Virgil woke up to the sound of his phone ringing.

Immediately his eyes shot open.

This wasn't Logan's couch. In fact, this wasn't even Logan's dorm.

What?

What?

He quickly grabbed his phone, face paling at the 6:45 A.M. that proudly displayed itself on the screen. "No." He murmured, voice shaking. "No, no, no--"

Virgil had lived. He had lived!

He rejected Janus' call, throwing himself out of bed.

This couldn't be happening. There was no way this was happening.

He ran to the door, yanking it open and speeding past the two party addicts.

"Oh--Bye bye, Vee-Vee~!" One of them called after him. Virgil didn't pay enough attention to the voice to decipher which one had spoken. They giggled as he got further from them, too drunk out of their minds to wonder why he was in such a rush.

He was still in his pajamas, his feet were bare. The floor of his building was rough against the soles of his feet. His mind was running a mile a minute, but he couldn't pinpoint any specific thought. He felt dizzy, his feet slightly stumbling as he raced down the stairs.

This time, he had reached Roman first. The green-eyed boy stared at him in bewilderment. "...Stormcloud?" He murmured cautiously, slowing his jog down to a stop. "Are you alright? You're looking a bit pale." He reached a hand out, as if to steady him.

Virgil couldn't breathe. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he had come home, and just didn't remember? "What day is it?" He asked, his voice trembling as much as his hands.

Roman frowned. "...Thursday, Vee. March 25th." He replied hesitantly. "Are you alright?" He repeated.

Virgil fell to his knees.

Why?

Why?

WhyWhyWhyWhyWhyWhyWhy?!

He survived! He did it! This wasn't supposed to happen again! He stared down at his hands in horror.

He was trapped.

"Virgil?!" Roman quickly kneeled down next to him. "Talk to me. What's going on?"

Virgil didn't look up at him. In fact, he had barely registered what the taller boy had said. He just continued to stare at his hands, ignoring the tears that began to fall silently down his face.

This didn't make any sense.

He had done everything right. He'd avoided the conflicts he had gotten into, he stayed away from the party, he had a witness with him at all times. Hell, he hadn't even died.

"What's going on?"

Virgil looked up, spotting Patton approaching the two of them. His expression was a mixture between annoyance and curiosity. Both emotions faded away when he made eye contact with Virgil, being replaced by muted surprise.

"Is everything okay?" He asked, furrowing his brow as he glanced between the two of them.

Virgil looked back down at the ground. He felt like he could puke. "I'm going to die." He murmured miserably, shaking everywhere.

Roman startled, whipping his head from Patton to the purple-haired boy. "What?" He placed his hands on his shoulders. "What do you mean? Are you okay?"

He had thought that the loop was happening due to his death, but clearly that wasn't the case. If his goal wasn't to survive the day, then what was it? What was going to get him out of this hell? Was he stuck here forever?

"Are you in danger or something?" Patton tilted his head, though he seemed somewhat unimpressed by Virgil at the moment. He most likely thought that all of this was for attention.

That alone was enough to snap Virgil back into his senses.

He pursed his lips, wiping his eyes and standing up. He took two deep breaths, before looking at the two of them. "Sorry." He murmured quickly.

Sitting here and crying about the whole thing wouldn't help him solve this. He needed to figure out how to get out. He'd always loved escape rooms, so he just needed to think of this as one of those.

Patton scoffed slightly under his breath, but unfortunately, Roman didn't notice, too preoccupied with scanning Virgil's expression. "...are you in danger, Stormcloud?"

Virgil jolted. "I--" He glanced away. "I'm fine. Sorry. I was being dramatic." He lied. Patton rolled his eyes.

Roman frowned. "Are you sure?"

Virgil crossed his arms anxiously, carefully putting on an apologetic expression. "Yeah. Don't worry about me."

Roman didn't seem to believe him, but nodded anyway. "Okay. If you say so." He told him. "Do you...wanna go get coffee? Take your mind off things?" From behind the red-haired angel, Patton scowled.

"No, we should probably leave him alone, Ro." Patton blinked his bluebell eyes innocently. "After all, he must've experienced quite a scare to think that he could die." Patton laughed lightly, though it seemed condescending to Virgil. "Wouldn't want him freaking out, would we?"

