#(lampshading this so people don't leap to 'well actually' me)

[suppuration]

[eeldritchblast]

Thoughts on Halsin

I want to preface this by saying I don't have anything particularly against Halsin as he is in game. But I do find him lacking in depth, when compared to everyone else.

Even without knowing that he was added as a full companion last minute, I would probably have guessed as much simply because there's not much to him beyond the role he plays in the Shadow-Curse quest of Act 2. This is lampshaded with dialogue about how he himself feels consumed by his determination to end the curse. But to me, that just feels like a cop-out. Imagine any other character looking at the camera and just saying "yeah I know I don't have much character beyond what happens to me in the plot, too bad?"

But I think the worst crime about his lack of development, is the fact that because he doesn't have a lot else going on, he feels a little overly sexualized to me; like he's just there for the player to thirst after because he's this big, bulky man. Now, to be clear, I don't care that he's horny, and I definitely don't care that he's poly. (My GF is a poly lesbian, and honestly I could see myself having more than one romantic relationship , too, if someone else was ever interested in me like that and cool with it.) What I'm trying to say is, because he's lacking in other areas, leaving those traits being of his few you can list, it makes them feel of less value, and makes him feel more like a sex prop. And if you're gonna have a character with rape victim as part of his background like Halsin has, then that's the last thing you want, I think.

So, what more could be done with Halsin?

I once made a joke that someone should draw Halsin in a "Big Auntie Energy" shirt. For those of you who aren't Native, let me try to translate: In most if not all Indigenous Nations, we often call women who are champions of our cultures and communities "Auntie", whether they are actually literally your aunt or not. An Auntie is someone you dearly love, and trust to guide you. Halsin already plays something of a mentor figure to the protagonist—indeed, dev notes even call him "avuncular"—so why not lean into it further by showing what he does for others, too? Pretending that there was more development time allotted, here's what I would've liked to see...

"This place crawls with life, but little of it flourishes. I see refugees, unhoused. The destitute, unwanted. Orphans, unloved. … I wish there was a better way. I wish everyone could see the sun, have a full belly, and know nature as a friend. There is a balance that is yet to be found." —Halsin

After ending the Shadow-Curse, Halsin says he needs to find a new purpose. I feel like his purpose could easily align with his horror of the inequalities of Baldur's Gate. Instead of just talking about how awful it is, why not allow the player to challenge him to try and change things, then? For example, I like to imagine Halsin telling stories to the orphans in Rivington, providing them comfort and someone to look up to. Or another example: Halsin helping out in or maybe starting some kind of charity meal program. It's small, but it's enough to say that he could actually grow a little as a person within the game's story. And it would add at least a little bit of engagement on the player's end as well, instead of feeling like the relationship with Halsin, platonically, is one-sided.

This all doesn't come from nowhere, by the way. If you exclusively romance Halsin, he says goodbye to the player in the end because he is leading a group of people into Thaniel's realm to start a new life. But personally, I feel like this is too great a leap back into an Archdruid role he specifically rejected, because he didn't like it. It also would've been nice to get this kind of dialogue without having to romance him; to know what lies ahead for Halsin as a friend, too.

Now, that's the good ending. But almost all the companions in BG3 have a "good" and "evil" ending. I feel like this really adds a lot of insight into the characters, because they feel real through it; we all have the potential to make good and bad choices, after all. So what could be Halsin's evil-aligned ending? Well, remember when he questions if the Shadow Druids actually have a point? How about giving the player the opportunity to push him further down that path instead... Shadow Druid Halsin, holy shit.

Now, there's one more thing I want to circle back to: Halsin's past. He very casually speaks of his time as a captive in the Underdark. And maybe it was so long ago that he's long dealt with such trauma, but still, I really wish there was a way to say "hey bud, that's really fucked up and I'm sorry that happened to you." But there's not a single dialogue option that allows you to express sympathy, besides just saying "that's awful", which doesn't cut it. Halsin himself says, "sometimes I think people look at me and imagine my feelings can't be hurt." Not allowing the player to be sensitive to his feelings goes exactly against this message not to judge a person's emotions by physical appearances.

Anyway, Halsin is a character that I think has a lot of potential, but doesn't quite reach it in game. I think it's great that he was given a bigger role due to popularity, but I just wish that role was expanded on to the same degree as the other companions.

[frankensteined]

31 Days of Dragon Age (Days 18-20)

Oct 18 - Favorite DA2 NPC

i'm not gonna go find a picture of her because her makeup is terrible. but i'm really fond of orana, hadriana's former slave that you can rescue and employ at the hawke mansion. she really ends up becoming a part of the family if you hire her, from the little lines you get about her music skills, to sandal's keenness towards her (she smells like cinnamon buns!), to the genuine sympathy she displays after leandra's death.

and i know that gamlen is far from a likable dude, but i still find him to be a sympathetic character in a lot of ways as well. yeah, he sure did gamble away his sister's inheritance, but i really don't like the attitude that surrounds it because not only had leandra not intended to ever return to kirkwall for it, but it was gamlen who'd taken care of their ailing parents until their passing, to no credit. the chip on his shoulder makes a lot of sense if you look at his perspective there, and he is also capable of softening up towards hawke as the game progresses as well, so i find it hard to really dislike him. he feels human. introducing him to charade is a highlight for me, as is his interactions with hawke after leandra's passing, and if he's all that they have left after the legacy dlc. lowlights for him really do circle around his commentary re: your love interest, and how he acts toward isabela to the point where she complains about him in MotA, but i also need to keep in mind how gross a lot of the dialogue can get in that game (the amount of slut shaming from both your companions, and even hawke themself? woof), so it's not just a gamlen problem, and it doesn't negate the nuance of his character that i appreciate.

Oct 19 - Favorite DA2 scene/dialogue

orsino's transformation at the end of the game is utterly nonsensical if you side with the mages (so much so that it's lampshaded in inquisition!), but the scene leading up to it is heartbreaking and shows the desperation that even a mage who'd "done everything right" can feel when faced with the hatred the rest of the world has for them. his dialogue -"why don't they just drown us as infants? why wait? why give us the illusion of hope?"- with the unspoken implication of they're just going to kill us all eventually anyway, is so memorable and so devastating that the scene has stuck with me since 2011.

and. of course. gotta toss in flemeth's big line here too. it's a classic: "we stand upon the precipice of change. the world fears the inevitable plummet into the abyss. watch for that moment… and when it comes, do not hesitate to leap. it is only when you fall that you learn whether you can fly."

