#curently sick and on 4 hours of sleep

[keeperofbloodpuding]

I am so anxious for exsams.

[dark-strangeson-virgil]

High School AU!

Roman Ryder:

Junior, second semester 

Theater kid, but has never been the lead (in his freshman year he actually got a callback for the school musical and the director told him they were seriously considering casting him in the lead role, causing Roman to panic and spend that night in his room crying)

(He ran into the choir teacher’s room the next day asking for his name to be taken off the audition list, it was the only semester he didn’t do theater)

(He was crying because he felt like he was letting his teacher down and was disappointed in himself but just the idea of being in front of so many people made him want to throw up)

Clearly has some issues with self confidence and potentially a bit of anxiety, but began seeing a therapist in his freshman year after the callback incident and has been slowly been working on building his confidence

He decided to try again his second semester and has been in every school musical since, though he’s specifically requested to not get the lead because it’s still too much for him. The director is very understanding.

His dad and brother come to every one of his performances, and he can always hear Remus’ whistling loudest in the applause during curtain call

His friends usually come too, and knowing that they’re all proud of him really boosts his confidence

(Especially when he’s standing on the stage during the curtain call and sees Virgil clapping and smiling wider than he’s ever seen, looking so genuinely proud. Roman cried backstage after seeing that his first time, which may be slightly related to the fact that he’s had a crush on the boy for a while now)

His mother manages to make it to almost all of them, even though it’s difficult considering her hectic work schedule (she’s a trauma surgeon at the local hospital)

Despite popular belief, he does pretty well in school. He has an A in every class except English (He’s barely passing with a C)

He loves writing, but he doesn’t like having his creativity stifled with the strict guidelines of the essays they’re forced to write, and the old fashioned novels with outdated concepts they’re always forced to read in his class (not the typical high school assigned novels, more obscure ones that their teacher is convinced will eventually rise to popularity)

Loves writing in his spare time, mainly short stories

Multiple short stories of his have been put on the school website, though always under a pseudonym because he doesn’t feel comfortable with the idea knowing it’s his work they’re reading (he only submitted the first one because hardly any students even check the school’s website, but he could never be too careful)

His real passion, though (besides theater/singing, of course) is photography. Loves finding beauty in the world around him. Wants to be a photographer after college, ideally for natural geographic

HE. LOVES. ANIMALS. 

Like, all animals. Dogs, bats, fish, literally any animal. He’s not picky.

He and Remus own a pit bull named Emma who he absolutely ADORES

Owns and can play a guitar, but tends to only do so in the late hours of the night when he can’t sleep. Not really a super prominent hobby of his.

Only ever officially came out to his family and close friends, the first of which being Logan. (It was really awkward at the time but Roman laughs now, thinking back on how disastrous such a simple conversation became) (Logan was completely accepting, that wasn’t the problem, Roman was just a disaster and Logan was painfully blunt, but we don’t talk about it) Everyone else just gradually found out through the small pride pin on his backpack or his pride vans he wore often

Remus Ryder:

Junior, Second Semester

Is actually a pretty good artist, his emotions aren’t always super clear or understandable to him and his thoughts can be kind of erratic so it’s a good way to express what he’s thinking/feeling

Is a really good cook, usually his group of friends will hang out at his house after school and he’ll cook dinner 

Sometimes he adds interesting ingredients to try and “spice up” the recipes. Usually these ingredients worry the others, but he actually ends up making amazing creations most of the time. Trust his creative process people.

(There was that time Logan had to stop him from adding strawberry jam to spaghetti. And the time Logan had been sick and Remus had ended up putting 2 jars of pickle juice into a chili recipe. They ended up ordering pizza that night.)

(Sometimes he asks Roman to help because he feels like they aren’t quite as close as when they were kids, they’re in the same friend group and talk often but it’s not quite the same as when they were younger, but he’d never admit)

(Roman pretends to be annoyed, but he secretly enjoys spending time together just as much, getting to talk about things they can’t always talk to their other friends about)

Wants to be a graphic designer when he grows up, he really enjoys making art and  worries that if he just made it a hobby he would forget about it or not have the time.

