Dramatastic- Sanders Side Highschool AU

Chapter 15

WARNING: Mentions of divorce and some half angst

Virgil's' father had gathered all the photo frames thrown around his sons' room and had piled them on the bed. He stroked one or two, where rips had taken an entire body, not a face. "He used to be my husband," Emile said, as though Roman and Thomas were therapists, not teenagers who'd technically broken into his house.

"What do you mean by 'used to be'?" Thomas asked shyly, really wishing he wasn't so curious.

"We were married for a year when we decided to adopt Virgil. Evan worked as an accountant and I was a therapist with... questionable hours..." Emile smiled to himself, a singe tear falling down his cheek as he picked up a photo of the family at the beach. In the photo, Emile was cradling a sleeping baby Virgil, with his arm wrapped around the taller, now faceless man. "It was fine... Virgil would be picked up by a nanny when Evan left and dropped off when Evan got home."

Roman swallowed nervously. "So why did he leave?" Thomas elbowed Roman sharply for his insensitivity, but Emile didn't seem to care.

"Because Virgil got to first grade and Evan's' job didn't do flexible hours. It was making him late for work and he loved his job too much to get fired..." Emile's' eyes welled with more and more tears as he picked up another photo. "He loved it more than a family..."

The teenagers gasped quietly, exchanging a glance of sympathy.

Emile's' voice cracked and his hands shook. "So he asked for a divorce. He still loved us but he didn't love us enough. It was Virgil's' s-seventh birthday when we went into court..." The father brought his knees to his chest, still gazing longingly at whatever life had been abandoned which he just couldn't find again. "And he couldn't forgive him... We had to move because just seeing Evan in the town we used to live in would make Virgil cry. And I couldn't do that to him-! I-I couldn't-!"

Virgil's' fathers' voice hitched suddenly, and he began to silently sob. So much bottled sorrow and sadness came pouring out onto his son's' MCR duvet and Thomas hugged him tightly. Roman stood and mouthed, 'I'll be back,' to Thomas before silently leaving the room.

.:*:.

Roman knocked on the bathroom door. "Virgil?" He whispered.

A click was heard as the door unlocked and Roman waited a few moments before letting himself in. The moment he shut the door behind him and turned around, Virgil just hugged him. The small emo didn't let go and Roman wondered how on earth he managed to go from wanting to tell Virgil that he'd been cast to listening to his friend's' heartbroken father and comforting his poor classmate.

"He emailed Dad last week, Ro..." Mumbled Virgil into Roman's' neck and Roman tried not to shiver. Virgil's' hot breathing was against his bare skin and it gave him a nice kind of goosebumps that filled his whole body with an indescribable tingling. Roman smiled to himself at the trust he'd managed to build so quickly and just pulled Virgil in a tighter hug. "He said he wanted to see us again..."

"Do you want to see him?"

Virgil began to shake in his arms. "I don't know! He left us eight years ago, he can't just saunter back into our lives! We've been fine without him and he's got no right!"

"Hey, hey, emo, it's okay, don't panic, okay?" Roman hushed hurriedly, bringing Virgil down with him as he sat on the ground. "Your dad wouldn't make you see him if you didn't want to."

"But what if he comes and sweeps dad off his feet or something? I know dad isn't over him," Virgil whined sadly, hiding his face deeper in Roman's' neck. "Even if he says he is, he isn't... And I want dad to be happy! I-I just don't want him to be happy with- with Evan!"

Roman rubbed Virgil's' back in small, circular motions, feeling very odd. He had never usually been the one to comfort people - that had always been Patton. He was always so caught up in his own bubble that he felt his problems were the biggest. Damn... He was a really big jerk...

"Vee, it's okay! If your dad does want to see Evan again, you can bring me. Then you won't even have to pay him any attention..." Promised Roman.

Virgil sniffed slightly. "Dad keeps their wedding photo by his bed. He thinks I don't know because it's face down but I've seen him prop it up properly when he goes to sleep. I don't want Evan back! H-He left us, he can't just come r-r-running back!"

Roman felt Virgil's' breath against his neck quicken. "Virgil, calm down, everything's okay. Just keep breathing. Just keep breathing."

They sat there in silence for a long time. Virgil's' breathing slowed and he began to loosen his grip on Roman. Now he just rested his head in Roman's' neck.

Roman cleared his throat. "You got the role."

"Huh?"

"The role. You're cast as Lucifer."

Virgil jolted away from Roman, leaving him feeling oddly disappointed. "Really?! That's epic! A-Are you serious?!"

"Well, yeah! Me and Remus got our parts too! That's why we arrived in the first place anyway," Grinned Roman. Virgil giggled - it was adorable.

A knock on the door disturbed them.

"Roman? Your mother's here to pick you up. Virgil, dinner is ready." Emile said.

.:*:.

Virgil waved goodbye to Roman. Thomas had left a while ago, so Virgil shut the door to a house of just he and his dad. He turned around to see his father in the hallway.

"Yes?" Virgil asked cautiously.

Emile smirked cheekily. "You two spent a long time together. Has my son finally found love?"

"N-No, of course not! We're just friends!"

"Sure..." Teased Emile.

"DAD!"