Archive of Our Own

Virgil wrapped his cloak around him a bit closer as he made his way up the path. He was tired from running around all day despite the fact it was a regular occurrence for him. Whenever he was traveling home, he pushed himself a bit harder than normal. He didn’t dislike nights camping in the woods, but he always missed the comfort of his own bed. However, a job was a job and he was quick on his feet. When the Dormir’s, the richest family in the town, decided to hire him, he couldn’t say no. Running around delivering packages and letters wasn’t glorious, but it paid well enough for him.

Though, he was finishing his last job for them right now. The big house that loomed in front of him was a familiar and welcoming sight. The home of the richest people around, the Dormir’s, along with his best friend, Remington. As Virgil climbed the stairs and knocked on the door to deliver his final letter, he looked up towards the sky and saw the sun at its peak. It was almost midday, still too early for Remy to be awake most likely. Virgil had gotten back home faster than he had thought.

The door creaked open and a familiar face answered. “Virgil, good to see you again. Are you here for master Remington?”

Virgil reached into his bag and pulled out the crisp letter. “I can wake him for you if you need. I’m just dropping this off.”

The servant nodded and took the letter. “Excellent. Shall I expect you to deliver a response for us once again?”

The servant moved and made room for Virgil to enter. With a nod, he accepted and stepped into the home. “I don’t think so, he didn’t wait around this time.”

“Very well. I suppose I shall deliver this and prepare to have guests.”

“I’ll go wake Remy up before his parents find out he was probably out all night again.”

Virgil quickly made his way up the stairs and to his best friend’s bedroom door. He hardly gave it a knock before he opened it, slipping quietly inside. The room was dark, curtains blocking out the morning sun as best they could. Remy was nothing more than a lump of blankets on the bed and Virgil rolled his eyes.

“Come on, Rem, it’s almost midday!” He leaned over and nudged the lump, earning a groan from his friend. “Your parents are going to be looking for you soon. You sure you want to still be in bed when they get here?”

“Ugh, fine. I’ll get up.” Remy sat up and ran a hand through his hair. Virgil thought it wasn’t fair how nice his bed head looked in comparison to his own. Remy took almost no time to prepare claiming that his beauty just came so naturally. Virgil always huffed at that but couldn’t deny how useful it could be sometimes. “What do they want now?”

“I just came back with a response letter again.”

Remy rolled his eyes and stretched, letting out a yawn. “Hate to break this to you, but you’re always bringing back letters. It’s kind of your job?” Remy slipped out from underneath the blankets and headed for his armoire to get an outfit for the day.

“From the people they’ve been talking to, smart ass. They didn’t seem like they were expecting a response back this time. Which can only mean one of two things.”

“My parents changed their mind or someone from the Darvin family is coming to visit. Joy...”

Virgil scoffed and turned away to let his friend get changed. “I still don’t think it’s a good idea to just invite them over like you’ve been friends for years. You don’t know them!”

“True, but my parents have been exchanging letters for weeks now. You know this, you are their messenger.” Virgil flushed a bit as he heard the sound of ruffling clothes fall. “Which means they’re probably gonna try to set me up with their son or something.”

“Charles. I already don’t like him, I bet he’s more stuck up than you are.”

“Aww, Virgil, you jealous?”

“Excuse me--jealous of what?!”

“The idea of me in another man’s arms? Come on, Virgil, you’re my best friend and I am cute.”

Virgil ducked his head away, glad his back was to his friend. He could feel the blush growing on his face. “Yuck, no thanks. He can have you.”

“A lot of people want me, it happens when you’re rich and beautiful. Besides,” Remy’s footsteps sounded a bit closer as he walked up to Virgil. He stepped into view, fully dressed and presentable. “He doesn’t go by Charles. He goes by his middle name.”

“Charles D. Darvin. What’s his middle name anyway?”

Remy snickered a bit. “The D. stands for Dee, actually.”

“How original.” Virgil looked unamused. “They couldn’t afford a full name, really? I thought your parents tried pairing you off with every rich family they came across?”

Remy moved toward the door and threw it open. “They have money, trust me. Their family has been wealthy for generations. Probably why my parents want to get us to meet so quickly.”

“So they’re gonna sell you off to moneybags? Good, get you out of my hair finally.” Virgil couldn’t hide the playful smile on his face from Remy if he tried.

Remy scoffed as he started down the hallway with Virgil trailing after him. “I will not hesitate to drop his ass if he tries anything, you know that. I don’t care what my parents say, I’m not going to marry the first person they throw at me.”

“Yeah, that’s what you said the last three times they tried to marry you off.” Remy turned and glared at his best friend as Virgil just smirked back. “Hasn’t worked yet.”

“I am a treasure that is only worthy of someone I choose.” 

“Yeah, good luck with that.” Remy looked over to his friend and sighed dramatically. “What?”

“How are you so ignorant? I’m irresistible, Virge! No one can keep away from me for long! It’s just a matter of me picking who I want.”

“Whatever you say, Rem.”

----

Virgil had a bit more free time now that he wasn’t delivering letters for the Dormir’s once more. It usually didn’t last very long. Remy had a streak of chasing away his parent’s latest attempt at having their son settle down. Then they hired Virgil to deliver more letters as they continued to look. It wasn’t perfect but it worked well enough for Virgil and let him stay close to Remy. He felt like the Dormir’s didn’t approve of their friendship but let Remy get away with practically anything, even having a friend they thought wasn’t worthy enough. Virgil was just glad they were too busy to realize the hopeless gaze he had for their son. Virgil was smitten but he would never admit it or act upon it. It was obvious enough that Remy didn’t return his feelings, but their friendship was something he’d always treasure. For now, he’d wait while Remy played with his newest guest.

