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lio-the-chaotic-nonbeanie-weenie · 10 months ago

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Royal Promise

Summary: Or five times the twins made royal promises to each other and the one time they finally learned of its origin.

Pairings: None, BROTHERLY CREATIVITWINS

Warnings: Nightmares, slight mention of thunderstorms, angst, unintentionally u!patton and u!logan

(A/N: Fun fact the word count for this fic is 10, 792 words! My biggest word count yet!)

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For as long as they could remember, the royal promise was a special and almost sacred pact that the twins made. It was their thing that no one else had or did. They made it clear that it was special, something meant for royals or very big important promises that can’t be broken. It was a sealed deal and breaking a royal promise comes with heavy risks. The one who made the royal promise would deal physical pain to the one given the promise. So, the twins would take the royal promise very seriously. They never used it for anything small. Strangely enough, no one, not even Logan or the twins themselves knew of its origin. It’s just been their thing that they’ve had since the aftermath of the split.

Despite Remus being loud and rambunctious, he never really liked loud noises that weren’t his own. He didn’t like yelling either if wasn’t the fun kind. He hated it when the other sides started arguing and yelling. He didn’t like it when Virgil screeched or when Patton cried out in anger. He didn’t like it when Logan angrily told him off. He didn’t look like it, but Remus also hated the loud noises that thunderstorms made. Sure, he could play in the storm all he wanted but once he heard that loud bang of thunder, he’d run back in to either hide somewhere or go cling to his brother.

This is why Remus has a hate-love relationship with storms. They’re fun to play in but they’re loud and noisy and they make him think too many bad thoughts. What if lightning hits their home and catches it on fire? What if it hits Roman and he catches on fire? What if it hits Janus or Virgil? What if the thunder banged so loud his ears exploded and he can’t hear anymore? Janus had already told him those things can’t happen, but Remus’ mind isn’t exactly good at staying quiet for even five seconds.

That’s why Remus finds himself restless one night as a storm rolls in. According to Logan, this storm was going to be a big one. That meant lots of thunder and lightning. While everyone else seemed to be getting cozy for the evening, Remus was coloring on the floor while his twin brother seemed preoccupied with something else that he can’t see. Meanwhile, Janus is sat on the couch and reading his book. The heavy rain is already starting to pour outside the window.

Remus looks up from his coloring book and gazes at the window, the storm whirling and swirling with rain outside. He hopes it’s just rain and nothing more. He then glances at Roman and hums curiously. His brother had come running in with a bunch of stuff and said he was going to make something. When Remus asked to help or watch, Roman said no and that this was very important that he had to do it alone. Remus was a little hurt, but he knows Roman cares about his creations, so he let him be. He’ll probably show him later. He then huffs and sighs.

“Are you done yet, RoRo?” Remus whines, flopping onto his back.

Roman chuckles.

“Not yet, Ree.” he answers, turning to flash a quick smile at his twin.

“But you’ve been working on that—”

Lightning then flashes brightly and-

BANG!

The thunder followed, loud and almost monstrous.

Remus jolts and squeaks before running off to his and Roman’s bedroom, squirming under the bed.

Meanwhile Janus sighs and closes his book.

“Oh, Remus…”

He then climbs off the couch.

“Don’t wander off, Roman.”

“I won’t.” Roman replies without looking up.

Janus nods, curious as to what Roman is up to. He wouldn’t tell him either. For now, he makes his way to the twins’ bedroom. He opens the door and looks around the messy room they share.

There’s stuffed toys and pillows strewn on the floor by the bed. Crayons and papers filled with drawings are scattered on the desk by the window. A paper crown sits on the red chair and a big book sits on the green chair.

“Remus?” Janus calls. “Where are you, little squid?”

Rumbling thunder replies instead and Janus inches towards the bed, pausing when he hears it creak and something thump under it.

“Remus, are you under there?”

A soft whimper.

“No…”

There he is…oh dear, he sounds scared.

Janus goes over to the other side of the bed and smiles when he sees Remus’ butt sticking out from under the bed along with his wiggling feet. He sighs and crouches down.

“Boo.”

“Eep!” *thunk* “Ow!”

Janus laughs a little.

“You really are so good at hide and seek.” he teases.

Remus squirms, still trying to hide under the bed. His chubby tummy stops him going in any further though.

“I am hidden! The thunder can’t get me here if I hide!” he huffs before squeaking as the thunder rumbles again.

“Remus…you know thunder can’t hurt you indoors. You don’t have to hide.” Janus replies, tugging on his leg.

“No!” Remus squeals, yanking his leg away from Janus. “I’m hiding here until the thunder goes away!”

Janus sighs. He loves the twins, but damn are they stubborn.

“Remus…”

Then Roman comes running in.

“Janus, did you find Remus yet?” he asks, hands hidden behind his back.

Janus nods and tips his head.

“He seems determined to hide under the bed until the storm passes.” he answers, moving aside.

Roman giggles and goes around the bed, plopping on the floor.

“I thought you loved storms, Ree.” he teases, poking his twin’s leg.

“Not when they’re stupid loud.” Remus huffs.

Roman smiles sadly. He knows his twin hates loud sounds that aren’t his. There are even days when he gets overstimulated from outside noise. He then pulls out what he’d been working on behind his back.

“I have something for you. You’ll have to come out from there if you want to see it.” he says a moment later.

“For me?”

“For you.”

It takes a moment, but Remus manages to squirm out from under the bed, shaking the dust out of his messy hair. He then sits up and blinks. In front of him on Roman’s lap is a cuddle-sized, green octopus with black button eyes and a matching mustache. There are patches of red here and there on its head.

Roman grins.

“I know you don’t like storms and you don’t have a little friend with you like Mrs. Fluffybottom. So, I made one for you! Do you like him?” he hands the octopus to Remus.

Remus takes it with wide, red sparkling eyes.

“He’s…He’s so ugly!” he giggles, hugging the plushie close. “I love him!”

“Perfect! He’ll keep you safe and sound from the storm.” Roman grins.

Remus blinks at that and gazes at his new octopus friend.

“Really?”

Roman hums and nods.

“Yeah! He’s got the strength of a mighty kraken and he’s not afraid of anything!” he grins. “I promise, he’ll always protect you!”

“I dunno, RoRo…sounds like a big promise.”

Roman thinks then gasps as if he remembered something and makes a crown shape with his hands, placing it over his head.

“I royal promise then! That way, he’ll never lose strength!” he grins wider, proudly even.

“Royal promise?” Remus tilts his head.

Roman nods.

“Yeah! It’s a strong promise because I made it with my prince powers!”

As Janus hears that, he jolts for a moment. Those words…royal promise…they sound so familiar and distant at the same time. A tiny part of him curses the twins for reminding him of the past so much. He wonders how Roman even remembered that. Maybe…no. It couldn’t be. That person is long gone. Still, Janus aches. He can still see him in the twins though. He says nothing and smiles fondly at them instead.

Meanwhile, Remus finally grins as he forgets the storm.

“Okay, I believe you, RoRo.”

“Yay! What are you gonna name him, by the way?”

Remus thinks then grins wider.

“Squishyboo!”

When it came to being Creativity, the one thing the twins hated was how creative their minds got at night. Sure, they could dream of anything each night but sometimes their minds like to take the shadows from their thoughts and morph them into nightmares. Nightmares that seemed far too sick and twisted for even Remus’ already dark self. Nightmares that felt like a curse, repeating, and replaying all too vividly. Not even Roman’s creative light could save them both.

Remus’ nightmares often melded with his intrusive thoughts. The shadows would steal the darkest thoughts they could find and create an even darker dream. Dreams of desolate worlds. Dreams of war-torn kingdoms and abandoned castles. Dreams of silent rooms with colorless walls. Dreams of a lost friend and a broken family. Dreams of fallen princes and lost kings. Dreams of pain and screaming. It always led to Remus waking up with a terrified scream.

Roman’s nightmares liked to play tricks on him. Every dream would start nice and warm…but then it would slowly turn darker and darker until it became a nightmare. A warm, grassy field would slowly turn cold as the green melted away into brown. A bright castle with flickering, welcoming candles would slowly put its lights out one by one until darkness took over the whole palace. A Duke dancing about on stage would slowly grow pale until he collapsed, and the stage fell. A powerful king would slowly grow weaker and weaker until he falls apart, screaming in agony as he tears himself in half. It always left Roman waking up with a horrified sob.

Tonight isn’t any different. The twins had been put to bed by Janus as usual and were sleeping, sprawled out against each other. Due to the intensity of some of their nightmares and never wanting to be separate, they insisted on sharing a room. Janus let them, knowing how much they needed each other. Remus could hold Roman down when he’d started flailing and Roman could calm Remus down if a nightmare left him a bit lost. As Roman sleeps, his creative mind starts playing with his shadows.

Roman finds himself standing in a living room he doesn’t recognize. The living room he knows has dark grey walls with pictures of him and his brother and Janus on them. The floor he knows is a darker grey and has a soft, mustard yellow round rug in front of the tv. This living room is…bright and warm. The wallpaper is a light shade of beige, and the floor is an off-white with no rug.

He looks around and nearly jumps, seeing two figures staring back at him. He looks to his side and Remus is there, holding his hand. He seems upset. Roman doesn’t know and looks back at the figures. They seem to be talking warmly. Roman tries to step forward but finds he can’t move his legs. Oh. He swallows and looks around. He sees Janus standing by on Remus’ other side, head bowed.

“Janus?” Roman calls.

Janus looks up and Roman sees a sad, almost regretful look in his eyes.

“I’m so sorry…”

“What do you mean?”

Before Janus can say anything more, the two figures turn and step towards Roman. In the light of the living room, Patton stands with an unsettling grin, his eyes far too wide with excitement. Logan stands beside him with a blank look, dull eyes gazing at nothing. It makes Roman’s skin crawl.

“Okay, kiddos! Say your last goodbyes! We’ve decided to take Roman and keep him here!” Patton exclaims, tilting his head a little too much.

Roman jolts as the lights flicker.

“B-But what about Remus?” he asks.

Patton laughs and it’s almost ear piercing.

“Oh, don’t be silly, kiddo! Remus has been naughty. He can’t stay here. You don’t need him.”

“H-He’s my brother…what do you mean he can’t stay, and I don’t need him?” Roman whimpers.

Logan leans down and stares at Roman.

“Your brother is not fit to be with us. He is not needed here. Until we can…dispose of him, he will remain with Janus. We will dispose of him once you have been moved here, Roman.”

Roman’s eyes widened.

“A-Are…Are you splitting us…again?” he whispers.

Patton giggles and it seems even louder, his grin twitching.

“Just to be safe, kiddo!”

The room grows darker and Roman tries to move again but he still can’t. He turns towards Remus, reaching out for him.

“Remus!”

Remus tries to reach back only for Janus to grab him.

“Forgive me.” Janus whispers

And Remus goes limp in his arms.

Roman gasps in horror, pain spreading through him.

“No! Give my brother back! Give him back!”

Patton laughs again. He laughs and laughs and laughs. The sound rings and echoes.

“Now, now. Be a good prince, Roman.”

Roman desperately tries again and again to move, arms flailing out as he tries to reach out for Remus.

Janus just turns away with Remus in his arms before fading.

Patton’s laughs grow even louder and it’s making Roman’s ears start to ache. Logan stares at him again, a hand on Roman’s shoulder.

“He’s gone now, Roman.”

“No…No! Bring him back! I need him! I need—”

Roman gasps.

“-REMUS!”

Roman tries to move again but finds that even now he still can’t and flails around, a heavy weight on top of him.

“Let me go! I need to find him! I need Remus!” he whimpers.

“Easy, Ro! It’s me! It’s Remus!”

Roman blinks and his flailing slow to a stop as he squints in the dark. He sees a green blob and after another blink, he recognizes it as-

“Ree?”

Remus gets off of Roman and smiles softly.

“I’m right here, RoRo. I’m not going anywhere.” he replies.

Roman sits up and stares at Remus in the darkness of their shared room, the only source of light coming from their glow-in-the-dark star stickers on the ceiling. Blood red eyes stare back at him and Roman can’t help but launch himself into his twin’s arms.

“I don’t want you to go!” Roman wails.

Remus hugs back, patting his twin as he does.

“I’m not leaving, RoRo. I’m right here.”

Roman sniffs and hiccups at that, pulling away to gaze at his twin. He’s still there. He’s still awake. He’s not limp like in his dream or—

“RoRo?”

Roman hiccups again.

“T-They tried to split us. Again. Morality and Logic. I don’t want you to leave. I don’t want to lose you, Ree.” he whispers. “I don’t care if they think you’re bad. You’re my brother and I need you.”

Remus feels his heart ache. Is that what those light sides really think of him? Are they so cruel that they can’t let him be with Roman? He huffs and pouts, cupping Roman’s face and squishing it.

“Who cares what they think? They can’t keep us apart no matter what. Janus won’t let that happen either.”

“B-But my dream—”

“Is just a dream, dummy. No one will take me, and no one will keep us apart.”

Roman blinks and sniffs.

“P-Promise?”

Remus grins, letting go of Roman to form a crown above his head with his hands.

“I even royal promise, Ro.”

Remus then pulls his brother into another hug, glaring ahead. He’ll make sure no one ever splits them again. Especially not those two. He’ll shed blood if he has to.

Meanwhile, Roman’s sniffles slowly quiet down.

“Thank you, Ree.”

And Roman slips into a peaceful slumber this time, clinging onto Remus’ sleep shirt.

They were split anyway. It wasn’t their choice, however. Morality decided that Roman needed to be with them in order for things to be more…balanced. That day, the Mindpalace split as well with the Light sides above and the Dark Sides being shoved down a little closer to the subconscious. Janus didn’t like the idea but there wasn’t anything else he could do. He tried to fight for the twins, but Morality insisted on this and of course, who did Thomas listen to more? Morality always did have more influence over everything.

Roman barely remembers the day of the Second Split. With time passing on, it’s becoming more and more of a blurry memory. He doesn’t know why and not even Logic will tell him. Still, Roman knows he feels incomplete. He doesn’t like being apart from Remus, but Morality is right, isn’t he? He’s a light side now and he must be good. And yet…Roman missed Remus.

Roman missed his twin. He missed giggling and playing with him. He missed having adventures with him and fighting off nightmares. It took so much time to get used to sleeping alone. He’d spend nights crying silently after every nightmare. He missed having someone to hold him down when he’d flail. Sure, Patton was…kind and he made warm milk, but he wasn’t Remus. Remus would always assure him that his dreams are just dreams. He’d tell him silly stories until he laughed his tears away. He’d hold him till he fell asleep.

So, Roman finds himself lying awake again as he wracks his brain. It’s been a year since the Second Split, and he can’t remember much of it. He’s still trying to make sense of it but refuses to believe that Remus and Janus were bad. Sighing, Roman sits up and glances at the door.

He wonders…

Before he can stop himself, Roman shrugs his blanket off and stands up from his bed.

“Need Remus…” he mumbles to himself.

Roman glances at his bedroom door before going over to the other side of his room. He has yet to decide where to put the door to his Imagination, so he summoned a portal instead. As long as he had no door, Patton couldn’t follow him in. This felt all wrong but Roman finds himself not caring all too much.

Roman then steps through and closes the portal behind him. The Imagination greets him with a cool, evening breeze. It makes Roman feel a little more at ease. He wishes he could sleep here but with his nightmares still intense, he didn’t want to risk them affecting his beloved world. Roman sighs and begins walking through the grassy field. Usually, he starts at the forest, but he didn’t feel like it tonight.

It feels calm and peaceful, walking through the sea of dark green. Fireflies even join in on his trek, lighting his way. Roman finds himself humming softly, tilting his head up to admire the twinkling stars he placed in the sky. Off in the distant sky, two bright stars glow side by side. One green and one red. Between them is one big golden star. Roman doesn’t recall making those but he adores them anyway.

Soon, Roman finds himself wandering further and further. Past the sleeping village and the castle. Over the rocky mountains behind the kingdom and across the river below them.

At the end, Roman finds himself walking towards the ravine that separated his side and Remus’. He remembers hearing the Mindpalace rumble on the day he and Remus were separated. When he returned to the Imagination, even this world had split in two. The twins had formed a bridge with a gazebo in the center where they could meet every day. The bridge was white on Roman’s side and black on Remus’. No one knew about this but Janus who kept quiet for their sake.

Roman walks towards the bridge and makes his way over, sighing as his hand finds the barrier that kept them apart. Neither twin could go over to each other, and it seemed Morality made sure of it. Roman sighs then…he hears something rustle on the other side. Had he been caught or—

“RoRo!”

From behind a bush and holding a baseball bat, Remus runs out and meets his twin at the barrier. He couldn’t sleep either and snuck out.

Roman gasps and grins, his hands meeting Remus’ as they pressed against the barrier.

“Ree! I missed you so much!”

“I missed you too, dummy.” Remus grins back before sitting in front of Roman. “So, how is it over there in the Light Side?”

Roman sighs and sits too.

“It doesn’t feel like home. There are too many rules and too much work. Morality and Logic are no fun either.” he huffs.

Remus tilts his head. Morality and Logic? Something didn’t seem right about this and his brother, but he decides not to question that for now.

“That’s sucky.” he says instead. “What kind of work are you doing? Do you still get to create stuff?”

Roman nods but then…he sighs again. Ever since he moved to the Light Sides against his will, he’d been losing more and more of his creative freedom. He’d been given rules to follow, filters to watch out for, and an unending mountain of drafts that he had to revise because the original just wasn’t good enough anymore.

“RoRo?”

Roman pulls away from his thoughts and shakes his head.

“Logic gave me a bunch of dumb rules to follow.” he huffs. “He says I have to get it approved by him and it has to be appropriate. So, I followed all the rules and he’s still being a butthead about it. I just can’t please him.”

Remus frowns and so badly wants to hold his brother. Or beat up Logan for making his brother sad. If he could, he’d do both now. For now, he places a hand on the barrier.

“Who cares what that boring towel thinks? He wishes he could create as good as you, Ro!” he exclaims. “Besides, I bet your stuff is still super cool and his eyeballs are just too broken to see it! He’s dumb!”

Roman snorts and giggles.

“Ree! He can’t be dumb, he’s logic!” he squeals.

Remus smiles. His brother looks so exhausted but at least he’s happy for now.

“Yeah, but he’s not creativity! He’s not the boss of what you create and how!” he giggles. “What about Morality?”

“He’s…okay. But not like Janus.” Roman replies once he’s calmed down. “He won’t let me have extra snacks and he keeps telling me everything I do isn’t princely like.”

Oh no.

Remus frowns and tilts his head.

“What do you mean?”

Roman pouts again and Remus hates what those jerks are doing to his brother.

“He has even more rules. It’s not princely like to be late to dinner or it’s not princely like to make inappropriate jokes. I didn’t even make a joke like that! It was just a fart joke!” he huffs.

“Then they’re both dumb and they don’t get us.” Remus also huffs. “If they want to be goody, goody babies then let them. You don’t have to let them boss you around.”

Roman sighs and leans against the barrier. If he leans hard enough, he could feel Remus’ hands.

“I guess…I don’t like it here, Ree. I don’t wanna be perfect. I just wanna be with you and Janus where everything made sense.” he mumbles.

Remus smiles sadly, wishing he could pet his brother’s hair. He knows Roman likes it when he does that. It’s very calming to both, surprisingly. He wishes his brother was back here too. Ever since his brother was taken, Janus has been sad and drinking a lot. Like a lot more than usual. Their space had grown quiet as well and nothing felt the same without his twin.

