#lafm

Series: Libraries are for Meeting

Art by @the-pastel-peach​ - Please go check out her art, give her a follow, send her some love - No REPOSTING the art (with or without credit). Reblogs of this post are absolutely encouraged though)

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Type: Alternate Universe - University/Human 

Rating: Mature (mainly because of the thinking and character loss)

Relationships: Analogical (Platonic? Romantic? It’s developing), Royality, Logicality (platonic)

Characters: Virgil Sparks, Logan Mars, Patton Smiles, Roman Reels, Ellie|Ethan Lyes (Deceit inspired character), original characters (Katie Reels, Jason Reels) 

Summary: Virgil works as a cleaner in a library after loosing his university scholarship. He’s homeless, he’s lost, he’s confused and he has to admit he needs help. Cue an unpredictable meeting and suddenly there is someone willing to take him on the path of self discovery and acceptance. Will he accept it, or will he walk away like he normally does.

Warnings: anxiety and panic, negative thinking, deaths (original characters), threats/blackmail, physical abuse/fighting, emotional abuse, homophobia (This is a tale of self discovery and acceptance), homelessness, alcohol abuse,

Chapters: 12/?

Masterlist 

Mobile App users: I suggest reading on Ao3 or on desktop version. I don’t understand why, but when I look at this fic on mobile the paragraph spaces aren’t there properly. If you know how to fix this, please let me know.

Overview 

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Type: Alternate Universe - University

Rating: Mature (mainly because of the thinking and character loss)

Relationships: Analogical (Platonic? Romantic? Who knows), Royality, possibly more to come

Characters: Virgil Sparks, Logan Mars, Patton Smiles, Roman Reels, original Deceit inspired character (they are sweet, I promise), and a few original characters and possibly more familiar names to come.

Summary: Virgil works as a cleaner in a library after loosing his university scholarship. He’s homeless, he’s lost, he’s confused and he has to admit he needs help. Cue an unpredictable meeting and suddenly there is someone willing to take him on the path of self discovery and acceptance. Will he accept it, or will he walk away like he normally does.

Virgil and Logan’s growth may be the main focus, but Patton and Roman do have their own story arcs. A few original characters to steer the story and a reimagined Deceit with their own quirky role to play.

Warnings: anxiety and panic, negative thinking, deaths (original characters), homophobia (and more. This is a tale of self discovery and acceptance), homelessness, different aspects of LGBTQIA+ presented (I probably won’t get the whole spectrum, but there are a few)

Chapter 1 - The Dark Librarian 

Music blasted through Virgil’s headphones as he finished piecing a gaming system back together. He was so use to doing this, he was certain he could finish the job with his eyes closed; not that his perfectionism would ever let him try. Checking the clock, he scribbled in his notebook to start working out the cost of his efforts.

 “Hey Virgil?... Sparks!”

“I told you not to call me by my surname.” Virgil grumbled, pulling his headphones off as he turned to face his visitor.

 A woman lent on the doorframe of the room, dressed in a light blue button up shirt and black slacks. Despite he hair being in a tight bun, a single strand hung loose near her face and she twirled it around her finger.

 “What do you need, Katie.” Virgil swooped his bangs off his face and gave her a half smile. “You always twirl your hair when you need something.”

“Read me like a book.”

“We are in a library. Makes sense that I’m good at reading.” Katie was avoiding all eye contact and Virgil groaned, “Spill those feels, Reels. It will be time for my shift to start if you keep stalling.”

Katie let out a nervous laugh, “Yeah, about that.”

“What?” Nervous energy started to build in Virgil’s gut at Katie’s response.

“Look, I know you hate being out the front during the day, but I need you to take the afternoon shift.” Virgil fixed Katie with a tired look as she rambled on. “The main library got in a whole bunch of new reference books and they have all been entered into the system incorrectly, and Tia – that new librarian- tried to fix it herself, but ended up messing up the whole system, and now she’s freaking out and she called me in hysterics because no one can borrow and what is the point of a library if you can’t borrow an-“

“Woah, woah,” Virgil waved his hands out in front of him to silence the freaked out librarian. “It’s fine, Katie. I can manage. It’s a Tuesday, nothing ever happens on a Tuesday.”

“I’ll make sure you get paid for the extra shift, and I’ll come and help you with your normal cleaning as soon as I’m done.”

“Whatever. It’s fine.” Virgil followed Katie out of the room, checking his keycard was in his pocket before closing the office door. “Message me if Tia screwed the computers up too much for you to handle.”

