Summary: A new kingdom. A new home. A new husband. When Prince Dolion is arranged to marry the heir of another kingdom, he is eager to leave behind his loneliness, along with the family he knows won’t miss him - but fate is not so benign. Married to a man that does not love him, Dee finds his heart drawn to another; a man that can never be his.
As the stability of his marriage rapidly deteriorates, Dee must endure the weight of his own feelings, the crushing isolation that comes with them…and the brutality of the one who is supposed to protect him.
Pairings: Roman/Deceit (abusive), Virgil/Deceit
Overall Warnings: Abuse, abusive relationship, abusive Roman, angst, broken bones, disowning, domestic abuse, exploration of trauma, injuries, non/con, parental neglect, rape, sympathetic Deceit, violence
Chapter Warnings: abuse mention, unsympathetic Roman
Word Count: 2378
Masterlist
AO3
Chapter Twelve:
Dee panted softly as Roman dropped down beside him, his arm curling under Dee and pulling him close. Dee made a soft sound, resting his forehead against Roman’s chest despite the sweat that clung to both their skin. He closed his eyes as Roman pressed a kiss to the top of his head, and shivered as he felt Roman’s fingers gliding up and down his back.
Things had been better since Dee had stopped fighting him. Much better. Roman was so much gentler with him, now, and Dee kept on his best behaviour to keep it that way.
His husband hummed softly, and Dee made a small noise in his throat in response, tangling his good leg in Roman’s as he pressed closer. It was early in the morning, the sun just beginning to shine some light into their bedroom. Dee had woken up in the half-dark to Roman pressing kisses down his chest and with a hand between his legs, and now he just wanted to go back to sleep. He knew he wouldn’t be able to, though, so he resigned himself to the early start.
“What are you doing today?” He asked Roman, his voice barely above a murmur.
“Why do you ask?” Roman responded, his fingers brushing over Dee’s hip.
“Merely curious,” Dee lied, then sighed softly. “I was...hoping we could stay out in the gardens a little longer today…” He admitted quietly.
“Not today,” Roman said, and Dee deflated. “I have a lot of work to be done today. You’re going to have to miss out.”
“...oh,” Dee curled up a little more. Stupid! He shouldn’t have been greedy and asked for more time. Now he couldn’t go at all!
Roman said he has a lot of work to do today. It isn’t just because you asked, the voice in his head protested, but Dee still couldn’t help but feel like it was his fault for asking. He shouldn’t keep asking for things. He already had everything he needed…
He felt Roman draw in a deep breath, then exhale. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt if I sent a guard out with you in my absence, just this once,” he said, and Dee looked up, hope shining in his eyes. “The healer did say you need to go outside every day, after all.”
“Thank you,” Dee whispered, hugging Roman tightly. Roman made a noise in the back of his throat in response, and Dee went quiet. They laid together like that for a while, neither one of them speaking as they enjoyed each other’s company.
Well.
Dee enjoyed Roman’s company. He was aware at this point that Roman enjoyed Dee’s body more than anything else about him, but… he tried not to think about that.
Eventually, Roman had to get up, though Dee stayed huddled up in the blankets where it was warm. “I’ll send a guard to come and collect you in a few hours,” Roman informed him as he dressed. “You may stay in the gardens as long as you wish, as long as you are back in our chambers before I return in the evening.”
“Thank you, Roman,” Dee said softly. “I...I truly appreciate it.”
“Yes, well, I trust that by now, you know better than to abuse the freedoms I grant you.”
Dee nodded.
“Good. I will see you this evening.” Roman left without another word, and Dee stayed in bed for a while longer before getting up and dressing himself. He spent the time waiting for the guard reading by the window - a fictional piece about the love story between an assassin and a mythical creature called the Fae. He read for hours, completely enraptured by the story until a knock sounded at his door.
“Prince Dolion?” An unfamiliar voice called from the other side. “I was sent by your husband to escort you to the gardens, Your Highness.”
Dee smiled, and marked his page, setting the book down and limping over to the door. He opened it and was met with the face of a guard he’d never seen before. “Hello,” he greeted politely, his voice quiet.
“Greetings, Your Highness,” the guard said, bowing low. “I’ve come to escort you.”
“Thank you,” Dee said, stepping out and shutting the door to his chambers. “I appreciate it.”
“You are most welcome, Your Highness.”
Dee smiled, setting off towards the gardens with the guard in tow. “Please,” he requested, “Just call me Dee.”