Oct 20 - Favorite DA2 lore/codex entry

this game gave us a deeper look at the qunari and their societal structure from a variety of viewpoints, so while i can't pinpoint an exact codex entry, i'll definitely give this one to: alla that. from the arishok, to ketojan, to seamus dumar trying to understand them, to even tallis and her lore dumps in MotA, i really appreciated getting to understand more about the qun from the people actually operating within it. i haven't yet read the comics that delve a bit deeper into this stuff, so i still hold this game up as my standard in terms of Qunari Stuff. for now. hopefully there'll be more in the future!

[vanilla-bean-buttercream]

I Might Have Adopted Two Ten-Year-Olds

Pairings: N/A (There is some Sleepmas, but it’s not the focus) Characters: Virgil, Remy, Thomas, Janus, Roman, Logan, Emile, two very annoying OCs you will probably never see again Chapter warnings: This chapter talks about religion a lot so if that bugs you tread carefully, implied child abuse, parents using their religion as an excuse to denounce neurodivergence, guns, gunshot wounds, blood, attempted kidnapping, threats of violence, intrusive thoughts, antisemitism, like a lot of antisemitism, this is long so mobile might not like reblogging it Word Count: 8,838

Summary:

“Don’t make me change my mind.” Janus paused. “I’m going to need to do some digging. Perhaps it’d be easier to pay off the foster care system Remus is currently in. That way, I can remove him from the situation and get those two back together.”

“And then what? Throw them out into the streets?”

Janus didn’t answer. Virgil watched Janus for a while before his brain finally connected the dots.

“Wait, you’re going to adopt them, aren’t you?”

Ao3 Link

==

The last bit of sunlight disappeared as Virgil sat inside the limousine. He kept an eye on his target and searched for any sort of opening that would make any of this easier. So far, from what he could gather, a man and a woman lived there, and there were no other kids besides his target.

“So, what are you waiting for? Go in already.” 

Virgil let his head slowly tap against the window as he heard Remy’s phone texting behind him.

“You know, you’re always welcome to actually help me instead of judging me.”

“Babe, please, do you even know who I am? Judging people is like 100% of my life.” Remy put his phone in his pocket. “But seriously, kidnapping is not as hard as you think it is. Well, at least, it’s not if the parents don’t have a gun.”

“Greeeeat.”

“And besides, we have Roman. Use that to your advantage to make the kid come willingly.”

“This is so wrong.”

“Uniting two twins who were separated is wrong?”

Virgil didn’t answer. Instead, he said, “But what if they’re keeping them apart for a reason? What if Remus is actually like this monster of a kid and hurts Roman, and Roman makes excuses for his behavior all the time, and the reason they separated Remus from Roman is because the two of them were better off apart and-”

“Whoa, someone was reading up on foster care.” Remy shook his head. “Yeah, babe, I don’t think that’s the case. I think it’s something else.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“People are shitty.”

“Well, yeah, but like… nevermind.”

Remy lowered his sunglasses. “I have excellent intuition, babe, and you know I’m right 99% of the time.”

“Yeah, I don't know why else Janus would keep you around, shorty.”

“Fuck you.”

Virgil couldn’t hide the smirk on his face. He waited until the last light downstairs flipped off, and the whole house went dark. Well, at least it did, except for the flicking light upstairs, which was conveniently Remus’s bedroom.

Remy opened Virgil’s car door for him and motioned for Virgil to step outside. Virgil sent him a glare before he exited the car and scooted across the lawn. 

Searching for an open window was a lot more difficult than Virgil thought. In fact, all of them were locked. Great. How was he supposed to get in now? Virgil groaned as he realized he’d probably have to pick the lock on the front door.

Kneeling down and using his flashlight, Virgil inserted the bobby pin and maneuvered it around. It wasn’t the first time he picked a lock, but this lock gave him nothing to work with. With a light curse, Virgil pulled out his tools and stared at the knob.

“Whatcha waiting for?” 

Virgil jumped out of his skin and turned around. He hissed through a whisper, “God damn it, Remy, don’t sneak up on people like that. You almost gave me a fucking heart attack.”

Remy didn’t respond. Instead, he took the tools from Virgil’s hand and stuck them into the keyhole. In two minutes flat, he had the door unlocked, and he pushed it open with that stupid shit-eating grin on his face.

“You gonna need my help for the rest?” Remy asked. “Janus never said I couldn’t help. Just that you had to do it.”

Virgil hesitated. He looked into the dark house and sighed through his nose. “Well, I mean…”

“Say no more, babe.” Remy walked into the house like he owned the place. Virgil followed him in, and he gently closed the door behind them.

The house itself looked normal enough. There was a couch, a television, a set of stairs, a bunch of pictures with that phrase “live, laugh, love” on them, and-

Oh. Oh wow. Those were a lot of crucifixes.

“Do you think they’re Christians?” Virgil asked.

“I don’t know, babe, because Jan’s Catholic and even he’s not that cross obsessed,” Remy said with a shrug, “but I’m not religious so-”

A door opened upstairs, and Remy and Virgil held their breath. A light flipped on, and the two of them darted behind the couch. To their relief, however, the footsteps traveled down the upstairs hallway and didn’t notice there were two kidnappers in their living room.

“Remus,” a gentle voice spoke. “Remus, honey, stop playing with the lights.”

There was no answer for a few seconds.

“Remus! Stop.”

“I can’t.”

“Yes, you can.”

“No, I can’t.”

There was a scuffle, and then an ear-splitting scream. Remy flinched, and Virgil covered his ears. A bang, the sound of something falling and smashing, and the sound of a bed heavily sat on followed suit.

“Remus, stop! Control yourself.”

“NO! Let me go! Let me go! I have to- Only ten more flips! Please!”

“You can’t let him control you. You have to let it go.”

Remus started screaming at the top of his lungs. Remy shared a look with Virgil, who wondered how the neighbors didn’t call the police for doing whatever the hell they were doing to Remus because it sounded like the poor kid was being tortured.

After about ten minutes, Remus either tired himself out or got over whatever made him upset. The hissed sound of someone in pain followed a low growl of a voice.

“Don’t let the devil into your head, Remus. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Remy let his head thunk against the back of the couch. He mumbled, “Well, I guess that answers the religious question.”

Virgil chose not to comment.

Eventually, footsteps walked from one side of the house to the other side, and the light in the hall extinguished. Virgil and Remy held their breaths and waited for their cue.

“Oh, John-” a woman’s voice- “are you alright?”

“I’m fine. He didn’t get me that bad.”

“Your arm is bleeding! Don't tell me it’s not that bad.”

“I know. I know, but it’s going to be worth it. Eventually, we’ll chase the devil from him, and he’ll be a normal kid on the right side again.”

