Prompt. AU (this ended up a lot longer than I expected lol)

Almost everyone had at least one tally mark. Clearly not every person in the world, as there were those who hadn't yet fallen in love, or those who were scared to fall in love, or those who simply didn't experience romantic love.

Every one who had fallen in love had one, though. The tally marks first appear as red, which typically means that the love is unrequited. Those are the tallies no one wants to appear on their wrists. If the feelings are returned, however, then the tally mark is black. Those were the marks almost everyone hoped to see one day.

Some people had no tallies, or very few of them. This was common for younger kids and teenagers, but it wasn't impossible to see adults with none. Some people had a few tallies on their arms, common for older teens or adults. Some people fell in love too easily, and had no room left on their arms.

Virgil was one of the kids with no tally marks on his arms. It didn't effect his life, and he tried not to think about it too much. When he couldn't help but think about it though, he thought about how terrifying it would be to be in love with someone. Especially someone who didn't love you back.

He wouldn't say it was the thing he feared most, but getting a red mark was definitely high up on his list. Or getting a mark at all. Love was painful, and a lot of the time it only ended in heartbreak. He didn't know if he wanted to experience the good parts of it if it meant it would lead to the bad.

Virgil sighed, shaking away his thoughts and tugging on his jacket. He didn't have time to sit and think about things like this, he was going to be late for school and he didn't feel like getting in trouble that day. He made his way out of the house, still finding his thoughts drifting back to the same place.

****

Another day at school, exactly the same as it always was. Boring as hell.

Virgil kept his gaze on the floor beneath him as he made his way to his next class, wanting to get there as soon as possible. By the time he saw another pair of shoes enter his line of sight it was too late to stop, and he collided with another student. The two of them were sent tumbling backwards onto the ground, papers flying.

"Shit," Virgil hissed, jumping up and gathering up his papers, not looking at the other student. "Listen, I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going, I'm in a hurry and-"

He paused, seeing a hand offering him the rest of the papers he had yet to pick up. He followed the hand up to an arm covered in tally marks, all red ones, then up to the face of the other student, breath catching in his throat. The boy holding out his papers wore a kind grin, his brown eyes shining. "It's alright, no worries! I wasn't looking where I was going anyways, really I should be the one apologizing."

"I... uh, should've been paying attention too..." Virgil mumbled, taking the papers from him and rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. The boy smirked, making Virgil's heart flutter.

"You said you were in a hurry, yes? Better get going." He warned, and Virgil seemed to only then remember where he was. He nodded, holding onto his papers tighter and heading off after apologizing once more, feeling bad for leaving him to pick up his own papers after he had helped Virgil gather his.

The second he made it to class Virgil sank into his chair, sighing and putting his head in his hands. He felt so stupid, getting so embarrassed just because the guy was cute. He dwelled on it for a while before deciding it was probably better to make sure he had gotten all of the papers he needed, going through each of them.

He paused when he came across something that definitely wasn't his handwriting. His was messy and almost completely unintelligible, but this was neat and elegant. He frowned, realizing that it must have been the boy's writing, and that he had lost it. Then that frown faded as he realized that this was the perfect opportunity to find the handsome student again. An excuse to talk to him.

He glanced at the top of the page, finding his name written in large fancy looking letters. Roman, Virgil smiled to himself. His name was Roman. At lunch time, Virgil would find Roman and return his paper to him.

****

As lunchtime drew nearer and nearer Virgil began to rethink his plan. What if he said something stupid? What if he returned it to the wrong person? What if he somehow lost the paper before going to see him, and Roman thought that he had stolen it or something?

He took a deep breath, glancing at the clock on the wall for the hundredth time. It was almost the end of class, and he would have to go and return Roman's paper. (This is already really long and I'm not even halfway done I want to sleep but I have to finish gahh)

He didn't pay much attention for the last few minutes, not that he had given much attention to it before then either, on one hand ready for class to be over with but on the other dreading having to leave. When class was finally dismissed and students began filing out of the classroom Virgil was the last one to exit. He took his time grabbing his things, drawing in more deep breaths to keep himself from panicking. It wasn't until the teacher shot him a glare, signaling that she wanted him to hurry up, that Virgil actually scurried out of the classroom, heart pounding as he made his way to lunch.

It didn't take him long to spot the boy from that morning, breath hitching once again as he saw him. He began to hesitantly make his way towards him, spotting two of his friends also sitting at the table with him. This did nothing to calm him nerves, but he did his best to ignore it and press on.

He finally made it over to his table, standing behind Roman and nervously biting his lip. His two friends had taken notice of his presence, not saying anything as he tapped Roman on the shoulder. Roman turned around, a confused frown on his lips that soon turned into a delighted smile at seeing Virgil. Virgil felt his cheeks warming up, and he awkwardly handed over Roman's paper.

"You uh, handed me this earlier, on accident... Didn't know if it was important or not, but I thought I should get it back to you." He muttered, Roman taking the paper from him and looking down at it.

