Chapter Text
Virgil sat still and silent for a while, until he couldn’t take it anymore. He stood up and made his way to the door and banged on it with his fists. Deep down he knew any guards outside wouldn’t let him out. Was this phase two of Slowly-Torture-Virgil-Into-Insanity? Well, if that was it, it was working.
He could have gone banging on the door for hours. With an extra bit of determination, he probably could go on for days. However, he was unable to keep track of how long he could continuously bang on the metal door, because it swung upon and Patton stood in the doorway.
“Patton-”
Patton held his hand out, an apologetic look on his face. He gestured to his lips, an indication for Virgil to shut his mouth. He held something that looked similar to a cell phone, except it was circular. He typed something into it, waited, then slipped it into his pocket.
“We will have time to talk later,” Patton said. The firm way he said the words along with the way his lips were slightly pursed let Virgil know that Patton was dead serious.
Lovely.
“What’s going on?” Virgil asked.
“I’m breaking you out.” Patton held up a pair of handcuffs (Where had they come from?), and made a spinning motion with his finger. Virgil turned around and pressed his wrists together. Patton moved to click the handcuffs, but they never made a sound. After a few too many seconds of silence, Virgil grew confused.
“Uhm…”
“Sorry, it’s just…” Virgil’s skin broke out into goosebumps when Patton touched Virgil’s wrists, his fingers moving to the knuckles and then to the ripped bandages. “I don’t understand why they gave you bandages. They don’t typically do that.”
Virgil swallowed. “Is that a good thing?”
“Maybe…” He didn’t sound convinced. “Logan would know better than me.” After another moment of silence, Patton finally snapped the cuffs on Virgil’s wrists. He placed on hand on his shoulder, then another on his upper arm. “Let’s go,” he said.
Virgil decided to never underestimate Patton again as soon as he gripped his arm; the boy had a grip like steel. They walked down several halls until they reached a door, to which Patton opened easily. Two female doctors stood, holding clipboards. One smiled at Patton, the other looked like she wanted to slit his throat.
“I’ll be performing the injection,” Patton said. He un-cuffed Virgil’s wrists and pushed him into a seat similar to one in a dentist’s office.
“I’ll get it ready for you,” smiley-doctor said.
Virgil closed his eyes and tried to trust Patton. Everything was under control. Patton wasn’t going to take a sledge hammer to the trust they’d built, would he?
Looking down, Virgil noticed Patton had rolled up one of Virgil’s sleeves and tied some blue strip around it.
“What’re you gonna inject?” Virgil asked, unable to stop himself.
Chick-who-looked-like-she-wanted-to-slit-Virgil-and-Patton’s-throats said, “Mute the human.”
“You can’t mute them, Sara,” Patton said with a sigh. The smiley doctor handed Patton a syringe filled with something black and sludgy looking.
“Be nice if you could,” Sara snapped back.
“It’s a chemical that shuts the pain-responders in the body down,” smiley-doctor explained.
“What-” Virgil tried.
Patton had already poked him with the needle and was injecting it into his elbow. “I need his-”
The door swung open and Roman stood, gripping an iron-plated water gun. Apparently, that was terrifying, for Sara dropped her clipboard and screamed. Smiley-doctor’s smile dropped.
“On the floor, the three of you,” Roman snapped.
Patton, Sara and no-longer-smiling doctor got onto their knees, hands in the air. It felt like something straight out of an action/comedy film.
Bamidele chose that very moment to rip apart into Virgil’s head.
With a flash, the room was gone and he was in a small grey room in front of Bamildele who wore the most sadistic and terrifying grin.
“What are you doing?” Virgil snapped. He looked around the room to find nothing but grey walls, floor and ceiling around him. Bamidele grinned and sat on the floor.
“Making your life hell.”
“What?” Virgil snapped. “Good try, but it already was.”
“Woe the angst of a miserable teenager. But oh yes, I’ve been watching.” She smiled and this time, it looked almost scornfully kind. “Why is it, when left alone, you do your best to destroy your body?”
