The rest of the week was uneventful in comparison to the beginning. His dad didn't notice him as much, except for a few small incidents, and the teachers still didn't hate him. He thinks.

He started sitting with the trio at lunch after Patton practically pushed him into the empty seat next to him and soon they became sort of friends. He still felt like the outsider but he figures that's normal since he knew them for a week and they've known each other since they were children. Plus, he's not exactly the most sociable person, especially with new people.

Patton and Logan were a year older than him while Roman was two. From what he saw, Patton was friends with almost the whole school and he was the father figure of the group. Logan, on the other hand, didn't have many friends apart from them. There's also something between the two of them, he thinks. He asked Roman once if they were dating but he just started laughing, so he took that as a no.

Speaking of Roman, he was apparently popular. He was in the football team yet still had decent grades. Not Logan's grades but also not failing grades. Virgil considered him quite charming with his kind hazel eyes and his flirty personality. In a platonic sense, of course.

His dad's job did not pay well so Virgil got a job. He started working as a waiter in a small restaurant next to the school which meant that a lot of the customers were students. It wasn't his dream job, but it did pay the bills. Another boy was working there, Remy. He was somehow always chill and relaxed. Until you mentioned Harry Potter, that is.

Everything was starting to improve and Virgil even dared to hope.

.

On Monday, Mrs. Martin told him that his dad needs to come sign some papers and check his grades since he was new and missed the initial parents' night. He mentally kicked himself for jinxing it.

His dad wasn't drunk when he picked up and even accepted to come with less annoyance than he expected.

When Virgil came home, he was dressed in a nice blue shirt and checking himself in the mirror.

It always amazed him how different his dad was when he was sober. He still wasn't a good parent but he wasn't as bad as when he was drunk. It happens rarely, but sometimes, if he was sober and in a good mood, they'd have normal family dinners, and his dad would ask him about school, his new friends, any girls he liked. They'd laugh and tease each other, without having to be careful about his choice of words, of how he looked at him. They'd be a normal family. At least for that moment.

He thanked his lucky stars that this was the mood his teachers would see his dad. He guesses they would be suspicious after the bruise he showed up with on his first week.

.

His dad came home an hour later. He didn't yell or throw stuff around, he just went to his bedroom to change out of his fancy clothes. But it didn't relax Virgil at all because he knew his dad. He knew that this was nothing more than the calm before the storm.

He was proven right when his dad sat next to him with a glass of whiskey. He just kept looking at the glass, twirling it around and around as the ice melted inside. With Virgil visibly shuddering beside him, he spoke, his voice devoid of any emotions.

"I met your Chemistry teacher."

That's not good. That's not good at all. Chemistry is one of those subjects that he's just not good at, no matter how many hours he pours into studying. Currently, his only grades are two C's and a D. He knew that was something his dad wouldn't be proud of.

"Aren't you going to ask what she said?" He stopped twirling his drink and looked directly into his son's eyes. "She said that you aren't trying hard enough. That your potential isn't fully explored and that I should push you as much as possible so you can improve."

He slammed his glass onto the table, chipping the edge of it and cutting his hand. Virgil watched as the blood flew from his palm into the yellowish, now brown, liquid.

He focused on the remaining ice as his dad slowly crept closer and closer until he appeared in his peripheral so he had to look back.

"Is that true, Virgil? Are you not trying enough?" He whispered, "Cause I can tell you this: I did not raise a slacker for a son. Not a slacker, not a dumbass, not a failure. You hear me, boy?"

The house was deadly silent, no sound but the ticking of a clock. With each tick, Virgil's breath turned shallower, his heartbeat faster. His father just looked at him, waiting for a reaction that Virgil was trying his best to suppress.

Finally, he got up and Virgil could breathe again. Oh, but if anyone told his mouth the danger left.

"You didn't raise me"

His dad stopped his grumbling and looked back at him. "What did you say?"

Tick. Tick. Tick.

A rough hand on his shoulder turning him around, a voice yelling at him.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Bloody fingers on his cheek. Chair scraping.

Tick.

