Virgil didn't tell anyone about them. The shadows that haunted him... they attacked him every time Thomas got an anxiety attack. He hid his bruise, cuts and scars under his heavy black hoodie. No one asked, so he didn't tell. He suffered alone, not wanting to bother anyone. He'd lived his whole life that way.

It was a life changing day when Prince saved him.

Roman had been strolling through the Imagination, enjoying the feeling of being here. All the Sides could come here of course, but Roman, to his knowledge, was the only one who came here regularly. He didn't mind; it meant he could go somewhere to be alone for a while, just like now.

Except, not now, because he heard faint sobs coming from somewhere. One hand resting on his sword, he inched toward the sound.

He found a clearing in the trees, his heart and stomach dropping upon the sight. Someone was being attacked! He drew his sword and rushed forward, putting himself between the victim and the shadow figures. They lashed out at him, but he skillfully slashed through their arms as they did so. They let out animalistic cries of pain. Roman raised his sword, lunging to take off their heads. He landed on the ground skillfully, panting. The figures disappeared with cries of pain. The Prince sighed in relief and turned to see who'd rescued only to find them gone. He frowned, looking around for them, but he didn't find them.

Virgil's heart was pounding in his chest as he hid from Roman. His breathing was rugged from the stinging pain in his chest. Everything hurt, causing him to bite his lip to not whimper in pain.

When the prince finally gave up, he breathed a sigh of relief. He came out of hiding, holding his side and limping. Virgil limped back to his room, realizing it was almost 11:00 at night. He shrugged off his clothes and pulled on his pajamas, going into his bathroom and wincing. His arms were littered with nasty cuts and bruises, as well as scars from past attacks.

I'm disgusting, he thought blankly as he stared at himself in the mirror.

Virgil sighed, going to his bed. He was physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted, but as he laid down and closed his eyes, sleep didn't come. The pain kept him awake, so he laid there. He laid there all night until finally the sun came up. He groaned as he got up, going once again to the bathroom.

Geez, I look as dead as I feel, he thought looking at the dark circles under his eyes. He reached for his eye shadow, covering the circles with ease. He pulled on his hoodie over his arms to cover the marks. Checking once again, he was ready to go pretend to be okay.

He'd gotten through the day without an incident. It was like it never happened, except, he still felt it. What he didn't realize was how much Roman was thinking about what had happened.

He wanted to know who he'd saved, if they were alright, and... well, he was a prince, and typically when a prince saves someone, romance blossoms. He was skeptical about the last one in the case of this particular incident, but he still wanted to know who it was he had saved. He had been walking by Virgil's room when he remembered he needed some makeup. He was experimenting with it, and Virgil had a lot of it.

He opened the door to his room, forgetting to knock and finding Virgil frozen like a deer in the headlights. His eye shadow was gone, but it looked if it was still there with the bags under his eyes. The makeup had been irritating him for some reason, so he'd retreated to his room to wipe it off. His hoodie was lying on his bed, and not covering his arms.

"Oh my god..." Roman whispered, approaching him slowly. The darkest of the Sides backed away, tears in his eyes. "It was you, wasn't it..."

Virgil didn't respond. His fists were clenched as he looked away. "I-I d-don't know w-what you're t-talking about," he muttered.

Roman approached him further, having closed the door behind him. "It was you in the Imagination yesterday," he continued. "You're the one who was being attack by the shadow figures."

"Yeah? What else is new?" Virgil replied, trying to sound confidence, but his quiet voice betrayed him. "Happens all the time, whenever Thomas gets anxious. I'm used to it."

"Virgil..." Roman murmured sadly. The other looked up just as the Prince pulled him into a hug. It was tight, but also gentle. It was clear he didn't want to hurt him. Tears fell from Virgil's eyes as he sunk into the embrace. He was soon sobbing in his arms, every wall he'd built up against Roman falling from one embrace. The prince ran his fingers through the back of his hair as he held him close, cooing softly that he was there and that he had him. "I've got you..."

Virgil sniffed, having stopped sobbing and having relaxed in Roman's arms. The prince guided them to the bed, siting them down. "I'm so sorry..." he murmured to Virgil. "I'm so sorry you've had to go through this... I swear on my life I won't let it happen again..."

The darkest of the Sides looked at him in shock. Where had this sudden surge of kindness and protectiveness come from? "Why..." he asked softly.

Roman took one of his hands in his own and placed the other gently under his cheek. "Because I care about you," he said, blushing slightly. "I care about you more that I've let it be known. I-I um..."

The prince trailed off too scared to say what he wanted to. He laughed bitterly, Virgil looking at him in confusion.

"I claim to be the romantic one and yet I can't even get the words out," he said in frustration. He looked at Virgil, who was looking back at him with wide shiny eyes. "Fine, then just four words."

He leaned in really close, going in for the kiss but stopping to ask, "Can I kiss you?"

Virgil's heart was racing and his head was reeling. His cheeks were flushed pink as he slowly nodded. Roman gently pressed his lips to the other's. It was gentle and slow, as though they were worried they'd hurt each other if they put anymore force into it. As they broke away, their eyes met. They were both breathless as they leaned in for another kiss. This time, they put all the passionate they felt for each other into it. Virgil end up with Roman hovering above him as they pulled away. They were both panting as they looked at each other. "I'm in love with you," Roman finally said.

"I'm in love with you too," Virgil replied.

Roman smiled a little. "Do you want to give this a shot? Us?" he asked quietly. Virgil nodded, smiling a tiny bit back.

"I don't know if it'll work, but I want to be with you," he said. Roman smiled wider now, leaning down to brush noses with him before laying down next to him and wrapped his arms gently around him. Virgil leaned into him, resting his head on his chest.

"How much sleep did you get last night?" Roman asked in a murmur. Virgil's gaze shifted downward involuntarily, even though Roman couldn't see his face.

"I didn't..." he said. The prince's eyes went wide.

"Why not?" he asked worriedly. Virgil sighed, snuggling closer to him.

"The pain keeps me awake when this happens," the darkest of the Sides whispered. Roman's heart broke a little in his chest. "I'm used to it Roman, I'm fine."

"Shh," the prince shushed him softly. "Tried and sleep now. I'm staying with you."

"Roman I can't-"

"When the sun goes down and the lights burn out then it's time for you to shine, brighter than a shooting star, so shine no matter where you are," Roman sang softly, silencing Virgil as he became entranced by his voice. "Fill the darkest night with a brilliant light cause it's time for you to shine, brighter than a shooting star."

He felt the weight on his chest get heavier, smiling as he ran his fingers through the emo nightmare's hair. He pressed a gentle kiss to his head before letting himself drift asleep too.