Gift #14:Â Colorblind
Gift for @forestwulfâ
Prompt: Intrulogical Soulmate AU.
    Logan massaged his temples as the nightclub music pounded in his ears, âI donât know why you insist on coming here.â
    âItâs twinks drink free night,â Patton said, sipping his appletini.
    âYou stopped being a twink ten years ago,â Logan muttered.
    Patton sighed, âIâm going to ignore that because youâre my brother and I love you. Speaking of love-â
    âDonât,â Logan said. âNot this again.â
    âListen to me,â Patton said. âIâm worried about you, Logan. I know youâre a little robot and you donât need romance in your life or any friends but-â
    âI have friends,â Logan said.
    âBut,â Patton said. âYouâre thirty years old and itâs starting to make mom sad on the holidays. When I met Ethan, it wasnât sitting around at home and moping. I mean how long has it been since you were touched by another human being?â
    âSoulmates,â Logan sighed. âDonât start, Pat. Iâll gouge my eye out with this tiny umbrella.â
     Patton rolled his eyes, âLogan itâs not just nonsense; itâs science! Just because you think youâre some kind of lone wolf doesnât mean you donât have a soulmate. Your eyes wouldnât be grey if you werenât still waiting for your person. So you can deny it all you want. It wonât change the fact that theyâre waiting.â
        âI donât have time for a soulmate, Pat. You and Ethan just work better; you have time to be in love and heâs patient enough to deal with⌠you.â
        Patton faked an offended gasp, âJust for that Iâm not getting you a free drink next round! But youâre right, Ethan is perfect. However-â
        âThere is no however.â
        âHowever,â Patton continued. âIt doesnât mean that there isnât someone out there whoâs just as patient with your bullshit as Ethan is with mine. Now look you made me swear. I hope youâre happy.â
        âI think the three appletinis made you swear,â Logan said. âDonât you have work tomorrow?â
        âActually Iâm going out of town in two days with the girls so they gave me time off.â
        âOut of town? Thatâs this week?â Logan asked.
        Patton finished his drink, âI love how much you listen when I talk. The pandas are being moved to the zoo in Atlanta so their enclosure can be remodeled and weâre hoping to get some breeding done while weâre out there. Thatâs why I told you that you have to take mom to the optometrist on Monday. If you forget that, Logan-â
        âRight right,â Logan said. âNo Iâll remember itâs⌠itâs in my phone.â He looked at his empty glass of whiskey but pushed it aside, deciding heâd better stay sober, âSo whatâs Ethan thinking about this longterm separation?â
        Patton snorted, âOne of his retics laid a ton of eggs and she bit his face when he was pulling the clutch. Now heâs walking around like Crocodile Dundee. Plus the whole clutch is viable so weâre looking at a lot of new snakes to add to the national program. Heâs in talks with a zoo in Taiwan too about some bloodline trades. Itâs really annoying sometimes. He gets dozens of babies a season and Iâm lucky if Iâll see more than two or three in my career.â
        âWell you chose the pandas,â Logan said.
        âIâll have you know the pandas chose me,â Patton said. âYou want another drink?â
        âNah, Iâll drive you home,â Logan said. âGo flirt with the bartender and see if heâll pretend to think youâre young some more.â
        Patton laughed as he slid out of his seat, walking over to the bar. On the dancefloor Logan saw a small group of students, a few of which he recognizedâone in particular a large pain in his ass. Remus Prince, Quarterback of the university football team and well-known idiot. Logan wished Remus was the typical jock idiot, uncaring and arrogant, one he could easily fail without a second thought, but Remus was bound and determined to make up for his own shortcomings with hard work and extra credit. It meant that half of Loganâs office hours were spent patiently explaining things to Remus again and again, and accepting an outlandish amount of extra credit work.