Remy hissed, “Yeah, I don’t know what the fuck’s going on, but I don't’ think it’s the devil.”

Virgil couldn't help but nod his head in agreement.

For a moment, the house settled into silence. Only if you listened carefully could you hear a child’s crying. Remus was either very good at hiding his emotions or chose to do it so he’d be left alone.

Slowly, Virgil and Remy moved from behind the couch to the stairs. They made sure not to disturb the adults in the house and headed straight to where they assumed Remus was.

Remus’s door was closed, but they didn’t miss the way the light clicked off just as they reached the top of the stairs. The bed bounced like someone took a flying leap onto it.

Silence.

Remy motioned for Virgil to open the door. Virgil swallowed, controlled his breathing, and slowly opened the door.

The room itself was practically spotless and very, very white. White walls, white carpet, white bedspread, a white curtain that flapped in the breeze of an open window. The only bit of color was the brown furniture in the room, which was a nightstand, a table, and a dresser. A lamp with a lopsided lampshade sat on the nightstand, and a table with all sorts of art supplies neatly stacked on top of each other stood by the window. 

Remus must’ve covered up his head because all Virgil could see of him was the lump of his body under the blanket. He could hear the kid’s harsh breathing, and for a moment, he wondered if he was really doing the right thing.

Slowly, Virgil tiptoed into the room. His hand shook as he reached out and gently shook Remus’s body. He didn’t miss the way Remus flinched at his touch.

“I stopped,” came Remus’s small voice. “I’m sorry. I stopped.”

Virgil looked over his shoulder at Remy, who looked like he was using an abnormal amount of self-control right now. Virgil’s head turned back to Remus. He chewed on his lip, formed his words several times in his head, and opened his mouth.

“It’s okay.”

Remus sucked in a breath. He let out a low whine, and Virgil swallowed hard.

“Go away,” Remus spat.

Virgil replied, “I want to help.”

“No! Go away. You’re not real.”

“Remus-”

“I said go away!”

Virgil shushed him. If Remus kept yelling like this, his foster family was going to come in and see what was going on. 

“Come on, Virge, what are you waiting for!” Remy hissed. “Grab the kid and let’s go!”

Virgil didn’t think before he pulled Remus’s blanket away. In a moment, he had a ten-year-old kid latched onto him. Remus scratched, bit, hit, and kicked everything he could find. Virgil fell backward with a yell and crashed into the wall.

Remy leaped forward and grabbed Remus around the chest. As if he already knew Virgil was going to screw up, he pulled a cloth presoaked with chloroform from his pocket and shoved it over Remus’s mouth. Remus continued to flail and kick wildly.

The hall lights turned on.

“Shit,” Remy hissed. “We gotta go.”

“Go where?” Virgil whispered.

“Remus? Remus, what’s going on in there?”

Remy motioned toward the open window. Virgil stuck his head out, and his head spun as he spotted the ground below. He drew his head back and hit it off the top of the split window.

“I can’t go down there,” Virgil snapped. 

“Why not?”

“I don’t- heights.”

“Or for crying out loud, Virge. There’s a roof below the window. Use it.”

The sound of a gun clicked behind them. Thankfully Remus stopped struggling enough for Remy to move. He shoved Virgil out the window.

Virgil screamed as he fell onto the slanted roof. His body rolled, and he barely had enough time to grab the gutter as he fell. The gutter gave way from the roof, and it slowly lowered Virgil enough that he could drop down. Virgil landed on the ground with a soft grunt.

Once Virgil realized Remy nearly killed him, he snapped, “Remy, what the-”

The lights to Remus’s room turned on.

“Who are you? What are you doing in my house?”

“Oh my word, Remus!”

“Drop the kid. Now.”

Virgil couldn’t breathe. Remy's silhouette still stood in the window. How he hell were they supposed to make it out of this?

“Hey, easy pops. I just wanna help,” Remy’s voice said.

“Help? Abducting a foster child is helping? I don’t know what kind of help you think we need, but I think it’s you who needs help. Back away from the window before I shoot.”

“No! You’ll hit Remus!”

“Mary, get out of here and call the police.”

“Wait, Mister, can’t we just talk about this?”

Virgil didn’t know what to do. He paced back and forth on the front lawn. Did he leave Remy? Did he call Janus and tell him what happened? Did he go into the house and help? Would he even be any help? It was his fault Remy was trapped inside with a man who apparently had some sort of gun.

Virgil spied the open door. He saw a woman coming down the stairs, the same woman that pushed Roman out of the doorway the other night. She caught eyes with Virgil on the front lawn. Virgil made a mad dash to the door and stopped it right before she could close it.

“John! John, there’s another one!”

Virgil cursed. The woman pushed equally as hard on the door as Virgil was, causing a stalemate that would probably break the door before Virgil was allowed inside. 

“Mary, are you alright?”

“No!” she grunted as she pushed on the door. “He’s hurting me!”

“Bullshit,” Virgil snapped. He got a burst of strength that forced the door open. The woman screamed as Virgil got the upper hand. She bolted for the phone. Virgil chased after her. The two fought for control of the poor electronic device caught in the middle of a life or death game of tug of war.

Remy’s voice called out, “Look I don’t wanna hurt you, so why don’t you just drop the gun and let me go.”

“Don’t shoot!”

Wait, what was Remy doing? Virgil froze long enough for the phone to slip out of his hands. The woman slammed the phone’s end as hard as she could into Virgil’s head. Virgil let out a sharp yell, and he staggered backward. The woman pushed him, and he fell into the couch behind him.

“You stay there or I’ll hit you again!” she threatened.

Virgil rubbed the sore spot on his head. He could already feel the lump forming. He heard the woman dialing 911 before he could react.

A gunshot sounded above them, as well as a grunt in pain. Virgil and the woman both jumped.

“John!”

“I’m okay! We’re both okay.”

No. NO.

Virgil tried to stand, but the woman used her foot to kick him back down. He heard Remy quietly hiss a curse above them. 

“Hello, this is Mary Johnson at 1320 West Tammy Street. I have two burglars in my house trying to kidnap my son.”

“We’ll have someone down there right away to help,” he heard the other end of the phone say. “Is anyone hurt?”

“I don’t know, but my husband has a gun, and I think he already shot one of them.”

Virgil cursed under his breath. How the hell were they supposed to get out of this?

A minute later, Virgil heard police sirens outside the house. That was insanely quick. These people must have the police department wrapped around their little finger, or maybe it was because she mentioned her husband had a gun. Still, whichever it was, they were fucked. Completely and utterly fucked.

