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"WHY THE HELL IS YOUR BROTHER UNCONSCIOUS ON OUR COUCH REMUS?!"
"He was crying! I didn't know what else to do!"
"Knock everyone BUT HIM out maybe?"
A long pause, followed by Remus slowly widening his eyes in realisation. "Ohhhhhh."
Deceit let go of a frustrated sigh. Pinching the bridge of his nose and looking the still very much knocked out Prince messily displayed on their livingroom couch.
"Satan give me strength."
-
Roman was... Not having a good day. To put it lightly.
To put it not lightly would be saying that he was having a horrendous day and that everything that was able to go wrong, seemed to be doing just that.
He'd not been able to sleep the night before and, when looking in the mirror, had promptly decided that he'd rather not face the person on the other side and covered it up with a duvet that had needed washing for a good few days now but that he had simply not gotten the time or energy to wash yet.
He'd gotten dressed and taken his first step on the stairs. And then his second one. And then his third.
By the seventh step, he miscalculated and lost his balance, skipping over steps eight to fourteen and landing with a series of thuds and a surprised shout of pain at the very bottom.
When getting up, he noticed that all three other sides were in the room with him and staring. Virgil shrugging right as they made eye contact and turning around again. Logan, rather dramatically, rolling his eyes and turning the page of the book he was reading and Patton, after taking a step towards him and seeming to think it over in his mind, shaking his head and returning to cleaning up three breakfast plates off the table.
They'd started, and evidently finished, eating breakfast without him.
He'd taken an apple out of the fridge and decided that would do for breakfast and, after wanting to settle down on the couch but being given a stern look from Logan which was so vocal he could almost hear it say 'don't you have work to do?' he retreated to his room. To his little desk with empty coffee mugs and too much paper in the bin, to work on his ideas.
That is, he would have done so. If he'd come up with even a single good one.
He thought he had! Oh, he'd had three beautifully worked out and handcrafted ideas for future projects in his hand when he'd gone downstairs again.
He thought he had until he'd handed them to Logan who had looked over his black frames and had very slowly raised a single eyebrow as he read on.
He'd returned to his room with the three perfectly sculpt ideas punched into a muddy lumpy mush. A mush that would, as soon as he slammed the door shut just loud enough for it to send vibrations through the wooden flooring he was standing on, land in the bin next to the other mushy ideas that he hadn't even dared to show Logan.
It hadn't been a good day, that day. With Patton finally bringing up the wedding and questioning him about why I'm the world he'd wanted to go to the callback. He spoke like it was a police interrogation rather than a friendly discussion and Roman felt himself slowly move back on how chair until it was balancing on two legs only.
It hadn't been a good day because Virgil, as soon as he'd gotten wind of the conversation, began to talk to him so loudly Roman asked him to stop shouting. But Virgil said he wasn't shouting so he continued to very loudly talk and ask him why he was siding with Deceit. Why he was trusting that monster and why he was acting so self-absorbed lately. Patton went on to ask why he was being so selfish. The soft question hitting harder than all of Virgil's loud talking could ever do, leaving his self-image broken and bruised crying inside of him to stop, stop please stop!
It hadn't been a good day to put it lightly because now he was sitting in the living room, all of the others there but miles away and all of them sitting frozen. Unmoving and unmotivated to do so in the near future as Remus sat down next to him.
"What's wrong brother mine? Did somebody die? Did you accidentally drown your pet squirrel again?"
There was no again. There wasn't even a squirrel because that was very much not the reason for his being close to tears but Remus didn't know that. And Remus was trying to help in his special way and his brother could appreciate that. Did appreciate it very much in fact.
But when he was sitting in the same room as the reasons for his being glum, with his brother poking the sore spots on his ego over and over again, the appreciation lessened to something more resembling a stiff nod of acknowledgement.
"Did somebody hurt your feelings? Did Poor Pattycakes make you feel selfish again? He's still upset about you siding with double Dee's isn't he? Oh! Or maybe Logan said your ideas were stupid like he did to me! Is that it Roro?"
Roman wanted to say something. The something he wanted to say at the moment was a loud and repeated yes. But instead, he sat silently. Head bowed and eyes sneakily on the other sides. They all acted like nothing was wrong. The documentary on the TV currently explaining what exactly bombs were filled with and how they filled them.
"Oh, maybe Veve was being a big meanie again too! Did he shout at you? Oh, I remember how loud his shouting could get. Your ears must hurt because of it, don't they Ro?"
The TV was explaining how the fuse was inserted and made to stay in place as Roman bawled his fists.
"Oh but maybe it's not only today right? Dee told me that they don't listen to you. Is that true Roro? Do the mean 'light sides' not listen to you? That must hurt a lot. I bet you're doubting your purpose as a side right now aren't you? I bet you-"
And as the TV showed how the fuse was lit and the bomb exploded, Roman burst into tears.
The reactions were as he thought they'd be. Concern, from a small part of the room. And disgust and dismissal from the other 3/5th of it.
