Warning: Mild talk about anxiety and panic in the beginning

Roman was trying to hide the fact that inside, he was kind of freaking out. He had one last chance to come up with a date idea to try and win Virgil back and if it didn't go well then everything was going to be completely ruined! He was not exaggerating at all! Living with his crush that denied him after giving him a second chance? He would just move back home and hide under his covers and bolt his door shut for eternity and that was not him being dramatic at all! Honestly, it was his back up plan at this point.

Virgil sat on the couch with his headphones on, ignoring the fact that Roman was pacing around the apartment. His room was still full of boxes but he seemed to need to move around and burn off the energy. Virgil could feel his hair stand on end as Roman walked by caused by the man's static charge. He tried focusing on the audiobook Logan had got for him to try to ease his anxieties but Roman certainly wasn't helping. Virgil was tempted to retreat back to his room but being locked up in there to avoid everyone usually just made him feel a bit worse before he got better.

Normally at times like this with his heightened anxiety, Virgil would simply freeze time and wait for it to pass. He had done it all his life. He hated wasting his days away hiding under blankets and in the dark, not enough energy to get out of bed but growing anxious at the idea of wasting all of his time every day. It was a never-ending cycle until one day he froze time and rode it out. It worked out well in the long run. He never wasted any more time since technically he would sit in a space where time didn't exist in a way. However, he wasn't going to do that anymore, he was too afraid to. Not after last time he had done it panicking, it nearly cost them their lives. It actually did cost the lives of a dozen or more random civilians plus their old apartment and anyone not lucky enough to escape. The hell creature Virgil accidentally released still popped up in his nightmares, the growling sound of static filling his ears made his heart pound like it was going to burst.

He dug his nails into his palm subconsciously as Roman walked by once more. He hadn't used his abilities at all when he moved back home with his father. His old man never questioned him past what he was willing to talk about and he knew he simply made him nervous. It wasn't until he came back and saw all the others looking at him with their smiling faces and knowing he was accepted for being him that he suddenly felt like it was okay. He felt safe around them and it was almost like nothing had happened. When he was told he did travel back to that afternoon, Virgil didn't waste the opportunity to jump back knowing it was going to work out. Being surrounded by his roommates just made him feel protected and calm. If they could take down that creature from who knows where and all survive, then they could handle pretty much anything.

Except for this. Definitely not this. When Roman entered the room once more, Virgil tore his headphones off of his ears and grit his teeth. "Would you just stop?" Roman froze and looked over at Virgil as if he hadn't realized he was there. "Your pacing is really starting to piss me off."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I not allowed to pace in my own home?" Roman spoke curiously but he couldn't hide the annoyance in his words.

Virgil scoffed at Roman and he felt his nails dig in a bit deeper into his hands. "Am I not allowed to relax? You could do that somewhere else, I was here first. Leave."

"What is your problem?" Roman placed his hands on his hips. "Seriously, I didn't even do anything to you!"

Patton's door flew open suddenly as he stood there, staring the two down. He had a button up shirt that was halfway undone and his hair was a complete mess. "I'm trying to get ready for my date with Logan and not stick my nose into your business but is the fighting necessary?" He crossed his arms and looked over at Roman. "There is no need to raise your voices!" He turned to speak to Virgil but froze. "Oh. Oh gosh, I'm so stupid." He moved around the couch and sat down next to Virgil carefully. "Do you need a hug?"

Virgil eyed Patton for a moment before he nodded. Patton pulled him into his arms as Virgil's head rested on Patton's shoulder. "Thanks," Virgil mumbled as he wrapped his arms around himself.

"What?" Roman was bewildered by what was going on. "You're going to yell at me and then just give him a hug?"

"What is going on here?" Logan walked in as he knotted a tie around his neck. He stopped as he saw Patton's arms wrapped around Virgil. "Oh. Well." Logan looked up at Patton who simply nodded his head. "Ahh, I see." Logan took a step closer and stood next to Roman. "How are you feeling, Virgil?"

His answer was a simple shrug as he slowly pulled away from Patton. "Okay." Roman huffed as he held out his hands and turned to Logan. "What is going on here?"

Logan adjusted his tie as he looked over at Virgil who gave a small nod. "Well, it seems Virgil is currently going through heightened levels of anxiety."

"I was so wrapped up in getting ready for our date I didn't even notice until I came out here. It kind of all hit me at once." Patton rubbed Virgil's back comfortingly. "I'm so sorry, kiddo."

"Not your job, Pat," Virgil mumbled as he tugged on his sleeves, hiding his hands as his nails dug in every few seconds.

