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edupunkn00b · 19 days

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Progression, Ch. 1: Ready to Play

Photo by edupunkn00b

Ready to Play - Next - Masterpost - [ AO3 ] - Playlist

Day 1 of Dukeceit Week 2024: Sunflowers… totally not posted late

The Muse lay sprawled in sun-warmed soil, bright yellow and orange sunflowers towering over him, blocking most of the sun. Tiny hairs grew out of the thick green stalks surrounding him and he reached out, feeling their soft prickle like he could read the stories they had to tell by touch alone.

Now wouldn’t that be interesting?

But the stalks kept their secrets.

His fingers closed around the nearest stalk and he squeezed, sticky, acrid juice from its xylem seeping between his fingers and running up his sleeve. He laughed, tight and sharp and just this side of hysterical. Papa Bear was gonna be so mad if he stained his shirt.

The Muse laughed again, rusted nails in his throat.

Tears pricked his eyes and he squeezed them shut until his ears roared and his cheeks and neck were wet. When he opened them again, the sunflowers were gone, the sticky sunflower residue gone from his hands. The carpet by the door was rough against his cheek, textured to collect any stray dust or debris any of his visitors might track in from the outside.

Lucas had left him laying in his bed but he didn’t want to waste a moment of his visit with Jannie, so the second that damned door had closed, The Muse had scurried over to wait.

Jannie was now getting the same treatment he had, Lucas’ hands splayed over his skin, pressing in calm and peace. Pulling away the ache and hurt and panic that could set him off. Again.

It had been three fucking days since he’d last seen Jannie, last heard his voice, last touched his hand. His scars—the latest ones—were almost totally healed up the last they’d been together and Lucas and Papa Bear had even left them alone for a whole hour. But three fucking days?

It had been even longer since he’d last seen Ro.

The Muse closed his eyes and saw the sunflowers again. And waited.

“It is a temporary setback,” Janus murmured, relaxing against Lucas’ warm hands. He closed his eyes and let Lucas’ power buff away the edges of his disbelief.

But Luc couldn’t hide from him and his doubt rasped Janus’ mind. - “Temporary?”-

Janus covered Luc’a hands and nodded. “Yes,” he said aloud, wary of breaking his fragile concentration. He’d finished with Re and gone right to where Janus waited outside the twins’ wing. They only had four hours before Patton returned with the other two. That didn’t leave them much time. Especially if something went wrong.

“None of that now, love,” Luc murmured and a warmth washed over him, drawing away the worry and fear filling his lungs. “You’re right,” he said with more certainty than Janus heard in his thoughts. Janus clung to it anyway. “His last break was just a setback. This will work.”

Wrapped in the wisps of Luc’s power, Janus barely jumped when Re’s door flung open.

“Jannie!” A ball of noise and heat barreled into him, Re’s skinny arms wrapped tightly around him. The wave of fear and need and relief stole his breath and he held Re just as close.

“Jannie, you’re here! You’re here, you’re here, you’re here!” Tears thickened Re’s voice and the room around them grew dark and warm. Technicolored sunflowers shot up around them, leaves reaching for them and dusting Janus with their pollen.

“I’m here, Re, right here,” he said with words and thoughts. Gradually, the flowers around them shrunk down to a soft carpet of honeysuckle and mint.

Re nodded against his shoulder, fists twisted in his shirt. “You just came from work,” he said instead of asking.

“I did.” Janus kept his voice low and let his thoughts flow freely. Re was so much more coherent this visit, and the control of his flowers had been… different from before. “Ro reached out to me.”

Dandelions sprouted around him, tendrils creeping over his ankles and up his legs. Re trembled in his arms, shaking his head. “It didn’t hurt! It didn’t hurt either of us, I promise! Ro stayed outside the room the whole time, we just talked and played music and—“ His words fell into a babble, leaving only the fear in his thoughts as the flowers tightened their grip on Janus’ legs.

-“Re, I know,”- Janus didn’t bother with words, not with Re so close to the edge. -“I know,”- he repeated, carding his fingers through Re’s hair. No-one wanted to keep the brothers from each other but when Patton and Luc had needed six hours to calm Ro enough to stitch up his wounds from Re’s thorns…

Separation between the brothers had become increasingly required.

“No-one’s in trouble,” Janus promised. “Everything’s alright.”

“Really?” Re’s eyes were impossibly big.

“Really,” he said, smoothing back his hair.

Re’s eyes slipped shut and the ground softened beneath their feet. “Wanna cuddle?” he asked, smiling when Janus nodded.

