#aromantic logan

[flower-melt]

I just remembered how hard I use to project onto Logan. I was so emotional about it and it seems silly now but it makes sense considering Sanders Sides was a big part of how I accepted being aroace. I also remember not being sure how Logan would react to Character Thomas' romance with Nico and I'm so glad his lack of understanding-romance has stayed consistent. It just means a lot to me!

[anxiouslyfred]

Something to Read

for @aro-sides-week day 4 Free Day, I'm just gonna project on Logan some of my frustrations about finding things to read

Logan just wanted to relax with a new story that doesn't have needless romance pushed in

He'd tried looking at history books and found it unavoidable, was uncomfy with kids books, both as too easy to read and definitely not including him in the target audience

Trying to read murders and mysteries could occasionally work, but weren't something he wanted constantly. Especially when one too many motives boiled down to love or sex.

It he wasn't sure there were other people out there feeling like this too, he'd wonder if spending hours looking through bookshops, libraries, and searching through online recommendations pages was absurd when all he wanted to avoid for a while was romance.

Fiction is meant to be an escape for people, not another way that societies views pushed and pushed onto him the importance of love and romance everyone swore was there.

Hell, after the first few times this had happened, he didn't even care if a love story did turn up, just so long as it didn't take over the entire fucking thing. He'd find a book that sounded so interesting, only for the concept to slowly dissolve into a way to inconvenience two people the author wanted to date

The world doesn't revolve around love and Logan was damn tired of the narrative trying to make it do so.

Maybe a book on bees will be interesting, even if it's not a novel

[on-fic-writing-spree]

Possibly harmful things y’all need to be careful of when writing sanders sides characters (that isn’t to say you can’t write them, but be careful with how you do)

Trans Janus - making the “liar” trans? Not a great idea if he’s the only character you ever write as trans.

Soft Virgil - not all soft Virgil is bad, but you do have to be mindful of how you write it, don’t make Virgil like a baby or a child (unless they’re literally a child in the writing you’re doing)

Aromantic Remus - there’s plenty of lovely aro Remus content, I’m personally an arospec Remus kinnie so it does pop up in my writing, but again, it’s about how you write it. Please be careful that you’re not stepping into the category of “Remus can’t love at all” esp since he’s intrusive thoughts and that can easily demonize the subject

Autistic Logan - god there’s so many fucking stereotypes you have to avoid to do autistic Logan, and it’s great to have autistic Logan for projection, but y’all gotta be careful, avoid “autistic people are all extremely smart” “autistic people can’t experience emotion” just check yourself with the stereotypes - there’s def a lot of reasons lo could be autistic, just be careful with how you write it

Aromantic Logan / Asexual Logan - just don’t make Logan aro/ace because “Logan doesn’t have emotions emotionless robot” once again, don’t add to the stereotype that aromantic people don’t experience love at all or make him completely emotionless

Logan with OCD - as someone who is fairly certain they have OCD, this one sometimes bothers me, because this idea of “OCD is just people who are neat” HAS TO GO. please be careful about that.

Generally marginalized groups should not always be your antagonists. Not everyone sees Janus as an antagonist, of course, but. Just be careful of it.

Oh yeah also don’t tag your drawings as BLM even if they’re in support of the cause and don’t tag your Remus content as intrusive thoughts (you can use intrusive thot if you want). It clogs up the tags for other people.

Usually you can break these all being stereotypes by adding another character that is in that group too. For example, making not only Remus aromantic, but making Roman aromantic too.

But please be mindful. Write the characters you want, continue to project (esp if it’s a coping mechanism!!!), but just be careful of the ideas that you’re putting out there!!

Feel free to add on. Obviously my white ass doesn’t know everything.

[grouptalekindnesssoul]

Run Boy Run

@ratherstarryeyed Here’s your gift! :D I hope you enjoy. @sanderssidesgiftxchange thanks for arranging this 

(I promise Patton does not play a huge role. He becomes a background character very quickly)

Summary: Janus was the crown Prince, until a charismatic group of pirates swooped in and stole him away. Featuring mentioned gay pining! 

Warnings: Swears, Unsympathetic Patton, I switch names halfway. 

“Prince Damian, you must get up. Your betrothed will be here in an hour” A servant tugged at the prince’s prone form. 

“Then tell her, I am not interested” The prince groaned, rolling out of reach. The servant wouldn’t be deterred however, and continued to yank on his arm. Instead of giving in however, the prince buried himself deeper. 

“Crown Prince Damian Eric Stephan Layor you will get yourself up immediately” An growly voice rang out 

“And what if I don’t want to, father” Damian didn’t move an inch. King Patton was not used to people disobeying him. In fact, it was downright impossible to go against him. However, his son was firmly against the marriage. And it was placing strains on the relations between the two kingdoms. 

“Young man, you will get up, or I will drag you downstairs and forcibly shove you into your suit” The King’s voice went deathly quiet. However, Damian was completely done with it and went limp to make it difficult to move him. The king made true on his promise however, and had his guards drag the 18 year old out of bed and down the stairs. The suit was carefully unsewn and resewn around the prince’s body by the tailor’s magic. 

“Damian, stay low, and stay still” Remy briefly dropped xir shades. Damian nodded, trusting xem without a second thought. Never did xe drop xer shades. Something was wrong. Resigned to his fate, Damian walked under his own power to the meeting room. The king was nowhere to be found, though some of the more important advisors were already there. Damian sat in his marked seat, still as a statue as a crown was dropped on his head. 

“Now, with Princ-” The chief advisor began, moving opposite Damian. Before he could get more than that, a window shattered inwards. Damian froze, lowering himself to be a smaller target. A group of people jumped in, surrounding the table. The one who appeared to be the leader stood behind Damian. 

“Now, I’d tell you to drop yer weapons, butcha already have” A lazy voice began from somewhere to the prince’s right. 

“Hand over your valuables, and tell us the location of your king, and we’ll spare you” A clipped formal voice came from the left. Damian made note of the educated nature of the vocabulary. Before any of them could do much else, the door began to shake and loud voices echoed from outside of it. 

“Grab what you can and scram!” Another voice burst out. Damian couldn’t tell from where in the commotion. 

“Get me out of here. I’m the crown prince and you can ransom me” Damian twisted immediately to grab what he judged to be the leader’s arm. The man looked conflicted before scooping him up and running for the window again. There was a feeling of weightlessness as the man carried Damian away. 

