#secretsantasides

         Patton rolled his eyes, “Logan it’s not just nonsense; it’s science! Just because you think you’re some kind of lone wolf doesn’t mean you don’t have a soulmate. Your eyes wouldn’t be grey if you weren’t still waiting for your person. So you can deny it all you want. It won’t change the fact that they’re waiting.”

         “I don’t have time for a soulmate, Pat. You and Ethan just work better; you have time to be in love and he’s patient enough to deal with… you.”

         Patton faked an offended gasp, “Just for that I’m not getting you a free drink next round! But you’re right, Ethan is perfect. However-”

         “There is no however.”

         ”However,” Patton continued. “It doesn’t mean that there isn’t someone out there who’s just as patient with your bullshit as Ethan is with mine. Now look you made me swear. I hope you’re happy.”

         “I think the three appletinis made you swear,” Logan said. “Don’t you have work tomorrow?”

         “Actually I’m going out of town in two days with the girls so they gave me time off.”

         “Out of town? That’s this week?” Logan asked.

         Patton finished his drink, “I love how much you listen when I talk. The pandas are being moved to the zoo in Atlanta so their enclosure can be remodeled and we’re hoping to get some breeding done while we’re out there. That’s why I told you that you have to take mom to the optometrist on Monday. If you forget that, Logan-”

         “Right right,” Logan said. “No I’ll remember it’s… it’s in my phone.” He looked at his empty glass of whiskey but pushed it aside, deciding he’d better stay sober, “So what’s Ethan thinking about this longterm separation?”

         Patton snorted, “One of his retics laid a ton of eggs and she bit his face when he was pulling the clutch. Now he’s walking around like Crocodile Dundee. Plus the whole clutch is viable so we’re looking at a lot of new snakes to add to the national program. He’s in talks with a zoo in Taiwan too about some bloodline trades. It’s really annoying sometimes. He gets dozens of babies a season and I’m lucky if I’ll see more than two or three in my career.”

         “Well you chose the pandas,” Logan said.

         “I’ll have you know the pandas chose me,” Patton said. “You want another drink?”

         “Nah, I’ll drive you home,” Logan said. “Go flirt with the bartender and see if he’ll pretend to think you’re young some more.”

         Patton laughed as he slid out of his seat, walking over to the bar. On the dancefloor Logan saw a small group of students, a few of which he recognized—one in particular a large pain in his ass. Remus Prince, Quarterback of the university football team and well-known idiot. Logan wished Remus was the typical jock idiot, uncaring and arrogant, one he could easily fail without a second thought, but Remus was bound and determined to make up for his own shortcomings with hard work and extra credit. It meant that half of Logan’s office hours were spent patiently explaining things to Remus again and again, and accepting an outlandish amount of extra credit work.

         And—even more annoyingly—through it all Remus was cheerful, friendly and actually interested in what Logan had to say. Worse still, Remus was a senior, only four years younger than Logan who was the baby of the science department and didn’t he just hate that little nickname? Remus was like a peer, but worse, a jock, the kind of person that would have made Logan’s life miserable if they’d ever walked the same halls together as students. The revelation that Remus was gay was… interesting? No, not interesting. He’s a student and you don’t care. Logan rubbed his eyes and sighed, jumping when Patton returned with two appletinis. He sat down and stared at his brother matter-of-factly, “Guess how much these cost me?”

         Logan raised an eyebrow and couldn’t stop the smile that tugged at his lips, “How are we related?”

          Patton was a lot heavier than he looked when he needed to be carried, and Logan struggled up the stairs to the door of the apartment, knocking on the door. It was a cute place, all brick and right on the street, divided in half horizontally to make a duplex, but it was roomy and it was nice for two people on zookeeper salary; it was inexpensive—for Florida. Ethan opened the door and Logan gasped, “Ethan, your face!”

         Ethan did smile, and there was more than a little pride in it, “Don’t worry. She hit above and below my eye but the doc said to keep a full dressing on it at night so I don’t rub anything off. He cool?”

         “Vodka drunk,” Logan said, hauling Patton inside and laying him on the couch. “Not too bad but I told him I’d stay sober and I think he needed to drink off some stress.”

         “The move, yeah,” Ethan said, following Logan back to the door. “And my face. He’s not really loving how many times I take the bandage off to show people but it’s my first big tag! You wanna see the pictures from the ER?”

         “Gosh I’d love to but I have class in the morning so-”

         “Ethan!” Patton called from the livingroom, “Come sex me up, Mr. Snake Whisperer!”

         “Good luck with that,” Logan said. “Tell him to call me when he’s less obnoxious.”

         “Will do,” Ethan said. “Bye Logan.”

         Logan snorted when Patton called again and started down the stairs, “Good luck!”

                   Logan looked at himself in the mirror after taking out his contacts and smiled at his grey eyes; grey was distinguished, and he didn’t mind having a constant reminder—for himself and others—that he was beyond all of this soulmate nonsense. He was a lone wolf, just like Patton said, and his true love was forensic anthropology—or biology, as he was currently teaching. His application was top in line for the anthropology department, however, and he had consulted a time or two on actual cases. So, despite Patton’s—and his mother’s—insistence that his life was somehow incomplete, Logan couldn’t be happier. He turned off the bathroom light and crawled into bed, thinking back over his tasks for the day, all of which he’d completed before he ever set foot inside the gay bar with his brother. It was the same way he lulled himself to sleep every night, assured of all of his accomplishments, large and small, and how every day was a blank slate.

         Sleep came quick for him, thanks to the single glass of whiskey and the exhaustion of dealing with his drunk brother—and his sober brother-in-law. His dreams were blurry and immemorable until suddenly his vision was filled with green. There were calloused hands on his skin, warm lips on his cheek and breath in his ear, and he was held against a solid body with a grip that was surprisingly strong. He closed his eyes and still all he could see was green.

