TW- Mentions of Injuries

Logan and Virgil held each other tightly until they heard an enraged female voice yell out to, "Get lost and never come back." The pair looked up in time to see Michael nodding quickly and sprinting away from the house. The fuming woman turned toward the boys, her eyes immediately softening at the sight. Her and the other woman moved toward the pair slowly, careful not to make any sudden movements. Slowly, Virgil stood and moved to hug the previously enraged woman. "Thank you, Mom," he said lightly into her shoulder. Logan's eyes widened in realization. Virgil's mother had saved him. The other woman walked toward Virgil carefully, laying a hand on his shoulder. Virgil turned to her and hugged her tightly. "Thank you too, Mother."

Now everything made sense to Logan. He couldn't help but smile softly at the small family. He wished he could have had a family like that. He was snapped from his thoughts when three pairs of eyes turned to him. Virgil's mother kneeled in front of Logan, attempting to reach out to move his hair out of his face. However, Logan flinched back involuntarily, causing worry to cover the others' features. "Hey, it's okay. I won't hurt you. You're safe now, okay?" Logan's eyes filled with tears as he nodded slowly. Slowly, the mother reached out again, this time successfully stroking Logan's hair, both in an attempt to move it and to comfort the now shaking boy. Logan's tears began falling down his cheeks slowly, releasing all of the fear and helplessness he had felt only minutes prior. Virgil's mother looked to Virgil, hoping that the boy would know how to help. Virgil nodded and moved forward, sitting in front of Logan. "Hey, Lo? Can you look at me?" Logan closed his eyes tightly and shook his head. "Shh, you're okay. I've got you. Is it okay if I touch you?" Logan slowly nodded, allowing Virgil to hug him softly. The contact pushed Logan to the point of full sobbing, gripping tightly to Virgil. "It hurts so bad Virgil. Make it stop. Please." Virgil rubbed Logan's back lightly, whispering in his ear, "I know, but I've got you now. You're safe." Logan's tears soon subsided, and the pair pulled away from the hug. Logan still had tear streaks down his cheeks, so Virgil did the only thing he could think to do in the moment. He reached up and wiped his cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. "Thank you," Logan whispered. Virgil smiled softly in response.

Then they heard a giggle from behind them. The pair looked up to see Virgil's mother giggling lightly while his mom tried to get her to keep quiet. "What is it, Mother?" "I couldn't help it! You two are so precious!" Virgil's mom sighed and chuckled before walking forward and offering a hand to Virgil, who gladly accepting it. Once on his feet, Virgil turned back to Logan. He offered his hand to him, but Logan looked down in embarrassment. "What is it, Lo?" Logan mumbled something far too quietly, causing Virgil and his moms to pull a face of confusion. "What was that?" "I said that I don't think I can stand on my own." Virgil's eyes widened in both realization and anger. Anger at Michael, anger at the pain Logan was feeling, but mostly anger toward himself. This was all his fault.

Virgil pushed those thoughts aside as he bent down and picked Logan up carefully. Logan gasped softly, but soon turned his head into Virgil's chest, finding comfort from the terrifying events that had occurred prior. Virgil nodded his head toward the door, signaling his Mom to open it for him. As she did, Virgil stepped through the threshold, quickly bringing Logan to his bathroom. Once in the bathroom, Virgil set Logan lightly on the counter, making sure he was steady before moving around the space in search of first aid supplies. Upon finding the kit, Virgil moved back to face Logan, studying his injuries intently. A black eye, a busted lip, a bruised jaw. Virgil anticipated all of these injuries. However, he didn't anticipate the fingerprint-sized bruises wrapped around Logan's neck.

Virgil's eyes widened as he stared at the dark blue marks. "Virgil? Are you alright?" Virgil shook his head slowly, gritting his teeth. "I'm gonna kill him for doing this to you," Virgil muttered. Logan reaches out and placed his hand on Virgil's arm, rubbing it lightly in a comforting manner. "I'm going to be okay, Virgil. Besides, I said I was going to protect you." Virgil smiled softly and looked up at Logan. They watched each other in silence before Virgil eventually spoke up.

"Hey, Lo?"

"Yes?"

"You were wrong."

"About what?"

"Everything you said about yourself."

"Oh."

"You're not just some nerd. You're one of the kindest people I've ever met."

"Thank you, Virgil."

"And for the record, I think you're beautiful."