Changing Sides and Heaving Sighs

1

"Remus, if you dance on the bar countertop we will never come back here and be carded everywhere else."
Seated at a rundown bar and nursing a glass of wine was our hero. Virgil Storm's black hoodie swamped around his lean frame and the black jeans it accompanied were worn and somehow not faded in the slightest. Dark eyeshadow seemed stained under his eyes, giving him a tired appearance and a piercing gaze. His spidery, pale fingers trembled ever so slightly as he brought the glass to his lips, which were twisted into a scolding frown.
"But I want to move around!" exclaimed the hyperactive companion to his left.
"Right, and a single night of moving around on a countertop is absolutely worth waiting three years for a stiff drink, " hissed the friend on Virgil's right.
The leftmost friend was Remus Duke Royal, known as "The Duke" by most. Streaks of electric green shot through his hair as if the manic energy surging through his brain was seeking an escape. Green eyes seemed even wider with his black, dramatic eyeliner. A gaudy green crystal choker winked at passers-by as much as the wearer did, and the black silk shirt he wore billowed about his torso. Black leather pants and acid green mid-calf boots encased bouncing and shuffling legs and feet. Several empty shot glasses sat, almost accusatory, in front of him.
The rightmost man delicately held a multicolored margarita in a hand clad in a yellow glove. Burning golden eyes stung onlookers from under a yellow trimmed black bowler hat. A modest black dress shirt clung to the body, whilst black slacks were looser on his legs. Yellow dress shoes, a yellow belt, and an embroidered serpent emblem helped create a clean cut and somehow sinister appearance. He was called "Deceit" by anyone he came across and only the other members of their group knew his real name.
"Stand on the bar and I get fired, bitches." Virgil's cousin, Remy Sloth, declared. His sunglasses did little to shield others from the pure sass he exuded.
"We won't, " Virgil promised, pointing the comment at Remus more than Remy.
About an hour later the trio stepped out into the twilight. Remus stumbled enthusiastically alongside Virgil, who barely felt the wine warming his cheeks. Deceit swayed slightly, emphatically declaring he wasn't even buzzed. The three of them exchanged only slightly cruel banter as they strolled down the street towards their respective homes.
Remus slung an arm around Virgil, leaning on him a little. "Did I ever tell you, " he slurred, "that the louder a howler monkey is, the smaller its balls? It's science."
"No, you didn't tell me." Virgil shrugged Remus off.
"You know what else is science? You're cute. That's science."
"I've got some more science for you: you're really drunk."
"I am, " Remus wobbled his head sagely.
     "Nah, totally not even a little intoxicated." Deceit had an odd speech impediment that he usually hid quite well but that wasn't hiding then. He drew out his s's. "He's stone cold sober."
     "You're hissing again, snake." Remus giggled and wobbled his way over to Deceit, bothering him the rest of the way.
     They got to Remus's first, a large and well maintained modern house. Remus's wildly spray-painted Volkswagen sat in its place half on the manicured lawn, and a classy dark red Cadillac on the driveway contrasted directly with it.
Remus let out an exaggerated groan of dismay. "My brother's home! How am I gonna enjoy being drunk when he's there?"
Remus had a twin brother, and though Virgil had never seen him, he was sure the other Royal brother was just as much of a disaster. The two often had only themselves for company at home, their parents being out working for months on end. Remus was the younger twin and complained about his brother frequently. Their names were direct references to their rivalry; Roman Prince Royal and Remus Duke Royal.
"At least the only person you have to face is your brother, " Virgil grumbled. "I've got a mother to deal with."
"I totally sympathize with you both, " Deceit declared. "After all, a single relative is far worse than a whole nuclear family who considers you the black sheep of the household."
"You literally wear black, though. Were you expecting them to think of you like a yellow sheep?" Remus leaned forward a little, nearly toppling.
"That's not what that means, Duke." Virgil chuckled at his stumbling friend, this was the calmest he got.
"Hey!" Remus wheeled around to Virgil and leaned on his shoulder. "Hey, we should-" he struggled to find words. "We should stay out. All night. Not go home."
"Nah, I've dealt with you long enough." Virgil sidestepped the stumbling Royal and stood at the edge of the driveway. "In you go."
Virgil and Deceit managed to get Remus into his house after quite some time. The two remaining delinquents walked down the street in near silence. Remus usually filled the quiet, whether they liked it or not, and so when Deceit and Virgil were alone they merely spent time in one another's presence. It was a steady dynamic, even if there was something immoral about them all. Virgil didn't have any other options, anyway.
"Do you ever wonder what Roman's like?" Deceit asked, genuine for the first time all day.
"Not really, he's a Royal so he's gotta be kind of an ass. Plus, he's older. The older siblings are always more pompous."
"Yeah, no. Can anyone be more of a pompous ass than Remus?" Deceit had a fond smile as he said it.
Virgil let out a little laugh. "Fair point."
The two stopped at Deceit's home, a classic suburban residence. They said their farewells and Deceit went into his house to fake sobriety and get some rest. Virgil was left to walk to his house alone. He made it once his mother had finished her dinner and the two went to bed early, Virgil forgoing a dinner for the night.
     The next day would be life-changing.