#the discord server reminded me the other day of my deep dive into turn of the century paris lesbians and I'm still thinking about them | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

agrestebug · 3 years

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It starts with coffee

Hey everyone! The Miraculous Fanworks Discord is celebrating their anniversary! HUZZAH! So here is a little one shot as a treat - thank you so much to LadyBuginette from the server who submitted the prompt!

Trying to act casual, Marinette peered slyly over her large sunglasses. Her gaze focused on the café across from where she and Adrien were having lunch. Adrien shook his head at his girlfriend of eight years, but couldn't hold back the smile at her antics, "They'll be fine."

"I know they'll be fine." Marinette told the love of her life quickly, "I just want to make sure. Kagami is one of my best friends,"

"And Felix is my cousin." He reached across the small table and laced his fingers through hers, "Princess," he called her softly, immediately getting her attention. "They'll be fine."

He held her beautiful blue eyes with a soft smile on his face. Her fingers squeezed his and she let out a heavy sigh, "I know, I know you are right, but I was the one who set them up. If it backfires,"

"It won't. You have always been a people person, ever since college. You and your miraculous instinct to know when two people are a good fit has never been wrong." He reminded her triumphantly, lifting her hand and placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles.

She smiled at the move, her cheeks dusting with a soft pink, "Tomcat."

"How dare you." He teased, "I am a purrfect gentleman."

"No, don't start with the puns Kitten, please." She practically begged.

"Promise to enjoy your own date instead of worrying about theirs." He told her instantly, "Only then will I purromise."

She groaned but relented, taking off the sunglasses and taking one last look over at the café, seeing how awkward her two friends looked. This wasn't a mistake… right?

"All right, okay. I promise."

…

Felix had his eyes glued to the address on his phone. Why in the hell did his cousin want to meet him for lunch like this all of a sudden? This was his ONE day off from Gabriel, and he was sure there were much better things he could be doing than grabbing a quick coffee with his obnoxiously positive cousin.

God he hoped Adrien hadn't ordered for him. If he had to force down one more of those, cups of sugar Adrien liked to think passed for coffee, he was going to walk out without so much as a word.

He entered the small café, glad at least that it seemed pretty empty. Adrien's fame tended to haunt them at the worst of times, and it was even worse when they were both out. One of the unlucky side-effects to being practically twins.

He waited for a minute or two, getting ready to call and check on Adrien's whereabouts when his phone rang. He saw her face and frowned, answering it quickly, "Marinette, where is he?"

"I kidnapped him!" She said brightly, "Sorry to steal your lunch date, BUUUUUUUT, I sent a replacement. Make sure you treat her well or I will tell everyone about your love for little black cats."

He groaned as he realized what she had done, "You planned this didn't you? Damn it Marinette I told you I didn't…" he paused, seeing a very beautiful girl with short dark hair walking into the café. She looked around, a slight scowl maring her distinct features. He knew instantly that she was Japanese, but never had he seen eyes quite like hers. They were hazel, yes, but he felt like that description was dull and more of an insult no matter how he thought about it.

"I… have to go." He managed to force out, clicking off when he heard Marinette giggling.

The dark haired beauty made eye contact with him, her expression turning knowing as she slowly made her way towards him. He placed his phone inside his jacket pocket when she stopped in front of him, "Marinette was correct. You could pass for Adrien quite easily."

Her tone was flat, not a judgment in any way whatsoever. Surprised by her bluntness, he said it in the same flat tone, "Our mother's were twins, so the odds of their children bearing similar likeness is purely based on genetics."

"Statistically however, the odds of twins birthing separately and still having a child bearing remarkable resemblance to one another is less than one percent, assuming your father's were not related in any way." She stated, her somewhat cold gaze piercing straight through him.

"I guess." He muttered, fighting the urge to shift uncomfortably under the strength of her gaze. It was a rare person who could hold his own cold gaze for so long. Let alone make him consciously feel uncomfortable.

She was interesting, to say the least.

"Marinette said I would like you." She told him.

"That right." He asked skeptically, even though it didn't come out like a question.

"Yes. However I believe she's biased." The girl told him, giving him an awkward smile that was all teeth.

He cleared his throat at the underlying implication, "Well she didn't say much about you. I was tricked."

The weird smile fell off her face easily, replaced by a carefully masked neutral expression. "I don't need your charity."

She turned to walk away, and his hand moved of its own accord. He gripped her arm, just hard enough to force her stop before instantly letting her go when her expression hardened.

"It's not charity." He clarified, "My apologies if that is how it came across. It was not my intent."

She studied him carefully, staying silent for a moment before telling him, "Pressed dark roast, no sugar, no cream. I'll find a table." She turned away from him again, and he stared at her in a new sense of shock. She drank her coffee the same way he did. He turned and went to the counter, placing the order and adding a few vanilla and almond biscotti's.

Just because he liked his coffee dark, didn't mean he didn't enjoy having something sweet with it.

He paid and the waitress told him they would bring the order out to the table. He found the dark haired girl sitting at a table outside, glaring angrily at her phone and texting quickly. He heard her small huff as he sat down across from her. She immediately put her phone away, a scowl still on her face as she looked at him.

"I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Kagami Tsurugi."

He nodded once, "Felix Graham de Vanily."

They went silent, only holding eyes for a few seconds before looking away. He was going to murder Marinette for this. How could she have possibly thought that putting him through this sort of awkward endeavour would make him happy? He huffed out loud, already planning multiple ways to get back at Marinette for this stunt. And Adrien too. His cousin was wrapped around the designer's finger, so he had no doubt that he'd had some part of this.

