Summary: Princey and Anxiety finally meet in person to their knowledge and everything's going well… until it's not.
Warnings: Brief mention if Disownment.
Roman smiled down at Virgil, still holding him. "I thought you said you weren't much of a crier." He teased.
Virgil pulled away to scoff lightly at his friend. "Says the one with wet cheeks."
"Hey, yours are equally as wet, Crying Purple People Heater." Roman returned.
"People Heater, huh?" Virgil brushed the few tears away from his face.
Roman grimaced. "Yeah… not one of my greater nicknames, but you're cuddlier than I thought you'd be."
"So… we actually going to do any dancing or what, Princey?"
"Right, yeah." Roman nodded.
They both placed their right hands against the others back, chuckling awkwardly as they both pulled away.
"Do you-" They both started before Roman cleared his throat.
"Do you want to lead or do you want me to lead?"
"Maybe you should lead, you're… taller than me." Virgil decided, resting his one hand on Roman's shoulder and taking his hand.
"You know short people can lead too." Roman returned with a smirk.
Virgil rolled his eyes. "I'm not that short."
Roman slowly led Virgil around the clear space of the gym, his eyes staying on Virgil as he did. "You clean up well."
"You have nothing else to compare this to."
"Except the mad emo vibes you're giving off with the dark purples and blacks, Purple Day."
"And you aren't dripping with your own princely vibes with your gold mask, Princey?" Virgil shot back amusedly.
"I'm taking that as a compliment, that is what I was going for." Roman grinned, twirling Virgil.
Virgil had to catch himself against Roman as he was pulled back towards him, he chuckled awkwardly, his eyes flickering up to Roman's for a second, a light blush gracing his pale cheeks. "I didn't think you'd actually come." He admitted.
Roman's expression became one of deep sincerity, tipping Virgil's head up with his hand like straight out of a scene from a movie. "For you I would be anywhere in a heartbeat."
Virgil softly pushed Roman's hand away, hiding his face again. "Shoulda expected you'd be this corny."
Virgil glanced around the gym for a moment to give his face a little bit of time to recover, turning back to Roman. "Do you wanna get out of here?"
"I thought you would never ask." Roman chuckled, eagerly pulling Virgil towards the doors out into the hallway, eyes flickering back to him with a smirk. "Have anywhere you would like to go? I could give you a tour of the school. I do happen to know my way around the place quite well."
Virgil paused, stopping Roman with him. "You do?"
"Well I would hope so I have been coming here for a couple years now. I know which classes go on in which rooms and who teaches what and what plays and musicals they've done each year since I've been here in order." Roman listed off confidently. "I could also-"
"-tell you-" Roman stopped talking mid sentence, going over what Virgil had just said, trying to process it and raising his eyes to meet Virgil's after looking him over more carefully. "We've been texting each other when we've actually been going to the same school?" He chuckled in disbelief, running a hand through his hair and looking up at the ceiling. How had they not become friends offline already? Even if it was a big school they would have had to bump into each other before now, right?
Roman glanced back down to Virgil, starting in surprise to see the mask removed from his face, held in one hand, his head lowered.
Virgil peered up at Roman while rubbing his arm. "I'm-"
"Virgil? You're- you're…?" Roman had to get closer just to be certain, taking Virgil's head into his hands and tilting it up further.
"Anxiety." Virgil nodded, clearing his throat and awkwardly pulling his face away with a light blush. "So… you recognize me?"
Roman dropped his hands. Virgil was Anxiety? Anxiety was Virgil? The guy he had been texting, his best friend, his crush… He was the same guy who had avoided him for over a year? Who had been hesitant to become his friend. Who-
Roman took a shaky step back away from Virgil. -who knew his parents disowned him. Who was letting him stay at his place out of pity… Who had already seen him at his worst.
"Princey? Princey, you okay?" Virgil took hold of Roman's upper arms to keep him steady. "Can you look at me and take in a deep breath for me?"
Roman quickly shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. The one guy he couldn't quite win over was the one he'd been waiting to meet and charm for almost five years now? He opened his eyes, eyebrows pinching together in distress as he began to distance himself from Virgil, moving towards the exit, growing faster and faster in his movements.