“You’re a lifesaver, Virgil.” Katie started racing towards the front door, before quickly turning to call back to him. “Oh, my brother Roman has booked the reading area at 4:30 and office 3 cancelled so it’s actually free.”

“Would you get out of here already, Reels.”

Katie flipped Virgil the bird before running out the wooden front door, leaving Virgil in the silence of the small, old library.

 *********************************

 As expected, the library was very quiet all afternoon. Virgil did his best to remain calm and come across as a professional as a few families came in briefly to borrow books with their small children. His ripped jeans and ‘Panic at the Disco!’shirt didn’t really scream ‘librarian’ but his clothing options were very limited at the moment. Not that he liked to admit it, but Virgil had been living on friends couches and in his library office since he lost his university scholarship. Katie was well aware of what Virgil was doing, but feigned ignorance; Virgil would talk to her when he was ready.

 “What’s up, Sparkles? Crawled out of your cave rather early today.” Virgil groaned at the sound of Roman’s voice, “Where’s Katie?”

Virgil tilted his head to the side and made sure Roman felt the full weight of the annoyance in his eyes. Katie’s use of his surname was in jest, a joke between coworkers and friends; Roman’s nickname always came across like an insult.

“Wow, touch-y.” Roman held his hands up in surrender, before readjusting his red and white jacket to appear more sincere. “Viiirgil, where is my delightful sister Katie?”

“There was a book emergency at the main library so she went to help out.”

Virgil continued pulling books off the shelf to inspect them for damage, but Roman wasn’t moving on.

 “Can I help you with something else?”

“Well I’m glad you asked,” Roman beamed and moved to lean on Virgil’s trolley. “Seeing as no one is in here, can I pl-“

“No.”

“Wha-?” Roman gasped as if he had been shot, “I didn’t even finish asking my question.”

“You didn’t need to.” Virgil returned a book and gave Roman a mischievous smile, “The answer is no.”

Roman stood up and let Virgil push the trolley back down the aisle and towards the main desk. For a moment he considered pulling the ‘My sister is your boss’ card or even turning on the waterworks for his deceased parents but decided against it. He didn’t know much about the mysterious worker, but he knew enough that power and sympathy would get him nowhere. Thankfully, Roman had one more trick up his sleeve.

 Virgil watched Roman move the lounge and beanbags around the reading area to extend his floor space. Booking dance spaces was expensive and the library proved to be a cheap, but inferior, alternative. When Roman threw his jacket aside, revealing his tight black tank top, Virgil was quick to avert his eyes to prevent himself from being caught blushing at the sight. Turning back to the computer, Virgil started scrolling through the booking lists and checking that he still had permanent hold over office 2, before going into the system to look for overdue loans.

Humming pulled Virgil away from his thoughts and he saw Roman humming a tune to himself as he danced around the area. There was a slight vibrating sound and Virgil looked to the end of the bench and saw Roman’s phone sitting on a pile of books. Walking over, the screen was lit up as the phone vibrated for an alarm titled ‘music please Virgil’.

 Roman paused mid step as the beginning of one of his dance pieces started to come through the overhead speakers, instead of Katie’s usual natural sounds.

“Thank you, Virgil!” Roman called as he re-centred himself and prepared to start his piece.

Shaking his head, Virgil retreated to the seclusion of the aisles to return more books to their shelves. Roman was annoying, but how could he deny the effort the guy had gone to. In all honesty, he was just glad to not have been yelled at or have someone demanding things from him. His opinion of Katie’s little brother shifted slightly in that moment and he couldn’t deny that Roman was truly a very talented young man.

  *********************************

 BANG

“Katie!”

BANG

“Roman!”

CLICK

Virgil’s heart was racing as he peaked out from an aisle and saw a man in a McDonalds uniform finish locking the front door and start running towards the back of the library. His brown hair was neatly styled, except for a few stray curls that sat on his forehead. He completely ignored Virgil, running straight for Roman and pulling him into a crushing hug.

“Roman, you’ve got to help me. I’ve done something terrible, horrible, unforgivable, utterly-“

 “Hey!” Virgil’s loud voice echoed through the empty library as he disconnected Roman’s music and stared at the pair. “You can’t just come in and lock up the library. Who do you think you are?”

“Chill out, Vee. Patton’s with me.” Roman held his arms securely around Patton and looked down at him with eyes full of confusion and concern.

“Don’t call me Vee, and I don’t care if he’s with you or not, you can’t just lock up the library whenever you want.”

Virgil started to walk back towards the door and Patton cried out.

