Summary: After years of his identity as aromantic being dismissed, Roman decides to use the excuse of following the soulmate glow to escape his hometown and go on a journey to find somewhere better. A diner he stops in gives him the way to find more people just like him.
~
Roman had tried dating. People needed to understand, he had tried dating, tried to enjoy casual relationships everyone was pushed to have as teenagers so their soulmates would have a good partner. He had tried.
They had all made his skin crawl and ended when he fled one too many dates with excuses of family commitments. His longest relationship lasted a month only because the man he’d been with viewed it as a challenge to date someone who didn’t want to be dated.
Blocking that man everywhere was the second best decision of Roman’s life so far.
The best decision was taking to the internet to look at LGBTQ+ identities again. He read through definitions of identities for hours before learning about aromantics, and all the time was worth it.
Roman was Aromantic and everything made more sense now.
Except nobody believed him or that it was a real identity. Everyone knew everyone has a soulmate and they’d all find them at some point in their life and anybody claiming not to was lying or delusional.
After months of this, Roman was resolute: He would claim to be following his soulmate glow to leave his hometown and gradually cut off contact with everyone who expected to hear of a whirlwind romance happening.
There had to be a happy ending waiting for him in the world
~
“Hi there stranger, can I get you anything?” The greeting was called cheerfully from the counter as Roman wandered into the diner. He’d been travelling for a week and was debating where he should stay that night while pausing his drive for a meal.
“Burger and a coke please, and maybe a map to a motel for the night?” He requested, sitting at the bar with a small smile.
The man behind the counter noted his order quickly, calling into the kitchen before turning back to Roman, “Are you passing through on your way somewhere?”
“Trying to find somewhere I can be me. I’m not sure it exists though.” He replied more honestly than he usually would be to strangers. “I’m Roman, by the way.”
“I’m Patton and Logan is in the kitchen.” Patton gestured to the window connecting the rooms. “Is it a soulmate quest you’re on?”
Roman couldn’t avoid pulling a face, “I hope not. Romance is very much uncomfortable.”
“We’ve got a couple friends who’d agree with you over at ‘Hollow Horizons’. Stay in town a few days to go and meet them.” The suggestion was given as Roman’s drink was placed on the counter with a warm smile.
“What is ‘Hollow Horizons’?” He asked intrigued, “And can you suggest somewhere I could stay?”
The man in the kitchen leant through the window. “It’s a bookshop. I’ll get a map of afforable places drawn while you eat. Food’s ready in ten.”
“Thanks Logan!” Patton beamed at the small smile he was given. “We’re soulmates which is simpler than your experience, I believe.”
“My experience? Do you mean not wanting a soulmate?” Roman paused at the tone directed to him. It sounded like he’d been accepted about disliking that version of a happy ending but he couldn’t figure out what else was meant.
Patton enthusiastically nodded, “Janus tried explaining it to me once, and Lo read a book or two on it. Some of our greatest explorers were just like you, he said.”
“You’re confusing him, Patton. Why don’t you let Janus offer him an explanation tomorrow and ask about his travels so far instead.” Logan called, but didn’t move into view at all.
~
Roman had promised to return to the diner the next night and decided to book a few nights at the B&B Patton seemed to like the owner of, claiming, “Remy’s the best. If you struggled to sleep he’d got all the tips to help and Emile got his cooking qualifications at the same time as Logan. They should both be Doctor’s I swear.”
It was a nice looking place, and the display of teas to one end of the counter actually encouraged Roman to relax there.
“Sup Babes, Are you Roman? Pattycake said he was sending you our way.” The receptionist greeted, lowering the sunglasses they were wearing.
“Yes, that’s me. Do you have a room available for a few nights?” He nodded, dropping his bag to the floor to get his wallet out.
He got a nod in return as they turned to the wall of keys. “Sure thing. The names Remy. I’m here in the evenings. You’ll meet Emile tomorrow morning. Are you paying now or when you check out?”
Roman thought for a moment before deciding, “Now for the first two nights and I’ll decide later if I’m staying for longer than that.”
“Great, Here’s your key, let’s get the other stuff sorted now.”
~
Emile turned out to be an eccentric, energetic man with a reference for every sentence said, even just breakfast orders. Roman liked him a lot but was ready to spend the day lost in town after the fourth soulmate story was referenced in quick succession. He didn’t want to ask for directions if that’d get another brought up.
Except Emile interrupted himself from a discussion of the friendships on yet another show, saying, “Oh bother, I’ve made the same mistake Pooh bear did in Eeyore’s New Home. Talking on instead of asking where you’re going today.”
“Patton suggested I visit a bookshop in town. I think it was ‘Hallowed Horizons’.” Roman said, frowning a little as the shop name sounded wrong and wondering if he’d changed the name of it accidentally.
It was amusing when Emile then gasped, “’Hollow Horizons’?” and hurried into the entryway, bringing back a leaflet. “My faux pas grows I suspect, but it’s easy to get to Virgil’s shop.” He began explaining the directions, placing the leaflet beside Roman’s plate.
Roman nodded, looking at the small map before querying, “Patton said it belonged to someone called Janus. Who’s Virgil?”
“They’re co-owners. Fight something rotten sometimes, like Katara and Zuko, but both decent people at the end of the day,” Emile nodded. “But I do find Virgil the nicer of the paid, less prone to wear a mask or distrust everyone, but a bit abrasive.”
~
Hollow Horizons was a small shop from the outside, dark enough that Roman almost walked straight past it and then stared for a while trying to figure out if it was open. The only indication it actually was was a small sign beside the doorhandle but once Roman spotted it he wasted no time in entering.
Someone in an oversized hoodie behind the counter made a discontented noise as they sat up straighter, “Sup, Hollow Horizons has all the rare kinds of books you could hope for. Are you looking for a particular book?”
“I’m not sure. Someone at the diner I went to last night recommended I come here.” Roman replied, looking over the displays curiously.