_____

The group fell to the deck panting as their ship pulled away from shore. Damian stared at the boards beneath him, wondering why he decided to pipe up. He didn’t regret his decision exactly, but he questioned it. 

“What’s your name kid?” A voice cut into his internal crisis. He turned to see the captain of the ship.

“De-Janus. My name is Janus” Damian nodded to himself. 

“I’m Thomas. Welcome aboard the Sides Sailing, my ship” The man smiled, nodding as he helped Janus up. 

“Are you really the prince?” The formal figure drew himself up, adjusting round glasses. 

“...I am. But I don’t want to be” Janus rubbed his head awkwardly. 

“Well then, you’ll fit in just fine,” Thomas said, clapping a hand on Janus’s shoulder. 

“I am Logan” The bespectacled man supplied, offering a bow.

“Roman. And Virgil is over there with the half shaved head, Emile is the other glasses-wearing fool, and-” Janus’s rescuer began to point out people. 

“Ro, they can introduce themselves” Thomas scolded, kicking the darker man.  Roman, as the rescuer had been crowned, ducked his head. A deep chuckle betrayed his complete lack of shame to Janus. 

“Unfortunately, that leaves only me” The last unidentified person added, a quiet chuckle alongside their introduction. “I’m Delphine, only one on this ship who actively breaks rules” 

“Del!” The tallest of the group (Virgil as Janus recalled) swatted at the disappearing figure. 

“Anyways, my pronouns currently are they/she. Emile is they/them. Thomas, Ro, and Virgil are he/him, and Lo is ae/aer” Delphine was back, leaning over Janus’s shoulder from a rope. They cackled at the jerk he gave. 

“A-anyways, what do you guys do?” Janus asked self-consciously as the gremlin climbed up the rope. 

“Mostly trading. The trinkets will sell for massive amounts, if only to the palace staff. If you want, you can join us? We could use someone else of note” Thomas rubbed his neck, shifting feet as the wind caught in the sails. There was a grunt from Delphine, as she leaned down to tug one of the ropes on the port side. 

“Let me stay. I don’t want to be crown prince and I can...you can sell my stuff” Janus blurted out.

“Oh, we figured you would stay. None of us doubted it after the name switch, and how you addressed your title” Logan commented, aer hands adjusting aer outfit. 

“You can borrow some of my stuff. We appear to be about the same size” Del piped up, taking Emile’s offered hand up from where they were hanging off the ship. 

“....Is She always like that?” Janus asked in disbelief. 

“Usually. But you get used to it after a while” The rich voice of Roman came from Janus’s blind side. When the (former) prince startled, Roman’s muscled arms were there and his eyes casting concerned sweeps of the other man. 

“S-sorry. I just had an accident that left me blind and deaf in that side of my face” Janus started, offering a weak smile. 

“Let me look at that, you could have suffered damage on that side of your face” Emile finally spoke up, their hands already wrapping around the arm of Janus’s shirt. 

“They are our medic. You’ll be okay” Logan soothed the Prince. 

“Okay. Thanks” Janus said, relaxing slightly at the gentle guiding of the unarmed person. 

“Delphine, go get some of your clothes. Better to get the exact adjustments needed started” Thomas ordered, and they ducked into somewhere that Janus couldn’t see as he was brought below deck. 

___

A few weeks later found Janus settled among the crewmates. He figured out that Virgil and Emile were a couple, while Thomas and Logan considered themselves the unofficial parents of the group. Thomas constantly joked how they were aro/ace solidarity. Delphine was an enigma and Roman seemed to have his eyes on someone else. 

“Del, you’re the expert. What should I do?” Janus heard Roman talking from Delphine’s workspace, high up off the ground where a hammock was nestled among the various ropes late one day. 

“Ro, I am hardly an expert. But I say, ask him out. Worst comes to worst you say it was a new crush and easily dismissed” The distracted voice of the teen answered after a beat. 

“Yea, but like pocket protector he’s used to finer things. And the pair of us...if I were ever to retire I would have little. I can’t do it to him” Janus’s heart stopped. ‘Pocket Protector’ was Logan. Could it be that Ro liked aer? It would make sense, with the fact that they had known each other a while. 

“Get out of here if you’re gonna be a hopeless gay romantic” There was a thud and a yelp of pain as Roman came crashing down to the deck. 

“Quit fighting on my ship!” Thomas’s voice echoed from below. 

“No promises~” The aloft person hummed. A few moments later a shirt fluttered down onto Ro’s head. “Take that to JayJay. He needs another shirt after he ripped through my other one. Those clothes better buy me more fabric as well as food and water” 

“No promises” Roman mocked, climbing to his feet. Janus began to duck behind the door. Unfortunately for him, the movement attracted Ro’s attention. 

“Oh, hey Janus. Perfect timing, Del just finished a new shirt for you” Roman offered the shirt. 

“Oh, Thanks. Uh, what was that crash?” Janus squeaked in attempted nonchalant chatter. 

“Del literally kicking off her little space” Roman shrugged, brushing past closer than necessary. The muscles made Janus burst out in blush. A sudden jerk sent both men to the ground in a tangle of limbs. 

“I am going to murder whoever is responsible for this shit. Thomas, get your ass up here! We have a problem” Del roared, and the captain appeared out of thin air. 

“What is- not today. Can you help us escape” Thomas glanced over to the smoky port side. His face paled as he peered through the smoke.

“No promises! Haven’t used the engine in a while and it looks like they took out a piece of the sail” Delphine was busy tugging on a line that had suddenly appeared from the base of the sail. Ae reached up to pull a few of the ropes above aer head to pull the sails around to catch the wind.

“I..should go” Roman mumbled, squeezing Janus’s shoulder. 

“Please. Don’t” Janus held tight to the arm, scared. Ro hummed, wrapping it more securely around the man. 

“Ro, don’ move. Th’engine may not be able te take it” Del yelled, a blended accent that Janus recognized from the raid he’d been ‘taken’ in. 

“Running out of time! It’s now or never!” Thomas bellowed over the whir from another engine. Delphine growled, yanking upwards with all aer might, and leaping into the air in the same motion. The deck buzzed as an engine burst to life, and the ship took off. Janus loosened his grip on Roman, shaking as both of his other crewmates relaxed. 

“Thomas, keep it steady. I’m going to do what I can to repair the sail so we can have full maneuverability” Delphine called as Ro murmured soft words into Janus’s curly hair. The rest of the crew appeared, Emile hurrying to check for any wounds while Virgil stuck close with a hand on his knife.  

