#janus lucas

[edupunkn00b]

Spaced

WC: 1416 - Rated: T - CW: mild swearing, minor angst, happy ending

Happy Birthday, Roman. The moment I saw the video explaining Roman's birthday celebration would be late, I couldn't get this out of my head, so, here we go…

Illuminated only by the fairy lights draped along his walls, and the dull blue glow of his phone screen, Roman sat up in bed and scrolled through Thomas’ mentions. 

No big deal, just going feral…

Dayum, the LACE! Those HEELS!

Not to be a lesbian but…

Logan is the HOTTEST side, hands down!

Growling, Roman flung his phone across the room. Lucas popped up and caught it in one hand just before it hit the wall. “Temper, temper, my Prince,” he tutted before launching the phone up into the air and smashing it with his baseball bat. “You could break your phone like that.”

Roman conjured a new device and let his head fall back against the pillows, eyes squeezed shut. If he didn’t look at him, maybe he would just leave.

It didn’t work. 

“Get out,” he said, listless. Roman had burned up all his rage on throwing the phone and now he just felt… tired.

“That’s it?” Lucas chuckled. Glass crunched underfoot as he stepped closer to the bed. “Where’d that fire go?”

“Catharsis.”

Laughing, Lucas tapped his bat against his orange Doc Martens, knocking away bits of glass and shattered plastic from the chipped and dented wood. Roman glared at him. “Why are you here?” 

He scooped up a handful of the glittery remains of Roman’s phone from the floor. “Do you really have to ask? Or do you just enjoy stupid questions?”

Eyes fixed on his new phone, Roman did his best to pretend Lucas didn’t exist. Switching apps, he scrolled through his history until he found today’s video.

“…This month has been wild and I’ve just been so focused on the Logan skirt photoshoot that I’ve been working on… I completely forgot there were Sides birthdays comin’ up this month…”

Roman’s thumb hovered over Thomas’ face on the screen, ready to pause but knowing that wouldn’t stop the next words from coming. Wouldn’t stop them from playing on a loop in his head as they had for the past four hours.

“…Hopefully it’ll come out the week after? I’m working on it… I completely spaced.”

Three brief knocks broke his concentration and his phone fell to his lap. Roman looked up to where Lucas had stood, but he and the destruction he’d caused was gone. Three more knocks. “Roman?” Logan’s voice outside the room was low, but modulated to be heard through the door. “Roman, I wanted to apologize.”

“What for?” he asked, filling the air as he moved to the door.

“I am in charge of the schedule,” he said, voice clipped. “I should have alerted Thomas to the tight timeline and predicted that—”

“It’s fine, Specs,” Roman muttered, picking at a loose thread on his sash. “I don’t blame you.”

“Lies, lies, lies, lies, lies…” Janus sang quietly, close enough his breath ruffled Roman’s bangs.

“Don’t you ever knock?” he hissed back, adjusting his hair.

“Now why would I do that?” Janus arranged himself on Roman’s chaise, legs crossed and one arm draped over the backrest. “When I can simply make myself at home.” Roman stepped closer, prepared to tip the Lord of the Lies right out of his seat.

“Roman?” Logan was still outside his door. Could he hear Snakeface?

Roman shook his head and let out a slow breath before approaching the door again. “Truly, Logan, we have the birthday video planned for the day after tomorrow. You made sure of it. Ultimately it was Thomas’ choice. I am fine—“

“Oh, sweet, sweet lies…” 

Roman shot Janus a look, jaw clenched, but he kept his voice even and calm. “And I will be down momentarily. I’m nearly done with this script.”

Janus shrugged and disappeared.

“Very well.” Logan was either mollified or else he correctly determined further argument would get him nowhere. “We’ll see you shortly, then.”

One hand pressed to the door, Roman listened to the retreat of Logan’s footsteps down the hall.

“I thought he’d never leave!” Remus cackled from behind him.

Roman spun around. Remus lay sprawled on his bed, head hanging off the side, a series of red and purple splotches running over his neck and down his chest.

“Your hickeys are showing.” Roman rolled his eyes and sat at his vanity. “Here,” he said, offering a golden compact and a beauty blender. “This tone suits you. Cover up.”

“Why would I want that?” he laughed, shoving the compact back at him. “Everyone downstairs will understand how I ended up with these.” Remus locked eyes with his reflection. “Today the whole world saw how hot our Nerdy Wolverine really is.”

Avoiding his brother’s gaze, Roman opened the compact and dabbed at the shadows under his eyes.

“Or didn’t you notice?” Remus added, chin propped up on his fists and kicking his feet.

“Of course I noticed!” Giving up on his makeup, Roman snapped the compact shut and stomped over to his bed. “He looks amazing but that’s not the point! This is the beginning of June and tomorrow’s my—“ Roman’s voice cracked and he plopped down on his bed, hiding his face against the cool satin duvet.

“Now we’re gettin’ somewhere…” Remus purred, inching closer and tilting Roman’s face so he wouldn’t smother himself in the plush bedding. He tapped his brother’s temple. “I could hear you all the way from my room.”

“Apparently so could Janus,” he mumbled.

“Hey,” Remus laughed. “At least you weren’t feeling murderous enough that Lucas could—“

Roman heaved a sigh and flipped over onto his back. “He was here, too.”

“Pretty fly for a Light guy.” When Roman merely shrugged and closed his eyes, Remus snaked too-long nails through his hair, like a bonobo searching for lice.

Roman shuddered. Remus would just as likely put lice in his hair just to pick them out again. “You know Tommy-gun admitted to forgetting both of our birthdays,” Remus sing-songed.

“Yes, I know,” he breathed. “You’re right.” Roman opened his eyes just in time to catch his brother’s frown. Just before he plastered his face in another manic grin. “But he has time to do something proper for your birthday.”

“You know he’ll make it up to you,” Remus said, more serious than Roman would’ve expected. “Jannie wasn’t lying. You’ll always be his hero.”

“I know,” Roman muttered, nearly believing it.

“Do you need me to go get Jannie?”

“No!” he said, louder than he intended. “No, I mean…” Roman shook his head, out of words. Out of any words worthy of a prince, at least. Laying back, hands folded over his belly, he let Remus pick at his hair and they both fell quiet. Quiet enough for the sounds of the others preparing an impromptu party for Logan to filter through the gap between his door and the hallway.

Sudden laughter rang out from downstairs. Logan’s laughter. The brothers’ eyes darted to the door in perfect unison.

“Now when was the last time you heard that?” Remus murmured.

Roman sighed. It’d been far too long. “I don’t remember, actually.” He sighed again and turned to his side, head pillowed on his brother’s knee. “I know I can’t begrudge him this celebration.”

“Well, you could,” Remus drawled, scratching his head.

“I’d be a real dick if I did.”

“Ah! Language!” Remus scolded, tone serious. But when Roman looked up, his brother was grinning. “You know what’ll make ya feel better?”

“What?” Roman tried not to smile but Remus’ grin was infectious.

“LIke pus,” he winked, reading his mind. “A little tromp through my side of the Imagination will turn that frown upside down. Slaughter some slimy demon spawn?” He wiggled his eyebrows and conjured his morningstar. “I’ll even let ya borrow Lucie…”

Roman narrowed his eyes to hide his excitement. It had been a long time since he’d let loose in the Imagination. Nearly as long since the last time Logan himself had let loose.

The voices in the living room grew louder and two sets of footsteps skipped up the stairs. “Come on, Kiddos! We’re waiting for you!”

Roman stood and pulled his brother to his feet, as well. “Tomorrow we shall hunt your orcs. Tonight?” Squaring his shoulders, Roman took a deep breath and caught a glance of his own reflection. He nodded. Very nearly the picture of regality. “Tonight, we celebrate Logan.”

Remus bumped his shoulder and flung his morningstar in the air. It lodged itself into Roman’s ceiling just before disappearing. “And you really have to wonder why you’re anybody’s hero?”

“Shut up,” Roman muttered, still smiling. “Hero.”

[askfloressides]

Uhm... Hello...?

