Chapter Text
The ballad of Beyonce’s “Countdown” pierced Roman’s sleep-addled mind as his ringtone went off by his bedside. At first he was opting to ignore it and go back to sleep, but then he felt the soft thump of a pillow on his head.
“Roman,” Virgil said in a gravelly tone, “answer that phone before I break it. It’s too early for Beyonce.”
Roman groaned as he began to sit up, “Virge, my darling, it is never too early for the Queen B.” Hearing his boyfriend snort in amusement, Roman yawned and picked up his phone and checked to see who was calling him at 5 a.m. on a Sunday.
An unknown number appeared on his screen. Looking towards his boyfriend's form on the bed, he asked teasingly, “It’s an unknown, should I answer it?” He saw the figure shrug and turn to face him. With a scowl Virgil replied, “I don’t care, just make her shut up.”
Roman gave a small laugh at his boyfriend’s irritated response and accepted the call in a flourished tone. “This is Roman Prince speaking and, given the time of morning, I hope it is Beyonce herself or I will be severely disappointed.” That got an actual laugh out of Virgil which brought a smile to Roman’s face.
Listening to the phone, an unfamiliar woman's voice said, “Hello, you said Roman Prince? Are you the brother to a Remus Prince?” At her question, Roman’s easy smile dropped into a frown.
Answering hesitantly, Roman replied, “Yes, I am. Though, I haven’t talked to him in years.” At Roman’s new tone, Virgil sat up in the bed and gave him a questioning look.
“Mr. Prince, my name is Kate Sian and I am calling from St. Clifford’s Hospital in Palm Coast, Florida. I’m sorry to inform you but your brother was admitted into our care around 12 a.m. this Sunday after a couple of bystanders found him in need of emergency services on the beach.”
As she said this, it felt like a bucket of icy water had been dumped on Roman. In a choked manner, he asked, “I-is he okay!? What's wrong with him?” His imaginative mind was already forcing the worst case scenarios into the forefront of his thoughts and it was not helping him focus.
As she responded Virgil’s hand covered his clenched one and squeezed reassuringly. He hadn’t even noticed how tense he was. “Our apologies Mr. Prince but Mr. Prin- excuse me, your brother had no one listed in his emergency contacts. We were forced to look into his phone to find a contact. Your contact name seemed to be the closest we had to a family member. We would have contacted you sooner if we had ready access to your information.” Roman would have laughed in disbelief if he didn’t feel so afraid, since when did Remus have his phone number?
She continued in a professional tone, her voice composed as though she hadn’t just upturned Roman’s whole world. “I’m sorry, but I cannot divulge into our patients information without his explicit consent and he is currently unable to give it. Is there a chance you can come to our hospital in order for us to confirm your identity and provide information regarding Remus’ person?”
Roman only gave himself a second to think about his answer before replying, “Yes, of course. But, please, can you at least tell me if he’s okay?” Beginning to get up from his bed, Roman could hear desperation leaking into his voice. He understood why she couldn’t tell him anything, but this was his twin. How could he not beg?
She sighed, and it was silent on the line. Then, a moment later, she replied in a more empathetic tone “He is alive, if that’s what you’re asking. I’m sorry Mr. Prince, but it would be against hospital policy if I told you more. Though, I would recommend coming as soon as you can.” Roman gasped for breath, not realizing he was holding it in the first place. A sliver of relief filled him as he asked the address of the hospital. The worst of his fears were answered, but there was still plenty of trepidation from the fact his brother was in the hospital at all.
“I can be there in an hour and a half, maybe less. Thank you so much for calling.” Roman hung up the phone and took a moment to just stand, staring blankly at the wall in front of their bed. The time on the clock read 5:06. How could so much happen in just 6 minutes?
Suddenly, Virgil’s hands were on his face and Roman’s line of sight was being shifted towards his boyfriend’s gaze. Virgil’s eyes were beautiful, a dark brown that reminded Roman of melted chocolate, and they were crinkled with concern.
“Roman, babe,” said Virgil, all previous grit from waking up gone, “what happened? Who’s in the hospital? Is it Patton? Logan?” Virgil’s voice was taking a panicked tone and Roman could hear the oncoming anxiety that plagued his boyfriend. Grabbing Virgil’s hands, Roman put them around his person and brought him into a hug.
“Hey, Stormcloud, breathe. It’s not them.” Roman was rubbing his hands up and down Virgil’s back, trying to soothe him. He already had enough on his mind and Virgil having an anxiety attack would be the cherry on top of this shitty morning.
Virgil looked up at Roman, “Then who is it? Why are you shaking?” It took Roman a moment to register Virgil's words to find that he was, indeed, shaking. Hands and legs moving involuntary with the tremors.
