"Fuck, I hit my head on the way up," Virgil groaned, sitting on the ceiling for a moment from the sudden noise and proximity while she was using her gravity control. She dropped standing to the floor and recombobulated herself. Roman went to the door to answer the surprisingly effective knock.

"Babes!" shouted an extremely tall guy in mirrored sunglasses in a black moto jacket, a gray v-neck, and pale skinny jeans. He was holding a big cooler.

"Remy, I assume?" Virgil asked and walked up to the door. "Let him in, Ro," Roman stepped out of the way and let him in. "Thanks for the delivery, man," She said and Roman closed the door behind him. She took the cooler from him and carried it to her fridge. Remy looked between her and Roman.

"Oh. My. Hecate. Girl, if you've got a Brood then what the fuck am I doing here taking all your money? You can't need that many units with that beefcake," Remy said and dramatically sat with one leg propped on to the other in Virgil's chair.

"It's complicated," Virgil said, rolling her eyes and unloading the cooler to her fridge quickly.

"You've gotta give me the deets," Remy demanded and clapped, but not an excited way like Patton did, but an abrupt ordering kind of way. He had a lopsided smirk and his hair was windblown despite the relatively stagnant day. Unless he flit before the sun fully set, which was unnerving to think about. He was a really weird one, it seems. But Virgil liked weird.

"Uh, Remy right?" Roman said awkwardly.

"At your beck and call," Remy said and dropped his sunglasses to wink. "You're a tall drink of water, huh?" Roman's heart jumped from the compliment from behind her. Virgil finished unloading the cooler as fast as she could without damaging the bags and placed it in front of Remy.

"I didn't mean to. It just kind of happened. So, he doesn't have to do it and doesn't have to suffer more for my mistake," Virgil grumbled and stood next to her loft.

"Gurl, I said Deets," He said and rolled his hand to motion for her to continue. Roman flopped in his chair.

"So we were at the club, dancing, right? And I was getting all hot and sweaty?" Roman started, reveling in the attention Remy was now paying him as soon as he said the word 'club'. Virgil rolled her eyes and picked up her tea to sip.

"Yes, that's what I'm talking about!" Remy cheered, accenting his words with claps.

"And the smell of all the people around her is getting to be too much, so we head home together," Roman said somewhat salaciously.

"Yes," Remy hissed in delight.

"And I take off my silk top. And the next thing she knows, she's pinned me to the floor and takes a drink,"

"That's hot," Remy says. Virgil leaned against her bed frame and rolled her eyes. Nerds.

"She took care of me the whole time the venom took over and told me in a massive guilt trip the next night and told me after that," He finishes, rolling his eyes slightly at the last part.

"Aw, barf, cute," Remy says and flips open the cooler lid to take a now very iced coffee out.

"I was wondering why that was in there," Virgil said plainly.

"You know, my Brood doesn't suffer any. He enjoys it," Remy said and took another long sip.

"Yeah, and it's some weird fucking bond shit and I'd rather have consent than some kind of freaky survival instinct," Virgil groaned.

"You have a Brood?" Roman asked, obviously with a deeply vested interest. He leaned forward slightly.

"Oh, yeah, darling. I don't drink bagged if I don't have to, I don't get why she puts up with it," Remy said nonchalantly. Virgil hissed in response. "Especially since you're such a drop-dead hottie and all," Remy added with a smirk.

"I don't suppose you'd let me text him and ask some questions?" Roman asked, sounding like trying to reign in his enthusiasm.

"Gurl, the little nerd would love that. Just to warn you though, he talks almost incessantly about cartoons. It's a little annoying but he's just such a damn cutie in a cardigan,"

"Cartoons have gotten so good!" Roman said emphatically and handed Remy his phone on the add contact screen.

"Yeah, babe, I get it, I've watched them with him," Remy grunted and took another sip. "Doesn't mean he shouldn't get some other damn hobbies," Remy said and spun the phone on his hand and added a contact. "His name's Emile and if you like Steven Universe you'll probably get along like a boat on fire off a fucking waterfall," Remy said with an eye roll and handed Roman back his phone.

"Thanks, dude," Roman said and looked excited.

"Let me install some privacy stuff on your phone before you text him, Ro," Virgil muttered. Roman nodded.

