be my next mistake // prinxiety

★ 11 : a better place ★

*tw: family deaths*

Roman finished his homework. He was halfway through third grade at the time so his homework took no time at all. As a child, he always had time to let his creativity swarm over.

He pressed crayons to the paper and drew him and his family. There was him with a red shirt and crown atop his head, and he held his mother's hand. She wore a Phantom of the Opera shirt because she had once played Christine Daaé on Broadway. Roman wanted to be like her, and she always encouraged him. She taught him everything about the basics.

Next to his mother was his father with a big smile, wearing a pink polo. On the far right was his twin brother, Remus. He had his arms crossed with an angry expression on his face.

His father entered from the kitchen and sat down next to Roman.

"Dad!" Roman exclaimed. He showed off his drawing. "Look! I'm gonna give it to Mom and Remus when they get back. Maybe then Remus will be nicer to me and stop trying to eat all my art supplies."

His father forced out a smile and ruffled Roman's messy brown hair. "Looks great, Roman!"

"So when are they coming back?"

In order to save Roman's feelings, his father stayed quiet. He lied to him, but he couldn't lie forever. It had been two months since Remus and Roman's mother "went on a trip".

Roman waited patiently. He didn't know any better.

"They're off to a better place," his father had told him. "An accident happened, but you'll see them again one day, I promise." He kissed Roman's forehead.

"Okay!" Roman replied. "Just a couple more months then?"

He shook his head with a sad smile. "No. Not a few more months. You're staying here for a long time."

~~~

Roman didn't understand at the time that he was the only one his father had left. His parents died of old age and he was an only child.

He was so lonely.

And Roman felt the same way because he was an orphan, as his father passed from a heart attack when Roman was in middle school before he was put in an adoption center. Thankfully, he liked his foster parents, but they couldn't fix how he felt.

He wanted to stay alive for his father. He wanted to show Remus he was, in fact, strong enough. And he promised his mother since he could talk that he'd follow in her footsteps.

Roman grabbed a pillow and held it tight against his chest as tears stung his eyes like angry wasps until he let them fall.

Logan opened the door at the sound of Roman crying. He peered in and his heart dropped. "Would you like a hug?"

The theatre student nodded and hugged Logan. Logan was his coldest friend but gave the warmest hugs. He was also one of the very select few people he told his orphan story to.

He couldn't help but think of Virgil then, now that they were friends.

Virgil's got problems with his family, just nobody fully knows what. Maybe we have something sort of in common.

~~~

Virgil couldn't think of one fucked up thing about Roman, something that might prove he's a bad person after all. But when he thought of Roman, he saw the perfect boy.

Actually, no. Not a boy. Virgil was tired of boys. To him, Roman was a real man.

Maybe Roman was secretly a drug addict. Maybe he had a collection of creepy dolls in his basement? Maybe he liked to commit serial arson in his free time?