"Oh, thank you! I actually needed this for my next class, so I'm glad you got it to me now." Roman turned his smile back to Virgil, who couldn't help but smile back.

"No problem," He shrugged nonchalantly, feeling a little less nervous. He was about to say bye and head off to his own table by himself when Roman spoke up again.

"Hey, are you planning on sitting with one of your friends? If not, you're welcome to join us here." Roman offered, looking to his other friends. One of them nodded enthusiastically, grinning brightly, the other only giving a short nod.

"Uh..." Virgil looked between them all, heat once more rising to his cheeks. "You sure? I don't wanna bother you."

"Of course we're sure!" Roman grinned.

"You wouldn't be bothering us at all." The less enthusiastic friend assured him.

"Yeah! We'd be happy to talk to you!"

Virgil thought about it for a moment, biting his lip. After a moment he shrugged, sitting down between Roman and across from the bubbly teen, the two of them cheering while the other simply offered a tiny smile. They introduced themselves, Virgil already knowing who Roman was, and finding out that the other happy student across from him was called Patton, the one diagonal to him being Logan.

The four of them talked and laughed as they ate, and Virgil felt almost as if he had always been a part of their little group. Each of them were so inviting, asking him about himself and being sure that he was included in the conversation. Virgil went from having no friends in school to having three amazing ones.

****

A few months had passed since Virgil had met Roman and become friends with the him and his friends. He was happier than he had ever been, and it was all because he hadn't been paying attention to where he was walking.

He was lying in bed trying to get some rest for school tomorrow, unable to drift off because of a certain someone stuck on his mind. He couldn't get the sleepy smile off his lips as he thought about Roman.

He sighed, scratching at his covered wrist absentmindedly. He tried to keep his focus on thoughts of his friend, but found his attention repeatedly drawn back to the weird itchy feeling on his arm.

Finally, grumbling irritably, he sat up and turned his beside lamp on, pulling his sleeve up to look down at his wrist. He froze up at what he saw, completely unsure of how to react. For minutes he simply stared down at his wrist until at last he lifted his other hand to trace over the single tally mark that had appeared on his arm.

A tally mark that was black.

Virgil barely got any sleep that night.

He just couldn't turn his mind off. He kept lifting his arm up in front of his face, looking at the black mark. He couldn't take his eyes off of it. He was in love. Not only that, but his feelings were returned.

Yet, despite all the worrying he had done in his life over a simple tally mark, every time he thought back to Roman's smiling face he simply couldn't be worried. He didn't think about things ending badly, or being unhappy. All he knew was that he wanted to be with him, that he loved him, and Roman loved him back and that was all that mattered.

****

Virgil was a mess the next day at school. He was wearing his hoodie despite it being extremely hot out, and despite being very noticeably uncomfortable he refused to take it off. He certainly hadn't been worried the night before but today was a different story.

What would he even say to Roman? What if he said the wrong things? Sure, the tally mark on his arm said that they both loved each other but what if it was wrong? What if he didn't love him? What if Virgil had gotten it wrong, and he was in love with someone else?

Well, that one he doubted. With how often his thoughts drifted to the other student it was hard to deny that he liked him a lot. He tried to shake these feelings off, to go about this day as usual but it was hard to ignore how hot he was in his hoodie, and any time he thought about removing it he was reminded of the tally mark all over again.

By the time he got to lunch Virgil was very nervous. He wondered if Roman would bring it up with the other two at the table, or if he would mention anything at all.

Virgil forced himself to take a deep breath and calm down before he panicked, only approaching their usual table when he was sure he had calmed down enough. It didn't take long for all four of them to be there, and they all noticed Virgil discomfort in is hoodie.

"Aren't you hot in that thing?" Patton asked him with a worried frown. Virgil shook his head, avoiding answering his question aloud as he ate his food.

"You are obviously sweating." Logan pointed out, raising an eyebrow. "Why wear it if you are hot? And, why lie about being hot?"

Virgil was silent for a while, looking from Patton to Logan and then to Roman, who hadn't said anything but was watching on in concern. "I don't want to answer that. I'm sorry." He muttered, hoping they would understand.

Patton nodded, but still looked at him worriedly. "How have you been lately, Virge?"

"Fine," Virgil shrugged. "Happier than is usual, actually..."

Patton looked more confused than anything now, but shrugged it off. "What's got you so happy?"

"E-er..." Virgil looked at the table, tapping his fingers against it. "I dunno. Just in a good mood, I guess."

The four of them left it at that, Patton launching into some random topic for them all to talk about. Virgil was thankful for the subject change, listening in and talking when he had something to say. His problem had almost completely slipped his mind. Almost.

When lunch was over and the four of them got up to go back to class Virgil was surprised as someone grabbed a hold of his wrist-the same one with the tally mark. His heart beat faster in his chest, looking up at Roman, who had been the one to grab him. Now his heart was beating fast for a different reason.

"Y-yeah?" He stuttered, mentally cursing himself. Roman let go of his hand, apologizing and looked to the ground.