"That's cool. identity protection, right?" Roman asked. Virgil and Remy both nodded. "Does Emile have a gift?" Roman asked, his enthusiasm not being very successfully reined in anymore. Virgil huffed in frustration. She wished she had some empirical stats or something to dissuade him from this crap.

"Yeah, babe, he's got healing powers. He can regenerate his own blood fully in a couple of hours. I hit the absolute jackpot with that adorable little weirdo. He can feed the whole clan in the area with enough food and rest," Remy said and took a long sip from his coffee. Roman's eyes were wide, and he nodded in interest. Hecate, that better not get his hopes up too much.

"How old are you?" Virgil asked Remy curiously, hoping to change the subject far away from gifts. "I haven't met another Alpha in ages,"

"Normally, I'd be fucking offended, but I'm 389," Remy took a sip. "How about you, gothy girl?"

"Not sure. I just know I'm old," Virgil said and shrugged.

"Oh, you're one of those!" Remy exclaimed. "An ancient maybe," He said and sipped. "You know, your Brood there could help with that,"

"What?" Roman and Virgil said in unison.

"Getting back some of your venom when you drink from hot pants over there can strengthen your memory and make you a little less… batty," Remy said that last bit with a cackle. "You might not get it all back if you're old as shit, but it stops little mental slip-ups and mistakes your age addled brain can make without the Brood we were meant to have. You know, mistakes like biting your shirtless roommate?" He said with another bark of laughter. Roman and Virgil just stared at him silently for a moment. Remy looked Virgil up and down. "You know, if you were a dude, you'd be exactly my type, gurl," Roman laughed out loud and Virgil snickered behind her hand. "Am I missing something, babes?"

"Yeah," Virgil said, dropping her voice lower. It seemed like the fastest way to tell him.

"Oh? Not a full-timer? I'm interested," Remy said, pushing back up his sunglasses and taking nonchalant sip.

"They call it 'gender-fluid' now, apparently," Virgil supplied.

"I think I remember one of my Betas mentioning that. I think one of their friends was. Let's hit up a concert sometime and see if we hit it off, gurl. I haven't been with an another Alpha for like a fucking century or so," Remy said, dropping his sunglasses to wink again, but at her this time. Virgil glanced out the window and checked how dark it was. "Even if you're a total bitch, I wouldn't mind someone to fight with while you're in town," He said with another long sip, finishing off his drink. Virgil rolled her eyes at him but couldn't disagree.

"I mean, I can do both," Virgil offered with a snicker. Remy looked at her with a raised eyebrow, and Roman flushed, looking between the two.

"Kinky, gurl, kinky!" He said with a laugh.

"Hey, we're going to go to a track or something and see what wonder boy here can do, you want to come?" Virgil asked.

"Nah, I've got plans with Emile," Remy waved his hand dismissively. "Maybe we can double date sometime," Remy grabbed a handle on his cooler and stood up. "Somewhere more fun than a track, though, like a rave. I'll find us a fuckin' rave," Remy said with a laugh and headed out the door. Virgil rolled her eyes and grabbed a cinch bag from her closet and threw a men's shirt in there.

"He's a piece of work, but I can't say I dislike him," Virgil said with a little laugh and went to the closet to pull on her combat boots.

"Are all vampires polyamorous?" Roman asked after a moment and joined her to grab his sneakers.

"We're wired for clans, and the bond can get romantic, so usually. Not every vampire is into sex and romance, though," Virgil said. "The bond only gets romantic if the attraction is already there, so it's not a completely bum wrap if you were turned by somebody you weren't into. I think most alphas are polyamorous, at least,"

"You were already dating Deceit when you turned him, right? That must have been intense," Roman said.

"Yeah, we were inseparable for a bit. Absolutely terrorized parts of Europe," Virgil laughed a little wistfully.

"So what happened?" Roman asked, pulling on his shoes and standing up. Virgil sighed deeply. He really didn't want to have this conversation yet, but Roman deserved to know.

"You know how the Alpha can order anyone in their clan?" Virgil started.

"You didn't order him to do something he didn't want to do, did you?" Roman asked, a deeply confused and concerned look on his face.

