Plagiarism

Ch. 11

"So, kiddos, you up for a movie?" Patton asked, a cheerful smile on his face.

"I-I dunno, I was going to go check up on Decei--" Virgil began.

"Why?" Patton asked. "The dark sides are scary, Virge. You could get hurt!"

"Indeed, Patton is correct." Logan pushed up his glasses. "As I've said before, the matters of the dark sides no longer concern you."

"H-He just looked like he was going to work himself to death--" Virgil stammered, fiddling with the sleeves of his hoodie.

"Then let him!" Patton giggled. "Thomas would do better off without lying anyways, right?"

"Correct, lying is precisely what gets Thomas in a lot of trouble." Logan agreed.

"Just stay here with us, kiddo!" Patton beamed, grabbing Virgil by the hands. "We'll watch a movie, make some popcorn, play some games! It'll be a blast!"

"You don't need to care about the dark sides anymore, right Roman?" Logan asked, shooting his calculating eyes over to Remus.

Logan was testing him.

"I-I've vowed myself to protect all sides." Remus began slowly. "T-The dark sides are sides, yes? So I don't see why we should treat them as inferior to us when--"

"But Ro, weren't you the one who named them the dark sides in the first place?" Patton asked, dropping Virgil's hands and turning to him.

"W-Well yes, but that was merely for a good explanation as to what they were like--"

"Roman, dark sides are evil, you know that." Patton walked towards him, and Remus reflexively walked backwards, away from Patton. "Remus abandoned you, remember? Deceit lied to him and took him away, corrupted him, stole him, remember?"

"R-Right--" Remus stammered.

"There is no hope for them, remember? Deceit turned Remus against you, right?" Patton giggled.

Behind Patton, Remus saw Virgil looking confused.

"What? But I thought--" Virgil began.

"Oh, Virgil, Deceit probably lied to you too!" Patton exclaimed. "But now you know the truth, and that the dark sides are not to be trusted. Isn't that right, Roman?"

Remus bumped into the wall, no longer being able to back away. Patton was looking at him expectantly, and Logan seemed to be thinking in the background.

Remus recognized the look in Patton's eyes, it was the same look he received when Patton got mad at him when he was younger.

The same look he got right before he was taken away.

Remus nodded hastily, too cautious to speak. It wasn't like Patton was threatening, quite the opposite.

Patton was the second shortest side, right above Virgil.

But Remus knew how the sides would treat Roman if he went from light to dark.

He couldn't let that happen to Roman.

"Well then, shall we get a movie going?" Patton clapped his hands. "Any suggestions, Roman?"

"Tangled." Remus responded quickly, sitting down on the couch.

"Good choice!" Patton chirped, putting it on. "Lo, can you make the popcorn?"

"Sure, Patton." Logan replied, walking back to the kitchen.

"Are you okay?" Virgil asked him quietly. Remus nodded, a small smile on his face.

"I'm fine, Hot Topic, as long as you're here." Remus winked. He internally gagged when Virgil blushed.

"Shut up." Virgil mumbled, looking away. Remus gave a fake chuckle. "Seriously, though. You hit the wall pretty hard."

"I'm a prince, I can take it!" Remus smirked. Virgil rolled his eyes.

A distant popping sound could be heard from the kitchen. The smell of popcorn wafting through the air.

"God, when was the last time I watched Tangled?" Patton asked himself, plopping down on the couch.

"It has been awhile since Roman has picked this one, what's up with that?" Virgil asked Remus.

Remus, obviously, didn't know the answer to this question. "Uh, I just wanted to appreciate the classics!"

"Makes sense, the renaissance was a good time." Logan commented, walking back into the room with a large bowl of popcorn.

"I love that the Nerd is getting involved with our Disney talks!" Remus giggled. Virgil choked, Patton laughed a tiny bit, and Logan rose a brow.

"Did you just fucking giggle?" Virgil asked, laughing. "Oh my God, it was so cute!"

"Watch you're language, Virgil. Roman, that was adorable!" Patton walked over to him and pinched his cheeks.

"That was not a giggle! It was a chuckle, there's a difference." Remus rubbed his cheeks.

The movie began the second Logan sat down.

---

Roman sat alone in his room, waiting patiently for Remus to return.

Roman would never say this to anyone, but his room was so boring.

Roman had read all the fantasy and romance novels on his shelf a dozen times, and went ham on all of the fantasy video games he could think of.

So, yeah, nothing to do except for maybe draw or write.

He wondered briefly if he should begin working again, but that was quickly brushed aside when he remembered that Thomas would notice that his creativity would feel different and then they would interrogate Remus.

Plus, if he began doing his creative duties again, then he would automatically have to stop ducking out. If that happens, Thomas will instantly feel the return of his ego and summon him.

Roman huffed, laying down on his bed.

He harshly sucked the air in through his teeth when he felt himself begin flickering.

Flickering felt painful, but in a weird way. It was like every piece of him was being taken apart and put together over and over again.

It was worse than the last time, so Remus could probably feel it.

Roman never thought he would say it, but Remus was an angel.

He had done so much for him, and all Roman could do was cause him pain. Man, he was such a bad brother.

The fit finally subsided, and Roman was thankful that Remus hadn't abruptly left the others to check on him.

In the back of his mind, he wondered if this was what Rapunzel felt like when she was trapped in the tower for 18 years.

He heard the others laugh, and he was glad that they were happy.

He hoped Remus was happy too, then everyone would be happy.

Everyone who mattered, anyways.

A/N:

Bleh, this one is kinda boring.

We finally have a closing date on the house my family is gonna buy 🕺🕺