        Andâeven more annoyinglyâthrough it all Remus was cheerful, friendly and actually interested in what Logan had to say. Worse still, Remus was a senior, only four years younger than Logan who was the baby of the science department and didnât he just hate that little nickname? Remus was like a peer, but worse, a jock, the kind of person that would have made Loganâs life miserable if theyâd ever walked the same halls together as students. The revelation that Remus was gay was⌠interesting? No, not interesting. Heâs a student and you donât care. Logan rubbed his eyes and sighed, jumping when Patton returned with two appletinis. He sat down and stared at his brother matter-of-factly, âGuess how much these cost me?â
        Logan raised an eyebrow and couldnât stop the smile that tugged at his lips, âHow are we related?â
         Patton was a lot heavier than he looked when he needed to be carried, and Logan struggled up the stairs to the door of the apartment, knocking on the door. It was a cute place, all brick and right on the street, divided in half horizontally to make a duplex, but it was roomy and it was nice for two people on zookeeper salary; it was inexpensiveâfor Florida. Ethan opened the door and Logan gasped, âEthan, your face!â
        Ethan did smile, and there was more than a little pride in it, âDonât worry. She hit above and below my eye but the doc said to keep a full dressing on it at night so I donât rub anything off. He cool?â
        âVodka drunk,â Logan said, hauling Patton inside and laying him on the couch. âNot too bad but I told him Iâd stay sober and I think he needed to drink off some stress.â
        âThe move, yeah,â Ethan said, following Logan back to the door. âAnd my face. Heâs not really loving how many times I take the bandage off to show people but itâs my first big tag! You wanna see the pictures from the ER?â
        âGosh Iâd love to but I have class in the morning so-â
        âEthan!â Patton called from the livingroom, âCome sex me up, Mr. Snake Whisperer!â
        âGood luck with that,â Logan said. âTell him to call me when heâs less obnoxious.â
        âWill do,â Ethan said. âBye Logan.â
        Logan snorted when Patton called again and started down the stairs, âGood luck!â
                 Logan looked at himself in the mirror after taking out his contacts and smiled at his grey eyes; grey was distinguished, and he didnât mind having a constant reminderâfor himself and othersâthat he was beyond all of this soulmate nonsense. He was a lone wolf, just like Patton said, and his true love was forensic anthropologyâor biology, as he was currently teaching. His application was top in line for the anthropology department, however, and he had consulted a time or two on actual cases. So, despite Pattonâsâand his motherâsâinsistence that his life was somehow incomplete, Logan couldnât be happier. He turned off the bathroom light and crawled into bed, thinking back over his tasks for the day, all of which heâd completed before he ever set foot inside the gay bar with his brother. It was the same way he lulled himself to sleep every night, assured of all of his accomplishments, large and small, and how every day was a blank slate.
        Sleep came quick for him, thanks to the single glass of whiskey and the exhaustion of dealing with his drunk brotherâand his sober brother-in-law. His dreams were blurry and immemorable until suddenly his vision was filled with green. There were calloused hands on his skin, warm lips on his cheek and breath in his ear, and he was held against a solid body with a grip that was surprisingly strong. He closed his eyes and still all he could see was green.
        Logan gasped and sat up, checking the clock and scowling; it was still the middle of the night and he was baffled by the strange dream and irredeemably hard. He sighed heavily and climbed out of bed, heading back into the bathroom and turning the shower to cold, stripping off his pajamas. Who the hell did he know that was associated with green, anyway? He didnât even like the color green, his favorite color was indigo, far from the blinding lime heâd been accosted with in his dream. Any thoughts of the dream went screaming from his mind when he stepped into the water; his chest tightened and he exhaled involuntarily, âF-fuck!â
He tightened his hands into fists and endured the water, somehow preferring cold-induced heart palpitations to ward off an unwanted erection than perhaps the more obviousâand less miserableâsolution. It was easier to be stubborn and miserable than to admitâand revel inâthe fact that something had gotten him going, and that it had to be the dream. Whiskey wasnât exactly known for facilitating physical arousal, and heâd barely had enough to taste in the first place.
                        âMorning!â Remus announced as he knocked on the open office door.