“I don’t,” Virgil hissed. “Now let me back into the real world.”
Bamidele put a finger against his chin and feigned a thoughtful look. “Hm… no.”
“Please?”
“Well, since you asked nicely… No.”
“Are you kidding me?” Virgil cried. “What is your issue?”
“You destroyed my weapon and now, I’m gonna make you regret it for the rest of your miserable life.”
“What if I kill myself?”
“Oh wow, harsh.” Bamildele smoothed out her dress. “Can’t kill yourself here. In case you haven’t noticed, it’d be kind of hard.”
“So you’re keeping me here forever?”
“Nah, it’s funner to keep you in suspense.”
Virgil groaned and sat down. “How long are you going to do this?”
“Just long enough for little RoRo to worry. Oh- Look at the time.” She waved her hand. “Bye Virgil. Until next time.”
Virgil plowed forward, hands gripping his head desperately.
“What’d they do to you?” Roman asked from above him desperately. “Virgil!”
“I’m fine- I’m fine.” He forced himself to stand up and look Roman in the eye. “What do I need to do?”
Roman rolled his eyes, but that soft smile that was always there tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Always helpful, you are. Thomas and Logan are waiting for us around back. You just need to follow me.”
“I’m sorry I’ve caused so much-”
Roman took in a deep sigh and turned to meet Virgil’s eyes. “Trouble? You humans are always apologizing. Every single one I’ve snuck and saved and helped- they apologise. And I find it funny. None of it’s your fault.”
“Maybe a little,” Virgil pleaded.
Roman frowned. Then sighed. “Maybe a little.”
“Bamidele’s gotten in my head.”
“Go figure.” Virgil gaped. “I’m not a complete idiot,” Roman said. “Come on, we don’t have much time.”
Virgil followed as Roman began walking. The water gun remained in front of Roman, acting as an odd protection. It felt odd as they crept amongst the dark and empty hallways. Their footsteps felt too loud; their mere breathing seemed to be roaring in Virgil’s ears.
“They only carry weapons against humans, ya know?” Roman whispered, still walking. “They’re cocky. They think they don’t need protection from their own kind. Stupid, isn’t it?”
“A bit,” Virgil agreed.
They reached a door marked Exit in glowing blue letters. Roman gestured for Virgil to pause then slowly opened the door. It led to a fenced-in yard. Just outside of the yard was a large hole.
“An open portal,” Roman whispered.
“Intruder!”
Virgil jerked backward in surprise as several armed men ran at them. Roman shoved the water gun out in front of him and pulled the trigger. A liquid, slightly magenta in colour, shot out. The stream slammed into one man’s chest and Virgil watched in horrified terror as the man’s skin melted off of his body.
The shock was short lived, as someone had withdrawn a gun and began shooting at him. Virgil hit the floor before any damage could be done just as Roman shot at the man and he fell victim. Virgil lost his sense of bravery and squeezed his eyes shut as he heard screaming and Roman shooting the last of the people down.
“Come on, Virgil. Not being cruel, but we don’t have time to freak out.”
Virgil let Roman yank him upward and then he went back to following Roman in a hazy sense of shock. Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot. Roman unlocked the gate then more walking.
“Where are they?” Virgil heard Roman mutter. Roman was pacing and kept adjusting the squirt gun.
“I’m so-” Virgil tried.
“Don’t apologise anymore!” Roman shouted. Virgil’s heart rose into his throat. After everything- hell and more that he’d been through, but a simple sentence in a loud voice did him in.
“What do you want me to be, a jerk? Unapologetic?”
Roman spun on him instantly. “Unmoved maybe. Even cocky. You humans are sentimental fools who feel sorry for everything!”
“Not all of us are like that! You oughta meet my father and maybe then you’d take that back!”
Roman gritted his teeth. “Well, I’ll get to meet him and your entire family, won’t I? And according to you, that’s all your fault, isn’t it?”
