Roman had gotten impatient waiting for Micheal so he followed a few students as the flow went toward the dorms. As he made his way to his dorm, many people looked at him and whispered. He was wondering what they were talking about. Had the scene with Virgil traveled that fast? It literally happened not even ten minutes ago.

Roman found his room and then put his bag down. He was glad he didn't have any homework and he decided to go exploring around the school, just to get more of a feel for it. Sure he had Saturday and Sunday to look around but he was preoccupied on both days. He just needed a distraction.

Maybe he would call Remus when he got outside. He took off the tie but kept the dress shirt on. He looked in the mirror and ruffled his hair a bit and undid some of the buttons. There was Roman.

The Roman he portrayed today was a bit of an imposter. He still scolded himself for possibly scaring Virgil. Roman still couldn't figure out why the emo was passing his mind so much. It was like a nightmare. He was trapped in an emo nightmare...

He chuckled to himself, Emo Nightmare, it sounded like a nickname and one he was going to use next time he got to talk to Virgil alone. He noticed today how he was barely alone. Like the entire friend group moved in a pack, and it seemed like Roman was on Patton's bad side.

He heard that he kid was a sweetheart, granted he was extremely nice during the tour and hadn't spoken to Roman since but the glares when Virgil wasn't looking said it all.

Was that what his mother meant when saying that she wanted him to find someone to make him feel? Find someone who made him comfortable and someone he wanted to impress. Roman wanted to impress Virgil, but he was so used to the character he had created for himself when he started getting into fights in middle school..it was like second nature.

The issue was when Roman saw Virgil sign in the library he was shocked and it took a lot to surprise him. The real Roman peeked through there. But not too much, just curiosity. Virgil and Janus had no doubt seen him interact with Remus. That was the true Roman. The Roman that cared so much about the people he loved that he would move mountains if they asked.

Roman would be lying if he said he didn't miss when he wasn't so unfeeling. But it kept him from getting attached to the wrong people while making him the bad guy. Was that a habit that he could break just so Virgil and the others could see him really?

Did Roman really want to change? Roman huffed and pushed the thoughts away. He was done thinking or even entertaining the thought. Virgil was only interesting to him because he didn't talk but could give Roman a run for his money. Or was Roman putting him on a pedestal that Virgil really didn't belong on?

He grabbed his phone and slipped it into his pocket. That thought was ridiculous, of course Virgil belonged on a pedestal. He belonged on a fucking throne. Roman paused before opening the door. He hadn't had thoughts that wild in years. He was confused. He hadn't thought of himself as the "Prince" and Remus as the "Duke" in years. That's where the emblem came from. Roman really liked the medieval time period when he was younger and claimed that he was the prince and since Remus was his brother he would be a prince too until Roman inevitably became king to which Roman would name him a Duke.

In school, the twins were princes. Roman knew that in the circles the two run in Remus called himself the Duke. It was his alias for his art as well. Roman knew it was because that was a nickname that Roman had given him.

The thought troubled him, but he ignored it. Virgil sure belonged on the pedestal that Roman had him on because he was nice. He had given him multiple warnings but Roman couldn't help but think that Virgil would think he was stuck up after today. The dining hall stunt he pulled was supposed to spark jealousy and Roman succeed but at a cost.

Virgil now thought of him as a useless flirt, and at heart Roman was a hopeless romantic. He was a sucker for a person who seemed closed off and hurt that seemed to need protecting. That's what Virgil had already with his friends. Roman was entertaining the idea of a relationship with Virgil despite not even knowing if he was single.

Not to mention he barely even knew Virgil! That's what really pissed him off. Roman took his room key and closed his door.

Micheal would text him if he needed him and Roman was going to call his brother to tell him about this dilemma. Would he be of help?

Probably not because Remus was immature but still was his brother. Roman strode down the hallway and towards the back meadow where some of the sports fields were. There were still people whispering when he walked by. The school was big, but could news really be circulating this much? Was he the most interesting thing they had to talk about?

Turns out they were right. He was. And for a reason he didn't see coming. Because once again he was grabbed from the hallway on the first floor. But instead of being pinned to a wall, he was thrown on the floor. It wasn't the first time but hitting the completely polished floor at the boarding school was different than the tile at his old school. Not to mention, he was usually the one who did the throwing.

"You know, I thought you were dumb Princey. I really did believe that you were, but I seem to have underestimated just how stupid." He heard a voice say and he recognized it immediately. Janus.

"Dude, seriously? I am going for a walk. Can I not even do that?" Roman asked, ignoring the fact he was insulted and clearly where the conversation was going.

"Princey, Princey, Princey. You are stupid. Like really? Did you not think that would get back to me? Especially after this morning? I gave you a warning, you should have taken it." Janus said while kicking Roman in the side. Roman grunted and curled in. This was new.

"I can't control the fact that there was only one empty seat left in that class and he had to sit there. I didn't actively make anyone not sit with me, how was I supposed to know that he was in that class?" Roman got that Janus wasn't playing around. Janus chuckled and then crouched down to Roman's level.

