#patton-cake

As he waited for Patton’s last lecture of the day to end, Logan could smell a sweet, fruitiness in the air; a strong, fresh citrus aroma that hid a candy-like berry scent at it’s back. Glancing across the road, he spotted a pop-up drinks stand. It was a rather hot day after all, and the sight of the sparkling glasses of iced lemonade sitting on the counter was far too enticing to ignore. 

Making sure to check for traffic first, Logan bookmarked the novel and made his way over to the stand. The employee greeted him fleetingly, handing him a menu as she seemingly went to restock the juice dispensers behind her. Truthfully, Logan was glad to avoid smalltalk; he was getting better at handling conversations with strangers but without Patton to give him the reassurance he had done well, Logan saw little point in actively seeking it out.

The menu mostly consisted of smoothies, iced drinks, and a small selection of boba teas. Logan pointedly ignored the latter option - the texture of the tapioca ‘bubbles’ always left his mouth feeling unpleasant - in favour of trying out an iced drink simply labelled ‘summer fruits’. What that exactly meant, Logan had no idea, but if it tasted as good as it looked on the menu he had a feeling he wouldn’t be complaining. 

Of course, Logan couldn’t leave Patton without a treat in the summer heat either. Knowing his best friend, the stoic young man looked for a more whimsical, sweet-sounding drink. In the end, he deduced that Patton would probably prefer the strawberry lemonade. 

Once both drinks were made, they were quickly scooped into logan’s hands while his novel rested under his left arm. Upon turning around, however, he nearly leapt out of his skin to see Patton beaming so brightly at him, he felt that his strongest sunscreen couldn't protect him from those rays.

“Patton, you’re early,”, Logan noted, raising an inquisitive eyebrow, “I thought your lecture didn’t end until four?”

The slightly taller young man shook his head and Logan was powerless to not be hypnotised by the way his chestnut curls caught the sunlight, “It doesn’t, but our lecturer had to leave early, so here I am!”

A soft smile accompanied Logan’s fond sigh while he held out the strawberry lemonade to Patton, “Well, you’ve come just in time. I hope it’s what you would have picked..”

If Logan could bottle the feeling he felt watching Patton’s amber eyes glimmer with delight, he’d do so in a heartbeat. A heartbeat which was racing like a bullet train when Patton’s warm, delicate hand brushed his to gently coax the strawberry lemonade from his distracted grasp,

“It’s perfect-!”, Patton sniffed, “Oh wow, you can really smell the fruit! It’s berry nice!”

Logan groaned at the pun, even though his smile betrayed how much he delighted in it truly. While they walked home, Patton cheekily continued as he sipped the refreshing fruit juice, “Sorry Lo, was that the last straw...berry?”

This man was going to be the death of him. Not that Logan would complain.

“I would affectionately swat at you but I fear that if I try to do so, I will drop my book. You got lucky, Foster.”, Logan snarked fondly.

Patton grinned and before the shorter man could stop him, “Oh, so you need some… lemon-aid?”

Patton cackled giddily as Logan, also snickering childishly, bumped his arm against Patton’s. The taller of the two mock pouted adorably, “Logaaaaan, I almost spilled my lemonade!”.

Honestly, how was anyone allowed to be so cute?

Logan shook his head, chuckling fondly. However, he found himself stealing glances at his best friend as they walked. His feelings for Patton had bloomed over the last few years from a gentle bud to a flower so grand Logan could feel it’s roots cradling his heart. Each time Patton sipped his drink, Logan couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like for those same lips to caress his own. 

Perhaps it was the summer heat or maybe the culmination of years of pining, but Logan swallowed nervously as the two of them reached the road through the park that led to their student housing. Now or never, Logan supposed.

“... I’ve never tried strawberry lemonade before, you know..”

It was such a weak line. Logan was already internally chastising himself when Patton held out his drink for Logan to try. Biting back the urge to abort the mission and simply do as offered, Logan tilted his head up those couple of inches in their height difference and softly pressed his lips to Patton’s. It lasted all of two seconds before he pulled back.

Seeing Patton’s eyes widen in surprise followed by a sudden quiet had Logan fearing the worst, but before he could apologise, Patton leant in once again to return the favour. Or flavour in this case as the taste of strawberries flooded Logan’s mouth with a more intense kiss that left him feeling light-headed. 

Logan locked eyes with Patton as they pulled back slowly, melting under his crush’s gaze.

“Logan Croft,”, Patton uttered softly, smiling while intertwining their free hands and softly coaxing Logan closer, “If you’re going to ask me for a taste, you should take the time to savour the flavour.”

-- This was a fun one~!