#I wrote this when I should have been working on Logan's b-day fic because I'm a mess

[sleepless-in-starbucks]

Love of my Life

Ao3 link

Summary: One drink. That's all it took. One drink and Roman was calling into radio stations in the dead of night and professing his dedicated love to one Patton Baker. At least no one he knew had heard him. ...right? Pairings: Romantic royality, platonic/brotherly analogical, parental logince + parental prinxiety Warnings: Brief, throw-away mention of alcohol a few times, food mentions Author’s note: Italicized sentences are flashbacks to the night before

"Hello darling, and welcome to the Sleepless Hour with your very own Remy Crescent. May I ask what has you calling on this fine evening?"

"Oh, just the love of my life."

Roman groaned and pulled the covers over his head. The damned sun was trying to shine its way into his room, and while he normally would love to enjoy being caught in the world's biggest spotlight, he wasn't quite feeling it this morning.

Maybe it was the fact that he could hear loud whispering from downstairs, which always meant some sort of trouble. Maybe it was the fact that despite having only ONE drink last night he felt like Holy Hell. Maybe it was the fact that following the logic that one drink had provided he had publicly and proudly confessed his love to one Patton Baker.

Did he regret what he said? Of course not! But the timing and the manner in which he declared it was decidedly not ideal.

"Wow, love of your life, huh? Quite the bold statement sugar. I like it. What's got you crazed about this one?"

"Just EVERYTHING about him. I don't think I have enough time to say it all."

"Ah, why don't you give it a go anyways?"

"Dad! Better Dad's at the door!"

Roman sighed even as he smiled, pushing himself out of bed at the cry of his youngest. "You know you can't call him that until I marry him right?" He yelled back as he fumbled to get changed.

"Father, if we wait until that time, we will either be calling him 'better Dad' tomorrow or never."

"Logan!"

Roman could almost hear his eldest roll his eyes- not in disrespect, simply in annoyance that the world couldn't keep up with him. "You have a tendency to either do everything at once or never. I drew from your past actions in romantic pursuits and your general personality to make my statement, and I maintain that it's accurate."

"Yeah, well, what have we said about telling the truth in this household?"

"To squash it down unless it is pleasing and flattering to you?"

"There ya go!"

Roman could definitely hear Logan sigh at that, cut off from responding by the doorbell ringing. Virgil called up again, "Dad!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

"Well, first of all, he's absolutely wonderful with my kids. I've got two of them- love them as I do, that doesn't make them any less of handful."

"Oh, wild childs?"

"The complete opposite, actually. Quiet. Not too trusting. But for him... he's amazing. He's already replaced me as the favorite Dad and we're not even close to being actually married."

"Well, that's quite the start- I'll hand it to 'im. But you said you could go on?"

Roman tried not to trip too badly down the stairs. Given the disappointed stares his children were giving him when he finally ended up on ground level, he decided he hadn't achieved that too well.

"Dad, have you even heard of a comb?"

"Virgil, please." Logan chastised lightly. "He's clearly heard of a comb before. Whether or not he's attempted to acquaint himself with one this morning is up for debate, however."

"You two and your debates." Roman tsked with a smile, running a hand through his hair and trying to ignore that they clearly had a point.

Virgil tilted his head with a frown. "Is it really a debate when the answer's clear?"

Roman gasped dramatically, raising his free hand to his chest. "I cannot believe this! My own children! Sons of my loin!"

"We're adopted." Logan and Virgil replied in unison, pitch matched in tired judgement.

"I hate that you can do that."

The doorbell rang again. Roman's attention shot back towards the door. "Oh, right. Patton's here."

"I can't believe you forgot about the 'love of your life.'" Virgil teased, the smirk growing on his face making Roman's checks heat up.

"You two were supposed to be sleeping." He said immediately, the slight smile on Logan's face already clueing him into the fact that Virgil wasn't the only one eavesdropping.

Virgil shrugged. "You were loud." He said simply, sniggering. "Loud with your declarations of LOVE~"

Roman shook his head. "I can't believe I'm surprised."

"Our behavior should be relatively predictable by now, yes." Logan agreed with him helpfully.

Roman just ruffled the older boy's hair as he went by, earning himself a glare from Logan as he rushed to fix it. Roman chuckled as he approached the door.

"I could go on for eons."

"Well, babes, I'm sorry to say we've only got two minutes but if you go fast I'm sure it'll feel like longer."

"Two minutes really isn't enough time. He's too perfect. Too gorgeous."

"Oh, gorgeous, huh? Come on, love, details! Wax that poetic- I can tell you're just dying to."

