Logan's insistence on showing up everywhere was really getting to Virgil.
He had been able to avoid Logan entirely for the first few days. He would leave class too fast for Logan to follow, he would only return to their dorm at night or when he knew Logan wasn't there. He would turn around every time it looked like the son of Hades was about to start a conversation. It was difficult, but it was worth not having that awkward, stupid talk.
Logan, however, turned out to be equally stubborn. Now, no matter how fast Virgil went now, Logan would keep up. He'd stay up late and get up early so as not to miss him in their dorm. All so he could bombard him with lame excuses and hollow apologies.
"Virgil, I don't understand why you're still upset with me." Logan said as he dashed after the boy trying to outpace him, "I've told you I regret hurting your feelings."
He glared at Logan, picking up the pace. "Whatever." He replied, speeding away. A small twang of guilt hit him as he did so, but it was hard to discern over his seething anger. Anger at Logan, anger at himself for not knowing entirely why he was this angry. Logan was his best friend, it should be easy to forgive him. But that fight...
"You're the son of the most evil, most despicable villain in the world. You think anybody accepts that? You surely haven't."
"Have fun gallivanting around with your white knight, but don't come crying to me when he shows his true colors!"
Virgil rounded a corner and wrapped his arms around himself tightly. He would not have another episode today. He didn't think he could handle it after last time.
So, he stopped thinking about it, about the fight, about anything, hoping he'd be able to stay away from Logan during remediation.
"Alright, class!" Fairy Godmother addressed the two of them brightly, not really noticing that Virgil sat across the room from Logan this class, "You've been making a lot of progress on kindness and honesty, so I think we should move forward with something a little different!"
As she wrote on the board, Virgil snuck a glance at his classmate. They made eye contact, and Virgil looked away quickly, opting to pull out a notebook and focus on that.
"Oh, no need for that, dear." Fairy Godmother said, gesturing towards him, "Though I applaud your studiousness! Today, why don't we learn through use of a fun, educational exercise!" Virgil cringed, not liking the sound of that.
She had them stand up, and Virgil stared at what she'd written. 'Practicing Conflict Resolution: Role Play!' The sparkles she'd drawn around the words only furthered the crease on his forehead. "I'm going to give you two a series of situations, and you need to act out the best way to handle it. Oh, this will be such fun!"
Virgil seriously doubted that.
"First scenario!" Fairy Godmother chirped as she wrote it up, "Logan, you've been caught stealing from Virgil, an apple merchant! Go!"
Logan began speaking flatly. "I'm sorry for stealing this apple, it was not a good thing to do."
Virgil's fist tightened. Is this all Logan knew how to do? Apologize? "Yeah, well, sorry's not gonna cut it."
As Fairy Godmother looked to Logan he sighed, "Okay, here. I return what I stole."
"Oh, how generous. You hurt my business and only give things back when you think there might be consequences. Bravo, what a good person you are."
"I'm... not really sure what else to do in this scenario." Logan replied in confusion, "If you have your property back and I promise not to steal again, what's the problem?"
"The problem is trust!" Virgil exclaimed, throwing his arms out in exasperation, "You broke it!"
Logan pinched the bridge of his nose. "What else can I do?"
"How about not steal in the first place?!" Virgil bit back, "Oh, just so you know, as a merchant I reserve the right to cut off your hand for stealing so how about-"
"Alrighty!" Fairy Godmother interrupted as the conversation took a dark turn. "Great effort on both sides! Though, let's keep the dismemberment to a minimum, yes?" Logan nodded and Virgil shrugged half heartedly. He briefly glanced at Logan, who still looked a little confused.
"Second scenario! You are now two queens arguing over which of you is the fairest one of all!"
"What?" Virgil cried out, looking a little red. "Wh-why??"
Fairy Godmother looked away somberly. "It's a disagreement that occurs far too often here in Auradon."
Logan raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Yes and!"
He shook his head. "I'm the fairest one of all, I suppose."
"Sure." Virgil replied sarcastically. "You've been super fair, lately."
"What do you...?" Logan began to ask, but paused. He looked Virgil straight in the eye. "Look, maybe I'm wrong about this, okay?"
"What?" Virgil was uncomfortable with Logan staring him down like that.
"Maybe you're more, er, fair than me." He continued, "I thought one thing, you thought something else, we disagreed, but... but doesn't it count for anything that I now know I was wrong?"