“Please, don’t unlock it. I-“

A loud bang on the door stopped Virgil in his tracks and Patton let out a squeak.

 “Patton! Open this door immediately.”

The door shook as the person on the other side attempted to gain entry.

“Geez, Pat, what did you do to him?”

“One guy is making all that noise?” Virgil asked as the banging and yelling continued.

Patton nodded and buried his face into Roman’s shoulder.

“I r-real-ly mes-ssed up, Ro. The b-bi-g-ge-ss-st m-m-mes-“

Patton could barely speak through his sobs and irregular breathing. Virgil had no idea what was happening, but he wasn’t about to find out what would happen if the guy outside got to Patton.

 Virgil went to the desk and grabbed the keycard for office 3 and shoved it in Roman’s hand.

“Lock yourself in the office and put the dark screen up. I’ll handle this.”

“But Virgil, you don’t even know-“

“Just get him out of here before he passes out, ok!”

 Roman saw the determination in Virgil’s eyes and questioned no more, quickly leading Patton through the library to the office at the back. Virgil did his best to compose himself as he approached the door, hoping his outer self appeared more intimidating than he felt.

“Patton! You need to come out here and face me, NOW!”

 Virgil waited until he felt the man shift away from the door again before opening it. What stood before him was not the threat Virgil had pictured at all. Where he had imagined a heavily muscled maniac, a tall man in a white lab coat stood in his place. If it wasn’t for his red face behind squared, black glasses, and the way he quickly stormed passed Virgil, he wouldn’t have believed that this was the same person who had been trying to tear the door down.

 “Where is he?” The man started marching down to the back of the library, glancing down the aisles. “I’m going to kill that sorry excuse for a friend so I can dissect and study the brain of that idiotic, pun-generating humanoid.”

“Geez, dude, calm down.” Virgil called, as he attempted to catch up to the man after re-locking the door.

“Calm down? CALM DOWN! My life is over. How can I be calm?”

Virgil watched as the anger melted into sadness and the man clutched a warped laptop to his chest and slumped to his knees.

“He ruined everything.”

 Despite squeezing them shut, tears still streamed from the stranger's eyes. Virgil felt the adrenaline of the situation begin to fade from his system, and his legs and hands shook slightly as a result. Squeezing his hands into tight fists to calm them, Virgil knelt before the man and made his voice calm and soft.

“I’m guessing this has something to do with that laptop.”

“Yes,” the man sniffed and pulled a handkerchief from his coat pocket to clean himself up. “Patton…knocked it off of the table at the lab.”

“You chased Patton here from the science labs?” Virgil questioned, surprised when a nod confirmed the distance the two had traversed.

“All my work was on this laptop. Everything…gone.”

 Virgil had come across a few students over the years that had similar situations. He’d been given broken laptops, crushed USBs and smashed external hard drives. Everyone reacted a different way to the possibility of losing their data; though this was the first time he had seen someone hulk out over it.

“If you promise not to dissect anyone, I could have a look at it for you.”

“What? What can you do? It’s smashed.”

Virgil smirked as he reached out to carefully take the laptop out of the man's hands.

“You’d be surprised how tough some computers really are.”

“Well...um, thank you…”

“Virgil. Virgil Sparks.” He extended his hand out and offered a reassuring smile.

“Oh, um, I’m Logan Mars.” Logan shook Virgil’s hand and looked down in shame. “I’m sorry for my behaviour. I-it was incredibly uncalled for.”

“You’re right, but don’t sweat it. Come one,” Virgil stood and gestured to the offices, “let’s go check out this laptop, hey.”

 Logan slowly followed Virgil to his office, suddenly very aware of the immaturity of his actions. He was thankful that Virgil seemed so forgiving, anyone else would have called security or the police on him. It dawned on Logan that if that had been the case, he could have lost his scholarship and then his life would have been well and truly ruined.

“Thank you for not calling security.” Logan whispered as Virgil unlocked the office and started clearing the table of his work.

“Your welcome.”

“I’m serious. My behaviour was worthy of a call and that would have been the end of my time here. My scholarship would have b-”

“Lo, it’s fine.” Virgil finished boxing the gaming system and heaved it over to the corner of the room. “I wouldn’t jeopardise someone’s scholarship over a mental malfunction. I know what it’s like to lose everything over a simple mistake.”

“Pardon my question, but would you mind elaborating?”

Virgil let out a small chuckle as he searched through his boxes for tools and components for the laptop.