Roman frowned. "But--"

"He's right." Virgil mumbled, somewhat bitterly. "I think I'd rather go back inside my dorm."

He'd be able to try and figure out a solution in his dorm, without unnecessary distractions. Though, he'd have to let Patton sink his claws into Roman in the process.

Speaking of which, the blue-eyed devil practically simpered. "See, Ro? We'd just be bothering him anyway." He smiled, wide and evil, hooked his arm around Roman's, and turned to Virgil. "Hope you feel better soon." He fake pouted in sympathy, before dragging his prisoner away.

Roman turned back to look at him, a concerned glint in his eye. Virgil gave him his best attempt at a reassuring smile, and waved them goodbye.

Once they were out of sight, he frowned and let his hand drop.

What was he going to do? Why did the day keep looping? What could the universe possibly want from him? He had assumed the goal was just to survive until the next day, but was he wrong? Then what else could it be? He had lived.

Unless, he hadn't.

Maybe someone had broken into Logan's room.

Or maybe...Logan had...?

He blanched, horrified with himself. Logan was his best friend! He would never do anything to Virgil. The two of them practically grew up together!

But still, Logan was the only one who would be able to kill him. Virgil had given him the perfect opportunity to, falling asleep inside the former's dorm, completely defenseless.

But then, why would Logan help him gather self-defense items throughout the day? To lull him into a false sense of security? To know exactly how Virgil was planning to try and fight him off?

Virgil frowned. In any case, he would keep his distance from Logan today. Even if the chances of him being the killer were slim, Virgil would rather not risk it.

He had to start thinking about the bigger picture. If Logan wasn't the killer, then that means Virgil had most likely survived. If that was the case, then what was his goal here? Surviving clearly wasn't the answer. What did they do in the movies?

They would catch the killer, wouldn't they?

Virgil groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. That sounded like way too much work, but hey, it was starting to look like he had eternity to try and figure this out. So, why the hell not?

Catch the killer, escape the loop, try not to die too much in the process.

Easy, right?

He lugged himself back up to the dorm (pointedly ignoring the two on the couch, who were still making out), and into his room.

Now, how do you catch a killer?

---

Around 45 minutes later, Virgil had absolutely no clue how to start.

He had spent the whole time trying to come up with ideas, failing, and then drawing random doodles on the corner of his notebook paper. He had also changed into something more presentable (a hoodie and black sweatpants) in an effort to at least feel somewhat productive.

If he thought about it, literally anyone could be out to kill him. Hell, even his goddamn professor. And since he was pretty sure this was the killer from the rumors he was dealing with, he would have to figure out who seemed the most thirsty for blood out of the people he knew.

But who fits that description?

"I can't stay."

"Why not?"

"I'm sorry. I have to go. I'll see you tonight."

Virgil paused.

Remus fucking Prince, that's who.

Virgil got up and took a peek at the living room.

"You always leave." Janus huffed, slumping back onto the couch.

It was pretty suspicious how Remus was leaving all the time. Where was he even going? That guy skipped tons of classes, so Virgil knew he probably wasn't studying.

Remus frowned. "I know. I'm sorry. But this is really important, okay?"

"Why won't you tell me what it is?" Janus demanded, suddenly annoyed. "Do you not trust me, or something?"

That was another weird thing. Remus and Janus told each other everything. The two of them held so much trust for each other, it would be cute if it was anyone else.

Remus bristled. "Wha--No? I--" He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I just have some things to take care of, okay? But we'll see each other tonight, at the party. Okay?"

Janus scoffed, looking away. "Whatever. Happy birthday, Remus."

As the two devolved into arguing, Virgil got to thinking.

If he followed Remus to this mystery location, he could find out where that psycho has been going. After all, what if it ended up being some super creepy room filled with baseball bats, anonymous masks, and shit?

That would be an easy way to catch the killer. And right now, Remus Prince was a prime suspect.

Added bonus, following Remus would avoid that awkward conversation with Janus post-argument. Honestly, that alone was enough incentive.

Of course, if he got caught, who knew what would happen? If Remus actually was the killer, it could end in the day looping earlier than he thought. If he wasn't, then Rem could easily go tell his brother that Virgil had followed him around like a stalker.

"I...I'm sorry. I don't know what--" Remus mumbled. "I just--Sorry, Janus. I'm gonna go. I'll see you tonight."

