《Better To Sleep》 Prologue Tuesday, April 3, 2018. Shoes squeak down the hallway as two teenage boys walk beside each other, messing around. Logan Adler and Seven Solace. They''ve been best friends since they became neighbors, which was eight years ago. "You busy today?" Seven asks Logan, knowing for a fact that he''s not busy. Logan scoffs and rolls his eyes playfully. "You always ask that because you want to come over. You know you''re allowed. You live right beside our house." "I have manners, Logan. Give me some credit." Before they can keep the conversation going, both of them stop in their tracks as they see the girl in front of them. Cindy. Logan and Seven have a crush on the same girl. Cindy Thatcher. Cindy was probably the most popular girl in school. Long black hair, olive skin tone, and she always smelled of vanilla. Since both Logan and Seven want Cindy, they''ve argued back and forth about who would get her, but it''s never torn them apart. Cindy stands at her locker, readjusting her dress. Seven slowly turns his head to Logan and smiles. "I''m gonna go ask her out." "What? You know I have a crush on her too, man." Logan complains, wanting Seven to deflate his ego a bit so that Logan gets a chance, too. Seven just keeps smiling until he stops and jogs over to Cindy. Logan follows behind him, hoping he doesn''t do it. As they both come up on Cindy, she stares at Logan and then she stares at Seven. Both of them can''t exactly read the emotion on her face. "Hey, Cindy..." Seven starts, actually realizing that he''s finally asking a girl out. Cindy stands still, not saying anything to the both of them. This makes Seven uncomfortable, but he has to go through with it now. "I was gonna ask you if, you know... If you''re not busy, maybe we can hang out sometime?" As the words leave Seven''s mouth, Logan''s heart breaks a little inside. He really did like this girl, but apparently so did Seven. To Logan''s surprise however, Cindy starts laughing. Seven raises his eyebrow, wondering what he did wrong. After the few seconds of laughing passes, Cindy smirks. "Tell me, weren''t you the guy who used to be a girl?" She says loud enough for everyone in the hallway to hear. Everything goes silent for a minute. Seven stands there in shock. Since Seven''s transgender, he''s had a rough time adjusting to everything, but Logan''s always been by his side through it. However, in this moment, Logan isn''t saying anything. Anything at all. Tears start to form in Seven''s eyes and that''s when he realizes that everything hasn''t been silent, he''s just blocked off everybody laughing at him. Seven watches as Cindy brushes past him and goes over to Logan. She puts her arms around his neck, smirking. "We can go on a date though. You know, with you being a real man and all." After Cindy says that, she kisses Logan. However, Logan doesn''t back out of it. He leaves Seven in the dust. That''s when Seven has had enough. He just saw his best friend betray him. Seven runs through the hallway with everyone laughing at him. He exits through the doors and starts to walk home. He doesn''t care if he gets grounded for skipping school. He can''t deal with it. He can''t believe he just went through that. A few minutes after he''s started walking home, he hears someone running up behind him. He knows it''s Logan, but he doesn''t want to talk or look at him right now. He can''t. "Seven. Seven!" Logan yells, getting closer to him. Seven doesn''t answer. Logan eventually ends up right next to him and he starts trying to explain himself. "Listen, Seven. I''m sorry you went through that, but you knew that we both liked Cindy." As Logan says that, Seven stops in his tracks. Logan can''t even give him a proper apology. Tears well up in Seven''s eyes again as he stares at Logan with an angry look. "You fucking asshole! You didn''t even stick up for me and now you can''t say sorry?!" Logan backs up as Seven gets closer to him. "I did say sorry." "No, you didn''t. You said sorry I went through that, not sorry for being a fucking dick." "I get that you''re angr-" Before Logan can finish his sentence, Seven punches Logan in the face. Logan trips back a bit and falls onto the ground. "Okay! Okay. Seven, I''m sorry, okay? I''m sorry. I don''t want her, man. I want you. You''re my best friend. You know that." Seven just stares at him on the ground. "It seems like you want her more." Seven tells Logan as he continues to walk to his house. Logan just sits on the ground, blood coming out of his nose. He doesn''t even know what to say. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. He hoped things would go back to normal, but they never did. Even though they were neighbors, they stopped going to each others houses and stopped talking to each other all together. They went from best friends to strangers. A year passes. Cindy breaks up with Logan, Seven moves away, and Logan''s mom dies, apparently from suicide. Logan, his dad Henry, and his twin sister Lila all take this very hard. Friday, June 16th, 2019. Logan lays in his bed, wondering what all went wrong. How did his life get so shitty within a year? Eventually, Logan hears someone start to jog up the stairs. It doesn''t sound heavy enough to be his dad, so he assumes it''s his sister. His door creaks open, but he doesn''t have the energy to look at who it is. "Hey, Logan. Dad and I are gonna go out and get ice cream. Do you want to come?" Lila asks, really wanting him to come. However, Logan just groans and turns to face the wall. He doesn''t even have enough energy to speak. "Oh... Okay. Well, I love you." Lila tells her brother as she leaves his room, closing the door. For the next few minutes, Logan hears his dad and his sister talk until they eventually leave the house to go and have fun without him. At least they''re trying to do something with their lives. However, with Logan, it''s different. He doesn''t want to do anything. All he wants to do is sleep. Forever. A while passes until Logan realizes that he really has to use the bathroom. He''s been holding it all day so he can just lay in his bed, but it''s just gotten worse. It takes a moment, but Logan manages to drag himself out of bed. He takes three steps until he falls to the floor. So much for walking. Logan still has to use the bathroom, so he starts to crawl his way to his bedroom door. His arms start to get sore from carrying the weight of his body, but he can''t stop. He eventually reaches the bedroom door and takes a moment to try and stand up again. He''s just barely hanging on. He can''t even stand up without feeling extremely exhausted. His hands trace the door until he grips the door handle. He then puts one leg up and starts to lift himself off of the ground. It hurts so bad. Everything hurts. Everything is miserable. Eventually, Logan manages to stand and he opens his bedroom door. He drags his feet over to the bathroom. He almost falls to the ground again, but he manages to stable himself again. He opens the bathroom door and practically darts to the toilet. Logan unbuckles his jeans, almost pissing himself in the process. He eventually starts to relieve himself while keeping his right hand on the wall to keep his body up. He starts to think about how he got here. He had such a good life ahead of him. He had a best friend and an amazing family. Then Cindy came and ruined his life... No. No, he can''t blame her. He can hate her, but he''s the reason he lost Seven. He lost his best friend by his own hand. Logan finishes relieving himself and zips his pants back up. He makes his way over to the sink and he starts to wash his hands. As he''s doing this, he looks in the mirror. He looks... terrible. Brown strands of hair arch down over his eyes, making it hard to see. Sweat streams over his freckles, making sure he doesn''t forget how hard it was to do the simple task of going to the bathroom. And the worst part about looking at himself? Seeing all the mistakes. All the regrets. Everything''s his fault. He''s miserable because of his own demons. It''s his fault Seven left him, considering he could''ve stood up for him. It''s his fault his mother died, considering he could''ve paid more attention. All he hears are voices telling him how bad of a mistake he is. How fucked up he is. How he can''t stand himself. Logan can''t take it all anymore. His mom''s dead, his best friend''s gone because of him, and his family barely gets along anymore. He doesn''t know why he''s still alive. As Logan finishes washing his hands, he leaves the bathroom and chooses to walk downstairs to get a knife. He needs it to end. He can''t live like this. He can''t live a life full of regret. All of the voices telling him how terrible he is... he wants them to stop. It all needs to stop. Stair by stair, the voices get louder. "You''re a mistake." "Why''re you still here?" "Just fucking kill us." "KILL US, LOGAN!" Eventually, Logan makes it down the stairs. He grabs a knife from the kitchen drawer and he starts walking back up the stairs, hoping he can do all of this before his family gets back. Logan marches into his room, shuts and locks the door, and he sits at his desk. He looks at the pretty knife in his hand. Something so precious yet so dangerous. He just wants to be with his mom. He just wants to be gone. He wants everything bad to just end. Logan takes the knife, holds it to his neck, and sits there for a second. Does he really want to do this? Does he really want his sister or his dad to find him this way? Before he can rethink anything, the voices continue yelling at him. "KILL US!" "YOU''RE USELESS!" "EVERYTHING WILL BE BETTER ONCE WE''RE GONE!" Logan then brushes those thoughts as tears drop onto the cold metal of the knife. He has to do this. He can''t deal with the voices anymore. "JUST DO IT!" "DIE!" "YOU''RE WORTHLE-" Logan takes the blade and slices his own throat. The last thing he sees before he dies is blood splattering everywhere. Or so he thought. All of a sudden, Logan regains consciousness. His hands are covered in blood and so are his walls and his clothes. The bloody knife is on the ground and he can hear his sister, Lila, banging at the door. Logan