A/N:

Whoa... two chapters in 5 hours.

I mean, did you really expect me to leave y'all hanging for over a week??? I might be a little cruel, but I'm not evil. 

TW: I don't really know how to describe it... like, mentions of putting down others, acceptance of deprecating statements, what could probably be called a panic attack (multiple times), crying... OH, there's also a very, very, very infinitesimal mention of attempted suicide). 

Enjoy!!

|Previous chapter:

"No... come... back..." I whispered, my voice hoarse from my screams.

The last thing I saw before everything went black was Roman looking back at me one last time from where he stood at the end of the hall.|

Virgil POV:

"-gil... Virgil... VIRGIL!!!"

I was jolted awake as someone shouted my name and shook my shoulder.

Sitting up, I gasped for breath, tears streaming down my face. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to forget the pain that had carried over from the dream.

A dream... it was just a dream... none of it was real... they don't hate me...

I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" I said rather harshly. I scrambled away from the person, turning so I was facing them.

Roman sat in front of me, eyes wide with concern and his hand held to his chest as if touching me had burned him.

Seeing him in front of me reminded me of the dream, and my torso started to burn as I remembered how Roman had just stood there while I was in pain and calling out to him.

I started sobbing as the dream replayed in my mind. The names, the pain, everyone leaving... all of it flooded me, causing me to collapse onto my side, clutching a pillow to my stomach.

I felt the bed shift as Roman moved to sit behind me. He gently placed a hand on my back and rubbed circled to try to calm me down.

At first, it did comfort me a little bit, but then the dream came crashing back down onto me, blurring the lines of reality. All logic had left, and it no longer seemed like a dream. To my mind, it was real and had actually happened.

"Just leave me alone," I said timidly, scooting away from him. "You're just here 'cause you feel bad for me."

I heard Roman gasp behind me.

"Why do you think that?" he asked, scooting closer and placing his hand on my back again.

"BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS TO PEOPLE LIKE ME," I shouted, sitting up to face him.

We sat there in silence, looking at each other. My chest was heaving as I tried to catch my breath. Roman's mouth hung open, and he looked like I had just called Disney stupid.

"Look," I said, looking down at my lap. I fidgeted with the corner of a blanket next to my leg. "I get that I'm weak. You said so yourself. And I'm not as smart as Logan, which Patton made clear. And Deceit's been lying about being my best friend for the past twenty years. And Thomas-"

"Virgil," Roman interrupted. "What are you talking about? When did any of that happen?"

"J-just now," I stuttered, fresh tears rolling down my cheeks. "We were a-all in the li-living ro-room, a-and Dec-Deceit said that he-he lied about b-being my b-best fr-friend. A-and then P-Patton told me th-that I wa-wasn't as smart as L-Logan, and Logan s-said that it was tr-true. Th-then you called me we-weak for cr-crying. A-and Thomas..."

I couldn't finish because I was suddenly back in the living room, huddled on the stairs.

I looked around and saw everyone in their spots staring at me. From where I was crouched, Roman was in front of me with Patton to his right. Deceit was on the other side of Roman with Thomas and Logan standing to my left.

"No," I mumbled. "No... why d-did you bring me back??? Why?? I get that I'm a-an idiot, a-and weak, a-and that no one is m-my friend. A-and I know that I-I des-serve it bec-because I'm just a bu-burden a-and-"

"Virgil, what are you talking about?" Thomas asked gently.

I looked up at all of them and saw just how confused they were. Patton, Thomas, and Deceit all had tears in their eyes while Roman and Logan looked at me with sad expressions.

"Y-you would k-know," I said in response to Thomas' question. "You were there. You all were there."

I gestured to all of them and heard Logan start speaking. "Virgil, I am afraid that none of us know of what you are referring to."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes while murmuring under my breath, "Of course. You're all pretending you don't know what happened. Typical."

I caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of my eye and turned to see Deceit walking towards me.

