Queer 'n Crazy (Sanders Sides Human! Au)

Chapter 17

He was tossed back onto the ground, his hands scrambling for purchase. Where was Pops? Pops could stop it, right? RIGHT?

"I DON'T KNOW WHY I EVEN TRY!" Virgil gasped as pain exploded on the side of his ribcage. The woman leered, before crouching down next to the curled-up lump on the floor. Virgil sobbed openly as a hand started to caress his cheek.

"But you know I love you, right? You know why you deserve it. Don't you, Vir-"

"-gil? Virgil?!"

The purple-haired boy's eyes flew open, and the tightness in his chest grew impossibly tighter. She's coming, isn't she?

"-gil! Virgil, I need you to-"

A hand on his cheek.

"-God, Virgil, please-

Why couldn't he breathe? Why was it so hard to breathe? Why was she still here? Where was-

"VIRGIL!"

Virgil felt a hand grab his arm, and he let loose a guttural yell. He needed to leave, he needed to leave, he needed to-

"Virgil, please! You need to snap out of it!"

...That didn't sound like his mother.

Virgil felt two strong hands pin him to his bed -since when had he been on his bed?- and a voice that was too caring to belong to his mother continue to speak.

"Virge, please! I know you probably can't hear me, but if you can, please just breathe!" It was then that Virgil felt the rabbiting of his chest. That wasn't there earlier, was it? He was pretty sure his mother didn't call him-

Oh. Oh.

++++

Virgil whipped his head to the side and caught the sight of a slightly hysterical Logan watching him with searching navy eyes. He doesn't have his glasses on.

"Virgil, please, come on. Breathe. Four, seven, eight. You know this, come on." Virgil was suddenly hyper-aware of everything around him. The moonbeams that feel between the curtains. Logan's hands pinning down his own. Sheets, tangled around him wildly. Like chains.

That thought did not help, but after a few moments Virgil managed to register where he was. Logan led Virgil through the breathing exercise seemingly calmly, but Virgil was all too aware of the tremble in his voice.

After a while Logan stopped, falling back onto his knees beside Virgil's bed. He didn't let go of Virgil's hand, thankfully. The sensation was grounding.

This is not how I imagined I'd end up holding his hand.

Try as he might, Virgil couldn't hold back the snort that erupted from him when he registered the thought. Logan shot up again, staring at him incredulously.

"Virgil, are you-"

" 'm fine." Virgil managed to get out as he stifled his oncoming laughter.

"Are you going into shock or something..." muttered Logan, his head tilted to the side. Gosh his bedhead is cute.

"My what?"

Whoops.

"Nothing! It's nothing. The comment, not the nightmare. Wait, you're not stupid. You knew that." Logan stared at Virgil as if he'd grown two heads.

Even in his tired state Virgil knew that he had no chance of getting Logan to forget that comment, so he decided not to waste energy on it. He instead drew in a shuddering breath, and let his eyes fall shut.