Virgil's breathing was shaky as a finger traced the features of his face. His eyes fluttered shut as he sucked in a breath. The finger was soft, too soft to be skin. The finger turned into a hand that gently held the side of his face, eliciting a small gasp.

"You are beautiful, Virgil Sanders," the Side murmured, making his eyes slowly open to meet his boyfriend's.

"Aren't you lying though?" he asked quietly as he searched Deceit's impossible to read eyes. "You speak in lies, don't you?"

Deceit laughed a little, shaking his head. "Not always," he said, earning a raised eyebrow from Virgil. "I swear on my existence, I don't lie every time I say something."

"I believe you," the anxious Side replied with a smile as he leaned into his gloved hand. Deceit returned his smile, leaning in to kiss him gently on the the lips. Virgil kissed back, but it quickly became more heated. The snake-like Side was biting down on his lip, making him gasp and pull away with a flustered laugh. "Whoa, slow down, I'm not super into that stuff, De."

Deceit's eyes widened as he nodded. "Oh, of course, sorry," he said, looking hurt. Virgil frowned not liking the sad look on his face. He sighed a little and pulled him close.

"Come here," he said with a smile as he kissed him hard. There was a smile on the snake-like Side's face as well as the kiss grew passionate. Virgil felt nervousness in his chest as they backed up and fell on the bed. He hadn't been expecting this so early in their relationship.

"Virgil, are you comfortable with this? You just said you weren't super into this stuff," Deceit asked, pulling away to ask though his eyes were already dilated.

The anxious sighed a little with a nod, telling himself it was fine and normal. "I trust you," he said, offering a smile. Deceit's smile was more of a smirk as he leaned down to kiss him again.

A month later....

Virgil sighed heavily as he put concealer over all the hickeys and bite marks on his neck. He wished Deceit wouldn't go so crazy with them, not liking when the other Sides could see them. He started to head for the door once he was finished, but his boyfriend's voice made him stop.

"Virgil, where's my kiss?" he called.

The anxious Side felt strange. He knew he was trying to be playful and loving, something neither of them were good at, but something felt off. Regardless, he walked back to the bed and leaned over to kiss Deceit gently.

There was suddenly a gloved hand holding his own at the wrist, rubbing circles into the skin with the fabric. "I'm so glad you're mine," he said with a smile. Virgil returned it, trying not to feel uncomfortable with the usage of the word 'mine'. "And by the way, if that prince flirts with you anymore, I'll slap him across his sorry mouth."

"Deceit, that's not necessary," Virgil said, shifting uncomfortably. "He's just a flirty person, we've always acted like that with each other-"

"I don't like seeing you flirt or be flirt with when you're mine," the snake-like Side snapped, his grip on Virgil's wrist tightening. The anxious Side's eyes widened, feeling his heart rate speed up. "Don't you love me, Virgil?"

His mouth fell open as he blinked. "O-Of course I do, De," he replied, biting his lip. "I'm sorry..."

"Whatever, just go, and you'd better come back before 10:00 PM," he warned as Virgil made his way to leave for the Mind Palace. He nodded quickly and left the room, wincing once the door closed behind him.

He looked down at his wrist, eyes widening as he saw the slight bruising that had started to form where Deceit's hand had been gripping it. Virgil had fortunately put his concealer in his bag, so once he got to the Mind Palace, he covered the mark the same way he'd covered the hickeys.

"Hey Hot Topic!"

The anxious Side gasped and shoved the concealer into his bag, whirling around. Roman was smiling warmly at him. "Oh, h-hey Princey," he managed, backing away as his boyfriend's warning resurfaced in his mind. "Good morning, wow I'm hungry, better find Patton and ask what there is to eat, bye!"

"Wait-"

He was already gone, dashing off toward the kitchen. Roman was left confused and concerned as he broke down the anxious Side's actions. He'd shoved something into his bag, hid his right hand behind his back, blabbered some crazy excuse to leave, and then rushed off without even letting him speak.

That was odd even for someone as odd as Virgil, he thought with a frown. I wonder if it has anything to do with his life at the Dark Mind Palace...

Virgil's day working with the Sides went fairly smoothly, until the prince talked him into playing Mario Kart with him. Two hours later, he looked at the clock reading 10:32 PM. His heart dropped as his throat closed up. He jumped to his feet and threw his controller onto the couch as he gathered his stuff into his bag.

"Whoa, whoa, Virgil, where are you going?" Roman questioned as he ran away. He didn't reply, simply running faster.

When the anxious Side got back to the Dark Mind Palace and reached his room, he could barely breathe. His hand hovered over the doorknob as he shook. Closing his eyes, he opened the door and rushed inside. "Hey De, I'm so so sorry I'm late, we got held up with script writing and Patton needed help with some prop work and I lost track of time-"

"Shut up."

Virgil's heart lurched as he immediately shut his mouth. Deceit approached him, staring him down. "Why were you really late?" he inquired, making the anxious Side's eyes widen. "You really think you can lie to me of all people?"

"I-I was hanging out with R-Roman."

There was nothing, and then there was as loud slap. Virgil gasped as he held his cheek as it turned red, pain and shock making tears spring to his eyes.

