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Chapter Text

Hey guys! Welcome to Fate is a Tricky Thing! This is my first work, so excuse the terrible quality of this. Anyways, let's get some important things out of the way:

-The maincharacters DO NOT belong to me, but to Thomas Sanders. However, I may feature some OC's. (If you're reading this, you probably knew that already, but who knows?)

-The story, however, is my original

-There might be smut, but there might not be. Most likely I will only imply it

-There is a lot of strong language

- Please do not repost this work anywhere without some form of proper credit!

And that's about it! I hope you enjoy the book!

Chapter Text

Dear Lord, I did not want to be here. If it wasn’t for Patton, my roommate and only friend, I would probably be at home playing Mario Kart or some shit. We were at a house party of sorts. People were getting drunk out of their minds, kissing on the couches (some doing quite more than that), and other stupid things. I, of course, was standing in the corner, holding a red solo cup to blend in with the rest of the crowd. As people walked by, I gave each person a half-grin. It had the opposite effect, because they all looked at me weirdly. I sighed and sat on the only sofa, which was unfortunately in the middle of the room. I opened my phone and scrolled through tumblr, bored as fuck. I was about to reblog something, but then some arms wrapped around me from behind. I brushed it off as Patton. He was always one for hugs and surprises.

“Hey, dad,” I said nonchalantly. The nickname wasn’t anything sexual. Ever since i moved in with him two years ago, he always acted like a parent. He would cook, clean, and crack terrible jokes and puns.

“Whoah, save it for the bedroom,” the voice behind me said, slurring their words. What the hell? I thought. This was definitely not Patton.

“Who the ever loving fuck are you?” I shrieked. A couple of people turned their heads, and my face started to heat up.

“I’m Roman,” the stranger lazily let out a hand. “I think you’re cute. You’re mysterious and dark and brooding and hot and cute and did I mention you’re hot?” He listed things, but I wasn’t having any of it. This is why I hated parties. Some drunk bastard will come up to you and just try and get into your pants.

“Listen here, Princey,” I said, referring to the random lopsided crown on his head. “I’m not here to deal with shit from you. So go fuck off, and leave me alone.”

“Woe is me! Alas, I shall continue in my quest to try and win the heart of the dark and brooding stranger,” the guy fell onto my lap and fake sobbed. What a drama queen, I thought

“Get the hell off of me!”

“I’ll get off thinking about you,”

“ROMAN!” a voice yelled.

“Logan! You’re here! Meet my new boyfriend!” the drama queen pointed at me.

“I am not your boyfriend!” I yelled in annoyance.

“I do apologize for the behavior of my acquaintance. He seems to be in an extremely drunken state, which I had told him would lead him to take part in terribly vacuous decisions,” the guy named Logan said, glaring at Roman. “Oh, and how could I forget. My name is Logan.”

“I’m Virgil,” I mumbled

“What a beautiful name, my dear,” Roman sighed dreamily.

“For the last time, shut the fuck up!”

“That’s it. We are going home Roman. Again, my sincerest apologies, Virgil,” Logan hoisted Roman onto his shoulder.

“Goodbye, my sweet prince. Once we meet again, I will try and steal your heart once more. However, I will succeed!” After saying that, Roman passed out.

“Not likely, Princey,” I muttered before waving Logan an awkward goodbye. Since that was the most social interaction I could take for a month, I texted Patton telling him I was going to head back to the apartment.

Me: heading back to the apartment

Dad: y? 2 much 4 u?

Me: some guy just wanted to fuck me

Dad: language!!!!

Me: i’ll see you later

Dad: r u sure? i can come w/ u if u want

I sighed. Patton loved social events, and I wasn’t going to drag him out of something he enjoyed, just because of one dickhead.

Me: of course. just knock when you come home because i’m taking the keys

Dad: k. stay safe

Me: yes dAd

I tucked my phone back into my pocket, and made my way out the door. I walked in silence for a while until a dimly lit building came up. It was a relatively average apartment building, nothing spectacular. Patton and I were roommates in college (oh my god, they were roommates), and we became so close that we ended up moving into a new apartment together.

The building itself was hella old, which explained the lack of elevator. And since Patton and I lived on the fifth floor, we had to go up several flights of stairs to get into the apartment. Which is an absolute fucking pain in the ass, as I am just about as athletically capable as I am good at social interactions, so you could see where the problem is.

As I struggled to get home, I heard a loud voice yelling. I rolled my eyes. Patton and I moved recently, and we hadn’t met all the neighbors yet, so this was probably the emotional drunk one.
I planned in my head excuses in my head to tell the dude to avoid conversation, but I ran into him sooner than I had hoped. I hadn’t thought of one at least decent lie, so I was fucked.

“The love of my life rejected me, and my rommate left me here ALONE!” the voice wailed, eyes closed due to sobbing. Although he didn’t see me, I recognized him easily. It was prince douche from the party. My luck was getting better and better as the night got on (note the sarcasm).

“Oh shit,” I mumbled. Well, at least I thought I did. I was louder than I had hoped, so the guy opened his eyes. “I-Is it you?” he sputtered. I couldn’t believe how unlucky I actually was, “It’s destiny, I’m telling y-“

“Listen up, princey. I am not about to take anymore shit from you, all right? You’re just a drunken dickhead from a lame ass party I was dragged to. Stop being a bitch and moaning about how I don’t love you back,” that came out harsher than I had expected it to. His face seemed to fall, so I thought I had finally knocked some sense into him. But then, his face fell into a cocky grin.

“That isn’t the only reason you’ll make me moan,” he winked. At least tried to. He just sort of ended up blinking.

“That’s it. I’m taking you home,” I tried to pull him up, but it was difficult. I already was really weak, but it din’t help that he was nearly a foot taller than me, and I hate to admit it, but kinda buff, “Where do you live?”

“504,” Great the dude’s my next door neighbor. My night couldn’t possibly get any worse, “But like I said, he’s not going to let me in.”

“Well he’s going to,” I huffed as I hauled him up the stairs, which took TWICE as long than it should have.

Once we arrived on the fifth floor, I knocked on the apartment number that Ro-Robert? Was that his name? I honestly forgot what his friend had called him, but that didn’t matter. I looked over my shoulder to ask him if this was the correct room, but he had already passed out.

I knocked, “I’m, uh, your next-door neighbor. Your roommate was sort of just, uh, on the stairs, um, crying,”

Silence. I heard an annoyed grunt from the other side, and then the person swung open the door.

“Virgil? What a coincidence. Thank you for bringing home Roman. However, due to his extremely drunken state, would it be possible of you to provide assistance in taking care of him?” I would have been shocked, but I remembered at the party that Logan said something about taking Roman home.

Even though, I didn’t want to deal with Roman anymore, I felt bad just leaving this poor gut to take care of this drunk ass alone.

“Don’t pressure yourself into doing this,” Logan quickly added, “I understand his previous actions may have made you feel uncomfortable.”

I bit my lip, “It’s fine, I guess. I don’t want to have you deal with him like this alone.”

“Are you sure? Like I had said earlier, it would be helpful, however it is not necess-“ I cut Logan off.

“Listen, I don’t normally help people. Especially people who are extremely annoying. That’s more of roommate’s job. So just be grateful that I’m actually being a good neighbor.”

Logan looked at me, dumbfounded, “Well, that settles it. Again, Virgil, your help is very much so appreciated.”

“Yeah, whatever. Let’s just get inside already,” I mumbled. With that, Logan brought the two of us inside and closed. the door behind us.

Chapter Text

What the hell was I doing? Was I actually helping the goddamn jackass who tried to fuck me at the party? Yes, I was.

“Okay. So Roman does not appear to be awake,” Logan observed.

“Well no shit Sherlock,” I replied. I didn’t meant to be snarky, but I was getting pretty tired and cranky.

Logan inhaled deeply, “I would have been offended by that, but I do have a deep appreciation for both the literary works and the televised series, so I will instead perceive that as a compliment.”

I dragged Roman over to a chair in the corner. I guess that must have startled him because he flittered his eyes open. He opened his mouth, which I thought meant he was about to say something, but he instead vomited. He opened his mouth again, I guess this time to speak, but instead fell back asleep.

Logan sighed loudly, “Virgil, do you mind getting some paper towels in the bathroom? I’m going to bring him to his room. And once you do, you can just wait on the couch over there. The bathroom is down the hall to the right.”

I gave a quick nod, and headed in the direction of where he told me to. I searched through several cabinets, and finally found them.

I headed back towards the living room, and saw that both of them had gone. However, I heard muffled arguing and whines behind a door down the hall, so I guessed they were in there. I sat myself on the couch, and felt my eyes start to droop. I hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep last night since I had a night shift, and I hadn’t taken a nap all day. I soon felt myself drifting into a deep sleep.

(Time-skip brought to you by all the spelling and grammar mistakes I’ve made so far!)

“Where the fuck am I?” I said groggily the next morning. I relayed the events of last night in my head, and then I remembered. I checked the clock that was above the television, which read 10:15 AM. I rolled myself off the couch and headed towards the kitchen, and hoped that Logan and Roman wouldn’t mind if I took some of their food. Oh yeah, Roman. God, I hoped that guy was a whole hell of a lot nicer when he was sober.

As I looked around the kitchen, I noticed a note on the counter. It read:

Good morning, Virgil. I assume you’re the one reading this, as Roman most likely will not wake up until most likely after lunch. Feel free to make yourself coffee and toast. If Roman wakes up and you are still here, I placed the Tylenol bottle next to this note, in case he is looking for it.
-Logan

I took note of the letter and began making myself a cup of coffee. As I looked around for a mug, I heard a groan come from down the hall.

“My head hurts so fucking bad, Logan. Where’s the Tylenol?” the voice asked.

“Sleeping Beauty is finally awake,” I replied. I hadn’t had my coffee yet, so my sarcasm and snakiness level was at its peak.

“You’re not Logan… But I sort of recognize you. Wait, you were the guy from the party, right?” Roman asked as I handed him the pill bottle and a glass of water.

“With all the things you said last night, I would think you would have at least remembered my name.”

“What do you mean ‘all the things I said last night’?” Roman asked cautiously.

“I don’t think you’d like to hear them,” I shrugged my shoulders. I didn’t know this guy, but it was sort of fun to watch him squirm.

“Newsflash, I actually would.”

“Wow, what a shock!”

“Listen here, Victor, was it?”

“It’s Virgil.”

“Whatever,” Roman rolled his eyes, “Tell me. What. The. Hell. Did. I. Fucking. Say?” With every word, he inched me closer and closer to the wall, until I was straight up against it. Soon enough, his arms were pinning mine down.

