Sanders Sides Appreciation Month 2018

Virgil/Anxiety, Day 5 - Partners

Summary: Virgil knows Logan doesn't want him as a partner for their English project, Logan disagrees (and maybe he falls a little- a lot in love with the other). [High school AU]

For the prompt: "Look I don't wanna be your partner for this project but I am"

Warnings: minor embarrassment, swearing

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Logan has pretty much zoned out by now, having heard the English teacher announce that they're working in pairs for this project. He usually gets paired with some popular jock who would rather make dick jokes and snog his girlfriend than actually work, so, Logan does most of the work himself anyway. So, he jots down some notes as a plan, little bubbles around the characters' names and some quotes he remember off the top of his head filling the page already.

Then there's shuffling about, people getting into the right seat. And instead of a hunk of red letterman's jacket with a snarky comment landing in the seat next to him there's a tall, lithe guy all in black – Logan knows his name is Virgil, he is sort of acquaintances with Virgil's friend Patton. He's more tucked into himself and quiet, no snarky comment or even a 'hello'. It's a little off putting if Logan is honest.

"Hello," he says, trying his hardest to start a conversation and the other looks at him, his pretty purple hair falling over his eyes in a way that makes Logan feel... something. "Look," Virgil says suddenly, "I don't want to be your partner for this project but I am." Oh, okay. "Oh," Logan utters, "why do you not want to be my partner?" And there's some implications there that Logan would rather avoid given how suddenly attracted he is to the other boy, "for this project I mean," he quickly adds.

"I'd hate to disappoint you," he says with a shrug as if it's nothing, "I know you like your work to be perfect, so, I'd hate to screw all that up for you." And Logan isn't sure if he's more concerned or flattered. Concerned because this sweet, shy, attractive boy thinks he's capable of messing up their project. Flattered because he cares, he cares about Logan's work and to an extent about Logan. But Logan throws those second thoughts out of the window.

"I'm sure you're not capable of ruining my work," Logan says and, sure enough, he sounds cocky, stuck up, and pretentious. Fuck. "I mean, I'm sure you're work is brilliant and I would greatly value your input. After all we are partners," he corrects. Smooth. "Oh, alright then," Virgil says after a beat just staring at Logan, unsure of why or how or what is going on. There's more awkward silence, both of them seemingly just staring at the other.

Logan looks away first, flushing madly at just how long he was staring, and Virgil flushes all the same, looking down at the desk. So, Logan slides his mind map plan into the middle of the desk, "here. This is my brief notes so far, just the main characters and some quotes that might be of use. I'd much appreciate it if you'd, um, help me with the rest of it." And, god damn, Logan has never asked for help before from another student, he works alone, but he's extending the olive branch of friendship (or maybe something more).

"Okay," Virgil simply says, reaching into his backpack and bringing out the book of An Inspector Calls. And Logan finds himself staring, again, at the colour coded sticky notes protruding from the pages, the way the book looks both neat and thoroughly read. Virgil turns to a page, his finger skimming over the words to find a particular line, his gaze focused and lips slightly parted, occasionally muttering things to himself.

And, fuck, Logan finds that so enticing. He immediately wants to know more about him. He's a little in awe at how this boy has managed to capture his whole attention, take over his mind and his thoughts, in a matter of mere minutes. His manner, the slouch of his shoulders and the tilt of his head, the way his fingers play with the pages. Not to mention the hair, and his lips, and his hands, and his eyes. Well. Logan is fucked.

"...and it's the whole idea of the Inspector being a visual representation of their guilt and then there are also the real-life implications towards the end of the book." And, oh dear god, Virgil has been talking this whole time. "Um, yeah, sure," Logan utters, a little embarrassed about spacing out but Virgil doesn't say anything, thankfully, instead writing down some notes.

And so what if Logan is distracted for the rest of the lesson? And every lesson they did their project. And every lesson after that. Logan just can't keep his attention from straying to the other. To his friend. And so what if Patton had to 'help' them out in the end; leaving them both flustered, blushing, embarrassed, but now boyfriends instead of just friends.