A/N:

Okay... I just... I... I'm... WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!

18 chapters of this book have reached 1K+ reads, and the entire book has 35.1K reads... I'm in absolute shock. I'm so grateful that you are all reading this!!!

TW: tears, slight panic attack

I was gonna wait until tomorrow night to publish it, but I literally couldn't wait until then. Get ready for a 3,265 word feels trip, y'all.

|Previous chapter:

"Deceit, he..." Patton started to say again, and the waver in his voice was clear as dawn.

"He has Hanahaki."|

Roman POV:

After Patton spoke, I was frozen to my spot.

Deceit has Hanahaki... Someone else has Hanahaki, and there's nothing I can do to help them.

I felt so horrible that Deceit was suffering. I mean, yeah, we haven't gotten along in the past, but that doesn't mean that I want to see him in pain.

Hearing Patton's sniffles pulled me out of my thoughts, and I focused back in on Logan, who was talking Patton through a breathing exercise.

"...out for 8. Can you do that, Love?" Logan whispered, counting on his fingers.

I saw Patton nod before starting to exhale slowly, and I couldn't help the slight twinge of what might have been jealousy that appeared in my chest.

Before I could think about the twinge too much, Logan had walked over to where I stood, Patton trailing behind him.

"Roman?" Logan asked. "Are you doing alright?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but no sound came out. I felt like Ariel after Ursula had taken her voice.

"Ro?" Patton sniffed after a few seconds of me staying silent. "Are you okay?"

Hearing Patton speak, his voice so quiet and broken, I was finally able to talk.

"I-I guess so," I whispered timidly. "Do you think... do you think Deceit would mind... having some visitors?"

Both Logan and I looked to Patton, who took a few deep breaths before responding. "I-I don't know... but we can go ask him."

Logan nodded and wrapped an arm around Patton's shoulders, leading him towards Deceit's door, which left me to trail behind. Upon reaching his door, Patton escaped Logan's embrace and walked up to the door, knocking to announce his presence.

"Hey, De," he sighed. "It's Patton. Logan and Roman are also here. Can we talk to you?"

The three of us stood in silence, listening for a sound. It was a few seconds before we heard a cough and a quiet "no."

I sighed and turned to leave, but Patton just grinned and opened the door. When I saw that, I froze, confused as to why Patton was going in when Deceit said that we couldn't talk to him.

"Patton," I whispered. "What are you doing? He said no."

Instead of responding, Patton opened the door and motioned for us to enter before walking in.

Logan looked at me from where he stood in the doorway. "Deceit is unable to tell the truth anymore."

With that, he walked in, leaving me by myself in the hall to ponder what he said.

I didn't think about it too long before I walked in myself. Deceit's room was dark, save for the gentle glow of the green lava lamp that sat beside his desk. Deceit was lying in his bed, pillows propping him up in a half-sitting position. Patton sat on the edge of the bed next to Deceit, and Logan stood behind him, one hand resting on his shoulder.

I took a few steps towards Deceit, a gentle rustle coming from the floor with each step. Curious about what was causing the noise, I paused and looked down, shocked by the sight below me.

Purple rose petals covered the surface of the floor almost completely. But, mixed in with the petals were dark green leaves.

"Roman?" I heard Deceit say.

I looked up from the floor and saw that Logan, Deceit, and Patton were all looking at me.

"Yeah?" I asked, walking over to where the three of them were.

"Please, don't ignore it," he pleaded, eyes wide and voice hoarse.

I was confused at first until I remembered that Logan had said that he couldn't tell the truth.

Please, ignore it.

I stood there for a minute, shocked. Deceit was dying, and he wants us to ignore it?

"No," I said to myself before remembering that the others were there.

"No," I repeated, louder this time. When I said that, I saw Deceit deflate, but I had to make myself clear. "I-we're not going to ignore this. You're family, Deceit, and family takes care of each other. We're not going to ignore this and act like it's no big deal!"

I paused for a few seconds to catch my breath and looked around the room. Patton and Logan were both staring at me like I was a new person. "You are an integral part of the famILY. Without you, Virgil would have succeeded in killing himself, and where would that..."

My voice broke, and I had to stop for a few seconds so that I wouldn't cry. Even thinking about Virgil actually killing himself reminded me of his letter and just how much I had to make up to him.