"Really?" Roman suddenly seemed guilty as he looked down at the man. "He was just sitting there quietly until he yelled at me out of nowhere. I didn't even notice."

Logan hummed and turned to face Virgil. He looked around at the couch before spotting Virgil's discarded phone and nodded. "Ah. I see. Virgil, were you listening to anything before?" He nodded and reached over to hold up his phone. Logan leaned in and smirked at what the screen displayed. "Ahh, the audiobook I got for you to try and distract you. Then, what was it, Roman? He shouted at you?"

Roman rubbed the back of his neck and turned away. "He said my pacing was annoying him."

"Irritability is another typical sign of heightened anxiety." Logan nodded and turned back to the couch. "Now he's rather quiet and reserved, which could be another sign of his anxiety. Media likes to show the signs as loud but often times it leads to one growing silent and hiding away."

"How... did I not notice?" Roman mumbled as he smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. "It all seems so obvious now. I knew you got like this but... Virgil, I'm sorry." Roman kneeled down at the couch and reached his hands out, taking Virgil's in his own. "I shouldn't have shouted back. I promised you I would try and understand and all I did was grow angry." He rubbed Virgil's hands before looked down confused. He turned his palms over and Virgil ducked his head down, looking away. "Virgil, what..."

"Sorry." He tugged his hands away and looked down at them himself. There were four imprints left behind by his nails on both of his palms. "It... helps ground me."

"That does not sound safe." Roman reached out and grabbed his hands once more as he inspected them a bit closer. "I don't care if we're screaming at one another. Please, grab my hands and squeeze them if it helps. I'd much rather prefer that than you harming yourself even in small ways."

Virgil looked up at Roman as the other smiled at him. He scoffed once more and turned away, ignoring the warmth growing on his face. "I mean, I guess." Logan reached over and tapped Patton on the shoulder. The two glanced at each other before quickly retreating from the room and giving the other two roommates space. Virgil waited until he was absolutely sure they were out of the room before he turned to Roman. "I'm going to trust you, okay? Just... don't make a big deal out of it." Roman's smile was wider than he had ever seen as the man gave his hands a comforting squeeze. "I mean... you did save my life and everything once so I guess..."

Roman looked as Virgil tried hiding behind his hair and failing. Virgil suddenly tucked his hands away and shoved them in his pockets. "I guess I did, huh?" Roman got up and turned, sitting on the couch next to him. "Well, let me do what I should have in the first place." He reached down and picked up Virgil's headphones, holding them out for him.

As Virgil slowly reached over and reclaimed his headphones, he looked up at Roman curiously. "Why were you even pacing in the first place?" He replaced them around his neck as Roman looked away a bit shy. "Well?"

"I, uh... was trying to plan that date and got a bit anxious myself I guess." Roman glanced back over and Virgil chuckled, placing his headphones on his ears. Suddenly, Virgil turned a few shades redder and looked away, leaning into Roman as he stared down and fiddled with his phone. Roman softly chuckled and leaned back into the couch, resting his head and shutting his eyes. Roman heard the faint sounds of the audiobook come from Virgil's headphones and smirked. "What was I ever nervous about?"

Logan had fixed Patton's hair as he re-buttoned his shirt and ignoring their red faces before deciding if it was time to sneak out the front door. Both their roommates seemed to have... happily resolved one of the first bumps in the road as they carefully walked through the room. Roman looked over and gave them a thumbs up, silently wishing them to have fun on their day out.

Patton stopped and looked over at Roman from the front door. "There's a frozen pizza in the freezer for lunch if you two get hungry." Roman nodded and waved them off before Patton turned around and walked out.

Patton waited until the front door shut and they were off the porch before grabbing Logan's arm and squealing for joy. "Oh, my gosh did you seem them on the couch? They're so cute!"

Logan watched Patton bounce around and talk about how happy he was for their roommates with a smirk on his face. He led Patton down a block to the nearest bus stop not far from the new apartment. They were a bit early in their eagerness but Patton kept talking as Logan was silent as he listened.

When the bus pulled up and they paid and took their seats, it was only then that Patton leaned over and started whispering. "Hey. Where are we going?"

Instead of answering, Logan pulled out his phone and tapped away. He didn't hide the fact that he quickly texted someone 'on the bus, be there shortly' before stashing it away. Patton blinked and wished he had caught the name at the top but Logan texted faster than he thought. Logan looked over knowing Patton had gotten caught but kept silent. Logan's phone vibrated and his screen lit up. An emoji of a thumbs up was all that was shown before he smiled and pocketed it once more. "I hope you don't mind I already have your lunch picked out and made for us when we get there."

