Adjusting to a new area is hard no matter who you are, but Roman was genuinely excited.
Especially now that he had a place to stay other than living with his cousin.
He had toured Virgil's apartment, and Virgil had given him a pretty strict assessment to see if he was a suitable roommate. Thankfully, Roman must've passed, because Virgil offered him the role of his roommate. Today was his first day living in the new place.
It was a two-bedroom apartment. It was the perfect size for two people to live in; too big for one, too small for three. The small (but cute) kitchen overlooked the living room, which had a comfy beige couch and a tv that was perfect for watching Disney movies. Rent was affordable if split between two people.
Honestly, Roman thought he had lucked out by coming across this place.
The only thing was Virgil's emo posters.
His room was completely covered with them, and he almost always had the blinds closed over the window, so his room was dark except for a lamp he used for dim light. Roman was convinced his new roommate was a vampire. A vampire obsessed with My Chemical Romance, that is.
Roman decided he could live with that, though. If Virgil could put up his emo posters in his room, he figured he could put up his Disney posters in his own room.
He put on his Disney playlist on shuffle, and listened to the song "Belle" play as he put up his first Disney poster, an Aladdin one featuring everyone's favorite genie. He adjusted it until he thought it was straight.
"The right side is a bit too high."
Roman nearly dropped the poster. He spun around, startled, to find his new roommate leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, watching Roman critically.
"Jesus, Virgil, where did you come from?" Roman said.
"I live here, genius." Virgil said sarcastically. "As for this spot in particular, I came in when you were putting up your poster. I heard the music and decided to see what was up." He nodded towards Roman's phone.
"Oh, sorry about that. It's probably not the type of music you normally listen to." Roman said.
"Are you kidding? I love Disney." Virgil said.
"You do?" Roman asked. He didn't even try to mask how shocked he was.
"My favorite movies are Black Cauldron and The Nightmare Before Christmas." Virgil said.
"I couldn't possibly choose a favorite Disney movie, I love them all." Roman said.
"How many posters do you have?" Virgil asked, looking around at the stack of rolled up posters on the floor. Let's just say it would take a long time for Roman to put them all up, and frankly, Virgil didn't know if there was enough room for all of them.
"There's 35 there, but those are just my favorites. I have more at my old house, but I didn't have enough room to bring them all. I've been collecting them over the years. It's sorta a hobby of mine." Roman said.
"How many do you have altogether?" Virgil asked, still not taking his eyes off the stack of posters on the floor.
"101." Roman said. "As in 101 Dalmations."
Virgil made eye contact with Roman and smirked. "That's a respectable amount."
Roman smirked back at Virgil. "You tryna look cool propped up against the wall? You've got your arms crossed and everything?" His time was mocking, but in a friendly way.
"Eh, I was more shooting for the edgy emo thing." Virgil shrugged.
"Oh, believe me, you definitely give off an edgy emo vibe." Roman assured him.
"Why, thank you." Virgil laughed softly, shifting his weight off of the wall and into a normal standing position with his hands by his sides. "Do you want help putting up posters?"
Roman nodded. "That would be amazing, thank you."
Virgil grabbed the first poster on the stack and unrolled it. He held it up against Roman's wall next to the Aladdin poster that he had put up just a moment before and attached it using the removable sticky tape.
Roman hesitated before getting another poster, taking a moment to watch Virgil casually. He simply took a second to notice how Virgil seemed so focused on the task at hand. He noticed how the stitches on Virgil's jacket looked like he had done it himself, and he thought about Virgil putting his time and energy into making his jacket look even edgier. He noticed the way the bangs of Virgil's black hair complimented his pale skin.
Virgil was definitely an interesting soul, but one thing was for sure: He wasn't a bad one.
The time went by quickly as they were putting up posters. Soon Roman's wall was covered completely. He had everything Disney related, with a couple musical posters here and there. He hung up a couple playbills with pride. Dear Evan Hansen, Hamilton, Guys and Dolls...
"My friend likes Guys and Dolls." Virgil commented. "Although he hasn't listened to the soundtrack in a while because it makes him nostalgic for an ex-boyfriend."
"Ah, I get that struggle. The pain of a lost romance..." Roman sighed for dramatic effect.
"Personally?" Virgil asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you get it personally? Like... Have you experienced it?"
Roman nodded. "I had one ex once that I really missed after we broke up, but you know, I moved forwards, and you know what, now I wouldn't choose to have her back if I had the option. I loved her, but we weren't meant for each other, and I've accepted that and moved on."
"That's really mature of you." Virgil said.
"Thanks. I can be mature sometimes." Roman smiled. "Just rarely."
Virgil snorted.
"So what about you? Have you had an ex you missed?" Roman asked.
"Uh... Yeah, once." Virgil didn't make eye contact, hoping Roman wouldn't press.
"I get that." Roman said. "When you love someone, you can't just switch it off, and if your relationship ends abruptly, the transition can hurt."
"Love is a powerful thing, and with every rose comes thorns."
"That was deep, Hot Topic." Roman blinked.
"Aww, you think I'm hot." Virgil teased.
"Wow, flirting already? At least let me buy you a drink." Roman joked.
"I mean I wouldn't say no to a free drink." Virgil laughed.
"I would hope my darling company would at least be a perk." Roman smirked.
"No, sorry man, you're not my type." Virgil shrugged.
"What's your type?" Roman asked.
"Attractive people." Virgil said, unable to hide his smug smirk.
"Hey!" Roman playfully elbowed Virgil.
The two of them burst out laughing, both enjoying the other's company and thinking of nothing else in the sake of the moment.
"What're you gonna do with these spare posters?" Virgil gestured towards a small pile of posters that they had never gotten around to using because Roman ran out of wall space before they could.
"I'll probably send them back to my cousin's house." Roman shrugged.
Virgil rifled through them. 101 Dalmatians, Frozen, Tangled, Snow White, Brave... and a really cool Nightmare Before Christmas poster featuring Jack and Sally.
"I love this one. It's cool." Virgil said.
"You want it?" Roman asked.
Virgil blinked. "Wait, really?"
Roman nodded. "It's just going to go back to my cousin's house anyways. At least this way it'll be enjoyed."
"Thank you." Virgil rolled up the poster. "I appreciate it."
"Ah, don't mention it, Brad Pitiful." Roman smirked.
"You're really good at making up nicknames, aren't you?" Virgil commented.
"It's just one of my many talents." Roman shrugged.
"Is another talent of yours being a nuisance?" Virgil asked innocently.
"I swear—"
Virgil sprinted, grinning, running through the apartment. Roman chased after him playfully, and finally tackled him onto the couch, and they sat up, laughing.
Roman made a mental note to cherish this moment forever.