Prince next door (Prinxiety au)

Chapter 17

The sun is beaming proud upon them. Burning through his black skinny jeans and tanning his pale bare arms from only wearing his dark purple shirt as he lays with his eyes closed on a little patch of grass and a small blanket. Sunglasses protecting him from unwanted UV radiation if he were to open his eyes.
"Shht. Look! A crow." Roman's voice takes him out of his, for once, peaceful mind and he opens his eyes to look at his boyfriend who's pointing at a pitch black bird sitting on a little fence not too far away from them. A smile tugs up the corners of Virgil's lips when he spots it as well. He loves crows. They don't just look really cool, but they're really smart as well.
"Reckon it'll come if I throw a little cheese cube?" Roman whispers to not scare the bird away.
"You can try." Virgil shrugs unsure. He doesn't think the bird will come, but he also doesn't want to discourage his boyfriend. Who knows, maybe it will come after all. Roman carefully throws the piece of cheese at the bird. It tilts its little black head at it, but doesn't move.
"I think it's still too close." Virgil reasons.
"Yeah." Roman sighs a little disappointed. It's one of the first really warm days of the year and Roman impulsively decided they should have a picnic. He packed a blanket to lay on, brought some drinks and prepared some easy snacks like little cheeses and cherry tomatoes. He told Virgil to bring something like a book he can enjoy in the sun and they went off to the park. There are several other people walking around and Virgil can hear a group of guys playing soccer, but Roman took them to a calmer spot. Knowing Virgil doesn't really like crowds.
"How's the story coming along?" Virgil quirks a curious eyebrow at his boyfriend then. Roman's wearing white shorts and sneakers with a red shirt that suits him tightly. He's holding a block of paper on his lap and a pencil in his hands.
"I'm stuck." He admits as he looks down at the illustrated story he has been creating the last couple of days. He figured maybe he'll get more inspiration in the sun, but he's just not sure where he wants to take the story. Virgil, who was laying down with his arms under his head, sits upright to look at the paper. A proud smile pulls up a single corner of his lips like every time he sees how much talent the other man has. Virgil himself likes to draw too, but he could never compare with Roman who just creates magic out of his pencil. Not to mention the stories that go along with it.
"Well, do you want us to cry again, or are you going to be nice to your characters for once?" THe younger of the two smirks. Referring to his other stories him and Roman's roommates have already read overtime.
"Logan didn't cry." Roman points his pencil at him.
"Logan will never admit if something hits an emotional nerve." Virgil argues amused. Roman hums agreeing before nibbling down on the back of his pencil as he looks over his story as well.
"I'm trying to write a less dramatic story, but it just doesn't seem to work." He speaks up without looking at Virgil.
"Of course not. You're a living and breathing drama queen. You wouldn't be able to write a dull story even if you tried." Virgil snickers as he lays back down. Grinning at the offended look on Roman's face.
"Try doing some other things first and come back to this one when you've got new ideas." He suggests as he rolls over on his belly and stuffs a cherry tomato in his mouth. Roman hums distracted again. Probably not even really listening anymore as he stares back at his pages. Virgil shakes his head fondly as he plucks some nearby daisy. He twirls it around between his fingers before plucking another one. And another one. He starts attaching them to one another until he's got a circle that would fit on someone's head. He sits back upright as he puts the flower crown on Roman's head with an amused smile. Roman looks up at him startled with questioning eyes.
"Can't keep calling you princey if you don't have a crown." Virgil jokes. Roman lifts his hand up to touch the delicate crown. A big grin pulling up his lips and revealing his straight white teeth.
"They're daisies, right?" He wonders. Virgil stomps his shoulder with a glare.
"You know I wouldn't try using dandelions again." He utters. As kids there were very few things Virgil liked to do more in the summer than making flower crowns. Or flower-anything really. He supposes it was a calming and distracting activity to do. One day he tried to make a crown with dandelions and though at first it seemed easier and a great idea, he soon found out why it wasn't. That same day he discovered dandelions tend to leave stains. His entire forehead was smudged. Roman smirks as he leans in to give him a quick kiss. Keeping the flower crown on his head as he starts drawing again. Virgil feels his heart grow twice its size at the sight and he takes a sneaky picture of it with his phone. After a few minutes Roman puffs as he puts his pencil down.
