The Logical Exception

"Welcome in, Oh! Hi Logan." Patton waved at the man who walked into the coffee shop. Logan was one of the regular college students who came in after their classes to study. "Do you want me to get you the normal?"

"Yes, please, if you would Patton."

"Of course." Patton turned his back and Logan didn't hesitate to use his powers. He wanted to get Patton to open up to him, so he was attempting to cause a block in Patton's memory. It was strange though. Logan's first attempt didn't work to find the right memory; he was able to find it the second time. He must be tired. Patton blinked and turned back to Logan. "I'm... I'm sorry Logan, I know I've taken your order a bunch of times, but I just can't seem to remember it today."

"That's quite alright, a chamomile tea and an almond biscotti please." Just that reminder released the temporary block on his memories and Patton smiled.

"Right, of course!"

"Patton, I know that our relationship is only that of customer and worker, but do you mind if I ask if you are feeling alright? It is very rare that you forget my order, in fact, I have always marveled at your ability to store the orders of all of your regulars in your mind."

"Thank you, Logan, you think so highly of me, but I'm just your regular Happy Peppy Patton. Maybe I've been working a bit too much but it's really nothing."

Logan nodded, pulling out his money to pay. "Of course, but please know, an outsider's perspective may be helpful." Logan also pulled out a twenty-dollar bill, putting it into the tip cup before giving Patton a forced smile. He wasn't good at expressing his emotions but he had been told smiling helped people feel more at ease.

Patton smiled back and handed over the receipt, not saying anything else on the subject. That also surprised Logan. Patton was normally a bit more emotional and willing to share some strand of information on his feelings. Maybe it was because this whole business regarding the twins, Patton might not want to admit association with them in the event that Roman and Remus got themselves caught. Then again, maybe Logan was just overthinking things. This was why he didn't like emotional people. They were hard to predict and understand.

Sitting down at a booth, Logan waited for his tea to be ready. He had Patton's normal schedule committed to memory; If Patton stayed today past 5:00 pm, he was most likely working the late shift, which meant Virgil would be patrolling alone. Virgil was easier to handle. His anxieties meant he had usual patterns that he followed, where Patton would check an area just because something 'felt' off. He would never understand relying on one's 'gut' rather than substantiated facts.

Pulling out his laptop, Logan set a silent timer to flash on his screen at five before allowing himself to fall into his usual routine. He would never take care of his villain work while out in public, he wasn't an idiot, but there was always plenty of information to find or process. That meant he needed to finish all of his schoolwork while at this coffee shop. One Research Paper on Business Ethics and a Project Management Outline in two hours, he could do that. It would be tight but as long as he finished typing the paper, he could do a final edit once he got home. The outline was just that, an outline and Logan had been working on it for the past few weeks considering this was part of his final exam. Four days until winter break, he wasn't sure he was ready for it.

When his alarm went off at five he quickly closed it, looking over at Patton who seemed to be making no move to leave. "The late shift it is," Logan whispered to himself, taking his time to look over the outline once more. He sent a text to the family driver, giving him the coordinates for Logan's pickup. Logan would need to change and go to a different location to avoid suspicion, but that was also part of his routine. After that, he could track down Virgil.

Virgil followed his own patrol routes when he was alone, double-checking areas that were frequented by muggers. Normally, just his presence was enough to deter people from crime, and Logan didn't want to disturb that too much, just enough to figuratively throw 'Anxiety' off-balance.

After a few more minutes Logan put all of his items in his bag, walking out of the coffee shop and getting into the waiting car. "Thank you." He said to his driver, stowing his school bag and pulling his suit out of a compartment. He also quickly grabbed a card out of his backpack, making sure to wipe it of fingerprints before looking at his suit. There was something pleasant about the simple class of a well-tailored suit, though his doubled as body armor that helped stabilize his muscles for fighting and running. The first few times that he had been forced to change in the car, it had been awkward and cumbersome, but now, Logan had it down to an art. Before they were even out of the city he was fully dressed, his clothes hidden with his backpack under the seat in the same compartment his suit had been in. Logan pulled his gloves tight, picking up the card once again before hiding it in his breast pocket. Now he waited.

Each day that he needed to get something, either per his parents' instructions or for his own benefit, his driver would take him a different way, sometimes circling another city entirely before returning to the one he lived in. All of this, again, was just a necessary precaution. Today was one of those days. It was a full hour before he was let out in front of a business building. His parents had texted him and told him to pick up parts from the electronics store as well. It would be easier to do it after talking to Anxiety, but he would have to be extra careful. If he was caught at all, he would lose any ground he had built.

A sigh left his lip as he stepped out of the car. He adjusted his tie and his eyes lit up with power. "The things I put up with for the two of you."

AN: You didn't think that Logan only knew about Virgil's secret identity did you? No, our little genius is aware of everything. Knowledge is power Kiddos!