Just One Look

Note: I know I write too much Prinxiety and I'm sorry, but I'm boring and love the two first ships most, even if Logince is pretty darn cute. At least I'm writing some Logicality in this too, and it won't be overwhelmed by the Prinxiety, I swear! Also, this oneshot is going to be really long because of domestic fluff and stuff, whoops. Hope you enjoy!

Pairing(s): Prinxiety, Logicality, and a surprising amount of platonic Moxiety, but there will be platonic Logince too

Warnings: Strong language (like seriously, Virgil has such a potty mouth in this), violence in a video game, suggestive/inappropriate conversation that the Sides would probably NEVER use, mention of anxiety, mention of violence, self-negativity, mention of homophobia, and mention of alcohol
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"Virgil, could you stop shooting me?!"

With a smirk, the younger man in question simply replies with a mumbled, "Bang," as he continues to press the button on his controller that shoots his gun.

Beside him, his roommate (and crush), Roman, is shrieking, infuriated, as his character is killed for the seventh time. He collapses back onto the couch and sighs heavily, closing his eyes so he doesn't have to watch Virgil raise his eyebrows and grin smugly. "Wow, Romano. You are really bad at this game."

"Oh, suck it, Jack Smellington."

"Suck what? The sweet, satisfying popsical of victory?"

Roman slowly opens his eyes and notices that their characters have appeared back on screen, idle and holding their guns as they wait for the two men to begin playing again. He looks Virgil right in the eye and sits up, trying desperately to keep his attention focused on him. "No... The dick of defeat!"

Then, he grabs his controller and clicks the button to shoot at Virgil's character, watching triumphantly as blood splats on his half of the screen and the character collapses, dying on the spot. He jumps out of his seat and points at Virgil, who is positively stunned at what just happened, punching the air with his other hand. "Suck! It!"

"Playing dirty," Virgil tuts, unable to suppress a humoured smile, "Patton would be so disappointed in you."

In a moment of surprising amounts of adrenaline and overwhelming feelings of power, Roman places both hands on his hips and grins widely. "Fuck Patton!

A deep, articulate voice suddenly echoes from the doorway leading to the living room from the garden, amusement and slight disgust painting the edges of its tone. "I'd certainly hope not."

Roman turns around to face his second roommate, Logan, and rolls his eyes feigning exasperation as he slumps his shoulders. "Yes, we know you have dibs." He teases, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively and smirking smugly over at him as he rubs the back of his head and rolls his eyes, refusing to meet his gaze.

Virgil frowns and tuts. "Come on, don't talk about Patton like that."

"I was kidding, don't worry." Roman reassures him, beginning his daily five minute long rant about how wonderful their other roommate, Patton Montgomery, is and how his wholesome being should be protected at all costs.

Seeming appeased, albeit a little irritated, with Roman's frustratingly long, but pure rant about his best friend, Virgil nods at Logan in greeting and notices the particularly pink tie he's wearing that day. The only reason he notices such a small detail is because he knows that Logan's employer has an obscure obsession with the colour pink, especially rose gold or any darker shades. Virgil arches an eyebrow and gestures towards the item of clothing with his eyes. "What's with the tie, Lo?"

A sigh filled with a mix of exhaustion and anxiety reaches their ears, and Logan sits down on the edge of the sofa, dropping his face into his hands and successfully causing Virgil's heart to crumple up and die in his chest. "Woah, woah, woah. What's going on?"

Roman nods in agreement and places a gentle hand on his best friend's back, moving it in slow circles. "Yeah, you don't look so good, Specs."

After a moment or two of quiet, deep intakes of breath, Logan sits up and stares down at the floor in nervous disbelief. "I'm trying to earn more of my employer's respect. I think I may be getting fired today. And before you ask, I'm not sure why. Last month, I got the highest amount of work done within a forty-eight hour period, which, for some reason, is a reward-earning accomplishment at 'Rogers Pharmaceuticals."

The two other men share a worried glance before shifting to comfort their friend as he lets out a heavy, shuddering breath he doesn't even realise he's been holding for the past eleven seconds. Suddenly, a thought pops into his head. A terrible, stomach shrivelling, heart twisting thought. "Patton will be so... Fuck- What am I going to do?! I refuse to let the three of you work and pay every bill without me, that isn't fair, and I'd like to contribute as well. Dammit!"

Apparently the realisation that he wouldn't be receiving anymore money to help with the bills, groceries, and other costs didn't hit him properly until this exact second because, panicked, he stands up and begins to pace the front of the room. He rather aggressively runs his hands through his hair and clasps one hand around the opposite arm's wrist, holding both arms up behind his head. Virgil and Roman both stand up soon after, holding their arms out to try and somehow stop him from pacing, and stuttering out words of comfort as they desperately pray for Patton to wake up. He knows how to deal with these situations better than they did.

Logan continues to pace the front of the room until they all hear soft footsteps padding down the stairs. They spin around to look towards the direction of the sound, but Logan quickly pulls them both by the arm so they are looking at him. "Don't tell Patton about this. Keep it to yourselves."

Before either of them can protest against the idea, Patton is skipping into the living room, his usual beaming grin nearly blinding them as he greets them all with a, "Good morning!"

Virgil hates lying. So, lying to his best friend is absolute torture. But he also doesn't want to start any needless arguments with Logan, who could outsmart him in a millisecond, so he decides to only tell him the truth if asked about it and simply smiles when Patton makes his way to the kitchen, probably to fix himself up a quick breakfast, which will undoubtedly turn into a breakfast for all four of them even if Logan is set to leave in the next five minutes. Leaning against the side of their kitchen table, Roman offers his roommate a sweet smile. "Did you sleep well, Patton?"

Patton nods with a smile. "Is anyone hungry? I'm making bacon and eggs, and I could probably stick some hash browns in the oven. Logan, do you have to leave right this minute, or can you stay to eat?"

Pouring himself a glass of water, Logan shakes his head and gives his friend an apologetic smile. "I'm afraid not. Robyn will be extremely displeased if I fail to meet with her at the parking lot." He pauses to take a sip of his drink and washes the mug quickly before placing it back in the top cupboard above the stove. "But thank you for thinking of me. It is much appreciated."

After stealing a glance at the two of them, Virgil raises his hand to pretend to scratch his cheek and smirks. He knows for a fact that Patton definitely thinks about Logan more than he thinks, and Virgil usually has to hear about it. By the tiny embarrassed smile that Patton swiftly hides by spinning around to face the stove, Virgil guesses that his train of thought was heading in the same direction. "You're welcome, Lo. I hope you have fun at work, and remember to stay positive, even if Mr Rogers gets a little grouchy today!"

If only he knew how difficult it was going to be for Logan to stay optimistic. A fond smile crosses his face as he nods and picks up his briefcase, filled with finished and half-finished paperwork, then he heads towards the front door. Like always, Patton grins and turns to waves at him. "Bye! Love you, Loganberry!"

Snorting at the nickname, Roman collapses back onto the sofa and hangs his head off of the arm of the couch. He grins as his perspective is flipped upside down and rests his hands on his stomach. "I love you too, Loganberry!"

Logan rolls his eyes as his best friend parrots Patton's words, and noticed how his voice is choked with a laugh. He glances quickly over at Virgil and spots him gazing at Roman with so much thinly veiled fondness that Logan worries he may throw up. Feelings. Ew.

After their nerdy roommate leaves the house, Patton dishes up three portions of hash browns, bacon, and eggs, placing all plates on the kitchen table for them to grab. He also sets down the salt shaker, ketchup bottle, and the loaf of bread from the breadbox. Giggling at the enthusiasm on his roommate's faces, Patton sits down with them and digs into his own portion. From the first bite, Roman exaggerates a pleased moan, causing Virgil to let out a surprised laugh and choke on his bacon. "This tastes like... like, if 'Hamilton' was a food!"

"Strong words, Princey." Virgil smirked, wiping the wetness caused by his sudden coughing fit from his eyes. "Though, I have to agree. This is great, Pat. Thanks."

With a bright smile and a light pink flush to his cheeks, Patton thanks them both and expresses his glee at their pleased reactions. Roman asks Virgil how long he has until his first shift at the theatre is scheduled, and gets a mumbled 'not sure' in response. The other two roommates share a worried glance before looking back at Virgil, who is now picking at the last scraps of his breakfast.

"Virgil," Roman speaks carefully, shifting just a little bit closer to him in his chair, "is something wrong?"

Ignoring the ache in his chest at seeing his friend hunch in, clearly trying to hide his face by ducking his head, Roman frowns and slowly reaches over to take one of his hands gently. "Virgil?"

