Virgil and Roman didn't know where they were. Each of them had been blinded by a bright flash, and then found themselves in a strange fantasy world. Upon seeing each other, they both internally groaned.

"Alright Princey, what gives?" Virgil snapped.

The prince looked confused and offended that he should accuse him of this. "Pardon me, you think I did this? As if I'd purposely bring us to the same place," he retorted. Virgil inwardly winced at the remark, receiving another reminder that his crush hated him.

"Well, I didn't do this," he said, gesturing to the world around them. "This is clearly some storybook land, so I have every right to assume you did this."

"Attention idiots!" a loud voice rang out from all around them. Roman's hand immediately found his sword at his side, preparing to draw it if combat was necessary.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" he demanded.

There was a deep chuckle of amusement. "Calm down, Roman. Your toothpick won't be of any use at the moment," he said; Virgil would be lying if he said he didn't bite back a laugh. The prince looked furious that anyone had the nerve to call his sword a toothpick. "I'm sure you're both confused. I'll clear things up for you! I'm bored, and not going to tell you who I am because I don't have to and don't want to. I've been seeing you two around the mind for a while, and I've decided to play a little game."

"And what might this game be?" Roman asked, glaring as he looked around for the voice's source.

"Hey, Princess? I'm not actually there, you can stop looking around for me," the voice teased. Virgil had to bite his tongue yet again as his face flushed bright red with anger and embarrassment. "And had you not interrupted me, I would've told you. Anyway, I've got a challenge for you two. Make it through this world and defeat the final boss. It's like a video game! Only very, very real, and consequentially very, very dangerous."

Virgil felt panic working its way up his throat. "G-Great..." he muttered, earning a concerned look from Roman as he started fidgeting nervously.

"Not to worry! I have a short cut for you!" the voice said, amusement obvious in his voice. "If you two kiss, I'll call this whole thing off and send you back home."

The two Sides' jaws dropped and their cheeks turned bright pink. They looked at each other before Virgil shook his head quickly in refusal.

"W-What?! No! I'm NOT k-kissing PRINCEY!" the anxious Side protested, the idea of kissing his crush making him even more nervous and flustered. He wasn't going to kiss him, especially because he knew the prince didn't return his feelings. It would break him...

The prince rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Anxiety, perhaps it should be something to consider," he said, earning an aghast look from him. "I don't take pleasure in the thought either, but would you rather risk our lives going through this quest, or suck it up and kiss me?"

"I'd rather go through the quest," he snapped, turning to start down the path. He missed the slightly hurt look in Roman's eyes, but the prince shook it away quickly.

"Alright, your funeral," the voice said with a chuckle. "But I'll leave the offer open. At any point during the quest, you may take up my offer and all damage done will be undone and you will be sent home."

The prince nodded in acknowledgement as he jogged to catch up with Virgil. They walked in silence for what felt like forever, which in reality was five minutes. Finally, Roman cleared his throat, getting the anxious Side's attention. "So, Anxiety," he began, feeling a little uncertain. "Why did you refuse to kiss me when we could go home if you do? We could skip all of this and return to normal in no time at all."

Things would never be normal for me again if I kissed you, Virgil thought to himself. It would be miserable torture to have to live with the lasting memory of your lips on mine, knowing that I'd never feel them again.

"I shouldn't have to explain myself to you," he said instead, irritated. Roman frowned, moving in front him to stop him in his tracks. Virgil sighed in aggravation. "What, Princey?"

The prince leaned against the tree they stood next to, looking at Virgil with a raised eyebrow. "I don't see why you're so opposed to it," he said. "You get to kiss the obviously best looking Side and-"

Virgil rolled his eyes, tuning him out as he went on to talk about how he was the best kisser and the best in general. His eyes focused in the trees behind Roman, eyes widening as he saw a pair of yellow ones staring back at him. He saw a figure bunched up to lunge at the prince from behind.

"Roman look out!!!"

He threw himself forward, shoving him out of the way of the beast as it lunged. The two Sides fell to the ground, Virgil laying somewhat on top of him as they landed. They met each other's eyes, breathless and in shock. Blinking himself out of the daze, the anxious Side grabbed Roman's sword from his side and rushed to kill the monster.

As he did so, Roman got to his feet, a small and breathless smile on his face as he realized what just happened. "Anxiety! What are you doing?!" he yelled as he approached him.

"Killing a monster so we can get to the next part of this stupid quest!" Virgil snapped as he swung the sword at the beast. Roman looked up in time to see a trap above the anxious Side's head, ready to fall.

