerous it was either.

 Roman let out an irritated exhale so strong he could see it ruffle the borrower’s hair.

 “Well, you could have just said so!” Roman was disappointed that he had both not enjoyed the film and hadn’t felt brave enough to speak up about it.

 “Could I have?” Because Virgil had a feeling Roman would have tried to make him watch it regardless.

 “Of course!” Roman reached over to the remote again, clicking back to the menu. “There are plenty of other Disney films we can watch.”

 Virgil narrowed his eyes. “And what if I said I didn’t want to watch anything.”

 “That’s fine.” Roman insisted, shutting off the screen. “I was just suggesting something for us to do, and I knew that at least Patton enjoyed this so I thought you’d be the same. Nevertheless, it is clear you are two very, very different individuals.” Roman pasted his signature smile back on, determined to stay upbeat. “So! What do you want to do then?”

 Virgil thought about answering, but he decided to stay silent. Even though it didn’t go well for him with Logan.

Logan blinked, surprised at this declaration. He turned to the coffee table, looking directly at Patton.

“Is that true?” Logan asked, ignoring the way Roman was still glaring daggers at him.

Patton nodded. “I have...questions. A lot of questions...and I am scared, but I don’t-I don’t think you’re a bad person.”

Virgil blinked, coming up next to Patton to face him. “Seriously? After everything he did to me? To us.” Patton shut his eyes, tensing.

“I know, I know!” He sighed. “But he changed his mind about showing you off, remember? And he helped me when he realized I was hurt and listened when I said I didn’t like being grabbed…” Patton trailed off.

“Does that mean I have a clean slate, too?” Logan said, perking up. He was relieved that even after the cage incident, it seemed at least Patton was willing to forgive him.

“What? No!” Roman dragged Logan over to the coffee table, pointing to the ground. “Sit down.” Logan raised an eyebrow, but did as asked. Roman then sat next to him.

“Alright.” Roman turned to the borrowers. “Judgement time. Lay down your best questions. Let him have it.”

“Excuse me?” Logan looked around, wondering what exactly was happening.

Virgil would be lying if he said he didn’t have a number of questions to ask Logan. As well as a number of things to tell him. However, meeting Logan’s eyes, Virgil found he couldn’t find his voice. You are such a coward.

Patton looked over at Virgil in concern, wondering if he should take over asking the questions.

“Guys, c’mon!” Roman frowned, looking at Virgil. “Virgil, you’re...surprisingly unvocal about this.” Roman gave Logan an accusing look. “Let’s start there. Why’s Virgil so quiet, huh?”

“I assume it stems from a shy or quiet demeanor.” Logan answered. “Although given the circumstances, it’s likely also a byproduct of instinctual fear.”

Virgil glared at Logan, forcing himself to speak. “It’s a lot more than-than instinctual.” Virgil revealed, wincing at the way he stuttered.

“Falsehood.” Logan shook his head. “Though there may be other factors or situations that have heightened the amount or effect of the fear, the emotion itself still stems from an instinctual fear of beings larger than oneself.” Logan turned to Roman. “It’s also why you tried to appear taller when I arrived.”

“I’m not afraid of you!” Roman sneered, looking off put by Logan’s comment. “And you’re not that much taller than me, anyways.” Roman muttered as an afterthought, pouting.

Virgil grit his teeth. “Well then, being with you has certainly heightened my fear.” Virgil practically growled out, happy to note he hadn’t stuttered that time. “What with all the grabbing and-and studying and t-trapping...” Virgil shuddered, wrapping his arms around himself. He didn’t ease up on his glare though.

Patton looked between Virgil and Logan, deciding to stay out of this for the moment.

“Ah, well, yes.” Logan rubbed the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable.

“Oh ho ho, and the truth comes out!” Roman grinned, glad to see both Logan getting his just desserts and Virgil once again standing up for himself.

“Not to mention,” Virgil continued, “you were going to show me off. Even after I told you why that was a bad idea. Even after I told you countless humans had killed us in the past...but all you were thinking about was yourself. You never saw me as a person. You still don’t, do you? You just see me and Patton as-as test subjects or something. Things to study and observe…” Virgil was shaking badly, from both anger and fear. Patton placed a comforting hand on Virgil’s shoulder and Virgil placed his own hand on top of it as he looked down.