Ashamed, Virgil shrugs loosely and attempts to brush off the fluttering in his chest at the warmth enveloping his hand. He feels Roman's thumb softly stroking the back of his knuckles, and his chair is suddenly much closer to his than it was five seconds ago. For a brief moment, Virgil worries that Roman can feel how hard his heart is beating from his pulse, but quickly dismisses that thought when he realises that he hasn't given them a verbal answer yet. "I guess... I guess the whole concept of, you know, accepting this new job still kind of makes me nervous. Like, it's really... new. You both know that change freaks me out, even if this is a good change considering I'll get paid a little more."

Patton offers him a sympathetic smile before placing his hand on top of Roman's, which is still resting on top of his. "It's alright, kiddo. Everyone gets nervous before starting their first shift at a new job. Just remember that Roman will be there too. Acting, sure, but I'm sure you'll be able to eat lunch together and talk on your breaks! You'll do great. And if you can't get to Roman, feel free to call or text me. If I don't get to it right away, I'm sorry, but you can spam me with as many messages as you need until you feel more comfortable."

Virgil can't suppress the little grateful smile at his best friend's thoughtfulness. "Thanks, Patton. Just a quick warning: you might be getting spammed a lot, since Roman is working on the other side of the building to me."

"I don't mind."

Nervously, Roman gives Virgil's hand a quick squeeze before speaking. He doesn't know how he'll take this news, but he hopes that he understands the situation. "Virge? Don't kill me, but I kind of explained the whole... 'anxiety' situation to Mrs Alderidge. She's totally cool with it, and agreed to cut you some slack if you mess up a little."

"Dammit, Roman...!" Virgil groans, covering his face with his free hand. "I don't want to be given special treatment just because I have anxiety. But... I guess, thanks for telling her. It is kind of important, and know I wouldn't have said anything."

The very mixed reaction confuses Roman for a few seconds before he smiles kindly back at him and gives his hand yet another squeeze. All three of them are silent for a minute before Patton ruffles the top of their heads and stands up to clean the dishes, declining both of their offers to help, a grateful smile on his face. Virgil relishes the warmth of Roman's hand before he realises what he's doing and lets go; the crimson flush on on the older man's face adds something to the 'Reasons Why You Like Roman and Why You're Completely Fucked' list, however, so Virgil decides to let go of the vague pang of disappointment in his chest.

He lifts himself out of his chair and yawns, stretching both arms in the air and feeling the cold air on his stomach as his shirt lifts up slightly, not giving up until he hears his back crack. Sighing heavily in relief, he collapses back onto the sofa and moves to grab his controller, but before he can get too comfortable, the doorbell rings and he jumps up, having an idea on who might be at the door.

When he pulls open the door, he is overjoyed to see an Amazon delivery man holding two average sized packages. "For Virgil Rhodes?"

"Yeah, that's me."

After signing whatever he needs to, he thanks the worker and closes the door as he walks away. As soon as he's inside, he lets out a cry of excitement and successfully startles Roman out of his chair and onto the floor. Instead of laughing at his roommate's pain however, Virgil practically prances to the television and kneels down, placing all three boxes in front of him. Patton leans back from where he's drying his hands to look down at his best friend. Admittedly, this is an awkward angle, so he moves around to stand beside where his friend is now sat on the carpet. "What've you got there, kiddo?"

Virgil grins widely as Roman positions himself on the other side of him and gracefully sits down, whilst Patton rather unceremoniously crashes down to the floor. For a moment, both other men are concerned with how hard Patton literally threw himself to the floor, but then see the excited twinkle in his eyes and let it be.

Picking at the duct tape with his nibbled down fingernails, Virgil answers his friend's question. "Something that will make gaming a whole lot more interesting."

Finally, he manages to unstick the tape from the biggest cardboard box and immediately, he tears it away and pulls open the two cardboard flaps so he can take out the white box inside. It takes him another two minutes before he can open that one, as the tape is thinner and more difficult to pick away. Roman and Patton both gasp when they, at last, get to look inside of the box.

"An Oculus Rift?!" Roman cries, half ecstatic, half astonished with the fact that they could somehow afford such a thing. "How the hell did you manage to afford something like this?!"

Virgil holds the gaming mask as if it is his newborn son and smiles. "I saved up money from my last job, and I added the money my parents gave me for my birthday."

Once again, Roman looks at him with such astonishment its borderline creepy to see his eyes so wide. "And that was enough?!"

"They really want to make up for that homophobic comment they made at Christmas last year."

Laughing at the amazed expressions that are now tinged with slight sympathy, he unpacks the other box, which is holding the two hand controllers. He feels his smile falter slightly when he sees the sympathetic gleam in their eyes increase in size. They must have remembered how Virgil had rung Patton in tears, begging him to get Logan to pick him up and take him home. In the end, Virgil's parents had paid dearly for their ignorance, because Virgil had left that night and they hadn't seen him since. Little did they know, he would forgive them if they simply visited and apologised in person, but they were too proud to do such a thing. "There's one game I want all of us to try later tonight when Logan gets home."

Roman sighs and arches an eyebrow, a smirk crossing his lips. "It's a horror game, right?"

"Might be."

Remembering Logan's last reaction to playing the popular 'Slender Man' game, the two younger men snicker into their hands as Patton tuts and gives them both disapproving looks, shaking his head. He knows that's it's all in good fun though, so a fond smile gradually begins to stretch across his face and he rolls his eyes. "Be nice, you two. Neither of you were unafraid of that game, so don't tease Logan too much, okay?"

After sharing a knowing look, Roman and Virgil turn to their friend, waggling their eyebrows suggestively in unison. They both knew why he was being so protective over Logan, and when Patton ducks his head and scratched the back of his neck, embarrassment clear in his expression, they laugh again and agree to give Logan a break.

Virgil animatedly begins to set up his new gaming system, grabbing the PlayStation 4 and switching it on. After a while, he sees the game start up on the television screen and barely suppresses the urge to squeal happily when he realises that he has finally managed to set up the game. He stands up and bounces on the balls of his feet as he slips the mask on and grabs the controllers. His reaction is immediate.

"Holy fucking shit. Its like Rick and Morty are actually in the room with me!"

Roman watches this scene play out, giggling at the pure unadulterated fascination etched into Virgil's face. He spins around in the game and suddenly gives his friends the brightest grin they've ever seen him wear. Something happens in the game, and Virgil let's out a sudden bark of laughter that startles them both, he reaches out and presses down the trigger on the controller, barely holding back a giddy chuckle as he does so.

It's the cutest thing Roman has ever seen.

Whilst he's trying out the new gaming console and Roman is watching him to one, make sure he doesn't bump into anything, and two, to see him so overwhelmed by his joy, Patton decides to head up to his bedroom so he can plan a day just for him and his roommate's to go out somewhere. Logan seemed rather stressed that morning, even if he was trying to hide it, Patton recognised the familiar bags under his eyes that told him the younger man had failed to catch any sleep. He deserves to feel relaxed.

It's around two hours later when Patton receives a text from Logan saying, "I will be home earlier today than usual."

Apparently Roman and Virgil receive that text too, because when he jogs down the stairs so he can be there to greet his friend when he comes back from work, they are both whispering anxiously to each other as they sit stiff on the couch. Patton just wishes he knew what was going on.
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Half an hour later, Logan steps through the door, looking exhausted and irritated. Roman and Virgil are holding their breaths, staring up at him from their places on the couch. He lifts his glasses up slightly and rubs his right eye with the heel of his hand, clearly biting back a yawn. And although none of them say this, he looks like shit.

Patton is quick to hang his coat up and ask him what happened at work. Surprising all three of them greatly, Logan beams up at them proudly. And despite the smile being quite weak due to his sleepiness, they all know he would smile brighter if he could do so. "My employer, Mr Rogers, informed me that I would be getting a promotion. This... This means my pay-check will be higher, and I will be in charge of more sections of the company."

Despite being taken by surprise at the good news, all three of them cheer and pat him on the shoulders and back proudly, but when he winces at the high level of noise, they each whisper out their cheers again in unison. Patton, who is usually their main source or joy and sunshine, frowns and keeps his hand on the younger man's shoulder. "If you had such a good day at work, then why are you home so early?"

Now, Logan hates lying, and even when he has to do so, or at least feels like he has to, he is usually rather good at it. But this time, his lie can be described as nothing but pathetic. "No reason."

Really? Virgil shoots him a disbelieving glare from where he is sitting on the left side of him, whilst Roman simply gives him an unimpressed raise of the eyebrows. Feeling his heart sink a little at the clear lie, Patton shuffles a tiny bit closer to his roommate and frowns deeper, something none of them ever like to see. "Lo... Lo, lying is wrong."

"Just... Just don't panic or overreact, okay?"

Okay. That was definitely going to make them panic.

