Prompt from: alyarose2006

Type: Superhero AU

Pairing: Roceit Rivals/Platonic Prinxiety

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"You couldn't have defeated me, it's only natural. Society puts too much pressure on the young ones to turn out just like they do in media. But you can't. You'll never be able to."

Roman wakes up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily from the nightmare. The same nightmare he's been having since he was fourteen when he started being a hero. The nightmare of failure, as he not-so-dramatically named it. It was those four sentences. Over and over, reminding him of how much of a failure he is.

But this boy is not. He's far from a failure, actually. He's strong, brave, smart, and charismatic. The perfect person to be a hero. That's why, with his city's crime rates going up, Roman made the choice to live a double-life. He's only ever told one person, his best friend Virgil, who agreed to help him with keeping up his 'normal-life' facade with his mom. That included many 'sleepovers' and 'study sessions' with Virgil, and Virgil getting him his homework.

As Roman looks around his room, he checks his clock. 18:06, or around six pm. He's gotten into the habit of sleeping after school so he can stay awake at night. This habit mostly started when his mom got concerned over the bags under his eyes. Virgil was a natural night owl so he hadn't noticed.

The boy stretches and gets into his hero costume, a black suit with a red sash. It was originally white, with gold shoulder pads and detailings, but it got destroyed in a fight with his number-one nemesis: Janus, the king of cards and snakes. Or more frequently referred to as Deceit. He's a major crime lord in the city, causing death and destruction wherever he goes. That is why Roman is so determined to defeat him.

He looks at himself in the mirror, admiring the style of his suit. It looks quite fancy, but it is actually quite practical. With the sash hiding a small blade, some cash, and some fire extinguisher powder he managed to get his hands on tucked inside, along with a few more weapons on his side, the suit was a practical one.

"Rommie! Dinner's ready!" Roman's mom calls from downstairs.

"Coming!" Roman shouts back.

He quickly throws a hoodie and sweatpants over his suit, shoving his mask in the pocket, and rushes downstairs.

"I'm making buttered noodles. Could you turn up the news, sweetie?" his mom asks as Roman enters the kitchen.

"Sure thing." Roman grabs the remote and hits the volume button.

His mom rarely watches the news, so Roman knows this must be something important.

"The scaled crime lord strikes again, this time holding an entire office of thirty-three men and women hostage. He demands over ten thousand dollars in ransom. The mayor is currently in negotiations, but we can only hope that the vigilante Princey comes to save them."

Roman's shoulders droop a little. They always needed him to save the day, didn't they? Well, he wasn't planning on a night patrol tonight but it's going to be necessary. 

"That Princey better save them. We can't depend on anyone else. The police aren't half as good as him," Roman's mom tuts.

She hands Roman a bowl of pasta, and they both keep their eyes on the news as they eat. After all, things hadn't been this level of bad in years.

Just as he finishes eating, Roman gets a call. He picks up his phone and excuses himself.

"Hello, Roman Sanders speaking."

"Yeah, I know. Do you not have my number saved or do you just answer every call, Princey?"

Roman smiles a bit. His hero name came from the nickname Virgil always teased him with.

"I do have your number saved. I just didn't check before answer. So what is it you need, Jack Smellington?" he asks.

"Don't go out tonight," Virgil says.

"What?" Roman asks, taken off-guard.

"As Princey. Don't go out. You're going to get yourself killed, I can feel it," Virgil says.

Roman sighs a little.

"I have to," he says.

"Stop being noble." Virgil snaps.

"I am not being noble! I know the risks of this job, and I'm taking it anyway. Just because-"

"Now don't you dare say 'just because I have a feeling doesn't mean something bad will happen'! The past three times I've had this feeling you got stabbed or shot! You scared me half to death!" Virgil says, raising his voice.

"That's just a coincidence! I was ill-prepared and not well-trained during those times! This is different!" Roman says angrily.

"Fine." Virgil huffs. "If you're going out there you better be goddamn perfect, because otherwise, you're going to get yourself killed. Don't say I didn't warn you."

With that, Virgil hangs up. 

"Who was that, Rommie?" Roman's mother calls out.

"Just Virgil. He's worried about my- uh- new job in the worse part of town!" Roman lies.

"Oh? You got a job finally?" his mother asks.

"Yep! At the library."

"That's nice. The kids over there sure need someone like you to be a good librarian for them. The ones who can afford to get to the library, anyway."

Roman nods.

"Well, I'll be off to there, then!"

"Have fun! Stay safe!"

Roman chuckles to himself a little. He's going to be anything but safe. But Virgil's and the news's words stick in the back of his head.

---

"Look! Hero Princey is here to save us!"

Roman smirks under his mask, a Mardi-Gras esque one that covered the majority of his face.

"That's right! Have no fear, citizens!" he announces.

"The hostages are on the fifth floor. Deceit is suspected to be guarding them. Be careful, Princey," a cop briefs him. This must be one of the rare times the police actually worked with Roman willingly.

Roman smirks as he enters the building, dashing up the stairs, ready to rescue.

Part two will be out really soon! Thank you for reading, and requests are still open. Peace out my peeps!