He knows how much Logan likes talking about his interests, so he makes a point of looking up the things Logan talks about a lot so Logan actually feels like he’s having a conversation. (Of course, they’re all very Remus-y facts. Logan went through a HUGE ocean phase earlier on in his junior year, so Remus spent HOURS researching the creepiest fish that lurk lower in the ocean, but it’s really the thought that counts. Logan doesn’t mind his gruesome details so it’s a win-win.)

Oh and of COURSE Remus has a huge crush on Logan. Unlike the others, he doesn’t necessarily try to hide his crush. He just usually turns it into a bit of a joke, acting like he’s “jokingly” flirting with Logan because, despite his chaotic nature, one of his biggest fears is rejection so he doesn’t actually plan on confessing any time soon. 

He did really well in science after freshman year. He loved Biology and Chemistry, which surprised everyone at first. That’s curently the only class he has an A in.

He drags his friends to go camping at least once every summer because he really likes camping. He can be as chaotic as he wants and there’s nobody to judge him. (Well, his friends are there but he knows that they’re not going to judge him.) 

He tries to make bets with his friends a lot. Even over dumb things. He’s a money hungry little rat boy.

He’s not big on extracurriculars but he is a part of his school’s art club/honors group after school. He once did an extremely detailed painting of a green octopus, which won him first place in the district-wide art competition.

He is banned from Pixie Stix. Permanently. They used to have them a lot at sleepovers, but two separate times Remus mixed all 4 flavors and snorted them, then whined about his nose hurting for like an hour. After that they banned Pixie Stix.

Doesn’t really like traditional reading much, but he has a small collection of comic books that he goes to if he’s bored because they keep his attention much easier.

Logan Sharpe:

Junior, second semester

Is incredibly good in school but hates the public school system

Pays baseball, started in Little League as a kid as bonding time between him and his dad, then slowly began to enjoy having a way to get his energy out after spending hours sitting in desks at school and more time doing homework

He has a specific baseball bat that he’s had since he was a kid (it wasn’t his first bat since that was a flimsy plastic one, but he got it when he was pretty young) and he doesn’t actually use it often (unless he feels like he needs luck, it’s his only superstitious thing yes he knows it’s not logical it’s just one small thing iTS FINE-) but he covers it in stickers

After his friends saw it they began buying any stickers they saw that reminded them of Logan, just as small presents whenever they felt like it. His bat is almost completely covered at this point, and he’s resorted to layering stickers over less important ones, but he doesn’t care. He’s just very happy his friends are thinking of him :’)

Wants to be a vet when he grows up, for him it’s slightly less emotional than dealing with human patients but still makes him feel like he’s doing good (people tend to think he doesn’t have many emotions but he actually enjoys helping others and making people happy)

Plus he really does love learning, and the medical field allows him to just expand his knowledge even further

He has study sessions with Janus every Tuesday and sometimes Thursdays if one of them really needs it, and he actually really looks forward to them. They don’t talk much, they spend most of the time silently studying or working on homework for their own classes, occasionally asking the other for clarification on something. He has a hard time studying in big groups, especially considering his friends’ tendency to easily get distracted, so he likes being able to quietly focus.

Usually they carpool home together after these study sessions, and talk together on the way home. It’s nice having someone who he can sometimes have simple small talk with, but sometimes they have serious conversations and it surprisingly doesn’t feel weird. Neither of them are great at opening up, and sometimes having someone who’s just as unfamiliar as you with something can make it a bit easier.

Surprisingly likes baking, his dad works at a bakery (if you can’t tell he kinda looks up to his dad) so he’s been around baked goods since he was really young and has a ton of recipes memorized by now. Sometime’s he’ll join Remus in the kitchen on sleepover nights. He helps Remus a bit with the cooking, and Remus returns the favor by helping him bake dessert for all of them. Plus this way he can stop Remus from getting distracted or getting a bit too crazy with changing recipes)

(One time Remus tried to add strawberry jam to spaghetti and Logan knew he had to put his foot down. It took 20 minutes of convincing but he eventually managed to get him to put down the Crofter’s. Logan loves jelly arugably more than the others, but there’s a time and place for everything)

(Somehow it was this exact moment when Logan realizes he liked Remus as more than a friend, and he has absolutely no idea how that happened.)