He turned and left the dorm.

There was a tense silence in the air as Janus dragged his hands over his face.

Now was his chance.

Virgil quietly tried to maneuver his way around the couch. Gaining the attention of Janus would only serve to slow him down. He needed to make sure he didn't lose Remus.

He reached for the doorknob.

A small sniffle came from behind him. "...Virgil?" Warbled a weak voice.

Well, shit.

Virgil slowly turned around, a sheepish smile on his face. "Heyyy, buddy!" He cleared his throat. "Didn't, uh--Didn't see you there."

Janus frowned at him, his eyes glossy and red. "...I thought you left."

Virgil held back a scowl. He had literally been leaving. "Nope, uh...I am here."

Janus swallowed, glancing away. "How much of that did you hear?" He wiped his eyes.

Virgil hummed. Janus hadn't cried last time. Then again, this conversation took place a few seconds earlier last time. Maybe Virgil had interfered right before any tears were shed the first time.

In any case, though, he didn't have time for this.

"How much of what did I hear?" Virgil played dumb, laughing nervously. "I didn't hear anything. Not me."

Janus furrowed his brow, looking back at him quizzically. "Oh. Well, nevermind." He crossed his arms, avoiding eye contact again.

"Great. Anyway! I have to go." Virgil grabbed the doorknob. "Y'know how it is! Busy, busy, busy!"

Janus tilted his head. "Are you--?"

"Whoops! Look at the time! I'm running late!" Virgil checked his wrist, realizing too late that he wasn't wearing a watch. Oops.

Janus blinked at him, bewildered. "Wait--"

Virgil was already out the door before that thought was finished. He took a deep breath. Maybe he would remember to apologize to Janus later. For now, he needed to follow the discount-Roman to this mystery location.

Virgil rushed down the hallway just in time to see the elevator doors close.

With Remus inside them. The boy in question didn't notice him, looking at his phone.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Virgil grumbled, begrudgingly making his way to the stairs for the second time that day.

When he reached the bottom, slightly winded, Remus was already walking down the sidewalk. Virgil huffed, before silently moving to follow him.

---

Remus led him to a diner a little bit away from the campus. It was a decent walk, but nothing Virgil couldn't handle.

He sat down at a table, knee bouncing anxiously.

Virgil sat down a little bit away, pulling his hood up so that Remus wouldn't recognize his purple hair. He was close enough to listen in, but still far enough away to not draw attention to himself.

About ten minutes later, a man entered the restaurant. He looked slightly older than Virgil and Remus, and was wearing a gray hoodie. His face was unshaven, and his brown hair was uncombed.

The man sat down at Remus' table. "Sup." He nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Sup?" Remus echoed dangerously, narrowing his eyes. "Where the fuck is my money, asshole?"

The man huffed. "Dude, Ree, chill." He rolled his eyes, before squinting at him. "Are you drunk? Jesus, that explains why you're so on edge. Relax! It's not a big deal, man."

"Not a big deal?" Remus laughed slightly in disbelief, choosing to ignore the rest of the statement. "Do you even know how hard it was to get that much molly for your stupid fucking party?" He lowered his voice to a whisper, Virgil barely able to catch what he said.

Of course Remus was dealing drugs. It wasn't that big of a surprise. It slotted in perfectly with Virgil's view of him, and he honestly wasn't sure how he hadn't known sooner.

The man gave him a crooked grin. "And I appreciate it, man. I really do! You're a real one." He scratched the back of his neck. "See, though, money is really tight for me right now. My girlfriend wanted a new car, you know how it is." He shrugged. "Can I pay you in a couple weeks, maybe?"

Remus stared at him for a few seconds, before a venomous expression overtook his face. "Listen, jackass. I usually have people pay upfront, but since you're my friend, I decided to make an exception." He spat. "I went out of my way, risked my neck, for your sorry ass, and you're telling me you can't cough up the cash?"

"Rem, buddy, you're a great friend! I promise this is the last time--"

"Last time was supposed to be the last time!" Remus growled. "I've given you five extensions, Dylan. Five!" He slammed his fist on the table, causing the silverware to clang.

