#omfggg I am so bad at writing fluff I am so sorryyy

[salty-donut-collecter]

Before Us Stand The Stars

Prompt here~ Gahhhh I’ve been wanting to write more fanfiction 

Trigger warnings: Sneaking out, talk of controlling parents, mentions and descriptions of violence, mentions of jail, stress about college, abuse/ mentions of CPS, kissing, I allude to smexual things

Please don’t be afraid to ask if I need to tag anything else >.<

Word Count: 4,981 holy hecck

Couple of notes: 1) Yes I did give Virgil the last name Strengthson. I hate it just as much as you do xD 2) I am horrible at writing feelings, and I am very very bad at writing fluff which is why I’m trying to branch out with characters I’m familiar with. Feel free to tell me how I did! 3) Logan is p r e t t y out of character I’m ngl. I know, but I tried to make him as human as I could. This also takes place after some possible development through a possible storyline. 4) I am finishing this at 2:08 am and I am very bad at reading so please tell me if I need to tag anything else ;_; thank you :D 5)Also I refer to Janus and Remus as Logan’s datemates, and I hope that’s not an enby or ace exclusive term and I hope I’m not being offensive, I just like the way it sound I’m ngl. Feel free to tell me if I should change it, though !

Sneaking out was not something Logan would have done at the beginning of the school year. The first time he’d done so, he was terrified-- so sure that it wouldn’t work, that he almost caused his own demise. 

However, now it was something he did almost every weekend. Oh, how people can change you. The way adrenaline slips into your mind like a drug... It was surely addictive. However, he didn’t care much now. 

He was silent as he practically scaled his house. It was easy. He knew Janus was down the street in a vehicle, waiting patiently for him. They’d done this so many times before, he, Janus and Remus. It was a wonder he got away with it at all, with parents like his. They practically never let Logan out of their sight. No wonder he hadn’t felt anything real in his life before Freshman year. They’d controlled everything down to his emotions. 

It was “all for Logan’s benefit”, of course. Thanks to them he’d never have to worry about getting into college, or getting a job anywhere. 

As if that made up for anything. 

Once his feet hit the ground, Logan was running. The sprinkler system turned on in two minutes, and if Logan wasn’t at least in the street by then... needless to say, he’d be drenched. 

So, sprint he did. He could feel it again-- that familiar adrenaline that he craved most every day. The feeling of living. It was a tingling feeling this time. Other times, it wasn’t. It was instead a steady seeping; a wild calm that he couldn’t fully describe. 

The tingling was probably because he didn’t breathe a lot when he ran. He didn’t mind, though. Anything was better than staying in that stupid house for another minute-- that bastardised place.  

Much to Logan’s surprise, he actually made it to the street before the sprinklers turned on. He could see Remus’s truck down the way. How Remus managed to sneak out every night with that thing was beyond Logan, but he learned to accept it. 

When he got to Remus’s truck, he was greeted with familiar faces and a... warmth, that Logan always found he was missing without them. 

“Get in loser, we’re going stargazing!” Remus shouted from inside the car. Logan saw Janus wince from behind the wheel. 

Shaking his head fondly, Logan tapped on Remus’s door. The latter opened his window slowly, pretending he didn’t see Logan as he looked around outside for the source of the knock. When his eyes landed on Logan, they went wide, his crazed smile growing into a more relaxed smile-- one he practically had saved just for Logan. 

“Oh, hey nerd. Ya need something?” He asked. The entire scene earned a chuckle from Logan. 

“Tonight, would you be opposed to me riding in the trunk?” Logan asked, “I’ve been meaning to ask for a while and I understand if--”

“Of course you can!” Remus’s smile grew, “Janie, is that alright with you?”

Janus looked up from his phone, clearly not having heard anything either of them had said. He looked to Remus, who, for a moment just grinned. 

“He wants to ride in the trunk.” He finally said. 

The expression on Janus’s face was one that Logan didn’t actually recognise. Remus, however, did. His smile grew as he turned back to Logan. 

“If you take my jacket, you can.” he winked. 

So there Logan was, barbecue sauce on his titties--

I mean, there he was... sitting in the back with Remus’s leather jacket. Ahem. Logan had never sat in a moving truck trunk. It was something he was honestly excited about. 