Patton seems rather offended at the question, but nods slowly and waits for his friend to continue. It takes him a minute, but once his tires brain has actually caught up to him, Logan links his fingers together anxiously. The sight makes them all acknowledge the twisting in their stomachs; Logan is never usually like this. He is always calm, collected, and never fails to think through every problem rationally before bringing himself or panic too much about it. "Today, I collapsed whilst on my way to my employer's office to have my scheduled meeting with him, where I was informed of my promotion."

Any attempts to brush this incident aside with the second mention of his promotion very much fail, shown by how Patton's eyes fly open in shock. The other two aren't as surprised, but still feel their jaws fall open in the slight shock that they do feel. "You what?! Why?! Are you okay now?!"

Seeming to understand why Logan had asked him not to get too worked up and overreact, Patton inhales deeply and managed to calm down the frantic beating of his heart. "Okay. I'm fine. Just tell us what happened, please. Why did you collapse?"

"It seems that my failure to acquire the correct amount of sleep was my downfall."

Virgil narrowed his eyes, seeing straight through his bullshit. "Yeah, but not sleeping for one night wouldn't make you faint. So, how many nights of sleep have you lost exactly?"

Logan sighs heavily, sending his friend a subtle glare before leaning back in his seat and dragging his hands down his face, successfully muffling his voice and therefore, his reply. But none of them were having any of that. Folding his arms across his chest, Patton gives Logan 'The Look', which obviously immediately cracks him open like a safe. "Four days. I managed to attain an hour of sleep yesterday night, but my own anxiety woke me up at around 3AM."

He notices the way that both Roman and Patton's eyes flicker to Virgil for a split second before focusing back on him. Roman frowns deeply and folds his arms, looking at his best friend expectantly, waiting for him to just tell Patton the truth! It doesn't take long before Patton asks him why he was woken up by his fears, the dreaded question that Logan wasn't fully prepared to answer. In one way, he doesn't understand why he can't just tell him the truth now that he knows he won't be getting fired, but at the same time, he knows why. "I... It doesn't matter anymore-"

"Logan!" Virgil yells, sick to death of all the lying and evasion of questions.

"You aren't my fucking parents. Christ!" Logan shouts back, beginning to feel frustrated with all of his roommates acting as if he were a child. Though he is kind of acting like one; lying and making silly excuses that are obviously not true.

Roman huffs out an infuriated sigh as he folds his hands in his lap. "No, but we are family," he says quietly, a sharp edge to his voice.

After a moment, Logan sighs heavily and leans back into the sofa, feeling remorse wash over him so much that he feels as if he may drown in it. He shouldn't snap at them when they are just trying to help, to understand why he is, and has been, acting so strange for the past week or so. "Come on, don't use that line on me. That's unfair."

Breathing out a weak laugh, Roman shrugs and opens his mouth to speak. "Ohana-"

Virgil raises his hand as a signal for him to stop talking. Why would he use a damn Disney quote? They're trying to be serious and get to the bottom of why Logan has been acting like... an ass, to put it bluntly. "Continue that sentence and I'll rip out your vocal chords and feed them to Asshole Neighbour 2.0."

Roman tenses up nervously and subconsciously strokes his throat. He silently agrees to be more serious about the situation, and when Virgil's shoulder bumps him intentionally as a way of saying, 'I'm mostly kidding', he returns the gesture to assure him that he knows. Virgil returns to glaring back at Logan, "Just tell him."

Sighing softly, Logan sees Patton's facial expression go through multiple emotions, almost like a process. Confusion. Realisation. And finally, hurt. "They... They know, so why can't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me?"

The pain in Patton's eyes is too much for even Logan. "I was under the impression that I would laid off today."

Now Patton just looks even more confused. "Oh. Well, why didn't you tell me that?"

Logan bows his head, feeling his shoulders slump and his lips falls into a straight line. He twists the end of his tie in between his fingers and chews his bottom lip, his reason sounds so stupid now that he actually has to say it out loud. And, the more he thinks about it, it seems slightly insulting. Patton is a grown man, he can handle himself just fine. "I... I didn't want to worry you."

It's silent for a couple of seconds before Patton's heart sinks lower in his chest and he stares down at the floor, a gleam of irritation and embarrassment in his eyes. "I'm not that fragile." He then lifts his head to look up at his roommate, hurt clearly etched into his features. "And I'll always worry, Lo. I was worried this morning when you seemed... a little off."

This information causes Logan to look up in surprise, guilt glowing in his gaze. "Why didn't you tell me so? I would have sent you a text assuring you that I was okay."

"Oh? And would this have been before or after you collapsed?"

Shit. The bitterness in Patton's voice is almost foreign to them, though they had heard it before, it is only on very rare occasions that this tone of voice is used. It's a way of knowing how badly they have fucked up, and boy-oh-boy, Logan has fucked up more than he thought he had. His voice fails him, refusing to spout out words of comfort or reassurance. He knows that Patton isn't weak, but he just wants to protect him however he can, even if it's from something as silly as this.

Before any of them can say anything in response, Patton sighs and stands up, making his way over to the stairs. Logan calls for him, but he continues up the stairs, footsteps a little louder than usual.

A sigh slips past Logan's lips before he can stop it and he throws an arm over his face, though he's not quite sure what he's hiding, maybe he's just ashamed? He can hear the uncomfortable shifting of both Roman and Virgil beside him, so he decides to break the silence with a rather obvious statement that he usually wouldn't say. "I've fucked up."

Despite being infuriated with the man, Virgil places a hand on his shoulder and squeezes once. "Look, I'll go up and talk to him, but we need to give him five minutes to cool down first, remember?"

Ah, yes. They had learned this through Virgil's disappearing act until 5AM last year. Patton had been worried out of his mind, and when any of them tried to talk to him, he would just silently brood in the corner until they gave up and left. Now they knew to wait at least a couple of minutes for him to finish his sulking session before attempting to talk. Logan adjusts his glasses and shrugs helplessly. "I understand why he is upset, but I don't understand why he is this upset!"

Virgil squeezes his shoulder again and bites his lip. He knows why, but he had promised not to say anything. About both his crush on the oblivious nerd, and about how he feels that everyone tiptoes around him because they think he's weak. He's not exactly wrong, but what he thinks isn't exactly true either.

Five minutes later, and he ambles up the stairs to where his best friend's room is situated, instantly feeling his stomach churn at the muffled sniffles coming from inside. When they had first moved in together, they had made an agreement that if either of them were upset, then they could enter the other's room without knocking if necessary. He enters the room and feels his heart break at the sight of Patton hiding under the blanket on his bed, he looks so small. "Pat? D'you want to talk?"

A hand reaches out and Virgil immediately understands that that is a no, but he does want company. He sits down beside the lump on the bed and allows Patton to grip his hand tightly, stroking the back of his knuckles with his thumb. "I know you don't want to talk, and that's okay, but I'm going to just say a few things and then we can be as quiet as you want. Is that okay?"

Patton nods after a second, and Virgil lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Nobody thinks you're weak, Pat. I promise. You're just too... nice, and the world we live in, isn't. It sounds cliche and stupid, I know, but it's true. Even Logan, who knows for a fact that you can't not know about a couple of shitty things about the world, just really wants you to stay the 'happy-pappy' Patton that you are. I wouldn't be surprised if Roman wrapped you up in fucking bubble wrap at some point."

Suddenly, a muffled 'language' is mumbled from beneath the covers, and Virgil breathes out a soft laugh, nudging him lightly. "See? That's what I mean. Like Thomas said, you're just too pure."

Giggling at the memory of Logan's brother wrapping him up in a protective hug to keep him safe 'from everything', Patton hums as he begins to understand what Virgil means and sits up, wiping his eyes on a sleeve of the grey cardigan that is somehow still wrapped around his shoulders. "I just... I'm twenty-eight, you know, I'm not a child. And even though I know this may have seemed like the end of the world for Logan, it wasn't that big of a deal. We all could have handled it together. But he thinks that I can't handle even things like that..."

He trails off and chews the inside of his cheek, possibly to keep more tears from welling up in his eyes. "It makes me really sad that he wouldn't... that is doesn't trust me enough."

"I know." Virgil squeezes his hand gently and shifts so that they're both lying down on Patton's bed, facing each other. He keeps a hold of his roommate's hand and snuggles unintentionally into the fluffy pillow under his head. "You can be sad now, and talk to him about this later. Does that sound okay to you?"

Patton feels so lucky to have a best friend like Virgil. He nods and takes comfort in the dim warmth wrapped around his hand, squeezing his best friend's hand right back. "That sounds great. Thanks, Virge." He leans forward to plant a sweet kiss to his forehead and grins at the embarrassed pink dying his cheeks. "Love you!"

