Patton's alarm went off next to their head on the air mattress and they sat up from their half of Virgil's chest, their pillow jammed under his arm still holding their head shape. Roman was still on his other side and just groaned and waved in the air like he was getting rid of a fly for some reason. Patton kissed Virgil's forehead with a light titter and waved as they gathered their phone and pajamas from yesterday and headed out the door to their dorm to get ready for work.
Virgil wasn't sure how much Patton needed monthly, but Virgil was thinking about having his friends get fake contractor jobs from Deceit to cover their expenses now that they were in their clan so Patton could focus more on studying and Roman wouldn't have to rely on his bigoted-sounding parents. He hadn't had the talk with Patton yet, either, so he'd have to get that out of the way before any of Deceit's shell-corps starting making direct deposits or anything.
Roman didn't wake up from that exchange other than sleep-flailing and was still breathing quietly on the other half of his chest. Roman had his hand across Virgil's torso and his head was on a pillow under Virgil's arm. He had shifted down overnight off of the crook of Virgil's arm and chest. Roman's morning hair was absolutely adorable, and Virgil fought the urge to ruffle it to make it even wilder. There was something very attractive about the idea of Roman's hair being a mess since he normally kept it so pristinely in place.
Now that Patton was off, he had a free hand, so he reached for his phone sitting on the air mattress above his head. Virgil sent Remy a string of emojis that made a vague story with no context. He had gotten into the habit to see if he could find where Remy's limit was with wildly meaningless strings of emojis. But he had gotten back nothing but another string of emojis every time, never any objections or even asking for clarification. Virgil assumed they were some kind of puzzle thing to him. Some vampires were really into cryptography.
Virgil was confident with enough practice he'd be able to understand the emoji strings without a guide. It seemed like Remy was also sending stories back and Virgil enjoyed trying to crack the code. The stories were definitely weird, but they made sense for Remy to tell, so Virgil thought his interpretations must be at least partially correct. Some emojis had multiple or naturally ambiguous meanings, and others communicated a feeling instead of a specific word or idea. Either way, it pissed him off, and he was determined to figure it out or beat the answer out of him if he couldn't. Virgil realized he might also be one of those vampires that were really into cryptography and the humor wasn't lost on him.
Virgil was passing time watching guitar technique videos when Roman's weekend 9am alarm went off. Roman's arm rose from Virgil's side slightly and smacked around wildly for his phone until he found it and turned it off. Roman yawned widely and ran his hand through his hair.
"Good morning, Roman," Virgil said, laughing at Roman's cute expression as he rubbed his face and looked around in confusion, holding himself up on his elbow. "Air mattress, remember?" Virgil supplied.
"Oh, right. I forgot we moved down here," Roman said with a light yawn. "Morning," Roman said and gave Virgil a last hug before climbing up and heading into the bathroom. Roman actually went to bed early for once with Patton, so it wasn't like he was sleep-deprived like he normally would be, so perhaps he just wasn't a morning person.
Virgil sat up and stripped the sheets to deflate the mattress with the quick release and placed it all together in a plastic storage tub in front of the closet. Virgil went over to dig through his clothes. He wasn't sure it was just a friendly outing with Logan this morning and didn't want to be under-dressed if it was a date. He also didn't want to get stared at like a thief because he wore some grungy clothes into the museum. He was feeling a little more gender-ambiguous today, so maybe something that was casually androgynous kind of dressy. Maybe he could just wear a purple tank top under one of his black button-downs. Maybe with his leather jacket instead of a hoodie? He had slacks with him, but some black fitted jeans are dressy if you wear them with the right shoe. Though, perhaps a combat boot was not it. It would probably look nice enough without being too far from his regular style. Virgil changed while Roman finished up the in the bathroom.
"Oh, no hoodie ensemble today?" Roman said with a raised eyebrow as he came out of the bathroom while Virgil was adjusting his jacket.
"I didn't want to get thrown out of the museum for being a punk kid," Virgil explained his outfit choice dismissively and went into the bathroom to brush his teeth.
"I didn't even know that was a thing that could happen," Roman said, sounding slightly surprised but mostly amused. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
"They were not fond of my 'excessive cloaks' and they kicked me out for 'possible tomfoolery'," Virgil made the air quotes with his fingers before he pulled out his toothbrush and toothpaste. "This happened on multiple occasions," He deadpanned and started brushing. He heard Roman laugh from the dorm room.
"I'm going to go join the fold and shower today. I want to do some vocal warm-ups in the hot steam," Roman said and bustled around the dorm.