“...Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if the day came that you became bored of the two of us.” Virgil said, hoping Logan remembered and understood what he meant by that.

Roman went quiet, looking down at Virgil with sympathy. He had no idea his little friend had been harboring so much trauma. “Oh, Virgil…”

Logan winced, knowing that many things Virgil had said were true. He had thought along that line of thinking, and he had walked that path. But thanks mostly to Patton, Logan no longer wanted to be that person.

“Virgil, you are...correct.” Logan chose his words carefully, feeling the pressure as if all eyes were on him. “I did begin with that mindset from the initial discovery. I have made choices that upon inspection were absurdly inhumane. But I can prove to you that I have changed.” Logan reached into his back pocket, only for his eyes to widen. “Oh no.”

“Oh no?” Roman repeated.

“My...my phone’s gone.” Logan paled slightly.

“Your phone?” Roman said incredulously. “Virgil pours his heart out and you’re worried about a phone?!”

Virgil furrowed his eyebrows at Logan, before his own eyes went wide in sudden remembrance and realization. “The photos.”

Patton looked at Virgil, confused. “Photos?”

“That phone is more than just a cellular device.” Logan explained. “I use it to store all my important documents. Throughout this endeavor I had been working on a scientific journal detailing the specifics of borrowers, which included photographic evidence of Virgil, as well as audio recordings of Patton.”

Patton blinked. “What? W-When did you do that?” Patton asked, feeling a little betrayed and it showed in his face and voice. Virgil glared at Logan, but shuddered as he remembered when Logan had taken those pictures. Not fun.

“Apologies, Patton.” Logan winced. “It was while you were giving a description of borrowers. I didn’t want to interrupt you to grab a notebook and risk not getting as much information.”

Patton deflated a little. “O-Oh.” Patton thought for a second. “But, if you aren’t planning on showing us to anyone, why are you still gathering information?” Was Virgil right?

“Well, mostly habit.” Logan explained. “It’s how I best process new information. Even if I was the only one to ever know about the two of you, I didn’t want to forget anything.” Logan looked briefly down at his lap. “And, if you ever left...at least I’d have something to know I wasn’t just crazy.”

Patton hummed, not sure what to think of that.

Meanwhile, Virgil was still freaking out. “What are we still sitting around here for! You’re phone is out there somewhere and if someone sees what’s on it, that’s it. We’re done!”

“Here.” Roman shoved his own phone at Logan, having thought the same thing.

“What’s this for, exactly?” Logan asked, looking down at it.

“To find your phone, of course!” Roman said exasperatedly, having been setting this up for the past minute or so. “Now hurry up, if you just type in your Apple ID we can track it down and-”

“I don’t have an iphone.” Logan interrupted him. Roman stared at him a few moments.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Roman deadpanned.

“I’m an android user.” Logan assured him.

“Logan, you are now officially the worst human being on the planet.” Roman huffed, taking his phone back. Truly all the stuff about kidnapping his friends was what really sealed the deal, but this android business was just the cherry on top.

“We’ll just have to retrace my steps manually.” Logan said, standing up. “It shouldn’t take long, I had it within the last hour.”

“Fine by me.” Roman said, also standing.

Both humans put their hands down on opposite sides of the coffee table, waiting for borrowers to climb on.

Virgil sighed at having to do this again, but wasted no time in going over to Roman’s hand. He glanced behind him after not hearing any footsteps, only to see Patton having not moved. Virgil followed his gaze, realizing he was looking at Logan. “Patton?” Surely he wasn’t actually thinking about going with Logan?

Patton bit his lip, catching eyes with Virgil. He sighed. “I’m sorry Virgil.” He knew Virgil didn’t understand, heck, Patton barely understood himself, but he still wanted to give Logan a chance. He walked over to Logan’s hand, getting on after some hesitation.

“Really?” Roman tried to ignore the small smug look Logan gave him, as well as the feeling of hurt that Patton still didn’t trust him. “You do realize he’s the one who lost the phone, right?”