Unfortunately, that meant that they were busy preparing for their visitors so he wasn’t exactly welcomed at the moment. He’d simply be in the way while ‘actual important people’ were there. The Darvin’s were sending their eldest son in hopes of doing what other families had failed to do--marry the only Dormir heir there was. Remy’s family was rich and owned quite a bit of land and everyone around knew it. Marrying Remington Dormir would give them power, something everyone seemed to be after. Remy was going to inherit everything himself which made him the perfect target for money hungry families to try and pair their children off with him, gender be damned. The whole idea sounded stupid and upsetting to Virgil, and not just because of his unrequited crush. He hated seeing people try to win over his best friend with promises of money and power that Remy obviously didn’t care about. Something good came of it, he supposed. If he could sit back and enjoy Remy calling out all these families and putting them in their place, it made dealing with it almost worth it.

Though, that part hasn’t happened yet. They were still waiting for this ‘Charles’ to arrive and that left Virgil incredibly bored with no one to talk to until the ordeal had passed. If they didn’t infuriate Remy by the first day, he’d keep them around for a bit to entertain himself, which means Virgil might meet them before they ultimately left. If there was one thing Virgil didn’t like, it was having to deal with new people. Shoving letters at them and taking new ones before walking away? Fine. Actually having a conversation? Just plain cruel.

There was one thing that Virgil held no doubts about. Remy wasn’t the type to settle or like anyone, really. Remy didn’t just swoon and fall in love. The fact he got along so well with him was so strange, it’s the only reason the Dormir’s allow Virgil to talk to their son at all he feels. Well, besides it being something Remy wanted himself. They never denied their only child whatever he wanted. Remy had chased everyone else in his life away after a while. Virgil was the only one to break through the tough exterior that was Remington Dormir’s personality and stay. Virgil took pride in that. He knew, no matter who they were, no one would ‘woo’ Remy and sweep him off his feet. Certainly not enough to chase Virgil off after so many years. 

Finally, a few days after delivering the final letter, the mysterious suitor came into town. He was traveling alone and sat atop a horse, but everyone figured out who he was. He was wrapped in a heavy wool traveler's cloak, embroidered around the seams and far too elaborate and expensive for a simple traveler. He didn’t ask for directions, heading straight for the massive building that peeked through the trees at the edge of town. He didn’t look at or greet anyone as he silently made his way through. Virgil watched him ride by, his perfectly quaffed hair and cleanly shaven face infuriating him to his core. Who did this guy think he was? He hoped Remy was smart enough not to fall for a pretty face.

Virgil was too anxious to follow after him, though. He’d leave them to their fate with Remy, the fear of being caught greater than his need to see how they interacted as they first met. This guy could be gone in a matter of hours, so what did it matter?

---

Remy sat at home listening to his parents fuss over how it was important he made such a good first impression before the suitor appeared, Remy not really caring what happened. All previous suitors were flops, surely this one would be as well. Their speech had been said so many times, he was sure it was rehearsed by this point.

The knock on the door was enough to have his mother take a step back and smile at him. “You’re such a handsome man, you’ll sweep Charles off his feet in no time!”

“Duh,” Remy mumbled under his breath. “It’s the other way around that’s the problem. I am a catch.”

Remy cleared his throat and looked uninterested as his butler brought a man into the room. The stranger took off his cloak and smiled at Remy as if he was genuinely happy to meet him. Remy couldn’t deny he was attractive, but that didn’t mean anything. So were all the others.

“Charles Dee Darvin, but you can call me Dee,” he offered his hand in greeting and Remy took it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Remington Dormir, you may call me Remy.” 

“We’ll leave you two alone,” Remy’s mother called out before shooting her son a glare. “Be nice, Remington!”

Remy waited until the footsteps trailed off and pulled his hand back from the handshake. “Okay, look, ‘Dee’, I’m not looking to get married anytime soon. My parents don’t listen to me when it comes to this stuff. They think shoving every rich person my way will suddenly make me ‘fall in love’ or whatever.”

“Oh thank goodness!” Dee let out a sigh. “Me neither! Truth be told, my parents have recently passed away from illness and, no offense, I’m not really interested either! There’s still so much more I want to do before I get married and take over the family business, you know? Your parents just seemed so excited, I figured I could at least stop by to meet you.”

Remy blinked in surprise before snickering. “Well, then we might just get along great! We can stage a whole fight and get you out of here in no time, but I can at least show you around first!” Dee nodded as Remy strutted by. “I can even show you the town, but we will have to be careful. Everyone around here loves me, of course. How could they not? The only one who isn’t aware of how much they’re in love with me is my best friend, Virgil. He’s in complete denial.”

“Oh? Is he now? How are you so sure of that?”

“Oh, pshh, he’s always coming over and hanging out and checking on these ‘suitors’ my parents send. I mean, I don’t blame him, really. My charm is irresistible!”

“Well,” Dee fell in pace with Remy and smirked devilishly. “How about before I go, I get him to admit he had feelings for you?”

“Oh? Sounds intriguing. And what do you have planned?”

“Well, we pretend we’re falling for each other. We do a bit of flirting and get him to admit he’s jealous. You haven’t had a successful suitor yet, correct? If he thinks this might work, he might slip.” Dee glanced over at Remy as he smirked, proud of his plan. “What do you think?”

“Ohh, how evil! I like it, this could be quite fun! A masterful performance from us and have the whole town be the stage!” Remy threw back his head and laughed. “I think we’ll actually get along rather well!”

“Well, let the flirting begin, shall we?”

---

“Virgil!” The sudden voice startled the man as he jumped, turning toward the source. “I heard you were back in town!” An older man waved and walked over and Virgil resisted a sigh. He was not one for casual conversation.

“Yeah, hey.” Virgil shifted a bit awkwardly, not used to talking to people around town. Most folks just left him alone unless they had work for him. “Did you need something delivered?”

“What? No, I just wanted to say hi!” Virgil tried to believe that, but there was no reason to talk to him unless they wanted something. “Haven’t seen you around! Have you been to Dormir manor?”

Ahh, so that’s what they wanted from him, information. “Yes, I was doing business for them for a while but that’s ended. I haven’t been there recently if that’s what you mean.”

“Oh, so you haven’t seen their newest visitor, then! Quite a handsome young man, this one.”