"If something is bothering you, you shouldn't let anyone see or hear it."

He glanced over at her, freezing his face before he could let the emotion pass, "Of course. A momentary lapse that won't be repeated, I assure you."

She nodded tersely, the air between them turning awkward again when the waiter saved them for a few moments by bringing their coffee. He took a sip, enjoying the deep, rich flavor of the coffee when a warm breeze brushed past them. "It's nice out today." He commented, watching over the rim of his cup as she took a sip.

A ghost of a smile graced her features, "It is."

He was lost in the image of that small smile that she let out. He was a Graham de Vanily. He'd be damned if he couldn't find a way to make her smile for real. He tried to make small talk, to see what he could trigger to get her really talking. If he could find out what she liked, he knew he'd be able to see a real smile on her face.

He was surprised through his questioning to find that they had more than their taste in dark coffee in common. Kagami practiced both aikido and mixed martial arts, something that he himself had taken since he was four. They had both spent a majority of their life outside of France, but had still ended up being drawn back here. It even seemed that they had similar upbringings, with parents of influence that forced them to play a part.

Felix mulled over her words about how strict of a schedule she followed while finishing off another cup of coffee. This girl was… amazingly unique, to say the least. She was strong, both in will and in heart, but carried an air of calm that could intimidate anyone with a single glance. She also had a bit of a sarcastic nature, one that he fully appreciated.

He watched her finish off her first cup of coffee, thinking that this really was nice. He wished his other dates had gone the way this one was.

"I am surprised." He started slowly.

She caught his eyes, "That right," she stated, the same way he had earlier. His lips twitched, wanting to turn into a smirk. So, she wasn't just beautiful. An idle thought crossed his head, most dragons were beautiful, but it didn't make them any less deadly.

"Yes." He said calmly, "That you agreed to stay. This isn't the first time Marinette has pulled something like this on me, or Adrien for that matter."

"Your surprise then surprises me." She said, placing her cup down gently, "I knew what I was walking into, granted, it was more to quiet Marinette's…" Kagami went silent, her brows knitting together.

"Obnoxious positivity." He supplied simply, pointing towards the biscotti, "Ladies first."

She grabbed one, smirking, "You've been on the receiving end of it too then?"

He said it tiredly, "If you only knew."

A soft smile finally formed on her face, and her voice lost some of its harshness, "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours. I bet I have you beat."

He let his manners slip just the smallest bit, "Not a chance in hell."

She giggled, and the sound echoed in his heart. He smiled, diving into the story and knowing he would win this. The second he was done, she started her own story, one he could hardly believe. But he could do one better. He told her one of the worst stories he had, where Adrien and Marinette had tag-teamed him. He had ended up on a double date with the sickeningly sweet lovebirds, trying the entire night not to gag. His 'date' was more consumed with her phone than anything he'd had to say. And she had the gall to ask him to go out again.

Kagami laughed as their third cup of coffee was brought out to them, "That sounds painful, extremely so."

He shrugged, but was smiling himself, "It can't be as bad as Adrien and Marinette dancing around each other in college. He was so blind to her feelings, I offered to buy him glasses more than once."

Kagami's smile widened, "I remember that. Poor Marinette. I tried to give her the confidence to go after him the way she wished, to no avail."

They said it at the same time, "Thank god for that masquerade."

They smiled at each other, "Marinette in that Ladybug dress." "And Adrien in that cat suit. They were a sight to see."

"Adrien told me that night, he hadn't been that happy since his mother passed. As obnoxious as they can be, I'm glad he has her." Felix admitted, thinking back to how different he and Adrien had reacted when they lost a parent. When his father died, he'd secluded himself, and purposely pushed people away. His uncle had trapped Adrien in his gilded cage, but Adrien never lost his light. He fought so hard to keep that light bright, and in the end it had acted like a beacon that brought Marinette to him.

Kagami's solemn voice broke though his thoughts, "Sometimes, I wish I had reacted the way Adrien did."

He nearly choked on his coffee at her words. He hadn't said all of that out loud had he?

She heard him sputter and continued quietly, "When my father passed, I secluded myself. I purposely pushed people away to avoid ever feeling that way again. If that was what love brought, pain, from a fate no one can escape,"

"Then it was better to be without it." He finished, understanding her perfectly.

She nodded, asking him gently, "You as well?"

"When my father passed." He admitted, "My mother pushed me to date for a while, wishing for an heir to the estate after me," he scoffed as he thought back to his mother's not so subtle hints, and saw Kagami shaking her head tiredly.

"My mother has spoken the same to me on numerous occasions. That's why I left and moved in with Marinette." She said heavily, "Children have never been one of my desires."

"Nor mine." He agreed, "What sort of father would I be? I can barely deal with Adrien and Marinette half the time."

"Deal with them?" She said scoffing, "I walk away when they become too much."

They shared a laugh, and he noticed the sun beginning to lower. She glanced around too, seeing his look, and said it sounding almost disappointed, "It is getting rather late in the afternoon. Maybe we should wrap this up."

She stood and he stood with her, not ready to let her go just yet. "Perhaps you'll allow me the chance to make up for my earlier rudeness."

He held his arm out for hers, and to his inner joy that seemed to have bloomed in her presence, she put her arm in his. He smiled at her, really smiled, and she smiled back as they left the café. On the way to her and Marinette's apartment, they exchanged a few more stories and were laughing again by the time they made it to the apartment door.

