petrichor and stardust - an analogical AU fic

five

When Logan entered Virgil's room after the sun had gone down, he had expected anything but what he was greeted with.

Virgil had fallen asleep sitting up, probably reading, with multiple other books scattered on the sheets. The candle in the lantern was still burning, casting his sleeping features in a warm glow. Logan felt his stomach flutter a little, most likely because he had only eaten Patton's hearty brunch and a pastry today. Careful to not wake up Virgil, he collected the books and tentatively moved them into a neat stack on the table. Luckily for Logan, Virgil seemed to be a heavy sleeper, as he didn't react at all when Logan moved him into a laying position. Making sure Virgil was covered in a blanket, he reached into his bag, leaving his gift to him on the table, a small card attached. He snuffed the candle in the lantern, then quietly exited the room.

--✧--

For once, Virgil didn't have a nightmare when he fell asleep. However, that revelation was put aside because he woke up with a sharp pain in his side. He quickly got up, as his side didn't hurt as bad when he stood, spotting all of the things left on the table for him. Another cup of tea, a card, the usual two pills, the stack of books he had been reading, and something else he couldn't exactly recognize at the moment. He carefully sat in the chair, swallowing down the pills with ease. His green tea was made the way he liked it: two sugar cubes with a teaspoon of honey. He then gingerly picked up the card next to the drink, which had his name scribbled on it in Logan's signature messy handwriting.

"I hope you slept well. I see you've found the library. I do spend a lot of my leisure time there, as it's comfortably quiet after spending all day with Patton and Roman." Virgil snickered, then continued reading. "I hope I prepared your tea to your liking. On the subject of tea, if you're alright with it, would you mind joining me for tea around two in the afternoon? We can meet in the courtyard beforehand. Do let me know either by meeting me there or alerting me through other means. Sincerely, Logan."

The idea of having tea with just Logan was both exciting and terrifying - he'd love to have tea with him, but he was worried about doing something wrong. His mind started racing, listing off numerous ways his meeting with Logan could go wrong. Swallowing his feelings, he put the card down and drew his attention to the gift off to the side. It took him a moment to realize that it was the outfit he was looking at the other day.

He excitedly grabbed the gift, which was delicately bound with ribbons tied into a bow. A small card was attached; Virgil's name was written on it in a certain someone's messy handwriting. He opened the card, which simply read "I hope this is to your satisfaction." Virgil felt his chest warm as he carefully undid the ribbons.

The shirt and pants fit him nicely, much to Virgil's delight. Combined with his black combat boots, he felt amazing. The invite for tea combined with the new clothing, Logan's kindness had left him feeling more renewed than ever. With this newfound energy, he returned some of the books he finished reading, including "A Guide To Constellations," to the library. In the process, he breezed by Patton, who was happy to see Virgil so excited. While he was at the library, he picked up Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" and Bram Stoker's "Dracula," as he was a fan of gothic fiction.

Walking back to his room, he carefully stacked the new books on top of the other books he kept, which consisted of the "Odyssey," Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven," and "Grimms' Fairy Tales." Afterward, he tidied up the room a little, then himself, before walking into the courtyard. The huge willow tree served as a nice bit of shade as Virgil flopped onto the soft grass, gazing up at the sky. A bunch of flowers grew in the courtyard, most of which Virgil had recognized in the flower arrangements throughout the castle. He wasn't sure how long he was sitting there, his black bangs resting in his face as he stared at the endless blue sky, but it didn't matter to him.