         Logan gasped and sat up, checking the clock and scowling; it was still the middle of the night and he was baffled by the strange dream and irredeemably hard. He sighed heavily and climbed out of bed, heading back into the bathroom and turning the shower to cold, stripping off his pajamas. Who the hell did he know that was associated with green, anyway? He didn’t even like the color green, his favorite color was indigo, far from the blinding lime he’d been accosted with in his dream. Any thoughts of the dream went screaming from his mind when he stepped into the water; his chest tightened and he exhaled involuntarily, “F-fuck!”

He tightened his hands into fists and endured the water, somehow preferring cold-induced heart palpitations to ward off an unwanted erection than perhaps the more obvious—and less miserable—solution. It was easier to be stubborn and miserable than to admit—and revel in—the fact that something had gotten him going, and that it had to be the dream. Whiskey wasn’t exactly known for facilitating physical arousal, and he’d barely had enough to taste in the first place.

                           “Morning!” Remus announced as he knocked on the open office door.

         “Good morning,” Logan said, “Come in, Mr. Prince.” He cleared away the end of his desk where Remus usually worked and stacked up the papers elsewhere. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

         Remus laughed, his cheeks a bit pink; Logan wondered if he was getting a cold—and how much that would panic the other professors about the state of the football team. He took a sip of his coffee as he sat down. Remus scratched the back of his neck, “Well I have the three essays to turn in, and I did the makeup dissection test with Professor Picane’s Zoological Anatomy class… the uh… feral pig?”

         “Fetal pig,” Logan said, putting his coffee cup aside. “He sent your scores up to me. Good work. You got everything right except for the microscope work. We’re still struggling with cellular identification. I spoke with Emile and he said you actually seemed to have issues where things were similarly colored, so I took the liberty of emailing you some color-blind tests. I’m also inviting you to come in during my freshman course tomorrow. I use different dyes in my slides and I think you’ll benefit from it.”

         “Great!” Remus said. “You really go above and beyond to help me, Professor Heart. I um… well, thank you so much.”

         Logan crossed his legs, leaning back in his chair, “You know, Remus, I think you’ve got a lot of potential, and I think you’ve been pushed through classes due to your athletic prowess—to your detriment. I really want to help you understand that you’re not lacking in intelligence, you understand. You’ve got the answers, we’ve just had to learn how to get to them, right?”

         “Right,” Remus said, ducking his head shyly. “You’re always right.”

         “Now, with these three essays and with you making up the microscope work tomorrow, there’s no need for anymore extra credit work. You’ve got this, Mr. Prince. All you have to do is attend all of the lectures and you’ll be on track for a strong grade in this class. Do you feel like you need any more help?”

         Remus hesitated, “I  mean… you’ve done so much. I know you’ve basically changed my life, and how I feel about science—school in general! I um… I guess if I need anything I’ll just schedule a day before finals. If you think I can do it, I think I can do it.”

         Logan smiled, “Very good, Remus. You’ve got this.”

         Remus set the three essays down on the empty part of the desk and looked over them, “I can’t believe this is it, you know? I’m going to graduate in less than a month.”

         “Another year on the books,” Logan said. “Wait until you’re my age.”

         “You’re not old,” Remus said. “You’re still in your twenties too. Oh!” He picked up his backpack and dug through it, pulling out a small cardboard box. He set it on the desk. “I know your real interest is anthropology, like the cop kind, and I um… well, my dad works in the big museum uptown. They got a few of these and they gave my dad two of them.”

         Logan took the box and opened it, raising an eyebrow as he took out a human skull, obviously prepared and preserved professionally. “This is a nicely intact specimen. You’re certain this is alright?”

         “Yeah my dad said he’d rather it go to somebody who wants it than just gather dust in our basement or the museum’s basement. Oh they said it had uh… crouton disease?”

         “Crouzon Disease,” Logan said, standing up. “Hyperostosis Frontalis Interna, very interesting. Thank you Remus this is incredibly thoughtful.”

         Remus watched Logan put the skull in a central place on his shelf of books and specimens; it looked good, but Remus wasn’t really paying attention to the skull, especially when Logan turned and gave him a smile, extending his hand. Remus jumped up and shook it eagerly, “Thank you again, professor. You’re my hero. You’re especially my parents’ hero.”

         Logan chuckled, and the touch was mildly electric, probably static, but it made Logan shiver, “You’re the hero, Mr. Prince. Remember that, hard work got you this far, and it’ll take you wherever you want to go.”

         Remus nodded, slowly releasing Logan’s hand and stepping back to grab his backpack. “Well, see you in class tomorrow! Eight, right?”

         “Right,” Logan said. “And don’t forget the possibility of a pop quiz tomorrow in your actual class.”

         “Possibility,” Remus chuckled. “Good one, Professor Heart. See you then.”

         Logan watched him go and sighed, turning to admire the skull, a warmth blooming in his chest he’d never really felt before. It really was a nice skull, he supposed.

          Logan drove home with that feeling intact, almost floating into the elevator and riding it up to his floor. After making it down the hallway, and the obligatory avoidance of his neighbor’s eyes, he stepped into his apartment and locked the door behind him. He felt bone-deep exhausted—probably from the dream-cursed night before—and he went straight to the bathroom to take out his contacts. Once his contacts were safely back in their saline baths, he brushed his teeth, grabbing his glasses off of the vanity and putting them on. He admired his eyes—his green eyes. Logan gasped and squeezed his eyes closed, opening them again, still green. He took off his glasses, and his reflection was blurry, but clearly green eyes stared back at him. The warmth in his chest suddenly became a sharp icicle, and he realized. Green, Remus Prince. “Fuck!” Logan shouted, turning off the light and rushing out to his bedroom. He sat on the bed and pulled his cellphone out of his pocket, dialing his brother.

         The phone rang several times, and went to voicemail; Logan swore again and dialed the home phone, “Come on Pat come on.”

         “Hey Logan! What’s up?”

