"Wait a second! You've had how many cats?" Roman laughed.

"Thirty-four, but the most of them were ones I fostered for a couple of months." Patton explained before taking a bite out of his chocolate chip cookie. Roman had finished his brownie a while ago, but was too engaged in the conversation to step away.

The two of them had been sitting at an outdoor table at Dough Re Mi Bakery for nearly two hours. Roman had started breaking the ice with stories from all stages of his life. From plotting the demise of an imaginary dragon with his brother at age six to going to DisneyWorld with his friends for his last birthday, Roman was sparing no detail. Before either of them knew it, they were telling each other what amounted to their life stories.

"Do you like cats?" Patton asked. Roman answered with a shrug.

"I don't have anything against cats. I prefer dogs, but cats definitely have their perks."

Patton smiled and nodded, taking another bite of what little was left of his cookie. Roman returned Patton's smile and stood up.

"I'm getting a second brownie. Can I get you a second cookie?"

"I don't want to be too much trouble."

"It's no trouble at all!" Roman assured Patton, who crossed his arms across himself. Patton nodded, and Roman flashed him a kind smile before heading inside to get the cookie and brownie. He let his mind run wild while on the hunt.

"He's a really sweet guy, not to mention very easy on the eyes... And he seems so happy! How on Earth is this the same guy who has apparently been very sad for such a long time? It doesn't make sense." Roman glanced back at their table through the window. Patton was looking at the floor with a grim expression. Worry instantly coursed through Roman's veins. "If something's wrong, I'm going to make it right. If something's hurting him, I'll hurt it twice as much. He doesn't deserve to be unhappy. He deserves the purest joy the world could possibly offer."

Roman hurriedly paid for their desserts and rejoined Patton at their table.

"The prince has returned!" He declared dramatically, sitting across from Patton. Patton's face lit up again once he realized that Roman was back.

"Thank you." Patton said, taking the cookie from Roman's outstretched hand.

"No problem." Roman smiled. He took a few bites out of his brownie, contemplating whether he should ask what was on his mind. "Can I ask something that might be a bit of an overstep?" Patton looked confused.

"Sure?" He said. Roman held his breath for a second, very anxious about what he was about to say.

"I might have the wrong idea, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but do you have a stable home environment?" Roman asked. He'd picked up on certain things from the stories Patton had told about his family, and he was a bit worried about it. Just to be safe, Roman wanted to make sure that Patton had a secure living situation. Patton looked taken aback by the question. His false smile fell, quickly replaced by a blank stare.

"I..." Patton looked down at his shoes. "I got kicked out of my parent's house a week ago. They, uh, didn't know that I'm gay until they found my pride pin I hid in my sock drawer. I was staying with friends, but I felt kind of bad about crashing their lives."

"Where do your friends think you're staying now?" Roman asked leaning towards his soulmate. Patton swallowed, looking very embarrassed.

"I told them that my parents took me back. I'm not sure they believe me, but they haven't said anything."

"And where have you actually been staying?"

"Shelters. Poor houses. Those kind of places." Patton explained, tearing up again. Roman could hardly believe his ears. The very idea of his adorably sweet soulmate resorting to living on the streets and staying in homeless shelters was distressing. It wasn't right. He had to do something.

"Want to stay at my place?" Roman asked before thinking about how forward it sounded. Patton looked shocked initially before his face faded into a shy smile.

"Are you sure you wouldn't mind?"

"I'm a thousand percent sure. Besides, we're soulmates. It's going to happen eventually. Why not now?" Roman shrugged. Patton was giddy with joy, which was a very unusual feeling for him. Even though he was trying to hide his excitement, it was clear he was extremely happy.

"Okay."