Chapter Text
A nice black suit, red vest, and white dress shirt, all clean and smooth against his skin. The large, elegant brick and stone building before him. These were just a few things the now 21 year old Roman Prince was attempting (not very successfully, he had to admit), to focus on to distract himself from his nerves over the fact that he was about to have one of the most daunting, thrilling moments of his life. He was about to meet Stormcloud, the man who had come into his life at 17 and changed his world forever.
If there was one thing Roman never would have expected to feel in this moment… It was fear. He’d begged Stormcloud for years to give any sign of his identity, and expected to feel any number of things upon finally meeting. However, after finally giving up on ever meeting Stormcloud forever, only to receive word that the moment he thought lost forever was actually going to happen…. He was scared.
After this… what? Years of imagining, hoping, wanting… what would come after this moment finally happened?
Taking one more calming breath, Roman ran a hand through his reddish-brown hair one final time before making his way up to Stormcloud’s door. Despite having had experience with Logan’s family, it was still rather intimidating having a servant there to open the door and escort Roman up to Stormcloud’s study. Roman was grateful that, despite the clearly curious and appraising looks he was receiving, the servant was professional and asked no questions. This left Roman free to admire in stunned silence the simple elegance of the home. Despite not being tasteful rather than overly garish, everything still clearly had an obvious air of wealth and status.
With a final bow of the head, the servant left Roman at the door after instructing Roman to knock to announce his presence, then enter without waiting for a response.
“Come on Roman, you can do this…” Roman whispered to himself, lifting a hand to knock firmly on the door before slowly reaching down to turn the handle. The door swung open without a sound, causing Roman to feel the need to make his entrance known by calling out as he stepped inside the study, “Hello? Is anyone here?”
Virgil sucked in a breath hearing Roman’s voice, having positioned himself standing by the fireplace, facing away from the door and as far into the room as possible so he wasn’t immediately noticeable. He had guessed right- the flood of emotions he experienced simply hearing Roman and knowing he was in the same room again, perhaps for the last time, made Virgil grateful he’d given himself an extra moment to be able to collect himself.
A moment was all it lasted. “Stormcloud,” Virgil heard Roman breath out, Virgil straightening his back as he heard Roman take a few hesitant steps into the room and quickly stutter out, “Or I suppose if you really prefer Mr. Dantes, I’ll call you by whatever you request. I guess it was a bit presumptuous of me to assume that you approved of my name for you just because that’s how you signed your letter…” Roman trailed off, eyes widening in shock as Virgil finally turned so he was in full view.
“W-what are you doing here?” Roman gasped, just staring for a moment before managing to get out, “Do… do you know Mister Dantes… or whatever he’s called?” Roman asked, taking a few more eager steps into the room.
“I… I do,” Virgil nodded, hating the tremor in his voice as Roman simply looked at him questioningly, Roman deflating a little as he asked, “So… you know about me then? You know about the orphanage… all of it?” Virgil could only nod, silently hoping Roman would figure it out sooner than later and end his agonized anticipation of the moment when it would all click for him.
“Wait…” Roman muttered, mind whirring as Virgil visibly tensed, “You can’t be… his secretary?"
If Virgil hadn’t been so close to breaking down, he would have laughed at the absurdity of the question, only managing to get out, “Not… exactly…”
Now growing anxious and impatient, Roman began to question almost frantically as his eyes searched the room further, “Where is he? I was told to meet him here…”
“He’s right here!” Virgil blurted out, Roman immediately freezing as his gaze slowly came back to Virgil as the older man finished with an almost whispered “… I’m afraid to say.”
Finally, Romans eyes caught sight of the letters that covered the wall near Virgil's desk, color draining from his face and eyes widening in horror and mortification, Roman stammered quietly, “You… you read my letters? All my letters? The ones about you?!” betrayal and anger dripping from every word. Virgil could only nod mutely, unable to meet Romans eyes and tensing for everything he knew was coming his way. Sure enough, it didn’t take long.
“Those were PRIVATE LETTERS!” Roman yelled, hands balling into fists and shaking with fury as his eyes filled with tears.
“I know,” Virgil whispered, voice breaking as he remained frozen to the spot, making no attempt to defend himself or say anything more.