         “Ethan? Oh, is Pat… oh shit.”

         “Alabama,” Ethan said. “Yeah. You ok?”

         “No, not at all… oh god. Can we talk? Like do you have time?” Logan stood up, pacing around the bed. “I have… an awkward situation.”

         “You? I don’t believe it.”

         Logan sighed and Ethan laughed, “I’d like to be serious with you for a moment.”

         “Of course,” Ethan said. “Go ahead.”

         “When you realized you were Patton’s soulmate, was there a feeling?”

         “Hm,” Ethan said. “Actually, yes. I thought I had heartburn, actually. Just like this warmth in my chest? It sounds a bit stereotypical but yeah. I felt warm. That night when I was washing my face I realized my eyes had changed. You doing a study?”

         “Um… no,” Logan admitted. “My eyes are green.”

         “Oh! Oh my god! Did you tell your mom?”

         “Please, Ethan. I have only told you.”

         “Do you know who it is?” Ethan asked. “Any clue?”

         “One of my students,” Logan said. “The… football player.”

         “Oh yeah I remember Patton mentioning him, the stupid one right?”

         Logan bristled, “He isn’t stupid. He’s…” He sighed, rubbing his temple, “Well, thank you Ethan. You’ve answered my question.”

         “Text Pat,” Ethan said. “He’ll lose his shit.”

         “Goodnight, Ethan,” Logan said.

         Logan hung up and set his phone on the nightstand before undressing, pulling on a pair of pajama pants and climbing into bed. He turned off the lamp and pulled the blanket over his head, willing himself to sink into the earth.

          The following morning’s class was a blur of barely-controlled panic and dread, but luckily Remus barely even spared him a glance, intent on taking and passing his cellular identification exam. Logan pretended to grade papers when Remus came up to his desk, and his heart surged like it had, warming to Remus like a rock in the sun, “See you in class.”

         Logan gave a noncommittal sound, and Remus left the classroom, allowing Logan to finally breathe. Ignoring this wasn’t going to be easy, and Logan was already getting frantic texts from his brother demanding an explanation. Logan briefly wondered how hard it would be to vanish without changing universities. The worst part, without question, was how badly he wanted Remus to touch him, even just a brush of his hand. His body was like a magnet and his hands were shaking even though their closeness had been brief. At least his upcoming class was taking a pop quiz, and they were to clear out as soon as answers were submitted.  

          Logan remained more or less glued to the desk during the hour between classes, grading the microscope work—Remus hadn’t missed a single slide, so Picane’s catch on the colorblindness had been spot on. Logan had felt a stab of jealousy, absurd as it was, that he hadn’t realized it sooner, first, because Remus was his soulmate—his.

         “Mine,” Logan muttered to himself, then his face heated up when he realized what he’d said, and he looked down to realize he’d written it on Remus’ exam answers. Quickly scratching it out he pushed the test aside and lowered his face to the desk. “What a nightmare.”

         “What’s a nightmare, Mr. Heart?”

         Logan looked up to see his first student sliding into her desk, and he forced a chuckle, “The state of the economy in nineteenth century Luxembourg.” He stood up and began writing on the board.

         “Will that be on the final?” another student asked. The classroom had started filling up.

         “Not unless I’ve ever written it on this board,” Logan said. “We start final prep next week, don’t forget.”

         He finished filling out the board as the rest of his students filed in, and once his watch beeped cheerily that class had started, he heard a voice pick up behind him, the same girl from before, “Is that your favorite tie, Mr. Heart? You wear it a lot.”

         “It’s my favorite color,” Logan said without turning around. “As charming as the distraction is, I haven’t forgotten the pop quiz.” He turned around and Remus was staring at him, mouth open in shock. On either side of him, his linebacker buddies were looking at one another, and Logan realized his mistake in revealing his favorite color—because he knew better than anyone what color Remus’ eyes must be now. Wincing, he adjusted his glasses, “Alright, please take out a clean sheet of paper and answer the questions I’ve written on the board. When you’re finished please leave them up here and you may go.”

         Logan sat at his desk and pretended to be working, jumping when the first student turned in their quiz, but calmed and kept his eyes down as the steady stream of quizzes landed on his desk. He was starting to feel safe when most of his students had gone, and he made the mistake of looking up when a loud pair of sneakers stopped at his desk. The room was empty, and Remus Prince was standing at his desk, quiz in his hand. He set it down with the others and shoved his hands in his pockets, “Your eyes are green. I never noticed.”

         Logan paled and stared up at Remus, “I um… it’s recent.”

         Remus nodded, “Me too, indigo, right? It’s a weird blue for eyes. My brother said they look like Liz Taylor whoever that is.”

         Logan let out a nervous little laugh, looking down at the paper he’d been doodling on only to realize he’d been writing the word mine over and over, “Yeah. She had um… dark eyes. So I suppose you’ve met your soulmate then, congratulations, Mr. Prince.”

         Remus looked around and then back at Logan, “You’re going to pretend it isn’t you?”

         Logan was feeling very much like a deer in the headlights, but at the same time heat was playing in his chest. He pushed his chair back and stood up, tensing when Remus reached to grab his wrist, “I’m not-” Logan tried to pull away but Remus shook his head, “I’m not pretending anything I… damn it. Damn it I’m afraid, ok? You’re a student!”

         “Not for long! Like two weeks from now I’m taking the final, and unless I stop showing up entirely, there’s no way I’m failing. I did the math which I know will impress you because I’m such an idiot.”

         “Mr. Prince,” Logan said, then sighed. “Remus… is this even something you want? A relationship dictated by some… some system we don’t even understand? By colors and chance and… what, fate? You want to let the universe stick you with someone… someone like me?”

         Remus laughed and released Logan, covering his face with his hands, “You don’t fucking get it, do you? You really don’t.”

         Logan wrapped his arms around himself, blushing and adjusting his glasses, “Don’t get what?”

