When You're Broken On The Ground

Chapter 27

Trigger Warnings: bad coffee?, talk of drinking in college because Remus did some weird stuff 

Word Count: 1121

The courthouse has this cafeteria-style room, with a couple tables and two coffee machines. That's where the family finds themselves, sitting at a table, cheap coffee in Styrofoam cups in front of them. 

Virgil and Patton sit on either side of Dee, Remus opposite them with Roman and Logan doing the same with him. Remy sits at the head between Virgil and Roman while Thomas sits at the other end between Logan and Patton. 

"Soooooo," Thomas starts, "how long should we have to wait?"

"It all depends on the jury," Logan says, not looking up from his phone. "If they agree, it could take twenty minutes. If they don't agree, well... it could take up to a couple hours."

"Thank the Broadway gods it's a Saturday," Roman groans, taking a sip of his coffee and gagging. 

"You don't even have work to do," Remus quips.

"Excuse me?! I work!"

"Sure, starting at scripts and your face all day is soooo much work." The twins get into a banter fight and the conversation flows around them, like normal. 

They talk for a while about a shared vacation, after they drop the newest Sanders Sides video. But then Thomas gets a call. "It's Joan," he says. He answers it, the twins falling silent so they can hear Thomas. "Yeah everything's going well, we think there's a good chance of us winning.... What about the script?.... You're kidding me." He sighs. "Hang on, let me put you on speaker."

Everyone leans in over Thomas' phone when Joan's voice comes through. "Can you guys hear me?"

"Yep."

"Great. So uh, you know how we wanted to have video game footage for parts of it?"

"Yeah?" Patton asks. "What's wrong?"

"Well it looks like the people we have working on it can't finish it without the audio and faces so they can the expressions right. So we'll have to record the entire episode, then send them the clips they need and get the video game parts done, then we can edit them together and release it."

Roman sighs. "We should have known."

"Then we'll just have to start recording tomorrow," Logan compromises. "We can get it all done in two to three days if we work for it. The scheduled release date is still three weeks out, if we get it done early next week, that still gives them a week and half to get it all down, and us a week to edit and make final adjustments."

"But what if they need more time?" Virgil worries. "What if the fans are getting restless? We kinda dropped a video without any script and that wasn't exactly part of our story arc.... what if they're mad at us?"

"Mi amor it'll be okay," Roman soothes, grabbing Virgil's hand. 

"Yeah V, the fans are pretty forgiving," Joan says. "We should be fine, it's just kinda of inconvenient considering y'all have jobs."

"To be fair," Dee speaks up, "I'm off work for now and Remus is off until this blows past, so we can do our scenes on Monday while the rest of you people with jobs work."

"So basically me, Roman, and Thomas will help you two do scenes while the rest work?" Virgil comments.

"Ah yes, the four people in this family that don't have flexible working times and aren't on leave currently will work," Remy sasses.

"It was your choice to get an actual degree and work with people," Vurgil snaps back.

"So," Joan says, "I'll talk to you later Thomas?"

"Yeah, thanks for the update Joan. We'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sounds good Thomas." They hang up.

"How about," Logan suggests, "we decide what scenes will be done on what day and when?" He brings out a pad of paper. "Let's see, I can not do Monday or Tuesday, as I have clients, so I will have to do Sunday. Patton?"

"I have to be in during the week."

"Sunday it is. Roman?" 

"What?"

"Do you have anywhere to be Sunday through Tuesday?"

"I have a read through on Sunday until three, and a meeting with my manager on Monday after lunch."

"What day would be the easiest for you to record your scenes on?"

Roman thinks for a bit. "Monday, or Tuesday. But Sunday would work if it was after four."

"Right. Virgil?"

"I have literally no schedule, sign me up whenever."

"Wonderful," Logan sighs out. "Remus?"

"It all depends on the sentence but I should be fine for any of the days."

"Dee?"

"Same as Remus."

"Thomas?"

"You know I have no life outside of this, put me down for whenever."

"And Remy, you and Emile are not in this episode and aren't supposed to be introduced for a while so you two do not matter in this case."

"Rough, but true," Remy grumbles.

"Therefore, using our usual recording line to the best we can, Thomas will go first on Sunday, then Patton, then I. If we can we'll get Roman in after that, if not he'll go early Monday. Dee then Remus will go after him, and if we have time Virgil. Tuesday will be Virgil and any redos or any scenes we missed. Objections?"

"Sounds good Lo."

"That should work for me."

"As long as we aren't locked in a jail cell by tomorrow," Remus muses out loud, "we should be set."

"Let's try to think positively," Patton suggest.

Dee groans, and goes to take a sip of his room temperature coffee, gagging at the aftertaste. "Remy, please make us proper coffee when we get home."

"Way ahead of you babes," Remy says. "We're hitting up a Starbucks after this."

Thomas stands up. "I'm dumping mine, any of you want me to do the same to yours?"

"Please." Roman, Dee, and Logan give him their cups. 

Virgil and Remy stand up with theirs. "I gotta toss this away myself," Remy says. "I want to watch it die."

The trio walk over to the garbage can while Roman turns to Patton. "How can you stand that trash?" he asks.

"Oh, I just put enough sugar in it to make it taste good!"

Logan sighs. "Patton, you put enough in to make it sugar water."

"So?"

Dee bites back a laugh while Remus takes a sip and gags. "Patton, that's the sickeningly sweet thing I've ever had," Remus declares. "And I've had honey mixed with sugar shots."

"WHAT?!" Roman yells. 

"College was a nightmare," Dee sighs, laying his head on the table. "He did Jello shots made with Vodka instead of cold water." 

"How did none of us know about this until now?" Roman asks, stunned.