So pure. Virgil merely hums and shuffles a little closer to the body beside him, but Patton knows that that is his own way of returning the sentiment. His eyes close, and the last thing he sees is Virgil offering him a beautiful, tiny warm smile. 'Everything will be okay', it says. And Patton believes him.

Virgil has his own language, and Patton is so happy that he understands it.
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"Kiddo? Come on, sleepyhead. Pizza time!"

Virgil hears the familiar bubbly voice of his best friend and grumbles a few cusses before opening his eyes and shrinking back at the surprising brightness of Patton's room. He clearly hadn't been asleep for that long. When a hand grabs his and attempts to pull him out of bed, he knows that it's Roman instantly, and he sighs. "Stop, I'm getting up, okay? Calm down."

A yawn escapes past his lips as he stretches his arms up into the air, returning the fond smile that Patton is giving him and stumbling out of bed. Luckily, Roman is there to catch him as his legs learn how to function again. He mentally scolds himself at the way he leans into the taller man's body, feeling arms encircle his waist and a chin rest on top of his head. The embrace gradually, almost hesitantly, tightens and Virgil betrays himself by sighing softly and leaning even more into the warmth.

For a second, Roman meets Patton's gaze, his cheeks flushed a bright red and his heart skipping and tripping over a beat in his chest. There is a knowing smile on his face, and Roman finds himself wishing that he could stay this way with Virgil until the end of time, but knows that he has to end the hug soon so nobody gets too suspicious. Though Logan already knows, and he has a feeling that Patton had caught on. "You doing okay there, Shirley Temple? Can't walk?"

He makes sure to say this without any venom or sarcasm, but ends up saying it in a much sweeter and more adoring tone than he meant to. Oh God. Way to make his crush obvious. Virgil doesn't seem to notice however, and mumbles out a tired apology before reluctantly standing up straight and rubbing his eyes with his hands. "Sorry, 'm just really gay."

Wait, what?

Roman spins on his heel and gazes at his roommate in shock, wondering if it could possibly mean something he had been hoping for for four years. Turning back to look at him, Virgil adjusts his fingers on each hand so that they're in the shape of guns. "I can't stand up straight because I'm gay."

The sound of Patton's laughter reaches their ears and he squeals excitedly, running to give Virgil a tight hug, babbling about how proud he is, since he makes puns and tells dad jokes too much for his own good himself. Despite being the tiniest bit disappointed, Roman can't help but chuckle fondly. Their friendship was sweet. And the pun was pretty good too.

When they're all downstairs, Virgil abruptly remembers why he had been sleeping in Patton's bed in the first place. His gaze flickers between his best friend and Logan for a few seconds before he spots the kind smile they share with each other. They must have made up while he had been sleeping. Thank God. He doesn't know how he would've acted around them if they were still in the middle of their dispute.

He spots the pizza boxes on the table and charges, barley beating Roman to the garlic bread and grabbing a slice before he can. Patton laughs at this, but Logan rolls his eyes and tells them both to 'cool their jets'. The use of such an informal phrase causes them both to freeze and look up at him in surprise. And before either of them knows what is happening, he's stolen the entire fucking box and is rushing towards the sofa with it.

Roman and Virgil both squawk in horror and chase after him, bursting into fits of laughter as Logan continues to run around the sofa, munching on one of his own slices of pizza. Entering the room behind them, Patton leans against the doorway and grins adoringly at them, feeling his gaze subconsciously follow Logan as he is finally caught by Roman, arms being thrown around his torso as Virgil jumps on his back. "Give us the pizza you heathen!"

The only reply Roman receives is an amused snort and a chuckle. Yeah. Patton absolutely adores his family.
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Logan's first reaction to the Oculus Rift is fascination and unadulterated glee, but when Virgil shows them the game he wants them all to try out, he clicks his tongue in annoyance and raises an eyebrow. "You were all scared too!"

"Come on, Specs. It'll be fun!" Roman encourages him, throwing an arm around his shoulders and giving him his usual pearly smile.

With a defeated sigh, Logan agrees to play the game with them, considering his employer gave him the next day off after feeling guilty for worrying Logan to the point of sleep deprivation. Patton also feels rather nervous about playing a horror game on the Oculus, but agrees to it, if only to see his family having fun. The first person to have a turn is Virgil because he was the one to actually buy the console, and Roman is giddy with excitement, planning to add a few other bouts of fear to Virgil's experience.

As soon as the game starts, Virgil flinches. "Woah. Alright, it's pretty dark."

This is all he says for the first minute until the game finally gives him a big enough scare that he jumps ten feet into the air, letting out a very manly shriek of terror. "What the fuck?! Buddy, haven't you ever heard of personal space?! Jesus- Stop it, oh my god-"

The other three are giggling at his reactions, watching him yelp in fear once again a few seconds later until they finally stop. Roman glances at the screen and senses that there's going to be another large jump-scare soon; the gears in his brain begin to turn. He stands up and places a finger to his lips in response to Logan and Patton's confused gazes. Reaching out slowly, he waits for the absolute perfect time before firmly planting his hands on Virgil's shoulders. Something in the game jumps in his face at the exact same time, and the volume of Virgil's scream is unbelievable.

He jumps backwards and throws the headset away from him onto the, fortunately, soft carpet, unintentionally knocking Roman off balance. They both land on the sofa, Virgil trembling in fear and Roman beginning to feel a little more guilty for his decision. It would have been funny if Virgil wasn't clinging to him out of fear. "Virgil! You okay? I'm sorry, it was supposed to just be a joke-"

"You asshole." Virgil mutters, though there's a hint of amusement in his voice, telling Roman that he isn't actually mad at him. And besides, he's still holding onto the older man for dear life, so he can't be that angry with him.

Roman chuckles and brushes a hand through his hair. "I know, I'm the worst. I'm sorry."

When Virgil doesn't move or say anything, Roman sighs softly and tells Patton to go next, though he isn't sure how the eldest will react to a game that scared Virgil this much. He watches as his roommate stands up and picks up the headset, slipping it over his face and holding the controllers in his hands. His reaction to the first jump-scare is instant, and on the fourth one, he takes the headset and shakes his head, handing it to Roman, who now has a Virgil sitting beside him rather than on top of him. "I can't."

Offering him a gentle smile, Roman nods and takes the headset and controllers from him. "Let me show you all how this is done."

The others don't say anything as he slips on the headset and lets out a small gasp of amazement, commenting on how everything in the game feels so real and that it's kind of scary. Logan points out that it is a horror game, and that it is supposed to be scary, but just as he finishes his sentence, Roman shrieks and holds up his controllers. "Come at me, motherfuckers! Bang, bang!"

It only takes him another minute or two of shooting to backtrack and take those words back. The enemies gang up on him, herding around him in all directions, blood oozing out of their eyes and disturbing groans escaping their mouths. "Hey- No, wait! I was kidding, I was kidding, I was kidding, I was kidding, I was-"

Then he screams and cowers to the floor as Virgil pokes him in the shoulder. He soon realised what is happening and takes the headset off, dropping the controllers and curling up into a ball of embarrassment on the floor. Logan rolls his eyes and folds his arms. "Roman, what are you doing?"

"Leave me here to die a coward, Lo."

"So dramatic." Logan mutters, taking the headset and controllers. He slips the headset on and starts the game with his controller. Immediately, he mumbles a dread-filled 'oh no', and grips the controllers tighter in his hands.

When the first enemy appears, he gasps sharply and lifts his hand to shoot them. The enemies begin to pile in, and every time there is a jump-scare, he barely manages to suppress a shriek of terror. But to Roman and Virgil's dismay, he is a lot calmer than their last experience with a horror game. Patton giggles at the little disgusted shimmy Logan does when he spots a particularly grotesque-looking monster. He gasps a little louder as the number of enemies around him gets ridiculously large, frowning when he's bitten by one of them. "There's no way I can win this. Unfair."

Then, he drops the controllers and shrugs loosely. "Go ahead and kill me. I'm just delaying the inevitable."

And with that, his character is dead and the game ends.

Slipping off the headset, he raises an eyebrow and comments on how the game wasn't nearly as scary as the last one they played was. Virgil pouts grumpily when he realises that he was afraid of a game that Logan was not, and vows to find an even scarier game they just played. Patton tells them to be nice to each other and asks if they want to watch a movie, or play another game, before they all head off to bed. All nod, knowing that they don't have work the next day and decide to watch a movie.

The first one to drop off around halfway through the movie is Logan. He's curled up on the left side of the couch, one arm resting beneath his head and the other lying across his side. Virgil takes the fleece blanket that is folded beside the sofa for these kinds of occasions, and he covers his friend with it, snickering when Logan nuzzles it in his sleep. After a short while, the only one awake is Roman. He looks around at his goofy, stubborn, loveable roommates and smiles tiredly, leaning back as his eyes begin to succumb to the hazy sound of the television droning in the background, and the dim light of the room.

