The autumn wind followed Virgil as he made his way to the cafeteria. Something about the chill was comforting to him, and the changing colors of the trees were astounding. Back on the Isle everything was damp and humid, and the few trees there were always seemed to be a dull brown.
Then the scenery changed: A busy dining hall with the warm scent of cinnamon and butterscotch. As much as he hated crowds, Virgil knew the food would be worth it. After taking a small helping of mac n' cheese and a big helping of pie, Virgil began to walk over to his usual table. He could see them all as he approached. Logan, Patton, Roman-
Roman?
Virgil stopped dead in his tracks and gaped. What was Roman doing at his lunch table? He usually sat with the Jousting Team, but now he was chatting casually with Patton as if he hadn't just disrupted Virgil's entire routine. He would already be seeing him in gym! Why did he have to put up with him at lunch too?
"Virgil!" Patton called him over, blissfully ignorant of the scowl on Virgil's face. As Virgil sat next to Logan,
Roman smirked. "Glad to see me?"
Virgil just looked from Logan to Patton as if to say WHAT THE FU-
Logan put down his book. "Patton has a matter to discuss with the student council that apparently concerns us."
"That doesn't explain this!" Virgil replied, waving a hand in Roman's general direction.
Roman beamed. "I'm on the student council now."
Virgil went silent. Then, after a long moment of staring at Roman, he looked at Patton. "Really? You couldn't do better than Jerkules here?"
Going red, Roman stood up. "Well, no one asked for your opinion, Tinkerhell!"
"Hey, hey, hey!" Patton interjected before things got too heated. "No mean words and definitely no H-E-double toothpicks."
Roman and Virgil sat down mumbling apologies to Patton while not making eye contact. As they all waited for Riley and Ali to join them, Logan debated with Patton.
"I'm just saying that there's no area of space that is what people refer to as hel-"
"H-E-double toothpicks."
"There's no evidence for anything like that on this earth, and yet it qualifies as an expletive. The Underworld, on the other hand, is quite real, and you don't stop me from saying it."
"That's because no one can get you to stop talking, period." Roman said with a smirk as Riley and Ali arrived. "HEYO!" Riley high fived Roman for his comment as Logan pinched the bridge of his nose. She patted Virgil's shoulder before sitting down with Ali.
"I didn't expect to see you sitting here, Roman." Ali stated, to which a very quiet "make that two of us" could be heard from Virgil.
"Yeah," Riley said after a long yawn, "What's up?"
"Pat has something to tell us all." Roman replied, and all attention shifted towards the president. It was clear how excited Patton was, he was practically bouncing up and down in his seat.
"Okay." Patton stood up, "We all know that this transfer plan is just the beginning, the foot in the door of future inclusion. Logan and Virgil here are the proof that the children of villains deserve to be treated like anyone else. Other kids deserve to be here. The problem is that a decision that huge has to be made by the Council of Crowns."
Everyone looked at Patton questioningly and Virgil rolled his eyes at the mention of that dumb council.
"What are you suggesting?" Ali asked.
"Well, let's go convince the Council!" Patton exclaimed. Virgil nearly spit out his milk. Looking around the table, nearly everybody seemed to be reacting similarly. Ali's jaw had dropped and Riley's eyes widened. Logan's brow was furrowed. Roman, on the other hand, didn't react much at all.
Patton surveyed their expressions with a frown. "What? What's wrong?"
"What's wrong is that it won't work." Logan replied bluntly. Virgil elbowed him, but deep down he knew he was right. Patton's big idea was just wishful thinking.
"Hey now, nerd whose name I forgot," Roman disagreed, "you don't have to shoot down his idea so fast. He's barely explained it." Why this guy was supporting Patton's plan baffled Virgil. Wouldn't he want to have less villains to deal with?
"I don't need any explanation to know that the Council won't change their minds." Logan retorted.
Patton objected. "We've already changed minds! Right here in our school!"
Logan sighed and was about to continue when their argument was interrupted.
"Ro Ro, why'd you make me eat lunch alone?" Aaron whined as he walked over to Roman. Great, as if one annoying prince weren't enough, Virgil thought.