“You can,” Janus tried to steady his voice “go to your crush, if you wish. I will be fine”  Ro glanced down, his face split with a look of confusion. Janus cursed his upbringing as he slipped back into his educated voice.

“You heard?”

“I did, and I wish to assure you I am perfectly fine” A disbelieving laugh bounced around Ro. 

“We’ll be able to reach the city early tomorrow now that we’re in the air” Logan interrupted. The moment was further interrupted by the slew of curses echoing from the port side. In a feat of acrobatic strength, Del was hanging on the tip of the sail and sewing up the damage. 

“Just tell him Ro. We’re tired of you dancing around trying to figure out how” Vee yelled, a fond smile flickering at the corners of his lips. 

“Janus, I am already comforting my crush. He is stupidly selfless at times, smart, witty, sarcastic, and an utter annoyance”

“So....Del?”

“No, you stupid fool! He is gayer than the fourth of July!” Del yelled. 

“No. It’s you, Janus. Your bravery weeks ago was the first strike. Everything since has snowballed into a horrible crush. And I ge-hmph!” Ro explained. Sensing a self-deprecation, Janus pulled his shirt down and kissed him. There were cheers as they broke apart. 

“Does that answer your lil question?” Janus smiled widely, a sappy look in his eyes. 

“Y-yea” Roman stuttered, face bright red. Del ruined the moment with further cursing from her project. Ae finally cimbed back on deck and unfurled the sail further. She went to Thomas, whispering something to him. He nodded, clapping aers shoulder. The pair disappeared below deck as Roman and Janus made out. Finally, everyone drifted below deck as the ship tilted itself towards the destination. 

~~

The next day, the pulled into port. Logan immediately went ashore, hailing the harbormaster. Janus watched as the crew unloaded things that used to belong to him. It was oddly relieving as it disappeared to the marketplace with Virgil and Emile. 

Roman pulled Janus ashore, running to a familiar figure. 

“Remy!” Janus called as he recognized the tailor. He immediately hugged xem, a whine coming from his throat. 

“Whoa babes! Careful with the goods” Remy patted the man’s head. 

“Hey Remy. I believe you’ve met my boyfriend?” Roman said proudly as Janus let go and grabbed Ro’s hand again. Remy whistled, swirling xir cup. 

“Don’t hesitate do you? Well congrats Damien” 

“It’s...Janus now. I go by Janus”

“Janus! Knew there was a reason I liked you. Now, where can I take my stuff?” Remy waved to a suitcase behind xem. 

“My room is yours now. I’m leaving the crew” Del appeared, his face tired. Remy shrugged and hauled the bag towards the ship.

“Wait, you’re leaving us? And Remy..?” Janus caught Del’s arm in his free hand. 

“Yea. Remy is one of us. Or, you guys. Xe started sneaking us stolen goods a couple years ago. And, it’s time I depart. Your story has no more need for me” Del reached up to kiss Ro’s cheek as he explained. 

“Good luck. I’ll see you around” Del waved as he walked onwards, leaving the Sides Sailing and her crew to their adventures. 

[starlocked01]

I Know the Stars Will Start to Fade

AO3 @tsshipmonth2020

Masterpost- Previous- Next

Summary-  Roman was born with three soul marks but now has only one. He doesn't want to ruin his last great chance for happiness but finds his final soulmate, Logan, isn't what he expected. And neither is he what he expected of himself.

Day 10 LAMP (Platonic Logince focused, Romantic Moxiety)- Soulmates are born with matching soul marks

Roman was starting to feel desperate. He had been born with three different soul marks but now was left with one. He really couldn't blame Patton or Virgil for getting upset with him. Somehow this was his fault.

The soul marks had been beautiful. Three shields with different intricate patterns inside. One had a castle overshadowed by a storm cloud. That one had matched Virgil’s. One had a heart floating in a broiling sea. That one had matched with Patton's. The last showed a brain at the foot of the mountains with a field of stars above. He hoped whoever this brain matched to would be the one who lasted and stuck around.

He'd met Virgil on an online forum for people with multiple soul marks. They hadn't talked much but Virgil went by st0rmcl0ud online and had described a soul mark that sounded remarkably similar to Roman’s. So he reached out in DMs and they swapped photos of their marks and then phone numbers and at Roman's insistence planned to meet up. He was already head over heels for his soulmate and giddy with excitement to meet Virgil in real life. Virgil and Patton had found each other through a dating app. Virgil recognized the heart shield as matching one of Patton's marks and had introduced the two of them as well.

For the first month, it was wonderful. Roman had never been so enamored, so certain of a future together with these two. It felt wonderful and nerve-wracking and exciting and passionate and everything the fairy tales had promised love would be.

They went on dates and got to know each other better. Roman went from infatuated to admiring his soulmates. He still put forth the full effort to love them but his heart wasn't behind it the way it should have been.

The stormy castle started to fade. He loved- no- cared for his two soulmates deeply. But the mark started to fade. Roman’s grand romantic vision of the future started to settle into something more friendly and domestic. He hid his soul marks, not wanting to upset either of them.

The stormy castle faded completely and the heart in the ocean was beginning to dull in color as well. Roman loved going on dates because it made his friends happy, but he felt no happier than if they had a quiet movie night at home together or spent the night video calling each other.

Roman had been frustrated, because Virgil and Patton were still head over heels for each other, in their own ways of course. Why didn't he feel that romantic spark that had pulled them all together?

One day, the heart in the ocean faded completely. Roman was terrified to tell his soulmates that the marks were gone. He was even more frightened by the realization that he didn't really love them the way they loved him and each other. He absolutely cared for Patton and Virgil with his whole heart, but the romantic vision was gone. He wanted them in his life but the idea of dating twisted his gut in the most unpleasant way.

Virgil noticed first. Roman didn't think it was possible to see the man any paler than his normal complexion.

"You lied to us…"

"No, they disappeared. They were there. They were real!"

"How do you expect me to believe that, Roman," Virgil's eyes were clouded with fear and pain. Roman couldn’t meet his gaze any longer and looked away.

"Why would you-"

"I don't know! I- you're my soulmate, Virgil… I don't know why our mark disappeared."

Virgil shook his head and pulled out his phone, dialing from memory.

If Virgil's anger had been difficult, Patton's disappointment was worse. His sad eyes bore into Roman’s soul and he couldn't even soften the blow by blaming Roman.