The man, who had been dubbed Dylan, jumped. "Hey, man--"

"I've already been having a real shitty day, and the last thing I need is for you to choke on me." Remus glared daggers at poor Dylan. "Now, either you give me the money today, or I'm going to stop playing nice."

Dylan paled. "Rem--Buddy--"

"I'm not your buddy right now. I'm your dealer." Remus hissed. "How about this? You can give it to me at my party tonight. I'll consider it a birthday present."

Dylan gulped. "...it's your birthday?" He squeaked.

Remus got up, sneering at him. "It's my birthday." He confirmed, before walking out of the diner.

Dylan put his head in his hands.

Virgil hummed. He didn't know Remus was capable of being that hostile. If he was being honest, it was kind of scary.

Still, that didn't help him figure out if Remus was a serial killer. So, Virgil stood up as well and followed him out.

---

The next place that Remus led him to was a small fast food place a little bit away. Virgil huffed. He did not think that following his roommate's boyfriend would involve visiting so many greasy restaurants.

Remus entered, and Virgil waited a few seconds before following him in. The latter sat down at a table, while the former approached the counter.

The restaurant wasn't too busy, with only a couple people sitting at a table a little bit away. Besides them, Virgil and Remus were the only people there.

A small, petite young woman greeted Rem with a smile on her face. "Hey there, stranger! I thought it was your day off?"

Remus gave her a small grin. "Yeah, it is. I just came to pick up my paycheck?"

Virgil hummed. So, Remus worked here. Apparently, dealing drugs wasn't enough to make it in the world. Who could have guessed?

The girl's smile faltered. "Oh. Yeah, uh--" She pursed her lips, glancing away. "See, that stunt you pulled earlier this week...didn't sit well with the manager."

Remus frowned. "What do you mean?"

The girl looked over his expression, before going into the back. A few minutes later, she returned with an envelope, which Virgil assumed contained the money that Remus had earned.

She handed it to Remus, who hesitantly took it, hesitantly tearing it open. When he examined the check inside, his frown deepened. "Maya, this isn't even half of what I normally get." He murmured, almost horrified.

Maya frowned. "Manager didn't like the way you handled that customer, decided to dock your pay." She shrugged. "I'd tell you to take it up with him, but he's not here today."

Remus shook his head. "No, Maya, you don't understand. I need this money." He laughed slightly in panic. "There must be something I can do."

Maya sighed. "I'm sorry, Ree. He just told me to tell you that your pay was docked. I don't know what to tell you."

Remus ran a hand through his hair, paling by the second. "So, what then? This was the last paycheck I needed--" He pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath.

Virgil frowned. What was going on? Why did Remus need the money so bad? Maybe to pay off whoever he got the drugs from?

"Hey, just relax." Maya reached a hand out, holding Remus' arm. "It's gonna be fine. I'm sure the jeweler will understand."

Virgil furrowed his brow. Jeweler?

Remus shook his head. "No. I've already extended the deadline as far as I possibly could." He grit his teeth. "I'm gonna have to give it back."

Maya pursed her lips. "Just--" She huffed. "I could help? I'll lend you some money--"

"I couldn't ask that of you." Remus gently removed her hand from his arm. "I'll just...figure something out. Either that, or I give back the ring."

Ring?

Oh.

Virgil's eyes widened. So that's what the money was for. Remus wasn't cheating. In fact, he was doing the exact opposite. Virge felt a small smile spread across his face. Good for Janus.

Well, not right now. Virgil couldn't possibly tell him what his boyfriend was planning. So, his roommate would have to keep living in ignorance for a little while longer, and they could hope that their relationship maintains itself through Remus' secrecy.

"I'm gonna go, Maya." Remus muttered. "I'll, uh, see you on Sunday."

"Okay." Maya hummed. "Happy birthday."

Remus gave her a small, self-loathing smile. "Thanks." He nodded, before leaving the restaurant.

Virgil hummed. Well, he could confidently say that Remus actually had good intentions for once. He got up, and followed him out.

When he went through the door, he looked to his right and saw Remus had sat himself on a nearby bench, face in his hands. His elbows rested on his legs, and there was a small shake in his shoulders.

Virgil grimaced. Yikes, today really wasn't Remus' day, was it? Despite his better judgment, he approached one of his least favorite people on the planet.

"Remus?"