Virgil followed quickly after him, trying to grab his arm to stop him. "Ci, wait!" He pushed himself to pick up speed only to trip over his own feet, catching himself on his hands and knees. Shaking his head and hitting the floor with a clenched fist. What did he do wrong? How had he messed this up? Why wasn't he smart enough to figure this out? He pushed himself back up to his feet, swiping an arm across his eyes. What if Princey got hurt out there in his current state? He could get run over or he could get into a car accident or any number of things all because of him. All because of something he had to have done wrong. He hurried to the theatre, throwing one of the doors open. This was all his fault.
Roman peeked his head out from behind the curtain of the shower, turning and lowering his head so Logan could get a better look at it. "Is it all out now?"
"There are still a few patches of dye on the left side of your head behind your ear." Logan sighed, watching Roman's face as it disappeared again and turning his back to the shower. "Though I do not understand how it is that Virgil did not recognize you, you are the one who is stupid for not expecting Virgil to react as he did."
"I am not stupid." Roman argued tiredly, stepping out after Logan could not find any traces of the temporary dye left and covering himself up with one towel as he dried his hair with another. "I merely was not thinking about how he would because I was-"
"Because you were running away because you assumed he'd reject you as soon as he knew it was you behind your mask." Logan interrupted, pinching his nose. "You did not even stop to consider how badly Virgil might take it with you rushing out of the school after having just removed his mask."
Roman pulled on his white t-shirt, hanging up the towels to dry. "Yeah, that might look bad but-"
Logan turned around to face Roman with a glare, arms folded. "It did look bad, Roman, there are a limited amount of scenarios that Virgil could come up with of why you left him as promptly as you did with no explanation. None of those scenarios are good."
Roman pushed past him, grabbing the hamper of clothes with him out of the room to wash so Virgil wouldn't stumble upon his tux. He rolled his eyes, stepping out of the bathroom. "I'm sure he'll be fine, he has Patton with him to help calm him down." He gestured down the stairs when he heard the garage door being opened and closed. "See, fi-" He shut up when he got a glance down the stairs.
Patton was holding Virgil's mask and vest in his hands, not that Roman could see him without the glasses and in front of the floating fabric was Virgil.
Virgil's top few buttons of his shirt were undone, his sleeves bunched up over his arms unevenly, but what caught Roman's attention the most was his face. His eye shadow was smeared down his cheeks, his eyes… His eyes were red and puffy, clearly from crying if the few dried streaks down to his chin were anything to go by. He held one hand over his face as he passed Logan and Roman without a word, not even sparing a glance at them as he climbed up the stairs to the attic, shutting the trap door behind him.
Patton paused in front of Logan and Roman, glancing between the attic and two of them. "Hey, Logan... I thought you said you needed to get home."
Logan adjusted his glasses, taking the vest from Patton and folding it up, setting the mask on top. "I was going to but then I realized that it was rude of me to leave you to help Virgil on your own so I requested Roman to bring me here to wait for the two of you to return. I am sorry that I left you so abruptly."
Patton smiled. "Awe, you didn't have to come, Lo, but thanks, I'm glad you did."
Logan gave a curt nod, moving up the stairs and pushing the trap door open, leaving Patton and Roman behind.
Roman kept his eyes on the attic, rubbing his arms with a guilty look on his face.
"Kiddo? Are you okay?" Patton rested a hand on his arm.
Roman lowered his arms, picking the laundry hamper back up and entering his room. "Yeah, I'm good Padre, you should go and check back up on Virgil."
Patton hesitated, not quite believing Roman, but still worried about Virgil. "Okay… If you need me you know where to find me."
"Goodnight, Roman." Patton returned, watching as Roman shut the door and moved over to his bed, burying his face in his pillow with a sigh.
Patton reached a hand out, grimacing when he heard Logan call for him. He dropped his hand, he'd have to comfort Roman later, right now Virgil needed him more even if it did hurt to leave one of his kiddos like this. He turned to leave, glancing back at Roman. "No you're not."
"Patton?" Roman looked up, remembering he still wasn't wearing his glasses he just laid back down when no one replied, curling up and grabbing his phone sending a message to Virgil.
@absolutesandersidestrash
