#tsfic

Janus picked up his own cup and slurped the last of the coffee inside. “Well, better prepare for the lunchtime rush,” he said, checking his watch. “How was it yesterday?”

“Not too bad.”

“If you want to run register and food the first hour, I’ll run bar and then we can switch,” Janus said, reaching behind himself to tighten his apron strings. “If it slows down I’ll do a restock but I think we should be fine.”

Janus had been the first barista to push Virgil to run the espresso machine solo. When the morning or lunch rush came and there was a line out the door, Janus would watch and speak encouragingly, but never step in to rescue him the way Logan did.

“See these two cups?” Janus had said one day when Virgil could barely hold a milk pitcher without shaking. “These two drinks are the only ones you need to worry about right now. All those other drinks, all those other people, they don’t exist to you. It doesn’t matter if there are three drinks or thirty drinks waiting, you’re always working on these two drinks, and two drinks only.”

Eventually Virgil learned how to fall into a rhythm where he prepped one shot as another one pulled, poured one milk as another one steamed. Janus would flit back and forth from the register to the hand-off, confidently ringing in and handing out drinks as Virgil’s hands shook too hard to stop cups from spilling.

“You don’t need me,” Janus had said. “Someday you’re gonna be stuck up to your elbows in cappuccinos and I’m not going to be here, and you’ll have to haul them out of yourself. If I rescue you now, you won’t be able to do it then.”

Virgil had burned with frustration that Janus wouldn’t help him. But when the line dwindled, Virgil found himself reaching for the next cup in line, and it wasn’t there. He’d done it, he’d seen only two drinks in front of him and had conquered a breakfast rush. The customers had become a blur, and he’d honed in on more lattes and macchiatos than he could count.

“The next challenge,” Janus had said as they shared coffee in the following lull. “Is to bring the customers into focus too. Two things matter in coffeeshops, the coffee, and the people. You can’t let either one distract from the other.”

“You want me to do all that and small talk?”

“It gets easier with time.”

The retrospect that proved Janus right didn’t help Virgil to not feel aghast at the suggestion. It was easy to envy Janus’ ease around customers, asking Wendy how her radishes were doing as he poured her coffee, telling jokes to kids, and showing them the swan he’d drawn in their father’s latte. 

Virgil tied his apron and went to the front register. He ran his fingers over the screen. Pretending to type up a long order was his key both to eavesdropping and to looking busy, especially if he furrowed his brow just enough to look focused. Whenever a particularly angry customer started to complain at the other end of the counter, here Virgil would be, tapping like he was crafting a novel and not hitting the button for “doppio” a dozen times in a row. Meanwhile Janus, usually, would be the one at the end, silver-tongued and composed, listening with raised eyebrows and a soft smile. He’d turn around only when the cafe was empty to say “could you believe that jerk?”

A gaggle of college girls in matching volleyball t-shirts approached, and Virgil glanced at Janus, who cracked his knuckles dramatically. “May the coffee gods guide me,” he said as the bell on the door jangled merrily. 

“Hi, what can I get for you?”

“Large iced vanilla soy latte.”

“Medium blended caramel coffee, extra caramel, whipped cream.”

“Small almond latte.”

And so on down the line. Janus remained unfazed, continuing to greet other customers who braved entering the store despite the line. He called out every drink he made and made eye contact with each girl who picked hers up, even (Virgil thought he saw) winking a couple times. The hum of the espresso machine and hiss of the steam wand filled the cafe, singing along to the piano playing over the speakers. Was this Logan’s playlist?

The line didn’t end, after that. The girls cleared and were replaced by tides of office workers in pressed clothes from the smattering of office buildings that hemmed in the coffee shop on all sides. Friendly receptionists and personal assistants were a favorite of Virgil’s, and were perhaps the only ones who called him by endearments that didn’t feel horribly awkward.  Most of them tipped well. 

The cafe chairs filled up, representing casual business talks, friendly meet-ups, and solitary breaks from long days. All the grind-never-stop types had the coffee to-go, and those taking a quick respite adored the cafe’s “for here” cups. Virgil liked to watch for the people who perked up or relaxed with their first sip. One of the personal assistants from the building across the street (Virgil thought her name was Jackie) put her cappuccino to her lips and leaned back into her chair, the tension around her eyes softening.

A moment came where a couple of middle-aged women paused to examine the menu, and Janus appeared as if by magic at the register. 

“Tag team, let’s go! Your turn on the bar, kid.” 