"Oh wait until I bring it up, he is going to go scarlet." Felix told her happily at the embarrassing story of Adrien she had just shared with him. Making fun of Adrien and Marinette was another thing they had in common.

"Make sure you take a picture and send it to me." She told him, taking her arm out of his. "Thank you, for walking me home." She said sincerely.

"It was my pleasure." He whispered, his voice barely able to get the simple sentence out. He pushed a small piece of her loose hair behind her ear, lowering his hand slowly.

A small blush appeared on her cheeks, and he asked her softly, "Would you, consider doing this again, with me? A real date."

She smiled, the hazel of her eyes turning to amber gold, "I'd like that."

He smiled brighter, "Whenever you are free next. I'll alter my schedule to meet yours."

"That won't be necessary,"

"It would be my honor." He said, taking a small step back away from her so that he could leave, "Have a good night Kagami."

He turned away from her, the urge to stay much harder to push down than he would have ever thought.

A firm hand grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop. There was a fierce expression on her face, "Idiot."

She pulled him back to her and kissed him soundly. His eyes briefly widened in shock until he returned the pressure. A soft hum escaped her as she pulled back with a triumphant smirk, "Good night Felix."

She opened the door to the apartment and walked inside, closing the door softly behind her.

He smiled to himself, staring at the door like an idiot for a minute before turning to leave, already in anticipation of seeing her again.

The elevator opened, and he laughed as he entered, hearing dual squealing coming in the direction of the girls' apartment.

Thanks for reading! I’d love to know what you guys think! This is cross-posted on A03 and FFN under the same username AgresteBug - so please don’t repost without my permission!

#Felix&Kagami #MarinetteMatchMaker #DarkCoffee #miraculous fanworks #anniversary #blind-dates-are-awkward #itsagrestebug

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patton-croc-agenda · 6 years

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Coral and Crowns (Ch.1/4)

A/N: Heyoo it’s me your local fic dealer here with a mer!royality fic bc those boys need more love damnit (me??? not writing logicality?? more likely than u think)

Specials thanks to: @pattonistooprecious my lovely beta, @impatentpending for letting me cameo her disaster lesbians, and the kids on the powerless discord server. Y’all wild.

Pairings: Royality

Words: 5,887

Warnings: Mentioned homophobia, mentioned/implied overbearing/emotionally distant parents

Next: Ch.2

Read it on Ao3

Roman Prince, despite being a hopeless romantic, did not fall in love easily. He’d faced enough heartbreak in his life to know when to teasingly flirt, and when to guard his heart away. He knew someday, he’d find the right person for him, but he doubted he’d meet them today. Hell, he doubted he’d meet them within this year. That was okay though, really, better to wait and find his perfect match then just go getting his heart broken by all the wrong people.

“YO! YOU GONNA JUMP OR NOT?” Roman ignored the voice behind him in favor of looking down into the water below. This was a popular cove for cliff-divers, with cliffs of all sizes lining the beach. Roman had been coming here his entire life, and had been jumping off cliffs into the ocean below for the same length of time. Taking a deep breath, Roman stepped back and prepared himself.

This particular cliff was rather dangerous, it was quite high up and the water below was surrounded by a small semicircle of rocks. It was dangerous, but Roman was a Prince.

He lived for danger.

Racing forward, Roman whooped and dove down, feeling the wind rush past his face, stinging his eyes and skin with salt carried up from the ocean. Roman closed his eyes as he made impact with the water.

Roman felt the warmth of ocean water engulf him as he slowly opened his eyes. He loved being underwater, loved the feeling of being hugged it gave him. His vision was slightly fuzzy, making him wish he’d brought his goggles. Sadly, goggles were terribly unfashionable, and as much as Roman wanted to see the bright colors of sea life, he wanted his dignity more.

Roman was about to swim up when he saw a blur out of the corner of his eye, a very large blur. Roman turned and saw...a boy?

He looked to be about Roman’s age, maybe a bit younger. He was poking out from behind a rock, so Roman couldn’t see his lower half, just his chest and arms and face. Not that Roman was complaining, as Mr. Stranger had a very pretty face. Dotted with freckles, with wavy brown hair floating around his head like a halo. He was wearing glasses, which was weird considering they were underwater, but Roman had seen people do so before and decided to not think much of it. He gave Roman a wide, sunshine grin before ducking behind the rock completely.

Roman was about to follow, but the pain in his lungs was a sharp reminder that he needed to resurface. Besides, people were still cliff-diving, and Roman didn’t want to get crushed by an unsuspecting jumper. He gave the rock one last look before kicking to the surface.

~~~~~

Roman’s hand rested on the door handle. He’d spent the entire day at the beach, and really needed to get home. He had to get ready for work tomorrow, as much as he hated it. Roman sighed and rested his forehead against the warm, red metal, closing his eyes. Just thinking about going to work, thinking about listening to customers whine loudly like mosquitoes while children screeched and ran wild in the background, gave him a headache.

Still, though, he couldn't help it. All of his job hunting had turned out to be fruitless, so he would continue to work retail until someone took pity on the high school dropout and gave him an honest shot. He needed the money, needed to find out how to get his GED and then maybe scrape together enough money for community college.

Roman inhaled through his nose and opened his car door, ready to face tomorrow. He paused, however, and remembered the boy from earlier. He’d been in the back of Roman’s mind all day. Roman knew he should go, should get some sleep for the headache that was tomorrow. Just like he knew the boy probably wasn’t even there anymore. Still...he couldn’t shake the feeling that overtook him. It couldn’t hurt to just look. Roman groaned and closed his car again, returning to the beach.