The police car stopped outside, and a single officer came to the door. They caught sight of the woman practically sitting on Virgil to keep him still.

“Oh thank goodness,” she sighed in relief. “Please, help my husband. He’s upstairs with my son.”

“Will do,” the officer spoke. He hurried up the stairs and disappeared. Tears of fear pricked the edge of Virgil’s vision as his entire body started to shake. He wished he knew what was going on.

A minute later, the officer came down the stairs with a rather complacent Remy in handcuffs. Remy walked with a slight limp in his left leg. Virgil caught the officer’s eye as he helped Remy down the last step.

“I’ll be back in a minute for the second one,” the officer said.

Virgil watched Remy carefully. Why did he give up so easily? Where was that scrappy ball of terror he watched take down several people on the sparring mat?

Virgil caught Remy’s eye from behind his sunglasses- wait was that a wink?

The officer took maybe a minute to come back for Virgil. He readied a pair of handcuffs, and the woman moved off Virgil’s chest. Virgil sprung to his feet, but the officer grabbed him by the wrist and pulled.

“Now, kid, please don’t make this hard on yourself,” the officer spoke. His grip was surprisingly light for someone who was about to throw Virgil in the back of his car. Virgil twisted, but the officer grabbed his other arm and locked it behind his back. He grabbed the top of Virgil’s left arm and gave a light pull.

“Thank you so much, officer,” the woman said. “And you, I’ll pray that you find Jesus and let Him into your heart.”

Virgil had enough time to scowl at her before the officer pulled him out of the house. Virgil did his best to try and struggle to get away, but the officer kept him going. Either it was Virgil’s imagination, or the officer picked up his pace when he heard more police sirens.

The officer put Virgil in the back of the car and slammed the door shut. With Virgil’s hands behind his back, he couldn’t stop himself from losing his balance. Thankfully, Remy caught him.

With both hands.

Wait.

The officer closed his door and sped down the road with his sirens flashing.

“That wasn’t bad for your first try, Virge. Could’ve gone a lot worse,” Remy said. He twisted Virgil’s shoulders and moved Virgil’s wrists so he could see the cuffs. “Thomas, babe, watch the corners. We’re both not wearing seat belts right now.”

“Sorry, Rem. I just wanna get off this street as fast as I can.”

“What are they going to do, arrest us?”

Virgil heard a lock click behind him, and the cuffs fell from his wrists. Remy pulled the metal away and put it into his pocket.

“You know I can’t blow my cover.”

“I know, babe. Sorry about all this.”

“One of these days, I’m going to make you fill out all the paperwork.”

Remy waited until the officer stopped at a stop sign, stood, and leaned between the seats. The officer turned his head just in time to catch Remy's lips.

Virgil found his voice as the two parted, and he mumbled, “Okay, what the fuck is going on?”

Remy fell heavily into his seat, and he leaned his head against the headrest. He answered, “Virgil, I’d like you to meet Officer Sanders.”

“Please, just call me Thomas,” the officer- Thomas- answered.

“He’s been working for Janus for years now covering up our shit. In my opinion, Janus doesn’t pay him nearly enough.”

“Wait, so you’re a corrupt cop?” Virgil asked.

Thomas shrugged. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

“Corrupt and sexy. I love bad boys.”

Virgil caught Thomas’s blush in the rearview mirror. He looked from the mirror to Remy, who had this stupidly lovestruck look on his face.

“Wait, are you two-”

“Dating? For the past two years,” Remy answered. “Though Thomas and I knew each other for a while. He's been saving my ass since I started playing for Janus’s team.”

“Hey, you’ve got me out of a few scrapes as well.”

“Don’t be modest, Thomas.”

“I’m not being modest. It’s the truth. Remember when I was bleeding out at that jewelry store robbery? Or the time when Smith found out I was dealing with Janus? Or the time when-”

“God, shut up before I make you.”

“Is that a promise or a threat?”

“Both.”

Virgil hid his face in his hands. Thomas let out a light laugh, and Remy hissed. Virgil caught sight of Remy’s leg, which was sluggishly bleeding onto the backseat. 

“You okay back there?” Thomas asked.

Remy let out a light laugh. “Just a flesh wound. He only shot my leg.”

Virgil snorted. Only.

Remy continued, “It’s not even that deep. It was a fucking BB gun. You would think if he’s going to protect his family that he’d have something more deadly, not a weapon you give a kid.”

“Remy-”

“I’m just saying.”

Thomas let out a long, exasperated sigh. 

Remy turned to Virgil, “And what the hell were you doing, babe? What, was she babysitting or something?”

“Shut it, Remy.”

Remy giggled. He stared up at the car ceiling and continued, “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”

“I will end you.”

“A middle-aged woman with a phone gets attacked by a sixteen-year-old streetfighter. The ending will shock you.”

Virgil back slapped Remy’s arm with his hand, and Remy laughed harder. Thomas shook his head and slowed to a stop at a stop sign. Virgil put his cheek in his hand and stared out the window. For a while, the ride died down into a comfortable silence.

Remy clicked his tongue and mumbled, “Though, you know, Janus is gonna be mega pissed when he finds out what happened.”

Virgil sucked in a harsh breath through his teeth.

How was he supposed to tell Janus he screwed up this bad? Worse, how was he supposed to tell Roman?

Virgil let his forehead rest against the window glass.

“Yeah, I’m screwed.”

--

The office held no noise as the three entered the building at 1 in the morning. Remy looked over at Thomas, who stared back. The two of them seemed to have a conversation Virgil couldn’t hear.

That’s okay. Virgil was having too much of a screaming match in his own head to worry about them.

“So, you think Janus is awake?” Remy asked. “Bet he went to sleep with the kid.”

“You think he would?” Thomas asked.

“Mmm yeah. He wouldn’t just let Roman run around by himself. And besides, you should’ve seen them earlier when they were watching Disney movies together.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Remy unlocked Janus’s door. The quiet office was dark save for the computer light. Huh, Janus usually turned that off.

“You two go up and tell Jan what happened. I’m going to shut down his computer.”

Thomas gave Remy a look but didn’t argue. Virgil swallowed hard. His entire body started to shake as he walked up the stairs. Thomas put a hand on Virgil’s shoulder, making Virgil jump.

“One step at a time, kiddo,” Thomas said.

Virgil scowled. “I’m not a kid.”

Thomas answered with a smile. The two of them continued up the stairs. Hopefully, Janus was asleep and Virgil would have to deal with this in the morning.

The door at the end of the stairs towered over Virgil. All the blood ran out of his face, and it started to tingle. He couldn’t move his hand from the railing to turn the handle. Lucky for him, Thomas did. The door cracked open. Now, if only Virgil could get his legs to move. 