The guard looked uncomfortable with the request. “It- it would not be proper for me to address you with anything other than your title,” he explained.
Dee sighed softly. “It’s fine. Do not concern yourself with it.”
“...thank you, Your Highness.”
They walked in an awkward silence the rest of the way to the gardens, and Dee was very much relieved when they finally arrived. The beauty of the gardens seemed to wash away any uncomfortable feelings Dee felt, and as they strolled leisurely along the path, the smile returned to his face.
“What’s your name?” He asked the guard as they stopped beneath the shade of one of the fruit trees so Dee could rest his knee.
“Jericho, Your Highness.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jericho.”
“The pleasure is all mine, Your Highness.”
Dee didn’t ask Jericho any more questions that day, but it was nice to at least know his name.
When Roman returned to their chambers that night, Dee was already in bed, tired but not quite asleep. He’d returned from the gardens just before sunset, and was surprised to find that Roman wasn’t back already. Which was good. Dee was supposed to be back before him, but he’d stayed in the garden’s longer than he should have, and it had taken longer than he’d expected to walk back with his aching knee.
Nevertheless, Roman had been back later than he’d expected, which had worked out good for Dee.
“How was your day, my love?” Dee asked him when Roman climbed into bed.
“It was dull,” Roman said unenthusiastically. “Meetings, meetings, meetings, all day! I was so unimaginably bored!”
“That is...unfortunate,” Dee murmured, snuggling closer to him. He’d had a very good day in the gardens, but decided to keep that to himself until Roman asked so it didn’t seem like he was rubbing it in. Roman didn’t ask.
They didn’t speak again that night, and Roman fell asleep fairly quickly. Dee remained awake for a while, curled up against Roman’s chest while he tried to ignore the throbbing in his knee. He did eventually fall asleep, though he woke up several times during the night, and by the time he woke the next morning, he didn’t feel particularly well-rested.
Once Roman woke up, Dee got out of bed and got dressed, eager for their morning walk.
“I’ll have the guard take you again today.”
Dee’s enthusiasm stuttered. “Oh. Okay,” he murmured in response, a little disappointed. He liked spending time with Roman… But it was okay. He’d join him again tomorrow.
He didn’t.
Or the next day, or the next…
Dee sat on the bench by the pond, crying quietly. Jericho was standing beneath a tree a little ways away, and Dee faced away from him so he wouldn’t see his tears.
Roman wasn’t going to come on another walk with him. He’d...he’d gotten bored of him again…
He found someone to palm me off to and now he doesn’t bother with me anymore, Dee thought bitterly as more tears streamed down his face. He brought his knees up to his chest, hugging himself as he cried. It had been almost two weeks since Roman had stopped coming to the gardens with him, and Dee felt lonelier than ever. Just when he thought his husband might be starting to care for him…
Stupid. He was stupid to let himself think that. Roman didn’t care about him. He just didn’t want to have to deal with him if he got sick.
Roman didn’t care.
He slapped a hand over his mouth to stifle a sob, his shoulders shaking.
For once in Virgil’s life, he had a day off. Ever since his arm had been broken, his healer had been taking much more notice of him than they ever had before, which was both a blessing and a curse, as Virgil often forgot to look after himself, so the reminders that he needed to eat, to hydrate, to go outside and get some sunlight, were very much appreciated. What was not appreciated, however, was the constant insistence that he stop working so hard. That he take more breaks.
Virgil had ignored their insistence for too long, it seemed, because his healer had gone straight to the King, knowing how close they were, and requested that Patton order him to take a day off.
So here he was. Taking a day off. The only problem was, he didn’t know what on earth he was supposed to do with his free day.
He was so used to his schedule, to constantly working, that the forced hiatus due to his broken arm had left him bored to tears in the weeks that he had healed, and now that he was back to being in near peak condition, he loathed having to repeat the experience, even if it was just one day.
He sighed, and his mind drifted to Dee, as it often did. He hadn’t seen the Prince for months, not since that night… He had almost asked after him to Prince Roman on several occasions during their lessons but had thought better of it each time. Roman seemed to have calmed down around him after their first few lessons back, and Virgil was in no hurry to disrupt that or to put Dee in danger.
The downside to not asking, though, was that Virgil had no idea how Dee was - if he had recovered, if he was healthy, if he was happy, even… Virgil hoped so, even if he doubted it.