"Roman, do you not want us?" Roman's heart crumbled at the question.

"Patton, of course, I-"

"He was never our soulmate, Pat! I don't know how but he lied to us," Virgil hissed, pulling Patton back away from Roman.

"Guys, please listen to me," Roman was on the verge of tears.

"Yeah, Virge. I'm sure there's an explanation here that we aren't seeing. Roman, you still love us, right?"

Roman couldn’t help it. He balked and that sealed his fate. The moment Patton's heart broke was embedded in his memory, unlike the disappearing soul marks.

That was a week ago. And here he was, riding the bus to rehearsal as though his emotions weren't in shambles, one chance left to find happiness.

"Excuse me, sir? May I see your soul mark?" Roman turned to the unfamiliar voice and saw the hottest man he'd ever met giving him a difficult to decipher look.

Roman already had names picked out for the dogs they would adopt together.

"Ah, sure," Roman held out his arm and the stranger leaned down to inspect it. After a moment he pulled the sleeve of his jacket up and held up an arm with three familiar marks up to Roman's, "it's you! The brain…"

The stranger cleared his throat and pushed his sleeve back down, "yes. It appears we are soulmates. My name is Logan Crawford. What is yours?"

"Roman Prince," Roman replied breathlessly. He felt like he was on cloud nine and had his final chance.

"Well, Roman, I suppose you'll want to be in contact. Although, I must warn you that I am a disappointing soulmate and refuse date," Logan had pulled out his phone and was handing it to Roman.

"What do you mean 'disappointing'?" Roman frowned more in confusion than any negative feeling for Logan.

"I suppose you'll find out anyway. I am romance-repulsed. Even as one of my soulmates I won't date you or the others. Most everyone tells me that I will be a disappointment for you three but frankly, I know my boundaries and refuse to change them."

Roman stared at his final soulmate. He hadn't expected this. He took the offered phone and plugged in his number, taking a quick selfie for the contact photo.

"Well then, Logan, let's agree to just talk. Have you met Patton or Virgil?" Roman was met with an indifferent look that lacked any recognition.

"No, I have not. Have you?"

"Yes and I don't think you'd like them…" Roman said bitterly.

"Do you think I dislike you, Roman?" Logan said with the most emotion Roman had heard from him yet.

"No, I didn't mean that," Roman stammered, "I- I just meant that they're… very romantic. And I thought I had 'hopeless romantic' cornered!" Roman laughed to hide his discomfort.

"Wait, but you only had one soul mark. How did you meet them?" Logan asked with curiosity.

"My stop is coming up, perhaps we save the tragic backstory for another time?" Roman grinned as the bus rolled to a stop a block from the theater, "call me!" He rushed off the bus before Logan could respond, bewildered by the chance meeting with the handsome stranger.

Over the next few weeks, Roman and Logan texted and met up for coffee a few times. Roman was terrified of pushing things too fast and watched the soul mark on his arm constantly for any sign that it was fading. Logan never asked about the other two soulmates so Roman decided to not talk about them. He was still hurt but they had to be happier without him.

"So, Roman, you never told me the tragic story of how you met Patton and Virgil," Roman nearly spit out his tea.

"Do you really want to know, dear?" Logan bristled at the nickname but nodded.

"Well," Roman recounted the events of how they met and started seeing each other almost casually. He slowed down as he got to the part where the soul marks started fading. Logan encouraged him to continue but he couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud.

"Roman, did they hurt you?"

Roman shook his head no, not meeting Logan’s eyes.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Logan asked gently, resting his hand on Roman’s across the cafe table. Roman felt a metaphorical shock at the physical contact. He wanted a romantic connection with Logan so badly sometimes that the other’s staunch refusal to date felt like an arrow to the heart.

"My soul marks disappeared," Roman whispered, "and I couldn't promise them I was still in love, so they left."

"Disappeared? How unusual. Did they match before disappearing?" Roman looked up, surprised by the reaction. Logan just opened a new tab on his laptop and started searching a few keywords, "what? You know I don't care for sentiment. But soul marks that aren't permanent is a fascinating concept. And you say you fell out of love when the marks disappeared? Was it sudden overnight?"

"N-no… actually the marks- and the feelings- faded over time. About a week, really," Roman sighed, "actually, Logan I need to confess-" Roman pulled up the sleeve of his jacket to reveal his last soul mark, "-yours started fading a few days ago. The colors aren't as saturated as before."

Logan looked down at the mark, "and how do you feel about me? Regardless of my stance on the matter."

Roman sucked in a long breath, "I…. Honestly, I've been in love with you from that day on the bus. But I respect your boundaries and I wasn’t going to push it and as we have been talking and getting to know each other, I really value you as a friend as well. I'm still a little hopelessly over the moon about you but it's not like when we first met."

"Fascinating, it seems the intensity of your soul mark is directly proportionate to your capacity for romantic attraction. One moment," Logan turned back to the laptop and after a moment turned the screen to face Roman, "does this sound like you?"

The word and definition almost popped off the screen at Roman. Frayromantic - an aromantic spectrum identity where one feels an intense romantic attraction to strangers that fades as they get to know the person

"Yes…" Roman took a sip of tea to try and calm his swirling thoughts.

Logan turned the laptop back around and did another search. He read for a moment before reading aloud from the screen, "other frayromantics have experienced fading soul marks. Some say that the marks came back after they realized and recognized their identity or came to terms with their soulmate about it. Others never had the marks come back naturally but rather decided to get them recreated. Or they decided they didn't want the marks and carried on markless, with or without their soulmate."

"So I'm not broken, it's happened before? The marks could come back? It's not wrong to not love my soulmates romantically?" The questions spilled from Roman’s mouth before he could stop them.

"I'd actually prefer if you would hurry up and get over your crush on me, thanks," Logan said with a smirk.

Roman held back a snort of laughter. He was feeling immeasurably better.

Roman was glad he had kept Patton's phone number. After discussing it with Logan, he decided to reach back out, hoping Patton would be understanding and could encourage Virgil to be as well.

The phone rang and rang. Roman started to sweat. Logan was preoccupied with personal research but he offered a comforting hand on Roman’s shoulder. Roman was glad for his friend's support, the soul mark a faint but distinct outline anymore. It had never fully disappeared even as Roman’s crush had evaporated.

Roman was ready to give up when the line connected, "Roman?"