"No! No. Of course not. The bond is really intense and strong between a pair. And everything below an Alpha… eventually will become more subservient to the Alpha. And Deceit isn't happy like that," Virgil said. Roman looked shocked and upset for a moment.

"Don't worry, the bond is supposed to be weak between the Alpha and Brood. If it happens at all, it'll be months away at least," Virgil explained and Roman looked a little relieved. "If I stay shielded and you learn to separate, then we can stave it off at least until we become sophomores. The pull between D and me is already weaker with you becoming my Brood. I'll have to see how much next time I see him. I guess it's some kind of energy pool? I still feel just as strongly for him," Virgil mused.

"So if you Blooded or Brooded more people you could make it more manageable?" Roman asked.

"Well, yeah, within a radius, but I can't just advertise I'm a vampire, nor do I want to be linked with every rando on the street," Virgil said and stood up. "If you like being super independent, I'll make sure you stay that way, okay? I can always transfer schools or something," Virgil stopped at the door and looked back to Roman, who looked somewhat despondent. "Come on, let's find some abandoned track or sports field," Virgil said, trying to perk him back up. Virgil didn't like that look on his face. Roman nodded and followed her out the door. After about 15 minutes of walking, they did find an unlit field to run in. The baseball field wasn't lit at this time of night. Roman gasped slightly when they walked out of the lights of the parking lot into the field.

"I can see so much better out here!" He said excitedly and did a cartwheel. "Let's see how fast I can go!" He said and dashed off into the field. Virgil kept pace with him as they ran around for a while, Roman whooping. He tried various things like seeing how far he could jump with a running start and cartwheels. He had her stopwatch his time taking the whole field and jumped upstairs on the bleachers. He even suddenly picked up Virgil, which got a surprised hiss and Roman threw her in shock. She caught herself and skid across the grass and glowered at him.

"Sorry!" Roman blurted out, startled at Virgil's reaction. "But, look at how far I threw you!" He said excitedly, the shock dissipating quickly. Virgil rolled her eyes and walked back over to him. He needed to maybe curb Roman's enthusiasm before Roman tried to throw Virgil off the bleachers or something.

"Alright, alright, keep pace with me," She said and started running at human speed.

"Why?" Roman asked. "This is kind of slow,"

"Because this is about as fast as you should go to be at a human pace so you don't draw attention to us," Virgil explained plainly.

"Oh, right," Roman said. "That's annoying," Roman made a face.

"It really is," Virgil said and started running backward to face him. "So you think you'll be able to keep about this speed around people? Maybe a reasonable jog?"

"Probably!" Roman said enthusiastically. "Can I run backward?" He said and started to turn around and stumbled.

"It's more of a coordination thing than a physical prowess thing," Virgil said, leaning over him and holding out a hand to help him up.

"Ouch," Roman muttered and took Virgil's hand to get up. "I'll have to work on that one," Roman rubbed his ass for a moment and brushed the grass off his pants. "I'm starving," He said, holding his stomach and pulling out his phone to check the time.

"You wanna see if Pat wants to come out to dinner with us?" Virgil asked.

"Sure, why not?" Roman said. "I could go for a steak or something after all this. I burned through all that sushi," He said. Virgil sent off the text.

"You have better than human endurance, but your body still burns through the same calories," Virgil explained simply.

"Oh, I guess I'll have to carbo-load like bodybuilders do if I want to do a lot of weight lifting or something," Virgil was just about to make a snarky comment as her phone buzzed.

'Yes! Can Logan come?' Pat sent back.

'Sure. Meet us outside the dorm,' Virgil sent off.

"Come on, let's go meet Pat. They're bringing their roommate, Logan,"

"Oh, I never met him. Is he cool?" Roman asked, and they ran out of the field.

"I think he is," Virgil offered with a shrug. He didn't really know what the standard was these days.

"So he's a total dork then," Roman laughed and Virgil scowled slightly at him. Why ask if he didn't believe her?

Roman and Virgil slowed to a human pace when they hit the street lamps, though Roman looked briefly disgruntled about it. After a pretty quick jog, they made it back to the dorms to meet up with Logan and Patton. Patton was waving at them right outside the front entrance to the dorm, and Logan was looking at something on his phone.