Virgil moved to the espresso machine. Janus had not only finished the drinks in front of him, but wiped down the counter and machine to leave Virgil the perfect surface to begin again. The middle-aged women put in their orders, and Virgil felt like his vision zoomed in as he began the two drinks in front of him, and the two after that, and the two-

He was getting better at this now, even managed a croaked “hello,” to most of the customers who walked in the door, and a “thank you” as they took their drinks. He let the steam wand run a few extra seconds to feel the warmth bead on his face every time he started to get anxious. 

The lunch rush came to its merciful end, and Virgil took his break to chew a PB&J sandwich before Janus left for the day. As the clock hit two, the elder barista pulled his keys from the cupboard.

“I bid you adieu and an easy close,” he said, twirling his keychain around his hand as he clocked out. The jingle of his keys was followed by the jangle of the door behind him, and Virgil was alone in the cafe.

He brewed fresh coffee - they’d almost run out during the rush, and pause to sweep the floors and wipe down the counters. Running the store for the last three hours before close, and the chance to close the store by himself was both a responsibility and a chance for peace that Virgil appreciated. He liked helping customers, more spread out then before, and in between them finding little things to clean, extra minutes to practice his latte art - damn, how could Janus draw a rosetta so effortlessly? All Virgil’s came out looking like lumps. 

He aerated the milk gently, and heard the front bell ting.

“Hey there,” Virgil said without looking up, tilting his pitcher so the foam was perfectly incorporated. He turned the steam wand off and gently groomed the milk to pour. “Sorry, I’ll be right with you.” 

The milk texture was almost perfect. He guided his pitcher over the crema and… produced a haphazard rosetta. It was lopsided and a little mangled from Virgil swirling the crema too hard, but it wasn’t one of his worst attempts.

“Hey, that looks pretty good!” 

Virgil looked up and felt his ears get hot. Roman was leaning slightly over the bar (oh wow, he was even taller than Virgil had thought), staring at the cup. “Could you do one like that for me?”

Virgil swallowed. “Yeah uh… yeah, sure.” Nevermind that it was much harder to make oat milk froth properly. Virgil grabbed his non-dairy pitcher.

“Oh, could you make it as an large cinnamon-”

“Yeah, I got it.” Oh no, I cut him off. In too deep now. Virgil felt Roman’s gaze on him as he made the latte. The cinnamon-sugar topping made a nice base to draw with, but Virgil didn’t have as much experience with oat and soy, and the rosetta was barely visible as he finished it. Roman stared into the cup.

“Sorry,” Virgil muttered. “Still practicing.” 

“Oh, that’s okay,” Roman said, but sounded a bit disappointed. He left a ten on the counter. “Thanks for trying, the extra’s for you.” 

He also looked forward to lab because of his partner. Virgil was a “measure-ten-times-cut-once” kind of guy, and usually that kind of excessive paranoia would irritate Roman, but in this case, he found it almost endearing. Without his researching and proofreading skills, their lab reports wouldn’t be anywhere near the level of accuracy and thoroughness that they were. Something that could be annoying, however, was his lack of reaction to Roman’s attempts at flirting. Case in point: their current conversation.

“...and after that, I learned to always bring a change of clothes for combustion labs,” he finished with a triumphant grin. In the eighth grade, he’d damaged one of his favorite shirts, which read “NEVER TRUST AN ATOM: THEY MAKE UP EVERYTHING”, due to his lack of expertise in using lab equipment. It had been embarrassing at the time, but now it was one of his favorite stories to tell: he, a foolhardy yet earnest student, the victim of an overzealous, malignant Bunsen burner. It usually drew out a hearty guffaw from any crowd, but earned only an alarmed grimace from his lab partner. Jeez. This guy was impossible to impress! He slouched back in his chair, trying to maintain a facade of casualness. “Anyway,” he continued, “what were you saying?”

He felt his brother give him a pointed look from across the room. Roman could hear him already. Don’t waste class time, Roman! Pursue non-academic interests outside of school, Roman! He ignored him. Logan had always been a killjoy. He’d make up lost points on the final.

Virgil peered at the clock and cursed under his breath. “Well, I guess Google exists for a reason,” he quipped, dumping the remains of their half-completed lab down the sink.

Roman laughed, perhaps a little more boisterously than was necessary, and started scrubbing the beaker Virgil handed him. “Yeah, totally.”

The bell rang over the intercom just as they finished cleaning up. “I guess I’ll text you later to work on the report.”

“Sure thing!”

Virgil gave him a quick salute and walked out of the classroom, bookbag draped carefree over one shoulder, gait elegantly loose. His hair was growing out. Chestnut roots emerged in stark contrast to the dye, and one aubergine lock curled like a question mark at the nape of his neck. He watched him disappear into the hallway, eventually becoming indistinguishable from the rest of the sea of students.