Patton smiled and shook his head, instead choosing to watch the city pass them by. Logan eventually tugged on the rope for them to get off at the next stop and Patton perked up, looking around as the bus eventually slowed and pulled over.

Patton got up and exited the bus with Logan close behind. He turned and saw the other smile before walking down the street. "Oh, so now are you going to tell me?"

"Not yet." Patton frowned and looked down the street. "It's a short walk from here, I hope you don't mind."

"No, that's fine! It's such a nice day today." Patton perked up and walked up to a building they were passing. "Look, it's a little video store! That's so cool. Oh, and that one sells homemade soaps!" Patton perked up and watched every random business that popped up and made a comment about it as Logan simply kept silent. "There are so many cute businesses around here I never knew about." Patton smiled and ran up to the next one. "Oh, it's a bakery! Oh, they're closed. Aww." Patton smiled and turned back. "Maybe next time we can come when they're open and get some cookies!"

Logan laughed to himself as he reached into his pocket and took out his keys. Patton stopped and tilted his head as he tried figuring out what Logan was up to. Logan had a lot more keys than Patton did and they were all attached to a single keychain at the end. Patton had no idea where 221B Baker Street was or why Logan had a keychain that said it, but he wasn't going to question it. Patton had more keychains than keys! All with cats or cat puns on them.

Logan held out a small golden key and turned to the bakery they were walking by. "Logan?" Patton asked but received no answer. He watched Logan walk up to the door and unlock it successfully before walking up behind him. "Wait, we're going here? How did you get us into a bakery?"

Logan opened the door and turned before stepping inside. "You said you wished to know how to bake, did you not?"

Patton blinked before he lit up, his hands covering the excited gasp that escaped him. "Oh, my goodness in an actual bakery? How did you manage that?!"

Logan smiled and walked inside, holding the door open for Patton. Once they were both inside safely, he turned and locked the door safely behind them. Patton blinked as he gazed into the building, enjoying the smell of the bakery as he walked around. It held such character and love like it had been here for a while and he suddenly wished it were open to experience it actually alive and with people.

"I happen to know the owners. After explaining my intent, they were happy to lend it to me for the day since they do not operate business hours on Sundays." Logan walked by and stopped at a table. Patton suddenly noticed it held two plates full of food and had a flower vase in the middle of it. "They also set up a quick lunch for us before we began."

"Oh wow! I wanna meet them to thank them! That's so nice!" Patton walked to the table and Logan held out a chair for him. He giggled as he sat down and watched Logan walk to his own chair. "How did you meet them?"

"Oh, well, actually." Logan cleared his throat as he poured the sparkling cider into their glasses. "I worked here when I was younger. In fact, I just recently picked up my employment here once more."

"You work here? In a bakery?!" Patton lit up at the news. "That's so cool! I bet you're amazing at it!"

"I am satisfactory at it, I suppose. Everything is exact measurements up until the decorating parts. It's quite interesting how it all works."

"Wait." Patton looked down at the food with a frown. "I thought you worked at the bookstore? Also, you do that stuff from home too. Three jobs, Logan?"

"Mm, I see your concern. However, I did not terminate my job at the bookstore. I did, however, end my independent contract with the company I worked from home with. So this is my second job, I am part-time at both establishments. This does, however, mean my time at home will be a bit more limited."

"You'll smell like cookies all the time!" Patton's smile fell a bit as he looked across the table. "If you needed the money, I could have gotten you a job at the library!" Patton smiled softly before poking away at his food. "It doesn't hurt to ask for help sometimes."

Logan capped the cider bottle and placed it to the side, grabbing his glass. "While it is appreciated, Patton, it was not necessary." He smiled and held up his glass. "They simply offered me the help and I made the decision on my own. Now, let's eat before it gets cold so we can get to the baking."

Patton smiled and picked up his own glass, clinking it against Logan's. "You're only making me eat so I don't eat all the desserts!"

"You know me so well."

They enjoyed their quick lunch and small talk before Patton grew restless in his chair. He got up and started walking around the room as Logan gathered up their plates and cleaned the mess.

He stopped at a wall that had pictures and doodles posted at the side along with a shelf of trinkets. "Hey, Logan. Are they a fan of Wizard of Oz?"

"Not necessarily. Auntie Em is just what she went by for years so customers started buying her trinkets. Though the nickname and the movie are unrelated." Logan walked over to Patton and smiled at some of the trinkets. "All of those were brought to her by various customers. I don't think she bought a single one."

"Even you call her Auntie Em, hmm?" Patton watched as Logan smirked and turned away.

"Come, now that we've eaten it's time to wash up and get to work."