@ask-virgil-anxiety-side

//Btw I tried finding your characters, but I could only find the one which was the closest to the top of your posts. 😅//

Heya Virgil!

//ah I see lol, I posted them on the @where-are-the-spooky-gays-2 hub before I started posting fr. Just search up @zeni1098 in the blog and you’ll probably find it lol. Or I can just reblog the Flores sides again lol. Or you can just search up Nico Flores on my blog lol//

[rainypebble07]

the party picking out their halloween costumes <3

but of course! I kinda did more than ‘picking them out’ so oops, but oh well

Today’s conclusion: I actually need Frankenstein’s Monster mike to be a thing

remember! Spooky season requests are priority this month!

[naminethewriter]

When it comes to Spending Time with those We Love, No Amount of Time's Enough

Last order for the Sleepy Bean Fanfic Café run by @tsspromptmonth for @typically-untypical! This is a Mer AU with Roman/Remy/Toby/Orange, Arranged Marriage, Love Letters and Love after Loss. Please be warned that this is a story about mourning and while it does not feature Major Character Death, someone has only recently passed away as the story begins. Still, I hope you enjoy 💖🖤🧡🖤

Summary: Roman always knew he was going to marry for political reasons. And while it hadn't always been the case, now he was happy to do so if it meant increased safety for his colony. He thought he hit the jackpot when he got engaged to Chief Toby and his three husbands, until he gets the notice that one of them passed away in an accident. Dangerous waters separate him from his fiancés who just lost one of the most important people in their lives. How will they all cope?

Title from Time by Beth Crowley and the lyrics are accompanying the story.

Content Warnings: Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Past Character Death, Songfic

Read here on Ao3!

~~*~~

I pleaded with the heavens I bargained with the gods That even though the chance is slim You might defy the odds so you can be Here with me Just a little bit longer

~~*~~

Hey there, boo.

Sorry for the late reply, as you can probably guess, things were quite a lot over here. We’re still processing, and I only now got around to going over like all the letters we got. Yours definitely stood out though, it was very sweet.

That said, I can’t really give you any solid updates. Tobes is spending more time doing admin work than anything else and Luc is either training or patrolling (which is why you’re reading my clumsy ass writing, I didn’t grow up fancy like y’all.) I think both of them kinda blame themselves for what happened. I know you only met us once, but I’m sure you got the vibe of how seriously they take their job. For good reason of course, but this just ain’t a thing they could’ve prevented.

I’m getting off topic.

Point is, none of us are ready for you to come, babes. Probably won’t be for a while. But I showed Toby your letter and he’s very much with me that we still want this to happen. I’m sure Luc feels the same, but that’s not a topic I want to spring on him at the moment. I don’t think he’s been sleeping.

So, if you’re willing to wait a while, then we def want you here. But the grief is too strong for now.

The alliance is important to us, and we do like you a lot, Ro, but if you came right now, we’d probably end up resenting you.

Hope you can understand that. I’ll keep you updated for sure though.

Love, Remy

~~*~~

The good days turn to bad days The bad days just get worse until I wish I had those bad days back It all becomes a blur 'cause you can't be Here with me Just a little bit longer

~~*~~

Roman folds the paper in his lap, sighing.

“What’re they saying?”

He hadn’t heard Remus enter but he knows that he’d told the servants to tell him immediately when Roman gets a response from his fiancés. It is an important matter after all, not just for their colony, but for his little brother (he is only half an hour older; Roman thinks that shouldn’t really count but anyway.)

“They still want to honor the alliance but aren’t ready for it right now.”

“Hmmm,” Remus hums, swimming over and sitting next to him on Roman’s bed.

“It’s understandable. They just lost their husband, of course that would shake them.”

“Sure, but is it fair to you to keep you away? Like, you don’t need to marry them immediately when you get there.”

“Remus!” Roman hisses, angrily. “Watch what you’re saying! Put yourself in their shoes. How do you think you and Virgil would react if Janus suddenly died before Logan got here?”

Roman immediately regrets his words when he sees the pained expression on his brother’s face. Remus has always suffered under the pressure of being the next chief and since childhood developed intrusive thoughts about what all could go wrong if he took over. It took some time, but he managed to transform that into a remarkable ability to prepare for almost any occasion. Still, Roman should’ve considered just what images those words could conjure up inside his brother’s head.

“Sorry. That was too far.”

Remus shakes his head.

“No, you’re right. I was being insensitive. They only lost him two months ago; I don’t think I could be back to doing what I usually do if anything happened to Janny or Virge.” He holds out his hand to Roman and he takes it. “What was his name again?”

“Patton,” Roman whispers, a familiar pain stabbing him in his chest. “His name was Patton. I was really looking forward to getting to know him. All of them really. Now I’ll never get the chance. Or at least not like I thought I would.”

Remus pulls him close, slinging an arm around his side.

“Death sucks. But I’m here for you until you leave. And I’m sure once they’re ready for you, they’ll be supportive of you, too.”

“Thanks, Rem,” Roman whispers as he lets himself sink against his brother, letting himself mourn the relationship he would never have.

“I’ll update Father. He probably won’t like it, but it’s not like we have any other offers, so it should be fine.”

“I’m going with you. It will be more convincing if I tell him myself.”

“You gonna show him the letter?”

Roman frees himself of Remus’ grip, who lets him go as soon as he pulls away, and strokes along the paper in his lap.

“Not if I don’t absolutely have to. For one just because it’s private and two because Remy isn’t really one for formality. Father would not like his style of writing.”

Remus snorts.

“You find it hot though, right?”

“Remus!”

~~*~~

Time is a gift and Time is a thief Time is currency we spend I'm glad that you spent yours with me

~~*~~

Greetings, Remy!

It saddens me to know that you are all still in the depths of despair. I wish I could be there to soothe you, but I also understand that that would probably be crossing several boundaries. I might be your fiancé, but I am not yet a confidant and that is okay. I wish you all the strength you require at the moment.

Please also make sure that both Toby and Lucas know that I have full understanding for your situation. I may not be able to grieve Patton in the same way you do, but I do mourn the lost possibilities of what could have been.

I have spoken to my father and while he is not happy about this development, he has agreed to maintain the engagement and alliance. He does require us to stay in contact, however. As long as you provide us with updates and prove that you intend to keep your word, he is willing to wait.

And while I do not wish to pressure you in any way at the moment, do note that his patience is limited. I do not believe that he is willing to wait much longer than a year.

I await your response with love,

Roman

PS: I’ve enclosed a seashell I’ve found. Its coloration reminded me of Patton, so I figured you might appreciate it either as a memento or you could place it on his grave for me.

~~*~~

It's a mystery That I will never understand It makes me want the universe To have a bigger plan 'Cause when it comes to getting Time with those we love No amount of time's enough

~~*~~

“And that’s the tea,” Remy concludes. He holds out the letter for Toby to take and look over himself if he so wishes.

“I see.” Toby accepts the paper and his eyes flitter over the content, but Remy can tell he isn’t taking any of the words in. His husband hasn’t left his study much in the last few weeks, desperately trying to distract himself from what’s happened. Remy understands, of course he does. After all, Patton and Toby had been engaged practically all their life and were virtually inseparable most of the time.

Their bond had been special, and it was severed way too suddenly.

“I’m glad they’re willing to stick to the agreement. This alliance is important and Roman is smart and creative.”

“Tobes, no offence, but you sound a bit like an ass right now. We all agreed that Roman was a good fit for us because of his personality, not because he’s useful to us.”

Toby looks up from the paper and Remy can see how much pain is behind those eyes.

“Oh babe, no. It’s fine, I know you’re tired.” He swims over to Toby, placing himself on his lap and between him and the papers on his desk. “Hun, I know you, so I know that wasn’t what you meant. But you need to watch your words a bit, okay?”

“Right. I’m sorry. I just—” He breaks off, dragging a hand across his face before pulling Remy closer and hiding his face in his neck and kissing his gills. “I’m tired,” he whispers.

“I know. Neither you nor Luc have been sleeping. I don’t think I’ve seen him today at all yet.”

“I saw him shortly before he went out to patrol.”

“Alone?”