"Oh, were my favourite kids out for a run? That's why you were headed out to dinner? You should really re-think your exercise schedule, Roman," Patton chided Roman but had a bright smile.

"I know, I know," Roman said with a huff.

"I'll get us a ride share," Virgil said and loaded up the app.

"Where are we headed?" Patton asked excitedly.

"Roman wants steak, but he's probably amenable to other options," Virgil offered.

"Either of you want something specific?" Roman asked, dusting off his arms briefly.

"No, I'm fine with whatever Roman wants! How about you, Lo?" Patton chirped.

"I am satisfied with anywhere that has a side salad or fruit plate," Logan said.

"Cool, then we're all set," Virgil said, picking some random well-rated steak restaurant and summoning a ride. "They're on their way," Virgil said, and quickly scanned the menu. "This place won't have milkshakes I'm afraid, Pat, but they do have a full dessert menu," Patton's eyes glittered but then their face dropped after a moment.

"You're spoiling us again, aren't you?" Patton pouted.

"If I don't spoil you then who, will?" Virgil cried dramatically. "I can't let that lack of spoilage stand," She objected, hopefully cheering up Patton again. They liked silliness.

"Yeah, I'm pretty certain mommy warbucks will die if she doesn't spend at least a thousand dollars a day," Roman said sarcastically. Virgil crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. She couldn't do that even if she dipped into Deceit's money. Infinity dollars is not an achievable sum. Logan's eyes shot up from his phone and raised his eyebrows.

"Virgil, you look… different," Logan said candidly.

"Virgil's gender-fluid," Patton said. "Sometimes she is a she or anything else under the sun!" Patton motioned widely with their arms and span.

"I see," Logan said and pocketed his phone.

"Never came up," Virgil said, shrugging. "Sorry if I startled you. I just stick with male pronouns if I'm not a girl. I'm not really caught up on all the new terminology or anything,"

"They probably will not let you back in the dorm presenting like that, however. It is now past visiting hours," Logan explained with a little concern. Virgil pointed to her backpack.

"I brought stuff to change before we leave," Virgil supplied nonchalantly.

"I was wondering why you brought that for a run," Roman said with a shrug. The rideshare car pulled up to them. There were 3 rows of seats and everyone sat comfortably, Virgil sitting in the single upfront as usual.

"I like to be prepared," Virgil offered.

"It is the most practical way to live life," Logan nodded in agreement.

"I didn't know you had class with Lo, Virge!" Patton said excitedly. That was a sudden change of subject. But that was also very Patton.

"I can't believe you let them call you Lo," Virgil said with humor in her tone.

"I do not particularly approve of it, but Patton has made concessions for me, so I have made this one for them. That does not indicate that either of you can call me anything other than Logan," Logan said firmly.

"I get it," Virgil chuckled behind her hand. "I won't call you that," He could be really odd sometimes. Nicknames have been around since forever. There was nothing wrong with them.

"You're a verbose fellow, Logan," Roman observed with an amused expression.

"I prefer to be as clear and concise as possible in my communications," Logan replied. Patton tittered behind their hand.

"An honorable pursuit," Roman replied with a smirk. "I think I get why Virgil likes you,"

"I am afraid I do not follow your reasoning," Logan said, shifting to face Roman.

"You're just as much of an old person as she is," Roman said with a laugh.

"Don't let Roman get your goat, Logan. He just likes to rile people up," Virgil said dismissively.

"I do not have a goat for him to take," Logan said plainly.

"That's the spirit!" Patton said excitedly. Logan just looked confused.

"It's a colloquialism," Virgil clarified. Logan nodded in understanding. It is was kind of a weird southern one. "I am a proud old person and I take no offense to that, you'll have to try harder, Princey,"

"Now kids, don't fight or I'll turn this car around," Patton said with a little chortle. Roman and Virgil raised an eyebrow at each other. Virgil got there first.

"Boi!" She pointed her hand around her to Roman as she said it. Roman and Patton laughed. The rideshare came to a stop outside the restaurant, and Virgil handed the guy some money as she crawled out of the car.

"Thanks for putting up with us," Virgil smiled sheepishly before exiting.