Patton smiled and walked over, joining Logan behind the counter. Logan pushed open the door leading to the back and walked in, turning on the lights.

Patton was surprised that the back room seemed a lot bigger than he had expected. There was a lot of counter space to work on and he could spot a few mixers and ovens to the sides of the room. He watched Logan walk to the back where a sink awaited them. Logan washed his hands as Patton walked over before taking an apron off of a hook and putting it on, knotting it quickly. "I will get things prepared while you wash up."

"Wait!" Logan stopped and stood as Patton pulled out his phone. He held it up and snapped a photo while he started to smile. "There we go!"

"Patton, was taking a photo of me necessary?"

Patton pocked his phone and smiled. "Aww, but your apron has your name on it!" Patton pointed to the cursive 'Logan' that was stitched at the top.

Logan rolled his eyes and walked into the storage room, leaving Patton to himself. He started washing his hands and put on a spare unlabeled apron and looked around as he tied it on. He looked over and saw a couple photos and walked over to get a closer look. Most were photos of an older couple with graying hair smiling in front of and around the bakery. They seemed happy and smiling in every single one. There were a few that had other people Patton didn't recognize, but there were two that held Logan. One had Logan being hugged by the older woman, Auntie Em if Patton had to guess. The other was just Logan focused on what he was doing as the photo was snapped, flour on his apron and arms. Both seemed a bit like older photos as Logan seemed younger in each. Patton smiled before hearing Logan walk back into the room pushing a small cart full of supplies.

"Okay, where do we start?" Patton walked over and looked at the tray full of ingredients.

"Well, I figured we should start easy and come back another day for anything more complicated if you wanted." Logan kept his cool so Patton chose to pretend he didn't notice the blush on Logan's face as he spoke. "Would the basic chocolate chip cookies be a good start?"

"Oh, yes! I would love that, can we?!"

Patton watched as Logan just shifted into a whole different mindset, showing Patton various things and going over what they were doing and why. Patton watched and listened completely interested until Logan spun around to grab something. Logan pushed his glasses up as he smiled softly and spoke with a light in his eyes as he spread out all the ingredients on the table in order that they would be used. Patton knew he was speaking, he could see Logan speaking and he could hear him talking, but he couldn't retain the words anymore as he just listened to Logan's voice.

Logan looked up and smiled at Patton. "Any questions so far?" Patton smiled and shook his head. "Alright then. We can get started." Logan turned and heard Patton gasp loudly. Looking over his shoulder, Patton smiled and pointed across the room. Following it, he saw Patton pointing at a large industrial sized mixer. "Ah, yes. That is-"

"The largest mixer I've ever seen!" Patton walked over and looked at it a bit closer. "That could make like, a million cookies!"

Patton walked up and inspected the mixer but kept his hands to his sides. Logan smiled as he watched Patton before clearing his throat. "A bit less than a million, I'm afraid. We only use that one for special orders that require a bit more than we normally can handle." Logan turned back to the table in front of them and gathered the measuring utensils. "Now, back to business. Normally I'd have you follow a recipe but I have this one memorized. It's Auntie Em's special recipe so I'll just measure everything out first."

Logan rolled up his sleeves before diving straight into the measurements. Patton looked over at the photos he saw earlier. "Is Auntie Em the woman in those photos?"

"What?" Logan looked over and followed Patton's gaze. "Oh, yes. That would be her." Logan turned back to the table and kept going at a slightly slower pace. "Everyone calls her that but her real name is Emilia."

"Oh, so she's not your real aunt then?" Logan froze and looked up at Patton before quickly glancing away. "She seems super sweet for letting us come in to bake! I can't wait to meet her."

"Yes." Logan stopped and looked over at Patton. "I guess I have special family privileges to the bakery." Patton spun around and watched as Logan started to work once more. "I am her only nephew after all. That is where the name Auntie Em comes from." Logan stopped moving around when a hand reached out and held his arm firmly. "It's fine, Patton."

Patton tugged and turned Logan towards him. "You don't owe me any kind of explanation, Logan. I know talking about these things is hard for you."

Logan leaned down onto the table to hold himself up. "I want to. Just a little bit." He turned to Patton and smiled. "You will meet them eventually."

Patton nodded and whispered softly. "Okay."

Logan stood up and pushed off of the table. He stared down at Patton and smirked to himself before turning away. Patton felt his heart skip a beat and his face redden as he felt a wave of admiration rolled off of Logan. "Well, I've gotten everything sorted. How about we talk about turning this into actual cookies, hmm?" Logan moved around the room and across the table. "I won't preheat the oven just yet, cookie dough needs to chill a bit before being baked so we will get them prepared first. It's actually quite interesting, you see the heat from our bodies as we... Patton? Are you paying attention?" Patton jumped and nodded his head as he smiled. Logan paused for a moment before looking back at the table. "Well, letting that slide, for now, the first step is to get things in order. Can you grab that bowl of sugar I measured out?"

