Hold Me Back || Prinxiety

Chapter 8

(Roman's POV)

Flashback:

What I see takes me by surprise; it's another side. He looks the same as us, but is just... different. Darker. I know this can't be good.

"Hello," the person says in a cultured, yet shady voice. He wipes Virgil's hair away from his eyes in a caring manner. But I know better, there's no way he's here to help.

"I'm Virgil's Depression, and if you want to save him, there's only one person here who can help."

End Flashback:

Tearing my eyes away from Virgil below me, I eyed "Depression," trying to figure out why he was here. Catching my glare, he smirked, a harsh, mocking sneer quite unlike Virgil's endearing, sarcastic one. It sickened me, and in a blind fit of rage, I spat in his face. I watched in satisfaction as he flinched away momentarily before sending me a look of bitterness so palpable I could almost taste it. "What are you doing here?" I hissed, "Virgil was fine until you showed up, and now look!"

In a second he was on me, and I could feel the heat radiating from his shadowy form. "Is that so?" he replied, "Look me in the eyes and tell me that again."

"I-I, of course he was fi-" my voice trailed off and I avoided his eyes. Was Virgil fine before Depression came? Or was it Logan, Patton and my constant disdain towards him that attracted Depression into his life? "I don't need to answer that," I finally answered after the silence became too much. With Patton's help, we managed to drag Virgil to the other side of the room, away from the clutches of Depression. 

Logan was quick to take action, lying Virgil on his back and checking his airways, "It seems he can breathe normally, so I'd say he's fainted. If that's the case he should wake up in 15 minutes, if not..."

"Oh, he'll wake up," Depression laughed from the other side of the room, "that is if you help him."

"What do you mean? What's wrong with him?" Logan queried, unconsciously pushing his glasses up towards his nose. We could all tell something was up, something... unnatural.

Patton came out from the corner, the urge to protect his friend stronger than his fear of Depression. "Yeah, if you've done something to my son I swear-"

"You swear what?" Depression jeered and forced him back against the wall using some invisible power. "And no. What's happening to Virgil he did himself."

"What do you mean?" I muttered, meeting Depression's eyes again. What had Virgil done to deserve this?

"Well, Princey," he smirked, making me shudder, "Virgil here decided to 'take one for the team' as the expression goes. He was in Thomas's subconscious one night when I decided to make a visit, and he didn't like what I wanted Thomas to do."

"What was that?" Logan interjected, suddenly cautious.

"Well, I would tell you, but... I think it will be better if I show you," Depression said, wrapping his arm around Virgil's wrist, painfully tearing cloth and bandage off the arm. Logan and Patton stood, speechless, as they realized what happened. "Oh yes, Virgil has been taking the effects of depression instead of Thomas. He said that he was worth less, that his life wouldn't have any pleasure anyway."

Oh my God. What was Virgil thinking? I looked at the others and was met with the same guilt on their faces as I feel right now. We must have treated him terribly for him to think that.

Depression stepped closer to Virgil as if trying to play with his hair. I instantly blocked his way, pressing my hand against his chest as a subtle warning. "Ooooh Princey. Do you not want me to save your lover's life?" 

My breath got stuck in my throat as I struggled to think of a reply. How did he know about my feelings for Virgil?

"Oh yes, of course I know. I watched you both last night when you shared the bed. It's obvious you love him, Roman. Even a blind man would know."

I stepped back, shocked by what he said. 

"What are you- does that mean that Princey has feelings for Virgil?" Patton interjected before Logan shot him a look clearly saying 'be quiet.'

"Oh, you didn't know? It's pretty obvious if you ask me. But this brings me to my next point. There is a way to save Virgil, but only one of you can."

"Why are you telling us this?" Logan asked, suspicious. "Don't you want him to die? Isn't that why you're here?"

"As much as I hate to say it, I rely on Virgil's energy to live. What's happened to Virgil is that he's been avoiding Thomas, refusing to take his energy to live and in return has been.. cutting himself." he looked at Virgil with eye's full of hate. "I think he knows that if he cuts himself I will eventually be too weak to corrupt anyone else. A noble but foolish sacrifice."

"So basically," Logan confirmed, "if we save Virgil, we will also be making you stronger. So strong, in fact, that you might be able to corrupt us or Thomas?" 

Patton sighed, realizing what Logan meant, "I'm sorry, Virgil" he spoke softly to the crumpled form on the ground, knowing Virgil couldn't hear him anyway,  "but we need to protect Thomas over you. If depression takes over Thomas we all die."

"What?!" Roman looked at Patton and Logan with shocked eyes, "we're going to let Virgil die?"

"Unfortunately, the decision isn't up to you," Depression scoffed at Logan and Patton. In an instant, the room went back and I was alone with Depression. "the decision is up to you, Roman. Afterall, you are the only reason Virgil has any will to live. He loves you, after all."

"What do I need to do?"

"So easy to persuade," he smirked. "Right now you are in Virgil's mind if you will. What you need to do is find him and convince him to come back. Convince him that he needs to live. I'm sure you can do that, can't you?"

I looked around, seeing that it looked exactly like Thomas's living room. I knew this place existed, but I'd never been here myself. If was an unwritten rule that we never invade each other's mind. It's the one place we have privacy. But I needed to find him, and quickly. So I abandoned Depression, my one thought to find Virgil.

Little did I know, that decision almost cost us all our lives.