"You can't control that and I know Virgil tried to move and he's stuck with you, but you can control what comes out of your mouth. And trust me, I don't like my friends being threatened." Janus said darkly. Roman silently cursed himself and then did something stupid.

"It wasn't a threat, and that thing in the dining room was because I can't tie a tie." Roman said with an eye roll. Janus didn't like that.

"Oh, I am going to enjoy fucking you up." Janus said and pulled Roman up. Roman chuckled.

"I'd love to see you tr-" Roman didn't get to finish his sentence because he was punched right in the jaw. Roman stumbled back and held his hand. He then slipped back into his old persona. But he didn't get very far.

For every punch he threw, Janus got about four hits in. Between the punches and kicks, he tried to fight back. He quickly saw it was no use. He was getting beaten up, it wasn't like he was new to it. It had been a while since someone had beaten him into a fight. He could feel bruises on his sides forming and a cut on his lip that was dripping blood. He needed to get away and fast. He did the only thing he could think of.

He quickly searched the area and saw there was a door down the hallway some, they weren't in the pathway of any cameras. It was like Janus knew the places to go..Roman wasn't surprised. His eyes flashed a red and the door slammed open, Janus snapped his head up.

"What the hell?" Janus said. Roman was being held up but he found his footing and swung on the side that Janus wasn't paying attention to. He didn't get a good hit but it was enough to take him by surprise and allowed Roman to slip out of his grasp. Roman then sprinted down the hallway in the opposite direction of his dorm.

Janus knew where his dorm was. But there was also a camera over there so he didn't think he would go that way. Roman ran up the stairs and opened the door to the second floor. He hoped that he could find one of his friends or someone to take pity on him.

He was stumbling through the hallway. He got to a purple door and saw 219. Hopefully this person could help him. He was feeling the pain now and each step was starting to hurt since the adrenaline was starting to wear off and he was now registering the pain. He knocked relatively loudly but softly to not bother the person's neighbors. He was now starting to hurt really bad and this person was taking what seemed forever, if they took any longer then they would have a passed out Roman.

The door lock clicked and then opened. Virgil was peeking out behind it and saw Roman, he looked horrified. "Ahh, Emo Nightmare! Wonderful to see you again, could I possibly have some assistance?" Roman said.

But he never heard or saw Virgil's response because the entire world went black.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

A passed out Roman on his couch wasn't what Virgil had expected when he finished the day of school. And he was glad that his bathroom door was locked so Patton or Logan couldn't get in. They would not be happy with the fact Virgil had a bruised and beaten Roman just chilling on his couch.

Virgil had done a quick energetic scan of Roman to make sure that he was still okay internally. There were no broken bones but there were some ribs that almost broke. He was just glad there was nothing that could be puncturing his lungs that was a big deal.

Virgil had caught Roman as he fell forward in the door and dragged him into the dorm room. He closed and locked the door. He didn't need Janus coming either. He was glad he still had the extra key in a plant in the dorm room and hadn't hidden it yet. So Janus would have to break down the door, and with being so close to the Headmaster's living area he wasn't that stupid. Plus he could just go find Thomas to get the other extra key.

Virgil wasn't sure what to do then make him comfortable and then dress his wounds. Then to wait until he woke up or his roommate came looking for him. Either way, Virgil would get him up and get him out of his room.

Virgil was too busy focusing on the fact that a guy had literally passed out in front of his dorm room to even think about the nickname. It hit him that Roman had called him a nickname when Virgil was taking his shoes off. What the hell was Roman's game? He seemed so nice when they walked to the dorm on moving day, what had happened to that person? He didn't like the other person he was seeing.

The energy Roman gave off didn't match how he acted. He gave off such a strong presence that made you feel at home but at the same time he was arrogant and practically a fuckboy. Virgil had seen and heard how many times people walked up to him and tried to flirt with him. But he didn't flirt back unless it was in front of Virgil. Did he really flirt with others to make Virgil jealous?

Virgil scoffed, sure someone as attractive as Roman was making him jealous? That's a dream, that's it. He picked up a blanket and covered Roman's body. He then waved a hand over Roman's torso to find and bruises. And judging by Roman's groans and shifting Virgil had found quite a few. The good news was they weren't too bad, he got away in enough time before Janus could do any real damage.

Yes, Virgil knew that it was Janus. He recognized the pattern, mostly because it was on his own body multiple times. If Virgil didn't recognize it then that would. Be worrying. That meant there was another person running around beating people up and considering Roman was a strong person that was what would've also worried Virgil. Whoever bold and stupid enough to fight Roman that wasn't Janus, was trouble. In a way, Virgil was relieved that it was Janus.

But it also confirmed what he was thinking before. Patton and Logan were hiding something from him, and Virgil wasn't sure if he wanted to know. But right now he had to focus on the unconscious person in front of him. He had learned quite a few healing spells that didn't fix everything but they did dull the pain and almost make the bruises easier to deal with.

Virgil made sure Roman was out before holding one hand over his torso and then said the spell in his head. His eyes flashed a deeper purple as it was a bigger spell and he moved his hand to his shoulders. He stopped there. The only thing on Roman's face was a cut on his lip and a scratch from one of Janus' rings. Virgil had a first aid kit under the couch because he was a clumsy person. He grabbed a face cloth and wet it in the bathroom quickly before slipping back to his room and locking the door again. He got the antibacterial wipes and then some bandages. He also got ice from his mini fridge and freezer.