“Well, if you’re doing stuff like pinning me down, I think you have a pretty good idea of what you told me,” I said with a wink. I was having way too much fun toying with him. I saw him blush for a brief moment, and I took that time to slip under his arms and get my coffee which was done. Roman, however, caught on and quickly spun me around so my back was against the wall again.

“Oh? Is that so?” he whispered into my ear. His lips were upturned into a smirk, and due to his height, he was leaning down to talk to me. I could feel my heart racing, but in sort of a good way. He brought his hand to my hair and brushed some strands away. His lips nearly touched mine, but then the door swung open. The two of us froze.

“Where did I put the files?” asked the person, who was Logan. He turned to us in surprise, and I could instantly feel my face grow hot. I saw Logan try to hold back a laugh, but struggled, “Oh, was I interrupting something? Carry on if you want to.”I zipped up my jacket and pulled up my hood. This was probably one of the lowest moments of my life.

“You aren’t even going to stay for the coffee you made?” Logan asked teasingly.

“No,” I muttered underneath my breath. I walked out the front door, but not before I heard Roman trying to defend himself, which in the end, made it a little more worth while.

Chapter Text

It took me a while, but after fumbling with my keys for a little bit, I was finally able to open the door. I slipped off my hood, and saw a very distressed Patton pacing the living room.

“VIRGIL! Thank goodness! I still had the spare keys, so I was able to come inside,” Patton rushed over to me and gave me a big bear hug. He was pretty strong, so his hugs were sometimes uncomfortable, but mostly comforting.

Our embrace didn’t last long, because Patton quickly pushed me away and began to scold me for not coming home.

“You have a lot off explaining to do, young man,” Patton jabbed a finger at me.

I awkwardly began to rub the back of my head. How I could I explain this mess of a story?

“Well, so after the party, I made my way home. Turns out the dickhead,” I began, but Patton interrupted me.

“Virgil, we do not say those words here.” To that I rolled my eyes.

“Sorry, the jerk is our next door neighbor. I found him just crying on the stairs, so I brought him to his roommate. His roommate, who was also at the party, asked me to help. Since the drunk dude was a butt, I couldn’t just let the poor guy take care of him on his own. So I helped, but I accidentally fell asleep at their house.” Patton looked at me as if I just told the dumbest lie in the world, which honestly, the story kind of did.

“Then why didn’t you answer your texts? You’re always on your phone anyways,” I took my phone out of my back pocket, and there were indeed about 50 texts from Patton and 26 missed calls.

“I guess my ringer was off.”

“Fine. However, great job on helping the neighbors, Virge. I know you aren’t really one to help out,” Patton did a half grin.

“Thanks, Pat. I’m just going to grab some breakfast,” I turned to the kitchen, and then grimaced at the memory of why I didn’t eat earlier.

“Hey, kiddo?”

“Yeah?”

“What were the neighbors like?”

“Oh. Well, the non drunk one was Logan. He was pretty cool, but he talked like a nerd. The drunk one was Roman, and he was less of an ass when he was sober.”“That’s interesting,” Patton tapped his finger on his chin, “Say, what if we invited them over for dinner?”

I stopped in my tracks. Did Patton just say what I think he said?

“What?”

“You know, maybe get to know these guys a little more. We don’t know a whole lot of our neighbors, and this might be a good way to make some more friends.”

I frantically shook my head. This was a bad idea.

“C’mon, Virgil. You need to socialize more. I know going to big parties isn’t your thing, but maybe we could start in baby steps?” Patton suggested. I sighed in defeat.

“Fine.”

“Yay! What apartment do they live in, I could go ask them! Wait, better yet, you should come with me!”

“Wha- no. No way in hell am I going back there. It’s just next door, you can go by yourself.”“Nope. You’re coming with me.” Patton grabbed me by the hand, and dragged me outside the door. Once we got to the apartment next door, he motioned me to go knock on the door. I reluctantly obliged. I heard steps towards the door, and someone tell the other that the pizza had arrived.

“You can keep the change. I honestly can’t be bothered to cou-“ Roman answered the door, but didn’t see our faces at first. However, once he did, he looked extremely surprised, “Virgil, you’re back? Couldn’t get enough of this, could you?”

Patton stifled a laugh, and I kicked his leg. I could feel my face heating up, but I glared at both of them anyways.

“Virgil, we came here to ask something, right?” God, this was so embarrassing. Here I was, being fucking babied by my roommate, in front of this ass.

I took a deep sigh, “We were wondering if you and Logan would like to come over for dinner.”
“Sorry, what was that?” Roman asked with a grin. I rolled my eyes, but basically yelled the invitation again in his ear.

“So what you’re saying is that, you’re asking me out?” Roman asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Patton was in a laughing fit next to me, and I made a mental note to kill him once we got home.

“This was Patton’s idea not mine. If I had my way, I would never see your face again.”

“Ah, I see,” Roman paused for a moment, but then turned to call Logan.

Logan hurried to the door, carrying a book in hand.

“Oh, Virgil. I did not think you would come back here,” Logan looked as shocked as Roman did earlier.

“Yeah, well neither did I. Minus the point, Patton and I wanted to know if you and Roman wanted to come over for dinner later,” I asked. Patton hadn’t said anything in a bit, which I found odd, but I noticed his face had become a couple shades pinker after Logan came. I made another mental note to ask him about whether or not it was because he thought Logan was cute before I killed him for laughing at me earlier.

“Well, neither Roman and I appear to have plans in the evening. Was this a way of asking Roman out on a date without having to deal with the awkwardness of being alone?” Logan looked genuinely curious, and I groaned. Roman’s face became flushed, which to be fair, was kind of cute, but that didn’t make him less of a jerk. Patton, on the other hand, was laughing his ass off.

“Well, I sure am glad that you guys are coming over! I hope you enjoy my specialty dish later!” Patton exclaimed. We exchanged goodbyes, and I quickly got back into our apartment. Once we were inside, Patton was back into another fit of laughter. We both sat on the couch, and I buried my face into a pillow.

“That was so embarrassing! Why did you make me do that?” I whined. I sounded like a child, but I was pretty mad at Patton.

“That’s Roman? Gosh, Virgil, if a guy like that was in love with me, I sure as heck would be head over heels for him!” Patton responded, not even answering my question.

“Shut up,” I threw the pillow I was holding at him, “What was up with you blushing when Logan came?” I smirked. It was my turn to tease. I saw Patton’s face grow red, and he threw the pillow back at me.

“Oh, it’s on,” I picked up the pillow and began whacking it at Patton. He did the same, and we had an all-out pillow fight, until we collapsed on the couch.

“C’mon, kiddo. We better start cooking so you can get ready for your boyfriend later,” Patton said as he made his way to the kitchen.

“I said shut up!”

Chapter Text

“Patton, is the food ready yet?” I asked from my seat on the couch. For the last couple of hours, Patton had been hard at work, and I was just lazily sitting around.

“Well, maybe if you had helped a little, it would’ve been finished sooner,” Patton said, slamming the oven door shut, “Also, we have to wait for Logan and Roman, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah,” I muttered, “But remember what happened last time I tried to cook?”

“Yeah,” Patton laughed.

“They might be here soon,” Patton said, as he looked at the clock, “Why don’t you go ahead and get ready for your boyfriend,” Patton added with a giggled. I groaned and rolled my eyes, but I didn’t argue. I trudged over to my room, and I pulled out some of my “nicer” clothes. I pulled out a simple black v-neck and a pair of black skinny jeans. I wasn’t ever much for color, except for the purple patches on my hoodie.

I headed my way back into the kitchen, and saw that Patton had also changed. He was now actually wearing the cardigan he normally wore on his shoulder.
“Virgil, can you help me set the table?” Patton asked, getting out the nice dinnerware. Goddamnit. If Patton was properly wearing his cardigan and he was getting the nice plates, whoever was coming over was “important”. I agreed, and began to place the table mats at the seats. Once we were finished, Patton pulled out the sweet tea from the fridge, which I was excited for because Patton rarely ever made it.

I sat back down on the couch to watch something, but then the doorbell rang. I got up and answered the door.

“Greetings, Virgil. We apologize for being late, but per usual, Roman took a large amount of time to prepare,” Logan informed, and turned to glare at his roommate, who just sheepishly smiled in embarrassment. I laughed, which was a rare occasion for me, then I quickly covered my mouth.

“Just come in, Patton’s just finishing some things up in the kitchen,” I motioned them to follow me into the dining area, and Roman turned to talk to me.

“Even in formal occasions, you continue to dress emo,” Roman gestured to my choice of clothing.

“It was the only nice thing I had, princey.” I rolled my eyes and kicked him in the shin. He dramatically cried “ow” to which I kicked him again.

“Hey there, frienderinos!” Patton exclaimed joyfully once we reached him in the kitchen. I cringed at the nickname, and I noticed that Roman and Logan were trying not to show it, but they were too.

“Greetings, Patton,” Logan extended a hand, but Patton shook his head.

“No need for formalities, Lo,” I saw Logan grimace for a second at the nickname, but then his face flushed a little. I snorted.

We all sat down at the table, and everything became awkward. We didn’t have much to talk about, so we just ate in silence.

“Well, I would’ve made a joke about the cheese already,” Patton motioned at the cheese on top of the lasagna we were eating, “but that would be too corny.” Roman laughed, I face palmed, and Logan looked thoroughly confused.

“What was the joke? If it was a “cheesy” joke, I think perhaps the rest of us would find it humorous,” Logan suggested. I snorted again, and Roman raised an eyebrow. Patton laughed, and began to explain the joke to Logan.

“Oh, my apologies, Patton. I presumed that you were going to make a literal joke, but I understand the punchline now,” Logan said, after Patton explained it to him, “Say, Virgil, where had you gotten your outfit? Roman wore a similar one a few months ago, but with a red jacket four sizes too small, and a black wig,” Roman’s face grew red with extreme embarrassment, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Roman,” I turned to him, as we were sitting next to each other, “You’ve cosplayed before? And as K-“ Roman cut me off.

“It was just once,” Roman tried to defend himself, but I was too busy laughing to hear, “It’s a really good TV show though.” I had to agree with that, although it was a children’s show, it was pretty great.

“Now, Virgil. We all have our embarassing moments. Would you like it if I told Logan and Roman here that you still maintain your MySpace page?” Logan stifled a laugh, and Roman was basically howling.

“It’ll bounce back!” I yelled. It was my turn to have my face turn red. The rest of the dinner continued with Patton’s terrible jokes, embarrassing stories, and small talk. When we all finally finished dinner, Logan and Patton stayed in the kitchen to talk and clean up, while Roman and I headed into the living room.