“I lost my scholarship due to a stupid mistake.” The look of sadness and curiosity in Logan’s eyes made Virgil nervous, but he continued. “I got into a fight in the middle of a lecture hall. Some moron made some…disgusting comments. I’ve spent my whole life being afraid to speak and listening to the shit people say about…”

Virgil couldn’t bring himself to say it. Shutting the closet door tight in his mind and quickly wiping a stray tear before Logan could see.

“Yeah, so, um… I decided to stand for what I believed in. Punches were thrown on both sides, but ultimately he ended up with a dislocated jaw and I ended up out of uni and out of money.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

 Logan couldn’t think of what else to say as Virgil set to work, pulling apart the laptop to inspect the components. Clearly, Virgil was a very multilayered individual. Logan had only seen the surface of who he was, and he was already fascinated with who the man was and who he wanted to be.

He watched curiously as Virgil pulled out various handmade devices and connected wires expertly in the sea of electrical components. Given the anatomy of a living organism, Logan could identify parts and their purposes with ease; but the scene before him now meant nothing. People had called Logan a genius his whole life, but watching Virgil now made him feel like a toddler in a 10th grade math class.

 “You are truly skilled in your field, Virgil. Are you taking classes elsewhere to hone your craft?”

Virgil laughed and turned to his own laptop screen, “I would need money to do that dude, and no one would give me another scholarship after losing my last one.”

“So where did you learn to do this?” Logan gestured at the table before him.

“At the Sparks institute of trial and error. Taught myself most things and Google has taught me the rest.”

“Unbelievable. You’re a genius.”

“Ew, seriously Logan, stop.” Virgil moved to grab a USB from his bag and plugged it into his laptop, pulling up another program and adjusting a few wires. “What I do is nothing special. I just know how stuff works.”

 Logan watched on in silence as Virgil continued. Clearly, he wasn’t going to take any of Logan’s compliments, and he didn’t give them out freely. The screen suddenly lit up with a document and Logan gasped and threw his arms around Virgil’s neck.

“You did it! You found it!”

“Ca-breathe.”

Quickly releasing Virgil, Logan apologised profusely for losing control of his emotions again. Virgil adjusted his shirt and fixed his hair as he set the computer to start copying the files across.

“You gotta settle down. I can’t guarantee that all your files are here, there is still a chance some of them are corrupted. I’ve got a program separating the corrupted files to a different USB and I’ll see what I can salvage and-“

Logan pulled Virgil into a hug, carefully this time. “Thank you so much, Virgil. If even half of my data and reports are safe, it’ll still be enough to show my professor.”

“I am not comfortable with this much physical contact with a stranger.”

Logan quickly let go and stepped back, “sorry. I, ah, went over the top again.”

 “Logan?”

The pair turned at the whispered voice to find Patton standing at the door, Roman protectively close by.

“Patton.” Logan’s voice was calmer now and it sounded strange to Virgil to hear him say Patton’s name in such a way.

“I’m so sorry, Logan. You’ve told me so many times not to be silly in the labs and I let you down. I’m sorry, Logie. Please forgive me.”

“Patton,” Logan took a deep breath and massaged his eyebrows. “You almost cost me everything. Without this data I would have had an incomplete research task which could have jeopardised my time here. Thankfully, Virgil was able to salvage some of my research. I-I-I’m so angry at you right now.”

Logan was staring intently at the corner of the office, while Patton’s eyes never left his friend, even as they filled with tears.

“I don’t think I can stop being angry with you for a while.” Roman placed a comforting hand on Patton’s shoulder as he let out a sob at Logan’s words. “I accept your apology, but I’m not ready to forgive you yet. Do you understand?”

Logan finally looked at Patton as he posed the question. Patton nodded and looked shocked as Logan held out his arms for a hug. Never one to refuse a hug, Patton raced forward and buried himself under Logan’s coat.

Virgil watched on awkwardly at the exchange. His mind trying to piece together the relationship between the three people in the room with him. Roman looked at his phone and started rapidly tapping on the screen.

 “I’ll make it up to you, Logan. I promise.” Patton managed to say, as his sobbing finally diminished. “You are my oldest friend and I would never purposefully do anything to ruin our friendship.”

“I know, Patton.” Logan looked over to Roman, who had just pocketed his phone. “Would you mind if Patton stayed with you and Katie for a while.”

“Wha-“ fresh tears started pouring from Patton’s eyes as he lent back to look up at Logan, but the man remained focused on Roman.

“Already organised, Lo.” Roman wrapped his arms around Patton’s waist from behind. “It’s ok, Pat. We’ve been meaning to spend more time together and Logan just needs some space.”