"Absolutely!"
---

Virgil fiddled with his phone in his hands as he debated with himself mentally. He wanted to turn off his audiobook and talk to Roman but about what? Would that be weird to suddenly start talking about something random? He wasn't even listening to the noise anymore and was missing out on his book. Would it be weird to suddenly rewind it?

Virgil felt a tap on his shoulder and Roman looked over at him. He paused the audiobook and took off his headphones. "Yeah?"

Roman rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "You seemed upset by something and I just wanted to make sure you were okay?"

"Uh, yeah." Virgil looked down at his phone and checked the time. "Hey, maybe we should get something to eat?"

"You're hungry? Patton told us we could eat that pizza before they ducked out." Roman slowly pulled himself away from Virgil and off the couch, headed to the kitchen. "I'll go get it ready for us!" Roman suddenly went from being quiet and gentle back to his normal loud self as he walked away.

"Sounds good. He'd be more upset if we didn't eat it somehow, knowing him." Virgil tucked his phone away and pushed himself off of the couch. "You have any idea where they went for this date?"

Roman was standing next to the counter and looking down at the box. "No idea, Logan wouldn't let anything slip." He looked over at Virgil before looking back down at the oven to preheat it. "You feeling better?" Roman's tone dropped an octave as he spoke.

"Yeah, sort of." Virgil shuffled his feet before eying the fridge. "Just a bad mood, it's mostly passed by now, thanks. I'm always anxious, though." He took a glance at Roman who seemed to smile but not look away from the box. "How about I set up something for us to watch movies? The living room is pretty much unpacked anyway."

Roman smiled and turned to look at Virgil. "Well, that sounds splendid!"

"Good, I have just the movie in mind." Before Roman could react, Virgil had turned to go to his room as Roman leaned against the counter. He heard movement as he got out a tray for the pizza and sorted it all out.

Roman turned to the other room and shouted as he opened a cupboard. "Did you want a drink?"

"Whatever is fine." Roman rolled his eyes and grabbed two glasses, filling them with whatever was in their bare fridge. He walked into the living room and found Virgil pressing buttons on the remote. He put the glasses down and looked over to the tv to spot the menu screen to their movie. "Lilo and Stitch?"

"Yeah, what of it?" Virgil bit back defensively. "It's Disney so you shouldn't have a problem."

"Well of course not!" Roman sat on the couch and eyed Virgil curiously. "I'm more surprised you picked it."

Virgil turned his head away and grew silent. He pressed play on the remote and dropped it on the couch, sitting a foot away from Roman. "It's..." Virgil kept his eyes on the floor as Roman turned to him, ignoring the opening to the movie as the music played. "It's about a dangerous monster coming to terms with what he is and that it's not really a bad thing. That he can do some good." Virgil glanced up at the screen with a frown on his face. "It's about how being different doesn't mean you're bad. There is someone out there that understands." Virgil rubbed his arms as he held himself close. "It was kinda my favorite movie growing up."

Roman grew silent and watched Virgil instead of the opening scene, which was one of his favorite parts. "I understand." He muttered as he turned away. He heard a beep coming from the kitchen and stood up. "Looks like the oven is preheated, I'll get that pizza cooking." He smiled down at Virgil who kept his gaze on anything but Roman. "Don't bother pausing it, I'll be a moment."

It was only a minute or so later that Roman walked back into the living room. He found Virgil sitting just a bit closer to the center of the couch then before, tugging on his sleeves and biting his lip as he watched the movie. Roman sat down in his spot once more and leaned back as he got comfortable. After a minute, Virgil shuffled over next to him and leaned back, leaving barely any space in between them. Without saying a word, Roman raised his arm and pulled him close, Virgil not fighting it and leaning into Roman as he rested his head on the other.

After another moment, Virgil shuffled and pulled his feet onto the couch, getting comfortable and leaning into Roman more as they cuddled. They stayed silent for a few minutes as the movie kept playing. "You speak of this to no one," Virgil muttered.

"Of course." Roman rubbed Virgil's arm reassuringly.

"I'm serious, I have a reputation to protect." Virgil looked up and glared over at Roman. "You mention this at all or take a photo and I'm spreading that wonderful picture of you with a fork attached to your face to everyone you know."

Roman placed a hand on his chest and grasped his shirt as he looked down at Virgil. "You think I would do something so cruel?"

