Lies #5: Sanders

Chapter 12

Roman:

They laid there on that bed together for an amount of time that seemed like an eternity.

Neither of them wanted to leave. Although there were bodies, blood, and flesh scattered across the entire room, the bed was completely clean. Although Virgil had blood on his clothes, hands, and face, Roman still held him close. Neither of them wanted to leave because that meant they had to continue on with their lives. It wouldn't just be them and their love, whispering reassurances and feelings so quietly that only the other could hear just barely. They murmured secrets and little things they had never told anyone before. Not because they wanted them hidden, but because there had never been anyone to share them with. If they left, they would have to face J. S. and the rest of the world, their fears and the mistakes they'd made. So, they stayed, sharing innocent kisses and little things about themselves. And if Roman hadn't been in love before, he was now drowning in it. Or perhaps drowning wasn't the correct word, because people try to resist drowning. Roman was letting himself sink without lifting a finger to fight against it.

But eternities must end eventually, despite what everyone says. Their time was cut short when the door creaked open and Logan peeked in, kicking a body out of the way of the door. He pushed the door wider and entered, Patton just behind him. "I believe we've found them," he adjusted his glasses and nodded to the bed. Virgil sat up, still holding one of Roman's hands. "You guys finally decided to show up. You wouldn't believe how easy it was to kill all these people."

Patton stared at the two of them, his eyes flickering between them. "Um. Were you two, uh, about to um. Do something private? Because we can leave. Sorry we came in so suddenly!"

Both Roman and Virgil's faces darkened with blushes and Roman spluttered out, "O-Of course not! We were just talking! Jesus, Patton, you've accepted being gay for only a few hours and you're already thinking like that!" This, in turn, obviously embarrassed Patton. Patton covered his face with his hands, "Oh gosh, you're right! I-I'm so sorry!"

Meanwhile, Logan was confused. His eyebrows were furrowed and he opened and shut his mouth in multiple attempts to speak before finally saying, "Have you finished your test, and if so, why have we not returned to the mental hospital?"

That's... actually concerning. Roman had the feeling that this test was different from the others. There was no obvious door with a sign to go through, and Roman felt as if his test was done. Virgil had proven that someone could still love him, after knowing about the things in his past. Virgil, who was sitting next to him, was living, breathing evidence that Roman was worth something. And if Virgil said that Roman had deserved forgiveness since long ago, who was Roman to deny that? "I don't know." He sat up too, thankful for Virgil's hand softly holding his own. He couldn't resist one last glance at Virgil and found himself smiling. Although their moment was over, they would have another. That was one thing he could be certain of. They wouldn't separate after these tests; they had something that would transcend time itself. "But I'm pretty sure my test is over. Did you guys see a weird door with a sign while you were looking for us?"

"Unfortunately, no," Logan sighed. None of them spoke for a moment before Virgil huffed, "I bet it has something to do with Remus. We should probably go check on him." When Logan and Patton gave him confused looks, he rolled his eyes. "We found him in the dungeons earlier. He was screaming weird shit when we left."

It was unanimously decided that they should visit Remus.

As they made their way down to the dungeons, Roman began to wonder why Remus had come along. Originally, he had thought it was because J. S. thought it necessary for his own test, but now that his test was over... what was Remus's real purpose here? Maybe this wasn't just about Roman. Maybe J. S. realized we're not the only ones who are broken?