         “I have wanted you since before I started in this class!” Remus said. “My brother, the attention whore? He had me come here last semester to pick up a paper for him, remember? If it was just fate shoving us together it would have happened then… but it didn’t. I thought you were hot, so I signed up for your class because I figured I’d cheat my way through and have a hot prof to stare at right?”

         “Hot?”

         “Just let me finish,” Remus said. “When I came in here and sat down at that desk and I listened to you read the syllabus… and all of your weird bone jokes and that thing about the swamp mummy?”

         “Bog bodies, the Tollund Man, yes,” Logan said. “You remember that?”

         “Yeah because you cared, like you actually cared about it. You’re not just here because you couldn’t get a career and you’re not just here to waste time. You really care about what you’re teaching us, and I know you’re trying to switch departments but whatever, you know what I mean… there’s a lot of passion there and it made me give a shit. It took me forty-five minutes to fall in love with your stupid class, and maybe two or three classes to fall in love with you… but still it didn’t happen. Because it didn’t happen until you fell in love with me.”

         Logan was silent as he stared at Remus, his mouth hanging open; he took a sharp breath, shoving his hands in his pockets, “Jesus.”

         “Well? Am I right?” Remus said, tears welling up in his eyes. “It’s the mustache right? My friends told me that’s the reason you didn’t tell me. Because you hate it. I don’t even care. I’ll shave it off, ok? I don’t care if it’s good luck I-”

         Logan crossed the short distance between them and kissed Remus, cutting him off. Remus grabbed Logan’s collar and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. Logan’s mind spun, and his knees went weak. Remus had no trouble holding him up, and when they finally broke the kiss, Logan smiled sheepishly. “I don’t hate the mustache, as much as I wish I did. I really don’t.”

         Remus buried his face against Logan’s shoulder and laughed, “Great because I really need to keep it if I’m going to get drafted. Three of the NFL scouts commented on it.”

         “Yes I’m sure you’ll bring back the seventies mustache. Your parents will be ecstatic.”

         “Yeah… so um… are we dating?”

         “No,” Logan said, then off Remus’ look he hurried to elaborate. “Not until you pass this class of your own merit. Like you said, it’s no big deal and then, the second your final grade is logged in the university database… we can date.”

         Remus smiled, smoothing down Logan’s shirt as he stepped back, “Right, cool um… hey I should probably go then, right? Got studying to do. Bye teach.”

         “Mr. Prince,” Logan said, sinking back down into his seat once Remus was gone.

Virgil cursed them under his breath before speaking louder, “You say that like I stalk him or something.”

“Why don’t you go talk to him?” Remus podded.

“Because he’s the model student of the school and I’m a delinquent maybe? Or have you forgotten that?” Virgil opened his backpack and pulled out two tupperware kits. He slid one to each of the others, “Here. We made Korean beef and rice today.”

The two thanked him as they began to eat. Dolos smiled, “I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again, you’re a really good cook Virgil.” He paused for a brief moment before exclaiming, “I know! How about you cook something for Logan? That might get his attention.”

“And paint myself as a weirdo? Like, ‘Hey, I know we haven’t properly talked since seventh grade, but I really liked you back then and I still like you! Have this cake I made for you!’? No thanks.”

The three fell silent as Dolos and Remus continued to eat. Virgil’s attention shifted back to Logan. He would glance up occasionally when one of his friends said something. Sometimes Virgil found himself jealous of Patton and Roman for being best friends with Logan. But he quickly tossed those feelings aside. There was nothing to be jealous of.

A shrill bell rang out announcing the end of lunch. Virgil shoved his tupperware back into his bag and waved goodbye to Remus as he headed off. Dolos and Virgil shared language arts after lunch so they made their way to the classroom together. The class was boring per usual. The pair sat next to one another and passed notes instead of focusing on the movie. Virgil had read the book plenty of times and seen the movie many more. He even owned the movie. He already knew everything about it and knew he would ace the test.

The class after that was chemistry with Mr. Sanders. Virgil dreaded this class, but it was also his favorite. The class itself was okay and Mr. Sanders was kind and friendly. Yet Logan was also in the class. While he wasn’t aware of it, he always managed to distract Virgil.

The purple haired teen walked into the classroom and made a bee line for his seat. It was several desks away from the door. He kept his eyes down the whole time to avoid glancing over at his crush who was seated four rows ahead of him. When the bell rang to begin class Virgil began to count down the minutes until it was over. Everytime he looked up to check the spelling of his notes or the clock, his eyes drifted to the back of Logan. He could see the other’s muscles moving through the black fabric as he wrote.

Virgil tore his eyes away from Logan’s back. He looked anywhere else. At the black tables lining the room that are used for experiments. At other students’ bags or shoes. At the cabinet full of various supplies. They landed on the clock. Thirty more minutes. Finally, he figured he’d tune back into the lesson. Every so often, he’d catch himself staring at Logan’s back again. And each time he’d force his attention elsewhere.

Just as the class was packing up, Logan approached Mr. Sanders. Virgil watched in curiosity as they spoke. Mr. Sanders smiled and clapped his hands together to gain the class’s attention. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up at him.

“Class, Logan has just told me that he is now going to start offering one-on-one tutoring for those who need and- or want it. He is writing his number on the board so anyone who wants can contact him to set up a session,” Mr. Sanders beamed.

Logan sure enough had his number written on the board in large, clear numbers. Virgil realized this was his first time seeing his hand writing. It was crisp and neat and… Actually really pretty. The raven haired male spoke up, “Do not call or text me after nine o'clock or before five thirty. Please do not spam me nor call during school hours. I can help through text or over the phone if you can not meet in person. That is all.”

Without thinking, Virgil jotted down the number and made note of when not to message or call. He closed his notebook and shoved it in his backpack just as the bell rang. The male bolted for the door and disappeared into a crowd of students.

“You should totally text him!” Remus exclaimed, “This is your chance Virge!”

