Chapter Text
“Okay, so, the schedule for today is as follows-” Logan flips open his calendar before continuing.
“Schedule…” Roman huffs.
“I thought it was Saturday…” Virgil says morosely, the caffeine in his drink yet to kick in.
“Didn’t we decide on a pyjama day?” Patton chirps, the only one directly addressing Logan.
“Yes, and we already had the pyjama portion of the day, it was called ‘sleeping for seven hours and then letting Thomas scroll on his phone for almost two hours’.” Logan rattles off dryly, and then returns his focus to the calendar. “So- Roman, we’ve got that new Spotify uh- playlist, monthly nonsense happening soon- and Thomas needs to finalise the order of- songs? And, produce an adequate cover? Album? Playlist photo? Whatever the most accurate term is- for it. So, that’s your work.”
A sound of disagreement comes from where the creative side leans against the couch.
“For you Virgil, I am a little concerned for the way things are going with this next larger project Thomas is working on- perhaps you could do some work on reviewing what we have currently? I often find it helpful when you review and mediate what Roman’s created, and compare it to the plan for when it’s due that I’ve constructed. All that to say- will you look over what Roman has to offer, and cross reference it for what I’ve got for the next month, to ensure things are going smoothly as of present and into the future?”
“Whatever.” Virgil says, sounding distinctly unimpressed.
“Ah- alright then?” Logan says, a tad confused as he passes the plan he’s made over to the anxious side. The plan is promptly discarded on the floor next to Anxiety, which makes Logan feel a little strange.
“Uh… Patton, I think it’s time we had another talk about balance and effective use of Thomas’s time-” Logan turns to Morality. “He’s been slipping back into gaming a lot with the new releases of various games, and I think it would be a benefit for us all to be stricter with the screen t-”
“Can you cool it Logan?” A brash voice interrupts, and Logan jumps in surprise at how unexpected it is.
He blinks in surprise at Roman’s outburst, and finds the creative one looking at him with deep frustration.
“Uh… Cool what? Exactly?” He questions, glancing at the hot drinks each of the Sides hold and considering if Roman wants ice in his already iced coffee- before dismissing that thought as incorrect, and remembering this is an idiom.
“The workload.” Virgil tacks on with an exhausted undertone. “We need a day off, we’re tired. That’s what weekends are for, you know. Relaxing.” He says sullenly.
“But we only worked for three of the five working days this week.” Logan says, his tone objective as it is neutral.
“Yeah well- we just want to relax.” Virgil pushes.
“But… If we put these things off, we’ll have to do them on Monday. And wouldn’t it be better to reserve Monday for actually working? Script writing and discussions with Thomas’s team is what Monday is scheduled for-”
“Then we’ll do it tomorrow.” Virgil shakes his head while looking at the floor.
Logan frowns and summons a different calendar. “...According to my data, we’re even less likely to achieve these things on a Sunday opposed to a Saturday.” He offers, peering at the numbers. “I think it has something to do with that nuisance we call Religion- where the man in the sky says everyone spends Sunday thinking about him, or doing nothing-” Logan tangents for a moment as he thinks about this, and makes a note to himself to read up on that later to confirm whether his off the cuff theory is true or not. “-But regardless of Thomas’s deep seated resistance to exerting energy over the weekend, we would all be in better shape if we did these things! They’re only basic, won’t take you long at all!” Logan encourages as best he can.
“Well if they won’t take that long, then we can do them later.” Roman says cockily.
Logan gapes at the blatant disinterest of Roman.
“Uh- okay Roman, how about we consider this one task?” Patton intervenes, glancing first at Roman with a tentative smile, and then at Logan with a concerned sort of look.
“How about Logan lets us have one day where we don’t have to fret about work.” Roman mutters back.
“It might be helpful to understand that refusing to work today may make working in a couple of days more complicated and difficult Roman.” The logical side points out, trying to be of assistance.
“Yeah, I mean, if we do it now then -well we could have the afternoon to relax!” Patton nods.
“Yes, of course, after we work, tidy the house to an acceptable degree, oh- and have Thomas pay that electricity bill- we were supposed to sort that yesterday but I think rewatching the office from the start distracted us. So after those things we’ll have plenty of time for relaxation.” Logan rattles off with a proud smile.