Why was he doing this? He didn't know. Which was a lie, he was helping because he was hoping that whatever powers saw this, didn't matter if it was the gods he worshiped or the gods of medicine, would then take pity and then action to make the situation easier.

He decided that he would hold the ice on Roman's face if he didn't wake up with Virgil cleaning his face off. This was about to get really awkward. Sleeping boy and Virgil was here cleaning him up. Nothing weird about that. Roman was a stupid but had a pretty face. Virgil hoped he didn't get a bruise there, but by the looks of it, he was wrong.

He wiped the dried blood off of Roman's face and around the scratches. They had stopped bleeding while Roman was at the door so thankfully it didn't get on his carpet. Not like he didn't know how to get blood off the carpet. It happened before. The shirt was a different story. Virgil then decided to put the ice away before he continued. The shirt was a bit bloody. So Virgil started to take his shirt off.

He blushed the entire time, then he grabbed a big. T-shirt before he could get distracted by Roman's build. It was a nice one, he also caught a glimpse of the bruises he had healed. They weren't too dark and if Roman was smart and kept his mouth shut they would heal. After he had changed Roman he soaked the shirt.

Virgil knew that he was jumping around to different things without finishing the first task but it was easier than being that close to a face he found attractive but infuriating. He had asked Thomas for access to the washers on the floor so he could use it if he needed during the summer. Thomas had never asked for the key back. So Virgil put on a playlist of music that he cleaned to and slipped out of the room with his key to go wash Roman's shirt. When he came back, Roman had shifted so he was holding the blanket close. Like he was cuddling it.

Roman was a cuddler? Virgil shrugged and then decided to not get a picture. That in the wrong hands would not be good and Virgil was smarter than that. He hummed to the music as he placed the ice into a plastic bag and went to finish cleaning Roman's face. He realized that his alter was still out in the open, he then packed it up a bit and then slid it into a drawer. He didn't need that level of questioning from Roman.

He had to make him move back to where he was before so Virgil could. When Virgil had finished with the antibacterial wipe, Roman's eyes fluttered open. And looked right into Virgil's eyes. He froze and just stared at Roman. Roman's eyes looked like golden honey and Virgil mentallly cursed himself for getting distracted.

"Well, this is a surprise." Virgil rolled his eyes and then got a few bandaids for the scratch, the lip would just have to heal without one. "Awe, come on. You are being my nurse, what can I do to repay you?" Roman asked. Virgil sat and pretended to think. He grabbed a nearby post-it note and a pen and wrote a note to Roman and showed it to him while packing up.

You can start by telling me why you chose my dorm instead of your own.

"Oh." Roman said and Virgil looked at him. Roman seemed a bit embarrassed? This was new. "I didn't know this was yours..I was trying to get back to my own by a different way and got lost. I was going to ask someone if they could direct me towards the right way but I ended up passing out. No doubt due to your presence." Virgil raised an eyebrow at him and pushed the first aid kit under the couch again.

Now isn't the time for flirting, dumbass. You just got your ass handed to you by someone. Who was it? Virgil wrote.

Roman chuckled after reading it. "You won't like the answer so I am not going to tell you. But I am sure you can figure it out, you are a smart cookie from what I hear." Roman said. Virgil nodded and then shoved the ice at him. Roman looked confused.

I am trying to prevent you from having a bruise, put it on your cheek. And I am not that smart.

Roman tsked when he saw the last part. "I think many people would beg to differ with that statement. Logan maybe?" Roman said and Virgil glared at him. Roman chuckled and then looked down at his shirt. He saw Virgil's band shirt. It was black.. and not his dress shirt. "Why am I wearing this?" He asked.

You got blood on the other one so I am washing it. It should be good to dry in a few, keep the shirt and bring it to me in history on Wednesday. Virgil wrote and started to get up.

"Kicking me out already? Come on, stormy, I want to get to know my savior."

No. You are so thick and I can't even express how stupid you are. Virgil signed out of habit.

Roman was watching him and then looked confused when Virgil did that. Right, Roman doesn't know sign. Vrigil then just shook his head. The dinner bell would go off in about a half hour and Roman would be wearing one of Virgil's shirts. He didn't wear it out because it was too big but it was a pajamas. And Patton would recognize it in a heartbeat.

Virgil picked up a bigger notepad to write on and wrote a note for Roman to follow. Here is how we are going to do this: We will go get your shirt from the laundry room, take it to your room, you are going to change into sweatpants, then wear a sweatshirt to dinner. I don't want to have to explain why you are wearing one of my shirts to my friend. We are going to dinner, if anyone asks I am walking you back from the nurse. Got it? He threw the note pad down on the coffee table in front of Roman and then went to slip on his converse.

Roman read it and then watched Virgil closely, Virgil knew that he was watching him. He also got ready for dinner because they were going after. He loosened his tie. He looked at Roman who looked a little guiltily. Virgil knew he was overreacting a bit but he was annoyed.