Before Roman could say anything, Logan spoke up.
"Prince Aaron, what if I were to tell you that the Student Council at this school were going to petition the Council of Crowns to reverse the Isle Act?"
Aaron's face was a mix of 'why is it talking to me' and 'what does any of that mean.'
Logan sighed. "Let me put it in simpler terms. We're trying to... get rid of the Isle."
Surprisingly, Aaron's face lit up. "Oh, I'd love that!"
"Really?" Patton said with a hopeful smile, "Because I have this plan to-"
"Get rid of the Isle and all those rotten criminals with it!" Aaron burst out laughing to the dismay of everyone at the table.
"Aaron." Riley said warningly, but the blonde boy didn't seem to care. "Come on, seriously?" He continued loudly, drawing a bit of attention, "You want to set these villains free to curse and pillage and whatever else?" He pointed at Virgil, who shrunk back, and Logan, who stared stonily in silence. "You can't change them, it's their nature. I mean, look at them!"
It was like a nightmare come to life.
All the stress, the fear, the anger... Virgil could feel the power flare up inside him, ready to burst out at any moment-
"Enough!" Roman shouted, standing up angrily. Virgil snapped out of it, eyes on the prince.
Roman put a hand on Patton's shoulder for a moment as the poor guy had begun to tear up. Then, he went to stand directly in front of his friend who had faltered for the first time. "Don't say another word to them." Roman told Aaron icily, giving Virgil chills.
"Roman." Aaron stated in disbelief, "They attacked us on their first day here! They're animals-"
"You shouldn't judge someone you don't know!" Roman continued, "They haven't done anything to us and we barely even know them, so... just stop."
Aaron smiled, disbelief playing in his features. "And if I don't?"
Roman stopped and considered. Then, with a stern face, he looked Aaron in the eye.
"Then.. we're not friends anymore."
Aaron froze on the spot. As everyone looked on, Roman shook his head and left. Aaron, too stunned to say anything, wandered back to his usual table. Virgil realized he had been gripping the edge of the table throughout the whole encounter, chipping his nail somewhat. The fire in him died down enough for him to focus again.
It seemed the whole cafeteria had witnessed this encounter, as everyone in the vicinity was still in shock. Riley had moved over to comfort Patton, who looked like a kicked puppy.
"I'm sorry, Patton," Logan said regretfully, "I didn't know it would escalate to that level-"
"Don't worry about it, kiddo." Patton said, attempting a smile, "It's not your fault Aaron said those things."
"Oh, gods." Ali exclaimed, only just recovering, "That was like something out of Riley's trashy reality shows. Ugh, I feel unclean."
"It's quality television, Ali." Riley retorted, "Don't lecture me when you don't watch anything other than Shark Tank."
The conversation continued on for the rest of the lunch period, earning a small chuckle once in awhile, but the air remained slightly awkward. Virgil didn't say a word the whole time, as he was still trying to sort out what happened.
When it came time to go, Logan hesitated for a moment, then headed over to Patton.
"Patton... I admire your resolve greatly. You are one of the best people I know, and everyone would benefit from being a little more like you." Patton's face turned red as he stared at Logan.
"However... Other people aren't like you. People like the Council of Crowns. People like Aaron. They won't give us a chance."
Logan looked at Patton guiltily as he finished. To his astonishment, however, Patton grabbed his hand and smiled. "They already have." With that, Patton took his leave.
On their way to gym class, the two were silent. Virgil wasn't sure what Logan was thinking. He wasn't sure he cared. All he knew were the few thoughts that kept dancing around in his head.
Roman stood up for them.
Virgil was about to lose control, but he didn't.
Because of Roman.
About three hours later, Virgil would sit up from his desk and curse, "Shit, I owe him don't I?!"
---
"I understand how much you want to help these children, Prince Patton. Your caring nature is one of the reasons you make such an excellent Student Council President."
Fairy Godmother had called Patton, Ali, and Riley into her office later that day to give a report on what exactly had happened at lunch. Apparently a tearful girl had broken down about her life being over because her OTP "Aaro" was splitting up. Patton recounted the conversation preceding the argument, including his proposal to abolish the Isle.
