Roman sighed. He really thought that he could get out of this. But he should have known better that both Remus and Virgil knew how to get what they wanted from him. And when they work together, they can accomplish much. Matt ran up to the booth they were at and hugged Virgil who smiled at him.

Roman gave him a simple nod. Pranks came up to the table and messed with Virgil hair. "Hey there little Violet." Pranks said. Virgil rolled his eyes and slapped his hand away.

He couldn't exactly explain it but he didn't like the fact Pranks had called him that, but he kept to himself. Remus walked over so he could translate for Virgil if needed.

"So, how was the game for you guys?" Pranks asked. "Never knew you were one for sports Roman." Pranks smirked. He knew full well that Roman was not a sports guy.

Remus noticed Virgil signing. "Virgil said that they were there supporting his friend. She played defense." Remus said, Roman saw Janus narrow his eyes and Virgil tapped on the table. Then Janus rolled his eyes.

Roman wondered if this was how Janus got around the mutism. He supposed that each form of communication came with time and trust. Each person had their own way of communicating with Virgil that was easier than him writing down notes or typing something out. Sure Roman could learn sign language but he felt that was copying Logan and Virgil, and it wasn't like Roman didn't pick up a little. He could decipher what they were saying but he didn't trust himself to trying and just communicate on that alone, but Roman knew what he would say before he even needed to sometimes based on his facial expressions alone.

Roman may not know sign language but he knew how to read Virgil as well as he could, Roman was always good at picking up small things about other people.

"Yeah, Virgil asked me to go with him and I had nothing else to do." Roman smiled at him. Virgil smiled back and coxed his head. Now that was cute. Despite the fact that his friends were there, he still could admit that to himself.

"That's sweet." Matt said. "How is school going? Are you still going back here next year?" Matt asked. Roman didn't know how to respond to that one. Whatever he could say would hurt someone. Virgil would shut down and Janus would have his ass if he said no. If he said he was, Pranks would cause a scene. Janus was giving him a look that said he better not fuck this up.

He doubted Janus would start a fight or try and fight him like he did before but the two knew very well how well matched they were matched for each other and neither didn't seem eager to try and even the odds.

"I am still on the fence, there are a few things I still need to sort out before I make my decision." Roman said.

"Well you have until May. That's when we choose classes for next year." Janus told him.

"You guys get to choose classes?" Pranks asked.

Janus nodded. "A few sets of core classes and then we get to choose the rest. We have electives from Freshman year, at least Virgil did." Janus responded. "The school is keen on flexibility to reform. We also don't have school tomorrow."

"Why?" Matt asked.

"We won. We don't have classes on a Friday after we win." Roman responded.

"Nice gig." Pranks responded. Roman nodded. "Well, we should let these two get back to their date. Shall we?" Pranks said.

"It's not a date." Roman, Remus, and Janus said. Virgil's eyes widened and he looked at the table.

"Sure it isn't, see you after you get out of school, Roman." Pranks said. Janus stayed behind while they all left.

"Want me to take care of it Virge?" He asked. Virgil shook his head. "Roman?" Janus turned to him. Virgil wrote him a note. "I wasn't accusing him of anything, just simply asking the same question."

Roman shook his head. "No, Remus will when they get home." Roman nodded toward where Remus was angrily talking to Pranks. Janus looked over.

"As long as you are alright with that." Janus said.

Roman laughed. "You just started seeing him, I have lived with him for almost all my life. Who do you think taught me to fight better and the reason I can hold my own against you? Besides, he's much better at it than I am despite me having more practice. Remus had a natural talent for it, always has." Roman shrugged. "Remus can take care of himself, despite me not really wanting to believe it."

Roman figured that was the older sibling in him coming out, despite the twin factor. He always heard, and Virgil mentioned it once, that even twins will fall to the sibling dynamic. It didn't matter if they were one minute or ten apart, it happened.

Janus nodded. "I understand. But still?" Janus asked. Roman shook his head. Janus left them and the waitress came over with their meals.

