virgil

i dont really like sports. i don't think roman really likes sports or janus or... i don't think any of us enjoy watching sports. except patton maybe, but that's more a dad thing. and yet, somehow, the five of us—patton, roman, logan, janus and i—sat in the... bleachers? i think that's what they're called. and watched a baseball game.

i had zero clue what was going on down on the grass thing, logan tried to explain it but who actually understands logan? he left quickly anyways. so did patton, they both had to 'go to the bathroom'. roman bet that they were just making out, janus bet they were fucking and i ignored them.

then janus just got up and fucking left. i called after him like, "yo, wtf?" but he didn't answer or come back. which means now i'm just casually sitting beside roman, the charming guy my gay emo heart has been crushing on for like, forever now, all alone. no supervision. uh... no thanks. i adamantly fixed my eyes on the screen as it went through its dumb charades.

i was awaiting the kiss cam, the best and most geniusest creation of man /s. ooh here it comes, about to fuck up two poor people who definitely did not sign up for that shit. at least i'm safe, i have never seen that bitch do anything other than heterosexual.

it's like the damn thing heard me and was like "imma teach this gay a lesson" cause i shit you not, my own eyeshadowed facestared back at me, no one but roman anywhere near me.

roman

i turned to my left to see virgil with his face in his hands, blushing so much i could see through his pale foundation. i looked over at the kiss cam and shook my head violently mouthing no. i could hear scattered 'boo's but i ignore them, fiddling with my pride pin and smiling sheepishly.

virgil still had his face in his hands, tugging on his hair, poor thing. once the kiss cam was done and has been replace i took his hands by the wrist and removed them from his face.
he looked up at me, cheeks burning red. i stared at his eyes, peering out from behind his purple bangs and burst into laughter. dunno why. it was funny.

janus plopped down in the seat beside me, ten bucks in hand, and slapped them in my palm before speaking. "i feel like i missed something."

"kiss cam," i explained, calming down. "it targeted virgil and i."

"ooh, did it now?" janus wiggled his eyebrows at virgil, who hissed.

"what're the ten bucks for?" i asked him, trying to draw the conversation away from the event that had embarrassed panic! at the everywhere so very very much.

"our bet, you won."

"you went to see if the glasses gays were fucking or not?"

"no... i wandered into the toilet they so happened to go into... accidentally." janus smirked and i rolled my eyes, shoving him nearly out his seat.

===========

patton and logan eventually deigned to show up to our little gathering and i could only assume that they'd fucked after janus had left cause... i'm not about to explain why i think two of my best friends were fucking in the public bathroom at a baseball game. nope. not gonna happen.

anyways, i passed janus back his ten dollars and he smiled at me knowingly.

virgil seemed to be trying really hard to pay attention to the game and even had patton explain in regular human what was going on.
janus and i chatted about remus, who'd gotten himself hospitalised by eating that the doctors believed was radioactive (the trash man was still alive, of course, and no one was really worried for his health) until the next kiss cam came around again and janus nudged me, pointing at himself on the screen.

virgil nearly shrieked and pulled his hood up over his head, curling into an embarrassed ball.
"you can kiss me if you want." janus teased and i shoved him, mouthing 'no' at the goddamn thing again.

virgil

who's the cameraman and why the hell were they doing this?

it took patton a hell of a lot of coaxing to get me to come out from my cocoon of hoodie. and when i finally did janus was staring at me, a knowing look on his goddamn face. why'd i tell that snake man about my crush on roman? i mean, he'd figured it out on his own but still.
i tried my best to pay attention to the game itself but it absolutely could not cure my mortification.

the kiss cam came to roman and i twice. two times. good god. lord above. sweet geesus. holy emo trinity. I DUNNO IM UPSET AND EMO LEMME 'LONE.

i sighed and retreated into a bubble of music, songs i'd heard enough to imprint in my brain. starting with everybody's fool (evanescence, the best).