“So, still holding on to your emo past?” Roman teased as we sat on the couch.

“We don’t talk about that,” I mumbled.

“You’re adorable, you know that, right?” Roman smiled. For like what seemed like the millionth time, I rolled my eyes.

“You can keep dreaming, princey, but I’m not going to fall for you,” I shook my head.

“You say that now,” Roman said with a sing-song voice.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” This guy was delusional.

“Fine. Can I at least have your phone number? You know, because we’re neighbors and all,” Roman asked hopefully.

“Sure, whatever,” I took out my phone, and he did too. We typed our numbers into each other’s phone.

“It means a lot that you guys came tonight,” Patton said as he and Logan came into the living room. Roman and I stood up.

“No problem, Pat,” Roman smiled. We all said our goodbyes, and they walked out the door.

“Tonight was fun, wasn’t it, Virge?” Patton asked as we sat down on the couch.

“Yeah, well that was all the socializing I could handled in one day. I’m going to sleep now. Night, Pat,” I got up and walked towards my room, and heard a “night, Virgil” before I collapsed onto my bed and fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter Text

I woke up the next morning with an extremely sore throat, clogged up nose, and watery eyes. I flipped to my clock and saw it was nearly noon.

“What the fuck?” I muttered. I was fine yesterday, why the hell was I suddenly sick? I picked up my phone and called my boss to call in sick. Once I finished, I texted Patton.

Me: i’m sick

Dad: but you were fine yesterday?

Me: idk either

Dad: okay… sheila wants me to cover her shift tonight, so i won’t be home until around eight. there’s some leftover lasagna in the fridge, and the cough syrup is in the medicine cabinet

Me: k thanks

Dad: drink plenty of water and get a lot of rest

Me: yeah yeah

I groggily made my way towards the kitchen to heat up the lasagna. However, I heard a doorbell. I groaned, but turned to the door and opened it.

“Hey, so this package was for you b- Holy shit, man! Are you okay?” Roman was at the door, carrying a package, which I guessed was Patton’s.

“No, I’m totally fine. I’m having a fucking amazing time with my stuffy nose and sore throat!” I snarkily replied.

“Gees, Virge. Is there anything I can do for you?” Roman looked genuinely concerned.

“Thanks for the help, princey. But I can handle myself,” I sneezed.

“You don’t look like you can.”“Trust me, I’m fine.”

“No you’re not. Get your ass back in bed, and I’m making you some of my special chicken noodle soup,” Roman insisted.

“Bu-“

“Not buts,” Roman wagged a finger at me, and I reluctantly headed towards my room. Roman disappeared back into his apartment to grab ingredients, and arrived back with a struggle. I was about to go back to the kitchen to help him, but I didn’t want to deal with him arguing with me to go back to my room.

I waited for what seemed like an hour, and then Roman came in with a bowl.

“It took me a while, but I wanted to let it cool down a little so you wouldn’t burn your tounge,” Roman said.

“Thanks,” I grabbed the spoon and sipped a little. I hated to admit it, but it tasted amazing.

“It’s good, I know,” Roman seemed to read my mind. I just nodded in agreement. He sat on my bed next to me, and we sort of just looked at each other awkwardly, but never said anything.

“Where did you learn to make this?” I asked. It was honestly the best food I had ever tasted, even a little better than Patton’s cooking.

“It was a family recipe, actually. My grandmother always made this for me.”“Do you normally cook for you and Logan?”

“Yeah, Logan can’t cook for shit,” Roman laughed. I didn’t know if being sick made me delusional, but Roman’s laugh was kind of cute, “I assume Patton’s always cooking for you guys?”

“Yeah. But if one of us is feeling down, I normally bake cookies or something.”

“You bake?” Roman looked extremely surprised.

I rolled my eyes, “Did you think I just sat in my room all day, staring at the ceiling and writing edgy, cringe poetry?”

Roman paused for a moment, “You know, honestly, yeah.”

“I work at the bakery down the street.”

“Oh, so when we get married you can bake us the cake?” I blushed a little, but then smacked him with a pillow.

“If I wasn’t sick right now, I would’ve whooped your ass right about now,” I shook my head.

“If you weren’t sick right now, we would be doing a lot of other things,” Roman replied with a wink. Normally I would have socked a dude if he said something like that, but being around Roman just felt a little more natural. I bit my lip a little bit, and Roman inched closer to me. I could feel his breath on my neck, and his lips barely brushed mine. I curled my lips into a smirk, and pushed him off a little. “I’m sick, princey,” I reminded him. Roman scoffed, and pouted like a little child.

“Ah, well another harsh blow in love’s battle field,” Roman dramatically collapsed onto the bed.

“You say a lot of dramatic stuff, so I take it that you work at the theater?”

“Part-time. I also work at the library.”

“You? At a quiet place like the library?” “I do the story times for the little kids. They like my Disney impressions and my prince costume.”

“Aw, that’s actually really adorable.”

Roman rubbed his hand behind his head, “Yeah, well, my niece always loves when I do my Disney character impressions, so I’ve had a lot of practice.”

I smiled, and placed the bowl on my bed side table. I yawned and placed my head on my pillow. Roman continued talking about something, but I didn’t hear. I was already fast asleep.

When I woke up a few hours later, I was latching onto something warm. It felt good, and I didn’t want to let go. I fluttered my eyes open, and turns out that “something” was a “someone”.

“FUCK!” I yelled, that startled Roman, who nearly fell off the bed entirely.

“Holy shit, I’m so sorry Vir-“ Roman looked just as panicked as I did.

“Hey, kiddo. Came home early be- Oh gosh. Was I interrupting something? I’m just going to leave now,” Patton had just arrived home, and I just so happened to be in this awkward position with Roman.

I face-palmed, “Why the hell were you sleeping in my bed?”

“I guess it was an accident. I swear, I didn’t do anything!” Roman defended himself.

“Just go,” I wasn’t in the mood for arguing. I pointed my finger to the door.

“Virgil, I’m really sorry. I-““Save your apologies for someone else, all right? I told myself I wouldn’t get involved with you anymore after the party, so just go.”

“Vir-“

“Leave, Roman.”

Chapter Text

I sighed, and shook my head. It was about time I got rid of the dickhead anyways. But why did I feel like I did something wrong? I didn’t like him, right? I groaned, and threw myself down onto my bed. I pulled all my covers over my head and screamed into my pillow.

“You okay, Virge?” I guess Patton heard my scream and came to check on me.

“No,” I sighed, which came out muffled because of the pillow in my face.

“Want to talk about it?” I took the covers off, and saw Patton had placed himself on my bed.

“I’m so confused, Patton.”

“About what?”

“My feelings, I guess,” I shrugged. I wasn’t one for “opening up about my feelings” so this was all new to me.

“Well, kiddo. As someone who listens to their heart more than their head, I can tell you that emotions will always be confusing. The best you can do is try to listen to them, and see what they have to say. I know you’re a very anxious person, Virgil. You try to use your head in every decision because it’s seen as ‘the smart choice to make’. But sometimes you need to let your heart take control. What’s it telling you?” Patton turned to me with a look of concern.

“I guess, I’m feeling this way because I thought the right thing to do was to get Roman out of my life completely. My brain told me to get rid of him. But my heart is now telling me I was a fucking idiot. Maybe it’s sort of just a reflex. To get rid of any guy that gets too close to me, because of what happened last time,” I immediately bit my lip. Patton and I never talked about that incident.

“Virge, we don’t have to talk about that if you don’t want to,” Patton reminded me. I didn’t deserve someone like him as my roommate.

“Should I go talk to him?”

“Well, right now might not be the best time. Maybe tomorrow if you’re feeling better.” I nodded in agreement, “I’m going to hit the hay, and I think you should, too. You need more rest.”

Patton walked out of my room, and slowly closed the door behind him. For about 12 hours, I tried sleeping, I really did. But my heart pounded, as if to tell me I shouldn’t be sleeping, I should be apologizing to Roman. And it was hard to try and tell it to shut the fuck up. But then I couldn’t take it anymore. I jumped out of bed, and exited the apartment. I knocked on the apartment next door, and waited for an answer. It took about 10 minutes before, thankfully, Roman answered

“Virgil, what the ever loving fuck are you doing here at 7:00 in the morning?” Roman rubbed his eyes.

“I’m so sorry, Roman. I’m sorry that I blew up at you earlier, and I had no right to be. You were just trying to help me, and I instead pushed you away, and I’m so, so, so sor-“ Roman cut me off.

“Come inside, I’ll make us coffee,” Roman motioned me inside.

I sat myself at the kitchen island, and folded my hands in my lap. Once the coffee was brewed, Roman handed me a mug, and took a long sip from his.

“Virgil, it’s okay, really,” Roman finally said.

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah, really. I don’t know much about you, Virgil, but I can tell something happened to you sometime ago to make you lash out like that,” My face turned pink, but Roman quickly added, “But don’t force yourself to tell me if you aren’t comfortable.”

“Thank you, Roman.”

“It’s no big deal. Anyways, shouldn’t you be resting?”

“Yeah, but I couldn’t sleep until I told you this,” My face was heating up, but Roman fell into a fit of laughter.

“You know what, Logan has already left for work, so I don’t think he’ll mind,” Roman suddenly got up and began looking for things.

“He won’t mind what?” I was curious to know what he was talking about.

“You’ll see,” He replied with a wink, “Wait for me on the couch.” That sentence caught me off guard. He just winked, and told me to wait on the couch, and let me tell you, I’ve read enough fan-fiction to see where that was going. My thoughts raced, but were settled when I realized Roman was carrying a bunch of blankets and a stack of Disney movie DVD’s.

“This is your plan?” I scoffed. I watched the occasional Disney movie with Patton, but the only reason I knew most of them was because of all the dark conspiracy theories about them that I watched on YouTube.

“Disney movies help everyone, Virgil. Even the ones with the darkest of hearts. They’re magical for a reason.” Roman put the DVD in for The Emperor’s New Groove and sat with me on the couch.

“Whatever,” I rolled my eyes, and pulled the blanket up to my face.

Chapter Text

“I hate to admit it, Princey, but the movies seemed to work,” I said as I stretched after about five movies. I felt a lot better than I did earlier.

“See, Disney works on everyone, even those with the darkest of hearts,” Roman replied with a sing-song voice.

“Well, thanks for the movie marathon, b-“ I began, but Roman cut me off.

“Whoah, hold up, doom and gloom-“

“Don’t ever fucking call me that again.”

“Yeah, yeah. Well, this was a very successful first date, and I hope to take you out on another one.”

It took me a minute to process what he just said, “I’d hardly call this a date.”