~~~~

Roman did not find the strange boy. He’d looked everywhere, from the water around the cliff he had first seen the boy, to the corners of the beach, to even a few closed food stands. Nothing. Roman didn’t know what he was expecting. Sighing, Roman glanced up at the setting sun and prepared to head back to his car. Again.

He froze when he heard a beautiful, soft, melody. He looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. It blended perfectly with the waves that crashed up along the sand, a haunting sound. Roman walked slowly towards the ocean, noticing a rock jutting out from the water. He often saw children climbing up on it during the day, and usually lifeguards would have to keep a close eye on it to make sure none were shoving each other off.

At the moment, however, there was only one person sitting on the large rock. The boy Roman had seen earlier, if those wavy locks were anything to go by. Roman could only see the upper half of his body as he slowly approached, glad he hadn’t changed back into his clothes as he waded out into the water and approached the large rock.

The boy kept singing softly, the sound echoing in Roman’s mind. He couldn’t make out any specific lyrics, just the boy’s lovely voice.

“Hey there,” Roman finally decided to make his presence known. The boy shrieked in surprise and fell forward off the rock, into the ocean. Roman scrambled up and looked down with wide eyes at the place the boy landed. The water bubbled for a moment, before the boy resurfaced, brushing his hair from his face.

“Oh my goodness!” the boy said, looking at Roman with wide eyes. He placed his hand against the rock, and when he pulled it away it was a blur. Something hit Roman in the chest and he looked down to see a rather bright colored starfish. He looked at the boy with a bewildered expression.

A sheepish grin, “you star-tled me!” Roman gaped slightly before a laugh escaped past his lips. He gently took the starfish and tossed it back into the ocean, laying across the large rock on his stomach and putting his chin over his crossed arms.

“So you’re beautiful, a talented singer, and make witty puns? I seem to have hit the jackpot,” Roman said smoothly. The boy’s cheeks turned bright pink, accentuating his freckled face as he giggled.

“Man, you’re a real charmer aren’t ya?”

“Of course. Now, would you happen to have a name, you handsome angel?” The boy tilted his head.

“I thought the term was handsome devil?”

“You seem far too sweet for that,” Roman winked. The boy titered again.

“Patton. I’m Patton Coral.”

“Ah, a beautiful name for a beautiful boy I see? I’m Roman, Roman Prince.” Patton snorted loudly and quickly covered his mouth. Roman raised a brow at him.

“Yes, yes. My last name is very funny, I know.”

“No, no, it’s not that! I guess it’s a sort of inside joke?” Patton said. Roman nodded.

“Well, I’d love to make some inside jokes with you someday. How about you and I grab coffee sometime?” Patton’s face fell and he looked at the water, swimming away from the rock slightly.

“I, um. I can’t, I’m sorry,” he fiddled with his fingers, looking truly upset. Roman’s face fell as well.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I just met you, and asked you on a date. That was awfully rude of me.” Patton looked at Roman again, quickly shaking his head.

“No! It’s not that at all! I just. I’m not really able to go many places other than home and the beach...strict parents and such. Which is totally unfair, since I’m not a child anymore!” Roman smiled softly and sat up, letting his feet trail through the water. Patton swam closer.

“I understand,” Roman ran a hand through his hair, “my parents never let me go out of their sight. I mean, until they kicked me out.” Patton’s expression grew surprised.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!”

“Nah, I’m over it now. They couldn’t handle the fact I like boys, so I say I’m better off without em anyway.” Roman shrugged. It was at least somewhat true, the sting of being kicked out dulled a lot over the past six years. Not entirely though. He couldn’t expect it to ever, truly.

“Still, that’s awful. I’m real sorry you had to deal with that. Parents should accept their children, not shun them,” Patton put his hand over Roman’s. It felt weirdly warm and dry considering it had been previously underwater.

“Thanks, Pat.” Patton nodded before suddenly ducking into the ocean, hardly making a ripple. Roman was genuinely concerned he’d been pulled down due to how sudden it was and peered down, trying to see him.

He resurfaced suddenly, knocking foreheads with Roman. They both winced back, rubbing where they’d been hit.

“Sorry!” Patton finally said, holding out a shell. Roman frowned, slowly taking it.

“Thanks?”

“I heard if you put these up to your ear, you can hear the the ocean. I thought it’d be a good gift from me...considering everything,” Patton looked a bit nervous, “and if you want we can meet here same time tomorrow? The shell can be a reminder of sorts.” Roman couldn’t help the wide, hundred watt grin from growing on his face.

“I love it,” he said, because he did. He really, truly loved it. Still, he felt as though he needed to give Patton something in return. He felt inside the pockets of his swim trunks, before remembering something else.

Clipped onto the belt loop (though he had no clue why these swim trunks needed a belt loop) was a pocket knife Roman had bought a few years ago. He never really needed it, but enjoyed having it on him anyway. He unclipped it and handed it to Patton.

“Oh, no! Roman I can’t take this!” Patton shook his head, but his eyes sparkled with obvious interest. Roman winked and curled Patton’s fingers around the knife, pushing it towards him.

“I insist. You gave me a gift, so here is one for you. Just carry it with you, and if I ever need it back, I’ll just ask.” Patton seemed to consider the offer for a heartbeat before he nodded.