He startled as a frustrated growl came from behind him, “Roman then? Janus said Patton was telling him we should hire you. I’m Virgil and bet Pat’s skipped a hundred steps in that idea of his.” Virgil paused, looking Roman over before gesturing further back in the shop, “Might want to check out the shelf on soulmate studies back there. I started with ‘Broken Bonds’, Janus pushes ‘Identities Without Mates’ but for Logan to agree with sending you here there’ll be something to catch your eye on those shelves.
Roman had started to frown at the subject he was pointed to until he heard the book titles being recommended. It was easier to focus on that than the idea a man he’d met once had tried to get a job for him when he didn’t know how long he’d remain in town.
Neither of the titles mentioned caught Roman’s attention. Instead the first book he focused on showed the arch of a horizon, glowing to the right of the cover with violet light. It was a familiar sight to Roman as that was supposed to be the glow that drew soulmates together; one he’d half-heartedly been following since his journey began. He reached for the book curiously despite expecting it to praise the soulmates most people said everyone had.
‘Unreachable’ was the title of the book:
Welcome to the stories of people who wil never reach the glow supposed to mark their soulmates location.
Despite common belief, history is scattered with people without soulmates and their records have been found and discredited for long enough. Open this book and learn of authors breaking hearts with loveless stories and adventurers as much running from the expectations of their society as towards a glow that never moved nearer to them.
We are the ones with unreachable soulmates because they don’t exist and if you feel the same, we welcome you ever more.
Roman had never been moved to tears by the blurb of a book before but the blub of ‘Unreachable’ had managed it.
He hugged the book to his chest, moving back to the counter Virgil was sat at and very reluctantly placing it down, “This please.”
“Sure. You need a tissue?” Virgil offered, scanning the book and gesturing to a tissue box on the side.
“Thank you.” Roman agreed, dabbing at his eyes, “Don’t know why I’m like this. I’ve said I’m aro for years.”
Virgil shrugged, saying nothing about the book being hugged as soon as it was bagged, “Bet you’ve only had people discrediting you since the start. People suck.”
He sniffed, nodding as he struggled to get his wallet out and pay one handed.
“Come back if you want to talk more about the book or anything.” Virgil called after him as he left. Roman was sure he would listen and be back soon enough.
For all his life he’d been told there was a soulmate out there for him and finally here was ‘Unreachable’ saying there wasn’t but he could still achieve amazing things. Here were people accepting him easily.
Whether he stayed in town only long enough to read the book or for longer, he’d found a happy pause to celebrate.
Wind Symphony: The Sequel (Sometimes Labels Shift Series)
Fandom: Sanders Sides
Relationships: Logan & Virgil, Logan/Patton
Characters: Logan, Virgil, Patton
Summary: Virgil gets his first ever clarinet. This is a very stressful day for him. He doesn't even know the prices!
This is a dealing with events set after my story Sometimes Labels Fail.
Notes: Superhero AU (not that it matters), past child abuse
(Original prompt from @carolofthebell a looooong long time ago.)
Virgil flinched at the sound of the bell as another customer exited the store. He couldn’t help but be jumpy considering the amount of expensive merchandise within accidently elbowing distance.
He’d been usure about this venture from the beginning and was even more so now that they were actually in the music store.
Virgil had auditioned for and made it into the intermediate band for the spring semester, a step up from the lowest level band he’d been in before. Both Logan and Patton had congratulated him for this more than they probably should have and then had taken him out for ice cream.
It wasn’t until about a week later that Logan brought up the topic of buying him a better clarinet.
“The school rentals are of good enough quality,” Logan had explained, “however, if you’re going to play more seriously, it would be beneficial to get you a better one. It would also afford you the opportunity to practice during the summer, so you can audition for the senior band next fall.”
Considering Virgil had only just managed to get into the intermediate band, he thought that was moving very, very fast, but Logan had shut down that protest by reminding him that even if he didn’t manage to get into it next year, he surely would in his senior year, and it was an investment. Virgil’s protest that said “investment” was far, far too expensive was also ignored by both Patton and Logan.
Now they were here in a music shop on a Saturday morning, and Virgil didn’t know if he’d ever been this stressed. (And he’d been shot before.)
He’d never been in a music shop before, and he couldn’t help but tug anxiously on his sleeve as his eyes darted around to all the different, very very expensive instruments hanging on the walls. He didn’t even want to touch the shelves of sheet music, worried that he’d somehow knock them over and trigger an avalanche of costly equipment.
Patton and Logan clearly did not have the same anxieties, strolling through the shelves like this was a Good Will instead of a specialty shop.
Virgil followed them with a caution befitting a man creeping around a sleeping dragon to steal its eggs.
“Hello,” said Logan upon making it to the very back of the store where an older man with wide rimmed glasses was standing at a counter.
“How can I help you?” the man asked.
“We’re looking for a beginner’s clarinet.”
The man’s eyes instantly drifted to Virgil. Virgil chose not to dive behind the nearest shelf (since it held pricey looking ticking metronomes) and instead attempted to hide in his hoodie.
“I have a list of brands that are of interest,” Logan said, pushing a list over to the man.
The man glanced at the list and blinked, seeming surprised. Virgil was sure Logan had been shockingly thorough in his research.
“However,” Logan continued. “We’d like Virgil to have a chance to make the final decision.” At that, Logan looked back at Virgil and noticed he was hanging back a good 10 feet. He waved Virgil forward and Virgil reluctantly shuffled over.
“Of course,” the man said, his eyes on Virgil even more now. “I’ll get a few down for him to look at.” The man turned away to walk into the back and Virgil let the breath he’d been holding out.
Patton settled a hand on his shoulder and Virgil almost jumped out of his skin. The hand jerked back.
“Sorry,” Virgil said.
Patton hesitated and then, careful to choreograph his movement more this time, he returned the hand to his shoulder, giving a reassuring squeeze.