He hated thinking that--that Virgil was indistinguishable. Virgil was very distinct. Despite not fitting the classic cool guy mold, he was undeniably cool. Maybe not popular, or athletic, or social, or--okay, he was getting off-track now. Virgil was quiet, but never standoffish. He was true to his word and always held up his end of the work, never slacking off or making excuses. He was precise and grounded and paid attention to the little details. Paired with Roman’s knowledgeability, they were a laboratory dream team. Possibly a dream team outside of lab work as well.

“That’s my chair.” A sharp voice crashed into Roman’s daydreams.

He jerked up, face flaming. Right--the AP chemistry class. “Hello! So it is! Well, I will get out of your way, then!” He scrambled for his books and shoved them into his bookbag. He winced when, in his haste, his lab worksheet crumpled under his textbook, but slung it on his back anyway and pulled out the chair with a flourish. “Sorry about that. Have a pleasant day!” he called to his teacher. Some of the students laughed good-naturedly as he strode out, including the teacher, who turned back to his lesson with a grin on his face. As annoyed as they had been, they still liked him, or at least thought he was decent. Was he not charming, funny, all the things a potential romantic interest ought to be? What was he not getting?

~

“I know you like him, but this is not helping your chemistry grade,” Logan said as soon as Roman got home.

“Were you just standing at the door this whole time?”

“I arrived only a few minutes ago.”

“We take the same route!”

“I walk faster.”

“At least give me an opportunity to sit,” he grouched, but launched into a vent as soon as he dropped his bookbag on the floor, ending the soliloquy with “I’ve tried everything--everything!--and he’s still so…” He sighed, pushing hair away from his face.

“Unresponsive?”

"Yes, exactly! He just nods and goes right back to the class!”

“Perhaps that’s because it’s a class.”

“I know, I know, participation, pay attention, bla bla bla. Jeez, Mom.”

“I’m your brother.”

“Don’t be so literal. My point is, you’d think he’d at least laugh just a little bit. Is that not so much to ask? I told him about the Bunsen burner incident, and he just looked at me like--”

“I’m sorry, the what incident?”

Roman snapped and pointed at Logan. “Exactly like that! Just like I was an--an idiot!” He groaned, draping one arm over his forehead and fanning himself with the other. “What am I doing wrong?”

“Hm.” Logan furrowed his brow thoughtfully, trailing off into silence.

“Don’t just sit there, it’s making me nervous,” he said half-jokingly.

“Well, have you considered that he doesn’t understand?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m saying it’s very much possible that he hasn’t noticed your advances. You may need to stop beating around the bush and be more direct.”

“This is as direct as it gets!”

He raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been making normal conversation. Like how you talk to me--”

“Ew--”

“--so are you certain?”

“Quite--” he started, affronted, then stopped. “Wait.” The inkling of an idea that had just occurred to him started to solidify. Of course! He prided himself on his charisma. Why hadn’t he thought of that before? A little miffed that his ironically aromantic brother had just suggested such an obvious solution, he proclaimed, “Logan, you’re a genius!” and grabbed his bookbag.

“What are you doing?”

“Just a little research, so to speak. Nothing too excessive, but!” He paused for dramatic effect. “Prepare to have your mind blown.”

Logan still looked surprised, but quickly settled into satisfaction. “Fantastic. I’m glad to see your spirits are raised.”

“Talk later, Pocket Bro-tector!” His mind already racing with daydreams, Roman sprinted back to his room, plopped in front of his desk, and flipped his laptop open. He could feel the electricity coursing through it when his fingers hovered over the keyboard, or maybe that was just the adrenaline. Either way, it was thrilling. He typed in a quick search and opened a new Word document to record. This was perfect. What could be more direct than a pickup line?

~

Roman waltzed into lab the next week and snapped up two worksheets from his teacher’s desk. He’d debated putting the plan into action through text over the weekend, but eventually decided it would be more effective in person. So here he was, in person, with a fountain of chemistry puns ready to fall from his mouth at the drop of a hat. There was no way Virgil wouldn’t notice now. Roman seated himself, fingers drumming in anticipation. He was golden.

Virgil walked in a few minutes later, placing last week’s lab report on their teacher’s desk. “What’s up?” he asked.

“Oh, you know. Same soup reheated.” On the other side of the lab, Logan was giving him a questioning look. He grinned back before passing Virgil a worksheet. Their fingers brushed, barely. He swooned.