Virgil groaned. He regretted telling Remus and Dolos about Logan’s tutoring sessions. Now they’d find some way to force him to text Logan. They wouldn’t rest until Logan agreed to go out with Virgil- or reject him completely. He should have never let Dolos borrow his chem notes. They’re not even that good. It’s mostly just a bunch of correct spelling. He should have known Remus was going to also look at them and asked about the number. I should have lied about it.

Remus kept pressing for Virgil to text Logan or to even call him. The purple haired male didn’t notice Dolos grab his phone and start typing away. With a chuckle, Dolos placed the phone back down in front of Virgil, “There. That fixes the issue.”

Virgil’s eyes narrowed at his bleach blonde friend. He quickly picked up his phone, “What fixes the issue? What did you do?”

“Set up a tutor session between you and Logan after school tomorrow.”

“I don’t need tutoring. I-” Virgil started before being cut off.

“Good thinking Dol!” Remus laughed and high hived Dolos.

Virgil stared down at his phone. A conversation between ‘him’ and Logan stared back. He felt like telling Logan the truth and cancelling the session. Surely he would understand… But what if he takes it the wrong way? Like I don’t need his help? Or that I think I’m above his help? Gah stupid Dolos…

“Fine. I’ll do this one session with him and that’s it. Got it?” Both Dolos and Remus nodded. “But Dol, you need to to talk to Roman then.”

Dolos’ face flushed. He opened his mouth a few times before closing it. Remus snickered at the sight. After a minute, Dolos nodded, “Deal.”

The next day was agonizing. Virgil had hoped he’d wake up sick to get out of the deal. Luck wasn’t on his side. He could hardly pay attention to his classes- not that he did half the time anyways. During lunch, Dolos informed him that he had spoken to Roman during Spanish class. Virgil didn’t believe him until Roman passed by and waved at Dolos.

By the time chemistry class rolled around, Virgil’s stomach was in knots. He lingered outside for a few minutes so he went in just before the bell rang. He hardly took notes and barely processed the words being said. When everyone started packing up, Logan approached Virgil.

“Hello Virgil. I would just like to confirm that we will be meeting in the library at three for your tutoring session,” Logan’s voice was flat and monotone. Yet Virgil’s heart leapt into his throat at the sound. He swallowed back the lump.

“Yeah… Totally… I’ll see you there!” He hated the words the second they left his mouth. Why did he have to say it like that? Logan nodded and the bell rang.

Virgil walked into the library to find Logan already at a table waiting. He walked over to the raven haired boy and sat down next to him. His brown eyes scanned the table. Logan already had his chemistry book and notes out. He began to pull his own out of his bag, “Hey Logan.”

“Virgil,” Was all he received back. When Virgil put his notebook on the table, Logan grabbed it, “May I look through your notes to see what all you have already?”

The purple haired male nodded. He watched as Logan frowned. His blue eyes piercing through Virgil. The latter smiled weakly as he already knew what his notebook looked like.

“This is nearly empty Virgil.”

“I know, I just…” Have most things down by memory... “Get confused as to what is important to write down and what isn’t?”

Logan sighed. He flipped through the notebook again, “We’ll start with definitions then move on from there.” Virgil nodded.

The session went smoothly. Logan was fairly patient and explained everything thoroughly. Virgil played dumb and asked for 'clarification’ occasionally. The hour flew by fast for the pair.

Virgil packed his things away. He messaged Dolos that the session was over. He watched as Logan began to pack up as well. He raised an eyebrow, “Don’t you have another session? I mean, you’re top student so plenty of people must want your help.”

“Everyone else simply texted me their questions. You are the only one who asked for a one-on-one session so far.”

“Oh.”

The two began to make their way to the parking lot. Virgil hated the silence. It made him anxious and uncomfortable. He had to break it, “Do you have your own car or are you getting picked up?”

Logan glanced at him, “I have my own car. Parents got me one when I turned sixteen. You?”

“I have my license, but can’t afford a car. Dolos is picking me up though,” Virgil explained.

“Ah. I see.”

A silence fell between them. They reached the student parking lot. It was relatively vacant with about ten cars. Virgil looked around for Dolos’ vehicle and groaned. He wasn’t here yet.

“I can give you a ride if your friend doesn’t show up,” Logan offered as he realized what Virgil groaned about.

Blush painted Virgil’s cheeks and he looked away from Logan hastily, “Thanks for the offer, but I’m sure he’ll show. He’s probably just trying to get his little sister into the car. He has to watch her while their mom is at work.” Why did I just tell him that? He didn’t need to know why Dolos is most likely late. He just needed to know that Dolos will show up.

“Um, okay then. Well,” Logan shrugged, “How about we have another session since you appear to need the help.”

Virgil’s heart pounded. He didn’t need the help. But this could be his chance to at least befriend Logan. He would be an idiot to waste this opportunity. “Yeah sure. I’m usually free whenever so whenever you can…” He trailed off.

“Tomorrow after school? Same time?”

“Yeah. Sounds good,” Virgil smiled.

Dolos pulled up just then. He waved at both of them. Virgil rolled his eyes and began to make his way to the car. He turned around quickly, “Bye Logan! I’ll… See you tomorrow?”

Logan waved with a nod, “Yes. Goodbye.”

Virgil hopped into the front seat and looked at the back seat. He waved at Trinity, “Hey Trin. How was your day at school?”

“We had a party! And I got to eat cake! And drink soda! And candy!” Trinity beamed. Virgil laughed and Trinity joined in.

“Ssssooo, Virgil… How’d your lil’ study session go, hmm?” Dolos asked.

The purple haired male faced his friend. Dolos shot him a glance. Virgil looked down at the floorboard, “It was good. He thinks I know absolutely nothing since my notebook is nearly empty- or was. He had me copy lots of his notes. And we… Uh… We’re having another session tomorrow.”

“Ooohhh. Virgil! Look at you! Willingly doing another session!”