"However," Fairy Godmother continued gently, "Don't you think this is a task too big for a student organization?"
Patton tilted his head. "Well, I think students can be proponents of change just as much as adults, Fairy Godmother."
"Of course, of course..." she replied a bit sheepishly, "But the severity of this task is too much for even most adults to handle. The Council of Crowns may have allowed a temporary transfer of two Isle students, but compared to an entire island-"
"Headmistress Fairy Godmother, sorry to interrupt." Ali sat forward in his chair, "Is there an official reason for us to be here? We gave an account of an argument none of us took part in and only led to breaking one girl's fragile sanity."
"Yeah, seriously, what sane person would ship Roman with Aaron?" Riley interjected.
"Are we free to go?" Ali asked. They all waited a tense moment until Fairy Godmother waved her hand, motioning for them to go.
The second they were outside, they all breathed a sigh of relief. "I can't believe I just sassed her." Ali murmured, sweat forming on his forehead.
"Aw, I'm rubbing off on you!" Riley smirked, elbowing Ali in the side. Patton smiled, shaking his head. "Why did you do that?"
"He did it for you, dummy." Riley exclaimed, and Ali nodded in agreement.
Patton looked confused. "What? Why?"
"Fairy Godmother was grilling you back there, and so were we at lunch. We should've had your back."
Riley put her hand in the middle of the three of them, and Patton put his hand on top of hers with a grin. After a few begrudging seconds, Ali joined in, and all three hands flew up into the air.
"So, does this mean you'll help with the Council of Crowns?" Patton asked hopefully.
Riley and Ali shared an awkward expression. "We'll help as much as we can," Ali offered, "but keep in mind we also have student council matters to attend to. I've got to balance next semester's budget, plus I have Academic Decathlon work."
"And I'm super busy with club coordination, not to mention Parent's Day and Winter Formal." Riley added, quite bemoaned, "I feel like I haven't slept in days.."
"You yourself have to preside over all of this, all while concocting a plan that statistically isn't going to work." Ali continued, "So you better be sure you can do this."
Patton paused for second, thinking back. It was true, even the most persuasive of proposals would have a difficult time getting passed by the Council. The odds were not in his favor, so would he just be wasting his energy on something that will never work? These doubts were enough to deter him for a slight moment.
Then he thought about the people on the Isle being punished for something someone else did. People who yearned for better lives, people who deserved better lives. He thought about a pair of boys arriving at Auradon. One a brooding loner, hiding within himself in order to avoid getting hurt. The way he almost smiles when Patton tells a dad joke or when he bites into a new pastry. The painting he made for Patton, currently hanging above his dresser. Then the other, a tall, intelligent, handsome person who makes Patton's heart flutter when he's near. When he notices when his bluntness may have hurt someone's feelings and he tries to rephrase in a softer way. How his eyes light up when he talks about things that Patton doesn't understand, but it's nice just to see him this way. The time their hands brushed up against each other as they were stargazing in the observatory. The defeat in his eyes earlier that day as he spoke to Patton.
"They won't give us a chance."
"They already have."
By allowing Logan and Virgil to transfer in the first place, the Council of Crowns had guaranteed that Patton would never stop fighting for his friends. It didn't matter if the task was impossible, because Patton would find a way to change the Council's minds. So, with newfound zeal, Patton looked his Ali straight in the eye.
"I've never been more sure if anything in my life."
---
It was a tense day for Roman. He spent most of his day avoiding Aaron, which was difficult because they were roommates. He was angry, of course. Aaron had been out of line at lunch, ridiculing Patton and... the others. What made the feeling worse was that he hadn't been acting much better over the past month. Sure, he was trying to be better, but he wasn't always sure how.
Roman sighed to himself as he organized his laundry on the bed. Had he overreacted?
"Hey, Ro-Ro.." Roman heard a soft voice behind him. Turning, he saw Aaron and he stiffened. Seeing that, Aaron bit his lip. "Are you still mad?"
