This one shot was based off of a post I saw on Instagram and was like, "You know, that's a really good idea," and so here it is.

Brief shoutout to my wonderful friends @insertpunhere0 and @-MyEndlessNightmare-. They both appear in this one shot as Fanders. @insertpunhere0 goes by Belle in the one shot, and @-MyEndlessNightmare- goes by Cat.

Edit: Oh my lord, this is my longest one shot yet! The final word count is over 3500 words, and it took me SO LONG to finish and publish. But I'm glad I could finally get it out so you lovely people can read it! Enjoy!

~~~

"Look, if I'm going to give up my stunningly beautiful royal outfit, I might as well look just as good in something of Thomas's." Roman said, searching through Thomas's closet for an outfit he considered fashionable.

"You don't have to tear up my entire wardrobe, Roman." Thomas said from his bed.

Thomas had been looking forwards to this fan meet and greet ever since it was scheduled. His best friend Joan was supposed to come along to LA with him, and they would explore the area, have fun together as besties in LA, and get to meet some amazing Fanders.

The only thing was, Joan came down with the flu shortly before they had to leave, and Thomas caught it from them. So both friends were unable to go, leaving them both disappointed.

Thomas didn't want to disappoint his fans with the bad news so close to the meet and greet, especially since so many had already bought tickets. So, Roman offered to go in his place. After all, they were identical, and Roman would never pass up an opportunity to act.

"Aha! This'll look nice." Roman held up a white shirt under Thomas's jacket. "I'll wear this with just jeans."

"You realize you need outfits for the whole weekend, not just the event, right?" Virgil pointed out from the corner of Thomas's bedroom.

"What? The whole weekend?" Roman repeated.

"I mean, you have to be the one to go on this trip in Thomas's place. You gotta be Thomas the whole time." Virgil said. "It's just common sense, really. You can only break character when you're alone."

"Speaking of alone-" Thomas turned to Virgil. "Someone has to be Joan and go with him. Patton doesn't want to pretend to be someone he's not, and Logan doesn't like acting in general, so that leaves..."

"What? No!" Virgil shook his head. "I didn't agree to this."

Roman snickered. "You have to do it with me."

"But Thomas, you know I hate shapeshifting!" Virgil whined like a little kid begging to get out of something.

"Please, Virgil?" Thomas asked. "You would just be there to make sure Roman doesn't go too out of line."

"Wait-" Roman turned to look at Thomas.

"Oh, so you want me to babysit him, make sure he doesn't ruin the whole thing?" Virgil snickered.

Roman pouted. "I don't need him to babysit me. For goodness sakes, he's younger than I am."

"It's not babysitting. It's just... It would be better if you two went together as opposed to Roman going alone." Thomas said.

Virgil sighed. "At least I don't have to wear anything from your trash closet."

"Hey!" Thomas protested.

Virgil shrugged innocently, and Thomas sighed in resignation.

"Alright, the flight is at noon today." Thomas handed Roman and Virgil two tickets. "Virgil, is it possible that you can stay shapeshifted as Joan all the time when you're in public with Roman?"

Virgil nodded. "I may not like shapeshifting, but I can keep my shapeshifted form for as long as I need to. I could hold it all weekend if I needed to, but hopefully I'll be able to look like myself when I'm in the hotel room."

"Good." Thomas nodded.

Roman was fully passing as Thomas at this point. If Virgil didn't know any better, he'd have thought it was Thomas himself.

"Can you try shapeshifting into Joan?" Thomas asked.

Virgil snapped his fingers and took on the appearance of Thomas's best friend, beanie and all.

"Perfect." Thomas said.

"I think you look better as yourself." Roman said.

"We're identical. Are you just calling yourself attractive?" Virgil blinked.

"Shush, Virge, I'm just trying to be a cute boyfriend here." Roman said.

"Well, you're my boyfriend, and I'd say you're pretty cute, so you're doing a good job." Virgil said.

Roman blushed. "Who knew Virgil Sanders could be such a flirt?"

"Guys, can you save the flirting for the LA trip?" Thomas said, third wheeling from where he was sitting on his bed.

"You do realize that we're going to just add to the theory that you and Joan are secretly dating?" Virgil said.

Thomas laughed. "You know, you're right."

"Well, anyways, we have some time before we leave for the flight." Virgil snapped his fingers and shapeshifted back into his original, Thomas-resembling self. "I gotta go pack."

And with that, he left.

~~~

"Don't airports just... mystify you? I don't know what it is about them, they just feel so surreal, so... magical, almost." Roman looked around the LA airport, dragging his luggage behind him.

"It's just an airport." Virgil said. "It's not really anything special."

Roman shook his head sarcastically. "So close-minded."