He knows that the tasks laid out won’t take too much of the day, probably only until the early to mid afternoon- which leaves plenty of time to binge watch television, or play video games until bed. There! Perfect compromise, working and relaxing on a Saturday.
When he observes the three other faces in the space however, he’s met with unimpressed looks. Virgil looks like he’s getting annoyed, Roman looks as though he’s about to start fuming any minute, and even Patton looks discouraged at his wording.
“Logan- I don’t think you’re listening to us, we’re burnt out, and we don’t want to work at all today. We want to do nothing, and recharge.” Virgil emphasises sharply.
“Doing nothing only seems attractive, because getting started with the tasks I’ve laid out is a lot of effort at the beginning. Once we finish the tasks, it will seem much better, I assure you.” Logan says, trying to remain upbeat.
“Logan, you’re being far too controlling.” Roman starts with a glare.
“Controlling? I think you’re being too pushy. We’re having a day off Logan, this isn’t negotiable." Virgil tacks on.
"Exactly! Pyjama day means no work, no effort, relaxing- it will allow me time to recover, and maybe come up with an even better idea for some of our projects.” Roman recounts in his typical self confident way.
“But- but we do have to do these tasks, and I’ve already explained how refusing to do them today will catch up to us-”
“Logan enough!” Virgil snaps, shooting a look at him which tells Logan he really is being shut down.
“You both will not like me if I let you do this…” Logan says, and this time a hint of mockery enters his tone.
“Stop guilting us.” Virgil says, his metaphorical hackles raised.
“Patton?” Logan turns to him, feeling equal parts confused and ganged up on. “Do you also think it’s a better use of Thomas’s time to delay what we could achieve today to a later date?”
“Oh, well, I- I mean I think that…” Patton starts with a nervous cheery tone. “That uh…” His glaze flicks from one face to the next, eventually landing on Logan’s.
For a moment, he sees a flash of pained sympathy on Patton’s face, before the moral side drops his gaze to the cup of hot chocolate in his hands. “...One day off has never killed us in the past…?” He suggests.
“Ah.” Logan says quietly, feeling the familiar sting of rejection settle over him. “Oh, of course… You all don’t care about the long term do you. You only care about what’s happening right now.”
“Logan don’t go there.” Virgil hisses.
“No, you know what, I’m done with this.” Roman says, and shoves himself to his feet. Logan copies him unthinkingly, rising from his place sat on the couch to his feet and shifting his weight, as he analyses the anger in Roman’s expression.
“Done with what exactly- how have I upset you this time.” Logan asks dully.
“Don’t play that card with me.” Roman says, genuinely seeming frustrated. “You know what you’re doing Logan, you always do this, you guilt us into work so that things get done-”
“Would you rather I do nothing until Thomas is homeless and hungry?” Logan asks matter-of-factly.
“This isn’t about that!” Roman explodes. “It’s never gotten bad enough for the worst case scenario you’re always pointing out! It never gets to the point where we’re thrown out of the apartment- We always recover from a few days of laziness just fine! We get back on track!”
“But it’s easier to keep a train going at a steady pace when we don’t have to get it back on the track after it fell off.” Logan retorts. “I understand that beginning a task feels like a lot of work to you, but it is for the benefit of us later today, tomorrow, and on Monday! I don’t understand why you’re so angry at me for giving you a push-”
“Because WE DON’T WANT TO BE PUSHED!” Romans screeches. “It’s always push, push, push with you- every day! Everyday a little harder, a little more, a little further, just let us have a break! Let us breathe!”
“I let you have a break every day, you have plenty of time to recharge, and engage in mediocre games and mindless television.” Logan suggests, and even as the words leave his mouth he knows it probably wasn’t the smartest way to phrase that.
“That’s not the point- you never understand the actual point!” Roman seethes.
“Oh, well what is your point then?” Logan says, irritation bleeding through his question.