“The last place I saw it was in the biology lecture this evening.” Logan ignored him, lifting Patton up to his chest pocket. “So we should start there.”

Virgil just watched as Patton was lifted up and flopped into the pocket. He wanted to say he was surprised but...he wasn’t. He had known Patton for a long time and the borrower was known to see the good in everyone. It was why Virgil knew that, if given the chance, Patton would eventually warm up to Roman. Especially this version of Roman. That didn’t mean Virgil understood though and he was more than a little upset.

Turning away, Virgil climbed into Roman’s hand.

Roman was glad that at least Virgil trusted him, but as he raised the borrower up Roman was again reminded of his lack of pockets.

“Uh, how about this?” Roman suggested, coming over and placing his hand in the bag that still sat on the couch from earlier. “Because, well…. No pockets.” He admitted sheepishly.

Virgil sighed. Honestly, it hadn’t been too bad the last time he was in there. “Fine.”

Roman let Virgil off, putting the bag over his shoulder. He followed Logan out into the hall, locking the door behind them.

“You know, if you were concerned about a lack of pockets, you could have also just changed.” Logan pointed out.

“R-Refurbishing?” Patton asked, not knowing what it meant.

“It means to renovate or redecorate.” Logan explained. “In this case, I also used it to imply recycling for a new purpose.”

“Oh.” Patton sighed with relief, his smile coming back. So turns out he was wrong. Good, though now he felt a bit bad about accusing Logan like that, even if it was just in his head. “Okay!”

“Now be quiet, Patton.” Logan instructed gently, pulling into his parking space.” I’m going up to the apartment now.” He grabbed the cage from the backseat, heading up the stairs.

Patton was about to answer, but Logan was already on the move, so he kept quiet. He was so glad that he turned out to be wrong though.

Logan opened the apartment door with his free hand, closing it behind him and heading to the bathroom. He set the cage down in the tub, then plucked Patton out of his pocket and set him on the counter.

As soon as Patton gained his bearings, he looked around bathroom. Noticing the cage was in the tub. Confused, he turned to Logan. “What are you doing?” He asked, motioning towards the cage.

“I need to wash this off.” Logan explained, turning on the tap and getting to work. “It’s impossible to say how long this has been abandoned, but by the layer of dust I would guess at least several years.”

“Ew.” Patton said, scrunching up his face a little. But he understood, the walls, especially if not previously inhabited by another borrower, came dusty and full of-Patton shuddered-cobwebs. Thankfully, these walls were fairly clean when Patton came along.

Logan scrubbed at the debris, watching it wash down the drain. He rinsed it again and again until the water ran clear. Satisfied, Logan stood up and put his palm next to Patton.

Patton was still a bit hesitant, but did step into the palm offered to him. He took a seat in the middle and waited for Logan to move.

Logan moved his hand up to his chest, tilting his palm and dropping Patton into his chest pocket.

Patton yelped as he was dropped into the pocket unexpectedly. He moved and did his best to stand on the uneven ground before jumping and grabbing the lip of the pocket. He hoisted himself up so he could see the outside. “Um...could you maybe, uh, warn me next time you...do that?” Patton stuttered out.

Logan glanced down at his pocket briefly. “I suppose.” Logan said, gathering up a towel. “Although it seemed rather obvious, as I need both my hands available to carry this monstrosity.” He dried off the bars of the cage before picking it up and bringing it to his room.

“I guess I wasn’t thinking about that…” Patton admitted, ducking down a little. It did seem obvious now that Logan had pointed it out.

“I’m not surprised.” Logan sighed. That, at least, was a trait he and Virgil shared.

Pouting, Patton let himself slip back into the pocket, ignoring Logan’s last words. But honestly, Patton wasn’t surprised either…

Logan set the cage down on his desk where the beaker had been earlier. Then he picked Patton out of his pocket, opening the cage door and setting him inside.

Patton blinked, thrown off for a moment as he realized he was now in the cage. His head whipped towards the door, but saw that it was still wide open. With a sigh of relief, Patton figured that Logan thought Patton would want to explore a little. Which he did.

