Point of View: Roman, First Person
Timeline: Flashback (cont.)

"I asked if you want me to do it again."

I tried not to let Anxiety see the flicker of uncertainty in my own eyes.  I had made my move. But he did feel the same? Our kiss had felt so incredibly right.  Oh my stars, I just wanted to kiss him again, but I knew that I needed his permission to - to do that again.

Anxiety's wide eyes locked on mine and he didn't say anything for a moment. "I - I don't know," he whispered, honestly, voice low.

I pulled back, painfully making my way to my feet.  I smiled through my hurt pride even as I felt the rejection sting my rejected heart.

Better to forget this, forget him before I could hurt my heart even more.

"Ready to go again?" I asked, changing the subject, holding my hand out to help Anxiety up from the floor - who was still sitting there looking rather stunned. I didn't want to hear him explain why he didn't know or hear his excuses. I'd rather just move on like it never happened and forget all of this.

Except for the fact the I kept replaying our kiss in my head, thinking about how right it felt to me and being partly amazed that he didn't seem to feel the same or - apparently - anything at all.

Anxiety took my hand, eyes scanning my face - trying to read me.  I just smiled - hiding my true feelings under a wave of cockiness.  "So does that mean you're going to take the initiative now that you know you can't hurt me?" I forced a grin, pushing our kiss to the back of my mind.

Or trying to.

"I - Roman why did you do that?" Anxiety said once he was one his feet, his voice low and quiet -not allowing me to change the subject.

I stood there speechless, averting my eyes downwards, away from his.  What could I say?

When I didn't respond, Anxiety walked away from me, picking up his staff from where he had thrown it and put it back in it's proper rack.  "Well, come and find me when you do," he said simply, grabbing his boots and walking out without even bothering to put them on.

The pain came as soon as the door shut behind him..

I stumbled to a nearby bench and gasped in pain the moment he walked out the door.  It was a sharp, insistent pain right in the center of my chest.  

I held still, not moving until the pain had faded.

What... what was that?

__________

"Uh - Roman, what a - uh - a surprise to.... see you?" Logan finished uncertainly, both looking surprised and confused to see me at his door.

"Something happened to me," I said curtly, taking his words as permission to enter his room.

Logan's room was simple for the most part - a classy black and white, with a big light blue accent wall covered in fat gray swirls.  It actually didn't look too bad.  His queen-sized bed was tucked in the far corner, next to a large dark gray bookshelf that put my own collection to shame.  (I mean - it had a ladder attached, just for some perspective).

His desk was black and close to the door, where he was currently sitting, notebook with his block-style handwriting, dark and certain.  Logan twisted in his chair, facing me and giving me his attention, notebook forgotten in this concern. 

If I was here, I was here for a reason and he knew that better than anyone.

"Something happened to me," I explained, unfolding a black chair that was leaning on the wall nearby and settling it down next to Logan and spinning so the back of it faced Logan, before settling down myself, the back of the chair resting gently against my stomach. 

Logan frowned, adjusting his glasses before responding. "What was this "something" that happened to you?  And did it just happen to you now?" Logan asked, concerned.

I nodded. "I was fighting with Anxiety and - and," I growled, my cheeks flaring up in embarrassment. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to come here after all.

"You and Anxiety got in another fight?  I thought that the two of you had been getting along as of late," Logan questioned, darkening in disapproval.

"Training," I corrected, "We were practicing with staffs - Anxiety really as an incredibly knack for it, he's got so much talent and - long story short, I let him hit me," I cut off abruptly, recognizing that was rambling, before getting back to the reason I had come here in the first place.  "I went flying and Anxiety got scared that he actually hurt me. He panicked and then I just reacted and - and I kissed him," I finished rushed, feeling my cheeks flare up.

Logan's eyebrows rose.  "Something tells me you aren't coming to me for romantic advice," he said, in response, not looking remote surprised even though I had just told him I KISSED ANXIETY.

"I - I - details aside, Anxiety asked me why I kissed him and I was unable to give him a reason so he walked out and then - this - this THING happened," I gesturing to myself vaguely.

Now Logan looked even more concerned. "Would you mind being a bit more specific?"

"It - It was like someone - this is going to sound crazy," I admitted, one of hands rising to rub the back of my neck sheepishly. Oh, why had I thought Logan was the best person to come to? "It... it was like this sharp, stinging sensation in my chest.  It... really hurt," I elaborated vaguely.

"Roman, I know rejection is rough, but honestly you're really blowing this out of proportion."

"It wasn't just - just a feeling!" I answered, my cheeks turning red with embarressment.  "It was actually hurt - I couldn't move,"  I admitted, shamefully. I didn't like admitting that I was in pain or hurt, but this had scared me more that I'm willing to admit.

Logan's jaw dropped, spinning back to me, eyes large and piercing behind his specs.  "Are you sure?"

I shifted nervously at his sudden attentiveness.  What was he so concerned about?

"Er - yeah?" I finished, nervous and a little worried, to be frank.  "Do you... know what happened?"

"Do you still feel it?" Logan said, standing up, placing his hands tightly on my shoulders, eyes piercing into mine.  "Roman, do you still feel it?" He asked, his voice urgent.

"N-no," I answered, leaning backwards in alarm. "What's going on?"

"Are you sure? Roman, ARE YOU SURE?"

"Yes, I'm sure," I answered, frowning at his reaction.  Maybe it was a good thing that I came - what was Logan hiding from me?  "Logan, what's going on?"