Everyone stepped inside the restaurant, some nice but not-too-nice steak place so they wouldn't get kicked out for their clothes. Well, Virgil's clothes anyway. The waitress seated them in a booth who took their drink orders. Logan and Patton set next together, and Roman and Virgil sat across from them. Roman let Virgil sit on the outside seat without having to ask him, which was very considerate. Virgil ordered a black coffee, Roman got a soda, Patton ordered lemonade, and Logan ordered water.

"Virgil, ordering coffee this late would be detrimental to your insomnia problem," Logan said with concern. Roman laughed at that, which got an odd look from Logan.

"It doesn't hurt it much. My classes don't start until the afternoon," Virgil offered and took a sip. "This tastes like decaf, anyway. They must not have a pot of regular at this time. What are you guys thinking about getting?"

"The New York strip, maybe," Roman said. "I don't really know much about steaks, but that sounds fancy," Roman shrugged.

"Ah, the cuts have to do with the location on the cow or the level of marbling. I assume you would want a lean cut after exercising, so the sirloin tip side steak or top round is ideal for such an occasion," Logan explained quickly.

"Oh, thanks, Logan. You're like a walking encyclopedia," Roman said and returned to the menu. Logan looked very pleased at the compliment.

"I think I want the salmon," Patton said. "And I can get it with a loaded sweet potato!" Patton added excitedly.

"I will be ordering the side salad with a side of fruit," Logan supplied.

"Oh, breaking the bank," Roman said with a laugh. Logan's eyebrows started to raise.

"He's being sarcastic, there are no bank heists involved nor it is too expensive," Virgil said quickly, seeing the confusion on Logan's face start to unfold.

"You sure you don't want to order more?" Roman said. "I wasn't kidding when I said she likes to spoil people,"

"It is what I want to eat. Any more and I could overeat or it would expire," Logan supplied firmly.

"Fair enough," Roman replied with a little laugh. "If you have leftovers, Pat, I'll hold on to them for you. I'm pretty certain the menu means an entire sweet potato, not just part of one,"

They chatted animatedly between ordering and getting their food, and Virgil got a refill on her decaf when they got their plates. Patton cringed slightly at the tiny amount of blood from Roman's medium-rare steak, which made Virgil snicker quietly.

"Not a fan of the sight of blood, Pat?" Virgil asked, hoping she didn't accidentally hurt their feelings or anything. It was just relatable.

"I just don't like the reminder that my food used to be alive. I used to be vegetarian until I got sick and my doctor told me I couldn't do that anymore," Patton explained. Virgil grimaced.

"Sorry, Pat, I feel you," Virgil offered in solace. Roman shot a glance at Virgil but didn't say anything.

"Were you not hungry, Virgil?" Logan asked curiously, sipping his drink.

"No, I already ate," Virgil lied nonchalantly. The chatter lessened as the three ate their meals, but the conversation never really died.

"Are you going to have room for dessert?" Virgil asked Patton as she eyed them going to town on their sweet potato.

"I will stop eating to make sure I get a dessert!" Patton announced and dropped their fork immediately.

"Oh, same," Roman said, but took another bite.

"What were you thinking about getting?" Virgil asked curiously, sipping her coffee.

"I want something with ice cream," Patton said. "But the crème brûlée sounds good," Patton said, sounding conflicted. "Does anybody want to share?" They asked brightly.

"I want to try baked alaska. It's supposed to be super hard to make. It has ice cream if you want to share it," Roman offered. Patton nodded excitedly and Virgil motioned to the waitress waiting near the kitchen.

"Can we get a baked alaska, two boxes, and the check, please?" Virgil asked politely. She nodded and left for the kitchen. "It would be cool if they would blow torch it at the table. Watching videos of people torching meringue is so mesmerizing," Virgil said absentmindedly.

"That seems like torture," Roman moaned. "I'd get so hungry, it'd be awful,"

"I like watching people ice cookies, so I think I get that! But it does make me hungry," Patton nodded.

"I enjoy soap cutting videos. Though I do wonder if the person cutting the soap is wasting it or not," Logan added.