Thomas moved around Virgil and went in first. Knowing Thomas was in there alone gave Virgil enough courage to follow him in. What was Janus’s room going to look like? Were there going to be trophies from his victims all over? Would there be a blood-stained carpet? Would there be people tied up in the corner begging behind a gag to escape? Virgil squeezed his eyes shut as he climbed the last step.  Slowly, slowly, he cracked an eye open to peek.

Well, whatever Virgil expected to see when he walked into Janus’s room was not… this.

Piled on the bottom of the bed was a group of pillows. Two people were curled together, and it took Virgil a moment to realize it was both Janus and Roman. Their foreheads were pressed together, and Janus had one arm wrapped protectively around Roman's waist. 

For a moment, Virgil forgot how scared he was, the feeling of awe taking over his heart.

“Maybe we should come back later,” Thomas whispered. 

Virgil nodded his head in agreement. He and Thomas backed out of the room. Thomas closed the door, and Virgil practically fell down the stairs trying to get as far away from Janus as he could. 

“Hey, Thomas, come here,” Remy whispered.

Thomas walked down the rest of the steps, his brow raised in curiosity. “What’s up, Rem?”

Both Thomas and Virgil stood behind Janus’s computer chair. Remy leaned back, his eyebrows lining his sunglasses.

“Anyone at the precinct hear of a virus called “Unknown” in people’s inbox?”

Upon closer inspection, the email that Janus was using had three different emails, all with sender “Unknown” and no subject.

Thomas hummed before he replied, “No, nothing that I’ve heard.”

Remy gave a hummed reply before he hit delete on all the messages. “Better safe than sorry. I’ll tell Jan about it when I get back.”

“Back?” Virgil rose a brow. “Where are you going?”

“Thomas’s house.”

Thomas’s eyebrows rose to his hairline. “Wait, you are?”

Remy stood from the computer chair. He pushed it in and slowly walked over to Thomas. Thomas didn’t back away.

“You roughly locked me in handcuffs earlier today and you think you’re going to get away with it?” Remy grabbed Thomas’s tie and pulled Thomas down to his level. “That’s unacceptable babe. You can’t tease me and then expect me to sleep peacefully tonight. At least, not without your permission, sir.”

Thomas smirked before he closed the gap between them in a kiss.

Virgil gagged before he hurried toward the exit. He could hear Remy and Thomas laughing at him as he headed toward the third-floor elevator. 

Virgil never felt so thankful to have a bed. He collapsed onto it, not even bothering to get out of his clothes. He did, however, kick his shoes off. 

Within moments, Virgil forgot he even had shoes.

--

Virgil woke up to the sound of his cell phone ringing. He groaned. What time was it? Virgil flipped over onto his back so he could grab the phone in his pocket. Virgil blinked at it.

6:30 in the morning. He only got like 5 hours of sleep. Great.

However, seeing Janus’s name on the screen made Virgil wake up pretty quick. He hit the answer button and brought it to his ear. 

“What?” Virgil’s tired voice mumbled.

“Hey Virgil-” Oh, Roman- “did you sleep well?”

Virgil rubbed a hand over his face. “Not really, no.”

“Oh. Did you have a lovely evening?”

Virgil stifled a yawn. “Eh.”

“Can you come up to my office? There’s something I’d like to discuss.”

Virgil blinked. What?

“Wait, no, can you come to Janus’s office? We need to discuss.” Roman giggled.

If Virgil listened closely, he could hear Janus talking to Roman on the other side of the phone.

“Aren’t you a little young to be practicing to be a crime boss?” Virgil asked as he sat up a little straighter.

Roman didn’t reply. Virgil narrowed his eyes. The other side of the phone crackled, and Janus’s voice spoke next.

“I know you’re probably tired from your endeavor last night, but I believe you have something to report to me.”

“Oh,” Virgil’s stomach filled with dread.

“And I know Roman wants to hear all about it.”

Virgil’s stomach flipped. “Uh-”

“Good to hear. I expect you in my office within the next fifteen minutes. Don’t be late.”

The phone clicked off before Virgil could argue. Virgil stared down at the phone. Did Janus already know? He wouldn’t put it past him. Janus had an odd way of finding out everything that went on in his ring. 

Virgil looked in the mirror, realized that “tired” was just how he was going to present himself today, and walked out of his room. As he was leaving, he turned the corner and bumped into someone. Paper scattered everywhere.

“Shit, sorry,” Virgil mumbled.

“It’s alright, Virgil. I should’ve watched where I was going.”

Virgil swallowed hard and scampered to help pick up the papers thrown all over the floor. That’s right. Emile would be way more active today. Great.

“You okay there, Virge? You look awfully tired, and-”

“I’m fine,” Virgil growled. He shoved the papers into Emile’s arms and hurried down the hall.

“Oh, okay,” Emile’s voice called out. Virgil didn’t wait around to hear the rest of Emile’s statement. He pressed the elevator up button at least five times before the doors finally opened.

Virgil let his whole body fall against the elevator. How the heck was he supposed to tell Janus about everything that happened?

The doors opened, and Virgil walked out. He headed toward Janus’s office, his body going numb once again as he headed to the door. Virgil’s hand shook as he rang the doorbell.

“Enter,” Roman’s voice called through the intercom. At least he was having a fun time.

Virgil slowly opened Janus’s door. Roman sat in Janus’s chair once again, and Janus hovered over the back of it. However, Roman leaped out of the chair as soon as Virgil closed the door. He looked around, then deflated.

“Where’s Remus?” Roman asked.

Virgil swallowed hard. “Uh, I… he’s…”

“You didn’t get him, did you?” Roman asked. 

Virgil couldn’t look Roman in the eye. He slowly shook his head no. There was a pause before Janus's voice spoke. 

“Roman, would you go upstairs for a moment?”

"Um, I’d like a witness,” Virgil argued, but Janus’s cold glare cut him off. He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.

“But I want to know what happened,” Roman whined.

“I’ll tell you all about it when I get upstairs. Virgil and I need to discuss an adult topic right now, okay?”

Roman crossed his arms. “I’m not a little kid anymore.”

“I know you’re not, but I promise I’ll tell you all about it when I get upstairs.”

Roman held out his pinky with an irritated scowl on his face. Janus sighed, his lips pulled into a soft smile, and looped his own pinky finger around Roman’s finger. It seemed to satisfy Roman for now, who climbed up the stairs. All sound silenced.

“And no sitting on the top stair, you sneak,” Janus called out.

