Roman sighed, his eyes drooping. They were only on their third Disney movie and he was already exhausted, with Virgil on his lap and fast asleep, the night shining through the curtains, and a blanket around the two.

It was warm.

Not too warm, but warm enough for Roman to fall asleep. His kind was unusually calm, ideas and thoughts sweeping out of him as he took a deep breath.

Virgil shifted beneath him, and he smiled a little as he ran a hand through the other's hair. He'd never noticed how similar they were, how their bodies and faces looked so alike... it was... weird.

Something hisses at him about it, scaring him a little when he though he saw a figure in the dark. Thomas. His mind was telling him it was just Thomas. But he didn't know a Thomas.

This was all so weird. Virgil had asked about a Thomas before, and Roman could've sworn the name was familiar.

Another shift in the dark, but Roman was already asleep before he could see it. If only he could just... reach it....

Roman woke up in a white world. It was moving, shifting, and as he though of a setting it created it. "What the...?" Roman said, as the white world shifted to create a palace.

'Welcome back, Roman.' A voice said, making Roman jump. 'It's been a while. What would you like to create?'

Roman shivered. "Where am I?" He called out, jumping when a faceless, blank man that looked eerily like him appeared. "Who are you?"

"You're in the imagination," The faceless man spoke, but no noise came from him. Roman wished he had some sort of mouth to freak him out less, and then the man had a mouth. "I'm your subject."

"My... subject?" Roman was so confused. He could've sworn the man was faceless before, but now he had a neat little mouth on him. "But-"

"Don't be scared," the figure spoke. "It's understandable you're confused. This is the first time in a while you've come back. We missed you."

Roman was shaking now. "I don't-"

"Sshhhh," the figure's finger, blank like the rest of him, brushed Roman's lips. "Just think about it. Thomas called you here."

Roman shook. "Thomas?"

"Your host." The figure's hand was on his shoulder now, icy cold and sending electric currents through Roman. "Thomas."

Roman took a step back, throwing him off. "I wanna see Thomas." He said. "Show me Thomas."

The figure's unnatural lips curved to a frown. "Don't you want to be here?" They asked, hand falling to their side. "You seem scared."

"Of course I'm scared!" Roman could've sworn the figure was displaying emotion now. "I don't know what this place is!"

The figure's frown turned back to a thin line. "It's the imagination." He says. "Thomas asked for you-"

"To be here, I heard." Roman was yelling, hands in his hair, shaking. It felt like hands were all over him, and they were. Holding him up. "I want to see Thomas."

"You can see him." The figure said.

The hands over him disappeared. He was falling. Sinking, of you would, and then he was in a place again. It was black, with words all around it. When he read them, they seemed like... nonsense.

"Are you Thomas?" Roman called our to a black figure in the distance, grabbing a handful of his hair.

"Yes." The black figure said, turning to him. "Roman?"

"That's me." He took a step forward, but ended up going backwards. "Where am I?"

"The coding." Thomas asked. "I don't know where I am in it, but you're here! You got to me!"

"I'm sorry," Roman said. "But who are you?"

"You don't remember?" Thomas sounded upset. "I'm your host."

"That's not possible." Roman took a step backwards, stepping forward instead, getting closer to the figure in the distance.

"You really don't remember." Thomas sighed, nearing him too.

Roman shook his head. Something heavy weight against him, pulling him down to the floor- but there was no floor. No up. No down. He couldn't
move. Thomas took a step toward him.