Virgil had not. It was always exciting news when anyone traveled to their town. They very rarely got random travelers so most people came by for the Dormir’s. When the man on horseback rode through, Virgil tucked away and waited for him to ride by as he always had. He did not want to see the face of the latest person trying to marry his best friend. Not unless they were actually going to stick around this time.

Virgil shook his head and glanced away. “Nah. I know Remy. If they’re just after money and flattery, he’ll have them out of town before sundown.”

“Oh? I thought you’d care about the people trying to marry young Remington.” Virgil looked up at the old man who smiled back. Something about the look he was giving Virgil spoke more than words could. Virgil couldn’t help but blush before he ducked his head away again. “Come now, boy. When are you going to say something about this? You care for that young man, you should step in and--”

“Look.” Virgil took a harsh tone as he glared up at the old man. “Remington Dormir is a brilliant man who can marry whomever he chooses. No suitor will be able to waltz in here and change that.” Virgil took a moment and held his breath. “No matter who that person will be, I will respect his choice because he’s my best friend. Whatever makes him happy.”

The old man let out a sigh as his shoulders dropped. “Boy… What about what will make you happy?”

Virgil closed his eyes and shook his head. “If Remy is happy, then I’ll be happy too. No need to have someone important get mixed up with a peasant boy and become the biggest laughing stock this side of the kingdom.”

“Virgil-”

“I hope you have a nice day, sir.” Virgil quickly spun on his heel and marched away, his tattered cloak billowing around him. The old man called out for him once more but gave up once Virgil didn’t respond.

Remington Dormir. From the day they met as kids, he didn’t care about Virgil’s ‘lower status’. When Virgil didn’t treat him special like everyone else in his life, he was interested in what Virgil had to say. For the first time in Virgil’s life, someone cared about what Virgil thought. As they grew up, Remy lost more of his filter and spoke his mind. He chased off suitors that tried to get rid of Virgil for being ‘lesser’. He scared away anyone who was after him for his money or status. Virgil respected how he kept his values and would stick by the man to keep him safe. Remy was ignorant to peasant life and would sneak out to the pub to try and rebel against his parents. Virgil was afraid someone would want to take advantage of him or his parents or try to get money from him because of his name so Virgil was there every night to keep him safe. Remy never asked, but he always thanked him at the end of the night. If that’s all Virgil got as payment for it, then it was more than enough for him. Seeing Remy safe and still wanting him around was more than he could ask for.

So how could he let him know that he’d been harboring these feelings? It would ruin their friendship, something Virgil treasured more than anything in the world.

Virgil floated around town for a while after that. His home was nothing too cozy. He spent so much time traveling that it was a small place he never wanted to spend any time at alone. It was old and drafty but sturdy and a perfectly good shelter for anyone. He didn’t own much besides the essentials and a decent suit Remy had convinced him to get tailored just in case. However, he mostly was avoiding going home in case he missed their newest guest storm out of town. 

Though, a short time later, he heard the townsfolk start to happily greet someone in town square. It was enough of a change to pique his interest, though it didn’t sound like someone storming out of town like he had hoped. He made his way closer into the square and found the crowd, standing on the edge and listening in.

“Did you have to travel far?”

“Will you be staying long?”

“You two seem friendly already!”

“It’s nice to see young Remington behaving for once…”

Eventually, someone turned and saw Virgil, smiling and stepping out of his way to allow him to get closer. Soon, others followed and Virgil ducked his head, wrapping his arms around himself under his cloak. He never was a fan of attention, what were these people looking at?

“Oh, Virge! Perfect timing, come here!” Virgil looked through the crowd and barely made out Remy standing with someone else. Remy seemed oblivious to all the tension around them, waving Virgil over excitedly. “I want you to meet Charles!”

“Please, Remington, you may certainly call me Dee.”

“I will when you start calling me Remy, darling. Virgil!”

Making his way through, Virgil finally got a good look at ‘Dee’. He was tall, his hair was natural and wavy and god, why was his jawline so sharp? Even Virgil couldn’t deny he was attractive and his smile seemed genuine and friendly which only made Virgil hesitant to dislike him. Something screamed at Virgil to be on edge and Virgil tried to shove it down. Jealousy would get him nowhere right now.

He held out a hand, wearing a pair of silk gloves, and smiled. “My friends call me Dee and any friend of Remy’s is a friend of mine!”

“Oh, good! Because Virgil is sticking around, no exceptions! He’s my closest friend and my confidant! We’re a packaged deal!”

“Of course,” Dee let go of Virgil’s hand and smiled. “I could never come between your friends. I do hope we get along as well.”

“Especially if he wants to stay, right Virgil?” Remy walked up and placed his hand on Virgil’s shoulder. “No one comes between me and my best friend! No matter how cute he is.” Virgil watched Remy look over at Dee and wink, confused by the display in front of him. Was he… flirting? Remy flirts, yes, but usually not with the suitors picked out for him. 

“Oh, Remy, you flatter me so! Such high compliments of someone of your beauty, you must be careful. I may grow an ego at this rate and you have enough for both of us.” Virgil couldn’t help but chuckle, staring back and forth between the two. They seemed like… good friends already. Remy smiled and looked at Dee a bit and Virgil felt his stomach twist. Was… was this real? For the first time, did Remy meet someone who could match him? Someone he was actually interested in? Virgil hadn’t seen him give any of the other suitors the time of day. But this guy… handsome and charming and funny, everything Virgil could dream to be. Of course someone so perfect would finally catch his attention.

‘I’ll respect his choice because he is my best friend.’

It was still too early to say, they had only just met a few hours ago, but Virgil had never seen a suitor get this far before, especially so quickly. 

“W-wow, Remy. You two seem to get along great already.” Virgil smiled and turned to Dee. “Just remember, buddy. I’m the best friend and no matter what happens, that doesn’t change.”

Remy seemed to frown at Virgil’s words, not that his friend had seen. Dee most certainly did, however. “I would never take your place intentionally. However, I do see a bright future ahead of us. Just have to see where it takes us, right Remy?”

