A/N:

Special thanks to everyone who voted on the movies featured in this chapter!!! The results are in, and the top three movies, in order of appearance, are... drumroll, please...

Bolt
Big Hero 6
101 Dalmations

Again, thank you to everyone that voted, and, to those who might not have been able to vote, thank you for reading and being the wonderful human beings you are!!!

And now... Chapter 20!!!
(I can't wait for y'all to freak out about the ending)

TW: Very, very, very, briefly mentions suicide, teeny tiny almost panic attacks twice

|Previous chapter:

Climbing into bed, Logan wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close so that my head was resting on his chest.

Listening to Logan's steady heartbeat, I thought about my family and just how lucky I was to have each and every one of them, and, as I fell asleep, I couldn't help the smile on my face.|

Roman POV:

Waking up the next morning, I yawned and stretched my arms before rubbing the urge to fall back asleep out of my eyes.

This is what you get for staying up past 3 am watching movies

Oh, shut up. Moana's a good movie, and it's common knowledge that you can't watch Disney movies one at a time. You should have known that I'd watch The Little Mermaid.

Still, you're gonna have the entire day to watch movies with Virgil and Deceit. Couldn't you have waited???

Absolutely not! The sea was calling me!!

Quit it with the Moana reference!!

Never

Once I won the internal debate, I threw my blankets to the side and climbed out of bed. I immediately headed to the mirror in my bathroom to make sure my hair was pristine. There were a few sections sticking up towards the back of my head, reminding me of the feathers on a peacock. (A/N: No joke, that happens to me way more often than I'd care to admit. Sigh... short hair problems.) Of course, it was nothing a comb and some gel couldn't fix.

Still in my pajamas, I headed to the kitchen for breakfast, and the sight I saw when I walked in warmed my heart. Logan was sitting at the table working on what seemed to be a crossword puzzle, and Patton was standing behind him. Patton had his arms loosely wrapped around Logan, and his chin rested on his boyfriend's shoulder. Every few seconds, Patton would whisper a suggestion to Logan, who always checked to see if it fit.

Standing there watching, I couldn't handle the small squeal that escaped my lips. Although, as soon as I heard it, I clamped my hand over my mouth, praying that it didn't interrupt the couple.

Sadly my prayer was for naught, as Patton clearly heard me. I instantly saw him perk up and lift his head, looking over to where I was standing, trapped like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming car.

"Good morning, Roman!" he greeted me, sending a smile and quick wave my way.

"Good morning, Patton!" I replied. "And to you as well, Logan."

It was only when I said his name that Logan realized I was there. He looked up from the puzzle, his gaze darting around the kitchen before landing on me.

"Ah, greetings, Roman," Logan said, setting the puzzle aside and stretching his hands. Suddenly he looked over at Patton, his eyes wide.

"Patton??" he asked, and it was easy to tell that he was worried about something.

"Yes, Love?" Patton replied, humming slightly and walking over to Logan.

"Did you remember to set the timer for the eggs?"

Patton scrunched up his nose and forehead in concentration. "Timer?? What time-"

He must have remembered, as he stopped mid-sentence with a gasp before running over to the stove. "OH MY GOSH, THE EGGS!!!!!"

As I watched Patton, he grabbed the handle of the frying pan that was on the stove. I saw a mess of yellow in the pan and immediately knew that Patton had been making scrambled eggs... or, at least, had started before he was distracted by Logan.

With the spatula that was in his hand, Patton prodded at the eggs before sighing and looking between Logan and me.

"Anyone want an omelet?" he asked quietly.

I couldn't help but burst out laughing at Patton's expression. He looked so hopeful, but one look at the pan could tell that the eggs were toast. (A/N: I have no clue why, but that makes me laugh so much, lol)

"I'm sorry, Pat," I replied, walking over to the cupboards. "I think I'm going to just have cereal."

"Oh, that's ok," Patton said, sounding a little downcast before brightening up. "Do you want an omelet, Love?"