Toby doesn’t say anything but the tension in his body says it all.

“That fucking idiot. Worried about everyone but himself.”

“He feels so guilty. Y’know how he’s always seen himself as our protector and after Pat—” Toby chokes and Remy holds him closer.

“I know. Doesn’t change the fact that he needs to take better care of himself. As do you.”

“You’re right,” Toby sighs and he pulls away. He reaches a hand up and cradles Remy’s face before kissing him gently. “Thank you for looking after us. I’m sorry we’re not making it easy.”

“You should be sorry,” Remy pouts, though he can see in Toby’s eyes he knows it’s not really genuine. “Promise me you’re going to join me in bed tonight. You need the sleep.”

“I promise.”

“Good.” Remy steals one more kiss before he pushes himself off of Toby’s lap and swims to the door. “And don’t forget to eat.”

“I won’t,” Toby agrees, rolling his eyes fondly. Remy sticks out his tongue before leaving, heading back to their quarters. He wants to put up Roman’s gift for them.

The conch shell was a beautiful hue of blue, not quite as light as Patton’s scales had been but close enough that he really appreciates the thoughtfulness.

And because he’s a bit particular about decorating, it takes him a while to rearrange some trinkets they keep in their salon to find the best place for it. As he admires his work, Lucas comes in.

“Oh, Remy. I didn’t expect you to be here.” He says it like he’s been caught doing something he shouldn’t. Remy had had an inkling that he had been avoiding them on purpose but that all but confirms it. Lucas’ eyes don’t hide the guilt though, so Remy can’t be mad at him.

“I was redecorating a bit, no biggie. You went out alone?”

“Yeah. Perimeter check. I didn’t go far.” Lucas’ tail twitches and Remy can tell that he well knows that he disapproves. Still, he doesn’t want to make a big deal about it either, so he just nods. Lucas’ shoulders relax as the awaited lecture doesn’t come. Instead, he takes a look around and notices the new item.

“It’s pretty,” he says as he swims over and looks at the shell more closely. “Where did you get it?”

“It was a condolence gift, since the color is close to Pat’s.”

Lucas nods but doesn’t ask further. For a moment Remy considers bringing up Roman, but Lucas looks so exhausted, he can’t bring himself to do it.

“Hey, Luc.” Remy waits until Lucas looks over to him before continuing.  “I’m exhausted and you look like you could use a nap, too. Join me?”

Lucas hesitates, his eyes flickering to the trident he left by the entrance. Remy doesn’t push, waiting for his answer and preparing himself for rejection.

It must show on his face because as soon as Lucas looks at him again, he deflates.

“Yeah, okay.”

“Hell yeah!” Remy cheers, quickly swimming over to his husband and pulling him through the seaweed curtain that leads to their bedroom.

~~*~~

In days I least expect it It comes out of the blue When something insignificant Will remind me of you And how my world has become Just a little bit smaller

~~*~~

Me again, babes!

We’re very glad to hear that your chief agreed to uphold the alliance. Keeping in contact with you won’t be a problem either (it finally gives me something to do, really).

Thanks a lot for the gift! It fits really well into our salon, and it caught Luc’s attention immediately. Even gave me an opportunity to coax him to take a nap with me, so you’re contributing already, hun! He still snuck out on me, so I don’t know how long he actually slept but I made sure as hell he was asleep before I knocked out myself. He’s been patrolling around the entire colony about three times a day with no backup, the fool. If he keeps this up, I’m gonna bother the other guards as long as I need to until they won’t leave him out of their sight anymore, I swear to Poseidon.

But let that be my worry, how’re you holding up over there? If I remember correctly your brother’s getting married again soon, right? His second or third hubby? Your father willing to step down at some point or is he like Toby’s and goes until it kills him? That’s probably real offensive to ask, don’t read that, babes…

Anyway, hope to hear from you soon, darling!

Love, Remy

~~*~~

I hope that you could feel it When you were still around The impact that you had on me So quietly profound And now my world has become Just a little bit smaller

~~*~~

Greetings again, Remy!

I am glad to hear my gift was so well received! I chanced upon it before I got notice of Patton’s passing and had intended to give it to him next time I saw him, but sadly that never came to pass. I look forward to seeing where you placed it at some point.

And I am of course even more delighted to know you managed to get Lucas to rest. From what you’ve described so far it seems like he is truly troubled. I do not wish to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong, but it seems to me that giving him space is not helping. It might be time to have a conversation with him, especially if his behavior is distressing you so. I apologize if I am overstepping boundaries.

But to answer your question: yes, my brother is getting married for the third time. Janus had been Remus’ fiancé since they were little, same as Toby and Patton had been, and Virgil married them only two years later. His colony is also on a lower sea level like yours. He’s already warned me that adjusting to the lower light is going to take a while. He still isn’t fully used to the brightness here, he says.

Logan, their husband-to-be, comes from a colony closer to land. They’re an inquisitive group, or so I heard. Rumors say they even trade with a few humans, but I haven’t had the opportunity to confirm that with him, I’ve only met him once briefly. In a way I am happy to be here to attend the wedding now, though of course I wish the circumstances were different.

From what I remember of our last meeting, you are from the same colony as Toby, correct? They chose you to be their husband not out of need but out of love? You do have to tell me that story sometime, I must confess, I am as helpless of a romantic as my brother says. It did take me a few years to accept my obligation for arranged marriages to be honest. I dreamed of finding the truest love for myself. But I am honored to protect my colony now that I understand the dangers of the world and I know that I have struck gold marrying you four three.

Look at me rambling! Let me finish by saying that I wish you peaceful days, my dear, and restful nights.

My deepest love, Roman

PS: This time I enclosed a little something I made myself. I hope you like it!

~~*~~

Time is a gift and Time is a thief Time is currency we spend I'm glad that you spent yours with me

~~*~~

Sup, boo!

I’m so glad to hear that the wedding went off without a hitch! It seems like your brother knows how to party! Just between us two, I’m a big party guy, too ;-)  Anyway, the point is, I’m glad you got something out of this whole sad situation.

Speaking of… As much as I loved writing these little love letters back and forth for the last year, we think it’s about time to stop beating around the bush. Luc isn’t completely on board – I honestly don’t think he’d ever really be tbh, he’s been trying but he’s still very much struggling with feeling like the whole thing was his fault – but he understands that 1. we can’t stall forever, it has to happen at some point whether we’re ready or not and 2. that you’ve been very patient and super lovely sending all those gifts and stuff. So, we got you a room ready and I am hereby officially inviting you into our home to make it your home too or whatever. The wedding will still have to wait, that’s a lot of planning and stuff none of us have the brainpower for atm, but we’ll get there.

For security reasons (and for Luc’s sanity,) we’d like to send some of our guards to meet you halfway-ish. Like obvs we’d need to decide on details together but the terrain’s tricky and tensions are still high, so I hope you can do us that favor.

Otherwise, the ball’s now finally in your court, babes! Give us the deets when you have them, okay?

Very much looking forward to seeing you in person again ;)

Love, Remy

~~*~~

It's a mystery That I will never understand It makes me want the universe To have a bigger plan 'Cause when it comes to getting Time with those we love No amount of time's enough

~~*~~

“And you’re sure you’ve got everything?”

“Yes, Virgil, I’m sure. We checked thrice.”

“Right.”

To Roman it looks like Virgil is vibrating on the spot to stop himself from swimming in circles. He’s been a nervous mess for the entire week leading up to Roman’s departure. And Roman can’t fault him for it, it isn’t without dangers and Virgil and him had become good friends over the years, but he’s going with three guards and will meet with three more from his new colony on the way. They have everything planned out and couldn’t be better prepared.

Still, Virgil looks like he’s about to grab Roman and tell him he can’t leave after all.

“Take deep breaths, darling. He’ll be fine,” Janus soothes him, holding his hand. “Remember, you picked out the guards who’ll take him and Roman is trained in combat. He held your position before. He made this journey before. All the way there and back.”

“I know that! And I’m trying, but… I don’t think I can watch you leave, I’m sorry, I’ll freak out.”

“That’s fine, Verge. I’m going to miss you. Take care of my idiot brother, okay?”