Remus had taken his hands off his brother's shoulder and arm like he'd suddenly become glowing hot. Browse knitted in confusion and mouth slightly open from the shock that his brother's sudden outburst had installed in him.
The other three, instead, acted very much like his brother wasn't fully breaking down on the other end of the couch.
Logan simply took the remote and turned up the volume of the TV so he could hear the commentators announce their next topic being how stained glass is manufactured and turning towards the TV with a nonchalance of a man knowing he's doing the right thing by turning the other cheek.
Patton let out a sigh and, after rolling his eyes dramatically, almost theatrically, he simply said 'stop being dramatic Roman. You're fine.' before getting up to refill his teacup.
Virgil scoffed at the crying Prince as if his tears were personally insulting him and just stared him down in the hopes that this tactic would shut him up.
But Roman didn't, shaking now, nose running and tears making the quietest pat pat pat sound as they landed on his trousers, creating light grey stains on the pure white pants.
More comments like Patton's first one were thrown his way. Some half-heartedly thrown like an Un-enthusiastic kid in highschool. Some curved balled his way so hard it would leave bruises.
And slowly Remus began to panic.
He panicked over why this was happening. Panicked over why his brother's friends didn't seem to care at all. Simply tried to stifle him. Shut him up so he wouldn't be a disturbance in their otherwise seemingly uneventful day.
Panicked, because his brother too, was now muttering the words 'it's fine. I'm fine it's fine I'm fine I'm fineimfineimfineimfine-' over and over again like a broken record or a pray circle chant and Remus panicked.
He panicked so much that he shouted 'I'm leaving!' right into his brother's ear, making him flinch, before quickly running towards the door.
He paused with his hand still on the doorknob.
Because he realised this wasn't good. He realised something important that he didn't quite know of yet. Didn't quite grasp onto yet but he realised it. And it wasn't good news.
So he panicked. Summoning his mace and knocking his brother square on the head. Roman sitting straight up for a split second due to the shock and then passing out fully. Falling forward, face-first into the carpet and tear streaks down his face slowly coming to a stop.
The room was dead silent, most of them frozen in shock, one of them frozen due to being unconscious, as Remus grabbed his brothers legs and lifted him, with a bit of effort, over his shoulders.
The room stayed dead silent when he straightened himself, looking around with eyes slightly too wide and lips still unparted.
"I-... See ya!" He said quickly, before sinking out and into the hallway leading to his safe place. The place he was safe. The one he needed to bring his brother who hadn't seemed so safe in his safe place.
-
Deceit was so close to losing his sanity that he might as well throw those last few brain cells in the bin, he thought, as he looked at the body of Romano creativity 'Princey' Sanders, messily sprawled out over his living room couch.
"Remus, would you come here for a second buddy?"
Remus nodded, getting up from where he had been sitting cross-legged on the floor, looking at his brother laying there. Silently. Unmoving. Unconscious.
"Remus my dear. Would you please explain to mE WHAT HAPPENED?"
Remus tried to explain. Truly he did. But it's hard to explain when you still haven't quite gotten to realise what you realised. He knew it was important now. He knew it wasn't a positive thing too. It couldn't be, with Roman breaking down like that.
But Deceit hadn't slept well the previous night and, much like Roman, he hadn't had a good day. His was considerably less filled with humiliations and accusations. But he had spilt coffee over his favourite shirt and Remus had knocked over one of his cacti, smashing it's hand-painted pot so he was allowed to at least mention it.
What followed was rather loud. Loud enough for Roman to stir in his un-wake and slowly start to wake up.
"WHY THE HELL IS YOUR BROTHER UNCONSCIOUS ON OUR COUCH REMUS?!"
"He was crying! I didn't know what else to do!"
"Knock everyone BUT HIM out maybe?"
At Remus, his noise of realisation Roman managed to crack an eye open. Finding he was laying on a rather soft couch in a rather dark room with the rather loud company.
"Why was he crying then?" Deceit said, after letting go of another long sigh and trying to find a way to calm himself before he punched somebody, preferably Remus with how this conversation was going.
"I don't know! He looked like something was wrong and he wouldn't tell me what was wrong so I started guessing! The others acted like nothing was wrong though and that was weird."
Deceit sighed, took his hat off and flung it towards a corner of the room before combing his hands through his hair. Tugging at it once and facing Roman who was still laying on the couch.
"Roman I know you're awake. Why don't you tell me why you were crying and then I can decide if I need to kill either Remus or your precious family hm?"
Roman stayed silent as he slowly sat up straight. Fumbling with the cuffs on his sleeves, not meeting Deceit's eye.
Said side crouched down and said, in a much softer voice than Roman had ever heard him use (Remus did know it very well but as he didn't say we won't mention it) and softly called out for him.
"Hey, can you look at me, please? We only want to help you, Ro, I promise you that."
Roman nodded and, dropping the bravado he normally put on for a moment, he was truly being honest.
