No real trigger warnings, minor references to the warnings from last chapter. As always take care of yourselves and thank you for reading.
It had been a good half hour since the awkward situation Virgil had found himself stuck in that morning. After Roman showed up things quickly calmed down. Patton shapeshifted back to his normal appearance and left to go get properly dressed, Roman left to "use the restroom", Logan took it upon himself to cook breakfast while keeping an eye on Virgil who was hiding in the corner of the room, sitting on the floor hiding his blushing face in his knees. Logan chatted with him calmly, checking in to make sure he was okay, which he was for the most part.
Eventually everyone congregated back into the kitchen to eat, luckily not bringing up what had happened earlier that morning. Virgil still wanted to curl up and die from the embarrassment but he did his best to ignore it and calm his emotions enough to hide away his ears and tail. As everyone began to finish eating Logan and Patton stood by the sink, washing all of the dishes. Ever once in a while Logan would lean down and whisper something to Patton that would make his face go red and make him glance back nervously at Roman and Virgil. Virgil let out a breath and smirked.
"I wanna get out of the house today, you wanna go train for a few hours, Princy?" Virgil asked, loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.
"Hm? Of course, I always enjoy our times in the imagination," Roman replied.
Virgil stood up from his seat, stretching out his back.
"Do you guys have the dishes covered or would you like some help?" Virgil asked.
"All good here, Kiddo. You and Roman go have fun," Patton replied with a wide smile.
"Alright then we'll be on our way. You and Logan have a nice day, we'll see you in a few hours," Virgil said, excusing himself from the kitchen, gently dragging Roman along with him.
Once in the living room Roman raised a brow at Virgil as they escaped through the portal under the stairs.
"You seemed rather keen on getting out of there," Roman said as they stepped into the castle halls. "Are you in the mood to try to beat me up or were you just trying to avoid something?"
"I thought those two could use a little alone time. I don't think either of them have calmed down much since this morning," Virgil replied with a shrug.
"Speaking of which, I still haven't gotten any context as to what was going on. That is unless it was exactly what it looked like," Roman said wagging is brows.
Virgil's face went red, his head tingling with the threat of his ears and tail coming out again.
"It was an innocent tickle fight that was taken too far out of context," Virgil replied defensively.
Roman let out a soft chuckle.
"Figured it had to be something like that. But that is definitely not what it looked like," Roman smirked, messing up Virgil's hair.
Virgil let out a hiss as he batted away Roman's hands. He quickly increased his speed to walk ahead of Roman, just out of arm's reach. He didn't want Roman to see the way he nervously bit his lip and fiddled with his hoodie sleeves. There was more to the story than what he had told Roman but he didn't know how to say it. He still hadn't kissed Roman yet. It wasn't planned with Logan or Patton, it just happened in the moment. It didn't seem to be flowing naturally right now but the guilt and curiosity seemed to egg him on to do it. He didn't feel confident anymore, how could he get his confidence up. An idea flashed in his mind and he spun around to face Roman.
"I want to do something different today with our training. I want you to give me a challenge. If I beat it then you have to do one thing I request," Virgil said.
Roman raised a brow again.
"Oh, and what if you fail?" he asked.
Virgil let out a hum as he pondered the answer. He could still use a loss to his advantage.
"If I lose I'll tell you a secret," he replied with as much confidence as he could muster.
Roman's expression became a little suspicious as he looked Virgil up and down.
"Why do I have a feeling that I'll regret accepting this?"
"I'm not up to anything bad."
"You say that but I also know how much we like to tease and prank each other," Roman pointed out.
"I swear, it won't be anything bad… I think."
There could always be the chance Roman didn't share the same reaction as Patton and Logan.
"Mhm, right. And it can be any challenge I choose?" Roman asked, walking past Virgil towards the doors to the training yard.
Virgil puffed out his cheeks regretting giving Roman that power.
"Yeah, it's your choice," Virgil replied, following after him.
"So what if I say that you have to beat me in combat?" Roman asked, smirking back at Virgil over his shoulder.
"Then I'll just have to kick your ass," Virgil replied with fake confidence.
"Please, you're good but you aren't that good yet," Roman laughed.
A pout crossed Virgil's face.
"Hmm, maybe I'll surprise you," he countered.
"Fine, let's go see how much you can surprise me, mi Gatito," Roman smirked.
Virgil couldn't deny the nerves he felt but he really wanted this excuse. He was getting better, beating Roman should be possible. In theory.
The two of them found their way into their usual secluded training ring, giving brief greetings to all of the knights they passed. Once in the ring Virgil stripped off his hoodie and threw it over the old fence. He caught his wooden sword as Roman tossed it over to him, slashing it through the air experimentally a few times. He then moved closer to the center of the ring, twirling the sword in his right hand. Over his time training with Roman he had come to realize he didn't like two handed swords. He found it was too awkward and restricting to hold it that way so Roman had begun giving him a lighter sword with a shorter hilt meant for only one hand. He still hadn't figured out what to do with his other hand since keeping it tucked up close behind him like Roman did when he chose to only use one hand didn't feel quite right to him. For now he held it up close to the swords hilt but far enough away that it wouldn't get in the way.
Roman took his spot in front of Virgil, opting for his usual one handed stance. Virgil's eyes trained on his figure, watching for any sign of movement. He was serious, grounded, this time he would win.