"Patton! Oh, thank the stars you picked up. Do you have time to talk? If not now, maybe we can meet up?" Roman grinned happily.

"Why? I thought we weren't… " Patton trailed off.

"Pat, two things. One, I figured out why the soul marks faded. Two, I found Logan. We can all know each other and work things out because despite what Virgil said, we are soulmates," Roman waited with bated breath for the response.

"Hold on a second- Virgil!" Patton pulled the phone away from his mouth as he called out. Logan squeezed Roman’s shoulder to comfort him.

"Yeah, Pops? What's up?" From what Roman could hear it sounded like Virgil had just woken up, at 3 in the afternoon. What followed was a muffled conversation from which Roman could only pick out a few words.

"Okay, Roman. Can you and Logan meet us for dinner tonight?" Patton asked brightly.

"Logan, how does dinner tonight sound?" Roman grinned as Logan nodded, "sounds great, Pat. Where do you want to meet?"

"You two should come on over here about 7, alright? Awesome, see you soon!" Patton ended the call, mind already bustling with plans to get ready for dinner.

"Roman, please don't try to speak for me tonight," Logan smiled nervously as Roman parked the car.

"Of course not. I know you can handle yourself," Roman replied.

"Yes, I just worry that you're going to try too hard to be what Patton and Virgil want, not who you are. I like you and respect you for who you are and they will too if they're smart. But in the all too likely case that you can't help trying to be a people pleaser, at least let me establish my own boundaries."

Roman gasped, "do you have so little faith in me?"

"Yes," Logan grinned and stepped out of the car. Roman started chuckling and both were smiling as the front door of the apartment duplex opened.

"Roman. And I guess that makes you Logan. Come on in, I guess," Virgil was as dour as ever as he showed them to the living room, "Patton says dinner should be ready in a few minutes so make yourselves at home."

"Virgil, it's so good to see you! I've missed your pale, crabby face," Roman grinned although Virgil did not seem amused.

Logan held out his hand, "it's nice to meet you, Virgil."

Virgil stared at the offered hand and poked it with his finger, "Nice to meet you too, Logan."

"Are they here? V, why didn't you tell me?" Patton came bustling from the kitchen and immediately wrapped Roman in a tight hug, "oh it's been too long! How ya doing, Prince?"

Roman grinned and hugged Patton back, "better now, that's for sure."

"Ah, and you must be Logan, come on in buddy!" Patton turned to offer Logan a hug.

"No, thank you. I'd rather not," Logan tried to wave Patton off.

"You sure?" Logan nodded, "Okay, dinner is almost done and we've got so much to talk about!"

Roman helped Virgil set the table while Logan followed Patton into the kitchen to help with the final preparations.

The conversation was light as they ate until Virgil asked the question no one else was bringing up.

"So Princey, why did the soul marks disappear?"

Roman took a deep breath. He could feel Logan’s hand on his knee under the table and was grateful for his soulmate’s support once again. "Virgil, Patton, I have discovered that I am frayromantic. I know that word doesn't make sense, but hear me out," he proceeded to explain, talking about how he had truly loved them when they met, and still wanted to care about them now. He even showed them the faded soul mark that matched Logan’s, explaining that it never faded completely because they had come to an understanding with each other about their relationship. He didn't bring up that the soul marks could come back, not wanting to give them undue hope or misguided ideas about his emotions. By the time he was done explaining, Patton was smiling with tears in his eyes and Virgil was nodding.

"Mark or not, I still want you in my life," Patton sniffed and reached across the table to take Roman’s hand, "we can work out the particulars later."

"Ah, Roman, I'm sorry. I was wrong to accuse you and I can't imagine how much that must have hurt you," Virgil spoke just above a whisper.

Roman nodded, "thank you, Virgil. I'll consider forgiving you."

"That's fair-"

"Consider it done!"

"Oh- kay thank you," Virgil chuckled.

"So Logan, why is tonight the first time we're meeting you?" Patton smiled at the stoic man.

"Simply put, I wasn’t seeking out my soulmates. I happened upon Roman by chance. I want to make it clear that I am not interested in dating any of you," Logan spoke with confidence. Roman was proud of him, returning the comforting hand on his knee gesture.

"Wait you two aren't dating?" Patton asked, confused.

"No. We are not dating. I am aromantic and romance-repulsed. I want nothing to do with mushy, complicated romantic emotions. However, and I hope Roman doesn't mind me saying this, I do consider him my best friend," Logan coughed, "and I actually wanted to talk with you later about a platonic partnership," Roman was surprised to hear this but more surprised by the blush on Logan's cheeks.

"Yeah, we can talk about that later, Lo. I definitely think you're my best friend as well."

"Wow, so… being soulmates isn't going to be easy for any of us," Virgil murmured.

"But we'll all work it out together!" Patton finished the sentiment, clasping his boyfriend's hand in his and smiling at the two soulmates across the table.

The soul marks that had faded completely never came back on their own. After a few years together, Roman decided to get them tattooed back on, asking the artist to match the intensity to Logan’s mark. The three faint marks helped reassure Roman that he was who he was and that he didn't need to change that to love his soulmates just as much as he could.

[sidespromptblog]

Logan coming out as aro, and despite having the biggest crush on him Roman being the most supportive to him coming out. Threatening anyone who doesn’t accept him, because he doesn’t care that Logan doesn’t share his feeling, and because right now Logan needs a best friend who he can trust to be by his side.

And that’s Roman, through and through.

[jeejee-the-snek-boi]

To Break or Not to Break

My first ts fanfic, so of course it's Logan angst.

Word Count: 879

-

Logan tried to push aside his emotions. They weren't logical. They couldn't be real. He couldn't be feeling, because it wasn't logical to feel. He couldn't be upset.

Broken.

No. Logical. Not broken. His logic was faultless.

Robot.

A machine. A perfectly functioning, well-oiled machine. Not broken. Logan could never be broken.

Then why was he sitting here at his desk, hands balled into fists, a dull ache in his chest threatening to explode in a fit of tears? Was he really broken because he didn't feel the same as they did? Was it so bad to not experience attraction? Was he broken for not being capable of feeling that electric pull to people who were conventionally attractive? Was he really broken for being unable to feel the gentle affection of romance? Was there any other word other than broken?

No.

Logan refused to let that word get to him. Broken. He wasn't broken. He was logical. And emotions weren't logical. It was illogical to be upset over being called broken, because it was a falsehood. 

Was it?