He looked at the cage, seeing it in a different way for the first time. As a borrower, he only ever saw cages like this as a means to trap him. But now, with Logan refurbishing it, Patton could just picture all the things it could be.

“It’s so neat that you’re taking this old thing and turning it into something new.” Patton said, before gasping. “You’re like a borrower!”

“I am?” Logan raised an eyebrow at that comment, taking a seat at his desk.

“Yeah! We make stuff out of things we find all the time! Paperclips into hooks, thimbles into cups or chairs...like what you’re doing with this!” Patton motioned to the cage around him. “By the way, what are you going to turn it into?” Patton asked, excited to know.

“Well, um…” Logan shifted a bit, not sure how Patton would react to an honest answer. “It’s a bit hard to explain, but I suppose one could equate it to a mix between a terrarium and a dollhouse.”

Patton tilted his head. “You have dolls?”

“Doll-like, I suppose.” Logan said, appraising Patton from a distance and seeing a bit of a resemblance.

“Huh, cool!” Logan didn’t seem like the type to have ‘doll-like’ things, but Patton wasn’t one to judge. He looked around a bit more before hopping out of the cage. He was then struck with a sudden idea.

“Hey! Maybe I can help!”

“That would actually be much appreciated.” Logan said with a small nod. He had hoped for a bit of Patton’s assistance. He glanced at the empty cage, now appearing much like a blank canvas. This was a bit worrying, as Logan had never been the creative type.

“Yay!” Patton was practically bouncing with excitement, before he suddenly remembered something-or rather, someone.

“Oh, but maybe we should focus on getting Virgil back first? Besides, he would probably love to help too!”

“It’s possible Roman isn’t finished with classes.” Logan explained. “I myself still have a lab later this evening.” Logan almost yawned at the mere thought of it, remembering how he hadn’t slept at all the previous night. “It would be best if we waited until the evening to make any further investigations to avoid wasting time.”

“Oh...alright.” Patton didn’t like waiting, especially when it came to Virgil and his safety, but he supposed Logan was right. Patton did his best to put on a smile that was only a little forced.

“Well, I guess we can go ahead and get started on this! Just to pass the time.”

 Patton sighed, knowing the human was right. The pain in his shoulder was really starting to hurt and while usually he would have to ignore it because of lack of supplies, he was very much not lacking right now. And if the human was really willing to help him...then maybe Patton should take him up on that offer?

 “Alright, I guess you’re right…”

 “I know I’m right,” Logan said without a trace of humor. “How would you rate your pain? Do you think travel will aggravate your injuries?”

 “I’d say a seven?” Patton tried to move his shoulder, wincing slightly. “And uh...it depends on what kind of travel…” The borrower said, recalling that the human had held him in a fist earlier.

 “I probably wouldn’t do well with being...constricted…”

 “Alright, then I’ll do my best to be accommodating,” Logan said, getting an idea. He laid his hand on the desk, palm up.

 Patton blinked, taking a step back as he stared at the hand. He looked at the human, wondering if he was really asking what Patton thought he was asking.

 “Well?” Logan raised an eyebrow.

 Patton bit his lip nervously. Just the thought of willingly stepping into a human’s hand was nerve-racking. He didn’t even know the human’s name…

 “Um, before we do this…could I...uh, what’s your name?”

 Logan blinked, surprised by the request. “Logan. Logan Sanders.”

 “Logan,” Patton said, trying the name out. He smiled. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Logan!” Surprisingly. After Roman, Patton was sure other humans would be the same. But Logan seemed different and Patton was thankful for that.

 Still nervous though, he carefully inched closer to the hand. Steeling himself, he carefully stepped onto the hand. Moving so he was sat down in the center of the palm. He looked up at Logan, a shiver going down his spine as he realized how close he was to him now.

 Logan tensed. The feeling of a tiny figure traversing his palm was...unpleasant. Or at the very least, unexpected. Logan wished he was wearing another pair of gloves to help dilute the sensation further.

 Nonetheless, once Patton settled down it was bearable. He slowly raised his hand off the desk, holding Patton close to his chest for additional support.

 As the hand started to move, Patton steadied himself, trying to keep himself from falling over. He peered over the edge. He liked heights just fine, but there was just something different about it this time. Possibly because he was not the one in control.