The dark creativity then gazed at his twin. Roman looked so tired. So exhausted. Even his eyes looked…less green than it used to be. It made Remus feel angry at the so-called light sides. Who were they to call themselves high and mighty while hurting someone they wanted to be as one of them? Remus feels his thoughts whispering to go up there and deal with them, but he knows Roman wouldn’t want that and he’s needed here more. So, he tells them unkindly to shut up and decides he’ll figure out a way to get his brother back. Even if it means kidnapping him.

“What?! Remus, you can’t kidnap me! Morality’s going to be mad, and he’ll never let me see you!” Roman exclaims, jolting his twin out of his thoughts.

Remus blinks.

“Huh?”

“You muttered that out loud.” Roman frowns. “Don’t kidnap me or do anything else, Ree. I don’t want them to separate us even more than we are now.”

Remus sighs.

“But…”

Roman places a hand on the barrier, giving Remus a pleading gaze.

“Please, Ree…I need you…”

Remus’ shoulders droop. His brother was right.

“Fine…” he sighs. “I just hate that we’re split like this. I miss you, Ro…”

Roman smiles softly.

“I miss you too, Ree. I promise I’ll find a way to bring us back.” he whispers.

Remus returns the soft smile.

“Royal promise?”

“I, Prince Roman, Royal promise.”

And Remus smiles more as Roman forms a crown above his head with his hand. As the twins talk the night away, the barrier weakens, and the ravine silently closes in a little.

One day the barrier finally broke, and the twins could go to each other. The ravine stayed by their choice to keep their sides of the Imagination safe, but the bridge remained, its foundation stronger than ever. The twins also decided to keep this a secret, sneaking into their domains in the evening to meet at the bridge. They’d play in the evening then separated just before the sun came up.

Of course, as time passed, there were ups and downs. Fights and arguments. That didn’t break their bond even if they’d screamed at each other about hatred and despise. They would feel guilty at the end of the day anyways and would come running to each other to apologize.

They went through many more things. From Virgil changing sides suddenly to Roman being hurt by Janus and Remus introducing himself to the Light Sides officially. Of course, he and Roman had to put on an act to keep their secret, well, a secret. Janus and Virgil knew though.

Roman never really interacted with Virgil during his time with Remus and Janus. He saw him once in the kitchen and freaked out, running off. He still feels bad and wonders if that’s why Virgil was so snarky when they finally met.

When Remus had finally made himself known and went with the act that he and Roman rehearsed, he felt a little bad about whacking Roman in the head. As soon as the episode was done, they met in the Imagination and Roman let Remus triple check to make sure his brain was still there.

When Janus had gone too far with Roman, Roman had angrily burst into the Imagination and went on a rampage. Remus followed and calmed him down, helping him out of his spiral before they went to see Janus. One deep conversation later and things were on the mend. Or as mended as it could be.

Due to Roman’s time in the Light Side, he’d been getting worse and worse. He’d be far too busy these days and even much more exhausted. His costume had been growing baggier and baggier. His smile had become strained, almost fake. Tired. Worst of all, Roman grew quiet and serious. Remus didn’t like it one bit. They had changed his brother.

So, one day, Remus set out to the Imagination to go see his brother again. He had a bad feeling about him at the moment. Especially since he could feel some sort of pain twisting in his gut. It’s a blessing and a curse but ever since The Split, the twins had been able to feel each other’s pain no matter how big or small. Janus called it a twin bond or something. Remus hates how it makes him feel this constant dull throbbing from his brother. Roman hates how he feels nothing from Remus, envying how he didn’t have rules to follow or roles to play.

Remus keeps trekking on through the grass field, using his twin’s shortcut. It’s the dead of night both here and in the Mindscape so he’s not too worried about being caught. The Intrusive side sighs and gazes ahead, seeing the tiny lights of Roman’s little village off to the side, his bright and tall castle stands just above them. Actually, the castle seemed a little dimmer these days and it made Remus frown.

Sure, Remus could have gone through his own side but ever since he made himself known to the others, he stopped giving a fuck about the rule of where he was allowed to go. He’s even made it clear that he could go where he damn well pleases. Especially since he’s had enough of them splitting him and Roman. This led to Remus finally barging into Roman’s room to check on him, only to find his door to the Imagination left open. So, Remus followed and here he was.

Remus then continues walking through the village, feeling a bit uneasy from the silence. Sure, it may be evening, and the people are asleep in their homes but not even the cicadas and the crickets were singing their songs. It made the whole place feel…dead. The Imagination has always been in tune with the twins’ emotions and lately Roman hasn’t been feeling his best. It seems the Imagination knew that. Even the little patches of grass and weeds drooped downwards into the dirt as if they hung in their heads in sorrow.

Remus shakes his head.

“Oh, Roman…”

The Duke continues on, heading up the path and past the homes of the nobles. Through one of the windows, Remus could see a family gathered together at the table for dinner. At least they were happy. It made Remus want to gag as he tears his gaze away, hurrying towards the golden gates. The guards there merely turned before looking away. It seems they were also worried for their prince.

“Yeah…I know how you guys feel.” Remus mutters as he walks through. “I…I’ll talk to him.”

The guards nod in return and Remus continues on. The Intrusive side then walks up the path and through the gate, making his way through the courtyard. There’s no sign of anyone. Not even a single noble or a maid around the fountains. It’s unusually quiet and it surprisingly disturbs Remus. Sighing, Remus continues on his way and enters the main doors. Somehow, it’s even quieter inside. There’s usually so much going on that Remus refuses to take the front entrance and prefers to bust through the window. Today, however, no one is around here either. At least, Remus thinks so.

Remus wanders through the foyer and towards the throne, pausing when he finds the doors left ajar. Usually, they’re left wide open for Roman’s people to come see him when he’s at his throne. It makes the Duke hum in worry as he enters cautiously, wondering what his little brother had done to them…and to himself. Breathing out and ignoring the intrusive voices in his head, Remus enters the throne room and finds-

“Mama?”

“Remus. I’m glad you’re here, dear.”

Maleficent. The Dragon Witch and Roman’s so-called enemy. Every now and then she’d fly over the village, pretending to attack and Roman would save the day. Maleficent, or Mal for short, was always happy to play her role to see Roman happy. Roman worried about hurting her too much but was always assured that she could take his hits. Mal would continue to do fake battles and when she wasn’t, she lived in her tower up in the far mountains of Roman’s realms.

Mal also acted like a mother figure for the twins in return for them saving her life after the split. She was going to vanish along with The King who had named her after the character from Sleeping Beauty, but the twins chose to save her. In return, Mal became their guardian and caretaker. Their mother. She would be the one watching over them for her fallen king, making sure they were safe whenever they visited the realm.

Remus ambles over and greets her.

“You never show up in the throne room, mama. What are you doing here?” he asks.

“Something didn’t feel right so I came over to check on Roman. I must have scared the people away when I arrived.” Mal explains. “I tried to talk to your brother, but he won’t even answer to me.”

Remus sighs, a hand on his chest.

“I can feel his pain. It…It hurts so much…” he mutters.

Mal sighs.

“I know, little one. His realm…it’s just as sorrowful.” she shakes her head before gazing at one of the stained glass windows. “Roman told me he was going up to the tower. Hopefully he’s still there and he’ll talk to you.”

Remus nods, blinking away his tears before they could fall.

“I’ll take care of him, mama.” he promises.

Mal smiles softly.

“I know you will, my dear. And please, make sure you take care of yourself too. You look tired.”

Remus sighs but manages a small smile.

“I will.” he nods. “You should go before the people come back to capture you, mama.”

Mal kisses Remus’ forehead before the mother figure turns and makes her leave. Remus watches her go before turning towards the throne, making his way over to it. It’s golden shine had dulled out and the soft, velvet fabric looks as if it had been picked at. Remus stares at it for a moment, wondering what Roman really felt like even as he sat upon his throne. Roman always boasted about being the best prince and it seemed no one knew or even cared to see how much work that took. It’s strange to see it completely empty. When Roman visits his realm, he always stops by the throne room whenever he can. When the prince wasn’t in, the nobles and castle staff would be roaming about as the guards stood by.

Rubbing at his face, Remus leaves the throne room and climbs the stairs. He still doesn’t like the heavy silence following him down the corridor and up the next flight of stairs. Several more staircases later and Remus soon arrives at the door to the tower. Roman often hides away here to be alone or to talk to Remus. The tower had been given a spell to ensure that only Mal and the twins could enter whenever they liked. Remus feels lucky that he’s able to enter and lets himself in.

“Ro? Mama told me you were here. She said you were hiding up again.” Remus calls.

“Out here, Ree.” Roman calls back a moment later from the balcony.

Remus breathes out a sigh of relief and heads over to where his twin is. He goes through the curtains and finds Roman leaning over the parapet of the tower. Roman looks exhausted, the bags under his eyes almost as dark as Virgil’s eyeshadow. Remus comes over, copying his twin and staring at him for a moment before deciding to talk.

“Um��hi, Ro…what are you doing up here?” Remus starts.

Roman doesn’t move, gazing at the hills far in the distance.

“If you think I’m going to jump. I’m not. I’m just…thinking. I guess.”

“Oh.” Remus blinks. “I wasn’t going to say anything about that. At least not now. I just wanted to talk.”

Roman manages an empty chuckle.

“Heh, funny. You usually prefer to swing first, talk later. Did you accidentally swing at yourself, Dukey?”

Remus shakes his head and sighs.

“No. I just really miss my brother. As annoying as he is, I like having him around as the dumb, sparkly, prince he is.”

“I…I don’t know. I don’t feel sparkly. Probably just dumb.”

Remus blinks then stands up straight and turns Roman to face him.

“Okay, Ro-Bro, look. You’re clearly not okay right now. Talk to me. Tell me what’s got your brain being a bitch. That’s what I’m here for, okay?”

Roman stares at Remus, a tear falling down his cheek.

“Ree…”

“Talk to me, RoRo. It’s okay.”

Another tear rolls down Roman’s cheek and-

“It hurts, Ree…”

Remus brings Roman to the stone bench behind him and sits them both down.

“What hurts, Ro?”

“Everything. No matter what I do, I can’t please them. I can’t make Patton happy. I can’t satisfy Logan’s demands. What good am I? What kind of Creativity am I?”

Remus feels his heart throb in pain. Roman is hurting so, so much. It makes Remus wonder what those light-side idiots are doing to him. Sure, Remus has seen Roman hanging around them and being friendly with them but…in return they hurt Roman. Do they even realize what they’re doing to Roman? Probably not. It pisses Remus off, but he swallows his anger for another day. Instead, the Duke turns to Roman and wipes his tears.

“You know what? Fuck them. Fuck those light side bitches.”

Roman gasps.

“Ree!”

Remus grins.

“Who cares what they say about you or what they think? You are Prince Roman, and you don’t need their goddamn approval.” he ruffles Roman’s hair.

“B-But I- “

“But nothing! Well, except for my butt. Anyways, fuck them. If they don’t want to give a shit about you. You don’t have to give a shit about them.”

Roman manages a small smile.

“I guess…that’s true, Ree.” he then sighs, and that small smile disappears. “I’m just scared. What if they don’t want me anymore? What if they get rid of me or hate me?”

“Woah, there, Ro. Let’s get you off that spiral coaster, yeah? Even if that does happen, you’ve always got me. I’m not leaving you. No matter how big of a bitch you can get.”

Roman finally giggles a bit.

“Hey! You’re annoying too, dummy!”

“Yeah, but you’ll be stuck with me at least.” Remus grins.

Remus feels the weight on his chest start to lighten. Good.

“I think I’ll be okay with that. Promise you’ll be there to catch me?” Roman asks.

Remus hums then grins, forming a crown symbol above his head using his hands.

“I, Duke Remus, royal promise.”

“Remus…” Roman’s eyes widen then he lunges forward and hugs him. “Thank you…”

Remus smiles and hugs back.

“Of course, dumbass.”

The twins stay like that for a while before…

“So…would you mind if I just…talked to the others?”

“Ree, no!”

“Eh, worth a shot.”

Despite being all grown up now, Remus’ nightmares have not changed. It seems more like they’ve grown darker and more vivid. Sometimes it was hard to tell what wasn’t real and what was actually happening. It was easy to lose himself in the darkest visions of his sleeping mind. It was harder to find the way out with no Roman to save him. Sure, Janus was there, doing his best to keep him afloat but he could only keep the nightmares at bay for a little while. They’d come back every other night, darker than ever. It’s a miracle that Remus gets any sleep, really. Sometimes, the duke is often found sleeping in odd places, napping excessively in the afternoon when he isn’t causing chaos.

Today isn’t any different. Remus had wanted to do some art to quiet his mind of the annoying loud voices he keeps hearing. He had just finished his third piece as he started growing sleepy. He then soon fell asleep at his table before he could sign his artwork, paintbrush rolling out of his hand as he snoozed away.

When Remus blinks his eyes open, he finds himself standing in the Imagination. Yet, it’s not his own realm that he’s in. He looks around and finds that he’s in a village. A torn emblem of a red shield flutters beside an abandoned tavern. This is…Roman’s village? Remus shivers and looks towards the castle. A shadowy black haze surrounds it, looking more menacing than the blood red sky above it. Yet, that’s not the terrifying part. No, the true horror is that this is what became of Roman’s realm.

But…why?

Remus shudders and carries on, searching for his twin. Maybe he just wanted to try something different? Yeah, that’s gotta be it. He walks through the silent village and up the path to the town square where the nobles’ house are. No one’s here either. Remus glances at an open window. He only sees an empty table. Where had everyone gone? Roman loved his people too much so there’s no way he’d gotten rid of them.

Remus walks on and up the castle path and through rusted gates, passing wilted grass and dried fountains. The courtyard looked more like…a cemetery now. Funnily enough and ironically, Remus isn’t thrilled about this. Roman’s realm is supposed to be stupidly bright and annoyingly glittery like the prince himself. Remus just finds all of this to look completely wrong.

Soon Remus enters the castles, the grand doors opening with a heavy groan. The foyer is empty and dim with the only lighting coming from the glass windows and the little torches on the wall. Remus steps in, shivering again as he’s greeted by cold air. Usually, Roman’s castle is warm and welcoming. This is just haunting. Maybe it’s a bit cliché to Remus but he reminds himself that this Roman’s place and it shouldn’t be this dark and cold.

“R-Ro?” Remus calls out.

The only reply is the echo of his own voice.

Remus pushes on, still calling for Roman. His voice echoes back and he worries more. What if Roman was gone too? What if something happened to him? What if he-Remus stops that thought and carries on. Roman has to be okay. He’s dumb but he’s brave. Yeah, Roman’s a big, brave Prince. Remus tells himself he’s probably just hanging out somewhere or up in the tower again. Maybe he’s in the throne room, doing his royal duties. That has to be it.

So, the duke enters the throne room and looks towards the throne and-oh. There’s Roman sitting there and…not moving. Why isn’t he moving? Why isn’t he blinking? Remus slowly makes his way towards the throne, hoping his footsteps would alert his twin. Still…Roman doesn’t move. He remains frozen. His face does not change. His eyes do not twitch. Remus places a hand on his chest only to feel…nothing. No weight, no pain, no aches. There is nothing there.

“Roman? It’s me. It’s Ree.”

Roman says nothing.

Remus steps forward, moving closer and closer to the throne. Under the light from the stained glass windows, he could see that the throne had rusted and its velvet fabric was now torn. Odd. He remembers the throne being shinier and cleaner than this. Had it been so long since the last time he visited Roman? Had he forgotten to see him? Remus knows he hadn’t. He visits Roman as much as he can, constantly bothering him even as he tries to get his work done. When did this happen then? Remus swallows and finds himself right at Roman’s throne.

“Hey, RoRo? Can you hear me? I’m right here. It’s Ree!” Remus calls.

Still no answer…

Then the window on the left swings open with a gust of wind and the curtains fly off. Remus watches them flutter down to the floor in a heap and a little more light floods the room. It trails across the floor and lands perfectly on Roman’s face. Roman’s face had turned to stone. Horrified, Remus runs up to his brother and looks at his brother closer in the light. It wasn’t just his face. His whole body had turned to stone, face frozen with a broken expression. Remus had been too late.

“R-RoRo?”

Remus pats his face.

Nothing happens.

“RoRo, this isn’t a funny prank! Wake up, dumbass! Wake up!” Remus cries.

Still, nothing happens.

Remus shakes his head, smacking Roman over and over as he could chip away the stone to find him underneath.

“Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Roman, please!”

Sure, Remus had imagined scenarios of hurting his brother, but he never wanted him gone.

“Come on, little brother! You can stop now! It’s not funny! Wake up!”

Remus slams his fists against the stone, not caring about the pain that follows after.

“Please, wake up!”

Tears fall from Remus’ face and land on Roman’s head as he screams-

“ROMAN!”

Remus shoots up from where he’s sitting, his stool falling over as he stumbles backwards. Wide, red eyes dart around in search of his twin. He’s not here though and Remus wanders out of his art room, muttering his brother’s name. He has to be here somewhere. He has to be okay. Remus looks around some more, checking around the living room. No prince there. Remus makes his way towards the door to the corridor that leads to the light sides.

“Remus? Is that you? I heard you screaming. Is everything alright?”

Janus comes down from the other corridor that goes to the bedrooms, worry on his face when Remus doesn’t respond.

“Remus?”

Remus opens the door.

“Need to find him. Find Roman.”

Janus sighs. This wasn’t the first time this happened. He’s usually able to snap him out of it but Remus seems really lost this time.

“Remus, I’m sure Roman is okay. We saw him this morning.”

Remus shakes his head.

“Need to find Roman.”

Janus sighs once more, going over to Remus as he wonders what nightmare he had this time.

“Alright, we’ll go find Roman.”

With that, Janus and Remus leave the Dark Side and make their way through the cold corridor that separates the two sides. Janus hates this place and how freezing it is, how it came to divide them. He wraps his cloak around himself and follows Remus through to the light side, feeling a bit relieved when they’re greeted by the warmth of the Light Side. Janus refuses to admit that he prefers it over the Dark Side’s coldness. The snake side then turns to Remus.

“Okay, Remus, shall we check your brother’s room?”

Remus walks on.

“Find Roman. Find him.” he repeats in a mutter.

Poor thing.

Remus ambles up the stairs, Janus making sure he doesn’t trip. The others are out so Janus isn’t too worried about running into them. They make their way past the room doors and find Roman’s, its star nameplate shining under the light. A big cursive ‘R’ is in the center of it. Of course. Without hesitation, Janus knocks for Remus and a moment later the door opens to reveal Roman with his hair a mess and a pencil tucked behind his ear.

“What is-Janus? What are you doing here?” Roman asks.

Janus steps aside and Remus blinks before he goes up to his twin, snapping out of his trance.

“R-Roman? Is this…are you real?” Remus whispers.

Roman, realizing his twin had another nightmare, nods and takes his twin’s hand. He places it on his chest so Remus can feel his heartbeat.

“I’m real, Ree. I’m okay. I’m right here.”

As soon as he feels the thumping of his brother’s heart, Remus tackles Roman into a tight hug.

“I thought…I thought you were gone!” Remus wails.

Roman squeezes his brother, squishing him in the hug as much as he can. It’s how his twin likes it.

“Shh, I’m here, Ree. Whatever you saw, it wasn’t real and I’m not going anywhere, okay?”

“B-But in my dream your kingdom was all dark and when I went to see you, you were turned to stone…You didn’t move or talk, and I thought...” Remus sniffs and cries again.

Roman pats his brother’s back, heart aching at the sight of his twin breaking down. He’s usually the more carefree one between them, not caring about anything. Seeing him now like this is just sad.

