Chemistry - A Sander's Sides Fanfiction

- 16 -

Oh boy, I guess fifteen and sixteen are the "relieving emotional baggage" chapters. Well, who doesn't love some emotional bonding, am I right?

Haha please enjoy.

Roman once again walked home with Virgil Wednesday afternoon. Despite sometimes disagreeing with Virgil's annoyingly cynical and over-worried attitude, Roman truly did enjoy spending time with him. In a way, breaking through the mask of negativity and seeing the boy smile or reveal something real about himself made it all so much better than had Virgil been open in the first place.

They walked down the same streets they had Tuesday afternoon, mostly in silence. The ground was slick and littered with puddles. Roman found himself in a positive mood despite the dampness of his shoes and, well, everything else. Virgil was once again clenching the umbrella for dear life, staring out at the rain. It wasn't nearly as heavy as the day before, but Roman got the feeling that Virgil enjoyed himself just as much.

After five or so minutes of walking, Virgil spoke up. His voice, though it was quiet, cut through the noise of the rain like a knife. "You never did tell me what caused three seniors to want to beat you up," he said without looking at Roman.

Roman tensed up, his breath catching in his throat. He was suddenly reminded of the event in vivid detail: the fear and panic he'd felt as they approached him; the burning sensation in his throat and his knuckles; his inability to breath as he felt their fists and feet dig into him; the hopelessness he'd felt after they left him, slouched, broken, against the wall, blood dripping down his face; how ashamed and guilty he'd felt after thinking over why.

"Roman?" he heard Virgil say. He hadn't noticed that he'd stopped walking. Virgil was now standing next to him, staring at him with concern. "Are you okay?"

Roman shook his head, struggling to come back to reality. He unclenched his arms from around his stomach. "Yes," he said, smoothing out his raincoat and raising his chin, "I'm fine." He didn't want anyone to think he was weak or affected by the event -- it wasn't even that bad.

Roman tried to start walking again, but Virgil stopped him with a hand to his sleeve. "No," he said, eyebrows knit in thought, "you're not." Roman sighed. "What happened?"

Roman pushed Virgil away, his insecurity resurfacing. "It's nothing," he said, turning to the side so not to look Virgil in the eye. If he looked at Virgil's face for any longer, he knew he'd be tempted to explain everything.

Virgil took a stubborn step towards him, his hand returning to Roman's arm. "It's not nothing," he said with surety. "I know that look you got just now -- because I've had that look on my face before." He paused. "You can talk to me, Roman. I'm the last person to judge you -- I doubt you were to blame for whatever happened."

Roman let out a bitter, humorless laugh. "Right," he snapped. "You won't judge me. Hilarious." His shoulders fell. "And plus," he added harshly, "Your doubt is wrong."

Virgil pulled his hand away from Roman, face hardening as he shook his head. "I don't know why I even try," he muttered and started walking again, clearly offended.

Roman stared at the ground distastefully and did not make a move to continue. He had a hood -- he could walk home on his own. But something in his chest tugged him back towards Virgil. Guilt started to set in as his defensiveness faded. Maybe Virgil was the best person to talk to -- the kid seemed like he had a lot under his belt, and he didn't strike Roman as someone who gossiped.

He let out a stubborn huff, simultaneously annoyed with Virgil and himself -- mostly himself. "Virgil, wait," he called out, turning back towards the umbrella-wielding boy. Virgil turned in the rain and gave him a hesitant look. Seeing him turn around caused a feeling to spark up in Roman. He recognized it but didn't know what to call it -- something about just seeing Virgil standing there in the rain, alone, with that look on his face. It was an ache of sorts, and before Roman knew it, he was jogging to catch up. Suddenly, the rest of the world seemed very quiet.