Hold Me Back || Prinxiety

Chapter 2

(Roman's POV)

My hands press on the switch directing electricity to Virgil's room. The silence that follows stings at first, gradually transforming into the welcome feeling of emptiness. Finally, I can think. Virgil's hideous music has stopped at last! It's about time too, since it's been two entire weeks since Thomas has released a video - two weeks! I blame Virgil entirely. Between his constant moping presence around the house, completely dampening everyone's mood, and his dreaded music hindering my creative thoughts, the place has been in shambles. I honestly have no idea what he even does here. He barely even comes out of his room anymore, not to eat, drink... anything really. The only time I ever see him is when Thomas summons him for videos, and even then his company is anything but pleasurable. 

Logan and Patton think that Virgil will finally help us work on videos now his only form of entertainment, music, has been turned off. I personally hope Virgil suffers. Me being the cause of his suffering really satisfies me in a sick way. I know how that sounds, it's just... he makes it hard for me to like him. He rubs me the wrong way. I can see his room now, the black door forming an unbreakable barrier between us, yet not filtering the slight aura of anxiety I have no choice but to feel. I wonder what his room looks like..? If it's anything like I imagine, I don't know how much I want to see it. If I listen, I can hear his heavy, irregular breathing penetrating the silence, slightly disturbing the peace in the hallway. For some reason, that small detail really annoys me. Why can he never be normal? Why can he never not a be a nuisance? 

"Virgil," my slightly shaky voice pierces the silence, and for a second I regret saying anything in the first place. Sighing, I repeat, figuring there is no point turning back now. "Virgil," this time my voice comes out how I intended, a dominating presence seeking vulnerability. The harshness of my tone takes me back, and despite myself, I can't help but feel guilty. 

There is no doubt that he has heard me, and if the sudden intake of breath is any measure, he doesn't want me to realize he is in there. I repeat his name again, tasting the foreign vowels and consonants, feeling the smooth way it rolls off my tongue. Again, I am taken aback. His name is so foreign to me. How could the name of someone so close to me not feel familiar? I realize now how few times I have actually called him by his name, often using derogatory words to describe him. "It," "That," "Burden," "Coward," 

I must have been standing by the door for a while now, too lost in my own thoughts to realize that Virgil not only hasn't replied, but has moved to the far end of his room. His now familiar aura is further away. "Good," I think as I turn away. "I didn't even want to talk to him anyway..."

As my feet glide back down the hall, I can't help but miss the touch of his aura. It was comforting, in a way. I shake my head - what am I thinking? As I am about to cross into the lounge room, I hear something from Virgil's that makes my heart stop, a sound that takes me off guard so much that I stumble over my feet and drop onto the floor.

"...Roman?"