"It's hot." He complains. Virgil chuckles softly. Laying back on his back with his arms under his head.
"Try wearing black skinny jeans." He offers sarcastically.
"Yeah, why are you wearing that, you freak?" Roman pokes his thigh with his pencil and a teasing smirk. Virgil swats him away as he tries to stop himself from smiling too wide.
"I can't exactly wear a breezy skirt like most girls are today." He comments as he nods towards a group of girl. Most of them wearing a dress or skirt. Not all of them though. There's a couple who are also wearing long jeans.
"I don't know. It'd suit you." Roman winks. Virgil feels his cheeks heat up unrelated from the sun.
"Right." He tries to wave the teasing compliment away. Not giving away how he has tried one of his mother's dresses on before. It didn't suit him at all.
"No, really, have you tried one on before?" Roman wonders. Virgil clears his throat.
"O-Of c-course not!" He reacts. "I'm a guy." He adds to help his point come across. Roman burst out laughing.
"Yeah, so? Drag queens are guys too, you know." He smirks.
"I'm not a drag queen, am I?" Virgil starts feeling defensive. Roman shrugs.
"Aren't you wondering how it feels?" He continues. The younger man frowns at his boyfriend.
"Are you?" He bounces the ball back to him.
"Not really. I've already worn a dress before." Roman replies casually. Virgil quirks an eyebrow at him, but Roman seems no longer interested in the conversation as he frowns down at his paper and starts correcting something. His tongue poking slightly out from between his lips in concentration. Virgil sits upright.
"When have you worn a dress? And why?" He asks him curious. Roman blinks up at him as if he temporarily forgot what they were talking about just seconds ago.
"Oh, for a party. Girls had to dress as guys and guys had to dress as girls. It was fun." He replies then. "Both the party and wearing the dress." He clarifies in addition. Virgil pulls up his knees as he lets that thought sink in. He's told Roman a lot of things he's kept to himself for years. His boyfriend never reacted with anything but support. But surely he can't just spill this?
"What's on your mind, gloomy face?" Roman quirks an eyebrow at him with a crooked smile. Virgil looks startled from the tree he zoned out on to his boyfriend's amused face. He hadn't realized Roman was still focusing on him.
"Nothing." Virgil lies. Roman lets out a hum that shows he's doubting that.
"You're having your 'I'm thinking too much' face on." He points at him. Virgil frowns.
"I don't have an 'I'm thinking too much' face!" He reacts offended.
"So you weren't just making things overly complicated in that beautiful little head of yours?" Roman tilts his head knowingly.
"Shut up." Virgil huffs as he looks away.
"So what is it?" Roman asks him again. Virgil lets out a deep sigh. How is it Roman always manages to let him open up? He should share his secrets with his therapist.
"I lied." He starts. "Before." He adds. "When, uh, when I said I never tried on a dress before." He admits. Looking down at the blanket.
"Aha!" Roman reacts triumphant. Virgil looks at him with a confused look in his eyes. "So you know how it feels." He smirks at the younger man. Virgil rests his chin on his pulled up knees.
"Yeah, it sucked." He reacts. He had expected to feel pretty and powerful like the men he saw on Rupaul's Drag Race, but instead he felt like a bag of potatoes. What even was he thinking? He's a guy, he doesn't have the proportions needed to wear a female dress.
"No, no, that's not right. Why did it suck?" Roman shakes his head confused at his reaction.
"I felt ridiculous." Virgil comments.
"Hmm, was it someone else's dress or your own?" Roman wonders.
"Mom's." Virgil admits. It's too late now anyway. Roman chuckles softly.
"Well of course you felt ridiculous. You need to find something that actually suits you. You can't expect someone else's stuff to just fit you." He reacts.
"Whatever." Virgil mutters.
"There's a thrift shop nearby." Roman speaks up after a moment of silence. Virgil looks back at him with questioning eyes. "Let's go see if they've got something that actually suits you." His boyfriend suggests.
"Uh uh, no way." Virgil shakes his head.
"Come on, it'll be fun!" Roman looks at him with big puppy dog eyes.
