Don't Leave Me | Analogical

1. New Beginnings

POV: Logan

I arrived outside the apartment some time after six in the afternoon. The building wasn't anything out of the ordinary; just a simple townhouse like every other on that street, nothing extraordinary. Just how I liked it.

I grabbed my suitcase and walked up to the front door, pulling out the keys I had received merely the day before. I was about to open the door when I heard a car pull up behind me.

I swiftly turned around and watched as Virgil got out of the back seat with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He thanked the driver quietly and closed the door.

"Good afternoon, Virgil." I called politely and he jumped, not noticing my presence.

"Oh. Hey Logan." He nodded and walked up to the door beside me. "Good timing."

"Indeed it is." I smiled and unlocked the door. "I was just about to go in."

We walked into the hall and made our way to the second floor where our new apartment was located. I unlocked the door again and we walked in. Virgil sighed as he looked around.

"Hope you're ready to deal with me on a daily basis." He muttered and adjusted the strap on his shoulder.

"I'm sure it will pleasant." I reassured him. I was just happy to finally have a flatmate.

The entry hall, kitchen and living room were all open plan and were fully furnished, courtesy of the landlord. Beside the kitchen was a door to the bathroom and there were two doors in the living room which lead to two bedrooms. We quickly chose our rooms, neither of us too fussed on which one we get, and proceeded to unpack our stuff.

We ordered pizza for dinner and sat on the couch, making small talk.

"How is your portfolio going?" I asked, finishing my second slice. Virgil was studying fine arts at the same university that I went to. In fact, the university library was where we first met; we both enjoyed the silence there.

"Slow." Virgil shrugged, still on his first piece of pizza, which he had been playing with for the past ten minutes. "Nothing I draw seems to look good."

"I'm sure your art is delightful." I smiled. "You should stop being so hard on yourself."

"Thanks, Logan." Virgil gave me a small smile back. "What about you? How're your studies going?"

"It's pleasant." I replied. "Astronomy is something I've been interested in all my life."

"That's nice."

The conversation soon died down and we decided to head to bed early for the night as the next day was a Monday and we both had a lecture in the morning.

We said our "goodnight"s and disappeared into our rooms.

***

I was awoken by noises in the middle of the night. I rolled over in bed and looked at the digital clock which stood on my nightstand. It was just after three in the morning.

I strained my hearing and heard someone shuffle around the kitchen, opening the cupboards and running the tap. I guessed it was Virgil so I simply turned in my bed and tried to go back to sleep.

Before I could fall back asleep, a sharp clatter made me sit up in my bed. I scrambled out from under the covers and poked my head out the door.

"Virgil?" I called, looking round the apartment but not seeing any sign of my friend. He must have went back to his room.

I crossed the living room in only my pyjamas and knocked on Virgil's door. He was in the kitchen merely five minutes ago; he couldn't have fallen asleep yet.

There was no reply.

"Virgil?" I called again and knocked slightly louder. Still no reply, but I definitely heard a small noise from inside.

I debated what to do, a list of different courses of action running through my head. I started weighing out the pros and cons of walking into his room and quickly decided that he could be hurt, so I grabbed the door handle and walked in.

It took me a moment to take in the scene. The room was dim, the only light source being the full moon outside the window, which made it hard to decipher what had happened. A cracked glass lay on the ground with its contents spilled out across the floor, a steam of water slowly inching towards the corner of the room. However, I was more preoccupied with the figure who sat on the floor, leaning against the bed and curled up into a ball. Virgil.

He was hyperventilating and visibly shaking, his fingers digging into his scalp as he tried to calm down. It wasn't working.

Springing into action, I quickly turned on his nightlight and knelt down beside the boy.

"Hey..." I whispered softly. "It's me, Logan. Everything is fine, you're alright. Try to breathe for me, Virgil. I don't want you to pass out."

I racked my brain for everything I knew about panic attacks and once again debated on what to do next. Everyone is different, so how was I supposed to know what will help Virgil?

I decided to take a chance and placed a hand on his shoulder to see if he'd reject the physical contact. To my surprise, he barely even acknowledged the touch which was my cue to act.

I gently pried his fingers out of his hair and wrapped my arm around him.

"Don't hurt yourself." I said quietly, rubbing circles on his back as he tembled violently and gasped for air. "Focus on your breathing, Virgil. Can you do that for me? Breathe with me, ok? In... and out... That's it, keep going."

I continued to mumble encouragements into his ear as I noticed him making an effort to match my breathing. After ten long and agonising minutes, Virgil's breaths were under control again and he simply sat curled up, leaning against me.

"T-Thank you." He stammered out, finally able to form words. "I'm sorry..."

"No, don't apologise." I shook my head. "This is beyond your control. I was merely doing my best to help with the situation."

Virgil looked up at me and smiled, however his face fell a moment later. "This probably isn't a great start to us living together."

"On the contrary." I stated and he furrowed his brows at me. I quickly explained. "Now that I know of this... issue, I will be more prepared the next time it happens and I'll be able to act accordingly."

"I guess..." Virgil muttered and shrugged. His next words were cut off by a yawn.

"You should go back to bed." I instructed, standing up from the floor. "You need to regain your strength."

"I won't regain much in four hours." He rolled his eyes.

"Then I suggest you don't go to the morning lecture tomorrow. I'll let the university know that you're not feeling well. Your health is more important."

"Logan, I can't—"

"Virgil." I said sternly and he rolled his eyes at me.

"Fine." He sighed and pulled himself up onto the bed. "Oh..." Virgil pulled a face when he saw the spilt glass of water on the floor. "I should probably tidy that up."

"I'll take care of it." I told him. "You go to sleep."

Virgil saw my determined expression and didn't argue this time. Instead, he simply slid under his covers with a sigh. I grabbed a towel from the kitchen and cleaned up the spill.

" 'Night." He called as I headed out of his room.

"Goodnight." I replied with a smile.