“Hey, your dream is just a dream, remember? What’s real is you and me and Janus and the whole Mindscape. I’m not going anywhere, and I mostly certainly am not turning to stone.” he soothes his twin.

Remus’ cries quiet down to sniffles.

“R-Royal promise? You won’t leave or do something that stupid? You’ll be here forever and ever?”

“Royal promise, brother.” Roman smiles softly, forming the crown above his head.

Remus hugs Roman again at that, rubbing his tears away.

“Thanks, Ro. You better not tell Virgil I was crying like a little bitch.” he sniffs one last time, letting go of his twin moments later.

Roman huffs a laugh.

“I won’t, Ree.”

As Remus lets himself be comforted by the assurance that Roman is right there, Janus smiles fondly off to the side and ignores the ache in his heart again.

For a long time now, Janus had watched the twins make Royal Promises to each other. These promises were very important to them both, so they were very careful as to when they made it. A Royal Promise carried a lot of weight and pain behind it after all. The pain came from the promise being broken. The twins never ever break a Royal Promise.

The only problem is that the twins don’t know why they started doing that. Roman just felt it was stronger than a regular promise, so he did it Remus, ever curious and always following his twin, copied Roman. It became their little ritual and it was very rare that they let any of the others try to do what they do. Besides, Roman made up a rule that you have to be royal to make one.

Sighing, Janus glances at the twins. They were currently play-wrestling in the field just down the hill from where the snake side was lounging under the King’s Tree. He smiles fondly as he hears them laugh and tumble around the tall grass. Despite the rough times, Janus is glad their bond has remained strong. No matter how many times the others had tried, they refused to let anyone separate them. Sometimes, he wonders if they’ll ever…Janus puts a stop to that thought. Even if the twins could, Janus wouldn’t force them to re-fuse. They seem happier this way.

“Having fun, boys?” Janus calls, chuckling as he sees them pop up together with grass in their hair and stains on their outfits.

“Yeah! We’re wrestling for who gets the leftover spaghetti in the fridge!” Remus answers back, jumping onto Roman’s back.

“You had it last week though!” Roman giggles.

“Yeah, but I want some and Virgey can make you more!”

The twins go back to wrestling for a second as Janus huffs a laugh.

“Okay, you two. Come sit down and take a break first. You’ve been wrestling all afternoon.” he calls, the leaves rustling above as if to call the twins over as well.

The twins giggle and race each other over, plopping under the cool shade of the branches. A nice breeze blows and starts to cool them down. It seems as if the Imagination always knew what they needed.

“I totally won the wrestling match.” Remus grins.

“Excuse me, I pinned you down more than you got me!” Roman puffs in pride.

“Nuh uh!”

Janus laughs again.

“How about you both win the wrestling match and I’ll convince Patton to let me make spaghetti for dinner tonight?” he offers, not wanting them to actually start a fight.

The twins gasp and nod eagerly.

“Yes!”

Janus smiles softly.

“Excellent.”

Silence falls in as the three relax under the afternoon shade. It’s nice and peaceful and Janus would do anything to stay here forever. No problems. No pain. Just him and the happy twins he promised he’d protect. His promise…Janus remembers when he made the very first Royal Promise…to his King. He wonders if the King knows how hard he’d been fighting to keep that promise. How he failed and went through hell and back to make up for it. For the King. For the twins. For-

“Janus?”

Janus blinks out of his thoughts and looks over to see Roman sitting up, frowning at him in concern and Remus copying his twin.

“Are you okay, Janus?” Roman asks.

“You were really spacing out, snakey.” Remus adds.

Janus sighs and nods.

“I’m alright. I’m just…” he glances up at the tree. “I’m just thinking about an old friend…and promises.”

Roman tilts his head in confusion.

“Promises? Like Royal promises?”

Janus chuckles softly.

“Yes. How did you know?”

“I saw you looking upset while I was hugging Remus and making my Royal promise to him.” Roman replies, smiling bashfully. “Did…Did we do something wrong?”

Janus’ heart aches and he shakes his head.

“No, not at all. It just reminds me of my old friend. The King.” he answers, smiling softly as the tree rustles again.

“The King?” Remus chimes in, sitting up as well.

Janus nods, smile now fond.

“Yes…” he answers, gazing at the twins. Sometimes he sees his old friend in them. “I made the first Royal Promise to him.”

The twins’ eyes widen. All those years of not knowing where the Royal Promise came from…and Janus made the first one to the King. Curiosity grows and the twins move closer to Janus, wanting to know more of the King they once were.

“What was the promise?” Roman asks.

“It was a promise I didn’t think I’d ever have to make. Today, however, I don’t regret making it.” Janus answers. “It was just before the split…”

This is it. King Romulus knew what was going to happen next. He didn’t think it would ever happen to him. He didn’t think Morality would actually go through with it. Yet, Thomas is changing and growing. His view on this world and what he feels is changing as well. Morality is afraid and Thomas seems to believe he knows best, so Romulus had no power here. What could he say to Thomas who seemed so afraid of who he was going to become?

Romulus quickly makes his way down the palace corridor. He had called for his closest and most trusted friend to spend one last day with him. He wanted Janus to have one last good memory before they had to say goodbye. Smiling to himself, Romulus makes his way to the throne room and steps in. He finds Janus waiting by his throne.

“Janus, I’m glad you made it.”

Janus looks up from where he’s staring at the throne.

“Romulus. You called me, old friend?” the young side asks, coming over to him. “Has it happened? Are you…?”

Romulus chuckles and shakes his head.

“Not yet. We still have some time before I have to see Morality tomorrow.”

“I wish we had more time. I wish this didn’t have to happen.” Janus huffs. “I don’t want you to go.”

Romulus smiles sadly.

“Neither of us can do anything to stop Morality. We’ve tried. Thomas won’t listen to us. All we can do is accept and adapt to change.”

Janus huffs again, rolling his eyes.

“You’re much nicer than I am.”

Romulus chuckles, patting Janus’ head. Janus was always shorter than his friend. Oddly, he’ll miss the head pats.

“If I could keep myself glued together, I would. I would tape and super glue and suture me to myself if I could.”

“I wish you could. So, what did you want to do with your short time left?” Janus asks, heart aching at that question.

Romulus smiles, offering his hand.

“I want to spend time with you, old friend. One last time.”

Janus sighs then smiles, taking Romulus’ hand.

“Alright, my King.”

King Romulus laughs and tugs Janus along at that. He brings Janus to his garden first. It was one of their favorite spots in the castle to run away to when life was stressful or when Morality’s pressure was too much, and Logic was being harsh. Romulus knows that they mean well but wish they were just a bit more understanding. He knew they had problems of their own and seemed to prefer to repress them rather than bring it to the meeting table.

The garden ended up being Janus and Romulus’ private getaway from it all. It was peaceful and there were always birds singing up in the trees. The air smelled like roses and fresh strawberries. Romulus loved strawberries. There was also a hint of nightshade. Romulus did love to experiment with strange things from time to time. In the center is an open dome that doubled as an observatory and the sun streamed down perfectly on the viewing deck.

Janus and Romulus end up spending all morning picnicking on the deck and chatting. They talked about Romulus’ recent experiments, trying not to think about how that would be his last. They have tea and cake and candy snacks, Romulus telling stories about his last adventure and Thomas’ recent dream. It felt like a regular morning, but Janus couldn’t help but feel heavy as the seconds ticked away. He knew what was coming soon and couldn’t stop thinking about it. Romulus knew it too but chose to ignore it. He focused on making his last day with Janus the best day he could give him.

After a morning of garden strolling, chatting, and tea, Romulus took Janus out of the castle. Janus watched as Romulus strolled through his little kingdom, waving hello to his servants and maids. To his guards. To the nobles and the village people. Janus desperately wanted to tell them what was going to happen to their king, but they wouldn’t understand. It makes Janus wonder if the people were going to one day wonder where their king had gone. Or would the kingdom and its people just…

“Janus, come on!”

Janus hurries along.

“Coming, Romulus!”

Janus follows Romulus through the village, watching him interact with the tavern owner. The owner nods and walks into his little tavern. Moments later, the man steps back out and hands Romulus a basket as he bows. Romulus thanks the tavern with a handful of gold before waving Janus over to follow. Janus follows along, wondering what’s in the basket. It smells wonderful and it takes Janus’ mind off of the heavy weight for a moment.

Soon, they exit the village and take a long, winding road through the tall grass field. Janus remembers watching Romulus hunting for bugs and rabbits and frogs when they were much younger. He follows Romulus and wishes the sun wouldn’t go any lower. Not yet. They climb a big hill, and a golden apple tree waits at the top. Janus had helped Romulus grow it a long time ago, calling it their special hiding place that they could go to when they couldn’t hide in the garden. Romulus said he’d bring everyone here one day but…Janus knew it would never happen. Janus didn’t want to bring anyone else here. Not when they would be taking his friend away.

“Janus, are you going to just stand there or are you going to come join me?”

Janus blinks out of his thoughts and sees Romulus sitting on the wooden throne that he made for himself years ago. In front of him is a matching table with the basket on top and a matching chair. Smiling shyly, Janus sits on the other chair and watches as Romulus leans forward to open the basket. The Creative side takes out two wrapped meals and a small jug of grape juice. He then sets the table, putting out the meals and pouring the juice. Once it’s ready, Romulus nods at Janus.

“Go on, Janus. I asked for your favorite.” The king says.

They unwrap their food and Janus is surprised yet touched to see that Romulus brought him some deviled eggs. Silence falls in as they both eat their meals, the sun setting ever so slowly. It makes Janus wish he could freeze time just a little longer. Sometimes he wished he could even turn back time or convince Thomas that everything was alright and that there was nothing wrong with who he was. Yet, Janus knows it’ll never happen. It’s too late now.

Soon, the sun is even lower, and the sky is a mix of reds and oranges and pinks. Romulus and Janus have finished their meals. The table was cleaned up and vanished along with the chair. The wooden throne remained but the two chose to sit on the grass as they watched the sunset. Neither said anything but knew that as soon as the sun was gone, their time together would be ending soon. It brings back that heavy weight from earlier inside Janus’ heart and he glances at the King.

“I wish time wouldn’t move so fast.” Janus sighs.

Romulus chuckles, watching the sun dip lower.

“You’d think as someone in charge of this entire realm, I’d be able to do that. Believe me, I wish I could, Janus.” he answers, waving his hand.

Nothing happens much to both of their disappointment, and they sit in silence again before-

“Janus…may I ask you for one last favor?” Romulus asks a moment later, sitting up on his knees.

Janus turns, mirroring Romulus.

“What is it, my King?”

Romulus removes his crown, placing it in Janus’ hands.

“When I am split, and I am replaced…will you take care of whoever takes my place?” he asks.

Janus’ eyes widen as he gazes at the crown in his shaking hands then at Romulus who’s calmly smiling at him.

“W-What? You want me to…are you sure? Why?” he stammers.

“Because I trust you. Thomas may no longer see you as Self Preservation as much as he used to, but I still do. I need you to promise me you will guide them and protect them.”

“I don’t know if I can…”

Romulus smiles softly.

“You can. Why don’t we make it a Royal Promise?” he suggests.

“R-Royal Promise? What is that?” Janus asks.

Romulus takes the crown and holds it above the yellow side’s head.

“A strong promise that is guaranteed to be never broken. If it is, the one who made it will be in pain until they fix it. I know it sounds like it’s meant for royals so today, you’re an honorary royal, Janus.” he explains.

Janus sniffs, a tear rolling down over his scales.

“Y-You really trust me?”

“Of course I do, my dear friend.” Romulus nods.

Janus looks at his King, knowing he would never see him here again and nods. Whoever becomes the new Creativity, Janus will make sure they won’t be lost to Morality again. So, Janus holds the crown over his head and smiles tearfully at Romulus as the sun vanishes below the horizon.

“I, Janus Sanders, Royal Promise, my King.”

“And when you both manifested, I did my best to keep that promise. Sure, I had my failures, but I intended to keep it for as long as I can, wanting to make sure I didn’t lose you both either.” Janus finishes.

The twins are quiet before Remus tackles Janus into a hug. Roman follows a moment later. They’re both glad Janus took them in. Sure, Morality was…kind and doing his best to look after them but Janus just understood them better. Now, they knew why.

“Thank you, Janus. For that.” Remus whispers.

Roman sniffles and nods.

“Yes, thank you. For keeping us safe. For telling us this.”

The twins then pull away, Remus rubbing his face to get rid of the tears.

“Would it be okay if we kept making Royal Promises? We’ll only use it for important things.” Roman asks.

Janus nods, wiping Roman’s tears away.

“Of course, Roman. It was always yours and Remus’ to make whenever you need it.”

Before Roman can thank Janus, the tree rustles and an apple falls from the branches into Janus’ hands.

Janus chuckles, smiling up at the tree as the twins gaze in surprise.

“Thank you, old friend. I assure you, I’m still keeping my Royal Promise.”

This time, as the sun sets, Janus sits with twins and smiles. As long as he was here, they wouldn’t be going anywhere. They would never be separate, and they would be safe under his guidance. Promise or not, Janus intends to make sure Creativity would stay strong. Even as two halves. It’s his royal promise to the King and the twins after all.

THE END

#sanders sides #sanders sides fic #janus sanders #roman sanders #remus sanders #roman sanders angst #remus sanders angst #patton sanders #logan sanders #virgil sanders #ts fics #tw nightmares #tw thunderstorms #unintentionally u!sides #tw slight u!sides #u!patton #u!logan #creativitwins angst

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yourchemicallyimbalancedromance · 1 year ago

Text

Comfort At It’s Finest

Prompt: Virgil has a special blanket that sits carefully folded in the closet and only comes out after really bad days, when he needs it the most. It’s the blanket for huddling up and hiding under the bed, it’s the blanket for taking an almost-involuntary nap after the third panic attack of the day, it’s the blanket for pretending the world is less than sixty-four cubic feet in its entirety and has borders of fabric. It’s the blanket for retreating from a dumpster fire to cry himself to sleep.

It’s a blanket he got from Thomas, before he was accepted.

(Credit to @sleepyvirgilprompts for this idea which you can find here<3)

Ship: none? Unless you count this as platonic Thomxiety but I’m not sure, I don’t really see it that way.

CW/TW: panic attacks, swearing, unsympathetic Roman, unsympathetic Janus, sympathetic Logan.

Summary: Virgil locks himself in his room after the sides start fighting again, something about how almost all of them were holding Thomas back? He didn’t know, he didn’t care, he just wanted to feel okay again.

(Halloween has brought up some…odd and negative feelings, to put it lightly, so this is my way of dealing with that<3)

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Virgil couldn’t take it anymore; The shouting, the insults. He slumped against his door and covered his ears, breathing as if he had just run a marathon, trying desperately to remember the breathing techniques Logan had taught him. What was it? In for four out for…five? Fuck. He couldn’t remember, nothing he was thinking made sense, nothing in general, made sense. Everything was so loud and he couldn’t stop trembling no matter how hard he tried. He held his legs down with his palms and they seemed to stop shaking until he let go, all the built up energy making his attack worse than before. It was no use.

This was the third time they’d fought this week.

It was Thursday.

His hands didn’t muffle all the sound, however; he heard every single thing the others were saying in the commons; it was as if a megaphone had been held up to his door.

“well maybe if you weren’t such an asshole I would have t-“ Roman was cut off by..Janus?

“I’m the asshole?! I’m not the one who’s so deeply insecure that they have to project their shit onto others” he screamed.

The house fell deadly silent apart from Virgil’s heavy breathing. He could hear his heart in his ears. He wanted to go home, he was home, but this didn’t feel like what you would call a home.

“Fuck you, Janus. There’s a reason Thomas didn’t accept you for years.” Roman finally said, from the sound of it, through gritted teeth.

He heard someone stomp a few feet near his room, open a door, and slam it. Virgil froze, the sudden noise sending shock waves through his body.

he wanted everything to stop; the loudness, the insults, the fights, the slamming of doors, the stomping, the yelling, the anxiety, he wanted to be held and told he was safe, he wanted to go home, he wanted-

His tearful eyes drifted over to his closet to see a weighted blanket neatly folded and shoved into the back where no one but him could find it.

His blanket.

He pushed himself up off of the ground, a hand against the wall so he wouldn’t fall due to tremors in his legs. He reached up and grabbed it, letting it fall onto him, nearly causing him to fall to the floor.

The blanket was soft; light, but heavy enough to weigh on you a little. It was checkered black and white with little ghosts on every other patch. He eased up just the smallest bit at the sight of it. Thomas had given him this after the ‘My NEGATIVE Thinking’ video.

He quickly fell on to his bed, holding the blanket to his chest. it smelled of cinnamon and honey. Virgil had forgotten how in the worst of moments, if he pulled out his blanket, it would immediately default to any scent of his choice; subconsciously, he had chosen cinnamon. It reminded him of better times, happier times. How he and Patton had baked cinnamon rolls a few months after he was accepted, the smell of sugary sweetness wafting through the air.

The slight hint of honey reminded him of his first panic attack in front of the light sides, how he had curled into himself on the couch, silent tears escaping his eyes, face hot and red, unable to breathe, to speak, to move. Logan had helped him through it.

“Breathe in for four seconds,” he had said, inhaling, crouched down in front of him. “Hold it for seven seconds” he paused and waited for Virgil to follow his lead, and once he did he continued, “out for eight seconds.” He exhaled.

Virgil was so embarrassed that Logan had seen him like that that he proceeded to apologize profusely. “God, that was— I’m so, so sorry, I don’t know what that was, well I do, I think? It’s never been that bad I just—“

“That was what is known as a severe panic attack, Virgil. I take it you’ve never had one to that extent before?” His eyes were kind, caring, behind his glasses.

Virgil just shook his head, he didn’t know what to say, he felt that if he tried to talk the only words he would be able to say would be “I’m sorry” over and over again.

“I see. Say, do you like honey? Maybe lemon?” He had asked

Virgil nodded, and before he could stop him, Logan had begun making Honey and Lemon tea. Something about how “it’s very calming and quite good as well” he had said.

Virgil hadn’t noticed his eyes drift closed but he didn’t feel the need to force them back open. The sharpness of the house felt dimmer, quieter; as if they were sizzling into a low hum, something waiting to pounce again. He was too fatigued to worry about it, even though something in his gut told him to stay alert, something was bound to happen again, he didn’t listen, just readjusted positions under the warmth of the blanket.

He needed to say thank you to Thomas later.

#sanders sides #thomas sanders #ts virgil #virgil sanders #logan sanders #ts logan #roman sanders #ts roman #ts janus #janus sanders #unsympathetic Janus #unsympathetic Roman #slight thomxiety?#idk lol I don’t really consider it that but eh #slight angst #slight fluff as well?#not extremely proud of this one but proud nonetheless #I totally didn’t write this while laying under my weighted blanket /sarc /j

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a-small-batch-of-dragons · 2 years ago

Text

Shed

Perhaps a Janus shedding fic? Idk with who, but maybe with him getting some scratches on itchy scales, from whoever is helping him through it, especially after scratching wayyyy too hard himself. Even better if he’s shedding because Thomas is going through a change, so he’s never actually done it before :) so he doesn’t know what’s happening :) – cherry-sofa-756

Okay, so. You are hands-down one of the best Sanders Sides fic writers out there and I will die on this hill. I will die on this hill and take everyone down with me. Anyway. Dramatic declarations aside (heh), I was wondering if I could make a request? I know this has been done before, but a fic where telling the truth actually hurts Janus, but he does it anyway because [insert one of several reasons here]? You just do Janus angst so well (you do everyone so well, how are you this good, how do you exist, can I tuck you into my pocket for safekeeping and appreciation) and I am honestly excited whenever I get a notification from you, so I figured why not ask? No pressure, though. I wish you all the best, may your ideas flow endlessly as you wish them, my friend! - anon

Read on Ao3

Warnings: shedding and body descriptions therein

Pairings: gen

Word Count: 2347

It starts as auspiciously as it could have, he supposes, with a slight twinge of pain on the inside of his glove.

