Remy's POV
(Warning for: Well, it's the same discussion they've had throughout the story about their parents, but this time they're more direct about what their parents will do if they fail.)
"I can't do it, Remy. I just... I can't do it." Virgil murmured, pacing back and forth across the dorm. "Relax. It's just one dinner, how hard can it be?" I sighed, feeling annoyed as I laid in my bed and did my nails. "I can't handle it. He drives me crazy. He's too good at this. I'm scared that I'll mess up and ruin everything." Virgil panicked, his breathing getting out of control. "Virgil, hey. Listen to me." I said, sitting up quickly and putting away the nail filer.
I walked over to Virgil and caught him, holding his arms tightly. "You need to breath." I told him firmly. Virgil nodded, slowly taking in deep breaths. "There you go." I told him before letting him go. "I hate this... I can't do this... I can't handle it Remy. He makes me an absolute mess... and I'm scared... What happens if..." Virgil rambled incoherently before stopping himself. "If?" I prompted, raising an eyebrow. "Remy... if this keeps up... I might fall in love with him..." Virgil admitted quietly, seeming terrified by the thought. What is it with these Auradons and getting us to fall in love with them? I wondered.
"Is that really so bad?" I asked, causing him to look at me suspiciously. "I mean... You could still be with him. Yeah, sure, the love potion thing isn't great, but you could always undo it and apologize." I elaborated. "But we need him to be under the spell for this plan to work." Virgil groaned. "Besides... Even if they let him live, he'll never want to talk to me again... and I don't want Mom to force him to be with me." He added. "Then... maybe we don't have to carry out the plan." I suggested.
"What? Of course we do. Remy, what the hell has gotten into you? Of course we have to carry out the plan, that's why we came here." Virgil demanded. "Yeah, but... Why do we have to be evil, just because our parents are?" I asked hesitantly. "Look, Remy, I know you hate your mother, and you have every right to... but if we don't do this, your parents could kill you, and my Mom..." Virgil began, taking a deep breath. "This is my chance to finally make her proud of me..." He murmured.
Maybe I should talk to him about this later... I still need to talk to Remus and Janus, maybe they can help me convince him... That is, if they agree... Janus may have changed Remus's mind instead of the other way around. I thought.
"Alright... You're right..." I sighed, taking a deep breath. "How can I help?" I asked, putting my hands into my pockets. "How do I handle his flirting? What am I supposed to do?" Virgil groaned. "Flirt back." I told him with a shrug. "You said that before. But when he flirts with me it takes all my willpower to keep from shutting down. People don't flirt with me, Remy. I don't know how to handle this." Virgil complained, hiding his face in his hands.
I smirked as an idea entered my mind, and walked closer to Virgil. I took his hands and lowered them, forcing him to look at me. "What are you doing?" Virgil questioned, looking sceptically at my smirk. "Helping you build a tolerance for flirting." I told him before pressing him up against the wall. "Hey baby... I couldn't help but see that you're looking awfully delicious." I flirted, causing Virgil to blink, looking at me with nothing but confusion. After processing what I said, his lips became a thin line, and it quickly became obvious he was holding back laughter.
Feeling offended, I scoffed and released him, and he quickly covered his hand to muffle his breath. "Sorry... I..." Virgil attempted to say, but speaking only caused the laughter to spill out. "That was one of my best lines!" I pouted, crossing my arms as he clutched his stomach and bent over. "I- I- I'm sorry! Ha! It's just..." Virgil said between laughter, trying to pull himself together. "Listen, if anyone... Heh... if... one sec..." Virgil started before taking a deep breath.
"Okay, look. If anyone, literally anyone else... well except Remus or Janus... did that, I'd be a flustered mess, I promise I'd faint. It's just, you're like a brother to me, so, it was just so weird and unexpected that all I could do was laugh." He explained with an awkward expression. "Fine, I guess." I huffed. "So how can I help you then?" I asked, sitting back down on the bed. "I don't know... just... Immoral support?" Virgil said hesitantly. "Always." I assured him. "Really? Because lately..." Virgil muttered bitterly before stopping himself. "Never mind." He quickly added, looking away.