Then he slips away.
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The next day, they complete their usual breakfast routine before Roman instructs his roommate's to join him on the couch, as he has the 'best idea ever'. Once they are all grouped together in the living room, Roman stands in front of them and grins widely. "We should have a party tonight! Logan just received a promotion, and we should celebrate."

Virgil tenses up nervously at the mention of a party, but agrees that they need to celebrate Logan's achievement somehow, so he is, surprisingly, the first one to nod. "Yeah. Good idea, Roman."

"Well," Logan says with a smile as he glances over at Virgil somewhat proudly, "if Virgil and Patton are alright with it, then I'd be happy with that."

After sending Virgil a subtle concerned glance, Patton smiles up at Roman and nods, warning him that they weren't to make too much of a mess and that the party couldn't be too big since Patton has work the next day and won't be able to help clean it all up. Roman bounces on his feet with delight and thanks them all, demanding that they all go to the store so they can buy food and alcohol. But Logan speedily reminds him that they actually need to make sure people can come to the party before doing anything. This motivates Roman to call as many of his theatre friends as he can, encouraging the other three to call their own friends to invite too.

Luckily for them, most of Roman's theatre friends, a few of Logan's college friends and brother, some of Patton's work friends, and one of Virgil's friends can attend the party. To prepare for the event, they agree to go out together and buy all of the food and alcohol they need. Both Patton and Virgil are grateful to have Logan there to stop Roman from going overboard with the alcohol.

Once Logan and Patton are in the two front seats, Logan driving, Roman and Virgil slide into the back seats and they set off. No more than two minutes into the journey, Roman demands that they put on the CD of musical songs he made on, so that they can all sing along to it. Virgil feigns irritation and groans, but Patton gladly agrees to place the CD in the player, laughing at his best friend's fake angry reaction. The piano introduction for 'Seasons of Love' plays, and Roman proceeds to go through a wide variety of emotions all at once.

Originally, he slumps down in his seat, as if just thinking about how tragic this musical is had killed him, but then he suddenly rises from the grave and begins to slap Virgil's shoulder ecstatically. He clasps his hands together and begs him and the others to sing along with him. And since Virgil, no matter how many times he tries to deny it, can't say no to his pouty face, they all start to sing the lyrics. Logan refuses to at first, and then starts humming the tune, rolling his eyes fondly when Patton notices and beams at him. When Maureen's solo begins, they all go silent. Nobody human can sing that high, so Roman decides that she is an angel and then proceeds to fake-weep as he thinks about the character Angel from 'RENT'. Eventually, all but Logan screech the high notes, absolutely butchering the song but loving it all the same.

It would be an understatement to say that Logan is relieved when the song finishes.

The next song on Roman's self-given 'mix-CD' is 'Come What May' from 'Moulin Rouge', and Patton smiles apologetically at the two men in the back. "I don't know the lyrics to this one, kiddos. You should do a duet!"

Roman turns to Virgil and waggles his eyebrows with a grin, causing the younger man to roll his eyes and fail to suppress a smile. He agrees to the duet, and already knows he will be singing the male part, as he could never even dream of singing as high as Satine does. When he starts to sing his first line, Roman lets out a cheer, causing him to duck his head and stumble on his words. Patton looks at him knowingly through the front mirror and feels his heart stop when he sees Logan staring at him, a small doting smile tugging at his lips.

With such a romantic song in the background, Patton can't stop all of the 'what if's from entering his thoughts. A gentle and embarrassed smile stretches across his face, and he dares himself to return Logan's gaze, feeling his smile grow wider when the man flushes red to the roots of his hair and turns back to look out at the road.

Soon enough, Roman joins in and Virgil can feel the pounding of his heart get louder as he feels how beautifully their voices harmonise. It doesn't exactly help that Roman is gazing right at him as he sings, not that Virgil didn't expect it, considering they were the only two singing. The verse just before the chorus comes around, and Virgil can't stop the grin growing on his face when their eyes meet. Caramelised hazelnut mixed with the perfect amount of stars plucked from last night's sky, and Virgil is tempted to count them all, but he's tripping over his words again and Roman is giving him that heart-melting affectionate smile and oh no-

He drops his head and stares anxiously down at his knees, a smile still somehow on his face. Roman's next words are laced with a chuckle, and he places a hand on Virgil's arm comfortingly, apparently finding his stumbling and nervousness endearing. The unexpected physical contact causes Virgil took snap his head back up to look at him, and they are both suddenly very aware of what part of the song they're up to. Apparently Patton and Logan both notice this too, because they are continuously glancing at them through the front mirror.

Virgil swallows and desperately attempts to look away from where their eyes are locked, but he just... can't. "But I love you..."

Roman rubs the back of his neck and smiles timidly. "I love you..."

Then, the chorus comes back around and they're both abruptly thrown out of their trances, awkwardly staring down at opposite sides of the car floor as they continue and finish the song. After the song ends, the two of them don't know what to say, both feeling something, but denying the fleeting thought crossing their mind that whispers, '"He feels it too."

In an attempt to save them from their own anxiousness, Patton clasps and cheers, praising them excessively on how wonderful they sound together. Roman gathers the strength to actually breathe and thank his friend, turning back to Virgil and grinning brightly. "We make a pretty amazing duet, JDelightful. Lets sing together again sometime, hm?"

"Yeah... Yeah, sounds good." Virgil smiles back and feels his hands shaking, but tries to ignore it as the next song plays. Logan is pleasantly surprised to hear his brother's voice come through the speakers. 'Ultimate Storytime'.

Roman begs his friends to sing along with him, and this time, because it's his brother, Logan joins in. Though, he is much quieter than the others. It's not like he can't sing, he just doesn't really like to, and is rather shy when it comes to performing such 'frivolous displays'. Fortunately, this song is lovely and exciting enough to distract both Roman and Virgil from any intrusive thoughts about the potential they felt during their duet, and they can all simply sing as loudly as they want.

They soon all reach the store, but before they can even exit the car, Logan insists that they make a shopping list of everything they want to buy for the party. Alcohol is Roman's first suggestion, and when Logan asks him how many bottles or cans they should get, Roman simply says, "All."

Chuckling, Patton shakes his head and talks with Logan about the amount they should buy. At one point, Logan suggests Crofters, but Patton explains that they'll buy some, not for the party, but for his little section of the fridge. Once the list is made, they step out of the car and enter the store. Roman tries to get Virgil to sit in one of the shopping carts since he's so small, picking him up in his arms in a bridal carry and chortling as he struggles and squeaks out words of embarrassment.

Logan rolls his eyes. "Roman, put him down. We need to actually buy that alcohol you so desperately crave, you know?" He then adds, "And Virgil is twenty-eight years old, and usually it is children that ride in shopping carts."

"But don't you think he'd look simply adorable-"

"Roman."

Sighing heavily, he finally agrees to place Virgil back on the ground and help them push the shopping car around. They immediately head to the alcohol aisles and Virgil laughs as Logan makes Roman put away four of the twelve bottles he's picked up, and grabs a few twelve packs of cans before placing them in the shopping cart. Patton then leads them to the junk food aisle and he sighs when Roman and Virgil start arguing over which flavour of Doritos they should buy.

Eventually, they finish their shopping and head home, but decide to talk amongst themselves instead of listening to music this time. Once they're home, Roman and Logan drag the kitchen table out into the living room so they can set it with plates of food and red solo cups, placing the alcohol underneath the table for people to grab whenever it ran out.

Virgil feels his lungs begin to burn when he thinks about how many people are going to be at the party, and how many he won't know. He inhales deeply and glances over at Patton and notices the worried expression on his face. After a second, the eldest man comes and sits down beside him, watching the other two bicker about how much of the food should be set out, and how much should be saved if they run out. "Hey, bud. How're you feeling?"

He wants to lie and tell him that everything is fine, but Patton would definitely know, and he's been through enough lying for two days. "A little nervous, but I'll be okay. Probably."

An arm wraps around his shoulder and he sighs, leaning into the embrace slightly and letting Patton rub his shoulder slowly. He doesn't talk for the first few seconds, wanting to think of how he can cheer up his friend and make him feel better about the party. "You know I'm going to be there, and I'm definitely not going to be drinking a lot. I'm an emotional drunk, and..."

He trails off, glancing quickly at their two other roommates before turning back to his best friend and smiling nervously. "Who know what I'd say to Logan in that state?"

Virgil shrugs and smiles lightly. "You know, I'm pretty sure he feels the same way about you, Pat."