The boy in question jumped, head whipping up to look at the emo. Virgil's frown deepened at the sight of the tears running down Remus' face.

"Virgil?" He asked shakily, staring in shock. He quickly wiped his eyes, clearing his throat. "What are you doing here?" He scoffed, staring at him suspiciously. "You never come to this part of town."

Virgil scratched the back of his neck, looking away awkwardly. "Yeah, uh, decided it was time for a change?" He mumbled.

Remus narrowed his eyes, unconvinced. "Okay..." He murmured. "Uh, did you see my...?" He pointed back at the restaurant.

Virgil could either play dumb and spare Remus' pride, or tell the truth.

"...so, a ring?"

What? Virgil wasn't a good liar anyway.

Remus' expression fell. "You heard that?" He grimaced. "Of course you did, that lines up perfectly with how my day is going."

Virgil hummed. "I still don't think proposing is a good enough reason to scream at your boyfriend and make him question--"

"You think I don't know that?" Remus spat, glowering at him. After a second, his frown deepened. "Wait, what the fuck? You saw that too? Have you been following me?"

Virgil pursed his lips. Shit. "Of course not!" He laughed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I just--I--Fuck."

Remus snorted, shaking his head. "I don't even have it in me to be freaked out by that one." He pursed his lips. "Well, go on, then."

Virgil tilted his head. "What?"

"Make fun of me." Remus shrugged pathetically. "Don't tell me you don't want to. I know you hate me." He looked away. "So, go ahead. It's not like my life could be any worse."

Well, Virgil could think of one way it could. It wasn't like Remus was trapped in a seemingly endless loop, constantly fearing an unavoidable death.

"I'm not gonna make fun of you." Virgil shook his head. "I'm not as immature as some other people we know."

Remy, Patton, Remus--

"Janus deserves better." Remus murmured, placing his head back in his hands. "Not some poor jackass who sells drugs." He let out a self-deprecating laugh, which was on the edge of becoming a sob. "What kind of life would I even be able to provide?"

Virgil blinked, not really sure how to approach this situation. Comforting people wasn't really his forte. "Janus does deserve better." He began cautiously. "We both can agree on that. But, he really loves you, for some damn reason." He sighed. "And I think he would be willing to try."

Remus hummed, before letting out an incredulous laugh. "I never thought I would be confiding in you, of all people."

Virgil felt his face twist up. "What is your problem?" He hissed. "I don't get why you have to be such a dick all the time."

Remus let out an almost shocked bark of laughter. "I'm the dick?!" He sneered. "You've been an asshole from day one!"

Virgil scoffed, crossing his arms. "Not true."

"Uh, yeah! True!" Remus rolled his eyes. "Do you not remember when we first met?"

Virgil thought back.

---

"He's going to be here any minute, do not embarrass me!" Janus hissed, dusting himself off.

Virgil rolled his eyes, looking back at his phone.

His idiot roommate had 'accidently' left his notebook on his current crush's desk in the hopes that the latter would return it to him. He had been fixing his hair and outfit ever since he got the text confirming his plan had worked.

Virgil was in no mood to entertain Janus' shenanigans today. He had been up for too long trying to finish an assignment that was due that morning.

"Don't worry, Jan. I'm sure you'll do that yourself." He mumbled under his breath, quiet enough so that his roommate didn't hear.

There was a knock at the door, and Virgil could already feel his patience waning.

Janus perked right up, rushing over to the door, pausing for two seconds, and then opening it. "Hey, Remus!" He squeaked.

Remus was tall, with broad shoulders and red hair. There was a mustache sitting over his lips, and a piece of hair in the front was dyed silver. He gave Janus a smile that might've been charming to most, but Virgil just found it irritating in his current state.

"Hey, Jan. I have your notebook right here." He dug into his bag, pulling it out.

Janus smiled. "My hero." He chuckled. "Do you wanna come in?"

Remus contemplated for a second. "Uh, sure!" He shrugged. "You don't mind?"

"Not at all!" He opened the door wider. "This is Virgil, my roommate."

Remus flashed him a smile that Virgil could only assume was an attempt at being suave, and then held out his hand for a handshake. Virgil took one look at Remus, scoffed, rolled his eyes, and then went back to looking at his phone.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Remus frown and put his hand down.

