(Check the reblog for the links to the previous chapters!)
Patton groaned as he was once again leaning on a bag of ice. He hated the changing between both of them. Even the hot pack was starting to not be comfortable anymore. “How much more of this do I have to do?” He asked Logan.
“Well, if you’re no longer feeling a change, the treatment may have run its course and we may stop for the evening.” Logan glanced at his phone. “In fact, that would be wise, as it is almost time for me to head to class.”
Relief flooded Patton’s features before he frowned. “Wait, class?”
“Anatomy and Physiology,” Logan said off-handedly, reaching for Patton.
Patton squeaked as he saw the hand approach, trying to scoot away. “W-Wait!”
Logan paused, looking at the borrower. “Are your injuries flaring up again?” Logan had thought that the treatment was finished and that Patton would once again be well enough for transportation.
“Well-Well no, but, can’t I stay here? Or at the very least, could you not...grab me?” Patton asked, squirming at the thought of being picked up like that again.
“Would that help alleviate your stress levels?” Logan asked.
Patton wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but he nodded anyway.
“Very well.” Logan set his palm down next to Patton instead.
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.”
“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?
Instead, Logan pretended as though he had not caught this last line, briskly walking the rest of the way to his car. He placed the cage in the backseat before revving up the engine, breathing a small sigh of relief.
(Check the reblog for the links to the previous chapters!)
Roman raced home, taking the stairs up to his apartment two at a time as his bag swung to the side. Biology seemed to last longer than ever before today, as Roman’s mind had been preoccupied for the entire two hours with a certain tiny friend. Finally Roman reached his own door, swinging it wide open as he waltzed inside.
Despite knowing there was a borrower in his bag, the human was not being careful at all. Virgil found himself sliding back and forth in the bag, becoming disoriented and even hitting the wall with his sore arm. Which sent a sharp pang up it. He groaned as the bag finally calmed down, allowing him to sit in the middle and calm himself.
He was suddenly much more worried for Patton’s state if this was how the human had been treating him.
Roman plopped down on the couch, setting the bag down on the cushion next to him. He turned to it, viewing it like a child coming down the stairs on Christmas. Not wanting to wait any longer, Roman reached his hand in and grabbed the borrower inside, pulling them up into the light.
Virgil expected it, as soon as the bag had stopped moving and he felt it being set down, but he really wasn’t prepared for it. He tried to scoot away, but the hand grabbed him no problem. He struggled within the grip as he was taken out of the bag and suddenly face to face with another human.
“Ah!” Roman let out a startled shriek at the unexpected tiny person. In his surprise, Roman’s grip loosened and the borrower fell back into the bag.
Virgil yelled as he fell back into the bag, groaning as he landed on his arm. “What the heck?!” He yelled up before realizing what he did.
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.
Roman glared down at the borrower. He took a deep breath, trying to keep his cool despite the fact that this emo nightmare seemed determined to test his patience.
Warnings: Fear, panic, being ignored, unwanted touching/grabbing and slight mention of injury.
(Check the reblog for the links to the previous chapters!)
Roman kept shooting Patton glances throughout the film, trying to figure out if the borrower was enjoying himself. It was hard to tell, what with Patton still acting so stiff and scared all the time, but it seemed like he enjoyed it. Roman was glad, and as the credits began to roll he wondered if they could keep this good energy going. Roman picked up his phone, checking the time.
Roman blinked, trying to process what he saw on the digital clock.
“I’m late!” Roman gasped, quickly grabbing Patton up in a fist and rushing to his bedroom.
“Ahh!” Patton yelled as he was suddenly engulfed in a fist. He squirmed in the grip as he became a little dizzy due to how fast Roman was moving.
“R-Roman!” He called out, hoping it would get him to at least slow down a little.
“Sorry, Patton.” Roman all but threw Patton down on the bed, gathering up his clothes from their various spots on the floor. “I lost track of time. I thought we’d have enough time to watch a movie, but math has never been my strong suit. But never fear! A little bit of rushing and no one will be the wiser!” Roman ran into the bathroom, throwing on his garments before reemerging still brushing his hair.
It took Patton a second to gain his bearings once he was set down on the bed and then he looked up at Roman in confusion. “Um, what are you late for?”
“Biology.” Roman made a gagging motion. “But it’s required, so we do what we must.” Roman looked at himself in the mirror, giving a nod of approval before beginning to throw his book bag together. He tossed out the notebooks, deciding to put the only one necessary for this class in the smaller pocket so the main one would be clear. He grabbed a sweatshirt to soften the bottom and hopefully make this trip more pleasant for Patton.
