The second he heard a crash of multiple things tumbling to the ground somewhere in the store, Logan stopped and closed his eyes. With a moment to take a breath, he prayed that whatever fell wasn't broken or a mess he would have to spend far too much time cleaning up before turning and checking the aisles in the bookstore. He stopped at one with someone panicking as the kneeled on the floor and picking up a few books before placing them carefully on the ground in a stack.

"Is everything alright?" The person jumped and looked up at him, their long hair falling over their face as they pushed it out of the way. Once their face was revealed, Logan looked a bit shocked as he stared down at them.

"Oh, sorry about that!" The middle-aged woman stood up and held up the books before turning to Logan. "Oh, hey! Well, howdy neighbor! What are the odds of meeting you here?"

"Well, seeing as this is one of my places of employment, it was more likely than on average." Logan reached over and took some of the books from her. "Here, allow me to assist."

"Thank you. Logan, right?" She handed the books back and turned to the shelf, checking before replacing each book in its proper place. "Sorry about that, I'm a bit clumsy!"

"That is fine, it happens from time to time." Logan smiled down at the book in his hands about flower and plant life for a moment. They replaced the books quickly before Logan turned toward the older woman. "If you don't mind me asking, you were in a bit of a rush and hadn't properly introduced yourself last time."

She looked shocked before turning red from embarrassment. "Oh goodness, I am so silly! I haven't, have I? Well then!" She stuck out a hand for Logan to shake. "Name's Leslie! Nice to properly meet you!"

"Likewise." Logan shook the woman's hand and gave a smile. "Was there something I can assist you with?"

"Oh, yes! I was hoping I could get a few more books on gardening I suppose? I just got a job with the city to help out with the upkeep of the parks and I'm just making sure I didn't miss any books my first dozen times through." She smiled brightly as she waved her arms around as she talked. "I know I'm not the gardener but I want to be able to help as much as I can!"

Leslie turned back toward the books and skimmed through the titled eagerly as if hoping an unfamiliar name would pop out at her. Logan turned and looked up with a bit of a smile. "Well, tell me what exactly you are looking for and I will try my best to be of assistance."

In the end, Leslie ended up leaving empty handed but she went on a rant about how she was planning on planting more bee-friendly flowers around the city that sparked a fire in her eyes. Logan had walked back to the front of the building as his neighbor walked out when someone else had walked up to him.

"Hi there, do you work here?" Logan spun around and they smiled as they saw his name badge hanging from his shirt. "I was wondering if you have a community board?" They held out a flyer for Logan to take. "I was wondering if it was okay to hang this here."

—

"I'm back." Roman wasn't sure who was in the apartment as he closed the door behind him. He looked over at the couch and beelined for it before falling down and sprawling himself out on his back, letting out a loud frustrated sigh.

The soft sound of footsteps caused him to glance over and found Logan standing in the doorway. "I take it you had an eventful day." A loud groan was the only answer Logan received from the couch. "Another successful day then, I take it?" He responded, sarcastically.

Roman sighed a bit softer and let his arms fall, covering his eyes. "I have only received one offer and I really don't want to take it. It's another boring office job and the pay isn't even that great but it's better than the nothing I'm getting now."

"Roman, I have been curious." Roman lifted his arm and glanced over at his roommate. "Have you not thought of assisting a theater with financial issues? It's a mix of two skills you have acquired and seems like the likely option of keeping you both happy and employed."

Roman sat up and looked over at Logan as if he had just been given a precious treasure. "Why didn't I think of that?" Roman jumped up from the couch with a smile on his face. "That is perfect! Well, at least it's a good place to start! I could just talk to my own theater and see the budgeting and try to figure something out!"

Roman was marching toward the front door when Logan reached out and grabbed his wrist. "Just one moment." Roman turned around and saw Logan standing there, a paper in his hands. "Before you go, I figured you would want to see this first."

Logan handed Roman the flier as he inspected it closely. "It's just another flier for that fan club of mine." Roman looked up from the paper curiously. "Why would this be important? We already know about this. You went with Patton, remember?"

"I am aware you went there with Virgil once as well." Logan pointed to the bottom of the flier. "There seemed to be a hidden cipher using cryptography written at the bottom that I think might intrigue you."

