#listen... i love angst only IF there's a good / happy resolution so pls

[hanasaku-shijin]

As much as I hate this... i lowkey also love it cuz it means eventually Ruby is gonna apologize for this and BOY i hope Weiss hugs her for it

[i-will-physically-fight-you]

Can you do either “If you hurt them…” or “You touch them again and I’ll kill you!” with platonic lamp maybe? With maybe Virgil or Roman saying the line? Thank you either way! Youre amazing!

Title: A Fairytale Prince

Summary: Roman’s a prince. A fairytale prince. The kind of dashing prince that’s always brave and noble. Princes like him don’t kill. Only bad guys do that. So what happens when Roman does the unthinkable for the sake of saving his loved ones?

Word-Count: 1.2k

Pairing: platonic lamp

Warnings: minor character death, killing said minor character, crying, injury mention, blood mention, torture reference, angst with a happy ending

A Roman-centric piece?? From me?? Who knew I could do that :O

-

Roman was a prince. A fairytale prince. The kind of dashing prince that was always brave and noble. He sang with woodland animals and freed damsels from their towers. He’d never hurt let alone take another life if he could help it. In fact, he never had the opportunity. Because in his fairytale world, good guys didn’t do that. Only bad guys ever committed such atrocious acts.

But there are other worlds out there. Worlds that played fast and loose with different rules. When he first found himself in a world far removed from his own, he didn’t understand it. He held firmly to his ideals, refusing to see Virgil as anything but a villain in disguise. Someone out to hurt him and the others.

He could give a whole soliloquy filled with regrets on his woeful, unprincely behavior towards Virgil. But that wasn’t the point.

The point being, a year ago, he’d never imagine himself wishing death upon a villain so vehemently as he did now. A year ago, he had not met a noir detective, a comicbook vigilante and a stay-at-home father. Three people that held a treasured place in his heart. Three people who were currently all chained up, bruised and battered.

The villain waved his arms about, monologuing. This was typical. This was something normal in Roman’s world. Except instead of a ski-faced crook it was evil sorcerers and corrupt kings. Roman didn’t hear a word of it over the boiling blood in his veins.

They patronizingly patted Patton’s cheek and Roman bolted. His sword flew out of his scabbard in one fluid motion. He pointed it towards the villain. 

“You touch any of them again,” Roman growled, heaving, “and I’ll kill you!”

The villain laughed. They cackled. Bent-over in amusement. 

“C’mon, Prince Charming. We both know you’d never—”

It happened all so fast. One moment, the villain stood there tall and haughty. The next, they laid on the ground, Roman’s sword impaling their chest. They gasped, blood spurting out of their mouth. A panicked, feral gaze consumed them as they reached out. For Roman, to possibly strangle him or damn him. Then it was over.

Roman stared down at the villain. Then up at the others, who stared back. Their eyes wide in shock. Roman stumbled a few feet forward before falling. He let out a strangled cry, as if he himself had been impaled by a sword. He hunched over, hands tearing at his hair. 

Long ago, he swore an oath never to grievously harm any living being. An oath he now broke. Did that make him the villain? It must be so, because he didn’t remorse at their death. He relished at it. He felt satisfied knowing he was the cause of their death. That they’d never lay a hand on his friends ever again. And that absolutely terrified him.

Patton, Logan and Virgil all spoke to him at once, trying to assuage him. 

“Roman–”

“Kiddo, it’s okay–”

“–need to take deep breathes–”

“I–I–I killed someone!” Roman cried out, “Not even in combat or a noble duel but in cold blood. They hurt all of you–my most trustworthy, loyal compatriots. I–I couldn’t let them get away with it, I–I–I killed them, that makes me no better than them, a detestable, deplorable villain and–and–”

A hand rested upon his shoulder, soft and gentle. Roman looked up to see it was Patton. He’d managed to reach out as far as the chains allowed him. A large bruise formed at the crown of his head and he had busted-up lips. A resolute expression settled on his features. 

“Roman, listen to me,” Patton said, slowly, “You’re still a good person.”

He sobbed at those words, his form crumpling against Patton’s. Instead of being disgusted by this, Patton drew him closer. He pulled Roman into his lap, chains clanging from his movements. Virgil and Logan tentatively inched closer. As if fearing Roman would lash out at them, hurt them the same way he did to the villain. Roman remained still, struggling to take in gulps of air. 

“You know I view the concepts of good and bad as arguably meaningless,” Logan began bluntly, earning a half-hysterical wheeze from Roman. For it was true, the two had many debates about this subject. Logan paused at this, his lips twitching briefly upwards, “but Patton is right.”

Roman jerkily shook his head. He open his mouth to deny it, but all that came out was a sharp inhale. He was hyperventilating, sinking deep into his panic. Patton spoke soft words and Logan’s clear analytical facts rang out but it was all nonsense. Like that white noise Patton’s magic mirror made to help him sleep better.

A calloused hand latched onto his own, squeezing tightly. Roman didn’t look up, instead burying his head further into Patton’s chest. 

“Princey, you better listen to me right now,” A raspy voice hissed. A voice that could only belong to Virgil. “You are a colossal moron.”

“Virgil!” Patton and Logan cried out at once.

The vigilante ignored them, instead pressing on. “Roman, do you kill and hurt others for your own gain? To selfishly accumulate wealth and power?” 

“N-no! Never!” Roman responded, feeling sick at the mere thought of it, “Pl–please believe me, I’d never, I don’t want to–I–I just–”

“Then you’re nothing like them,” Virgil cut in, laying his other hand on top of their clasped ones, “I mean, sure. You can be a jerk at times, both intentionally and unintentionally. But when you realize your mistakes, you own up to them. You make amends. You always strive to do good, no matter how hard it is.”

Patton spoke up, “Roman, you saved us. You stopped them from committing any horrible, atrocious acts ever again. You know what that makes you?”

Roman swallowed. “What?”

“A hero.”

“But I can’t be–heroes don’t kill–”

“Maybe not in your world,” Virgil said, “but it doesn’t make you any less of one in this one because of it. Sometimes it’s–well, necessary. It doesn’t make it any easy. And if does become easy, then that’s a problem. But Roman, tell me honestly: do you think really think a bad guy would get choked up as you from killing someone? Do you think they would?”

Roman slowly shook his head.

Logan, who had been quietly observing, cleared his throat. “Then following this line of logic you are still every bit of the heroic prince we know you to be. I for one, would have it no other way.”

Roman rose his head up at that. He saw three smiling worn faces gazing down at him. Three people that held a treasured place in his heart. Three people who still loved him despite forsaking his oath.

He looked at them, and a mangled wail escaped his lungs. He reached out for all three and they complied. He was cocooned, squished between Virgil, Patton and Logan. Really, it would’ve been a lot more comfortable if they weren’t still chained. But that wasn’t the point. The chains would come off eventually. The point was that right now, they were all safe. 

Roman was a prince. Not quite a fairytale prince. But he was still the kind of dashing prince that was always brave and noble. Who did the right thing. Or rather, the thing it took to keep his loved ones safe. And that was all that really mattered in the end.