A high pitch squeal answered before Janus’s door slammed closed. Again, all sound silenced.

Janus’s harsh sigh followed seconds later. He sat down in his computer chair and cracked his knuckles. Janus looked over his computer monitor before he gave a strict, “Sit.”

Virgil didn’t realize he sat down in the chair. His whole body tingled, and he couldn’t swallow the lump in his throat.

Janus pressed his fingertips together. All he did was stare. Virgil wasn’t sure what he wanted more: Janus to get it over with and kill him already or keep staring just so he could have a few more seconds to live.

“So, the job went well, I’m guessing?” Janus asked.

“I can ex-”

Janus held up a hand. Virgil blinked. He couldn’t believe Janus could stop people just by holding up a hand until he experienced it himself.

Janus spoke, “You don’t need to explain. Thomas forwarded the police report he filled out to me for my approval at four-thirty this morning. I’m guessing you know who Thomas is by now. Apparently, you not only alerted Remus’s family that you were in the house, which is going to make it more difficult for us to get Remus out, but you also got Remy shot. What do you have to say for yourself?”

Virgil swallowed hard. He opened his mouth to reply, closed it, and tried again. “I didn’t know what the fuck I was doing. How the hell did you expect me to pull this off? You should’ve just had Remy do it.”

“Maybe I should have.” Janus rubbed small circles on his forehead. 

Virgil got a burst of courage in his chest before he shot back, “I don’t know what else you were expecting. I don’t have training in this. Did you really think I could just kidnap a kid?”

“You had no problem picking that money out of my pocket.”

“Kidnapping a real-live-fighting-back human being is not the same as pulling a wallet out of someone’s pocket. I have a shitton of practice at pickpocketing. Do you know how many rich fucks I’d pickpocket every week?”

“I can only imagine.”

“And besides, I didn’t make it out of there without being injured either. The kid attacked me like a wild honey badger.” Virgil lifted his jacket sleeve up to show the multiple scratches and broken skin underneath. They weren't deep, but a few teeth marks were red and visible. Not to mention, his head still hurt and probably had a huge bruise on it from where the woman hit him on the phone.

“Alright,” Janus said and let out a long sigh. “Alright, Virgil.”

Virgil’s head snapped up. He watched Janus deflate into his chair as he held up his head with his thumb, index, and middle finger. 

“I’ll fold. Maybe sending you in was a bit harsh on my part.”

“You think?”

“Don’t make me change my mind.” Janus paused. “I’m going to need to do some digging. Perhaps it’d be easier to pay off the foster care system Remus is currently in. That way, I can remove him from the situation and get those two back together.”

“And then what? Throw them out into the streets?”

Janus didn’t answer. Virgil watched Janus for a while before his brain finally connected the dots.

“Wait, you’re going to adopt them, aren’t you?”

Janus’s eyes snapped over to Virgil. His eyes were neither cold nor warm, and he let out a giant huff. Virgil couldn’t help the small crack of a smile that pulled at the edge of his lips.

“I’m right, aren’t I? You’re thinking about adopting Roman and Remus.”

Janus snapped, “Don’t think this means I’m going soft. I don’t see an option where the two of them can be together unless I pay the police department to free their father. However, it’s not like I know the kids are going to be safe after it happens. All it would take is one more wrong glance, and he’d be thrown back into jail, and I don’t want to keep paying bail for someone they keep throwing into jail on purpose.”

“Can’t you just get Thomas to do something about it?”

“Thomas can’t be everywhere, Virgil. Besides, while he’s not the only officer I have wrapped around my finger, I can’t control them all, or else this city would be run a lot differently.”

Virgil quieted at that. He stared down at his knees and let out a long sigh through his nose.

Janus thought for a moment before he continued, “Do me a favor and watch Roman for the rest of the day. I’m going to be terribly busy, and I don’t… you know what, why don’t you introduce him to Logan and Emile?”

Virgil’s head snapped up at that. His mouth must’ve opened in shock because Janus walked over and gently closed his jaw with a finger. His finger kept tipping Virgil’s head back until they were staring at each other straight in the eye. Janus studied Virgil a moment before he spoke.

“And, if you think this means I’m going to go easy on you the next time I give you an assignment, I’d start writing your will now.”

Virgil swallowed hard, but he had to admit, the familiar feeling of dread didn’t carve as deep into his stomach as it had the first few times Janus threatened him like this. Perhaps he was just getting used to it.

Janus let go of Virgil’s jaw, and he walked toward the steps. He continued, “Wait right there. I’m going to get Roman now.”

Virgil did as he was told. The clock ticked the silence away. Eventually, Roman slowly stomped down the stairs, a disheartened look on his face. He glared over at Virgil, and Virgil shot back a glare of his own.

“Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid,” Janus instructed.

Virgil glanced from Janus to Roman and back at Janus again. He stood, and after following Roman out of the room, Roman bolted toward the elevator.

“Hey!” Virgil yelled. Roman didn’t look back. Virgil took off after him, leaving some very confused gang members staring at the odd sight. Roman crashed into the elevator doors and repeatedly hit the down button. He squealed as Virgil grabbed him around his waist.

“Let me go! I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you. You lied! You lied to me!”

“Roman-”

“You told me you were going to get him back!”

“I know! Don’t you think I tried? Remus beat the shit out of me when I tried to grab him, okay? It’s not like I didn’t try here.”

Roman froze at that. He panted in Virgil’s arms. The elevator door dinged, and the doors slid open. Neither Virgil nor Roman moved.

“You probably scared him,” Roman mumbled.

“Yeah, I know I did.”

“He didn’t mean to hurt you. He just didn’t want to be taken away again.”

Virgil didn’t answer.

“I should’ve gone with. I should’ve been there. He would’ve come if I was there.”

Virgil let out a long sigh. The elevator doors slid closed, leaving Roman and Virgil alone to talk this out. Virgil answered, “I know, but it was too dangerous.”

“I’m not a little kid anymore. I can handle myself.”

“I know.” Virgil bit his lips, “But Roman-”

“You’re still going to get him back, right? You’re not just going to leave him with those villains, are you?”

“No, Ro, we’re gonna get Remus back. I promise. I’m just… not going to be the one to do it.”

Roman sighed through his nose. Virgil let his grip slip bit by bit until he was sure Roman wasn’t going to run. He hit the elevator down button, and he waited.

Once the elevator doors opened again, the two of them stepped inside to meet the rest of Roman’s new family. Hopefully Roman would be satisfied with them for now.

--

It took a while, but Janus eventually found the information he was looking for. After paying off the foster care organization a bit more than he would’ve liked, he was now strolling toward Remus’s foster family house to give the “good” news.