Usually when his friends are sad he invites whoever it is over to bake, focusing on something else makes it easier for him to try to understand what they’re going through and give thoughtful advice. Plus both the process and the treats at the end usually help cheer everyone up)

(Yes he has gotten into a cliche flour fight with each of the others at least once, and they’re actually some of his fondest memories. He felt so carefree in those moments, just letting himself be happy without worrying about any judgement or his image.)

He actually did officially come out to his friends, but it was pretty simple. He pretty much just said, “I know that the majority of you (actually all of them but a few hadn’t quite come out at the time) have already announced the fact that you are gay, so I’m assuming none of you will be offended by the fact that I am as well. Anyways…”

He just kinda… said it and moved on. The others were a bit shocked but just went with the flow. (of course they all supported him though)

(He had actually been just a bit worried about how the others would react. Hr knew that it was illogical, considering many of them were gay themselves, but he couldn’t help worrying, so he tried to just get it out and move on as quickly as possible. Their small gestures of showing they accept and care for him, such as  Roman buying a rainbow-striped tie for him for his birthday, really make him happy because it validates his feelings and helps him understand there’s no need to worry when he’s with his friends.)

Virgil Alvaro:

Sophomore, second semester

On the school’s swimming team in the spring, has the record at their school for fastest lap with a breaststroke and butterfly stroke 

Best friends with Patton, they’ve known each other since 6th grade and have always been practically inseparable

Orchestra kid, he’s played the violin since 4th grade (Even with his stage fright he loves the concerts, because he can feel proud and accomplished from his work without having to be in a spotlight by himself, with all eyes on him)

Longer, black hair (like down to his shoulders) but dyed a purple-pink gradient at the tips (He was originally just going for purple but while looking for reference photos online Patton saw a purple-pink gradient and loved it, and Virgil loves making his best friend happy)

(Plus he actually really likes the colors, but don’t tell anyone)

Does debate in the fall, he likes how it helps him see sides to issues he hadn’t considered before. Some friends told him it may help with his anxiety, and it makes him feel like people care about what he has to say 

Loves showing up to support his friends in their extracirriculars (usually they all go together to support each other but even if the others can’t come he tries his hardest) 

Will never admit it, but he’s a theater fan so he loves going to watch Roman’s musicals (and it’s not at ALL related to his tiny crush on Roman, why would you think that? It’s not even that big a deal we don’t even need to brING IT UP-)

Is a decent student, mostly B’s with a couple A’s sprinkled in. Used to be a straight A student but eventually kinda broke down because the pressure to get good grades was making his anxiety way worse, so after talking with his parents they told him as long as we was trying in classes and he was passing they were proud of him

Yes he was one of those gifted kids who had a  high school reading level in second grade and got put in all the “smart” groups, but then got burnt out at the end of middle school. It’s why he’s such a perfectionist with his own work and it was a big contributor to his anxiety.

Absolutely LOVES history class, it’s been his favorite class since he was young

Is close with his history teacher (very sarcastic old man who somehow manages to be both strict on grading and one of the most fun, relaxed teachers he’s ever met) 

He isn’t always great at having difficult conversations, so instead of formally coming out he just kinda started saying “haha same” whenever one of the others would make a gay joke, or commenting on how cute a guy in one of their classes was

Wants to be a teacher after college, he enjoys feeling like he’s making a positive differnece in people’s lives, and he’s personally dealt with unsympathetic teachers who didn’t have faith in him and only made his anxiety worse, so he wants to stop that from happening to other children if he can.