“Well, maybe I could take you out on a proper one?” Roman asked hopefully. I couldn’t speak. Was this actually happening? Not that I wanted it to happen…, “Maybe I could take you out to lunch tomorrow?”

“I have work until 6:00 tomorrow, Roman,” I sighed.

“Well maybe I can take you out to dinner instead?” His eyes look pleadingly, and I hated to admit it, but he looked fucking adorable with those puppy dog eyes.

I groaned, “Fine. But only because I can’t turn down free food.”

Roman leaped from the couch, “Alas! I have conquered the heart of the fair prince! I have finally wooed him!”

I tried to pull the blanket to cover the blush creeping up my face.

“Aw, Virge. Save the blood rushing for somewhere else,” Roman winked. I shook my head then whacked his head with a pillow.

“You can hit me wherever you want to later,” Roman’s lips curved into a smirk. My face turned pink again, but I didn’t retaliate.

“Cat got your tongue? Well that’s a shame because that tongue could’ve been put to good use,” Roman was laughing his ass off, but that was the final straw. I pulled myself off the couch.
“I can’t believe I’m having dinner with this shithead tomorrow,” I muttered under my breath. I left the apartment with Roman hysterically laughing behind me.

Once I got back to my own apartment, I made my way to the kitchen to find Patton cooking something that smelled amazing.

“Oh thank goodness, Virgil! You’re alive!” Patton exclaimed when he saw me coming in.

I rubbed my hand behind my head, “Yeah, sorry about that. I went to apologize to Roman a couple hours ago, but we ended up having a Disney movie marathon.”

“Well, shucks. I can barely get you to watch one, but you and Roman can have a marathon? You really are in love.”

“I do not love him! Also, are we doing something tomorrow night?”

“No, why? You have a date with Roman tomorrow?” Patton asked jokingly, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Uh, yeah, sort of,” I faced away from Patton to hide my embarrassment.

“Oh my goodness!” Patton squealed. My face turned as red as a fire truck.

“How how about you and Logan, huh? Talk much recently?” My mouth turned upwards into a sly grin. Patton’s face became equally red.

“Well, we talk sometimes, but not a proper conversation over coffee.”

“God, Patton. You and Logan obviously like each other, so why not go further?”

“I don’t think so, Virgil,” Patton’s voice became small.

“Huh? Whenever I see you guys together, you make these lovesick puppy eyes.”
“Yeah, I do. Logan doesn’t.”

“Stop convincing yourself that.”

“Virgil, I know I’m normally a pretty optimistic person, but this is something that I have to understand won’t work out. Not everything I want to happen will.”

“Bu-“

“Virgil, when I talked to Logan, I had asked him if he was in a romantic relationship, and he said no. And then he told me he never was looking for one, and probably won’t be for a long time. And I love him so much that I have to respect his decision.” Patton sighed. I half nodded, and went to my room.

(Time skip to brought to you by every spelling mistake I’ve made so far)

As I entered Lakeview Bakery the following day, the usual overwhelming, yet comforting, smell of vanilla and cinnamon filled the air.

“Welcome to Lakeview Bakery! How may I help you?” Greeted a voice behind the counter.

“Uh, Louise, it’s actually me,” I replied to the voice.

“Oh, thank God it’s you, Virge. I’ve been having to say that greeting to everyone that’s been coming by, and none of them even bought anything. Feeling better?

“Yeah. My neighbor came in the other day and took care of me.”

“That’s nice. Met any cute boys recently?” I rolled my eyes. Louise would always pester me about whether or not I found “the guy of my dreams”.

“It’s been, like, a week since you last asked me that.”

“Yeah, but a lot can happen in a week. Anyways, since you’re feeling better, wanna go to the movies later? It feels like we haven’t hung out in ages.”

“Oh, sorry. Believe it or not, it’s the one night I actually have plans.”

“Ooh, you’re finally leaving the house!” Louise rubbed her hands in mock excitement.

“Yeah, yeah. You remember the neighbor I told you about earlier? Well long story short, we met at a party, he was drunk as fuck, hit on me, I took care of him, he took care of me, and now he asked me out on a date,” I braced myself for the impact.

“THE FUCK?” Louise exclaimed, “I asked seconds ago if you met any cute boys recently, and you responded with a ‘no because I still act like a scene kid from the 2000’s and I don’t have a social life’,” Louise mocked.

“I only agreed because I can’t turn down free food.”

“Sure, Virge,” Louise laughed and handed me an apron, “Go make yourself useful.” I took the apron, and made my way to the kitchen, where I met Louise’s mom, who was also my boss.

“Virgil! You’re back!” She pulled me into a big bear hug. Although she was pretty short, she was really strong.

“Hi, Molly,” I grinned. She always acted like the mother figure I never had growing up.

“Well, I was just about to leave, so can you work at the register? Louise really wanted to actually bake something today, so I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. Bye, Molly,” I waved her a goodbye, and she went on her way.

For several hours, I stood at the counter, bored out of my mind. It was a Wednesday, so business was light. After what seemed like an eternity, a familiar face appeared in the doorway.

“Roman? What the hell are you doing here?” I asked, genuinely surprised. Out of curiosity, Louise came to see what was going on.

“Is this the guy you were talking about? ‘Cause, damn, Virgil. You hit the jackpot,” Louise asked teasingly. I blushed, but then nodded.

“He’s been talking about me?” Roman asked.

“Yep, since he got here, he’s been talking about how hot you are, and how he wants to suck your d-“ I covered Louise’s mouth with my arm. Roman raised an eyebrow, and I shook my head.

“I apologize for Louise,” I said as I glared at her. She just looked at me innocently, “Anyways, you’re early.”

“I don’t know, I was really bored at home, so I stopped by.”

“Well, it’s perfect timing because Virgil’s shift just ended!” Louise happily exclaimed.

“It did?” I was supposed to work for another hour.

“It fucking did,” Louise gritted through her teeth, “Now, shoo, you loveb- Wait actually, Roman come here for a sec, and Virgil, go put your apron away.” I shrugged, but followed her orders. Once I came back, I heard snippets of their conversation.

“Listen here, and listen good. That boy over there has been through a lot more than you think. You better treat the boy well, you understand?” Although she had the height of her mother, which wasn’t that much, she could kill a man with just her finger. Roman nodded, sacred out of his mind, which was very entertaining, “Oh, Virgil! Right on time. Go have fun, but not too much fun.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I waved a goodbye, and dragged Roman out of the bakery.

Chapter Text

Third Person POV (oOohHHhH a change????)

Patton skipped out of his apartment late Wednesday night to grab the mail that he had forgotten earlier. He was wearing the bright yellow emoji pajama bottoms that although were sometimes an eyesore, they were extremely comfortable. His top was a shirt that said “Number one dad” that Virgil had given to him for Christmas “ironically”, but Patton still wore it proudly.

Patton hummed a tune down the hallway, and began to make his way downstairs to the main level. Once he arrived, he saw a familiar face getting their mail as well.

“Hey, Logan!” Patton greeted his neighbor brightly. Logan seemed to stiffen a bit, which made Patton’s face fall a little.

“Salutations, Patton,” Logan said almost bitterly.

“Everything, okay, Lo?” Patton asked, his dad side taking over with concern.

“I do not seem to currently be in a state of distress, so why would I not be fine?” Logan said angrily, slamming his mailbox shut, his blue tie flying slightly upwards. Logan froze for a moment, his eyes staring blankly ahead. He than sighed and rested his head on the metallic rows of mailboxes.

“My sincerest apologies, Patton, for my outburst,” Logan adjusted his tie and avoided eye contact.

“Hey,” Patton placed a comforting hand on Logan’s shoulder, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Logan looked uncertain for a moment, and nodded his head slightly. Patton gently brought him towards the stairs, and they both sat down.

“So, what’s wrong?” Patton looked at Logan, who sat beside him. Logan rested his hands on his knees and just looked forwards, eyes a swirling storm of worry, anger, and sadness.

“I, I have come to the conclusion that I may be homosexual,” Logan’s voice was a whisper, and Patton was barely able to hear him.

“Well, there’s nothing wrong with that! I myself am a pan-tastic person!” Patton was confused. Why would there be anything wrong with liking people of the same gender?

“I see nothing wrong with people who are in relationships and their partner shares the same sex as them, however, this is just new to me. I have yet to understand these feelings.”

“Well, kiddo, maybe we can talk about these feelings to help you understand them better. So, who’s this special guy, gal, or non-binary pal?” Patton wiggled his eyebrows at Logan.

“Well, he is someone I have not known for long. We had actually just met recently. The said male was also very warm and welcoming, so I guess it was not very hard to fall for him,” Logan let out a soft chuckle, but quickly composed his posture once more, “He is very kind and compassionate. He seems to see the best in everyone. I also found him very attractive. He had curly light brown hair, and bright green eyes that were just so adorable and innocent,” Logan continued to rant about the man in question, and Patton couldn’t help but blush. Was the guy Logan describing possibly him? Patton shook his head, and remembered he shouldn’t assume. One time a guy in a musical did it, and turns out the girl was talking about another guy.

Once Logan finished his rant, Patton thought for a moment, but decided it was worth a shot, “Well, is this guy your talking about in this room?” Patton looked at Logan straight (more like gay) in the eyes. A pink tint rose up Logan’s face, to which Logan frantically pushed up his glasses in an attempt to hide it. Patton leaned in a bit closer, not too much, however, in case he was wrong and to respect Logan’s boundaries.

“Perhaps,” Logan readjusted his tie sheepishly, but began inching closer along with Patton. A billion butterflies swam in Patton’s stomach. Was this actually happening?

Soon enough their lips locked. Patton felt as if a billion fireworks were being set off, and he never wanted the show to end. Logan’s lips tasted faintly of Crofter’s jam, and it was magical, to say the least. Once they parted, Patton fell into a fit of giggles, and Logan was a blushing mess.

“Uh, well, I assume you know now who I was talking about,” Logan bit his lip, which Patton found utterly adorable.

“Logan, it’s okay, I like you, too!”

“Patton, well, um, I am still unsure if I these feelings are genuine or not. Maybe if we kiss again, I can understand these feelings a bit more?” Logan asked sheepishly. Now it was Patton’s turn to blush.

“Of course,” Patton grinned like a six year old who had just gotten a puppy. And they kissed again, this one sweeter than the last.

Chapter Text

The crisp autumn air swirled around us, and I was extremely glad I brought a hoodie. Roman, on the other hand, was a fucking idiot like usual and left his jacket at home. I laughed at his stupidity for a moment, but slipped my hoodie off and handed it to him.

“I don’t need it,” Roman scoffed.

I cocked an eyebrow, “Really? ‘Cause it looks like you do?”

