Bad Rumors

41

"You feeling ok, Brother?" Remus asked softly as Roman just sat there slightly dazed. "You're still looking a bit sick."

'I feel numb.' Roman signed making Remus's eyes darken. 'Like... Not numb numb but... not aware either.' Roman's eyes narrowed as his hand went to his chest. "I-I'm-m s-sad and sc-ca-ared but..." Roman eyes met with Remus's as he shrugged. "Something's d-drowning i-i-it."

"What do you mean?"

'It's like I'm feeling something I shouldn't be. Like this numbness isn't mine but I still feel it.' Roman's eyes darkened as his hands started to shake. 'The only time that happened was when I could feel-...'

"PATTON?!" Roman jumped only slightly as he turned to see Patton in the doorway behind Janus. Patton's eyes widened, filled with concern, as Roman in his daze just shook his head and collapsed back into the couch, sending a single wave back.

"Roman?" Patton spoke gently as he slowly made his way over to him. Roman's eyes watched him closely with every step the second he appeared in his view. "Hey, Kiddo... You feeling ok?'

"Wait..." Roman frowned as he glanced up at Remus seeing the fear in his eyes. 'Are you really here?' Patton just nodded making Roman sit up suddenly with tears in his eyes. "P-p-papá?" Patton knelt down in front of Roman as he smiled sadly and nodded again. 'I thought maybe I was dreaming. Didn't think you would come here...'

"He said he had news." Janus whispered softly making Patton break a little and tear up. 

"I do. And it's important but... This is the first time I've seen EITHER of my sons for a while so..." Patton glanced back to see the shock in Remus as he smiled. "How are you? I haven't checked in on you and I'm sorry. Janus said you liked it here so I just uh... I figured you would have preferred it that way."

"I'm... I uh..." Remus choked up as he just laughed. "I-I'm good, PenisPOP. It's Roman that..."

"I'm numb not dying." Roman cut in making everyone pale as he just scoffed and leaned back against the couch, this broken look in his eyes. 'Why are you here, Dad?'

"Roman..." Patton tensed slightly as he forced himself to stand back up. "You need to come back." The room went deadly silent as Patton's eyes darkened seeing the glare Roman gave him. "You have to..."

'Not happening.'

"Roman-..." Roman jumped off the couch and started to leave only for Remus to grab his arm and stop him. Patton just stood there frozen with tears in his eyes. "Roman, please. Listen to me... You need to come back."

"I-I-I'm n-not g-g-goin-ng." Patton crashed as Roman growled under his breath. Janus just stood there tense as can be as Remus avoided everyone's gaze, his grip on Roman's arm slipping.

"I would not have come if it wasn't serious." Roman huffed as he turned back to see the look Patton was giving him. "Just as I let Remus go, despite not wanting to... If you seriously wanted to stay here then I would have let you because the last thing I want is my children suffering." Patton shook his head ignoring the pain he was feeling over all the emotions swirling about the room. "I didn't have a choice. I had to come to get you. We need you to come back, Roman. Pleas-..."

"NO!" Roman yelled out his anger flaring in him as Patton's eyes widened finally noticing 'the look' Virgil was talking about when Roman calls on his pride. "I will NOT go back there. You don't want me to suffer than great... LEAVE ME HERE."

"Roman, I can't..."

"I will not go back there just to have everyone LEAVE ME AGAIN!" Roman's voice echoed through the house as everyone fell silent under the weight of those words. "I can't do it."

"I'm sorry, Patton." Remus whispered as he glanced over to see Roman just stare at the ground. "If Roman wants to stay... we're going to side with him on this."

"I agree with the twins." Janus added only making Patton break more. Tears streamed down his face as he laughed sadly. Everything was crashing down around him. His sons were hurting. Virgil was hurting. He didn't know what to do. He just... He just didn't know anymore. "I'm afraid I am going to have to insist you take your leave if your purpose was just to get Roman back-..."

"Virgil's sick." Roman's eyes shot up as Patton shrugged obviously visibly done with everything. His smile had fallen as everything just pulled him apart. 

"What?" Janus hissed anxiously as Patton nodded. "He's... sick?"

"Since Roman's left Virgil has been... declining. His guilt over what happened made him literally bed-bound." Roman's eyes darkened as his panic started to build up again... this time he knew it was his own. "Just yesterday he had a massive panic attack and... he's been asleep since then."

"P-P-Pan-nic?" Roman whimpered as he stumbled back into Remus who held him to help ground him. "He... Attack? Y-Yest... yest-t-terd-day? He... I..."

"Roman had one yesterday as well." Janus cut in as Roman dazed out completely. "Remus." 

"I know. I've got him." Remus whispered into Roman's ear as the prince suddenly took a very shakey and forced breath. Patton just stared at the floor sadly as he cried. 

"Virgil isn't getting any better. We... I kept trying to brighten his mood. I kept hoping that he would get up. Even the boys tried to help by looking for Roman..."

"Why do you need Roman?" Janus frowned in confusion as Patton shook his head. 

"It's not my place to say what Virgil told me in confidence but his guilt over what he said..."

'He hates me. He said to leave him. He told me to go. He left me. He..." Patton tensed seeing the tears falling from Roman's eyes. The poor prince whimpered as the pain grew in him badly, his hand clenching his shirt. "I can't-t g-go b-back."

"I understand." Patton let out a very remorseful breath as he nodded and started for the door shocking the other two. Roman just started of dazed at nothing as his mind fell into the pit his heart was breaking into. "I just thought I would try one last time. Virgil... He isn't waking up. He isn't getting better. I'm not even sure if Roman coming back will do anything but..."

"Patton." Janus's voice cracked slightly as Patton whipped his tears away and turned back to face him. "Are you saying..."

"Is Emo going to fade?" Remus whined pitifully making Roman pale in horror. "Dad? Is Virgil..."

"We don't know... but if things don't get better then... yes." Patton smiled sadly as he hugged himself close. "We can only hold on for so long when everything in us gives up. Virgil... He had given up for some time. I could feel it. I just... I figured even if I couldn't talk Roman into coming back you all deserved to know what was going on. Even if it was to tell you to say goodbye."

"No." Roman whispered so quietly no one could hear as he trembled in his spot. 

"I... I need to go back. Logan has the twins and Virgil and to be honest... I don't want to leave Virgil if this is it. So..." Patton didn't say anything he just opened the door and started to leave.

"WAIT!"