Roman takes Virgil’s free – very shaky – hand and gives it a squeeze. Virgil lunges at him and pulls him into a tight hug before quickly swimming back into the cave system that holds their colony.

“I will go and keep him company,” Logan says. “I wish you a safe journey, Roman. It was delightful to get to know you.”

“Thank you, Logan. I’m glad we got the chance to get to know each other, too.”

Logan nods at him before going after Virgil.

“Wow, you’re making all my husbands flee. Wanna chase off Janny, too?” Remus jokes but Roman can read his brother well. The joke is a bad attempt at hiding his own nerves and Roman smiles at him.

“I’ll be fine, Re. And I’ll write to you as soon as I get there.”

“Yeah, you better. Fuck, I’m gonna miss you, Ro.”

“I’m going to miss you, too.”

Once he and Remus are hugging, Roman isn’t sure he can let go again. Sure, they had their differences, but this is Remus. His twin. They’ve only ever spent a few days apart and now there’s not even a plan for when they’ll see each other next.

This is really it.

“Okay, you two, I know this is hard, but Roman needs to leave. Daylight’s waning,” Janus gently reminds them.

“Yeah, right. Be safe, Ro. I love you.”

“Love you, too, Re. Stay safe as well. All of you.” He looks at Janus as he says it and when he usually would expect a sarcastic quip from his in-law, Janus knows the gravity of the situation and nods at him sincerely.

“I’ll make sure of it.”

“Good. Then I’m off, I guess.”

“Yeah, go and get yourself some husbands!” Remus cackles. Roman smacks his arm one last time before he joins his escorts, and they swim off into the open and dangerous waters.

Five days. And then his new life begins.

~~*~~

Does anyone else feel a sense of Panic settle in Whenever they're reminded That nothing is permanent?

~~*~~

It turned out to be a harrowing journey. Five days under constant stress, light sleep and tension drains you quickly. Still, the anticipation of meeting his future husbands has Roman more awake than he thought. The next few days he was going to spend asleep most of the time though, probably.

The last few hours of the way were uncomfortable for the sole reason of the slowly diminishing light.

It wasn’t that late in the day yet, but his new colony lives in far deeper waters than his old one and therefore, he will need to get used to a quite different atmosphere from now on.

Roman had mentally prepared himself for that, of course, but being faced with it? Totally different.

Not that that would deter him. This is for his colony. For his brother. For his new husbands.

And for himself.

So, he pushes on and eventually they arrive.

“Hey there, boo! You finally made it!” Remy greets him first as they swim into the entry cavern of the colony. It’s illuminated by softly glowing plants that give enough light for Roman to see a good distance, but not enough to make out much detail.

“It’s good to see you, Remy. I am tired beyond belief,” he sighs with a chuckle.

“Oh, I belief, babes. Like, I’ve never travelled far from the colony, but even a one-day trip is spooky as hell. But enough of that, you’re here and that’s what matters. Let me give you your welcome gift.”

Remy winks at him before he waves someone over that hands him a box which he promptly shoves into Roman’s direction.

“Go ahead and open it.”

“Thank you,” Roman smiles, taking the offered box and carefully opens the lid.

He’s met with light.

It’s soft and reminds him of the streams of sunlight that reach his old colony.

Upon closer inspection, he finds that the light is being admitted from a crystal set in a pretty necklace. As he pulls it out from its confinement, it’s even a little warm.

“You’ll need to recharge it by going towards the surface. It basically can absorb some sunlight for a while. When you do go though, you’ll need to take an escort or two. Patton had one of those too and the last time he went alone… You can imagine why we don’t want a repeat of that.”

Remy’s voice is tight as he says that, so Roman can quite easily connect the dots. He doesn’t know the details of what caused Patton’s death, but he does know it involved deep sea creatures that didn’t usually come up this far and that were spotted too late. Patton had encountered them and when they got to him, he wasn’t able to be saved.

“Of course,” is all he can think to say.

“Good.” Remy clears his throat and motions to the necklace. “Want me to put it on you?”

“Oh, yes, thank you.” Grateful for the change of topic and something else to focus on, Roman holds the band out for Remy to take. He puts it on him with skilled hands and swims back to face him.

“You look gorgeous, darling.”

“You as well,” Roman chuckles. The soft light of the necklace doesn’t sting his eyes and does brighten his surroundings, making it easier for him to see Remy’s dark brown scales, which now glimmer a bit in the light.

“Let’s go meet the hubbies, yeah? After that I’m going to show you to your room, your stuff’s already being taken there. And we’ve prepared a space for your escorts as well, of course, so that they can rest as long as they need before they head back.”

“Sounds great, thank you again.”

“Only the best for you, babes, now follow me.”

As they swim through the cave network that is his new home, Remy tries to give Roman a good overview of what’s where but they both know it will take weeks and months for Roman to find his way around alone. It takes them a good half an hour until Remy leads him to a door that reminds Roman a lot of his father’s study. Chiefs aren’t usually very different from each other, though he knows that Toby has a much softer heart than his father’s.

“He’s here!” Remy announces as he pulls the door open, waving to Roman to follow him inside. There, behind his desk covered in many papers, sits Toby, his dark eyes immediately fixing themselves on Roman. Lucas is by his side, stiffly holding a book that Roman doubts he’s actually been reading.

“Welcome, Roman! I’m so glad you made it,” Toby smiles, swimming out from behind his desk to shake Roman’s hand.

“Thank you. We didn’t have any complications, by Poseidon’s grace.”

“That’s good to hear. I’m sure you’re exhausted, I’m sorry for making you come here first.”

“It’s alright, I know very well how important procedures are for official business. I was there for my brother’s husband’s arrivals after all.”

“Right, of course. Still, it feels like a tradition that could do with a little update,” Toby sighs and Roman simply shrugs. Now that he really looks at Toby, he can see the dark circles under his eyes. Right, according to Remy’s letters, neither he nor Lucas were sleeping well still.

Speaking off, Lucas had put aside his book and swam over to them.

“It’s good to know you’re safe,” is all he says, but Roman knows he’s sincere. He holds the same position of head of the guard as Virgil does, so he probably had a lot of the same worries as his brother-in-law had.

“I made it,” he reassures, and Lucas does smile for a second before he turns to Toby.

“I’m going back on patrol.”

“Okay, see you for dinner then.” Lucas nods and leaves. “Let’s finish the official business so Remy can show you to your room and you can rest,” Toby continues, moving back to his desk.

“Actually,” Roman says as he follows him, “there’s somewhere I’d like to go first, if you don’t mind.”

~~*~~

A concept that I actively Try not to think about ‘Cause how can I be sure I made each moment with you count?

~~*~~

Remy opted to wait out in the tunnel to both give Roman some privacy and because he needs to prepare himself to do this, and he hadn’t in a million years guessed that Roman would want to come here.

“Hey there, Pat,” Roman whispers as he settles himself in the soft phosphorus moss that lines the floor around the carved stone of Patton’s grave. “I want to say that I’m sorry that I didn’t come sooner, but that wasn’t really an option, was it? I really wanted to be here, to see you off, to say my goodbyes properly, but they needed space, and I am basically still a stranger. Well, maybe not to Remy after all those letters, but still.

“I’m just glad I’m here now. And it was important for me to come here today, because traditionally, I’m supposed to greet all my fiancés when I arrive and while I may never have the honor to actually marry you, you are still such an important part of this relationship. And you always will be, I hope you know that.

“Things won’t be the same without you and I don’t think I will ever be able to stop myself from asking ‘what if?’ But I promise you I will make the effort to get to know the three of them earnestly. For who they are now and not for who they were when you were still here. Because we both know they’ll never be the same. I’ll never be the same. And that’s okay.”

Roman takes in the silence of the gravesite for a moment before he pulls something out of the one bag he kept on him the entire trip. It was a scroll, artwork he had worked on for months to get just right. He unrolled it, showing it to the stone as if Patton was sitting there, listening to him with the soft smile he still so clearly remembers from the one day they actually met.