---

Virgil pursed his lips. "Well, that was one time--"

"Oh?" Remus narrowed his eyes. "What about when you met my brother?"

---

Roman flashed his perfectly white teeth, and oh my god Virgil was completely wrong about him. "Yeah, I love art and poetry. They're actually huge hobbies of mine."

Virgil blinked. "You're perfect." He mumbled, eyes wide.

Roman tilted his head. "Huh?"

Virgil turned scarlet. "Uh--you're a poet? That's what I said!" He laughed nervously.

"Ohh!" Roman nodded, and damn, why did Virgil always like the dense ones? "Yeah! I love anything creative. Art, music, and literature...they've just always been like an escape for me." He smiled softly. "Like my own little world."

Virgil blinked dumbly. "Uh...yeah! Totally agree!" He stammered. "You know, I actually--"

"Hey, guys!"

Virgil turned, spotting Remus speeding towards them with a smile on his face. The former felt his face twist up. Seriously? Remus had to come talk to them right now?

"Remus?" Roman tilted his head. "What's going on? I thought you and Janus were going to get drinks?"

Remus let out a startled laugh. "Yeah, well!" He shrugged. "I, uh--" He glanced at Virgil, before leaning down and whispering something in his brother's ear. Roman snorted, and Remus went red. "Don't laugh, asshole!"

"Hey!" Virgil snapped, glaring at Remus, who jumped in surprise. "Don't call him an asshole just because he thinks your problem is pathetic."

Remus recoiled as if he'd been slapped. "I was just--"

Roman quickly cut in. "He was just joking." He reassured Virgil. "I'm glad you're willing to defend my honor, though." He chuckled.

---

Virgil opened his mouth to defend himself, but nothing came out.

Remus hummed. "Or how about--?"

"Yeah, no, I think I get the idea." Virgil interjected, sighing heavily. "I guess I have been kind of a dick, huh?"

"Kind of? Uh, yeah. No shit." Remus scoffed.

"Well, you haven't exactly been a beacon of kindness either." Virgil narrowed his eyes at him. "What with all the pranks and shit."

Remus hugged. "It's not my fault you can't take a joke." He grumbled, crossing his arms. He hesitated for a second, before letting out a heavy breath. "But yeah, you're right. That was an asshole move, wasn't it?"

Virgil snorted. "Uh, yeah. No shit." Remus chuckled.

There were a few moments of silence.

"...I'm sorry."

Virgil's eyes widened. "What?"

Remus went red, avoiding eye contact. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm tired of fighting with you all the time."

Virgil sighed. "Yeah, I get that." He conceded. "I'm sorry too. Didn't realize I was being such a dick."

Remus smiled thankfully. "Truce?" He held out his hand for a handshake.

Virgil returned the expression. "Truce." He nodded, shaking his hand.

Wow. He never thought he would see the day where he and Remus Prince would make amends. In fact, there were a lot of surprises today. For one, Remus wasn't the immature asshole that Virgil had been perceiving him as. Their strained acquaintanceship was just the result of a series of misunderstandings.

He couldn't help but feel awful about how much time the two of them lost hating each other. Hell, if they had gotten along sooner, maybe Rem would have been able to put in a good word for him with Roman.

"Well, this is not how I expected my birthday to go." Remus ran his hands over his face.

Virgil blinked. Right. The twins' birthday. The party. The murderer.

After today, Virgil was pretty sure that Remus wasn't the one he was looking for. The guy seemed too busy to take a nap, much less plan a murder.

"So, I have a bit of a weird question for you." Virgil smiled sheepishly.

Remus rose a brow. "Well, you know I love weird questions." He crossed his arms. "Hit me."

"You know the, uh, rumors?"

Remus scoffed. "Do I know the rumors? How could I not? It's, like, the biggest campus mystery." He gave Virgil a lopsided grin. "There are entire blogs dedicated to figuring out who the killer is."

"They're true." Virgil told him bluntly.

The grin slowly slipped off of Remus' face. "Uh, didn't think you'd believe in that stuff."

"I've seen it, with my own two eyes. The murderer is real, and he's coming for me next." Virgil told him. "And I need to know if I can trust you."

Remus pursed his lips. "I don't know, Virgil--"

"Please." Virgil huffed. "If I go to your stupid party tonight, I need to know that you're willing to watch over me."

