Trustfall || Sanders Sides Equestrian AU

Chapter 36 - The Art of Letting Go

A curious, insolent ray of sunlight wrapped around Virgil's wrist. It trailed up his arm and tickled his face, and the warmth pulled him out of his sleep with gentleness only a ray of sunlight could possess. He shifted in his place and rejected it with a grumble. It was a little too late to go back to sleep now; the rest of his senses stretched and yawned and insisted on being a nuisance by detecting every possible piece of information they could. A bird's chirp spiralled and curled and twisted outside until it could no longer find new notes to hit. The window must have been left open overnight, because the tingly aroma of coffee trailed up from the floor below, accompanied by a cheerful neighbour's whistle. Every inch across his skin was ever-so-aware of the silky texture of a hoodie he couldn't remember owning. And a second heartbeat conducted his own with calm, steady beats.

Virgil blinked his eyes open, and the air attacked and stung them almost immediately. He shifted against the warmth and his gaze trailed up lazily. It paused on a pair of closed eyes, framed by a face inches apart from his.

Oh. Right. Holy shit.

Roman had never looked this peaceful. The sunlight had left his face flushed with colour, and sailed up and down his features as if in play. His lips were woven into a simple, faint smile. His hair was a mess – not that Virgil would ever let him know. It would surely send him straight into cardiac arrest.

And now that he looked at him, listening to the steady heartbeat below him, all he could feel was the phantom feeling of those lips on his from last night. Virgil let his head drop back to its comfortable spot on the crook of Roman's neck and drifted back into the bizarre, warm haze.

It lasted for about ten seconds before his sister's eyes blinked in the pitch darkness of his mind. Virgil's heart skipped three consecutive beats and his eyes shot open again. Every atom in his body begged him to lie back down against the warm body beside him, but he battled back the urge and instead sat up and searched for his phone with a frantic hand.

The amount of missed texts from his mother didn't help the acrobatics his heart was performing below his ribcage. Virgil scrolled through with a trembly finger. The final one had been sent the night before.

"Roman just got back to me, hon, sorry for blowing your phone. Try to get some rest. Emma's feeling a bit better, we should be back on Friday."

He let go of a shaky breath. See, everything's fine, you idiot.

"Everything okay?"

Virgil almost fell off the sofa. He twisted around so fast that his neck hurt. Roman's eyes wore the same golden hue they always seemed to wear when he would pull Virgil out of his anxiety.

"Oh- yeah. Did I wake you up?"

He yawned and rubbed his eye. "Nah, it's okay. How are you feeling?"

Virgil shifted in unease, and Roman sat up on the sofa. The ever-busy voice at the back of his head was somewhat quieter today.

"Better. Thanks."

"Anything from your mom?"

"She says Emma's doing okay."

Roman smiled, and it was somehow contagious; as if Virgil's brain didn't register the information as good news until the boy's smile deemed it as such. He offered a hand, and Virgil didn't hesitate to bury his own in his. It was warm and soft. Comforting.

"I'll make us something to eat." Roman slid off the sofa. His thumb stroked Virgil's hand before he let go, leaving him slightly colder.

"I'm not hungry."

"You'll be in a minute."

Roman always had a pep in his step; but today it was as though he was floating on clouds. He waltzed into the modest kitchen and got to work before Virgil could find the energy to protest. He couldn't recognise the cheerful song he was whistling. Something warm and fuzzy swirled in Virgil's stomach as he watched from his comfortable spot on the sofa. If he were lame enough, he would have called it butterflies.