 Virgil didn’t think it was possible for Patton’s eyes to get any wider, but they did as Roman slowly backed them out of the room. When the sound of the door closing echoed through the library, Logan’s shoulders slumped once again but this time no tears fell.

“I’ve known Patton since I was seven years old. He’s like a brother to me. It kills me to push him away like that.”

“Then why did you?”

“He needs to learn that there are times that I need to be taken seriously. Besides, he and Roman needed a good excuse to take their relationship to the next level.”

———————————————————————

End note:

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. More chapters to come in the future. Feel free to give me feedback, I am always happy to accept constructive feedback as it helps support my future writing. 

💜🐌

——————————————————————

Chapter 2 ----- Masterlist 

What else have I done:

The Perfect Ring (oneshot - analogical proposal)

You Promised (oneshot - prinxiety angst/injury/near death) 

Sides of a Hero (Completed Fic - sides are fusions of impulses and aspects of Thomas. Virgil has a depressing past that he is forced to face thanks to Deceit and Rage. Was canon compliant at the time of completion)

The Shield to your Sword (WIP - A fantasy/magic au - Prinxiety (Royal Roman and orphan Virgil - they’ll admit to their love eventually), Virgil angst, non binary, healer Logan, *spoiler* Patton) 

Master List --- Chapter 1 

Chapter 2 - The Librarian in the Closet 

Warnings: mild panic

Summary:  Logan wants to repay Virgil for his help with the laptop.

___________________________________________________

Virgil had been at the library for three months, and in that three months it had never occurred to him that Roman was gay. Heat rose to Virgil’s cheeks as he pictured Roman dancing in the library, and he shook his head to erase the thoughts.

“Are you ok, Virgil?” Logan questioned, watching the other jolt out of their thoughts.

“Ah, I’m fine. A tad overloaded, but fine.” Virgil turned to check on the computers progress, eager to return to some normality after recent events. “It’ll take around 20 minutes for the files to finish copying. You’re welcome to use the kitchen at the back to make yourself something to drink while you wait. I’ve gotta get back to work.”

 Virgil left the office, expecting Logan to head towards the back, so he was surprised to sense the man still following him.

“Um, the kitchen is that way.” He gestured to the room behind the reading area, but Logan shook his head.

“I would feel terrible if I were to sit and relax while you work. I did distract you from your usual tasks. Allow me to help.”

“That isn’t necessary,” Virgil started busying himself by searching through books on a random shelf. “I can handle everything. Tuesday’s are quiet and I can’t start the actual cleaning for another 40 minutes when the library officially closes.”

“Oh, well, um…” Logan knew nothing about the role of a librarian and didn’t want to cause any more trouble for Virgil. “Would you like something to drink while I’m back there?”

“Coffee, please. Black.”

“I’ll get right on it.”

   Logan turned towards the kitchen, pausing in the reading area to lay his lab coat on the couch before continuing. Finally alone, Virgil lent on a support beam and allowed himself to relax. His hands trembled slightly, and he closed his eyes to try and steady his suddenly irregular breathing. In the span of 20 minutes he had gone from preparing to defend an acquaintance from a vicious deviant, to salvaging a ruined laptops data, to watching a friendship crumble before him. That was a lot of social events for one person to deal with in a short time span.

 ********************

 The kitchen was set out for basic communal use. The fridge was covered in notices about an honesty system and ensuring money was deposited in the jar to cover the cost of what was used. Logan opened a cupboard to retrieve two mugs and set to making two cups of instant coffee. Curiosity itched at Logan, and he found himself opening and inspecting the contents of all the cupboards. Plates, platters, cutlery. The kitchen was clearly capable of presenting a large array of foods, though none could be cooked without a stove or oven. In the final cupboard, Logan was shocked to find a collection of old phone books.

“Odd place to store these.” Logan whispered aloud as he pulled one of the books out to inspect it.

He was shocked to find the space behind the books was full of instant noodles, granola bars and biscuits. Logan’s mind ticked over as he recalled the items in the office. Suddenly the number of boxes of materials and duffel bags in Virgil’s office appeared suspicious, and the hidden food had Logan questioning. He knew Katie and she was not the sort to eat food like that. Returning the book, Logan finished making the coffees and headed back to find Virgil.

 “Virgil?” Pausing at the main desk, Logan was surprised to see the librarian on the floor behind the desk. “What is going on?”

Virgil had been so focused on trying to maintain control of his breathing, that he hadn’t heard Logan approach him.