When I was certain that I wouldn't burst into tears, I continued. "Where would that have left us? We all would have been miserable and probably depressed, but you were there to check on Virgil because you care about him. You have earned your rightful place in this famILY, and I'll be damned if you think that we're just gonna igno-"

Before I could finish my thought, I was interrupted by a body flying at me, almost knocking me off my feet. Arms wrapped around me, and I didn't hesitate to embrace whoever had hugged me. We stayed like that for a few minutes before I pulled back a few inches to see that it was Deceit who had attacked me.

Deceit pulled back to. "You don't mean that?" he asked quietly.

"Of course I mean it, Deceit," I replied just as quietly. "You're famILY."

Deceit opened his mouth and looked like he was going to say something, but his words were cut off by a fit of coughing. Purple petals streamed from Deceit's mouth as he doubled over, one hand on his knee and the other clutching his chest. I instinctively placed my hand on his back to try and support him.

After a minute or two of coughing, Deceit fell silent, and I thought he was done coughing. But then, after a few seconds of silence, Deceit coughed once more, coughing up a singular purple rose.

Patton immediately rushed over when he saw the rose. "Oh, kiddo," he cooed. "Let's get you in bed so you can rest."

Deceit didn't struggle as Patton and I led him to his bed and tucked him under the covers.

During the whole exchange, Logan had stayed where he was, watching everything without saying a word. Even when Patton sat down next to him on Deceit's bed, he didn't say a word, simply looking at a spot of the floor in a deep concentration.

Everyone was silent for a few minutes before I decided to speak up.

"Deceit?" I started, gaining everyone's attention. "Could you tell us whom it is that you have Hanahaki for?"

Deceit sighed and shook his head. "I can."

For the first time since entering the room, Logan spoke. "Why not?" he asked, voice incredibly soft.

"Because... because you won't," Deceit started, struggling to get the words out. "Because you won't pity me."

"Deceit," I said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to look at me, eyes wide. "Why would we pity you?"

"Because Virgil isn't in love with someone else!" Deceit snapped. As soon as he finished speaking, he seemed to have realized what he said, and his eyes went wide. One of his hands flew up to cover his mouth as he shook his head.

"Oh, De," Patton sighed, rubbing his shoulder gently. "You have Hanahaki for Virgil?"

Deceit simply nodded, tears starting to pool in the corners of his eyes as he blinked.

"Does... does he know?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yes," Deceit whispered, more tears forming.

"Ohh, come here, kiddo," Patton whispered, pulling Deceit in for a hug, which he didn't resist. Instinctively, I leaned in and joined the hug, wrapping my arms around both Patton and Deceit. We stayed like that for a few seconds before I felt Patton shift, and then Logan was part of the hug.

We stayed like that, no one moving or saying anything. The only sounds were the occasional sniffle from Deceit and our breathing. It was a calm environment, and I could tell that the other three were just as relaxed as I was.

Sadly, the moment was interrupted when a gasp from the doorway made us aware of someone's presence. I was the first to pull away, and I turned to see Emile standing there.

"Oh," he gasped again as the others pulled away. "I apologize for interrupting yo-"

He stopped suddenly, eyes wide as he looked over at us, although I couldn't tell if he was looking at one of us four in particular.

A few seconds passed before he spoke again. "Oh my... Deceit—that's your name, right?"

I turned to look at Deceit and saw him nod, eyes wide with surprise.

"Well then, Deceit, you don't look so good," Emile said, voice full of concern.

"Understatement much?" Deceit chuckled in response, and Patton, Logan, and I turned to look at him in surprise.

"Was that," Patton started. "Did you just tell the truth?"

"Sadly," Deceit sighed. "I did tell the truth. Sarcasm isn't a form of lying."

"Ohh," Emile said softly, and we all looked at him as he walked over to Deceit's bed. "Are you only able to speak in lies?"

Deceit nodded. "No. I couldn't say the truth before this didn't get worse, but now I can't only lie."

"So you could tell the truth," Emile repeated. "But then your Hanahaki got worse, which made you unable to."

Deceit didn't say anything, instead nodding along to what was said.

As soon as Emile finished speaking, a thought popped into my head.

"Deceit?" I asked, drawing everyone's attention to myself. "Does Virgil know? That you have Hanahaki?"

"Yes," Deceit whispered.

"Oh," I said. "Do you... would you like me to tell him?"