Logan looked over at Patton, who must have been giving his puppy dog eyes. Logan was quick to cave and say yes, much to the delight of Patton.

Turning my eyes from the couple, I grabbed a bowl and box of Lucky Charms. Just as I was about to take the two items and go back to my room, I remembered Virgil.

"Hey, Pat?" I called over my shoulder.

"Yeah, kiddo?" he answered immediately.

"Has Virgil gotten breakfast yet?"

"No, I was just about to," Patton answered, walking over to the fridge and grabbing a plate of fruit and a pudding cup. "Why?"

"Just wondering," I answered, but then an idea came to me. "Hey, Patton, let me bring Virgil his breakfast."

Patton stopped on his way out of the kitchen and turned to look at me, a grin stretching across his face.

"I mean, you can if you want to, kiddo!" he cheered, backtracking to where I was.

"I do want to," I confirmed, picking my breakfast up off the island with one hand and grabbing Virgil's from Patton with the other. "I figured you should be able to spend as much time as possible with Logan today. Plus, I can tell Virgil where you're both gonna be."

"Awww," Patton squealed. "That's so kind of you, Roman!"

I simply smiled before heading out of the kitchen and down the hall to Virgil's room.

Upon reaching Virgil's room, I was faced with his door and the task of figuring out how to knock. Both of my hands were full, and I didn't particularly want to set anything down.

C'mon, Roman, think! You're the creative side, you should be able to think of a solution!

I sighed, looking at the bowl in my right and the plate in my left. After a few seconds, I noticed that the plate was just a little bigger than the rim of the bowl, which gave me an idea.

Setting the plate on top of the bowl, I was able to free up my left hand. I quickly knocked on the door before grabbing the doorknob and opening it slightly.

Peeking in, I saw Virgil sitting in his fort, surrounded by pillows yet again. When he saw me, he smirked, and I couldn't help but grin back.

Pull it together, Roman. Don't let him get to your head. Why are you even smiling?? He's your friend, not your crush.

Shaking the thoughts out of my head, I walked into the room, shifting Virgil's breakfast back into my free hand and nudging the door shut with my foot. 

Walking over to Virgil's fort, I stood in the middle of the entrance but didn't enter. I placed my bowl of cereal on his bedside table before I turned to him, his plate of food in my hand.

"Your breakfast, my good sir," I said grandly, bowing as I placed the plate inside the fort.
Virgil rolled his eyes at what I said as he reached to grab the plate.

He opened his mouth and started to say what sounded like "fight me," but he was interrupted by a coughing fit. Rose petals tumbled out of his mouth and onto his blankets as he coughed.

Standing there, it pained me to see those petals. I mean, yeah, we might not be on the best terms, but no one should have to go through that just because they love someone.

And I'm not just saying that because I'm the romantic side... okay, that might be part of it, but that's IrReLeVaNt.

Once Virgil stopped talking and was able to breathe again, I handed him the plate. "I won't fight you, 'cause I know you'd win."

"Put a sock in it Princey," he said, accepting his breakfast. "And why didn't Patton bring me breakfast?"

Perfect, now I get to explain that he's stuck with me all day!

"What do you mean I'm stuck with you all day?" Virgil asked, eyes wide and face pale.

I looked over at him, confused as to how he knew what I had been thinking.

"You said that you get to explain that I'm stuck with you all day," he said, staring at me, and it was then that I noticed how shallow his breathing was.

"Wait, I said tha- shit, I'm sorry," I said, stumbling over my words. I could clearly see that what I had said was making Virgil panic(!) (A/N: I'm sorry, I had to). "I didn't mean to say that out loud, and I'm sorry if I made you worry."

Virgil absent-mindedly nodded his head, but I could see that his breathing was still very shallow.

Climbing into the fort, I crawled over to where Virgil was sitting. Taking his hand, I started rubbing circles into the back of his hand with my thumb. After a while, I felt him relax and his breathing returned to normal.