Virgil blinked, then crossed his arms. "Well... sure... but that doesn't change how it felt. For you to say that- that you were fairest or whatever. And to bring up... personal stuff."
"I shouldn't have." Logan said.
They were quiet for a minute, then Fairy Godmother broke the silence. "Okay, it was a little ambiguous, but good work overall! I think we have time for one more..."
"Virgil.." Logan began.
"Ah!" Fairy Godmother shouted gleefully, "This is a good one! One of you accidentally broke something that means a lot to the other! You fill in the blanks, go!"
They both stared at Fairy Godmother in utter doneness for a second, then Virgil heard Logan continue.
"I know... I know I hurt you. I said things that I can't take back, things I knew would upset you."
Virgil looked down and squeezed his arm. If he remembered, it wasn't only Logan who said some hurtful things...
"It wasn't you, it was me. I was... scared."
"Scared?" Had Virgil heard him right? Logan, scared?
Logan nodded. "Yes. I was scared that we were going to get hurt. I was scared because everyone here seemed so nice, but on the Isle... it's so different here from everything I've ever known."
The Isle. He shivered. Some nights, Virgil had nightmares about being taken back. It was everyone for themselves there. At least... everyone but Logan.
It was crazy to think of Logan as scared. He'd always seemed so cool and tough in situations that would cause Virgil to break down. He thought Logan had been excited to come to Auradon, but could he have been just as wary as Virgil was?
"Still, that's no excuse for me." Virgil was jerked out of his thoughts and his eyes landed on Logan. He'd stepped closer, and Virgil could see his eyes behind his glasses. "Frankly, you deserve a better friend."
Slowly, the edges of Virgil's lips stretched slightly upwards. Closing the gap between them, he put his hand on Logan's arm.
"You're such an idiot." Virgil said, Logan looking downcast. With a surety he hadn't had before, he added, "You're also my best friend in the world. No matter what."
Logan's eyes widened, and his mouth fell a bit agape. "You... you're forgiving me?"
Taking a deep breath, Virgil jammed his hands in his hoodie pockets. "Yeah, I mean, I'll get over it. I'm still mad, but I'm not gonna throw away our friendship over it." He was trying very hard not to blush. Logan smiled at him, and honestly it made him feel a little better.
They heard someone blow their nose, and both turned their heads in surprise to see Fairy Godmother sobbing over a conjured box of tissues.
"Such sincerity! I could practically feel your tortured souls!" She tearfully exclaimed, "And the revelation that what had been broken was... your friendship! I wasn't expecting this abstract interpretation of the prompt! You two are truly men of the theatre!"
Logan and Virgil shared a look that said they had completely forgotten she was there.
Safely presuming they'd gotten a good grade, the two friends picked up their things and left together as the bell rang. Virgil still wasn't completely okay, but a weight had been lifted from him now that Logan was by his side again. For now, at least, he was okay enough.
"I've been meaning to ask you your opinion.." Virgil looked over when Logan spoke up, "But we weren't talking and, well..." The nerdy boy looked almost bashful. "My opinion?" he asked.
"On Patton. And if you think he maybe thinks of me a certain way? A, erm, non-platonic way?"
Virgil smiled. Yeah, he was okay enough. As they walked down the stretch of hall, he prepared to completely roast his friend on being the most oblivious man on earth.
---
"Hey!"
He awoke with a start, as well as a very unprincely snort, and sat up quickly. It took him a few seconds to realize he'd fallen asleep in the library. Why was he here again? Oh, right, he'd wanted to do some extra research on the Isle Act to help out Patton...
An impatient cough drew his attention to the person who'd woken him, and Roman grew red from embarrassment.
"Can I use this now?" The girl, Kira, gestured towards a history book he had been lying on. "It's the only copy."
Roman huffed as he handed it over. "Any way you could have awakened me less rudely?"
"What, like with True Love's Kiss? Nap in your dorm, weirdo."
As she walked off, Roman yawned and glanced at the clock. His heart nearly stopped when he saw it was almost seven. He quickly shoved his notebooks into his bag and sprinted across campus to the gym. Min was really gonna let him have it this time.
Just as expected, the second he ran through the gymnasium doors, Min turned to him with her arms crossed and a fury in her eyes. Roman sighed. "I know, I'm sorry, I'll get changed really quickly!" he said as he dropped his stuff on the bleachers and ran into the locker room. Just as he pulled his shirt off, he heard the door slam open and turned around, startled.