“Oh, yes! Absolutely! If you’re in my future then I guess it’s looking pretty good.” Remy smiled and glanced at Virgil again. He was still smiling. Why was he still smiling? “Well! Sorry to leave so suddenly, but we have dinner plans, right Dee?”

“Of course,” Dee held out his arm for Remy to take. “We should make our way back  before it gets too late, my dear.” 

‘It’s still early! You have plenty of time!’ Virgil wanted to shout it for everyone to hear, but he kept his mouth closed. “Well, I hope to see you soon! I’d like to get a bit more acquainted with your new friend if he’s going to be staying.”

‘You’re not supposed to be happy about this! Say something!’ Remy nodded and waved. “Of course, I’ll see you around, Virgil!”

Virgil watched the two make their way back to Dormir manor for a bit before glancing around. He jumped, realizing dozens of eyes were on him, each giving him a look of pity. He shrugged it off and spun around, retreating to his home finally. The day was still early, but he felt exhausted enough to sleep through the night.

---

“That didn’t work at all!” Remy huffed, pacing back and forth. “He was just… all nice and supportive!” Dee sat in a chair with his legs crossed, watching the other each time he walked by. “He was supposed to be mad!”

“Is it really a bad thing he was supportive?”

“Yes!” Remy stopped and stomped his foot. “He has to be jealous! He has to like me!”

“Why?” Dee tilted his head and leaned against the armrest. “Why does it matter that one person in the world doesn’t see how enchanting you truly are?”

Remy waved him off and turned away, a scowl forming on his face. “Because! It just does!” After Dee didn’t give any sort of response, he turned back and saw Dee staring at him in surprise. “What?”

“Nothing, I apologize.” Dee folded his hands in front of him. “We can try again tomorrow.”

“Yeah, but what if that doesn’t work? We’re gonna need a plan if we’re going to get this to work!”

Dee scrunched his nose in distaste. “You want to keep trying?” He frowned a bit before a thought came to mind. “You want me to help you?”

“No one else is going to and you’re almost perfect. Handsome, smart, rich. I’d call you absolutely perfect but I’m standing right here.”

“Yeah,” Dee leaned on his hand and smiled up at Remy. “I’ll agree to that.”

Remy held up his hand and silenced the other. “Save it for when we see Virgil!”

---

Virgil couldn’t believe it. 

This new guy has lasted longer than any other suitor by a long shot. He’s not only still hanging around, but Remy was practically draped all over him. The Dormir’s were thrilled and basically picking out flowers for the wedding. Dee didn’t seem to be going anywhere any time soon.

“Remy, meeting you has been such a pleasure. You’re far more enchanting in person than I had been told.”

“Oh, Dee, you flatter me so. Keep going.”

Virgil hated all of it.

The worst part? Remy kept inviting Virgil over, wanting him and Dee to get along as much as possible. So he had to watch Remy flirt with the man while Dee stared at Remy with gooey eyes like he was in love and it hurt. Virgil kept smiling and hiding his pain and Remy seemed to be falling for it. Dee, however?

“I know you like him.”

Remy had invited Virgil over for dinner, something he didn’t normally do when suitors were still visiting. He had accepted out of courtesy and had been dreading the night ever since. Even Remy’s parents seemed a bit surprised at how well he was getting along with Dee.

“What?” Virgil responded before Dee’s words sunk in. “I mean, duh. Of course I do. We’re best friends.” Virgil chuckled nervously for a bit before noticing Dee wasn’t buying it. He stopped and looked away, trying not to panic. “What does it matter?”

“It doesn’t, not really.” Virgil looked up at Dee who smirked back. He looked cocky and it was enough for Virgil to throw out everything he felt about the guy and just loathe him. His initial distaste when they had met floated back up to the top once more. “Remy had a chance to pick you and oh, look. He picked me instead. You can like him all you want, I can certainly see why, but that doesn’t change a thing.”

“I know that.” Virgil glared back, not backing down. “My feelings don’t matter, as long as Remy is happy.”

“Oh, sure, of course, but why stick around if you know you’ve lost?”

“Lost?” Shaking his head, the messenger actually felt a bit confident for once. “Lost what? Remy? He’s not some--some prize to win, I get to be his friend. I get to see him happy. We get to spend our lives with one another. Where in any of that have I ‘lost’? He doesn’t return my feelings, so what? He doesn’t have to and I can’t make him. I’m certainly not losing out on my end.” Dee stood stoic as Virgil went off on his tangent. “You know that you can’t get rid of me, so don’t even try. So, fine. Get married. Be the love of his life or whatever. I’ll still be here for him.”

“Oh, you foolish boy.” Dee chuckled and shook his head. “You underestimate me.” Dee leaned in a bit closer. “Good. Makes my job easier.”

Dee walked away to try and find Remy who had left the room a few minutes before. 

Virgil stood back and thought about everything that Dee had said. Sure, he didn’t explicitly say that he was going to drive Virgil away, but shouldn’t he warn Remy? Dee was trying to break the first rule that he put down… but does that mean that if he tried to explain, he’d make Remy pick between him and Dee? He was sure he would be picked but… Did he really want to chance that and find out the true answer?

Virgil had gone back and forth about it all afternoon. As it grew closer to the end of the day, it was almost time for the dinner he had already accepted before the talk with Dee. Virgil spent every moment since then figuring out how to back out of it. That was, until the moment that Remy’s parents had called Dee away for something, leaving the two of them alone.

“Alright, girl, spill it.” Virgil looked to his best friend who was unamused. Remy crossed his arms in front of him and huffed. “What’s with you this afternoon? You’ve been acting super weird.”

“Oh, it’s--”

“No, none of that.” Waving his hand away, Remy walked closer and pointed at Virgil accusingly. “You are not about to lie and tell me it’s nothing. Babe. We’re best friends. I know you better than that.”

Virgil felt his face flush in embarrassment. “It’s… just… something Dee said bothered me, I guess. I’ll get over it.”