So when the truck started moving, he tensed, expecting to fly out of the back like a ragdoll despite that being completely illogical and entirely nonsensical. Now, that didn’t stop the feeling of instability, but it did create a new and exciting knot in the pit of his stomach. He was technically breaking two laws a the very least.

Their destination was at least 20 minutes out of town, and if Logan was being honest, it was one of the funnest car rides he’d ever been on. It was perfect, really. The cold, midsummers night air blowing through his hair, the view, the cool smell of the night air blending with the green of the trees. It was something to remember, really. Even if the cold was sinking into his bones, it was the type of chill that sent pleasant shivers through your spine. The kind that you get when you eat something amazing for the first time, or when you feel something cool during a hot day. 

Logan hadn’t told the others, but today had actually been very stressful. He didn’t know if they could tell, but the stress had been piling up for a while. College would be starting soon, and he was expected to get into an Ivy League school, when in reality, he was debating whether or not he wanted to go to college yet or not. His parents expected him to become a doctor or scientist. He didn’t want that at all-- or anything even remotely close to it. 

He wanted to teach, he was finding. He’d actually been tutoring Remus for a while now, as well as his brother, and their friend, Patton. It was something he enjoyed doing very much-- a puzzle he loved solving with them. He also taught Virgil how to study more efficiently-- something that had given them both a big confidence boost in their academics. 

He also loved astronomy and astrology.  Seeing the stars in person was something Logan had secretly wanted to do his entire life. To actually see a nebula in person, or to be among the nebulae? Logan felt his lungs grow tight with exasperating excitement just thinking about it. 

At the thought of nebulae, Logan looked to the sky. He didn’t actually know where Janus and Remus were taking him. He knew they were to be stargazing, but they said there would be something special about it tonight. He’d checked dates for anything big happening in the sky tonight, and he found nothing. So what could it be, he wondered. 

His wondering came to a halt when the car did. They were stopped in a very... peculiar spot. Also known as the ditch. The ditch of an old, abandoned highway. 

Remus got out first, ginormous backpack on with a flashlight in hand. He offered a free hand to Logan, who took it. “Acushla, you should probably put a lot of bug spray on.” Remus grinned that softer grin, and Logan agreed. 

The bug spray was completely unopened, and Logan had no doubt in his mind that Remus had stolen it from Walmart. Things were cheap there, but Walmart was cheap, so he couldn’t care less, really. Applying it didn’t smell nice, either, but it didn’t bother him in the slightest. If it meant he wouldn’t have to deal with bug bites on top of his eczema, then he would be happy to apply a generous amount. 

“C’mon, LoLo Lugbug! Let us adventure-- INtO thE UnKnOwNNN~” Remus pulled Logan along, screeching the chorus of Frozen 2′s most popular song. Of course it was the most popular. Idina Menzel wasn’t anything aside from perfection in her singing the entire time. Of course, Logan would ever admit that he liked the song, but that was just because he knew it was just fuel to Remus and Roman’s relentless teasing. 

Janus was... uncharacteristically quiet during this time, Logan had begun to notice. Normally, he wasn’t a very talkative person, but he’d seemed especially quiet tonight. Perhaps he was tired? The more Logan wondered, the less he paid attention to where he wandered. This lead to multiple complications. 

For one, he stepped in a very large, and rather obvious mud puddle that, no doubt, would endlessly stain his pants. It was almost worthy of many, many tears-- the thought of having to both throw away his favorite jeans and come up with an excuse as to why he did not have them anymore. However, hearing Janus and Remus’s laughter reminded him where he was, and why he was here. 

Ultimately, it made staining his pants more bearable. Besides, he might be able to save them. Or, at least, Janus might. Logan’s “extensive” knowledge in the laundry department was actually basic at best. Tide. Button. Clothes. Wash. Repeat. That was about it, really. He only knew how to iron the collars of his polos, and his occasional tie. Outside of those basic things, there was nothing he could do, really. 

It seemed as though Janus had been reading Logan’s mind though, because as the former chuckled, he reached out and offered Logan a hand. Once Logan took it, he saw Janus wink. 

“We can swap pants before you go home, and I can have them clean in a couple days, love. How does that sound, hm?” He chuckled once more at the completely smitten look that overcame Logan’s face, albeit without the man’s knowledge.  

