Chapter Text
Virgil glanced down at the numbers on his wrist. His timer had ended a couple of days ago, but he still wasn't used to seeing all zeros. Still, it was a good reminder that that night had actually happened. He really had met his soulmate.
And it was better than he ever could have imagined. They'd talked for hours that night. Even after the party ended, they'd stayed behind to help Roman clean up. Virgil found out that Logan had been reading Sherlock Holmes books on his phone, which was why he was so distracted. And Logan had been playfully upset when he found out Virgil hadn't read a single one of them.
They'd talked about the stars and had made plans for stargazing dates once the weather warmed up. Virgil had never clicked with anyone so quickly. He'd always thought the stories about soulmates had to be exaggerated because there was no way everything just fit that perfectly. But he was wrong.
A bell chimed as the door swung open, and Virgil smiled when he saw Logan walking through the door. He was as beautiful as ever, and Virgil still couldn't believe he was lucky enough to have him as a soulmate.
He was on his feet in an instant, making his way over to the other man. Logan held out a hand, and Virgil took it as they got in line together. He'd never understood why Roman and Patton were so obsessed with physical touch until he'd met Logan. Just holding his hand seemed to make all his worries fade away.
They got to the front of the line and ordered. Logan pulled out his wallet, but Virgil quickly paid with his phone before he could get his card out. "Too slow," Virgil teased.
"I'll just have to pay next time," Logan said, glaring playfully. They moved back to the table Virgil had been waiting for Logan at.
"So, not to get too controversial on a first date, but what are your thoughts on Pluto?" Virgil worried the question might be a little too cringy, but the way Logan's eyes lit up when he heard made it worth it.
"Demoting it was just overkill! So many things in astronomy are poorly named. Planetary nebulae get to have "planet" in their name, even though they have nothing to do with planets. They're just the outer layers that lift off low-mass stars when they become white dwarfs. Even though the name isn't accurate, it hasn't been changed because that's what it's been called since around the 1780s, and it isn't worth the effort of changing it now." Logan paused his tangent as his name was called to get their drinks. "I'll be right back."
Virgil smiled as he walked away. He'd only known Logan for a short period of time, but he already knew he'd happily listen to the man's tangents and rants any day.
Logan returned with the beverages, setting Virgil's in front of him. "But anyway, as I was saying. It's just a matter of naming things. What's the difference between a meteor and an asteroid? Absolutely nothing, except that a meteor is an asteroid that's entered a planet's atmosphere. However, as much as it pains me to admit, Pluto's width is smaller than Australia's, so while I believe it's overkill to demote it, I do understand why they did so. I also chose to believe that it's still a planet, even if it is no longer classified as such scientifically."
"Is Pluto actually that small?" Virgil asked. He liked stargazing, but he didn't know that much about astronomy beyond that.
"Yes, at Australia's largest dimension, Pluto is smaller. However, its surface area is more than double that of Australia." Logan sipped his coffee, then sighed as his glasses fogged up. He set the mug down and cleaned his glasses with a handkerchief he pulled from his pocket.
"How do you remember all that? I can barely remember the names of the few constellations that my mom taught me." Virgil asked, looking down at his coffee and swirling the ice with his straw.
"I just really enjoy astronomy. When I was younger, I spent countless hours in front of a computer, researching everything there was to know about space." Logan put his glasses back on and returned the handkerchief to his pocket. "I'm absolutely clueless when it comes to things like history. No matter how often I learn about it, it seems to go in one ear and out the other."
"That's funny, history was always my best subject. I actually thought about majoring in it for a while, but then I decided to do graphic design instead." Virgil drank some of his coffee, then ran his thumb over the numbers on his wrist. "This is a random topic change, but does it weird you out that your wrist isn't ticking down? Like I knew this would happen, but it still startles me when I look down and just see zeros."
"I get that; for so long, looking at the numbers counting down was calming, and I'm overjoyed that they've stopped because it means I met you. Still, it is disconcerting." Logan agreed, tracing the zeros on his own wrist.
"Exactly! I can't even count the number of times I watched the numbers as a way to calm myself down from an anxiety attack, so while I wouldn't change anything, I've still been slightly stressed by that." Virgil didn't want it to seem like he regretted meeting Logan because that wasn't the case, but change was hard for him. He hadn't realized how heavily he'd relied on it until the option was no longer there.
"I'm not that familiar with anxiety attacks, but one method I've seen people use after they've met their soulmates is to feel their pulse. Instead of watching the numbers steadily count down, you focus on the beating of your pulse. It also provides a physical measure for when you've calmed down because your heart rate will have also slowed." While Logan spoke, he subconsciously raised his fingers to his neck just below his jaw, demonstrating what he meant.
Virgil tried it and, after a moment, replied, "Huh, that actually does work." He wasn't too anxious, but focusing on his pulse helped calm his slight nerves.
Logan and Virgil continued to talk as they drank their coffee. Virgil wasn't used to conversation flowing this easily, but with Logan, everything seemed easy. When Logan suggested continuing the date by walking around the city, Virgil readily agreed.
They left the coffee shop, hand in hand, and began walking up the street. The sun was just beginning to set, casting their surroundings in soft gold light. Virgil's breath caught upon seeing Logan bathed in gold. He looked like a god from ancient mythology. Virgil couldn't believe he was lucky enough to call him his soulmate.
"You're beautiful." The words slipped from Virgil's mouth before he had fully processed them. He blushed slightly but didn't take it back. Logan went red as well, and Virgil smiled at how it made him even more beautiful.
"You should see yourself." Logan said, "I've read poetry about beauty, but they all pale compared to you. Artists and poets everywhere cry because they'll never be able to fully capture your beauty."
"That was unbelievably sappy," Virgil teased, ignoring how it made his insides melt. He had a reputation to uphold.
They stopped walking when they reached a small plaza-type area. Lights were strung up between the buildings and lamp posts. They found a bench facing the sunset and sat down to watch the sky slowly deepen, and the clouds become streaked with pinks and oranges. The sky was stunning, almost as if it was a sign that they really were meant for each other.
Virgil turned to Logan, "I know we didn't kiss on New Year because we had just met each other. And we've still only been on, like, one and a half dates if you count cleaning up from Roman's party, but they've been some of the best hours of my life, and I already feel like I've known you for years," he trailed off as he tried to figure out how to word this next part, "I guess what I'm saying is I don't mind if we kiss now. If you want to, obviously! If you don't that's oka-"
Logan leaned forward, softly pressing his lips to Virgil's, cutting off the rambling stream of words. "I'd like to kiss you too."