 He turned away from the edge, focusing on where they were going instead.

 After a few moments, Logan placed his hand gently down on the kitchen counter and waited for Patton to depart.

 Patton quickly got off the hand, thankful to be back on solid ground. Though he will admit, the ride hadn’t been too bad. Better than being trapped in a fist at the very least.

 Logan got to work, pulling a rice warmer out of the drawer and setting it in the microwave for a few minutes. With that started he began scouring the cupboards for a spare dish towel.

 Patton watched as Logan walked around the kitchen, grabbing and looking for things. He jumped when something beeped and he looked up at the microwave. The borrower wondered why that thing had been put in there.

 He looked to Logan, who was still looking around. “I think the thing is done.”

 “Yes, thank you,” Logan said offhandedly, reaching in to grab the rice warmer with the dish towel. He wrapped it up, feeling it radiate a pleasant warmth beneath his fingertips. Logan set the bundle on the counter near Patton. “Try using this to apply heat where you feel the most sore. It should help alleviate the pain.”

 Patton looked at the thing, feeling the heat coming off of it from here. Slowly, he got closer to it, taking a seat at the base and carefully leaning his shoulder into it. He hissed as it first made contact, before slowly easing into it. Quickly realizing that it felt really good.

 “This is nice.” Patton sighed out with a smile.

 Logan pulled out his phone, setting a timer. “In about ten minutes we’ll want to switch and apply an ice pack instead. Alternating between the two should help your muscles relax and heal most optimally.”

 Patton hummed, too relaxed to really hear what Logan was saying. The warmth just felt so good on his sore back and shoulder.

 Logan looked up, observing how content Patton looked. It was such a stark contrast to Virgil’s constant objections. Perhaps that also meant Patton would be more willing to cooperate on other matters.

 “Patton,” Logan asked. “What exactly are you?”

 At the sudden question, Patton tensed, wincing when that caused another spike of pain. He looked at Logan warily, thinking back to Roman asking the same question plus many more.

 “Virgil didn’t tell you?” Patton asked, but realized that of course he wouldn’t have. Virgil would follow the borrower rules no matter what, simply because they were what kept them safe. Patton had already broken the rules and was now faced with deciding if he should do it again or not.

 “He...seemed inclined to avoid the topic,” Logan admitted as he thought back to the night before, his memory a bit hazy with sleep deprivation.

 “Hmm…” Patton had been expecting that answer. “That makes sense, Virgil isn’t one to break the rules.” He said what he had thought earlier.

 “Rules?” Logan’s curiosity piqued. “What rules?”

 It couldn’t hurt to explain the rules to him, right? “Well, our kind have these sort of...guidelines more like. Put in place to keep us safe. I’ve...admittedly already broken all of them while with Roman and am technically breaking several with you right now...But it’s things like, don’t talk to humans, don’t be seen, don’t give out any information. Things like that.” Patton explained.

 Logan subtly pressed record on his phone, not wanting to break this flow of information by stopping to get his notebook. “Is there an exact list of regulations? And who put them in place? Who enforces them?”

 “There isn’t really an exact list. It’s mostly just, don’t do anything that has to do with being seen by or talking to a human. As for who made them? Honestly? I don’t think anyone really did. It’s just...common sense for us.” Patton shrugged with his good shoulder.

 “I see.” Logan understood, after the disaster of a presentation, why such rules may be necessary. Perhaps Virgil had been correct to be nervous. “And how did you break the rules with Roman? What did you tell him?”

 Patton bit his lip, looking down shamefully. “I...told him everything. He said he would let me go if I did, but…”

 “...I suppose that didn’t happen?” Logan completed Patton’s thought.

 Patton simply shook his head.

 “I see.” Logan frowned. “That’s...unfortunate.” Logan felt a bit uneasy, knowing that while he had not promised Patton the same thing, Patton was likely hoping to be released from his own custody as well.

 “Although, perhaps Roman’s intentions were in the right place.” Logan gave what he hoped came off as a noncommittal shrug, looking back down at his phone instead of meeting Patton’s gaze. “And after all, would it really be so bad to stay with a human?”

