True Deceit

Chapter 38: Roman

 TW: Self Harm

"Roman, are you okay?" Patton whispered, pressing his glasses to his face with a worried frown.

Roman snapped back into reality, smiling falsely. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"It's just... you're not singing."

Roman turned to the TV, realising that 'Zero to Hero,' from Hercules was jazzing through the speaker. "Oh!" He stood up, singing the final sixteen bars in an over exaggerated vibrato. "Now he's a hero!!!! Yes, indeed."

Remus laughed, although it sounded more like a scoff. Logan pretended to be bored, listening to the voice in his head.

I want you to leave the Light Side as soon as you're alone. Head straight to Deceit's laboratory, there I'll tell you what to do.

"Remus, would you mind helping me wash the dishes?" Patton asked sweetly.

Remus glanced back at Roman before slowly standing to his feet, following Morality into the kitchen. Logan stood also, bidding the pair a goodnight before retreating to his room. This left only Roman and Virgil in each other's company.

"Virgil, can we talk in my room?" Roman whispered.

*

Roman shut closed his bedroom door before landing heavily atop his bed, patting the quilt beside him in gesture for Virgil to sit down. The anxious side lowered himself on the bedding, inhaling deeply.

"Are you alright? You looked nervous at dinner."

Roman nodded, his eyes glazed with water. "I, I just wanted to make sure of something." He grabbed Virgil's wrist.

"What are you doing?" Virgil spoke alertly.

"It's okay," he assured him, through there was a nervous wobble in his voice. "Can you show me your arm?"

Virgil faltered with realisation. "No, Roman, I swear I'm not, why do you think I am-"

"Virgil!" He ordered sharply. "Just show me, okay?"

Virgil hesitantly lifted his arm, scrolling his hoodie sleeve to reveal his forearm, clean and uncut. "See? Roman, you know I stopped doing that."

Roman nodded, relief flooding his muscles as he released his hold. "Okay, I just thought maybe... with everything that's been going on you might have. I'm sorry-"

"-Stop, just stop. I need you to be honest, please, what happened today with Deceit?"

Roman's lungs were as shallow as a paddling pool. "I don't know what you mean."

"Falsehood!" Virgil raised his voice.

Roman sweated nervously. "Virgil, I promise-"

"I need the truth; I need to hear about my Father."

Roman growled. "Stop being Para-" he fell silent. "No, I didn't mean that, I'm sorry."

Virgil stared at him, his heart pounding in his chest. "Unbelievable, get out, I don't tolerate liars in my space."

"Virgil, listen–"

"Truth, or out!"

"Fine," Roman quavered. Virgil heard the desperation in his voice, and observed as droplets spilt onto his cheeks. "I'll tell you." He cleared his throat before mustering. "I saw him through the cell glass, he was crying and his plate was full. I decided to go inside and tried to feed him. But Virgil, he looked scared, and i couldn't understand why. After that he got aggressive and swore at me a couple of times, i took some an extreme measure of stealing his hat. I thought that if I confiscated it he would eat in order to get it back, like a trade." 

Virgil's heart raced. "Roman, he needs his hat! You don't understand, he gets really antsy if you take it from him!"

"I know," Roman responded with red cheeks. "It was probably a bad idea. But what else was i supposed to do?"

"Let Remus or Patton talk to him, comfort him, earn his trust, get him something else to eat," Virgil listed tautly, "Explain to him what you want and why, offer him a reward, seriously! He has severe trust issues, Roman, if you were going to take his hat you should have stayed with him so he could have it near him." The anxious side took several sharp breaths. "He doesn't trust you, he doesn't realise your helping him, and he will self-harm to cope!" 

Roman grabbed the panicking side's shoulders, holding him in his arms as he shivered with fear. "Hey, calm down! Virgil, deep breaths." Virgil struggled to breath, holding his weight against Roman's body. "I'm so sorry, i really am, but i was just trying to help."

"I know," he quivered. "But you've made a big mistake."