“Thank you. Although, you do not have--”

Janus hushed him placing a finger softly over the nerd’s lips. Logan noting the warmth contrasting the cold, and the way Janus’s ungloved finger brushed his nose ever so gently. “It’s no trouble, Logan. Laundry is nothing for me to cry or whine about, especially when I get to do some for such a wonderfully handsome fellow.”

Logan just nodded, unable to come up with a better response-- something he’d been trying to be okay with more and more often. Before he’d met Janus, behavior like this would have practically been forbidden, and he would have surely responded with something among the lines of ‘yes sir’  had this conversation taken place a few months ago. However, he’d been trying to outgrow those unneeded responses, and it seems he’d been doing well, based off how many times Remus and Janus had’t scolded him for saying such things. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time they had. 

The second incident was not nearly as saddening for Logan. Instead, it was more or less concerning for Janus and Remus. 

See, neither Janus, nor Remus, had been having particularly ‘good’ weeks. Of course, incident wise, they were doing splendidly. However, looking back, they would much rather have had more frequent, less consequential incidents, than the few more consequential incidents.

Remus hadn’t liked spending a night in jail, only for Roman and Janus to pool together enough money to get him out. Sure, he’d been in jail before for a number of different things. Never for getting into a fight, though. He’d never stuck around long enough to meet the cops before. Thankfully, to everyone else it was deemed an ‘isolated incident’. Even if it was far from true, Remus was surprisingly happy to hear that there wouldn’t be charges pressed, and that there wouldn’t be a court case. God knows he couldn’t afford one of those. And of course his bullshit parents wouldn’t pay for it either. He wasn’t Roman. He didn’t get that kind of treatment from them. 

Janus hadn’t liked his father smashing three bottles over his head intermittently. He didn’t care for the screaming, the please from his dad, the ultimately useless sobs. He didn’t like the CPS letter that was proudly displayed on the fridge that had come from the state, telling his entire family that his father was there to stay, and permanently. He didn’t like that there was no in between and no constant in this stupid household, nor did he like spending half of his college fund on Remus’s bail-- even if he would have spent all of it to get him out of there any day Remus asked. 

Neither of them liked the sit down their teachers had had with them, telling them that they would be separated in class until their grades got higher. They especially hated the way only one teacher listened when they said that separating them would only hinder them. 

Needless to say, everyone needed this night. Everyone was tired, and no one wanted to say it. 

That being said, Remus and Janus had no idea of Logan’s stress, and Logan only knew a fraction of their lives outside of school. Let alone anything that had happened that week. It was... a mess at the very least. 

So when Logan spaced out and walked right into a huge puddle... needles to say Janus and Remus were confused. Also concerned. Very concerned. 

“So Logan..” Remus has said, “any thoughts on where we’re going? I know it’s a surprise but~~” He turned, smiling, until he wasn’t anymore. Logan looked... lost, really. Whether he was lost in thought or in general, Remus really couldn’t tell. 

“Uhm, Logan?” Remus stopped walking. “You good over there? You look kinda pale~ And that’s coming from someone who knows Virgil Strengthson.” No response. Logan didn’t even look at Remus as he passed him. It didn’t look like he was really looking at anything, actually. It was as if he could see just fine, but none of it was reaching hs brain, so he was just left looking, wildly. Blindly. 

“Logan?” Janus piped up, stopping as well. “Logan, are you mad at us or something?”

No reply. Their concern grew. Repeat. 

That was, until Remus just yelled. “LOGIE YOU ASHOLEEE~~~ ANSWER US~~” Then, of course, Logan was snapped from whatever trance he’d found himself in, apparently not having heard literally anything they’d said previously. 

“Apologies, what were we talking about?”

Well, they really had no way to answer that, huh?

“Dude, we’ve literally been trying to get your attention for forever. You good?”

Logan seemed to pale at that. Of course, he was doing objectively fine. However, on the terms of his stress he may not be able to truthfully say the same. He also happened to be very bad at lying to these individuals when it came down to it. Still, if he told the objective truth, he should do just fine. 

“Yes, apologies. I was just, ahm, figuratively lost in my thoughts.” Logan offered the most reassuring smile he could, knowing they would see right through it. 