Before I could reply, there was a knock on the door. Virgil took a deep breath, and checked himself over in the mirror before answering it. "Hey." Roman greeted, smiling fondly as he studied Virgil. "Uh... hi..." Virgil returned, already looking at Roman in awe. "I got these for you." Roman stated, pulling out a bouquet of violets from behind his back. "Oh... I..." Virgil stammered, accepting the flowers. "Thanks, Princey... You're quite the charmer aren't you?" He teased before looking towards me. I gave him a half hearted thumbs up, and he sighed in relief before returning his attention to Roman.
"Only for you, my Dark Prince." Roman cooed, reaching forward to tuck some loose hair behind Virgil's ear. Virgil made a flustered sound as Roman stepped out of the doorframe, gesturing for Virgil to enter the hall. "Uh... Could you put these in a vase or something?" Virgil asked me, handing me the vase. "With pleasure, dark prince." I teased, causing Virgil to hiss at me. I chuckled before putting the flowers away, and watched with a smirk as Virgil rolled his eyes. "I'll be back..." Virgil muttered before leaving with Roman. "Alright." I replied as the door closed. And when you're back... I'll have help. I thought.
Hopefully the three of us can talk some sense into you...
Remus's POV
(Warning for self deprecation)
I smiled widely as I walked down the forest trail, breathing in all the smells, absorbing all the sounds. Is this what it's like to feel alive? I wondered before snickering at myself. Since when am I so philosophical? I wondered, turning to Logan with a grin. "So, Logie, what do you like to do for fun?" I asked him, walking backwards and watching as Rocky sniffed at the ground. "I enjoy puzzles, reading, writing, and learning new things." Logan answered, chuckling after Rocky looked up and barked. "I also enjoy going on walks, and spending time with Rocky, of course." He added, reaching down to pet the dog.
"I like music, dancing, painting, drawing, pulling pranks, making traps... Probably not allowed to do that here... I could make prank traps I guess." I listed, smiling as I turned to walk forwards again. "I also like stargazing... Jannie and I used to always climb up to the roof of my Mom's apartment building and look up at the stars. We'd talk about what we think might be up there... or just talk about life." I told him, smiling softly as I looked up at the sky.
We walked in silence for a moment, and I looked over my shoulder to see Logan staring at me. I smirked at him and snickered, causing him to blush and look down. "Like what you see?" I teased, causing him to turn redder. "I... uh..." He stammered before clearing his throat. "What do you think the stars are?" He asked, clumsily trying to change the topic. I giggled before turning to face him again, only to end up walking backwards into a tree. "Ah!" I yelped, before laughing at myself. "Uh, anyways," I began, brushing myself off and walking beside Logan instead.
"I think the stars are big balls of fire, spread across the universe to light it up. The sun is just the one closest to us, and that's why it looks so big." I told him excitedly. "Janus thinks that's ridiculous. He thinks stars are just holes in the force field that let the air in so we can breath, and the stars are moonlight poking through. But I know he's wrong because there are stars in Auradon too." I continued, snickering at the realization. "Actually, you're right Remus." Logan confirmed.
"Wait, really?" I asked, looking at Logan in surprise. "Yes. We orbit around the sun, which is a large ball of gas, fire, and nuclear energy travelling through a galaxy full of stars. The stars in the night sky can also be planets and moons that reflect the sun's light back to us, as well as satellites and other machines that we have sent up to learn more about space." Logan explained. "That's so fucking cool!" I cheered, feeling a surge of excitement rush through me. "It is." Logan agreed, smiling brightly now. Gosh that smile... I want to make him smile forever... I thought, feeling giddy and bursting into giggles.
"You are so so so smart. Like, it's unfair, really." I gushed, causing him to blush again. "I think you're smarter than you give yourself credit for, Remus." Logan told me, and I grinned before rolling my eyes. "Nah." I dismissed, snickering to show I wasn't just being a downer. "I'm a dumbass. Everyone knows that. I don't mind, really. I have other people to be smart for me. I just collect smart people like cool rocks." I told him.
"I see. So I'm one of your cool rocks then?" Logan asked, seeming amused by this. "Yes! Virgie is like one of those cool rocks that are flat and all black and have smooth but sharp edges. Remy is like one of those grey rocks that are completely smooth and oval and have a pink stripe around it. Jannie is one of those rocks that are white and sparkly and can be really sharp sometimes, or one of those big rocks covered in yellow and brown spots. You're one of those really cool rocks that look boring on the outside but when you smash them open they're filled with these sparkly purple crystals!" I rambled happily.
