A scream can cut through the air in a different way than anything else. Something makes it catch the ear, piercing through like no other sound. This was the noise that caught Virgil's ear that morning.

Normally, he wouldn't have paid it much attention. In fact, he probably wouldn't have heard it on any other day. But thanks to a headphones mix up, he was left having to walk in silence. And with anxiety like his, paying attention to his surroundings was the only option as he headed home from school.

His footsteps seemed abnormally loud with no booming bass to cover them, but that seemed to be a good thing when it came.

That piercing sound.

Before he even realized it, he found himself running in the direction of the scream. It seemed so out of character, even to him; he couldn't tell you why he was doing it. And yet he didn't stop.

He didn't stop until he was right next to an alley, clearly seeing someone getting beat up. The silhouettes told that it was three against one at the moment. Not great odds, but today seemed to be a day of being reckless, as he stepped straight into view.

"Hey, asswipes! What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Immediately, all heads turned in Virgil's direction, causing his brain to finally catch up. What the fuck am I doing? He thought, feeling panic start to creep in.

Fortunately, he didn't have much to worry about, as they reacted pretty quickly upon seeing him.

"Wait, isn't that the psycho kid from Westin?"

"I'm not gonna get stabbed."

"Are we really gonna scatter over a couple rumors?" Chimed in the third.

Virgil rolled his eyes, a quick mutter of "I hate doing this," under his breath as he pulled a switchblade out of his boot.

"You wanna check if those rumors are true?" He spoke with way more confidence than he felt, making sure the knife was in clear view.

That was enough to get the kids running, leaving a blob on the ground for Virgil to deal with. As he got closer, however, he got a little shock when he found he recognized the figure. After all, the red letterman's jacket with "Prince" written across the back was pretty distinctive.

"Roman?" Virgil said, as the boy turned over.

"How do you know my name?" He asked, clearly still frightened but trying to act tough. It was then that Virgil realized his hood was up, probably making him unrecognizable. Pulling it down, he stuck his hand out to the other.

"Your jacket's a dead giveaway, seeing as you wear it like every day."

"Oh, you're that kid in my English class," Roman said as he took his hand, standing up. "It's uh, I thought I knew your name-"

"Virgil," he cut him off, saving Roman the embarrassment.

"Right."

"What were you even doing here anyway? This place is known for people getting jumped."

Roman went red, hand moving to rub the back of his neck.

"That's actually why I'm here. My friends told me that, and I bet that I could walk through just fine. I was pulling out my phone to get a picture for proof when they jumped me."

Virgil rolled his eyes. "Football player thought he could take on three guys by himself?"

"Hey, you were gonna do it!" Roman defended himself. 

"I was being stupid. See, I admit it."

"I wouldn't call what you did stupid. If anything it's probably closer to being brave."

"Are you just saying that cause then it would mean you were being brave instead of stupid?"

"...Maybe."

"Being brave and being stupid are the same thing anyway. Just if it turns out well you're brave, and if it doesn't you're stupid. So if you really want, I was bravely stupid."

"Brave stupidity, huh? I suppose that's an alright compromise." Roman hummed at the thought, then shaking his head and diverting his attention back to Virgil. "What was your plan anyway? For approaching 3 dudes that could beat even a football player."

"I didn't have one, really. My brain kinda works in a fight or flight way. It's good I had that reputation in place." He mumbled that last part to himself more than anything.

Upon hearing that, however, Roman took a step back, warily eyeing the hand that still had the knife.

"Yeeeahh, Sunshine, what's that about? I'd hate for my hero to actually be a villain. Stabbing someone's a pretty good way to get on that list."

Virgil let out a scoff, trying to hide a laugh behind it. "Me being dressed like one isn't enough?" he said jokingly, shifting when he saw the seriousness in the other's eyes. "A couple years back some kid tried to jump me in this alley. I dodged, he fell in some glass. Dude wanted to protect his reputation and said I pulled a knife on him. After that I decided it might be a good idea to carry one around in case anyone tried to test it. So far it's worked." He gave a shrug as he finished, placing the steel back in his boot.

"Apparently. I'm grateful." Roman threw him a smile. "Thank you."

Virgil's eyes widened and his cheeks gained a tint of pink. What could he say? The football player was cute.

"And to think, I'm usually the knight saving the damsel." And there it was, that cocky attitude he was so used to from class. Roman's smile was suddenly so rehearsed, you'd think he had been the one to save Virgil.

It was just what the emo needed to clear his head and push back down that sudden flow of gayness.

"Sure thing, Princey. Still, I'm walking you home. Least for today you're not making anymore dumbass decisions."

Roman scoffed in a way Virgil could only describe as 'offended Princey noises.' "It wasn't dumb! But, I wouldn't mind the company," he said, trying to mimic that same smile from earlier. Virgil still saw the real one coming through, however, despite his attempts to stop it.

Virgil gave one back, although more subdued, heading to pick up his own bag again. "Come on then, I don't exactly know the way."

"Oh, right." Roman ran to catch up, the two heading down the street as the Prince tried to strike up conversation. He started flamboyantly explaining the entire plot of Dear Evan Hansen, making dramatic hand movements and maybe standing just a little closer than was needed. Virgil, however, didn't find himself complaining, maybe even leaning in a little himself. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So yeah, I'm back on my bs. 

Honestly, just insert apology here on this one, you guys know the drill by now (his name's bill-). 

But yeah, part 2 of this should hopefully be out next week, and we'll see where we go from there. Thank you guys for all your support, and I'll talk to you all soon. Have a wonderful morning all.

~Dna