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Night-time was Virgil's favourite time to be awake. It was nights like these, when the sky was clear and the breeze was soft, and the allure of the moon glowing silver through his curtains drew him outside of the mind space, it was nights like these in which he truly felt peaceful. When he was drawn to the one special spot under a tree on the soft knoll of a hill. That was Virgil's favourite place to be, really. Where he could listen quietly to music and stargaze all night, while the rest of the world was silent and still, and the sky was the most calming, beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He lay there now, nestled in the lush grass, headphones on and eyes reflecting the thousands of sparkling stars high above him. It had been a hectic day, he was thankful for the peaceful outlet.

Actually, objectively speaking his day hadn't been overly hectic, he'd just been worn a little thin and hadn't had time to relax or take a moment just to breathe. Staring up at the sky, though, studying the stars and brushing his hands through the grass at his sides, he felt the knotted ball of unease in his chest unwind, until it was barely there at all. He inhaled deeply and shut his eyes, lying still and just enjoying the moment. When he reopened them, however, somebody was standing over him.

Virgil let out a yelp and flinched away, sitting bolt upright and staring at the intruder in shock. He relaxed microscopically upon recognising who it was. Logan peered down at him in surprise, blinking owlishly behind his glasses.

"Hello, Virgil," he said. Virgil sighed and removed his headphones.

"Hey, Logan."

"I... didn't mean to frighten you? I just didn't expect to see anybody else out here," Logan said, sounding sheepish. Virgil shrugged, plucking at the blades of grass.

"Yeah, sorry, I didn't exactly expect to open my eyes and see somebody standing over me," he huffed. Logan winced a little, and shifted his feet.

"My apologies, then. Although, if you don't mind me asking, Virgil, what are you doing out here? It's past midnight, you should be asleep by now."

"I could ask the same of you," Virgil deflected, and the logical side gave him one of his infamous unimpressed looks. Virgil bit his lip and scooted backwards until his back was leaning against the trunk of the tree.

"Fine. I come out here a lot, whenever I can't sleep or I've had a bad day," he admitted quietly. Logan wandered closer and dropped down next to him, only a few inches stopping their shoulders from brushing.

"Which one was it tonight?" he wondered. Virgil twisted his mouth and glanced away, watching the silvery light of the moon slip through the tree leaves.

"Both."

"Oh. Well... we both know I'm not the best with emotions and feelings," Logan said, strangely hesitant for once, "but if you... wanted to talk? About what's been bothering you? Then I could at least provide a listening ear," he said. Virgil glanced at him, an amused smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Thanks, Lo, but it's fine. I'd actually prefer not to, right now." He wasn't exactly the best at expressing his own feelings right now, either.

"Okay, well, I must admit that your sleeping habits cause me a moderate amount of concern, and Patton encourages talking because he says it's important for emotional well-being," Logan began to ramble, "And I get the sense that you would rather be alone here, so if you ask me to leave I'll respect your wishes, but... this is the best place to stargaze," he admitted quietly, "and I think some company would be nice." Virgil looked at him, a lightning fast debate waging in his head.

On one hand, he got to spend more time with Logan, if he chose not to make him leave. On the other hand, he'd have to deal with being around Logan and figuring out whatever that meant to him, if he allowed Logan to stay. On one hand, he didn't want to talk about it. On the other hand, there was something he desperately wanted to admit.

"You... no, you can stay, it's okay," he eventually replied, hesitance only faintly lacing his tone. Logan studied him for a moment, but didn't seem to know what to say. Virgil looked away. Logan exhaled deeply beside him, then slid down so he was laying on his back in the grass, staring up at the sky through the tree branches.

A while passed in silence, Virgil wasn't sure how long, but he grew to hate the atmosphere he himself had created. He'd been trying to avoid looking at the logical trait, but the air around them now felt tenser and more awkward and he wasn't sure what to do. The silence was growing too much for him.

"Um, hey," he said, immediately wincing. He barely had a plan for what he intended to say.

"Hm?" Logan hummed questioningly, turning to look up at him.

"I've... got an Aero bar?" Virgil said awkwardly. Logan looked at him in confusion, and Virgil reached into his hoodie pocket, pulling out the unopened chocolate. "Want half?"

"...What flavour is it?"

"Mint."

"That's my favourite. Yes, please." Logan smiled. Virgil shot him a grin.

"Mine too." He snapped a piece off and handed it to Logan, placing the rest down on the ground between them, so they could take a piece whenever they needed. He nibbled on the chocolate and tried to focus on the stars, and silence fell over them again. But this time it wasn't awkward, it was comfortable. He internally sighed in relief, allowing a tiny smile to quirk upwards. This was okay.

Virgil figured a while must have gone past, he and Logan both tracking the moon's ascent across the dark sky, before Logan quietly broke the silence again.

"Do you feel like talking about whatever you're thinking about now, Virgil?" he asked softly. Virgil stiffened beside him, but no sense of panic overwhelmed him. He'd been lying next to Logan and stargazing for hours, they were sharing chocolate, he felt peaceful, it was okay. He didn't feel like he could admit his feelings to the logical side yet, of course, (what if Logan didn't like him back, what if he was disgusted, what if he rejected Virgil, what if it ruined their friendship?) but... he might as well say something. He cleared his throat nervously, but Logan remained still and quiet besides him, expression surprisingly open and soft as he looked at the sky. Virgil looked away and frowned, building up his courage to say even something little. It took him a while, but Logan didn't speak up again.

"It's kind of a secret," Virgil eventually whispered, staring at the stars high above him. Logan was silent for a moment, unmoving. Then Virgil felt him shift and slowly turn his head towards him. The logical side took a breath, hesitated for a second, then,

"Could- could the secret be, like, an understood thing?" he whispered back quietly. Virgil's breath caught in his throat.

He turned his head to look at Logan, eyes wide, and found himself locked in Logan's steady gaze. He could barely make out the other man's features: his hair was dark and blending in with the shadows of the glass, but the moonlight glinted off his glasses and cast soft, silver shadows across pale skin. The atmosphere between them felt like a string pulled taught, about to snap, and whatever Virgil said next would be the thing to break it. His eyes flicked swiftly over Logan's expression, searching for something, anything to tell him that Logan meant something other than what Virgil thought, hoped, that he was implying. Logan's expression was open and honest, though, gaze careful but hopeful, and something softened in Virgil's chest.

"Yeah," he breathed. The words stuck anxiously in his throat for a moment, but he pushed past them, determined not to ruin whatever might be happening right now. "Yeah, I think so."

Logan watched him intently for another second, before small, delighted smile curved his lips. Looking at it, Virgil felt as though the air had been punched out of his lungs.

"Excellent. An understood thing, then," he murmured, happiness bouncing through even his quiet tone. Virgil found himself smiling back, could feel a blush rising to his cheeks, and he had to look away from Logan's gaze before he started stuttering. He took a bite of the aero bar to distract himself, hoped the darkness covered up the red in his cheeks, and stared intently at the stars. But for once he didn't think they were the best thing out tonight.

Logan huffed a quiet laugh beside him, and Virgil felt him tilt his head away again (he'd still been gazing at Virgil?) so they were both staring at the sky. If Logan's hand eventually intertwined with his own, then they didn't have to talk about it. If, when dawn broke and the sun began to rise, painting the sky pale pink and casting rose coloured rays of light over them both, if then they shared a shy kiss that tasted like mint chocolate, then that was okay too. It was an understood thing.

Virgil smiled.