This week has been rough so enjoy the angst because I'm sAd. In all honest though, I hope you're all doing ok and you like this. I am actually excited to show this but who knows, you may hate it...
The trigger warnings have spoilers but your health is much more important than that so I hope you read them if you believe you might be at risk. Stay safe.
T.W: Cheating, attempted suicide (drowning), Royality, Anxiet (I know that some ships make some people uncomfortable so I thought I would put them as a disclaimer)
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"Roman, you're late." The magicians' assistant, Virgil, said dejectedly. He was already dressed in his black slacks and white shirt, with red suspenders, which went well with the white and red suit that Roman should already have changed into. The tardy man had managed to avoid Logan's wrath by speeding to the dressing room and didn't want to give the stage manager another opportunity to scold him.
"Sorry Virgil, I was out. I'll be ready in a moment." He buzzed with the same excitement as every other show.
When the performer had got his costume on he went to discuss what the show was going to consist of. It wasn't anything new but the briefs are for safety and it eased Virgil's worries.
"So you know the drill. We start with the classic: Picking a volunteer's card. We pick two volunteers to tie you up to put you in the tank. You get out of the tank and onto the balcony. We end with another classic: Sawing you in half. Bows."
Roman's saw his boyfriend nod calmly but did not see the mask that fell upon Virgil's face as they were about to go on stage. The plastic grin would be clear to anyone that new him well. Sadly Roman just wasn't paying attention.
The theatrics all went as well as usual. The son of the owner, of the theatre, sat excitedly in the audience. Patton's smile was infectious, it was probably the reason that Roman had lost track of time and arrived late to start the show. The two had had a lovely walk in the park when they suddenly realised that they should make haste if they wanted to be there for, and perform in, the show that evening. Roman could forget everything around him when with the sunny man. Even his partner, who stood right next to him as they took their bows.
"Ro! That was amazing!" A squeal was heard by all backstage. The joyful man came bounding up to the magician and embraced him. This kind of intimacy wasn't new to Virgil, but he could see the rest of the staff looking at the two characters conversing. They were never usually so open about their.....friendship.
"Roman? Are you coming?" Virgil looked at him from the doorway. Everyone could sense the tension and looked quickly to Roman. I think that most of the group got whiplash after that day.
"I'm really sorry Virgil but Patton wanted to show me the lights. I know you don't like crowds and I-"
"Will you be coming home?"
"Of course I will! See you later."
Virgil sniffed as he left the theatre.
The assistant stayed awake all night, at the dining room table. Waiting.
What if Roman was mugged?
What if he had got hurt?
What if he lost his key or his way home?
What if something happened?
The only thing Virgil could do was wait for the one he loved to come home.
Roman didn't come home that night.
It wasn't unusual for the man to not come home but Virgil didn't want to bed on the of chance that it would be different. There was no way he would be asleep. He ignored how the sleep-deprivation that had lasted a couple of months was not benefiting his, already dwindling, mental health.
Roman's last performance in: The Right Brain Theatre was not supposed to be his last. Sometimes things don't always go the way they are planned.
The plan was to move the tank trick to the end, so as to give the act, at least a little, variety. The tricks themselves weren't changing but audience reacted differently when the saw things in different orders. It could've been considered a social experiment, seeing how much the enjoyment of certain tricks increase or decrease depending on when an audience sees them. Or maybe it was just that the stagehands were getting bored seeing the same thing over and over again.
Two men were supposed to bind Virgil's hands and feet with rope. He would be pulled up to the tank and dropped inside, a curtain falling around it to mask what happened inside.
That was the part that went to plan.
The part that didn't was that Virgil hadn't popped up in the isle after 1 minute and 23 seconds. The curtain came up and the magician's assistant was struggling. Roma was handed an axe and ran to the box. Hitting the thick glass over, and over, and over.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Splash!
Virgil wasn't drowning after that. Maybe another second and he would've been gone. But he wasn't. He was on the stage whilst Roman tried to get him to cough out the water. It only took a moment for Logan to push him away as to perform the correct procedure.
That night everyone sat, shaken up, on the stage. The audience was long gone. Virgil was still sniffling.
"Virgil, it's ok. You're safe. You don't need to cry." Roman came over and Virgil stood up, stepping away from him. Everyone in the room watched this with confusion.
"I'm not crying about that!" Roman took another step forward, Virgil taking another backwards. Keeping the distance.
"Virgil, what are you doing? It's okay."
"It's my fault, and you broke me out. I couldn't breathe."
"Virgil, It wasn't your fault. I know it wasn't your fault. It was no one's fault. Of course I saved you Virgil, I-"
"You didn't save my life! You ruined my death!"
The silence was more deafening than any scream.
"I-What? Virgil?" The wetness coming from Virgil's dark eyes were masked by the left over water that left him sopping wet. Roman was too confused to cry.
"Did you think I wouldn't notice. I noticed the way you looked at Patton. Everyone noticed the way you both acted. What happened to calling me Darling and Love? Did he take that as well as your eyes and your time? I noticed it all. But you didn't notice anything. You certainly didn't notice that my brain was eating itself from the inside out. And even if you did, you probably wouldn't even care!"
The choked back sob that ended the sentence struck a chord in everyone's heart.
"I was Alone! Again! And you weren't coming back! This was a ticking time bomb... so I thought I would make it easier. You weren't coming back. I didn't want to be in a world, where you didn't come back to me."
The waterfall was flowing now. The room was filled with a buzzing tension. For once though, Virgil wasn't nervous about all the eyes on him. He was more anxious about what would happen in the next 10 seconds.
That was how long it would take to get to the exit.
"I would be lying if I said that I hope you and Patton are happy together. Maybe in a few years I'll hope that you are happy, but not now."
Everyone had long ago realised that the person in front of them wasn't their Virgil anymore. His unusual personality drew people in, his care for them kept them there. But, they knew that their friend wasn't coming back.
That was the end of Roman's last performance at the Right Brain Theatre. He performed in other theatres, not many but some. He didn't want to come back to that one. The staff didn't want him back either. Out of sight, out of mind.
~<•>~
A couple of years later Roman and Patton sat excitedly in the audience of a magician's show. The lights would soon come down and everyone was preparing themselves for the enigma that was Deceit.
Roman, being apart of the magic circle, new that Deceit was about the same age as him and was from a small town nearby. He had traveled around with his set before finishing here. Everyone had been singing his praises since he left his home. Everyone knew that there was still plenty of career left for the character after this tour.
Suddenly, there was darkness and the show commenced. It was breathtaking. Roman and Patton would have known this if they had watched. Instead they found that they couldn't tear their eyes away from the magician's assistant. They couldn't believe that it was him. But it was definitely him. Nobody was like him.
Roman might've spoken to him. However, when he saw the wide grin on Virgil's face as he took his bows. A smile so bright that the sun was jealous. Roman knew that Virgil was so much happier with the person he stood next to on the stage...
...who was Roman to intrude on his happiness.
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I am actually really proud of this. I watched The Prestige ages ago and if you've ever seen it you can probably see where so took inspiration from it. If you haven't seen it then a recommend it.
Thank you everyone for the support. It means the world to me and brightens up my days. I hope you all have a lovely day/night and take care of yourselves.
-SiD