“Hmph,” Roman reluctantly took the jacket, and put it on.
“Isn’t that a think couples do?”

Roman’s mouth hung open, “So are we, like, a cou-“

“Keep dreaming, princey,” I waved the thought off with a laugh, “So, where we’re you planning on taking me?”

“Well, I was thinking extremely fancy, so how about a diner?”

“That sounds wonderful.”

We made our way to the nearest one. Once we arrived, Roman opened the door for me with a bow. I rolled my eyes at the action, but it was kind of cute.

We made our way towards a corner booth, and sat down in it. I picked up a menu, and looked at what to get it, and Roman did the same.

“Welcome to Dorothy’s Diner, what can I get ya’ll?” The waitress kindly greeted us after we decided what we had wanted.

“I’ll have a cheeseburger with a side of fries,” I replied.

“Double that, but with a strawberry milkshake. Add two straws,” Roman winked at me with the last statement.

“Aw, how adorable!” The waitress laughed, and my face turned about as pink as the milkshake we were about to share. Once she left, I growled at Roman. We sat in awkward silence, while waiting for our food. I picked at a lose thread, and Roman pretended to be interested in a bird outside the window. Once the food arrived, the burgers seemed to spark a conversation between us.

“So,” Roman began after taking a sip from the milkshake, “Tell me about yourself.”

“I’m not interesting,” My voice trailed off as I dipped a fry in ketchup.

“For me, everything about you is interesting,” Roman grinned. God, he was even more insufferable when he was acting adorable.

“So what do you want to know?” I asked, popping the fry into my mouth.

“Let’s just ask each other questions,” Roman suggested. I nodded, “I”ll start. What’s your favorite band?”

“Hmm. Twenty One Pilots or Panic At the Disco.”

“Could you get any more emo?”

“Ha ha, very funny. What’s your favorite movie?”

“Atlantis, no doubt. So underrated!” The dinner continued with my snickering at all the things Roman liked, and Roman judging my choices for being to “emo”.

“So, important question, waffles or pancakes, Roman?” I asked.

“Pancakes, definitely.”

“What the hell, man? Waffles are superior to your flat bread sponges!”

“Excuse me? Pancakes are the backbone of this nation!”

I giggled, and I tried to cover my mouth, but I was laughing way too hard.

“Virgil, you don’t have to cover your mouth every time you laugh. It’s really cute.”

“Stop calling me cute,” I muttered, although to be honest, I didn’t really mind.

After we finished our burgers and Roman paid the check (I opted to half, but he insisted), we exited out into the cold air again. However, this time the sky was a bright indigo and the stars sparkled in Roman’s eyes.

“Admit, you enjoyed the dinner,” Roman elbowed me lightly.

“Yeah, I actually had a good time, believe it or not,” I was pretty surprised because I thought wouldn’t enjoy it.

“So I can take you out on another one?” “We’ll see, princey.”

We walked aimlessly for a while, ending up at an abandoned playground. It was pretty creepy, that I could almost hear faint giggles of children in the area.

“So, what’s your story?” Roman asked as we sat on the swings.

“I’ve already told you about myself, what else would you like to know?” I swear, this guy asked so many questions.

“Fine, how did you and Louise meet? You guys seem to be pretty close,” I grimaced at the question. The answer was one I never talked about. Roman must’ve noticed because he grimaced, “Hey, don’t force yourself to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“I-It’s fine,” I stammered, “Well, here goes nothing.”

Chapter Text

Virgil

- He was originally had a mop of long, auburn hair, but now keeps it short, other than his bangs, and dyes it black and purple because he was made fun of for it when he was in grade school.
- His eyes are extremely dark brown, to the point that they basically look black.
- Contrary to popular belief, he doesn't only wear black! He usually wears his iconic hoodie, a pair of ripped black jeans, and some beat up vans. However, he also wears a lot of colorful sweaters (Think Mabel from Gravity Falls) because Patton has a habit of stress knitting.
- Virgil has a very skinny build, which causes Patton to randomly give him piggy back rides.
- He had just turned 21, the youngest of the four of them.
- Virgil was actually quite intelligent, so he began college a year earlier than most people, and he majored in english.

- Virgil is the shortest of the four of them, about 5" 7

Roman
- Has dark brown hair that sticks up a bit in the front like a quiff (Think Phil Lester sort of). It's natural curly, but he straightens it out in the morning.
- He has bright blue eyes that seem to change with his emotions. If he's sad or angry, they seem paler and colder. If he's happy or excited, they seem to have little gold flakes in them
- Roman has a very diverse closet! However, his basics are red flannel and blue jeans and a pair of converse, or a plain white shirt with a letterman jacket and black jeans.
- Of course, Roman has a very athletic build. He works out at least four times a week at the gym next door, and goes on a run every morning for at least 45 minutes.
- He actually uses glasses, but no one knows because he always wears contacts.
- He's 22 and is going to turn 23 in a few weeks.
- He graduated from college just last year, and he majored in musical theater.

- Roman is the tallest, standing at 6" 3

Patton
- Has light brown hair that's just a curly mess, but it makes him look very adorable and child like.
- He has bright green eyes that are so warm and comforting to everyone. He's been wearing glasses since he was three.
- Patton likes to wear simple clothes most of the time. Normally just a blue polo shirt and a gray cardigan wrapped around his shoulders. He keeps it this way because he gets paint on himself a lot of the time at the art studio he works at.
- Patton, believe it or not, is very strong. He tries to get Virgil to join him, but he can never get Virgil out the door.
- Patton is 21, and is older than Virgil by just a few months. He majored in music theory, and wants to become a band director at the local high school.

- Patton is the second tallest, he's about 6" 1

Logan
- Has light blonde hair, and was teased for being a "dumb blonde" in middle school. He studied extra hard because of this and became top in his class for grades
- His eyes are hazel, and they never express much emotion behind his dark rimmed glasses.
- Logan wears the same black polo shirt and blue tie because he doesn't have the time to decide what clothes to wear because he's "wasting time for valuable research"
- Logan actually works out with Roman most of the time because being in peak physical condition allows for better performance in academic research.
- Logan is 26-27, the oldest of the bunch. He wants to go back to school to study chemistry.

- In height, Logan is about 5"11

Chapter Text

I took a shaky breath, “It started just after I got out of highschool…”

TRIGGER WARNING: Use of gay slurs, homophobia, abusive/toxic relationships. If you continue, please make sure that you guys are really okay with reading it! It adds to Virgil’s story, but I’d rather you skip this than have a panic attack or memories you tried to repress crawl back to the surface. If you don’t want to proceed, I will add a short summary of what happened at the end of the chapter!

(Italics takes place four years ago)

Virgil stood outside of his house, his tears mixing with the heavy rain falling from above.

“There is no fucking way in hell that I will allow my son to be one of those f**otts! If you want to be a sicko, be my guest. But you will never have a place back in my house again!” Virgil’s father spat at his son, throwing his belongings at the boy. The large, burly man held a broken bottle of beer that he had drowned earlier, and used it to threaten his son.

“Michael, that’s eno-“ Virgil’s mother began, trying to stop the argument, although she also did not accept who her son really was.

“No it isn’t, Carol! Your son is a f**, and you’re just going to accept it? Listen here boy, I’m going to give you until the count of ten to get out of my house, and if you don’t, I’m going to get my gun. You hear me, boy? But, if you switch back to being the good Christian school boy you used to be, I’ll gladly give you a place back in my house. Ten, nine…” Virgil’s father began counting down, and Virgil quickly rounded up all the stuff his father had thrown at him. Virgil ran down the street, not really knowing where to go to. His anxieties rising through the roof, and the tears in his eyes blurring his vision.

“Virgil!” A familiar voice yelled at him as the voice rolled down their window in a car. Dylan! Virgil thought. He stopped in his tracks and turned around. There, stood the devishly handsome face that was Dylan Mendax. He was the school’s star athlete, got the second highest grades (next to Virgil) and also happened to be Virgil’s best friend/crush since forever. Virgil, waved awkwardly.

“Hey, Terrent, you good?” Dylan had a hair of calling Virgil by his last name, which Virgil had never minded. Virgil tried to nod, but instead more tears fell down his face, “C’mon, get in the car.” Virgil followed suit, and sat in the passenger seat, throwing all the belongings he had into the seats in the back.

“What happened?” Dylan turned to Virgil with a look of concern on his face.

“I told my parents that I was gay,” Virgil’s voice was barely audible.

“And I guess it went badly?”

“No shit, Sherlock,” Virgil snorted, but he still had snot from when he was crying earlier, so it just ended up dripping out of his nose. He wiped his face, embarrassed.

Dylan let out a soft chuckle, but then closed his mouth when he realized that it probably wasn’t the best time to do so. They sat in silence for a little, but then Dylan placed a hand on Virgil’s thigh, and looked at him. Virgil looked back, and Dylan kissed him. Softly, as if to say he was there for Virgil. Virgil opened his eyes in shock, but soon melted into the kiss.

“I’ll save you the details, but things got heated,” I shuddered at the memory. Saying all of this felt like poison coming out of my tongue, “I was still a virgin, but Dylan took care of me that night. He guided me through it softly, and I remember it clearly. It was less like sex, and more like pleasurable cuddles. I know he was trying to distract me from what had happened earlier, but the vivid memory of my dad standing at the door, yelling at me still haunts me.

“You don’t need to con-“ Roman began. I cut him off.

“It’s fine.”

“What if you stay at my house?” Dylan suggested as they drove to his place, “My parents probably love you more than they actually love me.”

“Dylan, I can’t do that! I still want to attend college, so there’s no point in letting me stay with you.”

“I’m not planning on going, so they can use the money to put you into school.”

“First of all, you’re not going to college? And second of all, I’m not going to use your parents’ money to pay for my education. That’s unfair to you, and to them.”

“We’ll see once we get there,” The two continued driving off into the night, the hum of the radio filling in their silence.

“When we got to his house, and we explained to his parents what had happened, they began bawling. I remember they told me that they would pay for my full tuition, including housing and food, for the next four years. I didn’t accept it all at first, but eventually gave in.”

“How about you and Dylan?” Roman asked, curious. I tensed up, but continued.

“Well, he and I took it slow at first. We went to the movies, went out for dinner with a few of Dylan’s other friends, pretty casual. Then a couple weeks pass, and he asks me out on a proper date. Of course I said yes. I had been crushing on this guy for a long time. For the first few months, I had been absolutely smitten. It was like something that you only see in movies. But then, he started getting unhealthily jealous that I was making other friends.”

“Where the hell were you?” Dylan demanded as Virgil walked through the door of their apartment. They had recently moved in together near Virgil’s school.