        âGood morning,â Logan said, âCome in, Mr. Prince.â He cleared away the end of his desk where Remus usually worked and stacked up the papers elsewhere. âTo what do I owe the pleasure?â
        Remus laughed, his cheeks a bit pink; Logan wondered if he was getting a coldâand how much that would panic the other professors about the state of the football team. He took a sip of his coffee as he sat down. Remus scratched the back of his neck, âWell I have the three essays to turn in, and I did the makeup dissection test with Professor Picaneâs Zoological Anatomy class⌠the uh⌠feral pig?â
        âFetal pig,â Logan said, putting his coffee cup aside. âHe sent your scores up to me. Good work. You got everything right except for the microscope work. Weâre still struggling with cellular identification. I spoke with Emile and he said you actually seemed to have issues where things were similarly colored, so I took the liberty of emailing you some color-blind tests. Iâm also inviting you to come in during my freshman course tomorrow. I use different dyes in my slides and I think youâll benefit from it.â
        âGreat!â Remus said. âYou really go above and beyond to help me, Professor Heart. I um⌠well, thank you so much.â
        Logan crossed his legs, leaning back in his chair, âYou know, Remus, I think youâve got a lot of potential, and I think youâve been pushed through classes due to your athletic prowessâto your detriment. I really want to help you understand that youâre not lacking in intelligence, you understand. Youâve got the answers, weâve just had to learn how to get to them, right?â
        âRight,â Remus said, ducking his head shyly. âYouâre always right.â
        âNow, with these three essays and with you making up the microscope work tomorrow, thereâs no need for anymore extra credit work. Youâve got this, Mr. Prince. All you have to do is attend all of the lectures and youâll be on track for a strong grade in this class. Do you feel like you need any more help?â
        Remus hesitated, âI mean⌠youâve done so much. I know youâve basically changed my life, and how I feel about scienceâschool in general! I um⌠I guess if I need anything Iâll just schedule a day before finals. If you think I can do it, I think I can do it.â
        Logan smiled, âVery good, Remus. Youâve got this.â
        Remus set the three essays down on the empty part of the desk and looked over them, âI canât believe this is it, you know? Iâm going to graduate in less than a month.â
        âAnother year on the books,â Logan said. âWait until youâre my age.â
        âYouâre not old,â Remus said. âYouâre still in your twenties too. Oh!â He picked up his backpack and dug through it, pulling out a small cardboard box. He set it on the desk. âI know your real interest is anthropology, like the cop kind, and I um⌠well, my dad works in the big museum uptown. They got a few of these and they gave my dad two of them.â
        Logan took the box and opened it, raising an eyebrow as he took out a human skull, obviously prepared and preserved professionally. âThis is a nicely intact specimen. Youâre certain this is alright?â
        âYeah my dad said heâd rather it go to somebody who wants it than just gather dust in our basement or the museumâs basement. Oh they said it had uh⌠crouton disease?â
        âCrouzon Disease,â Logan said, standing up. âHyperostosis Frontalis Interna, very interesting. Thank you Remus this is incredibly thoughtful.â
        Remus watched Logan put the skull in a central place on his shelf of books and specimens; it looked good, but Remus wasnât really paying attention to the skull, especially when Logan turned and gave him a smile, extending his hand. Remus jumped up and shook it eagerly, âThank you again, professor. Youâre my hero. Youâre especially my parentsâ hero.â
        Logan chuckled, and the touch was mildly electric, probably static, but it made Logan shiver, âYouâre the hero, Mr. Prince. Remember that, hard work got you this far, and itâll take you wherever you want to go.â
        Remus nodded, slowly releasing Loganâs hand and stepping back to grab his backpack. âWell, see you in class tomorrow! Eight, right?â
        âRight,â Logan said. âAnd donât forget the possibility of a pop quiz tomorrow in your actual class.â
        âPossibility,â Remus chuckled. âGood one, Professor Heart. See you then.â
        Logan watched him go and sighed, turning to admire the skull, a warmth blooming in his chest heâd never really felt before. It really was a nice skull, he supposed.
         Logan drove home with that feeling intact, almost floating into the elevator and riding it up to his floor. After making it down the hallway, and the obligatory avoidance of his neighborâs eyes, he stepped into his apartment and locked the door behind him. He felt bone-deep exhaustedâprobably from the dream-cursed night beforeâand he went straight to the bathroom to take out his contacts. Once his contacts were safely back in their saline baths, he brushed his teeth, grabbing his glasses off of the vanity and putting them on. He admired his eyesâhis green eyes. Logan gasped and squeezed his eyes closed, opening them again, still green. He took off his glasses, and his reflection was blurry, but clearly green eyes stared back at him. The warmth in his chest suddenly became a sharp icicle, and he realized. Green, Remus Prince. âFuck!â Logan shouted, turning off the light and rushing out to his bedroom. He sat on the bed and pulled his cellphone out of his pocket, dialing his brother.