“Shut up.”

The following weeks, Virgil met up with Logan after school two to three times a week. Remus and Dolos always poked fun at him. He always brushed off their remarks. He was content with where he was with Logan. They weren’t necessarily friends as they barely talked outside of the tutoring, but they were talking. And they were getting to know one another. Virgil told Logan about how he was an only child and how his parents were often at work. How they didn’t want him to work because they thought he should focus on school. How Dolos and Remus weren’t as bad as everyone seemed to think they were and how he’d never trade them out for anyone else.

In turn, he found out that Logan had a younger brother who was an eight grader and an older sister who was in college. He felt overshadowed by his siblings as the middle child and that why he made sure to make top student. He wanted his parents to be proud. And they are. Virgil also learned that Logan also didn’t have a job, but it was mostly due to his after school activities. That Logan’s best friends, Patton and Roman, always supported him at academic competitions.

Break time was rolling around and report cards were handed out first period. Virgil looked at his. All A’s. A few teacher’s left notes saying the typically “pleasure to have in class” while others were left blank. He stuffed the paper into a random notebook once he was done and left for his next class. Teachers throughout the day had also been giving back past works and tests. Virgil would have preferred to toss them out, but his parents wanted to see them. They could just look at his report card to know he was doing well in school, but they also wanted to ensure he was doing his work. So he tucked all the papers into their corresponding notebooks as he got them.

Virgil had a tutoring session later that day. He felt a bit bad about lying to Logan. Yet it got them talking so it was something. Besides, everyone else assumed he wasn’t very smart anyways. They all assumed because he preferred to do anything other than pay attention in classes, that he was failing. In reality, Virgil didn’t need to pay attention. He usually got most things down by memory after going over the materials a few times. He was much smarter than he let on. It’s not his fault everyone made assumptions just because he didn’t actively show it.

 Once Virgil entered the library, he looked around for Logan. He found him at a table near one of the windows. Logan saw him and waved him over. Virgil bit back a smile as he made his way to him, “Hey Lo.”

 “Hello Virgil,” Logan started, “Today will be shorter since break is coming up. There’s not a lot to review as Mr. Sanders prefers not to give us lots of work.”

 Virgil hummed in response. He pulled his notebook out and placed it down without looking as he pulled out his chemistry book. He looked up as he found it. Logan was flipping through all of the papers cramped in the notebook. Shoot! I forgot about them!

 Logan’s eyebrows furrowed. He set the stack down with a frown. Virgil began to sweat as anxiety started to creep in. Logan fixed Virgil with a look, “You don’t need this sessions, do you?”

 Virgil shook his head. His voice escaping him before he could explain.

 “Then why?”

 “Uhhh…” Virgil’s mouth felt dry as he worked fast on how to explain, “Well… Dolos actually was the one who texted you at first. And I was planning on telling the truth, but… I don’t know…”

 He shrugged and ducked his head trying to hide the blush settling on his cheeks. It was silent between them for several seconds. Virgil was growing more uncomfortable and his stomach twisted into knots.

 “Why did you keep doing them then? You, yourself, agreed to keep showing up.”

 “Well… I… Uhhh… Reallylikeyouandwantedtogettoknowyoubetteranddidn'treallyknowanyotherwaytosoyeah?” Virgil rushed out in a single breath.

 Logan blinked, “I’m sorry. I didn’t get all of that.”

 The purple haired male drew a shaky breath, “I said that I really like you and didn’t know how to talk to you. So I decided to use this time as an excuse to hang out…”

 “Oh.”

 Silence fell between them again. Virgil reached for his stuff to start packing up. He felt like ditching all of his stuff and running away. Logan’s hand stopped him as he rested it on top of Virgil’s.

 “You realize a simple ‘Hey Logan want to hang out sometime?’ would have sufficed? I wouldn’t have said no,” Logan said in a soft voice.

 Virgil froze. His eyes were glued on their hands. He could hear his heartbeat drumming in his ears. He started to slowly process what Logan told him.

 The raven haired male sighed. He rolled his eyes, “Hey Virgil. Want to hang out sometime?”

 Virgil’s eyes slid from where they were fixated to Logan’s face. His heart skipped a beat at the gentle smile Logan had, “But I lied to you?”

 “Yes, well, it was nothing major that you lied about. So how about I pick you up sometime during break and we go out to eat somewhere?”

 “Um… Yeah sure! Sounds great!” Virgil laughed nervously. His heart pounded in his chest. Holy shit that sounds a lot like a date. I don’t think I’ll survive!

 “Great! It’s a date then!” Logan stood up and began to walk off, “I’ll text you details later.”

 “D-date?!” Virgil exclaimed. He heard a shush come from presumably the librarian, but ignored it. Items forgotten, he scurried after the other.

 “Yes Virgil. A date,” Logan smiled back at him, “I do prefer someone smart that I can have intellectual conversations with.”

Roman seemed to snap right back into his normal self, practically leaping over the table as he tossed the name he’d chosen back in and picked another, his smile quickly falling. “You know what, my first choice wasn’t so bad.” He reached to switch back, but was stopped by Patton snatching the hat away. 

“Now, Roman, I’ve already broken the rules of Secret Santa once for you. I think you’re going to do great.” 

Roman groaned and slowly dragged himself back across the table. 

“Are you done or shall I enjoy my breakfast with my plate in my lap?” Logan asked, holding his plate out of Roman’s path of destruction. 

The princely side simply dragged himself back up into a sitting position. “Alright, I’m done. You have no taste for theatrics.” 

“No, I don’t, I thought we established that,” Logan responded. “I especially don’t appreciate having to wonder whether or not my meal is safe on the dining table.” 

Patton chuckled and left, going to the doors that he preferred to stay away from. He took a deep breath and knocked on the first one, counting the scales that decorated the door as he waited. 

The second that the door opened, he was hit with a burst of warm air and greeted with a less than friendly expression, Deceit looking at him with a cocked eyebrow as if to ask what he wanted. 

