Bad Rumors

32

"Come on, Ro. Let's get you inside." Roman frowned as he shook his head and pointed back towards the main part of town. "Ro, no. Come on..."

"I-I-I c-can sta-ay at-t-t..."

"You're staying with me." Roman faltered as Remus growled lightly forcing the front door open with a glare. "Did you really think I'd leave you to fend for yourself here? I don't even know why you are here, Roman."

'I'll stay at the shelter, Remus. I'm not putting you or Janus out.' Remus didn't bother to respond. He simply grabbed his brother's arm and pulled him in shutting the door with a loud slam before sighing and turning back to his twin. Roman was just numb. He really didn't care anymore. He didn't understand why Remus was trying so hard anyway. Just let him rot.

"Remus?" Roman tensed hearing Janus's voice call through the house. His eyes filled with panic and he tried to move... tried to get out but with Remus blocking the door, he didn't get very far. "Where have you been? I've been making din-..." Roman flinched the second he heard the rageful hiss. His heart just dropped as he turned around to see Janus glaring at him. "What the fuck is he doing here?"

"I don't know, Jannie. I'm trying to figure that out." Remus shook his head as Janus growled angrily. 

"I don't want him here." Roman's eyes dulled all the more as he just smiled, completely expecting this. "Send him back."

"No." Everyone froze as Roman chocked out the word. Janus's eyes lit up with rage as he hugged himself. "N-Not-t g-goin-ng... N-Not... D-Don't want-t t-t-to."

"Roman, your stutter." Roman paled as he curled up into himself making Remus frown all the more. "When did it start up again?"

'I don't remember. I think it was when I had the panic attack?' Janus paused watching as Roman sighed, his expression slowing softening. 'It's only gotten worse since then. I don't like talking anymore.'

"Well, that's ok bro. You know I'll always understand..." Remus stopped cold the second Roman started to cry again. "Roman?"

'I fucked up. I fucked up bad. I pushed him away just like I did you. I don't understand why this keeps happening. Why am I such a fucking screw up?' 

"Hey! Roman, stop that." Remus jumped in to hug his brother tight all while giving the snake this look. Janus nodded, understanding that Roman was the one who needed help right now. "It's going to be ok. Why don't we go rest? You look like you're about to drop."

'Like a man overdosing on drugs?' Roman added with a small smirk seeing how Remus's eyes lit up. 

"Like Snow White after eating the apple." Roman laughed as Remus's attempt at being pg. Roman knew his brother would have added more to that making it more like how he normally was, but Remus was far too concerned to care. This is just how the twins were back then. 

'Remus, I don't want to rest.' Roman signed with a sad look. 'I don't want to do anything.'

"Have you eaten?" Roman glared over at the snake for a second before just blinking and making Janus pale. "Roman, when was the last time you ate?"

'I don't know.  I know I didn't eat lunch. I couldn't. I didn't eat breakfast either.'  The look Janus got was horrified as Remus just sighed in understanding. 'I haven't been eating or sleeping.' Roman looked around at everyone before shaking his head and looking at the door. 'I should go. I'm not putting you all out. I'll be fine at the shelter.'

"You are not staying at the shelter, Roman." Roman's eyes snapped over to his brother making Remus pale at the pure pain and anger in them.

"I'm not going home, Remus." Roman's voice shook and craked as he smiled through the tears. "Not after what I did. He hates me. I can't... I can't go back. I-I-I c-can't... C-Can't-t..."

"Ro..."

"I-I'm-m al-lon-ne. A-all-all a-alone. I fucked up. I always fuck up. I-I can't..." Remus snapped in grabbing Roman's hands that were gripping his hair tightly. Roman's eyes shot wide as Remus smiled sadly.

"You don't have to go back, Roman. We won't force you but... I'm not about to leave you out there to suffer on your own. You're my brother..." Roman tore his hands free from Remus's grasp as he shook his head making Remus frown. "Roman... I AM your brother. That's not ever going to change. I..."

'You left me.' Remus's eyes shot wide as Roman looked away. 'You promised you would always be there and you left. You left me and everything just came crumbling down. You promised me and yet you left of your own choice.' Remus's eyes darkened as Roman seemed to crash. 'It was my fault. I pushed too hard. I just wanted you to stay with me. I didn't want anyone to separate us but... you left. You chose that. And he... I pushed him away too.'

"Roman, come sit." Roman went to object to Janus's suggestion but Remus ended up grabbing his wrist and he was too weak to fight him. The three sat down in the living room with Roman sitting in the center of the couch. "Roman..."

"I'M NOT GOING BACK!"

"Roman, you aren't going back!" Remus forced out with such venom making Roman's eyes shoot up in shock. "If you're this distraught... Roman, I know you."

"Knew. You kn-new m-me." Roman smiled sadly as he shook his head. "You know my pride. Not me... not really."

"Pride?" Janus frowned as Remus just sat there frozen beside the snake. "What do you mean pride?"

'The prince you all know... isn't me. It's my pride. The monster prince... god, I really fucked up. I didn't... I... He hates me.'

"Roman, please breathe?" Roman choked as he curled up into himself breaking the hearts of both dark sides who had never seen him like this before. Well... Remus had a very long time ago and it was bringing up some hard memories of when they were younger. "First explain to us who you think hates you. Then please explain this pride thing to me. Cuz, honestly bro... I'm really confused."

"Virgil." The two paled as Roman just stared off at nothing. "Virgil hates me."

"Well, hey now. I don't know what happened but it takes a lot for him to hate someone." Janus fired in quickly seeing the panic in his friend's eyes as Roman just laughed. 

"I snapped." The air went cold as Roman sighed. "I snapped and my pride took over bad. I-I... I-I-I... I don't-t kn-now why I d-did-d it-t."

"Did what, Ro?" Roman hid his head in his hands before choking out a sobbing laugh, tears slowly falling as he let his hands drop.

'There was a little girl... from the dark side. I didn't know that at the start but Virgil recognized her. I was stressed, sick, and in pain. I snapped so bad I didn't understand what was going on and... I heard she harassing people.' Janus's eyes widened as Roman hesitated. 'Some ladies accused her of being a thief because of her attire and... I didn't think twice about stopping her. I...'

"Roman, what did you do?" Remus glanced over at Janus, holding his hand to help keep him calm noticing the confliction in his voice.

'I took her basket of flowers and told her to get lost even as she begged me not to.' Remus couldn't help but flinch as Roman smiled with such a broken expression. 'Virgil and Patton came out to her crying and... that was it. The second I heard her talk about her sick brother... She was just trying to sell flowers to help her mother and I... I calmed down hearing what she was really doing but Virgil was far to upset. I really fucked up this time.' 

"I'm sure... uh..." Remus wasn't really ever good at calming people down. He wasn't one for the supportive nurturing aspect of a relationship, platonic or otherwise. He was the violent rip your enemy's hearts out and eat them type of friend. He just didn't know what to say. Especially since he didn't have the whole story and Roman did sound to be in the wrong there. "I'm sure he wasn't..."

"He told me he never wanted to see me again. That was the final straw." Roman shrugged as visibly just gave up entirely. "I really wish I never had my pride."

"Roman, seriously... what is this pride of yours exactly?" Roman frowned as he looked over at his worried brother.

"My pride?" Remus nodded as Roman's eyes narrowed in thought. 'I guess if I'm going to tell you about that then... I should tell you about it all huh?' Roman smiled slightly as he ran a hand through his hair. 'Like when it started to truly take over... and why?'

"Please, brother... start at the beginning."