doesn''t say anything, he just sits there, shocked. Why isn''t he dead? What''s happening? His hands trace over his throat and he notices the wound is gone. What is happening? Before he can question any more, his door suddenly breaks down. He turns to look behind him and he sees his sister crying. She saw the blood but then she saw he was alive. "Logan?! What did you do?!" She yells, asking him. He doesn''t say anything, but he wonders how a 5''4" 120 pound teenager just broke down his door. "How did you do that?" "W-What?" Lila asks, wiping away her tears. She stares at Logan, still covered in blood. "How did you just break down my door?" He asks again. Lila looks at the door and back at him. She doesn''t say anything. She doesn''t know how she did it. They soon figure out that both of them have superpowers. Logan can''t die and Lila has super strength. They choose to use those powers for good and they start an investigation company. Adler Investigations. They''ve helped tons of people and it finally gives Logan a purpose again. For the first time in a very long time, he can finally forget about Seven. Where The Blonde Boy Ran Monday, November 12, 2018. A sixteen year old Seven Solace sits at the bleachers on the football field, watching the football players practice after school was done for the day. He was never super into football, so he didn¡¯t just go to watch them play. He went because he likes one of the boys on the team. Thomas Ledger. He was the golden boy of the school. Was nice to everyone, all the teachers loved him, he was the best on the team, and yet he was single. Seven watches the football fly through the air as Thomas catches it and starts to run. His blonde hair flowing in the wind as he runs is everything to him. However, Seven knows he¡¯s probably only paying attention to Thomas because he¡¯s trying to forget about Logan. It¡¯s been a few months since they¡¯ve called it quits on their friendship. Seven knows it¡¯s kind of his fault that they¡¯re not friends anymore, but he doesn¡¯t want to associate himself with people who won¡¯t defend him. Especially over a girl. Seven would¡¯ve defended Logan any step of the way. Maybe that¡¯s why it hurts so much. Seven loved Logan more than he¡¯s probably loved anyone before. He even dreamt about him some nights. About how sweet he was, about how he used to give Seven presents for Christmas even though Seven couldn¡¯t afford any for him, about how they did everything together. Sometimes Seven even thought they could be more than friends, but now that would never happen so he tries to forget about Logan as much as he can. Eventually, the football team finishes practicing and everyone starts going their own ways. However, Seven stays on the bleachers, smoking a cigarette. He¡¯s not ready to go home yet anyway. Seven eventually notices that Thomas is walking up to the bleachers and his mind starts to panic. All that goes on in his head is ¡°Ohgodwhatthefuckishedoing-¡± ¡°You¡¯re on the bleachers every day that we practice and yet you never say anything.¡± Thomas starts up a conversation. Seven manages to play it cool even though he¡¯s super anxious. ¡°What? I can¡¯t enjoy football? Also, I¡¯d doubt anyone on the team would want to talk to the trans guy, right?¡± Seven asks, scoffing to himself. However, to his surprise, Thomas didn¡¯t know. ¡°What? I didn¡¯t even know you were trans.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Seven asks, fully catching him by surprise. Thomas nods. ¡°I mean, look at you, dude. You¡¯re 5¡¯11¡±, you have stubble, and you¡¯re decently muscular. I would¡¯ve never guessed.¡± This makes Seven smile for the first time in a very long time. He could actually see himself being friends with Thomas. ¡°Where you headed?¡± Seven asks, hoping that they can talk more. Thomas smiles and readjusts the backwards cap on his head. ¡°I was just gonna go out for some food. You¡¯re welcome to come if you want.¡± Seven shrugs his shoulders knowing he doesn¡¯t have the money to go out and eat. He has to help his dad pay the bills this month so he can¡¯t really spend anything. Thomas notices this. ¡°Come on¡­ I¡¯ll pay. I could use the company.¡± Thomas finishes up the conversation as he walks down the bleachers. Seven chooses to go with him. After all, what could really go wrong? ¨C Thomas ends up taking Seven to a Chick-Fil-A. Thomas ordered a chicken sandwich and waffle fries while Seven just ordered a Coca-Cola, not wanting to spend Thomas¡¯s well earned money. However, Thomas wants Seven to eat so as he bites into his chicken sandwich, he slides Seven over the waffle fries. ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t want your money, man.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not getting my money. I offered to take you to eat and I¡¯m sharing my food with you. That¡¯s all. Take it.¡± Thomas tells him, still munching down on his chicken sandwich. Seven looks down at the fries, realizing he hasn¡¯t eaten in a few days. He finally accepts the food and starts eating the fries. ¡°Thank you. Now, why have I only seen you on the bleachers? I never see you in school.¡± Thomas tells Seven, questioning why. Seven shrugs as he eats another fry. ¡°I go to school, but I skip it most of the time. If I¡¯m not skipping, I try to avoid everyone. My old best friend still goes here, and I try not to talk to him, so¡­¡± Seven trails on. Thomas nods his head as his hands contain half of his sandwich left. ¡°Is there a reason you guys don¡¯t talk anymore?¡± Thomas asks another question. Seven nods, preparing to talk about something he hasn¡¯t talked about since the day it happened. ¡°Uh¡­ Yeah. You know Cindy Thatcher? Well, we both liked her. So, one day I went up to her to go ask her out and he followed behind me. She laughed in my face and pretty much told me I wasn¡¯t a real man. He didn¡¯t stick up for me and they started dating.¡± Seven finishes. He starts chugging his Coca-Cola, trying to feel less awkward/uncomfortable. After Seven shares the story, it looks like something clicks in Thomas¡¯s head. ¡°Oh! Your best friend was Logan Adler? Yeah, he and Cindy are still dating. I¡¯m sorry, man.¡± Thomas looks down. Seven nods. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s whatever. Fuck him anyway, right?¡± Thomas nods along with what Seven said and he realizes he¡¯s finished his sandwich and that Seven probably isn¡¯t gonna touch any more of the waffle fries. ¡°Do you mind if I walk you home?¡± Thomas asks, hoping Seven says yes. Seven smiles at the offer. ¡°Yeah, you can take me home, Ledger. I feel like your boyfriend and we¡¯ve only known each other for an hour.¡± Seven jokes. Thomas chuckles as they both get up from their seats. ¨C A bit later, Thomas and Seven end up on the street where Seven¡¯s house is. As they walk down the street, Seven stops walking and stares at Logan¡¯s house. The window to his bedroom is open and Seven can see Cindy, nude, on top of Logan. However, he can¡¯t really see Logan. Or his face, anyway. He just sees his body under Cindy¡¯s. Thomas catches Seven staring and snaps him out of it. ¡°I get that you hate the guy, but maybe don¡¯t stare at them while they¡¯re having sex.¡± Thomas says. Seven nods and scratches the back of his head. ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ sorry.¡± He apologizes as they walk on. They reach Seven¡¯s house and they both walk up the stairs. Thomas attempts to go in, but Seven stops him. ¡°You¡¯re not coming into my house.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Thomas asks with his feelings slightly hurt. He¡¯d let Seven into his house. Seven sighs and rubs his forehead. ¡°I just¡­ I don¡¯t really have a nice house, okay? And my dad¡¯s not the most welcoming. I¡¯d just rather not have you in there.¡± Seven tells Thomas. Thomas drops it and nods. ¡°Okay, I get it. Can I at least have your number though?¡± Thomas asks, getting a slight hint of blush on his cheeks. Seven smirks. ¡°Why does a guy like you want my number? Usually jocks avoid me.¡± Seven states. Thomas scratches the back of his neck. ¡°Well¡­ I liked today a lot. I don¡¯t really hang out with anyone but the other jocks and some of the popular chicks, and they¡¯re usually stuck-up and petty. You¡¯re not like that at all. You¡¯re different. You say what you¡¯re feeling and you stand up for what you like. I¡¯ve never met someone like that and I¡¯d like to keep in contact with you. That¡¯s all.¡± Thomas finishes. This makes Seven feel really nice. Seven smiles and nods. ¡°Alright, Tommy. You got a pen?¡± Thomas takes the pen he had sitting on his ear and he hands it to Seven. Seven takes Thomas¡¯s arm and lifts his sleeve up. He begins to write his number on his arm. Thomas smiles as Seven finishes. He puts the pen back on top of Thomas¡¯s ear. ¡°Text or call me whenever you want, okay?¡± Seven tells him. Thomas nods. ¡°I will. Goodnight, Sev.¡± Thomas says as he walks down Seven¡¯s porch stairs. Seven smiles as he watches Thomas walk away with his sleeve still up. He¡¯s falling in love already and he knows it, but he keeps that to himself and he¡¯s thankful he finally has a friend. It also helps that Thomas is popular so maybe Seven won¡¯t be as much of an outcast. As Seven¡¯s smiling, he walks into his house and sees his dad, Gregory, sitting on the couch with beer cans surrounding him again. Great. Seven tries to ignore him by being quiet and trying to walk down the hallway to his room, but his dad catches him. ¡°Kid! Come back and get me another beer.¡± His dad says, fully drunk. Seven nods and sighs, having to do what his father says. Seven walks over to the fridge in the kitchen and pulls out one of the beer cans from the fridge. He walks over to his dad, but doesn¡¯t want to see or talk to him, so he throws the can for his father to catch. However, with his father being so drunk, he doesn¡¯t catch it and the can hits his head. This gets Gregory extremely angry as Seven realizes what he¡¯s just done. ¡°You want to throw cans at me, huh?! You ungrateful fuck!