“I designed it based on everything I felt when I first heard of your passing. I barely knew you and yet you still managed to burrow yourself so deep into my heart. I’ve expanded on it afterwards, when Remy’s letters started to come. I wanted it to show how I felt about you but also how I feel about what’s to come. How I’m sad that you won’t be here for it but how I’m still hoping to make the best of it and help the colony you cared so much for to grow and stay safe. I hope you like it.”

He rolls it back up and places it with other offerings already left there, some of which he recognizes as gifts he sent over the last year. A sad smile spreads over his lips.

“I hope you can rest easy, Pat. We’ll make it work, you just watch, okay?”

~~*~~

Time is a gift and Time is a thief Time is currency we spend I'm glad that you spent yours with me

~~*~~

Roman is half asleep in his new room when a knock startles him. He had already eaten and told the staff that he’d like to rest now, so he doesn’t know who to expect when he opens the door.

Lucas was pretty low on that list.

“Hi,” his fiancé stiffly greets him. “I’m sorry, I know it’s late, but can I come in for a moment?”

Roman blinks, surprised, but quickly makes room for him to enter.

“Thank you.”

They hover uncomfortably in the middle of the room before Roman motions for Lucas to take a seat on the sofa. He does so, though he still looks tense.

“I’m sorry if I wasn’t supposed to look,” Lucas begins suddenly. “Remy told me you went to visit Patton’s grave and I— I got curious. I’m guessing you drew it yourself.”

“I did. And I don’t mind that you looked at it. I didn’t mean to keep it secret, but I also didn’t want to lay it on his grave like it was an exhibition,” Roman chuckles nervously. Lucas nods along, fiddling with his thumbs.

“It’s really pretty. I don’t know a lot about art – I was raised as a soldier, to protect my people, so it wasn’t something I engaged in, but just looking at your drawing… I understood what you were trying to say, I think. Never felt like that before.” He sighs, scratching his head. “I admit, even until this morning I wasn’t full on board with you coming here. I know politically it makes sense and all, but ever since the—” He swallows and tries again. “—ever since that happened, I felt like I lost everything. And it’s not that I ever thought that you would steal Toby and Remy away or anything, but I wanted—” He breaks off again and doesn’t speak again for a while.

“You wanted something to stay the same as before, right? And me coming here inevitably changes a lot,” Roman softly adds and Lucas nods. He’s buried his face in his hands, taking deep breaths.

“Yes,” he admits, his voice breaking a little. “I didn’t even consider that you might be grieving, too. I mean, you barely know us, barely knew Patton. But looking at that picture, I knew I was wrong. And I’m sorry.”

Lucas’ eyes meet Roman’s and the sadness in them makes his heart ache. Without thinking, he closes the gap between them and pulls him into a hug.

“It’s okay. I get it. I was captain of the guard for a while before Remus married Virgil. I know what it’s like to feel responsible for the safety of an entire colony. And I can only imagine how horrible it must feel to not only lose someone you felt was your responsibility to protect, but for that person to be your husband, too? It would’ve torn me up inside.”

Lucas, who until then had stiffly let himself be held, starts sobbing. Roman simply holds him closer, stroking his back.

“It’s okay,” he whispers. “It’s okay. It wasn’t your fault. It was an accident. It’s awful but it happened, and you need to forgive yourself. It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have done anything.”

“I could have patrolled better! If I had spotted them before—”

“Stop it, Lucas. It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known.”

Lucas continues to cry and Roman continues to hold him. After a while, he coaxes him to bed, pulling the covers over them while still holding him close.

“Rest, Lucas. Tomorrow is another day, but for now you need to rest.”

Lucas doesn’t answer, he simply presses himself closer to Roman and starts taking deeper breaths. Roman plays with his hair until they even out completely.

Maybe things will be more complicated than he thought, but now he’s more determined than ever to do his best to help these men heal and keep going. And to find his own place here.

He’s about to drift off himself, when another unexpected knock falls on his door. Thankfully, he can see the door from his position, so he relaxes when Remy pops his head in.

“Hey there, babes,” he greets quietly. “Mind some more company?”

Roman smiles softly and shakes his head. Remy grins and turns behind him. He says something too quiet for Roman to hear before he swims inside, followed by Toby.

“I figured he was here,” Remy whispers as he slips into bed next to Lucas. “He had this odd look on his face when I told him about your visit to Pattycakes grave. Seems like he tired himself out.”

“Yeah.” Roman doesn’t say more, partly because he doesn’t know how much of his encounter with Lucas the other would like to keep private and partly because he was truly exhausted himself and just wanted to sleep.

It seems Toby agrees with him.

“Let’s leave this for tomorrow,” he says as he takes his place behind Remy, reaching an arm over him to gently take Lucas’ hand. “I think we’re all in dire need of sleep.”

“So true, boo,” Remy yawns. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Toby answers.

“Goodnight.”

Again, Roman lies awake until the breaths of his other fiancés too have evened out.

It’s warm with all of them pressed together like this.

Roman thinks he could get used to this as he drifts off to sleep.

~~*~~

It's a mystery That I will never understand It makes me want the universe To have a bigger plan 'Cause when it comes to getting Time with those we love No amount of time's enough

~~*~~

[januscorner]

Lucas Mother Stimboard

[tempest-toss]

>:P

[family-of-all-time]

Character Bios

Lucas

Samuel

Lance

Kris

Blake

Cosmo

Evan

Remington

Evelyn

[fanartsgalore]

X-Men '92 Vol. 2 #2

David Nakayama - X-Men 92

[animusrox]

Golden Globes Nominations - FILM

Best Motion Picture – Drama​

The Brutalist (A24) A Complete Unknown (Searchlight Pictures) Conclave (Focus Features) Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros. Pictures) Nickel Boys (Orion Pictures/Amazon Mgm Studios) September 5 (Paramount Pictures)

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy​

Anora (Neon) Challengers (Amazon MGM Studios) Emilia Pérez (Netflix) A Real Pain (Searchlight Pictures) The Substance (Mubi) Wicked (Universal Pictures)

Best Motion Picture – Animated​

Flow (Sideshow/Janus Films) Inside Out 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) Memoir of a Snail (IFC Films) Moana 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (Netflix) The Wild Robot (Universal Pictures)

Cinematic and Box Office Achievement​

Alien: Romulus (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Warner Bros. Pictures) Deadpool & Wolverine (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) Gladiator II (Paramount Pictures) Inside Out 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) Twisters (Universal Pictures) Wicked (Universal Pictures) The Wild Robot (Universal Pictures)

Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language​

All We Imagine as Light (Sideshow / Janus Films) – Usa / France / India Emilia Pérez (Netflix) – France The Girl With the Needle (Mubi) – Poland / Sweden / Denmark I’m Still Here (Sony Pictures Classics) – Brazil The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Neon) – Usa / Germany Vermiglio (Sideshow / Janus Films) – Italy

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama​

Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl) Angelina Jolie (Maria) Nicole Kidman (Babygirl) Tilda Swinton (The Room Next Door) Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here) Kate Winslet (Lee)

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama​

Adrien Brody (The Brutalist) Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown) Daniel Craig (Queer) Colman Domingo (Sing Sing) Ralph Fiennes (Conclave) Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice)

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy​

Amy Adams (Nightbitch) Cynthia Erivo (Wicked) Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez) Mikey Madison (Anora) Demi Moore (The Substance) Zendaya (Challengers)

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy​

Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain) Hugh Grant (Heretic) Gabriel Labelle (Saturday Night) Jesse Plemons (Kinds of Kindness) Glen Powell (Hit Man) Sebastian Stan (A Different Man)

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture​

Selena Gomez (Emilia Pérez) Ariana Grande (Wicked) Felicity Jones (The Brutalist) Margaret Qualley (The Substance) Isabella Rossellini (Conclave) Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez)

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture​

Yura Borisov (Anora) Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain) Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown) Guy Pearce (The Brutalist) Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice) Denzel Washington (Gladiator II)

Best Director – Motion Picture​

Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez) Sean Baker (Anora) Edward Berger (Conclave) Brady Corbet (The Brutalist) Coralie Fargeat (The Substance) Payal Kapadia (All We Imagine as Light)