"Hey, Janus, do you remember what the consensus was of cinnamon versus blueberry?"

"Blueberry."

"Oh, great, thanks. Is the good baking tray over there?"

When Janus doesn't say anything, Patton glances up only to see him staring at his hand.

"Uh, Janus? You okay?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine, I just—mmph."

"You sure? You don't sound okay. Is something the matter?"

Janus looks at his hand for a moment longer before shaking himself and smiling at Patton. "Yes, I'm quite alright. You wanted this tray, correct?"

Patton gives him a strange look but doesn't push, taking the tray and continuing to gather the ingredients they need.

Later, back in the safety of his own room, Janus hisses as he carefully peels his glove from his left hand, wincing as it tugs and sticks in all the ways it shouldn't. When the last of the fabric is gone and he can see his hand properly, it's a curse he hisses between his teeth.

He's shedding.

"Of course I am," he spits, reaching for his first-aid kit tucked on top of his desk, "of course, can't just be a snake in the abstract and metaphorical way, no, I need to be a snake literally too, hmm? Have to molt and shed and hissssss…"

He takes out a tube of ointment and opens it, wincing at the crack of the scales on his hand.

"Sure. Why not?"

Getting a little bit of the ointment on the very tip of his finger, he starts to smooth it over the cracked and peeling scales only to stifle a cry of pain when it burns, leaping up from his desk and rushing to the bathroom to wash it off. He shoves his hand under the cold water and scrubs, almost chewing a hole through his lower lip as the pain flares bright and sharp up his arm.

"And of course, I don't have anything that would actually be useful," he grunts as he finally gets the pain to stop, "why would things I have already be helpful? That would be easy, and god forbid things be easy for me."

Alright. So no ointment. Shit, what do snakes do when they shed?

He could ask Logan, although Logan would want to know how he's feeling, what the scales are reacting like—would want to examine him to determine what snake he resembles the most, would want to see how much of him is covered in scales, because Logan is always curious.

He could ask Remus, but Remus might not understand that Janus wants this to be, well, as painless as possible, that he wants to just have a little bit of help and not find out what happens just for the fuck of it.

He could ask Virgil, who is the only one who might know what this is like with his molting cycle or whatever, but…

But trying to ask Virgil for a favor now, especially after all they've been through, seems like rubbing salt into an open wound.

Or rubbing that goddamn ointment over shedding scales.

"So," he grunts, sitting back down at his desk, cradling his hand in his lap, "the Internet it is."

He finds a dubious-looking article that says to try and keep the snake's environment moist and humid, suggesting paper towels and a plant-mister to keep the humidity levels high. Warm water…orchid bark substrate…and oh, not to forget that a snake's scales will become duller in appearance and their eyes will go all cloudy and blue before they really start shedding.

Great. Just great.

He looks back down at his hand, which is already starting to look dull.

"This is going to be fun."

****

The extra fun thing about it is that it seems that telling the truth makes it worse.

Try to tell Patton that yes, he'd like another cup of tea? Burning on the inside of his glove.

Try to tell Logan that no, he's not being ridiculous with his new paper idea? Side of his face itches like crazy.

Try to tell Remus that he needs to calm down and start trying to clean up? His clothes hate him now, actually.

Try to tell Virgil that everything's alright, that he can work out of the spiral he's in? No legs for him, he has to sit down and not move until his scales settle down.

Try to tell Roman that he cares?

More like try not to jump at the sight of his reflection in the mirror, one eye clouded and blue and almost blind.

The good news—if you can even call something good news in a time like this—is that he's forced to lie to keep up appearances for when the others start asking questions, which at least staves off the very worst of it in public. But when he hides in his room at night, he has to wince and tremble as he peels his clothes off of himself and clambers into a bath that is either too cold or too hot, trying to help the shedding go faster.

This hurts. This really fucking hurts.

Shit, how often does he have to do this?

He crawls out of the bath and dries himself gingerly on a towel, crawling into bed and curling up into a little ball. He closes his eyes and tries to fall asleep, tries to get away from the terrible itching sensitivity that's starting to break out across his scales. If he can just weather this until it's over, he can figure out what to do next time and make sure he does it. If he can just fall asleep…

He lies awake for hours that night, fighting the urge to toss and turn to get some relief on his itching scales and fighting the urge to cry out at every rasp of fabric against his oversensitive skin.

The others are starting to get worried. He managed to plead off the issue with his eye by pretending it was a colored contact from Remus when Virgil cornered him about it, but he knows sooner or later Virgil's going to go confirm that with Remus himself and discover that it was a lie. He's got to figure out something before they all bust down his door, demanding to know what's going on.

"I'm fine," he chants in the sheets, "I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine…"

It's the only way he's able to get to sleep that night, because the lies make the pain a little bit easier to bear.

****

Of course, no lie lasts forever, and Janus wakes up in a dizzying blur of sensation, body on fire and eyes clouded over, twitching and groaning in pain as his scales do their very best to rid themselves of his body. A cry traps itself in his throat, his eyes welling up with furious tears as he tries in vain to find some comfort on the blankets that feel more like hot coals.

It hurts. It hurts, it hurts, it hurts.

No sooner does the pain swallow his senses does he feel the tug of two Sides appearing in his room.

"J? J, I felt that, are you—holy shit."

"Oh, Snakey, you're an idiot."

"Now is not the fucking time, Remus, go go go!"

"Alright, alright, I'm going."

"Hey, J," Virgil's voice says, muffled through layers and layers of cotton, "hey, hey, it's okay. We're here now, we're gonna help you."

Help? How in the fuck are you gonna help me with this?

"Don't worry," he continues when all Janus can do is groan in pain, "I'm sure whatever quip you were trying to make was a winner."

Thank you.

"C'mon," Remus's voice says from a ways away, "I got the door open, bring him through. The cot's still in the spare greenhouse, we can put him there."

"Ready? One, two, three, up we go."

He's hoisted as gently as possible into two strong arms and carried like a babe through to somewhere warm and sweet-smelling. A confused moan leaves his mouth as he's laid to rest on something soft, a gentle breeze following him.

"We need to get your clothes off you, Snakey," comes Remus's voice, "they're only gonna hurt you. It's okay, it's just us."

Hands, gentle hands free him from the worst of his clothing, leaving his boxers to protect what little modesty he has left. When the slightly humid air touches his scales he could whimper from relief. Then there's something soothing and wet pressed against the scaled side of his face and he blinks awake, only able to make out fuzzy shapes as he turns his head.

"Shh, shh, lie still," Remus bids—Virgil must be the one holding the thing to his face— "we gotta get you in a bath, okay? You've started shedding in pieces, we gotta help make sure you get all of it off, okay?"

"R'mus?"

"Yeah, Snakey, it's me. Virgil's here too."

"Hey, J. Long time no see. Oh, shit, uh, I mean—"

A small laugh works its way through Janus's throat and Virgil chuckles.

"Swear that wasn't intentional." He leans down too and oh, there's the blurry Virgil. "Do you think it's okay for us to move you? There's a warm bath over there that'll help loosen up the process for you, okay?"

"Hurts."

"I know, bud, it's gonna hurt for a little bit until we can get you calmed down."

"Why?"

"Blame it on biology if you want. Stress makes the shedding process harder."

"That's stupid."

"Yes, yes, it is. Unfortunately still true."

Janus grunts and leans into Virgil's touch. Remus carefully cards his hair back from his face. "You okay to let us move you, Snakey?"

"Mm."

"Up we go," Virgil says again, carefully lifting him up to carry him across the greenhouse and set him down in a large basin of warm water. "Can we help wash you?"

"Mhm." He turns his nose into the crook of Virgil's neck, breathing in softly. "Smells good."

"What, me or the greenhouse?"

"Both."

Remus chuckles. "That's good to hear. C'mere, give me your arm…"

There's something terribly intimate about letting someone else bathe you. Remus's hands are gentle as they work over the smooth scales—well, less smooth now—and rinse the beginnings of shed skin free from his body. On the other side, Virgil carefully does the same to the scaled parts of his torso, careful to avoid any red and angry bits as Janus begins to drift under the sensation of it.

"You're doing real good, bud," Virgil murmurs, "really good. We're almost there."

"Can we wash your hair," Remus asks, "we'll bring another basin over so the shampoo won't get near your scales, but it might feel nice to not be all greasy anymore."

"Just be careful?"

"Of course." Virgil gets up and he laments the loss for a moment, but then Virgil's sitting behind his head and smiling down at him. "Hey, bud. You wanna let me wash your hair?"

"Mhm."

What kind of greenhouse is this, he finds himself wondering as Virgil starts to spray his hair with a faucet, and why is Virgil so good at this?

Then Virgil starts to work his fingers through Janus's hair and there goes his capacity for higher thinking. If he could be slightly more aware, he might be embarrassed of the noises leaving his mouth, but as of right now he's just going to enjoy not being first and foremost in pain. The shampoo Virgil's using smells really good, not too strong, and leaves a pleasant cooling effect on his scalp even after it's been rinsed out. Remus's hands are sure and gentle as they finish cleaning the last of his scales, sitting back and running a damp hand through his own hair.

"Let's have you soak for a little longer," he says quietly, "then we'll get you out and see what else you need, okay?"

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Remus levels a stare at him. "Just come to us next time, yeah?"

Janus shifts a bit sheepishly under the look. "…yeah, okay."

"Good."

"You look sleepy," Virgil murmurs, still working the conditioner through his hair, "if you wanna doze off, that's okay. We'll wake you up when we need to move you."

"…yeah?"

"Yeah, bud, go on. It's okay, we're right here."

And so he closes his eyes, drifting off to the feeling of Virgil's hands in his hair and warm water lapping against his scales.

Maybe…maybe he needn't have been so scared about asking them for help.

Perhaps the worst of it truly is behind him, because the truth doesn't hurt as the warmth and safety lull him to sleep.

General Taglist: @frxgprince@potereregina@gattonero17@iamhereforthegayshit@thefingergunsgirl@awkwardandanxiousfander@creative-lampd-liberties@djpurple3@winterswrandomness@sanders-sides-uncorrect-quotes@iminyourfandom@bullet-tothefeels@full-of-roman-angst-trash @ask-elsalvador @ramdomthingsfrommymind@demoniccheese83@pattonsandershugs @el-does-photography @princeanxious@firefinch-ember@fandomssaremysoul@im-an-anxious-wreck@crazy-multifandomfangirl @punk-academian-witch@enby-ralsei@unicornssunflowersandstuff@wildhorsewolf @thetruthaboutthesun @stubbornness-and-spite @princedarkandstormv @your-local-fookin-deadmeme @angels-and-dreams@averykedavra @a-ghostlight-for-roman @treasurechestininterweb @cricketanne @queerly-fluid-fan @compactdiscdraws@cecil-but-gayer@i-am-overly-complicated@annytheseal@alias290@tranquil-space-ninja @arxticandy @mychemically-imbalanced-romance @whyiask@crows-ace @emilythezeldafan@frida0043 @ieatspinalcords @snowyfires@cyanide-violence@oonagh2@xxpanic-at-the-everywherexx@rabbitsartcorner @percy-07734@triflingassailantofmyemotions @virgil-sanders-the-gay-emo@cerulean-watermelon@puffed-up-bees@meltheromanstan@joyrose-fandomer@insanitori@mavenmush@justablah65@10paradox10@uhhh-hi-there-i-am-nervous@cutebisexualmess@bella-bugatti-frogetti-baguetti @ultrageekygirl

#dragonbabbles #sanders sides #fic #remus sanders #sympathetic remus #janus sanders #deceit sanders #sympathetic deceit #virgil sanders

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mitzyslatestobsessions · 2 years ago

Text

the eye of the storm.

platonic loceit/dlampr

—

hello gang

it has been… a while since i’ve written sanders sides content. i was into it for years before i dropped it and now i’ve picked it back up again. i forgot how much i loved this series. i’ve been rewatching it and remembered just how much i was so excited for the reveal of the super mysterious and spooky orange side, and i got a little pang of inspiration from the working through intrusive thoughts aside video. here is some really shitty angst/comfort; it’s been a while so my characterizations may be off, apologies in advance. and also my apologies for the spacing— i wrote this on docs and i didn’t realize the spacing would be so wide. sorry!!

scroll to v end for authors notes!

—

The date with Nico had gone so good! Thomas was reeling him in hook, line, and sinker; and Remus was able to be contained for the whole time! Sure, he had some moments, but nothing that none of them couldn’t handle. Now, as the sun set and shades of fuchsia and orange painted the sky above the exhibit, everyone decided it was time to go home.

The moment Thomas began to walk back all of the sides sank out, reappearing in his mind in an all too familiar routine. Remus was the only one absent for their outing, everyone else should have been here.

While Roman and Patton were happily reminiscing about the date, exchanging compliments and giggles, Virgil glanced around. He refused to glance in a certain serpent’s direction, but the room still felt empty.

Something was off.

Was it the coffee table? Couch? Maybe the blanket…?

Click.

“Where’s Logan?”

That seemed to break Roman and Patton from their conversation, and they both turned to look at Virgil.

“…Hey, yeah! Where’s our Logan?” Patton asked.

“Oh, who cares! He’s probably sulking because Thomas went out and had fun with the cutest frickin’ guy ever!” Roman proclaims, overly dramatic as always.

Patton puts his hands on his hips. “Now, Roman. Be nice to Logan! He was just trying to get Thomas to be productive— ya can’t argue the state of his home is a little…”

“Revolting?” Virgil finishes the sentence for him.

“I was gonna say icky, but that works too!” Patton grins at Virgil. “But anyway, don’t get mad at him for trying to help!”

“Pfft— help. Nerd.” Roman chuckles, earning a slight glare from Patton. “He could try to help by not getting in the way of our already non-existent love life!”

“You know, Patton’s right, Roman.” Janus murmurs from his corner. “Your twin gave him quite the bit of trouble today…”

Roman straightens his posture, almost defensive, as he glares at the slimy fiend. “What do you mean? What did that mangy mongrel do to him?”

Janus shrugs. “Oh. Nothing. I’m sure you wouldn’t care about that, Logan is just a speed bump on the road to love, and all that…” He says dismissively.

“Tell. Me.” Roman insists, moving closer towards Janus. “What did he do?”

Janus examines his glove, almost unbothered before he looks up at Roman. “Well…”

Roman glares. A silent message to get it the hell over with.

“When Thomas was up in the wee hours of the night, Logan and him decided on a new schedule. You know how those work out for Thomas.”

“Yeah. They don’t.” Roman murmured.

“Mhm. Usually it’s just because Thomas is more… spontaneous. Carefree, if you will. He likes to jump from task to task. Doing a list can be overwhelming, but Logan was just so dedicated to helping him stick to it. And poor Thomas even wanted to do it!…”

“…Jan. You lied, kiddo.”

“Whatever.” Janus shrugs. “Anyways. Remus decided to make Logan’s life a living hell by trying to kill or maim Thomas or Logan himself, but usually he ended up hurting himself.”

“Is that where the sparkly green eyepatch came from?!” Roman gasped.

“…Yes.” Janus murmured. “Anyways. Logan tried to reason with him and—”

“Is no one gonna ask why he knows all this?!” Virgil interjects.

Janus huffs. “Are ANY of you going to let me talk?!” He sighs. “And before you ask, I listen. To everything. Are there ANYMORE questions before I answer the first one?!”

Patton raises his hand for a moment before it shoots back down.

“Perfect. Great. Back to what I was saying… Logan confronted Remus after a few failed attempts and tried to reason with him, because this was one of the few times he’s actually gotten Thomas on a schedule and he tried to stick to it. So, you can tell why he’d be a little irritated about his incessant attempts at getting him off task.”

Roman raises a brow. “And…?”

“Logan screamed at him.”

“Oh.” Roman chuckles. “Yeah, he does that—”

“His eyes shone orange.”

A silence fell over the room. There was a silent, unspoken yet unified agreement that they all knew what that meant. And they knew it was bad.

Virgil was the first to break the silence. “…fuck.”

“…Did… Thomas? See? Do we have to have another confrontation so soon?!” Patton gasped.

“No. No he didn’t. Remus mocked him for the outburst almost instantly and as far as I’m aware, the interaction was over after that.”

“…What made Logan lose his cool that badly over something like that?” Roman hummed.

Janus rolled his eyes. “Oh, I don’t know. How about the fact that you all ignore him?”

“How dare you! I don’t ignore Mark Zucker-nerd; I just don’t listen to him!”

“…Roman. Buddy. That’s ignoring.”

Roman paused, looking down. “…so it is! But either way— we don’t ignore him, Janus. It isn’t my fault he never has anything helpful to add!”

“Oh, please. Logan is literally the embodiment of Logic. He’s resolved how many of these past issues? Logan does the most and gets the least reward, Roman. You have the most influence over our host, followed by Patton and Virgil. Maybe lately me and Remus have had a little fun taking the wheel every now and again— but when was the last time you let Logan make a big decision? You decided to skip the callback, you decided to go on the date. All Logan gets influence on is his little passion project, which he’s probably abandoned at this point because I seriously doubt there’s much passion left in him.”

Janus’ rant has left the other sides staring; Roman in disbelief, mostly at the audacity, Patton in shame, and Virgil in guilt. Deep down, they knew Janus was right.

“…Okay. Maybe I’ve been… a little… controlling.” Roman murmured.

“A lot.” Janus hummed.

Patton leans over to him, “Hey, Jan— kiddo. Small wins.”

“Right, Patton,” He whispers back, sighing. “Anyway. I suggest we try to make this up to Logan one way or another. After we make sure he’s alright.”

“I’m not checking on him. I love the guy, but if I step ten feet near conflict I’ll throw up and die.” Virgil mumbles, throwing his hood up.

“Logan doesn’t usually take comfort from me all that well. I think he finds it kinda patronizing…” Patton frowns. “But I’d be happy to try!”

“No, you're right… and he’d only think I was mocking him.” Roman murmured.

One by one, all their eyes drift to Janus.

“…You want me to go in there. Don’t you.”

“Well, yeah! You’re the most neutral with him! Logan doesn't know you super well and while I’m sure he didn’t appreciate your impersonating of him, I think you see eye to eye with him on a lotta stuff! That helps!” Patton grinned. “You might be the best candidate for this kinda thing.”

Virgil sighs. “….I can’t believe I’m agreeing with this… but yeah. Janus is the best candidate for this particular job…”

“…Of course. Fine. I’ll go check on him.” Janus huffs. He leaves his little corner in the shadows, brushing past the other three and making his way down the hallway. It doesn’t take him long to reach Logan’s door. Usually there’s light peeking from underneath the door, but that’s absent this time. Hmm…

Janus knocks three times.

Usually a “one moment” or a “come in” would follow. But there is silence.

Janus waits a moment, before knocking again, this time accompanying it with a “Logan? You alright?”

He’s met with silence again.

Janus sighs, placing his hand on the doorknob and twisting slowly. He pushes the door open, peeking in just a bit to get an idea of what he’s getting himself into.

The moment the door opens just a crack it’s blown open with immeasurable force, pulling Janus inside and slamming the door behind him. The room is barely a room anymore— more so a culmination of wind. Janus can make out a few objects— calendars with black and red marker scribbled over the dates, some books and some pages torn from them, blank sheets of paper, and a few pens and little knickknacks. Glancing around quickly, Janus realizes there’s a soft, barely there orange glow coming from the center of the room.

