Sleight of Hand - Sanders Sides

Chapter Seventeen

"W-What in the world happened?" Roman slurred while moving his heavy limps to a better position. His hearing was slowly making itself known again and his world was coming back into focus.

"Holy crap, he's awake! Virgil, get in here! It's Roman!" A familiar voice rang out. The magician was having a hard time placing a face to the voice he had heard, but then he opened his eyes up fully. There, Logan loomed above him, checking his vitals and making sure he woke up properly.

"Logan?" Roman croaked out, still having trouble finding his voice.

"Yes, Roman. I'm right here." Logan comforted him. Just then, a worried-looking Virgil bounded into the room. He looked to his boyfriend first before spotting his cousin and sitting next to him on the bed.

"How are you feeling, Ro?" Virgil asked calmly, stroking his hair.

"Fine...where am I?"

"Our apartment. The medics said you weren't horribly hurt. All you needed was a little rest." Logan explained. Now the puzzles started to formulate in his mind. All the memories of the performance coming back to him.

"Yeah. They said that you hit your head pretty hard on that platform stand though. No wonder you've been out for almost 2 days." Virgil added. Roman nodded along, his mind still racing with thoughts and concerns.

"W-What about...Patton?" Roman asked. Logan and Virgil looked at each other. That wasn't a good sign.

"He's here too. But he took in a lot of smoke. The medics did all that they could when they took him to the hospital. We picked him up a couple of hours ago. " Virgil explained. "When he woke up, he was begging to see you but the medics said he shouldn't move around too much while he's healing."

"Then...can I see him?" Roman prompted.

"I don't see why not." Logan shrugged. Roman tried to dash out of the bed himself but Virgil and Logan helped him. Once he was on his feet, Roman moved quickly down the hall, having a slight idea where Patton may be. He opened the door to the extra guest bedroom and gasped at the sight before him.

Patton was asleep, a mask over his nose and lips. His face was still covered in soot and burn markings that would probably never go away. "W-Why does he look like that?" Roman said through spilling tears.

"He hasn't been awake long enough for us to clean him up. When we brought him home was the longest he has been awake; probably 30 minutes." Logan told him.

"Speaking of which, we should get you cleaned up too," Virgil spoke, taking Roman by the arm and walking with him to the bathroom. Virgil closed the toilet's lid and sat his cousin down upon it. With that, he went digging under the sink for a rag to wet. Roman shook his head, trying to shake the pain away, but it was too much. "Something wrong, dude?"

"Yeah, just got a headache...probably from hitting my head or whatever happened." Roman guessed. Virgil nodded, sticking his hand inside the medicine cabinet and pulling out some pain pills for him.

"Take two. There are paper cups for water right here." Virgil pointed. Roman lightly nodded, grabbing and filling a cup half full before placing the pills in his mouth and drowning them in water. As he threw the cup away, Virgil kneeled in front of the magician, gently wiping the soot and lose blood from his face. "Just...out of curiosity, what's the last thing you remember?" Virgil asked, trying to break the awkward quietness between them.

"Um...I remember Dillon slithering back down the ladder after the tent caught fire. And I went after Patton. When I got to him, he practically passed out in my arms. The tight rope snapped and I grabbed onto the rope as we swung towards the platform. That must've been when I hit my head because everything after that is a blur." I explained. Virgil nodded, finishing cleaning his face.

"You're all set," Virgil told him. Roman stood up and captured his brother in a hug who kindly returned it. Roman then pulled away, rushing back to Patton's room. When he got there, he paused at the door frame. Inside the room, Logan was standing next to Patton; they were talking.

Roman's heart fluttered with joy as Patton slowly turned his head to see his boyfriend standing there. "R-R-Ro!" Patton struggled to say. His voice sounded like that of a chronic smoker. Roman smiled and walked in the room, bending down to Patton's height and wrapping him in a hug. Loose tears fell down the magician's face but he couldn't care less.

Roman then showered Patton's face in delicate kisses, he was so happy to have him back. Logan silently walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Roman rounded the bed and took a seat in a nearby chair. "How do you feel?" Roman asked.

"Awful," Patton giggled. "But, better with you here." Roman smiled at that. "What exactly happened?" Roman frowned and took a breath, going on to explain the whole story, watching as Patton's expression shifted from uncomfortable to horrified.

"And then, I woke up here." Roman finished. His boyfriend looked about ready to cry, he couldn't believe what he heard. "Don't cry, darling." Roman pleaded, grabbing Patton's hand with a tender squeeze. "If you don't mind me asking, how did Dillon get you on that tight rope?"

"After I left that night, I was right outside my apartment when I heard a noise. I knew someone was behind me but I never got to see them as they shoved a rag up my nose and I blacked out. I woke up at the competition with the rope at my wrists and ankles and just before you finished your act, Dillon pushed me to the other side of the tight rope." Roman nodded, everything coming together in his head. "I think it's safe to say, you won that competition." Patton laughed.

"I don't care about that competition. I only wanted to spend time with you." Roman said, making Patton blush. The magician laughed, further intensifying his love's blush with a deep and passionate kiss.