        The phone rang several times, and went to voicemail; Logan swore again and dialed the home phone, âCome on Pat come on.â
        âHey Logan! Whatâs up?â
        âEthan? Oh, is Pat⌠oh shit.â
        âAlabama,â Ethan said. âYeah. You ok?â
        âNo, not at all⌠oh god. Can we talk? Like do you have time?â Logan stood up, pacing around the bed. âI have⌠an awkward situation.â
        âYou? I donât believe it.â
        Logan sighed and Ethan laughed, âIâd like to be serious with you for a moment.â
        âOf course,â Ethan said. âGo ahead.â
        âWhen you realized you were Pattonâs soulmate, was there a feeling?â
        âHm,â Ethan said. âActually, yes. I thought I had heartburn, actually. Just like this warmth in my chest? It sounds a bit stereotypical but yeah. I felt warm. That night when I was washing my face I realized my eyes had changed. You doing a study?â
        âUm⌠no,â Logan admitted. âMy eyes are green.â
        âOh! Oh my god! Did you tell your mom?â
        âPlease, Ethan. I have only told you.â
        âDo you know who it is?â Ethan asked. âAny clue?â
        âOne of my students,â Logan said. âThe⌠football player.â
        âOh yeah I remember Patton mentioning him, the stupid one right?â
        Logan bristled, âHe isnât stupid. HeâsâŚâ He sighed, rubbing his temple, âWell, thank you Ethan. Youâve answered my question.â
        âText Pat,â Ethan said. âHeâll lose his shit.â
        âGoodnight, Ethan,â Logan said.
        Logan hung up and set his phone on the nightstand before undressing, pulling on a pair of pajama pants and climbing into bed. He turned off the lamp and pulled the blanket over his head, willing himself to sink into the earth.
         The following morningâs class was a blur of barely-controlled panic and dread, but luckily Remus barely even spared him a glance, intent on taking and passing his cellular identification exam. Logan pretended to grade papers when Remus came up to his desk, and his heart surged like it had, warming to Remus like a rock in the sun, âSee you in class.â
        Logan gave a noncommittal sound, and Remus left the classroom, allowing Logan to finally breathe. Ignoring this wasnât going to be easy, and Logan was already getting frantic texts from his brother demanding an explanation. Logan briefly wondered how hard it would be to vanish without changing universities. The worst part, without question, was how badly he wanted Remus to touch him, even just a brush of his hand. His body was like a magnet and his hands were shaking even though their closeness had been brief. At least his upcoming class was taking a pop quiz, and they were to clear out as soon as answers were submitted. Â
         Logan remained more or less glued to the desk during the hour between classes, grading the microscope workâRemus hadnât missed a single slide, so Picaneâs catch on the colorblindness had been spot on. Logan had felt a stab of jealousy, absurd as it was, that he hadnât realized it sooner, first, because Remus was his soulmateâhis.
        âMine,â Logan muttered to himself, then his face heated up when he realized what heâd said, and he looked down to realize heâd written it on Remusâ exam answers. Quickly scratching it out he pushed the test aside and lowered his face to the desk. âWhat a nightmare.â
        âWhatâs a nightmare, Mr. Heart?â
        Logan looked up to see his first student sliding into her desk, and he forced a chuckle, âThe state of the economy in nineteenth century Luxembourg.â He stood up and began writing on the board.
        âWill that be on the final?â another student asked. The classroom had started filling up.