Deceit's eyes widened, and I quickly elaborated. "J-just that you have it, not that it's for him," I stuttered. "You should be able to tell him, if you ever do."

Deceit was silent for a few seconds before he nodded.

"You can't tell him that I have it," he said, and I could have sworn that there was a mischievous glint in his eye as he said it.

"Okay," I said, getting up from my spot and walking across the room. "I might be there a while, depending on how he reacts."

They were all silent as I left, but, as soon as I left the room, I heard Deceit say something.

"He's not going just because he doesn't love Virgil."

Upon hearing that, I ground to a halt mid-step and turned around.

"Deceit!" I exclaimed, voice rather shrill. "I do not love Virgil! A-at least, n-not in a r-romantic s-sense!"

I silently cursed my face, as I could feel the blush that had appeared as I spoke.

"Oh, please," Deceit scoffed, rolling his eyes. "We both know that isn't a lie."

"Oh, put a sock in it," I huffed and turned around, hearing one last conversation as I stalked towards Virgil's door.

"Patton, could you not get me the painkillers that are not in that drawer?"

"Sure kiddo, but why do you need them?"

"Romans lies aren't giving me a headache."

I rolled my eyes at what Deceit said.

Oh, please, I don't like Virgil. Not in that way, at least.

Upon reaching Virgil's room, I quietly knocked on his door, entering when I heard Virgil tell me to come in.

"What was all that noise about," Virgil asked from where he sat on his bed, sweatshirt pulled tight around his shoulders. His book of memories sat open on the bed next to him, and I wondered what memory it was open to.

"Oh it was nothing," I said, although I knew it was a lie. Only a tiny part of me felt sorry about the headache it would cause Deceit, as he slightly deserved it for what he said. "Deceit was simply teasing me."

"Oh?" Virgil asked, and I braced myself for the coming questions. "What was he teasing you about?"

"That, my Emo Nightmare," I grinned, "is none of your business right now."

Virgil huffed and stuck his tongue out at me, looking like a little toddler, and I couldn't help but smile at how adorable he was, although the smile didn't last long when I remembered why I had come.

"Roman?" Virgil whispered when he saw me. "What's wrong? What's going on?"

I saw his breathing speed up a little bit, and I was instantly by his side, sitting so that I could face him.

"Hey, hey, hey, you need to calm down," I whispered. "Can you do that breathing exercise? In 4, hold 7, out 8. Can you do that?"

Virgil nodded quickly, and I smiled at him, "Good, can I touch you?"

Instead of responding, Virgil grabbed my hand, and I took that as a yes. Lacing our fingers together, I placed my other hand on his shoulder, rubbing small circles with my thumb.

With a whisper, I spoke Virgil through the exercise, tapping the counts on his shoulder. Virgil's breathing evened out after the 4th time through the exercise, and I felt relieved that I could help him.

When I tried to let go of his hand, Virgil let out what sounded like a whimper and gripped my hand even tighter.

"Please, don't go," he whispered, holding my hand like a lifeline. His shoulders were hunched just enough that I could see a tear roll off his cheek and onto his sweatshirt.

"Don't cry, my Emo Nightmare," I said gently, moving to cup his face with the hand Virgil wasn't holding.

"I-I'm sorry," Virgil sniffed, wiping his face with his free hand. "I-I don't k-know w-why..."

"That is okay, Virgil," I said. "It is okay to not know why."

"O-okay," he sighed, and he leaned towards me, resting his head on my shoulder.

I froze, not knowing how to react. Almost immediately, I could feel myself blush, and my stomach was filled with butterflies.

Well crap, I thought to myself, glancing down at Virgil. It seems that I've developed a crush. And Deceit's gonna kill me for giving him that headache.

Feeling awkward with my free hand resting by my side, I wrapped Virgil in a hug, pleased when he sighed and relaxed into me.

We stayed like that for what felt like hours, one of my arms wrapped around Virgil, the other holding his hand, and Virgil resting against my shoulder. Neither of us moved except for Virgil occasionally lifting his hand to wipe at the remaining tears.

Taking a shuddering breath, Virgil lifted his head off my shoulder, moving so that we were face to face. I immediately missed Virgil's body heat, and I was tempted to pull him into another hug, but then I saw the look in his eyes.