"No those don't work on me." Virgil closes his eyes and rests his arms over them for dramatic effect. He feels Roman's lips brush against his.
"Pwetty pwease?" He begs before kissing his lips softly. Virgil groans as he drops his arm to look back at his boyfriend who's still sitting mere inches from his face.
"You're the worst." The younger man reacts annoyed. He can't believe Roman always encourages him to open up and do the things he talks about. He acts as if Virgil is doing him a favor instead of the other way around and he knows Virgil can't deny him anything. Roman smirks at his reply.
"Let me pack this up so we can go." He jumps upright. Knowing he's already won. Virgil falls back down on his back with a deep sigh.
"Move, grumpy." Roman teases him with his foot.
"Get your dirty sneakers off my shirt." Virgil reacts as he rolls off the blanket.
"They're not dirty. They're brand new." Roman reacts offended as he starts folding the blanket and puts it back in his backpack along with the left over snacks. He then sticks out his hand to pull Virgil up. The younger man looks at him for a couple of seconds before grabbing it and standing upright.
"Why are you so keen on doing this?" He wonders as they leave the park.
"Because." Roman shrugs. "My boyfriend deserves to feel confident and pretty in everything he wears. Not just in oversized shirts and hoodies." He smiles at Virgil who frowns.
"I thought you liked my oversized hoodies." He mutters as he looks down at the sidewalk they're walking on.
"Oh, I do. You look adorable in them." Roman nods affirmative.
"Then why do you want me to try on a dress?" He quirks an eyebrow. Telling his boyfriend he doesn't understand his persistence. Is he already boring him?
"I'm not trying to change you, Virge. You could be wearing a clown suit for all I care." Roman reacts.
"A clown suit?" Virgil looks unimpressed up at him.
"Okay, maybe not a clown suit, but you get my point." Roman admits with a chuckle.
"Who even says I want to look pretty in a dress?" Virgil mumbles.
"Call it a hunch." Roman nudges him teasingly. Virgil lets out a sigh. When they arrive at the thrift shop Virgil feels a little bolt of excitement. He actually really likes thrift shops. It's a place of undiscovered treasures. He found his favorite black hoodie in a thrift shop a few years ago.
"Alright, let's see." Roman looks around at the many racks of clothes decorating the small, cozy shop. Virgil follows him, but he's not actively searching for something like Roman is. That is until his eyes fall on a particular item of clothing. He leaves Roman and crosses the room to take a closer look at it. It's a pitch black pleated skirt with a silver chain hanging loosely on the front. Giving it a more edgy look. He traces his fingers over the soft fabric in awe.
"What size is it?" Roman's voice sounds up behind him. Virgil lets go of the skirt startled.
"Doesn't matter. It won't suit me anyway." He shrugs as he tries to get the skirt out of his head again.
"You don't know that." Roman reacts. His arms already full of clothes. He pushes past Virgil to look at the skirt himself.
"That's roughly your size, right?" He quirks an eyebrow at him. Virgil looks at the number on the skirt.
"Yeah, it is, but Ro-" He starts to back down from the whole plan.
"Alright. Let me put these back and you try this one on." His boyfriends shoves the skirt against his chest before darting away. Virgil lets out a sigh as he looks back down at the skirt. With a last glance over his shoulder at Roman who's looking at a cute top, he walks to the back of the store where the stalls are. Is he really doing this? Apparently. He looks at his reflection in the mirror before taking off his pants. He's wearing his fishnet stockings underneath them again and decides to keep those on. When he pulls the skirt over his hips and closes the zipper he realizes it fits perfectly unlike his mom's dress. He looks down at himself before looking up at the his own reflection again. He tilts his head as he turns left and right to get the whole picture. It's actually not that bad. He thinks pleasantly surprised. His purple shirt is too big for it though. He thinks for a second before tucking it loosely inside the skirt. A smile plays with his lips when he sees how much better that already looks. Maybe if he wears one of his thin black jumpers it would look even better? And his boots instead of these sneakers?
"Virge?" Roman's voice sounds up from the other side of the curtain.
"Yeah." Virgil sticks his head out from the stall to let Roman know in which one he is.
"Well?" Roman looks curious.
"It fits." Virgil tells him before closing the curtain again to look at himself with a happy smile. "Alright, come on, show me." Roman calls impatient. Virgil bites down on his bottom lip.