"You're an idiot, Roman." Virgil smiled.

"You know, it's really strange to hear you insult me in Joan's voice." Roman commented.

"Joan's voice or not, it's still me, and I, for one, love to remind you of how much of an idiot you are." Virgil said.

"Maybe so, but you love me." Roman smirked.

"Dangit, you're right." Virgil blushed.

Roman laughed. "We really are gonna make the Fanders think Thomas and Joan are in love."

"Oh, it's too late for that." Virgil said.

"Maybe so." Roman said. He looked out of the airport window. "Look at that. It's LA."

"Well, I would hope so, or else we're in the wrong airport." Virgil replied.

"Different voice, same sarcastic humor." Roman sighed.

"Different outfit, same cringeworthy personality." Virgil replied.

Roman made a face of feign offence. "I hate you."

"Love you too." Virgil replied.

The two of them made their way out of the airport. They rented a car and Roman climbed into the driver's seat before Virgil could.

"Hey, I wanted to drive." Virgil complained.

"No thanks, I don't want to die in LA." Roman started the car.

"Rude. My driving's not half bad." Virgil stuck his tongue out at his boyfriend from the passenger's seat.

Roman snickered, and Virgil rolled his eyes.

Virgil didn't mind being in the passenger's seat, though. He got control over the music they listened to, and so he would always change the song in the middle just to piss off Roman, who was always singing along.

"You aren't allowed to control the music anymore." Roman told him.

"You can't tell me what to do." Virgil said, and played one of his emo songs that he knew Roman couldn't stand.

Roman wouldn't admit it, but he thought that hearing Virgil sing along was completely worth it.

They pulled into the hotel parking lot shortly after Virgil's song was over. Roman checked into the hotel and got the key, while Virgil carried his luggage behind him and avoided making eye contact with strangers.

Roman stepped into the hotel room with Virgil behind him, dropped his luggage on the bed, and said, "This hotel room would be amazing for singing soft songs late at night."

"Thomas has done that loads of times before." Virgil said.

"Who do you think gave him the idea?" Roman asked. "I mean, ideas are literally my domain."

"True." Virgil set down his stuff and collapsed on the hotel bed. Sighing, he snapped his fingers and shapeshifted back into his normal self, makeup and all. "Finally, a moment where I can just be me again."

Roman laid down next to him. "The best person you can be is yourself."

"Actually, I could be Beyonce. Beyonce is the best person." Virgil said.

"You know what I meant." Roman laughed. "Although true. Beyonce is a goddess."

Virgil planted a soft kiss on the top of Roman's nose. "I'm glad I could come with you. The event tomorrow is going to be fun. The Fanders really are the best people on Earth."

"Except for Beyonce, as we just stated." Roman added.

"I thought that was a given." Virgil laughed. His laugh was cute and small, and to Roman it was the best sound in the world.

"The event's just a couple of hours. We can spend the rest of our time exploring the wonders of LA. We don't go back to Florida until Sunday." Roman said.

"We could probably visit Ben. Thomas would be jealous that he wasn't with us." Virgil suggested.

"There's a multitude of possibilities." Roman said. "All that matters is that we're spending the weekend together."

"Aw, man, I'm stuck with you for the whole weekend?" Virgil teased.

"You're a dork." Roman laughed.