Roman looked at the random letters at the bottom of the page. After a few moments of trying to decipher it, he looked back up at Logan. "Let me guess, you have it figured out?"

With a smirk, logan adjusted the glasses on his face. "Well, of course." He turned and walked back into the kitchen, Roman intrigued and trailing close behind. "I had to figure out what sort of cipher they were using. This particular one was a basic one that took only a few minutes before I had cracked the code. It's all beginner level but very well done."

Roman looked over to a spare sheet of paper on the table Logan used to scribble out a few ideas. "This is straight out of Gravity Falls, nice job Sherlock!"

"Out of what now?"

Roman chose to ignore Logan as he picked up the paper, his smile dropping from his face as he read the deciphered code on the bottom. "Are you sure about this?" Logan simply nodded as Roman glanced back at the page, watching Logan's handwriting slowly spell out a few letters with the code written at the bottom of the page.

P R I N C E E M E R G E N C Y

Roman placed the paper back onto the table as he eyed it carefully, his mind racing with a million possible scenarios. "Apparently this has been at the bottom of their fliers for about two weeks." Logan walked over and looked down at the flier. "They still hold weekly meetings but I suppose the location has changed. Someone brought this in today in hopes that the word got out before the meeting tonight."

"Tonight?!" Roman perked up and smiled. "Well, I can't let my fan club be disappointed in me, can I?" Roman turned and marched out of the room, eager to get prepared. Logan shook his head and sighed with a slight smirk on his face. He turned toward the entrance of Roman's room as the other marched out, his mask adorned on his face and his red pullover hoodie with the crown symbol on the back. "While I do wish I had my prince costume, this will have to do I suppose!"

"Just a thought, but wouldn't it be smarter of you to go incognito?" Logan motioned to his outfit. "Do you really want to announce who you are? We don't know if this is a trick of some sort, it would be wiser to take the cautious route."

Roman waved off Logan as he scoffed, mocking the idea. "When have I ever been subtle and cautious?"

"I'm not sure, but perhaps you'd like to try and not get stabbed again?" Roman's face fell and he placed a hand to his side where a small, faint scar resided. "I will go with you and we can deal with this together. I'm sure Patton and Virgil will not mind a quiet night."

Roman reached up and worked to remove the mask that fit on his face perfectly. "Perhaps you are right. I shall try a different approach." He looked down at his mask sadly. "Remind me to look into getting a new costume together. This hoodie just does not have the same flair."

"No, I suppose it does not." Logan turned to walk into his own room adjacent to Roman's. "I shall inform the others we will be out tonight. It is all the way across town so if we leave relatively soon, we can make it a bit early and perhaps miss the whole thing."

Roman watched Logan's door shut close and he huffed playfully. "It's almost as if you don't want to sit and talk about me all night!"

They eventually gathered their belongings and waited for Patton and Virgil to arrive back to the apartment. They still had plenty of time to make it to the meeting but Logan was eager to go and get it over with as quickly as possible.

With their farewells, they walked out of the apartment only for Logan to stop and smirk. "Leslie. It is nice to see you again."

The older woman turned and smiled at the two. "Logan! Oh and goodness, I don't believe we have met!"

Roman puffed out his chest and reached out to shake the woman's hand. "Roman. It is a pleasure, Leslie." The woman smiled and shook his hand back, glancing over at Logan who simply shook his head at Roman's attempts at being charming.

"Well, it is nice to meet more of my new neighbors! Going out for a bit?"

"We have some business to take care of across town." Logan nodded to the woman. "So I'm afraid we must cut this short."

"Of course, don't let me keep you!" Leslie waved and made the way to the door leading to her own apartment up the stairs.

Logan turned and walked off of the porch before turning and heading toward the bus stop.

"She seemed nice." Roman looked over his shoulder to the door the woman walked through. "You met her already?"

"Once with Patton and she also showed up at the bookstore earlier today. Let's go, I do not wish to miss this bus and have to wait for the next one."

—

Patton sat on the couch as Virgil lectured him, pacing back and forth as he picked up a few spare things that had been left around the living area.