"Is it just you?" He asks softly. Roman hears the nerves in his boyfriend's voice and looks around to make sure it's just the two of them.
"Yeah, coast is clear." He assures him. Virgil feels how his palms are getting sweaty and wipes them off on the skirt before turning around and opening the curtains. Roman's eyes widen at the sight. It suits him perfectly. It's adorable, but edgy enough to know you shouldn't fuck with him. It practically screams 'Virgil'. Virgil feels how a dark pink blush taints his cheeks under Roman's close eye.
"It's gorgeous." Roman comments as he steps closer to his boyfriend with a baffled look.
"Sh-Shut up." Virgil bites down on his bottom lip as he looks down at himself again. He feels gorgeous. Gorgeous and dangerous.
"How much is it?" Roman wonders. He sees how much Virgil likes the skirt. He might still be hesitant to admit it or show the world this side of him, but Roman can see it in his eyes. In the little smile Virgil can't seem to get off his face anymore.
"I don't know." Virgil twists his body so he can look at the little label hanging on the back.
"Ten." He reads. Roman takes a step back.
"Can you spin?" He asks him. Virgil blinks surprised at him. Not sure what to do.
"You want me to twirl?" He looks unsure.
"Yeah, just turn around so I can see the whole image." Roman replies with a crooked smile.
"Uh." Virgil looks down at himself again before he starts swirling on the spot. The skirt rising up by the wind. Virgil stops again to look amused at Roman.
"Yeah, you're taking that home." His boyfriend declares and Virgil immediately stops laughing.
"I can't do that." He utters in disbelief.
"Course you can." Roman snickers.
"I'll never wear it." Virgil shakes his head.
"Maybe not. Or maybe it's going to become your favorite item of clothing." Roman shrugs with a knowing smirk. Virgil bites down on his bottom lip. He always does that when he's nervous. He's done that for as long as he can remember.
"I can never wear it outside." He mutters.
"Well, that's just bullshit." Roman declares.
"No, it's not. People will look weird." Virgil frowns angry at him.
"Who cares what other people think? I thought you liked being different from the brainless herd?" Roman tilts his head. Referring to his black eye shadow and never ending eye rolls when he sees a trend take over the entire population. Virgil looks down at himself.
"This is different." He argues.
"Tell me." Roman starts calmer. "How long did it take you to feel confident with the eye shadow and fishnets?" He wonders. Virgil looks over his shoulder at his reflection. He pretended to instantly feel confident, but the first few weeks he barely dared looking up at people when he wore his eye shadow. The fishnet stockings had been laying at the back of his closet for months before he finally felt brave enough to wear them out in public. He gets what Roman is after. He appreciates it. But it feels as a far bigger step to just go outside with a skirt.
"I get it." He sighs as he looks down at the skirt again. He actually really loves how it looks on him. He loves Roman's reaction to it. He's just scared. Roman is right and he shouldn't care about what other people think, but that's so much easier said than done.
"So you're gonna let me buy it for you then?" Roman smirks pleased he seems to have convinced him. Virgil looks back up at him with a questioning frown.
"You're going to buy it?" He repeats unimpressed. Roman nods.
"Definitely. I need you to have that skirt." He points with a smirk. Virgil squints his eyes at him.
"Just so you know, I know what you're doing." He reacts accusingly. "Thank you." He adds with a soft smile. Roman feels his heart swell at the sincere voice of gratitude. He steps closer and rests his hands on Virgil's hips.
"Don't mention it." He winks before closing the gap and pecking his lips softly. Virgil leaning into the touch before stepping back when he realizes he can't let himself go in the middle of a shop.
"I'm going to change." He announces as he steps back in the stall.
"Ready?" Roman wonders when he steps back out with his ripped, black skinny jeans on. Virgil hums and Roman takes the skirt over from him.
"I'm also getting this top. It's dazzling." He shows his boyfriend excited. Virgil snickers amused. He already noticed Roman look at it before. His smile falters when they get to the cash register though. Afraid to see a judging look in the woman's eyes.
"That's all, dears?" She wonders with a friendly smile. Virgil doesn't reply and hides behind Roman.
