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“You don’t have to do this, you know.”
Virgil shrugs as he touches up his makeup in the rearview mirror. “I know.”
“I’m serious,” Roman insists, as he puts the car in drive. “This wasn’t part of our original deal. If you don’t want to-”
“I know,” Virgil repeats again. “Is my eyeliner even?” Roman glances over at him, trying to tell, and he raises an eyebrow. “Princey. Eyes on the road, not on me. No matter how hot I look.”
“You asked me about your eyeliner!” Roman protests, and Virgil laughs. It makes his chest feel warm- he likes Virgil’s laugh.
“Yeah, so I did.” He goes quiet, staring out the window, before looking back at Roman. “Seriously, stop worrying about me. I said it was fine.”
“This wasn’t part of our deal,” Roman starts, but Virgil cuts him off.
“Actually, the deal was that I pretend to be your fake girlfriend until our fake breakup. What kind of fake girlfriend would I be if I left my fake boyfriend high and dry of a date to his grandparents’ anniversary dinner?”
“A bad one,” Roman relents, and Virgil hums contently, seemingly satisfied Roman won’t argue about it more. He glances at him, then adds jokingly, “You’re always a pretty bad fake girlfriend, though. Mostly ‘cause you aren’t a girl.”
Virgil laughs again- Roman really does like that sound. “Your parents don’t need to know that,” he teases, and Roman smiles.
“I suppose they don’t.”
“So,” Virgil says, propping his feet up on the dashboard, “what am I to expect at this little party of yours? Er- of your grandparents’.”
“Feet off the dashboard,” Roman reminds him, turning sharply.
“Uh, no. It’s your parents’ car, and your parents are homophobic dicks, so I will be leaving my feet on the dashboard.”
“It’s my car. Kinda, at least. Please?”
Virgil sighs, dramatic as ever. “Only if we stop for slushies on the way home after this.”
“You got it, JDelightful.”
Virgil nods in agreement, curling his legs up under him on the seat in a way that cannot be comfortable with those heels he’s in. “So, expectations?”
“Right. It’ll probably be easy- there’ll be a lot of my family there, but all you have to do is stand there and look pretty while I introduce you. You’re good at that, so that shouldn’t be a problem-”
Virgil snorts. “Oh my god, you’re so sappy and ridiculous.”
“Am I wong?”
“No.”
“Perfect,” Roman says smugly. “So you stand there and look pretty, and I do all the talking. It should hopefully only be maybe two or so hours, and then we head home.”
“Is Remus coming with your parents?” Virgil asks curiously, leaning over the center consol to rest his head on Roman’s shoulder. “Or are we headed back to your house to pick him up?”
Roman winces, glancing at the map again before turning. “Re- uh. Remus isn’t coming.”
Virgil blinks up at him, shaking his hair out of his eyes. “Oh. He busy?”
Roman purses his lips, looking away. “That’s the excuse our parents are going to give, yeah.”
“Oh.” Virgil seems to consider that for a long moment, eyebrows furrowed. “I see.”
“Yeah.” He doesn’t like it, but there’s not exactly anything he can do. Besides, Remus is always happier when he isn’t allowed to go to anything their parents bring Roman to. It’s probably better this way.
He still wishes it wasn’t, but…
“He’ll probably get a date with Janus out of it,” Virgil remarks, which admittedly does make Roman feel better about his brother very distinctly not being invited. “Ha. Guess we’re all on dates tonight.”
Roman glances at him, feeling suddenly like he’s falling. “A date? Is that what we’re on?”
Virgil shrugs, eyes out the window. “I mean. I’m your date to this party, so…”
“Yeah,” he manages, cheeks warming as he stares quickly back at the road. “Of course. Plus, we are fake dating, so…”
“Mhm.” Virgil hesitates, then grabs Roman’s hand quickly, squeezing hard before dropping it. “Dates with you have been pretty fun. Gotta say. ‘Specially if you count the hanging out without those two menaces. I’m gonna”
His face is so flushed. Damnit. “Y- yeah. I- dates with you have been fun.”
Virgil leans back, away from him, and Roman resists the urge to reach for him again. “So. anything else you can warn me about for tonight?”