The distressed man sighed, stepping away from Virgil and moving towards the closet to find his clothes. “It was the hospital from my old town. My brother just got admitted and I need to go and confirm my identity to know whatever fucking trouble he got himself into.” The upset in his voice was potent, this whole situation making his emotions feel unstable. The unknown was irritating, and if his brother was involved then that was double the dose.
At first he heard nothing but a deafening silence. Then, Virgil’s timid voice said, “You have a brother?”
Roman froze his movements for a moment, then gave a long groan. Setting down his shoes and sitting on the edge of their bed, he put his head in his hands.
“Yes,” Roman said, his voice both apologetic and tired” but I never told you because we haven’t spoken in nearly six years. His name is Remus. We stopped talking before I left for college, and I didn’t meet you until the end of my Sophomore year so there was never any overlap.” Roman’s tone was beginning to shift again, changing from resigned to irked as he continued speaking.
“Hell, even Logan doesn’t know and we were roommates my Freshman year. Honestly, I never thought I’d hear from him again.” Roman looked up at his boyfriend who had moved to stand in front of him, giving a pitiful laugh. “I guess he technically didn’t call me, so the streak hasn’t been broken.” Virgil, not liking Roman’s dry tone, hugged his sitting figure.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you but you know what happened with my parents. Remus is-” Roman paused. “Well, he was a different story and, after what happened with those monsters, I just wanted some time to move forward. Then we started dating, graduated, Logan and Patton were engaged, and I got the job at the theater! My life was better. I didn’t want to put a wrench in it because of my “long-lost” twin. Everything about Remus made me feel regret, and I wasn’t ready to face it.”
Virgil pulled back and held Roman by the shoulders and said in a shocked tone, “Wait, you’re a twin?!”
He paused, then shook his head. “Nope, sorry, not important. It’s okay. I’m not upset, just really confused and anxious. Though, that’s not new.” Virgil gave a feeble laugh at his joke and continued in a more serious tone. “Look, I don’t blame you for not telling me. I mean, I kind of do, but only because I don’t like big secrets.” Virgil paused, thinking over his next words carefully before speaking.
“Roman, babe, your parents were a damn nightmare. They were idiots and it took you a long time to come to terms with that. I can only imagine how bad your brother was if he’s anything like them.” Virgil moved his head so he was looking directly in Roman’s eyes, a determined expression on his typically aloof face.
In a firm voice, Virgil said, “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to, you know that right? You don’t owe anyone anything, hospital or not, if they are bad people.” Roman shook his head in frustration, leaning down to resume putting his shoes on.
“No, fuck, I’m not explaining this right. Yes, Remus and I were a product of our parents, but we were different as two people could be. That wasn’t a bad thing though. Growing up, we were thick as thieves; a modern day Mike Wazowski and Sully Sullivan. We were close, as close as two people could be. He was never the bad guy. In fact, he was the only person I had in my corner.” Roman searched for Virgil’s gaze, his eyes sad and tone melancholy.
“But,” He continued, “A lot happened during High school and it all climaxed our Senior year.” Roman heaved another sigh as he stood up and moved towards the bathroom.
“I’m sorry but it’s a lot to explain and I have to go down to Palm Coast to see him. I’m not going because I think I have to, I’m going because I want to. I promise I’ll tell you everything when I get back.” Roman’s mind was racing, already dreading the phone call he’d have to make to the theater about missing work.
He felt a hand on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. “Dude,” said an exasperated voice, “No way are you going alone. You’re shaking like a chihuahua and definitely not safe driving, especially if your fucking stop is 2 hours away. I’m driving, not you.”
Roman felt himself shaking his head at Virgil’s words and began protesting. “No, honey, I don’t want to make you miss time in the studio. You have a commission due soon, don’t you? This is my mess, not yours.” Ignoring his boyfriend’s objection, Virgil moved towards their closet and began changing out of his pajamas.
“Roman, I love you, but you’re such a dumbass sometimes. Get ready, we leave in ten minutes.” Roman took a second to look at his boyfriend, Virgil turning to see Roman staring.
Virgil gave him a small smile. “What? Come on your royal highness, move it or lose it.” Nearly leaping across the bedroom, Roman pulled his boyfriend into a tight embrace and gave him a firm kiss. Pulling away, a dazed Roman said ‘thank you’ and ran back into the bathroom to get ready. Rolling his eyes at his boyfriend’s antics, Virgil resumed getting ready.
Twenty minutes later (“Dammit Roman, I said ten!”) Virgil and Roman were on the road. The duo were making their way to Roman’s hometown, a.k.a. ‘Hell’s Den”.Virgil had told Roman to try and sleep, but it was useless. All his mind could focus on was his brother. It's amusing, in a morbid way. After six years, neither Roman nor Remus made the first move. Instead, it turned out to be a random hospital clerk. Internally, Roman snorted. Of course, this was him and his brother.