“Those were meant for him ! Not for you !” Roman hissed, taking a few steps and turning away from Virgil. “How could you… for all these years?!”
“Because I never meant for everything to become such a mess!” Virgil said numbly, silently looking at Roman and begging Roman to know how much he meant every word. “I never meant any of this to go as far as it did. I know… I know I’m a disappointment. I’m nothing like the Stormcloud you’ve been envisioning all these years.”
When Roman only huffed irritably, Virgil continued, “I wanted to tell you. So, so many times I almost did… but I just… I lost my nerve every single time. No matter what I tried… I could never do it.”
“How hard is it to pick up a pen?” Roman snapped, earning a glare from Virgil as he snapped right back, “Really, it’s all your fault.”
“MY fault?” Roman cried, eyes flashing furiously as Virgil ranted on, “I never intended on having anything to do with you! I said so in the very instructions I left for you when you were informed of the arrangement for your education! Then…” Virgil stopped, eyes softening and going hazy, clearly losing track of where he was as his mind drifted back in time. “... Then you started writing me these ridiculously witty, expressive letters and I… I couldn’t help myself. I had to know who this charismatic, stubborn, captivating young man was. I couldn’t very well make an idiot of myself by dressing up as the old miser you seemed to think I was, so I went as Logan's cousin… as just… myself, ” Virgil finished, sinking into his chair and burying his face in his hands.
Finally taking a few tentative steps back towards Virgil, Roman said, “... go on…” voice both reluctantly intrigued as well as flustered and flattered.
Looking up hesitantly, Virgil said earnestly, “I never would have done such a reckless, foolish, irrational, idiotic thing,” this earning a quiet chuckle from Roman as he clearly recognized nearly the same words Virgil had used to try to guilt Roman out of his plans last summer before Virgil continued, “If I had any idea… any idea at all that I’d fall completely, madly… hopelessly in love with you.”
Roman gasped softly at Virgil’s words, unable to move or breathe for what felt like an eternity. Romans eyes made their way back to the wall of letters, slowly walking over to touch each of them gently and saying quietly, “All the clues were right there… this whole time … I don’t even know why this is such a shock to me… Maybe it shouldn’t have been. Maybe… maybe I should have known the whole time that you were always with me… both when I knew you were… and when I didn’t…”
Virgil quickly stood from his chair at the glimmer of hope he now felt, only to immediately halt in his tracks and feel his stomach drop as Roman held up a hand as his anger and hurt flared again. “But that doesn’t change the fact that you took advantage of my trust, that you lied to me and kept this from me for all these years…” Roman stopped abruptly, heart twisting painfully as he watched Virgil flinch at every word he hurled at him. Suddenly, everything else melted away, and Roman realized the only truth that really mattered to him in that moment.
“But… even with all of that… there’s no way I could live with myself if I let you go.”
Hardly daring to believe what he was hearing, Virgil whispered, “What… what are you saying?”
Chuckling with a watery smile, Roman said, “Virgil…after everything we’ve been through all these years, I think part of me always knew… All this time, I’ve been in love with you too. And… if you’ll still have me… my answer is yes.”
Tears finally spilling over, Virgil closed the gap between them, truly taking Roman in his arms for the very first time, Virgil’s heart stuttering as he felt Roman instantly melt into him at the contact. Virgil silently asked for permission as he cupped Romans cheek, earning a small, shy nod before bringing their lips gently together. Roman hummed happily into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Virgil's neck as Virgil wound his own around Romans waist. It was slow, sweet, and most of all spoke of years of love and longing finally able to be freely expressed- a happily ever after made all the sweeter after feeling like it was forever out of their grasp.
Reluctantly breaking the kiss with a giggle, Roman murmured with a blissful smile as Virgil carefully took the wedding band he’d kept in his pocket and slipped it onto Romans finger, “You know, if you think about it, with our history, this all feels like it could be our first love letter. I suppose it’s even more appropriate now that we’re to be married for me to say that I’m ‘Most Sincerely Yours.’”
“Just like you to think of something so completely overly romantic,” Virgil teased lightly, earning a gentle swat on the chest and a playful glare from Roman as Virgil continued to look at Roman with nothing but complete adoration, “But you know… I like the sound of it anyway."