*Discontinued* Nightingale

49

"Roman, you had just lost your wings. The only thing I knew for certain was that you didn't care. You didn't care because you had lost them protecting, Virgil. I... At the moment, all I could think of was protecting you. If you would willingly throw yourself into harm and risk death for this one fae... who I NOW know to be important... I had to make a choice. Either I separate you for your safety or I live with the fact that... the next time they might not just take something like your wings." Roman cringed as Thomas deflated a bit into his seat. "When you had said what you did about marrying him, I DID take it seriously but... I didn't FULLY understand my mistake until he was gone and you broke down completely. I am sorry that my choice but you both such pain... but I do NOT regret choosing the life of my son." Roman actually flinched as Virgil just smiled slightly. "I will NEVER regret choosing to protect you. I only regret that the actions that I took to do so resulted in your struggles. If you choose to hate me then so be it. Regardless I am your father... and I will always choose to protect and care for you." Thomas took one last breath before staring at his plate about and sighing. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your dinner and your stay at the castle... I'm afraid I am a bit unwell. I'll be retiring to bed. Please forgive me."

"Father, wait..." Roman watched as Thomas left without another word and he just crashed. He sat their head in his hands as he started to cry. "I just... I... I want to hate him. I do but..."

"You can't blame a father for doing what he thought was best for his child." Roman groaned loudly as Virgil gently rubbed his back. "As painful as it is... We just have to remind ourselves of the reason he did it. It wasn't to hurt us."

"The means don't always justify the ends, Campion. He did a shitty thing."

"No... No, he didn't. The result just wasn't desired. He did what he thought was best for the entirely correct reasons... it just ended up causing more harm than he realized it could cause." Roman only deflated more as Virgil leaned into him. "It's going to take us a while to forgive him. I know this. You even more than me just because of how you are. But we do have to work through this... Your father loves you, Roman. That's the whole reason he did what he did."

"I just want to eat and go back to bed, Nightengale." Virgil tensed as Roman gave him a very broken look. "Please? Please can we just... table this for another day?"

"Of course, Poppy."

"Thank you." Roman smiled as he turned back to his food just wanting everything to end already. "Do you have an idea of what you want to do tomorrow?"

"I wanted to see our moonpool." Roman stopped short again as this panic filled his blood. "You mentioned how you weren't able to get to it since I left and all that so I thought the sooner we started to rework on it the better, you know?"

"Vir-..."

"Plus I thought maybe we redesign it. I know we filled it with crystals and all that but maybe we can do something new?"

"Virgil..."

"We could even bring most of those crystals to the camp for different things. I was just thinking since were older we might find a way to make the moonpool more like how we are now, you know. It might be fun..."

"Nightengale!" Virgil jumped his magic fluctuating as Roman choked beside him. "We can't."

"What? What do you mean?" Roman frowned as he took Virgil's hand in his. "Roman, it's our moonpool. I haven't seen it in so long. I... I know what you said. I'm not expecting it to be ok at all. I'm upset... we started from rock bottom before. I know we can do it again."

"Campion, we can't."

"Roman, why..."

"I can't fly us there." Virgil's blood froze as Roman broke down. Roman crashed, resting his head against Virgil's chest as the younger just stared blankly at the wall in shock. "I can't fly us there. The last time we went... I had my wings. I... I can't do it anymore. I'm sorry. I'm sorry... I can't fly us there." Virgil gently wrapped his arms around his love as he just shook his head.

"Roman, I need you to listen to me ok? Can you do that?" Roman nodded as he just held Virgil close. "Tomorrow we are going to spend the morning together. You and I will even make ourselves a nice picnic lunch. Does that sound nice?"

"Yeah." Roman mumbled into Virgil's shoulder as the younger rubbed Roman's back rhythmically. "It does."

"Good. And after we make and pack our lunch... We are going to the moonpool."

"Virgil, I can't..."

"Roman, please listen to me." Virgil smiled as made Roman look up at him. "Tomorrow before we head out... I'm going to show you a trick I learned in Aeiser ok? And we are going to use that trick to get the moonpool."

"What trick?" Virgil's smile grew as Roman quirked his brow in confusion. "Virgil? What exactly are we going to do?"

"We are going to fly." Roman just blinked, unsure if what he had heard was accurate or not. 

"What?"

"We are going to fly." Virgil repeated as he laughed a bit. "You said it yourself we need to fly to get there. You've always flown me there well... We are going to again."

"Virgil I can't fly. I have no wings. I..." Virgil gently placed a hand to Roman's cheek making the man keen into him desperate for the calming affection. "I can't fly without my wings, Campion."

"Roman, trust me on this ok? Tomorrow we are going to fly." Roman's eyes seemed to sparkle so full of hope as Virgil smiled. "You'll fly again, Poppy. I promise you. You'll fly again."

"I don't understand..." Roman let his eyes slip shut as he tried really hard not to let his mind break down any hope he had. "I haven't flown since I was a boy, Virgil. I literally can't without my wings. I... I miss it so much but..."

"Poppy, Listen to me." Roman felt himself crack and soon it was like everything in him could only feel a pure hope that flooded him entirely as Virgil's words filled his mind. "You will fly again. I promise you this, Romulus. Tomorrow... You will finally be able to fly again." Roman felt this shudder go down his back as if trying to move the phantom wings that have plagued him from the moment he had lost them. Virgil just held him close as he leaned in and softly whispered in his loves ear. "Let's finish up here so we can go cuddle in bed ok. We should get as much rest as we can. We're going to need it."

"Fly?" Roman lulled quietly as Virgil chuckled with a happy gleam in his eyes. "We're... We're gonna fly? For real? We... I'm... I'm going to fly again."

"Yes, Poppy. You're going to fly again."