"Min! This is the men's room!"
"You wanna be a man? Try showing up to practice on time every once in a while!" Min glared at him as he ducked behind a curtain to feel a little less vulnerable.
"I'm sorry, Min! I- I got caught up in Student Council work and dozed off!" He said as he pulled on his Jousting uniform. Stepping back out, he could see she was still seething.
Min shook her head and placed her hands on her hips. "We play Auradon High next Saturday. I don't care what comes up, you made a commitment as team captain. If you can't stick to it, you don't deserve that position."
Her words bit at him, stinging even after she walked out of the locker room. They were true words after all. He'd been so busy with helping Patton that he wasn't as focused on Jousting club. Between the two, he even had trouble getting his assignments in on time, sometimes finishing them at all. Times like these, he was tempted to ask Fairy Godmother for a magic spell that could give him the time to manage it all. Better yet, a spell that completed his homework for him. That would work out as long as his teachers graded him before midnight.
Sighing, he grabbed his sword and other equipment as he headed out to practice. Despite the late start, it went as well as it could have. They ran drills, each team member practicing both offense and defense positions. They talked about different strategies to use during the upcoming game. They went over various sword techniques, pairing off to fight one-on-one. Min seemed to blow off most of her steam while paired up with Roman.
"You all did such great work today. This whole season, in fact!" Roman told the team at the end of practice. "Come next week, we're going to conquer Auradon High!"
Many jeered at their enemy's name. Roman smiled. "Last year, they won the battle." More jeering. "This year, we win the war!"
After some more cheers and clapping, the team disbanded, most going to the locker rooms. Roman felt someone hook his arm in their own and looked at Aaron.
"Gods, I'm so tired!" Aaron lamented, practically hanging off him, "You couldn't have taken it easier on us with those drills?"
Before he could answer, Min chimed in. "If you ask me, you needed double drills."
Aaron rolled his eyes. "Good thing no one asked you, then."
Min ignored him, looking Roman in the eyes. "I'm sorry about snapping at you earlier."
Roman shrugged, "No, you were right. I should be a better team captain."
"You're a great captain." Min said, "Especially when you get to practice on time."
"Okay, okay, I get it! I'll be here on time from now on!"
"You better be!" Aaron exclaimed, "I hardly ever see you anymore as it is. Plus, you're the only one who knows how to hype me up for games."
Roman chuckled as Aaron gave him a knowing look, and he acquiesced. "Who's the king?" he called.
"I'm the king!" Aaron called back.
"I said, who's the king?!"
"I'm the king!!"
The two of them laughed as Min smirked at them. "If only you could keep up that energy on the field."
"Oh, shut up!" Aaron snapped back, Roman rolling his eyes at their usual bickering. They were his team, though, and he was their captain. It was his responsibility to lead them to victory. That aside, he'd made a commitment to Patton and the student council as well. If he was going to be a good person, he needed to keep all his promises.
"Let's hit the showers, the odor is assaulting my senses!" Aaron exclaimed, tugging his arm.
"Alright. See you next practice?" Min asked, glancing at Roman. He looked back resolutely. He was going to be there for his friends no matter what, even if that means missing a few assignments.
"See you then, Min."
---
Logan was never one to act without thinking. Quite the contrary, really, it was difficult for him to make a move without weighing the pros and cons and plotting out a valid strategy to achieve the best possible outcome. That mindset may have developed by necessity, however.
The Isle was survival of the fittest. No one could trust each other because everyone was vying for power. If you weren't smart, you would be metaphorically eaten alive. That was the first lesson he was taught.
The second lesson?
"You gotta show them all who's on top!" Hades would say, "Burn your enemies to the ground!"
He was the son of a god, after all. His father believed they had a rightful place not just on the Isle, but in the heavens. As he grew up, he was regaled time and time again with the tale of Hades' fall from grace. His father helped him hone his pyrotechnic abilities and encouraged him to start fights with the other kids, all so he'd be ready one day to help his dear old dad take back Olympus.
Logan didn't really see the point of trying to be on top, however. It didn't take long for him to understand that the Isle was a dead end dump, a worthless piece of land set apart from a world where power might count for something. Gangs fought for territories, villains made and broke alliances, everyone plotted devious schemes day in and out, and for what? It was pointless.