“Thank you so much, Roman! It’s beautiful.”

“I could say the same about the gift you gave me, or you, for that matter,” Roman smiled. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow?” Patton grinned and gave Roman the cheesiest wink he’d ever seen.

“Of course, Mr. Prince.”

~~~

Roman never realized how lonely he was until he’d been seeing Patton for about a month. July melted into August, but despite the slight drop in temperature Roman had yet to see his friend(? Boyfriend? They certainly flirted, but Roman wasn’t sure where their relationship stood) out of the water. Whenever he tried to ask him about it, however, Patton seemed to dodge around the question, swimming back away from Roman, and despite his curiosity, Roman was far too scared of losing his only friend to any sharp realities that would come with confrontation.

So instead, Roman would sit on the rock and watch as Patton swam and laughed, and the pair would talk for hours until Roman had to head home. They enjoyed each other’s company, and Roman trusted Patton more than he’d trusted anyone in years, despite all his secrets.

They’d gotten into a routine, with Roman coming out and sitting on the rock for about five minutes before Patton would appear seemingly out of nowhere and the two would begin wherever they last left off. Not today, though. The second Roman stepped out into the water, he saw Patton’s pop up next to their meeting rock. He was laughing, giddy, and excited.

“ROMAN!” Patton squealed, swimming in circles. Roman laughed, rushing and stumbling out to the rock. He almost didn’t make it, as Patton continued to swim circles around him.

“What’s up Patt Patt?” Excited to see me?” Roman teased lightly, collapsing onto the rock. Patton swam over, resting his arms on the tops of Roman’s knees. Roman forgot how to breathe for a half a second.

“I am, I am! Guess what guess what guess what?!” Roman laughed again, smiling at Patton.

“Hm, well I haven’t a clue. You seem so excited, why don’t you just tell m-”

“I CAN GO ON A DATE WITH YOU!” Patton cut him off, flailing his arms wildly. Roman’s heart flat out stopped in his chest. He hoped Patton knew CPR, because he was gonna die otherwise.

“You can?!”

“YES!”

“OH, PATTON, MY WONDERFUL COMPANION,” Roman was excited now too, standing up and twirling dramatically. He crouched down and took Patton’s hands in his own, they were both pink in the face and laughing with pure delight and excitement.

“When will I be able to take you out then, my beautiful Starfish?”

“Is now okay?” that took Roman by surprise a bit, but he hadn’t done improv before he dropped out of highschool for nothing. He masked any shock with a sincere grin and eagerly jumped into the water with Patton.

“Of course! Off we go!” Roman didn’t let go of Patton’s hands as he swam to shore, afraid he would lose him if he did. However, Patton ended up pulling his hands back anyway, causing Roman to turn to him curiously.

“Just gimme one second! Can I meet you at your…” Patton paused, brow furrowing.

“My car?”

“Yes! That! Sorry, you know how sometimes you know a simple word but it still slips your mind?”

“Yes! God, I hate that. I’ll see you there though.” Roman said, jogging out of the water. He walked backwards most of the way, trying to watch Patton for as long as he could before he finally vanished over a hill. Roman inhaled deeply, turning around so he wouldn’t run into anything; he’d already narrowly missed a tree.

He finally found himself sitting in the driver’s seat in his car, fiddling with his keys. Each passing minute felt like hours, and Roman felt like Patton must’ve changed his mind after fifteen torturous minutes of waiting, Roman finally started feeling a niggling doubt. Like maybe Patton had changed his mind. Maybe he was just trying to get Roman to leave so he could escape. Maybe-

THUNK!

“JEE MENETI!” Roman gave a high-pitched shriek, covering his face his arms. He looked up to see Patton, fumbling with the door handle of the passenger side. Roman let out a relieved sigh, unsure if it was because he saw that his car wasn’t being assaulted by mothman, or because Patton hadn’t ditched him after all. Probably both.

Roman leaned over and opened the door for him, grinning as Patton stumbled back. It was the first time he’d seen Patton below the waist (not that he’s really thought about it- honest!), and he had rather scrawny and pale legs compared to the rest of his body, as if he didn’t walk quite as much as he should. He was also wearing sparkly blue swim trunks that were covered in sequins that looked almost like fish scales.

Patton beamed at Roman, but it didn’t quite match the nervous look in his eyes. Still, he slowly lifted one leg, swaying as he did so, and stepped up into the car. He collapsed into the seat, letting out a relieved little sound. Roman chuckled.

“Too used to swimming to handle a little walk?” he joked. Patton gave him a playful glare, watching as Roman buckled up. He attempted to do the same, but obviously struggled. Roman had an inkling suspicion that Patton had never been in a car before, but he wasn’t going to say anything. After all, he never thought he’d get the chance to even take Patton anywhere.

“Alright, where did you want to go for this date?” Roman asked, turning to look at Patton as he put his keys into ignition. Patton shrugged helplessly.

“I figured you’d have something planned,” Roman snorted, backing out and away out of the parking lot.

“Well, this is pretty sudden, but I do have one idea,” he said. He suddenly realized something, as he looked over at Patton.

“Uh. Did you have like, at least a shirt or anything? I have one in here, but that would mean I’d end up shirtless.” Patton gave Roman a sort of confused look.

“Do I need one?” Patton asked, sounding genuinely surprised. Roman shrugged helplessly.