¡± Gregory yells as he gets up and throws the can at Seven as hard as he can. The beer can hits Seven¡¯s head and it spills open, drenching Seven in beer. As the beer can hits the ground, Gregory marches towards Seven and grabs him by his shirt. ¡°I wish I never fuckin¡¯ had you.¡± Gregory tells Seven. Seven tries to push his dad off of him, but it doesn¡¯t work. It just makes him more angry. Gregory pushes Seven to the floor. Before he hits it, his head bangs off of the counter and then he drops. He feels blood drip down his head as his father gets on top of him. ¡°I do everything around here and all I asked for was a fuckin¡¯ beer!¡± Gregory yells as he starts punching his son. Seven throws up his arms to protect his face but it doesn¡¯t work when Gregory punches him in his ribs. Seven yells in pain as his arms get drawn away from his face to his ribcage. Gregory then starts punching Seven as hard as he can in his face. Those three minutes feel like an eternity as Greg keeps wailing on him. Eventually he gets off of his son and just looks down at him. Seven¡¯s completely still but also shaking like crazy. Blood drips onto the floor as Gregory looks down at his son. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Maybe that¡¯ll teach you to give your pa some respect, huh?¡± Gregory says with a smile as he reaches into the fridge to finally grab himself a beer. As Greg makes his way back to the couch, Seven tries to get up from the floor. It takes a bit, but he eventually succeeds and limps back to his room. Seven makes sure not to slam his bedroom door as he closes it. He then takes his bloodied beer-soaked shirt off and looks at himself in the mirror. He looks as bad as expected. His ribs are bruised, his head is dripping blood, he has a black eye and a split lip, and his knuckles are bruised from trying to fight his dad off. On top of all of that, he smells of beer and he hates beer. As he¡¯s changing out of his clothes, he hears his phone start to ring. Considering he just gave Thomas his number, he assumes it¡¯s him and he answers the FaceTime call. It is Thomas. He¡¯s in bed with his shirt off and his blonde hair¡¯s dangling in front of his face. Hot. ¡°Hey, you.¡± Seven starts off with. Two things Seven forgot though. He forgot that he changed out of his clothes and not into them, so all he¡¯s in are his boxers and he also forgot that his dad just beat the shit out of him so Thomas can see how fucked up he looks. ¡°Seven, what the fuck happened?!¡± He asks, worried. He only left about ten minutes ago. Seven shakes his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I promise I¡¯m okay.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re not. Also, you shouldn¡¯t go to sleep if your head¡¯s bleeding like that. Let me come over. Please. I¡¯ll sneak in through a window or something.¡± Thomas begs Seven. Seven eventually nods. ¡°Yeah, okay. Fine. Behind my house, there¡¯s a window you can climb through if you can get up onto the roof. You¡¯re tall and the roof isn¡¯t that high. You can climb it.¡± Seven tells him. Thomas nods and hangs up. Seven smiles but gets anxious. He doesn¡¯t want Gregory finding about about Thomas. ¨C A few minutes pass and Seven hears tapping on the roof. He¡¯s hoping his dad¡¯s blacked out as he opens his window for Thomas. He climbs through the window and he lands in Seven¡¯s room quietly. ¡°It looks way worse than it did over the phone. At least you¡¯re still hot.¡± Thomas compliments Seven. Seven smirks and nods. ¡°So, you gonna clean me up, pretty boy?¡± Seven asks, trying to flirt a bit. They did just meet today, but he¡¯s taking his chances. Thomas smirks and grabs some stuff out of his backpack. Bandages, paper towels, and alcohol pads. ¡°Come sit down.¡± Thomas orders Seven as he sits on his bed. Seven sits down next to him and Thomas grabs a paper towel. ¡°I have a question.¡± Thomas mumbles as he wiped the dripping blood off of Seven¡¯s face with the paper towel. ¡°Ask.¡± ¡°I thought trans guys needed top surgery or something. Your chest is flat and I don¡¯t see any scars-¡± ¡°Hormone blockers. I never grew boobs, thanks.¡± Seven says, slightly irritated. Thomas sets down the bloody paper towel and he grabs the alcohol pads. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s none of my business. I was just curious.¡± ¡°I know, I just don¡¯t want to talk about that.¡± Thomas takes the alcohol pad out of the packet and looks at Seven. ¡°This is gonna sting.¡± Seven chuckles. ¡°It can¡¯t hurt worse than what already happened.¡± Thomas takes the alcohol pad and starts to wipe it against the wound. Seven winces because of the pain. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be. You¡¯re helping me.¡± He continues to wipe the pad against the wound as Thomas keeps asking questions. ¡°Your dad did this to you?¡± Thomas asks in a low voice. Seven shrugs. ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s my fault. I hit him with a beer can.¡± ¡°Getting hit with a beer can and getting beat almost to death isn¡¯t comparable, Sev.¡± For some reason, this makes Seven angry. Thomas acts like he¡¯s some sort of victim. No, it¡¯s his fault. It¡¯s his fault his dad beats him. It¡¯s all his fault. ¡°You¡¯ve only known me for a day, Ledger. Don¡¯t start talking about my family.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Thomas apologizes. This makes Seven confused. Why isn¡¯t Thomas trying to argue with him? Why did he just apologize? ¡°It¡¯s my fault anyway.¡± Seven mumbles. ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡± Thomas says clearly. Seven looks into Thomas¡¯s pretty blue eyes as he finally patches him up with bandages. ¡°It¡¯s never anyone¡¯s fault they¡¯re getting abused, Seven. Don¡¯t say that.¡± Thomas tells Seven. For a minute, they take a moment to just stare into each other¡¯s eyes. Thomas¡¯s crystal blue eyes that shine in the sunlight. Seven¡¯s chocolate shaded eyes that are surrounded by his soft brown skin. There¡¯s too much tension between them, so Seven decides to break it. He¡¯s not letting it go this time. Seven moves closer to Thomas. He loops his fingers between the blonde hair behind Thomas¡¯s head and kisses him. Their lips brush together as Seven realizes that Thomas didn¡¯t pull away. He thought he would¡¯ve. He never thought anyone liked him that way. In fact, Thomas enjoys it so much that he grabs Seven by his waist. He twists his body and positions Seven under him. Seven groans in pain though because of his bruised rib. ¡°Sorry.¡± Thomas apologizes as he pulls away from the kiss. ¡°I don¡¯t care, it¡¯s okay.¡± Seven practically whispers as he goes in to kiss him again. However, Thomas stops him. ¡°I¡¯m not gay by the way.¡± Seven smirks. ¡°Whatever, man. Just fuck me.¡± Thomas was lying to himself because right then and there, he starts unbuckling his pants as Seven pulls him in by his brown leather jacket to kiss him again. Thomas successfully gets his belt off and he pulls down his pants. He flips Seven over as Seven groans a bit because of the bruises. He moves Seven¡¯s boxers down and inserts himself inside of him, causing small moans from both of them. Downstairs, Gregory hears everything. The moaning, the groans, the bed banging up against the wall, everything. He doesn¡¯t care though. If Seven wants to get fucked by a guy, he doesn¡¯t care. At least the kid¡¯s getting fucking laid. ¨C Daylight shines in through the window and onto Thomas and Seven¡¯s faces. Thomas doesn¡¯t wake up, but Seven does. He squints because of the light and he throws his arm up in front of his face. He realizes that Thomas¡¯s arms are wrapped around him and they¡¯re in his bed, naked. Seven then tries to remember everything from last night. He knows they hung out and Thomas took him home. Then his dad beat the shit out of him. He can confirm that part because he can definitely feel it. After that, Thomas came to his house and Thomas then also came somewhere else. Seven moves out of Thomas¡¯s arms and sits up on his bed. The pain his body is experiencing at the moment is so bad, but he¡¯s so happy that Thomas actually liked him back. However, Thomas did say he wasn¡¯t gay and Seven doesn¡¯t fully believe that. All of a sudden, Seven feels the bed start to move. He looks behind him to see Thomas waking up. Thomas opens his eyes and Seven smiles. ¡°Morning, Ledger.¡± Thomas pushes himself up from the bed with his arms and Seven can see how muscular Thomas actually is. How lucky to be screwing a football player. ¡°So¡­¡± Thomas starts, sitting on the opposite side of the bed, ¡°I enjoyed last night. A lot.¡± Thomas informs Seven. Seven smiles. ¡°Yeah, it was good. I liked it too.¡± ¡°No- I mean, not just the sex. I enjoyed everything about yesterday. I liked going out to eat with you and I liked cleaning you up. I liked sleeping next to you and I liked waking up in the same place.¡± Thomas explains. Oh, so Thomas actually likes him. Like, likes him likes him. It¡¯s not just for sex. That¡¯s shocking. ¡°Is this you asking me to go out with you again?¡± Seven asks. Thomas takes a second but nods. ¡°Yeah, if you¡¯ll let me.¡± Seven smirks and gets on top of Thomas, both of them still naked. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t gay.¡± ¡°Oh, fuck off.¡± Both of them smile as they lean in for a kiss, but they both hear someone walking down the hallway. It¡¯s Gregory. ¡°Fuck!¡± Seven whisper-yells as he quickly gets off of Thomas. However, as soon as he does, his dad opens his bedroom door and sees the both of them in bed together, nude. ¡°Quiet the fuck down next time, alright?¡± Gregory tells both the boys as he takes a puff of his cigarette. They both nod and stay silent. Gregory nods back and takes the cigarette out of his mouth. ¡°Here,¡± he tells Seven, ¡°take it.¡± Seven takes the cigarette out of his dad¡¯s hand and starts to smoke it. Gregory closes the door and walks away. Seven¡¯s just thankful he didn¡¯t yell or get violent. ¨C Monday, July 3, 2023. 7:38 PM It¡¯s been four years since Thomas and Seven started dating. Both of them are with Thomas¡¯s parents, Jean and Connor Ledger. They¡¯re celebrating Thomas¡¯s twenty-first birthday. The only problem is, out of the four years they¡¯ve been dating, Thomas has not ever told his parents that they were together. He was first afraid of his parents kicking him out, but now that he¡¯s moved out, he¡¯s afraid they¡¯ll never talk to him. So, they have to act like friends. Seven hates it though. He hates it so much. He plans on proposing to Thomas as well, but he wants Jean and Connor to know. ¡°Seven, do you want to cut the cake?