Remembering what he had said, I scrambled away from him as much as I could. I wasn't able to get far before my back hit one of the stairs. I tried climbing up them backward, but my hand slipped and I tumbled back. The back of my head hit the edge of the stairs with a loud "thunk," and everything went black once again.

~~~

When I woke up this time, I was lying on my bed, which was no longer a fort. The back of my head throbbed from where I hit it on the stairs. My room was shrouded in darkness, and everything was eerily silent.

A few seconds later, my door creaked open, sending a sliver of light across my room. A figure stood in the doorway, and, based on the silhouette, I knew it was Thomas. There was no cardigan, sash, glasses, or hat that was the signature of the other sides.

Thomas reached out and turned on the light, momentarily blinding me. When I was able to see again, Thomas was sitting on the edge of my bed, a concerned look on his face.

"How are ya doing, Virge?" Thomas asked quietly.

"My head hurts," I whispered in response, slightly wary of Thomas.

"You gave us all quite a scare back there, Virgil," Thomas said, voicing his concern. "What happened?"

"I-I was in the living room," I started, recounting what had happened. "A-and all of you guys were there. D-Deceit said that he had li-lied about being my b-best f-friend. And then P-Patton said that I wasn't as smart as L-Logan so I wouldn't und-understand what was happening, and L-Logan said it was t-true."

Tears had started pooling in my eyes while I was talking, and when I paused to catch my breath, they started falling down my cheeks. Thomas placed a hand on my back to try and pull me in for a hug, but I flinched away as soon as he touched me.

"A-and then R-Roman said I was w-weak for crying because I had st-started to cry. A-and then y-you said you we-were sorry and you," my breathing was starting to speed up, making it hard for me to speak. "Y-you t-took... you took... a-an... anxiety p-pill... a-and i-it... it hurt..."

The memory of the pain came back, and it was like it was still happening. I was completely unaware of Thomas as he tried to comfort me. All I could focus on was the pain in my torso.

"No... no... no, no, no," I gasped out between sobs, clinging to Thomas' shirt. "M-make it... make it stop!!! It hurts... it hurts so bad... why does it hurt?? What did I do??"

I didn't remember anything else because, at that moment, everything went black for the third time that day.

Thomas POV (Ooohhhh, new):

I sat there in horror as Virgil explained what had caused him to freak out. I cringed when he mentioned me taking an anxiety pill, remembering the bottle that was still in the medicine cabinet from when they were prescribed to me years ago.

When I heard Virgil stop talking, I saw him curled up in a ball, asking someone to make something stop.

Instinctively, I reached my hand out and started rubbing circles into his back. After a few seconds, Virgil looked over at me and launched himself into me.

I wrapped my arms around him, trying to comfort him. He kept talking about something hurting between sobs, and I felt so weak because I couldn't do anything to help him. I felt even weaker when he passed out a few minutes later.

I knew as soon as it happened because he went completely limp and stopped making any noise.

"Shit," I mumbled, rushing to lay him down on his bed.

I stood up and went to his door, making sure to keep an eye on him the entire time.

"LOGAN" I shouted, and I immediately heard something drop.

Not even two seconds later, Logan was standing outside of Virgil's room, panting.

"I... got here... as... soon as... I... could," he gasped out between breaths.

"I noticed," I said nonchalantly. "But you didn't have to run."

"Actually, I have learned that it is best to run when you hear someone shout your name from Virgil's room," he retorted while adjusting his glasses.

I was silent for a few seconds, and I was sure we were both thinking of when Virgil had attempted.

"Fair enough," I said after a while. "Anyways, Virgil passed out again, and I just thought you'd want to know."

Logan's eyes widened. "He passed out again. Oh my."

I nodded before walking back over to Virgil's bed.

Logan immediately sat down on the edge of the bed and started checking Virgil's pulse and temperature.

"He appears to be stable, but I'll want to watch him for a few minutes and make sure I'm here when he comes back around," he said, glancing back at me.

I nodded in agreement. "Alright. I'm gonna go tell Patton, Roman, and Deceit about this."

"Very well," Logan said, nodding to show he heard.

Turning around, I walked out of Virgil's room, pausing momentarily while I was at the door.

"Oh, by the way, Logan," I said, turning around. "When he wakes up, come out to the kitchen. I've got something you should all hear."

~~~

Upon reaching the kitchen, I saw Patton munching on a cookie while Deceit and Roman whispered to each other, although Roman looked very confused and frustrated.

When Patton saw me, he rushed over to me and ushered me to the table.

"Are you okay, kiddo?" he asked worriedly. "You look like you just saw a ghost.

"Virgil passed out again," I said suddenly, just wanting to get it off of my chest.

As soon as I said that, all three of them gasped and asked me what had happened.

"Guys, I'm gonna tell you all when Logan gets back from checking on Virgil," I said, interrupting their questions.

Right as I said that, Logan walked into the kitchen. He went over to Patton and gave him a hug, which Patton eagerly returned.

"Virgil is alright," Logan said, sensing that we were all thinking that. "He has a very mild concussion from hitting his head, and I think he was in some sort of shock. He is currently getting some much-needed rest, so it would be best for us all to be quiet."

When Logan said that, all four of us breathed a sigh of relief. Virgil had worried all of us today, and it was such a relief that he would be alright.

"But one question still remains," Logan said, gaining all of our attention yet again.

"What wasn't he freaking out about?" Deceit finished.

Everyone looked at me, and I sighed before restating what Virgil had told me.

"He said that he was in the living room, and we were all there with him. Apparently, Deceit, you told him that you had lied about being his best friend, and then Patton, you said that Virgil wasn't as smart as Logan. Logan, you confirmed what Patton said, and then Roman, you called him weak for crying. And then I took an anxiety pill, and that was when he seemed to go into his own world and he kept saying 'make it stop' and 'it hurts.' I tried to comfort him and calm him down, but he passed out."

I stopped talking, and everyone was silent as they processed what I had just said.

After a few minutes, Roman spoke up.

"He was telling me about that before you summo..." he trailed off before he could finish the sentence.

He was silent for a few seconds before he suddenly shouted, "That's it!"

Before any of us could say anything, he turned and ran out of the room.

I almost called out after him but then remembered that Virgil was resting.

Sighing, I turned back to the others, "I'm gonna go check on Virgil."

"Alright," Patton nodded before turning around to get another cookie.

I stood up to leave but paused when I heard Patton mumble something under his breath.

"I'm gonna need more than two cookies today."

A/N:

*Tentatively crawls out of hiding*

Hey y'all!!

So, I knew I had to get this chapter written and published tonight before I even finished writing Chapter 21. Like, I knew y'all would be mad and demanding more. 

Until next time,

Take it easy guys, gals, and non-binary pals!

~death_by_fanfic