#logince week 2023 day 1 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

vinbee631 · 2 years

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The Secrets Your Face Tells

Day 1 of Logince Week 2023, the prompt is Insecurity

and haha yeah logan is very insecure

writing under the cut!

Logan is a very hard worker. He keeps Thomas' brain from completely shutting down at any given moment.

What happens if he needs to shut down for a bit?

It had been a very long week, and more than anything, Roman just wanted to collapse into his boyfriend’s arms and stay there for the rest of the month.

Thomas’ schedule tended to be a bit chaotic. He and his friends had very conflicting schedules, so one week, he would have nothing to work on, save for a bit of video editing, personal projects, and general self-care, and then the following week would be, well, this week.

And this week, frankly, had been hell.

Roman had been the one to help with the scheduling that week, and it was a miracle that they were able to squeeze in everything they needed to get done.

Three sessions of video filming, helping out with a friend’s concert, lunch with his parents on Thursday, and so much editing it probably could have taken up the whole week if Logan and Roman had allowed it to.

On top of all of that, one Tuesday, his laptop broke.

Thankfully, he had a spare, an old thing that had been around for a couple of years and loaded about as quickly as Internet Explorer, which conveniently enough was the default search engine for the cursed thing.

By some miracle of nature, they made it to the weekend only about two hours behind schedule. So, he took a little time that night at 2am to grind it out.

By the time the next Monday rolled around, Thomas barely had enough energy to roll out of bed at noon.

Thankfully, the week after that whole stress fest wasn’t too complicated. He had some more filming to do, and one other project to help a close friend with, but other than that, he had a very flexible schedule.

Which meant Roman also had a flexible schedule, one that he was going to use to participate in PDA with his boyfriend as much as he could get away with.

That was, if Logan ever got off his computer.

See, unlike what some fans seemed to think (not that Roman was bashing, any and all creative interpretations of their character were awesome and super unique and he was maybe on a mission to see all of it), Logan wasn’t the type to stay up until 3 am working, not taking any breaks until he was physically and mentally exhausted.

No, Logan was more like a devoted office job worker, putting in a 60-hour workweek, and never even taking a sick day. Well, if he wasn’t feeling well, he would take a break, but since they were metaphysical, they couldn’t get sick, not in the human sense of the word, anyway.

Now, Roman had to convince his hardworking, incredible boyfriend to take that well-deserved vacation. Except, it wouldn’t be as easy as simply asking him.

Logan wasn’t married to his work, but it was a damn near thing. He cared about Thomas and made sure he was as productive as possible at all times. He tended to worry that taking a break would have adverse effects.

So, to get him to take a break, Logan had to come up with a suitable distraction.

Easier said than done, he sighed to himself.

He had been pacing his room for a while, his go-to brainstorming method wherever he was facing a particularly challenging problem or a particularly strong artist's block.

It had been half an hour of the pacing, and nothing productive was coming to him.

He needed to go about this the right way. If his first distraction wasn’t good enough, or a distraction he had used to tear Logan away from his work in the past, Logan wouldn’t fall for it.

Normally, Roman admired his love's brains and cleverness, but not when it was working against him.

Roman let out a theatrically long groan, flopping face-first onto his bed in frustration. He’d already done this song and dance with Logan so many times, enough that he was quickly running out of distractions to use.

He’d convinced Logan to help him organize things and try out new recipes he’d gotten stuck in his brain. He’d taken him on adventures in the Imagination and got him to rant about his favorite interests. What else was there to distract him with?

“Someone’s mopey.” Roman totally didn’t jump, glaring up at his brother hanging from the tester of his four-poster bed. “Jesus, Remus. Every time.”

His brother grinned, a rather pointy thing, allowing a tentacle to extend from his back and flick his brother in the forehead. “C’mon, tell your big bro what’s got you all down in the dumps. There’s a solid 23% chance I may actually give you some good advice!”

“Ha ha,” Roman replied, rolling over on his back to continue glaring up at Remus. “If you really must know, the world is a cruel and unjust place, and is constantly pitted against my own happiness!” He bemoaned, placing a hand daintily on his forehead as he slowly slipped off his bed and onto the floor.

“Logan’s too busy to give you attention?” Roman huffed, folding his arms over his chest. “Stop reading my mind! Ugh, twin powers suck when they’re being pitted against you.”