Also, he hates the school system almost as much as Logan, so he’s hoping being a teacher will give him the opportunity to try and improve the way kids learn, even if it’s just in his classroom

His hoodie is a comfort item for him, if he’s feeling extremely anxious and isn’t able to reach any of his friends to help him calm down usually fiddling with his sleeves or zipper helps calm him down pretty well (even if it’s usually only a temporary solution, as one of his friends almost always comes to help)

He likes to share earbuds with either Roman or Patton. As much as he hates to admit it, he actually really likes the musicals Roman listens to and he and Patton’s music tastes actually overlap at some points (cough cough MCR) and listening to music with someone else makes him feel less alone

Patton Myron:

Junior, second semester

Everyone assumes that he’s not very smart, but he actually has mostly A’s with only 2 B’s (woith those being Gym and History, it's hard for him to memorize specific dates)

Does tutoring on the weekends, his best subjects are Science and Math since they generally involve less memorization and are easy to understand for him

He joined band his freshman year and has loved it since, is first chair trumpet

Also does marching band in the fall, and always invited his friends to come sit with him and the rest of the band in the stands (he also convinces Janus to join marching band their sophomore year because he feels like they don’t talk enough, which actually helps the two bond)

Ends up getting a huge crush on Janus second semester of sophomore year.

Uses SO MANY emojis in his texts. He thinks they’re absolutely adorable, and the others are not big fans of emojis but don’t have the heart to be annoyed by it.

Virgil started using emojis ironically occasionally, and it made Patton so happy! (Eventually it was habitual, and he’s not sure when he started actually using them unironically)

Met Virgil in 6th grade when they were paired up on a project about bugs, Virgil cried because he was scared of leaf bugs the first day of the project so Patton tried to make him as comfortable as possible to help him calm down, and their friendship grew from there

LOVES fashion, he loves trying things out even if they don’t always look good. He saw that “gay brunch” meme one time and spent the next week at school dressing up in each of the outfits. Roman caught on immediately and did it with him on the last day. (His favorite outfit was the frog one. “It’s just so adorable and comfy and I love it!”)

YES, he’s worn skirts to school. Not often, but when he does he looks amazing. 

 He’s always trying to get Virgil to try out more color/”spice”, as he says it, in his style. He knows standing out is scary for Virgil, so every time Vee steps out of his comfort zone Patton’s super proud of him and makes sure to let him know. (Look I’m a sucker for sweet BFF Moxiety)

He listened to Virgil’s favorite bands once to try and relate to him more when Vee was going through a particularly rough time and ended up actually liking My Chemical Romance. He gets sad sometimes even if he doesn’t talk about it, so he likes that their music discusses that, but that band in particular also seems to have songs that show you life does get better rather than just convincing you to wallow in the sadness, especially on Black Parade and Danger Days (Ex. Famous Last Words). It’s morbid optimism but he loves it. 

(Virgil actually cried when Patton told him, he had been really sturggling with his anxiety and knowing his best friend did that for him and actually liked his music got him when he was feeling extra sensitive. The two of them spent like 10 minutes fixing Virgil’s makeup in the bathroom, and only the two of them know about this.)

Never exactly came out, but is very open and proud. He has Vans that he painted rainbow that he wears at least once a week, among various other pride-related clothing and accessories.

Wants to be a nurse, he wants to do his part to make the world a better place

Gets a little overwhelmed when there’s too much noise, so he carries around a pair of earplugs to help keep him calm in loud classrooms/hallways.

When he gets sad (which happens more often than he admits) he does makeup. It’s a creative outlet that lets him get his feelings out, and he’s become amazingly good at it over the years. Occasionally he does makeup on the others, usually all together at sleepovers. (His favorite look he’s done was when he gave logan a galaxy-themed blue look. He was so proud of himself after that particular makeover, and Logan actually liked it!) He has the photo of all of them together in their makeup that night hanging on his vanity mirror.

One day Roman called him “puffball” as a joke, but now that’s sort of become his nickname within their group.