Roman pulled open the door. The day was rainy, the sky grey and overcast- not that Roman noticed.

"It's not waxing poetic if it's simple fact. Patton is... Patton is literal sunshine..."

Patton was, as expected, waiting cheerfully on Roman's doorstep, mood undamped despite the fact that his clothes were not. His smile was still there, of course; it always was, bright and shiny as if he had stolen the light the sky was so sorely lacking just to brighten it.

"...his smile could light up a starless night; his eyes are prettier than the sapphires that could only dream to ever be as lovely..."

"Can I come in?" Patton asked lightly, eyes shining with mirth from behind his wiry glasses. He lifted the sealed container in his arms up just a bit, shaking it. "I brought cookies!"

"You know you are always welcome here, my darling marshmallow." Roman said with as charming of a smile as he could muster, sweeping backwards and bowing to let Patton in. Patton laughed.

"...oh, and his laugh! Like the finest silver bells ringing, like bluebirds singing on a perfect summer day..."

Patton shook himself a little, rubbing at his wet arms with wet hands as if that was going to dry anything. He glanced up from his unsuccessful work, spotting Logan and Virgil as he did so. His smile only grew.

"Lo-lo! Virge!" Patton greeted them excitedly. "How are my favorite kids!?"

"I don't know, I've never met them." Virgil answered, earning himself a 'stern' glare from Patton.

"Now, kiddo, come on. Don't make me physically fight you." He threatened. Virgil's eyes widened very slightly. He knew it was no idle threat. The last time he had ignored that warning he hadn't been allowed to escape Patton's hug for a full minute.

Terrifying.

Virgil shuffled his feet. "'m good."

"Great!" Patton exclaimed before opening his arms. "Now, can also get a hug from one of my favorite kids?"

"You're laying this on thick." Virgil mumbled before nodding his head at the container still in Patton's hand. "Are those cookies?"

"Yep!"

Virgil found himself very willing to submit to the hug in exchange for cookies. Patton didn't try to put up a fight as Virgil snatched it from him. He turned his attention to Logan instead. "And my other favorite not-son?"

"Adequate." Logan replied. He raised an eyebrow when Patton re-opened his arms. "Unlike my easily bribed brother, I do not fall to simple cookies."

"Do you fall if they're Crofter's cookies?"

"...You're playing dirty." Logan said, but his attention was clearly now caught by the treat Virgil was munching on. Patton's smile only grew when Logan glared to the side but still shuffled over, pretending he didn't maintain the hug for longer than the three second minimum before claiming his own cookie.

"My, my, you really are smitten, aren't you?"

"Please, for the love of my love, never assume I am anything less. Patton deserves no less."

"Well he's definitely batting twenty-twenty at the moment. Great with kids and clearly beautiful. Considerin' we got another good fifty seconds here, I'm sure there's something else you'd like to enlighten us on about your dearest?"

Roman smiled as well as he came to stand next to Patton. "Little sugar addicts." He said lovingly. "So easily won over. Isn't that right, Lo-lo?"

Logan briefly glanced up from what was already his third cookie. "Never call me that ever again."

"You let Patton call you that!"

"Patton brought cookies." Virgil answered for Logan.

"Well, I make you cookies, too!" Roman protested.

"Burnt ones don't count."

Roman pouted, and Patton giggled. "Come on, Ro, I'll teach you how to bake your way into their hearts."

"I'm not sure that's possible." Roman responded. "They're ungrateful."

"And he's REALLY bad at baking."

Roman pointed at Virgil. "See! Point proven."

Patton seemed even more amused. "Well, I'll teach you how to bake your way into my heart instead, then." He offered with a little wink, grabbing Roman's hand and innocently pulling him into the kitchen like he wasn't going to be the literal death of Roman.

"Everything. I could tell you about everything. He's too wonderful. And so kind. He's sweeter than a sugar high. Mischievous as an imp, though. But if any of the Fates still favor me, he's my imp."

Patton only released Roman's hand once they were both in the kitchen, quickly shifting through the pantries for the ingredients he'd need. Roman leaned against one of the counters as casually as he could while he was being useless.

"As much as I adore the idea of pretending I have a chance at baking, I know a diversion when I see one." Roman commented idly. "Any reason you needed to get away from the troublemakers?"

"I don't know what you're suggesting, sweetie." Patton replied, tone much too innocent. "I just want to bake with you! And you know what I love to do while I bake?"

"Talk to people?" Roman suggested as he pointed out the cupboard that held their bowls.