“Not technically? I’ll just stop by my house real quick and grab an extra one. We could see if any of my pants fit you too,” Roman started driving the familiar path home. He didn’t really live far from the beach, and it would only be a 10 minute walk if he so chose, but Roman often just headed to the beach right after work, and didn’t feel like stopping at home first. He parked at the front of his apartment, looking over at Patton, who was struggling to unbuckle.

“Were you planning to come in?” Roman asked, surprised. He had planned to just run in and grab a shirt and extra pair of pants. Patton looked at him innocently.

“Is that okay?”

“Y- yeah of course,” Roman said, secretly dreading the idea. He was sure Patton wouldn’t mind, not really, but he couldn’t help but feel self conscious as they stepped off the elevator- which seemed to terrify and fascinate Patton in equal regards- and he unlocked his door.

“You live here?” Patton asked, looking around. Roman internally cringed, looking at the mess of clothes, papers, and takeout boxes littering the room.

“Yeah. Sorry about the mess, I would’ve cleaned if I knew you were coming over,” Patton gave him a funny look.

“I don’t mind the mess, though, I think my friend Logan would lose it. I’m just sad you have to live in such a small space.” Roman frowned. First at the mention of this ‘Logan’, the only friend Patton had really mentioned so far. Secondly, at that implication of Patton’s words. Sure, his apartment was pretty small, but it wasn’t miniscule. In fact, many apartments in the area were around this size. He had to wonder where Patton was living that being in an average-sized apartment made him pity Roman’s living space.

“It’s not too bad,” Roman said instead, not wanting to cause Patton to clam up like he usually did talking about personal information. “C’mon, my room is this way.”

The two headed into Roman’s room, and Roman pulled open a drawer, glancing at Patton. He was about a head shorter than Roman- a fact he was only now noticing now that they were standing next to each other on even ground- so he pulled out a pair of khaki shorts and tossed them to Patton, followed by a pale blue polo. Patton pulled them on. The shirt went down to his butt, and the khakis were slipping down his hips. Patton hasility tried to keep them up, and Roman couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him, earning him a playful glare.

“Here, allow me to help you, my starfish,” Roman picked up a belt from the floor and slipped it through the belt loops, threading it all the way around. At one point, he felt his fingers brush the bare skin along Patton’s hips and he had to fight off his blush. Said blush wasn’t helped by how squirmy and giggly Patton was as he attempted to finish buckling the damn thing.

“Right, there you are,” Roman smiled, “now, could you step out for a second? I’m gonna take my swim trunks off so I can put on some more form-fitting attire. Patton nodded, bouncing out of the room. Roman changed as quick as he could, and ended up adding some sparkly eyeshadow at light speed. A lifetime of sleeping in late as he could and getting ready within five minutes really paying off.

He opened the door and looked out, seeing Patton sitting on his kitchen counter, staring thoughtfully at the floor. Roman walked over, leaning on the counter next to him. Patton looked up at him.

“Ready to go, then?” Roman inquired. Patton gave an excited nod, sliding off the counter and taking one last look around.

“We can come back later...if you like?” Patton smiled at him again, leaning closer. Roman felt his heart skip.

“We’ll see,” Patton murmured, pulling back and heading out the door. Roman fought down his disappointment as he followed.

Back down the elevator, out to the car, and they were finally ready to get on with this whole date thing. Roman subtly tried to wipe the sweat from his palms on his jeans as he put the key in ignition, setting course for his favorite restaurant. He thought some music would help soothe his nerves, so he flicked on the radio, making Patton jump in surprise. His gaze went from shocked to starry eyed, as he leaned forward and began to hum along to the tune. Roman swore he’d never get sick of that haunting voice that lured him to Patton weeks ago.

The drive was relatively silent aside from the quiet humming of Patton matching the radio, but it was a peaceful kind of silence. Not the bitter silence of his parents ignoring him whenever he messed up.

“Here we are,” Roman forced himself out of his own thoughts, parking the car. Patton pulled his attention from the radio, beaming at Roman with that wonderful smile of his. Roman’s heart melted a little. He unbuckled himself, and sneakily undid Patton’s seatbelt as well so he wouldn’t have to fumble with it again, before stepping out of his car and opening the passenger side door.

Patton gave him a smile, complete with light pink blush on the cheeks, and took the hand Roman offered him. Roman kept Patton’s hand in his own, which Patton seemed to appreciate if the way he trailed his thumb across his knuckles was any indication. Roman tried not to shudder at the featherlight touch as he grabbed the door and pulled Patton inside, causing his date to stumble a little.

“Woah…” Patton stared, taking in the large space in awe. The entire area was dimly lit, with all the the tables and booths lining the walls, leaving a large, empty space at the center of the building. Roman felt a tiny nervous coil in his belly, but it faded as Patton squeezed his hand and started making his way to one of the booths.

“This place sure is nifty, Ro!” Patton poked the seat before hesitantly sliding in. Roman slid in on the other side, beaming at Patton. A few other couples and families were scattered about, chatting softly. Patton continued to look around, kicking his legs excitedly. Roman chuckled and hesitated a moment before wrapping his leg around one of Patton’s. The man in question squeaked in surprise, turning red. Roman tried to pull back.

“Oh I’m so so-,” Patton wrapped both of his legs around Roman’s in a death grip, flushing even more. Roman grinned, feeling his own face heat up.