Remus glanced away, thinking. After a few seconds, he looked back at the purple-haired boy. "Okay. I can watch over you if there's someone out to get you."

Virgil let out a sigh. "Thank you so much."

Remus nodded. "Also, my party isn't stupid."

---

That night, Virgil stood outside Remus' dorm nervously.

He would have someone watching over him tonight, so the chances of him surviving were that much higher.

"Virgil?"

Both Patton and Remy stood there, staring at him.

"I thought you didn't like parties." Patton said, a bit of an edge to his tone.

"The one place where I thought I could be free of you, and here you are." Remy rolled his eyes.

Virgil felt his energy immediately deplete. "I am really not in the mood to deal with the two of you."

"Great!" Remy chirped. "Don't try and bother me tonight, and we can both have a good time." With that, he entered the dorm.

Patton gave him a once over. "No gift, huh? Wow, didn't think you'd miss the chance to get Roman something. I'm sure he'll appreciate your company as a present." He gave him a fake smile, and followed Remy in.

"Yikes."

Virgil turned, seeing Janus approaching. The latter glanced at the former, before heading inside as well.

Virgil took a deep breath, before he followed them.

Immediately, he was overwhelmed by the loud music blasting into his ears, and the people all dancing. It smelled like booze and sweat, and he almost gagged as he pushed through the crowd.

"Ugh, this sucks." He grumbled.

"Vee?" Someone shouted over the crowd.

He turned, spotting Remus pushing through people to greet him. "Hey! You're here!" He gave him a smile. "Still need someone to protect you?"

Virgil sighed, nodding. "Yeah, I would really appreciate it."

Remus chuckled, spreading his arms out. "Your bodyguard has arrived." He put on a steely expression. "But, seriously, if you're getting weird vibes from anyone, just let me know, okay? I'll kick them out."

Virgil blinked, a little stunned. "Wow, uh, thanks."

Man, he was really wrong about Remus, wasn't he?

"It's the least I can do after everything I've put you through." He shrugged. "Just stick by my side tonight, alright? I won't let anyone touch you."

"Hey, Rem."

Both Remus and Virgil looked up, spotting Janus awkwardly approaching. He had his arms wrapped around himself self-consciously. "Happy birthday."

A conflicted look crossed over Remus' face. "Hey." He gave a small wave, smiling weakly. "Thanks for coming."

Janus glanced at Virgil. "I, uh, didn't know you guys made up." He mumbled.

Virgil absolutely hated everything about this interaction. "Oh, yeah. We talked, and realized some things about each other." He told him. Janus nodded, a frown on his face.

"Cool. That's really great." Janus said in a tone that implied that he did not think it was really great.

An awkward silence settled over the three of them.

Virgil glanced in between the two boyfriends, curious as to how this conversation would go. He also wanted to know why Jan seemed so adverse to Remus and him becoming friends.

Well, actually, now that he was thinking about it, the argument had gotten the most heated when Virgil was brought up, hadn't it?

"Listen, Jan, I'm really sorry--" Remus began.

"Don't." Janus shook his head. "Not tonight. We can talk about it tomorrow, in the morning." He studied Remus' expression. "You're going to stay, right?"

Remus pursed his lips, glancing at Virgil, the only one who knew the truth about where the former was going in the mornings. Virgil just shrugged, 'cause he didn't know what the fuck to tell him.

Janus interpreted their glance negatively, because his brow furrowed and he scoffed. "No, then. You'll be busy again." He nodded, looking away.

Remus reached for his hand. "Jan--"

Janus yanked his hand away. "I'm, uh, gonna go get a drink." He murmured, walking away from the two of them.

Virgil looked at Remus, who looked absolutely devastated. After a few seconds, he looked at the dark-clad boy, a deep frown set on his face. "Well, uh, what do you wanna do?"

---

They spent the rest of the party just sitting on the sides (except for the few brief minutes where Remus had to collect Dylan's money), since Virgil didn't really enjoy the crowd. He could tell that the lack of dancing and drinking was making Remus a bit annoyed, and he was suddenly grateful that the birthday boy had decided to miss out on his own party to look out for him.

They stayed until everyone had cleared out (except Janus, who passed out on Remus' couch after nearly drinking himself senseless. The latter draped a blanket over him and kissed his forehead), and then afterwards Remus offered to walk Virgil back to his dorm.