'Oh, they will love that,' Virgil thought at Roman.
"Hearing my angelic voice could only enhance their day," Roman huffed and squeezed in the bathroom to grab his shower kit and a towel from under the sink.
'Break some hearts, Princey,' Virgil thought at him and Roman winked at him before heading out of the dorm room. Virgil spit and finished cleaning his teeth. He lit up his eyes to make his make-up less severe. He moved it to be more concentrated around his eyes instead of making it prominent that he just had a tired face. Virgil also straightened his hair somewhat to look a little more polished. Virgil hadn't been to this museum to know how well lit it was, so he grabbed a pair of gloves from his drawers and pocketed them with his mask. After a liberal application of sunscreen, he put on his sunglasses and went downstairs to wait for Logan.
Virgil was a little early, but Logan ended up being slightly early, too, only coming down 3 minutes after Virgil sat in one of the lobby chairs away from the windows. Virgil pulled out his phone and waved at Logan as he exited the elevator.
"Good morning, Virgil," Logan said, verging on brightly.
"Morning, Logan. This is the exhibit, right? I'll get us a ride," Virgil asked, showing him the webpage on his phone. Logan nodded and Virgil input that address for the ridesharing service. "Thanks for inviting me, I haven't seen any exhibits quite like this in some time," Virgil thanked him brightly, looking forward to the museum.
"I am delighted to share this with someone with a common interest in ancient poetry," Logan said with the hint of a smile playing on his lips.
"I also enjoy pottery," Virgil said with a smile. "But I think trying to guess the context of the partial poetry pieces will be the real star of the day," Virgil said thoughtfully.
"I would also find that gratifying," Logan's smile actually broke out this time, and Virgil blushed slightly in surprise at how cute it was. Logan just looked quizzically at him.
"Sorry, I don't want to push any boundaries or anything, but you're really cute when you smile," Virgil said softly. Logan slightly flushed in response.
"You did not push any boundaries," Logan said, possibly reassuring Virgil or possibly changing the subject. "I will let you know if I feel uncomfortable. I am already aware that you are affectionate from watching you interact with Patton and Roman," Logan said. Virgil looked away and rubbed his head in embarrassment.
"Yeah, that's relatively new," Virgil mumbled. His phone dinged. "That's our ride. Shall we?" Logan nodded, and Virgil donned his outdoor traversing in the sun gear. They stepped out into the sun to head to the museum.
Once they purchased tickets, Logan led Virgil into the museum with ease towards the ancient pottery exhibit. He must have been here a few times before. Logan mentioned in the car that he was open to checking out some other exhibits as long as they had the time, but he wanted to start there. Virgil was happy to have an enthusiastic guide. The pottery was stunning, and well preserved. The textures looked so interesting that he really wished he could feel them. There were a series of intricate engravings or restored paintings that Virgil and Logan sometimes got lost in and both got a little embarrassed when another group came and they had to move along to let them see up close.
When they found the collection of ancient poetry on the pots, they spent a long while pouring over the translations provided with each piece. They easily spent nearly an hour just discussing what this phrasing meant or that combination of words could imply. Logan even casually dropped some alternate meanings of a couple of the words in ancient Greek. Which was both surprising and very amazing. Virgil would have pegged him for Latin fan over ancient Greek. Maybe he knew both?
When they realized they had been there past noon, Virgil offered to buy Logan lunch when they finished the first exhibit in a nearby cafe. They were considering heading back to check out the sculpture collection afterward if Logan had time. Virgil used to do sculptures a long time ago and wanted to check out the collection. They continued their discussion while Logan ate a plate of grilled vegetables and seasoned rice and Virgil enjoyed his black coffee.
"I have to admit, Logan, I wasn't sure you were interested in spending time with me at first or I would have invited you out with us more often," Virgil said a little sheepishly as he sipped his coffee. He leaned on his elbow on the table and watched Logan eat.
"I would not have offered to help you study programming if I was uninterested in further socialization," Logan said evenly. That was probably fair. Virgil felt like an idiot for not connecting the dots sooner.
"I can be kind of oblivious and dumb sometimes, sorry," Virgil said quietly and looked down, tapping slightly on his coffee cup.
"I haven't seen any indication that you were 'dumb' in the time that I have known you," Logan said calmly. "It is not good for your mental health to insult yourself," Logan admonished him, but there was no spite or distaste behind it. Virgil looked at him wide-eyed for a moment, feeling a little taken aback.
