Virgil halted Storm instantly, grabbing Cloud's' reigns to do the same. The Dark Realm Prince crossed from his thestral onto Roman's' pegasus's' back, hugging the other man.

Roman just kept crying into Virgil's' shoulder, shuddering as he breathed in and out raggedly as he gasped for breath between his tears.

"It's okay, princey! We'll get through this! It- It's just a minor setback!" Virgil lied.

Roman buried his face into Virgil's' neck, sniffing slightly - suddenly he wasn't so brave and confident. "I-I didn't mean to! I-It just jumped out at us a-and I didn't know wh-what to do!" He wailed. Virgil could feel Roman looking up at him. "Y-You believe me, r-right?"

"Of course I do, Ro... This just- puts us in a difficult situation. Who knows about this?"

"Y-You..."

"Yeah, I got that."

"And Logan..."

"Alright... Don't worry, Ro, we can walk around this bad luck thing. Is the person you love the most on this little quest?"

Roman hesitated. "...No." Now, why didn't I just say yes and pretend it was some platonic love for Patton-

"Good, so we only have to keep you out of potentially dangerous situations." Virgil nodded, unattaching Roman. "Which, granted, will be hard now we're in the Dark Realm, but hey! Patton doesn't need to know, I guess?"

Roman nodded. "I don't want him to hate me..."

"Suprised he even likes you, princey. Ready to move along?" Virgil grinned cockily, cupping Roman's' face.

The Light Realm prince gave a half-smile and Virgil's' grin grew cheeky like he had just gotten a plan. Roman frowned in slight concern, yet a smile on his face as his humour returned. "What are you planning, emo monstrosity?"

"Patton and Logan are alone together!~" He cooed, switching back onto Storm. "Let's go see if they are upholding their promise!~"

And Roman scoffed, straightening up as he grabbed Cloud's' reigns, kicking her into motion again. "That is one of the best plans this group has ever had! Score one for Team Prinxiety!"

Virgil looked at him. "What?"

"You know, like a team name?"

"Yeah, got that, but what is Prinxiety?"

"A mix between our nicknames! Like, I'm Princey so that makes up the 'prin' part, and you're Anxiety so that makes up the 'xiety' part. Prinxiety!" Roman tried but just received a shrug from Virgil who looked mildly confused. "You never appreciate my creativity..." He grumbled.

Virgil smirked. "Your 'creativity' is limited to silly team names and singing songs while we're trying to sleep."

*OFfeNDed pRinCeY NoISEs*

.:*:.

Patton glanced up at Logan. The advisor was so formidably tall, looming over the baker proudly. His posture was perfect and he walked with short but fast, efficient steps. His black hair was swept back gently from his face, leaving his brown eyes to observe in a sharp, cautious manner from behind the lenses of his glasses. Logan held his head high and confidently strolled through the dangerous Dark Realm territory as though it were his back garden. The intelligence and coldness radiated off him in tidal waves, engulfing the smaller, chubbier Patton in the majestic storm that was Logan Berry.

Damn, he was beautiful.

Suddenly their eyes met and they both blushed. Patton broke eye contact quickly, staring somewhere to his left, looking anywhere but to his right where Logan was walking currently.

Logan cleared his throat awkwardly. "Did you know that the Dark Realm have more advanced technology compared to us?"

Patton shook his head, grateful for a conversation to distract him from his embarrassment.

"It's funny," The advisor continued, "How we, as Light Realm citizens, have always viewed them as primitives - a backwards nation, stuck in a medieval mindset. Even though they were the first Realm to be openly accepting of LGBTQ+ citizens, and the only Realm to have holographic tech."

"I didn't know they accepted the LGBTQ+! When did that happen?" Patton exclaimed, curiously.

"1358. Queen Mimic took a Duchess called Livia as her bride and welcomed her citizens to love whoever they chose to. I believe the Royal family at this current time is completely gay." Answered Logan promptly.

Patton felt his eyes widen. "Wait, so Virgil is gay?"

Logan nodded, turning to face Patton again.

"Even King Deceit?" The baker gasped.

"I've heard a rumour that King Deceit has recently been proposed to and is now engaged to a Duke named Remus," Logan confirmed before frowning. "It was actually the Duke who announced the siege of Cabina City."

"What, when we were still in the city?"

Logan made a confirming noise as he turned his attention back to the path. They walked silently for a moment before Logan stopped Patton.

The advisor fidgeted for a second, obviously thinking about what to say. "So, Patton. You are pansexual, right?"

"I mean, that's what I named the group chat, right?" Laughed Patton.

Logan frowned. "No... You named it 'Two gays in a Pan"..."

"Nevermind, just forget it. What about me being pansexual?" Patton said, smiling brightly.

"You don't currently have any... affections to someone at the moment, do you?" Logan asked. Oh, cookies... Why was he sounding so scared? It made Patton feel nerves everywhere.

"I-I mean... Maybe?" He held the 'e' as long as he could, wringing his fingers together with nerves.

Logan blinked, straightening slightly. "Oh... I see. Who are they?"

Oh, cookies.

How Patton answered next needed to be smooth, and calm. Relaxed and confident, smart and funny while being sincere and intelligent. He could not blurt this out, not sounding like a desperate child.

"I like you." He blurted out quickly. Damn it.

Logan blinked again, eyes widening. "O-Oh?"

"If you don't like me back, that's fine!" Patton rambled, fretting visibly. "I hope it doesn't make anything awkward between us! It's just you're really smart and cool and brave and caring and-!"

He broke off as Logan grabbed his hands. "Patton. It's fine." He said, his voice soothingly low and smooth. "I like you too. And have done for a long period of time." The advisor smiled down at the baker, also looking like a lot of anxiety had been lifted from his shoulders. "The chances of finding a part of me that didn't love you would be infinitesimal."

"That..." Patton whispered slowly, "Is a big word that I understood..."

"You did teach it to me," Logan whispered back, smiling.

The two men slowly leaned into each other.

"STOP BEING SO SLOW AND KISS ALREADY!" Screamed Roman from the sidelines.

Patton and Logan leapt apart, turning to face Roman and Virgil in shock.

The princes were laughing loudly, Roman sitting there, looking better than earlier and Virgil chuckling into Storm's' feathery mane.

Logan coughed formally, straightening his necktie. "Roman, the fact you find the hypocrisy in you to mock others about their slow romantic life while you can hardly build up the courage to even flirt with the person you like is amusing. At least I asked Patton out while you squirm nervously the moment your 'crush' engages you in conversation."

"Ooh! Who'd you like, Princey?" Virgil cooed cockily.

Roman went bright red as he squirmed nervously. "N-No one!"

Logan raised a mocking eyebrow, smirking.

"Sh-Shuddup, nerdy wolverine!"

"Yet I didn't say anything." Logan shrugged, victorious. He glanced down at Patton, who'd been watching the exchange with an 'O' shaped mouth, and intertwined their fingers together.

Patton glanced up at Logan with a giggle.

Virgil gagged comically and then punched Roman's' shoulder to get his attention. "Hey, Princey - race you?"

"To where?"

"I don't know! First village?"

"Deal, emo nightmare!"

"Alright... Go!"

And the two hurtled past, the hooves of their steeds pounding the ground.

Logan and Patton watched them go, slowly turning to face together.

Slowly, they tried what they attempted to do before Roman had so rudely interrupted.

This time it worked.

.:*:.

I involved the daily dose of Logaicality that we all need! Finally.