all the world's a stage // prinxiety ✔

♡ 42 - can't ♡

"You can't do this."

"I can't do what?"

"You can't go on this date with me."

Virgil frowned. "Why not?"

Roman shook his head. "You aren't ready. You heard my idiotic sob story and you want to help me, but it doesn't matter if you don't want to actually go out with me."

"How do you know when I'm ready?" Virgil asked.

Roman let out an exasperated sigh.

Virgil buried his face in the crook of Roman's neck with his arms embracing him. Surprising Roman, he kissed his neck gently. "My God, you dumbass. I love you and I think I'm ready."

An abundance of color rushed to Roman's face. "I'm not," he said.

"What?" Virgil pulled away. "You were when you told me all those times you wanted to wait for me to be ready."

"Look, I hate to be that bitch, but I don't think anybody can really love me and I don't want to be like Declan and force you into staying. He was an asshole and you don't deserve another asshole. I want you to be who you are outside of these relationships because I know how much he took away from you. I don't want to be his replacement because you should be his replacement.

"I know you still love Declan, and I'm not mad at that, but I don't want to get into your head and make you think you can't be anybody outside of my boyfriend."

That was the most brutally honest thing Roman had ever said to Virgil.

Virgil said, "I want to be your boyfriend."

Roman's heart raced even faster. "Declan didn't even let you have friends. And you two didn't even break up that long ago, so I don't know if you still have that mindset that you can't be anybody else. I don't want to take advantage of you. You're 19 and you've only been in one relationship and it was toxic!"

"You aren't taking advantage of me. And you better believe there are people who can love you because I do, you butthead!"

There was a long pause before Roman muttered, "Nobody's called me a butthead since the second grade."

Virgil snickered, "Well maybe not to your face."

Roman let himself crack a tiny smile. "So, where do you want to go on our date?"

Virgil blinked a couple times. "I called you a butthead and now you're convinced you want to date me?"

Someone pounded on the door. "Hello! Some of us need to pee!"

"Let's go to my car?" Virgil suggested, and the two left the bathroom.

"Oh, Remy!" Roman greeted his roommate.

Remy raised an eyebrow at him and Virgil. "What were you two doing in the bathroom together?"

Roman could've said "Nothing," or simply, "None of your business."

But he said, "Platonic things," and followed Virgil to the car, leaving a smirking Remy in the store.

Once they were sat in Virgil's Buick, Virgil put his hands in Roman's hair, running his fingers through it slowly. "You're so..."

"Gorgeous?"

Virgil scoffed. Roman's cockiness had returned. "Sure, we'll go with that." He got out of the driver's seat and went to the passenger's side to share it with Roman, who pulled him onto his lap.

"What do you want for Christmas?" Roman joked.

Virgil scrunched up his nose. "This is weird. Also, we were just both being sad and arguing, like, two seconds ago." Despite his complaining, he didn't leave Roman's grip and he grinned.

Virgil caught him glancing at his lips and he scooted around a bit before stopping as he realized he was still on Roman's lap.

"So, did you drive here? I can drive you home," Virgil offered, laughing a bit anxiously.

"I walked, and even if I didn't, I'd let you drive me home," Roman replied.

"Cool, dude."

"Damn, I just got dude-zoned."

Virgil cracked up. "Okay, let me go now, or else I won't be able to drive."

Slowly, Roman let go and Virgil sat in the driver's seat again, buckled his seatbelt, and began to exit out of his parking spot.

"Can I play music?" Roman asked.

Virgil hesitated before telling him, "Sure, go ahead. Just don't play anything trashy." He assumed Roman would just play some show tunes.

Roman plugged the aux cord into his phone and began blasting Danielle Cohn's music.

Virgil's jaw dropped and Roman started to laugh hysterically.

"I will actually murder you in your sleep."

"Aww, but we never got to go on that first date!" Roman whined jokingly.

"We still don't know where we're going, dude. And I should probably offer an idea first because I asked you out, right? But my mind is pulling a blank right now."

As Virgil started driving to Roman's apartment, they thought in silence after Virgil turned off Roman's music.

"Ice cream at my apartment?" Roman suggested.

"Hey! I asked you out! Anyway, doesn't that mean we've started dating months ago?"

"Yes, but this is romantic ice cream."

Virgil rolled his eyes so hard he almost kept going at the yellow light. "Sure. When should I be there?"

"Well, we're going to my apartment now, aren't we?"

"Our date is now?"

"I mean, uh, yeah?"

"Okay, sick. And, Roman?"

"Yeah?" Roman yawned. He hadn't shown anyone the darker side to his life except for Remy before their conversation in the bathroom, and being sad made him exhausted.

"You're the prince of my dreams."