Pomp and Princes
Chapter 2: Knights of the Round (Ao3)
Word Count: 1247
Rating: T+
Characters: Virgil, Remy, Remus, Roman
Warnings: genderbend, fem!remy, ftm!virgil, nonbinary!remus, mtf!roman, mild sex mention
The night before he has to go on tour, Remy drags Virgil to her favorite duo’s final concert. And he just so happens to catch a certain performer’s attention
Virgil was really busy with work, taking on extra hours to stock shelves. He had to pay for a four month supply of his medication, his part of the rent for the next two months, and food. Remy was fine with handling the rent for the next year if he wanted her to, but Virgil insisted. It was a fun argument.
On top of all that, he had to learn twelve songs from sheet music. He recorded them when he had them down so he could listen to them while he worked. Remy got sick of hearing them over and over, but she didn't complain. Virgil was a fast learner and he was going to be awesome. But he needed to get out and live a little.
That's why he was here, front row, by the stage, waiting for the final act with his headphones in. Remy was shaking with excitement, staring at the stage with stars in her eyes. She never did find anyone else to go with her, which meant Virgil was going to have to deal with a late night before his 5am trip. The trunk was packed up with his stuff so that was one less thing to worry about. And Remy only wanted to worry about one thing.
"Virgie can you believe—? We're gonna get to see them so close! And then we get to meet them! Roma and Remus! I'm gonna lose it!" she squealed, aware that she was talking to the air. She didn't mind, she was too busy wondering what the "princes" were up to…
"Call time in three!" a man in a polo and khakis shouted as the twins adjusted their costumes.
"Our last show together," Roma said with a smirk, "Ready?"
"Me?" Remus asked and wiggled his mustache in thought while he adjusted his collar, "I'm ready for my next tour! Jay got a band together real quick, and he said they're not cis."
"Not even you!"
"I'm a marvelous maverique boy and I am going to rock the world! Without dressing like a gay hairdresser on Halloween!"
"Just make it through tonight," Roma said with a sad smile, "And you better send pics of all the places you get to see while I'm stuck in LA filming."
"You're not getting any pics of the people I screw!" Remus teased, making Roma's face scrunch up with disgust.
"Places!" the man in khakis shouted. It was time…
The dim lights in the house dimmed even further and a low hum rumbled from the speakers. Virgil paid it all no mind, but Remy was screaming and jumping as the stage backdrop lit up red and green and two spotlights landed center stage on dense fog.
"Ladies, Lords, and Non-binary Royalty!" A voice boomed over the speakers, it was a recording of the twins' voices merged to sound like one person but it didn't work too well. The crowd erupted into cheers as ten backup dancers skipped on stage, dressed in fairytale clothes.
"Your wait is over!" the voice boomed over the music that was picking up. The dancers on stage moved fluidly with the beat while the crowd lost its cool.
"Oh my god, Virgie! They're starting with 'No Holding Back' I can't even!" Remy squealed, only to find Virgil still listening to his playlist—emo song, song he had to learn, emo song, song he had to learn, and so on. He was just jamming with his eyes closed, so Remy could still live if she pulled an earbud out to gush. But she didn't want to lose her hand.
Remy didn't bother worrying about her friend, not when the duo of the evening rose up in the middle of the stage.
Roma and Remus shared a look when the platform stopped and grinned. It was showtime! They strode forward, in sync, past the dancers and to the front of the stage. The crowd went absolutely apeshit! But a certain person in the front row caught Remus' attention as he performed.
Virgil was too busy to care about the uproar. He was lounging in his seat, mimicking how to move his fingers on the frets for his gig. He didn't notice Remy losing her mind and squealing because Remus was looking their way, more than just once.
Truth be told, Remus was confused, there were so many people who wanted to see Pomp and Princes, so many people who would kill for a ticket, and yet someone who didn't want to pay any attention to the performance was seated in the most expensive seats! And he wasn't even a parent! He was lucky that the oddity wasn't throwing him off—just the guy's hotness.
Roma was good at subtly keeping him on track through their entire set list, and she did a lot more talking between songs, which Remus was fine with. He was tired and sweaty and he wanted to get out of his costume and find that Gerard Way-looking hottie in the hoodie before he left.
"Thank you so much for your support and applause!" Roma said after the second last song, "This is as you know, our last performance!" A discontented rumble reached them from the crowd.
"I know, I know," Remus sighed, "But we're ogre it! We have to move forward. So for our last song, let's make it count. If you know the words, sing along!"
"Where have all the good men gone and where are all the guards?" Roma sang acapella, "Where's the streetwise Hercules to fight the rising wars?"
"Isn't there a dark knight, upon a fiery steed? Late at night, I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need!" Remus continued, butchering the lyrics. The crowd went nuts again, everyone shouting at the top of their lungs, one phrase took over the venue:
"Hit it!"
The music started, rising in a crescendo just like the cheers from the crowd. The backup dancers were in full swing and the twins pulled their prop swords from their belts. What kind of princes wouldn't have a staged sword fight!?
By this point, Virgil's ipod had died and he was not about to waste his phone battery. He lazily glanced at Remy, who was standing up and flipping out, and then to the stage.
How those two managed to keep singing in key and in time and then sparring like in the Princess Bride, and then back was beyond him. He was impressed, sure, but he wanted to get out of there and out of his binder, and maybe hit up the nearest diner with Remy. He didn't expect to get any sleep that night anyway.
"I need a hero!" Roma sang the last line of the song and fell to her knees. Remus was a few feet in front of her, and he charged, prop sword drawn. He leapt onto the air and flipped over Roma while the pyrotechnics near the back of the stage went off, silhouetting the duo. Remus stuck the landing holding his sword in the air with one hand on his hip. The crowd lost it and then the lights went out.
"Holy shit! Virgie!" Remy screamed and grabbed her friend by the shoulders, "That was like so epic!—Ohemgee, get up! We're going backstage right now!" Virgil pushed her back and got up, rolling his neck with a satisfying pop.
"Let's get this over with," he sighed. Remy was too happy to really dampen her mood.
I update this on Ao3 faster than here fyi