8:16pm
Sister salty
Trigger warning: attempted rape
Au
—
"I don't want a sibling" Virgil grumbled to his friend while picking at his food he collected from the school cafeteria. The friend - Remy - glanced over the rim of their sunglasses they just had to wear even inside the building, a smirk playing at their lips that were parted for easy access to the fries they loosely held between their fingers.
"We all love a good [sister] seasonal depression" they began, making Virgil roll his eyes and stare at them, wondering why he ever decided to become their friend. "But you need to get over yourself; they won't be as bad as my sibling" as they said this, said sibling (who was sitting right next to them) perked his head up from his snake-related book and stared with a blank expression at his twin before a smirk brightened across his features, pushing up the burnt skin on the left side of his face, almost reminiscent of snake's skin.
"You must watch what you say, brother, it truly hurt my feelings" he spoke in an obvious mocking tone, making Remy flip him off and turn back to Virgil who stared at the brothers as if they were aliens. "Just be nice to them, girl" Remy shrugged, then perked up, "tell me if they're hot" they winked, making Virgil gag and stand up to leave. He had to go to lesson, anyway, as he wouldn't want to be late to this specific teacher.
"Basically" Deceit - Remy's brother - spoke up before the emo could leave, "don't act like yourself and they'll love you" like Remy, Virgil flipped him off and left, although found Deceit's soft laughter in the background to be contagious, for he found himself smiling slightly too, not feeling any less worse about the whole sibling situation, though.
After school, he spent a few hours at home in peace. His dad had come back only a few minutes ago from walking dogs, and he was hurriedly getting himself ready for the new boy he was going to foster. Virgil knew when he was being adopted by Patton the man would still care for kids who needed it; he didn't have a problem with it in the beginning, but now that he was thinking of someone sharing his room - a stranger, no less, he was a tad anxious.
Well, tad was a bit of an understatement.
"Virgil! They're here!" Patton's sweet voice floated up the staircase. The boy sighed and plunged his phone into his pocket, sluggishly sliding across the wall while slumping down the staircase, not stepping onto the bottom floor completely, because he was still quite nervous and wanted to stay back. They both heard a door slam close, and then yelling slowly filtered into the house. Oh no.
Virgil bit his lip, but Patton didn't seem fazed. The doorbell rang, as soon as it did Patton opened the door to be greeted by the usual curly blonde haired woman, but she looked a mess, desperately trying to calm down the boy beside her who was firing quick, venom filled words in Spanish.
"Roman, please!" She bellowed, Virgil watching his nostrils flare and eyes burn in rage. "I promise, Patton here will take care of you, he's one of the best foster homes we have" she tried to calm him down, but that didn't really seem to help all that much, for the boy clenched his fists and tightened his jaw.
"Que suerte tengo!"
Roman whirled around, giving Patton a quick once over before scowling and marching into the house. Not even bothering to acknowledge Virgil's existence, he skidded right by, and not a moment later the noise of a door slamming shut rang throughout the house. Virgil felt his heart pound irregularly fast - he hated when people shouted, especially with such fury.
The woman in the doorway straightened out her dress and sighed, sending Patton an apologetic look. "I'm sorry about him, he's never really had a good relationship with anyone. By now, if anyone tries he becomes...angry" she explained with a sad undertone.
Virgil wanted to stay with his dad while he talked to the woman he couldn't recall the name of, but then he worried about his room, and wondered if Roman was doing anything to his stuff. It was irrational to think, but sometimes when he was really mad, he would break things, and he didn't particularly want any of his belongings broken.
Slowly, he crept up the staircase, as if he was worried any slight noise would start the boy off again. Placing a hand on the doorknob, he pushed it open and spotted Roman sitting on his bed, head in his hands, chest heaving as he brought in wavering gulps of air. Virgil didn't know what to say; what could he say? Sometimes letting anger out on it's own was the safest route, so he silently closed the door and flopped onto his bed, returning to tumblr while listening to Roman's ragged breathing from the other side of the room.
"No puedo vivir aquí, no puedo, ellos me van a traicionar otra vez" Virgil heard him mutter, but he couldn't understand a word, so he stayed silent. Not like he would talk if the boy was speaking in English, anyway. Roman lifted his head from his hands, turning his head to stare at the darkly dressed boy who was squeezed into the corner of the wall his bed was pressed to, eyes focused on the screen, but Roman knew he was staring at him from his peripheral.