Virgil’s eyes flew back and forth at lightning speed, scanning the paper. “I’ll grab the equipment if you can get the reactants.”

“Ooh, what are they this time?”

“Copper...some other stuff.”

"Ah! Speaking of copper, are you made of it and tellurium? Because you’re C-U-T-E.”

Across the room, Logan facepalmed.

“O...kay?” he said unsurely. “I’ll just. Get that stuff now.”

Roman turned his back, partially to get the samples, partially to recover. He chewed his lip. Okay. Focus, Roman! You got this! He patted his pocket to reassure himself. He’d printed the compilation of pick-up lines at the library earlier, and it was there if he needed it. Which he wouldn’t, obviously! His natural charm would prevail.

And also, he had the entire thing memorized. He supposed there was that as well.

Roman returned with five Ziploc bags of metal samples. The scale squealed on the tabletop when Virgil slid it over. “Is this everything?” Virgil picked up the manual again.

“Indeed! Let us begin.”

Virgil read over the first page again and frowned. “Hey, you know the periodic table pretty well, right? Which one is eleven?”

See? It’s all working out! “You, because you’re sodium--”

“U?” he frowned. “Isn’t uranium, like, ninety or something?”

“Yes--well, yes, but you see--I, uh--” he stuttered before going abruptly silent.

“What?”

Roman ducked his head, hoping his hair would hide his burning cheeks. “Nothing. Never mind.”

“Uh, sure.” He scratched the back of his neck before holding out a hand. “Hand me the copper?”

~

The bell sounded over the intercom, signifying the end of the period. They had managed to get through the procedure on time, mainly because Roman was too preoccupied with worrying to continue with the pick-up lines. If he wasn’t being as straightforward as possible before, he was now. How was it possible for someone to be so oblivious?

“Same time next week,” Virgil deadpanned, getting up to leave.

Come on, Roman, he scolded himself. The period was ending. This might be the only chance he could get. “Wait!”

“Yeah?” He looked at him expectantly.

Roman cursed the stars. His mind had gone completely blank--so much for memorization--and it wasn’t like he could just pull out the reference sheet right now. “Um.” Very eloquent. Come on, something! “If there was no gravity on Earth, I’d still fall for you,” he blurted.

Virgil stared at him blankly, and without another word, left.

What was that? How had things gotten so bad that he’d resorted to physics? He hadn't even researched that! He was paralyzed. He wanted to dissolve like salt in water, until he was part of the air. He wanted to evaporate and catapult himself out of the troposphere. He snatched up his bookbag and stalked outside to head home.

Logan appeared at his shoulder not long after. “What was that?” he hissed.

He scoffed. “I did what you said. Hypocrite much?”

“When did I say to do--” He performed a series of elaborate, meaningless gestures. “--that?”

“You said to be more direct!”

“I didn’t mean like that!”

“Then what did you mean?”

“I meant a heart-to-heart talk or something!”

“So for me to just--profess my love or something? Are you crazy?”

“Oh, so I’m the crazy one? Copper and tellurium aren’t even particularly reactive!”

“It was a creative liberty!”

“There are no creative liberties in science!”

“There are in the science of seduction!”

Logan huffed. “I’m not even going to validate that with a response.”

“Fine! I didn’t need you to rub it in anyway!”

They were so busy arguing they hadn’t even realized they were already home. Logan’s face softened. “I apologize, Roman. I shouldn’t have behaved so harshly. That was...inconsiderate of me.”

“Jeez, don’t say that. Now I have to apologize, too.”

"Did it really go so badly?”

"At least give me a chance to sit down,” he said, but didn’t even wait this time. “I think he hates me. He didn’t even say anything! Just--left.”

“I doubt that. The worse case is you made things very uncomfortable.”

“Thanks.”

“But even if that’s what happened, you should be able to patch things up and act in a professional manner. If things really aren’t working, you could always request to switch partners, but the school year will be ending soon anyway--” He cut himself off. “I’m not helping, are I.”

“Not in the slightest.”

Logan shuffled his feet. “As a gesture of goodwill and comfort,” he started. “Would you enjoy a hug?”

“Whoa, what? Human contact? From Logan Browne?”

“Well, scientifically speaking, it does release dopamine--”

“C’mere,” he said, throwing his arms around his brother’s shoulders before realizing he had no idea how to hug him. The material of his button-down shirt scratched his neck unpleasantly. He patted Logan on the back stiffly before peeling away.

Logan wrinkled his nose. “That was rather awkward.”

“Only if you make it.”

“Do you feel better?”

Roman paused. “You know what? I think I do.”

