be my next mistake // prinxiety

★ 3 : a quick answer ★

The answer was yes, but as long as it was promoted as a song added to the new album, meaning the full song needed to be finished within less than a month, which Virgil could definitely do.

Through a tiny bit of digging, he found Janus' Instagram and messaged him after he scrolled through the entire account, making sure he wasn't going to promote someone problematic. He also checked his following list for any problematic celebrities like Doja Cat and 6ix9ine, to thankfully find nothing of the sort.

virgil: hey janus, my friend @pattonambrose found your song on soundcloud called virtue and sent it to me. i really liked it and listened to the rest of your music that you have on there. you follow me and i saw you've mentioned me before in your posts

virgil: i also saw you're based in la so i'm wondering if you wanna collab and it would be an added song to my album "not yours" on june 4th

virgil: just give me a quick answer and my team will send you all the info you need :)

He knew he was at a level of fame that many would take the offer without batting an eye because of their love for Virgil, but that never made Virgil more cocky.

He was still the anxious piece of shit he always was.

All he needed was an answer.

~~~

"Logan is not sending me nudes! He's literally in the bathroom right now!"

"Your point? The bathroom is an appropriate and private place to take nudes!" Roman laughed and ran around with Janus' phone.

Janus hissed, "Give my phone back!"

"Why? Do you have nudes on there?" He turned on Janus' phone. "What's your passw-..."

Janus frowned. "What? You got quiet. Usually you never know when to shut up."

Roman would have made a joke about how that statement made him and Logan perfect for each other, but he was too deep in shock. "Janus." He turned the phone around to show the notifications. "Look."

Janus' eyes widened. "No fucking way." He snatched his phone back and unlocked it to make sure it was Virgil's official account.

The verification mark and the typical first name celebrity username proved them right.

He flipped between the conversation and his profile about a million times with his hand over his mouth.

"Virgil fucking Cassidy loves your music and wants to collab with you!" Roman screamed and could have passed out from excitement. "Say yes right now!"

Janus was left profoundly speechless but nodded and sent a long message to Virgil thanking him and saying he'd love to collaborate.

"Ro, we have neighbors, please keep it down. I'm excited for Janus too, but you're going to lose your voice. Not that I'd complain," Logan stated, returning from the bathroom. He turned to Janus and blushed. "This is such a great opportunity for you."

"Do I deserve it? Is Virgil Cassidy just playing with me right now?" Janus worried.

He always had a cynical outlook of the world, and Logan appreciated it much more than Roman did. Roman said it was just because "Logan's into sexy sad people".

"I don't think so. You're so talented. Virgil was a SoundCloud artist at one point too, wasn't he? I think he just sees something in you like he should."

Janus warmed at Logan's words and Roman nodded in agreement. "Oh God, he messaged me back," Janus said.

virgil: haha cool

virgil: my manager joan is gonna email you soon with more info. i've got another mv shoot for the rest of the day but if you've got any ideas to throw at me that i can check out later, i'm moving you to my primary dms so you can

virgil: see you soon janus

Roman was practically dead on the floor. "You need to introduce me to him," he begged Janus.

~~~

Virgil usually did his own makeup for music video shoots, but only when he was also the one directing it, which he wasn't.

Patton pulled the final outfit off the rack. He handed it to Virgil, smiling. "Your last day!" he squealed.

He only had one more scene to film, which included the ending shot before it cut to black which he got to decide for himself. It would focus on his mouth which would hold a sparkly silver chain between his teeth.

Virgil wasn't one to flex too hard, but it was nice to show what he got from his hard work. He constantly had to remind himself he deserved it because he earned it all himself, but as always, he doubted it all.

But since a topic in the song was his fame, he gladly accepted the money gun to use in a portion of his music video, except he replaced the toy money with his own money. He didn't feel bad, knowing all the money in the gun and more were to be donated. Frequently, there were "eat the rich, except Virgil Cassidy" jokes everywhere and he ate up all of them.

A couple hours passed and Virgil was in his casual clothing with his hood on and wiped off all his makeup. He was in the process of choosing which takes he wanted to use with his team for the final product.

Suddenly he heard yelling and leaned back in his chair to the direction of it.

Turns out, a fangirl snuck past security and was being chased by them. She ran up to Virgil and held up her phone.

He sighed and covered his face right before she took a photo. "You're not allowed in here. And stop taking pictures that I haven't said yes to."

She wouldn't stop and he resisted the urge to shove her off.

"Security!" he called.

Once two guards caught up, they dragged her away forcefully to match her trying to run back to the singer.

As soon as she was in the distance, he yawned and went back to work. "Anyways, I like this one. It shows my smudged lipstick clearer."

Finally, it was time for him to leave the studio. He had three bodyguards with him. Two to his sides and one behind.

It took him a moment to collect himself to face the outside world.

This time, I have guards.

I'll be okay.

He hated that he felt unsafe going out.

But he couldn't handle being touched like that again, like he was a dog toy.

He smiled and waved to all the fans who kept a respectful distance with their phones, but his anxiety pumped through his veins and he nearly exploded. He couldn't help but dart his eyes around for anyone coming too close. He shouldn't have worried, but he did.

The singer passed out in bed as soon as he got home, but woke to the sound of his alarm labeled: get ready for another interview dumb bitch.

Give me a fucking break.