"-and you don't have to clean up after us all the time, Pat." Virgil reached out and picked up a blanket, holding it out and folding it as best he could. "You're always cleaning. Whether it's you or the pals, you can relax. We can clean up around here too." Virgil placed the blanket on the back of the couch and looked down at Patton. "Okay? Don't push yourself like this."

"I'm sorry, Virge. I've just been getting, I dunno, antsy lately?" Patton rubbed his arms and looked down at the carpet. "Like I can't sit still but there's this heavy weight in my chest? It's not all the time but it's been happening when I'm here a lot."

The front door to the apartment opened and Logan stood there, almost frozen as he watched the other two on the couch. "Forget something, Lo?" Virgil asked curiously.

That seemed to snap Logan out of it as he nodded. "Yes, please excuse me." He closed the door and looked around the apartment frantically. "I think it might be in my room, but I'm not sure..."

"Alright then." Virgil shrugged and nudged his head toward the direction of Logan's room. The other seemed to take that as a sign to enter the apartment further, eyeing them curiously. "You okay?"

"Are you both alright?" Virgil frowned and turned to Patton.

"I'm fine, Logan." Patton smiled up at him. "Don't worry about it. Go get what you're looking for so you and Roman won't be late, okay?"

Logan watched Patton carefully before looking up at Virgil. Slowly, he nodded and turned, heading for his room. Virgil huffed and looked back down at Patton who seemed to sink further into the couch. "What were you saying earlier?"

"It's not bad or anything! I just feel something I can't quite explain." Patton took a moment to think before looking up at Virgil. "It's like that feeling you did something wrong and you're waiting for the bad stuff to happen after."

Virgil pursed his lips as he concentrated before tilting his head curiously. "Like... you're anxious about something?"

"Yeah, I guess? It's never usually this bad though." Patton rubbed at the spot on his chest before looking up at the other. "Not quite sure why, though."

Virgil was silent before deciding to take a seat next to his roommate. "Okay, listen to me. I want you to take a deep breath in through your nose and hold it until I say." Patton nodded and closed his eyes. "Now stop and hold it." Patton squeezed his eyes shut more as he kept still. "Now let it out through your mouth slowly." Patton followed along and opened his eyes. "How do you feel?"

Patton's nose scrunched up as he shook his head. "Still there but not as bad? Maybe?"

Virgil nodded and closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing and doing as he had told Patton to do. Virgil repeated his process a few times before opening his eyes. "And now?"

Patton blinked and placed a hand on his chest before his eyes widened. "Was I feeling your anxiety this whole time?"

"Yeah, I think so." Virgil leaned back into the couch and sneered a bit. "I don't like the idea of you feeling my bad emotions all the time."

"It can't be helped." Patton waved it off as if it were nothing. "I love you too much, I'll just have to deal with it. Besides!" Patton smiled over at him. "We can help each other out with it then! Sure, there's no cure but if you ever need help, you can come to me and we can figure it out together!"

Logan's bedroom door slammed shut as he quickly made his way into the living room and looked at the two on the couch. He had a black journal clutched close to his chest as he looked down at the two. "I seem to have found what I was looking for so I'm just gonna go before I'm even more late." Logan nodded his head goodbye at the two before quickly making his way out of the apartment.

Patton and Virgil kept quiet for a moment, a bit confused, until Virgil stood up from the couch. "You're not doing chores today, go relax! That's final."

—

Logan carefully checked the address on his GPS before they made it to an old office building. Once inside, they made their way up to the third floor in the old, slow elevator. Roman seemed on edge as he complained he could have walked up the stairs faster than the elevator was taking them before it finally dinged open at their destination. He was out the door as soon as they opened as he spotted the paper pointing to the new meeting place with a big arrow.

Roman marched down the short hallway and stopped at a meeting room, a table lined with chairs and dozens of others stacked on the side. He pushed the door open and turned, holding it for Logan as he managed to catch up.

The room had quite a few more people already than Logan had expected seeing as they were a bit early. A few people stood around the room, setting up a few snacks on a side table as they all talked and laughed amongst themselves. When the door shut with a thud behind them, they all turned to the entrance. Most of the faces were unfamiliar but of course, there were two that both Logan and Roman noticed immediately.

"Sam!" Roman threw his hands up in the air as he walked forward. "Sammy! It's so nice to see you both! It has been far too long!"