"Maybe so, but I'm yours." Virgil smiled.

~~~

Virgil didn't like how loud and crowded it was. He also didn't like pretending to be Joan, even though that was technically what he came on this trip to do. He tried to ignore it, but he could feel his anxiety sinking in.

Relax, Virgil. They're Fanders. Fanders are nice, they won't judge you, and they love Joan. It's okay. I promise. You don't have to be anxious.

The reassuring words didn't help much, but thankfully Virgil's anxiety remained calm and steady enough for him to ignore. It was far from panic attack level.

People were in a ridiculously long line for the meet and greet, and Virgil could see them from where he was, fiddling with the sleeves of Joan's jacket, and the hem of their signature beanie. He had chosen to wear the orange beanie that Thomas and Joan had nicknamed "Marco" to the event, just because it was iconic. It was necessary if Virgil wanted to pass as the real Joan.

Virgil found Roman and stayed by his side.

"You doing good?" Roman asked.

Virgil nodded.

"That's good." Roman said. He met Virgil's eyes and lowered his voice. "I would hold your hand, but we're pretending to be Thomas and Joan."

"It's the thought that counts." Virgil gave him a small smirk. He looked at the Fanders waiting to meet Thomas, and he turned back to Roman. "You ready to do this... Thomas?"

Roman nodded. "You bet, Joan."

Virgil bit his lip. "I gotta go then. I'll see you afterwards and we'll get dinner together and share stories, kay?"

Roman agreed, and Virgil made his way downstairs.

The event started.

A teenage girl walked up to Roman. She looked like she was in awe of Roman, but she was trying to play it cool.

The girl talking to Roman had blue eyes and beautiful red hair. She was a sweetheart, that much was obvious from the start.

"What's your name?" Roman asked, mimicking the enthusiasm that Thomas has with his fans perfectly.

"I'm Belle." The girl smiled.

"Like from Beauty and the Beast?" Roman grinned.

Belle nodded. "You could say that."

"Well, I love it!" Roman said. "It's a beautiful name."

"Thank you!" Belle was grinning. "Well, I just wanted to say that you and your friends are a huge inspiration to me, and I love watching your videos. You never fail to make my day, whether it's through a YouTube video, or a Tweet, or an Instagram post."

"Aww, that's so sweet of you to say! I'm glad I could make your day, and I hope I continue to make your day for a long time to come!" Roman smiled warmly at her.

Belle hugged Roman tightly, and Roman returned it.

The next Fander in line was a slightly younger girl with black hair and brown eyes. She couldn't move due to the fact that she was in awe of her idol. When she went up to Roman, the first and only thing she could manage was...

"Oh my god, you're my idol, and I can't believe you're here in front of me, wow, this is happening, wow." Her words came out in a flurry of syllables, she was talking so fast.

Roman laughed kindly. "I'm touched that you consider me your idol! Although, I do have a secret for you. I'm actually just a normal 28-year-old living alone in a Florida apartment who talks to a camera for a living."

And sometimes he hogs the tv when I want to watch Disney movies.

"And yet you still continue to inspire thousands of people worldwide without even trying." She said.

"Aww!" Roman grinned. "Thank you!"

The girl smiled. "No problem, it's true."

"So what's your name?" Roman asked.

"I go by Cat." She said.

"That's a cute name!" Roman said.

"Thank you!" Cat grinned.

"Huzzah!" Roman said, letting on too much of his own voice than he had planned.

Cat laughed. "You sound so much like Roman."

"Yeah, sometimes I act like Roman without meaning to, seeing as how we're the same person in a way." Roman said. "I mean, he's a good trait to act like, seeing as how he's the most popular among the Fanders."

"Actually, I think Virgil's the most popular." Cat said innocently. "He gets the most fan art."

Wow, okay, my boyfriend stealing the spotlight, I see how it is.

"Virgil, huh?" Roman said.

"I guess people just like his sass." Cat shrugged.

"Can he speak fluent Spanish though, that's the question." Roman joked.

"Can you?" Cat asked.

"Estoy seguro que yo puedo." Roman said. "I speak Spanish in the Valent-"

Wait.

Damn my constant need to prove myself!

"That was Roman who spoke Spanish in the Valentine's Day video." Cat pointed out.

"Sorry, I misspoke." Roman said.

"Are you... Roman?" Cat blinked.

Shit-

"I mean..." Roman hesitated. Acting was one thing, outright lying was another. Thomas had always been averse to lying, Morality had always made sure of that. So, he nodded. "I'm so sorry, Thomas was sick and he didn't want to let down the Fanders-"

Cat smiled. "I think that's sweet."

"You do? Thank god." Roman said. "Please don't tell Virgil you know... Wait. You didn't know about Virgil. Dammit."

Cat looked at Roman for explanation.

"Virgil came along to make sure I wouldn't slip up, right, so that's why he'd kill me if he found out. Virgil is shapeshifted as Joan, because they were also sick, and couldn't come themselves." Roman explained.

"Ah. Okay." Cat said. "Well it's super cool to meet you and Virgil too!"

"I'm glad you think so." Roman said.

"And don't worry, I won't tell anyone else." Cat promised.

"Thank you so much." Roman exhaled in relief.

"Anytime." Cat smiled.

~~~

"So how was it?" Virgil asked afterwards, getting a second slice of the pizza that the two of them had bought. They were back in the safety of their hotel room, so Virgil had shapeshifted back into himself.

"It was so nice meeting all those Fanders!" Roman grinned. "Oh, by the way, whether I agree or not, one of them said you were the most popular with the Fanders. Out of the four of us, I mean."

"They said I was the most popular?" Virgil repeated, unable to mask his small amount of shock. And when Virgil's face of shock turned into a small smirk, Roman couldn't help but think it was the cutest thing ever.

Roman smiled warmly. He might've been disappointed that he wasn't the most popular, but this was worth it.

Virgil took a bite of his slice, and Roman casually scrolled through Instagram. He was following several Fander accounts, just because he wanted to keep up-to-date with the Fanders. After all, he was one-fourths of the person they admire.

