You're Not Broken, You're Human

Chapter 6

Logan's POV
I woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for breath, it happened again. I was panting, I tried to slow my breath down, I couldn't. My vision started to tunnel, I blinked rapidly, having no idea how to stop it.
A small breeze filled the room that often meant someone teleported, I flinched at the feeling of cold air.
"Logan, it's just me." Virgil whispered, he sat down right next to me, almost touching.
My breathing started to slow, my vision returning, I relaxed.
Virgil pulled some earbuds out of his pocket, handing one to me, I put it in.
He flicked though a few songs before click on a specific one.
It started with a piano introduction, I recognized the tune-
G, F#, B, E, D, G, C, B, E, A, D
"When I was
A young boy,
My father
Took me into the city
To see a marching band.
He said, son, when
You grow up,
Will you be
The savior of the broken,
The beaten and the damned."
Virgil whisper singed along as I timed my breath with the song's beat.
He paused the song and kept scrolling, I gave him a question look.
"Must pay tribute." Was all he said in reply.
He excited out of that playlist and into a new one, selecting an instrumental song. I watched as he tapped his fingers on his phone case to the beat, something he probably didn't even think about doing, just a subconscious habit.
We were sitting so close I could feel him rise and fall with each breath, I found myself breathing in time with him, slow and steady. He paused the song for a moment, pulling something out of the pockets of his hoodie, black and purple nail polish that I have never seen him wear a day in his life, so I figured it was new.
"Give me your hand," He said.
I hesitated, not knowing why.
"Oh come on, I'll let you scratch it off later." He insisted.
I obliged, his hands were sweaty, but I didn't mind.
He hit play on the music again, I watched as he took the brush out of the container, getting rid of the excess blobs of polish against the lid, he held his breath as he did my first nail, so I did to. I felt distracted during this process, not knowing why, I looked at my hand, touching Virgil's, shaking the thought away.
He finished my hand and took the other one.
"Let the first one dry." He instructed, I did, examining the polish on my fingers, which was surprisingly well done.
"I usually put it on after a panic attack." He told me, "The nail polish that is. It distracts me from whatever I panic about. I usually scratch it off before anyone sees it though, Roman would probably laugh at it, Patton would think it's cute." He paused, "I mean it kinda is, that's why I scratch it off. Loses the whole..."
"Scary, powerful vibe?" I offered.
"Yeah, not that I have much of that anymore. But I guess I don't need it to be listened to." He smiled, "Okay your other hand is down, I'll get a blow dryer so they dry faster, do you want me to get nail polish remover to?"
I thought, honestly I didn't mind the nails much, and it'll probably make Virgil feel good if I said no, and it's not like anyone would know about the nightmares because I'm wearing nail polish so...
"No thanks, I'll keep them."
He seemed to smile as he turned away, or at least something in the atmosphere felt happy, then Virgil left and I realized, it was me.