============

i ran out of music and was just fumbling around with my thoughts, trying to make something cohesive and useful out of snippets of memes, anxiety and... that's basically all there is up there.

patton shoved me and i snapped back to reality. the kiss cam.

i felt tears in my eyes, i was literally about to cry on camera, in front of a shit ton of people one of whom is my crush. but as i was about to retreat back under my hood roman sighs and grabs my face, pressing his lips to mine.
whoa there.

roman

i am rightfully annoyed, virgil looks like he's about to start panicking and/or crying. but also... i've kinda always wanted to kiss that damn emo and here's my chance to do it, no strings attached.

i sigh loudly and take his face in my hands before he can shrink into his hoodie again and kiss him. i meant it to be a quick thing, just get the stupid camera off us—off him—but then he kisses back and i am... very surprised. definitely not what i was expecting. not that i'm unhappy.

i swear to god the whole fucking stadium cheers or claps, including janus, who takes it upon himself to be extra and do both.

virgil is the one who pulls away, blushing beet red.

janus pats me on the back and whispers "you treat my baby wrong and i will do absolutely nothing to you." but in a tone of voice that indicates he meant to say he'd kill me.

i was about to ask what the fuck that was when virgil stood up and walked away hurriedly, which i obviously could not let him do after kissing him (and not just a tiny little kiss) in front of a fuck ton of people. so i follow him. he hurriedly heads to the bathroom where he just stares at the mirror for a little bit, hostility in everything about him even though—or maybe especially because—he was facing himself.

"knock, knock?" i said, tapping the door lightly.
he jumped, startled, and turned to face me. "oh uh... hey there."

i sat on the counter, facing him. "sorry about that. you just seemed really upset about the camera being so persistent. i hope you didn't mind me kissing you?"

"no, no," he sighed, then, realising it made no real logical sense what he was saying 'no, no' too, clarified. "i mean, the camera thing stressed me out, yeah, yeah, but the uh... kiss... that... that was fine. not fine in the 'you're a bad kisser way'! no cause you're... well i'm not going to say great cause that's not... whatever. but you're pretty good at kissing. pretty good in the positive way, like, not the uh... not the best kiss i've ever had, no no no, but still not bad? i'm sorry i'm rambling now i'm sorry i'll stop. sorry. i just meant the kiss was fine as in 'fine by me' as in like, it wasn't— it didn't bother me. i didn't like it— wait no that's wrong that's wrong i did like it i just don't like you. no! i like you, you're great yes i like you but not in the romantic sense so i wouldn't say that the kiss was like sensational orwhatevercausei'dsaythatiflikedyouromanticallybutidon't!soiwon'tso..." virgil looked at me, out of breath and hands moving wildly, probably trying to convey a message. it looked a bit like he was trying to either fly or drill out the room. he took a long breath. "sorry."

"it's ok, let it all out," i chuckled, fidgeting my pride pin. it's what i do when my haven't got anything to do.

"sorry," he repeated.

"virgil, it's fine. i take no offence by whatever your long ramble was meant to convey." he opened his mouth to say something but i pressed a finger to his lips. "if you're about to say you're sorry, no you're not, and if you're about to explain, please don't."

he smiled weakly and blushed, and i noticed i hadn't removed my finger from his lips, which i promptly did.

"right, so here are the facts," roman stated, only just putting them together himself. "you, virgil graves, are gay. i, roman fox, am gay. i, roman fox, kissed you. you, virgil graves, kissed back. i, roman fox, like you, virgil graves. romantically. this next one's a question: do you, virgil graves, like me, roman fox, romantically? cause i know you said something on the matter i'm just not quite sure what and would like to check."

virgil was quiet for a hell of a long time, way too long, and i started to freak out a bit. but then he leaned forward and kissed me, wrapping his arms around my neck. i put my hands in his hair and deepened the kiss, closing my eyes. time seemed to... do a thing. not slow down, not speed up, but not work normal either. i felt virgil's soft hoodie on my shoulders, his hands on my neck, his fluffy hair around my fingers and his chapped lips on mine.

"patton owes me ten bucks!" janus' voice said from a little way off and we pulled apart, startled. "i am making money on betting today!"

virgil's hair was messed up and his eyes wide and surprised, but he couldn't stop his lips from curling into a smile. he glanced over at me and i knew i had a huge, dumb grin on my face.

"well then, i'll leave you boys, and i'd love it if i could get ten from logan too. just saying." janus winked and raised his eyebrows suggestively, before hurrying away.

i took virgil's hands in my own and looked at him for a good long while.

"can i take you out for lunch on sunday?" i offered.

"only if we can do that whole kissing thing again."

"it's a date."

bonus scene

"remy, you freaked him out so much." emile complained over the phone.

"yeah but i'm his brother, it's allowed." their boyfriend shot back. "plus, it ended well, they're dating now."

"dating? already?"

"well... going on a date. specifics don't matter."

"was ryan fair about the price?"

"quite. told him i wanted my brother to get with his crush and that i was fucking the renowned mx. emile picani, handed him a couple twenties, and boom!"

"excuse me? what was that? fucking?"

"getting fucked by. specifics still don't matter, emile."