#post-pof

Summary: Roman never deserved his prince costume anyway.He was too selfish, too arrogant, too idiotic. Those weren't the makings of a prince, they were villain characteristics.Glancing at the offending clothes, he made a decision.He didn't deserve the costume; it was time to destroy it. Characters: Roman and Virgil. Can be read as platonic or romantic.

Spoilers for Putting Others First

Discord Server: Astro’s Zone

There was no good or bad. 

There were no heroes or villains. 

There was no "pure" or "dastardly".

There was right and wrong.

There was everyone and… there was Roman.

Roman who was always wrong, no matter which side (heh, Patton would be proud of that one, if he even liked Roman after this fiasco) he chose, it was he who was in the wrong. Even when he went against his instincts and chose the other side, he was wrong, because he was Roman, and Roman is always wrong.

No matter what.

He let out a grunt of frustration, flopping down onto his unbelievably extra bed. Ugh, why did anyone even like him?

Oh wait, they don’t.

He huffed, snuggling closer into the sweater he had grabbed as soon as he sunk out. He didn’t deserve his prince costume anyway. His stupid, idiotic dreams were always getting in the way, he might as well start spring cleaning and throw them out. Starting with his stupid getup.

He set up his prince tunic on a mannequin, which he owned in case of clothing inspiration, even though that was more of Virgil’s thing. Of course it was Virgil’s thing, what good was Roman for? The other Sides could act just as well and- ugh, this wasn’t going anywhere.

He stared at the costume, the stupid, idiotic, creation of his that he had once adored. He curled his arms around himself as he shook. What was he doing? Why was he always so… horrible? Wrong? Painstakingly extra?

He sank to the floor, tears trailing down his cheeks.

He just wanted to be loved. Or, at least, feel loved. He thought Janus was wrong, they told him Janus was wrong, that siding with Janus made him wrong, and evil. As the hero, he wasn’t supposed to side with the villain. 

But then Janus wasn’t the villain, and Roman wasn’t the hero, and Roman was in the wrong even when he took their side. He just... wanted to be loved. He poked fun at Janus’ name because he thought they wanted that. And if he did what they wanted, they’d love him.

Now, he’s figured out how much of an impossible feat that is.

He grabbed a pair of scissors from his desk, leaning up and quickly cutting off his sash with a snip! He watched as it fluttered towards the floor. He wiped the tears from his eyes before picking it up, staring at the jagged ends.

Snip!

Snip! Snip! Snip!

Cut, and cut, and cut some more. Watch the pieces fall to the ground as he snipped his worthless, good for nothing sash. A staple of his idiocy, really.

Snip! The last pieces fell into a neat pile. He grabbed a handful and threw it to the side, hiccuping sobs leaving his mouth. Biting the sleeve of his sweater, muffling his cries, he glanced back up to the rest of his outfit. It almost looked naked without the bright red.

It was still too prince-like to be worthy of him, though. The gold- stupid gold, stood out amongst the white.

He stood, picking at the edge of one of the gold lines. Seams ripped from cloth, and with a harsh tug, the gold was riiiiiiipped off. 

He ripped off another. And another. And another. Until, finally, the chest of his shirt was practically ruined, along with the collar and sleeves. 

It was almost perfect. Except for…

His logo. The one he had spent days over, carefully sketching picture after picture, searching for the perfect logo that represented him. All of him.

It looked awful.

Grabbing the scissors once more, he cut around the patches, holding them in his hands for a few moments. Or perhaps it was hours, he didn’t know. 

Striding over to the other side of the room, he held them over the fireplace. He hesitated, even while his proximity to the fire caused his arm to ache like nothing other.

He was too loud. To brash, too harsh, too unsympathetic. Heh, he really put the pathetic in unsympathetic, didn’t he?

Even your jokes suck, the voice in his head said. No wonder no one likes you. Not even the fans.