"Did you come up with that on the spot, or have you put thought into this?" Logan asked curiously, seeming impressed and taken aback by the metaphor. "On the spot. I come up with shit like that a lot." I dismissed with a shrug. "That's pretty smart, if you ask me." Logan commented, causing my cheeks to warm up. "Heh, maybe." I admitted, scratching the back of my head. "I think your one of those rocks that look black when they're dry, but when you put them under the water, they're a beautiful dark green." Logan stated softly, causing me to warm up more and let out a flustered laugh.
"Gosh..." I giggled, feeling a little lightheaded as I looked towards Logan. "I'm really glad we came here..." I admitted, hesitantly reaching my hand towards his. "I'm glad you're here as well, Re-" Logan began, pausing to stare blankly at our hands as I took his hand in mine. I felt butterflies erupt in my stomach as Logan blinked, seeming to malfunction as I quickly let go of his hand. "Uh... sorry..." I stammered, watching as he continued to stare at his hand.
Logan flexed his hand for a moment, folding it into a slight fist before opening it again. He did this a few times, staring at it curiously before looking towards me, as if he forgot I was here. "It's... It's alright, Remus." He assured me before walking ahead again. I watched as he continued to stare at his hand, and snickered a little before catching up to him. "You know, Logie, if I didn't know better, I'd think you liked me." I teased, deciding to take the risk. Logan turned quickly to look at me, startled as I grinned at him. It was my turn to be startled when he suddenly smirked and turned around, walking forward again. "And if I didn't know better, I'd think you liked me." He retorted, causing me to stop walking and freeze up.
Yeah... I'm a goner... I thought as I stood frozen in place.
Emile's POV
(Warning for: discussion about co-dependency)
The song I chose to learn was Peace and Love in the Planet Earth, Janus singing peridot's parts as I sang Steven's. "I feel like there's a reason you chose that song." Janus stated with playful suspicion when we finished. "Well, music is a good way to express yourself, and explain your feelings without having as much pressure. Music makes a lot of things easier, it helps you sort your thoughts into a pattern, helps you think more clearly." I explained.
"Alright. May I choose the next song, then?" Janus asked. "Of course!" I cheered, glad he was wanting to participate. He typed a song into the app's search bar, then found a tutorial for the song. "Do it for her, I see." I commented, offering an encouraging smile. "Alright, everything begins with your stance." Janus began, causing me to giggle as he got into character.
"Remember, you do it for him, and you would do it again. You do it for Re- that is to say you'll do it for him." Janus sang, changing the words a little to suit his situation better. "Keep your stance wide. Keep your body lowered. As you're moving forward, balance is the key. Right foot, left foot, now go even faster, and as you're moving backwards keep your eyes on me." Janus sang sternly, closing his eyes and allowing his hands to follow the notes on the tutorial... I'm not sure how he's doing that, but I have a feeling whatever he's doing doesn't leave him much room for mistakes.
Oh well... At least he's expressing himself. I thought before singing my parts.
"Keep my stance wide." I sang. "Good." Janus commented, opening his eyes. "Keep my body lowered." I continued. "Right." Janus praised. "As I'm moving forward," I sang, purposely getting a note wrong so it would match his next line. "Concentrate. Don't you want him to live?" Janus scolded. "Right foot, left foot." I sang. "Yes, but put your whole body into it. Everything you have, everything you are, you've got to give. On the battlefield, when everything is chaos, and you have nothing but the way you feel, your strategy and a sword, you just think about the life you'll have together after the war. And then you do it for him. That's how you know you can win. You do it for Re- that is to say you'll do it for him." Janus sang.
"Deep down you know, you weren't built a villain, but that doesn't mean you're not prepared to try. What they don't know, is your real advantage. When you live for someone you're prepared to die." Janus sang, causing me to look concerned. "Deep down, I know, that I'm only human." I sang. "True..." Janus replied. "But I know that I can help you in the fight." I sang, causing him to relax a little. "But I know you can help me in the fight." He echoed.