They did, of course, see right through it. However they both figured it was something they could bring back later and talk about at a better time. Trying to talk about it before they got to their destination seemed like a poor choice anyway. 

And so they moved on. It was quiet, but it was comfortable. Remus was quick to fill that silence, though, by talking about his newfound fascination with thick lemon toast. 

At least, until they got to the clearing. 

Logan had just begun to worry about how long they’d been in the woods. They did have to find their way back to Remus’s truck, after all. 

Plus, they’d had no real concept of the time it’d taken so far to hike through the woods, but all the concern surrounding the situation had immediately fallen out of Logan’s interest. 

Never before had Logan see so much and so little in front of him before. Sure, he’d seen pictures of fields, but he had never been to one. Never before had he stood before one of this size, either. It had to be, what, two football fields?

“Is this where you’re taking me?” Logan asked, trying to mask his delightedly breathless tone. 

“It is, actually!” Remus grinned wickedly, grabbing Janus and Logan my their hands as he pulled them, racing towards the middle of the field as fast as he could. 

Logan did his best to hold onto his glasses, while Janus did his best to hang on to his hat. Neither were good at running, but Logan was especially bad at it. He could keep up, but his lungs wouldn’t like it. They already didn’t have enough air as it was, being amazed and all. Not to mention the fact that he’d already done his running for the night.

Time passed by quickly, though, and soon he and Janus were hunched over, breathless, as Remus started laying a large quilt out for the three of them. 

As soon as it was out, Janus collapsed on to it, weakly pulling out his emergency inhaler. Logan didn’t know Janus used an inhaler. Did Remus? Surely he wouldn’t have forced Janus to sprint that far if he had. Logan knew Remus, and while he was... eccentric, at times, he knew Remus to be no monster. 

Still, Logan wondered. Remus and Janus were close enough. Perhaps it just slipped his mind? Logan let the thought slip his own mind as he too, layed down comfortably on the quilt. 

“Coffee?” Remus asked, holding a rather large thermos. Logan groaned, nodding vigorously. 

“And I’ve got Coffee for Janie.” he giggled as Janus gave him a small little thumbs up. “Sorry for the running, by the way. I forgot that y’all can’t really do much of that.”

Logan frowned from where he was on the ground, in pain. “I can run just fine, thank you very much. It just happens to hate me almost as much as I despise it.”

This earned a giggle from his datemates. 

It was then when Remus decided to also lay down, wrapping his arms around Janus and Logan, and forcing them close so they could all snuggle. 

Moments like these were the ones Logan believed he enjoyed the most. They were the little things, of course, but they were the things that really brought them together, he thought. The feeling of warmth, the almost rushed breathing, and the familiarity of it all every time after. It was laying there, in each others company, not in a rush to say or do anything. And it was beautiful, in Logan’s mind. 

He was sure the others would agree. He went to ask them, actually, but that was when he opened his eyes, adn saw they sky. 

“What--” Logan choked a hand flying up to his mouth as he struggled to find his breath, and his words. 

His eyes had adjusted to the dark, and never before, had he seen so much night sky before. Not in person, anyways. Sure, you could look in awe at pictures off the internet, but it was never as real as going and seeing it yourself. It was nothing like this. 

Faintly, every so faintly, Logan could see the different nebulae, sprinkled across the vast sky before him. He could see the universe, and how so much of it existed-- right here, in front of him!

Growing up in a city, for Logan, meant he couldn’t see things like this. He had never, in fact, seen this many stars before in his life. Always had he been told about them--been told he could be among them someday, but he’d never thought it’d really happen. Light pollution was everywhere and...

“The milky way is beautiful.” Logan whispered. 

Remus hugged Logan tighter, as if trying to pull him closer if he could.

 “We thought you might like it.” Janus spoke up, taking Logan’s hand in his own. It wasn’t too often Logan saw Janus without his gloves. The heat from Janus’s hands brought with it a comfort Logan hadn’t even known he needed. 

“Stumbled upon this place a few weeks ago while trying to find a place to have a quick fuck.” Remus chuckled when Logan squirmed ever so slightly, smiling that softer, mushier smile that he saved just for these two. “And we totally made a promise to bring you here ASAP.” He remarked, softer this time. 