He looked around himself, trying to stop thinking about Dee for just one moment while he tried to figure out what to do with his day. After a few minutes of wandering, his eyes caught on the entrance to the Royal Garden, and he abruptly recalled the yellow roses he knew were held within.
Dee would love them…
He sighed. Even if he couldn’t give a rose to Dee like he so longed to do, it would be nice to pick one, just for himself. As a reminder.
His mind made up, Virgil strolled to the gardens, intending to spend maybe an hour at the most there. For about ten minutes he wandered around, trying to remember where the roses were, when he stopped, noticing a guard beneath a tree, some hundred paces away from him. Odd, the guard looked to be on duty. Who was he guarding?
He strode over to the guard, recognising him as Jericho, one of the younger ones who’d been accepted into the Royal Guard at the beginning of the year. “Hey, Jericho,” he said, and the guard snapped his attention to him, saluting.
“Good afternoon, Captain,” he said stiffly.
“At ease,” Virgil said with a chuckle. “What’re you doing?”
Jericho relaxed. “I’m guarding Prince Dolion, Captain,” he said, and Virgil’s eyes widened fractionally. Dee. He looked around, and sure enough, there Dee was, sitting hunched over on a bench beside the pond. Based on his posture alone, Virgil could guess that something was wrong.
He pressed his lips together, thinking for a minute, before digging a couple of gold coins out of his pocket. “Don’t tell Roman I was here, kay?” He murmured to Jericho, offering the coins to him.
Jericho looked down at them, and Virgil watched him debate with himself for a few moments before accepting Virgil’s offering. “I haven’t seen you today,” he said, then angled his head away and fixed his gaze on some birds in the distance. Virgil smiled, clapping him on the shoulder, and walking over to the bench.
“Dee?” He prompted softly.
Dee jumped, whipping around to face him.
“V-Virgil!” He stuttered, his eyes wide and darting around as if searching for danger. “You- you can’t be here! Roman will-”
“Roman won’t know,” Virgil promised, his voice gentle as he sat down next to Dee, giving him plenty of space.
“You swear it?” Dee asked a little shakily.
“I swear it.”
Dee exhaled sharply, and Virgil was knocked back as Dee abruptly threw himself at him, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist and burying his face against Virgil’s chest. Virgil curled his own arms around Dee’s back, holding him close.
“I’ve missed you,” He whispered.
“I’ve missed you, too,” Dee whispered in return, his voice somewhat muffled by the fabric of Virgil’s jacket.
“Are you okay?” Virgil asked, tracing light circles over Dee’s back. “Are you hurt?” Dee shook his head, and Virgil breathed a sigh of relief.
“He hasn’t hurt me for a while,” Dee murmured, “I’ve been good…”
The words carved through Virgil like a knife, and it took a great amount of restraint not to react in a way that might upset Dee further.
“I’m glad he hasn’t hurt you,” he said carefully, keeping his voice soft. “I’ve been worried about you…”
“I’m alright,” Dee promised. He hugged him tighter, then pulled back, sitting up on the bench so that their shoulders touched. “How is your arm?”
“There’s no pain anymore, and my healer allowed me to begin training several weeks ago.” Virgil informed him, nudging him gently and rolling his wrist to demonstrate that he was okay. He felt Dee relax against him slightly.
“I’m relieved that there was no lasting damage,” Dee said softly.
“As am I,” he agreed.
They sat in silence for a little while, watching the ducks floating around on the surface of the pond, and simply enjoying each other’s company. Virgil knew he couldn’t stay for too long. Knew that sometime soon, he would have to leave, before Roman’s schedule cleared in a few hours. But until then, he and Dee would sit here, on this bench.
And if they held each other’s hands, if they murmured soft words of tenderness and affection…
Notes: So since we’ve been naming the Sanders Shorts characters and pointing out their main personality traits, I wanna write a fanfiction using them. So here I am making this list so I can keep track of the characters interests, hobbies, relations to each other, and other facts. Please let me know if you guys wanna be tagged in the fanfic!