Logan tried to tell himself that he didn't believe he was broken. No. Falsehood. He believed it. He was broken. He was born broken. He couldn't be fixed. He was a faulty machine, faulty functioning, faulty logic. He was failing.

To break or not to break?

He was crying.

He observed that tears felt hotter than he expected. He hadn't quite expected the lump in his throat to be anything other than a metaphorical barrier to speech, yet here it was. He felt like he couldn't breathe properly. Perhaps it was fitting to describe tears as choking. His chest felt tight and dull and empty. 

If not having feelings made him broken, but crying meant you were broken, then was this a paradox? He was fixed in the sense he was feeling, but broken in the sense that he was crying. 

Broken.

Logan was broken.

Would he feel things now? Would he feel an electric pull? A romantic pull? Would he be a human, and not a robot? Was he fixed?

If he was fixed, then why did he feel so broken? 

He tried to force away the sadness with a straight face, but it didn't work. Schooling his features finally failed him, wouldn't allow him to halt the tears. 

Had he always felt? Had he buried it so deep inside that he'd forgotten he could feel? Was it illogical to suppress his feelings? 

Broken.

That's how Logan felt, now he was finally feeling, finally fixed. He always felt broken. 

It was time to rejoin the others, but the decision he had to make next weighed heavy on his heart. Was it truly logical to conceal the fact that he had experienced crying? Or was it logical to seek help? The illogical part of him told him to conceal it. He hadn't realised how much he'd been listening to the illogical side of himself. He chastised himself over his broken logic, and decided to do the logical- albeit terrifying- thing: open up.

When he rejoined the others, they all looked up to him. Logan couldn't read their expressions. He believed it may be compassion, but emotions weren't his strong point. People weren't his strong point. "I believe I have experienced being sad," Logan announced. Patton immediately stood and opened his arms for a hug, before pausing and lowering his arms. Logan was grateful that Patton had remembered that he was touch averse. 

"But this doesn't make sense," Virgil pointed out, "you don't feel." 

Objectively, Logan knew that Virgil was merely pointing out the truth- or at least, what had been the truth until today. Emotionally, Logan felt wounded.

Broken.

"Who made you sad? I shall duel them to the death!"

"Thank you, Princey," Logan replied, "but that's not necessary. I appear to have come to the realisation that allowing oneself to feel is logical and to suppress emotions is counter-intuitive. However, the consequences of reaching that conclusion have been the onset of some emotions."

"That's not a bad thing, Logan," Patton said gently, "it's okay to be sad sometimes."

"The problem is, I still appear to be broken. I appear incapable of feeling the full range of human emotions. Namely, sexual and romantic attraction."

"You're not broken," everybody said at once, and Logan frowned. 

"You're not broken," Patton repeated gently, "you're asexual and aromantic." 

Oh.

Logan had heard those words before. Of course he had. He knew every word. But for some reason, he'd never realised that they could be applicable to him. He was so adamant that he was broken that he hadn't entertained the notion that he wasn't broken, that there were words, labels, that described his experience. 

Not broken? 

Logan felt tears brimming, and a strange urge to hug. As he hugged Patton, soon being joined by Roman and Virgil, a warm sense of acceptance washed over him. He wasn't broken. He was never broken. He felt tears brimming in his eyes once more, like he was grieving for the years lost to believing he was broken, and once more had to make the decision: to break, or not to break. He chose to break, because it was okay to break, and he wasn't broken for breaking down. 

[crayolacrayonhalloweenpacks]

I Think We Have Chemistry

Summary: In which Logan is an indirect matchmaker and Roman uses some truly awful puns to flirt with his lab partner.

Words: 2904

Notes: This was Logince before it was Prinxiety, but eventually I realized how much I love writing platonic bantering Logince, so here we are. This is purely self-indulgent. I know only the basics of chem, so please don't murder me, although if you want to make any corrections that's cool by me.If you want some cool music to jam to after reading this try Dissolve by Absofacto. Thanks for reading!

Read on: Archive of Our Own

Roman loved lab days. If he were someone else, he would probably continue by saying that it was the last class of his day before he was allowed to return home and relax, finally freed from academic burdens. But he was him. So even though he loved science in general, the special thing about lab was it allowed him to actually do something. He enjoyed reading and studying as much as the next guy, but after a while, that could only do so much. Even though it only happened once a week, being able to physically perform an experiment, to work out conclusions for himself and see first-hand how the world worked...well, nothing could compare.

He also looked forward to lab because of his partner. Virgil was a “measure-ten-times-cut-once” kind of guy, and usually that kind of excessive paranoia would irritate Roman, but in this case, he found it almost endearing. Without his researching and proofreading skills, their lab reports wouldn’t be anywhere near the level of accuracy and thoroughness that they were. Something that could be annoying, however, was his lack of reaction to Roman’s attempts at flirting. Case in point: their current conversation.

“...and after that, I learned to always bring a change of clothes for combustion labs,” he finished with a triumphant grin. In the eighth grade, he’d damaged one of his favorite shirts, which read “NEVER TRUST AN ATOM: THEY MAKE UP EVERYTHING”, due to his lack of expertise in using lab equipment. It had been embarrassing at the time, but now it was one of his favorite stories to tell: he, a foolhardy yet earnest student, the victim of an overzealous, malignant Bunsen burner. It usually drew out a hearty guffaw from any crowd, but earned only an alarmed grimace from his lab partner. Jeez. This guy was impossible to impress! He slouched back in his chair, trying to maintain a facade of casualness. “Anyway,” he continued, “what were you saying?”

He felt his brother give him a pointed look from across the room. Roman could hear him already. Don’t waste class time, Roman! Pursue non-academic interests outside of school, Roman! He ignored him. Logan had always been a killjoy. He’d make up lost points on the final.

Virgil peered at the clock and cursed under his breath. “Well, I guess Google exists for a reason,” he quipped, dumping the remains of their half-completed lab down the sink.

Roman laughed, perhaps a little more boisterously than was necessary, and started scrubbing the beaker Virgil handed him. “Yeah, totally.”

The bell rang over the intercom just as they finished cleaning up. “I guess I’ll text you later to work on the report.”

“Sure thing!”

Virgil gave him a quick salute and walked out of the classroom, bookbag draped carefree over one shoulder, gait elegantly loose. His hair was growing out. Chestnut roots emerged in stark contrast to the dye, and one aubergine lock curled like a question mark at the nape of his neck. He watched him disappear into the hallway, eventually becoming indistinguishable from the rest of the sea of students.

