To Break A Curse

49

"So? What exactly happened with Thomas?" Roman frowned as he froze up.  He was helping Patton to sit up in bed when the other had asked that question. Patton could see how Roman's flashed a faded and dull red. "Roman?" Roman smiled sadly as he sighed and finished helping the other. He placed some more pillowed behind him and died the blanket better before stepping back. "What happened with Thomas?"

"I just got angry." Patton frowned with this look as Roman laughed. "I know. That's not a good enough excuse for having said what I did. But that's just it... there is no excuse... and there never will be."

"Roman, I need to know what happened." Roman nodded as he took a deep breath and sat down beside the man who just watched with a serious yet concerned expression. "Why'd you say it?"

"I was angry... and in pain. After everything that happened with Will, I had gotten better but it still hurt." Patton frowned as Roman just stared at his hands. "Will was still very much at the forefront of my mind. I just wanted to go home. Thomas... He can go through all three realms with no issues. I thought... I thought If anyone could do it, that it would be him but... he said he couldn't. He couldn't because I was not a god anymore and I couldn't take the pain. He tried to explain it to me but I wouldn't listen. I was in so much pain I didn't care to even try to understand why he couldn't. I lashed out. I always lash out. I..." Roman bit his lip as he clenched his fist tightly. "I have an anger issue. I don't cope well when angry. I lash out and say or do things? I'm not good at regulating my pain either. No god really ever is, and it's not an excuse but... I really only said what I did in the grips of my pain and anger just trying to get Thomas to help me. That's all I wanted... I just wanted to go home."

"So how did you meet Virgil?" Roman smiled softly catching Patton's eyes who narrowed them in thought.

"He saved my life." Patton nodded as to egg him on as Roman just laughed. "I don't really know what he did but... I had gone to Thomas's house to try and apologize as I had been for several years now but was never able to find him." Roman blacked eyes seemed to darken even more as he shook. "I wasn't expecting to find Te Ka."

"That must not have gone well." Roman could only shake his head. "What happened?"

"What always happens? I got angry. He wasn't answering and knew he was there so... I got a bit loud and forceful but... then Thomas did answer and well... He uh..." Roman frowned hugged himself slightly. "He tried to kill me." Patton's eyes went wide as Roman looked at the door. "I didn't tell Virgil the whole story. I just said that Thomas and I... that something happened. And then later on I told him what I did but... I never said that he tried to kill me for it."

"Thomas wouldn't..." Roman deflated as Patton just frowned in concern. "What did he do?"

"At first it wasn't really anything. He was angry and he just wouldn't stop." Roman's hand went to his neck tensing at the memory of how Thomas's hands burned his throat. "And then... Then he tried to show me what I had done. You see, Patton... I didn't know about Virgil. I didn't know Thomas had given his heart away. I thought it was just a rock." Patton nodded in understanding as Roman swallowed his pain. "I didn't know. I didn't understand. Thomas was yelling that I'd never go near him and then... he made the cave we were in come down around me." 

"What?" Roman smiled slightly seeing the shock in the other as he nodded.

"Yeah. I can't remember how long I was stuck in there. I just know I was to hurt and to weak to break myself out. I ended up passing out from lack of oxygen." Roman looked over at the door again knowing that Virgil was just outside it and he smiled. "I woke up on the beach with Virgil. He got me out and... saved my life. Of course, the wind and ocean were not very happy with me at all, and I still didn't know why that was."

"Why didn't you just leave then? Why are you still with Virgil?" Roman paused for a second as he tried to work through his words. 

"Well, at first it was all about going home." Patton's eyes narrowed as Roman shrugged. "Virgil said he was saving Thomas and stuff... I thought if I helped him then he might help me. So we made a deal. I would make sure Virgil was safe and that his mission was a success and he would do whatever it took to help me get home." Roman laughed as he started to tear up. "God... I almost failed. I almost broke another promise... I couldn't save him from..." Roman started to cry as he gripped his shirt tightly. "I'm sorry. I know you probably don't want to deal with me crying, but I just... I can't help it. I love him and I almost lost him. I'm still not over it. I don't think I ever will be."

"What are you talking about?"

"Virgil was getting sick." Patton's eyes went wide as his hand went to his chest making Roman nod. "He was getting sick because of Thomas and I didn't know. He kept assuring me everything was ok but I could tell. I had told him the truth about who I was and he freaked out, rightfully so. He ran off and went after him because I just wanted to explain myself... Patton he collapsed. He collapsed in a fit of tremors. I was so scared. I didn't know what was happening. His energy was so low. I didn't know what to do. I just... I just gave him energy and prayed it was enough."

"Something tells me that isn't all there was?" Roman shook his head as he glanced over to see the tears in the father's eyes. "What happened to my son?"

"I tried to convince him to stay behind but he wouldn't listen. And since I didn't have the full story... I didn't push him on it. We went to go see my brother." Patton visibly tensed as Roman nodded. "Yep... and his partner, Deceit. Demon auras are very toxic to the divine. I didn't think anything of it until... It sped up the process. Virgil, he... The aura sped everything up and the next thing I knew I was just trying to keep his body alive. I couldn't save him. I tried. I tried so hard to but... I ended up having to make a deal with my brother again... to save his life."

"You made another deal... for Virgil?"

"And I'd do it again. I love him." Patton smiled as Roman sat there with this serious look in his eyes. "I love him more than anything. You might not like me... You might not forgive me... I'd never forgive me... But I do love him. It took everything just to get to this point. I... I would give up everything just to make him happy. I'd suffer a million times over if he never lost that smile." Roman's eyes filled with that loving pink making Patton's eyes go wide in awe. "I truly love him, Patton."

"Then that's all that matters to me."