He walked across the room to the window, gazing down at the car he and that woman were arguing in for the entire trip over. Minutes passed, and she finally left, which meant Roman could make his own escape. Twirling around on his feet, he grabbed his bag and hurried down the staircase, ignoring the fact Virgil was following him; these two people won't care about him, he persuaded himself, they're just...doing it to be seen as better people.
"Kiddo-?"
"Leave me alone" Roman barked at the man who appeared from the living room after hearing heavy footsteps thump from the staircase. The man crossed his arms and rose an eyebrow disapprovingly, "now, now, Roman. We don't use that tone of voice in here" he reprimanded, but all Roman did was narrow his eyes in response, ready to whip open the front door and make a break for it but he realised this man was going to be harder to get away from than originally assumed.
He stood in front of the door, expression proving he wasn't about to let Roman leave. He clenched his fists, wondering how easy it would be to take on this man in a fight, but he almost physically recoiled at the thought, the idea of fighting made him disgusted; last time he saw a fully fledged fight was between his parents, and he never wanted to end up like them. He guessed he would have to escape some other time. Sending Patton one more glare, he marched back up the staircase to his room, once again Virgil didn't move from the staircase when he passed by in fury.
Patton sighed, sending Virgil a smile. "C'mon, Kiddo, let's make dinner" he urged, waiting until Virgil was beside him before wrapping an arm around his shoulders and guiding him towards the kitchen. Cooking seemed to take both of their minds off of things, although Patton made sure to glance down the hallway every now and again to make sure Roman wasn't planning to silently get away again.
Once dinner was ready, Patton scooped up the pasta into three bowls, adding the sauce afterwards. "I'll go get Roman" he beamed, pressing a kiss to Virgil's forehead before hurrying down the hallway and up the stairs. He wondered what the boy had been through to end up like this, the mere thought pained him greatly, he hoped he could earn Roman's trust and show him there are people he could trust without any backlash.
Knocking on the door, "Kiddo! Dinner's ready!" He called, softly pushing it open to see Roman sitting on his bed, earphones blasting music, hands shakily tearing pieces of paper Patton didn't know where he got from. That must be his way to diffuse his anger. Realising he would want to be alone for awhile, and not sit with them to eat, he grabbed the boy's bowl and placed it on his bedside table. Roman watched him as he did, fiddling with the paper littered across his bed.
Patton smiled, gestured to the food, and left, closing the door behind him. Whatever. Roman didn't need their food. He wouldn't pander to their different ways of gaining his trust. Although, even if he thought this, his stomach growled loudly, and not even five minutes later he was stuffing his face with the beautiful tasting pasta they had created. Still, one good meal wouldn't change anything.
Later, he carried his bowl down to the kitchen, walking by the living room where he saw Patton and Virgil on the couch, cuddling. Roman noticed they were watching a Disney movie - how he longed to watch it with them, but he couldn't...he didn't want to set himself up for abandonment again. It hurt.
Leaving the bowl in the sink, he grabbed a bottle of water and hid away in his shared room again. Maybe he could escape tonight; while everyone was asleep, that could work...setting an alarm for midnight, he placed the phone under his pillow so it would be muffled to everyone else, grabbing his toothbrush he brushed his pearly white teeth, all the while staring at himself in the mirror, noticing how he needed to re-dye his hair soon. At the moment, he was drawn to the colour purple, he hoped he would be able to afford some when he ran away.
Spitting out the paste, he washed his brush and returned it back to the hygienic tube, hiding it back in his bag. Keeping on his jeans, t-shirt and hoodie, he covered his body with the thick duvet and fell into a much needed slumber, for he felt like he hasn't slept in weeks.
Midnight struck, and he was rudely awoken by the alarm he forgot he set. Quickly shutting it off, he bleary gazed around the dark room, light still pouring in from the window due to the streetlights that still hadn't gone out. Assuming Virgil was in the bed across the room, he stayed deadly silent, picking up his phone charger and other things he brought out from his bag before stuffing them inside and leaving the room in a quiet hurry.