Fuck.

“Logan!” Janus calls, trying to push his way through but inevitably getting pushed back against the door. “Logan, let me in! I will help!”

There’s some sort of loud noise, but Janus can barely make it out throughout the pounding sound of wind against his ears.

Fine. Be difficult. It takes a lot of strength, and a lot of mental willpower, but he’s able to carve out a path directly into the eye of the storm. Janus heaves a bit as he walks, immediately taking note of Logan.

He’s… never seen the other so distressed. And honestly, it stings.

Logan is sat on the floor on his knees, hunched over and sobbing. Janus has never seen him cry, never heard it either. But this is just too much…

“…Logan?” He calls quietly, softly. Trying his best not to startle the other.

Said side looks up with a horrified gaze. His eyes gleam with amber tones and the best descriptor Janus has at the moment is overwhelmed.

“Calm down, calm down.” Janus shushes, kneeling to Logan’s level. Instinctively, Logan tries to back away, and Janus lets him. He gives Logan his space. “Deep breaths. Breathe…”

And he tries. All he can manage is panicked and shaky short breaths that can’t be delivering much air to his brain. Janus could see this plain as day. “Logan. Think you’re stable enough to talk?”

Logan glances up and after a moment's hesitation, he nods quickly.

“Five things you can see. Can you do that for me?”

Logan glances around quickly. “Books.” He murmurs, almost rapid as he speaks. “…Calendar. Marker. Pen…” He looks around again. “Cube.”

“Alright. Good. Four things you can feel?”

“…Clothes. Glasses.” His tone is almost robotic, despite it being watery. “Wind… and… and… and the floor.”

Janus can see and feel the wind slowing, even if just a little bit.

“Good. How about three things you can hear?”

“You. Me. Wind.”

“Almost done. Two things you can smell?”

“Um…” Logan panics again. Another question he can’t answer. Of course. “Cologne? Maybe… and… and…”

“Focus, Logan. You’re okay. It’s okay.”

“…Ink.”

“Good. Last one. One thing you can taste.”

“Salt…”

The wind slows to a stop. All the objects fall from where they were propelled. They could deal with that later.

“See? You’re okay. It’s okay.”

Logan looks up, eyes still watery and overflowing with tears. He’s shaking. The word that comes to Janus’ mind is helpless. He knows it’d make Logan worse so he decides to keep that thought inside.

“Now. Would you like to talk about this?”

“I don’t know how!” His tone is surprisingly aggressive, but it doesn’t seem like Logan. It’s out of character for him. He’s crumbling. “I don’t know how to… to talk about this! I’ve never— I’ve never felt so… so…”

“Breathe, Logan.” Janus offers. “It’s alright. Just—”

“LET ME TALK.” Logan shouts; the ferocity of the moment is only comparable to earlier when Remus had pushed too far.

And Janus falls silent. He doesn’t take it personally. He knows it isn’t— Logan is just so overcome with it all he’s lost control. He knows just how bad they can be.

And Logan realizes just what he’s done a moment after, and he falls back into helpless sobs, curling around himself. He feels so fucking awful. Not only is he useless, but he’s an asshole too. Another flaw to add to the ever growing list.

“Logan, I know you’re overwhelmed…” Janus reaches a hand out to touch, but he hesitates, and quickly lets it fall back to his side. “Tell me what’s going on. What’s got you so upset?”

Logan hesitates speaking, before he sobs out his words, “I’m so awful, Janus…”

“If this is about today, you’re not. Remus is especially heinous and you know that—”

“It isn’t just today!” He shouts. “It’s getting harder and harder to do my job and get through to him— I-I’m not good enough, Janus. I can’t do anything anymore! I used to be able to… to do everything, and it was fine. My calendars were in perfect order, I kept the others in check while maintaining a balance— I wasn’t a fucking emotional wreck!” Logan sobs, looking up at Janus desperately. “I’m useless. I can’t— I’m not—”

“Logan. You’re magnetizing.” Janus murmurs.

“Magnifying.” He corrects.

“See? You’re still capable of doing your job. And you still do your job just fine.” Janus puts a gentle hand on his shoulder, smoothing over the wrinkled shirt. “Everyone’s been in chaos these last few months… and that’s partly me and Remus’ fault. We haven’t been easy adjustments.” He sighed. “But,” And he holds up his finger with a dramatic pause, “You of all people have been the most versatile. You put forth your best effort Logan— more so than the other sides have. You know that.”

“But my best isn’t good enough.”

“It is. It is. You don’t believe it is, but it is.” Janus assures. “It isn’t your fault you’re getting overshadowed.”

“Perhaps if my methods were different, if my tactics were better—”

“Shhh.” Janus presses his finger to Logan’s lips, effectively silencing him momentarily.

“Logan. You’re doing nothing wrong.”

“Then why am I getting ignored?”

Janus didn’t have an answer immediately. And he could tell that upset Logan even further, despite the fact he was trying to conceal his tears.

“I don’t know, Logan. I’m sorry.” He sighed. “But I’ll never ignore you. You know that, right?”

He sniffles, nodding.

“…Do you want a hug?”

Logan hesitates for a long moment, as if weighing the pros and cons. Potential comfort and warmth, but also a huge dent in his reputation.

This was a pretty big dent too. Fuck it.

“…Please.”

Janus wraps his arms around Logan, hugging him tightly. “You’re alright. It’s alright..” He murmurs. “You’re okay.”

While Logan quietly cried into Janus’ shoulder, the scaly of the two silently wills the objects back into their places. He doesn’t need Logan even more stressed.

“Do you feel better?”

Logan nods, swallowing thickly. His throat feels scratchy…

“…I don’t think I’ve ever felt those… those feelings so… intensely.” He cringes at the word; it feels sticky and wrong on his tongue.

“I know… but it’s all over now. You’re calmer. Your room isn’t a tornado.”

Logan blinks, glancing up. “Oh. I was…” He looks around quickly. “Everything is in its place…?”

“I put it back. I know mess overwhelms you.”

Logan can’t help the microscopic smile.

“Thank you, Janus… I… apologize for all this.”

“Don’t mention it. It was out of your control. Now,” He pulls away slightly. “Do you need me to stay? I’m more than happy to.”

Logan thinks for a moment, and then shakes his head. “No. I believe some time alone would benefit me. I need to ‘recharge,’ if you will.”

Janus stands and makes his way to the door. “Alright. If you need anything else, you know where my room is.”

“I do. Again, thank you.”

“No worries, Logan. That’s what friends are for.”

—

(i wrote these authors notes as i wrote the story; i didn’t wanna stick them in as i wrote so i put them all at the end.)

authors note: i forgot how vividly i imagined their headspace; even down to the order of the doors. in case you’re wondering, the hallway of their rooms (which you enter from the right side) goes from left to right as such: virgil, logan, roman, and patton. the dark sides have their own separate wing (because of course they do)

authors note 2: i feel like sides have a lot more willpower and control in the headspace than we originally think— and the dark sides seem to be more powerful than the core 4 so they have an easier time doing stuff like that. obviously since deceit can transform into any of the sides— which i feel like the other sides can do but choose not to?? if they can become thomas’ friends they should be able to transform into each other,,— and remus can summon objects outside of the mind palace and headspace— we’ve seen other sides with fidgets or swords or little caps but never anything like super big i don’t think? it’s been a while hah

authors note 3: i’m trying to make up some shit about the orange side while also keeping it vague so it’s not too specific. mostly cause i want this to be logan centric but also i want this to have the best chance at holding up after he is revealed

authors note 4: logan may be the logic side but he is also the autism side

authors note 5: this just became a loceit fic but i’m not even mad. logan x anyone supremacy

authors note 6: this just became a self projection fic but i’m not even mad. logan x self projection supremacy

authors note 7: i didn’t know how to end this so have some weird janus and logan

okay hi!! finally done writing. got this done in like… two hours shockingly. i speed ran this fr

no beta read we die like men.

reblog if you enjoyed!!

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ao3feed-loceit · 9 months ago

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#loceit #Logan Sanders #Janus Sanders #Sanders Sides #IFTTT #Ao3feed

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lily-janus · 3 years ago

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We See Each Other Only In Hamilton Sing-Alongs

Summary: Janus and Roman are left alone in the mindscape... this might turn out better than you think..

Pairing: Roceit

Warnings: pretty sure none but be sure to let me know if I missed anything.

Disclaimer: this work features original lyrics by Lin-Manual Miranda from his musical Hamilton.

Word count: 1,056

Janus woke up in a start to an all too familiar sound of what is, undoubtedly, the famous musical Hamilton.

The others were helping Thomas today which he figured means he'll finally have the mindscape to himself, even Remus was absent. But he should have guessed he wouldn't be so lucky, guess he's not the only one not needed today…

With a groan he got up and snapped his regular outfit on before walking to the common area and stopping suddenly at the bottom of the stairs.

Roman wasn't just putting on the musical for background music, no, the prince was full on singing along and performing the songs, clearly thinking he's alone.

He hadn't noticed Janus yet and, after he got over his shock, he was content to watch him smugly from the sidelines. It was very entertaining.

Then, Janus' favorite song for… reasons we will not discuss, started playing, The Room Where It Happens.

He wasn't sure what drove him, maybe he just wanted to relish Roman's look on his face when Janus seemingly joined him out of nowhere, maybe he just loved the song too much not to sing along with it.

But for whatever reason, Janus began singing with Arron Burr as he stepped into the middle of the room and right next to the fanciful side. The shock was present on his face, yes, but he was still an actor absorbed in a performance, and he quickly continued with Hamilton's lines and before either of them realized, they were performing together.

"Did you hear the news about good old general mercer?" Janus asked Roman smoothly.

"No" Roman answered simply, adoring a curious look.

"You know Clermont street?" Janus started explaining with a smirk. "They renamed it after him. The Mercer legacy is secured."

"Sure." Roman shrugged lightly.

"And all he had to do was die." Janus mused.

"Now that's a lot less work." Roman chuckled.

"We oughta give it a try." Janus smirked and Roman let out a little laugh.

They were getting more and more into character, resentment and painful history forgotten for the sake of performing their roles in the song.

All too soon, the song came to an end and with a snap of Roman's fingers, the music died down, leaving the two sides in awkward silence.

"Deceit… I… didn't realize you were here." Roman said quietly, not meeting his eyes.

Janus shrugged. "My services weren't needed today." Then he smirked. "Looks like you were having fun."

Roman blushed and scowled at him. "Haven't you mocked me enough, snake?"

Janus raised his hands in surrender. "I was just teasing, here I thought we were getting along."

"Yeah? Well think again, I don't associate with deceitful evil doers." Roman folded his arms over his chest in defiance.

"Oh come now, is that a way to speak to a fellow Hamilton fan?" Janus smirked challengingly at Roman.

"Your taste in music has nothing to do with this! And knowing one song doesn't make you a true fan such as myself anyway." Roman scoffed.

Janus raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what if I told you I know the entire musical by heart? Will that per-chance put me on the same pedestal you put yourself at?" Janus asked smoothly.

Roman burst into a boastful laugh for a few moments before seeing Janus' expression hadn't changed. "Oh, you're serious. You kidding me? You? Quite with the lying, we both know that can't possibly be true."

Janus smirked with satisfaction, that was exactly the reaction he was aiming for. "Is that a challenge I hear?"

"With you? I'd rather fight venomous snakes than do anything with you." Roman spat.

Janus sighed dramatically. "I see, I get it, you're intimidated, understandably so. I'll leave you be then." He turned to go up the stairs.

"Don't think I don't see what you're doing!" Roman called after him. "Your tricks won't work on me anymore!"

"I'm terribly sorry but I don't speak cowardly." Janus smirked, snickering to himself.

"You think you're better than me, snake? Bring it on." Roman at last relented, like Janus knew he would.

He turned back to face the prince. "If you insist." He snapped his fingers and the first song of the musical started playing. "The first who forgets the lyrics loses."

"You're on."

-------------------------------------------------------

"Careful how you proceed, good man

Intemperate indeed, good man

Answer for the accusations I lay at your feet or

Prepare to bleed, good man" Janus sang to Roman warringly, so far neither of them forgot the lyrics and they were nearing the end of the play.

"Burr, your grievance is legitimate

I stand by what I said, every bit of it

You stand only for yourself

It’s what you do

I can’t apologize because it’s true." Roman proceeded without faltering.

"Um… I'm not the only one seeing this, right?" Virgil whispered to the other three sides beside him, staring at the two enemies perform and sing alongside each other.

"Oh ho, you know I see it! Go off Janny!" Remus whooped excitedly before either of the sides had time to try and shoosh him.

The music stopped abruptly and both sides turned sharply towards the group.

"H-hey guys! How long have you been standing there?" Roman smiled shyly.

Logan rolled his eyes. "Long enough, believe me. If you need me, I'll be in my room." He said and quickly sank out.

"That was some great performing kiddos!" Patton smiled cheerfully.

"Oh… thanks Pat."

"Oh don't sound so surprised." Janus and Roman said together.

Patton giggled. "Glad you two are getting along." He winked and sank out as well.

"Well, you two seem to be having fun." Remus shimmied his shoulders.

"Okay! I'm going to pretend like I never saw and heard that." Virgil shuddered and disappeared.

"Virge, wait! It's not what it looks like-" Roman called after as he sank out as well.

"So…" Remus grinned at Janus. "You and my brother…"

Janus' cheeks flared. "Shut up, Remus." He said and disappeared as well. This was nothing but having fun toying with the prince to stop his boredom, he just… lost track of time.

That didn't stop them, however, from secretly commencing a rematch since their previous one was interrupted before a winner was declared… and a rematch after that since the second ended at a tie…

#hamilton #sanders sides #sanders sides fan fiction #platonic roceit #roman sanders #janus sanders #slight angst #mostly fluff #Lily writes #sing along #self indulgent fic #just thought I'll write this for funnsies #one shot

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shadow-whisperer152 · 2 years ago

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Father’s Day (Chapter 7)

(Aaaaaaah this is the chapter I basically formed this entire fic around! Can’t believe this was just meant to be a one shot, yet here we are at chapter 7 (and we aren’t even done yet). Hope you enjoy!)

(Chapter 6)

~Time Skip~

Janus could never have fathomed that everything would go so wrong. It felt like only yesterday his boys were bringing half-cooked pancakes to him in bed and cuddling with him under their one soft blanket on the couch. He tried not to think about those days too much; the memories only made the ache in his heart all the more prominent, the cold on his skin all the more biting, the tears down his face all the more sorrowful. It had been a long time since Virgil had disappeared from their lives. For a time, Janus and Remus had been filled with resentment at how Virgil had chosen the others over his own family. Remus had refused to allow Janus to blame himself, begging to be let upstairs to show those impostors even a fraction of the pain and fear they themselves felt. And, like a fool, Janus had let him. He doesn’t understand how he could possibly have been idiotic enough to make the same mistake twice. But back then, he didn’t understand how it was a mistake. Now he knew better.

Remus had gone up, wreaked havoc, done what Remus does best. And in turn those Sides had greeted him with patience and understanding. It had taken some time, but much too soon he was up there all the time, and then he was never down here at all. Janus wanted to say that the Sides had blinded him, manipulated him, turned him against the only person who could ever love him. But after all this time, he finally understood: he’d been the monster under the stairs the entire time. It wasn’t the other Sides that were the problem: it was him. He was the reason Virgil and Remus had left because he’d been the one imprisoning them. Janus had been so blinded by his own fear that he’d corrupted the two young sides, making them feel like they were monsters too if only to feel less lonely in his misery. The other Sides had greeted his sons with such warmth and acceptance because they deserved it. Janus didn’t. He was different, always had been, always would be. He would never be treated like one of them because ever since his manifestation he’d been the villain, someone to be feared. Every time he went up there he was yelled at and denied and ignored, while his sons got the chance they deserved. Maybe this was how it was meant to be; Janus would spend the rest of his days alone while his sons would live on with their new happy famILY.

All these negative thoughts and feelings poisoned Janus on the inside. He became a recluse, and stopped answering the other’s calls entirely. He spent his hours trying to squash the useless flicker of hope that still remained, desperately trying to save himself from the pain of being hurt by abandoning the idea that he would ever see his boys again. He didn’t even bother to dress in his usual attire, everything replaced with what he wore as pajamas. Everything except his hat. (He couldn’t bear to part with it, no matter how many times he put it away he’d always end up taking it out again.) Janus would have stayed like this for the rest of eternity if he could’ve.

Unfortunately, he ran out of tea.

Now this wasn’t a problem he’d ever had to face. He’d either ask Remus to summon him some, or he’d go to his little garden on Remus' side of the Imagination to pick some tea leaves himself. But Remus wasn’t around anymore, and he couldn’t go into the Imagination without either of the twins finding out. He’d stopped eating or sleeping properly since he’d been left behind he couldn’t remember when, so summoning the tea himself was out of the question. There was only one option left. He had to go up there, to the place he swore he’d never go again. Janus wished he could just go on without tea, drink water or soda or nothing at all. But the warmth of a cup of tea was the only joy he had left in his miserable existence, and without it he might discorporate from sorrow.

He made a plan. He’d go up to the door underneath the stairs, cross to the kitchen, steal some tea, and run back down. That’s all. He wouldn’t look at anyone, wouldn’t talk to anyone, and if they tried to stop him he’d……he’d……well, hopefully there wouldn’t be anyone there to stop him. He clutched his hat in his hands in an attempt to gather some courage, slowly making his way out of the Dark Side to cross the Subconscious.

Janus could hear voices. The door was very slightly ajar, and he listened closely. He couldn’t hear exactly what was going on, but they seemed to be whispering. Not just that, but they were at least in the living room. The light in the hallway was off, and so was the one in the kitchen. He could slip through, get his tea, and run back down. Excellent. Janus carefully nudged the door, slipping out and darting across to the kitchen before anyone could see him. He hid behind the counter, heart racing. No screaming, no noise. He hadn’t been spotted.

Janus slowly stood, backing up until he felt the counter behind him. He turned, snatched the box of tea bags from the cupboard, and creeped back towards the doorway. Halfway home. He stepped out into the hallway again and-

The lights suddenly turned on, startling him as he whipped towards the living room. Virgil, Remus, Roman, and Logan all sprung up from behind the couch, confetti filling the air. It was only now that Janus noticed the balloons, the table full of food, and the banner strung across the back wall. “Happy Father’s Day!” it read in big bubble letters. Janus stood frozen, mouth opened in a shocked expression. It was Father’s Day already? And……and they were throwing a party? For him? A feeling of warmth, like sticky honey, filled his chest. For the first time in what felt like years he felt a genuine smile spread on his face. He was about to step out of the darkness when a new voice surprised him from atop the stairs.

“Oh my goodness! Is this all for me?!” Patton ran down the steps, rushing forward. The others all met him in the middle, engulfing him in a big hug.

“’Course, Pat. We had to celebrate our favorite popstar’s special day after all.” Virgil gave him a crooked smile, nuzzling over his shoulder into his neck. “Happy Father’s Day, Dad.”

Remus enveloped all the sides in his tentacles, which led to squeals and shrieks of surprise. “Yeah! We’re gonna squeeze you full of joy until your eyes pop out of your head! Happy Daddy’s Day!” He grinned.

