Sleight of Hand - Sanders Sides

Chapter Six

Roman slipped backstage the next morning while the sun was still fresh in the sky. Not only was he 2 hours early, so he could avoid another accident like the previous day, but he had newfound energy buzzing around his core. He felt excited about today's shows. More excited than he had in a long time. Maybe it was because he was feeling nostalgic. Today was his final show. While he was happy his tour was over, he still couldn't help but miss the buzz of touring.

Maybe some other day, he'd be able to tour again.

As he walked into his dressing room, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Eagerly, he pulled out his phone, his eyes running over the text from Virgil. I'll be in the audience again today, don't mess up.

He smirked upon reading it, releasing a small laugh. He grasped his phone tightly as he collapsed into his fluffy couch. The walls of his dressing room settled whilst the magician began aimlessly scrolling through his twitter. He was reading fan reviews of his show. Those always brightened his day, no matter how bad of a day it may have been.

The door creaked open and a familiar face peeked through. Roman's eyes met Patton's which shocked the peppy boy ever so slightly. "You scared me. You're never usually here before me." Patton giggled.

He walked further into the room. Patton wore his normal theater black but he also had a light blue backpack slung over his shoulders and Roman's costume draped along his arm. The magician could tell they had been pressed and properly dry cleaned. "Yeah, I just didn't want to recreate the events of yesterday. Trust me, if you thought Logan was mad yesterday, he'd be seething with fire today." Patton laughed at the idea, despite how much he knew the truth behind Roman's words.

"But...that's not the only reason I'm here so early," Roman mumbled. This caught Patton's attention as he hung up the costume in his arms.

"Oh? Why's that?" Patton asked him. Roman was practically dancing with glee as he stood up. He dramatically cleared his throat and took a giant breath in. Patton was sitting on the tips of his toes in anticipation.

"I, Roman Sparx, have decided to join the magic competition with you, Patton, as my right-hand backstage man!" Patton processed the information before his cheeks lifted and a smile drew over his face.

"Roman, that...that's awesome! I'll sign you up right away!" Patton cheered. With that, the boy pulled his sticker-covered laptop out of his bag. He leaned back into the couch, being greeted with a warm glow of his screen as he opened his laptop. Roman took a seat next to him, pulling the classic move of snaking his arm around Patton's shoulders while he typed.

However, when Roman's arm settled against Patton's shoulders, he paused. He stopped typing. He just stared at Roman's arm. The look on his face reminded the magician of the night in the alleyway. Roman lifted his arm quickly which lead to Patton shaking his head, being released from his momentary trance.

"Are you okay? What just happened?" Roman questioned. Patton scratched the back of his head awkwardly, giving a few nervous chuckles

"S-Sorry," Patton muttered. As he blinked, lose tears slipped down his cheeks. He made quick motions to wipe them away but more tears seemed to come.

"Hey, don't cry. I'm sorry. I-I didn't know that would happen." Roman hushed him.

"You had no way of knowing," Patton said. He gazed into Roman's eyes. Roman pulled his eyes away from Patton's lips, knowing that now was certainly not the time. "I have pistanthrophobia. For lack of better words, I have a small fear of relationships." Patton tilted his head downward, feeling ashamed.

"Hey, don't feel bad. It's not something to be sorry about. It's just who you are." Roman assured him. Patton nodded silently, giving his focus back to his computer. He pulled up the competition's website and entered Roman's name.

"How would you describe your act?" Patton said, shifting the subject back to the magician's form. Roman pondered the question for a second before snapping his fingers as an idea crossed his mind.

"A take on the unbelievable mixed with the love for theatrics and colorful antics alike," Roman announced. Patton nodded and laughed, typing in word for word what Roman had said. He hit the send button and a new page loaded. On-screen popped up a map of the building for the competition and Roman's performance number, 00642.

The two both smiled and gave a quick high five as they finished. Roman leaned his head back, thoughts mindlessly rushing through his head about what the competition would be like? Who else would be there? How could he make things up with Patton?

Speaking of, he looked over to the man. Patton had slipped his laptop back into his backpack and stifled a yawn. He caught Roman's concerned eye, only making his grow more fearful. "What?"

"Nothing. Just...thinking." Roman concluded. The door flew open, Roman already knew who it was.

"Good, you're on time today," Logan stated plainly.

"Thanks for the confidence boost, Microsoft Turd!" Roman called out, not even looking at the man in the door. Patton giggled at the nickname while Logan huffed a sigh. He put his finger to the headset he wore, listening to the person on the other end bark orders at him.

"You're on in 30 minutes, Roman. Remember, this is your last show. Make it the best one yet!" Logan said, flashing a soft smile before shutting the door again. Patton huffed, moving himself to standing. Roman watched him carefully.

"We should probably get you into costume then, shouldn't we?" Patton suggested. Roman nodded, standing and letting Patton guide him into his costume and do his stage makeup. Roman addressed himself in the mirror one final time before attaching his mic pack to his belt and exiting his dressing room.