The oven beeped once more, signaling their lunch was ready. Virgil leaned back and pushed Roman as hard as he could off of the couch. Caught by surprise, Roman flailed a bit as he caught himself before he fell over. "Shut up and get that before we burn this place down too."

Roman dusted himself off and turned away. "How uncouth of you." He smiled to himself as he heard Virgil pause the movie this time, waiting for him to return.

---

Logan reached in and pulled out the two trays of cookies from the oven, placing them on the counter next to the cooling racks. Patton leaned over and smiled as he pointed to the tray of the ones he had made. "Look, it actually looks like a little heart like I hoped it would!"

"Indeed it does." Logan smiled as he looked down at their work. "We shall let them sit for a few minutes before moving them over to the cooling racks."

"Aww, I can't wait! They smell wonderful!" Patton took a whiff and smiled. "Oh, are you sure I can't eat one now?"

Logan shook his head and playfully smacked Patton's hand as it advanced on the cookies. "You had more than enough cookie dough that didn't make it in. Also, they just emerged from an incredibly hot oven and need a moment before consumption."

Patton frowned and let out a small whine before looking over at Logan's tray. "Yours came out so perfect!"

"Yes, well, I have made more than my fair share over the years." Logan looked down at his tray of perfectly uniform and sized cookies spaced perfectly apart. "I started helping out when I was sixteen unofficially."

Patton caught himself before he asked something he might regret. "That's a lot of cookies you've baked over the years then!"

Logan smiled and turned away to clean up their mess. "A bakery makes more than just cookies, Patton. I've made many things over the years I worked here."

Following along, Patton helped clean up some of the mess as Logan placed things back on the cart to bring back to the storage room. "Then I guess I'm just gonna have to stop by and try some of these things, huh?"

"That is not necessary, Patton."

"Of course it is! I have to support my boy-" Patton froze and looked over at Logan who had stopped moving. "-mate! Boy roommate." Patton tried to laugh the awkward situation away but could tell immediately it wasn't working. He cleared his throat and looked back down at the table they had stored ingredients on. "Sorry."

Logan turned and watched Patton closely. "What was that sentence?" He whispered quietly. Patton looked up at Logan but the man's facial expression was firm and other than a flush of red, he showed no signs of how he was feeling. Patton couldn't even really feel anything coming from him either. "Patton, what did you mean to say?" Patton turned away and shook his head. "I can check if you don't want to say it."

Immediately Patton jumped and turned, watching Logan's eyes light up faintly, silently asking for permission. "No, you don't have to. I, uh." Patton licked his lips as his mouth ran dry. "I was going to say, boyfriend?" He gave an unsure smile. "Because this was a date, right? We've been talking and we've been on a couple of dates already and I sort of just thought that maybe..."

Patton felt at a loss of words when he saw Logan's face grow more and more red. "You want, but, yes!" Logan jumped up and smirked a bit. "Yes, we can be official. Is that the terminology? I'm not quite sure that's the correct word to use. Would there be a better one?" Logan stopped and turned away, running a hand through his hair. "Oh goodness, what was word people use nowadays? Bae? Would that be more suitable?"

Patton reached over and grabbed Logan's face, cupping his cheeks and catching him off guard. "Will you be my bae-friend?"

Logan opened his mouth before immediately biting his tongue and looking unamused. "That was a pun, wasn't it?"

"Maaaaaybe."

"You are quite lucky I find you appealing to be around. I will let that one slide." Patton smiled and slipped his hands away, trailing them down Logan's apron. He stopped and felt the embroidered stitching of Logan's name as he ran a thumb over it. "Patton-"

Patton could feel Logan's heart race even through the apron and looked up at him. "Yes?"

"You..." Logan blinked and seemed a bit dazed. "You have flour on your glasses."

Patton couldn't help the laughter that emerged from him, leaning forward and holding onto Logan as his shoulders shook. "Oh goodness, you sure know how to make a moment memorable!" Patton smiled brightly up at Logan as he raised his head. "I'd love to be your boyfriend." He leaned in a bit and Logan stiffened under his hands. "Only if you let me have a cookie."

Patton backed off and walked over to the trays still sitting in waiting as he giggled. Logan felt his entire face turn red and took a moment to even out his breathing. "You are impossible." He muttered as he tried to hold down a smile but failed miserably.

---

Roman had promised to keep quiet but he couldn't help but watch as Virgil broke down a bit at the movie. He had tried to hide it but it started with the Ugly Duckling scene and never quite stopped. Roman was surprised that out of every movie on the planet, Lilo and Stitch was Virgil's ultimate weakness that could make him tear up each time.