"I, um..." I started to say, breaking the silence. I looked down at my hand, which was still holding Virgil's. "I brought you your breakfast instead of Patton because he's gonna be spending the day with Logan in the Imagination. So it's just gonna be us two and Deceit around today."

I looked up at Virgil and saw him looking at our hands. It looked like he might have been blushing, but I wasn't sure.

"I thought we could watch some movies if you want. I remember you saying that you enjoyed the Disney marathons we had in my letter."

At that, Virgil's head jolted up to look at me, eyes wide once again. "Y-you remembered that?" he asked, seemingly surprised.

"Of course," I assured. "I read that note hundreds of times while you were unconscious. I could probably recite it by memory."

"Oh," he said, looking back down. "What movies were you thinking of watching?"

"Well," I started. "I was thinking you could choose that."

"R-really?" Virgil asked incredulously.

"Yup!" I confirmed. "I also thought that maybe we could do what we did in the Dark Side of Disney video after each movie."

"Wait, what?" Virgil shouted. "You mean I get to share the darker themes in each movie, thus making you upset????"

I stared at Virgil, stunned by his logic. "I mean... when you put it that way... yeah?"

"Sweet!" he exclaimed, falling backward onto his mattress. "So I get to choose any movie??"

"In theory, yeah. But you might want to pick one that wasn't done in the video."

Virgil got out from under his pile of pillows and snapped his fingers. A pile of DVD cases appeared in front of him, and he immediately sorted through them. He stopped when he reached one case, which he picked up and admired for a few seconds. Turning to me with a grin, he handed me the case. Looking down, I saw a white puppy staring back at me and immediately knew what movie it was; Bolt.

Snapping my fingers, I summoned my laptop. Pressing the side, the DVD tray slid out, and I gingerly placed the DVD in. Once the menu was up on the screen, I placed it the middle of the fort so Virgil and I could easily see it. Scooting backward, I moved so I was leaning against the wall of Virgil's room while still being able to see the movie. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Virgil move so that he was leaning against the wall next to me. Suddenly remembering the food I brought, I grabbed both mine and Virgil's breakfasts, figuring we could eat while we watched Bolt.

Looking over at him, I grinned. "You ready?"

Virgil looked over at me, a large smile plastered on his face. "Let it begin! Let it begin!"

"Okay Rhino," I chuckled, rolling my eyes and pressing play.

With that, we settled into a comfortable silence, something I never would have thought possible a month ago.

~~~

92 minutes later, after traveling across the country with Bolt, Rhino, and Mittens, I was back in Virgil's bedroom laughing at the stupidity of the pigeons while tears rolled down my cheeks.

Movies always made me incredibly emotional, and it was almost guaranteed that I would cry while watching. Bolt was no exception.

Once the credits finished, Virgil and I turned to face each other.

"So," Virgil started. "You get to start."

"Gladly," I said, having several themes in mind. "First, if you do the right stuff, anything can be possible. Second, true friends will always come back to you. And finally, you don't have to have superpowers to be able to do incredible things."

"Valid points," Virgil said, nodding his head.

"But the only reason Bolt left was because the people in charge of the show lied to him, tricked him, and manipulated him," he continued. "I mean, come on! They tricked him into thinking he had superpowers and that Penny was in danger. They didn't even think about how it would affect Bolt! They just wanted to make the show interesting so more people would watch!"

Virgil suddenly got quieter. "Just goes to show how much people are willing to hurt others as long as it benefits themselves."

"Damn..." I whispered. "I mean, I've always thought that it was really cruel of them to make Bolt think that Penny was in danger, but I never looked that far into it."

"What can I say," Virgil shrugged. "I've got a lot of time to look really far into a lot of things."

We were silent for a few seconds, and I thought of how many times I had put down Virgil to make myself look better.

"Alright," Virgil said after a while. "I already know what movie we're watching next."

"Which one?" I asked.

"This one," Virgil said, handing me another case.

"Big Hero 6?" I exclaimed in disbelief. "This movie makes me so sad!"

"But it also has a lot of messages," Virgil countered.

I sighed, "That is true."

Getting up, I removed Bolt from the computer and put the Big Hero 6 DVD in. When the movie was in and at the menu, I headed towards the entrance of the fort.

"Where are you going?" Virgil asked.

"I'm getting tissues," I said, grabbing the box on his bedside table. "You know I'm gonna need them."

"Wow, Princey," Virgil said, and I could hear the eye roll in his voice. "Ya big baby."

"Hey!" I objected, crawling back to my spot. "Disney is very good at hitting me right in the feels."

"Suuuuuuure," Virgil hummed, giving me a look.

"Ya know what?" I said pressing play on the computer. "Let's just save the arguing for after."

