#gem is a boa constrictor bc it was the first snake to pop into my head lmao

[spicycreativity]

Roceit - 3, 81, 307?

Whoops haha hey remember these prompts I specifically asked for and then only filled half of

Roceit + "Wow my pet snake looks so cute this morning and I’d be even happier if I actually had a pet snake" [307]

I haven't written for this fandom in a while, so forgive me if my characterization is a little rusty!

Roman awoke to a warm weight on his chest. It was almost pleasant, or would have been if he could breathe. He shifted a little, feeling out the contours of it with his body as his mind woke up.

His eyes flew open with the sudden realization— he slept alone.

A flat, scaly snout greeted him, mottled browns and blacks blurring at the proximity. But he wasn't too close to recognize the general shape, the slit-pupiled eyes.

A snake.

There was a snake on his chest. A big one.

Roman swallowed and fought to keep his breathing even. If this was some sort of twisted prank by Janus (or worse, his brother), freaking out could only make the situation worse. Janus and/or Remus would probably love to see him cry and flail like some sort of bumbling sidekick. So he had to keep calm.

But how exactly did one remove a gigantic snake from their chest?

Before Roman could pursue that line of thought, a whisper punctuated the silence. "Gem?"

Footsteps shuffled in the hall. The snake cocked its head, doglike.

"Hey, Gem?"

Roman's door, which should have been firmly shut, creaked on its hinges and swung further open. Janus poked his head in and froze, mismatched eyes meeting Roman's

"Ah."

"Looking for this?" Roman asked, carefully metering his tone to keep from disturbing the snake.

Janus entered the room properly and crossed his arms. "Do you make a habit of stealing other people's pets?" he drawled. "Should I keep an eye for a giant spider, too?"

"Hey!" The snake shifted and Roman bit his lip. "I didn't do anything; I just woke up with this… this thing on my chest."

"Oh, very nice." Janus crossed the room and scooped up the snake, which began to coil around his torso like an enchanted scarf. "Did you hear that, Gem? Our resident Disney prince thinks he's too good for you."

Roman braced his palms on his mattress and sat up. "I didn't say that," he said, cautiously eyeing the snake's face or any sign of hurt feelings. A thin, dark tongue flicked out and Roman smiled despite the strange situation. "Gem?"

"That's her name," Janus said slowly, but without any hint of condescension. Almost like he was hesitating. Like he was… shy. "And… I suppose, if you wanted, you could pet her. Just don't bend her scales back."

The textured surface of Gem's back was cool under Roman's fingers and for a moment, he wondered if Janus' face felt the same way. If it felt nice, to have your scales petted. His face warmed and he looked down, coming face-to-face with his own sculpted pecs. Well. No wonder Janus was acting so awkward.

Still, there was something warm in the way it made him feel, that Janus kept his eyes downcast. He made a show of stretching to let his covers fall further down his waist, exposing the waistband of his sleep pants.

Sure enough, Janus shifted his weight and coughed a little and pulled out two more arms to pet Gem in three places at once.

"So why did I wake up with your snake in my face?" Roman asked, and immediately regretted his choice of words.

"Oh," said Janus, reeling his energy inwards, "I put her there to mess with you, of course. I just came in here pretending to look for her as part of a comedy bit. What do you think, did you laugh?" When Roman only scowled, he sighed and added, "She can open doors. She likes to wander the subconscious sometimes."

"Hmm…" Roman looked at his door, bright cherrywood reflecting the imaginary sunlight streaming in from his window. "I must have forgotten to lock my door."

Silence descended upon them. Roman bit his tongue. He hadn't spent much time alone with Janus, not since… everything. It was almost pleasant to have something to talk about that wasn't a point of great existential dread.

Something mundane and scaly and cute.

"Well," said Janus after a few more excruciating seconds, "I suppose we should be going now." Without waiting for a response, he turned to go.

"Ah," said Roman, seeing him already almost at the door. "If you and Gem ever want to come visit when I'm wearing more clothes, I um. I don't think I would mind that."

"I'll have Gem's people talk to your people," Janus said, but Roman could have sworn he winked before shutting the door.

#spicywrites #sanders sides #trivia here since theres not rly a good place to put it in the post: #gem is a boa constrictor bc it was the first snake to pop into my head lmao #the name is short for 'geminus' #geminus being one of the god janus' epithets: janus geminus #it means 'twin' #presumably a reference to janus (the god)'s 2 faces but i didnt bother to check