"That too! But when there's no one around, I like to listen to the radio!"

"I can already hear the choir boys singing. I know earlier you said you were nowhere near thinking about marriage, but I mean... you two seem very close. How long have you been dating? A year? Two?"

"Heh, well, technically we're not dating- considering we haven't actually gone on a date yet."

"...I'm going to have Dave give us another minute because sweetheart I must have misheard you. Not a date? Not a single one? About this man you seem willing to die for?"

"Well we have been together for six months! We're just so busy with work... we never have time for a proper date!"

Roman, oblivious, hummed in interest. "If you want, I can turn it on now-"

"No, I've got you right now, silly." Patton replied lightheartedly as he started measuring out flour, his tongue sticking out just the slightest in his concentration. Roman tried not to melt at the sight. "I was just saying that I was listening to it last night while I was baking!"

"Baking at night? And here I thought you were the responsible one."

Patton shrugged with a grin. "Couldn't sleep! And you know what they say..."

"Sweetness, I am always thinking about you. I doubt that's what was keeping you up."

Patton shot Roman a special smile that suggested a type of trickery he didn't understand before he went back to his measuring. "Maybe." He said simply before pushing on. "The music station I was listening to kept having interruptions, but that was alright. I liked listening to the people talk. Maybe you've heard of the segment- it's called the Sleepless Hour?"

Roman froze.

"Take my suggestion, hun- schedule time for one. Because as it stands, your man is either a literal angel... or you're just crazy."

"Trust me, it's both."

"So I can tell, given that, from what I've heard tonight, I doubt you dislike a single thing about this Patton."

"Oh, there is one thing I dislike about him."

"Ooooh, spill the tea, sis. Let's here perfect boy's one flaw."

"I, uh... nope. Never heard of it."

"Huh. That's odd." Patton commented, feigning casual indifference. "Considering I could have sworn I heard you on it last night."

"I... you must've mistaken voice."

"Oh, I'd never mistake a voice that indescribably pretty."

Roman sighed as melodramatically as he could manage. "Alright, you've caught me! It was late, and I was craving some proper music, unlike what the heathens had been playing. Sue me for calling in a request-"

"Oh, you were most certainly not just calling in a music request." Patton stopped him before he could continue.

"...I'll take it you actually heard more than just the very end of what I said?"

"I heard every word.”

"...Listen, I was a little drunk, you can't really take everything I said at face value-"

"One flaw, right?"

Roman looked away from Patton, scratching at the back of his neck. "Please tell me you heard even five seconds past that part."

Barely a moment later, Roman saw the blur of light blue and grey suddenly rush at him, wrapping around him and snuggling into his neck within a second. "I meant it when I said every word, love."

"Patton's one flaw is that he's not in my arms right this minute."

Roman only took a moment to collect himself before he hugged Patton back, easily pressing a kiss into Patton's curls before resting his chin on top of them.

"Much better."

"It is." Patton agreed.

"I'm sorry I sleep-drunk ranted about you and your perfection on late night radio."

"It's alright." Patton said, smiling into Roman's neck. "It was sweet. Though it was very rude of you to say all those nice things and be out of cuddling range."

"If I had been in cuddling range I would have just told you all of those things and cut out the middleman."

Patton hummed. "Is it too soon to move in?"

"With no dates under our belts?" Roman said before laughing. "Virgil and Logan would rat us out to Mr. Crescent."

"But I just want you to always be in cuddling range."

"Soon, dearheart, I promise." Roman said fondly. "For now, however, we should probably finish making our cookies so that I might pretend I can win over the favor of my children from you."

"But then I'll have to let go of you." Patton whined. "And I don't wanna."

Roman smiled as he moved on his hands, slowly rubbing calming circles into Patton's back. "You don't have to let go just yet."

"Aren't you just the biggest sap this side of the Mississippi."

"I should hope to be."

"Well, I wish you two the best of luck with your no-dates dating. Dave says I have to wrap it up here, but I'd feel bad if I didn't ask you if you had a song request in mind?"

"Nah. I'm just here to make sure everyone knows I'll never love another man as much as I love Patton."

"I think we got the message loud and clear, sugar. Still lovely to chat with you. I'll see if I can't find somethin' that's got the right tune for you two."

Whether or not the radio was on didn't matter, because the song Remy had put on last night was no longer playing, but that was alright. They had still heard it, even if separately, and the sentiment still echoed even without sound. Maybe they hadn't actually called each other last night, but that was alright too. There would be plenty of chances for it in the future.

I Just Called to Say I Love You plays