“Oh? What did he say?” Virgil remained silent and Remy let out a huff. “Vee! Just tell me, you can talk to me about anything. You know that, right?”

“He talked like he was going to get rid of me. Like, not those exact words, but he asked why I hung out with you and no one else. Like he was accusing me of something.”

“Something?” Virgil looked at Remy and felt his stomach drop. Why was he smiling? This was serious! “What do you think he was accusing you of?”

“I dunno… Maybe he felt I was going to chase him away so he wants to do it first?”

“Virgil,” The serious tone in Remy’s voice put Virgil on edge. “Are you… jealous?”

“Of what, Dee? Gosh, no. You can have him!” He shook his head and his face twisted like he had tasted something sour.

Remy nodded and tried to hide his smile. “If not Dee, then… Me?” Virgil froze and Remy felt his heart soar. Yes. Yes! This was it! This is what he had wanted to hear for all these weeks. All of his and Dee’s efforts were finally paying off. “Virgil, do you like me?”

“I’ve gotta go-” Virgil turned to run.

“No, Virge, let’s talk about this! Virgil!!” Remy chased after him but it was no use. Virgil was lithe, agile and much faster than Remy could hope to be. He was out the front door and down the road before Remy had a chance of catching him. “Oh, Vee…”

“What’s with all the commotion?” Dee walked out of the other room, Remy’s mother trailing close behind.

Remy shifted on his feet while trying to think of an answer. “Oh, Virgil was feeling a bit upset! Ran right out the door! I don’t think he’ll be back for dinner.”

“What a shame, I hope he will be alright” he watched his mother wave off the closest person in Remy’s life without a second thought before turning to Dee. “Well, you can check on him later. Dinner is almost ready.”

Dee walked up and smiled, raising a brow. “Everything alright, my dear?”

“Yes!” Remy squealed excitedly. “Dee, our plan worked! He’s been totally super jealous this whole time!”

“Yeah, that much was obvious, you just figure it out yourself?” Dee wrapped an arm around Remy and directed him toward the kitchen. “You two have it bad for each other, I figured that out on my first day.”

Remy tensed and waited until they got to the door of the dining room before taking Dee’s hand and removing his arm from him. “Right, well, thanks for sharing earlier. Now that I’ve heard it, we can finally call this whole thing off.”

Remy strode into the dining room, leaving Dee to watch him as he sat down. Dee scowled and glared for a moment before collecting himself and painting the smile back on his face. 

---

Remy heard a loud bang and shot awake, blinking and trying to make out the shapes of his room. Even with his curtains drawn, he could tell it was still pitch black outside. Usually he was dead to the world but something had put him on edge, his heart racing and short of breath. He adjusted to the dark and glanced around, sitting silently on his bed as he listened for any unusual noises.

Just as he was about to give up and lay back down, he heard creaking outside his bedroom door before it slowly started to open. He reached over to his end table to grab a dagger he had on display. He wasn’t sure if it was actually sharp but he wasn’t willing to take the chance.

He let out a sigh of relief when he was able to make out Dee slipping into his room, fully clothed and ready for… Remy wasn’t exactly sure.

“Dee, what the shit are you doing in my room? I need sleep to stay this beautiful!” Dee slipped quietly over to the bed as Remy placed the dagger back down on the table. “Nearly gave me a heart attack!”

“Wouldn’t want that.” He spoke softly, his deep voice could send shivers down someone’s spine with the way he spoke. “Now, get dressed. We’re leaving.”

Remy sat for a moment before chuckling. “The hell are you talking about? It’s the middle of the night, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Yes you are. You’re going to write a little letter to your parents about how excited you were after I told you the news and just couldn’t wait so we left as soon as possible.” Dee leaned one hand on the bed, getting closer to Remy as he backed away. “They’ll think we left last night.”

Remy pushed back against his mountain of pillows and started to turn away. “What news? What are you talking about?”

“Oh, have I forgotten to mention?” Dee smiled and crawled onto the bed. “I talked to your mother last night. She said if I had your approval, we were to be wed. Just as Virgil ran away, how perfect.”

Remy pulled his knees to his chest to make a barrier between him and Dee. “Yeah, no. Sorry, hun, not interested. You do not have my approval, remember? I was doing this to make Virgil jealous.” Dee reached out and grabbed Remy’s arm. “Let go of me!”

“Or what? You’ll run to that peasant boy? The same one who ran away from you today?” Remy pulled his arm free and glared at the other intensely. “What do you think will happen? You’ll be whisked away to live with him and everyone will be okay with it? He doesn’t even have to guts to admit he likes you. Hell, you can’t even admit to yourself that you like him, you had to use me to do it!”

“The hell should I listen to whatever you have to say?” Remy’s voice wavered, suddenly realizing his hands were shaking as they gripped his sheets tighter.

Dee smirked and crossed his arms. “Because I now know your biggest weakness now. So,” Dee pushed himself off of the bed and glared back at the other. “Get up. Get dressed. Pack your things, and I won’t have to use every ounce of influence I have to ruin that low life into a shallow grave where you’ll never see him again.”

Remy sat there for a moment as he watched Dee waiting impatiently by his bedside. “No.”

“No?” 

“I’m not going to allow you to threaten me in my own home so you can get your way!”

Dee stood there a moment before letting out a sigh. “Then we will do this the hard way. Guess my note is going to do.”

“What?”

Dee moved in an instant, launching himself across the bed. Remy held up his hands and pushed him away, but not before Dee reached out with something in his hand. Remy wasn’t sure what it was, but it smelled sweet and was overpowering. That’s all he could make out before everything turned dark.

---

Virgil hardly slept that night. He kept thinking of ways to convince Remy that he was just imagining things again. He had a tendency to get ahead of himself and go overboard with very little context and Virgil knew that, but usually he wasn’t so… accurate. Remy had been ignorant of his feelings for years and yet the slightest bit of hesitation and he was able to guess what was going on?

Virgil knew that he just had to wait for sunrise and head over like he did every day and pretend things were normal. Say he ran away because he didn’t want the Dormir’s to think he was getting in between Remy and Dee. The two had grown close exceptionally fast and Virgil’s feelings finally coming to light would only make Remy’s parents more suspicious of him then he already was.

