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The sides all knew Logan didn't like to be touched. It was as simple as that. They saw the way he flinched when someone bumped into him, the way he froze when someone grabbed him. Logan didn't like to be touched. Simple as that.
~~~
{Patton} "I'm sorry Lo!"
Patton hastily let go of Logan as the intellectual side stared at him in shock. He had slipped on the ice that had fallen on the floor, and had quickly grabbed onto Logan's shoulder for support. Logan had jumped harshly, almost taking the both of them to the ground.
{Logan} "You're... fine Patton. Just don't scare me like that again."
Logan grabbed his coffee and left, leaving Patton feeling guilty. If he had realized the side next to him was Logan, he would have just grabbed the counter. But he'd grabbed Logan, and now the smart side would feel uneasy the rest of the day.
Logan didn't like to be touched.
~~~
{Virgil} "Sorry about that..."
Virgil slunk back as Logan gave him a rather bewildered look. He hadn't meant to hook onto Logan's shoulder, he'd just gotten spooked by the loud crash. Now Logan was upset, and Virgil felt like crap.
{Logan} "Don't worry about it. It's...okay."
Logan left the room with a displeased frown, and Virgil wanted to kick himself. If he'd thought it over, he would have just grabbed his own arm. It was just a natural reaction, but it had upset Logan, and now Logan would be jittery for the rest of the day.
Logan didn't like to be touched.
~~~
{Roman} "I apologize my dear Logan."
Roman gave him an apologetic grin as he dusted himself off. Logan rubbed his arm and nodded slowly. Roman had been monologuing to himself again when he backed up into Logan.
{Logan} "It's...alright Roman."
Logan quickly left, and Roman twisted his hands together nervously. He should have been watching where he was going. If he had been paying attention, he would have never bumped into Logan. But he had, and now Logan would be awkward for the rest of the night.
Logan didn't like to be touched.
~~~
Logan liked being touched. It was as simple as that. He had just went so long without being touched that he sometimes flinched when someone bumped into him or froze when someone grabbed him. Logan liked to be touched. Simple as that.
But it wasn't simple as that, because if it was, the others would actually touch him and not nervously apologize every time they grazed his skin.
He had been happy that Patton had touched his shoulder, he'd only jumped because he was startled. He was rather pleased that Virgil trusted him enough to latch onto him, he was only curious about what had fallen. He was glad that Roman had bumped his arm, he had in fact rubbed his arm hoping to make the contact last.
But the thing about Logan was that he wouldn't say any of those things. Logan was an emotionally inapt person, and he was finding it difficult to put together the words necessary to tell them what he really needed.
Logan also wasn't up to admit he wanted, no needed, the touch of his companions. Logan was the brain, and the brain requires stimulation to function. The best way to acquire stimulation? Touch. The thing is, it was more than just touch. If it was just touch, then him picking up his coffee cup and writing down list after list would have fixed this problem.
No, Logan needed the specific stimulation that touching another person provided. He was, scientifically speaking, going through affection deprivation. Humans are hardwired to love and need touch from other humans, and the lack of positive physical contact was making Logan more stressed than he'd like to admit.
He'd noticed the effects on his mind, on his body. Just being lightly touched left him jittery. Just being grabbed left him feeling uneasy. Just being bumped made him feel awkward. But it wasn't because he hated it. It's because he wanted more. Someone to grab onto him and hold on, someone to bump into him and be content staying by his side, someone to hook his arm and keep it. Someone to touch him, and be happy not immediately letting go and moving away.
But he couldn't say that. What he could explain to himself in his head, he found he couldn't put into words for his companions. Would they even understand what he was going through? What he was feeling, what he had been feeling for longer than he wanted to admit? That was one answer Logan didn't have.
Logan liked being touched. It was as simple as that. He just couldn't say it. If only it was as simple as that.
~~~
Logan walked down the stairs, fidgeting with his hands to try and make his brain slow down and forget about the three incidents that day. Ones he so desperately wanted repeated. He found his three companions all in the living room, Patton bouncing around, apparently something good had happened while he'd been in his room. He stood at the landing, smiling at his friend's chaotic but wholesome energy. Patton immediately caught eye of him and ran over.
