Chapter 19: A Soldier's True Feelings!

As Leggy was taking Lincoln to a more private location, she turned around the corner as they entered an abandoned and darkened room. As they were walking, the little soldier was freaking the jank out in her mind. She could not believe in her wildest days that she being doing this. She felt all sorts of emotions welling up inside of herself. Nervous as heck, anxious and a bit scared.

As the emotions were bubbling up in her mind, so were questions.

"What if Lincoln didn't like her back?"

"What if didn't like her at all?"

"What if he wasn't ready for a relationship at the moment?"

She brought back to reality when Lincoln grabbed her hand, causing her to look back at him with a blush on her face.

"Okay Leggy, I think that this is far enough. Can you please just tell me what this is about?" Lincoln said as he had a good idea of what the square haired red soldier gem wanted to talk about and he was quite okay with it he was being honest.

Taking a deep breath, she asked him. "Before I tell, I need to ask you something... something rather important."

"Okay, go ahead." Lincoln said.

"What do you think of me?" Leggy asked, staring down at the floor as she couldn't bear to look at him, her feet literally around smoking from nervousness. "From when we first met up to now. And be honest."

Lincoln blushed as he wasn't ready for that question despite knowing that it was coming. "Oh! Um, okay." He took a moment to calm himself before he said the wrong thing. "Well, to be honest with you Leggy. I really enjoyed you being around me, it makes me happy that aside from the others that I've met on that rocket, and Sinbad, to an extent, at least someone on this scrap heap wants to get to know me."

"You think no one else cares about you right?" Leggy asked.

"Personally no, just the situation that got me here." Lincoln said before adding. "At least that's how I used to think before me and the rest of the Exiles had that campfire in my room. Luckily, they were able to snap me out of that way of thinking before I chose not to trust them and the others as well."

"Wow, I had no idea." Leggy said, being at a lost for words.

"Yeah..." The white haired boy confessed. "But what about you Leggy, what do you think of me?"

"Here goes nothing!" Leggy thought to herself before she confessed to the boy. "To be honest, ever since I found that Pink Diamond and Rose Quartz were the same gem and then found out that the war between our two respective planets was finally over after many long years of nonstop fighting, I..." She then felt tears well up in her eyes as she continued her confession. "I felt I like I had no purpose in the universe anymore now that Era 3 has started." She then looked straight into Lincoln's black eyes as tears began to run down her face as she continued to pour her feelings out to her crush. "That was until I met you when I saw you stand up to Eyeball and then Holly Blue just to talk to Aquamarine." Lincoln blushed a bit upon hearing Leggy recall that memory. "When I saw how brave and fearless you were, something formed inside of me. It continued to manifest when you defended me from Holly and helped me back up." Lincoln looked away briefly as his face was really red by that point, but Leggy wasn't having that as she gently cupped his face and made him look into her red eyes. "When you defeated Jasper, I knew that what I was feeling were the same feelings I felt when I was serving Homeworld with my crew as the newb."

"What were those feelings?" Lincoln asked, grabbing onto the disposable soldier's arms by he made no effort in removing them from his face.

"The feelings of liking something or in this particular case..." She began to say, taking her hands off his cheeks before grabbing his hands and holding them. "Someone like you."

"Well... t-thanks." was the only response the exiled Loud boy could give.

"I like you lot, Lincoln." Leggy said as she continued to hold onto the white haired lad's hands as stared into his eyes. "I guess you could say I... really like you." She then let go of one of his hands as she slowly ran one of her own up his arm before holding onto his shoulder. "I would... even dare to go a little further, perhaps. I... care a great deal about you." She confessed, doing the same thing with Lincoln's other shoulder. "A very great deal." She then embraced him briefly before pulling back and looking into his eyes once more. "Maybe even... deeper than that." She then kissed his cheek once more, causing both of them to blush. "I... I... I love you." She stated the last part softly even though Lincoln heard it before she then added. "And I don't mean like the type of love that you had for Aquamarine before she tried to manipulate it for her and Eyeball's needs. What I mean is that I love you as the type of love one has for another who one simply can't do without... That's the type of love that I have for you... even if you don't feel the same way."