 Patton found himself tensing again, thankfully his muscles seemed to be feeling better because no sharp pain followed. “Um...yes?” Patton was suddenly looking at Logan warily.

 “Not Roman, of course!” Logan was quick to amend, finding himself feeling almost nervous. “And certainly not just any human. I just meant, perhaps, with the right human it could even be beneficial. What with the resources and...such…” Logan was suddenly very invested in his phone screen, feeling the tips of his ears turning red.

 “M-Maybe…?” Patton said, still not liking how Logan was speaking. “I guess if it was...mutual? And, ya know, not against a borrowers will?”

 Logan paused, looking at Patton. “A borrower?” Logan repeated, the rest of his statement flying over Logan’s head with the addition of this new term.

 Patton blinked. “Oh, shoot.” Patton sighed. “Ah well, I guess it isn’t that big of a deal anymore.” Not with all the rules he had already broken. Besides, despite their...questioning conversation, Logan was still helping him get Virgil back. So, he deserved to know, right?

 “So that’s what you are, Patton?” Logan clarified. “What...why borrower? What does that mean?”

 “Because we borrow, silly.” Patton smiled, pushing their other conversation deep in his mind. “We borrow things from humans that we need to survive. But small things, things that you wouldn’t miss if they suddenly disappeared.”

 Logan nearly dropped his phone as his timer went off, signaling it was time to switch to the ice pack. Giving his phone an irritated grumble, he set it onto the counter while he reached into the freezer.

 “What kind of small things?” Logan asked, beginning to wrap up the ice pack in another towel.

 “Like paper clips, foil, crumbs of food left about, string, stuff like that.” Patton listed off.

 “How does a borrower go about deciding if an item will be missed?” Logan placed his hand on the rice warmer. “Sit forward, please.”

 Patton blinked, but did as told, missing the warmth as it was taken away. “Well, if it’s small and there are a lot of them, then that’s probably a safe bet. Or things that humans consider trash.”

 Logan removed the rice warmer, replacing it with the ice pack instead. He set the rice warmer to the side before resetting the timer on his phone, noticing it was still recording their conversation in another tab.

 “So how does an average borrower spend their day?” Logan asked. “Is all your time spent borrowing?”

 “Mostly. But I also like to sew and I hang out with Virgil a lot too!” Patton said, smiling. Though his smile fell as he leaned against the ice pack. He moved away from it quickly with a small yelp. “Th-That’s really cold!” He exclaimed.

 “Well, yes, it is an ice pack.” Logan pointed out. “Apologies for the cold, but the heat difference is essential.”

 Patton whined a bit but leaned back against the ice again. He shivered but stayed there. It wasn’t as comfortable as the heat pack though.

 “It won’t be long.” Logan glanced at the clock. “In ten minutes there will be another switch back to the rice warmer.” Of course, ten minutes after that would be more cold, but Logan decided to not remind the borrower of this fact.

 “Oh.” Patton watched for a moment as Roman got his bag together, a small thing of hope welling inside of him. “So, I guess I’ll just...stay here then?” As long as Roman didn’t trap him in anything, he would be free to leave. He was hoping that would be the case.

 “Of course you don’t have to stay here!” Roman assured him, not at all seeing Patton’s real concerns. “You get to come with me!” He finished with his bag preparations, coming over to the bed. He gathered up Patton, placing him in the middle of it. “There, perfect.”

 “W-Wait!” Patton stood up inside the bag, looking up at Roman through the opening. The perspective sent shivers down Patton’s spine. “I, what-what if someone sees me! No one can know I exist!” Patton said. It was both a very real fear and a way to get Roman to see that taking him would be a bad idea.

 “Calm down, Patton,” Roman said breezily, putting on the bag strap. “Your secret’s safe with me. Nothing’s going to happen to you, I swear it.” Roman checked to make sure the bag was secure before speed walking out of his apartment, locking the door behind him.

 Patton fell backwards onto his butt as Roman started to move, completely ignoring Patton. The borrower sighed, bringing his legs up to his chest and hugging them. At the very least, Roman said he wouldn’t show him to anyone. That counted for something, right?