"Oh yeah, me too."

The unexpectedness of his reply causes Virgil's jaw to drop open and his eyes to widen in shock. His gaze flickers from where Roman and Logan are standing back to his best friend, and he stutters out incoherent  noises for a few seconds before he just lets out a loudly whispered, "What?!"

Giggling at his reaction, Patton nods and looks down at the floor, glancing at Logan a grand total of one time for a split second before ducking his head. His voice stammers quite a bit before he manages to get out a reply. "Yeah... Yeah, I caught him staring at me in the car and, you know, I don't know what it was, but I just... felt like there was something there."

He covers is face with his hands and breathes out a quiet laugh before separating the heels of his hands a bit so he can speak clearly. Virgil smirks at the way Patton's entire face is beginning to look a little sunburned, but doesn't see it for long, as he looks even further down at the floor. "I think it was just something in the way he smiled at me. Like, I wasn't looking back at him, so he knew I couldn't see him smiling. And his eyes too- I don't know. It sounds silly, right? I'm just being silly. But... But do you know what I mean? The way he was looking at me was just... it was kind of like the way he looks when he's, well, looking up at the stars. And he loves watching the stars! So- Do you see where my train of thought is chugging to?"

Smiling awkwardly over at his best friend, he laughs weakly and shrugs, finishing his rant with a cute little, "Choo, choo!"

The way he was looking at Patton. Virgil feels something in his chest stir at those words, and he sneaks a quick glance over at Roman, who is laughing with Logan about something, showing off just how unfairly gorgeous he is. It reminds him of the heart-stopping smile he wore when they were singing in the car, and when Patton first mentioned the 'look in Logan's eyes', Virgil swore his heart actually did stop.

The way he looked at you.

Virgil brushes away the thought and turns back to where Patton is swallowing the lump in his throat and biting away tears of embarrassment. "It's stupid, right? I'm just being really stupid and-"

He cuts himself off and bites the inside of his cheek, Virgil has never seen him like this before, and it is by-far one of the most heartbreaking sights he's ever seen. Seeing Patton doubt himself so much, and well, Patton crying is never something he wants to see. Not because he's an ugly crier, even if he is, but because someone as loving as Patton shouldn't even need tear ducts. "No. You're not being stupid at all because I think the same thing."

Patton looks up at him curiously and waits for him to continue.

After a second, Virgil manages to find the words he needs to say, despite how unlike him he sounds. Despite how it sounds like he's suddenly transformed into this deceitful version of himself, he knows what to say. "Pat, you know me. I'm always rabbiting on about how we should stay in our familiar bubble, stay where we feel most comfortable because taking chances means taking risks, but... but you have to take the chance. Logan isn't the type of guy who'll distance himself from you, or mock you if he doesn't feel the same way, even though we both think he does! Just- Just promise me you'll try. Promise?"

It takes him a couple of seconds to process everything Virgil just said, but Patton slowly beams up at him and nods. "I promise."
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Ew, ew, ew! There are people everywhere! Virgil scans their living room and sees an entire sea of people dancing, chatting, drinking, and munching on the food they had bought earlier that day- Oh for fuck sake, they just cleaned that carpet!

He watches in horror as Dorito crumbs are crushed into their beige carpet.

Not wanting to be too close to the huge amount of people, Virgil escapes into the kitchen to find Roman and one of his theatre friends drinking out of the bottle, and wow, Logan is going to absolutely bludgeon Roman when he finds out. Once again, Virgil tries to creep out of the room, but is caught by Roman's friend before he can. "Hey! Are you our new tech?"

How does she know? Virgil decides to pretend that he isn't freaking out so he can go over to them and have a reasonably normal conversation with them. He offers an extremely small smile to the girl Roman's with and... he finds that he can't quite meet Roman's gaze. Shit. This isn't ideal considering they live together. Not seeming to notice this, Roman smiles at his roommate and gestures towards his theatre friend. "Virgil! This is Valerie, one of my dearest theatre geeks-"

"Oh, are you the new tech that starts next Thursday?" Valerie asks, a curious and kind gleam in her eyes.

Virgil finds himself nodding timidly and feels a little calmer at the grin that spreads across her face. She holds out a hand for him to shake and introduces herself again before realising that Roman kind of already introduced her and yeah, Virgil thinks he's going to like her. As she apologises for her mistake, Virgil shakes his head and actually lets out a real chuckle, unlike with most strangers, who get his well-practiced forced laugh. "Nah, it's cool. I'm-"

He stops himself and laughs again, hearing her giggle as she realises what he was about to do. "I swear that wasn't on purpose."

She simply laughs again and assures him that she would probably do the same thing. Wow. So, this is how he's going to bond with one of the theatre kids, through their shared awkwardness. Nice.

Roman seems thrilled at how well the two of them are getting along, and is sad to see Valerie rush out of the kitchen when one of the other theatre guys calls for her to help him get the karaoke working. This is when Virgil realises that it's just the two of them in the kitchen, and he has no idea what to say despite having knowing him for over eight years. He doesn't even know if Roman felt the same way he did back in the car, so why does he feel so awkward around him? He's been in love with Roman long enough to know how to act around him.

"So, you're starting next Thursday, then?" Roman asks, a friendly smile playing on his lips.

Keeping his gaze away from Roman's, Virgil shrugs loosely and clasps his hands together, trying to ignore the nerves fluttering around in his stomach. "Uh, yeah. Sorry I didn't get a chance to tell you. I found out this morning, but I guess I just forgot to mention it."

With another infuriatingly pretty smile, Roman explains that he would've have been the same way, and that he's beyond excited for Virgil to start working at the same theatre he does. In all honesty, Virgil is both excited for it and is dreading it. Working at the same place means that they have to spend more time together, which wouldn't be a problem if Virgil wasn't so helplessly in love with the guy. Before they can say anything more about it, Roman is called out to sing a duet with Valerie, and Virgil is suddenly very curious and excited to hear what she sounds like when singing.

"Are you coming? I think Patton is in there somewhere. I saw him talking to Logan not too long ago."

Virgil freezes and reflects on the advice he had given to his best friend earlier that day. He manages to suppress a gleeful smile and shakes his head. "I'll come in, but I think Patton and Logan need some time to talk."

For a few moments, Roman is silent, but without warning, his hands are on Virgil's shoulders and they're so warm. His eyes are wide and wild, which would scare Virgil if it wasn't for the fact that there is also a hopeful sparkle in them that looked rather familiar. "You think they like each other too?! Because, I swear to God, for years they've been dancing around this issue and they just need to-"

"Roman, come on! I need my Maureen."

A snort sounds from Virgil before he can even try to stop it, and Roman looks offended for around ten seconds  before smiling and laughing along with him. "Yes, yes, I'm Maureen. I know, it's hilarious. Can we move on?"

"You know," Virgil snickers, a fond smile on his face, "I can see you being Maureen. You're both pretty similar. Confident, not afraid to be yourself, attracted to the same sex, a diva-"

Roman lets out an indignant gasp at this comment. But Virgil merely continues with a somewhat proud smirk on his face. "-you're both amazing at singing, both of you love to flirt and are flirted with a lot, and you both take understandable pride in your appearance."

It takes both men a couple of seconds to fully process what Virgil has just said, and both have very different reactions. Roman slowly grins and crosses his arms over his chest, a mischievous and hopeful twinkle in his eyes. "Understandable? My, my, are you flirting with me, Virgil? Can't say I'd really be complaining if you were."

Oh boy. Virgil feels his heart stop and he reaches to scratch the back of his neck, cheeks heating up at a ridiculously fast rate. His palms are clammy and he can feel a lump in his throat. "Uh- Well, you-"

"Roman, I will get Talyn on you, and you know that they will show you no mercy!"

Cringing at whatever that threat means, Roman brushes a hand through his hair before turning back to look down at Virgil, who is possibly melting on the spot. He chortles and hesitantly reaches out to place a hand on his cheek, but chickens out and instead goes for his shoulder. "Talk to you later, Hot Topic. Hope you learn to talk again soon, I miss the sound of your voice already."

Holy shit. The hand lifts from off of his shoulder, leaving him feeling colder, although his heart is surely pumping the blood around his body much faster than it's supposed to be. He licks his dry lips and takes a few deep breaths before making his way into the living room. Ugh. Too many people. His eyes scan the room and finally land on a bubbly Roman, who is bouncing on the balls of his feet and whispering something to Valerie and another, pretty attractive, Virgil must admit, and short dark skinned man. His hair is quite short and as he looks closer at him, Virgil is almost certain that he has seen those glowing syrup eyes before.

After a second, his brain reboots and takes him back a few months, where Roman is showing him pictures of everyone in his theatre group and- Oh, that's Terrence! Virgil is happy to know that there's someone in the theatre group he is at least familiar with other than Valerie and Roman.