“You don’t need to be stressed, honey,” Patton said. “It’s just a clarinet. It won’t bite you.”
“It’s expensive,” Virgil stressed.
“You don’t need to worry about the cost,” Logan said. “I have already budgeted for more than enough to cover any expenses we incur here.”
But why he had done that was still a mystery to Virgil. He didn’t bother asking. They’d already tried to have that discussion many times before.
“Speaking of, is there anything else you need?” Logan asked.
Virgil shook his head.
Logan raised an eyebrow in response. “Reeds?” he asked. “Cleaning equipment?”
Virgil shrugged. Technically, yes, he probably did need those things.
Logan nodded as though hearing Virgil’s thoughts. “We’ll make sure to get all of that as well. Patton, why don’t you go look around the store for things you think he’ll need while Virgil and I test out the instruments.”
“He’ll buy the entire store,” Virgil pointed out as Patton almost immediately turned to start looking at the store’s offerings. Patton glanced back at him with a teasingly annoyed expression. He was not distracted from his task for long, however.
“He surely will,” Logan confirmed. He always said things like that with more fond amusement than actual annoyance, Virgil had noticed in the months he’d lived with them. Today, it wasn’t even that. He seemed happy that Patton was probably going to drop a bunch of cash on useless things in this store.
The man returned after a few minutes with three different clarinets. The brand names meant nothing to Virgil except that they were all ones that had been on Logan’s list. He wished he’d done his own research since none of the cases had priced on them, and he didn’t know which was the most expensive. All he knew was they all probably costed a lot.
Even beginner clarinets were expensive, he knew. That’s why most kids, even ones not in foster care, rented instruments. Even rich families often didn’t outright buy an instrument until they were sure their kid was going to stick with it.
Maybe some of the kids in Virgil’s grade with rich parents, a lot of skills, and opportunities to play at non-school functions had instruments of their own by now, but people like Virgil did not.
Yet, Logan and Patton had insisted and now here Virgil was.
The man talked briefly about the differences between each clarinet (not the prices) and what each was good for before letting Virgil test them all out briefly.
If it were up to Virgil, he’d have just messed around with each for a couple of minutes, so this venture didn’t cost as much time as it did money, but Logan insisted he play each for around 15 minutes to really ‘get a feel for them.’ The worker seemed to approve of this suggestion.
They’d been at the store for over an hour by the time he’d tried all of the offered clarinets out to satisfaction. He still wished he knew the prices, but without that, he just had to blindly pick which one he’d liked the most.
Patton returned with two baskets of merchandise ranging from useful (swabs, cork grease, and reeds) to unnecessary (a music stand and some books of sheet music from Disney movies) and inane (coasters with clarinets and musical notes on them).
Upon confirmation that Virgil had picked a clarinet, he dumped this all on the counter in front of Logan and promptly (gently) manhandled Virgil out of the store so Logan could pay.
“I wanted to at least know how much you guys just spent on me,” Virgil groused as the door closed behind him.
“You are absolutely never knowing,” he said.
Virgil bit his lip.
“Really, Virgil,” Patton said. “We want to buy it for you. The cost doesn’t matter.”
“What if I break it?” Virgil asked.
“Considering how gently you treated the rental?” Patton asked, “I don’t think you will, but even if you do, it’s fine. It’s just an object.”
“An expensive object.”
“We can afford it,” Patton said with a shrug, “and we want to give it to you because we care. Let us do this for you.”
There was an earnestness to his expression that made Virgil have to swallow. “Fine,” he agreed reluctantly, “but did you have to get the coasters?”
“Those are for me!” Patton declared. “I’m going to take them to my office, so if someone asks about them, I can brag about the fantastic clarinet player I have at home.”
Virgil blushed at the thought. “Do not do that.”
Patton just smiled.
“Patton don’t do that.”
In the years to come, Patton would very much do that.
Pride!Roman, virgil x remy x emile, "duck out already"
Characters: Virgil, Pride!Roman, Remy(sleep), Emile, mentions of Patton, mentions of Logan, mentions of Remus, mentions of c!Thomas
Pairings: Virgil x Remy x Emile, mentioned Logicality
Warnings: Unsympathetic Roman, panic attack, ducking out (Suicide-ish), revenge
Summary: Ducking out wasn’t something to be taken lightly. So to be told to duck out by someone Virgil once considered a friend was excruciating. But thankfully, his boyfriends won’t let him go through it alone.
*****
It was four words. Just four words. Four words that hit Virgil like a bullet, knocking all the air from his lungs.
Just duck out already.
Roman- Pride, Virgil reminded himself, we’re not friends anymore- grinned maliciously, as though sensing the impact his words had on Virgil.
“You should, you know. If you did it right, the others wouldn’t even notice until it was too late; if they bothered to notice at all, that is. You know your boyfriends are only dating you because they felt they had to. Logan and Patton were dating and they didn’t want you to feel left out. They were just trying to make you feel better so you wouldn’t duck out again. But you should. It would be better.”
Virgil could feel the tears building up in his eyes and he quickly sank out so Roman wouldn’t see him cry. He reappeared in his room and immediately sank to his knees, tears streaming down his face.
Do it, a dark voice in his head whispered. The other would thank you. You wouldn’t be inflicting your presence on them.
Don’t do it, a lighter voice said. Just break up with you Remy and Emile and stay in your room. That way you get to live and you stay out of everyone’s way.
If you do that, you’ll be heartbroken. Better to duck out and not have to feel at all then to go through all that pain.
The voices continued, going back and forth. Virgil struggled to breath between sobs, his hands covering his ears, gripping his hair tightly in an attempt to block out the voices.
He was so focused on his internal struggle that he didn’t hear the knock on the door. He didn’t hear Remy and Emile’s concerned voices calling to him through the door. He didn’t hear the door open.
His eyes were tightly shut so he didn’t see his boyfriends’ worried looks. He didn’t see them walking toward him, crouching down when they were a foot away.