“You’re shaking.” Logan dug into his jean pocket and pulled out a roll of candies. “Here, take one of these. I’ve found sugar helps in cases of many ailments, and I think it applies to your case.”

Gratefully taking the candies, Virgil felt his cheeks heating as he realised how close Logan was to him.

“Ahem, thanks.” Keeping his gaze low, Virgil tentatively stretched before attempting to stand.

“Was that a result of the overload you mentioned earlier, or something else?”

Virgil stared up at Logan before turning away, shaking his head and taking a sip of his coffee. “It’s nothing.”

“You’re a skilled person, Virgil, but lying isn’t one of your skills unfortunately.” Logan made no attempt to move as he watched Virgil’s back, carefully reading his body language. “Is there any way I could assist you with your predicament?”

 Virgil almost choked on his coffee at Logan’s words.

“What are you talking about? Why do you care? You don’t even know me?”

The words came out harsher than he had intended, and Virgil was glad he still had his back to Logan.

“I understand that my earlier behaviour may have led you to believe otherwise, but I am a rather caring person. You come across as the sort of person who gives plenty to others and expects very little in return, which is what has led to your cur-“

“Stop. Please, just stop.” Virgil pushed away from the desk and headed back into the aisles of the library.

 Logan didn’t follow. He merely watched the young man as he wondered the aisles, finding all manner of jobs to distract himself. It was like looking in a mirror, only when Logan had been avoiding all manner of help, he was younger than what Virgil was now. Taking a page from Patton’s book, Logan sat back and gave Virgil his space to process.

 ********************

 Finally, a clock chimed, marking the closure of the library. Virgil jumped at the sound, realising that time had slipped away from him. After locking the front door, he headed back to his office to collect the USB for Logan.

The sound of a vacuum starting had Virgil scrambling to grab the USB as it jumped from his hand. Exiting the office, he found Logan was in the process of vacuuming the reading area.

“What on earth are you doing?” Virgil called over the sound.

Logan looked back and smiled at Virgil before returning to his work, until the vacuums power plug was pulled, and the library was plunged back into silence.

 “Well that was incredibly rude,” Logan remarked, “I was working.”

“A, you don’t work here and B, here’s your USB.” Virgil tossed the drive to Logan and pointed towards the door. “You can go now.”

“Oh, I’m not going anywhere. I still have to repay you for your efforts.”

“You’ve already paid me. I asked you not to dissect anyone and you haven’t.”

“A service deserves payment. So, allow me to pay you, Virgil.”

 “Logan? It’s great to see you.” Katie’s voice echoed from the front of the library as she locked the door and headed towards where Logan and Virgil were.

“Always a pleasure to see you too, Katie. How’s the main library?”

“Back on track now. Thanks for taking over, Virgil, but I can take it from here. You’re free to go home now.”

It suddenly occurred to Virgil that with Katie staying back to clean, he wouldn’t be able to stay, and he hadn’t arranged to stay with anyone else.

“Oh, um, yeah. Thanks, Katie.” He quickly went back to his office to start packing his things and make a plan for the evening.

 “Roman filled me in on the afternoons events,” Katie commented as she took the vacuum from Logan’s hand. “Honestly, Lo, don’t you think you went a little overboard.”

“Considering my general demeanour, it would appear so, but I assure you it was entirely justified.”

“Sure, it was, sweetie. So, what do you think of Virgil?”

“What do you mean?” Logan squinted at Katie in confusion as he took in her mischievous look.

“You missed out on Professor Keils extra tutorial to hang out in a library. You’ve never missed a lecture or tutorial for anyone. So, what do you think of Virgil?”

 Logan was at a loss for words as he considered why he had stayed with Virgil. He needed the data from his laptop, that was important, but he didn’t have to stay to retrieve it. He could have gone to the tutorial and come back later to collect his things, there was no reason to stay. So why had he?

“I think he… is lost.”

“Sound familiar.” Katie smiled and pulled Logan into a hug. “I’ve given Virgil space, but I think he needs someone to give him guidance.”

“I hardly know him, and he sees me as a stranger.”

“Jason hardly knew you.”

“That was different. We were younger and Jason was-“ Logan choked on his words thinking of the person he had lost.

“Don’t over think it, Lo. Just act.”

 “See you tomorrow, Katie.” Virgil called from the front as he left.

Logan looked down at Katie, who nudged her head to the side and mouthed “go”.

“You are a very manipulative and quick-witted woman.”

