Chapter Text
“There are smarter ways to get people to do what you want anyway.”
None of them could shake the way those words haunted the mindscape, despite the words of comfort and reassurance that had been shared after the courtroom fiasco. Knowing Deceit’s presence in the mindscape was becoming more and more solidified created a tension thicker than when he’d first been revealed. None of them had any idea how to break that wall, but they were trying.
“All I’m saying is, I’m *pretty* sure I was promised my own Jam flavor, and I’ve still yet to see anyone make good on that promise,” Roman teased Thomas, voice dripping with feigned hurt and offence. A few days had passed, and the four of them were spending some time with Thomas to try to get back to some level of normalcy, lounging comfortably in his living room.
Groaning and pinching the bridge of his nose, Logan muttered back, “For the final time Roman, your own jam flavor being a guarantee is a falsehood. It was a *possibility* based on a number of factors, nothing more. Not to mention the complications now presented by switching our merchandise distributors...”
“Do we have to bring that up right now? Too much stress, I was just relaxing,” Virgil moaned from his position laying upside down on the couch as he flipped back upright, clearly getting jittery at the thought of the major business transition.
“Yeah, we’re supposed to be having fun guys, no business talk,” Patton said with false sternness, ruined by him almost immediately breaking and giggling at himself.
Chuckling, Virgil replied, “The threatening persona only works for you sometimes Pops- now’s not one of those times.”
Roman was about to agree, but instead they all jumped as the lights suddenly flickered rapidly and dimmed to almost nothing, leaving only a faint, yellow glow.
“Well, you’d certainly know all about threatening personas, wouldn’t you Virgil,” Deceit crooned darkly, stepping out of the shadows with a cold smile on his face, freezing all of them but Thomas in place with a twist of his wrist.
Trying to hide the slight tremor in his voice, Thomas said, “Come on Deceit, no one summoned you, and I’m not even close to thinking about anything that would lead to me to consider a lie.”
Deceit merely snickered, voice dripping with false cheeriness, “Oh but Thomas, there’s someone I’m dying to introduce you to! Let’s just say after our little… discussion… somethings been eating at me, and I‘m not in the mood to let it slide,” he finished lazily, pausing to gaze carelessly at his gloved fingers before flicking his gaze to Roman and Virgil. “You see, if there’s one thing our little plaid clad pal and I agree on, it’s our despisal of hypocrites.”
“Call me pal one more time, see where that gets you,” Virgil snarled, voice distorted from anxiety but apparently the only one who was able to talk at all. Logan and Patton shared Thomas’ look of confusion, but Virgil’s eyes held barely contained fear, while Roman’s were wide with barely contained panic and terror, shaking uncontrollably.
Rolling his eyes, Deceit said, “Trust me sweetie, this is strictly businesses,” he paused before walking over to them slowly, two-toned gaze intense and hungry, “Now we’ve established that lying, definitely my territory. Self preservation, looking out for your own best interests, blah blah blah...”
“What are you getting at?” Thomas snapped.
“So when His Royal Highness over here,” Deceit continued as if he hadn’t heard, now circling Roman, waiting patiently to finally strike, “Had you all fooled into thinking he was some kind of self-sacrificing martyr for talking you into doing the… right thing… by ignoring what you *really* wanted… well, I thought maybe it was time for a little reminder.”
“Reminder of what…” Thomas asked, eyeing the scene hesitantly but unable to resist hearing whatever Deceit had to say.
“That his motives, while they may have evolved,” Deceit snorted derisively, “Will never be as pure as all of you, or even he, would like to believe. And it’s about time he admitted it.”
Fighting to regain control, Virgil exclaimed in his ever more distorted voice, “Deceit! Don’t you dare do this! Thomas, you know he’s a liar, he twists things however he wants you to see them!”
“W-what are they talking about?” Thomas asked fearfully, looking to Roman as Logan and Patton looked on in shock and uncertainty while Virgil continued to struggle.
When it appeared Roman was finally able to speak again, all he could get out was, “I… I don’t… you have to believe…”
“Maybe this would be better explained in a language Roman can grasp best, I live to accommodate,” Deceit hissed, grinning sinisterly before beginning to sing low and threateningly as he inched closer and closer to Roman.
“Dear Princey, yes it is he, but not as you know him! Read my lips and come to grips with reality. Yes, meet a blast from your past, whose lies were too good to last. Say hello to your precious “Creativity!”
With a snap of those yellow-gloved fingers, blinding green and yellow light swirled and coiled around Roman, completely engulfing him. When it subsided, Roman had collapsed to his knees, now barely recognizable. Paler skin, sharper features, black replacing every inch of what was once white in the uniform he’d been so proud of as well as even more gold detailing. His hair and eyes were several shades darker, a barely-discernible red glow in the dark irises that now held nothing but horror.
“Or should I say Pride?” Deceit declared with a venomous smile, voice dripping with false concern and sympathy.
Almost everyone was in various degrees of shock, Roman shrinking under all of their stares, clearly wishing to melt into the floor. Thomas was the first to respond
“Roman? Is it true?” He stammered, unable to completely keep the hurt and betrayal out of his voice despite fighting it with everything he had.
Eyes shimmering, unable to meet anyone’s eyes, Roman whispered brokenly, “I… I wanted to tell you for so long, I just... I didn’t know how...“
Viegil finally broke in, voice frantic and pleading, “It’s not his fault Thomas! This isn’t easy! We were just trying to…”
Patton was finally able to whip his head around to stare at Virgil, shocked and slightly angry, “Wait, we? Virgil, you knew too? You’ve both lied to us? Kept secrets from us? You… you said you hated liars Virgil, how could you help him keep this from us? And Roman… I thought…” he broke off, choking back a sob. Neither of them could respond, feeling as if they were drowning in guilt.
“What else have you been lying about?” Patton demanded, voice shaking with hurt and pain.
“Nothing!” Roman and Virgil replied in sync, almost humorously so under different circumstances.
Voice strained and hurt, shockingly so for him, Logan said, “That… seems highly improbable given… recent developments…”
Unable to respond for a moment, Patton finally whispered, "I… I want to believe that, but… how can I?” Finally causing the tears in Romans eyes to spill over, “Pat… Please…”
Deceit, grinning wickedly, chose then to pick up the song with undisguised glee, “So, Princey turns out to be merely a Dark Side! Just a con, need I go on? Take it from me…
His personality flaws
Give me adequate cause
To send him packing on a one-way trip
So his prospects take a terminal dip
His assets frozen, the venue chosen
It’s the end of the road, whoopee!
So long, to the dethroned Princey!”
The damage done, Deceit synced out in triumph, laughing manically. All eyes were still on Roman, no one in the room moving, everyone hardly breathing. Roman took one look around, but when no one spoke, his face hardened with heartbreak and shame, tears still flowing freely and eyes glowing even more brightly red before brokenly syncing out.
Regretful, hesitant, and sad stares were exchanged by the remaining sides and Thomas. What did they just do?