Magenta

Ch. 23

Roman didn't speak much during dinner that night. He, understandably, had a lot on his mind.

Janus and Logan...that was my fault?

"Ro?" Their father spoke up. "You've barely touched your food. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'm...I'm fine." Roman murmured, eyes staring blankly at one spot at the table.

"You're really pale, Ro." Remus pointed out. "Did something happen with Virgil?"

Roman wanted to tell them. He desperately wanted to blurt out what had happened. But Roman didn't know what would happen if Remus found out. Would he call the police? Would he seek Virgil out himself?

"...no." Roman mumbled, frowning. Maybe he should have told them? Would their father call the cops? But then, why would they believe him? "Everything's fine...don't worry..."

"Okay..." Their father replied hesitantly, taking a bit from his food. Remus, however, didn't seem convinced.

"Are you sure, Roman?" Remus asked, looking oddly serious. "You should go lie down. You look like you could keel over at any given moment."

Roman winced. Not a good joke to make.

"Yeah, uh, good idea." Roman nodded, dazed. He stood up, walking to his room.

Immediately, Remus turned to their father. "Do you know anything about this?"

"No! I thought you did!" The father whispered back. "Did they have a lovers quarrel or something?"

"I dunno, Virgil seemed pretty happy when he dropped Roman off." Remus hummed in thought.

Their father was silent for a moment, taking a bite of his food. "...Remus."

"Yeah?"

He looked Remus directly in the eyes, something intense in his gaze.

"Keep an eye on your brother."

---

Roman honestly didn't know what to do. The best option at the moment would probably be to run away from home.

But Remus had installed that tracking app, right? Of course, he could always uninstall it.

"No..." Roman shook his head. He wasn't going to run away like a coward. He had to be brave, he was strong.

He curled in on himself a bit more, hugging a pillow to his chest. Oh god, how did he get into this mess? It was only a few months ago that he moved here, and now?

Ignoring Virgil wouldn't work. Virgil knew his address. He probably had a pretty good grasp of Roman's schedule.

Roman didn't wanna admit it, but he was scared. Terrified, even. He had never felt this kind of fear before. This suffocating, maddening fear that coursed through his veins.

And to think he had thought Virgil was the one only this morning. To think, that in such a short amount of time, his entire view of Virgil could change so drastically.

The only person he could truly rely on at school now was Remus. They had gone back to square one, when they had agreed to be there for each other in case no one else was.

He needed someone to talk to. Not someone to spill everything to, but someone who could make him feel more at ease.

He pulled out his phone, dialing a number.

It rang for a few moments, before the person he wanted to talk to answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mom." Roman murmured, already feeling a bit better. "How are you?"

"I am fantastic!" His mother exclaimed, Roman could hear the large smile that was on her face. "Everything is going swimmingly! It's a lot of hard work, but I'm enjoying myself!"

"That's great, Mom."

"...is everything alright, Ro?" She asked. "Did something happen?"

"...yeah." Roman whispered, unable to keep the trembling out of his voice.

"Yeah as in something happened, or yeah as in you're alright?" She pressed.

"S-Something happened..."

"...well," His mother took a deep breath. "Is there a beast in need of slaying, oh fine prince? Would you like me to conquer it?"

Roman chuckled. "I don't think you could get away with slaying this beast, Mom."

"Nonsense! I am a brave knight, I'll have you know! As well as your queen! I can conquer all!" She boasted, letting out a hearty laugh.

Roman laughed as well. "I don't think even a queen can get away with murder."

His mother fell into a stunned silence. "...Ro, is someone bullying you?"

"Um, I guess you could say that." Roman pursed his lips.

"Does Ree know? Or your father?" She asked.

"Uh, no."

"Roman, you have to tell someone." She said. "I'm glad you came to me with this, but I wish I could provide some immediate help."

"It's fine, Mom. I don't need you to solve my problems." Roman sighed. "I just needed someone to talk to."

"Alright, Ro." She replied hesitantly. "What do you wanna talk about?"

"I dunno, anything's fine." Roman told her.

"Alright..." She thought about it for a second. "How has your father been faring in my absence?"

"He's doing his best."

"He set the toaster on fire again, didn't he?"

"Um, technically Remus set the toaster on fire this time."

She laughed. "Your father is a mess of a human being." She snorted. "Sometimes I wonder why I married that man."

"Did you have other options?" Roman asked.

"Of course I did!" She exclaimed. "Someone as beautiful as me had dozens of suitors to choose from! Men would show up at my doorstep every other day!"

"I feel like you're overexaggerting." Roman chuckled.

"Me? Overexaggerate? Please!" She laughed dramatically. "There is no need for overexaggeration!"

"I dunno, Mom. You're pretty dramatic." Roman stated.

"Hmm...you know your mother well." She murmured solemnly. "As expected of a mighty prince!"

"Of course! What kind of prince would I be if I didn't know my queen well?" Roman asked, laughing.

"There he is!" His mother rejoiced, delighted. "Well, Prince Roman, you certainly have been trained well."

"I've learned from the best, I'll have you know!" Roman bragged, smirking. "Only the finest of tutors would be chosen for one as great as me!"

"I wouldn't expect less from a prince!" She giggled. "Oh, shit--don't repeat that. I have to go, Roman. Intermission ends in a few minutes."

"Knock 'em dead, Mom." Roman beamed. "And thank you, I feel a lot better."

"Anything for my little prince!" She exclaimed. "I love you! Stay safe! Bye!"

"Bye." Roman laughed, before hanging up.

A/N:

Kinda weird switching to Remus' perspective all of a sudden, right? Well, we'll be seeing a lot more of that.