He dropped his logo into the fire, watching as it burned away. His hand was red, nearly as much as his ex-sash. The injury hardly even phased him as he turned back towards the remains of his clothes. 

After a couple more rips, Roman determined it was awful enough for him to deserve it, even if it was a little bit better than he deserved. Perhaps he would show up in it next time. Or, maybe he wouldn’t show up at all. They’d like that, wouldn’t they?

Slumping onto his bed, he stared emotionless at its remains. 

He really was a jerk, wasn’t he?

--

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Virgil knocked on the prince’s door, awkwardly shuffling in place. Patton had informed him on what happened, once he walked downstairs only to see Patton and Deceit having a normal conversation.

No, not Deceit- Janus, apparently, because they trusted the liar now.

Virgil had watched them incredulously as they explained the events of today. About the wedding, the argument, Janus’ appearance, Patton turning into a frog- all of it. And when Janus left to go tell Remus, Virgil turned to his friend.

“Do you really trust him? After what he’s done?” Virgil whispered sharply. Patton nodded.

“Of course! Besides, he hasn’t done much,” because of course, they didn’t know. Not like Janus would tell them. Virgil scoffed.

“Of course,” he had muttered, turning away. “Of course you’d all take his side without a second thought.”

“Now kiddo, don’t hate on him! We hardly know him, after all!” Was he daft? “C’mon, Virge. It’s okay. I’m sure you and Roman will learn to love him eventually.”

Him and Roman? Was Roman the only other one who recognized Janus for who he was? Roman, who had tagged along with his flirts and manipulations?

At least he had one person on his side. 

“Roman?” he asked. Patton nodded.

“Yeah… he said Janus’ name was very close to Janice and made fun of him for it. Then Janus said that if Remus didn’t have a mustache there’d be no way to tell the difference between the two,” he what- “Which is a little rude but I understand why he did it. Still, I’m certain both you and Roman will learn to come to terms with Janus! I know it!”

“Sure,” he had said. “Sure, we’ll go with that.”

And after walking up the stairs with a huff, Virgil found himself where he was now, at Roman’s door. 

“Princey?” he called. “It’s Virgil.”

The door opened.

Virgil peered inside, glancing around the room until his gaze landed on Roman, laid on his bed, curled on his side.

“Oh, Roman,” he said softly. He glanced around the rest of his room, eventually noticing the ruined costume of his favorite prince. He gasped quietly, dread settling in his stomach. Roman loved that thing with all of his heart, he was so proud of it, and now it was… ruined. 

Oh, Roman.

He sat down on the bed next to him. “Roman?” he asked. “Can I hug you?”

After a few seconds of silence, Roman gave a stiff nod, and Virgil gathered his friend in his arms. 

“Did someone ruin your costume?” Virgil asked. Roman shook his head.

“Did it- did it myself.” He mumbled into Virgil’s shoulder where his head lay. “Don’t deserve… it.”

“What makes you think that?”

Roman sniffled, opening his mouth only to close it seconds later as a low keen escaped.

“I’m hardly a prince,” he said, finally. “I’m just… too selfish. Narcissistic. I’m idiotic, and naive, and unrealistic. Those aren’t things that make a prince. So I… I destroyed the stupid costume. It doesn’t deserve to be mine. I deserve rags, and- and torn clothes, and broken dreams.”

“Oh, Princey,” Virgil muttered, heart aching for his friend. He hugged him tighter. “I’m so sorry we ever let you think that. I know it’s hard to believe, Roman, trust me, I know, but it’s… it’s true when I say that you deserve all that, and more! 

“Because you’re you, Roman. Beautiful, wonderful, you, who tries his best at everything he does and tries so hard to be a good person. Of course you’ve made mistakes, and you’ll make many more, but you’re still a good person, even after all that. What was said today was bad, but Dec-Janus’ response was bad, too. You know it’s not true, right? You and Remus aren’t alike. You know that, right?”

