Point of View: Virgil, First Person
Timeline: PRESENT DAY

Logan burst into my room, panting. I sat up on my couch abruptly, my headphones falling off in the process as I felt a pit of dread starting to build inside me. Logan wasn't much of a runner and if he was this out of breath it means he must've been sprinting or something pretty close to it.

"Logan? What happened? What's wrong?" I asked, setting my laptop aside and sliding off the couch, quickly kicking off my blanket. I jogged worriedly over to Logan's breathless figure, who was still hunched over and panting. He didn't say anything for a second, his cheeks pink and fighting for air.

"You. Have to. Come," Logan gasped out, starting to pull me out of the room, even though he was still out of breath.

I didn't resist, following him as we ran through the Mind Palace. Logan was all out panting at this point, and I was right on his heels. I could've run much faster, but I had no idea where I was going, as Logan had neglected to tell me what was going on. It showed he wasn't thinking clearly which only freaked me out even more. What happened?

My feet automatically slowed as we reached Prince's door. I glanced at Logan, but he didn't pay me any mind, bursting loudly into the room. Concerned, I followed him, but my footsteps still grew slower, now heavy with dread.

Why would they bring me here? Especially since... since everything happened...

I walked in, almost sheepishly, and the sight took my breath away.

Prince's room was gray.

And not only gray, but dark, charcoal gray. The kind of gray only my room should ever even come close to getting. Black, spiky handwriting was written all over the walls and I found myself gaping at only some of the words written there.

'I miss you, but I shouldn't'
'I need to let you go'
'I cannot let him see the damage that was done, I must save him, even if I can't protect my own'
'I do- I did not deserve him'
'Why did I expect him to love an egotistical, self-centered Prince'
'This is the point where the fairy-tale went wrong'
'why did I think he was my happily ever after'
'Why did I think I deserved a happily ever after'
'I'm sorry I wasn't good enough'
'I'm sorry I couldn't give you everything'
'I'm sorry for everything: the wrong, the right. In the end they just make the pain even worse'
'try not to think of you because remembering is worse'
'one day, you will find someone to run towards, instead of run away from'
'I will always wish that someone gives you your happily ever after...even if that person isn't me'

I turned away, tears beginning to form that I didn't want anyone to see.

Patton was crying, sitting in a white, wooden rocking chair on the far side of Prince's bed, gripping Prince's hand. He looked up when I came in, tears in his eyes. He'd obviously been crying.

But my eyes only met his for a second before flicking to Prince.

Oh my stars.

Nononononononononononononon-

I raced over to Roman, who laid motionless on his bed. His face was so pale, clammy. I grabbed Roman's hand - it was so, so cold.

Roman didn't stir when I grabbed his hand and his eyes remained closed. However, I could see his eyes moving under his eyelids, almost frantically. His hand suddenly gripped my hand tightly and he let out a cry, back arching off the bed in pain. His eyes were squeezed shut, tightly and his breaths came out in short, painful gasps. He shivered once before sinking restlessly back onto the many pillows that Patton must've placed around him.

"Wha-" My voice broke and I looked up to Patton and Logan, hoping for some sort of explanation.

Patton opened his mouth, trying to explain the best he could. "After... the last time you saw him, he came in here immediately afterwards. He's... he's been in here for weeks. I - I didn't - I didn't think m- much of it, I j-just thought - just thought he n-needed some t-time. But - but a - a couple of m-minutes ago, I - I just felt - I felt like my - my - my," Patton's voice broke and he started sobbing. "I - I should've c-come to ch-check on him. This is all - all my - all my FAULT," Patton cried, spinning around and crying to Logan's shoulder, who gently wrapped his arms around Patton.

I was surprised to see Logan crying as well, silent tears. He continued to hold Patton, even as he cried, almost as if he was trying to protect him from the world that was - at least right now - so, so cruel.

I don't think I've ever seen Logan cry. I didn't even think he could.

"Logan, please - what's happening to him?" I begged, gripping Roman's hand even tighter, adrenaline pumping rapidly through me.

Logan's eyes softened in pity and I knew I wasn't going to like what he had to say, not one bit. "I - I have reason to believe t-this is a result of... the two of you breaking up," Logan paused, trying to see my reaction to this.

I did my best to make my face as unreadable as possible and Logan soon gave up trying.

"Even though Roman represents Thomas's creativity and imagination," Logan continued, "He is also the romantic side of Thomas's heart. As - " Logan broke off for a moment, taking a moment to collect himself while my stomach started to sink with what he was saying. "As the romantic side of Thomas's heart, I think that when Roman gets his heart broken, his heart... literally... breaks," he said softly.

I shook my head. No. That - that couldn't be true. No, Logan was wrong.

He had to be wrong.

"But I don't understand," I said, shaking my head harder, as if that would help this whole mess make anymore sense. "Thomas has gotten his heart broken and - and he was fine. I mean, he was hurting, but he wasn't... like this," I said flicking my eyes to Roman before flicking back to Logan.

"I think it is a differently thing when Thomas falls in love and when Roman falls in love. Yes, Roman felt the effects of Thomas's love, but Thomas's love for his boyfriend was never a direct blow on Roman. Thomas and Patton took most of the heartbreak, as it was the person Thomas loves, not Roman. To say Roman felt nothing would not be entirely true, but... since this was a more... direct blow to his heart - and HIS heart, not Thomas's - I think he is... literally dying of heartbreak."