He hated thinking that--that Virgil was indistinguishable. Virgil was very distinct. Despite not fitting the classic cool guy mold, he was undeniably cool. Maybe not popular, or athletic, or social, or--okay, he was getting off-track now. Virgil was quiet, but never standoffish. He was true to his word and always held up his end of the work, never slacking off or making excuses. He was precise and grounded and paid attention to the little details. Paired with Roman’s knowledgeability, they were a laboratory dream team. Possibly a dream team outside of lab work as well.

“That’s my chair.” A sharp voice crashed into Roman’s daydreams.

He jerked up, face flaming. Right--the AP chemistry class. “Hello! So it is! Well, I will get out of your way, then!” He scrambled for his books and shoved them into his bookbag. He winced when, in his haste, his lab worksheet crumpled under his textbook, but slung it on his back anyway and pulled out the chair with a flourish. “Sorry about that. Have a pleasant day!” he called to his teacher. Some of the students laughed good-naturedly as he strode out, including the teacher, who turned back to his lesson with a grin on his face. As annoyed as they had been, they still liked him, or at least thought he was decent. Was he not charming, funny, all the things a potential romantic interest ought to be? What was he not getting?

~

“I know you like him, but this is not helping your chemistry grade,” Logan said as soon as Roman got home.

“Were you just standing at the door this whole time?”

“I arrived only a few minutes ago.”

“We take the same route!”

“I walk faster.”

“At least give me an opportunity to sit,” he grouched, but launched into a vent as soon as he dropped his bookbag on the floor, ending the soliloquy with “I’ve tried everything--everything!--and he’s still so…” He sighed, pushing hair away from his face.

“Unresponsive?”

"Yes, exactly! He just nods and goes right back to the class!”

“Perhaps that’s because it’s a class.”

“I know, I know, participation, pay attention, bla bla bla. Jeez, Mom.”

“I’m your brother.”

“Don’t be so literal. My point is, you’d think he’d at least laugh just a little bit. Is that not so much to ask? I told him about the Bunsen burner incident, and he just looked at me like--”

“I’m sorry, the what incident?”

Roman snapped and pointed at Logan. “Exactly like that! Just like I was an--an idiot!” He groaned, draping one arm over his forehead and fanning himself with the other. “What am I doing wrong?”

“Hm.” Logan furrowed his brow thoughtfully, trailing off into silence.

“Don’t just sit there, it’s making me nervous,” he said half-jokingly.

“Well, have you considered that he doesn’t understand?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m saying it’s very much possible that he hasn’t noticed your advances. You may need to stop beating around the bush and be more direct.”

“This is as direct as it gets!”

He raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been making normal conversation. Like how you talk to me--”

“Ew--”

“--so are you certain?”

“Quite--” he started, affronted, then stopped. “Wait.” The inkling of an idea that had just occurred to him started to solidify. Of course! He prided himself on his charisma. Why hadn’t he thought of that before? A little miffed that his ironically aromantic brother had just suggested such an obvious solution, he proclaimed, “Logan, you’re a genius!” and grabbed his bookbag.

“What are you doing?”

“Just a little research, so to speak. Nothing too excessive, but!” He paused for dramatic effect. “Prepare to have your mind blown.”

Logan still looked surprised, but quickly settled into satisfaction. “Fantastic. I’m glad to see your spirits are raised.”

“Talk later, Pocket Bro-tector!” His mind already racing with daydreams, Roman sprinted back to his room, plopped in front of his desk, and flipped his laptop open. He could feel the electricity coursing through it when his fingers hovered over the keyboard, or maybe that was just the adrenaline. Either way, it was thrilling. He typed in a quick search and opened a new Word document to record. This was perfect. What could be more direct than a pickup line?

~

Roman waltzed into lab the next week and snapped up two worksheets from his teacher’s desk. He’d debated putting the plan into action through text over the weekend, but eventually decided it would be more effective in person. So here he was, in person, with a fountain of chemistry puns ready to fall from his mouth at the drop of a hat. There was no way Virgil wouldn’t notice now. Roman seated himself, fingers drumming in anticipation. He was golden.

Virgil walked in a few minutes later, placing last week’s lab report on their teacher’s desk. “What’s up?” he asked.

“Oh, you know. Same soup reheated.” On the other side of the lab, Logan was giving him a questioning look. He grinned back before passing Virgil a worksheet. Their fingers brushed, barely. He swooned.

Virgil’s eyes flew back and forth at lightning speed, scanning the paper. “I’ll grab the equipment if you can get the reactants.”

“Ooh, what are they this time?”

“Copper...some other stuff.”

"Ah! Speaking of copper, are you made of it and tellurium? Because you’re C-U-T-E.”

Across the room, Logan facepalmed.

“O...kay?” he said unsurely. “I’ll just. Get that stuff now.”

Roman turned his back, partially to get the samples, partially to recover. He chewed his lip. Okay. Focus, Roman! You got this! He patted his pocket to reassure himself. He’d printed the compilation of pick-up lines at the library earlier, and it was there if he needed it. Which he wouldn’t, obviously! His natural charm would prevail.

And also, he had the entire thing memorized. He supposed there was that as well.

Roman returned with five Ziploc bags of metal samples. The scale squealed on the tabletop when Virgil slid it over. “Is this everything?” Virgil picked up the manual again.

“Indeed! Let us begin.”

Virgil read over the first page again and frowned. “Hey, you know the periodic table pretty well, right? Which one is eleven?”

See? It’s all working out! “You, because you’re sodium--”

“U?” he frowned. “Isn’t uranium, like, ninety or something?”

“Yes--well, yes, but you see--I, uh--” he stuttered before going abruptly silent.

“What?”

Roman ducked his head, hoping his hair would hide his burning cheeks. “Nothing. Never mind.”

“Uh, sure.” He scratched the back of his neck before holding out a hand. “Hand me the copper?”

~

The bell sounded over the intercom, signifying the end of the period. They had managed to get through the procedure on time, mainly because Roman was too preoccupied with worrying to continue with the pick-up lines. If he wasn’t being as straightforward as possible before, he was now. How was it possible for someone to be so oblivious?

“Same time next week,” Virgil deadpanned, getting up to leave.

Come on, Roman, he scolded himself. The period was ending. This might be the only chance he could get. “Wait!”

“Yeah?” He looked at him expectantly.