“Maybe it isn’t!” Virgil shouted. “I didn’t ask to be thrown into this mess!”
“No, you didn’t,” Roman snapped. “Maybe you’re finally understanding what I’m saying!”
Virgil couldn’t think of what to say. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared into the skyline, which was slowly setting. Roman continued his pacing. “I wonder if we live under the same sky,” Virgil mumbled.
“Huh?” Roman finally stopped his pacing again.
“Humans- fairies. Is it the same sky?”
Roman burst out laughing. “Dunno, Virgil. Don’t think we ever will.”
“I’ve been nothing but an idiot the entire time I’ve been here- useless and whining. And now you have to leave because of me.”
“You’re only human,” Roman said slowly. “I don’t mean that to be an ass, but… you can’t do much here.” Roman sighed. “You know what this is, Virgil?” he asked, lifting up the squirt gun.
“No.”
“You humans call it Windex. To you, it’s a common house cleaning thing. For us, it’s deadly. If more than five tablespoons hits one bit of skin, our bodies literally melt away. It’s one of the ways we can die. I call humans fragile for having so many ways to die, but we can die just as easily. And really, with less effort.”
Virgil remained silent. Roman went on, “When I’m in your human world, I’ll protect you from everything and you have to protect me from Windex. Ironic.”
“A bit, yeah,” Virgil said.
“They need to hurry.”
“You wanna see them before we go, yeah?”
“Duh.”
“I get it…” Virgil kicked the grass around his feet. “I’d give anything to see my sister one last time before she died. Ya know, just at least to give her a proper goodbye.”
“Yeah. They’re… like brothers. Stupid, annoying brothers.”
Virgil looked up and noticed four figures running in the distance; three human-like ones and one dog bounding on a chain in front of them.
“They’re coming,” Virgil said, feeling his chest growing slowly heavier.
“I can see that,” Roman said. He didn’t sound as angry or impatient anymore- just a bit deflated.
“Sorry we-” Logan called, bounding up, panting. “We- we took- so- long.”
“Patton wanted to write a final love letter,” Thomas said. He didn’t look as annoyed as he sounded. He smiled at Virgil and handed out the end of the chain which had Rue at the end of it. “Hold tightly to her, man. Don’t lose her again.”
Virgil grinned. “I won’t. Thank you… for helping me.” He looked at each of them, not allowing his shyness to take over. “Thank you.”
“It wasn’t a problem, kiddo,” Patton said, which was nothing but garbage; Virgil didn’t point that out. Patton pulled Virgil into a tight hug and gently squeezed his shoulder. “I did uh- write you two something.” He handed a white envelope to Virgil and smiled. “I’m giving it to you, ‘cause Roman’d lose it.”
Virgil nodded. The rest exchanged hugs tightly with Virgil and Roman and some containing both. It was a moment Virgil wished didn’t have to stop; one he wished to never end.
“See you guys later,” Roman said. Nobody pointed out the obvious. Roman slipped his hand into Virgil’s and gripped it a little too tightly. “You got Rue?”
Virgil swallowed down the huge lump in his throat and gripped tightly onto the chain. “Yeah,” he choked out.
He’d dreamed of getting to say goodbye to his sister- all the time. It haunted him. But really, a happy last memory… One without the words goodbye… Maybe that was enough. In its own, messed up, odd way. Maybe nobody has to say goodbye to say goodbye. Goodbye kind of felt overrated. Virgil felt if he said it in any way, it would hurt worse. It would break his heart into pieces he couldn’t fix. So he settled for a half wave and an awkward teary smile to which the three returned.
“On three,” Roman said. “One.” Virgil closed his eyes, trying to ignore his shuddering chest. “Two.” Big breath. Pretend you’re not yanking someone who has become your best friend into a world that he might not even survive in. Don’t think of Bamidele or the other million issues- “Three.” Not another breath- can’t afford that.
Without hesitation, they jumped.