{Patton} "Logan, Logan! Didn't you hear? We're taking care of ••••'s dogs over the weekend! Isn't it thrilling?"
Of course dogs had sparked this reaction. Logan nodded, and before he knew it, Patton had whipped him into a tight hug. It was everything he wanted, everything he needed, all in one moment, without him even saying a word. It was wonderful.
But then Patton let go. But then he saw how worried Roman and Virgil looked. But then it felt like the world had been stolen from him and he was back to his miserable condition.
{Patton} "I'm so sorry about that Lo!"
Logan nodded, waiting for the words to come to him.
{Logan} "You're fine Patton, I'm not mad?"
Patton still looked guilty and he fidgeted with his hands, the same hands that Logan had felt provide him with everything he had been craving, even for just a second.
{Patton} "I know you don't like to be touched, I'm sorry I overstepped your boundaries, I got too excited."
There it was. The blasted piece of information that answered why Logan had been confined to his horrid state of need.
{Logan} "I...like being touched though."
He might as well shattered a vase. Patton looked at him with his mouth hung open, and Roman and Virgil both sat up tall, staring at him with almost pained eyes.
{Patton} "You do?"
Logan solemnly nodded.
{Virgil} "But you flinch every time we touch you?"
{Roman} "And you seem upset every time?"
{Logan} "I'm not upset though?"
While his brain couldn't seem to explain his condition, his hands certainly and gladly would. He pulled Patton back into a hug. The fatherly trait was stunned, but quickly returned the hug. Logan closed his eyes, letting the sensation fill his mind.
He could feel a hot tear or two rush down his cheeks, except it quickly turned into five, then six, then too many for Logan to count. It was everything he wanted, needed, craved, and he had it all. Even if it was only for a second, it was wonderful.
Logan's eyes were still closed, but he could feel another pair of arms wrap around him, and the tears on his cheeks increased. He could tell it was Virgil because of the soft fabric of Virgil's hoodie rubbing on his arm.
Roman joined the hug too, and Logan tried desperately to not let more tears fall, though that's exactly what happened. Without a word, Logan had gotten everything he had been wishing for not long earlier.
It was everything he wanted and more. It was warm, soft, gentle. So many things, and Logan loved all of them. Logan slowly opened his eyes, unwittingly letting more tears fall.
{Patton} "Why didn't you tell us? We could have done this sooner."
He let go of Logan, but didn't move, instead using his now free hands to cup Logan's face and wipe some of his tears. Logan involuntarily leaned into the touch. Who could blame him?
{Logan} "I...didn't even know how to word it, or if you all would get what I meant?"
{Patton} "You can always just ask for a hug. We're happy to oblige."
Patton looked at him with those sweet, sweet eyes and Logan was convinced he'd melt then and there. He gave Patton the most steady nod he could and pulled him back in.
{Virgil} "You know, there's a new movie on Netflix, we could all sit down and watch it right now?"
Logan nodded, but secretly grieved the loss of warmth he knew was coming. He let Roman pull him to the sofa, and sat down while Patton rushed to get snacks.
What he didn't expect was for all three of them to park themselves down right next to him and snuggle up close. Patton and Virgil sat next to him on either side, while Roman threw down some pillows and sat down on the floor in front of his legs. They'd only known of his state for less than a hour, but they were already putting so much effort into comforting him.
Logan tried desperately to hold back more tears, but failed miserably. They were happy tears, but he still didn't want to stress them out. Luckily they recognized them as such and didn't fret.
{Logan} "Thank you, all three of you."
{Virgil} "We get it dude. We're just glad that you're feeling better."
It clicked in Logan's brain at that second. Just as he needed touch to function so did they. The same positive contact that gave him the stimulation needed to work and function shaped who they were, what they felt, and how they functioned. They knew deep down that he needed it just as much as they did. They'd just been waiting on him to say it.