To put it simply, he looked worried, anxious. I squeezed his hand, as our fingers were still intertwined, and sent him a small smile. Instead of returning it, he looked down at his lap, causing my smile to drop into a concerned frown.

"What's wrong, Virgil?" I breathed, not daring to speak too loudly.

With that, he looked up at me, and my breath hitched at how dazzling he looked. Even with as anxious as he was, his hair was falling over his eyes, and his cheeks were the slightest bit shiny from leftover tears.

"Why did you come here?" he asked, voice hesitant. "I can tell that it's not a good reason, and it's really freaking me out."

"Apologies for stressing you out with my appearance," I comforted, placing a hand on his knee.

"I-it's okay," Virgil whispered.

"On quite the contrary," I countered. "It is not okay. I caused you stress, and that is not okay."

"Roman, chill out," Virgil said before I could say anything else, his arm coming to rest on my shoulder. "I know you didn't mean to. Just get on with why you're here."

"Okay," I said, trying to figure out how to start. "First off, I wanna apologize for storming out when you didn't pay attention to me. That was very immature of me to do."

"I forgive you, Princey," Virgil said, rolling his eyes. "Now get on with it."

"Okay," I sighed, knowing that I'd have to just say it. "After that, I was passing by Deceit's room, and I heard him coughing."

I paused and saw that Virgil's eyes were wide. I saw him mouth, "no," and my heart sunk, .

"I asked him if he was okay," I continued. "And he said that it was just a cold. I told Patton so that he could make some soup for De, but he freaked out and immediately raced to De's room."

I stopped, seeing that Virgil had covered his mouth, tears starting to form in his eyes. I squeezed his hand, and he immediately tightened his grip on mine.

"When Patton came back," I had to pause for myself, trying not to get choked up when I thought about it. "He said that he... that De has Hanahaki."

"No," Virgil sobbed, tears racing down his face.

I nodded, almost imperceptibly, and Virgil broke down, sobbing. I felt my heart ache, seeing Virgil so sad, and I immediately wrapped him into a hug, pulling him into my lap as a result. Virgil didn't hesitate to accept it, wrapping his arms around my torso and burying his face into my shoulder, wetting my shirt with his tears.

"Hush, my prince," I soothed, rocking Virgil gently. "We'll be able to get through this. You'll be able to get through this."

"But... but," Virgil tried to say between sobs.

"Sshhh, don't talk right now," I said, placing a hand on the back of his head and running my fingers through his... extremely soft hair???

Snap out of it, Roman. Now's not the time to freak out about his hair. You just told him that his best friend has Hanahaki.

"H-how... how long," Virgil stuttered. "H-how long... h-has he... h-had it?"

"I don't know," I whispered. "He didn't tell us that when I was there."

"Wh-where?"

I paused, not sure if I should tell him. I decided that it wouldn't hurt if he knew.

"Logan, Patton, and I were talking to De in his room," I said.

"Oh... o-okay," Virgil breathed and turned his head, making it so that I could feel his warm breath on my neck. "Could I... do you think I could talk to him?"

"If you truly want to," I said. "I'm sure he would be fine with that."

"I do," Virgil insisted, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Do you wanna go right now?" I asked, glancing down at him.

"Gimme a minute," he murmured, shutting his eyes and tightening his arms around me.

"However long you need," I whispered. My hand was cupping Virgil's cheek, as I hadn't felt the need to move it when he turned his head. Now, I gently rubbed my thumb across his cheek, admiring the feeling of having Virgil next to me.

We sat there in silence, neither of us feeling the need to say anything, until a few minutes later when Virgil sighed and pulled back from my embrace. As soon as I felt him start to move, I dropped my arms.

Virgil wiped at his eyes with his hands and took a few more deep breaths before looking up at me. "I think I'm ready to talk to De."

A/N:

Oh gosh, it's been over a month since the last chapter, and I feel so bad for making y'all wait. Like, I feel like I'm letting y'all down 'cause I said that I'd have a consistent schedule, but I can't keep it, and I feel so bad.

And this chapter was kinda hard for me to write, just 'cause I got major writer's block about a third of the way through and had to rewrite that first third because I just wasn't happy with it. But even once I got past the writer's block, it just took me so long to write it 'cause I could never find long blocks of time to write.

Also, unpopular opinion:
People saying that they're proud of me makes me EXTREMELY flustered.

Until next time,

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

~death_by_fanfic