"Virgil!" he called as it began to fall. Roman leapt forward, knocking him out of the way much like Virgil had done previously. They rolled as they hit the ground, the prince pinning him underneath him.

His eyes were wide as he looked up at him with warm cheeks. Roman smirked, leaning in a little flirtatiously. "You know, we could end this right here," he said, making an obvious glance at his lips. Virgil rolled his eyes and reached up to push Roman's face to the side, seeing the monster approaching them. The prince frowned, taking his sword back from him and leaping to kill it in a skilled swipe. The monster disappeared as he killed it, making Roman smile confidently and turn back to Virgil as he go to his feet. "That wasn't so bad, I've fought worse."

"Princey, this was the first monster. Of course it was easy; that's how video games work," Virgil said with yet another eye roll.

"I still say we could go home if you just-"

The anxious Side cut him off as he continued walking. "I'm not kissing you, Princey."

The prince sighed in frustration as he smiled a little to himself. He found it funny he was so stubborn. He was tempted to just grab him and kiss him so they could go home, but he wanted to respect him. Consent was important, and he wasn't going to force him to do something he didn't feel comfortable with.

The two of them continued to make their way through the quest, Roman killing the few monsters that emerged. As Virgil predicted, they got gradually more dangerous and harder to kill as they continued. The prince brought up the kiss deal again, making Virgil groan in frustration. He walked in front of him as he ranted, turning around to face him as they paused.

"I don't have to explain myself to you, Princey! I don't kiss damsels in distress all the time, or whatever you call the male version if there's a different word for it! I don't want to kiss you! I don't care how good a kisser you claim to be! I don't want to-"

He couldn't finish before Roman lunged forward, dodging behind him to block a sword that was coming down on him. He expertly disarmed the sword wielding enemy, looking at Virgil as several of them appeared. "Can you use a sword?" he asked.

"Hell if I know!" the anxious Side said, looking around worriedly. Roman tossed him the blade and went back to back with him.

"Just follow my lead," he told him over his shoulder. "I'll protect you if you protect me."

Virgil got chills from that statement, but ignored them as the sword wielding enemies attacked. The two of them fought, back to back, slashing enemies left and right. He's a fast learner, Roman thought as he glanced his way. He noticed a stronger enemy bringing his sword down on Virgil.

In quick reflex, Roman reached out, grabbing Virgil's hand, and spun him to lean back on his chest so that both of their swords blocked the enemy's. The anxious Side's breathing hitched at how close he was to his crush, who smiled at him reassuringly.

The prince thrust upward, killing the enemy, and spun Virgil out, who sliced more of them with his own blade. It was almost like a dance. They moved around, keeping their backs to each other as they fought until they'd finally defeated them all. They both spun around, swinging their swords, expecting another enemy. Instead their swords clashed together above their heads. They froze, face to face with each other. Roman finally started laughing a little, a smile spreading onto his face. Virgil found a small smile slip onto his own lips as he looked at the prince.

"I've never fought with anyone like that before," Roman said with a smile as they lowered their swords. "You picked up on it fast!"

Virgil blushed a little with a shrug. "You did most of the work," he said quietly. The prince shook his head with a smile taking a few steps closer to him.

"We did it together, alright?" he said, offering the anxious Side an encouraging smile. He looked away but nodded. "Aright, now come on, the boss should be coming up soon."

The two of them continued their way down the path, fighting monsters together and becoming more and more comfortable with being around each other. In between monster fights, they laugh and talk with each other like real friends. Virgil couldn't help but smile whenever he saw the prince's eyes sparkle the way they did when they joked with each other. Roman would sometimes be behind Virgil, and smile sadly at the ground because he knew they weren't anything more than friends. He'd had a small crush going in, but he knew without a doubt now that he was in love with him. The prince didn't know Virgil was experiencing the same thoughts and feelings as they reached the large circular area that was undoubtedly the boss. They stopped, standing side by side as they looked at it.

"Well, this is it," Roman said. "The quest comes to an end."

Virgil nodded silently, looking away. The prince bit his lip as he debated what to say. "Hey, uh, Virgil?" he said, getting his attention quickly with the use of his real name. "This... this was actually kinda... fun."

The anxious Side smiled a little, holding his gaze. "Yeah... it was..." he agreed, earning a smile from Roman. They each looked away, blushing.

"Shall we?" Roman said, gesturing to the boss area. Virgil nodded and they began to walk towards it.