So, he steered clear of all that, focusing on what he could achieve. Maybe he couldn't rule the heavens, but he could study them. He could learn more than anyone even cared to in this gutter.
That attitude grated on his father, it seemed. By the time he was twelve, Hades figured he would be a gang leader at most, an intimidating terror at least. Instead his son was a quiet bookworm with no interest in starting conflicts. Logan came home one night when his father began ranting and raving, rehashing the same old story.
"I was the ruler of the Underworld!" Hades screamed, fire glowing a mean red, "I was the dealer of death! And now what? I have nothing! Nothing but an ingrate little brat!" Logan clenched his fist as Hades went on, Zeus, then Hercules, then Megara... everyone except himself. Then the god turned to his son.
"You're nothing but a failure to me! A thorn in my side!"
Something twisted inside him that night. His father, of all people, lecturing him about being a failure? Among the few things they had in common was a temper, so suffice to say that the argument didn't deescalate. There was definitely some significant fire damage.
He wasn't sure how he'd felt about Hades before all that. Maybe love? Logan figured that was the natural thing to have felt for his only parent. It's what books on the subject described. Ever since then, however, he has only had one feeling towards him. Disgust.
Hades was pathetic in his eyes. Rightful king of the heavens? More like too dense to see when he's lost. All the god ever did now was fester in resentment and take it out on everyone else. Logan was ashamed to be related to him.
Not that the rest of the Isle occupants were much better. Childish bullies harassed anyone weaker than them like the brutes they were. Those slightly more intelligent formed gangs to police people around, not realizing how pointless it all was. So, Logan kept to himself, not really caring to associate with any of them. Then along came Virgil.
This boy didn't strike Logan as too odd at first. He was clearly just a weak person hanging around Logan for protection. If he ever became a nuisance, Logan would shake him off. Then he found out who this boy's mother was, and suddenly things became interesting. What would the son of such a powerful villain need him for? He was practically guaranteed a place in the Isle hierarchy as a gang leader or something. In asking him about it one day, Logan received a surprising answer.
"I don't want to be hers." Virgil had said quietly.
Logan saw him differently after that. He noticed how he hid his magic, how he wanted to be different from his mother, how he didn't bother trying to be evil for evil's sake, how he wanted more than the Isle could ever offer him.
Then there were other things, things that shouldn't have been relevant. Virgil listened through Logan's explanations of things even when he didn't care. He'd annoy Logan with some new music tape he'd found somewhere. He'd let Logan talk about constellations and photons and in return would talk about spiders and tell him "scary stories."
Maybe that was where he'd changed. When he'd started caring about more than just science and the stars.
Maybe that's why he was standing outside Patton's room right now.
As he held up his hand to knock, the door swung open and Patton nearly plowed into him. A deep blush coated his face as his apologized.
"Oh my goodness, Logan, I'm sorry! I didn't-" Logan suddenly grabbed his hand, and Patton went quiet.
Logan was never one to act without thinking.
Until now.
"Prince Patton, would you care to accompany me on a date?"
He blurted it out as fast as he could, before he could second guess himself. Patton's jaw dropped, and Logan's thoughts came rushing in all at once.
Why did you ask him?
You should've thought this through.
What if he doesn't like you?
You're from the Isle, this won't work out.
Was father right about y-?
That thought was cut off at soon he made contact with Patton's lips. It was just for a moment, a peaceful, tender moment, but it was enough to render his brain useless. Instead, he focused on the beat of his heart as he watched Patton smile.
---
A/N: Imagine if Patton was just like, "HA, no." Omg. XD
I hope you guys aren't too upset I only update like every month or so, that's just how long it takes for me to come up with this stuff. I wish I could get these out faster for y'all. ;-;
Logan backstory!! Logicality!! Lots of fun things happening this time around! I hope this gives you a sense of why Logan is the way he is. Hades, as much as I love him as a villain, is not doing A+ parenting.
I pondered whether or not to name the rival Jousting team school Ever After High, just as a little shoutout to another great franchise, but I didn't want people to think all those characters exist in my story because WOW that would change some things... so I just went with Auradon High. Now I realize that name reminds me way too much of Avalon High but oh well cuz I'm too lazy to change it at this point.
As always, let me know what you think! Stay safe and healthy everyone, and have a great day! <3