He knocked on the door and respectfully pulled his hat off his head, placing it on his chest.

The front door opened, and the woman at the door smiled.

“Good evening, Mrs. Johnson. My name is Samuel Summers, and I’m here to speak to you about your housing of our dear Remus Cooper.”

The woman’s eyes widened, and she swallowed hard. Her finger tapped on the door frame as she asked, “Is this about what happened seven nights ago?”

“I’m afraid so,” Janus responded.

“But, there’s been no incidents since. Remus has been adjusting well, and my husband and I have made sure to make sure no more evil can enter our house.”

“With all due respect, ma’am, I’m sure you are doing everything in your power to keep Remus safe. I do, however, need to come in and present to you with another issue that is connected to here.”

The woman curled her lips. “Oh, this is about Roman, isn’t it?”

“It is. Can I come in? I feel I should probably be speaking to you and your husband instead of just you.”

The woman thought for a moment. Janus was sure she’d slam the door in his face, but to his surprise, she opened the door a little wider and offered him a spot inside. The first thing Janus’s eyes settled on was all the crucifix in the house. He raised a brow. Well, these people definitely weren’t Mormons.

“Can I get you any tea?” Mrs. Johnson asked.

Janus shook his head, a small smile on his face. The woman asked Janus to wait there as she climbed up the stairs to get her husband. Janus checked his phone.

Footsteps came down the stairs, but they didn’t belong to either of the two adults. Instead, Janus came face to face with a young boy who looked just like Roman only with straightened hair, most reminiscent of those kids you saw in old movies. He even wore a sweater vest and tan slacks.

“Hello, Remus,” Janus greeted.

Remus stared at him for a moment, looked down, and climbed back up the stairs. A few seconds later, Remus came back down the stairs, only this time, he came the entire way. He still stared at Janus with a distrustful look.

“How do you know my name?” the kid asked.

“Roman told me.”

The kid’s eyes widened. Before he could say anything, however, the two foster parents came down the stairs. Janus rose to his feet to shake Mr. Johnson’s hand. Mrs. Johnson caught Remus’s eye, and she pointed toward the stairs.

“Remus, go back to your room. The adults are going to have a little chat.”

“No, please, Mrs. Johnson. I implore you to keep Remus here. I want him to be part of the decision as much as the two of you.”

Mr. and Mrs. Johnson shared a look. They sat down on the couch, sandwiching Remus in the middle, and Janus took the single rocker on the other side of the table. Leaning forward, Janus folded his fingers together and gathered his words carefully. 

“Now, I have read Remus’s file since I came. Remus, you suffer from something called Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, don’t you?”

Remus blinked at him and looked at his foster mom for confirmation.

“That’s what the doctor told us, yes,” she answered, “but we don't’ think that’s the case.”

“Remus has these ticks,” Mr. Johnson continued, “where he thinks something bad is going to happen if he doesn’t do something a certain number of times. Usually, it’s just flipping the lights or fixing the buttons on his shirt six times. Nothing harmful really.”

“As compared to OCD which is a cleaning disorder?” Janus deadpanned.

“That’s right. Heck, I’m a little OCD myself sometimes,” Mrs. Johnson laughed.

Janus sucked in a calming breath through his nose. “So, if it’s not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, like the doctor said, what do you believe it is?”

“Obviously the devil has gotten inside Remus’s head,” Mr. Johnson explained. “Flip this light switch 30 times so your brother doesn’t get shot like your mom. Mental images of raping Mary while sitting at the breakfast table. Pick up this knife and stab someone with it. What else could they be?”

“We think it’s because his mom was,” Mrs. Johnson whispered, “you know.”

“Not a Christian?” Janus asked with a raised brow.

“Exactly. Thank goodness we’re on the same page.”

Janus monitored Remus, who grew more uncomfortable as the conversation went on. He wished he could give the child some comforting words. No amount of “not all Christians” was going to make up for this mess.

“Alright, so what about Roman? How does he fit into all this?” Janus asked.

Janus didn’t miss the way Mrs. Johnson glanced down at Remus from the corner of her eye or the way Mr. Johnson put a hand over Remus’s to rub circles onto the back of Remus’s hand with his thumb. Remus didn’t look at either of them or acknowledge the touch. In fact, he pulled his hand back slightly.

“Roman was very emotionally manipulative,” Mr. Johnson explained. 

Janus raised a brow. “Emotionally manipulative how?”

Mrs. Johnson continued her husband’s line of thought. “Not only did he tell Remus it was okay to have these thoughts, but he would start spewing that Jew nonsense-”

“With all due respect,” Janus said through his teeth as he leaned forward. He took another calming breath. “I would prefer if you didn’t refer to it as “Jew nonsense” when the whitewashed man hanging above your head was, in fact, Jewish.”

That seemed to shut the two parents up. Remus’s eyes widened, his shoulders perking a bit at Janus’s support. Janus pretended to look over the bullshit papers that Emile helped him compile, and he sighed through his nose.

Janus continued, “It’s come to our attention that this household may not be the safest environment for a black Jewish child, and we regret to inform you that Remus will be relocated into another environment that will help him grow into a-”

“Now wait just a minute here,” Mr. Johnson said as he leaped up from the couch. Janus followed him with his eyes, but nothing in his body posture suggested intimidation. Mr. Johnson wagged his finger as he continued, “How dare you come into our home and tell us that we are not doing everything in our power to help Remus? You know nothing about us. You don’t even know that Jesus saw Jews as incomplete and-”

Janus pulled the crucifix out from under his shirt, successfully shutting the man up.

“I go to Mass every Sunday, so please, Mr. Johnson, don’t preach to me,” Janus cooly replied.

Mr. Johnson sat back down on the couch, his fists shaking. Mrs. Johnson’s mouth was wide open, her hand raised to her chest like she was going to pull out her own crucifix but had none. Remus, on the other hand, looked like he was just given a million dollars.

Janus addressed Remus as he spoke, “Go pack up your things if you have any. We’ll be leaving as soon as you’re done.”

“Wait,” Mrs. Johnson said, his eyes filled with tears. “Don’t we get a say in this? I don’t want to give him up. I took him in when no one else did. I-”

“You do agree that Remus deserves love and support, don’t you?” Janus interrupted.

“Of course.”

“And you became a foster parent to give him the best chance he could have, correct.”

“That’s right.”

“Then you know, as a foster parent, that it’s your job to do everything in your power to give Remus the life he deserves. That’s what foster parents are, Mrs. Johnson, and if this environment isn’t suitable for him, surely you above all else would know it’s your job to place Remus in a home that works for him, and clearly, this household is not working for him.”