Roman was fast, if not for Virgil's natural reaction time he likely would have missed his chance to redirect Roman's opening move. The wooden swords clinked together, the sound of small splinters breaking as Roman's slid against Virgil's block. Virgil lightly danced away as Roman's momentum continued to carry him forward, further away from Virgil. Virgil attempted to use the opportunity to strike his opponents vulnerable back but Roman seemed to anticipate Virgil's movements, skidding to a halt and dragging his sword through loose, fine dirt, sending a cloud up towards Virgil temporarily blinding him. Virgil stumbled back, coughing and using his free hand to wipe away the dirt on his face. The sound of a heavy step alerted Virgil in time for him to duck and roll out of the way of another of Roman's attacks. Virgil blinked his eyes a few more times once he got back to his feet and he looked at Roman who was smirking at him, clearly impressed. Virgil took a breath to steady himself again before charging forward again. He moved quickly towards Roman, anticipating his incoming swing and diving down to slide past the attack on his knees. He easily sprang back up on the other side of Roman and aimed an attack as his unprotected back. Roman's foot kicked back making Virgil jump in surprise. His feet stumbled backwards before he lost his balance and crashed to the ground, letting out a small his of pain. Roman spun around and moved to strike down with his sword.
Virgil knew Roman would never intentionally hurt him. He always stopped his sword centimeters from Virgil, never actually making contact. However in a split second of panic Virgil forgot. All he could think about was protecting himself and he moved off of instinct. His hands went up to block Roman's attack and Virgil only reopened his eyes when he heard wood clack against wood. Virgil looked up at his strong block. Both hands wrapped around the smooth hilt of their respective sword, the two wooden blades crossed in an X above him catching Roman's. In a burst of adrenaline he had managed to summon another sword, identical to the one in his right hand. It felt natural, wielding a second weapon in his other hand just seemed right. Roman looked down at the block himself, petrified by his own surprise. Virgil chose to take advantage of the situation and uncross his swords, pushing outwards as he did so. Roman stumbled back giving Virgil enough time to get back up onto his feet. Virgil rushed at Roman again, this time instead of dodging he used one sword to block while the other struck forward. Roman managed to jump back and both of his hands found their way to his sword hilt, a sign he was getting serious.
Virgil continued his attack. It felt natural. The swords were like two halves of the same whole, working side by side in each movement. They didn't feel like big clunky weapons in his hands anymore but simply an extension of his own arms. He could tell Roman getting flustered, being pushed into a mostly defensive state.
Virgil's swords caught Roman's once again and pushed him back again, forcing him to stumble a bit. When he recovered he began to laugh, making Virgil stop dead in his tracks, completely confused. Roman's stance was wide open as he wiped the liquid from the corner of his eyes, his sword resting passively on his shoulder.
"Let's call it here for now, I surrender," Roman hummed with a warm smile.
"What? But I didn't beat you yet," Virgil countered frustratedly.
"I told you to try and surprise me. I think I would classify that as a surprise," Roman countered. "I told you that you would discover your own sword style eventually."
Virgil blinked at Roman in surprise.
"Wait, so I beat your challenge?" Virgil asked.
"Yeah. I'll, reluctantly, call it your win," Roman replied.
Virgil stood there in shock for a few seconds, unsure of how to respond before a mischievous grin crossed his face.
"You called off the fight so you can keep your title of undefeated, didn't you," Virgil teased.
"What? Pfft. No. I would never," Roman replied sheepishly.
Virgil rolled his eyes as he made his way back over to the shadowed fence. He hoisted himself up on top of the aged wood and watched Roman approach him. He chewed on his lower lip nervously as Roman stopped in front of him, looking up at his face.
"So what is this one thing you want to do?" Roman asked with a soft sigh and smirk.
"Well, I should probably tell you the little secret first," Virgil mused looking away from Roman.
"Oh, I thought that was what I got if you lost?" Roman hummed confusedly.
"Well yeah but, it's something I should probably tell you anyways," Virgil replied.
Roman's expression became more serious as he stepped closer to Virgil, who in turn wrapped his arms loosely over Roman's shoulders.
"Well, I didn't tell you the whole truth this morning. There was a bit more going on than just a tickle fight this morning. What I want, is to show you what else there was," Virgil replied, his face heating up a but.
Roman looked somewhere between confused and excited. There was likely still a small part of him that assumed Virgil was only trying to play a prank on him.
"Alright, then show me," Roman replied after a moment.
Virgil moved one of his hands up to Roman's face and leaned down. He pressed his lips against Roman's and felt him noticeably relax and resiprocate the kiss. His hands found their way onto Virgil's waist and pulled him off the fence to press him against it instead. Virgil let out a surprised hum at Roman's actions before giving in to the treatment he was receiving. Unlike Logan's warm love, or the playful floatiness Patton gave him, Roman's kiss was a fierce passion. With every passing second there was electricity racing through his veins, jolting his brain and making all of his thoughts go fuzzy. The only thing he could think about was the salty taste of Roman's lips and the heat of Roman's body holding him. He could feel his knees growing weak as Roman moved against his lips, claiming complete dominance over the smaller side.
Roman pulled backed after a second more, his hand loving caressing Virgil's face, brushing away the bangs.
"That was amazing, my sweet ebony prince. To think I thought you were going to have me make a fool of myself," Roman chuckled.
"You don't need my help with that Princy," Virgil replied, standing on his toes to give Roman another quick peck.
Roman tried to look pouty about the comment but a smile won out in the end. Virgil pressed against his chest in their embrace as his chest swelled with pride. He had gone further in his relationship with all of his boyfriends and he couldn't be happier about it. He managed to get over his own anxiety and prove one of his fears to be false. One big step in his journey to recovery.