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture​

Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez) Sean Baker (Anora) Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold (The Brutalist) Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain) Coralie Fargeat (The Substance) Peter Straughan (Conclave)

Best Original Score – Motion Picture​

Volker Bertelmann (Conclave) Daniel Blumberg (The Brutalist) Kris Bowers (The Wild Robot) Clément Ducol, Camille (Emilia Pérez) Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross (Challengers) Hans Zimmer (Dune: Part Two)

Best Original Song – Motion Picture​

“Beautiful That Way” – The Last Showgirl; Music & Lyrics By: Andrew Wyatt, Miley Cyrus, Lykke Zachrisson “Compress / Repress” – Challengers; Music & Lyrics By: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Luca Guadagnino “El Mal” – Emilia Pérez; Music & Lyrics By: Clément Ducol, Camille, Jacques Audiard “Forbidden Road” – Better Man; Music & Lyrics By: Robbie Williams, Freddy Wexler, Sacha Skarbek “Kiss The Sky” – The Wild Robot; Music & Lyrics By: Delacey, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack, Ali Tamposi “Mi Camino” – Emilia Pérez; Music & Lyrics By: Clément Ducol, Camille

[edupunkn00b]

One Last Time Around

Photo CC 4.0

Written for the @extremetimedchallengeexchange. Prompt: Platonic Sides in a human AU. Found family, dystopia, happy moments in a not-so-happy situation a plus. No fluff, no crack, no romance.

WC: 2414 - Rated: T - CW: Major Character Death implied off-screen, dystopia & post-apocalyptic -

“Is that a bicycle?”

Patton’s sudden question pulled the group from their thoughts and they stopped their trek through the underbrush. Six pairs of eyes followed the boy’s excited pointing. Remus was closest and gave his shoulder a little squeeze. “Not quite, buddy,” he grinned. His cheeks ached at the movement and his voice was scratchy. How long had they been walking? “That’s an old ferris wheel.”

“Really?” Patton wiggled, jostling his hoodie and momentarily hiding the bright yellow warning light on the fever chip at the back of his neck. He turned to look back at Logan. “Like the one Fern rode at the county fair?”

Ever the teacher, Logan crouched down and smiled at the boy like he was a star pupil. “Yes, Pat. Precisely.” Fingers twitching on his shoulder straps, Remus just knew it took everything Logan had to not whip the book out of his pack right there.

The remnants of that morning’s rain still dripping from the trees was a powerful deterrent.

“Can we get closer?” he asked, eyes now trained on Virge.

He already had his tracker out. He frowned, pulling his hood lower and shielding the screen from glare as he peered down at the splashes of color. “There’s no-one around,” he said after tapping at the screen. “Some warm spots… way too small for people. Racoons, probably.” Virge looked up at Janus’ sharp inhale and shook his head, both sets of eyes snagging on Patton’s bandaged hand. “Triple checked. None of ‘em have fevers.”

When Virge’s scanner pinged, they’d dropped to the ground, hoods pulled down and masks up. Virge was the only one who’d moved, pulling out the scanner and muting the quiet alert, intent on the screen. He made a cutting motion with his hand and they stayed down, barely breathing. Waiting.

It had taken more than an hour for a sick baby’s wails to announce the family’s proximity. They’d stayed under cover as the family passed less than a hundred yards from their hiding spot.

Not everyone waited before shooting like Lucas and Janus did.

Thank fuck for the old weather beacons still in orbit. The damn things would outlast them all. And with nobody left in mission control, there was no-one to turn off Virge’s credentials—genuine or borrowed—and stop him from drinking up all the data those satellites still rained down with every pass.

Returning Janus’ curt nod, Virge shrugged and powered down the device before stowing it away in his pocket. “It’s clean. That infected family we saw yesterday didn’t come from here.”

Hope dancing in his eyes as he grinned at each of them in turn, Patton bounced on his toes. “So we can?”

Lucas’ thumb brushed over the safety on his M70 and looked to Janus.

Binoculars raised, Janus peered between the trees. “There’s a parking lot…” The team held their collective breathe. At best, a full parking lot meant the fair would be full of the dead. At worst…

“Deserted,” he said at last. “It looks like they hadn’t quite finished setting up. There’s stuff on pallets in the back lot. Maybe something useful, even.” After one more look, he lowered the binoculars, a glint in his eyes. “It’s safer than the City,” he said, seeking Ro’s gaze.

Ro was staring at the back of Patton’s neck and when he looked up, his eyes were wet. “Yeah,” he said, and cleared his throat, a smile plastered over his face. “Books are great,” he added with a bow to Logan. “But you should see it for yourself.”

~

The sun hadn’t yet breached the highest trees by the time they reached the edge of the fairgrounds. What was left of them, at least. Scraggly ragweed had grown up through the cracks in the asphalt, most of it not even taller than Patton. He was cautious before touching any, inspecting the flowers first to be sure it wasn’t hogweed.

His cries had been what had made them find him. It was early days, back when they thought the only ones left were the immune. Back before the mutations hit. There’d still been birdsong back then.

He and Ro had been the ones to find the little boy. Hands and mouth raw from trying to eat the flowers, he’d sat crying in the middle of a patch of the towering weeds. Older than he looked even back then, the “throwaway” monitoring chip they stuck on infants hung loose on his forehead. All the hospitals must have gone to shit before his parents could get him in to have it properly removed after his first birthday.

Patton had sat there, just fucking bawling. Alone. But instead of recoiling from them, tall scruffy strangers, the little boy had reached for them, that now familiar hope in his big teary eyes.

Remus had kept just enough sense to check the back of the kid’s neck for a fever chip. Its bright green glow bounced off the faded note duct-taped to his dirty sweater.

His name is Patton. Please take care of him when I’m gone. Bless you. - Lynne

“Wow…” Patton stood beneath the ferris wheel, staring at the sunlight glinting of the top car. The wheel was huge, a good three or four hundred feet up in the air. It had been made of solid durasteel, too. Not a speck of rust anywhere on it and the rotors, sealed to keep out dust and shit had done a good job of keeping out the weeds.

Remus whistled. This county had had serious money. Back when magic numbers in a digital bank statement meant anything, anyway.

“We clear,” Virge reported, coming back from checking the perimeter with Lucas. “There’s no-one for miles.”

“And there’s a generator,” Lucas said, coming back from checking the perimeter. “Solar,” he added, unable or unwilling to suppress a grin. “Betcha last watch Lo and Virge can get it working.”

“That’s a loser’s bet,” Remus laughed, pointing to the tool belt already clipped to Virge’s belt. “You’ve already had a crack at it, haven’t you?”

“I will admit,” Logan murmured. “It would be gratifying to charge my tablet.”

Patton’s bright eyes followed the conversation, stitching together what else they might get to work with a little juice.

“Go for it. Ro, you take Pat around to explore.” Patton grinned and grabbed Ro’s hand and took off down the row of carnival games before he could say another word.

“I’ll go with them,” Lucas said before catching up.

“Okay, while you two see if you can get those generators going,” he nodded to Logan and Virge, “Me and Jay’ll see supplies there might be. Meet back in one hour.”

“Or sooner,” Logan said, eyes following Patton down the row of games.

“Or sooner,” he agreed. “Electric lights would be a good signal you did it.”

Janus waited until they’d disappeared on the other side of the trailers before finally voicing what they’d all seen that morning. “How long?”

Remus let his eyes close and swallowed back the growing lump in his throat before taking a deep breath. He let it out slowly, then opened them, heading toward the stacks of pallets wrapped in frayed plasti wrap. “Depends on the variant,” he said as they walked. “The kid dodged whatever got his mother, and he’s still below one-oh-two, but everyone I saw had been bad enough for the ER, it’s not necessarily—”

“How long, Dr. Prince?” Janus asked again.

Stopping, Remus sighed. “If he goes red…” He shook his head. “A day? Two?”

Janus’ jaw twitched, but he nodded. “Understood.”

~

The first two pallets turned out to hold nothing but folding chairs and more fencing. On the third, though, he and Jay hit the jackpot.