The group watched as the two grown men raced across the room, dropping everything they were doing to run over and greet the two 'newcomers'. Sam was still a head taller than Sammy, the short blonde smiling up at the two of them. "You made it!"

"Salutations." Logan greeted kindly. "I brought Roman here with me this time around. I apologize that our visits have been very sporadic." Logan motioned to his roommate and the two men lit up at finally discovering their hero's true identity. Roman turned and glared at Logan for letting information slip while Logan simply shrugged it off. "We were also curious about that little code you left at the bottom." Logan leaned in and spoke quieter. "I was hoping we could discuss that before the meeting began?"

"Well, we will discuss it as the meeting starts to get comfortable. We don't want to let anything slip so we want this to be as normal as possible."

Sammy turned and smiled, gathering everyone else's attention. "Guys, this is Logan and Roman. They've been to some of the earlier meetings back at the cafe once or twice." The two nodded to each other before diverting to the snacks, smiling and waving at the other patrons of the night.

The room filled in rather quickly shortly after that as the time approached. Roman's eyes lit up every time he turned and watched all the seats being taken, the spare chairs from the side is set up as the empty seats were being taken. A few people spared glances his way and perked up, recognizing him and waving. Roman smiled and waved back before Logan suggested they moved seats to the corner of the room, hidden as much as possible before someone accidentally blew their cover.

The meeting started shortly after that, Sam standing tall and welcoming everyone as the chatter of the room quieted.

"As you all know, I will start the meeting as I did last week. We are still printing the codes at the bottoms of the paper for a few more weeks until we are sure Princey shows up."

"Princey?" Roman asked, stiffening up at the nickname Virgil calls him. "I thought... wasn't he Prince Charging? Or even the Masked Prince like the news calls him?"

"Yes, but after a brief encounter once, we have shortened it to Princey. To be honest, Prince Charging is a bit of a mouthful after saying it too much." Roman nodded and kept quiet, letting him continue. "We have let out a call to Princey to warn him of the interaction at our last meeting held at the cafe."

Sammy stood up this time. "We switched locations after discovering someone had been coming to the meetings only to try and convince people that Princey was to be stopped. After taking a few members that night, we decided to pick a more secure location away from anyone that could simply eavesdrop in. However, this creates a problem." Sammy looked Roman and Logan directly in the eye as he spoke. "There is a group out there dedicated to stopping him by any means." He shifted his eyes away quickly as Roman's mouth dropped, speechless. "Prince Charging has done nothing but stop criminals and rescue others. There have even been reports of him simply sitting down and talking to those who needed it." Roman nodded at that part, recalling a few times he would be led to someone who needed a shoulder to cry on. "While he hasn't broken any laws specifically yet, they feel he is a vigilante above the law which we know is not true. We are here to show our support and to help him. Now, I open the floor to anyone with suggestions on how to stop this new group."

Roman wasn't sure what anyone was saying after that, hearing an entire hate group was out to get him. For what? For, for helping people? That was preposterous! What was wrong with trying to help others? He's hardly even hurt those he was defending himself against!

Logan placed a hand on Roman's arm, keeping his attention on the discussion around them before giving his attention to Roman. "Do you need a moment?" Roman shook his head and looked up, trying his best to give his attention to those around him.

By the end of the meeting, Roman had felt a little better, taking in what was said and happy for the support of these strangers around him. Sam and Sammy didn't say much other than wishing them a good night. They finished the meeting saying how they would continue printing the code on the fliers until they were sure the Prince got the message and stopped by but not much else. Roman was appreciative of that, knowing that suddenly not printing it would be a big hint that he had indeed been to that meeting.

They made their way home on the bus quietly, neither one really saying a word. Logan would comment on things but Roman was lost in his own thoughts. He bit his tongue and ground his teeth together as he glared at the city that passed them by. Once it was their stop, Roman stomped off and marched through the streets approaching their apartment.

Logan watched concerned as he felt the air shift around him. The hair on the back of his neck began to stand on end as they continued to walk. He could feel something charged in the air that made him uncomfortable as he reached out and carefully placed a hand on Roman's back. A small blue spark shot out at him as he recoiled, not feeling it at all but having spooked him just the same. Roman stopped and turned, frowning at the sight of Logan holding his hand close.