Lincoln took a moment to process this feeling he was having the soldier before he responded.

"Well I... I love you too, Leggy." Lincoln confessed as Leggy began to cry tears of joy. "I do feel the same way."

"You gave me my purpose back." Leggy confessed. "Only it's genuine and I'm really happy about that. And I guess that's enough for me. I'm pretty sure that the greatest gift you can give me."

The two of them stood in silence for a few moments before Lincoln gently grabbed Leggy by her shoulders before he leaned in and planted his lips on hers, which shocked her to her core a bit before she then closed her eyes as she wrapped her arms around the white hair's neck, who in turned wrapped his arms around her back as tears of absolute joy streamed down both their faces and dripped onto the floor.

After what seemed like hours of nonstop lip lock, the two separated as they tried to catch their breath.

After a few seconds, Lincoln spoke. "If... we're really going to go through with this whole... relationship thing, we're going to have to take it one step at a time. And slow and steady."

"Yeah, and make it consensual for both of us. So we each have to listen to each other." Leggy admitted. "Cause that's how love works right?"

"Well, I'm not an expert on the topic but I can tell that love, genuine love anyway takes time and work. Lots of both of them to be honest." Lincoln said.

One thing was certain for the new, official couple.

"We have a lot of work ahead of us in this new "relationship" don't we?" Leggy asked.

"You don't know the half of it, Leggy..." Lincoln said as he grabbed her hand as the two then walked out of the room, happy at their new recent development.

Zing's Throne Room...

Back with Aquamarine and Eyeball, they were rather surprised by what they were seeing.

"What the heck is thing?" Eyeball asked.

"A healing tank Ruby." Zing deadpanned, gesturing to the man sized container that was wired to the wall. "It'll heal your Aqua of her injury."

"I-s-n-'-t y-o-u-r r-a-c-e i-m-m-o-r-t-a-l?" Aquamarine couldn't help but ask.

"Well, not everyone of my species. We mostly use it for our guards. I haven't really used it myself. The only of my race that is immortal unfortunately Roger." Zing revealed as he then pressed a yellow button on the side of the black colored machine, which opened up from the bottom as the door flew upward to the top rather quickly. "I don't know if it'll work on inorganics like you gems, but hey, first time for everything right?"

Eyeball then gently placed her girlfriend into the chamber as she pressed the button once more, closing the rejuvenation tank rather quickly.

Suddenly it began to fill up with white colored fluid that surrounded the little gem, which flew into her gemstone's crack for a few seconds before the crack itself sealed shut.

Finally there was a beeping sound coming from the machine, which continue to beep for a few seconds before stopping.

"It's done." Zing said as he pressed the button on the machine again, opening it back up.

Aquamarine stepped out of the rejuvenation tank, looking like a new gem. "Well, it seems to have worked."

"You're talking clearly. So it seems that it did." Eyeball commented.

"It seems my part of the deal is fulfilled." Zing said. "In exchange, you don't tell anyone about this healing tank I have.."

"Of course we won't say a thing." Eyeball nodded.

"Yeah, how stupid do you think we are?" Aquamarine snarked.

As the three evildoers were going back and forth, they were unaware that Roger was able to hear some of their conversation, which were mostly about the healing chamber. He had to warn them and fast before Zing found out!

"I've got to warn Lincoln and the others!" Roger thought to himself. "C'mon, one of you. Fall asleep dammit!"

Roger was trying to use his dream walking powers, but they will only work if someone is asleep, but the question is:

Who will fall asleep so Roger could warn them?

He or she better hurry up and fall asleep, cause time is running out for the Exiles?

To be continued...

Wow, so not only have Lincoln and Leggy got together but Zing has a healing tank but also Aquamarine is restored to full power. Talk about a sign of things to come.

Will Roger's message reached the Exiles in time?

Will it be delivered at all?

Who will fall asleep so that Roger CAN deliver said warning?

Find out next time on "The Exiles"?