Virgil woke up to sunlight streaming through his window. His head pounded as he sat up with a groan. He could barely remember what happened after he'd stormed out of the banquet hall. The memory of that event woke his mind up quickly.

His breathing started to become jagged, but he kept himself calm. The dark prince took deep breaths, attempting to keep his hands from shaking.

"It's pointless, you know."

His heart lurched and his eyes widened as he looked up. A human figure made from black, swirling mist was walking through his room. Virgil's first instinct was different from his first thought.

"What- w-who are you?" he asked, voice shaking a little.

"You, just the part of you that's here to remind you what it is you are," the figure said with a deep laugh. "They could all see it clearly last night, couldn't they?"

Virgil was shaking, attempting to back away despite being sat on a bed. "S-See what?" he stammered.

"That you're a monster?" he said, as if it was an obvious fact. The word echoed in his mind as his heart rate sped up. "They all saw last night what your little brother and father have known for years."

"S-Shut up..." Virgil muttered, closing his eyes. He felt cold; there was a wind blowing in the room. He opened his eyes to see a storm cloud above his room, purple lightning shooting out. He gasped, looking at his hands. "No, no, no! Stop it!"

The desperation for wanting it to stop made the storm disappear, but didn't stop his hands from turning black and his nails from morphing into claws. Virgil's eyes widened in horror as he looked at them.

"That's a new one, isn't it?" the figure asked, looking intrigued and cocky. "Need anymore proof that you're a monster?"

"Stop it! Go the hell away!" the dark prince yelled, squeezing his eyes shut and gripping his head. To his surprise, there was no response. He looked up to see the figure had disappeared. Virgil let out a relieved sigh as he tried to steady his breathing. His hand instinctively gripped his necklace as he took deep breaths. He felt his hands turn back to normal, making him relax even more. "T-Thank god..."

There was a knock on his door, making him jump. Heart racing again, Virgil called for them to come in. "Hey Virge, I thought I heard you talking to someone."

Luis looked concerned, but offered a smile. "N-No, I wasn't," the dark prince said, looking down at his hands.

"Alright, well, are you feeling better?" his brother asked, sitting down on his bed. Virgil didn't really answer as he looked away, shrugging. Luis sighed, frowning. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't say anything last night when they were all jumping on you. I should've said something; maybe things would've turned out better if I did-"

"Luis, I love you, but shut up," Virgil said, making his little brother immediately obey him. "There was nothing anyone of us could've done to change what happened. It would've happened sooner or later. Don't you dare blame yourself because I couldn't keep myself under control."

The young prince frowned, not liking his response even though he was right. "Alright, sorry..." he replied. They heard another knock at the door, making Luis stand up. "That's probably Roman, I'll let him in and give you two some time alone."

Virgil murmured a shy thanks as his little brother moved to the door. He opened it and exchanged a few quiet words with the prince before slipping out as Roman entered. "Hey..." he said, smiling as walked over to him. The dark prince offered a tiny one back as he moved to his side of the bed. He knelt down to be more level with Virgil's eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"I-I'm not sure..." he replied, knowing he couldn't tell him anything about his little attack.

"Do you feel comfortable elaborating?" Roman asked, reaching out to take his hand, running circles into his skin with his thumb.

Virgil relaxed under his touch, looking away as he tried to think of a way he could explain what happened without revealing his secret. "Do you ever feel like you're not in control?" he murmured. Roman's eyes widened a little, heart racing as he realized he was actually going to tell him. He hadn't expected him to be comfortable enough to. "I feel like... a twig. A twig that's being bent, and it's only a matter of time before it b-breaks."

His throat closed up at the end, making him stutter as he bit his lip. Roman shushed him softly. "Shh, you're doing great, Virgil..." he murmured, squeezing his hand.

"A-All I did was tell you how I've been feeling," the dark prince pointed out, looking confused.

The other prince smiled, resting his arms on the bed to lean closer to him. He squeezed his hand again. "And that takes a lot of strength," he said, voice still soft. "I'm proud of you."

Virgil's heart fluttered at the look he gave him, not being able to believe that Roman's beautiful smile was aimed at him. He smiled shakily as he blushed. The prince chuckled a little, reaching out to brush his cheek. His eyes slipped closed at the contact, a sigh escaping his lips.

"I'll stay with you today, okay?" Roman murmured with a smile. The dark prince nodded, smiling a little more. The morning events were a lot less pressuring than yesterday's gathering, and knowing he'd have him by his side made his heart warm. "And I want you to know that you are the most amazing person I've ever met, don't listen to those pricks."

Virgil laughed a little, involuntarily reaching for his necklace. He was running his thumb over the gem, which Roman caught, smiling wide. "And I'm glad you like the necklace," he said with a small laugh. "I was so nervous about giving it to you."

The prince stood up and moved away from the bed so that Virgil could get up. "Why?" the dark prince questioned, looking down to see he was in his pajamas, though he didn't remember changing.  Roman began to explain as he went over to his dressers to get out his clothes for the day.

"Well, for all the reasons I mentioned yesterday," the prince said with a laugh. "And because I was worried you just wouldn't like it-"

His voice stopped suddenly as Virgil pulled off his shirt, clearly not caring if he saw him change. A deep red blush blossomed on Roman's cheeks as the dark prince looked back him with a raised eyebrow. "Does... does this bother you?" he questioned, gesturing to himself. He looked suddenly self conscious. "If it does you can leave, I won't be offended, and I'm sorry for assuming."

"N-Nah, it just surprised me that's all," Roman explained, still blushing. "If you're about to strip completely, I'll turn around though."

He nodded as the prince turned his back to him. Once Virgil had changed into a new pair of pants, he spoke up. "Alright, you're good," he said as he searched his closet for a shirt. Roman turned around to see him still shirtless, which did not help his blushing situation. He noticed the dark prince's necklace still hanging from his neck, not being able to help his thoughts.

That must be cold on his chest, he thought before blushing a little. Why is that my business? Maybe he likes it... that sounds even weirder... shut up brain.

"Alright, if you're finished restarting, we can head out now," Virgil said with a little chuckle as Roman snapped out of his thoughts. He nodded quickly, slightly relieved to see him fully dressed again. "Geez Roman, I didn't know I was that distracting for you."

The prince's jaw fell open as he smirked. "Excuse me? Are you... flirting with me?" Roman asked, purposely acting dramatic. Virgil laughed a little and winked.

"Maybe."