“S-so there’s a lot of empty space. Wh-” Patton started. He was cut off as a woman with a long, thick braid approached their table.

“Howdy, fellas. My name’s Katrina, and I’ll be takin’ ya boys’ orders tonight. I’ll be back in a few to getcha’ drinks, aright?” Roman and Patton nodded. She left, and Roman reached over to pick up a menu. Patton mimicked him.

“So...that empty space?” Patton asked again.

“Oh, yeah, there’s a reason for that. You’ll see,” Roman winked. Patton’s face morphed into one of sheer curiosity.

The waitress- Katerina- came back, and the pair ordered their drinks (with Patton somehow struggling with what he wanted, even though he ended up just getting water). They made small talk for a bit, getting to know each other even better. Bit by bit, Roman felt his feelings towards Patton shifting towards the most positive he’d ever felt towards another human being. Drinks were delivered, and Patton set his menu down and placed his elbows on the table, staring at Roman, who laughed.

“What’re you looking at, Pufferfish Pat?” he asked, sipping his drink. Patton smiled softly.

“You’re so pretty,” Patton said. Roman choked on his drink.

“Wha- You mean that?” Roman asked. Patton nodded.

“Oh yeah,” he started, eyes sparkling with mirth, “you’re a turtle knockout.” Roman blinked a couple times, processing what had just been said.

“Was- was that an ocean pun?”

“Oh, Roman, haven’t you heard? I’m cray-sea about ocean puns. In fact, I bet you’d be more shell-shocked if I didn’t make all these puns. They don’t always happen on porpoise, but those accidental puns shore brighten my day at least!” Roman was clutching his stomach laughing. He didn’t even care that the puns were stupid, or that people were staring at them. It didn’t matter because Patton looked so proud of himself. It didn’t matter because Roman was having a good time. It didn’t matter because he lo-

“Are ya boys ready to order?” Katrina asked, pulling a pencil from behind her ear. Roman glanced at the menu one more time.

“I’ll take the spaghetti dish,” Roman said. He looked over at Patton, who was frantically shifting his gaze from the menu to the waitress. Roman decided to save him, carefully taking the menu from him.

“My date will just take a personal cheese pizza,” Katrina smiled.

“Gotcha, sugar. Enjoy ya date,” she gave the pair a wink and hurried off to the kitchen. Patton started to run his finger along the rim of his glass, humming the soft tune to himself he’d first sang the day Roman met him.

“Does that song have lyrics?” Roman asked. Patton’s gaze flicked up. The dim lights reflected in his gaze, making them look so, so blue. As if the ocean were a permanent staple of his gaze.

“Yeah. My friend Virgil wrote it,” so Patton did have multiple friends then. He kept running his finger across the rim of the glass and took a deep breath:

“Hush, sweet prince, rocked by the waves

Feel your heartbeat echo for days.

If you ever feel scared, alone

Let this melody carry you home.

Sweet prince of coral

Sweet prince to soon be crowned

Let my song be a guidance

Whenever you’re down”

Roman stared at Patton. His hair shining, soft. His eyes closed and concentrated. He was beautiful.

“That was beautiful,” Roman said. Patton opened an eye.

“Really? I’m like the worst singer I know,” Patton laughed humorlessly. Roman took Patton’s hand in his own, causing him to flick both eyes open.

“Well, I thought it was beautiful.” Patton blushed.

The moment was ruined as Katrina threw the pizza down in front of Patton, causing him to jolt back in surprise. She threw the spaghetti too, but somehow it didn’t spill everywhere like Roman had expected, which required perfect skill and aim. Needless to say, Roman was impressed.

“Enjoy, boys. Y’all might wanna hurry. It’ll be seven o'clock soon.” Patton looked up from where he was curiously sniffing his pizza.

“What happens at seven?”

“Did ya boyfriend not tell ya, pardner?” Patton opened his mouth, turning bright red, and looked at Roman helplessly.

“It’s a surprise,” Roman assured her. She smiled at that.

“Hell of a surprise, there.”

“He’ll love it.”

“Whatever ya say pumpkin. Enjoy your meal,” she walked off, and Roman turned back to see Patton had practically inhaled over half of his pizza when he hadn’t been looking.

“Hungry?” Roman laughed in mild shock. Patton looked up at him, tomato sauce smeared all over his face.

“Roman. Roman, listen. Listen, okay? This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted in my entire life.” He took another bite, swallowing what looked like half a slice at once.

If it were anyone else, it would be disgusting. However, Patton seemed to make everything endearing. Roman could stare at him forever and probably still be satisfied. Well, that might not be true. He might want to do more than stare. At one point Patton had released his leg from its prision between his own, so Roman reversed the situation. Patton paused eating to look at him before continuing.

Roman decided it was time to eat his own food before Patton started scolding him about it (it seemed like something he’d do) and got halfway through his pasta before he heard the current background music halt and Katerina’s southern drawl came through a hidden speaker.

“Hey y’all. It’s seven o’clock. You know what that means,” Roman grinned, grabbing Patton’s hand. Patton looked at him, eyes wide. An upbeat, funky tune began to blast at a much louder volume then before.

“Remember, you asked what the big empty space was for?” he pointed to the center of the restaurant, where couples and families were starting to dance. Patton looked at Roman again, eyes wide with mild terror.

“I- I can’t dance Roman!” Roman took both his hands in his own and yanked him over to the dance floor.

“Of course you can, my sweet seashell! Everyone can. The only thing in question is how bad you are.”

“I’m awful,” Patton deadpanned. Roman scoffed.