The others spoke as well, and there must have been music, but Janus couldn’t tell. His ears began to ring as he stared at his two sons, the biggest smiles he’d ever seen on their faces as they wrapped themselves further into Patton’s arms. A hiccup made its way out of his mouth, lost under the sound of the other’s chatter. They’d……they’d replaced him. After all he’d done, after all they’d gone through together, they’d found a new father. A good, kind, caring father who could give them everything they’d ever wanted. Janus felt lightheaded, and just like all those years ago, the ground disappeared from under him and he fell, away from the searing warmth and the blinding lights and the hurt hurt hurt hurt that filled his head. He crashed onto the cold, musty floor of the Dark Side and here, where no one could see, where no one would ever see him again, Janus began to wail. His sobs and screams of pain filled the air around him, shaking the Dark Side to its core. He was so ashamed, so destroyed, that he failed to notice he was missing something important.

Upstairs his hat sat surrounded by the discarded tea bags, alone and abandoned in the dark hallway. It wasn’t until hours later, when the food had been eaten and the gifts had been opened, that a figure in purple noticed it lying on the floor.

(It broke my heart to write this one, but it’s going to start looking up for our poor snakey side. Just gotta throw in a little more angst first >:) Hope you enjoyed!)

#tw slight body horror #janus sanders angst #sanders side #patton sanders #virgil sanders #leoni_writes #roman sanders #remus sanders #dark sides #angst #Father's Day

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monkeythefander · 6 months ago

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An Analogince Proposal💜💙❤️

Summary: Roman, Logan, and Virgil have been dating for two years. The princely side is now determined to propose to his boyfriends, so hopefully it goes well.

Relationship(s): Romantic Analogince (Virgil x Logan x Roman)

Characters: Roman Sanders, Virgil Sanders, Logan Sanders, Janus Sanders (only mentioned), Patton Sanders (only mentioned), Character!Thomas Sanders (only mentioned), and Remus Sanders (only mentioned).

Content Warning(s): Some anxiety/worrying, slight Virgil angst (I think). Let me know if I missed anything else.

Click below the cut to read the fic.

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Roman slowly walks towards the stairs, taking calming breaths. This could be the best or worst moment of his life. Patton and Janus are off helping Thomas, and Remus is causing chaos in the imagination. This gives the princely side plenty of time to conduct his plan.

Roman stops for a moment before heading downstairs. He checks in his pocket, making sure the ring box is in there nicely. Roman is going to propose to his boyfriends, Logan and Virgil, today. They’ve been dating for two years now, and Roman couldn’t be happier. He knows his boyfriends aren’t opposed to the idea of marriage in general. They’ve watched many romance movies together during date nights, and all enjoy a good wedding scene. Hopefully they won’t be opposed to the idea of marrying him.

Roman takes one final calming breath before heading down the stairs and entering the living room. Logan and Virgil are both sitting next to each on the couch. The logical side is reading a book, while the anxious side is scrolling on his phone. Roman smiles at the sight of his boyfriends before announcing his presence.

“Greetings, my loves.”

Logan and Virgil look up at the princely side and both smile softly at him.

“Hey, Princey.”

“Salutations, Roman.”

Roman smiles again and walks closer to the couch, stopping in front of his boyfriends. The creative side then starts to say what he’s rehearsed for this very moment.

“My darlings, we’ve been together for two years now and I’ve been enjoying every second we spend together. I love going on dates with you, cuddling you, kissing you, and talking about poetry, books, musicals, and movies with you. I want to be able to do these things with you both for the rest of my life, so I have just one question for you two.”

Roman gets down on one knee and pulls out the ring box from his pocket. He opens it up to reveal two rings. They’re silver with red, blue, and purple gems in them. The princely side then says the question.

“Will you marry me?”

Roman looks at both of his boyfriends, trying to read their faces. Logan looks happy but slightly confused. Virgil looks like he’s nervous and excited. The emo’s eyeshadow has even turned that sparkly purple that Roman loves seeing so much. Logan ends up being the first to break the silence.

“Roman, my star, I’d be very happy to marry you. But you do realize marriage isn’t necessary for us to be figuratively bonded together. We’re already as connected as figuratively and literally possible, considering we are the Sides of one person. We are bonded together no matter what.”

Roman looks at the logical side with a slightly less happy expression on his face.

“So you don’t want to get married then…?”

Logan frowns, regretting his previous comment.

“No, that’s not it. I want to marry you, Roman. I just wanted you to know that if you’re just proposing because you think this is the only way to figuratively bond us together, that I already consider us bonded. Married or not, I want to always be by your side. But if you truly want to be officially married, I’m happy to do so.”

Roman’s face brightens up and he smiles at his logical love, before glancing over at his emo. Virgil is fidgeting with his hoodie sleeves, and looks down at his shoes when he notices Roman’s gaze is now on him.

“Princey…I’d love to marry you, but are you sure you really wanna be married to me. Yeah, you like dating me, but what if once you marry me you realize you’re actually tired of dealing with me and all my worries. I don’t want you to feel stuck with me when you end up realizing I’m too much to deal with.”

Roman grabs one of Virgil’s hands with his free hand, the one not holding the ring box.

“My Emo Knight, you could never be too much for me. I want to be there by your side, whether you’re feeling glittery or gloomy. I want to support you and love you.”

Virgil covers his eyes with his free hand and mumbles.

“Princey, you’re going to make me cry with how sappy you’re being…”

“I hope you mean happy tears, J.D-lightful.”

“Yes, Sir-Sing-A-Lot. I mean happy tears. And to answer your question from before, yes, I’ll marry you.”

Roman puts the ring box down on the ground before getting up from his kneeled position on the floor, and pulls his emo into a hug. The creative side holds his emo gently before glancing at Logan and motioning for him to join th hug. The logical side joins his boyfriends in the embrace and they all feel content in this moment, not wanting it to end. The calm silence is eventually broken by Logan leaving the hug and speaking up.

“So Virgil, my moonlight, will you marry me? Since we’re both now engaged to Roman, I feel like it’s safe to assume that we’d also take the next step in our relationship and get married as well. I don’t have a ring for you, but I can get you one when I get the chance.”

“Yes, L, I’ll marry you too. Don’t worry about not having a ring, worrying is my job. If we get Roman a matching ring then the rings he got us can represent all three of us being engaged to each other.”

The princely side claps his hands and jumps up in excitement.

“That’s a perfect idea Virgil! I can create a matching ring now.”

Roman makes another ring for himself and hands it to Virgil.

“J.D-lightful, you or Logan can do the honors of placing the ring on my finger and I shall do the same for you two.”

The now fiancés proceed to place the rings on each others’ fingers and share a few kisses. The three of them then settle down on the couch and put on a movie to watch together. Roman smiles to himself, happy with how his proposal played out, and excited for the future wedding he would have with his loves.

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End Notes: Thanks for reading! I was originally just going to make a headcannon about how I thought an Analogince proposal would play out, but I got the idea to write out a short fic and this was the result. I might write out a part 2 to this that’s the wedding, but I don’t know for sure. If anything, I might just draw Analogince on their wedding day since I’m getting outfit ideas. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this little story. If you did, please consider leaving a like, reblog and/or a comment.

-Monkey💜

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AO3 Link to this fic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/58585345

#sanders sides #sanders sides fanfiction #roman sanders #virgil sanders #logan sanders #patton sanders #remus sanders #janus sanders #thomas sanders #character thomas #analogince #virgil x logan x roman #logan x virgil #virgil x roman #logan x roman #virgil sanders angst #the angst isn’t a lot though

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seething-fire · 3 years ago

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The Sides in High School Headcanons

What I think the Sides would have been like in highschool

Logan:

He LOVED school, and was in the astronomy club

He and Patton were very close

They always went over to each other’s houses on weekends

They mostly baked together

Logan liked the science aspect, and Patton liked it because it's fun

Spent a lot of time in his room

Did not want to learn how to drive, like vehemently opposed even the mere idea of it

His parents forced him when he was 17, and he still hates driving

His first job was at a grocery store

He switched between being a cashier and stocking the shelves and the back room

Despised being a cashier, because of the social interaction

Started questioning his sexuality and gender identity early in high school

He spent a LOT of time researching all the different genders, pronouns, and sexualities out there

Patton:

He did not like school, not at all

But no one knew that, of course

He pretended to be happy and enjoying it, though

When he got home, he could really be himself

Spent a lot of time crying and sad baking to make himself feel better

It also didn’t help that the poor boy had undiagnosed ADHD

And depression

He didn’t really have many friends

He *knew* people, but he didn’t really have anyone other than Logan to vent to

Sorry for all the angst, on to happier things

All of the sad baking gave him a cute tummy that he adores

When his parents would leave him home alone, he’d pull a Risky Business and dance around in his underwear

Roman:

Only went to school for the social aspect

Was obviously enrolled in drama classes and in the drama club, too

He had lots of friends, but not one of them knew he was gay (well they knew, but Roman didn’t ever tell them)

I don’t care what canon says, this man was NOT a nerd in high school

He was obviously one of the popular kids that lots of girls had crushes on, but he always liked the guys in his creative writing class

Just about lost his shit in junior year when his crush sat in the front row of a play he was in

That guy taught Roman the gay eyes

It wasn’t something he verbally taught him, he just learned it because neither of them were out at the time

He worked at an ice cream shop and loved it

Virgil:

Didn’t give a flying fuck about school

Wasn’t sad and a precious uwu emo bean, he was a rebel

Got into fights, didn’t do his work, got suspended, skipped class, set off the fire alarm, you name it

He and Remus were practically inseparable

They got matching tattoos together in senior year

He was kind of like the Crofter’s ad they did, but actually a badass, and much cooler

Did not want a job, and no matter how hard anyone tried, they couldn’t force him to get one

Pissed that his parents were making him go to college because he thought it was a waste of time and money (especially money)

Hated being at home, so he was usually off somewhere causing chaos with Remus

Janus:

He surprisingly liked school

The kid who always sat in the back and never spoke to anyone, but observed everything

But he was a stellar student

Always had A’s and all the teachers loved him

The other kids, however, were a different story

He was bullied some

But one day, Patton invited him to sit together at lunch and they just kept doing it?

It was never really spoken about, it was just something they did

He never talked to Patton, it was just enough to have someone there

But Patton always talked to him, and that made him happy

He would never admit that though

Had a HUGE crush on Roman, but no one knew that

Remus:

Only went to school to see Virgil

If Virgil wouldn’t have been there, you know no one could get him to go

He loved pissing off his teachers

He didn’t do his homework, but he did stay up for hours working out new ways to get suspended

He wasn’t in any clubs because why the hell would he spend his precious extra time at school?

He got arrested for the first time in freshman year

He was a chainsmoker, who knows where he got the money to pay for the cigarettes

(Don’t smoke, kids)

Okay he probably stole it from Roman or his parents

(Don’t steal from your parents)

Skipped class to do random shit around the building

#tss headcanon #sanders sides #Logan sanders #patton sanders #roman sanders #virgil sanders #janus sanders #remus sanders #sanders sides headcanon #high school!au #slight angst #tss

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all-yn-oween · 4 years ago

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Moceitweek2021- Day 1: Baking (I'm late but it's never too late to write some moceit, guys)

Day 1 : Baking

Summary : Patton stays awake a bit too long since a few days, and Janus gets worried. (Or everyone else wrote fluff, but I wrote slight angst with an happy ending-)

The night felt strangely calm. The floor wasn’t burning or covered with any slimy substance that Remus would’ve spread. Everyone fell asleep quickly, or at least, almost everyone.

Patton wrapped a blanket around his shoulders, and sat on the couch in the main area. He glanced over at the clock, and sighed in exasperation. It was late and, even though he kept repeating that he wasn’t tired, the bags under his eyes said otherwise.

He had promised to Logan that he would go to sleep early, but it was mostly so he didn’t have to lecture him about the benefits of having a good sleep schedule.

However, Patton was stubborn, and he just didn’t want to sleep now. While he hummed to himself, he closed his eyes. He subconsciously yawned as he leaned against the couch, almost lying down on it.

Today had been a rough day. Everyone was so busy, and Patton had to maintain a good mood in the mind palace. Still, Roman almost killed Remus because he had put peanut butter on his walls, it had freaked Virgil out and he didn’t stop hissing at the twins for the rest of the day while Logan was just watching the disaster.

That’s why Patton enjoyed some calm.

He loved his kiddos but he just needed to relax and he often took the evening (and night) to be ready for another day.

The good thing about that hour, is that no one else was awake. Of course, sometimes Virgil came downstairs to grab something hot to drink during his insomnia. Or Roman would sit next to Patton and complain about the fact that Virgil didn’t want to sleep in the Prince’s room that evening.

That happened sometimes and Patton kept telling Roman that Virgil needed some room and he knew that the Creative side didn’t have a real issue with that. But of course, he wouldn’t stop bitching about it.

And after a few hours, Logan would be the first to wake up and would come downstairs to drink a coffee. The logical side would ask Patton if he had slept here, and Patton would shake his head no to make him believe that he was just an early bird.

Logan wasn’t taken in by Patton’s lies, but he honestly didn’t know how to react. He had tried to tell him to go to bed at a regular hour everyday, and in a comfortable place, but Patton didn’t listen. Logan saw that Patton wasn’t feeling well but he thought that he wasn’t the best person to talk about feelings.

So he just made sure that Patton wasn’t getting overwhelmed during the day, handling the twins where they became unbearable.

For now, it was still 1 in the morning, and Patton was exhausted. His head was resting against the armrest of the couch and he had half closed his eyes. The blanket still wrapped loosely around his shoulders, he was waiting.

He looked down at his stomach when he felt an uncomfortable sensation. He wondered what it was when he heard it growl.

Patton sighed in exhaustion, now wasn’t the time to eat. Even though it was true that he hadn’t eaten tonight.

Patton started to close his eyes but he quickly reopened them when he heard footsteps. They were coming from the stairs so Patton thought that it might be Virgil or Roman.

He quickly sat up properly, which made the blanket fall at his feet. He bent down to put it back, and Patton saw Janus in the middle of the stairs when he looked up.

His eyes widened slightly. Why was he awake that late?

Patton stayed silent, mostly speechless, and he kept his glance on Janus as he approached slowly. Janus was wearing a yellow sweater, with a snake on it. Patton recognized that it was the sweater Thomas made them. He was staring at Patton, frowning a little in confusion.

When he arrived downstairs, he walked towards Patton and sat down on the couch.

The moral side quickly realized that he should talk with him.

“Hi kiddo! Are you.. are you okay?” he asked, with a happy voice.

It sounded a bit forced, but the intention was sincere. Patton really wanted to know how Janus was doing and why he was still awake.

“Awfully bad.” Janus replied with a concerned tone as he looked over at Patton tired face. “I shouldn’t ask you the same question in return-”

Patton chuckled nervously as he heard Janus, and glanced away.

“I’m just okay! Just enjoying some calm! Why did you come here?” Patton asked, as he looked back at him.

He felt like Janus was seeing through his lies and managed to read his features like an open book. It was a bit odd, but Patton let him do by staring at him, straight in the eye.

Janus rolled his eyes after some seconds, and gave him with usual smirk.

“Oh I totally wasn’t worried about you, so I didn’t decide to come.” Janus replied, his answer startled Patton a little. He didn’t expect Janus to notice that he was staying up late, especially since the snake hadn’t said a word about it.

“You had a rough day?” Janus added, catching on Patton’s surprise.

“I- Not really, it’s fine.. It wasn’t that checkered…” he chuckled lightly and shrugged.

“May I ask why do you come here every night?”

Patton stammered a little, honestly taken aback by the question. So he had noticed and he just waited for the perfect moment to confront him…

“I-.. it’s complicated-” Patton ended up answering.

He saw that it didn’t convince Janus, but he didn’t want to say something else right now. He was so tired, he couldn’t utter a word, and Janus seemed to catch on that as well.

“It’s fine. We can talk about it later. You should get some sleep, you absolutely don’t seem about to faint.” he reassured him.

Patton nodded in agreement, he didn’t remember the last time he had the chance to lay on his bed. He had spent all his nights on the couch since at least two weeks. Janus wouldn’t leave him alone until he would make sure that Patton was asleep in a proper room. Patton was ready to stand up to go upstairs, but his stomach growled again.

Patton looked away as his breath hitched. He hoped that Janus didn’t hear the noise, but the lack of other noises in the room made that possibility rather impossible. He slowly glanced over at Janus, who had already stood up.

The moral side was ready to say something, when he talked.

“No, you go in your bed, and I’ll bring you cookies.”

Patton stared at Janus, in shock. He wanted to protest, but he only stood up as well, looking up at him. If he was going to accept, he wanted to help Janus at least.

“Let’s made them together!” he added happily.

He wanted to sound awake and motivated, but his exhaustion made things less easy than usual. Janus shook his head and placed a gentle hand on Patton’s arm.

“No Patton, now is not the time to bake together. Go rest, please. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.” Janus retorted in a calm voice, kissing Patton’s forehead.

He blushed a bit at the kiss, as his eyes widened. He looked up at Janus, who had a caring smile on his lips. He wondered if the kiss meant something, he wanted it to mean something so bad. Yet, he was just too tired to ask about it, so he nodded simply.

“Okay.. Thank you Janus.” Patton mumbled, leaning into the kiss. He was often the one to initiate physical touch, but it felt nice to receive it and it made his heart flutter.

“Of course. I absolutely want you to starve to death or lack of sleep.” Janus replied as he let go of Patton’s arm.

He already missed it but didn’t say it. Patton nodded against with a soft chuckle.

“So do I..” he added, as he looked up at Janus another time before walking towards the stairs.

Janus maintained eye contact until he left, and then go in the kitchen to bake him some cookies. Cookies were easy and fast to prepare, and Patton loved them. He finished baking them, and walked in Patton’s room, gently knocking before entering.

Janus saw the moral side, wrapped around his blanket and hugging a plush close. He smiled softly, and closed the door behind him and putting the plate on the bed as he sat down on the edge.

Patton thanked him, and offered him some of his cookies that Janus accepted.

Patton didn’t exactly remember what they had talked about, it was just some nice and calm conversation that they could have. He started to fall asleep on Janus’ shoulder, lulled by the calming sound of his breaths.

-----

So... yeah I didn't know why it went like this but it's fine I guess? Now I have to get ready for day 2 (I'm really late but shhhh)

I love this fandom-

#patton sanders #janus sanders #moceit #moceitweek2021 #day one #slight angst #happy ending #we love cookies here #no beta read #sanders sides #roman sanders mention #remus sanders mention #logan sanders mention

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sanderssidesincorrectquotes · 5 years ago

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Remus: If I don't see you every day, I'll forget who you are! I'm like a goldfish!

Janus:

#sanders sides #thomas sanders #incorrect sanders sides quotes #sanders sides incorrect quotes #incorrect quotes #remus sanders sides #sanders sides remus #ts remus #remus sanders #remus #sanders sides janus #janus sanders #ts janus #janus sanders sides #dukeceit #slight angst #?????

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lio-the-chaotic-nonbeanie-weenie · 4 years ago

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Bruised Ego

Summary: Roman bruises easily. Literally. Painfully. He can only cover it up for so long before he breaks and needs someone to care for him. And maybe...it’ll be just enough to heal the bruises.

Pairings: Roceit, Creativitwins.

Warnings: bruises, slight bleeding, slight scratching, slightly unsympathetic Patton, Virgil, and Logan, obligatory Remus warning even though he’s not as Remus-y in this fic.

(A/N: Before you say that this looks stolen. It is NOT. I just used the same title as my head empty brain couldn’t think anything else. This fic has an entirely different idea. If I think of something better, I’ll change it. Until then, @impatentpending, I hope you don’t mind if I have the same title!)

Roman ‘Creativity’ Sanders was Thomas’ ego. He was bold and loud and proud. But everyone knows that egos can bruise. Quite easily so. In turn, that means Roman bruises easily. All it took was a single blow and the bruise would appear on his face. These bruises were much more painful and lasted longer than the ones he’d get from rough quests and play fights with Remus.