“Hun, can you hear me?” Remy’s voice broke through the argument in Virgil’s head. Virgil’s eyes opened and he gave a short nod. Emile smiled softly.
“That’s great, sweetie. Is it okay if I touch you?” Again, Virgil nodded and Emile scooted closer. He grabbed Virgil’s hands in his own and gently pulled them away from Virgil’s head, instead holding them in his lap.
“Try to breath with me, okay?” Emile started to exaggerate his breathing, tapping out the 4-7-8 on Virgil’s hand. The voices got even quieter, almost nonexistent. Virgil was still crying, but not nearly as hard. Breathing was much easier than it had been only minutes ago.
Somehow, the three managed a maneuver that put Virgil in Remy’s lap with Emile sitting by him, still holding Virgil’s hands.
“How are you feeling, hun?” Remy asked gently.
“Better,” Virgil choked out.
“That’s good,” Emile said, rubbing circles on Virgil’s hands with his thumbs. “Is it okay if we ask what made you panic?”
The voices flared up again, but Virgil pushed them away. He needed to tell his boyfriends now, while he was thinking somewhat clearly.
“Pride told me to duck out.” A long silence followed his statement. Emile sent a warning look to Remy, who looked ready to attack someone. Virgil, focused as he was on his own thoughts, missed it.
“I’m sorry, sweetie. You know we’d be devastated if you ducked out, right?”
“He said you wouldn’t.”
Emile gasped quietly. “He said we wouldn’t-oh honey.”
Virgil broke. He told them everything. Everything Roman had said, everything he himself had thought. It all came out.
When he was finished, Emile was crying and Remy seemed to be heading that way.
“Oh, hun, none of that’s true,” Remy assured him. “We love you for you, not because we pity you.”
Virgil stayed silent, not quite believing it.
“Do you know what would happen if you ducked out all the way? You would still be part of Thomas, you just wouldn’t have a physical representation. I don’t know exactly how it works, you’d have to ask Logan, but anxiety would still be part of Thomas. So why would we try to keep you around if we hated you?”
“Because you’re nice?” It was a weak excuse, even to Virgil.
Remy laughed. “Hun, if we didn’t like you, we wouldn’t be dating you. We’d be friends, definitely, but we wouldn’t date you out of pity. Emile and I both love you and we’ll say it over and over until you believe it. Okay?”
Virgil nodded. “Okay. Thanks, Remy.”
Remy leaned forward and kissed Virgil’s forward. “Don’t worry about it, hun. Why don’t you get some sleep? You must be exhausted after all that.”
Virgil hummed sleepily, his eyes falling shut. Remy felt Virgil’s body relax as he slipped into sleep, Remy’s presence ensuring that nightmares would be kept away.
Once certain Virgil was asleep, Emile spoke. “We have to do something about this.”
Remy nodded. “Yes, we do. What Pride did was horrible. We’ll have to think of ways to get back at him.”
Emile looked shocked. “We can’t hurt him! That could hurt Thomas!”
Remy just grinned. “I know. But there are other ways to get back at him. I know Remus has some pranks he’s been dying to try and Logan has been looking for a test subject. As for myself-” Remy’s grin turned wicked- “I can do more than just take away nightmares; I can also give them.”
Emile smiled uneasily. Revenge wasn’t really his strong suit, but when it came to his boyfriends, he’d give anything a try.
Warning: Food mention, mention to Virgil’s father kind of sucking at being an actual parent
______________________________
Summary: It really is a wonder what Patton and Logan remember of what Virgil says.
(I finally wrote something, yay!! This is more content of the Midnight Stellar AU I have, where Logan and Patton own and run a late-night café! You don’t need the other stories that have been made for this AU but if you want to, they’re tagged under the tag “‘midnight stellar au”! Either way, enjoy!)
______________________________
Virgil barely even got through the door of Midnight Stellar before Patton passed him on his way, leaning over quickly to give him a kiss on his hair.
“Good evening Virgil, Logan’s just finished up a batch of peanut butter cookies and I’ll get you your hot chocolate in a minute, already have everything set out if you’ll give me a minute!” Patton called out, working to clear some tables.
With a raised eyebrow, Virgil went over to the counter and gave Logan a confused look.
“Hello Virgil, I take it you want your usual?” Logan asked him, transferring the aforementioned cookies from their spot on a couple of cooling racks.
“Yeah, uh, what’s up with...?” Virgil gestured vaguely to the two café owners.
“What? With us almost having your order ready?”
Virgil nodded, laughing to himself a little as Patton bounded over with a bright smile towards Virgil.
Patton gave a dramatic eye roll before giggling, clearly messing with him. “You just finished up your art history final and you mentioned last week about taking a nap before spending the night out of the house and heading over here! And you usually are here around 2:30 so we wanted to make sure to have things ready for you! Things are busy at the moment but if you want to talk, I’ll have everything settled in 10 minutes and then we can chat!”
After a moment of just staring at Patton, who seemed to be going on with business as normal despite what he just said, Virgil felt his cheeks heat up considerably and he burrowed into his hoodie a bit.
“Why do you remember that?” His tone definitely did not come out even there, not in the slightest.
Logan chuckled and slid Virgil a plate of cookies. “You are great company for us Virgil and we like hearing about you and your life, it’s a joy to talk to you. Naturally we want to support you where we can, considering your...” He cleared his throat, glancing to the side as he pushed up his glasses. “Lack of a decent example of a parental figure.”
“Geez, you really don’t have to, I’m fine by myself and all,” Virgil muttered. “Also can I get some cinnamon on it today Patton?” he added as a bit of an afterthought.
“Absolutely you can and you can handle yourself perfectly well as Logie and I are both aware-“ Patton started, finally setting Virgil’s drink in front of him. “But that doesn’t mean that we don’t want to give it to you anyways!”
Virgil snorted before shaking his head, sliding $20 over the counter. “Once again, you guys are more like my dads than my actual dad, might as well just call you it instead,” he joked.