"You're late by over half an hour because you were hanging out with the prince who keeps flirting with you, and you expect me not to think you're having an affair with him?" Deceit snarled.

"I-I swear I-I'm not!" Virgil exclaimed as his boyfriend grabbed his arm and dragged him towards their bed. "Please De, I'm sorry!"

Deceit just glared at him and threw him toward the bed. "Just go to sleep, slut," he muttered, looking beyond pissed. Virgil felt his heart in his throat at the name he'd been called as he laid down. He didn't fall asleep for a very long time.

Another month later...

"Why do you cover up those marks? They show you're mine," Deceit questioned as Virgil smeared more and more concealer over his bruises and hickeys. The anxious Side didn't reply as he headed out with dull eyes.

He got to the Mind Palace, and the creative Side was the first one he bumped into. "Hey Virgil, are you alright?" he asked, eyes widening upon seeing him. Virgil looked away with a shrug, earning a frown from the prince. He smirked getting an idea, pulling Virgil by the hand into the common room and pulling out his phone. "I don't like seeing you upset, so maybe this will cheer you up."

Roman started playing "Golden Days" by Panic! At the Disco, singing along as he tried to get the anxious Side to join in.

Virgil smiled a little, sighing happily as he watched Roman singing his heart out. "You're ridiculous, Sir Sing-A-Lot," he commented with a head shake. The prince smiled, bouncing over to him and pulling him to his feet. They were a fit of giggles as they danced together, but it didn't last very long because the concealer was smudged, revealing the bruises.

"V-Virgil..." the prince breathed. His eyes widened as his heart dropped. He immediately pulled away, going to leave.

Virgil stopped dead as his eyes widened. His boyfriend was standing in the doorway, seething. "Deceit," he managed, backing away. "I don't know what you think you saw, but I swear it wasn't what it looked like."

"We're going home," he snapped, stalking forward and grabbing Virgil roughly by the arm. The anxious Side cried out at the pain that shot through his arm at how hard he was gripping it.

"Excuse me, release him."

Roman stepped in, managing to somehow get Virgil out of his grasp and push him away. He looked up at the prince in shock. "R-Roman, stay out of this-"

"Listen to the slut, you're already on my list, don't give me anymore reason to slit your throat," Deceit snarled. This only made the creative Side furious as he stepped between him and the anxious Side on the ground.

"Get the hell out of here. I don't need to know how long you've been together, if you hurt him again, I will be the one slitting your throat," the prince growled, hand resting on his blade.

Deceit cackled, throwing a glare in the direction of his boyfriend. "They say I'm the liar," he snapped. "You told me you weren't having an affair with your little prince here, but his reaction is all I need to know. We're done Virgil, so don't even bother coming back to the Dark Mind Palace or I'll make sure you regret it."

He snapped his fingers, and with a puff of yellow dust he was gone. Virgil stayed on the ground as tears started to fall and his body started to shake. The creative Side's heart ached at the sight, kneeling down to hug him.

"Virgil, are you alright?" he murmured.

The anxious Side shook his head. "A-All of my things- my room- I-I have no w-where to g-go-" he couldn't even finish his sentence as he broke down in sobs. Roman held him close and picked him up bridal style.

"You can stay with me, and I'm sure this Mind Palace will create a new room for you," the prince said gently as they headed towards his room. He laid him on the bed, but that didn't make Virgil pleased.

He froze, autopilot taking over as his brain warped what the prince had just done. He reached up to take off his shirt, making Roman gasp in horror as he turned back around. "V-Virgil! What are you doing?!" he questioned, moving forward to stop him.

"You took me to your room and put me on your bed..." he mumbled, looking empty. "Obviously you want to... you know..."

Roman's heart dropped in his chest. "No, no, no, no, Virgil," he said, shaking his head rapidly. The anxious Side looked at him skeptically. "Nothing like that, I swear on my life and honor. Why would you think that's what I wanted?"

"That's what he wanted, why would you be any different?" Virgil muttered, looking at him with dull eyes.

The prince got down onto his knee so he'd be below him. He reached out to gently take his hand. "I am not him, Virgil. He is not a good person. What he put you through, isn't how love works," Roman explained. He rose so he could sit down with him on the bed. "Love feels like this."

He reached out to gently hold his face, wiping away his tears before running his fingers through his hair. Virgil thought he'd melt under the feeling, sighing at the soft touch. He'd never felt anything like this with Deceit. Roman smiled a little, hand moving to expose his bruised arm.

"Not like this," he said, shaking his head at the marks. Virgil looked at him with wide, glossy eyes, rendering Roman speechless for a moment. His voice was quiet and disbelieving. "How could someone hurt you?"

The anxious Side didn't answer as he looked down at his hands. "Thank you, by the way," he replied softly. "I-I... I've been meaning to tell you..."

"Yes?" Roman questioned, holding his hand gently.

"I like you," Virgil said quickly, making the prince's eyes widen. "I've liked you for a while, but I was with h-him so I didn't say anything..."

The creative Side smiled, leaning forward only to brush noses, shocking him. "Then it's a good thing I like you too, and that I happen to have a sword that's really good at killing snakes."