Mahogany and Teakwood

Chapter 25: Zinnia

last time i talked to you

you were lonely and out of place

Roman came in sometime later without knocking, juggling a bottle of acetaminophen, a glass of water, and Virgil's hoodie draped over his arm.

Virgil pulled out his earbuds and accepted the pills, unwilling to meet Roman's gaze. He didn't want to face the pity.

"What triggered this one?" Roman hung the hoodie on Virgil's bedpost and sat down.

Virgil raised a sardonic eyebrow.

"Oh, come on." Roman rolled his eyes. "You haven't had an attack like that since before all the shit with Deceit went down. In fact, I'll wager you've never had an attack that bad before."

He was right.

Things had been going so well. Virgil his best friend back, he'd been slowly patching things up with Logan, Deceit had been relegated to a distant threat, he'd been almost fucking happy...so long as he could just pretend...

Logan has seemed happier, too, lately, his mind whispered. Now you know why.

"Did you know?" he challenged. "Did you know they were dating?"

Roman's gaze skittered away, which told Virgil everything he needed to know.

"I knew you hadn't put it together." Roman ran hands through his pink-tipped mane, making it stick up. "Forgive me for not wanting to be the one to fucking break it to you."

Virgil finished his water with a glower.

"Did Lo...did he finally tell you?" Roman stuttered over Logan's name, eliciting a bitter chuckle out of Virgil.

"You can say his name," he muttered.

"Well, forgive my concern; the last time I said it you nearly hacked your lungs out."

They were silent for a moment, Virgil fiddling with his earbuds and Roman swinging his legs.

"I saw them kissing," Virgil admitted in a small voice, biting back the stab of pain.

Roman swore in Faery. "That careless fucking bastard," he added in the same tongue.

Virgil looked down at his lap.

"How am I supposed to go up north knowing that this," Roman gestured, "has become an issue again? I...care about you, damn it." He exhaled, shakily, and dropped his arm. "I can't leave you like this."

Virgil huffed, touched despite himself. "Princey, I am not a maiden in need of defending—"

"Don't you dare quote Hamilton at me right now." Roman held up a finger.

"I just got surprised tonight, that's all," Virgil said. "I'm not a child; I can handle my feelings. I'll be fine."

Roman rose, and paced around the room, and as much as Virgil wished the other changeling would just leave him alone, he did appreciate the concern. Roman really was a decent person at his core, especially at times when he had every opportunity to be awful and chose instead to be kind.

"Come to Philadelphia with me." Roman deposited himself in Virgil's desk chair.

Virgil looked away. "I told you. I have classes."

"Do you really care about getting a degree?" Roman pressed. "And don't cite your job as a reason, either; we both know you could find another like it anywhere you went."