The Logical Exception

{ Chapter 5 - An 'Accidental' Meeting }

When Noon rolled around, normally, Logan would be in class, but he had other priorities today. Per his calculations, the construction crew should be eating lunch about this time. Virgil would not be eating lunch with the rest of the crew, his anxiety would probably keep him from eating lunch with them for at least the first week. He would have brought something small if he brought anything at all, and he would be looking for a quiet place to eat. Virgil would want something close to where he was supposed to meet up after his lunch period so that he didn't get lost and wasn't late.

Logan paid for his two sandwiches, carrying them in the bag in one hand and holding his book in the other. He knew this school like he knew his own mind. The best place to wait for Virgil would be behind the library. There was a small hidden area, easy enough to find but most people didn't like to visit it because you could hear the sounds of the nearby freeway. Logan stepped into the area and sat down, opening up his book and hoping that his calculations had all been correct. Humans were complex beings and it was difficult to factor everything that might change based on their swaying emotions. Still, after a year and a half of fighting and observing 'Anxiety', Logan hoped he had a good enough read on him to predict something this simple.

Tapping his fingers on his book, Logan tried to focus, not on the pages, but the noise around him. He wanted to make sure he didn't miss the sound of Virgil if he came close, he imagined outside of the mask, Virgil was more of a skittish creature. Logan grew nervous and impatient, each car that passed by a reminder of the time passing. Maybe he had picked the wrong area. Were there any others close enough to the construction site that Virgil would feel comfortable in his ability to get back to work on time. Biting on his lip, Logan was almost ready to give up, but then he heard it. The unmistakable sound of shuffling shoes, hidden in the noise from the freeway, was walking towards him. He looked up when the shoes stopped and he immediately saw Virgil standing there, debating with himself. This was key, he wanted Virgil to stay, he wanted to get to know him better, but Virgil wouldn't be the type who liked conversation with a stranger. Small steps, he reminded himself, small steps.

He made eye contact with Virgil but didn't hold it too long, instead, he turned to the bag of food he had next to him. Opening it up he frowned as he looked at the contents, shuffling through the bag before pulling out his sandwich. If he was eating he wouldn't be making conversation. That could potentially be what Virgil needed to feel welcome to stay. It seemed it was. Virgil's shoes began to once again shuffle along the ground, walking over to a different bench before sitting down. Logan hid a small smile behind his book, celebrating a small victory.

The silence that fell between them was perfect. Logan ate quietly, still looking at his book as a distraction to keep him from actually looking at Virgil. Virgil sat quietly, eyes closed, listening to the headphones in his ears. Even though he was distracted, Logan didn't dare look at Virgil for too long. He didn't want to be caught staring, not yet. Instead, he focused on eating his sandwich at a normal pace, a hard feat considering his pride over the completion of his opening move. He was thankful when the sandwich was gone, pretending to read a bit longer he waited for his next opportunity. When Virgil's stomach growled and his hand subconsciously went down to grab it, Logan knew he had won. He closed his book and stood, grabbing the bag with the second sandwich.

"Pardon me for the intrusion and being presumptuous," He tapped on Virgil's shoulder, attempting to get his attention, "but your stomach is growling and I noticed you do not have a lunch. Would you like to have this extra sandwich I was given?"

Virgil looked up at Logan, hands quickly moving to pull something out of his pocket, but he relaxed upon seeing Logan and hearing the rest of his question. Sure Virgil was hungry, but he didn't like taking pity from strangers. He also thought it was pretty weird that someone would have an extra sandwich. Biting on his lip, he sat up, looking at the strange man. "Why do you have an extra sandwich?"

"The woman who works at the shop seems to be... what's the phrase... 'sweet on me'," He would have to check his flashcards later, "though she is not my preferred type of partner. Still, she is insistent on overloading my order with whatever she can get away with. Today it seems to be a sandwich." A fabrication, but Logan didn't mind lying if it meant finally having an in to speak with Virgil outside of their nightly routines.

Virgil went to shake his head 'no' when his stomach once again protested. Logan was not good at processing emotions, but he could see the conflict in Virgil's eyes before he gave up and nodded. "Yeah, thanks," he said, holding out his hand. Logan carefully handed him the bag, letting Virgil open it up to get to the sandwich inside.

"I am Logan, by the way."

"Virgil." The two looked at each other and for a brief moment, and Virgil thought he recognized the smartly dressed man.

"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Virgil, though I believe I must prepare for my class." Another lie, of sorts, Logan's free period was normally from one to two, but he also knew that these small steps would help Virgil feel more comfortable around him.

"Yeah, pleasure." Virgil seemed confused but not off-put, that was perfect, it was a good balance and Logan was satisfied with himself as he began to walk away. He would keep himself occupied in the library, a place filled with students, and thus Virgil was not likely to find him if he grew curious. It would be a grave falsehood if Logan claimed he was not figuratively walking on air at this moment. He was happy with the progress he had made.

Virgil, on the other hand, was completely confused and embarrassed by the fact that a hot guy had just offered him a sandwich. So many questions were running through his head. When the bespectacled man had said the girl wasn't his type did that mean he was gay? Did it matter? It wasn't like he was going to see him again. Was there a different place that he could go hide tomorrow during lunch? Did that matter, a lot of students only came two times a week, would this guy even be here tomorrow? Most importantly, did Virgil mind? It hadn't been awful sitting in silence with the man who seemed engrossed in his book. It had been peaceful and relatively quiet. Up until being offered the food, Virgil had been able to relax and think to himself without interruption. As he bit into the food his body had longed for, Virgil's mind began to quiet. His sole focus was on devouring the rather tasty and filled Deli delicacy.

A sigh left his lips as he swallowed the last of his treasured gift. Hopefully, with Patton working the late shift, he would be able to bring home some pastries, the two of them could make that stretch for a few days, and there was always Mrs. Thea across the street from them. She almost always had something she needed help doing and was willing to offer food in exchange. It had been a poor choice to try to go this long without eating, but you did what you had to do to survive when money was tight.

Virgil sat back, belly full, checking the time on his phone. He had a little bit longer, maybe he could afford to indulge his questions about a certain tie-wearing man.

AN: I know not a lot really happened in this chapter, but I wanted to set up their relationship outside of the masks. Hope you still enjoyed it! Have a great weekend.