"Yes, ma'am. Thank you." Roman nods with his charming smile. "May I add you have a lovely shop?" He's so smooth at talking to strangers. Can't he just give some of his skills to Virgil?
"Oh that's very kind of you, dear." The woman looks pleased before her and Roman finish the payment.
"Have a nice day." She calls after them.
"Thank you." Virgil mutters.
"You too, ma'am." Roman waves as they leave the shop.

"I can't believe we did that." Virgil speaks up when they're in his room again. A strong wind started chasing away the warm temperatures and him and Roman decided to head back inside rather than stay in the park and wait it out. He holds up his brand new skirt.
"I'm glad we did." Roman smirks from the bed where he's already laying lazily. "Do you want to put it back on?" He wonders invitingly. Virgil feels caught when he looks back at his boyfriend. He must've been smiling down at the black fabric for too long.
"Did you really think I looked nice in it?" He asks him softly. Roman pushes himself to sit up right.
"Luv, you've seen yourself in the mirror. You looked like a fierce and powerful knight." He tells him.
"Knight?" Virgil quirks an eyebrow at his boyfriend. "Seriously?" He adds as a smirk pulls up the corners of his lips.
"Okay, maybe not a knight, but just trust me when I say you looked absolutely amazing in it." Roman snickers. Virgil feels his cheeks heat up again as he smiles down at the piece of clothing.
"Go ahead. Put it back on. Own it." His boyfriend encourages him. Virgil thinks about it for a couple more minutes as he looks over his shoulder at his closed door. Marten is out. Erika is never home anyway. No one has to know apart from Roman and him.
"Okay." He nods as he puts the skirt next to Roman and starts taking off his pants before taking the skirt up again and putting that on. Roman's eyes darken with delight when he sees his boyfriend live his truth.
"Stunning." He comments. Virgil scratches the back of his head nervously. Roman grabs his free hand in his and pulls him towards him until Virgil is standing between his legs and he has to look up at his boyfriend.
"You are, without a doubt, the most handsome man alive." Roman tells him with crooked smile. He hears Virgil scoff, but doesn't miss the smile appearing on his adorable face. Roman lets his hand go to rest his on Virgil's hips. Virgil leans down and kisses him softly. Resting his hands on Roman's shoulders. He's been having ups and downs again lately. The ups coming less and less and the downs getting harder each time. He's glad he's got Roman and his therapist to pull him through, but he often feels like a burden. Today, luckily, is a good day. And he tries to take those with his entire heart and soul. He feels how Roman has to crane his neck uncomfortably in their current situation and pulls back with an amused smile. Roman lets out a displeased whine at the loss of touch and Virgil snickers softly at how needy he can be. And he thought he was the desperate one. He sits down next to Roman so they're on the same level before he closes the gap again. Roman doesn't hesitate when he parts his lips and deepens the kiss. His hand resting in Virgil's neck. The other boy just brings something out of him he never experienced before. He feels an endless pull that gravitates him towards the boy he met when they were just naive little kids. Virgil pulls back first again.
"Ro?" He speaks up softly. Roman hums. Noticing the sudden serious vibe. Virgil looks down at their touching knees before looking up into his eyes again. Roman can see the fear and determination clear in it.
"I- I think I'm ready." Virgil speaks up softly. Cheeks blazing red. Roman pecks his lips before scanning his eyes again.
"Are you sure?" He asks him with a gentle voice. Not wanting to push Virgil into something he might regret later. The younger man nods.
"I'm sure." He replies. "Nervous beyond reason, but sure." He admits. A crooked smile curls up Roman's lips.
"No need to be nervous. You can always decide it's too fast after all and we'll just stop." He tell his boyfriend as he brushes his cheek with his thumb softly.
"I trust you." Virgil speaks up softly. Roman almost wants to groan out loud at how much love he feels right now.
"I love you so much." He whispers.
"I love you too." Virgil smiles quick before looking nervous again. He's really going to do this. He looks into Roman's eyes for a few more moments before leaning in and kissing him deeply. Yeah, he's doing this. He thinks happy to himself when Roman pushes him gently down on the mattress.

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We love a supportive boyfriend! Also yes boys can wear skirts and girls can wear boy's button up shirts. Clothes don't have gender