I take back every time I thought I had terrible luck, the universe was cruel, the Fates were unfair.

All those times had NOTHING on this.

"Why didn't he tell me?" I whispered, turning my eyes back to Roman whose eyes still hadn't opened, and were flicking restlessly beneath his closed eyelids. He wasn't moving much now, but still shivering underneath three layers of blankets. "Why didn't he say that this was going to happen?"

"That's - That's not all," Logan said, still holding a sobbing Patton close, gently rubbing his back. "His wings, Virgil."

I brought a trembling hand to the edge of sheets, where Prince's body was hidden. I took a deep breath and yanked it back quickly, scared of what I would find. I gasped, horrified.

His wings... they were so small, so thin. Hardly longer than his torso. They - they were basically translucent and the feathers were no longer white and gold tinted, but fading, and fading to -

To black.

"What - " I hated how my voice broke. "What does this mean?"

Logan didn't say a word, his mouth pressed in a tight line, eyes watery and filled with pity.

"He's not... no, he can't be... d-dying?" I asked, my heart stuttering the suggestion.

I waited for Logan to deny it.

And waited.

And waited.

"No," I whispered, "No, he - he - that can't be," I whispered. "He - He would have told me..."

Logan shook his head, tears still making tracks down his cheeks. "No, Virgil. He would not have wanted you to love him only because this would happen if you didn't. He would not to put that type of pressure on you nor make you feel obligated to return his feelings," Logan paused, eyes watering with pity. "It means that he loved you so, so much."

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I - I will not... I cannot make you... want to stay with me," the prince whispered so quietly so only Virgil would hear him. "But I love you so, so much," Roman choked out. "And whether you love me back is of no concern to me, as my heart was given to you, as it will not be given to another.

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I started shaking, recalling the Prince's words. He knew! That stupid, STUPID Prince KNEW THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN AND HE DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING.

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I only ask that it is worth something to you. Worth something that hopefully does not cause you pain to hold close," he whispered, letting go of Virgil's hand.

For I do not want that for you. I wish -

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I turned to Logan, pleading. "Please, please Logan. There has to be something we can do," I whispered, my heart aching. "Please - we have to save him!"

Logan turned away, avoiding my eyes. "Virgil... I - I think it best... that you... that you say... goodbye."

I stared at him. I wait for him to say: well, here's something we could try or it's risky but or ANYTHING other than THAT.

"This is all my fault," I whispered.

Patton, who had finally pulled himself together, turned out of Logan's arms and came around the bed to me. He was quiet for a moment, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. "We can't all have the luxury of blaming ourselves," he said softly, a weak smile appearing on his face in a sad attempt to make me give him a smile in return. "There was nothing that you could have done."

I sat there for a moment, not doing anything. Not crying, not moving, not saying anything. Nothing I did would be able to explain the overwhelming feeling of... reality.

"You're wrong," I answered, squaring my jaw.

I was not letting him get away.

I jumped on the bed, straddling Roman's hips. I was careful not to step on his wings in the process and, to my alarm, I found them so tiny - his wings, once big enough to drape on the floor - barely popped out around Prince's still, graying figure.

Not wasting a second to overthink, I leaned down over my dear Prince and pressed my lips to his.

Please don't let all those fairytales be for nothing, I thought desperately.

I pressed my lips against his, waiting for a response. I kissed him until I couldn't breathe and I came up, cheeks pink and gasping for air.

And my heart sank.

Nothing had changed.

I held back a sob, and kissed him again, harder this time.

And again.

And again.

Finally, Patton crawled onto Roman's bed next to me. He took my hands and tried to wrap them around his torso and I fought back, shoving him away from me. I wrapped my arms around myself. If Roman's arms weren't around me, I didn't want anyone's arms around me at all.

The irony of it all... the very reason I had broken up with him was the reason he was lying right here, motionless.

This couldn't be the end, all that we had couldn't end like this.

Gosh, if I had only known...

I would have told him sooner.

I gently pulled myself out of Patton's arms, wiping my tears on the sleeve of my hoodie.

I leaned forward again, sobbing into his chest. His heartbeat... it was so faint... so slow...

"I love you so, so much," My voice broke as I continued sobbing, "And I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you that sooner. I - I was just so scared, so afraid. I never told you that. I - I thought I didn't matter if you said it because... because I just thought you didn't mean it.

"It... it was so hard to believe that you could find anything to love about me. I mean: I don't even love me, so how could anyone else? What did you - of all people - see in... me? What could you possibly love about me?"

My tears continued to fall and it grew harder and harder to say anything around my sobs.

"And," I choked out, "I wanted you to know that when I finally said it, I would mean it with all my heart."

I curled right next to him, burying my face in the curve of his neck, breathing in the intoxicating scent of - of ROMAN.

"I love you," I whispered into his ear.

Roman didn't move.

"DID YOU HEAR ME?!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "YOU STUPID, STUPID PRINCE I LOVE YOU! Please, please stay," I pleaded, my voice finally giving out and there was nothing else I could do, but cry until I had no more left to give.

Roman didn't move.

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