The Aberrations of S.I.D.E.

No. 31: Darkness Hidden

"Hey, last time we were here together, we were still figuring this whole thing out," Remus said. "It wasn't as hard back then."

Virgil tried to picture it in his head---two fourteen-year-old boys who just started dating, already not sure how to go forward, and staying in a place where displaying affection could have disastrous results. He felt a little pang of sympathy towards Janus and Remus in that moment.

Roman looked up at the doors to the ballroom, swallowing. "You ready for this?"

"As long as we avoid the Bianchi-De Lucas and Dad, I think we can handle it," Remus responded, adjusting his tie. "It'll be a bit awkward, sure, but what family reunion ball isn't, right?"

"Still can't get over the fact that your family throws fucking balls," Virgil muttered. "Didn't they, like, go out of fashion in the Edwardian era?"

"Balls will never go out of fashion," Janus said. "Let's go in and get this over with, shall we?"

Roman took a deep breath and pushed open the doors.

The ballroom was filled with people dressed to the nines, chatting amongst themselves and not paying any attention to the four boys who'd just walked in. It wasn't as cool-looking as the ballroom at the Academy, though---its only major staple was the big Christmas tree at the back. Other than that, it was just white-and-pink marble making up a room with a big ceiling.

"Primos!"

A short girl around their age with long, fluffy, dark brown hair ran over to the twins, giving them a bear hug. "I missed you, you motherfucking idiots!"

"VANESSA!" Roman and Remus cheered, hugging her back.

"God, I can't believe you finally got the balls to come out!" Vanessa exclaimed, breaking away with a grin. "Remus I get, but Roman's the biggest chicken in the history of forever! I thought it'd take him getting married to kick open the closet door!"

"Hey, give me some credit," Roman said. "I was out and proud everywhere else."

"Yeah, sure you were, pollo."

Janus pushed Virgil forward. "Nessa, I'd like you to meet the man who gave Roman the bravery he needed to burn his closet to the ground, despite the fact that the man in question has a ranging anxiety disor---"

"Jan."

"Right." He cleared his throat. "Virgil, Vanessa Sanchez. Nessa, Virgil Hayashi."

Virgil held out his hand. "Nice to meet---ooof," he grunted as Vanessa gave him a quick and unexpected hug. "Guess the hugging genes come from both sides of the family."

"I gotta admit, when I heard that someone had low enough standards to date Roman, I didn't expect him to be so cool that he perfectly blends goth and emo together," Vanessa said. "Seriously, how'd you end up with someone as dorky as my cousin?"

Virgil shrugged. "He's got low standards, I've got low standards---we fit fine."

She let out a laugh. "Yeah, I definitely get that. You two do seem like a nice fit, though---I mean, I thought Janus and Remus would last two months, tops, and look at them now! I've already claimed maid of honor at their wedding!"

"Wow, you really had that little faith?" Virgil said, raising an eyebrow. "Even if they weren't dating, I'd think they were soulmates."

"I guess it was because I couldn't believe that Sir Dapper Fancypants wanted to date Garbage Man McGee, but yeah, they're surprisingly perfect together."