"I still can't believe that you knew the waitress but said nothing." Roman said to him. Virgil shrugged and pointed to the seat next to him. Roman sighed. Roman clearly didn't see the irony in his statement, but it did make Virgil smile a bit.

He reached over and moved Virgil's meal. Virgil smiled and Roman smelled roses. He looked around, there were no roses around him. Air freshener maybe?

"Alright, now what exactly did you get?" He asked. Virgil smiled and took his knife. He cut his burger down the middle and then took it apart, the middle was stuffed with what looked like feta and basil.

Virgil saw that Roman was confused. House special, it's really good. Want to try? Roman gave him a look. He was not sure, he smiled and nodded anyway. He wasn't a fan of feta but it was interesting.

Virgil picked it up and handed it to him. Roman took a bite and was shocked. It was really good. "Wow. You were right, and I am not a big fan of feta." Roman said. Virgil smiled at him and silently laughed. Roman put the half of the burger back on Virgil's plate.

He leaned over and kissed his cheek after he took a sip of his drink. Virgil looked at him surprised. "Thank you." Roman smiled at the fact Virgil was blushing again. He liked it too much but you couldn't blame him. Virgil was adorable.

Since Roman only needed one hand to eat his meal, he kept the other around Virgil's waist. Virgil soon calmed down and just ate his burger with content.

Roman paid because he promised Virgil he would have dinner, and Roman was not going to let him pay for it if Roman had dragged him to an ice rink for a game. He was a gentleman.

Virgil got back into the Toyota. He had given Janus the keys so he could go sit in the car if he didn't want to sit at the table with them. Janus was in the backseat with his feet on Virgil's seat. He moved them when they got in.

"So how was the date?" Janus asked, with a smirk. Virgil glared at him through the mirror. "Awe, that bad?" Janus pouted. Virgil rolled his eyes. Roman decided to stay out of it. It wasn't exactly his place. Virgil seemed to be handling it well.

"Can I ask you something Janus?" Roman asked. Virgil gave him a side glance as he pulled out of the diner. Roman put his hand on Virgil's which was on the gear shift.

"Sure?" Janus said.

"What's the tapping that you and Virgil do?" Roman asked. Virgil rolled his eyes.

"Oh, Morse code. That's how I trained my snake and Virgil is the backup if I need someone to watch him. In order to do that, Virgil needs to know Morse code. So he learned when I got him, and that's how we communicate without notes." Janus explained. He was stretched across the backseat and had his hat on his face.

Virgil realized this and tapped on the steering wheel. "Come on! Who are you Patton?" Janus said. Roman stifled a laugh. Virgil smiled over at him.

Roman really liked it here. Maybe a little more than back home, even if he didn't have his brother.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Virgil collapsed on his bed. There was a lot that happened today that he needed to process. He was just glad he could stay up late overthinking and blame it on some homework he had to do because he went to the game.

Logan didn't need to know that he had finished it early so he could go. Logan wasn't stupid though and would probably see through the lie. That was the thing about Logan. He was like a human lie detector and it always amazed Virgil how much Logan would let him get away with.

One might think that Virgil's worry over having Logan finding out about him staying up late was a little weird, but the entire friendship was a little weird. Virgil was pretty sure Logan saw him as a little brother, and he was fine with that. However that also meant he was subjected to overprotective Logan.

Both him and Janus gang up on him about self care, they used to do it a lot when he got out of the hospital. It was a lot worse then. Like Virgil wouldn't even ask for help or let anyone in when he had a really bad panic attack. It took awhile to unlearn bad habits.

They ended up setting up a list of some kind with different things to do when he wasn't feeling good. Logan would always come over to him at nine and turn off all his electronics so there would only be music available for Virgil at nine. Logan then would give him an hour to listen to music and draw, read, or just sit. After that, he would set an alarm on his phone to go off at 12am.

