Colorful

Emo Nightmare

The first thing Virgil heard was the rumbling of the engine. Then it was Roman, talking beside him aimlessly about something he couldn't quite pay attention to. Virgil was driving to some unknown destination, the music on the radio kept low so he could still hear Roman. A sense of warm fondness filled his chest as he listened to his soulmate ramble about nothing and everything all at once.

He looked so happy, the sun shining through his golden hair and illuminating his eyes. As a stoplight slowed the car to a stop, Virgil looked more fully at Roman, who met his gaze and smiled at him as though he were the most beautiful thing to ever grace the earth. As the car began to move once more, Virgil found himself unable to tear his eyes from Roman. Unable to look away from the bright smile he gave him.

A car slammed into the side of theirs, jolting the two of them to the side and ripping the air from their lungs.

It was the same stomach-churning sensation of flipping.

Of the wheels losing traction against the ice and coming off the road entirely.

Of his head hitting the window.

It was all the same, and Roman was at his side this time.

Virgil could almost physically hear the sirens - they were right there - and as he hung upside down, the warm wetness of blood dripping from his fingertips, he could only pray that the paramedics would get there in time to make sure Roman was okay.

He had to be okay.

He was okay.

Right?

Though... when Virgil was put into the ambulance on a gurney - an icy, numb chill settling over his entire body as the warmth left him in a rush - Roman emerged from the wreckage in a body bag.

Virgil screamed for Roman, no sound coming out even though his throat burned with the force of the scream. A heavy, terrible pain settled in his chest, though every part of him was numb, as though he were underwater, drifting away from reality.

He woke with a start, sitting up on instinct alone, and the tears that were already flowing freely from his eyes increased in intensity as pain flooded through his chest and head at the sudden movement. Gasping sobs tore from his chest, rubbing his throat raw, and he wanted to curl in on himself to make the ache in his chest go away, but he knew he couldn't. Not without making the pain worse.

He laid back down, turning his head slightly to see the empty spot on the bed beside him, and a small part of his sleep-addled brain told him that Roman was gone because he was dead. Because the dream had been real.

But he knew that wasn't the case.

Roman had had to go home a couple days ago, having spent the better part of the last week with him in the hospital, missing out on school. He still came over during visiting hours after school, but outside of that small window of time, Virgil was so helplessly alone.

He worked to control his breathing, to ease the horrible emptiness in his chest. He screwed his eyes shut tightly, only to open them once more when his phone buzzed on the end table beside the bed, illuminating the mostly-dark room. Checking the screen, Virgil breathed a small sigh of relief to see a text from Roman, asking if he was alright, and telling him that he had felt pain in his chest and head.

After sending Roman a response explaining that he was okay - just moved a little too quickly - Virgil let his finger hover over the text conversation with Remy.

Remy, who had always been so close to him.

Remy, who had always been there for him.

Remy, who everyone had said had ended up in the hospital with a broken hand the same day he had been in the accident.