---

“He what?!”

“Left last night! Poor boy must have been so excited that he couldn’t wait! Should have talked to us first but you know how he can be.” Remy’s mother smiled as she turned to her husband. Virgil glanced behind them and noticed the butler loading up a coach to the side. He made no comment of it when he arrived, hoping it was Dee finally leaving. “We’re on our way to follow them now! Charles had told me he wanted to make the announcement at a social gathering!”

Virgil looked up at her confused. “You mean… like a party?”

She scoffed and waved him off. “Someone of your social status would make that assumption, but it’s much more high class than a party. They’re going to announce their engagement to anyone who is anyone!”

“Oh, right. I guess that’s what he meant, then.” Virgil bit his lip and glanced away as everything pieced together. Charles was right, Virgil did underestimate him a bit and now Remy was gone.

“Who are you talking about?” Mrs. Dormir asked, curious to Virgil’s mumblings.

“Dee, sorry, Charles mentioned something to me last night.”

“He told you about the engagement?!” Virgil looked up to the surprised look on her face and froze. “I know he talked to me about it, but he told you? And you actually gave your approval?”

Virgil felt a fluttering of panic in his chest for a brief moment before he got an idea and smirked. “Yeah, I mean, we got along pretty well and it’s Remy’s decision anyway. It’s kinda why I ran off. Charles asked me to keep it a secret but I’m terrible at keeping secrets. Remy knows me well enough that he could tell something was off so I ran away to keep the secret. I was just a bit surprised that he took off last night, but it makes sense. It’s a very Remy thing to do after all.”

Waiting with baited breath, Virgil hoped that they took the bait and half baked story he came up with on the spot. Mrs. Dormir smiled and turned to her husband with a chuckle. “It is like him to just run on ahead like that, isn’t it? Our little fire crackle!” She turned back to Virgil with a genuine smile on her face. “Would you like to come with us?” Virgil visibly tensed and she waved him off. “Oh, none of that! You’ve been more than welcome in our home and you and Remington are the closest of friends! It would be a shame you miss his engagement! He’d want you to be there and I know you would want to be there for him.”

Mr. Dormir nodded in agreement. “We will be leaving shortly. Do you have a nice suit of some sort? Can’t have you going to the masquerade like that!”

Virgil nodded and pointed over his shoulder to the pathway. “Yeah, Remy told me I should have a nice outfit just in case so I got one tailored at that shop when I was doing a delivery for you once.” Both of them seemed a bit surprised at that. “It was a bit pricey but I don’t really spend the money I make on anything other than the essentials and you never know when you’ll need to dress up, right? Looks like he was right and I’ll get some use out of it after all.”

“Good, we can pick up masks for all of us once we arrive! Surely after word gets out, there will be plenty for sale!”

Virgil let them talk before they walked off, excited about the plans for the future. Finding out that Remy left in the middle of the night? He had underestimated Dee but he had also been underestimated. He was going to show up and find Remy and discover the truth and get some answers. 

Virgil spun and ran off to his home to pack for the trip. Leaving in the middle of the night? Holding a huge party to announce the marriage? That all sounded like Remy, that was undeniable, but something kept him on edge. Something wasn’t sitting right and had the warning bells ringing in his head like crazy. 

“Virgil, do you like me?”

Why did Remy seem so… happy? He was smiling! Virgil had thought he was plotting something, but what if--?

What if, for once in his life, he didn’t just shrug it off and believed it to be true? Remy always made him welcome, always defended him. Always thanked him after a crazy night at the bar and always said he would never leave him behind. So maybe it was his heart being hopeful, but Virgil decided to take a page from Remy’s book. 

He was going to face him and find out before he lost his chance forever, even if nothing has changed. Even if Virgil was wrong, he couldn’t let this just go by. Not knowing would eat away at him for the rest of his life.

---

“Don’t look so glum! Guests will be arriving shortly!” Dee walked over and placed his hands on Remy’s shoulders. “And please put your mask on. Don’t want everyone falling at your feet before I can even make the announcement! Your beauty knows no bounds, my darling.”

“You mean hide me away in plain sight so I can’t try to escape?”

Dee scoffed and rubbed Remy’s arms, which he decided he had deeply hated at that moment. It was an action meant to comfort someone but instead it simply made his skin crawl. “Not like it would matter, my dear. You’re in my home now, not yours, and I’ve got friends who can keep it that way. I have a few tricks up my sleeve, don’t want your parents having an accident on their way home, now do we?” Dee patted Remy on the back and walked out, a grin across his face. 

Remy waited for the door to close before he turned to the dresser where his masquerade mask sat. Of course he would pull something so elaborate that also worked so well in his favor. Hide him away in a sea of people until the announcement was made. Then anyone who was anyone wouldn’t let him break the engagement due to social bullshit. He was trying to think of a way out of this whole situation and this stupid party was his best bet, not to mention also his last chance. However, his parents wouldn’t understand he was being used before he would get caught trying to escape. If he just had someone to help him out, if only he had someone who would listen, if only Virgil were here.

Remy picked up the silver and golden trimmed mask and looked back to the mirror, holding it up to his face. He frowned, upset at how good he looked. I mean, of course he looked good, but he didn’t want to look good for Charles. He didn’t want to wear anything that man and picked out for him. Sure, the guy was charming enough, but the whole ‘kidnapping and blackmailing you to marry me’ thing kind of killed any chance he would have had, not that he had any to begin with.

Come to think of it, it was Dee’s plan to flirt together to make Virgil jealous. As soon as Remy had mentioned Virgil was probably hopelessly in love with him, Dee had immediately offered the idea! Was it to get him to flirt back? Was that just a coincidence or… Had he really planned this from the beginning?

“That son of a bitch.”