“I swear, the more you talk, the more I wonder how I ended up with even a morsel of the dramatics,” Remus teased, flipping himself off the top of Roman’s bed to crouch over his face. “You could just get off your sorry ass and talk to him.”

“But that doesn’t work!” he complained, hands flailing wildly and almost nailing Remus in the face. “I try to talk him into taking a break but he has a genuine reason to be busy and he logics his way out of cuddling me and it sucks!”

“Oh, no, your nerd boyfriend is clever, it’s almost like you signed up for that,” Remus replied, completely deadpan, and Roman reached up to smack him. “Shush! I am struggling here and not being shown an ounce of empathy or respect!”

“I’ll show you empathy and respect when you get your head out of your ass,” Remus smirked, flopping down on the carpet next to him. “Just go talk to him. Tell him you don’t like being mind tricked into not getting attention. Easy peasy. Shockingly enough, your boyfriend probably actually cares about you.”

Roman rolled his eyes. “I guess it couldn’t hurt to try. You don’t have to be an ass about it, though.”

“But being an ass is my default personality trait! It matches the real one!”

“Ugh, gross, I do not want to spend any more time talking about your backside.” Remus just grinned at him, making himself comfortable on the floor as Roman stood. “Thanks, or whatever, don’t do anything stupid to my room while I’m gone!”

“Hm, well, I wasn’t going to, but now that you say that, the brain cogs are already turning!” Roman groaned, turning away to ignore Remus’ smug grin accompanied by an ominous cackle that could not mean good things for Roman’s bedroom.

Oh well, he’d deal with that after spending some well-deserved time with Logan.

He knocked gently on Logan’s door, admiring the constellation paintings they’d worked on together while he waited for it to open. That was one of the first ‘dates’ they’d went on, just doing little projects together that they mutually enjoyed.

Honestly, Roman had found himself enjoying those little moments together more than any over-the-top romantic outing, which was pretty surprising for him.

His little mental tangent was swiftly interrupted by Logan coming to open his door. The tight, slightly stressed frown he usually wore when he was stressed melted away at the sight of Roman.

Cute.

“Hello, dear. Apologies for being so busy today. Thomas’ schedule may be empty today, but the fallout from last week has been- hard to manage.”

“I understand,” Roman replied with a sad smile. “I just wish you didn’t have to deal with so much of it on your own.”

Logan simply shrugged, slowly moving back to his desk as the two of them talked. “It’s nothing I’m not used to, and certainly nothing I can’t handle.”

Roman frowned. “I’m sure you can handle it, beloved. I just wish you didn’t have to. Your job is so challenging all the time, and you do so much of it without complaint. Alas, you are a much stronger man than I.” As Logan moved, Roman did as well, standing behind his desk chair and gently playing with his hair.

“You’re going to distract me,” Logan chided, slightly exasperated but mostly fond. “Would that be such a bad thing?”

“Yes,” Logan sighed, turning back to his computer with a grim frown, “unfortunately, it would. We’re not nearly as busy next week, but if his memories and reminders don’t get sorted by tomorrow, he’s going to forget about the photoshoot with Quil and Dom, and then we’ll lose more editing time.”

“So finicky,” Roman grimaced. “I admire you for keeping track of it all.”

“I have lots of sticky notes,” Logan replied, and there was something in his tone that made Roman burst into giggles. “You’re the best. Wish I could scoop you up and hide you away from this nightmarish busywork for the rest of forever.”

“I suppose that would be nice.” Logan glanced up at him, leaning in for a small kiss. “Now, as much as I truly do enjoy talking to you, I have to get back to work soon. You’re more than welcome to stay, though.”

Roman huffed, leaning down to press a kiss in his hair. If he was going to follow through with the plan Remus helped him with, he supposed he should do it now. Except…

Logan really did care about his work, and it was very important stuff. Thomas’ brain was tough to keep organized, but if there wasn’t any organization, their lives would be fifty times more chaotic than they already were.

If Roman interrupted him, for purely selfish reasons, they would fall behind, miss that photoshoot, and have another long night of editing despite just now getting a day for rest.

So, instead of dragging Logan along to give Roman attention, he brought the attention to Logan.

By sitting right in his lap.

Logan spluttered for a moment, glancing down at Roman with an odd expression. “Uh, Ro? Sweetheart, what are you doing?”

Roman shrugged, resting his head on Logan’s shoulder. “Oh, nothing. I know you’re busy, so I’m getting the attention I need but staying out of your way!”

