Why I Run {Prinxiety} - Book One of Why I Run Series

Chapter Eighteen

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

Well dang. Anxiety knows how to use a sword.

It's got some real talent and I was glad to tell him so. Most beginners struggle to notice small clues in their opponents but Anx is almost the complete opposite - hyper-aware of everything and somehow able to determine what's important from it. I'm barely able to catch him by surprise. 

And his reflexes are amazing.  Sure he's missing a couple of fundamental building blocks, but he's got a pretty darn good start.

By the time we got back, dinner had been served long ago, leaving Anx and I to eat by ourselves. It was... surprisingly fun, the whole fighting thing.  When I suggested it, I really didn't think it would be the big of thing, just a little something we could try to get to know each other a little better - sword-fighting is a great bonding exercise, as I had just proven -  but I really was impressed.  I might have to make a habit of it...

"So Batman - wanna watch a movie?" I asked, waving my spoon at the living room, since neither one of us seemed to be in the mood for talking. Usually I could talk for the both of us, but I was just too tired to pull one of those tonight.  Happy, but still tired.  Besides, I was replaying our fight in my head, over and over...  

Incredible.  

Just... incredible.

Anx simply shrugged, which I took for a yes.

"I'll meet you there," I said. "You want a water?" I asked, making my way to the fridge to grab one for myself.

"Yeah, thanks," Anx said, grabbing the remote. I tossed Anx's water over to him on the couch -

And I guess I must've been more tired than I thought because the bottle hit Anx right in the head.

I couldn't help it.

I burst out laughing, doubling over.  When I came back up, Anx was glaring and I tried to shove down my laughter, unsuccessfully.  "I swear I wasn't aiming for you," I argued, but I can't imagine that I was very unconvincing as I was still fighting hard not to laugh.

"Oh believe me, I know - if you had been aiming for me, you woulda gotten it on video," Anx said and I smiled, relieved. Anx was really not someone I wanted mad at me, for some reason. It was a rather new thing.  I... I don't know why, but I've really wanted to impress him lately -

Oh.

OH.

Oh my stars... this isn't good.

"Are you comin', Sunshine?" Anx called out, interrupting my thoughts.  "Movie's coming back from commercial break."

I shook my head. I had no time to think about this now. "Yeah, I'm coming," I said grabbing my plate and walking over to join Anx in the Common Space, currently in the form of Thomas's living room, like it was most of the time.

I walked into the room to find that Anx had taken the couch corner and I frowned. "Aw, maybe I wanted the corner," I whined.

Anx shrugged. "I got here first."

"I got you a water!"

"You also hit me in the head," Anx pointed out.

I pouted, bit still feeling a little guilty. Even if it wasn't intentional, I did hit him in the head. I sighed, settling on the floor, leaning against the couch instead, placing my plate on the coffee table.

And then I looked up to see exactly what we were watching.

"And before you get any crazy ideas - no, I did not intentionally pick a Disney movie," Anxiety said. He hadn't noticed my face yet. "But I didn't feel like changing the channel and this was already on... Roman? Roman, are you okay?" Anx asked but his voice was going in an out, a blurry jumble of words that I couldn't process.  

I suddenly jumped up, banging on legs hard on the table in the process but I hardly recognized it, hands trembling.  I stared at the screen in horror, but some part of me couldn't move, couldn't run, could do anything but stare at the screen.

I couldn't tear my eyes away.

Maleficent.

The only Disney movie I can't watch.

My hands started shaking as Maleficent woke up, right after Stephan -

She glanced back and her wings were gone and she - she - she just screamed -

The screen went black but I was standing here and I realized the my cheeks were wet and my wings we tucked as close to my back as they possibly could.

"... Roman? I'm so sorry, I didn't even think," Anx apologized, hovering a few feet away, looking guilty as he stood there, plate left on the couch, forgotten.  He fidgeted nervously and I knew that he was starting to beat himself up about it. But it wasn't his fault, he simply didn't know any better.

Without stopping to think, I closed the distance between us and wrapped my arms around him.  I heard Anx gasp in surprise, but he - surprisingly - didn't move away, simply letting me wrap my  arms around him, and cry into his shoulder.

I waited for Anx to push me away - he didn't like being touched, obviously - but instead of pushing me away, he... he actually wrapped his arms around me in return, gently.  In response I gripped him tighter, sobbing into his shoulder.

"Shhh, it - it's okay," Anx said quietly and I cried. He slowly guided us towards the couch and we sat there together, curled together.  I cried into his shoulder and he let me, crying until I ran out of tears.

____________________
Whelp. There's the only Disney movie Roman can't watch. Makes sense, though, right? How could he when that's a reenactment of the worst moment of his life?

Sorry if this wasn't the most interesting chapter, but I thought it was important :)

Voters:
deziRee314
death-of-a-phangirl
CinderAsh
DanTheBinderBoy
AuriLW
B****JerkA**butt666
Corerianna
xJustAGeekx
Amelia_Divine
FubunkiSnow
EmeraldWishes109
Hiyori23

This comment wasn't on the last chapter, but it made my heart so happy so.... :)

Commenter:
AuriLW

Comment (Chapter 15):
You just upped yourself in my rankings.

Me: :3

And finally, I... hit 2k reads (I know, whaaaa). Like. I know I just said something about hitting 1k, but I'm at 2k - actually, I'm almost at 3k! I have as of right now... 2766 reads! I'm also at 197 votes, been getting the sweetest comments, and more of them than ever.  That's - that's amazing! Especially in such a short amount of time - it's only been a week guys since I did this last, if you can believe it. 

Anyway. thank you guys so much! X3

Next Chapter might go up on Wednesday as usual....

...

or possible tomorrow cause I'm a writing machine and I almost have up to chapter twenty one finished ;)

- Max :)

p.s.: Just curious, but how old do you think I am?