"Yeah, that always bugged me about those videos," Virgil said. "I just want to see some comment that says they've melted and remade the bar they're cutting up," Virgil grumbled. "I also wonder if people actually paint with paint mixing videos or if they just throw it out. It seems like such a waste,"

"I have seen someone cutting a bar clearly made up of chopped pieces. It was very reassuring," Logan said. "Do you experience autonomous sensory meridian response?"

"ASMR? No here, I just like watching people do art!" Patton said cheerily.

"No, I just find those videos relaxing sometimes," Virgil smiled softly and took another sip of coffee.

"I do, but with clicking sounds and whispers," Roman said. "Not any of those videos,"

"I do experience it as well. It is a nice way to enjoy restorative leisure time," Logan supplied. The waitress came back with the things they requested and topped off Virgil's coffee.

"Holy crap, that looks indulgent as sin," Roman muttered as they placed the baked alaska on the table.

"Woo!" Patton exclaimed and picked up the spoon from the plate to dig in. Patton hit the side of the spoon into the meringue and there was a very satisfying crack for something that must have been at least partly pre-prepared to come out this fast. Virgil smirked at Patton's enthusiasm and fished her wallet out of her pants to put her credit card in the check. "Oh my gosh, it's so darn good!" Patton cooed delightedly. Roman also took a bite after watching Patton try it enthusiastically.

"Oh my god. You're missing out, Logan," Roman moaned.

"Why don't you have a bite for curiosity's sake while the opportunity is here?" Virgil asked.

"I am not fond of the idea of sharing a dish with others," Logan said negatively.

"You eat off an edge that hasn't been touched. Pat and Ro aren't sick," Virgil said. She'd be able to smell if they were, anyway.

"Yeah, I'm as healthy as a horse!" Patton said and stopped eating to push the plate towards Logan. "If you don't want to, Lo, it's okay, but you do like trying new things!"

"I am curious. I have never eaten a dessert quite like this," Logan said and picked up one of the spoons from the plate to take a bite. Everybody stared at him for his response. "It is very sweet for my taste, but not an unenjoyable experience," Logan supplied when he saw everybody looking at him. Patton scooted the plate back to between Roman and themself.

"I'm pretty certain that's Lo-speak for he liked it," Patton giggled just before stuffing another big bite in their face.

"Glad to hear it," Virgil smiled with satisfaction and leaven back to watch her friends eat. Roman rolled his eyes and enjoyed more dessert. "I'm gonna go become a he again in the bathroom, be right back," Patton smiled with a full mouth, which Virgil could not resist making a very bemused face at, and Logan nodded.

"Thanks again for dinner, kiddo!" Patton announced as they stepped out of the rideshare after they got back to the dorms. They pulled Virgil into a hug and then yawned widely. "I ate so much that I got sleepy," Patton said with a soft smile and leaned against Virgil.

"Need me to carry you upstairs, Pat?" Virgil joked with a small chuckle.

"I don't need you to, but I think I would like you to," Patton giggled and handed Roman their box of leftovers. Roman laughed and adjusted the boxes in his hands. Virgil was kidding, but it certainly wasn't any skin of Virgil's back.

"I didn't know what was an option," Roman groaned with false remorse. Virgil leaned down and swooped at Patton's legs to carry them in his arms. Patton squealed with delight. Virgil followed the others inside and only got an eyebrow raise from the security guard at the station as Virgil backed into the stairwell.

"I will take the stairs with you to show you the way," Logan offered and held open the door to the stairwell.

"Aw, I don't want to be the only one to take the elevator," Roman groaned and also followed them. Virgil laughed loudly at Roman's stubbornness. He had plenty of strength and endurance now, even plenty of calories to burn, and still didn't like to take the stairs. And he's been calling Virgil a dork.

Virgil looked down at Patton in his arms as they ascended the stairs back up to their dorms because he could feel them trembling slightly. Patton's eyes glittered and had an expression like the secrets of the universe were unlocked. Virgil couldn't help but be a little confused. This wasn't just about carrying them up the stairs, right? This was a pretty weird reaction to, well, anything.

"What's up, Patton?" Virgil asked with a very confused smile. Patton's enthusiasm was palpable, and their heart rate was high. What was so interesting?

"Are you a vampire, Virge?" Patton asked excitedly, nearly bouncing in Virgil's arms. Roman and Virgil paused on the stairs. Wow. What were the odds?