Logan chuckled, adjusting slightly under Roman’s weight. “Alright, I suppose I can still work with this.”

“I promise if I do end up getting in the way, you can kick me out,” Roman reassured, giving him a chaste kiss on the corner of his mouth.

“Ah, thank you, darling. This shouldn’t be a problem, though. I can always make myself taller if absolutely necessary.”

For any other actual human, that would have been a pretty odd statement, but since the sides were metaphysical, they could change their appearances as they pleased.

They only really looked the same whenever they filmed, for the sake of not confusing Thomas’ fans too badly. But whenever they were in the mindscape, their looks varied. And typically, while Roman was much more muscular, Logan was significantly taller. He claimed he liked the height simply because it was more practical, but Roman knew he liked towering over the others.

Well, except for Virgil, who in times of stress, shot up like a beanstalk. Heightened anxiety, and all that.

Ah, well, Logan’s room was still very good at getting Roman on odd mental tangents.

He turned his attention back to the boyfriend he was wrapped around. Despite Logan’s sharp height and bony features, he was an amazing cuddle partner, his long arms and legs perfect for wrapping the whole way around Roman and engulfing him in warmth.

Roman let out a content sigh, ruffling Logan’s bangs slightly with the force of it, leading both of them to chuckle a bit.

Well, after a lot of unnecessary trouble getting here, Roman had gotten what he wanted, time with his boyfriend. And, Logan got what he wanted, to finish up the work Thomas so desperately needed him to do.

…Except, something still felt off.

Roman couldn’t quite put his finger on it yet, but there was something else he needed to direct his attention to. He knew he didn’t have any responsibilities himself, he’d grinded those out after Thomas went to bed last night.

Did they have plans with someone? No, Logan would have remembered to put it on the Mindscape schedule, or the person making the plans would have put it on there.

Maybe there was something going on in the Imagination. Except, that couldn’t be it either. And if it was, Remus could have taken care of it.

He frowned, nuzzling himself into the crook of Logan’s neck, and when his boyfriend leaned down to press a halfhearted kiss to his forehead without looking away from his computer, Roman figured out what it was.

There was something in Logan’s face. The months they’d been together, and of course, the 33 years they’d spent navigating Thomas’s life together, had left Roman with the remarkable ability to read Logan’s emotions like a picture book.

He couldn’t get a perfectly close look, since doing so would block Logan’s view and lead to a bit of complaining, but from his place in the crook of his neck, he could see his lip twitch and the increased speed of his blinks.

“Hi. Hey. Precious. Sweetheart. I know I said I wouldn’t get in the way, but this is important.” Logan simply arched an eyebrow at him. Hm, his facial expression was far too measured for Roman’s liking.

“Something going on up there?” Roman gently tapped Logan’s temple. “I know you have a lot of work to do and whatever, but it looks like you have something you wanna tell me.”

Logan gently sighed, not quite frowning. Not smiling either, though. Roman wanted to change that. “I suppose I knew you were going to figure it out eventually. You’ve become far too good at reading me.”

“It’s the boyfriend powers,” Roman replied seriously, and he was a little disappointed to see Logan’s smile not quite reach his eyes. “You’re really conflicted about this, aren’t you?”

“Seriously, you are far too good at that,” Logan complained, leaning his head back on his chair with another sigh. “Hm, give me a moment to find the right words.”

Roman sat, patient, gently toying with Logan’s hair. It tended to be on the curlier side whenever they were in the Mindscape. Sometimes, Logan would let him put curlers in it. He was so handsome that way.

Ugh, getting off-track again. Seriously, it was a wonder Logan ever got anything done in here.

Or, maybe it was just Roman and his very intense gayness.

…Yeah, it was probably that.

“I think… I may have figured out what to say,” Logan announced after a moment.

“Okay,” Roman answered patiently. “Take your time, then. I’m not going anywhere, love.”

“Hm, thank you, dear. I suppose… I feel a bit guilty, for having so much work to focus on all the time. I know it is necessary, and I have never had any problems getting it done, but…

“But, now there’s you. And I suppose the others as well, now that we are beginning to get along again. It’s not just me and my responsibility to Thomas.”

“It never was,” Roman interrupted quietly with a huff. “Oh, sorry, continue.”

“It’s alright, and I appreciate that. I just… back then, it was mostly my work. I didn’t have any other major responsibilities to worry about except for the ones Thomas handed to me. Or, well, the Mindscape handed to me.

