#dlamp

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"Careful Virge!" Patton chirped, taking the knife from Virgil's hands swiftly and taking over cutting the vegetables for their dinner. Virgil huffed.

"Pat-"

"No no! Don't worry Vee- I've got it!"

Virgil sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing with Patton, and moving on to find something else to do.

----

"Oh! Virgil! Would you like me to get that for you?" Said Roman, already reaching up to grab the books Virgil had been reaching for, despite the fact that Roman was shorter than him. Was Virgil not allowed to get his own books these days?

"You know I hate it when you do that, Princey," Virgil hissed, taking the books, "I could've gotten them myself."

"I know, it's just nice to help," Roman smiled softly, not even realising how annoyed Virgil really was.

----

"Let me, dear," Janus said, pulling Virgil's hands away from his face, grabbing a washcloth and dabbing gently at his messed up makeup. Virgil wished he didn't feel so much like he was being treated like a child after a tantrum so he could relax into the comforting cool feeling after he'd cried. 

"Thanks, Jan," Virgil grumbled, not actually grateful at all.

----

"Are you alright, Virgil?" Logan asked, already sitting down next to Virgil on the window seat as he watched the storm rage outside. He was peaceful here, Virgil loved storms.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine," Virgil said, confused as Logan wrapped a blanket around him and pressed a hot drink into his hands.

"These items are supposed to help in times of distress," Logan said, sitting across form him, "I will keep you company until the storm passes."

They thought he was scared, Virgil realised abruptly, and his good mood caused by the storm soured abruptly.

----

"We just don't want you to get hurt, that's all, kiddo," Patton said softly when Virgil got angry about once again being left behind with his mage boyfriends were sent on yet another mission. To fight some kind of dragon and retrieve a stolen magical object from a nearby town, from what Virgil could gather.

He was tired of this. Tired of the constant belittlement and coddling, He didn't care for it in the slightest. The others treated him like he was made of glass because of the way they had met in the first place - when he had been a scared, imprisoned elf in an orc dungeon, malnourished and weak. 

Could they not see that he had gotten stronger since then? It had been years ago that he had joined their ranks, and he'd been a powerful warrior for longer than some of them had been alive. And yet, they still thought he was that weak, frail being in need of protection that they had rescued all that time ago.

"I just- I have a bad feeling about this, guys," Virgil said, trying to stay civil even as he drew himself up to his full height, "It would bring me peace of mind if you let me come with you."

"Sorry my darling," Roman said, the bravest of the group as he stepped up onto his toes to kiss Virgil's cheek.

"You're too precious of a treasure to risk," Janus said, his words hissing just a little, his snake scales glittering. Virgil sighed.

"Fine," He said, "I'll stay here."

They didn't need to know that he planned to do fully the opposite.

----

Once they had left on their journey, Virgil had immediately retreated upstairs. he set about pulling on his set of celestial armour - plating spun from light gathered from the moon and stars themselves, reserved for the very best of elven warriors - and picking up his starlight sword, which had sat unused in his closet for years now.

He polished it, sharpened it, and then wen ton his way. He took their last horse, his own, and began to make his way, following his lover's trail the whole time. He was determined to prove them wrong.

The bad feeling never ebbed, in fact it only grew stronger as he got closer. In the end, he was glad to have come.

---

This mission was falling apart. 

Roman hadn't quite anticipated just how strong the dragon would be. The four of them were good fighters. Roman skilled in weaponry, Janus and Logan skilled in magic and Patton a practised healer. They made a good team, enough to get out of most battles without serious injuries.

"Patton!" Roman cried out as his partner was knocked out, slumping against the cave wall. 

The rest of them really weren't fairing all that much better. Roman's armour was scorched and he had some wounds that would most definitely need professional healing. Logan was trying his best to tend to Patton's wounds whist Janus was trying his best to keep up the fight with Roman.

Roman thought they were going to have to retreat. They were really doing nothing to the dragon, it barely even seemed phased by their attacks. They were all injured, and Patton most certainly needed to see a doctor. They might even have to admit defeat on this mission if they couldn't find another few warriors to return with them to defeat this dragon.

He had been about to call a retreat when a new figure joined the scene.

They were tall, dressed helmet to boots in armour made from a dark metal that seemed to glitter in a way that reminded Roman of the night sky. A white plume topped their helmet and black gloves and underclothes obscured their dark skin. Their face was hidden by the helmet. They didn't speak, they didn't even look at the four of them, fixated on the dragon as they wielded a great sword of the same metal as their armour.

The fight was swift, Roman watched as they took down the dragon with apparent ease where the four of them together had failed, wielding magic and sword together to take the dragon down in a flurry of blows. 

The beast was finally defeated, and the figure stepped forward to take the golden hourglass that the four of them had been fighting for. 

They turned back, looking near-divine in formidably standing in front of the defeated dragon and it's hoard, practically glowing with an ethereal, Roman couldn't help the way he rushed forward, bowing to who he thought was a stranger.

"You saved us," Roman said, eyes on their feet, "How could we repay you?"

The figure reached up to take off his helmet, revealing a familiar face, dark skin, white hair, purple smears under his violet eyes, pointed ears and a smattering of white freckles across his face. Virgil.

"You could start," Virgil said, "By not treating me like I can't handle myself."

"...Wow," Janus said softly, "Where - where did you learn all of that, Virgil?"

"I've been a warrior longer than you've been alive," Virgil told him, handing Roman the hourglass and his helmet, and then handing Janus his sword as he went over to scoop Patton into his arms, "Come on, you all need a doctor."

The small group followed Virgil out of the cave, softly talking amongst themselves in amazement and wonder at Virgil's practically ethereal form, suddenly seeing him in a whole other light. It was impossibly to think about treating Virgil the way they had been after witnessing that display of pure power and strength. 

Roman didn't know how they could've possibly misjudged their Virgil so badly. 

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Tags: @full-of-roman-angst-trash @your-local-random-dino @cutebisexualmess@glacierruler@roseianxiety @bella-bugatti-frogetti-baguetti @scalesfeathersnfur @oatmealdaydreams @littlerat2 @goldnskyart @virgeandhis-pocket-protector @amateurmasksmith (if anyone wants to be added, let me know!)

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