~~~

108 minutes later, both Virgil and I were surrounded by tissues while we laughed about the Stan Lee cameo in the end scene. (A/N: Yes, there is a Stan Lee cameo, 'cause it's a Marvel movie, which I just learned.)

"It's just... he doesn't even say 'Dad,'" Virgil gasped out, "until... after he... holds up a pair... of... the underwear..."

This sent both of us into another fit of laughter.

I know what you're thinking. Wow, typical boys. Laughing about underwear. Sooooo mature. But hey, you would be too if you heard Virgil recite the entire scene with the movie.

I ended up on my side, gasping for breath while my sides ached. I was finally able to breathe again, and that's when I heard the coughing.

Sitting straight up, I saw Virgil in front of me.

He was lying on his side facing away from me, and I could see him shaking from the strain coughing placed on him.

Moving closer, I kneeled behind him. This let me see just how many petals he had already coughed up. I was able to catch Virgil's eye between coughs, and he looked like he was close to panicking.

Instinctively, I placed my hand on his back and started rubbing circles. I felt Virgil relax slightly, but he was still shaking a little bit.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay," I said calmly. "But you need to calm down so you can stop coughing."

Virgil nodded, which let me know that he heard me, and I could see that he was trying to calm down. He had shut his eyes and tried to take a deep breath, but that just made him cough more.

I thought about what might help Virgil calm down, but nothing was coming to mind. I wracked my brain even harder, sure that something would come to me, and, eventually, a thought came to me. I wasn't sure whether or not it would work, but it was the only thing I could think of. Focusing back on Virgil, I placed a hand on one of his shoulders. "Virgil, do you think it might help if you sit up?"

Virgil opened his eyes and nodded. 

"Alright," I said. "I'm gonna sit you up."

Virgil nodded again, and I slipped an arm under his shoulders. Slowly, I lifted Virgil up so that he was sitting in front of me. I kept my arm on his back, rubbing slow circles to try and help him relax. 

After a few minutes, Virgil's coughing subsided, leaving him breathing heavily. I hesitantly removed my arm from it's position around Virgil.

I might have been imagining it, but it looked like Virgil was disappointed when I did so.
We sat in silence for a few more minutes. What finally broke the silence was the loud sound of my stomach making it known that I was hungry.

"Damn..." Virgil whispered. "You'd think you hadn't eaten all day."

I chuckled, agreeing with his statement. It felt like I hadn't eaten all day.

"Wait, what time is it?" I asked, looking around for a clock.

"Ummm," Virgil hummed, pulling out his phone.

"Holy crap," he said in amazement. "It's 6:18 pm."

"What?!?" I exclaimed. "How did that happen?!?!?!"

"I don't know, but it sure was fun," Virgil said, leaning back to rest against a pile of pillows.

I nodded my agreement, which was quickly followed by another grumble from my stomach.

"Alright, alright," I laughed to my stomach. "I'll go get some food."

Virgil chuckled at what I said, and it dawned on me that he rarely laughed while we were all hanging out. That realization made me happy to have made him laugh.

Getting out of the fort, I turned back to Virgil. "Do you want me to get you anything?"

"Some chips would be good."