“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…
Warnings: Fear, panic, threats, mention of torture
(Check the reblog for the links to the previous chapters!)
Logan stopped in front of the door, taking a deep breath. Before he could lose his nerve, Logan rapped on the door three times.
“Come in.” Came a voice from the other side, so Logan let himself in. Inside was a lavishly dressed office, complete with a solid oak desk and a plaque reading “Doctor Dee, Dean of Biological Studies”. Sitting in a large leather armchair sat the man who held this title. Dr. Dee was a brilliant man, having gained his title after only ten years at the University. Logan had only met with him a handful of times in the past, and though the man had his quirks (and at times, questionable practices) it was clear why he was at the top of the field.
“Ah, Logan.” The doctor looked up from his work, greeting Logan with a smile. “Please, have a seat.” Logan nodded, taking a seat in one of the two hardwood chairs available this side of the desk. It was rather uncomfortable, forcing Logan to sit up stiffly.
“Thank you for meeting with me this morning, Dr. Dee.” Logan stuck out his hand, initiating a brief shake.
“I always make time for our most promising students.” Dee released Logan’s hand, leaning back into his chair. “But, that being said, I am a busy man. What brings you into my office this morning?”
“Yes, of course sir.” Logan nodded. He knew it was best to get straight to the point, but he wanted to first manage the professor’s expectations. “Are you aware with the square cube law?”
“Logan, I’m a scientist, not a mathematician.” The doctor scoffed. “I don’t trifle with their theories nowadays. I’m a more practical man.”
“Oh, right.” Logan cleared his throat. “Well, the reason I bring it up is because I’ve been considering the existence of tiny humanoid creatures. Now, the square cube law disputes this possibility, but I have here-” Logan began to reach towards his pocket, but before he could pull out Virgil the doctor interrupted him.
“Hold on there, Sanders.” Dee frowned. “What do you mean, tiny humanoid creatures?”
“Well, I mean just that.” Logan held his hands a few inches apart for scale. “A creature that appears to be human, but is only a few inches tall.”
“Are you talking about fairy tales?” Dee laughed, but his voice held little joy.
“No, I assure you I’m quite serious-” Logan attempted to explain himself, but was once again interrupted.
“You know, I used to be quite fond of fairy tales.” The professor said, staring off dreamily into space. “I was obsessed with the idea of fairies or elves or other tiny creatures prancing about in my backyard.”
“That’s...wonderful, sir.” Logan wasn’t sure where this conversation was going, but he knew better than to try and direct the topic back to himself and risk encouraging Dee’s wrath. From tales of other professors and students, it was best to let Dee monologue.
“Sometimes, I’d even picture they got into the house.” The doctor chuckled to himself. “Of course, I could never prove it. I told my parents, but no one believed me. I’ll admit the idea drove me a bit...mad.” Dee gave a knowing look at Logan. “Of course, anyone would be paranoid if they thought tiny people were running around their home.”
“Y-yes sir.” Logan frowned slightly, suddenly very aware of his chest pocket.
“Back then I wanted to catch one more than anything.” Dee leaned forwards, looking a bit eager. “I’m not sure what I would’ve done if I caught one, though. Probably kept it in a jar, showed it off to everyone. Little thing would probably end up starving to death. Shame I wasn’t a very responsible child.”
“Well, very few of us are.” Logan liked to think of himself as responsible in his youth. Certainly responsible enough to keep Virgil from starving to death. The prospect was quite morbid. “And what...what would you do if you found one, now?”
“Now?” Dr. Dee stuck his lip out, looking up contemplatively as he tilted his head side to side. “Well, certainly keep it in captivity. Study its behaviors. You know, that’s actually quite an interesting idea. If it were truly human in behavior, it would be the perfect candidate for psychological testing.”
“Psychological testing?” Logan repeated.
“Yes, because we’d be able to study a “human” subject, more or less, without violating human testing ethics.” Dee explained, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “If we were able to cultivate a large enough population, we could even find answers to more moral gray areas, such as the human responses to pain and fear. I wonder if their screams would be muted due to the size of their vocal pipes. I’d hope not, it’d be a lot harder to test their pain tolerance.”
While Logan was always a man of science, this idea was getting too dark even for him. Human morals were the only things separating man from beast. It would be inhumane to force Virgil’s kind into such a state, regardless of their official human-ness. Logan felt himself beginning to pale at the thought of what his own actions might set into motion should he reveal Virgil to Dee. Logan clenched and unclenched his sweaty palms, mind racing as he mentally walked the line between morality and logic.