Remy Somnus:

Senior, second semester

Is head of sound for the tech crew in theater, has adipted all of the younger tech kids and will fight anyone who messes with any of his children

He’s the one who goes on energy drink and snack runs during tech week because that’s the only way the crew is functioning. None of them are sleepng or eating well. He even gets some for a few of his favorite actors (Including Roman, although Roman always tries to insist that Remy doesn’t have to do that for him.)

Him and Emile have also collectively adopted all of the others in their friend group (They’re the oldest so they have the right to) and HAVE turned into protective mama and papa bear over these children in multiple cases

He plays several instruments. Bass/electric guitar, flute (he was never a band kid, he just took private lessons when he was younger), the keyboard and the drums. He helped teach Janus when he was first trying to learn percussion

Wants to be a musician when he grows up

He's a vegetarian, and has been since middle school. He's been trying to learn how to cook from Remus so he can make his own meals rather than relying on Remus and Logan to make a vegetarian friendly addition to their meal of choice for him

Is not a morning person. Despite coming into school with Starbucks in hand almost every morning, it's still better to wait around 45 minutes after school starts to try and have a legitimate conversation with him, otherwise you'll likely just get grunting and mumbling as your response.

This bitch ADORES the vintage aesthetic. He wears his vintage’ ‘50’s leather jacket almost every day along with his sunglasses, and he has a whole collection of vintage t-shirts in his closet. Oh, and his record player is pretty much his most prized possession. When his friends don’t know what to get him for a present the go-to is always a record, and he loves it every time.

He does love older music, but he also listens to modern music so basically any album will make him happy.

He really loves cinnamon. He carries cinnamon gum around with him at all times. Some of his friends hate the smell, but they’ve learned to deal with it. Luckily, Emile also loves the taste of cinnamon gum. 

He tends to spoil his friends. He goes all out for birthdays or gifts of any kind, and ALL of their families attend the holiday parties at his house because they’re the best.

Is honestly a total softie. Although he loves planning elaborate, fun dates, his favorite times with Emile are when the two of them just stay in, make homemade dinner and watch rom-coms together.

He also loves when they watch horror movies because Emile gets all scared and cuddles up to him for protection and it’s absolutely adorable.

Janus Cameron:

Junior, second semester

Patton convinced him to join the band his sophomore year (he was very confused at first because although they had been in the same friend group, he and Patton had barely interacted at this point. He had actually begun to wonder if Patton just didn’t like him), he plays percussion in both band class and marching band. He doesn’t always say it but he’s glad he and Patton became closer because of it.

He’s actually had a huge crush on Patton since end of freshman year, so he’s very happy that Patton at least considers him a legitimate friend now (Can you tell I love YEARNING and PINING)

He has an addiction to hot cheetos, you’ll hardly ever find him without a bag in his backpack. He doesn’t know how it happened but at this point he’s just accepted it.

Sometimes he forgets to grab a bag before school, and usually Virgil will run to get him some during lunch because he doesn’t like his friends being sad. Even if Virgil for some reason can’t one of the others usually will.

Has ginger hair but is kinda embarrassed about it so he usually dyes it black. Only his friends know his natural hair color and they’ve only ever seen his roots.

He also has freckles like every ginger, but they’re concentrated on the left side of his face. The right side has a typical amount, while the left has an extreme abundance of freckles. Nobody knows how it happened, but it did.

Loves. Sparkles. 

He’s the kind of ultra sassy, dramaic gay that would adore sparkles and would absolutely rock them. For their sophomore winter formal he wore a black glittery vest, a yellow dress shirt, a black tie and black dress pants. (Patton literally swooned when he first saw him walk in, Logan caught it all on video and mercilessly teases Patton over it any chance he gets)

He reads a lot in his spare time. It’s calming and easy to lose yourself in. (Wow I really am projecting onto all of these characters huh)

His favorite books are mystery novels because he likes all the twists and turns and the satisfaction of the final reveal. However, he HATES cliffhangers. One time a book he was reading ended abruptly and what happened was unclear and he threw the book at his wall. It left a dent, and his friends point it out EVERY time they come over.