Whenever he’d feel one coming in, Roman would leave immediately and make a run for his room. He’d quickly cover it up with a thick layer of foundation then return to the others with a lie on his tongue and a fake smile. Sure, he could tell the others but they’d only tell him how ‘dramatic’ he’s being. So he kept his mouth shut even if a certain snake had his eye on him.

Today was no different. There was no video today but Thomas called a meeting to talk about future videos and to bounce some ideas around. That meant all sides, especially Roman, were needed. Soon, they were gathered in their host’s living area. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Roman was excited more than anything, holding his beloved red binder close as he waited anxiously to share his idea.

Janus, who had been watching him, couldn’t help but smile fondly at the prince. He finds the creative side cute like this, bouncing up and down with a stupid grin on his perfect face. Not that Janus would ever admit it out loud. The prince probably still hates him for the stunts he pulled in POF. He can only sigh softly and watch as Roman perks up when Thomas finally turns to him.

“Alright, Roman. Any ideas for future videos?” Thomas asks.

Roman nods happily, opening his binder. There’s an anxious look in his eyes and only Janus and maybe Virgil seem to notice it.

“Always! Now, onto the ideas!” the prince replies. “Idea one. Reacting to cute videos!”

“Well...it sounds fun but...I’ve already done so many reaction videos. Plus, there are already so many out there. I don’t think ours will get many views since it’ll be just like any reaction video.” Thomas shrugs.

“Oh.”

Roman’s smile falters with a slight twitch but he wills it to stay as he takes a deep breath. He summons a red pen and marks out the first idea.

“Okay then. Second idea. Some sort of music video. We’ve created many lovely songs and I figured maybe a more professional music video is in order with us in it.” he tries next.

“While that sounds interesting, we’ll need a big budget for that. Thomas’ rent and bills are due soon as well so it’s highly impossible to make a professional music video at the moment. That, and it would require Thomas to write a new song and get all the necessary materials. That cannot be easy for him.” Logan says this time, fixing his glasses.

A glint of hurt flickers in Roman’s eyes but it’s blinked away. He scribbles out the idea and looks down at his binder again. His fingers grip the edge of the binder in an attempt to hide their shaking. Janus notices this and frowns but says nothing.

“I-Idea number 3.” the prince continues, hoping no one heard him stammer. “T-Trying weird food combinations.”

“Again. Already been done by many youtubers.” Thomas sighs.

“We’d also be wasting food and making Thomas sick! And then we’ll get sick!” Patton adds, frowning in disappointment.

Roman’s smile wobbles but he manages to keep it there again. Scribble scribble. Another idea marked out. He looks back up and almost everyone is looking at him with big frowns. Swallowing, he looks back down at his binder and reads the next idea. Logan calls it childish. Scribble scribble. Roman reads the next idea. Thomas says it’s a bit much. Scribble scribble. Roman keeps reading the rest of the ideas and one by one they’re criticized, shot down with no mercy. No one even seems to notice how much Roman is shaking or how much his smile is threatening to break. Or the first tear pricking in the corner of his eye. Well, no one sees it but Janus.

By the time they get to the bottom of the list, Roman is trembling and his paper is marked harshly in red. He pressed his pen so hard that anyone that reads it could see the indentations. His head is bowed as he stares down at his ideas. He hears talking but it’s muffled to him. He feels a dull throb on the side of his cheek. Like someone punched him in the face.

“These ideas seem interesting, Roman. But you know I can’t do them. Some are just a bit too much.” Thomas tells him like he thinks it’ll soften the blow.

“Not to mention childish.” Logan adds quietly.

“Logan!” Patton scolds.

Virgil sighs and cuts in.

“Come on guys. Leave him alone. He tried. We’ll just have to think of something else. Wouldn’t be the first time anyway.” he huffs like he thinks he’s defending Roman.

Janus shifts awkwardly and turns to Roman for his input. Remus looks over as well, worry filling his eyes.

“Ro?” Remus tries.

Roman is still trembling, tears rolling down his cheeks now. They land on his binder with a soft pitter patter. But they’re not clear tears. His tears had washed off some of the thick foundation that he had carefully put on to hide the bruises he’d get whenever his ego was attacked. He looks up and everyone gasps as his bruises are exposed. Each one is red, black, and blue and are slowly blooming over his cheeks. Roman looks back at that, hurt and embarrassed.

“I-I’m sorry…” he chokes before sinking out.

“Roman, wait!” Patton calls but he’s too late.

Roman has left.

The sides look at each other then to their host. They begin talking amongst themselves, now feeling worried and guilty. They hadn’t realized just how bad they’ve been hurting Roman.

“I don’t understand. Why would he hide something like that?” Patton asks sadly.

“It’s odd. We’re merely facets of Thomas. Any injuries sustained can usually be healed quickly or disappears on its own. Has Roman always had those?” Logan questions.

“I honestly thought he’d be the type to never scar.” Thomas adds.

“Look, we don’t have all the facts. Maybe Roman’s been doing something bad to himself and we didn’t know?” Virgil tries.

“But it’s Roman! Why would he ruin his face like that?”

“Maybe Roman self harms?”

“Logan, no! We can’t just assume that! We don’t know the whole story.”

“Dude, seriously, Logan? Way to set the bar low. For all we know, Princey is probably just putting on a-”

“ENOUGH!”

Everyone startles as Janus suddenly cuts in with a hiss. The deceitful side’s snake eye glows and his fangs and tongue show for a moment before he calms down. He takes a deep breath before talking again.

“Clearly you all care ssso much about Roman that you’re standing here just talking instead of leaving to see him. But if none of you can even do that, then I will.” he growls. “Remus, you can come with me.”

Remus nods quietly and follows behind Janus as they both sink out of Thomas’ apartment. They sink back into the mindpalace, just outside of Roman’s room. Normally, Remus would’ve broken the door down like usual but he knew that now was clearly not the time for that. He lets Janus take the lead and Janus steps forward, knocking on the door.

“Roman?” the snake side calls.

The sound of fumbling and things falling and a few thumps are heard from the other side.

“Y-Yes?” comes the soft reply from the prince.

“It’s Janus and Remus. Can we come in?” Janus asks.

“U-Um, could you come back later? I’m very busy at the moment!” is the panicked reply.

Remus looks up at Janus and frowns, seeing the snake’s eye glow as the lie is exposed.

“Come on, Roman. You and I both know by now that lying to me never works. Please, let us in.” Janus tries again.

“I’m sorry but I can’t right now. Please, Janus. Just go.” Roman replies, a soft sniffle following and not going unnoticed by the other two.

Janus sighs and steps back, looking to Remus to try and help next. He knows the brothers have a strong bond deep down. Remus nods and steps forward, knocking on the door next.

“Come on, RoRo. You can’t hide in there forever. Just let us help you.” Remus tries.

“I...I really can’t...You don’t want to see me like this…” Roman replies, voice broken.

“Like what? Looking like shit? Roman, I don’t care what you look like, you’re my goddamn brother. I care more that you aren’t hurting and moping in your room like a sad sack. Please, Ro, whatever it is, we don’t have to tell the others yet, ok?”

It’s silent before some movement is heard.

“Royal promise?” Roman then replies, voice much closer now.

“Royal promise, big bro.” Remus answers, even doing the crown symbol above his head.

A beat of silence passes before the lock clicks and the door slowly opens. A disheveled and bruised Roman awkwardly shuffles out, a look of shame on his face. His face is a mess, foundation smeared everywhere and failing to cover the bruises. The bruises look much worse now and there are more in places other than his face. Two soft gasps are heard and Roman winces slightly.

Janus steps forward first, looking up at Roman. He softens when he sees Roman’s usually flawless face covered in such dark bruises. Before he can stop himself, Janus slowly reaches up and caresses Roman’s cheek. The prince squeaks softly in pain and Janus pulls back.

“S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Janus apologizes.

“I-It’s okay. I’m used to this.” Roman replies, gesturing to his cheek.

“But that doesn’t mean you should hide it from us.” Remus cuts in.

Roman sighs, gently touching his face and hissing softly before starting to scratch lightly at it.

“Then what? I just leave it there and let them see how much of an embarrassment I am to Thomas? How much I failed again? I’ve heard enough, Remus. I don’t want to go back there right now.” he huffs, turning to walk into his room.

“You don’t have to if you’re not feeling up to it, Roman. We’re not here to force you back out there. We just want to make sure you’re okay.” Janus adds, following Roman and Remus inside.

If they see his vanity a mess with its products strewn on the floor and its mirror shattered, neither of them question it.

“Yeah, you can stay here and mope. We’ll hang out with you if you want.” Remus adds.

Roman sighs again, moving to stand in front of his full length mirror. He usually keeps it covered because, in truth, he actually hates his reflection and only uses it from time to time to make sure he looks perfect on video shooting days or on trips to the Imagination. He looks at himself, still scratching away.

“Fine...but please, no comments on all of this. I’ve had enough as it is.” he sighs.

Janus nods then notices the scratch marks starting to form under Roman’s fingers, the blood drying in his nails and mixing with the messy foundation. He steps forward and takes Roman’s hands, pulling them away from his cheek. He doesn’t know why he’s doing this but it feels right.

“Roman, you’re bleeding. You should stop touching it. Have you always done that? The scratching, I mean.” he asks.

Roman shrugs.

“I guess? I never even knew I was bleeding. I just scratch at it because it itches sometimes.” he mumbles.

Janus frowns in concern.

“Well, now you know. If you’ll let me, I can clean that up and maybe it’ll itch less?” he offers.

“Why would you do that? Wait, why do you care about me?”

Janus wasn’t expecting that and flusters, averting his gaze.

“I...I guess I have some regrets for what I did and said to you the past month. I’ve been trying to figure out how to fix things but I didn’t know how beyond a simple ‘I’m sorry’ from me. I thought I’d take this chance to show you how sincere I am despite what I represent.” he admits.

Roman thinks and decides to play it safe first.

“How do I know you’re not lying?” he asks.

Janus, understanding why Roman would ask that, smiles softly and removes his right glove. He holds it up for Roman to see.

“But, I can understand if you decide not to trust me,” he adds.

Roman looks over Janus, searching for any signs of lies. Nothing. There’s no twitching or that deceitful spark in his eyes. Just sincerity and...the softest, prettiest, smile he’s ever seen. Wait...what? Where did that come from? He takes a deep breath, trying not to let the gay thoughts fill his mind.

“I think...I can trust you.” he says, flustering. “I-I mean, since Remus does.”

Janus chuckles softly and nods, flustering as well.

“Of course. Thank you, Roman. Will you let me help now?”

Roman nods and he’s led to his bathroom and sat down on the toilet lid. Remus sits by his feet, resting his head in his brother’s lap to distract him. Janus moves to look around for a first aid kit. The bathroom is a mess with Roman’s makeup and hair products everywhere. Empty foundation bottles litter the area around the sink. And when Janus opens the medicine cabinet, he finds more foundation bottles and makeup. He sighs and shuts the cabinet and moves to look in the sink cabinet.

Janus opens it and finds the first aid kit behind some bubble bath and other bath related things. He pulls it out and stands back up, shutting the cabinet and moving to stand in front of Roman. He then notices Roman hanging his head in shame, crying again and not caring that his tears are dripping into Remus’ hair. Janus softens and sets the kit on the sink counter before kneeling down and looking up at his face.

“Roman, what’s wrong?” he asks softly.

Roman sighs.

“I feel embarrassed. And…I’m sorry.” he mumbles. “I’m supposed to look brave and dashing...and I look like this...and you still want to help me even after I was horrible to you and unaccepting...I don’t deserve your kindness.”

“Oh, Roman…” Janus smiles sadly as he takes one of Roman’s hands. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Your bruises don’t make me-us...love you any less. And I hold nothing against you. I know you only wanted to protect Thomas and I do too. But I never meant to hurt you in the process. So I’ll say it again, I’m sorry. You’re not at fault and I forgive you.”

Sniffle, sniffle.

“Y-You do? Even if I laughed at you?”

“Even then.”

“Okay...I...I forgive you.”

“Thank you, Roman.” Janus smiles softly. “Now, I’m going to look at your bruises. okay? Tell me if I’m hurting you.”

Roman nods and Janus stands again. Janus then slips a finger under Roman’s chin and tilts his head up, looking over his face. The bruises are still dark and the one that was scratched is still bleeding but not as much. Janus continues looking over Roman, humming in thought.

“Does it look bad?” Roman asks quietly.

“Not as bad as the scales on my face.” Janus chuckles softly. “I just need to patch up your scratch mark. As for your bruises...well...a bruised ego may be hard to fix but not impossible, my prince.”

Roman flusters, caught slightly off guard at the nickname. That’s the first he’s heard it coming out of Janus’ mouth like that. And...it sounded so genuine. There was no sarcasm or malice or teasing tone. It sounded...warm. Not that he minded. It felt nice to hear it. He wonders if he can make Janus say it more. Oh no. He’s having gay snake thoughts again. He ignores the thoughts again and looks up at Janus as he remembers what he said about his scales.

“Your scales aren’t bad, Janus. They’re a part of you.” the prince says, resisting the urge to touch them even though his fingers twitch.

Janus finds himself smiling softly again, realizing Roman’s been making him do that a lot lately.

“I’m not sure what’s so beautiful about scales that get itchy and dry every other day.” he says, turning to the first aid kit.

“Well, scales sparkle beautifully in the sun. They also come in many, different beautiful colors. I’d say those are much better than painful bruises.”

Janus feels his heart...flutter. Weird. It’s never done that. He also feels warmth in his belly and in his cheeks. It’s a good thing he’s facing away from Roman. He wasn’t sure he’d have a lie for the blush on his cheeks. He wills the blush away and grabs some things from the kit. As he collects the things he needs, he hears Roman giggling softly as Remus whispers something to him.

“Just tell him, Ro!”

“I can’t, Ree! He’s gonna think I’m dumb.”

“What, no! The only dummy here is me. Dummy thicc at least!”

“Still, I’m not telling him.”

“Why not? It could lead into something fun~”

“Remus!”

Janus smiles fondly to himself, hearing the two twins giggling amongst each other. How long has it been since he last heard them together like this? No banter. No fighting or violence. No crying. No death threats and injuring each other. Just plain bonding and laughing. They were so young the last time he had heard it. He takes a moment to listen to them before turning back around just barely missing the slight blush on Roman’s face. He does notice that a few bruises have disappeared and the remaining ones have started to lighten. He then approaches Roman with some bandages, ointment, and a wet cloth.

“Okay, Roman, this will only hurt for just a few moments. Keep still, okay?” he tells the prince.

Roman nods and shuts his eyes so he doesn’t see it, feeling Remus’ hand squeeze his own as he waits for the inevitable pain. Then...he feels the cool, wet cloth gently and lightly brushing against his skin. Whimpering from the pain, he moves away a bit with a soft hiss.

“S-Sorry.” Roman apologizes sheepishly, feeling a bit embarrassed again for acting like this. He’s a prince for goodness sake!

“It’s alright. I know it hurts but you need to be taken care of. Just a little more and then I’ll patch it up, okay?” Janus soothes.

Roman sighs and nods, leaning forward again. He feels something squeeze his hand and he looks down to see his brother smiling at him. Roman smiles back softly and returns the squeeze. He then feels the cloth again on his cheek and it’s even more gentler than before. He looks up and…

Oh…

Janus was....really close to his face now. He can see that pretty snake eye concentrating on him. He could see the scales on his face, shining beautifully in the light. He could...He could easily reach out and touch his face. He could even ki-

Janus then pulls back, that finger goes back under Roman’s face and checks him again.

“Okay, cleaning is done. You did good, Roman. Now, I’ll just put a bandaid on it.” he tells him.

Roman blinks and nods, hoping Janus didn’t see him flustering as he ignores Remus’ quiet snicker. He watches as Janus turns around again and rummages through the first aid kit. Janus then turns back around with a small box of bandaids and some ointment. He returns to Roman and sets the bandaids down on the counter. He then opens the ointment and applies a little on his finger before setting the tube aside and attending to Roman’s face.

“Ooh, can I have some too?” Remus pipes in as he watches Janus apply the medicine to the wound.

“No, Remus. You can’t eat the ointment.” Janus chuckles softly.

Remus huffs.

“Boo. You never let me eat the ointment.”

“I know but it’s for your own good, Remus.”

Roman normally would have chuckled along but his brain had long short-circuited, feeling Janus’ bare fingers gently caress his skin. It just felt so...nice. He couldn’t resist leaning into it a little. Janus’ hands were soft and cool despite the scales on the other side of them. Roman actually wanted more of his touches. But the touch then suddenly disappears and Roman blinks and sees Janus now peeling a bandaid. He then feels the touch again for a moment as Janus sticks the bandaid on him. He forces himself not to pout when Janus removes his hand and turns away. A few moments pass before Janus turns back to Roman.

“Okay, are there any other bruises I need to know about?” he asks the prince.

“Well...I have a few on my chest, stomach, and back but they’ll go away.” Roman sighs. “Eventually.”

“Alright, well, I guess in the meantime you should get some rest for now. I can tell you’ve been hard at work, my prince.”

Roman flusters. There was that pet name again. He wants to keep hearing it more and more.

“I don’t know if you’d call those flopped ideas hard work. The others practically hated them. It’s so embarrassing.” he says, hiding his flustered face in his hands. “I honestly feel like I wasted mine and everyone else’s time.”

Janus sighs, taking Roman’s hands in his. He smiles softly as the creative side averts his gaze again, his face a darker shade of red. It makes the lying side soften even more, getting the courage to cup Roman’s face with one hand.

“Roman...Roman, look at me.” Janus says, looking him in those pretty eyes. “Your ideas aren’t what defines you. You are Thomas’ creativity. You are our prince. Princes are allowed to have bad days and fall apart. It’s going to be okay, Roman. When you’re rested and healed from these bruises, you’ll feel much better. I know confidence is hard to find but I believe in you. I know deep down that confidence is still there and you’ll find it again.”

Roman sniffles as he tears up again.

“Janus...y-you mean it? Or is this another lie that leads into a hurtful joke?” he asks though he leans into the deceitful side’s touch again.

“Search my eyes and tell me if I’m lying, my prince.”

Silence falls in as Roman gazes up at Janus’ mesmerizing mismatched eyes again. The softness and kindness he’d seen earlier only multiplied. There wasn’t anything negative that he could find.

“You...You really do mean it…” Roman whispers after a beat of silence.

“Of course, Roman. I can’t bring myself to lie to you again. Not after how I had broken your heart by mistake.” Janus smiles softly again.

Another sniffle.

“T-Thank you, Janus. For fixing things between us. Know that I do accept you now.” Roman replies.

“Thank you as well, Roman. Now, why don’t we rest in your bed and you can pick a Disney movie to watch.”

Roman blinks in surprise at Janus’ offer.

“Y-You’re not leaving?” he asks.

“Do you want me to?” Janus asks in return.

Roman flusters, smiling bashfully.

“N-No…I just...I didn’t think you wanted to stay with me…”

“Roman…”

Janus’ snake eye glows and Roman sighs.

“Okay...I might have...wanted to ask you and Remus to stay the night.” the prince admits shyly.

“There. Was that so hard to admit?” Janus chuckles softly, oddly finding the prince cute when he flusters like this.

“Oh hush, snakey.”

That only makes Janus chuckle more, flustering a bit at the new nickname.

“Alright, alright. But don’t worry, Roman. Remus and I will stay with you.”

Remus nods happily.

“Yeah! We did say earlier that we’d hang out with you while you mope!” he adds.

