It's Just Business (COMPLETED)

Chapter 43

Virgil twisted a button on his jacket, looking at the big red curtains that hid the audience from view. The fact that he'd already done this before didn't make this performance any less daunting.

"You okay, Virgil?"

Virgil jumped.

"I'll... I'll take that as a no."

"You really need to stop creeping up on me, Princey." Virgil muttered, twisting his button sharply.

"Sorry. You're gonna want to be careful with that. Don't want to unleash the wrath of Joanna."

Virgil looked down and his hand dropped from his button. "Yeah, no."

"Any particular reason you're scared about this performance?"

Virgil shrugged and crossed his arms protectively across his chest. "I just... Last night went pretty smoothly."

"Yeah and?" Roman asked, both of them ignoring what happened after the performance.

"So what's going to go wrong tonight?" Virgil looked up but stopped short of meeting Roman's eyes. Instead, he looked back out at the curtain. "There's a full house out there." He muttered. "A full house of people ready to judge my acting and my singing." He laughed humourlessly through his nose. "The good thing about being the lead is that I can just mostly park and bark and they don't have to see my attempt at dancing."

Roman looked out at the curtain too. "Love interest." He said eventually. Virgil shoved him. "Sorry, couldn't help it."

"I will get a script-" Virgil said, pointing at him as menacingly as he could. Roman laughed quietly before looking down and looking away.

"You'd probably get up on stage." He said. "I think it's nearly time."

Virgil tried to meet Roman's eyes. Roman looked decidedly at the floor and Virgil gave up, wary of the time.

"Break a leg." He muttered so quietly he wasn't sure he even heard himself.

Virgil sat, carefully tucking his feet out of the light, and watched the top of Roman's head bob around as he acted his part. He was an incredibly good actor, not that Virgil'd ever tell him.

"Just talk to him, you stupid idiot." He thought, half of his mind still focused on his surroundings so he knew when he was meant to sing. "It's not that difficult. That's what you did with Logan, isn't it? Talked to him."

Yeah and look at where that had gotten Virgil. He hadn't been over Roman when he'd met Logan and now he wasn't over Logan either. Letting things go had never been Virgil's speciality. And look at where that had gotten him.

Virgil looked up as the lights went down on the stage. He couldn't let his thoughts distract him now, he needed to go on.

The music started and a spotlight blinded Virgil momentarily. The time for thinking was most definitely over.

Virgil took what seemed to be his first proper breath as he ran off-stage for the last time that night. The show was over and he was safe. He didn't have to face spotlights, grease paint and a faceless audience for another 24 hours or so. Roman was a different story.

"We did that, we just did that." Virgil muttered to himself in between breaths.

"Are you-?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Never been better. You?" Virgil blurted out rapidly. Roman blinked a few times, trying to decipher what Virgil had said.

"Uh, I'm fine. Why?"

Virgil let out a shaky breath and shook his hands. "You're always asking me if I'm fine so I just thought I'd ask you. Being fine goes both ways, you know."

"Yeah, I know, I just- It's just odd to hear that coming from you."

"Yeah, well..." Whatever Virgil had planned to say died away in his throat. "Yeah."

He managed to look at Roman's piercing green eyes for about two seconds before looking at the ground and walking off without a word.

*to the tune of The Schyler Sisters*
Depression
Anxiety
And insecurities
The mental issues!
If you couldn't tell, today's been no better than yesterday. Also, I'm wondering whether I should include another flashback scene, just to torture you all. Don't know how it'd fit into the story though...
Bye,
Blaize