“Satisfactory.”

“I’m just glad I won’t have to see him for another week.”

"You can’t avoid him forever,” Logan warned.

“I know,” he muttered.

“Well, when you do have to confront him...I’m more than happy to act as moral support.”

Roman laughed. “That may be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me, Isaac Nerd-ton.”

He squinted. “How am I more of a nerd than you?”

“The glasses.”

“You have glasses, too--”

“Not anymore!” he declared, pointing to the corner of one eye. “Contacts now. And my eyes have always been better than yours.”

“We have the same prescription!”

“We do not!” he countered, before both of them collapsed in a fit of giggles.

~

“And that’s a wrap, folks! Great job!” Roman’s teacher clapped his hands. “You’re dismissed.”

Thank the stars. Roman had been filled with dread the entirety of lab and the preceding twenty or so hours. It had both relieved and heightened his anxiety when Virgil barely spoke or made eye contact, flushing red and looking away whenever Roman caught his eye. On one hand, he didn’t have to talk about the previous week’s antics, but on the other, the air felt too tense to so much as look at him. Glad that the period was over, he grabbed his bookbag and started towards the door.

He glanced over his shoulder to see where Logan was--he wanted intensely to beat him home for once--only to see Virgil talking to a taller boy who had a wide grin on his face. Roman recognized him as a Patton something-or-other who’d been in his class in eighth grade. They didn’t talk much, but he seemed nice enough. He hadn’t known he and Virgil were friends.

The two of them looked directly at him, Virgil swallowing nervously. Roman wheeled back around, more intent on leaving this time, as Patton laughed brightly. Apparently, he wasn’t so kind. Humiliation boiled in his gut. FIne. Let them laugh at him. He didn’t care. Or, at least, he could pretend he didn’t.

Logan sidled over to him. “He’s coming this way,” he muttered.

“What?”

“He’s walking over,” he repeated.

“I heard you the first time,” he said between gritted teeth, “but what?”

“I don’t know, I just-- Oh, hello. Virgil, is it?” he said coolly.

Roman’s head snapped up. He immediately wished he’d kept looking down.

Virgil stiffened. “Hey.” Behind him, Roman could see Patton giving a thumbs-up so enthusiastic he feared for his hand bones. What was going on?

“How may I help you?” Logan said.

“I, uh. Wanted to talk to Roman, actually.”

“Go ahead.”

“Uh.”

“Whatever you can say in front of Roman, you can say in front of me.”

Virgil scratched the back of his neck, sighed, and faced Roman. “Look, we have lab together, right?”

“Well, yes. We’re here right now.”

“So…” He groaned, burying his face in one hand and muttering something incomprehensible.

Roman frowned. “Pardon?”

“So,” he said, voice still slightly muffled, “I think we…” He sighed. “We have chemistry.”

Roman blinked. His stomach swooped. Was this a joke?

Virgil groaned again. “Sorry, that was just--absolutely terrible. I’m going to--” He pointed at the door.

“No, wait!” Roman grabbed his elbow before he could turn away. “That was.” He searched his brain for a word. “Uh. Thank you,” he finished lamely.

“Oh,” Virgil said. He stood up a little straighter. As if anything about that was remotely straight, Roman thought to himself with a snort. “Uh. I guess I’ll, uh.” He did a quick finger-guns motion.

“Yeah.”

“Cool.” He saluted him and started walking past them.

“Cool,” Roman echoed.

Virgil turned back and gave a hesitant smile. If it weren’t for Logan standing behind to catch him, he would have face-planted on the floor.

Logan waved a hand in front of his face. “Well?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you all set?”

Roman felt dizzy and a little lightheaded, like someone had filled him with helium and released him into an infinite expanse of blue, blue sky. A slow smile spread across his face. “Yeah. I think so.”

~

Virgil did text him, a few hours later.

Virgil (Science) After next lab? Maybe the park or smth

Me See you then

Emile is tired. As he should be. He’s fed up with being heartbroken. Enough is enough for him and he’s going to stand up for himself in his own way.

But it took a village to build Emilie’s defenses.

Patton and Roman were worried. The both of them have had their fair share of heartbreaks- but none of them were stretched out for a long time like Emiles' was. And they saw how it was affecting him.

So Patton encouraged Emile to talk to his parents.

At first Emilie backpedaled and said heck no but Roman reminded him that he had these amazing people in his life that he had forgotten about

Patton added and said that he was fortunate to be able to be so close and open with his parents.

And of course Emile knew they were right and then decided it was the time to rekindle that closeness.