Į̷̨̧̧͎̰͚̞̰͙̞̰̣̤̋̿̓͒̔̿͗̈̊̍̾͗̄͂͊̉͗̑͑́́̓̊̎́̌̎̊̌̾́̇̈͘͜t̸̨̮̫͍̳̯̳͙͉̳̗͈̜̠̼̘̲̒͝ͅͅͅͅ'̴̨͙̫̣͈̜͔̱̥͚̲̞͍̙͓͍̲̻̰̗͙̼̆͒̀̀̈́̀̈͋̈͂̌̈́͂̄̈́̌̇̓͌͂̓̄͘̚̕̕͠͝͠͠͝s̵̛̛̯͕̳̩̖̰͑̏͒̏́̀̒̾̓́̃͑̂͛̉̍̊͆̑̍́͂̔͛̎͝ͅ ̶̢̛̭̱̭̩̤̺̮͓̣͉̥͇̗̜͔̭̗̗̹̭̜͎̖̼̫̜̤̯̰̖͇̈́̊̒̐̃̓̈́̑̐̂͊͑̎͛̉̈́̓͌͐͂̅́͊͌̐̓̿̍̾̐̀͒͆̎̚͜͠͝͠a̵̧̢̢͚͇͈̜̮̞̦̼̹̠̰̜͎͖͓͇͔̫̗̮̞̠̭̳̭̘̕͜ͅ ̶͔̤̞̱̱͓̥̰̤͎̙͒́͛͆͐̂̀̉͊̑̾͐͊͆̎̀͂͂̅̔͂͘̚͜͝͝ͅs̴̟̄̇͗̀̾͆͑̄̇i̸̛̲͖͇̹̝͕̳̝̙̬̟̼̗̪̼͍̲͙̰͕̲̞̳̞̻͈̗̦̫͔̎̒̃̆̎́̎̇̿̈́͐̾̑͌̓͂̇̔͋̔̓̍̿̕͘̚̚͝͝m̶͖̞̻̐̔̿̈́̓͌͐̌̓̋̅̓̇̀͊͆̉͂͊̿͝ư̶̢̧̧͈̲̗͓͓̣͇͈̳̠͓̙̲̞̠͇̮̰͈̳̺͎̝̪̳͚͓͖̺̝̰̈͑̀͂̿͒̈̓̒͒͌̈́̈͑̈́̂͒͊͆̇̎̃̿͂͂̊͌̃̀̍͑̊̕͜͠͝͝͠l̷̛̳̦̲̻͉̩͎̭̘̳̲̤̆́̊̌̋́͛̂́̀͐͌̈́̓̅͗̿̍̍̿̑͊̈́̂̍̒̆̃̾̌͆̄̏̒͘̚͘̚͝͠ả̴̢̨̨̨̢̨̡̦͙̼̞̙͉̪̳̗͔̹̭̖̪̺̠̰̣͓͚̗͙̱̖͔͓̟̝̤̌̑͆̐͐̓͊̇̇͗͜t̶̟̖̱͙̜̮͕̥͎̫͌́̈́̍̀͋͐̈́̓͂͒̈́̈́̄̀̀̔̔͑̔̋͛́͛̇̉̄̇̍̋̋͘͘̚i̸͖̤̣̠͈̹͔͕̟͛̈́̄̎̅̐̆̏̂̈́̊ơ̵̛̞͇̊̊̔̿͂̂̃̅̒̈́̀̏̎̃̋̊̓͛̄͒̓̑̅͐̾̂͗̉̀̈́͘̚͝ͅn̸̡̢̧͉̠̜͙͚͍̟̗̼̠̦̯͖̮̰͎̞͈̞̙̥̦͈̼̲̭̦͙̙̖̈́͊̉̎̕͜ͅͅ.̸̨̡̨̧̧͖̜̤̭̱͎͙̺͚̣̭͇͕̜̰̰̩̘͎̠̝̮̩͓̳͉̖̞̞̟̘̿́̏̈̑̐̀͘ͅͅ ̷̛̛̛̗̙̱̺͖͙̭̜̻̯͒̀͂͋̈́̈́̒̃̄̾͐͋̏̏̈́̓̐̄̉̇̑̋̈́̽̈́̐̓͊̉̔́̀̚͝

