Remile: Orange Tea

It'll Be Okay

3rd Person POV:

Now everyone was gathered at the beach, crowded around Virgil and Roman. Janus was sitting cross-legged on the sand next to Remus, Remy was perched on the cooler again, and everyone else had a seat on the chairs underneath the sun umbrella. Patton had a sandwich-- apparently climbing trees made you hungry. 

"So what's the news?" Emile asked, leaning forward on his red chair.

Virgil smiled. "Just a second. Also, you have some ice cream on your chin," he informed the other, who only grinned embarrassedly and wiped it off with a paper towel. Virgil looked to Roman. "So, babe, do you wanna tell them?"

Roman nodded excitedly, bouncing in anticipation. "Yes, yes, yes. Okay. So we, we kind of," he paused to think for a second, "Yeah. We, maybe, just a little bit... adopted a kitten!"

Patton gasped, hands flying to his mouth. "What?! Oh my god can I see it? Can I come over and pet it? Please please please?" he begged, eyes wide in excitement. "That's so wonderful!"

Virgil laughed. "Slow down, slow down," he teased. "Her name is Tangerine, courtesy of this idea freak over here." He nodded at Roman, who rolled his eyes.

Remy whistled. "That's pretty cool. Tangerine, hm? How? Wasn't there, like, a blizzard just a day ago?"

Roman nodded. "Yeah. Clarke was hit pretty bad, from what I hear. Orchid City, I think, was spared."

"That's why we could come here, right?" Jan finished for him. "Yup. I was watching the news with Emile. Clarke and Sunrise got it the worst. And it was so cold." He shivered, remembering.

Virgil hummed tunelessly, grabbing a soda from the cooler. "I don't know how Tangie got to our house. She just kind of wandered in."

Logan raised an eyebrow. "Really? I wonder how she managed to get to your doorstep. Did she have a collar or any other sign of adoption?"

"Nope," Virgil answered. "We found her yesterday, during the blizzard-storm-thing." He took a drink of his soda and sighed, looking out at the ocean. "So, Remy, have you told everyone about... you know."

Remy froze a little bit, then shook it off and looked away. "Um, no. I feel like I should tell the rest of you, too," he said to Emile, Janus, and Logan, who now wore confused expressions.

Emile looked a bit worried. "Is everything alright? Did something happen?" 

Swallowing, Remy curled his hand into a quiet fist and let it go. "So um. You remember Andy, right, my ex?"

Janus looked up. "Yes. Remy, I think I can tell where this is going."

"I can't," Emile said, confused and worried. "What is it?"

Remy let out a long breath before replying. "I'm going to court with him. The officers at the police department let me know that it would be in my 'best interests' to take him to court before 'he hurt someone'." He made quotation marks in the air. "Apparently he's been trouble for the police and they want to lock him up."

Remus hit the chair, hard. "But that's bullshit," he exclaimed. "You were already hurt."

Patton glanced away and back. "Apparently they didn't think about that."

"So will you guys come?" Remy asked pleadingly. "Virgil and Roman have already agreed, and of course Patton's coming. Please?"

Emile nodded. "Of course I can come. I'd be there even if you hadn't asked."

Everyone's attention turned to Janus, who had been silent. "What about you, Jan?" Patton asked. "Can you..."

Janus looked up as if startled out of a daydream. "I... I don't think I can," he muttered, turning away. "I'm sorry."

Virgil blinked. "Why not? Is there something else in your schedule?"

The other shook his head and was quiet for a while. After a long silence, he spoke again. "I can't... I can't go to courtrooms."

"Sure you can," Roman pressed. "What's stopping you?"

Janus squeezed his hand into a fist, digging the nails into his palm. "I don't want to talk about it," he said. When he looked up again, his eyes were apologetic but firm. "I just... I can't, alright?"

Emile seemed to remember something. He touched Janus's arm lightly, with a small, gentle smile on his face. "He can't," he supplied. "I know why. It's fine, you don't have to."

Remy nodded. "Yeah, you don't, don't worry about it, alright?" He grinned at Janus, who looked relieved.

"Thanks..." he said. "I'll still be here for you, of course, but I just don't think I can handle the stress." He pressed a hand to his heart and mimed falling backward dramatically. "But actually," he began, in all seriousness, "Thank you for letting me stay away from courtrooms."

Virgil smiled and punched Janus lightly, in the arm. "No problem."

"Now!" Logan clapped his hands together, gazing around at everyone. "Now that has been solved, we should probably leave. It's getting too bright."

Remus laughed. "You coward, playtime has just begun. I haven't even poured sand down Roman's--"

"That's enough, Remus," Janus interrupted, holding up a hand. "I don't think I want to know what you planned to do."

Patton grinned. "Yeah, me neither." A gull swooped overhead, crying out loudly and looking down with interest at Patton's sandwich. 

Virgil sighed. "I am tired. Let's go."

Everyone began to pack up, stuffing the towels into bags and dropping food into the cooler. Once everything was ready to go, they climbed into the two cars and drove off. 

Remy, Patton, and Virgil drove with Logan, while Remus, Janus, and Emile were with Roman and his black van. 

When Remy and Patton arrived at their house, they got out and waved to Logan before sitting on the couch and contemplating what to do next. 

"Wanna watch a movie?" Patton asked, breaking the silence. 

Remy sighed and leaned back, scrounging for the remote in the couch cushions. "Sure, what movie?"

Patton tilted his head. "Hm... how about The Lion King? We haven't watched that in a while, I'd like to see it again."

"Sounds good," Remy replied, standing up and looking through the DVDs. He picked out the orange-yellow cover of the Lion King and inserted it into the disk folder, stepping back up and flopping next to Patton on the couch again. 

Patton smiled. "Kiddo?"

The brunette looked over at his brother. "Yeah, Pat?"

"It's all going to be alright, you know that?" Patton reminded him kindly, giving him a gentle punch in the shoulder and grinning. "We can make it through this. We've been through worse, and this time, we have more friends!" 

Remy smiled softly. "Yeah, I know."

"It'll be okay."