The sea is always varying degrees of cold. The temperature depends on the depth and the current. Sometimes when the current is faster than usual, it feels very very cold, almost like ice water. For humans, it could turn their lips blue. Merpeople don't exactly have this difficulty, but they do live close to the surface for a reason. The black depths chill the blood... even the thought of that makes Virgil shiver.
The current blows swiftly. Right now, Virgil's trying his best to focus on how much it's carrying his plain tail and carding through his hair. Blowing softly to the right... blowing harder... softer. He squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, his gills fluttering as he tries to take calming breaths. Those will get him through this. And maybe Roman's matured. Maybe he isn't as bad at handling his friends anymore.
Virgil should've learned by now that holding onto hope is dangerous sometimes.
No no no- Virgil's wrist hurts. He has to hold back his scared little whimper. Roman knows how sensitive he is, mentally and physically... right? Ow- Virgil closes his eyes for a second. Soft current. Deep breaths. This is so uncomfortable. Virgil doesn't think he can even make it to wherever Roman's taking him before he panics. The signs are there. Virgil can feel his body quivering and his gills fluttering.
He shouldn't've come out of his home. All of this happened because he needed some stupid food. He could have eaten his algae bed. That would have been just fine. Then he wouldn't have to follow Roman without any clue to where they're going.
Okay. Virgil's just got to speak up. That's not that difficult. He's done it before... not a lot... really only a few times... but it's not that hard. Just open his mouth. Gosh, it feels like there's seaweed in his mouth and he can't spit it out. This doesn't feel good. Just say it; this doesn't feel good. He doesn't want to be here, nonononono-
Virgil struggles to take a few deep breaths. How long has it been since he tried to open his mouth and speak? It feels like he's been taking a good hour or so trying to make his vocal cords work.
It's now or never. Virgil's gotta do it before Roman speaks up and cuts off his chance. Here goes nothing.
He... he's important?
Virgil's heart... stopped.
Dang it... he was stupid again. H-how could he expect Roman to appreciate him? Virgil's such a stupid idiot. He never mattered to anyone, what could ever make him think he mattered now. What a mistake. He should have stayed into his little house. No one would have missed him.
Roman certainly didn't.
Virgil's chest heaves with the strain of trying to get oxygen to his heart in overdrive. No... his poor little heart can't take this strain. It hurts really bad... everything hurts. Virgil's wrist hurts from Roman's grip and his eyes sting with the merman tears— the kind that don't dissolve in water.
He knows Roman's turned around to look at him. But he can't move. He can't look up or swim forward. There's no way he can keep going, not with so much pain in his heart. For a moment, Virgil desperately hopes Roman will be kind, and at least comfort him. There's a small chance he will... right? Please... he just needs a tiny bit of comforting right now.
Everything hurts. Virgil doesn't want to be here at all. The water is much too cold with this current. A small goldfish swims by Virgil's face curiously before continuing on, following the drift of the water that's carrying it away.
Fish... is that all he is to roman? An insignificant, useless little fish that has no brain and lives to be eaten by some bigger fish? Virgil wants to sob right now. He wants to curl up in a little merman ball and hold his tail until the tears go away. But of course, he can't do that because if he did, Roman would never let him live it down. Why can't Virgil just stop crying? It would be so easy to stop crying. People do it all the time, so why can't he?
There's nothing to stop Virgil's mind from latching onto Roman's cruel words and spiral into the black depths of the sea... nothing... that's what he is. A fish toy to be played with and then thrown out into the kelp beds.
Wait... what is he thinking? Roman... he asked Virgil to come with him.
Virgil's probably making him feel bad right now. Oh god no, what has he done?
Fun... he has to be fun for Roman. He doesn't want to be, but if he isn't then he's being a bad friend— worse than he's already been. Why won't the tears stop? Sure, Virgil's pulling himself apart at the seems, but why can he stop crying for Roman's sake? He's so stupid. Stupid little fishie. M-maybe Roman's just taking him to find some shells. Maybe they'll find some pretty, shiny ones. Or maybe they're really going to get food. Yeah, one of those. It's nothing bad at all.
He's stupid if he can't just calm down. Calm down calm down calm down- start breathing without sucking in water three fold. Miserable- he can't even get breathing right.
He doesn't want to go.
Virgil doesn't want to go.
Don't go... don't go!
He's going.
The stupid fish is going, and he doesn't know that he's not coming back.