(Based on the song by Evanescence.) Swipe for song at top.
Trigger warning: mentions of anxiety attack, injuries, and overall angst
Prinxiety.
*
My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold
Until you find it there, and lead it back home
*
"Virgil?" Roman called. No one had seen the Anxious side all day, and Roman was worried, which led to the decision to check on Virgil
"Virgil?" he asked again, knocking on the side's door. No answer. He didn't want to violate the other's space, but he wanted to make sure Anxiety was okay. He slowly opened the door, looking inside the room to find . . . no one.
He was about to walk out of the room when he heard a soft, faint thump. He cautiously walked towards the source of the sound, which was ironically the closet.
"Who's there?"
Once again, no answer.
He placed a hand on the doorknob, took a deep breath, then swung the door open. Roman gasped in shock as Virgil's limp body fell to the floor in front of the creative side. He knelt down next to Anxiety and gently picked up his head, resting it on his lap to elevate it. Virgil's face was contorted in a look of terror that broke Roman's heart. The creative side checked the other's pulse, breathing out a sigh of relief when he felt a soft thumping under his fingers.
But he was full of questions. What happened to Virgil? How could he be helped?
Roman stared at the side's pale face. He reached out and brushed the other's bangs, then stared in surprise at the small mark on his forehead. It was a little black line, faint but noticable now that his bangs didn't cover it. Roman's fingertips brushed it, and his eyes widened as he felt himself being transported.
*
Don't let me die here
Bring me to life
*
Roman opened his eyes, staring at a swirling black and deep purple sky. Everything around him couldn't seem to stay still; the area spun like a tornado.
The creative side felt a headache growing from the chaos around him, but he put his pain out of his mind. He needed to find Virgil and help him.
He stood, holding his arms out to steady himself, feeling as if he was standing on a tightrope. But he kept moving, step by slow, agonizing step.
As he passed the different scenery, he realized he knew where he was. Each side had an area where they put bad things, things like memories they'd rather have Thomas forget, the worst thoughts. It was a cache of some sort, and each was different. This was Virgil's.
Roman winced as he passed a memory of Thomas curled on his bed, tears streaming down his face. He seen a collection of Thomas' bad thoughts, and though he tried to shield his eyes from reading them, he still managed to see a few. These thoughts didn't mix with his creativity, and he felt himself being weakened by them. He limped, his skin pale. He was extremely tired, but he needed to keep going.
He trudged through the area, weakened by every step he took. Finally, he seen shape laying on the ground, his eyes wide with fear, his body twitching.
It was Virgil.
"Virgil," Roman tried to shout, but it came out hoarse. The other side didn't look up. Roman was a foot away from Virgil when he collapsed, his legs not wanting to move. He pulled himself towards Virgil using only his arms, finally making it to the anxious side.
"I'm here," Roman whispered. "Virgil, wake up." He placed a shaky hand on Virgil's forehead, brushing back his bangs to reveal the little black mark. His fingertips hovered over the mark, and everything went black.
*
(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside
(I can't wake up)
Wake me up inside
(Save me)
Call my name and save me from the dark
(Wake me up)
*
Roman woke up in Virgil's room, gasping and feeling incredibly weak. He forced himself to sit up despite the pain he was in, and he turned to see Virgil twitching. Suddenly, the anxious side's eyes flew open, staring wildly around the room before settling on Roman.
"Roman," he croaked, and the creative side scooted towards him.
"Shh," said Roman, his arm wrapping around the shoulders of the other. The pain kicked up with this movement, but Roman gritted his teeth through it.
"Y-you s-saved me," Virgil stuttered. "The thoughts overwhelmed me, a-and I couldn't g-get out." He closed his eyes with a shudder, then opened them and looked at Roman. "You saved me," he repeated. "Why would you save me?"
"Why wouldn't I? We could never function without you if you were gone. And you were hurting, and you needed to be set free."
"Thank you, Roman." Roman watched as tears fell down Virgil's face, a sight he never thought he would see. Virgil tried to scrub them away, but they kept falling. Roman reached a hand out and brushed the tears away with his thumbs. Virgil looked at him with red eyes, and Roman pressed a soft, gentle kiss to his forehead. The creative side leaned against the wall, and winced when he felt pain shoot up his body.
"You're hurt," Virgil stated.
"I am fine—"
"No, you're not. I'm going to go get you help." Virgil shakily stood, and all Roman could do was helplessly watch the other walk out of the room. The creative side closed his eyes, letting his tired body rest. A few minutes later, he heard voices down the hall and he opened his eyes, watching his fellow sides walk into Virgil's room.
"Roman!" Patton said worriedly, dropping to his knees and taking his role of the "Dad" very seriously. "What hurts?"