But, as much as he disagreed with his methods, Deceit was one of Thomas’s sides. So, Patton got rid of his rude thoughts and smiled, thrusting the cap forward. “You have to pick a name for Secret Santa.”

“Secret Santa?” Deceit muttered to himself as he drew a name. 

“Yep! You pick a side randomly and get them a gift and we’ll exchange them on Christmas!” 

“Thank you, Patton, I’ve never heard of such an event,” Deceit muttered, clearly sarcastic. He opened the slip and immediately shut it again, putting it back in the hat and pulling out one of the two that remained. 

Patton chuckled awkwardly as Deceit read his new name. “Deceit, that’s not really-”

“This will work fine. Thank you,” Deceit interrupted, shutting the door and retreating into the warmth of his room. 

Patton just sighed and smiled to himself. At least Deceit was participating. And that only left Remus... 

Patton was still a little freaked out by him and the things he said, but he was still a side and how could Patton justify leaving him out? Just because he had a some icky ideas? No, sir! Patton went right over and knocked on the door, almost regretting it as Remus opened the door. 

“Yes?”

Patton blushed brightly and looked away. Remus must’ve just woken up.. 

“Oh, we all have the same body, no need to be so shy, daddy dearest,” Remus hummed as he leaned against the doorframe. “What’s the hat for?”

“Uh..” 

Remus tutted and shut the door before opening it a second later, now at least in a shirt and shorts. “Better?”

“Yes, thank you..” Patton sighed. He held out the hat. “It’s Secret Santa.”

“Ooh, fun!” Remus grinned widely as he drew a name, laughing to himself. “Oh, no, he would not appreciate a present from me!” He put it back and drew the only other one left. 

At that point, Patton stopped arguing. It was the spirit that counted. Besides, if they were more comfortable with a certain side, then that would only lead to a better night for everyone, right? 

“Alright, this will be fun! Thanks, Patton!” Remus shut his door and Patton smiled to himself. He walked back towards the main area and picked out the last name, giving the hat to Logan as he passed him. 

When he opened it, Remus’s reaction made a lot more sense. And, if Patton was right, so did Deceit’s. He could wish that everyone would get along all he wanted, but ultimately, things were never that easy. Imaginary forces or not. 

When Christmas day finally came around, it seemed way too soon and yet, not soon enough! All six sides gathered around the Christmas tree, their gifts in hand and ready to exchange. 

“Alright, who wants to go first?” Patton asked, his smile shining almost brighter than the tree. 

Virgil reluctantly raised a hand, holding a medium sized box in the other. “I just want to get this out of the way. Here, Princey..” He shoved the box into Roman’s arms before scooting back into his corner. 

Roman smiled and carefully set the gift he’d be giving before tearing open Virgil’s gift. “Oh, how cute!” He reached in and pulled out a well-decorated paper crown. With a satisfied hum, he placed it on top of his head, careful to keep it balanced as he picked his gift back up. “Thank you, Virgil!” 

Virgil fought a smile and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, whatever.. It’s just stupid how you call yourself a prince and never even wear a crown or whatever.” Virgil was never a huge gift giver - Halloween was much bigger than Christmas ever was when he was with the others - so he wasn’t sure how to really conjure up anything. Just like with Patton’s card, he clearly preferred giving handmade gifts. They showed some sort of effort, no matter how stupid they might have turned out. And nobody was really expected to wear anything handmade, so he wouldn’t be surprised when Roman didn’t like it. Besides, the coloring kind of helped him calm down when he needed it. 

But, contrary to Virgil’s gloomy thoughts, Roman absolutely adored the crown! He hummed happily as he placed it delicately on his head. Obviously, he was a proper prince before, but the crown was a nice reminder for everyone else. 

Patton smiled and bounced on the balls of his feet. “Oh, I can’t wait any longer! Virgil, this is for you!” He handed him his own box, smiling as he took it. 

In all honesty, Virgil nearly dropped it. He was far from weak, but the way Patton was bouncing with it, Virgil wasn’t expecting it to be so heavy. He sat down on the stairs and opened the box, letting himself show the smallest smile as he saw the weighted blanket inside. “Thanks, Patton..” 

“Of course, kiddo! But that’s not even the best part. Take it out of the box!” Patton cheered, clapping his hands as Virgil did just that, revealing a Jack Skellington design on it. 

Virgil’s smile unconsciously widened. “Patton, this is-” He heard the excitement in his own voice and cut himself off, clearing his throat to mask it. “Yeah, this is pretty cool. Thank you.” 

Patton merely hummed happily in response, sending a silent thankful glance Logan’s way. He’d known since he drew his name that he wanted to get Virgil something that would help him ground himself more easily, it was just figuring out what exactly that meant that was the problem. Logan technically suggested the blanket, but Patton did think of the design on it. 

Virgil wrapped the blanket around his shoulders, letting himself enjoy its weight as the next person took their turn. 

Deceit sighed. “Well, if we’re going in reverse order, I suppose that means I’m up. I mean, I clearly know everything about you, Patton, but that doesn’t mean I really know what to get for you, so here. I tried, or whatever.” He practically shoved his gift against Patton’s chest, quick to go back to his spot against the wall and pretend not to care. Of course, it was hard not to completely care. Everyone, even a completely evil person such as himself needed some form of human contact and, as much as he loved Remus, Remus wasn’t always the best company. And he did try his best, but it was hard to know anything about anyone when they kept such a heavy guard up the second he came around. 

Patton wasn’t really sure what to expect as he opened the box. It was cold and pretty light. Still, Deceit got that present just for him and it would be rude not to at least open it. So, he did, pulling the top off and smiling at what he saw. “Aw, Deceit, they’re lovely. I love roses, no matter what time of year it is. But why are they in a box?..”

Deceit shrugged and looked down at his gloved nails. “Try pulling one out.” 

