petrichor and stardust - an analogical AU fic

one

Virgil was running. Where to, he wasn't sure. But he had to keep running, despite how badly his body ached. He had to keep pushing himself, even though his injuries made him want to flop over and curl into a weeping ball. His pulse thundered in his ears as he kept putting distance between himself and the Rouges chasing him. If he gave up now, his escape attempt would be in vain. His breath was ragged and uneven as he stumbled and tripped, pushing himself up quickly as he kept running. As he crossed into the Dumotri Kingdom's territory, the Rouges backed off, knowing better than to follow the runaway in. Virgil hadn't noticed, his adrenaline the only thing keeping him going. He kept sprinting until his knees buckled and he tripped, landing on his face in tall grass.

Logan had quietly snuck out of his quarters to stargaze, as the sky was unbelievably clear tonight. He found his large clearing full of soft grass and purple flowers, in which he stared at the beautiful starry sky through his round spectacles. He had always come here whenever he could see the stars from his room, so there was a divot in the grass where he laid. He was calmly staring at the sky, the quiet sound of the crickets calming him until he heard someone moving quickly through the grass, thankfully not towards him. He wasn't concerned until he heard something, or maybe even someone, hit the ground with a thump. He quickly shot up, grabbing his lantern as he went in the direction in which he heard the noise. "Who's there?" Logan called but was met with no response. He made his way over quickly, panic seeping into his body as he approached. Logan came to a sudden stop at a boy around his age, who was desperately trying to push himself up off his elbows.

Virgil's body was shaking with a mix between adrenaline and exhaustion, either one being appropriate. When he fell, he was frantically trying to get himself up off the ground, to no avail. His body was weakened from running for so long, and his arms were trembling. He heard someone distantly call out, which made him panic even more. His exhaustion was quickly replaced with panic as he was trying so hard to push himself up, failing, making it even harder for himself as every attempt exhausted him. He hadn't even noticed the boy walking towards him until the warm light of his lantern washed over him. He screwed his head up to look at the bespectacled boy.

The standing boy's features were soft as he took in the other boy's horrid condition. Logan gently crouched down to the other boy's level, extending his hand to him. Virgil wasn't sure what to do, as he shifted into a somewhat sitting position. He fixed his eyes back at the ground as he tried to scoot away, and maybe even attempt to make a break for it, but he knew his body wouldn't permit it. Not now. He couldn't even begin to process anything the other boy might've been saying, as his pulse wouldn't steady, and neither would his breathing, and it felt like he was suffocating. He hadn't noticed how close he was to a tree until he bumped into it as he was scooting away. He pressed himself to the trunk, panting, and finally brought himself to draw his gaze away from the grass to the boy standing in front of him.

Logan had paused as the boy scooted away, and brought himself to stand. The other boy now stood as well, his back pressed against the tree, still visibly shaking. Logan, holding his lantern a little ways away from him, slowly approached the boy. The boy's amber eyes darted everywhere before resting again on Logan, who was now only four feet away. His eyes were a deep shade of blue behind his glasses, which had slipped a little down his nose. He pushed them back up to their preferred position before extending his left hand out once more. "Are you alright?" He spoke, his voice breaking the tense silence. The boy's breathing was slowly calming, and he peeled himself from the tree a little. Logan was patient, waiting for the other boy to bring himself together and formulate a response.

Virgil was trying to stay alert, or else the exhaustion would creep into him, and he couldn't afford that. He was watching the taller boy closely, trying to calculate what he might do. It took Virgil a moment to register that the boy had extended his hand out to him. He looked at it, unsure of whether or not he should take it. The taller boy's voice finally registered in his head as he spoke, "Are you in need of assistance? I could take you to my castle, you'll be safe there." Safe. Virgil latched onto the boy's sentence, trying to think of anything that could go wrong. His knees, however, felt like they were going to give out at any moment, so he very carefully took the boy's hand. His hand was refreshingly cold, as Virgil was burning up. He carefully peeled himself from the tree bark, and he forced his knees to take his weight once more. It felt like he now weighed a thousand pounds, his feet feeling like they had heavy weights attached to them.

"Can you walk?" Logan inquired, as he could see how badly the boy's legs shook. They looked as though they'd give out at any moment. The boy nodded, trying to fight the fatigue that began to seep its way into him. Logan brought the boy to the left side of him as they trudged back to the castle, the walk seeming much longer with the boy next to him. His lantern warmly illuminated their way as they walked.

Virgil felt lightheaded as he kept moving forward, trying not to stumble and fall. His whole body was heavy, his eyelids warm and threatening to close. He couldn't fall asleep now, not while he was walking with a stranger. He kept fighting to stay awake, only slightly awakening when his injured leg hit a bump in the path, causing a slight jolt of pain. The pain from the rest of his injuries couldn't be felt, as he was probably bordering on deliriousness.

Virgil couldn't tell how much time had passed until they reached a wall. Far above, perched on top, was a knight. His red sash stuck out against the blue sky, a handheld telescope in his grasp. He was most likely eying the stars, but Virgil really couldn't bring himself to care about what he was doing. The other boy's hand had slipped from him as he placed the lantern he was holding back on the rung by the door. Virgil's head was pounding, causing him to stumble a little as he clutched his skull. The other boy had been talking with the knight above them, probably asking for his assistance, as Virgil was trying hard to remain upright.

The knight had disappeared from the top of the tower, giving Logan hardly enough time to turn around as Virgil lost his battle and fell forward, his world turning dark.