Janus chuckles again and Roman finds himself smiling small but softly again, the prince’s bruises another shade lighter once more. Some of the smaller ones had even faded away.

“So...Disney movie?” Janus smiles, offering his hand this time.

Roman’ smile softens.

“Sure.”

With that, Roman is led out of his bedroom and Remus happily follows. The three head to Roman’s bed. If Remus snapped his fingers and Roman’s vanity was suddenly clean, Janus and Roman said nothing about it. Roman snaps his fingers again and he’s changed into a plain white t-shirt and a pair of red sweats. Janus follows and is wearing his black with gold trim silk pajamas.

Remus comes in last, wearing a black Thriller t-shirt and green shorts. He also conjured up some snacks and brought along two familiar stuffed toys. A raggedy white bunny with red patches and a slightly but dirty green octopus with a mustache. It catches Roman’s eye and he looks up from his collection of movies to look at them.

“Wait...you...you actually kept those, Ree?” the prince says in surprise.

The duke nods happily, bouncing onto Roman’s bed with the snacks and drinks and stuffed toys.

“Yeah! Why wouldn’t I?” he says, holding the octopus one close as he smiles softly at him. “You made them for us, Ro. You royal promised that Squisyboo would always protect me from anything if I kept him close. And...Mrs. Fluffybottom was all I had after you left and I knew she was your favorite so I kept her safe. But I think she missed you more.”

Roman finds himself smiling softly once again as Remus presses the bunny into his arms. He holds the bunny close and joins Remus on the bed, sitting next to him as he looks at the bunny. Her green little outfit was still mostly clean and looks like it’s been sewn up in places. There’s a few faded stains but it doesn’t bother Roman. He still loves his bunny and he could still smell its strawberry scent. It was a small feature that Roman added as he loved strawberry scented things and wanted something that’ll keep that scent. He couldn’t resist anymore and hugged Remus. Remus was startled at first but immediately hugged back, eyes watering a little as he pulled Roman close. When was the last time they hugged like this?

“Thank you, Remus…” the prince whispers, a faint glimpse of his true smile showing for a moment.

“Of course, big bro.”

Janus watches for a moment, smiling fondly. It’s nice to see Remus and Roman together like this. They seem...happy enough with each other. Though, part of Janus wonders just how bad the light sides have unknowingly been hurting Roman for him to lose his real smile. He decides not to dwell on it too much and lets the brothers have their moment.

The brothers soon pull away and they all settle in for the movie. Aladdin was the chosen movie and it began playing. As the movie plays the opening chase scene through the market, the three start getting comfortable. Janus lays in between the twins. Roman lays on his right and Remus lays on his left. By the time Aladdin has met Jasmine, both twins are using Janus as a pillow as they’re held by three Janus arms each. If Roman and Remus’ hands are touching, no one says anything. The movie plays on and as Aladdin or, Prince Ali now, talks to Jasmine on the balcony, Roman pauses when he feels a hand in his hair. He looks up for a moment and sees Janus smiling softly at him.

“Is this okay, my prince?” Janus whispers, flustered.

Roman nods back, flustered as well. He shivers slightly when he feels Janus massage his scalp. Oh...that felt...nice. Even better than when Janus touched his face. He doesn’t resist leaning into Janus’ touch this time and relaxes as the movie continues. Soon, Jasmine is about to marry Aladdin and the three are much more at ease. Some of Roman’s bruises are much lighter now. Janus notices and frowns slightly, knowing there’s much more that Roman’s hiding. He knows how fragile his ego has grown and sees all the cracks in his self-esteem. He caused those cracks. Sighing softly, Janus turns back to the movie. Then-

“Hey, Janus?”

Janus looks down and Roman shifts awkwardly. Almost nervously.

“Go on, Roman. You can tell me.” he encourages softly.

Roman flusters at that, feeling Remus squeeze his hand.

“Do...you...really believe that I’m good enough?” he then asks in a soft voice.

Janus softens once again, now feeling warm inside. Why was Roman making him feel like this?

“Of course I do, Roman. I know you’re finding it hard to accept but I do. Your role as a side is just as important as everyone else’s. Even if some of your days are less colorful than usual. I wish you could see what I see. Or even what Remus sees. You’re still the creativity we know and love.” he tells them with his right hand up, watching one bruise vanish.

“But the others-”

“Never mind what the others think. They’re blind if they can’t see just how wonderful you are. They’re blind if they can’t see how hard you work or what you do to help Thomas. They’re blind if they can’t see the you that I see. Roman ‘Creativity’ Sanders, you are perfect enough to me. You are so much more than you think. And...you’ll always be mine and Remus’ hero.”

By the end of Janus’ little speech, Roman’s face was burning red. The prince squeaked and hid his face in his hands. He was totally not grinning like a dork. ...No, the gay thoughts didn’t win. Shut up.

“Januuuss!” he whines. “Why do you have to be right and good with words?!”

A few more bruises vanish.

Janus chuckles softly, uncovering Roman’s face and taking his hands in his. He sees that real smile returning. It was a beautiful sight and Janus hopes he can see it more.

“Don’t hide your beautiful face, Roman~” he grins. “I want to see you shine brighter than the stars.”

“Stooop!”

“Not until you admit that you’re good enough.”

“Nooo!”

“Roman…”

“You can’t make me!”

“Ro-”

Remus groans.

“Oh my god just fuck already! I can’t take the gay tension or your mutual pining anymore.”

Both Janus and Roman turn red now.

“Ree!” Roman chokes, smacking Remus’s shoulder lightly.

“What? You both are clearly hiding some sexual tension. I can feel it.”

“Ew! That’s even worse, Ree!”

Remus only cackles as Roman smacks him again.

“Well if you’re not gonna fuck, at least kiss each other so I don’t have to see you both being gay disasters.” he says, grinning as he gets two red faces in response.

Roman averts his gaze but a hand makes him look up at Janus who smiles at him.

“Well, do you want to do this, my prince?” Janus asks, caressing Roman’s cheek.

Roman places his hand over Janus’.

“I do but...what happens after we kiss? Are we going to be something more?”

“Only if you’re willing to try.”

“I am. Do you promise to be honest with me?”

Janus holds his right hand up.

“I’ll do my best for you, my prince.”

“That’s all I needed to hear.”

And with that, Janus leaned down and softly pressed his lips onto Roman’s. He lets go of Remus, ignoring the huff from him as he pulls Roman closer. Roman wraps his arms around Janus and kisses back, eyes fluttering shut. The warm feeling in their stomachs only grows hotter and hotter. For the first time in years, Roman feels loved and for the moment nothing hurts inside. He and Janus then pull away, looking at each other in awe. Janus is still smiling and now so is Roman. The two chuckle softly as they touch foreheads.

“Ugh, gross, now you’re both sappier than Aladdin and Jasmine.” Remus gags before grinning. “But I’m happy for you both. Janus, you fuck this up, I’ll make your cane fuck you.”

“Duly noted, Remus.”

Roman laughs and snuggles up to Janus. Janus pulls him close. Whatever pain Roman was feeling earlier had disappeared. It was odd at first to have Janus care for him but now he wouldn’t change it for the world. It just felt right. And Roman felt like he could do anything, knowing he had Remus and Janus by his side.

Then finally, the last bruise on Roman’s skin vanishes and...

He truly smiles.

#sanders sides #roceit #roman sanders #janus sanders #remus sanders #creativitwins #tw remus #tw bruises #tw bleeding #tw scratching #tw slight u!sides #ts angst #ts hurt/comfort #ts angst with a fluffy ending

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inkribbon796 · 4 years ago

Text

The Deal Ch. 3

Chapter 3: A Spade’s a Spade

Summary: Nate and some of the Light Sides go to retrieve Logan’s camera.

Chapters: 1, 2, 3

Nate and Logan made up the lion’s share of the conversation as they took Logan’s car. He did his best to answer the logical Side’s questions. Roman and Patton occasionally chimed in with questions of their own.

“It’s a soul splitter but it doesn’t work,” Nate had initially explained. “Probably because it’s Wil’s. I’ve never heard of a soul splitter not making demons but apparently, with Wil’s magic, bullshit is always possible.”

“None of us are demons,” Roman reminded. “If I was a demon, I would know.”

“Exactly, you would know,” Nate agreed. “Or you’d at least pass the aura test and Marvin conducted one on Virgil months ago. Either you’re all the weirdest demons I’ve ever seen, or you’re just perfectly weird humans.”

“We’re obviously humans,” Logan summarized. He was driving, so he had to keep his eyes on the road.

“Yeah, so as long as we keep it away from the other demons in the city, that apparently don’t live in the base already — I can’t believe King had a kid — it should be more than alright to keep it in the base.”

“Lunky’s so adorable,” Patton smiled.

“They eat glass,” Logan reminded.

“Least I know why Mare didn’t want to get near the base, that kid eats demon aura, they freak Mare out,” Nate commented.

“Really, that’s fascinating,” Logan commented. “Is it an issue of territory?”

“No, Lunky is to Mare, what Bim is to us,” Nate answered. “Spawnlings eat their weight in aura. Mare will probably be leery of being alone with Lunky for another two months.”

Silence crashed down in the car.

Logan didn’t quiet have the words to voice his thoughts. When he did he said, “That . . . is that what he’s doing?”

“Bim?” Nate asked. “Yeah, different demons collect aura differently. Bim just decided his way of collecting aura was by physically eating it.”

Then they reached Nathan’s neighborhood and even before Logan pulled off to a stop, they knew something was wrong.

The door was wide open.

“Shit!” Nate jumped out of the car the instant he could. “My dog.”

Logan was slower to respond and Roman pulled out his sword.

The heroes carefully stepped into the house. Nate was relieved to find his dog in his kennel.

“Did anyone hurt you?” Nate asked as he looked the dog over.

“Was it the hunters?” Patton asked.

“Probably,” Nate said and looked in a drawer to find a stack of magic books. “Maybe?”

Then he went to a separate drawer and found all of his supplies still there, “No. They haven’t been here yet.”

Logan looked around and saw all of Nate’s musical equipment and game consoles still in the house and unmoved. “Who breaks in and takes nothing of value?”

Nate thought for a second and went up to his office to find that something had been taken. On a small table was a broken protection circle. He called back down the stairs, “The camera’s gone!”

“What?” Logan demanded.

Nate checked through the top floor again, “It’s the only thing taken.”

“You were targeted,” Logan realized. “My outburst outside the bar may have contributed to that.”

“The Host must have known,” Nate guessed. “I wouldn’t have come back home for another couple hours if he hadn’t said something.”

“Is there any way to track it?” Logan asked.

“I need time to get enough residual energy to pick up a trail, hopefully there’s enough of that left,” Nate said.

“Maybe that snake took it,” Roman suggested.

“Now kiddo, we shouldn’t just go around accusing people,” Patton replied.

“But we should rule him out,” Logan realized, recalling that Janus had threatened to steal and destroy it several times.

Patton sighed in disappointment, and they finished locking up and Nate fed his dog before they left. Nate gathered the materials to perform the spell as they drove over to the Sides’ home and Logan rushed into the house. He found Janus and Remus packing up their stuff into boxes.

“Ahhh, Logan,” Janus greeted. “Just in time for the good news. We found a nice place out on the outskirts of town. Tell Virgil I am taking my Chicago record player back. No, he can not debate me on this.”

Remus poked his head out from a large box with a smile on his face, “I’m going to get to go skinny dipping with the gators.”

Janus rolled his eyes, packing up the box with Remus inside of it, but not taping it shut. “Yes, yes, just make sure you do it at night.”

“That is amazing and we advocate you finding your own place,” Logan started. “But have you seen the camera?”

“Which camera?” Janus asked, his tone guarded.

“Thomas’s,” Logan qualified.

There was a disgusted groan that came from Janus, he already turned away to start packing something else, “Logan, I have not seen that wretched thing since you brought it to your base. And if I ever see it again, it will be too soon.”

“Swear to me that you have not seen it,” Logan demanded quietly.

Janus made a scoff but when he saw Logan’s face he paused and put down what he was working on to take off his right glove off of his more human hand and raise it up, looking Logan dead in the eye, “Logan, I swear on Thomas’s good name that I have not seen it. I did not take it.”

“Alright,” Logan nodded.

“Alright!” Remus burst out of the box, extending out his arms.

“If I help you find the blasted thing will you let the matter rest?” Janus offered.

“I was not expecting your assistance but that would be appreciated,” Logan said.

“Good, now let me finish up here and make sure Remus doesn’t eat any packing peanuts and I’ll help you look.” Janus dismissed.

“Too late, snack mamba,” Remus winked and immediately coughed up a packing peanut.

Janus rolled his eyes, “Go, I’ll be along shortly.”

Logan thanked him again and left with his group to start the search, on the lookout for any hunters.

By the time Janus got out of the house, he almost debated not going to even look for it. Hoping that Logan had already found it.

He was poking around and asking some of his contacts, using the cover that Remus wanted a new rare trinket to destroy. So far he wasn’t having any luck.

Then he got a text from Logan: “Meet me by Helyx Bridge. Urgent.”

Janus quickly left the dive bar and headed for the location. Thankfully it wasn’t that far away.

Close to the bridge was Logan, facing off against a couple hunters. One of them was already knocked out while two of them were encroaching on the logical Side.

“Logic!” Janus called out, running over to him, when he was close enough he whipped out his shepherd’s staff and struck one of the hunters in the head. The hunter dropped to the ground and Logan dispatched the third.

“How fortuitous,” Logan commented, taking a second or two to catch his breath. “Were you following me?”

“No, I was merely in the area,” Janus confessed, watching Logan turn around and pick something up.

It was the camera.

“You found it,” Janus studied the camera for a bit. It seemed to be in the same condition as the last time Janus saw it.

“Yes, you must have come to a deal with Dark because he simply gave it to me,” Logan told him.

“Oh?” Janus managed. Something about that statement seemed off, he didn’t know what it was, but there was something . . . false about that statement.

“Yes,” Logan started walking towards the hero’s base and Janus followed him. “We can finally be done with this mess. This never should have been left at the base but if we must keep it there at least it will be safe with the Host.”

The two decided to leave before more hunters showed up

Janus kept Logan talking, being put more at ease the longer he did so. This was Logan, so what if he wasn’t completely truthful with the manner he procured the camera? That was none of Janus’ business.

They stopped right outside the Sides’ home. Janus happy to be leaving the place if Logan was bringing the camera back in.

Logan reached into his pocket, and Janus noticed the new wrist communicator on the logical Side’s wrist. The screen was thin and in the shape of a black spade symbol.

“New tech?” Janus could help but ask.

“Oh yes,” Logan answered, a slight smile on his face.

. . . Lies . . .

“I see,” Janus could help but respond, “your design?”

“No, Bing’s,” Logan’s smile widened as he started to draw on the camera.

Lies.

“My old suit was having some problems so I decided to try something else,” Logan continued to explain.

L I E S

With that lie, Janus finally saw little holes in what he was fairly certain was in illusion. Or at least the illusion was dangerously strong or aided by something else because Janus couldn’t see through it.

Then Janus actually saw what Logan was doing with the camera, what he was drawing on it, and it was the final nail in the coffin.

Those were magical spells, he was laying a spell on that camera. Right where Janus could plainly see and with no attempt to keep him from seeing it.

Even if Logan knew what sigils to place and how to use them, they wouldn’t do anything without magic.

This wasn’t Logan! It wasn’t him! Logan couldn’t do magic, he was the only Side who couldn’t.

“Why don’t you let me hold it,” Janus offered, trying to sound as calm as possible. “We can head back to the others together.”

The imposter let out Logan’s throaty chuckle as he calmly capped the pen and looked at the deceitful Side. “You know Janus, everytime I leave you be, you never cease to amaze me. So, here’s how this is going to go—”

Logan was frustrated as they kept walking around. He was flanked on either side by Nate and Patton. Roman at the rear of the group to keep an eye out for hunters.

“We’ll find it,” Patton tried to offer confidently.

“It has been three hours,” Logan reminded morosely.

“I’ll have Mare keep an ear to the ground if someone tries to pawn it off,” Nate decided.

“That’s not the part that worries me,” Logan grumbled. “Nothing else was taken, whoever stole it wanted that camera for what it was, not what it was worth.”

Then Logan’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out to see it was a message from Janus: “I found the camera. Meet me outside of your base.”

“It’s Deceit, he found it,” Logan announced.

“Really?” Patton let out a sigh of relief. “That’s so good.”

“Let’s get to the base before he breaks it,” Logan insisted, taking off in a sprint. “If he hasn’t already.”

When they got to the base, Janus was leaning against the closest street lamp to the base. In his hands was the camera. He spared them a quick glance. “I don’t know what’s worse: the sheer incompetence of how this thing disappeared or you leaving it in the storage room to begin with.”

Then he held it out and Logan accepted it quietly. He, mostly by luck rather than fate, noticed that the Side was wearing a wrist-communicator with a large blade spade-shaped screen.

“Now if my good deed for the day is done, I’ll be off,” Janus walked away, heading down the street and eventually turning out of view.

Logan waited an extra second, before holding it out to Nate, “Is this the same camera?”

Nate took it for a couple seconds, before passing it back, “Feels like it. I didn’t draw these symbols though.”

“What do they do?” Logan studied them.

“It’s a really high level containment spell, if anything was awake in there, it’s asleep now. The only thing that could probably wake it up is if we cracked the camera open.”

“I don’t understand,” Patton interjected. “Is there something wrong?”

“Something’s always wrong with him,” Roman added.

“I didn’t tell Deceit how exactly I had lost the camera. Only that it was taken by Nate in the base. Did you, Ro, or Virge tell him?”

“No,” Patton frowned. “At least, I didn’t.”

“I would never tell that jerk anything,” Roman defended. “And Virgil would never.”

“We should get this inside,” Nate interrupted.

Logan stopped, taking a deep calming breath, “You’re right, let’s go.”

The heroes rushed into the base to place the camera in lock up. Nate had one key, and Logan had the other so they could both access the camera anytime they needed or wanted to. Then the Light Sides, Virgil tagging along this time, rushed back to their home.

Only to find Janus, Remus, and all of the two Sides’ things gone from the apartment. Only a little bit of a mess, a couple flat boxes, and spare packing peanuts left in their wake.

And Logan failed to locate them for the rest of the day afterwards, realizing too late they didn’t even have the Dark Sides’ new address to track them down.

On the swampy outskirts of Gainesville stood a run down house that had been almost completely abandoned because it was said to be haunted.

Which was exactly why Deceit and the Duke had managed buy the property in the first place.

Deceit, or at least someone that looked like him, walked down the overgrown driveway with Janus’s shepherd’s crook in one hand and Remus’s octopus belt buckle in the other. He was humming a tune to himself. The instant he was through the front door and closed it, his wrist watch vibrated and instantly Deceit’s image blinked out of existence and there stood a figure in a full black suit, covered head to toe. A silvery-brass emblem of a spade on his chest.

The Spade walked past all the boxes of Janus and Remus’s belongings before he headed to a closet that led to a small elevator and took it down to a room a floor down. A workshop had been hastily assembled in the space and Spade placed the staff and the buckle in a magically warded case. The instant the case door was closed a force banged on the glass, as if trying to get out.

“Don’t worry, Janus, I won’t leave you in there forever, after all,” Spade smiled, his voice heavily distorted by a voice box, “we have work to do.”

#Superhero AU #Masks and Maladies #Thomas Sanders #Natewantstobattle #Logan Sanders #Roman Sanders #Patton Sanders #Janus Sanders #Remus Sanders #LAMP #Demus #slight angst #Demus fluff #magic #♠️#The Spade

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