After planting a kiss of thanks on Katie’s forehead, Logan grabbed his coat and rushed out the door to catch up with Virgil.

 “You’d be proud of him, Jason.” Katie spoke to the echoes of the empty library. “Admittedly, you would also be jealous, and a little concerned at how he reacted, but proud nonetheless.”

 ********************

 Pulling his hood up to block out the evening breeze, Virgil headed down the road; his mind ticking through his possible options for the evening. So far, his best option was to find a place to chill until Katie finished at the library so he could return to do his usual process. The reading area couch wasn’t the most comfortable thing, but it was better than any outdoor options.

 “Virgil!”

Logan’s voice snapped Virgil out of his thoughts, and he turned to see the man jogging towards him.

“You have a very swift walking pace,” he noted, quickly catching up to where Virgil had paused. “I never expected you to be so far away.”

“What happened to cleaning the library?” Virgil questioned, adjusting the straps of his backpack and duffel bag. 

“A, I don’t work there and B, I was only cleaning to repay you.” Logan mimicked Virgil’s earlier body language and noticed the slight smile pulling at the other's cheeks. “Can’t repay you if you aren’t there, so allow me to treat you to dinner instead.”

“Wha-What?” The duffel slipped off Virgil’s shoulder and hit the ground with a soft thud.

“Dinner.” Logan replied, reaching down to pick up Virgil’s bag, “The meal you eat in the evening.”

“I-I know what dinner is but-“

“Well then, let’s go. My car is on the other side of the University; it will be necessary to take you to make favourite restaurant.”

 Patton wouldn’t approve of Logan’s methods; talking over Virgil and forcing the man to follow him as he walked away with his bag. Initially, Virgil didn’t move, stunned into silence, but he soon found his feet and was following Logan towards the University. The pair walked in silence, Logan slightly ahead and Virgil a step behind and trying to work out what Logan’s endgame was. He couldn’t work the man out and he seemed to be going to a lot of effort over repaying him for a simple data transfer.

Slipping his phone out of his pocket, Virgil quickly typed out a message to Katie.

 Virge: spill. What is this guys deal?

Reelest: what ever do you mean?

Virge: Im serious. Im currently walking the streets with a guy who was threatening to dissect someone earlier today.

Reelest: Logan is harmless.

Virge: what is his fascination with repaying me.

Reelest: you just saved months worth of research for him. He’s grateful. Let someone do something for you for a change.

Virge: I don’t know how I feel about this, Katie. This is all just so weird.

Reelest: trust me, Sparks. Logan is a good guy. Relax and enjoy yourself. I expect pictures and for you to fill me in tomorrow.

Virge: you’re acting like this is a date. This isn’t a date!

 Virgil sent the message but felt his breath catch in his throat. His mind raced with cruel thoughts and memories. The vibration of his phone pulled him back to the present, and he gasped; realising he had stopped breathing altogether.

 “Are you ok back there?” Logan questioned, realising that Virgil had fallen more than a few steps behind.

“Um,” Virgil quickly cleared his throat and pulled his hood down to hide his face. “I’m fine. I was just distracted by my phone.”

“Well, we are almost there. Sorry I parked so far away.”

“No worries, it’s fine.”

Virgil looked down at the message in his phone and felt confusingly calmer.

  Reelest : don’t worry. Logan doesn’t date. I still want all the details though.

 ********************

 "Um, isn't the car park that way?" questioned Virgil, as Logan suddenly veered towards a nearby building.

"I need to collect my bag from the lab."

Pulling a keycard from his pocket, Logan let himself into the building and stepped inside; letting the door swing back to Virgil's outstretched hand. Virgil remained nervously in the entry as his mind reminded him of the furious man he had met hours earlier. He couldn't shake the feeling that he would do something wrong and make Logan just as mad at him.

 Peering over his shoulder, Logan noticed Virgil's hesitation and decided not to push him to follow. His footsteps echoed through the halls as he headed up the stairs and swiped his card again to enter the first room on his left.

Sighing, Logan stood in the doorway and took in the mess that he and Patton had left behind. A microscope was still set up on a bench with a box of slides set out, Logan's notebook hadn't moved from where it had been laid open and was thankfully safe from the pool of coffee that had spread from a fallen mug. Wiping his hand down his face, Logan groaned at the reminder that he would have to clear the lab to ensure his access wouldn't be revoked.

 "Honestly," Virgil suddenly appeared behind Logan, "I expected it to be worse."

Logan chuckled, "It seemed a lot worse to me at the time."

"Care to point me in the direction of a cloth or something. Cleaning is kind of what I do."