"Patton!" Logan said instead, waving a hand to my left and Patton popped up, looking both concerned and surprised to be summoned.  "Everything okay....kiddo?"  He asked me, glancing nervously between Logan and me.

Logan's eyes softened when they landed on Patton's. "It's happening," he merely said, waving a hand at me.  "That theory I was telling you I had the other day? It's happening," he explained vaguely. 

Patton's eyes darkened immediately - I guess he knew about this too - with sadness and his eyes turned to me in pity.  "Who?" he asked, but I knew he wasn't talking to me.

"Anxiety," Logan answered.

Patton was silence for a moment.

"Should we... tell him?" Patton asked finally, gently coming over a rubbing a hand over my shoulders which were noticeably tense - not without a good reason though.

What were they hiding from me?

Logan nodded, turning his full attention back to me.  "It was only a theory I had developed that unnerved me slightly.  I didn't even consider the theory until recently, but... your incident is making me reconsider."

"Jump to the chase, would ya Sherlock?" I mocked, doing my best lighten the obviously dark subject coming ahead.  Honestly, the fact that Logan was unnerved made me more concerned than ever - if he was worried, this meant it was something worth being worried about.

"As the romantic side of Thomas's personality, we believe that when it comes to - uh," Logan's cheeks turned pink and Patton took over.

"When you start to fall in love with someone, you are affected not only through your feelings, but physically which... leads us to believe that if you get your heart broken y-your heart - literally - ....breaks," Patton finished, voice trailing off as I processed this information.

It took my brain a moment to catch up.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa - nobody said anything about loving anyone," I stammered the moment I realized what Patton was implying, getting to my feet.  "It - It's just a little crush, alright? I'm fine, you're wrong, it must've just been something I ate or something," I said making my way to the door.

"I understand this is a lot to process, Roman, but please do not take our concerns lightly," Logan said to my back, making me pause at his door frame.

I didn't turn around, bracing my arms on each side of the door frame.  I dropped my head, not wanting to see their reactions or them to see my own.

"Guys," I asked, tentatively,"  Does... Anxiety know about... your theory?"

Logan shook his head.  "Only Patton and myself know about it."

I nodded silently to myself.

"Keep it that way."

_____________________
Not the most interesting chapter, -sowwy- but now you know - Patton and Logan knew what happened in Chapter 21 was going to happen, warned Roman, and kept it a secret from Virgil.  How will Virge act to that when he finds out? ;P

And I'm so sorry lovelies, I've been super duper sick since Tuesday, it was totally not my intention to leave you... there 

*hands out cookies for forgiveness*

Now: for a quick little housekeeping things, I have the rest of the book planned out and there's... roughly maybe 13ish more chapters? Roughly, could be more, could be less.  But that's just to give you guys a little perspective of where we're at.  I intend on having... something like 35ish chapters total (currently, at least).  I'm thinking that this story will be done somewhere around New Years.  So that only leaves one question.

How many of y'all would be interested... in a SEQUEL?

And lemme know the types of things you'd want to see in the sequel (provided any of y'all a sequel at all) and I'll see what I can do - but I got some plans of my own, if you guys are interested ;)

SO there's been so many people who voted since Chapter 20, so I'm just gonna list everyone once, otherwise this list is gonna get really long :)

Voters (for Chapter 20, Important, and Chapter 21)

deziRee314 (20, IMPT, 21, a name I'm glad to have typed many times now, thank you so so much :>)
death-of-a-phangirl (20, 21) (goodness - I'm pretty sure you've voted on everything since I started this thing at Chp. Nine.  You're such an amazing writer and I'm glad that you like mine too :D)
xJustAGeekx (20, IMPT, 21) (you've been here so long, thank you so so much :))
B****JerkA**butt666 (20)
maddycook27 (20, 21)
RachelWantsToWrite (20)
TaelsBias_ (20, IMPT, 21)   
AngstyWeirdo (20)
Amelia_Divine (20, IMPT, 21) (was there a time when you weren't on this list? I don't think so ;) )
jm9651785 (20)
AuriLW (20, IMPT, 21) (you have literally have been so supportive, ever since you read this  - of me and my story- and I appreciate you so so much :3 )
Corerianna (20, 21)
myfansayisntyours (20) (amazing, as always :D)
virgil_sanders22 (20, IMP)
-Psychotic-Slut- (20, 21) (you're AWESOME)
pokemonlvr27 (IMPT) (your comments are literally g o l d)
RaylinB_TheShipper_ (21)
user14716375 (21)
VirgilAnxiteySanders (21)
SassyCC (literally like - every chapter from the very beginning since I posted Chp. 21 along with so many amazing comments)
unknown_reader_1234 (21)
dead_inside_3 (a bit more of an honorable mention, as they didn't vote for any of these chapters, but they voted for so many others and left many comments that I enjoyed very much)
Azari_Heere (21)
animegirl81 (literally voted on everything, consistently over the span of a whole week - you amazing human)

There's so many comments: literally all the comments under 21 are just a m a z i n g and there's no way I could pick, even several.  But so I don't keep y'all lovelies waiting even longer, I'm gonna skip it for now.

Hope to publish next chapter sometimes tomorrow! I'm gonna be making up for not posting on time so be ready! :D

- Max :)

p.s. oof sorry for the long a/n XD

p.s.s. 4K!!! THANK YOU SO FREAKIN MUCH LOVELIES!!! :D