Important A/N at the bottom, please read it.

TW: mentions prison

Patton didn't know what it was that woke him up, just that he was awake. Glancing over at the clock, he saw that it was only 12:37 a.m., an hour and a half since he went to bed. Letting out a quiet grumble, he rolled over and let out a smile when he saw his husband's sleeping form.

The two had been married for nearly five years, having known each other for ten years before and dating for three. Patton let out a happy hum as he curled closer to his husband's side, letting himself relax and slowly drift off.

It seemed the universe had other plans, as, just before Patton could fall asleep, a deafening crash sounded above the room. Bolting upright with wide eyes, Patton stared out into the dark third-floor apartment bedroom, looking for anything out of the ordinary. When he couldn't see anything alarming, Patton relaxed and let out a quiet sigh.

Patton's relaxed state was interrupted moments later when muffled shouts sounded from above. Straining his ears, Patton made out two phrases that chilled him to the core.

"trying to run from me...wouldn't have been in prison..."

Patton drew in a sharp breath when he recognized the voice as Janus's and gently shook the sleeping man beside him while he fumbled to find his glasses.

"Lo-Lo," he whispered urgently. "You need to wake up."

As he was attempting to wake up Logan, Patton heard another voice sound from upstairs, and he knew it had to be Virgil. He couldn't distinguish words, but, by the strain in the sound, Patton was almost certain that Virgil was either crying or had been crying recently.

The thought alone spurred on Patton's efforts to wake Logan, and he doubled his shaking, speaking louder as well. "Logan, please wake up."

Almost instantly, Logan was sitting upright. "What is it, Starlight?" he murmured as he rubbed his eyes with his free hand, his voice gravelly from sleep.

"There was a really loud crash from above," Patton explained as he put on his glasses. "And then someone started to shout. They said something about running away and prison. And then I heard Virgil and it sounded like he was crying."

Patton saw Logan's eyes widen out of the corner of his eye and scooted closer to him, relaxing slightly when Logan instinctively wrapped his arms around him and started to rub his back soothingly. Logan planted a tender kiss to Patton's hairline, and Patton smiled softly as he wrapped his arms around Logan in return.

"I'm guessing you would like to go check on them," he mused, his cheek resting against Patton's forehead.

Patton smiled at how well Logan knew him, nodding slightly. "Yeah," he breathed.

He felt Logan nod, but the other man didn't make any move to release Patton. Sighing quietly, Patton tilted his head up to see Logan's face, frowning softly when he saw his brow furrowed.

"I'll be back in fifteen minutes, and if it'll take longer, I'll text," Patton murmured softly, kissing Logan's chin. "I'll be okay."

Logan looked down and met Patton's eyes as he spoke, and he reluctantly loosened his grip with a sigh. Patton pulled back a couple of inches and gently cupped Logan's cheek, rubbing gentle circles on the skin under his thumb.

"I promise to come back if it's really bad," he said quietly, hoping to ease Logan's worries.

Logan leaned into Patton's touch and a whisper of a smile appeared. "Very well," he whispered, and Patton couldn't hold back a giggle when Logan turned his face and kissed his palm.

"I'll be back before you know it," Patton reassured, leaning in and giving Logan's lips a quick kiss.

Before either of them could say anything else, Patton got out of bed and headed to the entryway of the apartment after throwing on a t-shirt and shorts. He quickly pulled on his sneakers and made sure to grab his phone and apartment key before heading out the door, determined to find out if everything was okay.

~~~~~~~~

So, um, it's been almost 2 months since I published anything on here, and I can't help but feel like I'm letting all of you down. It's as if I just suddenly stopped thinking of ideas for stories, new or existing, and I hate it. I feel like I'm losing my touch. 

I don't want to be an author that disappears for months and then updates a singular story, but I feel like that's what's happening. And, like, I don't want to abandon these stories. I have ideas for them and I want to share those ideas, but life's gotten crazy with a mix of school, depression, and getting a job. 

Like, whenever I have a drop of free time, the last thing on my mind is writing, but then I'll remember that I haven't updated in a long time as I'm lying in bed, and I feel so horrible and guilty.

This isn't me saying I'm done on here, but, unless I can get my shit together, updates will probably be few and far between for all stories.

I'm sorry.

Until next time,
Take it easy guys, gals, and non-binary pals

~death_by_fanfic