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Roman traipsed down the hallway, his prop sword still strapped to his hip. in his arms he had a book on Theatre, one of those types of books that was usually the staple in a theatre classroom.
Based on the amount of fake blood coloring Roman’s neck and the book in his arms, he had been coming from the theatre class. That would also explain the prop sword that the school would never let him carry around otherwise, it was obvious and out and the open. It would not be hard for a superintendent or a teacher to walk by, see it, and immediately give him detention.
However, he was lucky, because the theater teacher had no doubt dealt with stuff like that before. So the principals usually were informed of anything that the theatre class was doing or using that would be a violation of school rules otherwise, it was much better and easier for everyone involved that way.
Roman was fighting off his third consecutive compulsion to begin to unsheathe his prop sword and swing it around as he walked down the mostly deserted hallway. His teacher always let them go early if they had props or makeup days, and especially today where they had both. She let them out 5 more minutes than the usual 10 max minutes early. A total of a whole 15 minutes early!
He only stopped moving when Roman finally got to his locker, starting to unlock his locker when he heard.... something.
Roman’s hands paused on the locker door, his lock in his other hand was heavy in his palm. He brought his head out of the locker, trying to tell what he heard and where he heard it from. However, Roman didn’t hear anything new, but he swore he heard something.
Roman placed the heavy lock in his hand back on the locker’s latch. He didn’t want someone’s prying eyes and grubby fingers running off with his valuable stuff. In his locker and locked, his stuff would be safe.
Roman did everything as quiet and consequently as slowly as he could, ears alert and straining for whatever could have made that sound.
By where Roman thought he heard it, he was led to the lobby doors of his school’s actual theatre. He so wanted to have class in that space as it was an. Actual! Stage! Roman’s heart leaped as he slowly opened the door, the smell of the overwhelming fabric and wood overcame Roman. It put a smile on his face as he remembered the first time he had entered the place. He was much younger than now, when his older brother Emile was doing his first show.
Roman let the smell carry him for a number of moments more. His twin brother Remus made the initial event of getting there and waiting for the show unpleasant, but that was just Remus . What’s a brother or a twin without annoying each other a little bit. Images of his older brother Emile in costume and the image of how perfect and every little thing that happened that was so real and yet Roman knew it wasn’t actually real cause it was his brother on stage-
Roman shook himself, trying to shake the memories that clung to the cloying scent in the air.
I have to investigate! I can’t get caught up in the past while a villain could be executing a dastardly plot right under my nose! Perhaps someone is stealing something from the Theatre Department? Or maybe… well... No matter! Whatever is happening in this theatre, I won’t stand for it!
Roman eased open the door, peering into the theatre. There was no sign or indication of anyone or anything in the main part of the theater. There was only one place the sound could have come from then, and it was the place that made Roman sure this was an assailant coming to steal from the department.
Backstage.
Roman’s hand tightened on the prop sword. Granted, the sword was still a prop sword, so Roman couldn’t use it as an effective weapon. But the sword would at least be able to deter whoever was back there.
Roman’s blood simmered as he stalked down the aisle of the ghostly silent theatre. His grip was nearly white knuckled on the sword as he reached the stairs. All of the reasons that someone would want to steal from the department flashed through his head, from the almost logical to the morally reprehensible reasons.
But the reasons and scenarios all halted when Roman finally heard another sound, the sound that he had heard from outside the theatre before. It was muffled, but it wasn’t the sound of things being moved or of things being broken.
Instead, it was the sound of someone's voice. The sound was wordless and it was clear whoever was back there made sound only out of some kind of thoughtlessness.
Oh… maybe… is someone hurt?
Roman’s face softened, his body stock still where he was midd step on the stairs. His grip on the prop sword also loosened. The prop sword dipped as Roman wasn’t holding it as tight and before he realized what was happening, it lightly thumped on the step. Roman cringed, looking back up at the stage, listening for anything that told him whoever was back there had heard the sound.
Conformation came when a sudden sound of shuffling came from behind the curtain. Roman immediately ran the rest of the way up the stairs, bursting through the curtain.
He blinked a lot, trying to adjust his eyes in case the assailant attacked him. Roman reached out blindly, following where he thought he heard the sound coming from. But before his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he heard a startlingly close whimper.
