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Virgil had been put on one of the bottom rungs of service. Arguably one of the most important, but certainly disliked amongst angels. His wings and most of his abilities stripped back so he wouldn't be suspicious to the humans; he was put into a human city as a 'good example'.
He had a few humans he was supposed to keep a particular eye on, to befriend if possible, and just generally exist near. He still had one good weapon, in case any demons started approaching his humans. But with only the one angelic dagger, and nothing else of the power he was used to, he felt positively naked.
He just didn't feel like he was any good at this.
Virgil trudged along the sidewalk, now in an unfamiliar part of town, trying to figure out what exactly he was meant to do. 'Good example' left precious few details. It was supposed to be variable on a case by case basis. Which meant very few instructions for Virgil, especially when he wasn't face to face with one of those particular humans.
So he just kept walking, staring at his feet, trying to mind his own business. Only for someone to bump right into him.
"Oh! Apologies, I--"
"Just weren't looking enough to see the only other person on the sidewalk?" Virgil groused.
He looked up, only to see a familiar face. Logan Spencer - Deadly Sin: Wrath
"I could say the same about you," Logan responded.
Virgil shrugged, grumbling. Somehow, he wanted to stretch this interaction. To spend more time with one of the humans he was supposed to. To have an actual goal, a knowledge of what to do.
But how?
"Um..." he said, completely unsure of how to continue the sentence, just wanting to catch Logan's attention.
"Yes?" Logan said shortly, irritation and impatience on his face.
Clearly he had something to do, somewhere to go, and Virgil was just holding him up and he'd run into him and really that was just as much Virgil's fault as it was Logan's, and now Virgil was the one keeping him from going and doing things, and this was definitely screwing up any chance of becoming acquainted, and--
Virgil's breath was coming heavy and fast, and he couldn't quite control it. His chest suddenly spiked with pain, and he put a hand to it, gripping over his shirt and trying to feel for what it was that was hurting him.
"Are you alright?" Logan asked, his irritation washing away with concern.
"Nn-- I'm--- I don't--" Virgil was struggling more and more, the pain and the shortness of breath hitting him more than embarrassment.
"Do you need assistance?" Logan asked.
Virgil nodded desperately, unsure what Logan could or would do, but in need of something, anything that could help.
Logan's hand landed on his shoulder, warm and grounding. "Try to breathe in slowly. Follow how I do it. In, 2, 3, 4. Try to hold that breath, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. And now breathe out, slowly, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Good, we'll try again. In..."
Virgil put all his focus on the human, kindly helping him despite being an absolute stranger. Logan guided him through several rounds of the counted breathing until Virgil had his breath under control again, the pain in his chest easing gradually.
"What... w-what was that?" Virgil asked.
"It's a breathing technique that can assist with heightened anxiety or panic attacks," Logan said, removing his hand from Virgil's shoulder.
Virgil instantly felt chilled at the lack, the t-shirt he'd been provided feeling insufficient for the weather. "Ah, thank you. I- You didn't have to do that."
"I suppose not, but you were in need," Logan said simply. Then he looked down at a bag he had dropped on the sidewalk, reaching into it and pulling out a jacket. "Here. You're shivering."
Virgil tentatively accepted the jacket, immediately impressed by the thickness and softness of the fabric. He wrapped it around himself, much warmer already.
"I would give something back, if I had anything," Virgil said awkwardly. "Um, my-- my name is Virgil."
"Logan Spencer. It has been an experience to meet you." Logan held out his hand, and Virgil shook it, misjudging how long he ought to hold it and holding on a second too long.
"Not an awful one, I hope," Virgil said, trying to get back a bit of poise, of sarcastic confidence.
"I believe I would choose a different adjective if pressed to describe it," Logan replied with a hint of a smile.
There was a little beep from some device, and Logan pulled it out of his pocket, glancing at it with a bit of alarm. "I have to continue on. Perhaps we will meet again."
"Uh, yeah!" Virgil said, waving as Logan hurried away.
Now his chest felt rather... warm.
Over the past few months, Logan had met and then become friends with a very strange man. At first, he'd thought he might be homeless, but future meetings had proved that to be false.
He was very pleasant to spend time with, though that time was always unexpected, rather than planned. He was quite laid-back, and a bit sharp in his wit, though at times he would be overcome by an anxiety he tried to keep hidden.
This time, however, Logan wanted to have a bit more control over their interaction. He had given Virgil an invitation to join him at an event held by one of his favored bookshops in town. And Virgil had accepted. Therefore, barring any unforeseen obstacles, Virgil ought to be arriving any minute now.
And indeed, as Logan looked around, he spotted a familiar figure, wearing the very jacket he'd given him the day they'd met. It made him feel quite... appreciated? That Virgil wore it so frequently. A warm little sensation just below his breastbone.
"Virgil! I'm glad you could make it."
Virgil grinned crookedly. "Oh yeah, wouldn't miss... books, for anything."
"It is not simply the books," Logan shot back.
"Oh, no, you just waited here for my sparkling company," Virgil said, his voice dripping in bitter sarcasm.
Logan did not want to reveal how correct that was. "Just come inside with me, I have a feeling you will enjoy this shop as much as I do."
To his enjoyment, he noted Virgil's eyes widening as they entered, looking around at the many packed shelves. The shop was easily two stories tall, but had no second story internally. Instead, the shelves just continued up to the ceiling, tall ladders enabling the staff and customers to reach the books.
"What's the event?" Virgil asked, his tone softer than usual.
Logan smiled proudly. "It's for pride month. If you collect a book in each general color of the rainbow, the whole purchase is half off. And while I do not usually promote judging books based on the covers, I find the concept of choosing books one might not usually intriguing, as well as supporting the pride aspect."
"Pride month?" Virgil asked, his voice distinctly suspicious.
Logan's smile dropped instantly. He cleared his throat, trying to establish a sense of normalcy when all his perceptions of Virgil had been crushed in an instant. "Yes. A month celebrating homosexuality and other forms of sexuality and gender distinct from the norm. It begins today."
Virgil blinked, frowning in confusion, not in distaste. "Oh, the gay month. I heard of that before. Why's it called pride though?"
Logan breathed an immense sigh of relief. "It is to represent those who are gay being proud of themselves, in their whole personhood and identity, rather than feeling ashamed as much of society wishes we would."
Logan could see figurative wheels turning behind Virgil's eyes, and only realized then that he had said 'we'. He endeavored not to blush at the additional information about himself being so suddenly revealed.
"It sounds like a good kind of 'pride' to me," Virgil said, something intense in his tone that Logan couldn't be certain he was deciphering correctly. But perhaps... perhaps Virgil was also...?
"Let's go find some colored books then," Virgil said, his intensity breaking up with another of his grins.
Logan accepted the distraction, wandering with Virgil further into the shop.