¡± Jean asks him, holding the knife in her hand. ¡°Of course, Mrs. Ledger.¡± Seven responds, taking the knife from her hands. Seven looks down at Thomas¡¯s cake. He wanted a Superman cake, so he got one, although it seems childish. Thomas has always loved Superman though. The idea of him helping out of the goodness of his heart and staying a good guy is what draws Thomas to him. Seven cuts into the cake while Thomas smiles and gets excited about eating his Superman cake. Piece by piece, Seven hands out cake to all of them. Even he chooses to eat a piece. ¡°So, how¡¯ve you boys been over the summer?¡± Jean asks, wanting to start a conversation. ¡°Yeah, you two finally get girlfriends?¡± Connor jokes, although it makes both of them uncomfortable, especially since they¡¯re dating each other. ¡°Uh¡­ No, but our summer¡¯s been okay.¡± Thomas tells his parents while stuffing the Superman cake in his mouth. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good. What¡¯s been going on with you, Seven? Have you seen your mom lately?¡± Jean asks. Seven nods. ¡°Yeah, actually. I got to see her last time I went up to New York. It was nice. Her boyfriend¡¯s pretty nice, too.¡± Seven explains. Jean smiles and nods. ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯m glad you saw her. She¡¯s a nice lady.¡± Jean tells Seven. As time passes on, Seven and Thomas talk more and more with Jean and Connor. Eventually, it starts to get late. 10:02 PM ¡°Okay. Mom, dad, Seven and I are gonna start getting back home if that¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fine, sweetie. I love you both.¡± Jean tells them, hugging them both. They hug her back. ¡°I love you too, mom.¡± Thomas says back. After Jean backs off, Connor goes in for the hug, but only hugs Thomas. ¡°Happy birthday, champ.¡± ¡°Thanks, dad. Goodnight, guys.¡± Thomas says to them both as they walk out of the door. Seven keeps thinking about it. Should he propose now? He has the ring in his pocket and they¡¯ve been dating for years. Thomas has also talked about how much he¡¯s always wanted to get married. Why not do it on his birthday? ¡°Tommy, I need to talk to you.¡± Seven says as he stops walking. Thomas stops too and turns back to look at Seven. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Seven takes Thomas¡¯s hands into his as he looks into his eyes. He wants this to be as romantic as it possibly can. ¡°You know, ever since we first met, we had a connection. I liked how sweet you were and you liked how I spoke up for myself.¡± Seven starts as Thomas chuckles. ¡°Yeah, and I still love that about you.¡± ¡°Yeah. So, obviously we love each other. We¡¯ve been through thick and thin together. We¡¯re like Bonnie and Clyde at this point. So, I want to show you how much you actually mean to me.¡± Seven says. Thomas is confused until he sees his boyfriend get down on one knee. Seven pulls the ring out of his pocket and shows it to Thomas. ¡°Will you marry me, Thomas Andrew Ledger?¡± Tears start to well up in Thomas¡¯s eyes as he smiles. ¡°Yes¡­ Yes!¡± Thomas says as he takes the ring from Seven and kisses him. Seven and Thomas both smile until Seven realizes he has to tell Thomas one thing. ¡°But¡­ you have to tell your mom and dad.¡± The smile drops off of Thomas¡¯s face. ¡°You know I can¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Tom, you¡¯re a grown man now. You don¡¯t even live with me because you¡¯re too fucking closeted. This is all I ask you.¡± Thomas gets upset and just starts walking back to the car. This makes Seven angry. ¡°Are you serious, Thomas?! You can¡¯t do this one fucking thing for me?!¡± Seven yells at him. Thomas turns back to look at Seven. ¡°Everytime we¡¯re having a good moment, you have to ruin it by bringing this up.¡± Thomas yells back. Seven scoffs. ¡°Maybe I wouldn¡¯t do that if you just told them.¡± Thomas shakes his head. ¡°Everything¡¯s a goddamn argument with you.¡± ¡°Then leave! All you do is betray me like everyone else, so fucking leave and give me back the ring!¡± Thomas throws the ring on the ground and he starts walking away instead of to the car. When that ring hits the ground, Seven realizes what he¡¯s done wrong. ¡°Wait, Tommy. I¡¯m sorry. Please come back, I didn¡¯t mean that.¡± But Thomas doesn¡¯t come back. He keeps walking away. ¡°Tommy, please! You¡¯re everything I have left! I can¡¯t lose you¡­¡± Seven yells, but Thomas keeps walking. Seven just stands there, crying. He¡¯s officially lost everything. The Case of Thomas Ledger Monday, August 21, 2023. 2:32 PM Logan and Lila walk into what looks like an abandoned house. They¡¯re there to save a little girl named Emily from her father. Emily¡¯s mother contacted them and told them that Emily¡¯s father, Jonah, had kidnapped her and ran away with her. They don¡¯t know the intentions the father has with his daughter, but they snuck into the house where they¡¯re supposed to be. There¡¯s a living room and there¡¯s a hallway. Lila and Logan decide to split up. Lila chooses to search the living room because her super strength can allow her to access things Logan can¡¯t and Logan chooses to go down the hallway because if Jonah¡¯s down there and he kills Logan, Logan just comes back. Logan starts to slowly and quietly walk down the hallway. The floorboards are loose but they thankfully don¡¯t make noise. He reaches the end of the hallway and he finds two doors. He tries to listen to see if they¡¯re in one of the two doors. Eventually, after a while, he hears small but quick breaths in the left room. Logan pulls his gun out of his holster and holds it in his left hand while he places his right hand on the left door handle. He quickly opens the door and he sees Jonah holding a knife at Emily¡¯s throat. Apparently he heard Logan. Logan quickly points his gun at Jonah¡¯s head. ¡°Put the knife down, sir. We already found you.¡± ¡°No¡­ If you shoot me, I kill her. I can¡¯t go to prison.¡± Jonah whispers. Logan doesn¡¯t know what to do. If he calls Lila in, he¡¯ll kill Emily and if Logan shoots him, he still kills her. Logan nods to what Jonah says and slowly puts his gun back into his holster. ¡°Okay, Jonah. Let''s talk then. Why did you take Emily from her mother?¡± Logan asks Jonah. ¡°They won¡¯t let me see her anymore¡­ I can¡¯t live without my daughter. Do you know how that feels? Getting torn away from your little girl?¡± Logan knows he doesn¡¯t love Emily considering he has a knife at her throat, but to keep him calm, he acts like he does. ¡°I do, actually. I have a son. Leonidas. He was born when I was sixteen. I didn¡¯t even know she was pregnant until I got called to the hospital, but she has full custody of him. I get to call him and sometimes I even get to see him, but it¡¯s not enough. You know?¡± Logan explains to Jonah, hoping it loosens him up a bit. ¡°Yeah¡­ Yeah, I do know. How did you lose custody?¡± Jonah asks, trusting Logan a bit more now knowing he¡¯s a father. Logan obviously doesn¡¯t want to tell Jonah, but he also doesn¡¯t want Jonah to kill Emily. ¡°I, um¡­ I was proved mentally unstable and I had an alcohol addiction because of how much I was dealing with at that time. That¡¯s how I lost him. I¡¯ve been working on those things though, and even though I¡¯m doing better, I don¡¯t have him back yet. Trying is better than nothing though, right?¡± Logan asks Jonah. Jonah nods. ¡°Yeah? So, why don¡¯t we remove the knife from Emily¡¯s neck?¡± Logan asks Jonah gently. Jonah thinks about it, but then hears police sirens outside. Lila must¡¯ve called them. Jonah gets angry. ¡°You called the fucking police on me?!¡± Before Logan can even touch the gun he has in his holster, Jonah pulls a gun from behind his back and shoots Logan in the chest three times. Logan¡¯s body drops as Jonah leaves Emily behind and exits the room. He attempts to run away, but he didn¡¯t know Lila was there. As soon as he enters the living room, Lila surprises him with a punch to the face. One punch sends Jonah halfway down the hall and knocks him out cold. Before Lila lets the police in, she runs over to Emily. Lila hugs Emily as she cries into her arms. ¡°Are you okay? Did he hurt you?¡± Lila asks, worried about the little girl. Emily shrugs. ¡°Not really¡­¡± Lila picks up Emily and starts to carry her out to the police. As she exits the home, the police rush over to Emily. Officer Wilson takes Emily from Lila and holds her. ¡°What about Jonah? Did you get him?¡± Officer Wilson asks, sounding impatient. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll bring him out. Give me a damn second. Wait here and make sure Emily¡¯s okay.¡± Lila tells them as she heads back into the house. She takes handcuffs out of her back pocket and binds Jonah¡¯s wrists together while he¡¯s still out cold. She then heads over to her brother. Lila flips Logan¡¯s body over and unbuttons his gray plaid shirt. He¡¯s already healing, which is good. A few seconds pass, and Logan regains consciousness. Lila smiles. ¡°You were out for a bit there.¡± ¡°Is Emily okay?¡± Logan asks as the bullets from Jonah¡¯s gun push themselves out of Logan¡¯s chest. Lila nods. ¡°Yeah, we got her. She¡¯s okay. Officer Wilson has her outside.¡± ¡°Good¡­¡± Logan says, getting up to his feet. His skin begins to scar and heal, but the blood stays. Logan and Lila start to walk down the hallway. ¡°Why¡¯d you tell Jonah about Leon?¡± Lila asks, not understanding. ¡°I had to get him to trust me so he didn¡¯t hurt Emily. It worked, didn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yeah, but now he knows your son¡¯s name.¡± Lila tells Logan, picking up Jonah¡¯s unconscious body. ¡°You know I won¡¯t let anything happen to Leon.¡± ¡°I know. You¡¯re a good dad, Logan.¡± Lila tells her brother. He smiles at her and nods. ¡°Thanks.¡± Lila and Logan both go out to the police. Lila drops Jonah¡¯s body down in front of the police. ¡°You handle him. We have more shit to do. See you guys later.