That had him plummeting down a mental spiral as he thought back to their previous conversations. Dee’s encouraging words to take it a step further to try and get a reaction from Virgil. They kept up the charade in front of his parents so it didn't seem suspicious. Dee did not want to plan the break up until Virgil finally caved… everything that made sense in the moment seemed to only lead up to what inevitably happened.

Kidnapping and blackmail? That's what Dee's plan was if he didn't go along willingly? Threatening him and his family so he would agree to marry him? Remy needed to come up with a plan to get away from this psycho and fast, he only had a few hours left.

---

Virgil scoffed at the price of the cheap black and purple mask he had picked up and handed over the gold. It was necessary to get in and not immediately be noticed by Charles Darvin. Mr. Dormir helped style Virgil’s hair, slicking it back instead of having it fall in his face like it normally did. Virgil stood up and squared his shoulders instead of his slight hunch. He looked completely different than he normally would and even Mrs. Dormir made a noise of approval. He knew he’d at least blend in well enough that he may sneak by Dee but finding Remy would prove difficult.

The Dormir’s led the way into the manor, greeting the butlers at the door as they made their way in. The entryway was larger than Virgil had ever seen and it led to the front room which was packed full of people in masks. Virgil felt his heart plummet, unsure of how he would find Remy in this mess.

After a while, he had excused himself from the Dormir’s to mingle with the guests and try to get away from some of the noise to assess the room. Unfortunately, every corner had someone chatting away and laughter all around, celebrating whatever news Charles had planned to announce. As the night dragged on, Virgil felt no closer to finding Remy. Was he even here? Would he find him too late?

He was in a full blown silent panic when someone reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him to the side. Virgil turned and looked up at the man in the silvery mask as he started to collect himself.

“Virgil?”

“What?” Virgil’s eyes lit up as he started to collect himself. He looked exhausted and not nearly as confident as he usually did but this was, without a doubt, his best friend.

“Sorry,” Remy pulled his hand back as he apologized. “You just almost looked like someone I knew. The masks have been throwing me off all night, I do apologize.”

“Remy,” Virgil reached out and smiled, gently placing his hands on Remy’s shoulders. He watched Remy tense up and rubbed his arms to try to relax him. It worked and Remy smiled before launching himself at the other. “Woah, okay! Hello to you, too!”

“Oh goodness, Virgil! It’s really you! I thought I recognized that suit, you look so good, babe!” Virgil laughed and Remy pulled back. “Oh, it’s the absolute worst! Charles planned this whole thing from the beginning and he’s threatening my parents into getting me to agree to this engagement and it’s the worst!”

Virgil frowned and grit his teeth as he tried to contain his anger. “I knew something felt off about this whole thing.”

“Girl, you know I’d have taken you with me if I was doing anything fun, you always have my back.” Remy sounded genuinely sincere as he spoke, not an ounce of his usual sass in his tone. “I don’t know how to get out of this one.”

“Do you trust me?” Virgil spoke low enough that Remy barely was able to hear. He nodded without hesitation and Virgil smiled. “Keep him distracted long enough before he makes the announcement. I have a plan, okay? Just play along.”

Virgil then wrinkled his nose in disgust and took a step back, dusting himself off. Remy looked confused before an arm fell over his shoulders. He looked over to see a mask that mimicked his own with gold and black, piercing eyes glancing down at him. “Everything alright, my dear?” The voice asked and Remy tensed, recognizing Dee’s voice anywhere. 

“Is he with you?” Virgil spoke in a deeper tone to hide his own. “Seemed to think I was someone else. Does he not understand what a masquerade is?” Virgil let out a ‘hmph!’ and stormed off, fixing his vest and not looking back at all. His heart was pounding, hoping Dee wouldn’t pick up on the fact that it was him in the least. Even Remy wasn’t sure it was him at first which was a good sign. Once he was far enough away, he glared over to where they were before finding them missing. He ran a hand over his hair, reflexively wanting to push it out of his face like he normally would, and walked away.

---

“And whom did you think that could have been, my dear?”

Remy shoved the arm off his shoulder and spun around, staring Dee down. “I don’t care if you succeed, I will make you regret ever messing with me until the day you die, is that understood?”

Dee chuckled and shook his head. “You’ll come to love it here as soon as you get out of your head that your messenger boy is not coming for you. However, if it makes you feel better, I’d be more than happy to hire him myself. I’m sure he could help me keep tabs on your parents.”

Remy felt his face burning with anger. “So you can keep a tab on him as well?”

“There is nothing I wouldn’t do to make you safe and happy here, so yes. Now,” Dee held out his hand with a smile. “Let us give our special announcement, shall we?”

Remy glared at the hand and crossed his arms, refusing the offer. Dee chuckled and shook his head as if enjoying the little rebellion. He reached out and cupped Remy’s face with his hand, gently brushing his cheek with his thumb. Remy smacked it away immediately, leaving Dee open to grab it in return. Refusing to let go, he pulled Remy along toward the staircase where they could get to higher ground and make their announcement.

As they broke away from the crowd and climbed the steps, Dee turned and smiled. “Remember, your parents will be watching and I have made sure they won’t leave without my say. Don’t you want them to make it back safely?”

“Go choke on a turkey leg.”

Dee smiled and turned on the stairs, facing the crowd. He waited for Remy to turn to the crowd and look back at him reluctantly. “Well? Can’t make the announcement without you.”

“Right now? Are you sure you don’t want to wait?”

“Why? Nothing will change between now and later. Don’t you want to celebrate?” Dee smiled and held out his hand once more. Remy ignored it and took the last final steps to be level with him, pushing the hand away. “A little better, you’re already learning. Don’t forget, we still have to sell it.”

Remy huffed and turned away, searching the crowd as best he could.

“Could I get everyone’s attention?” The roar of chatter quieted down as everyone turned toward the stairs. “Thank you. My name is Charles D. Darvin and I welcome you all to Darvin Manor. As you all may know, I have returned from a trip a few towns over to meet the lovely Remington Dormir.” Remy took the opportunity to remove his mask, hating how much it was made to reflect Dee’s. “Since my parents passed, I’ve been hoping to meet someone to help me take over the family business.”

