#boy crush problems

It looked like a back street; dark, dingy with some flickering fluorescent light somewhere around. A putrid, unknowable scent hung in the air, thick. Thomas was there though... looking also mighty confused.

“Hey, Roman... can you get us out of here?”

“Huh? What do you mean?” He asked, bewildered. 

“This is the mind palace. Can we move?” Thomas said looking round.

Something alarmed Roman, obviously Thomas didn’t remember seeing this place. He had no idea where it was or anything. Roman felt  a tug though, as if this place seemed familiar. All the same he took control of the surroundings and it melted somewhere around them.

The mind palace looked a lot more familiar tonight.

“Where was that?” They asked each other at the same time. Both alarmed that the other didn’t know, Roman and Thomas shut their mouths in surprising speed.

Then Patton showed up, followed by Virgil and lastly Logan.

“Hey, kid, what’s up?” Patton asked. Roman and Thomas looked each other in the eyes and immediately decided to say nothing.

“I’m having trouble with a guy.”

“Aren’t we always?” Virgil laughed with light mocking.

Thomas didn’t even try to deny as he shrugged sheepishly, “They’re all so cute, I can’t help myself.”

Soon the mind palace incident was forgotten in favour of talking about any and every cute boy encountered and how to help Thomas with his current troubles. When they’d put all the world to rights, or so it seems, they all went about doing their own things in the commons.

They all began playing Twister and by the time they were all tangled, a squire came in to get Roman, requesting a meeting with his consuls. Getting out of the mix of limbs was a challenge but after a minute or so he managed to get out, giggling as he clambered his way back to the squire.

“You miss me, don’t you?” Patton said. The world didn’t seem so rose-tinted anymore.

“What?”

“You’ll miss me, won’t you?” Patton repeated.

“Ahem.” Virgil pretended to cough, still holding his rather ridiculous position - almost spider-like between everyone's limbs.

“He’ll miss all of us while doing his royal duties, won’t you, Roman?” Logan rephrased.

Roman meanwhile felt stuck to the spot. Realising he could in fact move he nodded his head and said, “Yes. Yes, of course. I will miss you all. I’ll be back soon, I’m sure.”

Virgil rolled his eyes and pretended he wasn’t blushing, Patton grinned and Logan nodded. For them what Patton had said had been a moment and the moment had passed. Or had they heard what he did?

To not raise suspicion, he began to walk - first certain, then letting his squire lead.

Roman knew what he had heard and knew he heard it right. What did it mean though? Why would he miss Patton when he was right in front of him?

Before long he was soon in his own kingdom and bluffing his way through the consul meeting. He usually paid a lot more attention, the kingdom meant a lot to him after all but it seemed to be a reiteration of the last one and he was become increasingly distracted by the day he was having. 

“Would you wake up, your royal highness?!” A voice cut through the noise and he looked up to see the head of consul, he wanted to defend himself or challenge him to a duel for distracting him or even just apologise but found he couldn’t speak. Couldn’t speak, couldn’t move and before his eyes the kingdom melted away to somewhere different. Somewhere awfully familiar.