Virgil frowned. “Logan, it’s not a suggestion. I know for a fact Thomas would be very upset if he found out you were overworking yourself-“ he pointed out, sitting the other on the bed. “Everyone needs to take a break, especially if they have as many responsibilities as you do.”
"Virgil, I am unsure how many times I will have to tell you, but I am fine, and I have almost finished my work as is…" Logan sighed. "Also, it is not overworking myself if I am perfectly capable of completing everything within the given time frame. As Thomas's logic, I am expected to be logical, calm, and collected, which I am. While the rest of you have emotions stopping you, I do not, making my work efficient. Please just let me finish."
Virgil sighed, still extremely worried. “Logan. Lack of sleep and proper care can lead to inefficiency in your work. Do you want that?” he asked quietly. “If you’re so insistent on finishing your work, then let us help.”
"My work has been completed with perfect efficiency up until this point. If you do not want to believe me, just look at the papers on my desk. You will find that they have been filled out properly," Logan told him. "Also, I appreciate your offer, but you guys wouldn't exactly know what you're doing when it comes to my work. If you find an error in my work, present it to me, but as far as I am aware, everything is as it's supposed to be."
Virgil stood up and walked over to the desk. “Well, I see one error…” he trailed off. “That error is…you’re not taking care of yourself. Logan…I care about you too much to let you do this…” he sighed.
"Virgil, for the last time, that is not an error in my work. Maybe in my method of completing said work, but not in the work itself…" he argued. "I'm aware you're concerned, but I will be just fine. Maybe I can make some changes once this is done. I appreciate your concern, but I assure you, I am fine. If you want to argue, go ahead. Until I run out of evidence to prove that I am just fine, I will argue my point."
Virgil crossed his arms, frowning. “Logan, please…”
"Please specify your request," Logan sighed. "I can't counter your argument like that. I need to finish my work as well, Virgil."
“Please take a small break,” Virgil said softly. “Thomas needs you to be in peak condition…and you obviously aren’t like that right now. Plus…we all care about you too much to let you do this to yourself.”
"I've told you this multiple times now, I will care for myself when my work is finished…" Logan argued. "I am aware going two days without sleep and running off of absolutely nothing is not healthy and should not be done, but I am different. I have adapted to this due to my work. Therefore, your worrying is unnecessary. If you don't believe me, I could always prove it."
Virgil crossed his arms, frowning. “Then prove it.”
Logan nodded as he stood up, walking back over to his desk. He quickly began working on his papers once more, though he would occasionally zone out as he had to force his eyes to remain open, forcing his mind to fight any desire to sleep. He was also growing frustrated, which showed as he would make tiny errors constantly due to being unable to focus properly. Despite all of that, he turned to Virgil as if nothing was wrong.
"See? I told you, I am just fine," he told the other, turning back to his work. "I need to finish my work now."
Virgil wasn’t convinced, frowning. “Mm…” he mumbled. I need to convince him to take a break…he can’t keep going like this…
Logan sighed softly as he continued working, occasionally glancing at Virgil and noticing the other's expressions.
Did I upset him…? he wondered, sighing internally. Why do I care right now? I have work to finish. And why do I feel tears forming? Why do I simultaneously feel the desire to cry, to punch something, and just stop doing my work because of stress?
Internally, he was falling apart, and externally, it was beginning to show as tears formed in his eyes.
Virgil walked over to Logan, crouching next to him. “Hey…look at me…” he whispered, offering his hand. “It’s okay if you need a break…none of us will think of you any differently…” he murmured. He understood how it felt to be overwhelmed by stress…and how helpful it was to take a break, even if it was a small one.
Logan forcefully blinked back the tears before turning to look at Virgil. In the few seconds he hesitated, he managed to regain his neutral expression as if nothing was wrong. However, despite his best attempts at forcing everything back, the tears quickly formed once more, flowing out of his eyes no matter how hard he tried to blink them away.
"Virgil…" he sighed. "What is happening…? I'm not supposed to feel emotions… Why am I crying…?"
Virgil cupped Logan’s face, gently wiping the tears away with his thumbs. “You’re crying because you’re overwhelmed with stress. It happens to everyone sometimes…” he murmured. “That’s why you need a break…”
"Virgil…I'm…I'm not supposed to feel emotions… This shouldn't be happening…" Logan told him. "Emotions are nothing more than an illogical waste of time, and yet…I find myself crying over what should be nothing… I apologize that you have to see this… Just…how do I make this stop…?"
Virgil sighed softly. “Unfortunately, it’s not easy to make this stop. Emotions are completely natural, and stress influences how you react to situations a lot…” he trailed off, still wiping Logan’s tears. “The best thing for you to do is…to rest and take care of yourself. It may seem like a minor thing, but…it helps a lot.”
"There's still things to do, Virgil…!" he cried. "There's still work to finish, and I know I need to take care of myself, but the work is important. Sure, I'm falling apart, but I can force this to stop. It'll be nothing to worry about in the end…" he sighed, realizing it was more than that. "Maybe not… If I could've forced it, I wouldn't be crying right now… I hate to be so helpless, but please help me… I'm done arguing…"
Virgil nodded, leading Logan over to the bed. “First of all, why don’t you get some sleep? I’ll ask Patton to make some food for us while you rest,” he said softly, stroking the other’s hair.
Logan nods in response to the other's suggestion before lying down on the bed. He was finally done arguing, knowing there was no point in doing so. It bothered him that he was expressing emotions, but at the same time, he felt relieved expressing them, wondering if maybe expressing them was a good thing.
"I'll try to sleep," he told the other, "and food wouldn't be too bad, honestly. Also, thank you."
Virgil stood up, smiling reassuringly. “Of course. You guys help me all the time,” he said softly. “It’s time I return the favor,” he murmured, leaving the room.
After a bit, he came back carrying two plates of food. “Lucky for us, Patton was cooking already-“ he chuckled, sitting down on the bed.
Logan sat up and took one of the plates of food. He began eating, rather glad to actually take care of himself for once. It had been a while since he had done anything for himself.
"Yeah, and I have to be honest, it's nice to actually care for myself," he admitted. "Again, I appreciate this. However, while I know a lot of things, I am rather unsure how long it'll be before I can get back to working again. That is partially due to this building up over time and my constant desire to get back to work despite my needs."
Virgil leaned his head on Logan’s shoulder. “Don’t worry too much about that. The others will understand,” he smiled reassuringly. “We all just want you to be okay…”