"Everything," he muttered. His eyes met with Virgil's and he was surprised to see Anxiety's mouth open, gaping at him.
"I have brought your serum," said Logan, holding out a vial filled with shimmering red liquid. Each side had a serum to return them to their normal selves. It could heal them, or return their personality of something were to go wrong. Roman's hand shook as he accepted the vial, the cork already off. He took a deep breath, then downed the serum. He felt the pain fade from his body, and he smiled, returned to his normal state.
"Thank you, you two. Now, so think I'm just going to relax and watch a movie—"
"Nuh-uh!" said Patton. "You're going to go and rest. We know you're basically drained."
Roman hated to admit it, but he was exhausted. Unfortunately, the sides' serums could only cure physical things, not mental things, such as exhaustion.
"How shall we get him to his room?" asked Logan. "We shouldn't teleport with him—"
"He can stay here." They all turned their heads to look at Virgil, who had remained quiet during that whole time.
"Are you sure?" asked Logan.
Virgil glanced at Roman, then nodded.
Logan and Patton left, and Roman shakily got up, glancing at Virgil's bed.
"Are you sure you're fine with this?"
"Yes, Princey. Now get some sleep." Virgil sat on he ground, cocooned in one of his blankets.
Roman reluctantly climbed into Virgil's bed, snuggling into the black and purple comforter. Despite his exhaustion, a thought surfaced in his head.
"Virgil?"
"Whhhaaattt?"
"Did you take your serum?"
The other side was quiet, and Roman scooted towards the edge of the bed to see Virgil better. The anxious side stared at the ceiling, not seeming to focus on anything in particular. Roman slid out of the bed, despite his body protesting, and snapped his fingers. It took a lot of concentration, but he managed to make Virgil's purple serum appear.
"Roman, why did you do that?!"
"Drink," Roman replied, uncorking the vial and kneeling besides Virgil, holding the vial out to him. He begrudgingly took it and gulped it down, setting the empty vial on his nightstand.
"Thank you, Virgil muttered, though he sounded genuinely grateful.
A few moments passed by and neither of them moved. It was silent until Roman said, "Would you like to sleep with me?" He blushed, his mind taking a moment to process what he just said. "I mean, not like that, just, uh, cuddling. Oh my Cinderella, I cannot think!"
"I get what you mean, Princey." He heard Virgil chuckle. They stood and Roman collapsed tiredly onto the bed, Virgil carefully laying next to him. He was unsure of what to do, but Roman who seemed to be half-asleep, turned to face him, his arms coming around Virgil and their legs tangling with each other's.
Virgil let himself relax in the creative side's embrace, Roman's comforting presence chasing away the nightmares that plagued him many nights before.
*
Roman awoke to Virgil snuggled into his chest, with his own arms wrapped around the anxious side. He sighed and kissed Virgil's forehead gently, avoiding the mark. Virgil's eyes fluttered open and Roman smiled.
"Good morning, Emo Nightmare."
"G'morning," he mumbled, his face buried in Roman's chest.
"Are you feeling better?" Princey asked Anxiety quietly.
"Yeah. You?"
"Definitely. That rest helped."
"That's nice," Virgil said tiredly.
"Virgil," Roman said. He knew what he was about to say was treading on a sacred ground, but he needed to know. "Why were you in your mind cache?"
Virgil moved his head so it was no longer buried in Roman's chest. "I was having an anxiety attack, and suddenly, the bad thoughts, the fear, it was just—just consuming me. I was unconscious and transported to my cache. All the bad things only amplified." Roman reached a hand up and brushed away the tears that fell down Virgil's face. He knew Anxiety hated to cry, and when he did, he hid it from everyone. But now he was letting Roman in, letting him see a part of himself he didn't let the others see.
"I wish I could have comforted you, Virge. I should have noticed something was wrong way before I did, that you were in trouble."
"I was trying to hide it. Usually, they're not that bad—"
"I don't care how bad it is, Virgil. If you need someone to help you through them, you call for me." He let his hand cup Virgil's cheek, staring into the other's eyes. "I will always be here for you."
"That mark," Virgil said. "It wasn't there before."
"Perhaps it appeared as a way to help me save you?"
"Maybe . . ."
Roman found his eyes flicking down to Virgil's lips, and in response, the other side leaned closer, giving him permission.
They kissed passionately, though they were both being careful with each other. When they reluctantly pulled away, Roman smiled at the other.
"I will always be here for you," Roman repeated, and he saw Virgil slowly smile.
*
Almost 2,000 words! This has been in my drafts for so long, and I finally found some inspiration for it.
Enjoy, ~Kirs.