That's when he saw a video posted of him and a Fander from the meet and greet. It looked like it had been taken from someone in line, but there weren't any people in front of them, so clearly they had to have been next in line. Roman soon recognized the Fander he was talking to in the video to be Cat, and as he listened to some of the dialogue he realized that it was when Cat figured it out... Caught on video... Posted on Instagram.

Shit. Virgil's gonna kill me.

"What're you watching?" Virgil asked casually.

Roman showed Virgil the video on Instagram, and as Virgil watched, his expression changed. He glared at Roman. "A Fander found out?!"

"It was only one, and she promised not to tell anybody! I didn't think about the people in line." Roman admitted.

"This could potentially ruin Thomas's reputation, you know." Virgil pointed out. "Did you think about that?"

"No." Roman admitted, feeling worse by the second as he realized that Virgil was right.

"What do we do? You do realize that Thomas is going to find out one way or another, right?" Virgil asked.

"We should probably tell him ourselves. It's better for him to find out from us." Roman said.

Virgil agreed. Roman called Thomas's contact from his phone and put it on speaker.

"Hey, bud! How's it going?" Thomas picked up.

"We sorta have a problem." Roman said.

"The problem is that Roman blew it." Virgil blurted out.

"Hey!" Roman objected.

"It's true!" Virgil countered.

Roman sighed and explained what happened to Thomas.

Thomas hesitated for a bit after Roman was done talking, then he spoke.

"If I post something about it, it'll just be worse. Let's just wait it out and hope the video doesn't spread. If it does, then we'll see where it goes from there. The Fanders are supportive. They're the best fans a guy could ask for. I'm confident that'll remain true through this." Thomas said. "And Roman, don't sweat it. Everyone makes mistakes."

"Thanks, Thomas." Roman smiled.

"Anytime, buddy. Well, it's getting late over here, and Patton's telling me to go to bed, so I should listen to him. We'll see where this topic is in the morning, maybe it'll completely blow over." Thomas said.

"Let's hope so." Roman said. "Goodnight, Thomas."

"G'night, Thomas." Virgil added.

"Goodnight, you two." Thomas hung up.

Virgil looked at Roman. "He's right. There's nothing we can do tonight." He sighed. "I guess I'm just worried, you know?"

"You're anxious." Roman said.

Virgil nodded. "I mean, it's sorta my specialty."

"I'm sorry I messed up, and I know this is my fault, but I don't want you to be anxious because of it. Please do try to let it go at least for tonight. And if it does spiral and end up getting worse... We'll figure it out together. Me, you, Thomas, Patton, Logan. We're a team. We always have been." Roman said.

Virgil smiled softly. "Thanks, Ro."

Roman kissed him. "Goodnight, babe."

"G'night."

~~~

Virgil was still asleep when Roman woke up. Roman had tried and failed to fall back asleep, so eventually he just gave up. He couldn't take his mind off of his mistake, so he picked up his phone and pulled up Instagram.

Roman blinked.

This was the first discourse he had seen among the Fanders... Ever.

He was just reading through a couple of posts and comments...

"They came to see Thomas, not Roman."

"Don't you think meeting Roman would be cool, too?"

"Yes, if I knew it was Roman! But they lied."

"Thomas was sick and didn't want to let down the Fanders. I think that's pretty sweet."

Roman felt incredibly guilty, but he was glad to see that some Fanders were defending Thomas and himself.

He switched to Tumblr.

He saw the same thing there.

There was one post by a user named @hooded-cat. He skimmed through it.

"I don't understand how Fanders are turning against Thomas so quickly. Yes, what he did might have not been the best solution, but Thomas isn't perfect, guys! You expect him to be perfect and to never make mistakes, but that's just not realistic! You may call Thomas an angel, and I admit, I do it too, but at the end of the day you have to remember that it's a metaphor, not a reality. Thomas is human just like you and me, just like all of us. All of us make mistakes, and it just so happens that Thomas is famous enough for a mistake like this to blow up. We're a fandom, and that means we stick together, and we support Thomas no matter what. Have you forgotten that the Fanders are known for being the sweetest fandom ever? What happened to that? Frankly, this just shows that Thomas cared about the fandom enough to go to lengths not to let them down, and Roman was willing to go on a weekend trip in Thomas's place because he cares, too! And this is what they get? C'mon guys. Be reasonable. I'm going to stay by Thomas's side because he's still the same person he was before, he's still my idol and my favorite YouTuber. Some of you should remember that."

Roman smiled. He was thankful that Thomas had supporters through all this.

After about a week, the discourse blew over. People let it go, and everything went back to... almost the same.

Because at the end of the day, the Fanders were still the Fanders, and Thomas was still Thomas, and no matter what, the Fanders would have his back.

Now if only Thomas would stop losing sleep to edit videos.