If Virgil was still awake, he would shut it off immediately due to the loud noise and then lay in his bed. If he wasn't it would ring and Logan would get up and shut it off. It took a few months, but they ended up on a good sleep schedule. Logan even went as far as to stay over winter break to get him on a better one.

By the time summer hit, Virgil had a good sleep schedule. He still had it and he figured he could break it a little. When he got his own room, he started getting away with staying up a little later, as long as he got up when Logan came to get him he didn't mind. But this Friday they didn't have classes because the hockey team won. So he was home free.

Maybe, well enough. Logan didn't like that Virgil was on his own and neither did Patton so they insisted that Logan get him up so he wouldn't miss anything. Virgil actually didn't mind this. He didn't have to worry about missing his alarm because Logan wouldn't leave until he woke up.

Plus it made them both feel better, Virgil saw that someone was caring for him and Logan was sure that Virgil was okay. Patton never liked waking up early but if Logan ever got sick, he would take that spot. However in the years that Virgil had known Logan, he had never been sick, so Patton was off the hook for the most part.

He figured that he should start processing what he was feeling or just what the hell that was. He knew why Janus said that Roman and Virgil weren't on a date. Roman, he could only assume, said that so it wasn't pressuring Virgil into saying anything

Until Virgil was ready, the labels were a no. Everyone was respecting that whether they knew it or not. And a lot of the time when someone pushed it, it was a joke. Rarely did anyone mean it seriously, but the way Pranks said it felt almost like he was serious.

Why?

Was it because Roman had told them that he wanted to date Virgil? Or was it for another reason? Did Pranks really pick up on something that they had known about? Was it a date?

No, Roman said it wasn't and he didn't act like it was. But then again he had never been on a date before so what does he know. He could ask Patton but that would imply something he didn't want to convey. Janus had his own issues, and Remus doesn't give him straight answers.

That left Logan. Or he could ask an adult. He checked the time, 11pm. Thomas had to be awake still. He had lived with Thomas long enough to know that teachers barely sleep, if they are any good at their job. Virgil got his shoes and a sweatshirt. He took his keys and walked out of his room. He made his way to his uncle's apartment. He was about to knock when he stopped.

Roman had kissed him. That meant something. Sure it was on the cheek, but was it in the same way that Virgil once did? He knocked on the door.

"Virge? It's the middle of the night." Thomas said.

"I know, I had a question." Virgil said quietly. Thomas nodded and let him in the apartment. He had come a long way but was still touchy about the whole talking thing.

"Want something to drink?" Thomas asked. Virgil shrugged. He was messing with his sweatshirt sleeves. "Kitchen, come on." Thomas told him. Virgil nodded and then took his usual seat on the counter.

This wasn't anything new. Just like Logan and Janus, Thomas has his own version of care for Virgil. His was the philosophy of the school. Give the child flexibility and they should open up. Granted, Thomas was his legal guardian and therefore was able to make more rules and enforce them if he needed to. But having friends like Logan and Janus were good too, Thomas had a school to run so he couldn't possibly be everywhere at once. Thomas provided what Virgil needed and more, Virgil saw him as a father figure even if Thomas didn't know it.

Thomas was patient with Virgil, unlike his father. Virgil was glad that he had this version of male influence. He knew it would give him some issues but Thomas was combating that.

Thomas placed a cup of tea in front of him, Virgil looked confused. "Chamomile, Patton told me it was calming and you seem like you need some calm." Thomas said, he shrugged. "Plus I stirred honey counterclockwise to help the anxiety to leave or something."

"I thought you weren't going to involve yourself in what me and Pat do." Virgil told him. Thomas smiled.

"I pick up a few things, plus just because I don't practice it doesn't mean I can't respect it. If it helps it helps. I might not understand the whole thing, but that doesn't mean I can't be supportive. It makes you feel heard doesn't it?" Thomas asked.

"Well yeah. That's the entire practice from my perspective, it's what you make of it. And very open ended." Virgil told him.

"Then who am I to deny you that comfort? Besides, you need to talk, don't you." Virgil nodded. "What's up?"