Roman took a moment to breathe before turning to Logan. "I'm sorry, I just..." He threw his arms out. "What do they want from me? I give them everything, I follow every rule I can and I try my best to protect them and they're out to get me? Why?!"

"Roman, perhaps it is best to calm down." Logan let go of his hand once he was sure it was uninjured. "They were cautious and managed to get a message out to you. We know about this other group now. We can figure out a plan and stop them before something bad happens."

"Like what? I can't go to the police and be like, 'yes hello, there's a hate group after me. Oh, by the way, I can zap people!' That's not how this works!"

"No, that is why we should all gather and come up with a strategy. We know now, we can prepare ourselves!"

Roman stomped his foot angrily. "Why do you even care?!"

"Because this is more than just about you!" Logan shouted back, causing Roman to recoil. Logan never raised his voice but his eyes showed how much anger and rage he was holding back. "They find you, then they find us." Logan's voice grew quiet. "Did you really think they wouldn't search for others like you?" Roman's anger seemed to have simmered down a bit as he talked. "This affects all of us, and we will figure it all out together."

"You're right, I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize, though I do appreciate it." Logan looked around them as he made his way back down the street. "Let's just go home to Virgil and Patton and we can talk about this together."

It was quiet for a few moments before Roman started chuckling to himself. "Hey. Hey, Logan." The spectacled man turned and watched the other curiously. "We're going home to our boyfriends." Roman burst out into happy giggled once more, using his hands to cover his face.

Logan burst out into a blush and turned back, marching down the street quicker to leave Roman behind. "Why are you so insufferable?"

"Aww, did I embarrass you?" Logan could feel the tips of his ears turn red as he glanced up and finally saw their apartment building. "What's the matter, Logan? Super excited to see Patton your boyfriend?"

"I am locking the door when we get there and you can sit outside." Despite his words, Logan was smiling as he started to jog, making his way up the few stairs to the porch.

"No fair! Logan, come on! Don't do this to me!" Logan turned and watched Roman approach the porch before closing the door, effectively locking it and turning around to enter the apartment.

"Hey." Virgil appeared in a doorway. "How'd it go?"

"There was a bit of troubling news we will have to discuss, unfortunately."

Virgil frowned and eyed the door closely. "Did that book you grabbed help?"

"What?"

There was a loud knocking at the door as Roman shouted, his cries muffled through the door. Virgil glanced at Logan before walking over and unlocking it, opening it carefully. "Roman."

"Oh, Virgil! Light of my life, thank you!" Roman placed his hands over his heart as he smiled down. "Logan was being terribly rude and locked me out!"

"You chose to mock and embarrass me." Logan crossed his arms and stood his ground.

Virgil looked over his shoulder and looked back up at Roman before shrugging. "Sounds like you deserved it, oh well."

"Wait-" Virgil slammed the door and locked it once more before turning away and raising his arm. Logan reached up and they high-fived as Virgil walked by, making his way toward the kitchen. Roman banged on the door more, his cries louder as he went on about a betrayal that broke his heart.

"So," Virgil smirked over at him before he walked into the kitchen. "Want some dinner? There were leftovers and it looks like there's going to be plenty to share now."

Patton walked out of his room and looked over at Logan as the banging on the front door continued. "Logan, why is Roman knocking in the front door?"

"Perhaps because it is locked." Patton sighed and turned toward the front door. "I suppose he has been served a proper punishment by now if you choose to let him in." Logan walked into the kitchen without another word.

When Patton unlocked the front door, Roman was holding up a fist, ready to knock loudly as much as he could. "Ah, my hero! They locked me out, they were going to leave me out here all night!"

"Don't be absurd, I would have let you in eventually." Logan sat down with a plate of chicken leftover from dinner.

Virgil scoffed and shook his head. "I wouldn't have."

Roman placed a hand over his heart as he flinched back, acting as if the words caused physical harm. "Betrayed by one I hold so dear! Perhaps it simply wasn't meant to be." Roman put the back of his hand to his forehead and threw his head back dramatically. "Woe is me, my heart! My heart!"