“Thank fuck for sodium benzoate!” Remus muttered, turning over a sealed package of ‘beef’ jerky.

Janus chuckled, shoving handfuls of powdered milk packets for some fancy ass ice cream maker into an empty duffle bag. Powdered Gatorade went next. “Wasn’t that stuff supposed to be bad for you, Doc?”

“Starvation’s worse,” he said, grabbing all four cases before tugging Janus’ sleeve. “Hey, look at the bottom layer.”

They stared together case after case of bottled water. “Plastic’s bad for a lotta stuff. It’s good for us right now, though.”

Before Janus could answer, warped music doppled out of a nearby speaker, quickly balancing out into a jaunty melody. They looked back at the fair. A merry-go-round had started up and LEDs in a rainbow of colors twinkled from every structure.

“Holy fuck, they did it!” Remus muttered, shaking his head. “C’mon, we’ll let the others load up, too, But first…” 

They both stilled when the faint sound of Patton’s excited cheers carried over the music. “But first him.”

“Yeah.”

~

They managed to get Patton to slow down long enough to have some Gatorade and a few bites of food before he was back on his feet, pulling Lucas and Janus toward the carnival games. “I’m not hungry,” he said, smiling up at them. “Please? I saw a game with big rifles just like yours! Let’s try it!”

Lucas ruffled his hair and nodded. “Alright,” he said. “Those games are rigged but I’ll teach you how to aim around it.”

When they returned about an hour later, Patton walked a little slower and he didn’t fight Remus’ suggestion to take a break before leading Ro off to a Test Your Strength game. The others sat quietly and listened to his peals of laughter each time Ro’s hits sent the little ball up to the top.

The mirror maze was next, and Logan and Virge pointed out all the little tricks for finding his way through. The trio emerged, victorious, with Logan and Virge swinging Patton back and forth like they’d done back when he was tiny.

“Will you ride the Ferris Wheel with me?” he asked, holding out a hand to Remus.

“You two are the logical pairing,” Logan said, quieter than he usually was in Teacher mode.

Patton nodded, turning and pointing at the cars. “Logan explained how it has to stay balanced. We’re just right to be in the same car.” 

“Each of you will need to join them in alternating cars,” Logan said when they’d reached the loading area. “Ah, I will man the controls, if you don’t mind.”

“It’s okay to be scared of heights,” Patton said, reaching over to squeeze his hand.

Logan’s eyes widened before he smiled and cupped Patton’s cheek. “You notice everything, don’t you?”

With an answering giggle, he patted the back of his hand and nodded.

“Well, that means me and Jay in one car, right?” Virge said, looking around the group.

“Yes,” Logan nodded. “And Lucas and Roman will balance it all out.”

“Which color car do you want to ride in?” Remus asked, giving Patton’s hand a little squeeze.  

“The blue one!” he said, pointing. 

“Blue it is,” Logan replied and worked the controls. He opened the door to the first car to stop, nodding to Virge and Janus. 

They ruffled Patton’s hair as passed. “See you in a bit, Kid,” Virge murmured and climbed in.

Logan let a few empty cars slowly trail past before loading in Ro and Lucas. Lucas rubbed his head and Ro bent to hug him. “I’ve never been on a Ferris Wheel, either, you know.”

“Really?” Patton asked, eyes big.

“Really,” Ro whispered. His adam’s apple bobbed, but he kept his smile.

With a little laugh, Patton shooed him into a car.

Finally, the blue car stopped and Logan opened the door. “All aboard,” he said. “Tell me about everything you see up there.”

“I will!” Patton grinned and clambered inside.

Logan’s hand tightened on the handle and Remus’ boots stuttered on the platform. Blood roared in his ears and he swallowed hard, lips curled up into his best smile.

Half-obscured by the back of his hoodie, Patton’s fever chip glowed red.

“All aboard,” Logan said again, quieter.

Remus cleared his throat and pushed on a smile. “Hey, make room for me,” he laughed into the mostly empty car.

Giggling at his joke, Patton scooted a bit over on the bench. His choice had been lucky. Most of the cars had benches on either side, requiring two riders to sit face-to face. The blue car held a single swiveling bench so the riders could sit side-by-side.

As their car began the lift, a little laugh spilled from his lips. “I can see the river from here!” he said. “Oh! And look at all those flowers on the other side!”

They took in the sights, the music fading as they got closer to the wheel’s zenith. Patton pointed out every detail, smile bright, even as his voice faded and he shook his head. 

“Hey, Buddy, you okay?” Remus squeezed his hand. It was so hot.

“I’m okay,” he said, still grinning though he shivered. Remus pulled a blanket from his pack and wrapped it around Patton’s shoulders.

“Better?” Remus asked.

“Better. But you feel cold,” he said, touching Remus’ hand. “You sure you don’t need it?”

“I’m good, Buddy,” Remus said, passing Patton a canteen. “Drink a little, yeah?”

Dutifully, Patton sipped at the water, then handed it back when the wheel began to descend. “Everything’s so pretty up here!” he said before waving to Roman and Lucas when their car slipped into view. 

Slowly they came back down, but before Logan opened their car, Patton asked, loud enough for all to hear. “Can we go again?”

“Try and stop me!” Lucas called back. Ro and Virge gave thumbs up and Janus said something too quiet to hear. His smile was all the answer Patton needed.  

“The wheel is in good condition,” Logan responded, looking to Remus for his answer. "It is more than adequate for several more rounds."

“As many times as you want, Buddy,” he said, wrapping his arm around him. The boy curled into the hold, clapping his hands twice before letting them fall to his lap.

“Thank you, Logan!” Patton called back through the open windows as the wheel began to move again. Feet swaying with the movement of the car, he grinned and held Remus hand, sliding close again. “Thank you, Virge!” he called. “Thank you Jay and Lucas and Roman!” Finally, he turned his sweet little face up to Remus. Patton leaned heavily against shoulder, cheeks bright red with fever. “Thank you so much, Re. This is the best day ever!”

[askfloressides]

Hey broskis! If yall know me form my main @zeni1098 then you guys probs know about the Flores sides I have! This is an ask form to ask them questions! I put more info in the description!

Basic dni list

——————-

No proshippers

No proship supporters

No remrom shippers

No Dante x Luca shippers (if there are any)

Allowed

————

Ship requests

Any sort of questions don’t be shy (unless it’s something you should obviously not ask)

Any Flores x Sander sides

Any Flores x Flores

[edupunkn00b]

@sanderssidesfanfiction's art really stretched my imagination for this story. I hope you all like it!

My submission for the @xts-reverse-bangx! @edupunkn00b wrote an absolutely lovely story to go along with it, you should go check it out! I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

[Image IDs: Remus in his standard costume on the Death Rider-Waite Tarot Card

Patton in his standard costume on the Star Rider-Waite Tarot Card

Roman in his standard costume on the Magician Rider-Waite Tarot Card

Deceit in his standard costume on the Heirophant Rider-Waite Tarot Card

Logan in his standard costume on the Justice Rider-Waite Tarot Card

Virgil in his standard costume on the Hermit Rider-Waite Tarot Card]

[pupsmailbox]

