Chapter Text
Day One: Roman
Roman always felt so at home on a stage. The lights that welcomed with a soft warmth; the curtains that effortlessly transitioned him from ‘Roman’ to his next role; the round of applause… the cacophony of praise that roared after each show validating his work and passion. He loved it.
He also loved the empty stage. From the silence around him that allowed free thoughts to flow to the natural light that fades with the day and eventually reveals secrets he’d never see again. It was in moments of distress that the stage, empty or occupied, was his go-to place.
It may come as a surprise to some, but being on stage alone, outside of rehearsals, performances or education, was one of the few times Roman could just stop. Carrying yourself in a princely manner was hard sometimes. Of course it’s how he is, but he is also a person underneath the elaborate outfits and confidence. Roman took his alone time with the stage to remember that.
Most days, Roman took the time to admire the awards in performing arts his school had won over the years. The newer awards were plaques along the walls in the entranceway so guests always saw the prestige the institution had on their way into another excellent productions, where older ones were kept within a glass cabinet.
It always filled Roman with such pride to see so many awards in recent years, some even being credited to himself and others he just knew he carried the team through to getting… But the older ones always fascinated him. Locked in a cabinet to be admired as a staple of history before Roman had the chance to adorn the school with his dashing talents and impeccable looks.
These awards spoke so personally to Roman, and he could have spent longer intensely reading the faded newspaper clippings attached to awards as old as 12 years old. But Alas, extra rehearsals are necessary. The performer pulled himself through the large auditorium doors and swiftly situated himself on the stage.
Roman gazed upon the empty room and smiled for a moment, as the later afternoon sun streaked through the windows and he was properly alone. Walking off backstage, the actor dropped his bag off, pulling out a few pages of a script and holding them close. Seeing as the school semester had only just started, there was an absence of littered props and a light dusty sheen over the floor.
The actors shoes softly clacked against the wood, and with a deep breath, he recited his performance as best he could. He tried the monologue with various tones, gestures, volumes- every which way the same passage could be read just to burn time. Roman’s voice almost effortlessly carried through the empty room as the process went on for some time.
After a couple of hours, and the sun had started to set, Roman sat in the centre stage, scrawling over his script with haste.
“One last time… then I’ll go. I think I have it now!”
Rising to his feet, he took on the monologue one last time. It was perfect. No forgotten lines, no mess ups in volume (so he thought) and he conveyed everything he wished for!
In the moments where he recoiled from his successes, he was nearly ok with the distinct sound of just one person clapping from the audience. It took a moment, but his head snapped, trying to locate the source. There was no mistaking it. Roman would be a massive liar if he tried to say he wasn’t the a bit disgruntled or even scared at this occurrence.
“Why thank you! But do come and show yourself- I love meeting fans!” His voice boomed with an air of confidence Roman had perfected over the years. Yet he was met with silence.
Any normal time, when someone was there, he would be able to play that off as charming or someone would at least spare him a chuckle. But it wasn’t a normal time apparently. Roman was absolutely certain he was alone.
He checked backstage and tried to remain as alert as possible to any motion at all. The air was still and there was a lack of any sounds aside from his now hammering heart within his chest.
"This is as good a time as any to be on my way" , Roman thought to himself, as he exited the auditorium and instantly turned down one of the corridors leading him further into the classrooms and offices of the performing arts departments.
The department was vacant, except for one office, door slightly ajar and adorning a large, sparkly star plaque with ‘MR. T SANDERS’ embossed on it. Soft strums of a ukulele could be heard down the corridor as Roman approaches, but there was no awkwardness to be found. Roman had found Mr Sanders to be one of the most… accepting teachers this school could hire. And one of the best. Mr Sanders was the one who brought the theatre department to where it is now with his drive and passion alone. He’s performed on Broadway, an ex-student to this exact academy AND he was one of the chemistry teachers. Roman admired him greatly and hoped to hold fame and love to his name akin to Mr Sanders.
Roman poked his head in to see Mr Sanders at a somewhat messy desk playing the ukulele.
“-- What a, waste of a lovely night~”
Mr Sanders looked up from his hands and caught eye contact with Roman. “Oh! Roman! What a pleasant surprise!” The teacher bashfully laid his instrument down and beckoned Roman in. Roman, instantly feeling bad, tried to rectify the situation with gushing.
“Oh Mr Sanders that was going… well, beautifully, my sincerest apologies for interrupting! I was just--”
“-Oh shush you,” Mr Sanders couldn’t really take compliments, and cast his gaze to his desk for a moment. For such a personality on stage and for one of the most loved science teachers this school had ever seen… he was quite awkward. “Are you finished for the day? I just noticed the time and was expecting you to finish sooner or later. Well, hopefully not later, I would like to leave kinda soon. I deserve a nap.” He perked up, with a small yet expectant smile. Roman took a moment to consider asking about the origin of the applause, but resigned himself to believe it probably was the teacher. Why wouldn’t it be? The rest of the department was empty where the other teachers and teaching assistants left hours ago, so it’d only be ‘logical’ (Logan had rubbed off on him it seems) that it was Mr Sanders. Maybe there was a subtle way to determine if it was definitely him though.
“Yes, I was just about to say that! I’m sure I’ve got this monologue practically perfect in every way! That’s why it’s gotten to this hour,” Roman exclaims, choosing his words carefully and holding his head high with a proud grin on his face.
“Well, don’t forget to get an outside opinion on it Roman. Maybe try and get Remy to watch it? He should be in tomorrow! If not, I believe I see you in like, two days? That sounds about right, I should really make some sort of structure for that lesson huh…” Mr Sanders descends into a series of mutters as he continues dropping some files into his rucksack.
At the suggestion that his monologue wasn’t perfect, Roman deflated a bit. Well, that was part of the reason. The other was to do with the idea that Mr Sanders hadn’t seen the performance. That only made Roman feel a bit shaky inside, not knowing what he had heard and whether or not it was even real. It was troubling to say the least but there could be multiple explanations for it... right? Sleep deprivation, his own imagination hyping himself up-- Anything. It was fine.
“Capital Idea Sir, I’ll be sure to pursue this tomorrow! Good day!” Yeah, brave and confident Roman decided to flee, leaving those thoughts behind in the office as he dashed through the building and headed home for the evening with the hopes that whoever was present before was long gone now. He was too young, pretty and talented to die tonight.