Sneaking down the staircase was quite easy, now all he had to do was open the front door. Leaving his bag by said door, he peered into the living room, wondering if the keys would be in a bowl, but when he noticed Patton and Virgil on the couch, he froze. Shit, why were they still here!? Shouldn't they be asleep by now?! Luckily, his prayers were answered, for both of their eyes were closed, and the tv was replaying the title screen for the movie they had finished.
Licking his lips, he rummaged throughout the room, eventually finding the keys on the coffee table under a magazine. Slowly, he picked them up, cringing at the jingle it just had to make. When he was sure the two were still asleep, he opened the front door, grabbed his bag and left into the night. While walking down the many streets he turned onto, he wondered if the two would be frantically searching for him, maybe they would call the police, maybe they were truly worried, or maybe they wouldn't care, and just get another kid to foster, because that was all he was...a foster kid. Nothing more.
Kicking the ground, he stopped moving, rubbing his face while trying to think of what to do; where to go, how to make this work.
While so unaware of the world, he yelped when someone suddenly grabbed his arm and tore him down into an alleyway, shoving his body down onto the ground. As soon as he did, Roman struggled, squirmed and screamed, trying his hardest to roll away, or push the person from him, but fuck he was strong, and heavy, too.
Panic struck his entire body, which made him scream louder, shove harder, and move in any possible way he could, unfortunately that didn't work in his favour, for now he was on his stomach, arms pinned on his back, gag shoved into his mouth. No, no, no, no! He was not going to let whoever this was violate his body like this! This was unfair! All he wanted to do was get away! He just wants to be safe. Was that too much to ask?
When he felt his trousers being tugged down, that's when he began to sob and kick his legs violently, shuddering in disgust when he felt a bulge grind against him, and a moan drift directly into his ear. With a sudden burst of adrenaline, the last his body could give him, he thrashed so violently the person was pushed back, just enough for him to scramble to his feet and sprint down the alleyway onto the street opposite.
Ignoring his yells, he felt his heart pound against him as he ran, and ran, without stopping, not daring to look back. His legs took him away to safety, even when his gaze blurred with tears, and he fell over multiple times, he kept pushing forward until he was hidden in the woods, nestled between trees and shrubbery. He was breathing hard, shaking hands wrapping around his trembling body, still able to feel that body on top of his, grinding down into him for some friction.
Fucking sick. That's what they were.
Was this some sort of karma for running away? What fucking bullshit.
Shoving his face in his knees, he drifted in and out of consciousness until the sun began to rise over the horizon. He thought he could be alone for a few hours, comfortably safe where no one could find him, but when his phone began to vibrate and buzz on the ground next to him, he uncurled his body and saw Patton was calling him. Great, they gave him his number.
Picking the device up, he answered and held it to his ear.
"Roman? Kiddo! Where are you? Are you okay?" He sounded rushed, and actually...worried. Roman sniffled, letting out a sob that wavered with a cough and short gasp for air. "I don't...know" Roman whispered, still feeling fear claw around inside of him at the thought of someone else finding him. He wanted to be safe - maybe last night (or early morning) was a kickstart for him to realise he was safe until he ran away; and he needed that safety back.
"I'm sorry" Roman breathed in deeply, "please...I don't want to be alone anymore" he begged, clenching the phone tighter while once again hiding his face in his knees.
"It's okay, Kiddo, I'm coming to find you, okay? Can you tell me where you are? Just keep breathing, in and out, I'll be there as fast as I can" Roman followed his advice with the breathing, able to splutter something about being surrounded by trees. Patton seemed to know what he meant, because he didn't ask for anymore, although he did move away from the phone, Roman couldn't hear what he was saying but he was talking to someone else.
"Roman? You there?" Virgil. He cleared his throat, suddenly feeling silly to cry.
"Y-Yeah, I'm here" he replied back, trying to sound more confident than he felt, gulping in deep breaths, but everything around him was still a blur, and he felt like he would vomit, or pass out. And that's exactly what he told Virgil. "Okay, uh...tell me five things you can see" Virgil asked in a soft yet awkward tone, Roman wondered why he asked, but did as he was told.
Looking up, he blinked rapidly. "Uh-trees..l-leaves...hedges..roots.." he tried to find something else, but became more panicked when he couldn't. "No, it's fine, Roman, you're doing good...can you tell me anything you can feel?" Virgil moved on, hearing Roman shift and crunch something in his other hand.