Roman cursed the stars. His mind had gone completely blank--so much for memorization--and it wasn’t like he could just pull out the reference sheet right now. “Um.” Very eloquent. Come on, something! “If there was no gravity on Earth, I’d still fall for you,” he blurted.

Virgil stared at him blankly, and without another word, left.

What was that? How had things gotten so bad that he’d resorted to physics? He hadn't even researched that! He was paralyzed. He wanted to dissolve like salt in water, until he was part of the air. He wanted to evaporate and catapult himself out of the troposphere. He snatched up his bookbag and stalked outside to head home.

Logan appeared at his shoulder not long after. “What was that?” he hissed.

He scoffed. “I did what you said. Hypocrite much?”

“When did I say to do--” He performed a series of elaborate, meaningless gestures. “--that?”

“You said to be more direct!”

“I didn’t mean like that!”

“Then what did you mean?”

“I meant a heart-to-heart talk or something!”

“So for me to just--profess my love or something? Are you crazy?”

“Oh, so I’m the crazy one? Copper and tellurium aren’t even particularly reactive!”

“It was a creative liberty!”

“There are no creative liberties in science!”

“There are in the science of seduction!”

Logan huffed. “I’m not even going to validate that with a response.”

“Fine! I didn’t need you to rub it in anyway!”

They were so busy arguing they hadn’t even realized they were already home. Logan’s face softened. “I apologize, Roman. I shouldn’t have behaved so harshly. That was...inconsiderate of me.”

“Jeez, don’t say that. Now I have to apologize, too.”

"Did it really go so badly?”

"At least give me a chance to sit down,” he said, but didn’t even wait this time. “I think he hates me. He didn’t even say anything! Just--left.”

“I doubt that. The worse case is you made things very uncomfortable.”

“Thanks.”

“But even if that’s what happened, you should be able to patch things up and act in a professional manner. If things really aren’t working, you could always request to switch partners, but the school year will be ending soon anyway--” He cut himself off. “I’m not helping, are I.”

“Not in the slightest.”

Logan shuffled his feet. “As a gesture of goodwill and comfort,” he started. “Would you enjoy a hug?”

“Whoa, what? Human contact? From Logan Browne?”

“Well, scientifically speaking, it does release dopamine--”

“C’mere,” he said, throwing his arms around his brother’s shoulders before realizing he had no idea how to hug him. The material of his button-down shirt scratched his neck unpleasantly. He patted Logan on the back stiffly before peeling away.

Logan wrinkled his nose. “That was rather awkward.”

“Only if you make it.”

“Do you feel better?”

Roman paused. “You know what? I think I do.”

“Satisfactory.”

“I’m just glad I won’t have to see him for another week.”

"You can’t avoid him forever,” Logan warned.

“I know,” he muttered.

“Well, when you do have to confront him...I’m more than happy to act as moral support.”

Roman laughed. “That may be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me, Isaac Nerd-ton.”

He squinted. “How am I more of a nerd than you?”

“The glasses.”

“You have glasses, too--”

“Not anymore!” he declared, pointing to the corner of one eye. “Contacts now. And my eyes have always been better than yours.”

“We have the same prescription!”

“We do not!” he countered, before both of them collapsed in a fit of giggles.

~

“And that’s a wrap, folks! Great job!” Roman’s teacher clapped his hands. “You’re dismissed.”

Thank the stars. Roman had been filled with dread the entirety of lab and the preceding twenty or so hours. It had both relieved and heightened his anxiety when Virgil barely spoke or made eye contact, flushing red and looking away whenever Roman caught his eye. On one hand, he didn’t have to talk about the previous week’s antics, but on the other, the air felt too tense to so much as look at him. Glad that the period was over, he grabbed his bookbag and started towards the door.

He glanced over his shoulder to see where Logan was--he wanted intensely to beat him home for once--only to see Virgil talking to a taller boy who had a wide grin on his face. Roman recognized him as a Patton something-or-other who’d been in his class in eighth grade. They didn’t talk much, but he seemed nice enough. He hadn’t known he and Virgil were friends.

The two of them looked directly at him, Virgil swallowing nervously. Roman wheeled back around, more intent on leaving this time, as Patton laughed brightly. Apparently, he wasn’t so kind. Humiliation boiled in his gut. FIne. Let them laugh at him. He didn’t care. Or, at least, he could pretend he didn’t.

Logan sidled over to him. “He’s coming this way,” he muttered.

“What?”

“He’s walking over,” he repeated.

“I heard you the first time,” he said between gritted teeth, “but what?”

“I don’t know, I just-- Oh, hello. Virgil, is it?” he said coolly.

Roman’s head snapped up. He immediately wished he’d kept looking down.

Virgil stiffened. “Hey.” Behind him, Roman could see Patton giving a thumbs-up so enthusiastic he feared for his hand bones. What was going on?

“How may I help you?” Logan said.

“I, uh. Wanted to talk to Roman, actually.”

“Go ahead.”

“Uh.”

“Whatever you can say in front of Roman, you can say in front of me.”

Virgil scratched the back of his neck, sighed, and faced Roman. “Look, we have lab together, right?”

“Well, yes. We’re here right now.”

“So…” He groaned, burying his face in one hand and muttering something incomprehensible.

Roman frowned. “Pardon?”

“So,” he said, voice still slightly muffled, “I think we…” He sighed. “We have chemistry.”

Roman blinked. His stomach swooped. Was this a joke?

Virgil groaned again. “Sorry, that was just--absolutely terrible. I’m going to--” He pointed at the door.

“No, wait!” Roman grabbed his elbow before he could turn away. “That was.” He searched his brain for a word. “Uh. Thank you,” he finished lamely.

“Oh,” Virgil said. He stood up a little straighter. As if anything about that was remotely straight, Roman thought to himself with a snort. “Uh. I guess I’ll, uh.” He did a quick finger-guns motion.

“Yeah.”

“Cool.” He saluted him and started walking past them.

“Cool,” Roman echoed.

Virgil turned back and gave a hesitant smile. If it weren’t for Logan standing behind to catch him, he would have face-planted on the floor.

Logan waved a hand in front of his face. “Well?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you all set?”

Roman felt dizzy and a little lightheaded, like someone had filled him with helium and released him into an infinite expanse of blue, blue sky. A slow smile spread across his face. “Yeah. I think so.”

~

Virgil did text him, a few hours later.

Virgil (Science) After next lab? Maybe the park or smth

Me See you then

Roman loved lab days.