Sleight of Hand - Sanders Sides

Chapter One

Roman bowed one final time. His audience cheered wildly, making Roman blushed as he waved and made his exit towards stage left. As soon as he couldn't see his crowd anymore, Roman took the cape that was tied around his neck and unwrapped it, draping it over his arm. The cape was black and red on the inside. Red; the color he was known by.

Roman looked around the backstage. People were running about, moving set pieces, wardrobe racks, and props. The vibe of the whole place gave Roman an exciting rush. It dropped his shoulders, making him calmer. The theater was definitely where Roman belonged.

A man approached Roman, face deep in a clipboard. The headset around his head was barking things into his ear. His eyes dashed up to meet Roman's, his face lifting. Roman smiled at him as the man came closer. "Great show, Roman." The man, Logan: his stage manager, greeted him with a handshake. Roman awkwardly took his hand, letting Logan give it a satisfying shake.

Logan dropped his hand and returned to his clipboard. Logan ran his finger down it, reading it. "A couple notes people from the booth noticed. Make sure your hat doesn't block your face, try not to laugh when you do the disappearing act; your mic is still on. And also, keep your ego at bay." Logan finished. Roman nodded, pretending that the last comment didn't hurt.

He shook off his thoughts with a smile. "Yeah, totally. Thanks, Logan."

"Of course. Also, you have someone of mass importance in your dressing room. I think you'll want to see them right away." Logan told him with a ghost of a smile. Roman nodded. A little caught off guard. Who could be in his dressing room?

The backstage of this theater was pretty small, making it easy to navigate. Roman rounded a corner, coming face to face with a long corridor with dressing room doors lining with walls.

It didn't take Roman long to find his as it was the only one with a label, Roman Sparx. He opened the door, being greeted by the bright mirror lights.

Roman's eyes floated over to his small couch against the wall. On the couch was his cousin, Virgil. He was scrolling through Tumblr on his phone but stopped when he noticed Roman at the door.

"Hey dude." Virgil greeted calmly, giving him a two-finger salute.

"Virge! You came?" Roman said excitedly. Virgil and Roman may have only been cousins, but when growing up, the two were like brothers. They did everything together; never spending a day apart. The emo stood up and wrapped his little cousin in a hug. Virgil awkwardly returned it, not being the biggest fan of hugs.

"Of course, I came. Logan got me a ticket. So, I figured it couldn't be THAT bad, right?" Virgil joked. Logan was Virgil's boyfriend. They've been dating for almost 4 years. They were so cute together. Roman was so glad he introduced the two to each other in the first place.

"Technically, it's the last leg of the tour. Either way, I'm glad you liked it, Virge. What are you doing back in town?" Roman questioned. He threw his cape onto his clothing rack as the two boys settled themselves on the couch. Roman crossing his legs, unwinding from the show.

"Well, my job offered me a placement back here in Gainesville. I was getting secretly getting a little homesick, so I decided to come back and move in with Logan." He explained. Roman nodded along. He knew his cousin was really into his job as a music composer. He had always been into music, ever since high school. Needless to say, Roman was not surprised when he got this job.

Roman's door swung open suddenly, making the brothers jump. Logan stood where the door was, his clipboard snugged tightly in his elbow. "The audience has cleared, you may change now, Roman. Remember, you have three back-to-back shows tomorrow so get some good rest and be here by noon." Logan rambled.

"Got it, Calculator Watch." Roman teased. Virgil playfully hit the magician on the hand, making everyone laugh.

"Are you almost done, L?" Virgil asked, looking up to his boyfriend.

"Yes, give me ten minutes," Logan said, his eyes softening as he gazed at Virgil. He grabbed the door handle and listened for the click, leaving Roman and Virgil alone again. Virgil pressed his hands to his knees and pushed himself to stand. Roman watched him.

"Well, I'll let you change. Break a leg at your shows tomorrow! We'll meet up once I get myself settled at Logan's!" Virgil rapidly spoke, putting his hand on the doorknob.

"Sounds good!" Roman said, also standing up. He walked out of the dressing room, leaving the magician to his thoughts. He stood up, undoing the buttons on his shirt. He watched his chest become visible, hanging his white button upon his clothes rack. He then unbuttoned his pants, pulling them off and hanging them next to the button up.

On Roman's makeup table sat his normal clothes. He proceeded to put on a plain red v-neck with blue jeans and a letterman jacket with the words, SPARX at the top with two zeros below it.

Roman put his apartment keys, his wallet, his phone, and some spare change back into his pocket. After addressing his hair in the mirror, he gave himself and smirk and exited his dressing room. Roman walked through the backstage halls, lined with posters of everyone and everything to ever perform within its walls.

Roman exited through the back, walking towards the street. The sky was sparkling with stars, street lights flickered, guiding Roman. His hands were growing cold in his jacket pockets, his breath was visible. Roman loved the winter weather. Leftover snow was crunching underneath his red sneakers.

He picked up his pace a little bit as he noticed the city bus pull up to the bus stop. He jumped aboard, pulling out his bus pass from his wallet. He showed it to the driver who nodded and shut the doors behind him. The bus was packed, making Roman claustrophobic. He grabbed onto a handle that came from the ceiling.

He gripped it tightly, trying to not touch anyone else standing around. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, turning it back on after shutting it down for the show. A text popped up on his screen. A smile settled gently on his face as he read it, 'Im closin up tonite. U should swing by :)'

The bus came to a stop and Roman had made up his mind. He jumped off the bus followed by some other people. He walked down the familiar street, small business buildings lining the sidewalk.

Only one business had lights inside it. The exact building Roman was heading.