Janus turned his attention to Remus and continued, “But I did say this was Remus’s choice too. That’s why I wanted him here. Remus, what do you want? Do you want to stay here or go somewhere else?”

Remus was out of his seat before Janus could finish his sentence. 

Mrs. Johnson broke into hysterics on the couch, and her husband sent a dirty look to Janus. Janus stood, and he took a deep breath. He put his hat on and straightened out his suit.

“Even the Devil can quote scripture, but that doesn’t mean he understands it. I’ll pray for God to grant you understanding in the fullness of His word,” Janus said as he tipped his hat. With that, he followed Remus up to his room with the smuggest smile on his face.

--

Remus would’ve bounced all over the back seat if Janus didn’t strap his seatbelt on. The kid didn’t shut up since the minute they got in the car. He talked about anything and everything, from his mom to Roman to his dad to his interest in art to his love of trains. Janus listened intently. He couldn’t hide the smile on his face.

It’s amazing what a little support would do to bring someone out of their shell.

The only time Remus stopped chattering was when they pulled up to the “insurance” building. His mouth dropped open, and his nose pressed up against the window.

“This doesn’t look like an adoption center,” Remus said.

“You’d be correct,” Janus responded.

Remus turned to him, his eyes wide and mouth searching for any sort of word to say. Janus opened his car door. 

“If you’d like me to get Roman and you wait here, that’s-”

Remus was out of the car and running up to the rotating door before Janus could remove a foot from the car. Janus watched Remus run around and around and around the rotating door. A few people on the street watched the child and shook their heads. Janus sighed through his nose.

Well, he signed up for this.

Janus waited until the door let him in and jumped in with Remus. The two of them went around in a circle before Janus pulled Remus out of the doorway, who giggled the entire time. 

“Can we do that again?” Remus asked.

“Another time. Right now, there’s someone who wants to say hello to you.”

Remus gasped, and he took off toward the elevator. Janus chuckled before he pointed Remus in the right direction, toward the hidden elevator in the locker rooms of the pool. Remus bounced so much the elevator shook. 

Suddenly Remus stopped, and Janus watched as the once bouncing kid bit his lip.

“What’s wrong?” Janus asked.

Remus scratched both hands through his hair before he answered. “Thought.”

“What is it?” Janus asked. Remus looked hesitantly at Janus and turned his gaze back to the elevator doors. Janus continued, “It’s okay, Remus. You can tell me.”

“I just thought about the elevator crashing and we both die before I can see Roman.” Remus looked up at him expectantly, as if waiting for Janus to shame him for his thought.

“That would be unfortunate, wouldn’t it?” Janus answered.

Remus nodded his head. He started buttoning and unbuttoning the shirt under his sweater vest. Janus didn’t comment. He’d have to speak to Emile about what to do about that. Or better yet, Cassie. Surely Remus would benefit from a black therapist.

The elevator doors opened, and Janus motioned for Remus to walk out. Remus entered the hallway. A few people having a conversation in the middle of the hall stopped and turned to face them. Janus put a hand on Remus’s shoulder, and he led him down the hall. The people moved to the side. Remus didn’t miss the way the people weren’t watching him. They were watching Janus.

“YES!” a voice shouted down the hall, followed by several other voices. 

“Roman,” Remus whispered. He snapped his head up at Janus, as if to make sure he was right. Janus gave a nod of the head. The two of them hurried down the hall (well, more like Remus ran and Janus walked fast to keep up with him) and stopped when they came across a cracked open door.

Janus pushed the door back. On the floor sat Emile, Virgil, Roman, and Logan, all playing the board game “Sorry.”  Roman had his back to them, his hands raised in the air. According to the four red pieces in his home, he just won. Emile, Virgil, and Logan all looked up at Janus and Remus, all with varying expressions of shock and interest.

“Hey, Ro, turn around,” Virgil said, a smirk on his face.

“Oh, no, I’m not falling for that trick. You’re going to switch the board and say you won or something,” Roman growled.

“Roman,” Emile coaxed, “please. You’re going to want to see who just walked in the door.”

Roman rose a brow and twisted his head as far as it would go. When he caught sight of Remus, his jaw dropped, and his back straightened. Remus charged forward, and Roman squealed in delight. Remus hugged Roman so tight they fell over into a ball of giggles rolling on the floor.

Janus would deny his eyes teared up at that, even if the others were just as awestruck.

After Roman and Remus calmed themselves, they sat side-by-side, practically melted into each other. Their hands never left each other’s palms.

“Thank you,” Roman said as he beamed up at Janus. “Thank you for bringing Remus back to me.”

“I do keep my promises,” Janus said. He caught Emile’s eye and mumbled, “usually.”

Emile rolled his eyes.

“So, now what?” Remus asked. “Are we going to go to a home together? You’re not going to separate us again, are you?”

“Of course not,” Janus answered. “I was… actually, I was going to speak to Roman about this when I got back, so I… Roman, Remus, I have a question for you.”

The two boys held their breath. They didn’t take their eyes off Janus. The curiosity in the room piqued, and everyone’s attention hung on Janus’s next words.

Janus continued, “I want the two of you to stay here, with us.” He paused. “With me.”

“You mean, you’re adopting us?” Roman asked.

“Only if you want me to. I did say this was your choice, and-”

“YES!” Roman and Remus both shouted at the same time. It startled Janus, who blinked his shock away. Both boys stood and barreled into Janus’s legs. Janus held onto the doorframe to keep his balance. His lips floundered as he searched for an argument to play devil’s advocate.

“Roman, don’t you think you should think about this first?” Janus coaxed. “I mean, you’ve only been here for a week. Is this really what you want?”

“Yes,” Roman answered without hesitation.

“And Remus, you’ve only known me for an hour,” Janus argued. “You don’t even know me. Don’t you-”

“I know you’re good,” Remus answered. “I can just tell. Besides, if Roman likes you, then I like you.”

Janus opened his mouth to argue further, but he closed it soon after. He glanced up at Emile, who didn’t say a word. Instead, Emile pretended he was more interested in shuffling cards. However, Janus could see the wide grin on his face.

“So, do I call you daddy or sir?” Remus asked.

Virgil burst into hysterical laughter. Emile snorted and bit both of his lips to keep from laughing.  Logan raised a brow as he glanced between Emile and Virgil, as if waiting for either of them to explain what was so funny. 

Janus let out a long, tired sigh. He looked down at both Remus and Roman, who looked up at him like two lovestruck puppies.

“Janus,” he answered. Even he couldn’t keep the smile off his face. “Please, just call me Janus.”