̷̡͈̟̹̻̉̍̓̈́̔̐̈́̐̓̈̉̾̋͛̾̾
̵̡̛̛̗̅̿͆̇̈́̽̾͆͌̎̓̿́̀͆̌̌͘͝͝Ẇ̶̢̧̧̨̰̬͙̥͍͖̺̟̜̥͔̜̭̮͇̙͌̓̅̍͆̎̆́̀̅͑̒̉̀̌̔̎́̚̚͜͝͠ͅa̸͓̫͍͉̬͐k̶̢̻̳͉̙̠̦͎̠̹̥̱̭̭̬͉̝̠̣͇͇̠͙̗͔͍̹̰̺̹͈̬̻̣͊͗̄̐̋̂͜ͅẹ̵͔̜͔̞͎̲̣̜͉͍̲͓͚̖̮̫̻̠̘̒̆͛̍̄̊̈́͂̐̔̿̈́̀͌̏̀̀̏̊̇͒̔̈́̿̋͂̈͘̚͝ ̸̧̭̼̠̖̪͓̼̰̱͍̲͇̮͇̺̺̞̹̘̙͚̙̬̣̝̒͛̈̀̉͛͜ų̵̡̝̖͉̟͓̺̣̮̪͔̫̦͕͖̗̯̫̟̝̪̼̳̥̟̝̱͌̋̎̂̽́̓̓͜p̷̧͇̞̫̜̘̳̪̹͖̟̜͚̤̘͚͕̹̟͇̙̙̰̘̳̰̫̬̱̙͓̤͔͂̀̐̉̽́̇͛̑͛̈̍̇͐̒̍͘͜͝͝ͅͅ ̴̢̨̛̻̫̰͕͉̣͎͉͇͖͉̮̮̩̙̬͔̟͇̲͖͇̗͉̮̟͆͑͗̈́̆̓̈̒̓̏̍̔̿͑͐͜ͅͅ

Roman shot up, breathing heavily, and Virgil fell off his lap. This wasn't real. He was shaking, too hot but not hot enough.

What was this feeling?

Something inside of him squirmed, fidgeting. It didn't feel like anything before, like a voice calling out from something locked in him. Something he couldn't reach.

Virgil woke up. "Ro?" He called, reaching for Roman as he got up. Roman needed water. He just needed water. "Ro, where are you going?"

Roman didn't reply, he stumbled to the kitchen. When in the kitchen, he got a glass of water, staring into it. Something wasn't right.

This wasn't water.

It's not real water.

This isn't real.

Roman watched the water swish in his hands. It was too slow. He poured it out, but it looked too artificial. He poured himself a new glass, sipping it, but it didn't taste like water. It tasted like air.

This wasn't right.

Virgil stumbles after him. "Ro, are you okay?" He asked, wrapped in a blanket.

That blanket... looked too artificial. For a moment, he could see code again. "Virge..."

Was Virgil artificial too?

Virgil got close to him, taking his hands out from the blanket. "Can I hug you?" He asked, and Roman nodded. Maybe Virgil wasn't artificial.

Roman tingled when he felt Virgil wrap his arms around him. It didn't feel artificial, Virgil felt warm right the way through- Virgil felt real.

Virgil hummed something, making Roman's shivers stop. He didn't believe it. He couldn't- what was the real world like? What... was this real?

For a moment, Roman was back in the code, and the black figure stared at him. Tears were rolling down his cheeks. Why did they look the same?

Thomas.

"Virgil," Roman said, wrapping his arms around the other. "You know Thomas?"

Virgil nodded. "Mhm."

"He's real," Roman said. "We're not."

Virgil stepped back. "You're kidding." He said, pulling himself out of Roman's arms. "You've got to be-"

"Listen to me." Roman said. "This is a simulation. We're on a simulation. Thomas is our host- that's why I didn't know him before."

Virgil shook his head. "You're crazy," he said. "That was just a nightmare."

Roman frantically searched for something to say. "I...." he could find he words. "I'm not crazy."

Virgil looked at him. "What do you mean by you're not real, then?" He asked.

"We're his side's," Roman said. "We're not real."

Virgil shook, pausing. It was as if he'd frozen. Roman tried to touch him, but nothing happened- just code. His hand was code. The place he went to put it on Virgil was code.

He stepped back instead.

Wake up.

Virgil unfroze, like a pauses game being resumed. "You're... right." He said, slowly. "How did you-"

"A dream," Roman said. "He contacted me in a dream."

Virgil walked toward him. "I don't- how did we not figure this out before?" He asked.

"I don't know," Roman said. "I don't know. How did you find out?"

"I saw him, I saw Thomas." Virgil said. "He... he called out to me. He told me. I didn't..."

Roman immediately hugged him. "It's okay," he says. "We're going to make it through this."

Virgil hugged back. "I sure hope we do."

They've woken up.

(A/N: Sup. Reality is a lie. I'm pretty sure I was trying to keep these professional at one point, but why do that? I'm basically just going to continue being me because that the only thing I can be. Anyway, hope you liked this because I sure did. Man, I love this whole book.

I especially like writing artificial water. You have no clue.

-Winter)