“But of course, that’s all theoretical.” The doctor snapped out of his musings with a laugh. “These are just fairy tales, right?” Logan felt Virgil’s form shaking with fear in his pocket, and Logan’s heart ached as he knew he couldn’t do it.
“R-right.” Logan said with a weak chuckle, bringing his hand up to try and steady both Virgil and his own racing heart.
“Ah, look at me, getting carried away again.” Dee shook his head. “You’re a man of logic, Logan. I can tell. You didn’t come here to talk childhood dreams.” The professor crossed his arms on the desk. “You came to talk business.”
“Well, ah, yes, but, you see…” Logan struggled to come up with the right words, now having no purpose for being in this office and frankly wanting to leave it as soon as possible. “...it was actually more of a hypothetical question, to be honest. Considering the square cube law does exist, it’s quite impossible, is it not?”
Dee looked at Logan for a long time, and it felt as though his eyes lingered on Logan’s pocket for a second too long before meeting Logan’s gaze with a stare that said you tell me. Logan broke the gaze, fiddling with his glasses as a distraction.
“I suppose it is.” The doctor sighed, leaning back in his chair. “Those darned mathematicians and their laws of nature.”
“Ah, curse them.” Logan quipped, giving a small snap of his fingers.
“It was certainly an interesting theory.” Dee admitted. “But I would suggest you focus your energies back on practical matters. You’re not going to get accepted into my masters program with a thesis on theories alone, you know.”
“Of course, sir.” Logan stood up, putting out his hand for a parting handshake. Dee stood as well, returning the gesture. “I’ll be sure to focus back on my studies.”
“That’s a good boy.” The professor praised, walking Logan to the door. “Glad to hear it.”
“Thank you once again for your time.” Logan waved in parting. The doctor waved back before shutting the door, and Logan finally let out a sigh of relief he didn’t know he had been holding.
Virgil couldn’t help but feel relief when Logan left the room and he was still hidden away. He had been wary when he had heard another voice speak and then had to keep himself from falling into a panic attack when he heard Logan talk about the the existence of tiny humanoid creatures and realizing what Logan had planned on doing.
Logan was going to reveal him to this ‘doctor dee’ person, in the name of science. But his panic to that, was almost nothing in comparison to when Doctor Dee started to speak.
Virgil had chills just thinking about it, but the entire time he couldn’t stop himself from shaking in fear. Despite how hard he was trying to keep still since he was in Logan’s pocket, after all. Virgil’s fears were proven true the more Doctor Dee continued to speak.
Virgil feared being shown off even more, especially if it was to this particular human. Who he knew would ensure that all of what he said would happen to him and his kind.
But then, Logan must have changed his mind, because he didn’t show Virgil off. In fact, Logan had been tense for most of Dee’s talk. His heart beating almost has hard as his own. Had Logan really had a change of heart? Had seen that Virgil was right? And if so, did that mean Logan would let him go?
He hoped so.
Logan could not believe he had almost made such a colossal mistake. He hit himself lightly on the forehead as he walked through the halls. How could he have been so stupid? Virgil was right to fear the discovery of his people. Clearly this was a secret Logan had to guard carefully. Though he was still filled with curiosity, this was not a discovery Logan could share with anyone else. He would have to be sure to destroy the evidence of his findings as well, lest it fall into the wrong hands.
With how poorly the meeting went, Logan found himself not in his right mind. He was so preoccupied with what to do next that he forgot to watch where he was going, and ended up crashing straight into a stranger who had been bolting around the corner.
Oh Logan, you sweet summer child... I'm a bit confused about how the square cube law forbids the existence of tiny humanoids, tho...
(Pulls out PowerPoint presentation)
So there’s a lot you can read up on this, but basically this law of physics is why it’s not possible for the human body to exist at the size of a borrower. For example:
“Since body heat production is at least partially proportionate to volume, while heat loss is dependent on surface area exposed to the air, a shrunk human will find they are dissipating heat faster than their body produces it. It won’t be long until the shrunk human freezes to death, even during a summer day.”
Of course, in this story we’ve taken it to mean that borrowers do actually have a different anatomy to humans which makes it possible for them to produce enough body heat and actually, y'know, survive.
Hey- why doesn't he (Logan) care about putting the lives of millions of borrowers at risk
Well, Logan does care, he just doesn’t realize that’s what he’s doing…yet. Logan is of the mindset “well, I’m not going to hurt you, therefore others won’t and borrowers as a whole would benefit from human assistance.” Which would be a valid point, except humans are terrible.