“So what do you think, hm? Did we do a good job?” Janus spoke up, laying his head on Remus’s chest so he could see Logan too. 

In all honesty, Logan could only say yes. Only, he couldn’t. His throat felt sore, and he could tell he was going to cry, It’s just-- he felt. It wasn’t something he’d feel often, but he knew it, that familiar swell in his chest. It sent small tingles down his spine, and forced open the floodgates that kept his emotions at bay. 

Or, in short, Logan was malfunctioning. Short circuiting, if you will. 

“I-- I don’t know what to say.” He smiled, widley, the way he always did with these two, “thank you.” Was what he decided on. he hugged Remus and Janus close in his moment of emotional vulnerability. He wasn’t Patton. He refused to believe that such trivial things would cause him to cry. 

Then again, being as love-starved as Logan had been... you couldn’t say it was surprising. 

Eventually, things died back down, and became a lot more casual. It was less like a professional ‘date’, and more like any other time they’d decided to spend time together. Logan went on about astronomy and astrology, infodumping and and all knowledge he had on the topic of space, and the others listened. Remus would add some things here and there, but he was quiet over all. They wanted to take everything Logan said, and absorb it. They wanted to have real conversations with him about his interests-- Remus especially. Logan always contributed to his aquatic infodumps, so it was the least Remus could do. 

Besides, there was always this.. life to Logan when he talked about space, and the stars especially. The way his eyes would light up-- as if he’d been told he could live among the stars themselves. His hands would gesture wildly, adding to the conversation where it would. Whether it be by pointing out constellations, or just waving around in general, his hands were always just as excited as he was, instead of lying lifelessly at his sides the way they normally would. 

There was a smile, too. A special smile that always came with Logan’s fascinations. Some would say that’s why his eyes would light up so. Janus saw it differently, though. He’d known Logan before Logan even knew himself, and he knew how differently his eyes and mouth told stories. 

To put it simply, when Logan talked about the stars in their own universe, the corners of Logan’s lips were never downturned. It was a smile he couldn’t hide if he tried-- one that wouldn’t disappear even if he made an error, or forgot where he was going because he was so excited. It was a different side of Logan, truly. Remus and Janus felt privileged to see it. 

But eventually, Logan was sure Janus and Remus were no longer interested in his ramblings. He’d eeb over the majority of his knowledge, and in all honesty, we just wanted to see. So he laid down, and stargazed. 

However, it grew too quiet for his excitement, and for a moment he wondered if this was how Remus felt all the time. Nevertheless, Logan tried to think of something to say. 

“What’s your most precious memory?” He finally asked, much more hushed than he’d intended. How could he be louder, though, when there’s so much to be humbled by before him?

There was a pause, and Logan wondered if either of his datemates had heard him. When he opened his mouth to repeat the question, though, Remus answered. 

“…..Honestly? That time when we sat in that shitty little car park late at night, eating those disgusting chips from the petrol station with the broken sign.” There was that smile again, worn by Remus, who was secretly just as much of a romantic as his brother. Even though he would swear to hell and back that he was definitely not, they all knew he definitely was and that he could never honestly deny such a thing. 

““…..Seriously?” Janus huffed out a small laugh. 

“Why?” Logan followed up. 

There was a pause, and Remus’s smile faded, just ever so slightly. “Because that was the first time I ever saw you smile for real.” He lightly shrugged, “It was something I didn’t know I’d ever get to see, Nerdy Wolverine. You like to keep things all boxed up over there, even with the people who genuinely give a shit about you.” 

Logan squeezed Remus a little tighter. “That’s... fair.” He finally said. “And very sweet of you.” He teased, just a little. Just a tidge. A lil smidgen. A tiny pinch.

There was another break of silence, before Janus spoke up. “I think tonight may be my most precious memory. For a long time, at the very least.” He smiled, sighing contently, “It really is a beautiful night tonight.”

Logan had just recently started dating Remus and Janus. Since establishing their relationship, they had talked through boundaries and interests. What he was thinking about now, though, was how he had yet to even as much as kiss either of them. 

Needless to say, he wanted to change that. 

“If I may,” Logan sat up, and was relieved when Remus and Janus sat up as well, hanging on his every word, as per usual. “I would like to kiss you.” He bit his lip, extremely nervous, “Both of you.” He quickly clarified, realizing he’d just been staring awkwardly at Remus. 