Who knew he was secretly sweet? For once, Virgil understood why Janus kept him around.

They walked back in comfortable silence.

Well, comfortable for Remus, Virgil was actually extremely nervous. Last time he'd taken this walk, it ended with his brains bashed out by a baseball bat.

But now he had Remus, so the chances of them getting jumped out in the open were way lower.

"Thanks again for this." Virgil spoke up, turning to his hopefully soon-to-be brother-in-law.

Remus glanced at him. "No problem. Again, it's the least I could do. I--" He cut himself off, furrowing his brow as his eyes focused on something behind Virgil.

A chill went down the emo's spine, and he turned.

"You have got to be kidding me." Virgil breathed.

There, in a dark alleyway, was the masked killer, who was slowly making their way towards the pair.

The baseball bat in their hands caused phantom pain to bloom in the back of his head.

Remus frowned. "Hey, asshat, it's March. Hate to break it to you, but Halloween is a good few months away."

The masked killer just tilted their head, observing Remus as if they were just noticing him.

They reached into their jacket with the hand that wasn't gripping the baseball bat.

Virgil tensed, grabbing his new friend's arm. "Remus, I think we should run." He mumbled, paling.

Remus glanced at him, seeming to grow nervous after seeing the expression on Vee's face.

The person in the mask pulled out a gun with a huge silencer on it.

Remus' eyes widened, and he went white as he began to back away. "Holy shit--!"

The person in the anonymous mask fired two shots.

The bullets embedded themselves in Remus' chest.

Virgil jumped, scrambling back.

Remus' eyes widened, shaky hands hovering over the bloody wounds in his chest; the stains were growing bigger with each passing second. He fell to his knees, before falling face first onto the pavement.

He was looking straight at Virgil, twitching and gasping in pain. He weakly reached for him. "H-Hel--"

Virgil hesitated, before turning and running for his life.

He didn't get very far. The masked killer fired two shots into his knees.

Virgil screamed, collapsing to the ground. "Fuck--Shit--!"

The killer tsked, shaking their head.

Remus was still gasping on the ground, but the sound was slowly turning to an awful gurgling sound, as blood began to collect in his throat.

Virgil desperately tried to crawl away, his legs making a trail of blood behind him.

He turned back to see if the masked person was following him.

They weren't, they were just watching him try to run. It was almost as if they found Virgil trying to crawl away amusing.

They turned to Remus, before lifting up their baseball bat and slamming it down on his skull.

Virgil closed his eyes as the gurgling sound came to an abrupt stop.

The sound of the baseball bat against Remus' skull was like a dull thwack! The masked person raised their bat, and slammed it into the unconscious boy's skull again.

And again.

And again.

Until a dull sort of popping, cracking sound could be heard.

Virgil felt sick to his stomach as a pool of blood began pouring out of Remus' skull.

The killer tilted their head, looking down at the bloody mark on the baseball bat.

And then they lifted the bat and swung it down on Remus again.

They turned to Virgil, who was frozen in place.

He couldn't stop staring at the blood that was spilling onto the ground. This was all his fault. He was the one who asked Remus to watch over him.

The killer slowly advanced, tossing the bloody bat to the side.

Virgil snapped to his senses, trying and failing to escape his inevitable fate.

The killer pounced on him, wrapping their gloved hands around his neck. Immediately, Virgil began clawing at the killer, desperately trying to breathe.

Suffocation, really?

This person had a baseball bat and a gun, but they chose the slowest way possible to kill him?

Virgil choked and sputtered, his face turning red as all the oxygen was cut off. "Y-You bastar--" He croaked out.

They shushed him, shaking their head. "Don't fight it." They murmured.

Virgil froze.

He knew that voice.

But his oxygen deprived mind wasn't able to put a face to it.

"Wh-Who--?!"

They tightened their grip on his throat, and the words were cut off as he felt his consciousness beginning to slip.

He sluggishly tried to reach a hand up to pull off their mask.

His hand didn't make it very far, falling limply to the ground a few moments later.

As the world began to fade to black, Virgil spared one last glance at Remus.

Well, at least he knew who wasn't the killer.

A/N:

I wasn't a fan of the last half of this one but its okay 😈 we adapt and overcome