Patton slide the money back over the counter before he looked across the room, vaulting over the counter, with slight protest from Logan on making sure he doesn’t get hurt. Patton ignores him though, going to clear off and wipe down another table. “I wouldn’t mind if that’s what you want, how about you Logie?” he said rather seriously.
Logan looked Virgil in the eye, giving him a solid gaze. “I would have no objections.”
Virgil turned even more red if it was possible and he buried his face in his hands. “You guyssssss!” he groaned out, only for the two men to laugh. “Thanks Dad,” he semi-sarcastically commented to Patton. He would never admit to the bubbly feeling he felt at it. Not when Logan was giving him a knowing smile anyways.
“Love you kiddo, you rock!” Patton hummed out.
“Mm...” Virgil hummed for a moment, looking to Logan. “I’ll come back to you, gotta think on a name.”
“Take your time, we’ve got all night Virgil,” Logan said with a soft smile, going to take care of another customer’s order as they walked up to the counter.
With that, Virgil went to go sit at his usual table, which he noticed was already set up for him. He really was happy to have them.
TWs: anxious thoughts, food mention, talk of jumpscares and halloween movies
Words: 2543
AN: yes i know its almost christmas but i forgot about this fic then found it again today so here ya go. I got this idea from @a-fander-called-mof !!
Roman woke with a start to loud pounding on his bedroom door.
“Whazzit?” He called out, his brain still mostly asleep.
“Get outta bed! It’s the best day of the year!”
Ah. His roommate Virgil. Virgil was, to use gentle terms, a Halloween fanatic. To Roman’s knowledge, he had never started planning a costume any later than September 1st. Their apartment had been decorated for days. And he knew for a fact that Virgil had a list of scary movies for them to watch throughout the day.
With only a little bit of grumbling, he hauled himself out of bed and staggered toward the kitchen, making a beeline for the coffee machine.
Virgil graciously let him fill his mug with coffee and start drinking it, clearly trying to hold back his excitement. He wasn’t doing a very good job, judging by the fact that from where he was sitting on the countertop, Roman could count three different ways he was stimming right now.
Once Roman finished his cup, he looked at his roommate and smiled. “Alright Emo, what’s the agenda for today?”
“Well,” Virgil began, his voice excited but still rough from sleep, “First step is you and I get dressed, because now it’s legal to get pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks.”
“Pretty sure it’s always been legal, Virge,” Roman laughed, but was quickly shushed.
“Don’t mess with the game plan, man. After that, we’re meeting with Patton and Logan to take Thomas and Emile to the pumpkin patch. It’s Emile’s first Halloween with them, Pat and Lo want it to be special.”
Roman nodded. Virgil’s brother Logan and his husband Patton had adopted Emile about three months ago, it made sense that Virgil would want to make memories with his youngest nephew on his favorite holiday.
“After that we buy candy for the trick-or-treaters and start in on the list of movies I have prepared.” Virgil clapped his hands as he finished, eager to get started.
“Every year I’m impressed by how much you plan this out,” Roman commented, standing up and putting his mug in the dishwasher.
“Tis the season,” Virgil said with a shrug and a smirk, making Roman roll his eyes.
“Oh! I forgot to mention,” Virgil said right before Roman was going to walk away. “We’re going straight from Starbucks to the pumpkins, so you need to be in costume before we leave.”
“Don’t fret, my dear Emo, you have to remember you’re talking to a theater kid. I know how to do costuming.”
~~~~~
A few minutes and many internal debates later, Roman was sitting on their couch waiting for Virgil to be ready to go. He fidgeted slightly with the gilded edges of his prince costume, trying to get it just right.
It wasn’t anything fancy, a white long sleeve tunic with gold accents, a bright crimson sash, a pair of black slacks, and brown leather boots, but he was proud of it. He had made it from scratch a few years ago, and it had become his staple costume.
He looked up from his fidgeting when he heard Virgil’s voice come down the hallway and couldn’t help the affectionate eyeroll when he came into view. Virgil had very clearly chilled out his vampire costume so he didn’t scare the kids, but it was still unbelievably extra with its long cape and ruffled collar.
Roman stood from the couch, heading over to the door and pulling a jacket off the hook.
“Ready to go, Sunshine?”
Virgil rolled his eyes but joined him at the door anyway. “I’m the opposite of sunshine,” he grumbled halfheartedly.
“I know, Sunshine.” Roman gave him a dazzling smile as he started to walk down to his car.
~~~~~
He felt a little self-conscious walking into a Starbucks in a prince costume, but they got their coffee without a problem, and soon they were driving toward the pumpkin patch to meet Virgil’s brother and his family. Roman was admittedly a bit nervous, having only met the Tempest-Hart clan a handful of times, but Virgil reassured him that he would fit right in.
“Thomas has been obsessed with knights and dragons lately. And you’re a prince, so I promise he’ll love you.”
“But what if I crush his dreams?” Roman said, anxiously chewing at his thumbnail. “What if Emile wanders off and gets onto the hay ride alone? What if I lose both of them in a corn maze?”
“Roman,” Virgil said, gently interrupting his rambling with a squeeze to his hand. “You gotta relax. It’s not like you’re just gonna be left alone to watch them all on your own. Patton, Logan, and I are gonna be there, you know that.”
He let out a large exhale. “I know. I guess I’m just anxious about messing up around your family.”
“You’re nervous?” Virgil barked out a laugh. “Emile’s my nephew! I’m petrified! My brain has been trying to convince me that I’m gonna drop him or lose him or something. But in the end, Logan and Patton are gonna be there. It’ll all be fine.”
Roman gave a small nod, and Virgil looked away from the road to make eye contact. “Thank you, Virgil.”
“Anytime, Ro.” He gave a small smile, then seemed to remember that he was still holding his hand. He drew it back quickly, giving Roman a pang of disappointment that he couldn’t really explain.
