The Logical Exception

{ Chapter 22 - A Protector }

Remus watched with intense fascination as Logan used his powers to pull the bullet out of himself. He had always been interested in anatomy since it helped him with his powers but he rarely got to see the inside of humans, and unfortunately, the small bullet hole wasn't enough for Remus. He wanted to see more, and his fingers itched to tear someone apart and Deceit was right there. He blamed the snake scaled man for the situation Patton was in.

"You need to study muscle functions, yes?" Logan asked, his eyes glazed from the pain and his jaw was set tightly. His voice, however, remained steady and he waved Remus to come closer.

"Yeah, but I'll wait until you keel over and then I'll just take you apart." It would be a waste of a body if he didn't, and Logan seemed pretty bad at taking care of himself.

"That may be a while, come over here and watch." Logan's hand reached over to a suture kit that he had and began to stitch his wound closed. Remus could only assume Deceit was focusing on the internal wounds.

"You've done this before, sewing up flesh. What interesting things did you do before nerdy wolverine?"

"I've had multiple injuries before, some from you and Roman, some from... other people."

"So only yourself," His eyes finally began to scan over Logan's unclothed torso, looking at the scars and the bruises. He wasn't sure how to feel. Logan had been their enemy for so long, they fought him because that's what Roman and Patton believed was the right thing to do. They had never caught him but Remus knew that some of those scars were probably caused by him. Should he feel guilty?

Now that he had his memories back, Remus mostly remembered a good older brother, a stick in the mud sure, but a good brother none-the-less. He remembered a brother who acted like a father, who tucked them in, read them stories, told him facts about the strange world they lived in. Remus remembered an older brother who played games with him even if that wasn't what he preferred to be doing. He remembered an older brother that cared.

"Only myself." Logan began tying a tight knot. His breath was labored but his hands were surprisingly still.

Remus responded before he even thought about it. That wasn't necessarily surprising. "Do you always fight alone?"

"What?"

"You sent us away right? With all of my memories, I can't remember you having any friends. You were always a nerd, but you had us." Deceit had already walked away at this point but that didn't mean he wasn't listening. Remus didn't care. "You got rid of us, so I can only assume you've been alone this whole time. It's not like you can make friends, everyone in this car hates you. Except maybe the fluffy one. He reminds me of Patton. But mom and dad never really care about you right? You're a bit too old to be doing the whole rebellious teenage thing. You know how to sew yourself up, do you have no loyalty towards them? I figured you got rid of us because you were jealous."

Logan sighed, running a hand across his face as he leaned against the inside of the van. He looked tired. "Mother Necessity is shrewd, cunning, and manipulative. Had you two stayed, you would have become pawns in her story." There was something that flashed through Logan's eyes and Remus wished Patton was awake. He had always been better at reading other people's emotions. "She didn't show any interest in you until your powers manifested, and then she began to pretend that she was the perfect mother." Logan closed his eyes. "I made the logical decision to separate you from that environment. I don't regret it."

"Really, well good to know you don't care."

"Remus, that's not..." He took a deep breath. That look he recognized, it was the look of frustration and hurt. Remus felt that way a lot before he met Patton. People always told him he had to act a certain way, be a certain way. They didn't understand. So, what didn't he understand? "I do not regret my decision because I'm proud of who you and Roman became. Without the influence of our parents, you both grew into your personalities, you became creative and innovative thinkers. I do not regret my choice because up until recently you and Roman were safe and happy. I missed you two. I know it is nigh impossible to protect you from every danger in this world. The logical exception was them, I could at least protect you from them."

Remus didn't answer, it was too deep. He didn't want to have to think about it yet. He reached over and picked up Patton. "This is mine."

"If you require him near you take this, when he wakes up make sure he drinks it."

"It looks like shit."

"It has chocolate protein powder mixed into it."

"Neato." Remus tossed the water bottle into the back seat before picking up Patton, hooking an arm under his legs and another under his shoulders. He wasn't supposed to be this light and Remus hated it. He hated seeing his boyfriend in this state. His thoughts were spiraling in dark ways the loudest one screaming, 'what if he had died'. If Patton had died and Remus only found out about his kidnapping afterward, would he be able to forgive himself? It didn't matter, Patton was here. He clung close to the soft man, holding him tightly and protectively.

Remus climbed onto the very back seat, laying Patton down and picking up the water bottle before curling up beside him. He closed his eyes tightly, listening to the others. Logan must have fallen asleep because there were two sets of soft breathing behind him. Emile was talking to the new guy who was complaining about desperately needing coffee and Roman was sitting awkwardly next to Deceit.

Everything was fine. They were all safe. It would be okay. Remus would make sure it would be okay.

AN: Hey everyone! I know I'm posting this later in the day than I normally do. Thank you for your patience! Hope you are all staying safe, remember to properly wash your hands!