To Virgil’s relief- and surprise, Roman nodded.

“I know…” Roman whispered. “I know… and- and I know that… Remus is better than me and- and!” he cut himself off with a pointed look at Virgil, even through his tears. “And you don’t have to pretend like it’s not true. It’s okay. I’ve come to terms with it.”

Roman…

How did we let you get so bad?

“Nonsense,” he said. “That- that’s nonsense, true and utter nonsense, Princey. While I know that no one’s perfect, and no one should be compared, I know that if forced to make a decision, I would say you’re better than him. But since I can be a sensible person, at least in cases like this, I know that neither you or Remus are better than the other. It would be wrong to compare you two, because you’re both so different. You may have the same role, but you’re far from the same person.”

Roman simply shifted in response, hiding his head once more. Virgil carded fingers through his hair, humming softly. 

“I feel so sad, Virgil.” Roman said eventually, desperation straining his voice. “It hurts. It hurts so bad.”

“What hurts?”

“Me,” glancing up at Virgil, Roman hiccuped. “Everything. It just… it hurts to be me right now. I feel so empty yet full with every negative emotion possible. I feel alone, even with you here. I miss feeling loved, Virge… Everything was easier back then. I knew things, or at least thought I did. I was confident, without faking it.

“Now I feel like I just… hurt everyone. Intentional or not, it’s all I’m good for, and it’s not even good! It’s bad. I’m… bad,” he shoved his face in his hands. “I’m evil, Virge, and I don’t know how to deal with that.”

Virgil frowned. “Ro… you’re not evil. Far from it. Mistakes were made, sure, but you’re still a good person. And you’ve been trying so hard for it too, and for the most part it's paid off well. I believe in you. I believe you can do it- no, I know you can do it, Roman. Because you’re Roman, and the Roman I know tries his best at everything he does and succeeds. Even when he’s been stepped on, he rises again and demands another challenge. He’s brave, and imaginative, and is willing to change bad behaviors. He’s a good person. You’re a good person. I promise.”

Roman stayed silent. Virgil gave a slight sad smile.

“I know it’s likely you don’t believe me, and I know that it can take a while to accept it as truth, but I’ll be there to help you every step of the way, alright, Roman? If you ever- whenever you feel bad, feel free to come to me. Even if I’m asleep or busy. I’d rather help you feel better than sleep, and it helps me to know that I can help you. Alright?”

Roman nodded, crying once more. “Thank… thank you, Virgil. I appreciate it. I really do.” Virgil smiled, hugging him closer.

“Of course. Anytime.” After a few seconds of thought, Virgil spoke again. “Wanna make a pillow fort and watch Disney?”

Roman nodded eagerly, causing Virgil to giggle.

Collecting the blankets from his room, Virgil allowed himself time to think. No, it wouldn’t exactly be easy to help Roman, but Virgil was willing to try. Because Roman was important to him.

--

Weeks later, Virgil showed up at Roman’s door with a new prince costume. When Roman cried, they were tears of joy.

Hi I’m Aster and I post memes instead of writing.

“that wasn’t cool,” remus says, fiddling with the spikes on his morning star. “comparing ro to me like that. you know we’re - that - i thought it was off limits, jay.” 

janus exhales, reaching over to take remus’s hand. “it is. i was out of line, remus. i need to apologize to roman, once things cool down. i should not have said that. i am sorry.” 

“i’m not evil, am i?” remus asks, voice small. logan shakes his head, lifting a hand to gently cup his face and kiss his forehead. 

“no, remus. you are not evil, and anyone who refers to you as such is in error.” 

“and you’re not boring,” remus says. 

“a what?” janus asks. 

“an apology,” patton says softly. “you’re owed one - no, more like one thousand, from all of us, especially me.” he holds a hand out; janus hesitates a moment before carefully placing his hand in patton’s. 

“okay,” janus says. “i may not - it may take some time to heal. to forgive completely.”