Air. Shit, he needed to breathe. C'mon Virgil in and out.

Table, chair, notebook, jacket, glass

"Oh, no, you're not getting away that easy. You cannot – will not avoid this, Virgil. Virgil!"

Jeans, page, wall, hoodie

"Virgil, I swear to God, if you're faking this-"

Breathing, clock, dad

Alcohol, cologne

Blood

Breathe.

.

After the world became less unbearable, Virgil opened his eyes. He was exhausted and luckily, his dad left halfway through the almost-a-panic-attack, so he could go to the bathroom unbothered.

His feet seemed heavy as bricks as he dragged them across the room. The first thing he looked at was the mirror. Thank God, his dad didn't leave any bruises, just the blood on his face that wasn't his. He soaked a nearby towel in luke-warm water and wiped it off, layer by layer. As some of it already dried out, it was painful to scrape off.

He shuffled to his room, took off his shoes and threw himself on the bed, the latter making a small whine at the sudden weight. The moment his head collided with the pillow, he fell in a deep slumber, not even bothering to take off his clothes.

.

-her all my things

And bury me in all my favorite colors

"Aarg- wuh?" He raised his head from the soft, soft pillow and craned his neck to where the sound was coming from.

My sisters and my brothers, still

I will not kiss you

He got up and lazily searched for his phone with his right arm, still not opening his eyes. His hand felt something thin and pulled it to his ear. He returned it when he saw it was a notebook.

'Cause I'm awful just to see

And all my hairs abandoned all my bo-

"Hello?" He picked up his phone on the second try.

"-o, Logan, would you sto – Virgil?! Oh, thank – Roman! ROMAN! He answered!" Virgil pulled

his ear away from the speakerphone

"Patton? What?"

"Where are you? The play's almost starting"

He tiredly rubbed his eyes as he stifled a yawn. "Play?"

"Yes, play! The play Roman's been talking about for days" His voice got quieter "You didn't forget did you?"

…Shit

"Wha- no, Patton, I would never forget that" He flew off the bed and started putting his boots on,

hopping to his jacket. "I'm just gonna be a little late, but I will be there." He ran to his door, picking up the keys on the way.

"Okay, but please hurry, Roman's starting to feel the pre-show nerves and we're not sure if he can handle this pressure. It's the biggest show he's ever done"

"Patton, I'm running as we speak, I'll be there in five. And if you're looking for someone to calm Princey's nerves, you really shouldn't be talking to me. If anything I'll just make it worse."

Virgil slipped out of the elevator doors, not waiting for them to open completely and rushed across the stairs, taking two by two.

"No, you wouldn't-" Muffled yelling could be heard from the other side, "I have to go. Hurry!

But, be careful!"

Thankfully, Virgil lived close to the theatre, so it only took him about 5 minutes to get there. He got to the main entrance but was pulled towards the side one by Logan, who appeared out of nowhere.

"Where have you been? Patton was worried about you, and Roman was figuratively losing his mind."

"'Losing his mind'? Roman's been teaching you phrases, huh?" He cocked an eyebrow at the other man who's grip on his wrist was starting to hurt.

"Is that not the correct usage? I did use the word 'figuratively' to imply that Roman wasn't literally losing his mind"

"No, no you got it right" Virgil reassured as Logan pulled him through long hallways that led to the actors' personal rooms. The names were even written on the doors in a very professional way. And, of course, Roman's had glitter on it.

Inside the room was in no way professional, though. There were scarves tossed around, wigs had their entire part of the room, there were clothes all over the floor and the smell of perfume was suffocating.

"Oh, Jesus," He coughed and opened the door again so the smell would wind out.

"Virgil! You came!" Roman stopped pacing as Patton got up from his chair to greet him.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world. Just overslept a bit." He scratched his neck, feeling

uncomfortable as the attention in the room slipped to him.

"Overslept? It is five in the afternoon, why were you even sleeping this late?" Logan asked from behind him but Virgil brushed him off with a wave of a hand.

He approached Roman who sat down during their chat and was now looking at himself through the mirror. His hands were shaking.