As they approached, the final boss appeared. It was a bigger enemy than the others, and wielded a massive sword. It unsheathed it, running toward them. The two of them shared a look and nod before raising their swords and running toward the boss. The fight was ruthless; despite the odds being against the boss, they were getting seriously beat up. This boss was too quick, and not only had swordsmanship, but magic too. Virgil and Roman were exhausted and banged up while the boss remained unfazed, however they'd gotten many hits on them.

The boss suddenly let out a giant burst of magic, sending both of them flying across the area in separate directions. They each hit the ground painfully as a moment of stillness fell over the fight as Virgil looked up. He gasped, heart racing as the boss made their way toward Roman, who was still struggling on the ground.

"No..." he breathed, painfully getting to his feet. He ran. Roman was getting to his feet, unaware as the boss readied their sword to impale him. Virgil shoved him backwards, back to the ground, putting himself between the boss and Roman, and the sword went through his stomach.

"NO!!" Roman screamed, as Virgil looked at the sword that was currently impaling him. He couldn't feel the pain yet, which he was thankful for, using the last of his energy to raise his own sword and deliver the final blow to the boss.

They disappeared, sword going with them, but not the wound. Virgil looked at his hands, drenched in his own blood as he collapsed to the ground.

Roman rushed over to him, holding him in his arms. "No... no! No! NO!" the prince said over and over as blood pooled under him. "Why would you do that?! Why would you put my life over yours?!"

Virgil smiled sadly at him. He opened his mouth, which now had a few drops of blood on the corner. "If you gotta be the death of me, that's how I wanna go..." he sang softly and slowly as his voice trailed off.

Tears streamed down Roman's cheeks as the anxious Side went limp in his arms, eyes closing and chest stilling. "NO!" he screamed, holding him close as he sobbed. He knew that song... that was Virgil's way of telling him he loved him in his final moment. "No! No, please... Virgil I love you too, please don't leave me..."

He opened his eyes, seeing the world around him start to fade. The quest was over and they would be sent back any second now. Roman was panicked and crushed, not knowing what to do until the voice from before echoed in his head.

"At any point during the quest, you may take up my offer and all damage done will be undone and you will be sent home."

The prince's eyes widened in realization. Please... please let this work, he thought as he leaned down, pressing his lips forcefully to Virgil's. There was nothing but blinding white for a moment before he found himself in his room, still holding Virgil in his arms. Only, the stab wound and any other injuries were gone, along with his own. Virgil's chest was rising and falling as he slowly opened his eyes.

Roman teared up as he saw him. "O-Oh my god, it worked..." he whispered, hugging Virgil tightly. The anxious Side was a little confused, but hugged back anyway as the prince sobbed.

"W-What happened?" Virgil asked as he pulled away, feeling where the stab wound had just been. "All I remember is being stabbed and then everything going black."

"You died saving me," Roman told him. "I... I thought you were gone, but I remembered what that voice told us at the beginning of the quest. That 'At any point during the quest, you may take up my offer and all damage done will be undone and you will be sent home'. I didn't have any other options, you were literally dead in my arms. So I prayed that kissing you would count as the offer and all the damage would be undone and did it. It worked... you're alive..."

Virgil looked down at himself as he took in the prince's words. "I'm glad I'm alive... but you mean my first kiss happened while I was dead?" he asked, looking shocked, annoyed, and upset. Roman's eyes widened.

"That... that was your first?" he asked, blushing. Virgil nodded sadly, sighing.

"And I don't even remember it because I was dead," he said, voice heavy with disappointment. The prince frowned, unhappy to see him so upset.

"Hey..." he said, taking his chin and making him look at him. "The second kiss is better anyway."

Before Virgil could question him, Roman leaned forward and captured his soft lips in a slow and gentle kiss. The anxious Side had been frozen for a moment before melting under the prince's lips. When he pulled away, they met each other's eyes, breathless. The both smiled a little, pressing their foreheads together.

"I love you, Virgil," Roman said softly. The anxious Side's eyes widened as he smiled.

"I love you too, Roman," Virgil replied, voice equally quiet.

"I can't believe I almost lost you before I could tell you that," the prince said with a nervous laugh.

Virgil smiled sadly, meeting his eyes. "I don't regret my actions, even if I had actually died, I wouldn't have regretted it," he said, placing a hand on Roman's cheek. The prince met his eyes with his own shimmering brown ones. "Like I said, if you gotta be the death of me that's how I wanna go."