"I'll work on that, thanks," Virgil agreed softly and didn't meet Logan's eyes, opting to stare at his coffee instead. Virgil looked up a little nervously. Logan smiled lightly and nodded. "Can I ask you something kind of embarrassing? So I don't have to feel dumb anymore?" Virgil asked tentatively. Logan nodded and motioned with his hand for Virgil to go ahead.
"I would be happy to alleviate any concerns you have," Logan replied and sipped his water.
"I'm still not entirely sure if this is a friend-outing or a date," Virgil nearly whispered he asked so quietly. Logan choked on his water for a second and Virgil panicked until he swallowed and took a deep breath. "Because it was kind of a romantic thing to ask me to join you to do, in both senses," Now, it was Logan's turn to blush, and it wasn't restrained like most of his interactions. That took Virgil by surprise for a moment, but it just made him smile to see Logan like that.
"I…" Logan started and cleared his throat. "I am not disinterested. It hadn't crossed my mind that outing could be considered a date until you asked," He said timidly. Virgil held up his hands.
"It doesn't have to be!" Virgil shot apprehensively and held up his hands. He didn't want to scare Logan off. He was interesting and calming to be around, even if they weren't romantically compatible.
"No, I am… open to discussion on the subject…" Logan said and trailed off. They were both blushing at each other like idiots at this point.
"I, uh, didn't mean to railroad you with that or anything. Do you need space or something? I can get us separate rides-" Virgil started rambling until Logan held up his hand and shook his head.
"No, I am not uncomfortable. I just had not realized what I asked could have been construed as romantic in more than one way," Logan said softly.
"Oh, well, it was. It's how we met. It's sweet," Virgil explained quietly. Logan nodded. "Um, before anything else, I need to tell you I am polyamorous and I'm already seeing somebody," Virgil explained and wrung his hands nervously. He could live if Logan didn't want to date him, but Virgil would be lying to himself if he thought it wouldn't really hurt if Logan didn't accept him. Logan nodded again, much to Virgil's relief.
"I do not think that is an issue. I am often consumed by my studies and would not mind you seeking close romantic affection elsewhere. If all parties are informed and aware of the situation I don't find that objectionable," Logan explained, his composure not fully regained. It was really cute to see him discombobulated.
"I should also warn you I have very cold hands," Virgil said with a smirk and motioned a with sarcastic jazz hands.
"I will take that into consideration," Logan said and smiled back. "I would be interested in pursuing an 'open' relationship with you. I find our conversations very stimulating and would enjoy exploring further interactions,"
"Further interactions is a pretty wide field, Mr. Hewitt. Where did you intend to start?" Virgil asked with a flirty smile. He raised his eyebrow and leaned forward on his hands, looking pointedly at Logan. Logan flushed slightly and froze for a moment.
"I believe we should hold hands when we return to the exhibit," Logan spouted out, looking like his brain was perhaps running a bit too fast with ideas there for a moment.
"I like that plan," Virgil said and winked at him, which made Logan's heart rate spike a little. Virgil chuckled quietly. He was so damn cute when his brain was working quickly, be it from intense research or picking an intimate interaction.
They did, in fact, hold hands when they returned to the museum to see the sculpture collection. Virgil considered wearing gloves, but he already told Logan he has cold hands, plus Patton had mentioned it in his presence. Logan didn't react when Virgil took his hand as they headed to the wing with ancient sculptures and tools. Other than his heart rate jumping slightly, anyway. Virgil let Logan lead him through the wing, mentioning extra facts about certain items or just showing off his favourite pieces. He must love history to do further research on his favourite things in the museum. Holding hands with another guy in public name him nervous, but he could pretend that people could see it as a friendly interaction since Logan was mostly pulling him about rather than anything else, and that helped settle him.
Logan really lit up and let his heart sit on his sleeve for once, and he was excited to show Virgil the Egyptian exhibit since they had sarcophagus on loan. They had decided to stay at the museum even later, just to check out the other wings. Virgil didn't even realize that Logan might have had other things to do halfway through the wing with a collection of various kinds of art.
"Logan, I haven't been keeping you from anything, right? I know you like to keep a tight schedule," Virgil said, stopping them suddenly.
"I did not eat an afternoon snack, but otherwise I have completed my homework and am mostly on top of my studies. I can finish this wing with you," Logan said, checking his watch, pulling up Virgil's hand as he brought it up to read. Virgil smirked with amusement when he realized that Logan had forgotten he was holding Virgil's hand, he had gotten so used to his fingers intertwined with Virgil's.
