Thomas Sanders Sides OneShots 3

New Step-Brother - Roman x Virgil

Slowly, his body rose from the chair he sat upon, clicks from his bones sounding around him, making him sigh out in content. Closing the balcony glass door, his fingers left the cold see-through panel, legs carrying him across his rather large room to the door. At this time, he knew Roman to be hanging out in the back garden, practicing with his sword he was given at age thirteen, just three years ago, if Virgil were to be correct.

Gliding down the stairway, his eyes lingered on the open front door, catching a glimpse of his siblings and smiling just a little bit. He was happy his baby brother finally had a friend his age.

Meandering through the maze-like house, he found himself standing in the kitchen, the door opposite leading to the back garden that stretched like the size of a field.

Roman's Father was definitely quite wealthy.

Stepping by the sink filled with pots and pans, dirty from their earlier dinner, Virgil's cold hand wrapped around the golden-coloured metal doorknob, twisting slowly, the door cracked open, the orange glow from the outside world streaming in. Closing it behind him to keep in the cat Roman's younger brother owned. Virgil rested his hands in his deep jacket pockets and skipped up the four steps to the path lined with small bushes of purple flowers, cutting off into paths either visible or hidden by trees that looked over them, making it mysterious to walk through, as if you were in a fairy tail, the soft glow from the sun shining through the gaps of the leaves.

But this evening Virgil wasn't exploring, he was finding Roman, which he did after following the longest path, leading directly to the bottom of the garden, a hedge wall with a tall, green metal gate parted open halfway, the sound of soft grunts coming from within.

Moving to stand beside the gate, Virgil's eyes finally found what they were looking for, the boy dressed in white and red.

Sword in hand, he stabbed the air around him, techniques he learned as a young child being perfected as much as humanly possible.

He wanted to speak, yet he didn't know what to say, but a part of him was content with watching the way he moved, body flexing and tensing with each jab of the sword, facial expression contorted to one of deep concentration, eyes narrowed, eyebrows creased, lips in a tight, curled downward line.

Roman pulled back the sword from the imaginary enemy, his body twirling around halfway to stab the thick, tall tree behind him, the point of the sword going through the bark just a bit, letting Roman lean on the handle a little, chest heaving with pants that escaped his mouth in short, clouds of white.

"Finished?"

Virgil's voice broke the silence, but he made sure to keep it soft, not wanting to make the boy jump.

Roman didn't move for a few seconds, tugging the sword from the tree and slowly turning to face Virgil, running a hand through his hair which involuntarily pulled his head up, both their eyes caught in each other's strong gaze, holding silent words.

"Why?" Roman plunged the top of the sword into the soft ground, leaning against it. "Does the emo nightmare wish to lean against the tree, listening to rock music while staring into the sky and wishing for something he can't have?" Roman teased, but his expression held something else. Not taking his childish behaviour to heart, Virgil stepped closer, shrugging.

"I have everything I need" was his simple reply, silencing Roman who huffed, sliding the sword into the holder attached to the belt wrapped fittingly around his waist.

"Well, aren't you lucky"

Virgil's arm shot out, stopping the taller boy from leaving the hidden part of the garden. Rolling his eyes, Roman took a step back, watching Virgil close the gate, rattling against the lock.

"Is there anything you want?"

"Are you okay?"

"I-what?" Roman tilted his head, expression closed off. Virgil could almost see the walls Roman built around himself raising with every second, so he had to be quick.

"If you're not happy with the life you have right now, why don't you do something?" Virgil hazard a guess at Roman's stance upon his life, but even if what he said wasn't true for Roman, Virgil knew Roman didn't like the way it was going now.

Scoffing, Roman's arms crossed over his chest.

"Hm? And how would I do that?" Roman condescendingly asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Talk to him? He's your Dad"

Letting out a laugh, Virgil could hear the broken edge to it, the force he had to put in to try and laugh, and it wasn't even real in this situation. Virgil wondered how hard it was for Roman to actually laugh.

"You don't think I've tried? Virgil, you have the luxury of having a caring dad, who is still alive, I have no one-"

"That's not true"

"Name the people who care" Roman raised his voice, the walls surrounding him cracking and chipping, crumbling at the edges as Virgil stepped closer, eyes set with determination.

"I do"

Silence.

Licking his dry lips, Roman in all honesty wasn't expecting that answer, he assumed he would try and tell him his Dad cared, and his mom does, when he doesn't even know his Mom, and he definitely knows his Father doesn't.

Blinking, Roman glanced at the setting sun just over the wall bushes, Virgil staying in the corner of his eyes, although he was the only thing he concentrated on most.

"Well, thank you"

"Don't think you're alone, those "friends" of yours in school? They aren't good enough, you can hang out with me, my friends would love you"

Roman stepped forward, the two boys closer than they realised, eyes level with height.

"I know you want to mean something to someone else, and you do"

A soft smile swept across Roman's lips, resting there as Virgil joined him to smile, too.

"This is very kind of you" Roman admitted, scratching his neck. "Why?"

Shrugging, Virgil tugged his sleeves over his hands. "It's what friends do"

Roman smirked, "Oh? You don't see me as a brother?"

A chuckle. "I never saw you as a brother!"

"I'll be honest, neither did I"

"Besides, friends can become something brothers can't..."