Bad Rumors

28

"Let's say by some chance it wasn't my pride..." Roman was going to bury himself alive with this. He should have just left it. He was going to leave it but... Watching Virgil with those kids made it all the more impossible to ignore his feelings. Virgil was sitting there with a toddler in his lap napping away as Roman watched from the rocking chair across from him. Of course, he had a small baby in his arms that was chugging along with his bottle that the prince was feeding him. "Earlier when I-I-I w-was being f-flirt-ty?" Virgil's eyes narrowed in confusion as Roman forced himself to look away as to not blush too much. "What would you h-have d-done if it w-wasn't my pride?"

"Why are you asking me this?" Roman frowned as Virgil laughed a bit to himself. "It doesn't really matter anyway. It was obviously your pride."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you had this look in your eyes." Virgil sat there playing with this stuffed lion as the boy in his lap laughed happily. "This look of confidence and regal aura. It's the same look you always have when your pride is affecting you."

"Well j-j-just b-because I'm c-confident doesn't mean my pride took over." Virgil laughed as he rolled his eyes teasingly. 

"Roman, I know you. When you get that look your defenately being affected by your pride. I just... didn't want you to say something you might regret, you know. It's ok, Ro. It's not like I'd judge you or anything." Roman's eyes darkened as he watched the younger with the doll. He didn't really know what he could say to that. He just... He knew how he felt and even if he knew it would never happen... He didn't want Virgil to think everything he says is somesort of a pride induced fabrication. He loves Virgil. That's not his pride talking. 

"B-B-But what if... What... What if it w-w-was... fudge. H-Hold on a sec." Roman groaned as he forced himself to take a deep breathe. He needed to slow down. Patton had told him once that his stutter, since not everyone has the same kind as him, could be helped if he jsut took the time to think it all through before talking. His stutter got worse the less his mind was able to latch on to his words. Hense why he fumbles a lot and changes his wording. With his emotions all over the place it was getting to hard to get his mind and his words to match. "W-w-what if i-it was-sn't p-pride but was from the heart-t?" Roman smiled as his eyes seemed to sparkle a bit. He wasn't trying to confess his feelings but at the same time he couldn't just ingore it either. He latched onto the thred of confidence as he tuned nearly everything else out just so he can get his thoughts in order. Letting the feeling of bravery and pride bubble up just enough, he smiled more seeing the thoughtful look in Virgil grow. "What if I meant it?"

"I don't know. What exactly do you want me to say here, Roman?" Roman's smile never fell as he kept that firm grip on that confident feeling, using it to help boost him forward.

"It's not what I want you to say, Virgil. I simply want you to listen." Roman's eyes softened as he chuckled lightly, such a light airy sound that brought a blush to Virgil's cheeks not that you could see it. "Virgil, I told you that you help me more than you realize and that's true. You've got me wound so tightly to you, I am at your beck and call. I wasn't lying when I said you need only say the word."

"Roman..." Virgil could see that familiar look in the princes eyes. "Roman your Pri..."

"You can't blame everything I say on my pride, Virgil. Confidence in small amounts is a good thing. Pride is a good thing in moderation. If I am scared and call on my pride to help me would you say my courage was false and therefore meaningless?" Virgil faltered at that. He didn't have an anwser. No, he did. Virgil would without hesitation say no. Roman's pride wasn't the villain all the time just as anxiety wasn't either. That wasn't the issue here. He just didn't know how to put it to words. On one hand you had Roman saying things like that while clearly being affected by his pride, just not in a way that determines to what extent... on the other Roman is saying things that make Virgil's heart skip and it's taking everything the younger has to not yell at the prince for being an asshole over the possiblity of lying. Virgil loves him and it's a lot to hear all those things without the surity that it's real. "Sometimes it takes a bit of pride and courage to say what you're feeling. Virgil you've done so much for me. Can't I open about it?"