Thank you to acreepycookie for requesting this chapter. I hope this up to your expectations. Enjoy.

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Virgil laid in bed, feeling like absolute garbage. You might ask, why? Virgil was having a dysphoria day with his body. He hasn't told his mother that he was a boy, and, probably won't. It was hard to do it when you lived with a different family member that didn't support the LGBT+ community. Virgil sighed, getting a text from Patton that's he's at his house. Why today of all days?

Virgil was just about to text him to not come to his house, but, Patton burst through the door, a backpack slung over one of his shoulders, a purple cocktail dress in his hands. Virgil teared up at what Patton said, his heartbreaking. "Oh, don't worry Mrs. Black! V will love this dress that I got, don't worry!" Patton shut the door after that, huffing, chucking the dress to the other side of the room, pulling out a measuring tape.

"Sorry Virgil, but, your mother. Sit up, I'm going to take your measurements for a binder, okay?" Patton asked, looking at Virgil with a smile. Virgil burst into tears, sobbing at how nice Patton is being. He's protecting him from his mother AND willing to buy the very thing that he's wanted for 3 years of his high school career. Patton frowned and walked over to Virgil, asking quietly if he would want a hug, who nodded slightly, opening his arms out for one of Patton's infamous 'dad' hugs. Patton pulled the smaller male into his chest, stroking his back, smiling softly when Virgil squeezed him. Patton pulled away, smiling at him. "Okay, I have a plan. Let's tell your mother that we are going to the mall and we are returning the dress because it doesn't fit you, then, we can get your hair cut and I can order your binder today, too. Also, what color do you want?" Patton asked, excitement in his voice as he saw the joy come back to Virgil's face. "Um, black, if it's not too much of a problem," Virgil then thought about the expense, looking up at Patton with an anxious look, saying, "are you sure you want to buy all of this for me? I can pitch in if I ask for-" Patton cut him off, smiling wide, and said, "Of course! This is for my best friend, after all! Now, do you want to dye your hair, too? I think purple would look great on you!"

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It has been a couple of weeks since Patton has ordered the binder, and, Virgil is in a sort of dilemma. Virgil and his group of friends have a project in their Mythology class (which is awesome, in Virgil's opinion) where they have to make a storyboard of the different mythological creatures and people coming into existence at different times, making sure to add in the legends as well. Virgil offered his place to work in, having everyone agree immediately, due to Roman never seeing his house and Logan being curious as well. Virgil was feeling dysphoric after arguing with his mother about his purple short hair. Again. Ever since he got it, he kept getting pushed around by his mother about not asking her or even consulting her on the fact that he wanted to cut it short. His natural response was that he wanted to, and didn't have to ask to change his body image, which resulted in an angry slap to the face. His mother looked surprised when she did it and tried to touch Virgil tentatively, who jerked away, running up to his bathroom, shutting and locking the door. 

In a few minutes, Patton was supposed to arrive before the others, asked by Virgil in a desperate text that sounded urgent. There was a knock on the bathroom door and Virgil decided to not speak, waiting to hear who was on the other side of the door. Patton's voice sounded through the door, worry quite evident in his tone. "V? Hey, it's Patton, can I come in?" Patton asked, careful not to use Virgil's boy name around his mother, who told him the location her son was at, of course using his deadname and wrong pronouns. 

Virgil opened the door, tear streaks of black staining his cheeks, smudged foundation showing pale olive skin in contrast with the pale white color, hood over his head as he tried to hide his bloodshot eyes. Patton frowned, stepping into the small bathroom, closing and locking the door before pulling Virgil into a hug, sighing. "Gosh, what did she do this time...?" Patton asked, more to himself, Virgil hiccuping and sobbing at the mention of she. Patton frowned, asking softly, "Do you think we should cancel the work time on the project?" Virgil shook his head softly, huffing, pulling away. "N-No, we all c-cleared our schedules t-today to work on it e-exclusively. I-I can do it," Virgil answered, walking over to his cabinet, grabbing a small makeup bag that held his eyeshadow and foundation. Virgil wiped off all of the running eyeshadow and smudged foundation with a makeup wipe, taking out his foundation and putting heaps of it on his splotchy cheeks, making sure to hide that he cried in the first place.

"How much time do we have until the others arrive?" Virgil asked, still rubbing in the foundation. "About 15 minutes. I'll go stall them at the door when they come in," Patton answered, exiting the bathroom, leaving Virgil to frantically apply eyeshadow under his lower eyelid, wanting to at least look decent, remembering who was coming over. 

Roman. Or, what he likes to call him, Princey.

Virgil has had a huge crush on him since the day they met, admitting to himself and himself only that Roman was really attractive, but a jerk. However, ever since Patton had met Roman after pulling the two away from an almost-fight. Roman was told that he should be a little nicer to Virgil while the latter was lectured by Patton to stop starting fights with every boy who gave him a wrong look. Since then, Roman has been working slowly on not being mean to Virgil, albeit still scared of him, based off of past Halloweens they have spent together as a group.

Virgil heard the doorbell ring, making him curse himself, spending 5 minutes daydreaming about the prince-like boy instead of doing the rest of his makeup routine. Patton spoke to the two boys, keeping his promise to Virgil, the two boys still standing outside on the porch. "Hey, where's Virgil? This is his house, right? He should be home," Roman commented, getting a bit impatient with the flirting between Logan and Patton, 100% aware that the two are infatuated with each other. Patton smiled nervously and said, "Well, V is-" "Who's Virgil?" Virgil's mother came to the door, a purse over her shoulder with a raised brow, staring the three down. Patton began to panic, while Logan and Roman looked at each other, both putting the pieces together. 