Which was contradictory to what he had told Remy when they had met. He had said he wasn’t looking to be married anytime soon. Now he’s finding out it was the opposite and he went to Remy with that specifically in mind, just like he had thought.

“When we had met,” Remy spoke up, cutting off Dee. “Charles assured me we didn’t have to simply be married.”

“We had clicked right away, however, and things changed.” Dee challenged back. “As the weeks grew on, there was one thing that we both became aware of. We were in love.”

The crowd gasped and Remy felt his heart skip a beat. “Dee was in love with me, and I-”

A man pushed through the crowd and approached the stairs. “Was in love with me.”

Everyone in the room watched as Dee turned red, glaring at the figure as he advanced up the stairs. He slowly took off his purple mask, a few strands of his hair falling out of place and into his face. “Virgil,” Remy smiled, reaching out for him. Dee wrapped his arm around his shoulders and forcefully pulled him in. 

“Remy, we talked about this,” he hissed under his breath.

“Yes, we did.” Remy looked at him and smiled. “When you came to me, I told you my best friend was in love with me, something you admitted you noticed when you met him immediately. Together, we decided to flirt to make him jealous and admit his feelings.”

“What you both forgot,” Virgil approached slowly, one step at a time. “Was that I was willing to do anything for Remington’s happiness, even if that meant stepping aside. I am a messenger, not one fit to be with someone as high class as a Dormir. Until that final night, when you approached me about your plan.” Virgil turned around to face the crowd. “A gathering to allow me to prove to the Dormir’s and anyone else who had any objections see how far I was willing to go for Remy to prove my love.”

Remy shoved Dee off and took a step down, reaching back out for Virgil. “Dee explained it to me and we came up with a plan and now here we are.” He heard Dee make a noise of discontent behind him, but his eyes never left Virgil’s. “He came after me and I happily accept his affections, regardless of what anyone has to say.”

“Remington--!” Dee bit out before turning back to the crowd. “Surely, someone here would have objections to you being with a peasant when you could be with me?”

Virgil took the final step, meeting up with Remy, and wrapped his arms around him carefully. Remy had realized that it wasn’t the actions that made his skin crawl earlier. When Virgil had rubbed his arms to soothe him, it did. As Virgil held him in his arms, he felt at ease. His heart fluttered as it had with Dee, but not in panic. This whole time, he wanted to prove Virgil was in love with him. How ironic that it was Remy who was in love but completely unaware of his own feelings. 

“Remington Dormir!” Remy and Virgil looked to the figure at the bottom of the stairs and saw Mrs. Dormir looking furious. “You planned this whole thing to try to convince us to let you be with Virgil?!” She let out a sigh as Mr. Dormir walked up behind her, placing a hand on her back. “You stupid boy!”

“Mother, just listen!” Remy called out. “Virgil is-”

“That is enough, Remington, you listen to me!” She yelled back. “Did you think we were stupid? That you had to go and make a big show of all of this and make us look like fools?” Remy leaned back as if her words physically hurt. “We know you like Virgil, sweetie. Anyone who has seen you two together can figure that out. We were just waiting for you to do something about it!”

“What?” Virgil and Remy spoke at the same time before looking at one another in confusion.

“Son, why do you think we hired Virgil in the first place?” Mr. Dormir asked. “We knew Virgil wouldn’t speak up himself, it’s just his nature. We knew out of the two of you, it would be you who would say something against anyone who would have objected. Who cares if he’s a messenger boy if you two love each other? We were so worried when you ran off, we thought you were acting a bit brash and acting out because of a little misunderstanding you two may have had. We came here to talk to you and set it straight, but it was a masquerade and we couldn’t find you.”

“We would never have let you marry Charles, sweetie. We knew it wasn’t real.”

“What?!” Dee called out, marching down the stairs. “How dare you tell me what I can and can not do!”

“That is enough out of you, young man!” Mrs. Dormir shouted. “That is my son you’re playing with. I don’t care how rich the Darvin name makes you, you are outnumbered. We have respect for others!”

The crowd began to murmur as they glanced Dee’s way, frowns on their faces. “Wait, hold on just a moment!”

“It’s okay, mother.” Remy descended the steps, Virgil following close behind. “Virgil and I forgive him, he tried and failed. No need to tear him down too much.”

“I’m okay with it.” Remy elbowed Virgil in the side and sent him a glare. “Ow! Okay, no tearing him down. I mean, he is still grieving, isn’t he?”

“Anyone else have an issue with Virgil and I?” Remy challenged the audience, staring down the many faces in the crowd. The room remained silent as he turned, sending glances in every direction. “No one? Good. Now if you shall excuse me, we have things to discuss.” Remy reached behind him and grabbed Virgil’s hand, pulling him out of Darvin Manor. They marched down the pathway and into the town. Night had fallen and it was quieter by far, the crickets unable to be as loud as the chatter from earlier. 

“Remy, are you okay?”

“You are an idiot!” Remy spun around, tears in his eyes. “You were really just watching as my parents threw suitors at me and you weren’t going to say anything?!”

Virgil hunched over, more of his hair naturally falling back into place. “I just wanted you to be happy with whomever you choose.”

“You mean my parents, whomever my parents choose.”

Virgil stood up and scrunched his nose. “No! You didn’t seem to return my feelings and I wasn’t going to force you to!”

Remy blinked and a tear ran down his face. He cursed under his breath and wiped it away, angry it had even fallen in the first place. “My goodness, we are a pair of idiots!”

“I’ll agree to that.” Virgil stepped closer, grabbing Remy’s wrist as he rubbed away at his eyes. “You really return my-”

“Virgil, I swear if you finish that sentence, I will hit you. Hard.” He looked up at Virgil, squinting his eyes. “Got it, babe?”

“Got it, babe.” Remy blinked and flushed before he turned and hid his face. “Oh, what’s this? Can’t take your own nicknames when they’re thrown back at you?”

“Shut up!”

“Anything for you, babe.” Remy whined as Virgil reached out and pulled him close. “Anything.”