Sometimes when Patton, Roman or Virgil can’t sleep they call him and he reads to them. For Patton and Roman it’s super soft fluffy romance novels (that’s the only reason he owns any of those novels to begin wih. He really cares about his friends, even if he doesn’t show it) and for Virgil it’s sci-fi or fantasy because it really sucks him into a world completely different from his own.

Wants to be a marine biologist when he grows up. (Like Remus, he was a big fan of Logan’s ocean phase)

He obviously has a pet snake. He got her sophomore year and he absolutely loves her. Her name is Cuddles (Yes it was Patton’s suggestion. Janus loves the name too though.)

He loves video games and has a huge collection. He doesn’t have a lot of time to play, but he still tries when he can. Whenever his friends come over they end up playing all night because he has a bunch of old consoles. (Especially Nintendo. He owns every. Single. Nintendo. Console.)

He listens to jazz! Logan’s the only other one who really likes it but they add a few jazz songs to “The Playlist” anyways. (The playlist is what they play in the background whenever they stay over at each other’s houses, whether it’s for playing video games or cooking.)

Roman’s been trying to convince both him and Virgil to join the tech crew for theater so he has more friends in theater. Virgil’s pretty sold on the idea and plans to join his senior year (All it took was Roman’s puppy eyes and he had practically melted into a puddle and agreed on the spot). Janus knows it would be difficult while also doing marching band, but he knows he could work around it especially once marching season is over so he’s actually considering it.

Emile Picani:

Senior, second semester

Does both colorguard and winter guard, is the team captain. He joined as a sophomore and has loved it ever since.

He loves marching season, but he prefers winter guard because he loves having a full, detailed show

He also loves the weapon line! Saber’s his favorite (he’s also a really amazing dancer because he took gymnastics when he was younger so he’s frequently put on the dancing line), but he just adores the sport in general

Has been dating Remy since sophomore year (sophomore year was a pretty eventful year for Emile overall), people were confused at first but at this point it’s rare to see one without the other so everyone’s very used to it 

Wants to be a therapist when he grows up (wow, shocker I know), has a high sense of empathy and wants to help people any way he can. He’s seen some of the people in his life struggle with mental health and he knows how difficult it can be, so all he wants is to make some people’s journey easier.

Loves cartoons, but is kinda embarrassed about it. He wears cartoon-related shirts, but he never openly talks about it unless it’s with people he trusts. (One time in freshman year a kid in the grade above him made fun of him for his Steven Universe shirt and Remy had to be held back from going after the kid) 

Gets pretty good grades, mostly B’s with a few A’s. He knows being a therapist is going to require extensive work ethic so he made sure he had good work ethic early on in school so he’d be able to get through and get his degree

Blushes so easily. Literally the smallest compliment can set his face aflame. It's honestly adorable.

He just has that soft aesthetic. He loves cardigans, sweatpants, loose t-shirts, etc. He likes being comfy.

He has a whole wall dedicated to Funko Pops in his room. He’s even customized a few Funko’s to match some of his favorite characters that they don’t make figurines for.

He ALSO has a bucket of stuffed animals in his room, all of which he loves equally. He’s one of those people who worries about giving more attention to some of his stuffies than the others, so they rotate onto his bed. (He used to keep them all on his bed but he could barely fit so he developed this system instead.)

He and Remy try to have date nights at least once a week, like an adorable married couple. They really love spending time together.

One time on a date night they spent like 3 minutes just staring at each other from across the table at a restaurant with these goofy grins on their faces. This was pretty soon after they got together. The poor waiter had to bring them back to reality when he brought them their food.

(A/N: Wow. I’m really glad I finally finished this. I had this idea that was supposed to be a short introduction to these characters in this AU and ended up writing over 5K words. This is my first time writing anything fandom-related, so constructive criticism is appreciated. Big thank you to @coconut-cluster for giving me the encouragement I needed on the Logan sticker baseball bat idea, I was nervous and didn’t know how it would go. Thank you for reading!