The credits rolled and Virgil didn't waste a moment before wiping away his tears and pretending as if it had never gotten to him in the first place. He slowly pulled away from Roman and sat up, keeping his face hidden. Roman smiled despite the immediate lack of heat he had enjoyed throughout the movie. "You alright there, Virge?"

"I'm fine." Virgil wiped his eyes once more and turned to look at Roman. His eyes were shot and his nose was a little red but otherwise, he had looked alright. "Thanks, Princey. This was a pretty nice date."

Roman's smile dropped into a frown and turned into pure confusion. "I don't understand, this wasn't a date?"

"Oh?" Virgil stood up and reached out toward his glass before finishing it off. He sighed in relief as he placed it back on the table. "A meal and a quiet movie in where we cuddled up on the couch and just enjoyed being together? Sounds like a date to me."

Roman shot up from his seat and looked down at Virgil in a panic. "No, wait, I had something planned! It was going to be a quiet night out just the two of us and-"

"Woah, hey, calm down!" Virgil stood and grabbed his dishes from the table. "What's wrong with what we just did? I know you're more over the top but a quiet night like this is much more my style." Virgil grabbed Roman's plate and walked into the kitchen carrying the dirty dishes.

Roman trailed in after him and watched as Virgil cleaned up their mess. Roman hated doing the dishes, everyone knew water and electricity don't mix. "So that was... okay then?" He walked over to Virgil but kept his distance. "Was it a good date? Did I do good?"

Virgil frowned and looked away. "I dunno, I'm gonna have to think about it."

"Virgil please, you're killing me here!" Virgil snorted out a soft chuckle and shook his head. "I'm serious!"

He shut off the water and dried his hands, looking up at Roman. Virgil could feel the anxious energy coming off of Roman as the hair on his neck started to stand on end from the electricity Roman was emitting. "Calm down. It was perfect, don't worry your pretty little head over it."

Roman stood there for a moment before the anxious energy immediately dispersed. "Oh, so I'm pretty am I?"

"Well, I do have standards," Virgil muttered. "Though they're pretty low."

Roman was too busy smiling to care about the backhanded compliment. "Aww, you do like me!"

"Psh, yeah, whatever." Virgil turned to walk out of the room but suddenly stopped. He turned and looked at Roman over his shoulder. "I guess then... I owe you a date?"

"Oh, I can't wait to see what you plan for me." Roman walked over and threw an arm around Virgil's shoulders. "I bet you'll take me out at night for some late night vampire cafe or something, hm?"

Virgil ducked his head away to hide the blush that covered his pale complexion. "I uh, kind of already have it all planned out?"

Roman was surprised by the news as he leaned down a bit closer. "Oh? So eager you already have it all figured out, huh? Well, I certainly hope I can fit such a night into my schedule."

Virgil scoffed at the notion. "Time is an illusion created by humans to make life not seem as mundane. I don't follow your rules, I make my own." He smiled up at Roman with a knowing look. "I can time travel, dummy. Doesn't matter when really, we can go right now if we wanted."

Roman looked surprised before nodding his head. "Alright then."

"Alright, what?"

"Let's go right now." Roman smiled and pulled away as he headed to his room. "I'll go get properly prepared!" He spun around and looked at Virgil who stood frozen in place. "How shall I dress?"

Virgil snapped out of it and looked over at the other. "It'll be about twenty-one degrees Celsius so you don't need to bundle up."

Roman raised a brow at the comment but ducked into his room to prepare either way. Virgil placed a hand on his chest and took a deep breath as he silently started to panic once more. "I'll be ready in a few minutes then!" Roman called from his room. Virgil nodded and walked away to give himself some space.

Virgil bit his lower lip as his mind raced, going through all his mental preparation once more to make sure he was ready for this. He felt his nails dig into his palms once more before pulling them away. He silently promised Roman earlier he wouldn't do that anymore. Running into his room, Virgil dug around and pulled out his old doodling notebook as he flipped through it. Hidden within the pages was a folded piece of paper he scribbled on numerous times. He read it over a million times before the knock on his door caused him to jump.

Roman stood, looking concerned as he watched Virgil calm down. "Hey, you alright? We don't have to do this."

Virgil shook his head and stood up from his chair. "No, I'm good." He smirked as he turned and walked over to Roman. "Don't tell me you're backing out? Afraid I'm going to out-romance you?"

Roman couldn't hold back the laughter that emanated from him as he threw his head back. "Oh, good one! Please, out-romance me? Impossible!"