“Now, there are other things. I have relationships to maintain, people to get along with. And, as silly as it sounds… I don’t know if I’m well equipped enough to balance both of them properly without messing everything up.”

“Oh, dear,” Roman murmured, sitting up to face Logan head-on and cradling his face in his hands. “Well, first of all, I’m grateful you trusted me enough to tell me. That was a lot, huh?”

Logan nodded, leaning gently into Roman’s palms with a sigh.

“Secondly, I understand completely what you’re saying. You have so much more to keep track of as Thomas grows, and not that the growth is a bad thing, but it does seem to be getting overwhelming. Not just for you, by the way, we’ve all had adjustment periods. I hope you know there are others who can relate to this.”

Logan nodded again. Roman delighted in the fact he was starting to look more peaceful, more reassured.

“Thirdly, and this one’s a little more complicated to explain, but just bear with me. You don’t have to be in charge of the whole ‘being friends with people thing’ yourself. Relationships go both ways. Each person has to put their share in or it’s never gonna work.

“The others understand you have a lot of responsibility. To some extent, so do they, and so do I. If you have to spend a few days holed up in here to get things done, then you do that. We’re not gonna stop you just because we need attention.

“And yeah, I am gonna be a little bit of an attention seeker sometimes because I am one, and because I love you very much, but you’re not always gonna be available. I always understand, and that’s always okay.

“You’re good about taking breaks and taking care of yourself when you work. You get the jobs done in awesome ways, and at the end of the day, you’re an awesome friend and an incredible boyfriend. That’s all we can ask of you, honey.”

Unbeknownst to Roman, while he was perhaps talking just a bit too much, Logan had slowly started crying. Happy tears, he assured him, as he rested his head on Roman’s chest.

“I just- it was very easy to pretend I understood all of that, but… hearing it makes it so much easier,” he mumbled, still sniffling.

“Oh hon, I’m so proud of you for telling me how you were feeling. I’m pretty darn proud of you every day, you know that? You’re awesome, and you care so much, and if I keep talking you’re definitely going to start crying again.” Logan chucked at that last part, lightly flicking his boyfriend on the forehead. “Rude.”

“Ah, rude but true my darling. But, now that all that’s off your chest, and I’ve had the chance to comfort you like you deserve, would you like to go back to your work? I can still keep cuddling with you.”

“Actually, I think it is a good time for me to take a quick break. Most of my important work is finished for now.” Roman grinned, jumping out of Logan’s lap and holding out his hands.

“In that case, would you care to join me for a snuggle?” Logan chucked, gently grabbing Roman’s hands and grinning whenever he was swooped up into Roman’s arms.

“Should we strongarm the others into cuddle time or is it just us for now?” Roman carefully nudged Logan’s door open with his foot. No matter his boyfriend’s choice, they had somewhere to go. Logan preferred boyfriend cuddles in Roman’s giant bed, and if they were going to be hanging out with the other sides, they’d need the full couch for optimal cuddles.

“I think just us for now. I’d like you to myself for a bit, and perhaps a bit quieter than four other metaphysical people can provide.”

Roman nodded, bumping his bedroom door open with his hip. No matter how much time he was able to get with his boyfriend, whether Logan would be comfortable with a longer break or a shorter one, he knew he was going to enjoy it.

He set Logan down once they got there, making sure all of Logan’s favorite pillows were out and digging out his favorite pair of pajamas that Logan loved to steal just for these occasions.

“Going all out today, huh?” Logan observed fondly. “Well, of course! You deserve it, my love. And it’s a hard week for both of us. Self-care and all that. Janus would be so proud.”

Logan let out a small huff of a laugh, grabbing the soft pile of pajamas and ducking into Roman’s bathroom to change into them. The sides could simply materialize the clothing onto themselves, but Logan preferred the act of actually changing, for whatever reason.

Well, Roman wasn’t going to bash him for that, even if it was a bit silly to him.

By the time Logan came back, Roman was also in a set of comfy clothes, the second-most comfortable pair of pjs he owned, since Logan was in the first. He opened his arms from his place on the bed and Logan dutifully crawled into them.

“This is so much nicer than doing work,” he sighed contentedly, and Roman shivered at the warm air on his chest.

“Yeah, Lo, it really is.”

ao3 link here

#sanders sides #sanders sides fanfiction #fanfiction #ao3 fanfic #tumblr fanfic #both at the same time !!#logan sanders #roman sanders #remus sanders #janus sanders #thomas sanders

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