Virgil put his hand on his shoulder in a barely-there manner and put more weight into it when Roman didn't shrug it off. "You've got this, dude. You've been practicing for months now and you've got all the lines memorized to a T"

"Well, yes I know that but what if something happens?" He turned his head to look directly at Virgil, "What if something terrible happens out there, like I slip on something, or my mind blinks out and I forget my lines, or what if some of the props backfire and I end up embarrassed in front of the whole audience, or –"

"Okay, Jesus, Roman I thought I was the anxious one in this friend group" Roman was still panting, he must have been pretty nervous not to even pretend he was okay. "I'm gonna be honest with you, all of that could happen. The crowd could also start booing you if you make a mistake, your coworkers could forget their lines, mess up the lights, curtains and the whole play could end up being a disaster"

"Virgil!", "I do not see how this could be beneficial for his current state" Patton and Logan talked over each other, but Virgil couldn't have cared less at that moment. Roman was still staring at him with scared eyes and that was the only thing he saw.

"All of that and more could happen. So what? Would you really let that one stupid line, prop, light or whatever, stop you from doing the thing that you love? Would it stop you from giving all you got, pouring your heart and soul into the performance and the character you must have grown to love over the months? So you know what you're gonna do now," He turned Roman back to the mirror and bent down so their eyes could meet. "You're going to get up, get on that stage and give everything you got into every word and every expression you make. And if something happens, so be it! You're gonna take it like a champ and face that audience like it was all a part of the show"

Roman's eyes hardened and he gave a nod to him, determination hanging in his every move.

"You're right." He kept nodding to himself, "You're right" He muttered again and got up, his knees not buckling even a little.

Before he got out of the room, he turned around to look at everyone again, pausing at Virgil

"Thank you" he mouthed.

"No problem" Virgil mouthed back, but quickly called him back before he walked away. Roman stopped in his track and turned back to him.

"You got this"

A genuine smile spreads across his face and Virgil could have sworn, no matter how cliché it sounded, his heart skipped a beat.

.

The play was amazing. Roman was amazing.

He listened, brought the best out of the 18th-century monarch he was playing and poured character into him. And there really was an accident during the performance, two characters spoke over each other, but Roman dragged the plot away from it, making sure no awkwardness ensued and he carried it out to the end.

He left the audience in a trans that lasted long after the final bow. Patton, Logan and Virgil after the show found themselves in the middle of a crowd of excitedly chattering teenagers all discussing parts of the performance. They grew immersed in every individual conversation, especially because half of them were talking about the 'hot lead'.

"I DID IT" The crowd slowly dissipated as Roman appeared in front of them in normal civilian clothes. He was grinning, ear to ear, and was positively bursting with energy. He got a few weird looks as he ran to them, pushing through a group of people.

He ran straight into Virgil, picking him up and twirling him around all the while laughing with absolute glee. His happiness was contagious, and Virgil found himself trying to contain his own smile. Once Roman put him down, feelings bubbled deep inside Virgil, ones he pushed down again.

Roman grabbed him by the shoulders and looked straight into his eyes.

"Thank you" The words were spoken in a whisper, giving a sense of secrecy to the whole situation even though there were a dozen of people around them.

"Always" Virgil couldn't help but whisper back. It surprised him how much he actually meant it. How much he cares for him. It was then he realized their faces were inches away and they have been staring at each other for far longer than necessary.

He cleared his throat and looked to the ground, hiding his forming blush. Roman took a step back and stammered out an apology before Patton tackled him in a hug. Virgil raised his gaze to Logan who was giving him a weird look which he decided to ignore. He'll deal with it later. Or never. Yeah, never's better.

After Patton hugged the hell out of him, Logan congratulated him with a pat on his shoulder.

"So, where to now?"

"Somewhere where they serve food, I'm starving."

"Patton, you just ate a large tub of popcorn. And then you stole mine as well"

"I didn't steal it, you said you weren't hungry!"

As the two continued to bicker all the way to the restaurant, Virgil noticed Roman looking anywhere but him and he got a feeling that something between them changed.