Misinformation Can Be Deadly

Chapter 76: Patton, One of the Few Rare Kind Christians

CW: torture, pain, blood, self deprecation/doubt

When Virgil woke up again, he kept his eyes closed. He was so tired and wanted to actually rest... But he wasn't going to get any real rest. Maybe never again. Hopefully he'll become numb to all of this since it wasn't like it was ever going to end.

His body ached, occasionally he'll get a flash of pain from his wrists. Breathing was a challenge, as always, and moving at all was out of the question. His legs were tired from keeping him standing, but any time he tried to rest them, it would put more pressure on his wrists.

Did he do something to get him here? To deserve this? Maybe he did die and he went to Hell. What else could explain why such a horrible thing was happening to him? He just wanted to know what he did to deserve this... Was he really that bad of a person?

And Roman... where was he? If this was Hell, then couldn't he come here? Couldn't he save him? Why wasn't he trying to save him? Did he not care? He said he loved him... Was it all a lie?

Why wouldn't it be? Virgil wasn't anything special. Besides, why would anyone want to risk anything to save him? Who would be crazy enough to fight Alice for him? It made sense why no one has come to save him, and why no one will.

Didn't make it hurt any less. Being abandoned, left to be tortured for the rest of eternity... Who knows how long he's been here. Hours, days, weeks, it all blurred together. The only bright side was his shoulder had stopped hurting.

Actually, a lot of his injuries had lost some feeling. Not completely, he could still feel the pain, but less so now. He couldn't tell if it was because they were healing or if he was going numb.

Slowly he opened his eyes, and the first thing he noticed was how the white lines in his hair had grown thicker. This was part of him turning into an immortal, isn't it?

The dripping had slowed down too, turns out that was his blood. But his injuries have been healing faster, that also had to be part of him being an immortal. And his blood... the color of it... that was definitely proof he wasn't human anymore.

He wondered briefly if that all meant he could get out one day. If he was strong enough, he could escape from Alice... Though that would probably take a few centuries. He couldn't even move his fingers right now, much less run away.

How would he even get out anyway? He can't free his wrists, and probably won't be able to take a few steps before falling. No, it was impossible. He'll have to be saved, and that's not happening. He was stuck here to rot away forever. Whatever game Alice was playing, she won.

~~~

Roman curled up on what was Virgil's bed. He held both Green and Purp close to his chest, keeping his eyes shut to keep out the tears. The room held Virgil's scent still, though it was starting to fade away, making Roman's heart ache.

He didn't want anyone to see him breaking right now. He was trying to be strong, really, it was true. But it was so hard to keep himself together right now. Not while his love was gone, being tortured.

Everything was so perfect. Virgil worked so hard to be happy. And he was for a time! He was happy and content with everything. Even while he was hurt, he was still happy. Why did that have to be ripped away from him?

The door opened, making Roman jump. Patton froze when he saw the demon, stopping where he was. Virgil's jacket was hanging from his arm, being held to his chest.

"O-oh, I didn't realize you were in here," he said awkwardly, hiding half way behind the door. "I-I'm sorry, I'll-"

"I'll go," Roman offered, setting Green and Purp down.

"No- um, you don't have to." Patton hesitated, tapping the door for a moment. "Actually, can I talk to you?"

"Oh, you... okay." Roman was surprised to say the least. He was a demon, and Patton knew this now. Patton who is Christian and was taught to hate all evil. "Did you need something?"

Patton closed the door and awkwardly walked in. He stopped in the middle of the room to not get too close. "Well, you-you were friends with Virgil, right?"

"Yes, we were very close." Roman didn't want to go into detail about how they were technically boyfriends now.

Patton frowned, noticing how Roman's eyes were puffy. He hugged himself tighter and took a deep breath. "Is he going to be okay?"

Roman curled up a bit more. "I'm going to do everything to make sure he is. I don't care if we're no longer contracted, I'm going to take care of him. I just want him to be happy."

"Was he... was he happy? When he was with me and Logan?"

Roman's face softened. "He loved- loves... He loves you two. He was so happy to be adopted by you, he felt so safe." The demon blinked back tears from his eyes. "When I first met him, he wasn't very happy. He was so stressed and scared. You guys helped him so much."

Patton bit his tongue to keep the tears back, but one still slipped out. He quickly dried it and looked away. "I'm... I'm glad. But I wished it had lasted longer."

"We'll get him back, and he'll be safe again. I'm not planning on letting Alice rule long."

They were silent for a moment before Patton asked, "What really happened to his shoulder? It-it wasn't what he said that happened, right?"

Roman's stomach turned. "Patton, you know how in every group of people, there are good and bad, right?"

Patton nodded. "Of course."

"Well, the same is true for demons and angels. Most demons are evil, yes, but some are kinder than others. And most angels are good and kind, but... Some use dirty tricks to get what they want. What happened was... some angels came down and wanted to get rid of Remus and I, and they used Virgil and Janus to get to us. They kidnapped both of them, and... We tried to save them but Virgil ended up getting hurt. I just don't want you to lose your faith, and I don't want you to think angels are evil. I know how much religion means to humans."

"We-we do take it pretty seriously..." Patton laughed nervously. "I... I just wish I knew. Did Virgil feel like he had to hide it all from me?"

"I think Virgil also didn't want you to lose your faith. He probably didn't like hiding it all from you guys, but he wanted to protect you. He didn't choose to be contracted to me... it's a long story."

Patton walked closer and sat on the opposite side of the bed from Roman. He offered the demon Virgil's jacket. Roman hesitated, looking up at Patton who just nodded before taking it from him. Patton smiled and asked, "Tell me, please? I want to know everything."