"Er... would you mind meeting me after school? Where the four of us usually meet when we plan on hanging out. Just the two of us, I... wanted to talk to you." Roman looked up at him, and Virgil wondered how it was possibly healthy for his heart to be beating this quickly.

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Virgil nodded. He would have asked what it was, but he had a feeling he already knew. "I gotta get to class now... see ya then."

"Yeah," Roman smiled nervously. "I shall see you then."

****

Virgil's last few classes seemed to last forever. He was just looking forward to finally being able to see Roman again after class, but time just dragged on and on. When at last his final class did end, Virgil was immediately out of his chair and out of the door, heading out to meet where Roman told him to.

He got there before Roman did, which was a surprise because Roman's last class was closer to the exit of the school than his. It didn't take long before Roman did show up though, and he looked just as nervous as Virgil felt. He had a tiny smile on his lips as he approached him, waving.

"Hey," Roman greeted, stepping up to stand in front of Virgil. Virgil muttered a hi back, and the two fell silent.

"Why are you wearing the hoodie today?" Roman finally blurred, and Virgil frowned.

"Uh... Because, I..." He trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"Because you have one now, right?" Roman asked. "A tally mark? You do, don't you?"

"I.." Virgil mumbled, realizing words weren't going to work and nodding instead. He slowly pulled off his jacket, holding out his arm for Roman to see. Roman reached out to take his hand, pausing to look up at Virgil and check it was alright. Receiving a nod, Roman took his hand in one of his own, other hand tracing over the small black line. Roman smiled slowly, looking up at Virgil.

He held out his own arm, covered in lots of tally marks, pointing to a specific one that stood alone. "That's... my new one. I know I have a lot, it's hard to tell that I've even got a new one but... this ones the first black one I've ever gotten."

Virgil looked over it, smiling as he reached out to trace over Roman's like Roman had to his. "So.. this means you...?"

"I love you." Roman nodded, his usual grin returning now that he had finally said it out loud. Virgil couldn't help it as his smile grew, as it always seemed to when Roman grinned.

"I love you too." He replied, letting out a relieved laugh. Roman laughed with him, pulling him into a close hug. The two of them stared fondly at each other for a while, Roman pulling him even closer until their lips were almost together, Virgil being the one to lean in the rest of the way.

It was a very short kiss, only lasting a few moments before the two of them separated, but it still left them both breathless. After pulling back and getting over their initial shock at the fact that they had just done that they both pulled each other back in for another longer kiss, this time only pulling away when a voice startled them.

"So, you two finally got together then?" Patton called, laughing as he walked up with Logan, hands laced together.

"I had also wondered when this would finally happen." Logan agreed, the tiniest of smiles on his face.

Roman and Virgil looked at each other with flushed cheeks, laughing and shaking their heads.

"Glad you two are happy to see us together." Roman chuckled.

"Of course we're happy! You two are happy together, and we're happy together, and we're all friends and everything is perfect!" Patton rambled on with a grin, everyone else with smiles on their faces as well.

They all knew he was right. They were all happy, and everything was definitely perfect.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHG

SHOULD I DO IT OR NOT DO YOU THINK THIS WOULD MAKE A GOOD BOOK?

I GUESS IF I PLANNED THINGS OUT WELL ENOUGH THEN I COULD COME UP WITH A SCHEDULE TO WORK ON BOTH BOOKS AT THE SAME TIME BUT IM REALLY BAD AT STICKING TO THEM

I MIGHT
IT DEPENDS ON IF YOU ALL WANT IT OR NOT

Oh also,

Pink, blue, or purple?? Those are my choices for dyeing my hair again and I can't decide!!!! I like the pink, and I wouldn't mind sticking with it. When my hair was purple before I liked it too, so I wouldn't mind doing that again, and the blue would be a first for me and I am kinda excited to see how it looks so like.... I need feedback lmao, I'm very bad at making decisions so please just pick one randomly!!! I'm pretty much positive I'll like it no matter what so, y'know

Also I got nearly to the end of writing this and got off for a second to check something else and when I came back it deleted everything back to "I shall see you then" aND I GOT SO MAD FOR A SECOND BUT I FIXED IT AND IM SO RELIEVED OH MY GOD I WROTE SO MUCH TONIGHT I JUST WANT SLEEP

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed this. (YOU BETTER IT TOOK ME SO LONG) (I'm just kidding but I hope you did like it) *thomas sanders asks you for help and your reward is a treasure trove of ring pops*

Sorry if I've already used that suggestion, I'm too tired to go back and check and I don't remember. Anyways, gonna go get some sleep now. I for once feel like I deserve it after writing all night, haha. Take care of yourselves. Bye!-Bob

Oh and also I got to feed a giraffe today (we went to the lazy 5 ranch and fed all kinds of animals, the giraffe was just my favorite) and this was the picture my grandpa got for me

It's perfect isn't it

I love my grandparents so much honestly it was really nice of them to take us there. Me and my sister had really been wanting to go back again bc of how much fun it was last time. Anyways, love you guys see ya

(Here's a picture of the giraffe I fed my grandma got before I fed it)

Also zebra