Teenagers forget about relationships outside of school a lot, okay? AND YES WITH THIS WHOLE SITUATION I AM TRYING TO MAKE A VERY VALID POINT SO TAKE NOTES KIDDIES!

Dot and Larry and Patton and Roman all sat with Emile. It was a sort of intervention after Emile had his wits about him. It was Sunday, two days after the incident.

And they were honest. And they told him how unhealthy this was and how much worse it could get if things kept going as they were.

Emile was letting Remy's ups and downs mess with him and it wasn't good. Emile had to take control of his own emotions in whatever way he could and detach himself from Remy to save his own mental health!

People forget that pinning for someone or being in a relationship takes a lot from you and if you don't get anything back its draining!!!

And with help Emilie came to accept his feelings for Remy. And from there he moved forward. For real.

When Remy talked to him he would talk back but the second he gave him mixed signals he would call Remy out.

If Remy was acting weird Emile would tell him so and give Remy an opportunity to open up or find a resolution that would let them get through the situation. And if not- he'd stay away or detach himself from Remy as best as he could.

And this would go on until Remy straightened out or Emile was free from his feelings.

This is a reasonable thing to do. It was the hard thing, but the right thing for Emile. And his family was proud of him and supported him as best as they could.

When Emile found out that Remy and Clarimonde broke up- he didn't feel the butterflies and glimmer of hope that he would usually feel… it was something else that Emile couldn't place.

Patton said that it was okay and feelings dont always make sense.

Emile slowly got some control back.

Scenes with Remy became easier because he could seperate acting from reality!

Remy started to notice Emile pull back a little. It didn't bother him at first- but then Emile seemed more joyful around other people but more careful around him and he couldn't figure out why. The slight difference bothered him.

But he didn't say anything

Communication? in my christian household? Never.

Rehearsal is going good tho! Let's hear about that shall we!

Remy is making good friends with Virgil! They dont really have many scenes where they talk together- but they appreciate eachother's weird humor so it works.

Clarimonde is book smarts. She's confident and collected and loud but man is she SMART

When they were practicing La Vie Boheme, Clarimonde and Logan began chatting about the seriousness behind all the silly gibberish they were singing!

The song is more than just a party scene.

Clarimonde commented on how it was them expressing their own views and melding them together.

Logan was impressed- so together they broke the song down! Thomas had them explain their findings to the cast and it was a good learning experience. They are buddies now.

Once Roman put on his Mimi costume everyone had a collective “Damn, hes hot”

Virgil kinda died (i dIeeeeee withoutttt youuuuuuu)

Also Roman singing Without You is beautiful.

Remy cried because he gets it.

Remy loves his Angel costume and is badass at the drums okay! Roman taught him some dance moves and now Today For You is fire.

Virgil was kinda upset Thomas made him wear skinny jeans because.damn it that's not his thing but once he got used to it? He loves them!

Virgil let his purple tips fade out to a lavender/blonde to get that “im dying so i don't care what i look like” look and its awesome.

One Song Glory is awesome! He goes all out for that rockstar moment with gestures and dramatically draping himself on set and Roman loves it. Thomas claps loud every time because

“mY kIdS aRe gRowInG uP aCK”

You bet your ass he's a sobbing mess opening and closing night.

Patton is a cute Mark and him and Virgil are awesome together. Patton got the big vocabulary Mark sings with down thanks to Logan.

Virgil apalogizes everytime they do the Goodby Love scene where Rodger says rood stuff to Mark.

Patton laughs it off and gives Virgil a hug and its all good.

Patton had a hard time learning the tango and so did Elliot… Roman is designated theatre dad so he helped and FINALLY AFTER MONTHS they got it.

During the process Remy and Emile would go watch and dance terribly with them to get Patton and Elliot to laugh.

Roman begged to have people come on and tango at the end with them and have maureen dance scandalous so they know Maureen cheated like in the movie!!!!

Thomas was skeptical and didn't know if they had time but you BET Roman got Kai Sloane Corbin and Clarimonde to tango like GODS during the times when they were off set.

Now it's chaos at the end of the song but a GOOD chaos. And Thomas is proud.

Emile and Remy tho…

Whenever they sing together the room stops to listen- even if it's just like off to the side when they're trying to fix a harmony.

Neither of them are super experienced singers but once they sing its MUSIC YA’LL

Remy and Emile let loose when they are in character.

Remy notices when he sings stuff like “I’ll cover you” and “With a thousand sweet kisses” and all the I got your back shenanigans he starts to mean it.

Because he wants Emile to feel loved and happy right? Just that and nothing else?