“The point is you getting involved in everyone’s business!” Roman throws his hands out widely, and the lights in the common room dim visibly. “You’re always worming your way into everyone’s roles bookworm- as if you want to constantly be managing everything happening! You hovering over everyone doesn’t make us work more effectively! It’s just frustrating! You hover around us, telling us how to do things, constantly waffling about efficiency- this is art Logan! Content creation was never going to be your thing, I understand that being the one making the schedule means you want to plan how everyone's work will fit together but come on! You’re constantly hounding the rest of us, getting angry and taking it out on all of us when things aren’t up to your standard, and in the little amount of relief time we get you spend your energy guilting us?”
“It seems that you’re taking your anger out on me right now?” Logan says, perplexed by the hypocrisy on show.
Roman stares. “THAT’S what you took out of that?!” He roars. “You know what Logan? Get out.” The words hang in the space for a moment.
“I- I’m sorry?” Logan stutters, completely caught off guard.
The communal space in the mind palace is just that- communal. It’s something that the sides choose to manifest in, and sinking out to their own rooms is sort of the norm. In fact, being in one’s room and overseeing Thomas is standard. It’s a choice to manifest in the communal space- being in one’s room is the default.
As a result, it’s near impossible for a side to force someone else to go back to their room. Not only is it not physically possible, it’s very… Cruel. It’s cruel to kick someone out of the communal area- or at least, that’s the perspective Logan’s always had.
He’s done it once in his existence, when they first established a dialogue with Thomas. He’d been so eager to help out, to solve Thomas’s issue all by himself, so he insisted Roman and Patton leave at the end of the problem. He’d wanted the glory all to himself, the same way Patton and Roman had experienced moments of being the linch pin to solve a problem… But even then he hadn’t forced them to leave. He’d requested it with insistence, but… Well he didn’t like the idea of ever preventing Thomas from having certain Sides present.
He was adamant when they first lost the feeling of Virgil that something was out of place, wrong, that repressing anxiety as a part of Thomas was bad. Similarly, he was the one who when granted permission- explicitly named Deceit to Thomas, wanting to bring him in so that Thomas would better confront his problems. And they all know how bizarrely impervious Logan is to Remus, finding the Duke not an issue to be obscured, but a stinky man they all have to live with.
Logan has never favoured repressing others.
So to be told to get out… To find himself being repressed is…
“Don’t sound so surprised, we wanted a day to relax, and you couldn’t accept that.” Roman says harshly.
“You’re- you can’t, tell me to leave...” Logan intends for it to be a statement but he’s shaken enough that it comes out quieter than he typically is.
“You have one job Logan. Keep the schedule in a way that balances everyone’s needs. You failed at that.” Roman fires back, hitting Logan right where it hurts.
“I… I didn’t- Mean to? I’m- I apologize, if I’m doing a bad job, but- I just want the best for us and-”
“And you don’t have enough information to do that.”
Logan stares at Roman, at his magenta eyes, piercing and unflinching.
“You think you have all the information on Thomas, and then you also say that you physically don’t have access to his emotions. Emotions are information Logan. They tell us things, biological things like when he needs to rest, but also mental information. So it would be best if you just shut your mouth sometimes and listened to me. To us.” Roman gestures to where Patton and Virgil are sat on the floor, the two of them doggedly avoiding looking at the two Sides standing up.
“We know what Thomas is feeling, we have access to that information, so we can call the shots for if Thomas needs a rest day- and right now, you’re making the situation worse, by trying to force all of us to work when we don’t want to. It’s just what you always do- focusing on numbers, and due dates, instead of the actual feelings Thomas has about everything.”
Logan stands there limply, until the only thing he can think to say is; “In that case… I will- I’ll go.”
“Yes, go.” Virgil says, turning away from him.
“Make a new schedule Logan. This whole issue is why we gave you the scheduling job in the first place- because the rest of us are busy doing Thomas’s real work. We’re making something other than deadlines, and negativity- what does that say about you?” Vindication glimmers in Roman’s eyes, and Logan feels as though his feet might be sinking into the carpet.
He’s never been one to storm off in a huff, nor has he ever been one to dramatically announce he's ‘Going to my room!’
So he sinks out of the communal space, refusing to meet anyone’s eye as he leaves.