They sing the duet and Virgil is irritated to realise that he was staring at Roman the entire time, despite Valerie's voice being incredible. It actually reminds him of the voice of some Disney princess. He sees Roman smile over at him and wink before turning back to the screen to check what songs they can sing for karaoke. Lord, that smile is going to kill him one day.

Even if Roman is interested in him, Virgil is worried about what their relationship would be like, considering how unsure his parents are with homosexuality. And considering the fact that they don't really like Roman all that much. He's too loud and rowdy, apparently. Virgil thinks that it's just because his family aren't stupidly rich, like they are. Other than the money he accepted to help pay for the Oculus Rift, which was out of revenge really, Virgil never accepts any money they offer him unless he desperately needs it. This is mostly out of spite, but also to show them that he really doesn't care about money, like they do since they continue to insist that he does for some reason. Because parents always know what you care about most, right?

He blinks rapidly in surprise when he hears his name being called. Valerie is gesturing for him to go over to them, so he does gladly, albeit very hesitantly. "What's up?"

One quick glance at the screen cracks open his heart. 'Rewrite the Stars' from 'The Greatest Showman'. Of course they would be singing this song, right when it kind of starts to apply to his actual life. Roman spins around and smiles at him in delight. "Virgil, would you please sing this with me?"

Well, this was just fucking torture.

He doesn't want to disappoint them, but singing in front of so many people terrifies him, doesn't Roman know that?! They've known each other for over eight years, Roman knows he has anxiety, so why would he ask him to perform in front of a bunch of strangers?! They're all looking at him so expectantly and, dammit, he really wishes Patton was here to help him out. "I... I don't know. There're a lot of people and..."

Roman suddenly remembers and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about it, Virgil! You don't have to do anything you don't want to, okay?"

"Thanks, Princey."

That affectionate gaze is on him again. God dammit. He can't deny that there is some spark of hope in him that Roman might just feel the same way. But how can he say anything when there are so many obstacles standing in his way? His parents, the anxiety, this odd desperation to pretend that there's absolutely nothing going on between them-

No. Enough is enough.

Virgil suddenly musters up all of his courage and grabs Roman's arm, hurriedly dragging him out to the back garden. It's small, and there isn't that much nature to look at, but Patton always says that he wants to learn how to take care of plants so he can make the garden prettier, so they leave it that way, only mowing the grass, until Patton decides to keep to his word. They stand there for a few moments, Roman unbelievably confused and kind of scared. He isn't used to Virgil acting like that, and he doesn't quite know how he feels about it.

"Look, this is going to sound really weird, and it might seem like it came out of nowhere, but just... just listen, okay? Because I really need to get this out or I'm going to end up never talking to you again."

That seems to catch Roman's attention. His eyes fly open and he shuts the back door so that nobody can hear or bother them. He then gives Virgil the 'go-ahead', and Christ, he just fucking goes for it. "Back in the car, when we were singing and stuff... Be honest with me, did you like, feel anything? I know that sounds really fucking cliche, and really decking dumb, and I'm sorry that I swear like a sailor when I'm nervous, but I kind of... just need to get it out. Oh, and by the way, by 'feel something' I mean-"

Roman smiled and interrupts him, his voice sounding breathless as he does so. "I know what you mean, Virgil, don't worry. And, well, did you feel anything?"

"Hey, that's not fair!" Virgil complains, pouting and folding his arms across his chest. "I asked you first."

"Yeah, well, I asked second. And you know the rhyme: first the worst, second the best-"

Virgil cuts him off. "And third the royal princess, now did you feel anything?"

There's a long silence after that, and Virgil begins to think that Roman isn't going to answer. But before he can ask for them both to just forget about this conversation, Roman ducks his head an speaks quieter than Virgil's ever heard him. "Yes. I did feel something. And I have felt that 'something' for quite a long time, Virgil."

Suddenly, Virgil doesn't know what to say, so he says the only thing he can think of. "Same."

Roman looks up at him sharply, his eyes full of hope before a wide smile stretches across his face, and he snorts because that answer is so like Virgil and he just loves Virgil more than he has the breath to say. He take a few measures steps forward until he is standing directly in front of his roommate, and can feel his face heat up at how close they are, despite causing that closeness himself. Virgil is gazing at him with such astonished and disbelieving eyes, and Roman can't help raising a hand to tuck some stray strands of hair behind his ear, leaving his hand to rest on his cheek.

Leaning into warmth, Virgil pinches his wrist a few times to make sure that this is real, and that it is actually happening. Roman seems to notice this because his smile grows more amused and fond, and he moves in even closer. "This is real. And I promise this will still be real tomorrow, and the day after that, and every day until you don't want it to be, if that ever happens."

"Good..." Virgil hasn't got the brain function to think of anything else to say, and he feels every other ounce slip away when Roman starts to lean in. It's only a second of two later that he realises the 'lean-in' is the most awkward part of a first kiss, or any kiss really. So, he saves them both the trouble and closes the gap himself.

When he first feels Roman's lips against his, it's so surreal that he tenses up, but soon relaxes (and fucking melts) in Roman's arms when they tighten around him, the hand on his face sliding down to rest on his hip. Virgil has absolutely no idea what to do with his arms. Yes, he has kissed people before, but he's never kissed Roman before, and that is a lot different. He's never been so in love with someone before, and to him, the first kiss has to be perfect, or Roman might see what a huge mistake he is making and leave.

Eventually, he settles on worming them around his neck, and from there, things seem to move more naturally. Though there are still a few nerves picking at Virgil's brain, what if he isn't good enough and etcetera. Roman tightens his hold around his waist yet again, fingers squeezing his hip lightly, subconsciously, but it's enough to send Virgil's mind reeling. He tightens his own grip on his neck, beginning to fear that his legs will buckle beneath him and that he'll fall, and somehow, one hand ends up tangled in Roman's hair. Whatever, it feels right, and by the way Roman changes the angle so that he's holding Virgil in a small dip, Virgil has a feeling it was definitely the right move to make.

Unfortunately for him, when the angle does change, Virgil's knees finally buckle and he feels Roman chuckle against his lips as he holds the shorter man up. All Virgil can do is pant softly, still trying to process how amazing that was and how much he wants to do it again. Roman presses another feather-light kiss to his lips before pulling away to look at his face.

Virgil flushes crimson and looks down at the cold blades of grass below them. "Sorry, I just-"

"I know," Roman's voice is a mere whisper and he grips Virgil a little tighter as he continues, pushing their foreheads together gently, and Virgil can feel Roman's nose bumping his lightly, "me too."

Finally, Virgil forces himself to look up and meet his eyes.

The real sky is taken up by hundreds of fluffy clouds, but Virgil can still see an entire galaxy of stars. Though instead of being situated in a sea of navy blue, they are swimming in two pools of dark caramel and are decorated with long raven lashes, though he's pretty sure that makeup helped with that. And if it didn't, then wow.

He's almost jealous of those stars.
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Earlier on during the party, Logan feels himself being whisked away upstairs by Patton, who has a strangely determined expression set on his face. Though he has trouble focusing on that when Patton is holding his hand and pulling him up the stairs. They make it to Logan's room since nobody would think to ever go in there, since he was very particular about how he organised his possessions, and Patton locks the door, which only makes Logan more nervous. "Patton, is something wrong?"

"Um... I just need to talk to you about something." Patton mumbles, a tiny smile on his face, but Logan can also see that there's a gleam of anxiety in his eyes. "If this makes you uncomfortable or anything, I'm sorry. Uh- I just really need to take the chance and tell you something."

He echoes Virgil's earlier words in an attempt to calm himself down, his logic being that if he thinks of the fact that it was Virgil who gave him that sort of advice, then it had to be somewhat helpful, right? For a second, Logan just stands there, but soon he decides to take a seat on the edge of his bed and nod to Patton in a way that means two things. One, come and sit beside me, and two, go ahead and say whatever you need to.

Patton feels his hands trembling. He really doesn't want to lose Logan for good, and what if this is deal breaker for him, so he ends their friendship? God, he really doesn't want to lose Logan. Inhaling deeply, he rubs the back of his neck and ducks his head. "So, I'm really scare right now, so I hope you can forgive me if it takes me a little time to actually get this out in the open. Uh- Virgil told me that I should take the chance because... because he knows that you're a good guy, so you won't, I don't know, change your attitude around me because of this. I'm sorry, I should just say it, shouldn't I?"

As if to offer him as much comfort as he can, Logan turns more towards him and smiles warmly. "Take your time, Patton. I'm not going anywhere."