Soon enough they arrived at the pumpkin patch and, after parking, walked up to the front gate to wait for the rest of their party. Roman shivered in the October chill, and Virgil rolled his eyes affectionately. “I thought it was the prince who was supposed to brave the elements or whatever.”
“Easy for you to say, you grew up here in the freezing weather. I, however, am but a simple Floridian.” He said dramatically, pressing a hand to his chest for extra emphasis.
Scoffing, Virgil reached over and grabbed his hands, rubbing them between his own. He seemed oblivious to the way that Roman froze at the contact. “Tada,” he said dryly. “Northerner secret. Friction.”
Roman’s face suddenly didn’t seem as cold as he blushed, and was about to stammer out a response when Virgil looked up and over to a small group of people walking through the parking lot.
“That’s them!” He said, grinning. He dropped Roman’s hands and took off towards them, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Roman was following. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Roman went after him, jogging up to his side.
~~~~~
The group wandered through the farm and chattered happily. Logan and Patton walked side-by-side, holding hands. Virgil was in step next to them, carrying little Emile on his hip. Thomas, just like Virgil had predicted, had immediately taken a shine to Roman, and was dragging him by the hand from attraction to attraction, leaving Roman to try to keep up with the hyperactive kid.
“Thomas! Slow down! You’re gonna pull Uncle Roman’s arm out of its socket!” Patton called, laughing. Leaning into Logan’s shoulder as they walked, he turned to look at Virgil. “Speaking of, have you asked him out yet?”
Virgil blushed almost instantly. “No, not yet.” He mumbled.
“Why not? You like him, and I’m pretty sure he likes you.”
“Yeah, but that means that things would change. And you know how I am with change.”
Patton clicked his tongue, considering. “They wouldn’t change that much, I don’t think. You already live together and spend a lot of time around each other, the only thing that would change is you’d be more romantic with each other.”
“Yeah, but…” Virgil groaned as he failed to think of a good excuse. Emile, sensing the shift in mood, looked up with curious brown eyes.
“Papa,” He asked, looking over at Logan. “Why’s Uncle Vee mad?”
“He’s not mad, little one,” Logan said with a knowing smile, walking over and lifting Emile from Virgi’s arms. “He’s just in denial.”
“What’s dah-ny-al?” He said awkwardly, trying out the new word and making Logan laugh.
“It’s where he’s pretending something isn’t real but it is.”
“Oh,” he cocked his head to the side, looking at Virgil this time. “Uncle Vee, why are you pretending?”
Virgil gave Logan a dirty look, but he only got a smirk in response. “Okay, fine,” he groaned. “I’ll ask him out tonight.”
~~~~~
After many pictures and activities, the little family was on their way back to the parking lot, Patton carrying a drowsy Thomas and Emile already sound asleep in Virgil’s arms.
When they reached the car, Virgil reluctantly handed Logan his youngest son, looking like it was the last thing he wanted to do. Logan laughed quietly at his somber expression.
“No need to look so sad, Virgil. It’s not as if they’re disappearing forever.”
“I know,” he sighed. “He’s just so precious, I don’t want to let him go.”
“Trust me, I know the feeling.” Logan said, casting a fond gaze over to his two sons and his husband.
The customary hugs and well-wishes were exchanged, and soon Virgil and Roman were headed back home to finish out their Halloween. They made a quick stop at the grocery store and had a small squabble over which kind of candy to buy, but eventually they made it home in one piece.
The moment they walked in the door, Virgil was heading to his room to change. “Onesies and couch in twenty?” He asked, turning to face Roman when he reached the door.
Roman merely hummed in response, occupying himself with setting up the candy bowl for the trick-or-treaters. Virgil allowed himself to linger for a moment more, then shut his bedroom door behind him so he could begin the long process of taking off the costume.
It took him three different makeup wipes, quite a bit of tugging at his boots, and sticking his head under the bathroom faucet to remove the product that was in it, but soon he was free of his vampire costume and wearing his skeleton onesie.
The onesies had become a thing when they had first moved in together, Roman insisting that it made movie-watching more fun, and Virgil hadn’t bothered to argue with him. Now, two years later, it was still the tradition.
Virgil walked out to find Roman already sitting on the couch in his Beast onesie, pulling up Netflix on the TV.
“What are we starting with, Jack Smellington?” He asked as Virgil made himself comfortable on the cushion next to him.
“The original Halloween movie,” Virgil declared, pulling up a list on his phone. “Then it’s the newest remake of Halloween, then The Descent, then-”
Roman stopped him before he rattled off everything on the list. “I can’t pull that many up at once, Vee. One at a time.”
Virgil grinned sheepishly. “Right.”
As the movie started, Roman leaned over and turned off the lights. Virgil was immediately sucked into the atmosphere, almost completely forgetting that Roman was there. His subconscious clearly hadn’t, however, because as the movie went on he found himself drifting closer to Roman’s side. It wasn’t like this movie was particularly scary, so it wasn’t because he was scared. He didn’t want to think about that now, so he returned his attention to the movie.
~~~~~
Three movies later, Roman found himself hiding his face in Virgil’s chest, trying to recover from a jumpscare.
“It’s just Happy Death Day, dude,” Virgil said, putting a comforting arm around his shoulders. “The jumpscares aren’t even that bad.”
“I know!” He squawked indignantly. “But you know that I’ve never been good with horror movies! And it’s a tense scene!”
“Alright, alright, it’s okay.” Virgil shushed him, using his other hand to play with his hair. “I’ll tell you when the scary stuff is over, okay?”
Roman nodded, still pressing his face into his chest, and Virgil’s heart swelled with affection. He returned his attention to the screen, but not really paying attention. He was too focused on the feeling of Roman’s soft hair and his breath against his collarbone.
The movie ended soon after that, and Roman insisted they wind down for the night with a calmer movie. Virgil agreed, not sure Roman could take many more scares. They settled on Nightmare Before Christmas, and Roman returned to his place against Virgil’s chest, though this time flipped so he could face the screen.