"We can maybe pick you up something to eat on the way back to campus," Virgil offered, leaning in slightly towards him.
"That would be time-saving, thank you," Logan said and looked satisfied. "You seem to be relatively affluent," Logan commented. There wasn't any weight to his words, it was just a mild comment. Virgil loved that about him.
"Yes, and I enjoy spending it on my new boyfriend," Virgil said with a smirk. He brushed Logan's knuckles with his thumb, and it flustered Logan for a moment. Virgil fought the urge to be more affectionate with him as they went on to the next painting, Logan rattling off the techniques and they discussed the symbolism together on pieces that really drew them in. It was a magnificent way to spend an afternoon.
—
Virgil came into his dorm and hung his leather jacket up, humming slightly to himself an old prelude he wrote for piano. He turned around and saw Roman writing at his laptop again. He's really dedicated guy, it was impressive how much time he put into writing.
"Hey Princey, how was practicing for today?" Virgil asked as he dramatically flopped himself on the middle of the dorm room floor.
"I think it went marvelously. I will record myself next time to get a better perspective of how it sounds, though. I'd like to cover my bases," Roman offhandedly, and glanced down at Virgil on the floor. "Did you have a pleasant time at the place with the old stuff?" Roman asked sarcastically smiling at him, rotating away from his laptop to lean forward and look at Virgil on the floor.
"Great time," Virgil purred and smiled to Roman. "But you probably know that," Virgil motioned to Roman up on his chair and tapped his head.
"It's more polite to ask," Roman shrugged. "Did you just spend the entire time looking at old stuff? Because if you get that happy just looking at broken pottery, you need to get a life," Roman said critically, but he had a playful smile and a twinkle in his eye.
"The broken pottery was awesome, but no. This level of happiness was only tangentially related to the museum excursion," Virgil smiled knowingly and Roman huffed.
"You spent too much time this afternoon with him, you're starting to talk like him," Roman groaned and frowned at him.
"I've been around long enough to unironically drop some 10 dollar words. Sometimes you'll just have to humor me," Virgil stuck out his tongue slightly.
"I do nothing but humor you, you weird ancient leech. So what was the cause of the joyous jubilee, then?" Roman asked, leaning on one hand and watching Virgil with interest.
"Oh, nice alliteration," Virgil gold clapped. "Logan and I are dating now," Virgil said with a smile.
"What? That poindexter beat me to asking you out?" Roman shot, upset. "I had this whole romantic outing planned!" Virgil lifted himself up on to his elbows to look at Roman in the face.
"Oh, is my night in shining amouré jealous that Logan got to it first?" Virgil asked with a smirk and wiggled his eyebrow playfully at Roman.
"Yes!" Roman said emphatically. "You're not worried about him finding out?" Roman dropped his hands and looked baffled.
"It hasn't been a problem so far," Virgil said dismissively. "Plus, he straight denied it when Patton asked,"
"I thought you were more cautious than that," Roman huffed, crossing his arms in frustration.
"You see, I have the most handsome Brood and they both can be kind of impulsive, and it has affected me a bit," Virgil smirked and watched Roman flush and pout. Virgil drew himself up to his feet and dropped his shield, pulling in Roman for a hug, gently stroking his hair. He clearly wasn't upset about Virgil being less cautious with Logan, who Virgil genuinely thought he could drink blood in front of him and he still wouldn't believe he was a vampire. "You don't need a fancy date to convince me to say yes, you know, I'm already there," Virgil said softly. Roman's heart rate rose, and he gripped Virgil back tightly.
"Maybe I want to go on a fancy date with you," Roman mumbled, still pouting into Virgil's arm.
"Then let's go on a fancy date right now. If you have any burning questions at the end of the night, I'll be ready to listen. Maybe we can find some carnival and you can confess your love in the ferris wheel," Virgil chuckled when Roman punched him in the side for the joke. "Or maybe you just want to skip the airs and go for the goal," Virgil said softly into Roman's ear. Roman bristled momentarily and hit Virgil on the arm, pulling away and making his deep blush evident.
"I'm getting my fancy date, damnit, now go hide behind the curtain while I put on something suitable. I'll need you to change into those slacks, but you can keep the rest of the outfit. It's already acceptable if you button up more," Roman ordered and turned to Virgil's closet, throwing his pair of slacks at him. Virgil chuckled and shook his head. Extra is as extra does, and Roman was not to be challenged without a hissy fit. Virgil saluted Roman before pulling back the curtains to let Roman get dressed.