Analogical (Sanders Sides Monsters AU)

Chapter 5

Entering the mall the next morning, Patton, Roman, and Thomas's eyes shined excitedly as they looked ahead at all the shops and stalls filled with goodies as far as they could see. Logan too was fascinated with the sights, but refrained from making excited squeals like the three in front of him. Virgil clapped loudly to get their attention.
"Guys, meet here at exactly noon." He said, pointing at the ground. "Also, remember not to loose your money that I gave you and that we came here for clothes. Don't spend it all on food or toys."
"Yes, sir!" Thomas said, saluting Virgil. Patton and Roman giggles quietly while Logan rolled his eyes. He wasn't in the greatest of moods. Despite his initial amazement, he quickly realized how loud his surroundings were. The four of them could barely hear Virgil while he spoke.
"Can we go now, Hot Topic? Adventure is waiting!" Roman yelled. Now Virgil was the one to roll his eyes before nodding. Patton, Roman, and Thomas immediately split up in different directions, excitedly looking around.
"See ya later, kiddos! Have fun!" Patton yelled, turning back slightly. Virgil only then realized Logan was standing next to him.
"Aren't you going to go explore, too?" Virgil asked, looking at Logan curiously. Logan shook his head.
"I'll just stick with you. I get the feeling that if I do, it'll be a lot quieter." He answered, looking annoyedly at the loud crowds passing by. Virgil shrugged and began walking, Logan following behind. They walked in comfortable silence.
Entering an Old Navy, they began looking through shirts and neckties. Logan's mood slowly quelled as the store was quiet and not many were there this early in the morning. He stared at a blue button up shirt, inspecting it before showing Virgil.
Virgil took it and held the shirt onto Logan's chest to see if it would be likely to fit. Logan, surprised by their sudden closeness, felt his face heat up slightly.
"It looks like it would fit. Want to try it on? There are a few changing rooms here." Virgil asked, looking up at Logan, who quickly snapped out of it. He nodded before walking to one of the near by changing rooms.
"What just happened?" Logan thought as he changed, making sure his solid form wasn't faltering. "Never mind. It's most likely nothing important."
Walking out, Virgil gave a small smile, seeing Logan's new shirt fit him perfectly.
"Looks good." Virgil commented, watching Logan return his small smile with his own.
"I quite like it as well." He said, looking into a mirror. Though his reflection was slightly distorted, he smiled as he inspected it. Logan went back into the changing room and got back to his previous clothing.
After an hour of looking around, they exited the Old Navy, Logan carrying two medium sized bags. Virgil lead the way as they headed towards a Hot Topic.
Looking around, Logan only found a few things to catch his interest. Virgil, however, seemed enchanted by almost everything he laid his eyes on. Logan couldn't help but smile.
"What's so funny?" Virgil asked, catching Logan's gaze. Logan quickly looked away, remaining silent.
Upon leaving, Virgil now carrying a large bag in his arms, they found a crowd of people at the entrance. Virgil felt his stomach doing flips as he saw what was at the center of the crowd: Roman.
He was wearing a bright red t shirt, with a yellow crown image, that hugged his muscular body and blue jeans.
"Are you a model?" "Do you have a girlfriend?" Virgil heard a few women ask from somewhere in the crowd. Logan and Virgil suppressed the urge to groan.
Roman quickly caught sight of the two and made his way to them, ignoring the loud chatter surrounding him. Upon reaching Virgil and Logan, Virgil watched as many of the faces in the crowd dropped at the sight of him. He felt his chest tighten and he quickly put his hood on.
"Well, Virgil? Is this more to your liking? I still can't believe you're making us wear such plain clothing." Roman grumbled, pulling at the bottom of his shirt. Virgil rolled his eyes.
"The point of this was so we don't stand out, but it seems to be ineffective on you. How troublesome." Logan said, the look of annoyance clear as day on his face.
"Well excuse me for being this gorgeous. I can't help that I'm a vam-" Virgil quickly cut him off, covering his mouth with his hand. He glared at Roman with all his might.
"Roman, do you not remember what I told you all this morning before we got here?" He asked, venom and anger thick in his voice, sending a shiver down both Roman and Logan's back.
"Something about being taken away?" Roman answered, though muffled from Virgil's hand.
"And would you care to explain to me why you would say what you are out in front of this large of a crowd like a fucking moron?"
"Virgil! Language!" Virgil heard a familiar voice yell from the distance. The three of them looked toward the source, already knowing who it was.
Patton came skipping up to them, wearing a light blue polo, khakis, and a grey cardigan wrapped around his shoulders. Reaching the three, he looked around and smiled.
"Roman brought a crowd in, didn't he?" He predicted, watching the three nod in confirmation. Patton noticed Virgil's stiffness and his arm in Virgil's. Logan felt a stinging sensation in his chest, but felt it disappear slightly as Patton started to speak.
"Let's go find somewhere more secluded. It's getting a bit hot with this many people."
Arriving at an ice cream stand, Virgil looked back to find the crowd was finally completely gone. He let out a sigh of relief.
"Thanks Patton." He said quietly. Patton smiled brightly.
"No problem, kiddo!" He said before turning to Roman. "Now, lets go exploring some more. We still have about an hour before meeting up."
Roman smiled brightly, taking Patton's hand and intertwining their fingers. Patton used his free hand to give a small wave, Virgil waving back.
"Where to next?" Logan asked. Virgil hummed quietly to show he was thinking. After a few seconds, he saw Virgil's eyes light up slightly.
"There should be a bookstore somewhere around here." Virgil recalled. Logan felt his chest do figurative flips.
"Then lead the way." He said cheerfully, making Virgil smile.
"He's a real life nerd." Virgil tried his best not to laugh at the thought.
By 11:50, Virgil finally managed to drag Logan out of heaven with two large bags full of books. Logan sighed as they left, but smiled as he looked down at the haul he managed to get. Virgil smiled as well, though without realizing he was doing so.
"Hey guys! What do you think of my new outfit?" They heard Thomas yell ahead of them as they arrived at the meeting spot.
Thomas wore a large red Steven Universe T-shirt and grey sweats. Virgil nodded in response, watching Thomas's face light up. He hugged Virgil, giggling cheerfully. Virgil gave him his usual awkward hug in return. Logan felt a slight pressure on his chest as he watched. Thomas suddenly stopped smiling and turned his attention to Logan.
"What's wrong, Logan?" He asked, worry deep in his eyes. Logan shook his head.
"It's nothing." He said bluntly. Thomas tilted his head and opened his mouth to speak, but was shut down when Patton's voice could be heard nearby.
"Heya, kiddos!"
"Hey Patton." Virgil greeted, watching the pair make their way closer. "Now that everyone's here let's go home and have lunch."
Everyone nodded in agreement and made their way toward the exit, Logan and Thomas already forgetting their previous exchange.
Getting home, Virgil plopped on the couch, mentally exhausted from their trip to the mall. "I didn't even realized how stressed I was about those four getting lost or causing trouble till now." He sighed, watching Roman show off his new clothes to the rest.
"I think I'll take a nap." Virgil then drifted off on the couch, the monsters's conversations slowly turning into a soft background noise.