*gay screeching*

Of course Collins and Angel are the most functional couple of the couples in Rent

(Irony HAHAHAHAHAHAHA)

So they're chemistry has to be good.

Remy asks if its okay that he holds Emile like this or kisses him on the check in this scene or holds his hand here.

Eventually they improv their coupleyness because Emile secretly gets worked up a little when he knows it's coming.

Plus its more organic if its on the spot.

Remy's starting to have feelings for Emile BUT HE DOESN'T CATCH THEM AT FIRST

But he knows he loves it when he sees Emile loose and smiling as Collins in Santa Fe.

Or emotional in Seasons of Love and I’ll Cover You Reprise.

Emile is doing fine. He realizes he doesn't know enough about Remy to have a comfortable friendship with him and that's okay. He's fine with how things are at this moment even if he does wish for more. He likes seeing Remy in his element and acting with Emile. So all is well.

BUT HERE IS WHEN THINGS ACTUALLY HAPPENNNN

It was a week before the dreaded but exciting tech week. For people who don't to theatre it's basically a whole week of late night rehearsals with full costume makeup set and lighting for the first time! People get mics- it's basically putting everything together and smoothing it all out before the shows the next week but it can be very stressful for everyone because it's not all smooth sailing 90 percent of the time.

Thomas was regretting only having himself Joan and Talyn as crew because despite the small cast and the set not moving much it was still difficult.

And they would run through the candle scene and it's going great but

“WAIT! STOP! Roman where is you candle I just realized you don't have it wHy did you say anything?”

“Well if it was the actual show Mimi wouldnt just break the fourth wall and ask Clarimonde's grandma for her fancy ass candle now would she? And we would pray to god nobody would have a matchbox in here…”

Cue some groans and people having to look for the candles and its great. Thomas is on edge and so is everyone else. Tired cranky teenagers and adults and its giving Remy bad vibes

because stress leads to conflict which leads to yelling which leads to fights and he knows how bad those are at home and he doesn't want it here to.

So Remy starts singing

“Where the fuck’s my cAndlEeeeeeee”

And Virgil whos nearby, is giggling non stop and sings

“Bitch, where the fuck is my cAndLeeeeee”

And now the whole cast plus Thomas is singing it and its glorious. Even Patton. Non censored.

Thomas calls a break after everyone is done laughing because obviously they needed it.

Everyone's hanging out having a soda but nobody sees Emile.

Virgil says to Remy”Go find your boyfriend, you ratchet queen!”

Which earns a look from his boyfriend that Virgil doesn't get.

So Remy looks and finds him in the costume room.

Emile didn't get the memo there was a break because he couldn't hear from inside. Remy is about to tell him but Emile is humming to himself and smiling. His hair is a bit mess and lil beads of sweat slide down his face. His feet sway to the imaginary song in his head and Remy finds it precious. So he stands there for a bit smiming til Emile turns around and jumps.

“Jeepers Remy! You startled me! Warn a troubled philosophy professor next time!”

“My bad, Em. Whatcha hummin’ babe?”

“Just something from this silly cartoon I watch. Nothing really-”

“Which cartoon?”

“Oh- Steven Universe. Love like you.”

“I remember that one … you played it on your ukulele a lot. Id watch the show with you alot even though I never knew what was going on. I just wanted to impress you... I would make things up when you would talk to me about it or research it when i got home”

And Emile paused his search because one) Remy was actually being considerate and didn't brush his cartoons off and two) Emile didn't know Remy did that for him… so he stepped down from the latter and stepped towards Remy.

“Really?”

“Yep”

“You know, it was super smart of you to break the tension like you did out there.”

“Me? Smart? The exhaustion must be getting to you sweetie cause I am not smart”

“ not book smarts, Remy- like that's really important anyways. I mean people smart!”

“Oh. Well… thanks Emile”

“Yeah! You need to cut yourself some slack. You're talented and confident and you can go places. Nobody is perfect. You really should believe in yourself more."

And Remy smiles because he forgot how validated Emile made him feel when they were kids.

How warm. How full of life. How full of light and smiles and love. Love. Oh shit I loved Emile. I love Emile! And Remy freezes because oh shit it makes sense… The emptiness. The running away. He was scared. And he's about to be scared again but why should he? Remy collects himself and breathes. He has a new chance now so he steps closer and tilts his head.

“Well you should believe in yourself too, honeybee. You have grown so much from that tie die boy from middle school but damn, sometimes you seem so out of touch. What are you hiding behind those green eyes?” And Remy takes another step and they’re five feet apart and it's SO GAY.