“Go away! Leave me alone! You’ve done enough already!” A voice that sounded smaller than the voice was clearly trying to be cried out.
Roman recoiled back at how close the voice was, nearly taking out a plastic plant behind him as he backed into it.
“Whoa!” Roman exclaimed in surprise.
The other voice was silent as Roman gained his footing again and caught his breath. Roman was finally able to make out the person’s face to match who was speaking in the dim light of the backstage. The boy had a button down shirt on and a pair of suspenders and a small pin that had a rainbow on it. In his hands there was a piece of paper with a piece of tape on the top, as if it was meant to be put on a wall or someone’s back if you were cruel.
The boy’s face even in the dim light was clearly streaked with tears. But the most prominent feature of the boy’s face was the strange discoloration on the left side of his face, the snake there was bumpy and uneven. It looked like the burn on Zuko’s face in one of the many shows Emile loved, Avatar. Roman hadn’t seen the show all the way through, though.
The boy turned away from Roman as Roman’s eyes and expression must have given away that he could see the boy now. The boy’s face was pained, but also Roman sensed a great deal of resignation in him. Roman’s heart panged, as he wanted to look into the boy’s eyes to see what color they were, but that would’ve been a bit creepy anyways.
“Whoa, hey. I’m sorry I scared you… Are- are you alright? What are you doing back here?”
The boy’s shoulders tensed at Roman’s question; his body increasingly became more and more poised to run.
“I said go away.” The boy’s voice was a bit more sure now, but Roman was an actor and he could usually tell when someone was acting to cover something up. Call it a sixth sense, but Roman could tell the boy was only trying to hide something with the harsh words.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think you’re okay. I don’t know what happened to you, but I want to help. What’s plaguing you? I’ll kill it for you.”
The words brought a surprised laugh ripping out of the stranger boy’s mouth. It was quickly silenced by a hand over his own mouth, but Roman clearly heard it in the enclosed space.
“I- I don’t think you’re going to get away with killing most of this school, Roman.”
Roman’s eyebrows shot up in surprise at his name.
“You know my name.”
“Of course.” The boy didn’t supply an explanation past that.
“Wait… I got distracted… the… most of the school?” Roman’s words tumbled from his lips as his eyes widened in realization.
Roman instinctively grabbed the boy’s hand and tugged the boy up. The boy didn’t expect this and tripped over Roman’s foot, causing Roman to have to catch him. When the dust settled, both the boys were in a very suggestive dip, Roman and the boy’s noses within a centimeter or two of each other.
Roman’s face bloomed hot in a blush, as did the boy’s face flush red. Roman righted the boy the moment he realized what had happened.
“Oh… sorry! I didn’t mean to that, I simply wanted to ask you- find out what- and protect-” Roman stammered, faltering as he willed his blush to go away, but it stayed put.
The boy’s blush on the other hand got more intense as his eyes widened.
“You don’t… find my burn or my pin disgusting?” The boy’s voice was full of hope.
Roman rubbed the back of his neck, not meeting the stranger’s eyes.
“Well, it works for Zuko. Who am I to judge?” Roman said sheepishly.
Roman nearly fell over as the slightly taller boy slammed into him. Roman’s face pressed into the boy’s chest when he reciprocated. The boy shuddered in Roman’s arms; Roman squeezed the boy tighter.
“I… You’re the first person who’s been nice to me at this school. Please… Please… Help me...” The boy began to sob into Roman’s shoulder.
Roman rubbed circles into the boy’s back.
“Hey, it’s alright, I’m here if you want to talk about it, I’ve got all the time in the world. What’s your name, first? I’ll start. Well, you do already know my name, but anyways. Hi! My name’s Roman! What’s yours?”
The boy brought his face out of Roman’s shoulder, eyes starting to get red and puffy. His voice trembled as he responded softly.
“My name is Janus… and I actually have a friend here now…”
And Roman held Janus, allowing him to talk about everything, Roman didn’t care about the bell when it rang, and Janus was too caught up in his words to notice.
Roman just listened.
After all, everyone needs someone to listen to them when things get rough.