Will forget what he was supposed to do in group projects
Wants to join the police force when he graduates
Thinks of Remy Toby and Seth as the brothers he never had
Will regularly just crash at Remy or Seth and Toby’s house
Thinks walking slower will make him look cooler when in reality he’s just in the way
Feeds Remy’s Starbucks addiction
Is usually the mediator when anyone starts to argue or fight
Plays for the school basketball team
Wants to protect everyone around him
Has a strong loyalty to his friends
Heart: Harley Chambers
High school junior
Shy and nervous
Has had a few acquaintances in the past but was too afraid of being hurt to get truly close
Has a brown belt in taekwondo and is still working towards the next one
Has asthma but refuses to let that hold him back
Gets very flustered and starts rambling around people he’s meeting for the first time or people he likes
Will constantly tell Seth, Brian, and Sonny how much he loves and appreciates them
Makes small gifts and brings food for everyone when he comes over
Can be overly optimistic
Wants to work full time in his family’s auto repair shop after graduation
Highly respects Nate but is too nervous to talk to him
Has openly stated that Seth is valued more than he thinks
Hides his own problems by focusing on his friends’ issues
Can cry on signal or at the drop of a hat
Is insanely optimistic
Brain: Brian Lobe
High school senior
Wants to study medicine and become a neurosurgeon after graduation
Has taken the practice SAT and received a nearly perfect score
Hates chess even though people think he likes it because he’s smart
Plays the trumpet in the marching band
Is a mathlete
Was the first to get to know Seth and start hanging out with him
Has a difficult time understanding the point of group projects
Is willing to tutor any of his friends in subjects they might be struggling in as long as he has full access to whatever snacks they might have
Has stolen a stapler, three markers, two pencil sharpeners, and a coffee mug from the teachers' lounge for science
Knows every useless fact under the sun and will say one every day
If he’s wrong about something he gets embarrassed and will change the subject as fast as possible
Has told Remy to stop drinking iced coffee before bed and survived
Thinks Toby is full of himself
Sun: Sonny Atlas
High school sophomore
Jericho’s twin, older by three minutes
Just moved into town
Loves theater
Can recite half of Shakespeare's plays from memory
No matter what he does he’s always second to his twin
He relates to Seth and looks up to him (he’d never admit that out loud)
Will sing a line from a musical and if nobody gets it or sings the next lone he’ll be personally offended
Has a love for stars and constellations
Has an old Maine Coon cat named Orion
Complains about light pollution more than necessary
Is surprisingly good at chemistry even though he struggles with other sciences
Has openly insulted Toby for interrupting Seth in the middle of a sentence
Just wants to be seen for who he is instead of, “Jericho’s brother”
Is interested in massage therapy, but still has no idea what to do after graduation
Will ask Brian for factual reassurance that he’s not a bother
Makes salsa as hot as he can and has named one, “Ra’s Wrath”
Moon: Jericho (Jerry) Atlas
High school sophomore
Sonny’s twin, younger by three minutes
Just moved into town
Loves being the center of attention
Has multiple interests
Seems to know everyone
Makes friends easily
Commits to too many activities and asks Sonny to cancel for him
Looks up to Nate and wants to be like him
Thinks Remy is the best thing since sliced bread
Is the new friend in Toby’s group
Always has a pack of moon pies on him for snacking
Loves his brother but has no idea how much Sonny is infuriated with him
Will text Remy and the group chat at two in the morning
Loves the moon and all its phases
Wants a dog named Lupin
Took up theater because he was good at it and he enjoys it
He adores being on the stage and acting and loves how he can stop thinking about the world and just act
Will finish most of Sonny’s references
Has a masterful understanding of languages
Bonus
August: Gus Ceaser Autumn
Seth and Toby’s oldest brother
Is a chemical engineer
Practically a genius
Was never really around due to being 9 years older than Seth
Loves his brothers but doesn’t know why things are tense between them
Constantly complains that it’s hot wherever he goes
Luis Smith
Seth’s best friend until seventh grade
Moved because of his mom’s job
Wants to work with boats and ships
Can sail practically anything
Swims for his school’s team
Lost contact with Seth and is still trying to figure out which joke to use to reinitiate contact
High school senior
The Task Brothers: Taz, Tucker, Tess, Ted, Tate, and Job
High school freshmen
Are identical
Everyone thinks it’s just one person running around the school
Some think it’s a case of teleportation
They honestly just want to see how long they can keep this going before someone catches on
Will assist each other in homework so they can get the task done
Know all the school gossip even though they’re freshmen
Remy knows what’s going on with them but he thinks it’s too good to spill the beans.
That’s what I have so far! If anyone has suggestions please let me know as this is going to be one heck of a story I’m doing. I hope you liked and I honestly just love how we named these guys