“I was just watching movie with Louise,” Virgil’s voice was shaky.

“Who the hell is Louise?”

“She’s a friend from work.”

“Well, why didn’t you tell me? You’re such a fucking idiot. Maybe I should just break up with you,” Dylan shook his head.

“Please, Dylan. I swear I won’t do it again. I promise I’ll make it up to you,” Virgil plead, sobbing.

“It was a constant and vicious cycle every time I went out. I would go out with a couple of friends, and tell him before hand. He would say okay, and then I would go out. I would go back home to find him normally drunk, telling me I was a stupid ass idiot, and that we should break up. I pleaded, and said I was sorry. He said the only way to make it up to him was to have sex with him, so I complied. It would go on, and on, and on. Never ending. It got worse and worse, and soon I isolated myself from my friends. I was now left with just Dylan, and I thought that was the only way. No one else would understand me like him. So no matter how bad it was, I stayed loyal to him. It was very toxic and unhealthy. But then one day, I got sick of it.”

“Dylan, this needs to stop,” Virgil said one morning, holding a bag in hand.

“What?” Dylan was oblivious to what Virgil was talking about.

“All of this. We never talk, just argue. We never kiss, just have constant sex. We need to end this,” Virgil bluntly stated, but his eyes were welling with tears.

“Virge,” Dylan went to put a hand on Virgil’s shoulder, but turned away.

“Don’t fucking touch me, you sick bastard,” Virgil said bitterly.

Dylan shook his head, “You think I’m the problem in this relationship? You think I’m the one sneaking behind the other person’s back? Huh?”

Virgil didn’t say anything, but placed his hand on the doorknob, and opened it ever so slowly, as if to give Dylan a second chance to change.

“Virgil!” Dylan called after him. Memories of when their “romantic”, if you could even call it that, relationship began swirled through Virgil’s head. But then Virgil realized something. Dylan used to say his name so sweetly, but now he said it sourly and angrily.

“Goodbye, Dylan,” Virgil ran down the hallway, down the staircases, and to who knows where. He wound himself at the familiar entrance of the Lakeview Bakery. As he opened the door, the familiar jingle of the door greeted him.

“Welcome to the Lakeview Bakery! What can I ge- Oh. Virgil,” Louise looked bluntly at him. Virgil fell to his knees, and sobbed into his hands. Louise ran to him, and Virgil tried to apologize.“I’m sorry. For everything. I was blinded by Dylan. I never hung out with you, and I’m so, so fucking sorry.”

“Virgil,” Louise wrapped her arms around Virgil comfortingly, “You were brave, you know that? You were able to escape a terrible life, and now you’re free.” Virgil sobbed into her arms.

“She explained to her mom what was going on, and I stayed with them for a month or two. Louise introduced me to her cousin, Patton, and we became friends. We moved in together, I finished school, and now we’re here,” I sighed. I had never told anyone this but Patton, Louise, and her mom.

Roman didn’t say anything, he just looked at me, and cried. He hugged me tightly, and I knew, that unliked whatever Dylan gave to me, this was true and genuine.

Chapter Text

The rest of the night was a blur. I remember sobbing into Roman’s arm, and him trying to comfort me. I remember getting into a taxi, and the driver was speeding to the point that I questioned if it was even legal. I remember Roman carrying me bridal style up the stairs, but I was too tired to even think about being embarrassed. I remember Roman placing me gently onto the couch in his apartment, and whispering me a soft “goodnight.” Then I fell asleep, and I woke up the following morning with puffy eyes and a red nose brighter than Rudolph’s. I heard sizzling coming from the kitchen, and I thought for a second that I was back at my own apartment and Patton was cooking. I made my way towards the kitchen to tell whoever was in there that I was going back home, but Roman, who was the one cooking, stopped me.

“Virgil!” Roman stopped what he was doing and gave me a big hug. I took it surprisingly, but I awkwardly returned the hug.

“Uh, hi?” I said when we pulled away, “I’m going to be heading back now,” I motioned my way towards the door, but Roman hugged me again.

“Virgil,” Roman sighed, “I know it must’ve taken a lot of courage to tell me what had happened to you. And since that might have been very difficult for you, I thought today we could just take a break.” I stared at him. Was I dreaming?

“Roman, you don’t have to do this for m-“

“But I want to. C’mon, it’ll be fun!” He used his puppy dog eyes, to which I scoffed.

“I live with an adult male who although acts like a parent, is also a fucking child, so I’ve gotten used to the whole ‘puppy-dog eyes’ act. Nice try though,” I smirked.

“Please,” Roman practically begged.

I tapped my chin lightly several times, but finally gave in, “Fine.”

Roman wrapped his arms around me in excitement.

“So what’s the plan?” I shrugged. I didn’t know what Roman thought would make for a fun day.

“Well, I thought first that we could eat this wonderful breakfast I made for us! However, a problem occurred to me. I had an appointment at the gym with my personal trainer, so we might have to meet up for lunch instead. Is that okay?” Roman asked, concerned. “Dude, stop worrying about shit like this. That’s my job,” I rolled my eyes, “It’s fine. Go do whatever the hell you need to do. Should I just meet you at the gym?”

“Yeah, is 11:30 okay?”

“Anything’s fine, princey.”
“I made some breakfast, would you like to try some?” On the plates that he set were some healthy as fuck things, and I did not want shit like that in my mouth. The closest to being healthy was when I took out the marshmallows in my Lucky Charms, and I still ended up eating them later.

“Uh, no thanks. Not that hungry,” Total lie. I was starving, but I was not eating that stuff. Roman looked hurt, but shrugged. I waved goodbye, and Roman called after me, “11:30”.

(Time skip brought to you by the season of bitchmas)

Once 11:30 rolled around, I started making my way towards the gym next door. And when I entered the facility, the only word to describe it was “gay panic”. Jokes aside, how the fuck were people able to straight when you see topless guys running around the place? I pulled my hood over my head to try and hide how hot my face was getting. I stood awkwardly huddled in the corner for a few seconds, but then Roman finally was able to show up.

“Hey, Virge!” What. The. Ever. Loving. Hell? No one was allowed to look this attractive when they’re soaked in sweat. “Uh, hey?” I rubbed the back of neck awkwardly, hoping he wouldn’t notice that my face was a fucking tomato.

Roman must have notice because he was laughing his ass of, “Don’t make it so obvious.” I elbowed him hard, but he was strong as fuck, so he didn’t even flinch.
“Whatever, dork. Where are we going now?” I stood impatiently. This was his idea anyways.

“Well, I was thinking along the lines of watching cheesy rom-coms for the rest of the afternoon and stuffing our faces with pizza?” Roman suggested. I nodded, and it didn’t seem like such a bad idea. He slung his bag over his shoulder We began heading out the door, but then I realized something.

“Whoah, aren’t you going to put your shirt back on?” How had he forgotten?

“Nah, I’m pretty sweaty, and I know you like me better without it,” Roman replied with a wink. I didn’t think it was possible to get any redder.

Chapter Text

As we made our way towards Roman’s apartment, a billion thoughts buzzed through my head. We’re just going to be watching Netflix and chilling. But, like, what if he wants to do actual Netflix and Chill?, I thought, Jesus, Virgil. What the fuck are you thinking? You and Roman are just friends, and let’s keep it that way. I took a deep breath, and noticed we had already made it to the apartment. Roman fumbled with his keys for a little, and we made it inside.

“Make yourself at home. I’m going to order the pizza,” Roman said, pulling his phone out of his pocket, “Does pepperoni sound good?” I nodded, but the only thing I was hungry for was hi- nope. Gay thoughts run along now. Roman is just your buddy, and nothing else.

“Maybe fuck buddy in the future,” I mumbled, but then immediately brought my hands to my mouth. Had I actually said that aloud?

“Did you say something?” Roman asked. I shook my head violently. Roman shrugged, and then called the pizza place.
I placed myself on the couch and turned on the TV. I surfed through a bunch of channels, and found myself on the Hallmark channel. And it was playing one of those cheesy Christmas movies. I rolled my eyes. Thanksgiving was literally just last week.

“Ooh, Hallmark channel movies. Perfect,” Roman said as he joined me on the couch. I opened my mouth to say something, but then I forgot what it was. Or maybe it was more along the lines that I got distracted by the fact the Roman had still not put a fucking shirt back on. I was about to question it, but I was secretly enjoying it.

We watched in silence for a little, but then I guess I must have been focused more on Roman than on the movie because a smirk began making its way up his face.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” Roman winked.

“I wasn’t staring,” I muttered.

“Yeah, and I’m not a 22 year old adult male who likes Disney movies. We all lie to ourselves, Virgil. There’s no shame in that.”

“Oh shut up!” I whacked a pillow at him.

“Oh, it’s on!” Roman picked up a cushion and began wildly swinging at my face.

**** Very slight NSFW ahead ****

We smacked on another in a lethal pillow fight, and I was soon laughing so hard that I fell on my back onto the couch. I was in a fit of giggles, and I noticed that Roman had my arms pinned down to my side. He was looking down at me, smirking. He leaned down and whispered in my ear, “Guess I won, huh?” I nodded my head in agreement. Roman’s lips brushed against mine for a brief moment, but being the fucking tease he was, moved away and licked a sensitive spot on my neck. He then moved back to my lips and kissed. Hard. The kiss started sweet for a second, but then became heated very quickly. We pulled away for a moment, for him to ask me, “Do you want this?”. I paused. I knew that he would stop if I said no, but I did want this. I nodded my head, and that was all the confirmation he needed. He went back to my lips, and began to kiss roughly.

**** End of warning ****

“Greetings, Roman. A pizza delivery man appeared to be at the door, so I assumed it was your pizza. I thought we weren’t ord-“ Logan made his way into the living room, and noticed the position Roman and I were in on the couch, “Ah. I have seem to have walked in on you guys like this once more.”

I looked at Logan and Roman sheepishly, and a blush started making its way up both mine and Roman’s face. We all looked at one another awkwardly, until Logan finally made the smart decision to leave. Roman and I stared at each other for a few moments, but he erupted into laughter.

“What’s so funny?” I demanded.

“It’s just you look so adorable when you’re angry,” Roman said after his laughter had died down, “It’s one of the many reasons I love you.”

“You can’t just say the first ‘I love you’ after your roommate caught us making out!” A billion thoughts swirled though my heads. What did I mean by the first “I love you”? Was I going to/supposed to say it first?

“Wait, does this mean that you were going to say ‘I love you’ to me?” Roman looked at me. I thought about it for a moment. Had I really fell for Roman?

“I-I guess?” I didn’t know how to feel. Roman brought himself closer to me, and brought me into a tight hug.