"You might not say the same thing after I tell you this..." Patton mumbles, but gathers up the courage and strength to look Logan directly in the eyes and say, "I'm love. No, wait a second-"

He cuts himself off when he realises that he's jumbling up his words. Turning his head towards Logan's black carpet, he twists one of the sleeve of the grey cardigan tied loosely around his his hands and chews his bottom lip harshly. If he messes up this chance to tell Logan how he feels, he may never be able to gather up enough courage to try again. Slowly, he takes a deep breath and sighs softly, maybe he isn't supposed to tell him?

Logan frowns concerned as Patton continues to silently stare down at the floor. He cautiously places his hand on top of the older man's and flinches slightly when Patton suddenly lifts his head up to face him. "I'm... I like you a lot, Lo."

Almost immediately he bows his head once again and hunches his shoulders, clearly attempting to hide himself as much as he possibly can. For a moment, Logan doesn't quite understand what he means by 'like', but when it hits him a few seconds later, it is like every organ in his body has forgotten their function. His lungs fail to deflate, and his heart is no longer pumping the blood around his body. It's as if time stops for just a second.

As a man of a logical philosophy, Logan has always prided himself on his rational way of thinking through what he says and does before he says or does it. And he finds that he can always figure out the appropriate way to react to almost everything, but as Patton nervously shimmies around beside him, he has absolutely no idea what to do.

He knows that he is in love with Patton. But he never in a million years imagined that someone as pure and wonderful as Patton would ever return those feelings. If he doesn't answer soon, he knows that Patton will panic and probably ask for them to forget that this had ever happened. And he doesn't want that. He wants to remember this night for the rest of his life. Before his brain can catch up to him and think it through, he leans forward and presses a kiss to Patton's cheek. It isn't anything extreme, but for the two of them, it's new and a little scary. Patton is an affectionate man, but Logan has never really known how to be affectionate, so physical contact from him is rare.

After a second, Patton forces himself to look up at his roommate, and again, he feels as if Logan is gazing at the stars. That look in his eyes raises goosebumps on Patton's skin, and he knows then that Logan feels the same way. He offers him a sweet smile and shyly tucks some of his own hair behind his ear, breathing out a nervous giggle as he shifts a little closer to him. "So, you... you feel the same?"

Logan is a very blunt man, he knows this, and tries his best to soften his tone and sound as kind as he can. "Yes, I'm in love with you."

Wait. Didn't Patton only use the word 'like'?! He feels himself panic for a split second before Patton grasps his hand gently in one of his, feeling the smooth skin of his thumb against his wrist. Patton smiles, and Logan feels flower petals shudder in his chest as a response. "I love you too, Lo. Like, a lot. More than you love Crofters. No- More than you love space and all of the stars!"

Feeling a little braver than before, Logan smiles adoringly and cups Patton's face with his hands. He leans to close that he can feel Patton's shallow breaths against his lips, and the warmth brushing against his skin sends a shiver down his spine. "You're better than any star, Patton."

Before he can register what's happening, Patton leans forward and presses a soft kiss to Logan's lips, almost as if testing the waters with where they are in their abruptly changing relationship. Logan freezes up for a second before he closes his eyes and jumps when he feels Patton's hands on his waist. If his eyes had been open, he has a feeling that world would have more colour, more light, than it ever had before.

Due to the fact that he isn't completely used to displaying affection to others, Logan's hands are shaky, and he isn't too experienced, but he hopes that Patton doesn't mind. When they separate, Logan finds that he can't open his eyes, or doesn't want to. What if everything disappears when he does? He knows that it's illogical to think such a thing, and that he has a very good grip on reality, so he would know if all of this is a dream. The only sound he can hear is the muffled music playing downstairs, and the soft panting of the incredible man in front of him.

"Logan... Can you look at me?" Don't disappear. Don't disappear. Don't disappear. Please, God, don't disappear.

He opens his eyes slowly and finds that his gaze is locked with Patton's. He is suddenly aware of the sweet taste of chocolate on his lips, and is briefly wonders whether it is from the cookies Patton baked earlier for the party, or if his eyes somehow trick Logan into believing he can taste the melted treat swimming in his stare.

Patton's voice is hushed when he speaks again. "Was that okay? I mean- That's sounds a little weird. What I meant was-"

A fond smile adorns Logan's face as he listens to Patton stammer and stumble over his words. Not wanting him to feel awkward and nervous around him, Logan kisses him again, oddly pleased (and not at all smug) at Patton's sharp intake of breath and the way he quickly clutches the front of Logan's shirt in surprise. He's suddenly a lot warmer than before, and figures that his cheeks are flushed a bright red. When he pulls away, he feels his own shallow breathing become a little heavier. Patton stares at him in awe, and Logan can't help admiring the twinkle of fascination in his eyes. His heart skips and trips over a beat at the thought that Patton was so fascination by him.

He smiles. "It was more than okay."
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"Patton, we have to get up."

Groaning tiredly, the sleeping man merely snuggled in closer to Logan's chest, tightening his grip on his torso. He hears Logan chuckle fondly and feels a hand stroke through his hair, it's relaxing, and his heart melts at the thought of being able to wake up like this whenever he wants. "But I wanna stay with you...!"

His playful complaining makes Logan smile and wrap him up in a warm embrace, rubbing his shoulder softly and letting himself reflect on the events of last night. He and Patton had forgotten about the party after making one more appearance, staying upstairs and curling up together, just talking and sharing affection until early hours of the morning, which is probably why Patton is so reluctant to get out of bed. "Patton, come on. You have work."

"I'll call in sick..."

Logan snickers again. "Patton."

A defeated sigh slips past Patton's lips as he pushes himself into an upright position. "Fine... How did you sleep, Lo?"

Stretching his arms above his head, Logan nods and mumbles something about sleeping much better than he had in a long time, making Patton smile happily. He reluctantly pushes himself out of bed and jumps in fright at the sound of Roman shrieking in frustration. The sound is soon followed by Virgil almost howling in laughter, which is an unfamiliar sound within itself.

The two of them hurry down the stairs and to the living room where they see Roman writhing on the floor whilst Virgil jumps around him, throwing his fist in the air victoriously. "Suck my dick, motherfucker!"

"That's not exactly an insult anymore, Virgil!"

Seemingly ignoring Roman's words, Virgil does a spin of triumph and grins as he notices Logan and Patton standing by the stairs. For a split second, he and Patton meet each other's gaze, and by the gleeful sparkle in his best friend's eyes, Virgil guesses that he took his advice. Logan smirks and raises an eyebrow at the spot behind him, but before Virgil can wonder why, he is suddenly grabbed from behind . Arms wrap around his waist and lift him up off the ground, he squeaks in surprise and actually squeals when Roman digs his fingers into his sides. "Oh my God, no- Stop! You know I'm ticklish!"

Roman grins and arches an eyebrow, resting his chin on Virgil's shoulder. "Is that so?"

"Fuck."

Before Roman can continue his torture, Virgil desperately wriggles out of his grip and sprints towards the stairs, since Patton has poured Logan a glass of water as they both watch from the sofa, only to be caught again. He absolutely hates himself for the hideous giggle that escapes past his lips as Roman lowers him into a dip before gently lowering them both onto the hard wooden stairs, and planting a kiss to Virgil's lips.

Patton grins widely at the sight, whilst Logan chokes on his water. When they separate, Roman expects to see a pouty Virgil complaining about how uncomfortable the stairs are to lie on, but instead of that, he receives something much, much better.

A look. That's all it takes for the Earth to stop spinning, even if it's only for a second. It's as if he's gazing into the soul of a roaring fire, wood burning and crackling softly, breaking through the chill of a particularly gloomy night. Roasted marshmallows melting and creating a swirling puddle of sugary goop that manages to collect and gather every star that fails to light up the night. In his eyes, the night is lonely, but there is a mug of hot chocolate that soothes the emptiness in which even the wind refuses to occupy. Burning his tongue, he lets out a pained hiss, and hears a chortle, such a warm and comforting laugh, sound from beside him. He looks down into his lover's eyes, and is once again taken back to that night.

"Roman?"

Abruptly, a wonderfully familiar voice echoes through his thoughts and reminds him that the world is still spinning, Virgil is still there. He sees that the eyes that hold such a beautiful night are now glowing with concern, and the pout of a confused puppy is on his lips. "What happened there? You zoned out."

All Roman can do is smile adoringly down at him. "Don't worry about it."

That night could just be his, and his alone. All he has to do is look into Virgil's eyes.
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Hi! Wow. This oneshot is over 15,000 words and wasn't even that angsty. I hope you liked the domestic fluff that took up a lot of this story!

Sorry that this wasn't a request, but I had the idea of them living together and playing video games, so I wrote this. I hope you enjoyed it!

Love y'all! Stay cute!

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