Patton did just that and found that it definitely was not a regular flower. Was that foil wrapped around it?.. He unwrapped it and gasped, fighting every urge to run and jump into Deceit in a huge bear hug. “Chocolate! Oh my goodness, chocolate roses!” He took a huge bite out of the one in his hand and moaned in pure delight at the taste. “Thank you so much!” 

Deceit nodded. “Whatever.. They’re a variety, by the way. It’s not like I knew what you’d prefer. There’s some dark chocolate, some white chocolate, some with fruits..” Not that it’d be out of character or anything, but Deceit would be lying if he said he didn’t feel a little relieved at Patton’s positive reaction. 

Logan cleared his throat. “Well, I do believe that it’s my turn. Deceit?” He handed him his gift, unwrapped to save paper. “After our last encounter, I figured that you would enjoy this show. It’s a legal drama.”

“‘How To Get Away With Murder’,” Deceit hummed. “I have heard of the show, but I always assumed it would be something more suited for Remus’s tastes.” He looked through the DVD cases, pleasantly surprised to find that Logan had gotten him each season, plus... A blank case? Deceit opened it and fought back a smile as he saw a copy of Legally Blonde staring up at him. It was always a guilty pleasure of his, seeing someone like Elle Woods beat the social standards that stood in her way, as well as the corrupt court system that almost cost her her first trial and another woman her freedom. “Thank you, Logan, I appreciate this.”

“Of course,” Logan nodded, knowing that Deceit had seen the extra gift that he’d snuck in there. Logan wasn’t sure about how strictly Deceit wanted to keep his morally grey persona, so he wasn’t sure how handing him a movie in a bright blue and pink case would go over. Especially since Logan had his own share of guilty pleasures, such as the unicorn onesie that he’d be wrapped in the second that he was allowed to go back into his room. 

Remus let out a joyous laugh as the two finished their little interaction. “Well, that was cute, but be prepared to be blown away!” He threw his box at Logan, who just barely caught it, but not without the present stumbling through his arms. 

“Remus, you should be well aware that none of us are particularly good at catching. I would appreciate it if you would refrain from doing that ag-” Logan stopped himself as he opened the box and saw what was inside. “Remus, is this-”

“You know it! What kind of nerd are you without one of these babies decorating your room?” 

“Well, you shouldn’t have thrown it at me like that if it was something this fragile,” Logan chastised as he pulled out the potted plant. Specifically, the Venus Fly Trap, complete with a bit of mistletoe tied around its stem. 

“Oop! Mistletoe! You know what that means!” 

Logan rolled his eyes. “I do not feel comfortable kissing any of the other sides. Therefore, I won’t.” 

Remus tutted. “Oh, you’re absolutely no fun.” 

“It would seem that our definitions of fun are very different, then,” Logan responded. “But I do appreciate the gift.” Of course, Logan was going to have to figure out some way to feed it, considering that there were absolutely no bugs in his spotless room, but it would still make a very nice thing to observe whenever he was stuck on a theory or whenever he simply had nothing else to do. 

It was an absolute no-brainer that it was the perfect gift for Logan, too! Remus knew that his brand of weird wasn’t for everyone, but when it was mixed with science - one of Logan’s many nerdy obsessions - there were only so many things that came to mind as a gift! But human organs seemed more like a Valentine’s day gift to give, so that chopped down the list like a pig in a slaughterhouse! 

Remus spun on his feet to face his brother, shimmying in his direction. “If my math is right, I think you owe me the final gift.” 

Roman bit the inside of his cheek. Remus was more than difficult to pick out a gift for, even as his brother - especially as his brother. But it wasn’t impossible. “Oh, alright, here.” Roman handed his gift to Remus in its thick layer of wrapping paper, just like Remus liked. 

Remus giggled and ripped through the paper like a predator through the guts of its unfortunate prey, squealing at what waited inside for him. “Aw, Ro, it’s adorable!” He held up the stuffed octo-lion - a creature that the two had made up consisting of an octopus with a mane and a tail - before hugging it tightly. “I’m going to name him Remrom, after the two of us!” Remus would be lying if he said he didn’t miss his brother, but that was Deceit’s job. Sure, the two had a tendency to butt heads, but they were brothers! What else did everyone expect? 

“Actually,” Roman began, almost sheepishly, “I thought of a name myself.. Creatnativity.”

“Aww, because we’re creativity and he’s a Christmas present, how sweet!” Remus hummed, hugging his friend once more before noticing something. “Did you put bones in him? There’s something all hard in here.” 

Roman smiled. “Actually... There’s a zipper on his back. It’s stupid, but I put a bunch of our old stories in there.. You know, from when we were.. One.” Roman was the good one, of course he was the one who was allowed to keep their works. Besides, it gave him a lot to think about on how not to become too dark. 

Remus practically exploded with joy, tackling Roman to the ground in a bone-crushing hug. “This is the best present ever! I love you, Princey!” 

Roman let out a small laugh and hugged back. “I love you too, Duke.. Merry Christmas..” 

Patton smiled and figured that it’d be best to let the brothers spend some brother time together. “Maybe we should take a break before spending some family time.” He glanced over at Virgil. “Why don’t we go watch some Nightmare Before Christmas?” 

Of course, Virgil would never turn down such an offer, but this time especially, he knew why Patton was trying to get them away. “Yeah.. Sounds good.” The two disappeared up the stairs, Virgil letting them both walked wrapped in his new blanket. 

Deceit nudged Logan and held up the blank case. “Why don’t we go watch this in my room? You can even bring that unicorn onesie you love so much and I’ll wear my own snake onesie.” 

Logan nodded. “That sounds ideal.” The pair left to do just that, leaving the creativity twins on their own. 

“We have got to hang out more, Ro..”

“I know. Let’s go watch a Disney movie.” 

“Lion King!” 

Roman chuckled and sat up, scooting out from beneath Remus. “Alright, Lion King.”