"Remus his guesses were... A bit too accurate. And I hadn't been having a great day and the others were just there acting like none of those things were true and I-" he cut himself off then, finding he'd choked up again. Deceit just reached out for him slowly. Hand hovering just moments away from touching his own and, after Roman nodded in response to the question if it was alright if he touched him, his hand was grabbed and thumbs ran over knuckles.
Remus sat down cross-legged again. Close but not too close. There but not too present.
He was slowly beginning to unwrap the thoughts he'd grasped then. And he didn't like his present one bit.
"Do you want to tell us what Remus said that was correct?" Deceit said and Roman was nodding as soon as the words had left his mouth. Desperate for comfort. Desperate to talk. For somebody to listen to him for once.
Desperate for the chance Deceit was giving him.
So Roman told them about his not too great day and about how he'd missed step seven on the stairs, showing then his bruised back and scrapped hands.
He told them about the apple and the mushy ideas in his bin and about how the documentary hadn't been his choice.
And then he kept talking.
He told them about how he'd been feeling for the last few months and how it hadn't been happy feelings. He told them about how mushy ideas had become more frequents and dismissal had been something he'd gotten used to.
He told them about not being heard and about lines being rewritten by others because his weren't good enough.
When the evening came they sat together on the floor in front of the couch. Eating partly cold and partly mushy noodles because they'd let them sit for too long as they talked and talked and didn't talk for a while before talking again.
And when Deceit offered that he could stay the night and every other one if he so pleased, Roman had said he'd sleep on the couch for the night.
And if he woke up in his room the next morning, well, you wouldn't see him complaining.
And if the said room had a door that led to a different livingroom than it had to lead to for all of his life then he didn't mind.
He simply greeted his brother, trying to get used to being so close again. Trying to find a way to orbit around the same earth as he without clashing again.
And he simply thanked Deceit when he arrived at the table and saw three plates there and eggs and bread and orange juice and water and tea that had cooled down slightly.
They'd waited for him.
-
After they'd finished breakfast and cleaned up Remus very timidly asked if he liked where his room was now. And after Roman had told him that he liked it very much, he asked him a little less timidly if they could pay his family a visit.
The term family felt like a jacket that didn't quite fit when it was applied to the three sides but he'd nodded either way. And after they'd gotten all dressed up and Roman had stared at the mirror still covered with his old duvet wondering if he'd ever been able to face the man on the other side, they were off.
Roman walked towards their common room with a dark side on each side.
He'd never tell them why it meant this much to be able to walk in the middle and not on the side or behind them. But they seemed to know. And Deceit laid a hand on his shoulder for a brief second and gave him a tight-knit smile.
"Where have you been?!"
They stood in the middle of the common room, in front of the TV that was displaying a documentary on black holes on pause.
"Roman?" Remus said, looking at his brother closely. Watching a stop motion of microexpressions flicker over his face that got significantly less micro when Patton crossed his arms and, rather loudly, told him to 'just spit it out, Roman!'
Deceit had understood though. And he stepped in front of the two brothers after Roman had given him a quiet confirmation that he was allowed to speak for him.
"We're taking Roman in. He's going to be living with us from now on."
"You're kidnapping him?!" Virgil said very loudly. But it wasn't shouting. Never shouting.
"No. We asked if he would like to and he agreed that it was the best choice. He's fully willing to and we've already moved his room."
"Why isn't he telling us himself then? The fact that he isn't making this more dramatic than it needs to be us suspicious. Don't you think so Logan? Of course, you do."
Deceit's eyes flickered to Logan as Patton mentioned him. Seeing a flash of something like longing, of something like guilt, like begging him to tell Roman that he was sorry.
"You've broken him down enough for him to not want to. Now if you'll excuse us, -" he began, nodding once as the brothers began to leave. "- we only stopped by to announce the news to you so we'll be going." Roman was shaking with relief. "HOWEVER." And suddenly he was shaking with something very different.
"If I get even the slightest indication that EITHER or you do as much as GLANCE at him in a wrong way, I'll not be held responsible for how Remus might act to protect his brother."
Patton took a step back at that while Virgil simply snarled and gave Deceit the bird.
Logan sat silently. Very very quietly in the same place, he'd been sitting for the entire time they had been there. Looking down at his knees.
"Tasteful Virge. Very very charming. And Logan-" The logical traits head snapped up to meet Deceit's eye. Gaze wandering towards Roman for a moment to determine that he was indeed watching him intently.
"-if there's anything you wish to talk about or apologise for, you're welcome to come by sometime. Make sure you shut the door though. We wouldn't want pests getting in."
The last part was growled towards the other two sides and Remus cackled in delight at the remark as he grabbed the handle and pushed the door open.
As soon as they were far enough away Deceit turned to Roman who had been clutching his brother's arm rather tightly for the entirety of the conversation.
"Are you alright Roman?"
Roman looked up then. Tears staining his cheeks but a smile Deceit found was very much a genuine one on his face as he looked at him.
"I'm not. But I think I will."