"With my mind's persistence," I sang. "Good." Janus commented. "I can make a difference." I sang. "Yes, excellent." Janus encouraged. "I can be there for you, I can be your knight." I sang, causing him to look at me in surprise. "I can do it for you..." I sang softly. "You'd do it for him." I continued. "Okay, now do that again..." He sang hesitantly. "Yes sir!" I cheered, causing him to chuckle. "You do it for Re, and now I'll say." I sang despite it being his turn.
"I'll do it for you..." He whispered despite it being mine.
We stared at each other in silence for a moment, then he cleared his throat and looked away. I smiled softly and began playing the keys randomly, just allowing my thoughts to wander as he gathered his own. I think this is starting to become more than wanting to help him... I realized, feeling concerned as I played. How am I going to tell my parents? Mom never listens to anything she doesn't want to hear, and Dad... Dad doesn't really listen to anything at all. I wondered.
"What do you get out of it?" Janus asked suddenly. "Helping us, I mean... Why are you trying to help me?" He clarified. I smiled as I looked towards him, playing a couple of the same keys to help me focus on our conversation. "Because I know what it's like to be in a new place, somewhere where the rules are backwards and different." I told him.
"I grew up in Wonderland... Everything's random and all over the place, rules change constantly, no one has any attention span. I really liked it there, even if it got confusing sometimes, but then Mom moved us to Auradon so that I wouldn't become more like my father than like her. It was hard, adjusting to how limited this place was... and I didn't have anyone to help me through it. So, when I heard Roman was bringing people from the Isle, I was really excited to welcome you all here, to help you adjust and provide the guidance I wish I had." I explained. "Guidance with the piano?" Janus questioned, causing me to giggle.
"Not exactly, but if I gain your trust through something fun but difficult like playing the piano, then I can use that trust to help you with bigger things like making friends or doing schoolwork." I clarified.
"I already have friends." Janus informed me sternly. "Yes, I know that, but it doesn't hurt to have more. I was just using that as an example because, well, it was hard for me to make friends when I came here..." I replied. "Really? You seem so friendly, I'd think making friends here would be easy." Janus commented. "Well, you probably weren't entirely wrong when you came here assuming Auradonians are strict and smug. A lot of them are like that... It wasn't until Roman took me under his wing that I began to develop friendships. At first I thought he felt sorry for me, but eventually I learnt that his friend group was built of weird kids that were still in the closet. Turns out there was somewhere I could fit in after all." I told him.
"I suppose that works out, doesn't it?" Janus murmured thoughtfully. "A group of kids scared to be themselves because they might lose their love and support, invite a group of kids longing for love and support that really see nothing wrong with the things they're hiding over to their school... Makes one wonder if there's any point to either side hiding from the other, when they could possibly find exactly what they're looking for in each other..." He mused.
"Yeah..." I agreed, feeling overwhelmed with pride as I smiled at him. "I think the four of you might be helping us just as much as we're helping you... Patton seems more confident lately, Logan seems to be showing his emotions more, and Roman, well, I've never seen him so relaxed." I admitted. "And what about you?" Janus inquired. "I'm just happy to be able to help you... Also I get more people to talk about Steven Universe with, definitely a win in my book!" I cheered.
"You Auradons and your simple, yet... somehow meaningful wishes." Janus sighed teasingly. "You Isle kids and your complicated co-dependencies." I teased back, causing him to chuckle. "We prefer the word Loyalty." He corrected, smirking to show he wasn't upset. "Ah yes, of course. My apologies." I chuckled, smiling fondly at him.
Yeah... I think I like him as more than just a friend...
Patton's POV
I smiled as I passed Roman and Virgil through the hall, waving happily to them. "Have fun on your date!" I cheered. "We sure will!" Roman cheered as they walked off. I'm not sure whether or not he's broken up with Coraline yet, but... I trust that Roman will figure out how to break it to her eventually. Hopefully he'll tell his parents too...
Then again, I'd be a hypocrite if I pressured him. I talked to my betrothed about the situation, and she's not interested in marriage or romance anyways so she's fine with it. Now I just have to talk to my parents... which... is easier than done...
And then there's something Roman was brave enough to do that I haven't done yet, which is telling the actual guy I like.
Heh...