¡± Lila says while she and Logan walk back to Adler Investigations. ¨C They enter Adler Investigations and they get met with a letter on the table. It¡¯s sent by Connor Ledger. Lila picks up the letter and looks at Logan. ¡°Just more work. I¡¯ll open it while you clean the blood off your chest.¡± ¡°Okay. Thanks.¡± Logan goes to the bathroom to clean himself up. He enters the bathroom and he takes his gray plaid button up off. He looks in the mirror and is always slightly horrified. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Logan¡¯s wounds might always heal, but his scars stay. He¡¯s gotten shot, stabbed, scratched, chopped up. Most of the scars are on his chest and his back, but there are still scars everywhere. Logan ignores the scars and picks up a rag. He drenches the rag with water and wipes his chest off with it. The dried blood takes a bit to wipe off completely, but it does come off. He then throws both the rag and his plaid shirt in the laundry basket. He exits the bathroom and sees Lila looking closely at a letter. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Logan asks. While Lila¡¯s still looking at the letter, she hands Logan a missing poster. He starts to look at it. The poster shows a blonde man smiling. He has his arm wrapped around someone in the photo but Logan can¡¯t see it because they¡¯re cropped out. ¡°Full name: Thomas Andrew Ledger Date of Birth: July 3rd, 2002 Age: 21 Sex or gender: Male Race: Caucasian Eyes: Blue Hair: Blonde Height: 6¡¯1¡± Weight: 174 lbs Wearing: Blue long sleeve, black jeans, red and black sneakers Identifying characteristics: Angel tattoo on shoulder, necklace that has the number seven Last seen: July 3rd, 2023¡± ¡°Fuck¡­ He was seen almost two months ago?¡± Logan asks his sister. Lila nods and hands him the letter. ¡°Dear Logan and Lila, I¡¯m so sorry we reached out to you so late. I know it would¡¯ve been best if we contacted you the day we figured out our Thomas was missing, but my wife had hoped he¡¯d come back. However, he never did. I can¡¯t wait for our little boy any longer. We need to know what happened. If he just ran away from everyone or worse. I just need to know. Please help me and my wife find our son. Sincerely, Connor Ledger¡± Logan shakes his head. ¡°How¡¯re we gonna find him? Where do we even start?¡± He asks, rubbing his forehead. Before Lila can answer, someone knocks on the building door. Lila smiles. ¡°That might be the answer.¡± Logan and Lila both answer the door. It¡¯s Officer Wilson. ¡°Hey, guys. I expect you got a letter for Thomas Ledger too, right?¡± He asks. They both nod. ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s going on?¡± Lila asks. ¡°Shortly after we got that letter at the station, someone came in, covered in dried blood, water, and mud. They claim they were with Thomas. I thought this would help you guys.¡± Lila and Logan look at each other. ¡°That helps tons. Thank you, Wilson.¡± Logan thanks the officer. Wilson smiles and nods. ¡°No problem. We can go as soon as Logan puts a shirt on.¡± Wilson states. ¨C Logan, Lila, and Officer Wilson arrive at the station. Wilson leads them down a few halls. ¡°The victim¡¯s name is Xena Moon. She barely spoke to us, so let¡¯s hope she¡¯ll speak for you two.¡± Wilson informs them as they reach a room with a teenage girl in it. Lila and Logan look through the glass into the room. Xena¡¯s sitting at a table. One other chair is available in the room and Xena looks heavily traumatized. Logan looks over at his sister. ¡°Maybe it should only be me right now.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lila asks, slightly offended. ¡°I just think I¡¯d get through better. You can go in, but you know we play good cop, bad cop and you¡¯re the bad cop.¡± Lila rolls her eyes and nods. ¡°Yeah, go ahead. If it gets too intense in there, I¡¯ll switch out with you.¡± ¡°Okay. I love you.¡± Logan tells his sister as he hugs her. She hugs him back and he leaves to enter the room. Xena turns to Logan with shocked eyes as he enters the room. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not gonna hurt you. I¡¯m just here to talk to you. Is that okay?¡± Logan asks before sitting down. Xena hesitates but eventually nods. Logan makes his way to the chair sitting opposite of Xena. Xena¡¯s extremely pale and skinny with blood covering her face. ¡°So, Officer Wilson said you were with Thomas Ledger. Is that true?¡± Logan asks the girl. She slowly nods. ¡°Okay¡­ When¡¯s the last time you saw him?¡± Xena starts toying with her fingers. However, Logan stays patient and waits it out until she says something. ¡°M-Maybe a week ago¡­¡± Logan hears Xena whisper. Logan nods. ¡°Good. Thank you. Do you happen to know where you both were? Did he escape with you?¡± Logan pushes further. Tears well up in Xena¡¯s eyes as she shakes her head. ¡°He didn¡¯t escape with you?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± She whispers. Logan nods and bites his lip, wondering what the fuck the story is here. ¡°Can you try and tell me how you guys met?¡± Xena nods as she prepares herself to speak. ¡°I was-... I was thrown in a shack and handcuffed three months ago.¡± ¡°Do you know who did it?¡± Logan buds in and asks Xena. She shakes her head again. ¡°No¡­ He had a- a purge mask on. One of the weird light ones.¡± Xena explains. Logan nods and lets her continue. ¡°When he threw me in the shack, he- he¡­¡± Xena breaks down in tears. Logan stays patient with her and gives her a minute. ¡°He¡­ he cut me up, and he t-touched me, and¡­¡± Logan gets the feeling that Xena can¡¯t finish her sentence, so he tries to help her. ¡°Did he ra-¡± ¡°Yes. A lot.¡± Xena manages to tell Logan. Logan nods and rubs his forehead. He can tell by just this alone that this investigation is gonna be huge. ¡°Okay. Where does Thomas come in?¡± ¡°He got thrown in a while after I was there. Maybe about a month ago... He was really skinny and his eyes were red.¡± ¡°Did you say he was skinny?¡± Logan asks. Xena nods. ¡°Yeah. Skinny and tall.¡± Logan remembered that his missing person poster said that he weighed 174 lbs. Not really skinny for his height. Something must¡¯ve happened before he got thrown in. ¡°Okay. What else?¡± ¡°After he got thrown in, there was less attention on me and it was more on Thomas¡­ I think Thomas was his favorite. He made Thomas do a lot of things for him. He called them ¡®favors.¡¯¡± ¡°Were those favors sexual?¡± Logan questions. Xena nods. ¡°As the attention went more on Thomas, he wanted more with him. One day, he dragged Thomas out of the shack and locked the door behind him. That gave me enough time to kick a piece of one of the shack walls down to crawl out and escape.¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s with the blood on your face then?¡± Logan asks her. ¡°It¡¯s Thomas¡¯s. When the man asked for something Thomas didn¡¯t want to give him, he beat him until he passed out and they did it anyway.¡± ¡°Okay. Thank you, Xena. Do you have anywhere to go after all of this is over?¡± Logan asks her, getting up out of his chair. Xena shakes her head. ¡°Everyone in my family is dead.¡± She tells Logan. Logan nods. ¡°I¡¯ll find you somewhere to go, okay? Thank you for being so cooperative.¡± Logan says as he leaves the room. Lila and Officer Wilson look at him. ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± Wilson asks. ¡°Good. I got a lot from that, but Lila and I are gonna keep that info until we have enough of a story for you guys. Anyway, I have a question.¡± Logan asks. Wilson nods. ¡°Ask anything.¡± ¡°When you guys are done checking Xena out and everything, give her my address. She needs a place to stay and I live alone.¡± Lila and Wilson look at each other. ¡°You sure? She went through a great deal of trauma. You don¡¯t have to be responsible.¡± Lila tells her brother. Logan nods. ¡°I know, but I want to be. Plus, she can help us more if she¡¯s willing. Wilson, will you give her my address?¡± Logan asks. Officer Wilson hesitates but nods. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Thank you. Lila, you coming back with me?¡± Logan asks. Lila shakes her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m gonna stay with Wilson and try and see if we can get more info here, if that¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s good. I¡¯ll be at the office.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Logan starts to walk out of the police station as he hears a familiar voice behind him. ¡°Hey! Adler!¡± We鈥檒l Meet Again Logan stops in his tracks as he hears a voice that sounds all too familiar. He repeats in his mind, ¡°Please don¡¯t be Seven, please don¡¯t be Seven, please don¡¯t be Seven.¡± Logan doesn¡¯t have the bravery to turn around, so he stays frozen in shock. As he¡¯s frozen, he hears footsteps start to walk up behind him. Logan forgot, nobody can ever fully escape the past, right? ¡°Fuckin¡¯ look at me, man.¡± He hears as someone turns Logan around. It¡¯s Seven. Of course it¡¯s Seven. ¡°Seven?¡± Logan asks, still frozen. Seven raises his eyebrow. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not like I stopped existing after you were a dickhead. What did you go to the station for?¡± ¡°What?¡± Logan asks, not paying attention at all. Seven just shakes his head and rolls his eyes. ¡°You fucking heard me, Adler.¡± ¡°I went because of a case. You know, I own an investigation company now.¡± ¡°Yeah, everyone knows, man. You¡¯re part of the fucking wonder twins. What about that case? Does it have anything to do with Thomas?¡± Seven asks, getting desperate. Logan squints his eyes, wondering what Seven knows about Thomas. ¡°Did you know him?¡± ¡°Did I know- He was my husband.¡± ¡°Husband?¡± Logan asks, not expecting Seven to be married, especially at the age of twenty one. ¡°Kind of¡­ It was for Thomas, right? You went in there for info on him? Tell me.¡± Seven demands, getting closer to Logan. Logan gets uncomfortable and starts to back up. ¡°I can¡¯t just tell you. For you to get that information, you¡¯d either have to be working on the case with the police or you¡¯d have to be working at our investigation company.