Fuck.

"Virgil is a famous Roman poet, also known as Publius Vergilius Maro, having the Eclogues, the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid as a part of his famous literature. We have to read his poetry and V has the books. Roman, coincidentally, is very interested in reading them. Correct, Roman?" Logan covered with ease, nothing underlining a lie. It was all true, in which Roman nodded slightly, worried about Virgil's well-being if he spoke any more. His mother took their word, heading out of the house with keys in hand. 

Virgil poked his head into the room, looking like a scared child, asking quietly, "Is she gone?" He stepped out of the stairwell, making eye contact with each of them before sagging, sighing softly at the quiet in the house. No bustling, no cooking, no T.V., just silence. Patton spoke up softly, smiling at the boy, looking sympathetic, "Alright, let's get started on the project, yeah?" Logan nodded, stepping into the house, Roman close behind, keeping his eyes to the floor, telling Virgil that something happened while he was upstairs. 

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Roman was currently joking around with Patton, while Logan was trying to finish the project, Virgil helping minimally, stuck in his thoughts. He glanced towards Roman, biting his lip. Virgil wanted to look like him, but, how could he if he didn't even have any support from someone who he has lived with his entire life? Virgil looked away when Roman caught him staring, raising a brow in question, but didn't receive an answer. "I gotta go grab something from my room, I'll be back," Virgil said softly, heading to the upstairs bathroom, away from the other three boys. Roman stared after him, frowning slightly, catching the worried look Patton had on his face. Roman look back at the project on the table, noting that he was the one who made it look a little more colorful and appealing to the eye (with some help from Patton). 

Roman continued to work and joke, glancing at the clock. It has been about fifteen minutes now, and he has started to feel worried. Roman stood up and said that he needed to go to the restroom, thankful that the downstairs bathroom was near the stairs, quietly getting to the top of the stairwell. He heard soft crying, making his frown deepen with concern. Roman followed the sound, stopping in front of a cream white door, a sign that said 'KEEP OUT' with a tiny note near the bottom, saying 'except for Patton'. Roman smiled softly,  remembering the first time that he had met Virgil, who was defending Patton in a fight that broke out between Patton and a girl. They were fighting over boys, and, at the time, Virgil had the reputation of 'tough one' for the longest time, no one quite being able to decipher which gender Virgil was, based on him never using the restrooms and keeping to himself, asking people to call him 'Anxiety' until he told everyone his name 'Virgil'. Luckily, most teachers were kind enough to call him that, except for a few, who he transferred out of the particular class quickly. 

Roman frowned at the shaken breathing and sobs, remembering why he was in front of Virgil's door, knocking softly. A broken 'go away' was stuttered out, making the princely boy grow more concerned and go into the room anyway, despite the weak protests. Virgil was sitting on his bed, under many covers, hood over his head, another jacket pulled over the hoodie he was wearing, even if it was 93 degrees outside at the moment. Roman tentatively sat on the bed next to Virgil, putting a hand on top of his head. "Hey, it's-it's Roman. You want to talk?" he asked, taking his hand away, wincing at the sight of Virgil jumping at the sudden contact of his hand. Virgil poked his head out of the piles of blankets, hair covering his face as he looked at the ground instead of  Roman. 

Roman waited patiently, breathing slowly, noticing that Virgil was following his breathing, calming down his sobs and shudders. Virgil had eventually pulled down his hood, revealing splotchy foundation and messy eyeshadow on his cheeks, around his mouth, and his honey brown eyes. Roman held out his arms, asking softly, "Would you like a hug?" Virgil nodded slowly after deciphering what Roman said, deciding to put down his walls, and, inevitably, tell Roman he was trans. Virgil untangled himself from the sheets and blankets, missing the warmth, collapsing in Roman's chest, burying his face into Roman's shoulder. Roman furrowed his brows as he felt a weight against his chest that wasn't Virgil. 

Until it clicked.

Roman sighed, and muttered softly, "What's wrong love?" Virgil was a bit surprised Roman has not pushed him away yet but didn't complain, deciding to answer his question first. "I... I'm feeling dysphoric. My mother didn't help earlier, so, I just feel like shit, overall," He muttered, silent tears falling down his cheeks again. Roman shushed him softly, combing his fingers through the smaller boy's purple hair. Virgil calmed down again, wiping his tears away with his, dirty, sleeve. Virgil bit his lip anxiously, asking, "Aren't you mad?" "Mad about what?" "Me being... trans?" Roman pulled Virgil away by the shoulders, looking him in the eyes. "Virgil, look at me," Roman grabbed his chin softly, having the emo look him in the eyes, speaking again, "I would never, ever, be mad at you for being you. I... love you, no matter what, understand?" Roman flushed a dark red after that small confession, watching as Virgil's eyes shimmered. 

"You... you really mean that?" Virgil asked, looking hopeful. Roman nodded, and, just like that, Virgil was kissing him in a flash, joyful tears spilling instead of sorrowful ones. Roman kissed back immediately, pulling Virgil in by the waist, keeping the kiss slow and passionate. There was a knock on the door, scaring the two out of the kiss but not enough to jump away from each other. "Virgil? Roman? Are you two in here?" Logan's voice came through before entering the room, pausing at the sight before him. He turned on his heal, shaking his head, closing the door behind him.

Virgil and Roman blinked slowly while looking at the doorway, looking back at each other, laughing softly with each other.

2245 Words