        âNot unless Iâve ever written it on this board,â Logan said. âWe start final prep next week, donât forget.â
        He finished filling out the board as the rest of his students filed in, and once his watch beeped cheerily that class had started, he heard a voice pick up behind him, the same girl from before, âIs that your favorite tie, Mr. Heart? You wear it a lot.â
        âItâs my favorite color,â Logan said without turning around. âAs charming as the distraction is, I havenât forgotten the pop quiz.â He turned around and Remus was staring at him, mouth open in shock. On either side of him, his linebacker buddies were looking at one another, and Logan realized his mistake in revealing his favorite colorâbecause he knew better than anyone what color Remusâ eyes must be now. Wincing, he adjusted his glasses, âAlright, please take out a clean sheet of paper and answer the questions Iâve written on the board. When youâre finished please leave them up here and you may go.â
        Logan sat at his desk and pretended to be working, jumping when the first student turned in their quiz, but calmed and kept his eyes down as the steady stream of quizzes landed on his desk. He was starting to feel safe when most of his students had gone, and he made the mistake of looking up when a loud pair of sneakers stopped at his desk. The room was empty, and Remus Prince was standing at his desk, quiz in his hand. He set it down with the others and shoved his hands in his pockets, âYour eyes are green. I never noticed.â
        Logan paled and stared up at Remus, âI um⌠itâs recent.â
        Remus nodded, âMe too, indigo, right? Itâs a weird blue for eyes. My brother said they look like Liz Taylor whoever that is.â
        Logan let out a nervous little laugh, looking down at the paper heâd been doodling on only to realize heâd been writing the word mine over and over, âYeah. She had um⌠dark eyes. So I suppose youâve met your soulmate then, congratulations, Mr. Prince.â
        Remus looked around and then back at Logan, âYouâre going to pretend it isnât you?â
        Logan was feeling very much like a deer in the headlights, but at the same time heat was playing in his chest. He pushed his chair back and stood up, tensing when Remus reached to grab his wrist, âIâm not-â Logan tried to pull away but Remus shook his head, âIâm not pretending anything I⌠damn it. Damn it Iâm afraid, ok? Youâre a student!â
        âNot for long! Like two weeks from now Iâm taking the final, and unless I stop showing up entirely, thereâs no way Iâm failing. I did the math which I know will impress you because Iâm such an idiot.â
        âMr. Prince,â Logan said, then sighed. âRemus⌠is this even something you want? A relationship dictated by some⌠some system we donât even understand? By colors and chance and⌠what, fate? You want to let the universe stick you with someone⌠someone like me?â
        Remus laughed and released Logan, covering his face with his hands, âYou donât fucking get it, do you? You really donât.â
        Logan wrapped his arms around himself, blushing and adjusting his glasses, âDonât get what?â
        âI have wanted you since before I started in this class!â Remus said. âMy brother, the attention whore? He had me come here last semester to pick up a paper for him, remember? If it was just fate shoving us together it would have happened then⌠but it didnât. I thought you were hot, so I signed up for your class because I figured Iâd cheat my way through and have a hot prof to stare at right?â
        âHot?â
        âJust let me finish,â Remus said. âWhen I came in here and sat down at that desk and I listened to you read the syllabus⌠and all of your weird bone jokes and that thing about the swamp mummy?â
        âBog bodies, the Tollund Man, yes,â Logan said. âYou remember that?â
        âYeah because you cared, like you actually cared about it. Youâre not just here because you couldnât get a career and youâre not just here to waste time. You really care about what youâre teaching us, and I know youâre trying to switch departments but whatever, you know what I mean⌠thereâs a lot of passion there and it made me give a shit. It took me forty-five minutes to fall in love with your stupid class, and maybe two or three classes to fall in love with you⌠but still it didnât happen. Because it didnât happen until you fell in love with me.â
        Logan was silent as he stared at Remus, his mouth hanging open; he took a sharp breath, shoving his hands in his pockets, âJesus.â
        âWell? Am I right?â Remus said, tears welling up in his eyes. âItâs the mustache right? My friends told me thatâs the reason you didnât tell me. Because you hate it. I donât even care. Iâll shave it off, ok? I donât care if itâs good luck I-â
        Logan crossed the short distance between them and kissed Remus, cutting him off. Remus grabbed Loganâs collar and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. Loganâs mind spun, and his knees went weak. Remus had no trouble holding him up, and when they finally broke the kiss, Logan smiled sheepishly. âI donât hate the mustache, as much as I wish I did. I really donât.â
        Remus buried his face against Loganâs shoulder and laughed, âGreat because I really need to keep it if Iâm going to get drafted. Three of the NFL scouts commented on it.â
        âYes Iâm sure youâll bring back the seventies mustache. Your parents will be ecstatic.â
        âYeah⌠so um⌠are we dating?â
        âNo,â Logan said, then off Remusâ look he hurried to elaborate. âNot until you pass this class of your own merit. Like you said, itâs no big deal and then, the second your final grade is logged in the university database⌠we can date.â
        Remus smiled, smoothing down Loganâs shirt as he stepped back, âRight, cool um⌠hey I should probably go then, right? Got studying to do. Bye teach.â
        âMr. Prince,â Logan said, sinking back down into his seat once Remus was gone.
        It was going to be a long couple of weeks.