 Roman rushed out to his car, putting his bag in the passenger seat. Despite his haste, Roman did his best to obey all traffic laws for fear of getting a ticket. Pulling into the parking lot of the Biology building a few minutes later, Roman dashed out of his car and actually had to stop himself once he realized he had forgotten his bag in the vehicle.

 “Ah, shoot.” Roman cursed, rushing back to grab it. Since he was already running late, Roman decided to just clutch it to his chest as he sprinted into the building.

 “Excuse me, pardon me,” Roman said, ducking around the occasional coffee zombie student roaming the halls. Luckily at this early hour, the halls were still fairly empty. Unfortunately, there were still a few stragglers. As Roman bolted around the corner, he crashed right into another student. The two collided, falling to the floor with a hard jolt.

 Patton, needless to say, had not been expecting the sudden collision as he felt Roman run into someone. The bag he was in was jostled to the point where it moved Patton on the inside. The borrower tried to get a grip on something, but it was no use as he fell out of the opening, falling hard onto the floor below. He groaned, rubbing his back as he tried to sit up.

 He looked up at the sight of not only Roman but another human on the ground with him which caused him to freeze.

 Virgil was so lost in thought, the sudden collision almost caused him to have a heart attack. Since he was in the front pocket, he felt the full force of it. Thankfully he only got a little squashed, maybe a slight bruise on his body. What wasn’t good, though, was that as he felt Logan start to go down and shift his body, Virgil started to slide towards the pocket’s opening.

 Virgil tried to hang on to the fabric around him, but his grip slipped a few seconds later and he tumbled out. He braced himself to be met with the hard floor, but was surprised to find his landing was fairly soft. Opening his eyes, he realized he had fallen into a bag. The other human’s bag. That was not good at all.

 Logan pushed himself up with a groan, having landed on the stranger. His eyes widened, feeling a significant emptiness in his chest pocket. Glancing around the area with a careful eye, Logan spotted a tiny figure sprawled on the floor a few feet away. Logan made a grab for them, shoving the tiny body into his pocket. Though he was worried, this was not the time and place to be worried about Virgil’s safety. That would have to wait until he returned to the apartment due to all this secret-keeping business.

 Patton gasped, but couldn’t get out of his frozen state fast enough as a giant hand grabbed him. A hand that definitely did not belong to Roman. He shut his eyes tight as he felt himself move through the air before he was deposited in something. He opened his eyes, only to see fabric surrounding him. It took him less than a second to realize he was in this new human’s pocket. Patton cowered. This was not good.

 “Watch where you’re going.” Logan spat angrily, standing up and straightening his tie.

 “Wha- me?” Roman said indignantly, standing up. He knew he was at fault here, but he was still in a rush. And with the fact there was still a borrower in his bag, Roman was feeling defensive. He clutched his bag to his chest. “You should watch where you’re going, Mr. head stuck in the clouds!”

 “Insufferable,” Logan muttered, but he didn’t have time to waste on this idiot. He turned on his heel, heading towards the door to get home as soon as possible.

 Roman watched the nerd leave, only now noticing that they were right outside his classroom. He reached into the bag, searching for the borrower’s form with his hand. Once he got hold, Roman rubbed the little guy’s shoulders comfortingly. “Sorry about that, Pat.” Roman apologized, before heading to class.

 Virgil was frozen as the human’s hand reached into the bag, searching around. He didn’t know what the human was looking for, but it was impossible to get away in such a small space. It took no time at all for the human’s hand to wrap around his small form.

 Virgil closed his eyes and waited to be discovered for the second time when the grip shifted and started to rub his shoulders. And then he heard the human’s voice.

 “Sorry about that, Pat.” Virgil’s eyes snapped open as the hand moved off of him and out of the bag. And slowly, Virgil started putting some pieces together.

 The human had been expecting a borrower in his bag. Not him, though, obviously. Pat. Patton. It only made sense. Of course, it could be another borrower with a similar name, but Virgil wouldn’t count himself that lucky.

 Virgil looked around the bag but didn’t see anyone else, especially not Patton. Which only meant one of two things.

 Either Patton fell out of the bag and managed to get away…

 Or his best friend was now in Logan’s clutches.