"Got it!" I said, heading out of Virgil's room and into the kitchen.

When I arrived in the kitchen, I saw a handwritten note on the table. Glancing at it, I saw that it was addressed to me, which piqued my curiosity. 

Looking at it a little more closely, I recognized Patton's slightly childish handwriting.

-Roman,
I hope you and Virgil have fun watching movies today!
Just so you're not worried, Deceit told me that he wasn't feeling well, so he decided to stay in his room today.
Again, have fun!
Love,
Dad

When I finished reading the note, I set it back down on the table. Deceit hadn't even crossed my mind once today. I was too focused on the movies and debates. I felt a little guilty, but it quickly vanished when I remembered why I was in the kitchen.

Making a sandwich for myself and a bag of chips for Virgil, I left the kitchen and backtracked to Virgil's room.

As I walked into his room, I heard dogs barking before abruptly stopping and saw Virgil staring intently at the computer.

"Wha- did you start the movie without me?!?!?!?!" I asked, standing in the middle of the room.

When I spoke, Virgil jumped and immediately paused the movie. Sheepishly, he turned to look at me.

"Sorry?" he offered, shrugging his shoulders.

"I got you chips!" I exclaimed, feigning being offended. "And you start the movie without me..."

"Hey, I'm not even a minute into the opening credits," Virgil defended. "You didn't miss anything."

I walked over to the fort and crawled in, sending Virgil a glare before resuming my spot against the wall. I handed Virgil his chips and dug into my sandwich as Virgil unpaused the movie. Within moments, we were deep into the world of 101 Dalmatians.

~~~

About halfway through the movie, just as the puppies were trying to escape Cruella de Vil, I noticed a weight on my shoulder. Turning my head slightly, I saw that Virgil had rested his head on my shoulder. He was still watching the movie, although I could tell that he was having a hard time keeping his eyes open.

Without thinking, I wrapped my arm around him. I felt him curl closer to me, and I couldn't help but smile slightly.

After a few minutes, I heard gentle snores coming from Virgil. He was leaning against me completely, and I shifted so that I was leaning against a pile of pillows, which allowed for Virgil to use my chest as a pillow.

In that position, I was able to wrap both of my arms around Virgil, pulling him close. With him sleeping, I was allowed some time to think while the movie still played.

I thought about the events of the past month, which started the day Virgil attempted suicide. I remember how upset I was when he caused Thomas to have a panic attack. I remember how that turned into shock and horror when I ran into Virgil's room with Patton. I remember the guilt I felt when I read his letter, which caused me to lock myself in my room the entire time he was unconscious. I remember how much I hated myself for making someone want to kill themselves, because I am a prince, and I should be saving people, not making them want to die.

I didn't even notice that I had started to cry until I felt a tear roll out the corner of my eye and into my ear. (A/N: That's happened to me. It's very uncomfortable.)

I looked down at Virgil, who was still sleeping peacefully. Seeing him like this, so vulnerable, made me feel something I had tried so hard to push down ever since Deceit made me question myself.

"Hey, Virgil," I whispered, trying not to bother him. "I think I might like you as more than a friend." (A/N: Aaaannnndddd cue freaking out...)

With that, I closed my eyes to fall asleep.

The second before I fell asleep, I heard a faint whisper, although it could have been my sleepy brain making it up.

"I love you, Princey." 

A/N:

Hey y'all!!!! Oh my word, I don't know about y'all, but this chapter makes me so happy.

Like, writing about the movies, I realized just how long it's been since the last time I watched them. I ended up having to watch so many clips from each movie, which just made me miss them even more. 

I'm getting my wisdom teeth removed on the 19th, so I'm definitely gonna be watching those movies that weekend while I'm recovering. 

Also, this took me so freaking long to write. Like, I started it on Wednesday, and it still took me 'till Sunday at almost midnight. But I love it so much!!!!!!!

Until next time,

Take it easy guys, gals, and non-binary pals!!!

~death_by_fanfic