This confused Virgil a bit. “Princey, you know there aren’t any scares in this one. You don’t have to stay close to me.”
He shrugged. “I know. You’re just comfy.”
Well, there wasn’t much he could say to dispute that. He hummed along quietly with the title song, and Roman started quoting lines along with the characters.
This was another tradition of theirs, and it was quite possibly Virgil’s favorite one.
~~~~~
As the final notes played out, Virgil’s half-asleep brain brought him back to the promise he had made to Logan. “I’ll ask him out tonight.”
“Hey, Ro?”
Roman hummed quietly, nearly asleep himself.
“I really like you, you know that?”
“‘Course I do. You live with me for goodness sake.” Roman laughed, making Virgil smile too.
“No, I mean like… Really like, ya know?”
“Like, like like?”
“Yeah, like like.” Virgil sincerely hoped Roman couldn’t see his blush in the dark room.
“Well that’s good,” Roman said, never changing his tone. “Cuz I like you too.”
“Oh.” At this point his brain was struggling to keep up. Roman liked him? But did he mean it, or did it just slip out because he was tired? And what if he only said it because Virgil said it first? Before he could go too far down the rabbit hole of anxiety, Roman spoke again.
“Hey, Vee?”
“Yeah?” He asked, trying to sound casual.
“Do ya wanna go on a date with me?”
Internally, he was screaming and laughing and celebrating all at the same time. On the outside, however, Virgil managed to keep a straight face. “That sounds perfect, Princey.”
Roman made a sound of general contentment, then went silent. Virgil sat in the silence for a moment, letting his mind catch up to what he had just heard.
Roman liked him. Roman liked him! He wasn’t rejected! Roman had asked him out! It was quite what Logan had made him promise to do, but it was close enough! Unable to keep the joy inside, he let out a huge smile, once again hoping Roman couldn’t see him.
After he had calmed down a bit, he looked at the clock, which read at almost 1am. He yawned, and nudged Roman.
“We gotta get to bed, I’m pretty sure at least one of us has to work in the morning.”
Though in response, he only got a soft snore. Roman had fallen asleep on Virgil’s chest, making him smile affectionately.
Sighing, he leaned further back on the couch, trying to get comfortable. Roman, in reaction to the movement, grumbled a bit and fisted his hand in Virgil’s shirt, as if he were trying to get away.
After he was relatively comfortable, Virgil started combing his fingers through Roman’s hair, smiling when he leaned into the touch. He was asleep within minutes.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Hey guys! Been meaning to make a post about this for a while, and here it is.
Life’s A Drag is a full-length novel that I dared myself to complete in a year about Virgil becoming a drag queen while dealing with the complications of love and mental illness. I really put my heart and soul into this, so if it sounds interesting to you, I would really appreciate you clicking the link above and maybe sending a comment my way if you feel so inclined.
Thank you in advance if you decide to give it a shot. Have a lovely day!
ao3 || wattpad || fanfic masterpost || main masterpost || inspired by this post <3
words: 1647
ships: prinxiety (no romance implied / they just met), background logicality, background dukeceit
characters: roman, virgil, everyone else mentioned
warnings: panic attack
extra: thank you to @coconut-cluster for giving me the idea! i may write a follow-up involving those tags where they keep running into each other also loll
summary: “Can you tell me your name?” He’s confused and moderately concerned when he’s met with a shake of the head. “No? You don’t know your name?” The stranger nods, puzzling him even more. “Yes… Yes, like you do or yes you don’t?” He’s met with a frustrated huff of air. “You know your name but can’t tell me?” Roman feels like he’s reached a little for that last question, but then he receives a nod. Upon tilting his head with curiosity, the stranger pulls his hands away and holds them up.
Can you sign?
The city is beautiful on these days. Waves of laughter rise above the base of chatter and the chitter of the birds in the trees while various groups of people mill about the public garden. Photographers, high schoolers ditching, adorable old couples, you name it. The spring weather is perfectly pleasant, not uncomfortably hot but not particularly chilly either, and the sun is framed by the distant terraces beautifully from the angle where the artist sits cross-legged by the bushes with his sketchpad, which has the name ‘Roman’ embellished into it in elegant cursive. He brandishes a variety of pencils and has colourful little paperweights scattered about him, protecting his drawing references from the gentle breeze. Everything is serene, calm, almost perfect.
The only thing that could possibly bring Roman out of his wistful trance is the sound of heavy footsteps, accompanied by equally heavy breathing. There’s a small thud some distance away, and he looks over to see someone about ten feet away on the grass. He looks visibly upset and shaky, with smudged makeup under his eyes and faded purple hair. His arms are secured tightly around his own middle as if he’s trying to cut off circulation to the lower half of his body.
“Hey, are you okay, buddy?” Roman calls out softly with his eyebrows furrowed in concern. It’s not often that he sees someone so distraught; perhaps at the college library during exam season, but never so out in the open. The stranger turns his head sharply towards Roman and pauses, then nods with a grimace that’s so obviously forced that Roman nearly ignores the yes and moves over anyway, but he decides to only press, just once. “Are you sure?” Another forceful nod.
Roman watches for a moment longer as the stranger goes back to hunching over himself and shakily breathing, wondering if he should ask again, but decides against it. If he doesn’t want to spill his brains to a stranger, that should be respected, he tells himself as he turns back to his sketches.
About ten minutes go by, in which he’s back to being fully immersed in his art. He has a pretty good light outline of the terraces and has even added in some birds and flowers for extra embellishment. As long as he can get this done on time, he’s confident he’ll get a top grade for this project. Just thinking about it makes him excited. He takes a short break, fishing around in his backpack for a water bottle when he catches a glimpse of that mysterious stranger again, and he looks more upset than ever, tears streaming almost passively out of his eyes and his body rocking back and forth. In fact, Roman instantly notices the telltale signs of a panic attack and feels a pang of guilt in his heart. Then, he hears a soft whimpering over the breeze and he decides he can’t just ignore him.