"I-I can feel leaves...and warmth, it's warm" Roman murmured, huddling further into the hoodie enveloping his top half. "Wait" Roman breathed, "I can see a flower" he whispered, gaze focused on the tulip sitting not too far away from him.
"That's good, do you like flowers?"
He nodded, "Yeah...they're um-they're nice to look at.." he answered a little hesitantly, unbeknownst to him his breathing has calmed down along with his heart, now he was loosely clutching his legs that were drawn up to his chest, still needing Virgil to talk to him, though.
"What does it feel like?"
Roman shifted closer, dragging his hand across the petals, eliciting a gentle smile. "It's soft" he replied a little quietly, staying silent for a few moments to mesmerise himself with the flower that stared up at him. When he heard a twig snap, he whirled around so quickly his phone fell from his hands, and his heart sped up again, but when Patton kneeled down in front of him and smiled gently, he eased against the tree he pressed into, letting himself be wrapped up in a hug.
Virgil kneeled down, too, sending Roman smile, one that was hesitantly returned.
During the drive, Patton didn't scold him, when they arrived home, Patton didn't ground him; instead, they made lunch together, and ate while watching tv. Roman wondered why they were so kind, and not like anyone else he has ever stayed with - he hadn't done anything to deserve such kindness, but maybe...he could learn to trust them.
It did take some time, for the first couple months Roman was still hesitant, but never did he leave the house after nightfall, ever again. If the same thing were to happen again, he didn't know if he would be able to escape. The first big step towards trusting the two was actually telling them what happened that night, he didn't know what to except, but he did feel a great weight lift from his shoulders.
"I...I was almost raped.."
The horror that fell across Patton's face was enough to make him want to take it back, but soon it was replaced with anger - anger he thought was directed at him, but when Patton pulled him into a tight, silent hug Roman realised the furiousness was for someone else. Then, he looked at Virgil's face, heart fluttering when he saw he was, too, angry like Patton - but he was also worried, and when their eyes met they sent each other small smiles.
In the last month Roman was due to spend there, he had really come apart of their small family, quickly when he was able to express his true self, Virgil and he had started up banter, directing it back and forth like they were playing tennis, and their sharp comebacks was the ball. Although, it was never bitter, and the insults/nicknames were harmless, in the end they both never got hurt, sometimes their tifs even ended in loud laughter that always made Patton smile.
When it was his last week, Roman thanked them both, for know he could be cared for by a family he could learn to trust; but when he came down the stairs with his belongings, he was confused when he spotted them all sitting at the table with the carer that brought him here.
"Greetings" he grinned, flicking Virgil's head as he passed him. The boy grumbled, but couldn't conceal his grin. Curious, Roman sat beside Patton, able to feel the excitement pouring off the man in waves. "Is everything okay?" He chuckled, reaching forward to grab an apple from the fruit bowl in the middle of the table.
"Patton has something to give you" the lady smiled warmly. Roman smiled back, now realising how kind she was, he was too harsh to understand that when they first met.
"You didn't have to do that, padre" Roman responded, biting into his apple. Throughout their time together he had gotten the habit of calling Patton 'padre' instead of his actual name - he blamed Virgil, because he called the man Dad.
"Well, I wanted to!" He giggled, sliding over the papers. "Here" he gestured, eyes gleaming. Putting down the apple, Roman shrugged and read the words that had been printed on the pages. Everyone watched as his face changed expressions instantly - first to shock, then to doubt mixed with fear.
"Patton..." he drifted, turning to the man, "Are you sure? I...I caused you so much trouble, I don't deserve this-"
"Roman" Patton cut him off, swivelling his body to face the boy who looked on the brink of tears. "You deserve the world, forget about what happened, I want to adopt you. You and Virgil have such a great friendship, that I would hate if that was broken because you live so far away! And" he leaned closer with a grin, "I love you, Kiddo, I love both of you" he glanced at Virgil who was desperately holding back tears, watching such an intimate moment between the two.
Roman spluttered, switching between everyone's gazes before he choked down a sob and yanked Patton into a tight hug. "Oh, thank you, Patton!" He stood up and held the man close.
"Thank you"
—
Why am I getting into Panic at the Disco
12:19pm