I'm sure... I'm sure I'll figure it out. I thought as I walked towards Remy's door. Now it was hard to see their room number without remembering his eyes... It's actually really sad that they're so sensitive to light. It would be nice if I could see his eyes more often... Focus, Patton. I reminded myself. "Right..." I whispered, taking a deep breath before knocking.
I waited a few moments, folding my hands behind my back and rocking back and forth on my feet. I was about to knock again when the door opened, and Remy looked down at me. At first he seemed tired, but when he saw it was me he smiled. "Hey Pat... Did you need something?" He asked, his voice tired but friendly. "I was wondering if you would like to hang out, since my friends are all hanging out with my friends, and I like hanging out with you." I rambled a little.
"Sure." He agreed before stepping aside, allowing me into the room. "I was going to use the time to work on my friend's outfits for the coronation. We've never been to anything that formal so I figured I should make some new clothes for them." Remy explained as I entered. "I could help! I'm great at sewing, and crafts, and stuff like that." I cheered, glad I could have a chance to be more helpful to him. "Alright then." He agreed, opening his suitcase to reveal a bunch of fabric and clothes in progress. "I already finished mine, I just needed to figure out whether to make a dress or a suit for each of my friends." He added as he pulled out the materials for the other outfits. "I'll make the cuts and show you what to stitch, okay?" He told me.
I nodded obediently, and waited patiently as he got to work. I followed his instructions as closely as I could, wanting to impress him. "You're right, you're really good at this." Remy complimented as he checked my stitches. "Heck, I don't think even Virgil could wreck these stitches." He chuckled. I giggled, not sure what the inside joke meant, but more giggling from being flustered. "Awk shucks. I'm just happy to help." I dismissed. "I'm happy to have your help. Let me know if want to stop though, I wouldn't want your hands getting sore on my account." Remy assured me.
"I will!" I agreed, though I probably wouldn't... I always had trouble with things like that.
"It's pretty cool that you make your friend's outfits for them." I commented as I finished the last stitch on Virgil's outfit. "I've always liked to design clothes. It's a passion of mine." He informed me. "You should be a designer!" I cheered, causing him to scoff. "Right, like my mother would let me do that." He muttered. "Well... She can't tell you what to do here, remember?" I reminded him. I hated how his mother made him scared of her. Like, yeah, I'm scared of what my Mom thinks sometimes, but that's... Hmm... okay, maybe I'm being a hypocrite again... but still.
"Yeah..." He whispered, smiling at me in a sort of longing way, as if he was wishing my words were true. "I'm serious, Remy... She can't hurt you here." I insisted. "Yeah, but... Virgil is still loyal to his mother, and I'm loyal to Virgil... I don't know what life would look like without him." Remy explained. "Do you think Virgil would choose his mother over you?" I asked. "I guess I'll find out later tonight... but... I wish I didn't have to ask him to choose." Remy admitted. "Well, maybe he won't have to... Maybe we can find a compromise." I suggested. "Maybe..." Remy sighed, though he didn't seem convinced.
Next I worked on the stitches for Janus's outfit, wondering what to say to break the silence that had fallen between us. "Is it normal for boys to wear dresses in the Isle?" I asked curiously. I've always wanted to wear a dress, but I've never been brave enough to. "Depends on who you're talking to. Unless you're talking to Gaston, no one really cares what you wear as long as it looks intimidating enough." He answered. "I probably wouldn't last very long in the Isle then..." I admitted, knowing I didn't appear very intimidating. I could be intimidating when I wanted to, just not a first glance.
"No, you probably wouldn't." Remy agreed with a chuckle. "But, maybe that's a good thing." He added, causing me to giggle. "Probably can't visit you if you do choose to go back then." I sighed. "No, definitely not." He stated firmly, giving me a serious look. "Right... your mom's the Evil Queen..." I murmured timidly, causing him to sigh before nodding. "I hate her." Remy muttered, cutting the fabric for Remus's outfit more aggressively. "Careful." I warned, placing my had gently over his.
We both blushed as I quickly took my hand back. "Uh... sorry... just... Be careful with the scissors..." I stammered. "Thank you, Pat." Remy replied softly, offering a reassuring smile before going back to work. I giggled before returning to my own work, almost done working on Janus's stitches. As I worked, I thought of an outfit idea of my own, one I could make for him. I giggled excitedly at the thought. I'll have to work on that idea as a surprise for him in my spare time.