“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” He makes an agile movement over to the stranger and sits down in front of him. “Can you hear me?” The stranger looks up at him. He has one of his hoodie sleeves pressed over his nose and mouth and an awful, gut-wrenching sob escapes his throat, but there’s a glint of human recognition in his eyes, so Roman continues. “Take a deep breath in for me. C’mon, in…” He inhales with exaggeration and watches the stranger drag the air into his lungs like trying to breathe tarmac, just barely, the fabric of his sleeve hindering him. “Can I take your hand away from your face, sweetheart?”
There’s a moment when Roman suddenly regrets letting the nickname slip, unsure if it’d even be received well, but eventually, he’s holding a tearstained hand to his chest so that the stranger can feel his lungs expand and contract. They spend the next few minutes just breathing together, forgetting that they don’t even know each other, oblivious to everything else going on around them. The chitter of the birds and the chatter of the city dwellers go ignored because all that matters to Roman right now is calming this ball of nerves in front of him.
Once the stranger seems calm enough despite the tears and little hiccoughs, Roman reaches out to take his other hand and moves onto grounding exercises. “Can you tell me your name?” He’s confused and moderately concerned when he’s met with a shake of the head. “No? You don’t know your name?” The stranger nods, puzzling him even more. “Yes… Yes, like you do or yes you don’t?” He’s met with a frustrated huff of air. “You know your name but can’t tell me?” Roman feels like he’s reached a little for that last question, but then he receives a nod. Upon tilting his head with curiosity, the stranger pulls his hands away and holds them up.
Can you sign?
Oh. “Why, yes.” Roman speaks out loud but starts to sign with his hands while he talks out of habit. “I’m fluent in sign. Would you like to talk to me that way?”
The stranger nods and briefly swipes his hand across his teary face before signing again. My name is Virgil. I can speak but being overwhelmed makes me unable to for a while.
Roman nods understandingly. “Ah, you’re overwhelmed. Is there anything that usually helps you that I can do, Virgil?”
Just grounding techniques, I guess. Virgil makes a flicker of eye contact with Roman before looking down at the grass, but he seems to be trusting him.
“I was just trying grounding techniques by asking your name,” A playful smile tugs at the corners of Roman’s lips. “but I’ll continue. Do you know where you are?”
The public garden.
“Good. Are you in college or anything?”
Yes, I'm in English Literature. Virgil cracks a tiny smile. Sanders University.
“Hey, that’s where I go!” Roman claps his hands together excitedly, forgetting that he's supposed to be asking grounding questions yet again. “You might know my brother, Remus. He’s in English Lit too.”
The breathy laugh that leaves Virgil’s mouth is enough to fill Roman’s heart with warmth. Virgil’s smile reaches his eyes, and he looks almost ethereal suddenly, and on top of that, he then starts to speak. “Oh my god, that’s your brother?” His voice is quiet and a little hoarse, but Roman falls in love with it nonetheless.
“You know him?” Roman beams. He’s filled with a multitude of emotions, happiness being the main one as he’s successfully brought Virgil out of that awful looking panicked state and then made him smile.
“Yeah, you must be Roman, then.” Virgil says, then Roman suddenly remembers he never even told him his name.
“Ah yes, I’m Roman. I never told you, my bad.” He hums bashfully, but Virgil smiles again.
“It’s alright. Remus kinda rubbed me the wrong way when I met him, but he’s my good friend now. He’s talked about you a few times.”
Now it’s Roman’s turn to laugh. “Hopefully he’s not besmirching my reputation. However, I’m not surprised he conflicted with you. He does that with a lot of people. I'm glad you get along though.”
Virgil hums in agreement. “He told me you’re really loud and boisterous, but you’ve been rather calm with me.”
“I am quite loud usually,” Roman muses. “but I know when I need to be calm for someone else. When I saw you panicking, you were reminding me of a friend of mine, Logan. Last year he had a series of nervous breakdowns from work overload and I learned to help him through each one. The first time, I kinda panicked with him because I didn’t know what was going on and the noise made him worse, so I was quieter with him for the rest of them. I guess I saw him in you.”
“Aw,” Virgil wears a kind expression. “You’re a real good friend.”
The compliment only causes Roman’s heart to melt even more to the point where he’s not sure he’ll recover, smiling so widely his face begins to hurt. “Thank you so much, Virge. I really do try.”
“And, it’s a small world, isn’t it?” His voice starting to strengthen again, Virgil turns the questions onto Roman. “I’m sure my friend Patton has a boyfriend called Logan who had a massive mental break last year. He was telling me about it.”
Roman gasps with awe. “Oh, wow. We really should’ve been introduced sooner, huh? Anyone else we both know?”
Virgil thinks for a moment, then smirks playfully. “Remus’ boyfriend, Janus?”
“Boyfriend?! Ooh, he never told me he and Jan finally got together!” The two share a laugh, talking the hours away and forgetting about the circumstance that had them interacting in the first place. Virgil’s eyeshadow has smeared across his face after crying, but he’s unexpectedly enjoying himself today when he’d previously thought that today was going to be a bad day. Meanwhile, Roman had been enjoying today already, even if he’d only describe it as ‘almost perfect’. Almost. Then, it appeared to worsen when he saw that stranger having such a hard time, but now the stranger’s become a friend. Unknowingly, a friend of many other friends. And this means they’ll most definitely be hanging out much more often. And neither of them reject that idea.
Even after such an emotional rollercoaster, they can both still hear the usual waves of laughter rising above the base of chatter and the chitter of the birds in the trees. The weather is still pleasant, neither of them are too hot or cold, even with Virgil in that thick hoodie of his, and Roman suddenly remembers that his sketchpad and paperweights are still sat just ten feet away by the bushes, his drawing references protected by the gentle breeze. Gentle.