"Alright then." Virgil took a moment to gather himself as he shut his eyes. He stumbled forward and looked down at his desk that held his note before nodding to himself. He turned and faced the wobbly portal that stood where he broke free. He looked through it in the air and saw Roman standing there completely at ease, although it looked like the image of a funhouse mirror. "You completely trust me. Huh." Virgil smiled a bit and shook his head. It was comforting to know that even when he didn't quite trust himself that he had the others watching out for him.

A feeling of panic started to rise within him as he leaned forward and peered through his portal. Pulling his head back, he smiled and looked over at Roman once more. He wore a long sleeve shirt and a light jacket with a red scarf around his neck. Virgil walked over and took the scarf off before tying it around Roman's eyes, blindfolding him temporarily. He reached down and tugged, catching Roman as he stumbled forward and stopping him from reaching up and pulling off the scarf. "What's this?"

"Well, what's a surprise if you can see it?" Virgil looked back as he pulled Roman closer to the portal. "I don't want to be there too long but I have a feeling we won't need to be."

"Confident are you?" Roman smiled as Virgil took a step back through the portal. "What are you planning?"

"Just take a few steps forward, the portal is right here." With that, Virgil stepped through, taking Roman's hand with him. Roman took a few steps carefully forward until a burst of chilly air hit him. Virgil gripped his hand tighter as Roman was led a few more steps blind. Suddenly he stopped and Virgil's hands were on Roman's back, positioning him a certain way. "Give me a sec." He muttered mostly to himself.

Roman listened to the ambient noise around him and frowned. It seemed like it was a busy area with lots of people but he couldn't quite make out what anyone was saying. It was almost as if they were speaking a different-

"And now!" Roman felt his scarf get tugged down back around his neck as he blinked and took in the nighttime air. Roman gasped and froze, the breathtaking scene in front of him shocking him to his core. "Well?"

Roman's jaw dropped as he took in the lights of the city in front of him. He looked over into the distance at the tall triangular tower lit up in front of him. Roman took in a slow breath and blinked before shaking his head at the scene. "It's the Eiffel Tower." He muttered softly before looking down at Virgil. "You took me to Paris?" His words felt heavy despite how soft he whispered them out.

Virgil shuffled anxiously on his feet and shrugged. "I dunno it just seemed like the type of place you would want to take someone," Virgil smirked over at the skyline view they had. "All romantical and whatever." He slowly pulled a hand out from behind his back, a gesture Roman hadn't taken notice of before and held out a single red rose. Roman reached forward and took it in a bit of a daze.

"Yeah," Roman muttered as he pulled the rose a bit closer. His heart racing as he stared at the twinkling lights. "I'd definitely would want to take someone here."

"Well, of course." Virgil looked down at his feet as Roman had to force his eyes off of the tower in the distance. "It's the type of place you would take someone to, I dunno, make some official statement or something."

Roman's eyes lit up as he smiled brightly. "Are you going to? Make some sort of official statement or something?"

Virgil turned away and shook his head. "No way, not my thing." He glanced over at Roman. "However, if you have something you wanna officially announce, I mean..." Virgil waved a hand over at the view. "It is Paris. It's the perfect setting for you, Princey. Overly romantic, you have a rose, everything is just right. Would... you happen to have something you wanted to ask?" Virgil kept his eyes anywhere except Roman as he spoke.

Roman's face finally lit up with the realization of what Virgil was trying to do. "You took me here... so I could...?" Virgil bit his lip and nodded, reaching his hand out and grabbing Roman's tightly. Roman smiled and his face became completely red as he turned and grabbed Virgil's other hand while being careful of the rose. He looked down at the hunched over man hiding behind his bangs as he leaned in a bit closer. "Well, when in Paris, am I right?"

Virgil looked up and Roman could finally see just how red Virgil was. His eyes were still a bit red and puffy from the tears from the movie but his eyes shined with the lights from the city as he looked up skittishly as if he wasn't sure what was about to happen.

Roman closed his eyes as he tried to remember this moment as best he could. "I admit defeat. You have officially outdone me in the romance department, not an easy feat." He opened his eyes slowly as Virgil gripped onto his hands. "Virgil, would you like to officially be mine?"

Virgil slowly opened his mouth to answer before sticking his tongue out at Roman. "Sorry, I belong to no one." Roman paled and was taken back by shock before Virgil smirked. "However, if the position of the boyfriend is available, I think I wouldn't mind..." Virgil's sudden confidence faded away as he stared off into the city.

Roman reached down and picked Virgil up by circling his arms around the other's waist, dropping the rose in the process. He spun Virgil around a few times before placing him back down on the rooftop as laughter erupted from his chest. "Yes! Yes absolutely!" Roman smiled down at the other and pulled him close as he stared out into the city. He didn't care how loud his heart was beating or who could hear it.