A Series of Sanders

The Aftermath- The Glove

Virgil lounged on the couch, his large headphones covering his ears as he stared up at the ceiling. Today had been a quiet day for him. He had expected that though- with Thomas choosing the wedding over the callback, there was really no need for Thomas to feel anxious about attending the event. Virgil had been working overtime- even if subconsciously- on the days leading up to today, but now that April 13 had arrived, the atmosphere of the room was more filled with a heavy sadness than it was with anxiety. 

That didn't mean Virgil was the least bit comfortable, though. Not in the slightest. He knew Patton and Roman were discussing the event with Thomas, and that Logan was trying his best to provide unobtrusive facts to guide the conversation. His presence wouldn't necessarily be unwelcome, but after last time... God, after what he had told Thomas? No, staying out of sight was definitely the better option. 

Movement in the corner of his eye caught Virgil's attention, and he turned his head to see Logan standing in the common room, blinking his eyes heavily. Virgil propped himself up on his elbows, opening his mouth to address the other side as he pulled one headphone down off his ear, but before he could say anything, Logan was strutting swiftly down the hallway towards his room. Virgil winced as the door slammed behind him, half-tempted to stand and follow him, but his thoughts convinced him otherwise. If Logan had wanted to talk to me, he reasoned as he adjusted his position on the couch, he would have. Obviously he's busy with... stuff. The explanation didn't sound very sound even to Virgil himself, but he shook the thought out of his head as he readjusted the headphones and turned the volume up on his music. 

Virgil had begun to wonder how long the others' discussion would take when someone else arrived in the common room. He felt his jaw fall ajar as he stared at Roman, at his... no, red eyes? On Roman?  Virgil stood, not entirely sure what he wanted to say but knowing he had to say something- this wasn't the Roman he knew. "Roman-" He started, not taking his eyes off of him. 

But, unlike the tear stains Virgil could see even from there, the look that Roman shot him was not unfamiliar at all. It was a look Virgil had seen hundreds of times from the prince, every single time he had showed up unannounced to a discussion. A look of pure, unfiltered resentment. But what had he done? As of late, Roman and him had been friendly, maybe even close with each other. This sudden 180 back into how Roman had used to look at him sent a jolt through Virgil, forcing him to take a step back. His legs connected with the couch and, having lost his stable footing, Virgil collapsed onto the couch again. 

Roman kept his eyes pinned on Virgil, staring daggers at him as he strode out of the room towards his own, finally taking his eyes off of him as he snapped his head forward again. Virgil jumped at the crack that sounded as Roman punched the light wood of Patton's door before stalking to his own room, kicking the door shut behind him. Virgil stared after him, his head swimming with confusion. First Logan, now Roman? His stomach shifted uncomfortably as he thought. Whatever was happening with Thomas right now... it wasn't good. 

He continued to stare down the hallway until Patton arrived. Much to Virgil's relief, Patton looked far less distraught than either Roman or Logan had, but he could still sense the unease coming from the other side. "Hey kiddo," Patton greeted halfheartedly, following Virgil's gaze down the corridor. 

Virgil stood, drawing Patton's attention to him. "Patton- what's happening?" 

"Uh, well," Patton rubbed the fabric of the sweater tied around his shoulders between his fingers, looking behind him nervously. "It's complicated," 

Virgil rolled his eyes. It was complicated? He would have never guessed. "Duh," He deadpanned. "Logan has gone silent, Roman was crying, and today's discussion lasted for nearly an hour. Obviously something is complicated," Virgil shoved his hands in his pockets, still not taking his eyes off Patton. "I want to know what." 

But Patton wasn't paying attention. "Roman was crying?" He looked nervous.  

"Yeah," Virgil drew out the word as he tried to gauge what Patton was thinking. "That's what I said," He stepped in front of Patton, really hoping that this time he would get a clear answer out of him. "Do you know why?" 

Patton looked as though he was about to respond when someone else entered the room behind him. As soon as Virgil's eyes fell on the side he felt a grimace fall into place on his face. Patton turned, following Virgil's eyes, and as he looked at Deceit, Virgil saw his face grow red. "I'm... Gonna go," he said, his voice higher than usual. Virgil was too preoccupied glaring at Deceit to respond, but he had wished he had said something as soon as Patton fled the room. 

Deceit didn't say anything, only looked at him with a mixed expression that Virgil didn't want to take the time to decipher. He finally spoke after a long minute of them staring at each other in silence, his voice quiet, softer than Virgil had expected. "I... told them. They know now."

The news hit Virgil like a shockwave, and he had to stop himself from stepping backwards again. They... knew? He had told them? That meant that Deceit wasn't Deceit anymore, instead he was... "Janus?" The word left his lips barely above a whisper, but he couldn't stop it from slipping out. The side looked at him, just the hint of a smile on his face as he nodded. Virgil thought back to Roman, to Patton, and connected the dots. "Roman laughed at you, didn't he?" 

Janus'- he really was Janus again- smile faltered. "Possibly," 

Virgil's words grew cold as he thought back to Roman's face as he had entered the common room, to the glare he had shot at Virgil. "What did you say to him?" He ground out between his teeth. 

"Nothing at all," Janus said, far too quickly, far too smoothly. A lie. 

"Don't," Virgil warned, his eyes narrowing. He bristled as he saw Janus roll his eyes before responding, casually admiring the non-existent nails on his gloved hand. 

"I might have compared him to his brother, made him question his importance to the group and unconventionally informed him that he is not, in fact, Thomas' hero," Janus said quickly, letting the sentence ride out on a single breath. "All in good fun, of course," 

Virgil stared at the side in front of him, revolted that he had ever considered him a friend. "What is wrong with you?" He asked quietly, immediately shattering Janus' cool demeanour. "How could you say that? After all the hoops you made Roman jump through- God, you're disgusting." 

"You still haven't changed Virgil, have you?" Janus shot back, "Always defending them, saying they're 'not so bad'. Even now you're a suck-up to the lot of them,"  

"Excuse me for finding a family who cares about my well-being." Virgil hissed. "You knew how uncomfortable Remus made me, even back then. And yet you two wouldn't leave me alone!" 

"Calm down, Virgil, Remus is harmless," Janus shrugged. 

"Care to remind me who called him 'evil' not a few minutes ago?" Virgil watched in satisfaction as Janus blinked at him, obviously confused. 

His voice was barely above a whisper, "How do you know about that?" 

"You just confirmed it for me right now," Virgil replied smugly, grateful for all the noir detective shows Logan had showed him. "And I think there's someone else you need to explain it to," Virgil pointed beyond Janus' shoulder, into the darkness of the hallway behind him. Remus had been leaning against the wall in the shadows ever since Virgil had mentioned his name. As Janus turned to face him, Remus' expression morphed into a glare. 

Janus spun back around to face Virgil, his face red with anger, but Virgil merely threw up a peace sign before spinning on his heel to head back to his room. That was not his problem to deal with.