“C’mon, I’ll lead!” Roman broke away from Patton to do a fun little jig. That made Patton less tense, if only a little.

He took Patton’s hands again, “And we’ll go slow…” he reassured. Patton bit his lip and looked at his shoes. A pair of old sneakers Roman had given him.

“Okay…”

The two did indeed go slow. It was horribly off tempo, and Patton stumbled and fumbled about every five seconds. Still, they were laughing and smiling. Occasionally lifting their gazes from their shoes to look into each other's eyes. Another song began, and Roman saw Katrina swing dancing with a pretty woman wearing a mint green hijab. Roman attempted to lead Patton in a similar dance, but he ended up almost toppling over and Roman managed to save him in a dip.

The second song faded into the third, and Roman knew it would be the last one of the evening. It was a slow song, and Roman smiled as he carefully adjusted Patton’s grip so they could waltz. Despite how clumsy Patton still was, despite the fact they were both not wearing anything particularly fancy, the moment felt right out of every romantic movie Roman had ever seen. He leaned forward.

“Patton,” he whispered. Patton blinked, dark lashes fluttering.

“Yes, Roman?”

“Can I-” the song ended, “-can I…”

“Roman?”

“It...it’s getting late. I should get you home before your parents worry.” Disappointment flashed in Patton’s eyes, but Roman elected to ignore that in favor of heading out into the cool evening air.

He heard the door open and close and felt Patton walk over to stand next to him. They said nothing, glancing at one another out of the corner of their gazes. Crickets chirped around them, and Roman turned to his car, climbing in. Patton managed to buckle up with minimal struggle this time.

The ride was silent, tense. Roman didn’t turn on the radio. Patton shifted to face the window. When Roman looked over, he saw something stormy forming on his face reflected in the glass. He swallowed nervously and turned his view back on the road. The second he pulled into the beach’s parking lot he heard Patton unbuckle his seatbelt.

“Patton...I-” he turned just in time for Patton to grab him by the collar of his shirt.

“Do you want to kiss me?”

“What? I-”

“Roman.” Roman licked his lips, gaze flickering across Patton’s expression. His throat was dry.

“Yes,” it was a whisper, barely there. Patton leaned until there was hardly a silver between their lips. Until Roman could feel the phantom of his lips moving.

“Then kiss me,” he breathed.

Roman lunged forward burying his hands in Patton’s hair and closing that tiny gap. It was a bit too wild for how close they were already, and their teeth clacked painfully, but Roman didn’t care. He didn’t care, because once the initial sting was gone, the mix of sweet-saltiness of Patton’s lips overwhelmed his senses. Roman pulled back, sucked in a large gasp of air, and went right back in.

It was as if someone had made sweet tea with ocean water. Which sounds extremely gross in concept, but it fit Patton so well that Roman couldn’t get enough. Patton took their next breath as an opportunity to stumble-climb over into Roman’s lap, sliding his hands down to Roman’s hips before he pulled Roman back into the waves of dizzy delight all over again.

Roman pulled back. Patton tried to follow, but Roman put his hands on his chest to pause him.

“Be my boyfriend?” he gasped out, breathing hard.

“Shell yes.”

“Fantastic pun, darling,” Roman fisted the front of Patton’s shirt and kissed him again.

Roman was starting to wonder how long this blessing from on high that was making out with his new boyfriend Patton Coral could last, when Patton suddenly yelped and pulled back.

“Oh, God, are you alright?” Roman asked. Patton stared straight through Roman, pulling his hands back.

“I can’t feel them anymore…” he whispered. Roman took Patton’s wrists, alarmed.

“Can’t feel what anymore?” Patton snapped back into focus.

“I- I have to go,” he tried to pull his hands away. Roman was tempted to hold on, to never let go, but considering the implications of that he released him anyway.

“Patton…”

“I’m sorry Roman. I really, really have to go. I- I promise. Next time we talk I’ll explain everything,” he cupped Roman’s cheek, expression tender. Roman swallowed and nodded.

“Okay... I trust you, Starfish,” Patton smiled sadly and pressed his forehead against Roman’s.

“See you later,” with that, Patton opened the door and stumbled out. Roman was tempted to help him, especially when he continued to wobble, but Patton looked back at him with a pleading expression as he mouthed the word, “don’t”.

So Roman simply watched his boyfriend disappear over the crest of the hill. He sat a little longer, itching to follow. Itching to make sure he got home. Itching to see where home was, exactly.

But he didn’t, because when it came to grand adventures, Roman was the bravest man alive. Yet, with people he cared about, he was a coward. He would do the wrong thing a thousand times over to avoid losing the trust of another person he cared about.

So instead of following, Roman put the key in ignition and backed out. He didn’t follow Patton down to the beach, where he finally collapsed in the sand. He didn’t watch as he dragged his now useless lower half to the salty sea- the place he called home.

He didn’t hear Patton’s relieved sigh cut off in a scream as invisible claws dragged him under without so much as a ripple left in his place.

General Writing Taglist: @angeliclogan @pattons-constellations@amuthefunperson @tatergator27@honeycoloredcorduroy@1esor2 @that-royal-ravenclaw@sardonicsanders@iridescentroyalty @sheeparecutest @pathos-logical

Royality Royalty: @notveryglittery

Discord Hell Friends: @crystrifoglio @verge-of-a-breakdown @why-things-go-boom @moralitytime @impatentpending

#sanders sides #thomas sanders #sanders sides fic #patton sanders #roman sanders #royality #fluff #Jack writes

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