WINTER ID PACK

NAMES︰ alaska. alba. alban. alina. amara. andri. aneira. angel. angelina. angelo. apricity. aquila. aquilo. arctic. aspen. aster. aurelian. aurora. ayden. balthasar. bane. beir. beira. beiron. bell. belle. bianca. blanc. blanca. blanch. blanche. blanchesse. blanchette. blaze. blizzard. blizzardette. blu. blue. borea. boreal. boreas. boris. brea. bree. bylur. carol. caspar. caspian. cedar. chandler. chione. chióni. chris. christina. christmas. clara. claudia. cloud. cloude. coco. cocoa. colden. cole. cozy. crimson. crystal. december. dew. dewdrop. dewey. dewy. diamond. douglas. edur. eira. eirlys. eirwan. eirwen. elitsa. ella. elowen. elsa. ember. emmanuel. emmanuelle. eryi. estelle. euria. everest. everett. everette. evergreen. fannar. faye. fionn. fir. fjolla. flake. frediano. freeze. fritz. fros. frost. frostette. frostine. frosty. fuyu. fuyuko. gale. garland. ginger. glace. glacia. gloria. gwen. gwyneira. hail. hala. hazel. hika. holly. icario. ice. icee. icelyn. icicle. icidia. icie. iclyn. icy. iris. isarr. isbert. ivor. ivy. jack. jaki. january. janus. jasper. jolly. joseph. josephine. joy. juniper. kalt. kari. khione. kirsi. kit. ledi. ledia. loden. lucas. lucien. lucina. lumi. mafuyu. mafuyuko. mary. melchior. merry. mira. miyuki. natalia. natalie. natasha. nevada. neve. nicholas. nick. nieves. nix. noel. noella. noelle. north. november. oak. oakley. olwen. orin. pepper. peppermint. perla. permafrost. pine. poinsettia. polar. polaris. quinlan. rain. raina. raine. rainer. reign. reyner. robin. rory. rudolf. rudolph. rudy. sally. scarlett. scrooge. silvia. sioc. snow. snowdrop. snowe. snowesse. snowette. snowine. snowstorm. snowy. solstice. soren. spruce. star. stella. stellan. storm. stormy. taiga. talia. theron. tundra. vail. vega. viola. vixen. warrin. weiss. whittaker. whyte. willow. winny. winter. wren. wynn. wynter. wyntr. yuki. yukio. yule. yulia. yves. yvette. zane. zanna. zarina. zephyr. zuko.

PRONOUNS︰ arc/arctic. arctic/arctic. aura/aura. bear/bear. bleak/bleak. bli/bliz. bli/blizzard. bliz/blizzard. blizz/blizzard. blizzard/blizzard. blue/blue. chi/chill. chill/chill. chilly/chilly. christ/christmas. christ/mas. clou/cloud. cloud/cloud. co/cold. coat/coat. cold/cold. cool/cool. cri/cryst. cry/cryo. cry/crystal. crys/crystal. crystal/crystal. drip/drip. drop/drop. fir/fir. fla/flake. flake/flake. flu/flurry. flur/flurry. flurry/flurrie. flurry/flurry. fre/freeze. freeze/freeze. frig/frigid. fro/frost. fros/frost. frost/bite. frost/frost. frostbite/frostbite. froze/frozen. gla/glace. glacier/glacier. globe/globe. glove/glove. gust/gust. hai/hail. hail/hail. hx/hxm. hy/hym. ice/ice. ice/icicle. icicle/icicle. it/it. ix/ix. mitten/mitten. pine/pine. plunge/plunge. polar/polar. rain/rain. rain/rainy. scarf/scarf. seal/seal. sharp/sharp. she/shiver. shiver/shiver. shx/hxr. shy/hyr. sky/sky. sle/sleet. sleet/sleet. slip/slippery. slush/slush. sno/snow. snow/flake. snow/snow. snow/snowflake. so/snow. spire/spire. sto/storm. storm/storm. storm/stormy. stormy/stormy. tha/thaw. thxy/thxm. thy/thym. tundra/tundra. water/water. wi/wint. wi/winter. win/ter. win/winter. winter/winter. zero/zero. ❄️. 🌌. 🌨. 🌨️. 🌲. 🐻‍❄️. 🗻. 🧊.

[prodigal-explorer]

my thoughts watching roman ranking disney/pixar movies as a certified roman expert

SPOILERS BELOW!!

ROMAN CANNOT HAVE A VIDEO TO HIMSELFFFF and thomas literally expresses that roman isn't enough by himself??? i'm gonna sob!

also how dare roman put bambi as d tier that movie is so good but i also might be biased cuz i love deers so much

so far roman's characterization is pretty great. i was scared thomas was gonna fuck him up but nope!! it's really good!!

he's just having a good time

he's such a theatre kid it's the best thing ever.

"no only i can sing" BAHAHAHA ROMANNN

the flashback to dark side of disney was violent

YESSS I FUCKING LOVE LITTLE MERMAIDDD i actually played ariel onstage!!

ROMAN IS SUCH A CUTIE OMG

why doesn't anyone woobify roman i don't get it LMAO as much as i hate woobifying characters he's just so...

the way roman is constantly just like "dude i'm the only one who can sing" HAHAHA HES SO FUNNY

HAHAH THE RHYTHM REDUX WITH STITCH

okay putting brother bear in c tier is a crime that movie is easily an a.

hmm...i wonder if roman struggles so much with transformations because of janus' disguises...

i honestly think tangled as a whole is extremely overrated. it's just so mid.

YESSS ROMAN LOVES MOANA. i don't even care that it didn't make it into s tier because roman defended it. moana is actually one of the best disney movies of all time.

I LOVE HOW ROMAN IS DEFENDING ALL MY FAVORITES HES SO ME

YESS FINDING NEMOOOO i actually played nemo onstage!!

the incredibles is soooo good

GOD I LOVE WALL-E but it did terrify me immensely as a kid

wow i didn't know that inside out inspired tss! i honestly thought it was just a coincidence LMAO

OMG YESS COCO

wait incredibles two got hate??

LOL I JUST KNEWWW roman would love luca

YESSS ROMAN LIKES TURNING RED I LOVE TURNING RED and it gets way too much hate because people hate teenage girls and people hate asians.

OOO I LOVE ELEMENTAL

i haven't seen inside out two yet either! but i've heard it was good!

overall this video was AMAZING!!! great job thomas and i'm so happy you didn't butcher roman's character!! his character is so solid and amazing!!!

[where-are-the-spooky-gays-2]

Flores x sander sides dynamics lol

Tries to be scary (virgil) x genuinely thinks they’re terrifying (Zekiel)

It’s never good enough…(Luca) x SAY WHAT YOU MADE IS GOOD. SAY IT RIGHT NOW (Roman)

Omg you’re so sexy and you make me wanna- (Remus) x what’s your name again?…(Dante)

We have to keep it undercover brah (Tony) x yeah sure you do you (Logan)

*Searching up ship art of them* (Max) x Hey kiddo! lol you kids are your phones (Patton)

You’re genuinely so annoying like omg lol- god you’re kinda sexy when you’re mean- omg stop talking soo annoying lmao (carlos) x Wow rude…-hold on what?! ///// -DUDE SEND ME A CLEAR SIGNAL (Janus)

Beautiful Ao3 shall take notes with these tropes XD /light hearted

[edupunkn00b]

I like this!

I think reducing Patton and Logan’s Orange outbursts into simple anger or rage is reductive.

There’s so much more happening with the manifestation of anger. This series has taken deep dives into what else Anxiety represents, it’s flirting with the idea of darker creativity having significance (and not merely a sign of mental illness), and emphasizes the importance of real self care and protective dishonesty (hello everyone who needs to stay in the closet for safety!)

“Anger is a part of you that loves you” would be a perfect topic to dive into.

My Orange is Righteous Anger, for similar reasons. C!thomas grew older, learned of the injustices in the world and Curiosity split into Logan (Logic) and Lucas (Righteous Anger.)

Quick Orange side theory

I created my own sides before Deceit was a thing (I think?). And I ended up making a new role in the process.

That became Drive/Motivation

And what if Orange is something like that? Motivation? Values? Thomas’ personal sense of Justice? Something along those lines

Rather than just, anger, or something, since anger seems more like a reactionary function that half the sides already carry

And while Roman values justice, he isn’t exactly justice himself

Logan is justifiably angry a lot of the time, considering how ignored he is, among other issues

Everyone works and changes for each other, but they just, keep, ignoring, him. They say they will be better about it, and then they don’t.

Logan is constantly working to understand them, and learning to work with them rather than just plowing through and demanding without compromising. And he always apologizes when he realizes he’s wrong about things.

He is learning their language, but they won’t take the time to learn his. And he’s trying so hard not to act out. Not to yell. Not to be a hassle. Not to add more useless noise. Not to waste time.

So much so that it explodes

Logan isn’t just angry, he wants equality. He wants to be treated better. He knows he deserves better, but can’t figure out a way to get it.

And that’s why Orange is coming in.