Roman's Special Someone [Roceit]

Chapter One

The best and worst thing to ever happen to Janus "Deceit" Sanders began with a giggle. Roman's giggle, to be exact, as he twirled into the kitchen one sunny morning, clutching a piece of paper close to his chest. He bore the brightest smile Janus had ever seen from him, and the energy radiating from him could light up the entire state of Florida and then some. Janus suspected whatever was on that paper was the cause of this sudden burst of euphoria, but what exactly it could possibly be, Janus couldn't even come up with a guess. Whatever it was, Janus couldn't help but be grateful for it. Not because he cared about Roman, of course, but because Roman's grim mood had been having a negative effect on Thomas.

"What's got you in such a good mood this fine morning, Your Highness?" he asked, taking a sip of tea from his black mug. Roman tugged open the fridge, taking out a jug of milk. He placed it on the table, then aimed his sunshine-like grin at Janus.

"I really shouldn't be telling you this," he said, placing the paper on the table in front of Janus, then moving towards the cupboards to get out a bowl. He grabbed a cereal box from the counter along the way. "But I'll simply burst if I don't tell someone, and Patton isn't the best at keeping secrets." He set the bowl and box of cereal beside the milk.

"Which is why I know that somebody owes me a new hat," Janus said, raising a brow at Roman as he sat down. Roman rolled his eyes.

"Oh come on, how was I supposed to know the Kool-Aid would stain?" he said. "Besides, you look cute without it." He leaned over and ruffled Janus's hair, which Janus would normally hiss at, but today, for the sake of maintaining Roman's chipper mood, he just laughed, then leaned his elbow on the table for an excuse to cover the human side of his face with his hand as it turned red, which it had only done because Roman's hand was warm. Certainly not because he liked when Roman touched him.

He picked up the paper Roman had set in front of him, his eyes slowly scanning the curly cursive scribbled across the page. He furrowed his brows.

"What is this?" he asked.

"It's a love letter!" Roman exclaimed, bouncing in his seat. The Fruit Loops he'd been pouring into his bowl flew everywhere. "Oops." He bent down to pick up the stray pieces.

"From whom?" Janus questioned, gripping the paper tightly in his gloved hands, the edges crinkling in his harsh grasp.

"His name is Ethan," Roman said. "And he's been in love with me for a long time, but he's been confined to the shadows by his wish to keep himself a secret." Roman sat back up, putting his hand over his heart and gazing off dreamily while clutching the Fruit Loops. Some of them crushed under his grip, sprinkling rainbow dust onto his fuzzy red pajama pants unnoticed. He stood up and threw the rest of them in the garbage. "Until he saw how sad I've been lately, and he simply can't stand to see me like this, so he started writing me these letters to cheer me up, and now he finally wants to meet me tonight and show me how much he loves me, so that perhaps I can love him back." Roman twirled on his way back to the table. "And we can be together forever."

"That's... wonderful, Roman," Janus said through a gritted smile. "Ethan sounds... very nice."

"I know! I'm so excited!" he said. "Oh! I need to start getting ready!"

"But it's morning," Janus pointed out. "And you just said you're going to meet tonight."

"I know, I know, there's barely enough time!" Roman said as he rushed off.

"But what about your—" Janus cut himself off when he heard Roman run up the steps and his door slam shut, "breakfast." He looked back at the letter, glaring at the words, at the letters, at those familiar swirls in the centers of all the letters with circles. He stood up and marched towards Remus's room.