“I would like to know, do you mean it when you smile or is it an act? Let me know honeybee~”

And now Emile is a blushing mess and Remy's smirking and damn him. Remy is very very close but Emile is trying to keep his cool but OH

“ You seem so free with your friends and on stage but just when I think you're opening up… you close off. What are you holding in?”

At this point this is pretty much no distance between them. Emile has contacts in so his eyelashes brush on Remy’s nose. Remy is holding Emile's face in his hand like its glass. And both of their hearts are racing. Emile cant speak

“You don't have to hide from me Emile.”

And each syllable of his name is like music to Emile’s ears. Seeing the words falls out of Remy’s mouth is like art and oh no he's starting at Remy's lips. And Remy, being the asshole he is, notices and takes advantage of that. His fingers linger on Emiles lips and he is so fucking close they can taste each other's breath.

“Don't hide from me Emile”

And Remy kisses him. And Emile kisses back. Like he wouldn't after all of that. And its short at first and Emile pulls back at breathes for a second because that was not what he had planned oh hell.no that was not planned.

And Remy kisses him again but deeper this time. And he doesn't hold Emile tightly but his arms are around his waist and on his neck and Emile is weak so it's not easy to step back.

Emile pushes one Remy's chest to get him to stop because how does kissing work??? Emile has no clue. But Remy doesn't get the memo and its more messy and god doesn't Remy need air?

And it goes on and Emile pushes as Remy pules and Emile gets more worked up because WAIT THIS IS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN LIKE THIS HOLD ON! And now Emile is against a wall and what the heck stop stop stop stop

And finally Emile can pull back and shout

“REMY- STOP PLEASE! STOP!”

And Remy stops. And he's confused. And he doesnt know whats happening so he lets go and backs up

“Honeybee, are you okay? Did I do something? Im so sorry I didn't mean-”

Emile knows he means well but he just wants to yell because he doesn't get it!

“Remy. I like you. I've liked you since seventh grade. I worshiped you and cared about you so much and shared everything with you and put in so much effort because all I ever wanted was for you to be happy! I probably even loved you at some point but you left me! You ditched me for new friends and yeah, that was middle school and I tried to get over it but you kept waltzing back into my life somehow! It shouldn't be a bad thing but it wasn't a healthy thing because I couldn't ever have time to move on and escape the memories of us playing and the dreams of me kissing you! You got to move on and have Clarimonde but I didn't! And this show has given you an opportunity to send so many mixed signals my way to the point where I saw you and Clarimonde together I broke down crying and Patton and Roman had to save my scrawny sobbing ass!”

Remy is speechless this whole time because god he is such a fucking idiot and he feels awful

“ I finally got my shit together after that. And no matter how much I like you and you like me, how am I supposed to know you're not going to ditch me again? Remy I don't even know you anymore. I can't just jump into this not knowing if i'm going to make it out in one piece!”

And Emile is crying a little bit. Tears are escaping but he’s firm and he can't break not now because he wants to make this work and Remy needs to understand. And Remy does. And it's a wake up call. And he cries a bit too because he didn't know that him leaving has made this big of a mess…

And Remy apologizes. Honestly. Of course he doesn't have all the answers himself and doesn't know why he did what he did and why Emile did what he did. But he wants to try.

Remy says “Hey, you can say no- but can I hug you?” And Emile just engulfs him and it's wonderful.

And if you remember… when Emile found Remy crying in the field all that time ago, he asked the same thing.

Look at me making things come full circle

*jazz hands*

Anyways.

Patton and Logan happen to walk by. Emile is facing the door so Patton mouth words and asks him if everything is okay.

Emile gives him a half hearted smile and a small nod and its enough for Patton.

Logan is confused. Patton says “Sophomore Gay Panic” and Logan immediately understands.

Emile and Remy stay there awhile and catch up. Emile finds out that Remy has a lil brother named Janus who loves snakes and gravity falls. He also finds out that Remy's situation at home is a bit worse of. Things add up.

The two decide to be friends for the time being so they can figure things out. They get each other's phone numbers. Emile titles their conversation “Remile”

Remy asks why and Emile says

“We are in this together now. We gotta have a badass fusion name.”

“... what's a fusion again, honeybee?”

Cue some fanboy screeching and some giggles and a long explanation as they walk back to the group.

And the group notices a difference in their dynamic after that. Emiles friends notice him relax and Remy's friends notice a genuine smile on his face. Remy and Emile talk more real. They sit a little closer.

Everyone smiles. Even Clarimonde. Especially Clarimonde, actually. And Elliot, who she confides in, squeezes her hand.

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