Seeing him like this tugged at Roman's heartstrings, but the seething rage from earlier was still simmering steadily.
"Yeah." Roman replied, not really knowing how else to answer. The tension in the room could be sliced through with a sword.
Aaron sighed. "I'm sorry, okay? I obviously hurt your feelings earlier, and I didn't mean to."
"It's not about me, though!" Roman exclaimed, exasperated, "You were being really mean back there. To Patton!
"Oh gods, I didn't mean to offend Patton!" Aaron hurriedly stated, "Not with how close you two are! Like brothers, right?"
"And what about Virgil and Logan?" Roman replied, surprising himself at the anger flaring up inside him.
Aaron got deadly silent for a moment. "That... boy's mother almost killed my mother. Excuse me if I'm not eager to be acquainted with more of his friends."
Roman ran his hand through his hair. He wasn't sure what to say, what to do. Then, he felt Aaron grab his hand.
"Hey." Aaron said softly, "We've always been together, Roman. Since we were kids! Do you really want to throw that all away? Over one disagreement?"
Aaron's words rang true. Roman really didn't want to give up their friendship. He had so many memories of growing up with Aaron, learning to sword fight together, having tea parties when they were little. Perhaps it was silly to break it off after one fight, even if it meant a lot to Roman.
With a hug, Roman forgave Aaron. They could work it out. Or Roman could just avoid Isle issues with Aaron. He could learn to be a friend with an opposing opinion.
"I'm so glad this is over." Aaron chimed, and Roman would be lying if he said he didn't feel a slight pit in his stomach.
Forgive and forget, he thought.
That night, as Aaron put on his beauty mask in their bathroom, Roman heard a knock at the door. It was rushed, starting loud and then quickly softening as if the person on the other side hadn't meant to put so much force into it. Curious who it could be at this hour, Roman answered.
Boy, was he surprised.
Standing before him, a black hoodie wrapped around him, stood the emo Isle kid. Virgil.
Quite confused, Roman spoke. "Uh... got the wrong door Phantasia?"
The emo raised an eyebrow at him.
"It's like Fantasia, but with a 'ph,' like phantom... sorry, it's more of a visual joke."
Under the hood, Roman could barely notice the rolling eyes. Then, after a tense moment, Virgil pulled a hand out of his pocket, holding something.
It was a slightly crumpled white shirt and blue jeans, folded into a square. Virgil held them out to him gingerly. With a start, Roman realized these were the same clothes Roman lent to Virgil that day in gym class.
"Are you- are you returning these to me?" Roman asked incredulously.
Virgil huffed in frustration. "What does it look like I'm doing?"
Roman took his clothes, then added nervously, "Thank you."
As Virgil turned to leave, Roman had a thought. He stepped outside and closed the door first, in case Aaron came out soon.
"Hey." Virgil stopped, tilting slightly to look back. Roman clenched his fist, then unclenched it. "I'm sorry. I don't think I ever said that. For before, I mean, the Home Ec. incident and... after that."
He saw Virgil tense up, but didn't stop. "I was a jerk to you, and I didn't even know you. I still don't. But... I'd like to." Virgil's eyes had widened, and Roman was beginning to sweat. Why was his heart beating so fast??
Then, a snort of laughter rang out in the halls as Virgil started to snicker. At a loss for words, Roman just went red. Virgil stopped after a few seconds and saluted Roman with a smirk.
"See you around, Princey."
The emo left Roman standing there, hands tightening on the returned clothes. Making his way back inside, he saw that Aaron was putting curlers in his hair. The aforementioned turned and gave him a weird look. "What just happened? Why are you so smiley?"
Roman realized he had been smiling. "Ah, er, nothing. Just popped outside." Aaron, perhaps too tired to pry, went back to his hair as Roman changed for bed. He decided a white t-shirt would make a pretty good night shirt.
---
A/N: Merry Christmas! (And other seasonal holidays, of course!) Consider this a gift from me to y'all, written with a lot of love. I encourage everyone to give their friends and family a big ol hug, tell them you love them. Have a wonderful holiday, everyone. :)