¡± ¡°Then hire me. You don¡¯t even have to pay me.¡± ¡°Seven¡­¡± As Logan keeps backing up, Seven loses his patience and grabs Logan by his shirt. He slams him up against a tree and Logan grunts in pain. He grabs at Seven¡¯s arms but it¡¯s no use. Seven¡¯s taller and is very dedicated to finding Thomas. ¡°It¡¯s the one thing you can do for me, Logan. I¡¯ll even tell you what happened on the night he left. Just get me in on this fucking case or I swear to god, I will beat your ass in this parking lot.¡± Seven swears angrily. Logan just looks at him. It really isn¡¯t a good idea to get Seven in on Thomas¡¯s disappearance since they were together. It never mixes well. Seven just scoffs and throws Logan down in the parking lot. He then kicks Logan while he¡¯s down, making him groan in pain. ¡°Just fucking tell me where he is!¡± He exclaims, just wanting the love of his life back. Logan keeps his mouth shut and tolerates the pain. He knows Seven¡¯s only doing it because he¡¯s still mad at Logan. It also doesn¡¯t help that he¡¯s lost Thomas. Seven kicks Logan a few more times and then gets on top of him. He grabs him by the shirt again and Logan can see the tears in Seven¡¯s eyes. He can see the pain he¡¯s going through. ¡°Logan¡­ please.¡± Seven begs. Logan wipes the blood off his lip and nods. ¡°If I hire you, you can¡¯t beat the shit out of people. Okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, deal.¡± Seven removes himself off of Logan and both of them get up. Logan looks at Seven before doing anything. ¡°You¡¯ve grown up.¡± ¡°Yeah, started hitting the gym to make sure I could beat your ass one day.¡± Seven jokes, pushing past Logan. Logan follows Seven as they start to walk back to Adler Investigations. Both men reach and walk into the building. Seven looks around, astonished. Logan smirks, happy that Seven can finally see that Logan actually made a life for himself. ¡°You really did all this, huh?¡± ¡°Yep. Lila and I worked hard to get the money to buy this building. After that, we¡¯ve been doing pretty good.¡± Logan tells Seven. Seven nods. ¡°Good. I¡¯m proud of you. What does Henry think about this place?¡± Seven asks, but Logan ignores the question. He replays the moment Seven said he was proud of him. Logan tries to contain his smile, but it doesn¡¯t work. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°What¡¯re you smiling at?¡± Seven asks. Logan shrugs. ¡°Nothing. Uh¡­ My dad thinks it¡¯s cool. He says it¡¯s good that Lila and I have a job that helps people, but if I¡¯m being honest, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s a super huge fan.¡± Logan states. Seven shoves his hands into his jacket pocket. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think he just wants us to be safe, but, you know¡­ I can¡¯t die.¡± Logan reminds Seven as he pulls up a chair. ¡°What¡¯s the chair for?¡± ¡°You and I had a deal. I hire you, you tell me what happened the day Thomas left. Come on.¡± Logan says. Seven looks at the chair and back at Logan. ¡°So this means I¡¯m hired?¡± ¡°As soon as you tell me what happened, yes. I need you to forget about your grudges against me though. I need you to talk to me like I¡¯m a professional.¡± Seven nods and takes his jacket off, revealing a white tank top with a necklace dangling over it. The necklace seems to have a wedding ring looped around it. Seven throws his jacket over the back of the chair and he sits down. ¡°Alright. Do your job, sir.¡± Seven says. Logan shakes his head. ¡°Just don¡¯t call me sir.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Logan sighs and stands in front of Seven. ¡°Okay. The night Thomas left is the night he disappeared, correct?¡± Logan asks, interrogating Seven. Seven nods. ¡°Yeah. He left and he wasn¡¯t seen after that. Didn¡¯t come home or anything.¡± ¡°Okay. Tell me about the night he left.¡± Seven takes a deep breath in and a deep breath out, preparing himself. ¡°It was Thomas¡¯s birthday. He was turning twenty one and we were celebrating it with his parents. However, he never told his parents we were dating. He was scared that they were going to disown him and I always had a problem with him not telling them. So after we leave his parents house, I propose to him. He says yes and he takes the ring, but I ruin the moment by¡­¡± Seven trails off. ¡°Take your time. We¡¯re not in a rush.¡± Logan reminds Seven. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know, man. Just-¡­¡± Seven takes a breath again. ¡°I told him that he needed to tell his parents. He got upset and said he couldn¡¯t do that. I got mad and told him he was a grown man and that he¡¯s scared to even live with me because he¡¯s closeted. He got even more upset and started to walk away, not wanting to face our issues. He said that I ruin every good moment we have and I yelled at him, telling him to leave. I¡¯ve done it before, but this time he actually started leaving. I begged for him to come back, but he just kept walking. That¡¯s the last time I saw him.¡± Seven finished. Logan breaks the professional act and puts his hand on Seven¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry, man.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I just want to find him, okay?¡± Seven says, clearly distressed. He gets up out of his seat. ¡°So, am I hired, sir?¡± Seven asks. Logan nods. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re hired. Since Lila isn¡¯t here right now, you¡¯re helping me with this investigation, okay?¡± Logan tells him, walking over to his office. Seven nods and smiles. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± He exclaims, following Logan. They both enter Logan¡¯s office and Logan pulls out a notebook and pencil. ¡°Do you have good handwriting?¡± Logan asks. Seven nods. ¡°You know I do.¡± ¡°Good. I need you to write down everything I tell you so that we can start piecing together what exactly happened to Thomas.¡± Seven nods and grabs the notebook and pencil. ¡°Before I tell you any of this though, I need you to know two things.¡± Logan states. Seven raises his eyebrow. ¡°What are they?¡± ¡°One, you cannot tell anybody about what¡¯s happening in this case until after the case is closed. Two, you cannot act out or get visibly upset learning about the things that happen and could happen to Thomas. I know he was your husband, but since you¡¯re working on this, I need you to be professional.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Seven mumbles. ¡°Okay. So, on Monday, July 3rd, 2023, you and Thomas had an argument which resulted in him leaving. After that, he wasn¡¯t seen and he didn¡¯t return. You got that down?¡± Logan asks Seven. A few seconds pass and Seven nods. ¡°Okay. Next, a teenage victim of the name Xena Moon was taken three months ago by a kidnapper and thrown into a shack. She was reported to be repeatedly sexually abused. She was introduced to Thomas Ledger after she was there for around two months.¡± Logan tells Seven. Seven gets upset knowing that Thomas pretty much got kidnapped, but he tries to keep it professional and he continues writing. ¡°When Thomas was introduced to Xena, the-¡± Logan stops talking and realizes that he was going to tell Seven what happened to Thomas. Logan holds his hand out, asking for the notebook. ¡°Here, I can write this part down.¡± Logan insists. Seven shakes his head and pulls the notebook towards his chest and away from Logan. ¡°No. We had a deal, remember? I¡¯m hired now. I¡¯ll write it.¡± Seven tells Logan. Logan nods and sighs. Seven¡¯s a grown man, he can make his own choices. ¡°Yeah, okay¡­ When Thomas was introduced to Xena, they soon found out they were there for the same reason. To sexually please the kidnapper. Thomas was Xena¡¯s replacement. The sexual abuse inflicted onto her was dimmed and instead it all went to Thomas. The kidnapper apparently called them favors. A week or so ago, the kidnapper took Thomas out of the shack which was why Xena attempted and succeeded to escape from the shack. No new news was found about Thomas after that attempt.¡± Logan finishes. He turns to Seven to see him gripping the pencil so hard that he could probably break it. Tears fall from his cheeks and land on the notebook paper. ¡°Please tell me you¡¯re lying¡­¡± Seven begs, tears still streaming down his face. Logan just stares at the ground, not knowing if Seven wants to be comforted ¡°No¡­ No! That¡¯s not- that¡¯s- she¡¯s lying! She has to be lying! He can¡¯t be gon- he can¡¯t be gone¡­¡± Seven starts to hyperventilate. He thought he wanted the truth, but maybe he didn¡¯t. Seven¡¯s knees hit the ground as he starts to sob. ¡°N-no, he can-can¡¯t be gone!¡± Seven yells with his heart in pain. Logan chooses to take action rather than stand there. Logan kneels beside Seven, trying to pull him into a hug. Seven pushes him away, practically throwing Logan on the ground. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me, man¡­¡± Seven continues to sob. Logan doesn¡¯t listen and he tries pulling Seven into a hug again. Seven doesn¡¯t have the energy or the power to resist or argue, so he just accepts it. Logan wraps his arms around Seven, pulling him into a tight hug. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± Logan murmurs. Seven cries into Logan¡¯s shoulder with his arms feeling too heavy to lift to be able to hug Logan back. ¡°He was my everything¡­¡± Seven cries loudly. Logan nods and continues to hug and listen to Seven. ¡°He was so sweet¡­ and kind¡­ He didn¡¯t deserve that! He was my fucking world!¡± Logan can hear the pain in Seven¡¯s voice as he yells that. Logan doesn¡¯t know what else to do, so he continues to hug him. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Together Again Monday, August 21, 2023. 11:24 PM Seven cried himself to sleep in Logan¡¯s office chair while Logan tries to go over everything that happened to Thomas. Thomas walks away from Seven, goes missing, winds up in a shack with Xena, gets taken out of that shack and isn¡¯t seen again. They need to find out where that shack is. Maybe if Xena chooses to go to Logan¡¯s house, he can question her a bit more there. Logan hears the door to the building open. Lila and Officer Oliver Wilson walk in, laughing and joking with each other. Logan makes sure Seven¡¯s still sleeping and he quietly walks out of his office. Oliver and Lila look like they¡¯ve had a few drinks. ¡°Can you guys quiet down?