"Well someone doesn't want his present I made him." Roman perked up and looked over at Virgil who ducked his head away to hide his blush. "Shame, I spent so much time on it too."

"You made me something?" Roman smiled as he whispered as if he couldn't believe his own words. "Really?"

Virgil rolled his eyes and pretended the smirk on his face did not bother him as he flushed even more. "Come on, I'll show you or you'll never leave me alone about it."

As Virgil walked by, Roman turned and followed him like a puppy, eager and excited to discover his present. Virgil walked into his room and flicked on the light, smiling as he saw something sitting in his room. He turned back to glance at Roman before finally moving to the side so the other could walk in.

"I think it'll be obvious before you see it but I'm still nervous." Roman glanced around Virgil's room before his eyes landed on something tall covered in a blanket across the room. "So they closed down the shop and moved to a bigger location and wanted to give me a promotion. Basically, I help stock and order things but I also am in charge of the other new stock crew, or whatever."

"Really?" Roman was distracted enough by the story to turn away and look over at the other. "You hate responsibility. And working hard. And being in charge."

Virgil shrugged and motioned back towards the draped cloth. "I said I would do it if they helped me with this. I don't have the skills to pull something quite like this off, but I think you'll be surprised." Virgil walked over and carefully tugged at the blanket.

"Wait." Roman perked up and smiled as he almost dances in place in excitement. "Wait, did you...?" Virgil pulled back the blanket and revealed the dressed mannequin underneath, causing Roman to let out a loud gasp in shock. "Oh my..."

The mannequin was dressed in a white formal jacket that held golden and red accents. The jacket had coat tails on the back and red accents on the shoulders that mimicked his old white jacket with the red sash. Two cords hung over the left shoulder, a bit short as to not snag on anything unexpectedly. There was no sash this time, but a blue vest and red ascot stuck out from underneath the jacket. The pants held a red stripe going down the sides, balancing it all together.

"Virgil, this is..." Roman shook his head as he took a step closer, taking it all in. He looked down at the bottom and noticed red matching leather boots that were dyed to match the fabric perfectly.

Virgil walked up and held out his arms, holding the last few remaining pieces. There was a short red cape that held a few accessories on top of it. A belt, a pair of red leather gloves that matched the boots perfectly, and a mask. A brand new mask almost exactly like his last one. It was black with the matching gold trim except for this time, it spiked up in the middle above his nose and between his eyes as it resembled a crown.

Roman was speechless as he reached out and picked up the mask. It seemed sleeker than his previous one as he turned and looked back at the mannequin dressed in what could only be his new costume. "Virgil, I, how..." Roman shook his head and looked at the other. "How did you manage all of this?"

Virgil shrugged as he smiled, blush still on his face as he looked a bit shy. "I had those designs and after your last one got ruined, I figured, you know..."

Roman placed the mask back down and took everything into his arms. "This is amazing! I'm... Virgil, I'm honestly speechless."

"Well, if you have nothing good to say then maybe you should at least put it on before you decide if you like it or not."

"Like it?" Roman looked shocked as he shook his head. "Like it? Like it?! Virgil, I love it! No, not good enough. I adore it! I can't... I can't begin to describe how much I am in love with it! I have to put it on right now!"

"Woah okay! Calm down!" Virgil laughed as he took the cape with all the accessories back as Roman carefully inspected the mannequin to remove the articles of clothing. "Prince Charging is back in action then?"

"Yes!" In Roman's excitement, he put on the jacket over his regular shirt and adjusted it before going over to Virgil's mirror and inspecting it. "There's a small embroidery on the tailcoats! Ahh!" Roman sounds around and held up a fist in front of him. "I'd like to see my hate club take me down now!"

"Wait, your what?" Roman froze and looked over at Virgil slowly. "What are you talking about? Roman?" He winced as Virgil's voice grew louder and more panicked. "Roman!"

"Wait, kill me after I get this all on! Virgil–wait Virgil no!" Roman held up his arms as Virgil marched over, glaring down at him intensely. "I'm sorry!"

Patton and Logan looked at each other from across the table as shouts of laughter reached across the apartment. Patton simply giggled as Logan shook his head at their roommates' antics.

(Art by robins.draw on instagram, robinsdraw on tumblr!)