*Crawls out of hole*

...

**chucks the one shot and scurries back.**

;-;

Dry, breathless sobs emitted from Virgil's quivering lips as he clawed through the darkness, his chest ached for oxygen, his heart pounded against its ribcage penitentiary.

“Roman!” The name ripped through his throat like a hand scraping against a jagged surface.

“Roman!!”

Hands grasped at Virgil's shoulders and jerked him from his nightmare, the dark facet snapped open his despairing gaze and frantically looked around, whipping his head from side to side, his hands clutching and digging into a familiar embrace. “Shh, Virgil, shh it's okay. I'm here Virgil, I'm here.” The voice of an angel whispered to him, gentle hands brushed his cheek, wiping away the hot pearls that rolled against his flushed face.

It took a while for Virgil's eyes to adjust, but as soon as they did, he was met with the angel who calmed him. “R-Ro...” utterances could hardly pass through his chattering teeth, he brought a trembling hand to Roman's head, one that clutched his hair while the other felt his skull. Roman winced, but by the crazed and desperate look in Virgil's eyes, he knew he couldn't stop him. “Y-your head...c-c-cracked..” the terrified persona stammered out, Roman shook his head and seized Virgil's forearm. “No cracks love.” He confirmed with a prudent tone.

Virgil choked on his breath as visions blurred in his head, images of Roman splayed on the ground, unmoving, head bashed in by his brother's mace.

Cracks, and blood, and red.

“..gil... ”

So much red...

“..irgil!”

And Roman's skull was cracked.

“Virgil!”

And Roman was gone.

“VIRGIL.”

Through a haze, a voice. He couldn't hear it properly. His pulse was too loud, blood rushed in his ears; together they were tempestuous waves crashing against jagged stones and dying away at the shore all the while a tremulous voice called for him in the storm that brewed. Like a siren demanding his retreat to safety, “Virgil you need to breathe more slowly,” the voice said, so close and yet so out of reach. “Will you do this for me? Breathe—”

He Can’t. Even for Roman, he can’t.

If he breathed, then Roman would disappear, like.an apparition, a single breath of air would be enough to blow him out of existence...

But that wouldn't happen. He knew that. Didn't he?

He drew in a sharp breath, Roman had somehow managed to yank his hands away from his skull before he could pull out clumps of hair. “Breathe stormcloud, you're okay. Come on, deep breaths, in...and out...” Roman drew Virgil's hand to his chest in an attempt to get him to calm down. A strong heartbeat pulsed beneath Virgil's palm, and slow profound breaths prompted him to do the same. Very slowly, his body remembered what it was meant to do and slowly but undoubtedly Virgil got himself breathing properly, although still a bit shaky and unstable, it was still distinguished and continuous.

Virgil twisted his hands away from Roman's grasp and desperately brought them back to Roman's skull. “Cracked...” the word slithered through his throat sickeningly in a way that made Roman's stomach churn and his heart plunge. “C-cracked..it's cracked,” Virgil wailed as though in deep anguish, his hands now cupped Roman's head, holding it like a delicate vase. “I'm here Virgil,” Roman reiterated slowly, Virgil watched his lips move as he enunciated.

“Roman...” he uttered sickly.

“Yes love, it's me. I'm here see? You felt my heartbeat, you felt my breath. And there are no cracks.” Roman clarified with an auspicious smile.

“N-no cracks?” Virgil sputtered.

“No cracks.”

“You're o..okay..”

“I'm more than okay. I'm perfectly fine.”

Virgil let his hands slip away from Roman's skull, his eyes cleared and his breaths evened out. The royal let out a brief breath of consolation and bowed down, pressing his temple against Virgil's own damp one. Warm hands cupped Virgil's tear-stained face, thumbs swiped beneath his eyes and across his raw cheeks, wiping away any excess tears. The tremors in Virgil's limbs abate until only imprints of them remain in sickly shudders rendering him weak and exhausted beyond words could describe. Sweet soothing words granted Virgil a moment of lucidity, promising him a better tomorrow, permitting him an even better slumber, his eyes drooped practically immediately and Roman's hands slid away from his face, but Virgil clasped at his wrist weakly and brought them to his own chest, just as how Roman had done with him. He holds them there tightly, and he doesn't let go until sleep takes him in its arms once more.

Even then, when Roman knows Virgil is out of reach, buried deep within his dreams, and he lies down next to him once more.

He still holds his hands, and he doesn't let go either.

He doesn't let go.