¡± ¡°Why? Nobody¡¯s here.¡± Lila says with her laugh drifting down. Logan folds his arms and sighs, getting ready to tell his sister that Seven¡¯s back. ¡°Actually, um¡­ Seven¡¯s here.¡± Lila¡¯s jaw drops as she walks closer towards her brother. ¡°Seven? Like, your ex best friend Seven?¡± ¡°Yes. Him.¡± Logan states. Lila smiles. Although Logan and Seven were best friends, Lila and Seven always got along, too. ¡°That¡¯s great! Why is he here though? You guys haven¡¯t talked in-¡± ¡°Six years, I know. He¡¯s here because Thomas Ledger happened to be his husband.¡± Logan tells her. ¡°Thomas was gay?¡± Oliver asks. ¡°Why the fuck does that matter?¡± Logan asks back, getting defensive. Lila puts her hand up to stop Oliver from talking back. ¡°So, Seven was married to the victim. Not good.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. Oh, and he¡¯s also hired.¡± Logan mentions, pushing past the both of them to grab his jacket. ¡°Excuse me? You hired the victim¡¯s husband?!¡± Lila freaks out. Logan shrugs as he puts his jacket on. ¡°Seven was desperate for answers and he had information that helped with the case. Now, I¡¯m going home. If you want to see everything we have, check the notebook in my office.¡± Logan tells Lila. Before she can say anything back, Seven comes out of Logan¡¯s office, rubbing his eyes. Lila smiles at him. ¡°Sev! It¡¯s good to see you again, buddy.¡± Lila says, hugging him. Seven hugs her back and smiles as much as he can at the moment. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, too. Logan, where are you going?¡± Seven asks, letting go of Lila. Logan walks over to Seven. ¡°I¡¯m going home. It¡¯s almost midnight and I gave Xena my address. If she¡¯s there, I have to be there. Do you want me to drop you off?¡± Logan asks him. Seven shrugs and yawns. ¡°Do you have beer at your house?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± Seven tells Logan, walking out of the building. Lila shakes her head and smirks. ¡°He didn¡¯t change.¡± ¡°Not really. Are you guys gonna hang back here?¡± Logan asks Lila and Oliver. Lila nods. ¡°Yeah, we drank a bit too much, so we¡¯re probably gonna stay here tonight.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ are you guys a thing or something?¡± Logan asks the both of them. Their faces get red and they immediately get defensive. ¡°Us? A thing? No¡­¡± Lila says. Oliver agrees with her. ¡°Yeah, man. I¡¯m just, y¡¯know¡­ a police officer doing his job.¡± ¡°Doing your job is getting drinks with my sister?¡± Logan asks. Oliver stays silent. ¡°Exactly. Anyway, I love you, sis.¡± Logan tells his sister, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek. ¡°I love you, Logan. Have fun getting Seven hammered.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be very fun.¡± Logan says, walking out of the door. Oliver and Lila look at each other, laughing again. Oliver holds Lila as they start to make out like they did at the bar. ¡ª Logan catches Seven smoking a cigarette while leaning against his car. ¡°You drink beer and smoke now?¡± Logan asks, unlocking his car. Seven takes one last puff and he throws his cigarette on the ground, stomping it out with his boot. ¡°I¡¯ve been going through a rough patch, if you haven¡¯t noticed.¡± Seven jokes, getting in the passenger¡¯s seat. Logan gets in the driver¡¯s seat and he starts up the car. ¡°Sorry about today. I know it was rough for you.¡± Logan tells Seven. Seven nods, looking out the window. ¡°It¡¯s cool. I assume every day¡¯s hard for you, y¡¯know. You save people everyday but you also die almost every time doing it. It¡¯s gotta be rough.¡± Seven mumbles. Logan shrugs as he drives off. ¡°It¡¯s normal at this point.¡± ¡°Yeah, but those scars you have are badass. That¡¯s gotta be a plus.¡± Seven tells Logan. Logan chuckles at Seven. Seven gets curious and looks over at Logan. ¡°What was your hardest case?¡± ¡°Mentally or just hard to work on?¡± Logan asks. Seven shrugs and then chooses. ¡°Mentally.¡± Logan scratches his chin as he keeps driving. He¡¯s went through so many cases at this point and he¡¯s only twenty. Eventually he finds the hardest case in his memory. The one that drained him so terribly. ¡°Uh¡­ there was this one case I took on. I think I was eighteen and Lila was on vacation and I assumed I could do it alone. A single father came in and told me that his seven year old daughter was missing and he didn¡¯t know what happened. On the day she went missing, she was riding her bike down the road in a yellow raincoat.¡± Logan starts. Seven takes a deep breath in because he knows these kinds of cases are never good with children. ¡°It only took me a week to find her. Her body was dumped in a dumpster half a mile away from her house. Yellow raincoat was open and everything. There were traces of semen on her Hello Kitty shirt and her legs and wrists were so badly bruised. It was¡­ terrible.¡± Logan tells Seven. Seven starts to tear up a bit, knowing that little girl didn¡¯t deserve that. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, man.¡± Seven says. Logan stops at a red light and shakes his head. ¡°I¡¯m not done yet. One officer I was close with told the father what happened and the police told me that I could stop looking for the man who did it. They said he¡¯s probably far gone and the father just wanted it to stop, but I didn¡¯t stop. I stayed up for weeks, drinking and writing and investigating. I swear, I didn¡¯t sleep or shower once. I was just holed up in my office. Eventually, after weeks of searching, I found out a forty three year old man named Jake Alvarado was the man who did it. I went to his house with a gun, planning to kill him and go against the police.¡± Logan continues. Seven keeps listening, paying full attention to him. ¡°However, what I didn¡¯t piece together at first was that Jake was a 6¡¯5¡± 254 pound man and that I was 5¡¯9¡± 160 pounds. I was also super sleep deprived and super hungover, so I was pretty loud when I broke in. Jake caught me and he shot me in the head, causing me to pass out. He knew who I was though, so he knew I¡¯d wake up. He chained my wrists up and hung me from the ceiling. I woke up and he told me he wanted to be the one who could really actually kill me, so he took a chainsaw and cut me in half. I could feel my guts drop out of my body. It was¡­ horrific.¡± Logan keeps going. Seven nods and listens, although he feels terribly bad. ¡°I passed out for a¡­ very long time. Must¡¯ve been about a day or two probably. Jake thought he killed me, so he dumped me in the same dumpster he dumped the little girl in. I woke up naked and with my body regenerated. All I felt was anger, so I ran for thirty minutes to get to his house. Broke a few indecent exposure laws, but I got there. I broke in again, found him, and caught him off guard. I slammed him on the ground and sat there, bashing his brains in with my own fist. I didn¡¯t stop until his head was beat in. His eyes popped out, his blood, brains, and flesh were on my hand, he was choking on his blood and his teeth¡­ I killed him.¡± Logan finally finishes ¡°Jesus fucking Christ, Logan¡­¡± Seven murmurs, taking it all in. ¡°What would you have done?¡± He asks Seven. Seven shrugs and takes a minute to answer. ¡°For Thomas? Probably the same thing.¡± Logan¡¯s car eventually arrives to his house and nobody¡¯s there. Shame. He really wanted Xena to be there. Both boys get out of the car and Seven stares at the ground, not talking to Logan. ¡°What¡¯s your deal?¡± Logan asks, noticing his silence. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I just¡­ I¡¯ll never be able to look at you the same anymore. You running down the street with your dick flapping everywhere? Man¡­¡± Seven jokes. Logan laughs as he unlocks the door to his house. ¡°Yeah, it was bad.¡± ¡°I bet, with your tiny white dick.¡± ¡°Fuck you.¡± Logan laughs. Seven laughs back as they both enter Logan¡¯s house. Seven notices that Logan¡¯s house is weirdly clean. And not like the clean as in a clean house. Like, Logan¡¯s place is practically empty. There¡¯s a desk, a TV, a couch, and another room with a bed and a TV but that¡¯s pretty much it. ¡°Did you just move in or something?¡± Seven asks. Logan shakes his head as he hangs his jacket on the coat hanger. He then takes his shoes off by the door and unbuttons the top three buttons of his white dress shirt to take a breath. ¡°Hot.¡± Seven jokes, walking around the place. Before he could get ten steps in, Logan stops him. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Take off your shoes.¡± ¡°Come on, man¡­¡± Seven complains. ¡°I know your dad used to let you wear your shoes in the house, but-¡± ¡°But you have OCD?¡± ¡°Amongst other things, yeah.¡± Logan responds as Seven starts to take off his jacket and shoes. All of a sudden, Logan hears a knock at his door. Since he¡¯s standing right by the door, he places his hand on the door handle and swings the door open. It¡¯s Xena. She looks exactly the way she looked hours ago, blood and all. ¡°Um¡­ hi.¡± Xena says in a small voice. Logan smiles and opens his door wider. ¡°I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re here, Xena. Come in.¡± Xena walks in nervously. Seven looks at her and realizes that she was the one with Thomas. He instantly jumps up to his feet, but Logan holds his hand out, telling him not to do anything. It takes him a second, but eventually Seven winds down and sits back on the couch. ¡°She¡¯s allowed to wear her shoes in the house?¡± Seven complains again. Logan sighs and looks at Xena. ¡°Can you please take your shoes off? It would probably be better on your feet.¡± Logan asks kindly. She nods and starts to untie her shoes. ¡°Seven? You want a beer?¡± Logan asks, walking over to the kitchen. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Seven responds. Logan just rolls his eyes and opens the fridge. He pulls out two beers and a bottle of water for Xena. He tosses the beer over to Seven, knowing it¡¯ll fizz inside. Seven catches it, but starts complaining again. ¡°Fuck you, man. Now it¡¯s gonna explode.