"No." Logan started walking to the storeroom to collect some supplies, "I'm the one repaying you, remember?"

Shrugging, Virgil hoisted himself up onto another bench and looked down at the laptop power cable snaked across the floor.

"I'm guessing Patton pulled your laptop down by the power cord?"

"Precisely," Returning, Logan dumped a handful of paper towel on the coffee spill to soak the liquid up. "He was practicing some dance Roman had taught him when his foot snagged on the cord. I can't count the number of times I've told him labs weren't a place for dancing."

 “I imagine he’s not as graceful as Roman.”

Logan chuckled, “No, he isn’t. You watch Roman dance often?”

“Yea-no. Not rea-. Well…” Virgil stumbled over his words, thankful that Logan’s back was too him. “I usually -um- only see the end when I’m shutting up the library. I don’t, like, watch him or anything.”

 Logan nodded and took no more than a side glance at Virgil. The man was on edge, barely able to keep still and there was a slight blush to his cheeks. He recognised that look and that talk. It was painfully familiar.

‘Katie said he needed guidance. Perhaps it is in more areas than I thought.’

Returning the microscope to the cupboard, Logan turned to find Virgil had packed his notebook and slides in his bag and was using a cloth to wipe the bench top down with disinfectant.

“You didn’t have to do that,” he commented, taking the supplies out of Virgil’s hands to return them.

“Annoying, isn’t it,” Virgil gave Logan a smug smile and picked up his backpack and duffel. “Can we get this dinner over with now so that we are all squared up.”

“Aren’t you enjoying my company?”

“No offence, or anything,” Virgil was working hard to come across as nonchalant and hide his true feelings. “I don’t enjoy the company of people in general.”

“Relatable.”

 Logan strode out of the lab, leaving Virgil lingering alone for a moment.

‘Who on earth is this guy?’

Virgil had never experienced anyone quite like Logan. It didn’t make sense that he could be irrationally emotional and quick witted one second, and then deadly serious the next. As Virgil caught up and continued to follow Logan out towards the carpark, he considered the way he was presenting himself.

‘Mentally unstable, antisocial, loner, computer freak. Why hasn’t this dude run for the hills yet?’

 “Here’s my car”

The lights of a scratched-up Honda Civic flashed as Logan unlocked the car. Considering how professional Logan came across, Virgil had pictured a modern, well-kept car. The grey machine before him was anything but well kept.

“You can put your stuff in the boot if you want.” Logan offered, placing his own bag in and walking around to the driver’s side.

Slamming the boot shut, Virgil slid into the passenger seat just and the engine spluttered to life.

 ********************

 “So where is this elusive restaurant?” Virgil asked, glancing over and noticing how the streetlights reflected on Logan’s glasses.

“It’s on the east side. Considering how quiet it is on the roads right now, we should be there in 10 minutes.”

Virgil paled slightly, realising he would have to make the journey back to the library later. He only hoped the weather was on his side.

“I will of course be able to drop you back at your place afterwards,” offered Logan, quickly sensing Virgil’s discomfort. “I wouldn’t whisk you away and then expect you to find your own way back.”

“Oh, no. That’s fine. You don’t have to do that.”

“I know. But I will.”

 Virgil turned to stare out the window, reassessing his plans. He couldn’t get Logan to drop him off at the library; that would scream “I’m homeless and illegally living where I work.” He instead settled on using his old address; it was only a 5 minute walk to the library from there.

 For some, the silence of the drive would have been uncomfortable, but both Logan and Virgil found it comforting. They each had their own thoughts to process. Virgil focused on his housing dilemma and trying to understand Logan’s motives. While Logan on the other hand, was thinking about what Katie expected him to do and wondering how Patton was. The two were so different and yet shared much in common. Logan was starting to see it, but it would take time for Virgil to feel the same.

____________________________________________

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Let me know if you have any feedback, questions or concerns. 

💜🐌

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Chapter 3   ---  Master List

What else have I done:

The Perfect Ring (oneshot - analogical proposal)

You Promised (oneshot - prinxiety angst/injury/near death) 

Sides of a Hero (Completed Fic - sides are fusions of impulses and aspects of Thomas. Virgil has a depressing past that he is forced to face thanks to Deceit and Rage. Was canon compliant at the time of completion)

The Shield to your Sword (WIP - A fantasy/magic au - Prinxiety (Royal Roman and orphan Virgil - they’ll admit to their love eventually), Virgil angst, non binary, healer Logan, *spoiler* Patton)