“Virgil, it’s okay if you haven’t had everything figured out yet. I don’t expect you to. I’m glad that you felt comfortable enough to tell me you loved me, even after your last relationship didn’t end well. We can date, or just remain friends if you want to. I just want to be part of your life,” Roman said, pulling away slightly.

“Being boyfriends would be nice, I guess,” I shrugged, but inside, I was feeling like fireworks were being set off around us. Roman yelled in excitement, and brought me into another hug. “Thank you, Virgil. I promise I will be an amazing boyfriend,” Roman proclaimed.

“Yeah, yeah. Shut up, you sap. We still have a pizza waiting for us.”

Chapter Text

“Oh shit,” Roman mumbled and glanced at the clock after we had finished a few movies and two pizzas. It read 7:00, “I have to get going.” Roman shot up from the couch and started making his way towards the door.

“What the hell? We just confessed our undying love for each other and now you’re leaving me?” I was tempted to roll my eyes at myself for being so sappy, but I hoped he knew it was a joke.

Roman froze, and looked concerned, “I can stay if you need me to.”

I laughed, “I’m messing with you. What do you need to do anyways?”

“I promised I would meet up with a friend at a party.”

“Ah, so a party is more important than your fucking boyf riend? I didn’t know that’s how relationships worked.”

“Listen, I can sta-“ I cut him off with a quick peck to his lips.

“It’s fine, princey. You already had plans, and you didn’t think we’d take this long. It’s totally cool.”

Roman was blushing, but he made his way out the door, and I followed him out. We waved, and I went to my own apartment.

“Hey, kiddo! Where’ve ya been?” Patton was sitting lazily on the couch, watching some TV.

“I was at Roman’s place,” I said, hoping not to start a conversation, but at the same time, I wanted to talk about everything that had just happened.

“Oooh, you guys kiss or something?” Patton asked teasingly.

“Uh, yeah, I guess,” I rubbed the back of my neck, and Patton squealed.

“You DID? Spill the tea, sis! That’s what the kids say right?” I cringed, but abided and told him what had happened.

“That’s great news, Virgil!”
“Yeah, yeah. How about you and Logan?” I hadn’t talked to Logan recently, and I wanted to know more of what was going on.

“Well, it’s complicated. I like him, he likes me, but he wanted to take it slow. So, of course, I’m respecting his decision,” Patton seemed very happy, and I was also for both of us.

“Any plans later today?”

“Logan invited me to go to a party later. You should come!”I shrugged. I didn’t have anything better to do.

“Great! We’ll be leaving in thirty minutes, so you should start getting ready.”

I nodded and began to get dressed.

(Time skip brought to you by how boring this chapter is so far. i swear it gets better)

Once we were at the party, I recognized it as the same house that I had met Roman at. I chuckled. It wasn’t that long ago, but it felt like ages. I drifted from Logan and Patton, and made my way towards the kitchen to grab some snacks. Then I would probably huddle up in the corner and browse through my phone. I sauntered towards what I thought was the kitchen and behind all the bright lights and people dancing, I was able to make out a familiar face.

“Hey, Virgil!” Roman waved me over. I made my way towards him and the guy he was talking to, and then I realized the guy’s face was sort of familiar. Too familiar. Where had I seen this guy? I was about to ask, but once I got there, the man had disappeared. I must’ve imagined it.

“I didn’t expect you to be here,” Roman took a chip from the bowl. I shrugged.

“I don’t know. I wanted to get out of the house, and thought this was a good idea,” I answered. Roman nodded, and took another chip, “Who was that guy you were talking to?” I asked. I was curious to if I actually knew him, or if he even existed.

“Derek or something? Friend of the host,” Roman said. Huh. I didn’t know any Derek, so I guess it was the lighting.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” I blurted. Why the hell would I say that? I shook my head, but exited the room, still hungry. I entered the bathroom, and immediately regretted it because it smelled of puke. Somebody probably drank too much and threw up in here. I gagged, but still used the toilet. I exited and was about to go to the kitchen to talk to Roman again, but I saw his familiar head of hair on the couch, so I made my way there instead. However, he wasn’t the only guy on the couch. Locked to his lips and hands tangled in his hair was the guy he was talking to earlier. I saw the face clearly this time and I knew this guy. It wasn’t “Derek or something”, it was Dylan. The same Dylan I tried forgetting for the last few years of my life. The same Dylan that I thought had broke me. That Dylan was now making out with Roman. I tried to stay strong and hold back the tears, but they ran down like a waterfall. I ran out the door of the house, hearing a faint Patton calling after me.

I didn’t know where I ran to. Just somewhere that wasn’t there. Away from the party. Away from Dylan. Away from Roman. I fell to my knees, my face buried in my hands and tears streaming out of my eyes. I heard footsteps on the pavement behind me, and a calling of my name.

“Oh thank goodness you’re here, Virgil. I’ve been looking for you,” I recognized the voice as Patton, and sighed with relief. It was someone that I actually wanted to see, “You okay?”

“Definitely. Just saw my ex making out with my boyfriend. Why wouldn’t I be okay?” Even sad, I was sarcastic as fuck. Patton just stood there for a moment, not even saying anything. He crouched down and gave me a huge hug.

We sat in silence for a while, the only noise coming from the cars passing by. “Virgil,” Patton pulled away for a moment, “We should go.”

I shook my head. I just wanted to stay there, frozen in time. I couldn’t believe what Roman had done. But I couldn’t blame him. It was my fault for falling in love again. Patton opened his mouth to argue, but kept it shut, and instead held me tight. I started to cry even more.

Chapter Text

The following morning, I found myself in my own bed. I was still wearing my clothes from the night before. My nose was red and my eyes were puffy. The memories of what had happened the night before flooded through my head. And instead of crying more, I was angry. Angry at Dylan for hurting me again. Angry at Roman for being such an ass. Angry at myself for hurting myself because of love again. I was so angry, I yelled. I covered my mouth immediately, scared that I woke up Patton. However, I couldn’t hear any movement coming from his room or the kitchen. I assumed he was still sleeping, or at work by now. Being full of rage and being the lazy as fuck person I was, I got out of bed and made my way towards the nearest Starbucks for a quick breakfast. I wrote a quick note for Patton and left it on the coffee table in the living room. I quickly grabbed my laptop, headphones, and keys and made my way out the door.

Once I got at there, I made my usual order of a caramel macchiato, and sat down at a table near a window. I opened my laptop and put on my headphones. I scrolled through YouTube and took sips from my drink. After what seemed to be about fifteen minutes. I saw a figure sit down in front of me. I did a quick scan around the place and noticed several empty seats where the person could’ve sat. I peered over my laptop and removed my headphones, and noticed the person was very familiar.

“Uh, hey, Virgil,” Roman rubbed his hand behind his neck. I rolled my eyes, and placed my headphones back on, but I turned off the volume of the video I was watching.

“I’m really sorry about what happened last night. I was drunk and I-“ I cut Roman’s apology off.“Apology not accepted. I don’t want to hear excuses from you because what you did was a shit thing,” I placed my headphones on the table and took a long sip of my drink, “Anyways, how the hell did you find me here?” Was this guy stalking me?

“Fate brought us together again?” Roman suggested sheepishly.

“I don’t want to hear all this cheesy shit about fate tying us together, all right? Destiny isn’t real. How did you actually find me?” Jesus, this guy really was a Disney nerd.

“I asked Patton where you had gone,” Roman admitted. I nodded calmly, but inside I was fuming. Why had he told Roman where I had gone? I continued my YouTube video, but Roman sat in silence. His fingers were fidgety, and he was tugging at his sleeve.

“Did you, uh, know I wanted to open a cafe when I was younger?” Roman blurted out. I guess when he was nervous he randomly says shit. It was kind of adorable. I cocked my eyebrow, nonetheless. I didn’t expect Roman of all people to want to do this.

“Yeah,” Roman continued, “I still do. I just want to make people happy, you know? Coffee and food is something that makes me happy, so maybe it makes other people happy as well.” It was an interesting ambition, but the reason behind it was really sweet.

“How about you, Virgil? Any plans for the future?” Roman asked, wanting to make conversation. Even for being a jerk, I didn’t want to just leave him hanging.

I shrugged, “Maybe I’ll put my english major to use. Write a book or something.” Roman nodded awkwardly. I began to giggle, which led Roman to laugh along as well. I don’t know why though. There was nothing funny about the situation. I guess that it was just that the whole thing was so awkward that all I could do was laugh.

After our laughing fit, Roman replied to my earlier comment with, “I’ll be there to support you when your book becomes published.” I sat still. Memories of Dylan saying he would support me for the rest of my life came flooding back, and the events of last night replayed vividly. I slammed my laptop shut, and gathered my stuff.
“Hey, did I say something wrong?” Roman followed me out the door.

“Leave me alone,” I felt tears building up in the corner of my eyes.

“Virgil, if this is about last night, let me explain,” Roman placed his hands on my shoulders, but I pushed him off.

“Like I said, I don’t want to hear excuses,” I replied bitterly.

“Please?”

I shook my head, but complied, “Fine.”

“I know being drunk shouldn’t be an excuse, but that’s really why I did what I did. I was caught in the moment and it just felt right. I’m so sorry for what I did, Virgil. It was only when I talked to Patton that I realized that was Dylan, as in your ex Dylan.”
I stood there, dumbfounded. Was this guy so dense that he thought I could forgive him? He leaned in closer as if I we were going to kiss and make up. That all of this would be over and we would live happily ever after. I stopped him.

“You’re kidding me, right? You think that after you made out with my ex-boyfriend I would just fall back into your arms, Roman? Even if that wasn’t Dylan, you still cheated on me. You think that what you did is so easily forgiven? No, not at all. I never believed in fate until I met you. And if such thing really exists, it was never on my side. It brought me to Dylan twice, and it pushed me away from you. I thought you had loved me. Maybe you do, but I can’t let myself fall that easily again. Goodbye, Roman,” I turned around and ran all the way backup my apartment.

Once I was back, I rubbed my eyes, hoping Patton wouldn’t notice that I had been crying. Once I opened the door, I was met by a warm hug.

“Virgil! Guess what I received in the mail today?” Patton was as excited as a toddler who had found out they were going to Disney World.

“What?” I was really intrigued to know what was making Patton so happy.

“I got a job as a band director!” Patton exclaimed.

“Wow, that’s amazing!” I was really happy for the guy. It was something that he had always wanted, and now he had the opportunity.

“However,” Patton’s face became grim, “The job is not at the local high school, but at the one five hours away from here.” I let that sink in. Was Patton going to move away?