¡± ¡°That¡¯s for calling me sir.¡± Logan jokes. He then walks over to Xena and hands her the water. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± she says lowly. ¡°Are you hungry? I can make something or order something.¡± Logan asks her, wanting her to be comfortable. Xena nods. ¡°Just, um¡­ whatever you have is fine.¡± Xena tells him, walking over to the couch. Logan nods and walks back over to the fridge. Xena sits down next to Seven and Seven stares at her. Xena feels uncomfortable and just looks ahead. ¡°You were with Thomas, right?¡± Seven asks, hoping Logan isn¡¯t listening in. Xena nods. ¡°Yeah. He was a good guy¡­¡± she mumbles. Seven nods and smiles. ¡°The greatest.¡± ¡°Are you his boyfriend?¡± She asks. Seven nods. ¡°Yeah, did he- did he mention me at all?¡± Seven asks, hoping he did. ¡°Yeah¡­ he said that he had a boyfriend back home and that he made a lot of mistakes and that he regretted them. He also said he could¡¯ve gotten married and that it was his dream.¡± Tears start to well up in Seven¡¯s eyes. He sniffles and smiles. ¡°Yeah, he, uh¡­ he always wanted to get married. Get married, have a big family¡­ dude wanted, like, seven kids.¡± Seven says as he laughs. For the first time in months, Xena laughs, too. As they wipe the tears from their face, Seven finally smells what Logan¡¯s cooking. ¡°Are you making fucking steak, bro?¡± ¡°Yeah. She hasn¡¯t eaten in I don¡¯t know how long.¡± ¡°And you didn¡¯t ask me for any?¡± Seven asks, offended. ¡°I only had one steak. I live alone.¡± ¡°Be my personal chef and I¡¯ll live with you.¡± Seven jokes. Logan laughs as he shakes his head. ¡°Fuck off.¡± Xena points at the tattoo showing on Seven¡¯s arm. The tattoo says ¡°sooner than you think¡± with a scythe in the middle. ¡°It¡¯s like the complete opposite of Tom¡¯s.¡± Xena mentions. Seven nods and then realizes that she called Thomas Tom. He doesn¡¯t think he¡¯s heard anyone ever call him that. It¡¯s always been Thomas or Tommy. ¡°Yeah, when we were getting tattoos, I mentioned I wanted one that was grim reaper related. He worked off of that and since I always called him my guardian angel, he got an angel tattoo on his shoulder.¡± Xena smiles. ¡°You guys sounded like a really good couple.¡± Logan listens into this while he plates the steak. He feels some sort of jealousy formed, but he doesn¡¯t know why. He assumes it¡¯s because he¡¯s never really dated anyone other than Cindy and she sexually assaulted him when he was fifteen, so he doesn¡¯t like to think about her. Logan brings the plate to Xena and sets it down in front of her. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t ask how you liked it cooked.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± Xena says, ignoring the fork and the knife on the plate and just picking the steak up with her hands. Logan and Seven don¡¯t say anything though because they assume that¡¯s how she was living in the shack. ¡°After you¡¯re done eating, you can-¡± before Logan can finish, he realizes that Seven forgot about his beer and he opened it. The beer spills all over his pants. He sighs and leans his head back. ¡°Did you forget, or¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah, man. Fuck.¡± Seven swears under his breath, taking his jeans off and leaving himself in his boxers. His boxers have narwhals all over them for some reason. ¡°Dude¡­¡± Logan starts, about to make a joke, but Seven stops him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it. Narwhals are dope as fuck.¡± Seven sits back down and Logan hands him his beer. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Seven asks. Logan nods. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m still working on getting my drinking completely under control.¡± Seven opens the beer, hoping it doesn¡¯t spill all over him. He gets lucky and it doesn¡¯t. ¡°As I was saying, when you¡¯re done eating, you can use the shower, Xena. I can give you some of my clothes since you¡¯re close to my height.¡± Logan offers. Xena smiles a bit and nods. ¡°Thank you.¡± Seven takes a sip of his beer and looks over at Logan. ¡°Hey, Adler. Why don¡¯t you ever use your full name?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Logan asks, confused. Xena also turns to Seven, confused. ¡°Well, I mean¡­ your full name¡¯s not just Logan Adler. It¡¯s Logan Ellis Adler-Kane, but you just go by Adler. It¡¯s like you remove your mom¡¯s last name completely. Why?¡± Seven asks. ¡°I thought it was just Adler.¡± Xena chimes in. ¡°Exactly! He doesn¡¯t even use the Kane part, and it was his mom¡¯s last name.¡± Seven says. Logan shakes his head and takes a breath. ¡°One, stop talking about my mom please. She¡¯s dead and I don¡¯t want to talk about it, but two, it¡¯s because Logan Adler sounds more heroic than Logan Kane and I¡¯m an investigator. I have to sound heroic.¡± Logan informs them. ¡°Or you could just go by Adler-Kane¡­¡± Seven mumbles, taking another sip of his beer. However, Logan hears it and snaps back at him. ¡°Yeah, okay, Seven Alex Solace. Alex is the whitest middle name ever.¡± ¡°I¡¯m half white, dickhead. At least my last name isn¡¯t hyphenated.¡± Xena feels like they¡¯re gonna break into an argument, so she brings something else up. ¡°I call the couch.¡± ¡°What?¡± Both Seven and Logan ask. ¡°Well, there¡¯s only one bed and one couch. I¡¯m sleeping on the couch, which means you guys are sleeping together.¡± Logan laughs as he forgot completely about the sleeping arrangement. Seven takes a drink of his beer and starts talking to Logan. ¡°You better not be a perv and touch my dick, man.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have a dick.¡± Logan tells him. ¡°Yeah, and you better not touch it.¡± Seven responds. Logan gets confused and just shuts up. Xena finishes her food and takes the plate to the sink. ¡°Do you want me to get you some clothes now?¡± Logan asks her. Xena nods and sits back down on the couch. Logan heads into his room and opens his closet. He looks around, eventually finding a Green Day t-shirt and a pair of blue shorts. Before Logan can bring them out to Xena, his phone starts to ring. Logan takes his phone out of his pocket and the caller reads ¡°Dad.¡± Logan answers the call. ¡°What¡¯s going on, buddy?¡± Henry asks him. ¡°Nothing really. It¡¯s just been a long day.¡± Logan mentions. ¡°Why¡¯s that? Is everything okay?¡± Henry asks his son. Logan nods and then realizes that his dad can¡¯t see him nodding. ¡°Yeah, just-¡­ Lila and I are on this new case. Have you heard of Thomas Ledger?¡± ¡°Yeah, the kid on the news? I came across his family a few times, it¡¯s really sad.¡± Henry responds. ¡°Well, his dad wrote us a letter and now we¡¯re dealing with this case. I have a feeling that it¡¯s bigger than we think it is.¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t overwork yourself, Log. You have a habit of doing that.¡± Henry mentions to him. Logan agrees with his father. ¡°Yeah, I know¡­ Oh, another thing. You remember Seven?¡± Logan asks. Henry chuckles over the phone. ¡°The kid that was at our house all the time for eight years? Of course I remember him.¡± ¡°We got back in contact. He¡¯s actually here at the house now.¡± Logan says. Henry takes a pause. ¡°How¡¯d you guys get in contact? I thought you said you fell out.¡± ¡°We did, but Thomas was his boyfriend. Oh, and I think Lila¡¯s dating Oliver Wilson now.¡± ¡°Wilson?!¡± Henry exclaims. Logan laughs over the phone. ¡°Yeah, Wilson. He¡¯s not a bad guy, he¡¯s just slow sometimes.¡± ¡°I know¡­ I like him but she deserves better.¡± Henry says. ¡°Try and take it easy on the guy, dad.¡± ¡°Yeah, I will, I will. Alright, I have to go. I love you, kid.¡± Henry tells Logan. ¡°I love you too, dad. Bye.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± Logan hangs up and shoves his phone back in his pocket. He walks out to the living room where Xena is. ¡°Hope you don¡¯t mind Green Day.¡± Logan jokes, handing the clothes to Xena. Xena shrugs. ¡°My dad used to listen to them.¡± ¡°¡­And now I feel old. Go take a shower, kid. The TV will be waiting out here for you.¡± Logan tells her. Xena nods as she walks into the bathroom. Seven finishes his beer and throws it away. ¡°I¡¯m serious, man. Don¡¯t-¡± ¡°I won¡¯t touch your dick.¡± Logan states. Seven nods as he heads into Logan¡¯s room. Logan follows him in. ¡°You really are bland, dude.¡± Seven says, noticing that his room is super clean as well. ¡°I live by myself. I like minimalism.¡± Logan responds as he looks in the mirror. Seven jumps into Logan¡¯s bed, looking at him. Logan unbuttons his white dress shirt to reveal a ton of scars loaded onto his body. Seven knew that he had scars on his neck and face, but he didn¡¯t know they got that bad. There¡¯s huge scars on his back and a scar that wraps around his torso. Seven assumes it¡¯s from the time the man chainsawed him in half. ¡°I¡¯m fucking hideous¡­¡± Logan mumbles to himself as he throws his shirt into his hamper. ¡°Logan, you¡¯re not hideous, man. If you want my opinion, you¡¯re fucking beautiful.¡± Logan chuckles as he begins to take his pants off. ¡°Am I as beautiful as Cinderella?¡± ¡°If you wanna be, go for it.¡± Seven tells him. Logan fully takes off his pants and Seven notices that he has Spider-Man boxers on. Seven starts laughing his ass off. ¡°Okay, can you not?¡± Logan asks, standing there embarrassed. However, Logan keeps laughing. ¡°You judge me for narwhals and you have Spider-Man boxers? Oh my fucking god.¡± Seven keeps laughing. Logan just sighs and lays down next to him in his bed. ¡°You act so professional and you wear-¡± ¡°Spider-Man boxers. I get it. I like Spider-Man, okay? Everyone likes Spider-Man.¡± ¡°You fucking nerd.¡± Seven and Logan go back and forth with each other. Logan throws the TV remote at Seven. ¡°Put something on. I¡¯m going to bed.¡± Logan says, laying down on his stomach and closing his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know, man. This seems pretty gay.¡± ¡°Good thing we have socks on then.¡± Logan jokes. Seven laughs as he flicks through Netflix. Before he puts something on, Logan drifts to sleep.