Janus smiled at that, gesturing for Logan to come closer. 

“So are we not going to talk about the fact that he could totally mean he wasn't to try kissing us both at the same time or--” Remus broke off into a fit of giggles when his mouth was covered by Janus’s hand. 

Logan blushed furiously, holding onto all hope that Janus couldn’t tell. Of course, Janus could absolutely tell, but he didn’t mind. Blushy Logan was adorable, and very kissable. 

“I-- Uhm, I have to admit,” Logan started, his breathing picking up as he and Janus got closer, “I haven’t done this before.”

“No shit, LoLo.” Remus giggled. 

“That’s okay, Logan. I’ve got you, okay?” Janus offered a warm smile that gave Logan all the confidence he needed to close that extra distance. 

The first thing Logan noticed was the warmth, then the closeness, the breath, and the taste. It was different, that was for sure. He wondered if kissing Remus would be any different, and how. 

He tried to copied what Janus was doing, and caught on to the pattern quickly enough, and that was that, They were kissing. Nevermind the growing warmth both in Logan’s chest and stomach, he actually kissed someone. He’d never thought he’d want to do that, if he was being honest. Yet here he was, kind of enjoying himself. 

Then alas, breathing became a problem. Logan and Janus pulled apart, and Logan’s blushing problem had definitely not gotten better. Thankfully, Janus was almost matching, in a way. You could never really see Janus’s blush, but ever time Logan had, he’d appreciate the opportunity. That was no acception now. 

“I’m ngl that was extremely hot.” Remus looked between Janus and Logan, giggling when Janus flicked him off. “Now iTs mYyYy TuRnNN tHouGh!” He exclaimed happily, throwing his arms up excitedly, “Unless you’re putting the stop to this kissing business right now. Puttin the big ole’ foot down. Just tell me so.” Remus waited for Logan to respond as patiently as Remus could wait for one of the loves of his life, which could be a surprising amount of time. 

“No no, I still give you my willing-- uhm, enthusiastic consent.” Logan cleared his throat, “ I am just-- not very good at started these sort of endev--”

That was all Remus needed in order to pull Logan close, “One last check?” he pecked Logan on the nose, and the latter nodded. 

That was when Remus’s lips met his. Just like Remus, the kiss was distinctly different. Definitely not the same style Janus had. Not to mention how downright filthy the kiss became once Logan had picked up his style. It was new, all of it, but it was something Logan enjoyed-- something he could finally share with them. 

Again, though, the need for air would arise. When Remus and Logan pulled away, Logan smiled, chuckling as he readjusted his glasses. The feeling in his chest had grown, and he now realized what the feeling had been all along.

Love.

“That was...” Logan just chuckled again, “Adequate. A lot nicer than I expected, if I’m being honest.” 

Remus mocked offense. “Gasp. Did you think I was going to be a bad kisser?” He dramatically threw his hand to his forehead, “Oh, how horrible you must feel being so freaking wrong, I could never.”

Janus couldn’t help but laugh as Remus obviously mocked his brother. He was so accurate... it was almost sad. Funny, but sad. 

“I actually am referring to how I was beginning to think I was asexual.” Logan stated, choosing to look at the ground instead of Remus or Janus. “However, it is not something I believe I have my answer for now.” He smiled to himself as he fiddled lightly with a loose string from the quilt. 

“Logan is this you telling us that you’re horny right now?” Remus cackled, delighted when Janus and Logan both joined in on the laughter. 

“That is one way you could put it, yes.” He forced out, “But I don’t want to take things any farther tonight, I don’t think.” he winked at Remus, who just about died on the spot. 

And the night went on. They talked, probably kissed, maybe did more, did nothing, and talked about everything until the coffee and tea were gone, and Remus’s 4:30 am alarm went off. 

“Happy Monday!” He announced, earning a laugh from a deliriously sleep deprived Logan. 

Then, they went back to the truck. They laughed, joked, and talked about all the stupid shit teenagers talk about. And for a moment, for that night of their lives, the stress melted away. They forgot about all the strifes of life, and they just let themselves be. 

They were happy, if only for a night. A night, that would stay with them for a long, long time. 

End.