“Hey, Virge, I know that you started to have a life here, and Louise and her mom are here, so if you want to stay, you can. I’ll find a new roommate,” Patton softly smiled bittersweetly. I thought for a moment. Yeah, I owe a lot to Louise and her mom, but Roman and Dylan were here as well. This place had amazing memories tied to it, but it also had a lot of terrible things as well.

“No, Patton. If you’re moving, so am I,” I put on a smile, and Patton’s eyes lit up.

“Yay! I’m so glad we still get to live together!” Patton pulled me into a big hug. I smiled. At least one of us got our happy ending.

Chapter Text

Four months later 

As I placed the last box on the floor in the living room, I sighed heavily, placing my hands on my hips. 

“Well, this is it," I turned to face Patton, who was panting as he put down another brown box. 

“Yep. I’m going to miss it,” Patton looked around the apartment, “Said goodbye to everyone?” 

“Yeah,” Even though we both knew it was a lie. Roman was still my next door neighbor, but after our last encounter at Starbucks, I had avoided him like the plague. Occasionally I would see him around with a new girlfriend or boyfriend, but they disappeared as soon as they arrived.

“Virge, it’s been months. You can’t just leave on such a sour note. You should at least say goodbye.”

“Patt-“ 

“No. Go get your sorry-butt over there and say goodbye,” Patton shoved me out the door, and I gave in. I knocked on the door, and a girl I had never seen before answered.

“Uh, who the hell are you?” She had a strong valley girl accent, which reminded me of all the people I hated when I was in grade school. 

“Virgil. You are?” Was she Roman’s cousin or something?

“I’m Jordan, Roman’s girlfriend,” I snorted. Did Roman really have that low of a standard since we broke up?

“That’s nice I guess? Can I talk to him?” I wanted to leave as soon as possible, and I could only do that if I’m able to do what I came to do. 

“Fine. ROMAN!” Jordan barked behind her. Jordan pulled out her phone, but I just stood outside awkwardly. After a bit, a figure donned in nothing more than a towel wrapped around their waist came in. As if by instinct, my cheeks heated up. 

“Ah, Virgil,” Roman looked at me for a moment, before a smirk began dancing on his lips, “Excuse me while I quickly change, although I am aware both of you probably prefer me without it.”

Jordan looked confused for a moment, but shrugged indifferently. 

“Uh, I just needed to talk for a quick moment, Roman,” I didn’t want to stay for any longer than I already was. 

(SLIGHT NSFW WARNING)

“Well, then come inside. We can talk while I change,” Roman brought me inside, and didn’t seem to think this was weird at all. Jordan wasn’t paying attention, which I was grateful for, but I was shocked. Did he really ask what I think he did? When I didn’t move, Roman grabbed me by the hand and took me to his room. It didn’t look different from the last time I was here, except for some certain articles of clothing on the floor that I believed belonged to Jordan. I sat on the bed, and Roman faed away from me and opened his closet. He dropped his towel to his ankles, and I immediately turned away.

“Gah, warn a dude!” I yelled, my cheeks flushing. Roman took my hand and turned me back around. He placed a hand on my cheek, and brought it to my chin to tilt it upwards. 

“But why should this be weird, Virgil? Friends change in front of each other all the time, don’t they?” Roman whispered in my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. I was frozen for a moment, but I pushed him away, and turned back around.

“Listen, I’m not here to become your fuck buddy. You have a girlfriend out there right now. Did you really think about cheating on her with an ex just now?” 

(YA'LL ARE GOOD NOW!)

We were silent for a bit, but Roman finally answered, “You’re right. I shouldn’t have thought of that when you came here. Why did you come though? I thought you weren’t talking to me.”

“Patton told me that I should say goodbye.”

“Oh. Logan already told me that you were moving.”

I turned around, and noticed he had put on some pants while we were here. At least it was less awkward. 

“Well then, all I have left to say is this. I hope the future treats you well. You’ll be able to open up the coffee shop you always wanted to, and that all your future partners will be good to you. And most importantly, that fate will finally be on your side,” I got up, and was about to leave the room, but Roman pushed something into my hand.

“Read this,” Roman looked at me with straight in the eyes, and I took the piece of paper and stuffed it in my pocket. Roman went back to his room, and Jordan was still at the door.

“Hey, Jordan?” She looked up from her phone, “Treat Roman right, okay?” She looked at me strangely, but then nodded slowly. I waved quickly and closed the door behind me. 

As I walked back to my own house, the entire thing sort of felt just not right. It didn’t feel wrong, it was just as if something was off. That this wasn’t how we were supposed to say goodbye. It was as if life was trying to tell me that this wasn’t the last time I was seeing him, although I was certain it was. Patton interrupted my thoughts by saying something.

“Hey, Vigre,” Patton started as I entered, “You should be going to sleep. We have a long drive tomorrow, and I don’t want to deal with you being cranky tomorrow.” I nodded, and headed to my now empty room. All that wasn’t packed, sold, or donated was in here, which wasn’t much. Just a sleeping bag, a pillow, and a small lamp. I sat down on my sleeping bag and pulled out the paper Roman had given me. It his neat handwriting was a message that said:

Dear Virgil,

Fate is a tricky thing, isn’t it? The night that you have one of the worst breakups of your life becomes the same night that you meet the love of your life while you’re drunk out of your mind at a party. The same day that you confess your love to one another becomes the same night that you break up with this guy because of the dumbest mistake you have ever made in your life. I don’t know if it was destiny that brought me to you, but whatever it was, I am forever grateful. I didn’t think about how much you would impact me, Virgil. I’m glad that we were able to meet each other at the party. I’m glad that you had taken care of me that night. I’m glad that we went out on that date. I’m glad that you trusted me enough to tell me your story. I’m so sorry, Virgil. That we ended up like this. I miss you a lot, but I understand if you don’t feel the same way. I don’t expect forgiveness, or even a reply. All I hope is the best for you and that you will find who you were really made for, because like I said, fate really is a tricky thing.

With love,

Roman

I stared at the letter for a while, before stuffing it back in my pocket. I was being tugged in two different directions, my heart telling me one thing, but my head telling me something else. But the last time I listened to my heart, Dylan was part of it. And I couldn’t go through that again. It wasn’t worth it. And as tears rolled down my cheeks, I came to the conclusion that I had to listen to my head. 

The following morning, I woke up because of a Patton fully dressed, violently shaking me to wake me up.

“C’mon, Virge! If we don’t leave now, there’ll be a lot of traffic!” I stretched out my arms, and sat up. 

“Yeah, yeah. Let me go wash my face quickly,” I mumbled, groggily making my way to the bathroom. I splashed water in face, and walked back out where Patton was no where to be seen. Thinking he went to the car, I saw him in the hallway, hugging Logan tightly.

“Patton, this is an astounding opportunity. Of course I will miss you, however, you have a new life where you need to be,” I noticed Logan was desperately trying to hold back tears, but little droplets were building up in the corner of his eyes.

“Lo, I’m going to miss you so much,” Patton was sniffling, “Promise you’ll text everyday?”

“Yes, Patton.”

“This is cute and all, but you two lovebirds better stop with the PDA because Pat and I got somewhere to be right about now,” I jerked my head towards the stairs.

“Of course, Virgil. I wish both of you a safe trip and wonderful new life in your new city,” Logan waved a goodbye, and Patton and I waved back.

We drove silently, the only noise coming from the cars passing by and the muffled radio playing. 

“Hey, Pat?” I asked, looking straight ahead, because I didn’t want to see Patton’s face when he answered the question.

“Yeah?”

“If someone were to do something that hurt you, should you forgive them?”

“Well, did they say sorry?”

“Yeah.”

“Did they show it?” I thought about it. Roman had begged for forgiveness, but he didn’t show it. He moved on quickly, and he seemed to have no remorse.

“No.”

“Well, then they aren’t sorry, and you have nothing to forgive.”

I nodded, but I wasn’t so sure.

“Virgil,” Patton turned to look at me, “If this is about Roman, he did try saying sorry time after time, and he showed it by taking the time to see you at Starbucks, and by writing you that nice letter.”

“How the hell do you know about the letter?” I hoped Patton hadn’t read it. 

“A little birdie named Logan told me that Roman had taken a lot of time to write it.”

“Oh.” 

“Well, are you going to forgive him?” The question stuck in the air tensely. 

“No,” I answered bluntly.

“What, but I tho-“

“No. I love him, Patton. And I told him. And I know with my every being that he loves me too. But I can’t go through pain again, Patton. Being in love with him was bound to fail, but we still have some connection. Maybe it’s the stupid fate and destiny he’s always talking about, but I know this isn’t where our story ends, but it’s where the chapter of our lives right now ends. Maybe we’ll come back together, but right now, we’re over.”

And with that, we drove in silence the rest of the way. 

Chapter Text

(THIRD PERSON POV)

After several silent hours of driving, Patton and Virgil had finally arrived at the new place. They brought all their belongings inside that the moving truck had not taken. The place was nice to say the least. It wasn’t the same as the last one, but it wasn’t any worse. They settled in fairly quickly, met the neighbors, and fell onto the floor with an exhausted thud. Virgil continued to think about what he and Patton had discussed earlier, and it stuck to his mind for several days. Well, more than several days.

Virgil had other things to think about as he moved on from Roman, but the guy was still able to creep himself back into Virgil’s mind. Virgil tried to date more, but they never stuck or felt the same, and he knew they wouldn’t be. But it just didn’t feel right. Although the rational side of him knew they probably would never see each other again, his hopes and dreams held onto a small sliver of hope that they may somehow run into each other.

Years passed, and almost every trace of Roman had disappeared from Virgil’s mind. Of course Virgil remembered him, but he had moved on. Yet his heart was still yearning to find someone like him, and he was constantly comparing all his partners to Roman.

One day, Virgil decided to go visit a new cafe a short drive from his new place. The mid afternoon sunlight beamed through the windows of the small cafe. A few books lined the walls, some overstuffed chairs here and there, and coffee shop music playing softly in the background. As Virgil walked in, the bell on the door chimed. He walked up to the counter, not looking up from his phone the entire time. He had only come here because his friend had recommended it, and also said the guy who ran the place was pretty cute.

“Hi, can I get a caramel macchiato? For-“ Virgil began, but was cut off the person at the counter.

“Virgil?” Virgil looked up from his phone in confusion. How did this stranger know his name? As he looked up, his dark eyes locked with the blue orbs of the man in front of him. It couldn’t be…

“Fate really is a tricky thing, isn’t it?” Roman softly laughed from behind the counter, the same laugh that Virgil had been missing for all these years. Virgil nodded and giggled, and leaned over the counter to kiss the sweet lips of the love of his life.