"What's a date like?" Virgil asked. Thomas froze.

"What?" He asked.

"What's a date like? I have never been on one." Virgil told him seriously. Thomas put down his own mug.

"Oh, yeah of course. Like, never never, or like you aren't sure and someone asked you kinda weirdly and you don't know their intent?" Thomas asked.

"No one has ever asked me. I am a mute, Thomas. Who the hell would want to go on a date with someone who can't talk?" Virgil asked.

"I can think of one." Thomas said as he sipped his tea. "But that's not important. I guess a date can be whatever a couple does together. It doesn't have to be a big huge gesture like a fancy dinner but it can be. It can be just having a night in and watching movies together while cuddling. It really depends on the people who are going on it why?" Thomas asked.

Virgil sighed and drank some of his tea. "I think me and Roman have been on dates before but just haven't said they were. Like, is it supposed to be this confusing?" Virgil asked.

"Sometimes it can be, have you asked him?" Thomas asked.

"No, but there's a reason!" Virgil said quickly. Thomas raised his eyebrow.

"And that would be?" He asked. Virgil took a deep breath and spun the mug around on the counter.

"We had a bit of a moment on Valentine's Day, we had a Disney marathon but we both agreed it was as friends. Like we were dancing around to "I See The Light" from Tangled, and the ending was really sweet and the lighting was almost perfect. Do you know how much work I put into making us a bed for the two of us and a makeshift movie theater? A fuck ton, let me tell you. Those beds are not light, Thomas." Virgil took a breath before continuing.

"He was singing to me and everything, and he's so cute Thomas. No, not cute, he's hot, but this was a totally different Roman!" Virgil could feel his face heating up so he hid in his hands and exhaled. "We were interrupted by Patton telling us he was home, and it was a little weird but it was also late so it could have been just poor judgment! We ignored it when we went to sleep, the next day we talked about it. Why I was scared and why I felt like we couldn't..." Virgil trailed off.

Thomas nodded and then nudged him to tell him further. "What did he say to that?" Thomas asked.

"I made him a deal. That I would go on a date with him once I spoke to him." Virgil said.

Thomas almost got ticked off but he kept himself composed. That was not going to do well. "Now, why would you worry?" Thomas asked.

"Well, he's been flirting? I don't really know, he called me cute and tried hard to make me blush. He also loves my freckles and points them out all the time, he's also very huggy which I don't mind too much if it's him." Virgil blew his bangs and there were sparkles that fluttered through them as well as a quick flash of purple in his eyes. "I am just confused."

"It sounds like he's flirting with you to set a basis for what he would be like as your boyfriend if you so choose." Thomas said and took a sip of his tea. "Think, Virge, he's doing actions to get you accustomed to him. I think he's trying to prove himself. Besides, until you say it's a date then it's not a date. It can just be dinner between two friends or a sleepover. It's about definition and nothing is ever going to be black and white or simple. Especially with love."

Virgil groaned and rubbed his temples. "Why is it never simple?" Virgil asked. He knew why, everyone was just as complex as he was. Nothing could be simple unless he was too, plus he had watched his parents' relationship crumble around him and he knew love could not be simple. Even if the reason why it went downhill was but there was always going to something that wasn't as simple as he wanted it to be.

"Because it's you, and sadly your life wasn't simple from the start. But this seems like it will be a pretty simplistic part of your journey once you say yes to him. But right now, you need to finish your tea and get to bed. Logan will be pissed if he sees you awake and my authority can only go so far." Thomas told him. Virgil nodded. He was almost done with his tea anyway. He washed the used dishes and Thomas dried.

Thomas glanced at the mail pile as if he was thinking about something. "Is everything alright?" Virgil asked, noticing that Thomas was on edge. Thomas smiled at him and nodded.

"Sorry, some paperwork that I just remembered I need to get done. Nothing bad I promise." Thomas said. Virgil nodded and left the apartment feeling better.