Janus blinked and he was on his back, Re curled over his chest. “We could actually lie down, if you like,” he chuckled. “Not just in my mind.”

“Everything’s in your mind, Jannie,” he laughed, rich bells ringing out. “We’re just skipping the middleman.”

@imnotgrimimjustagrumpyreaper

#Progression #sanders sides #dukeceit #demus #platonic dukeceit #dukeceitweek2024 #ts remus #ts janus #ts lucas #The Mad Lads universe backstory

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8-bit-fanfic · 6 days

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004. a dark bus stop lit only by street lights

trigger warnings: angst, ambiguous ending

They were headed in opposite directions, waiting on different busses. Remus sat with a backpack full of his things at his feet, Janus stood under the rain to let it catch on his beanie. It was getting soaked.

There was one streetlight that worked here, just one, and it was somewhat close to the bus stop. It gave Remus the creeps, but Janus didn’t seem scared.

“Say, where did you say you’re going again?” Remus asked loudly.

Janus glanced at him. “Seattle. You?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “Can I come with you to Seattle?”

Janus laughed. Remus deflated and looked down. There goes that. But Janus seemed to realize Remus wasn’t kidding, and he came to kneel in front of Remus.

“How old are you, kid?”

“I’m twenty two,” he said in annoyance.

“Sorry,” he laughed. “You kind of look like a teenager.”

“Well, how old are you?”

“Twenty nine.”

Remus looked away. “I can’t go with you, anyway. People would think you’ve kidnapped me if I look like a teenager.”

“Or they’d just think I’m your older brother,” he said again.

The thought of Roman sent daggers in Remus’ stomach. He nearly doubled over. “Yeah,” he said weakly.

Janus reached out a hand. Remus took it, and stood. As the bus pulled in, Remus boarded, leaving his bag behind.

He didn’t want it anymore.

#platonic dukeceit #dukeceit #janus sanders #remus sanders #gray writing #sanders sides #sanders sides fic #fanfiction #fanfic #sanders sides fanfic #sanders sides fanfiction #remus angst #hurt/comfort

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naminethewriter · 4 months

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Not So Jolly Christmas

It is once again time for the @sanderssidesgiftxchange! This year I wrote for @authorgirl0131 who wanted a story about Janus and Remus' first Christmas with the Lights Sides as well as some Hurt/Comfort. I hope you enjoy 💛

Read here on Ao3

Summary: Janus and Remus spend their first Christmas with the Light Sides. One in particular isn't amused.

Content Warnings: Christmas, Virgil is pretty mean to Janus, Janus is caught in a self-hate spiral near the end, Cursing, Hurt/Comfort, Hopeful Ending

~~*~~

“J-ANUS!” Remus yelled as he crashed into the door to Janus’ room and before Janus could open his eyes, the other was on top of him.

“It’s Christmas! You need to get up! I wanna annoy my brother!”

Janus groaned and slowly opened his eyes, flinching at the brightness of his room. Remus’ sharp grin was only inches from his face and Janus pushed him away with all six of his arms.

“Yes, yes, I know,” he yawned, slowly sitting up. Remus bounced of the bed, and he didn’t stop bouncing as he circled around the room, not standing still for even a second. Janus couldn’t blame him; this would be the first time in forever that he spends the holiday with his brother.

Patton had invited Janus to join them on Christmas day at the beginning of the month. When he had just raised his eyebrows at the suggestion, Patton had quickly tagged on that Remus would be welcome as well, under a few stipulations. Janus’ brow had wandered higher.

“Yes, a wonderful idea of you to invite us behind the others back, that won’t cause any problems at all!” he had scoffed.

“Wha—? No! No, I asked the others. Logan said he didn’t mind, just that I should tell him early on if you agree to come so he has time to organize the presents. Roman and Verge weren’t… thrilled by the idea but they agreed that we should try to get along, for Thomas’ sake. Roman insisted though that Remus had to follow some rules if he wants to come.”

Janus knew Patton wasn’t lying but he could hardly believe it was the truth. Virgil said okay to him and Remus coming? Ever since he left, things had been… more than a little strained. Sure, they hadn’t had the best relationship even before then, but now Virgil met them with animosity whenever he saw them.

Still, he couldn’t turn down the offer if it meant that Remus could finally spend more time with his brother.

“Alright,” he said slowly. “What are these rules then?”

“It’s just about the gifts!” Patton reassured. “Roman said that Remus can’t get us anything that is alive, rotting, sharp, or deadly. Or any combination of those.”

“That’s… fair enough, I suppose. I��ll ask him and get back to you.”

“Please do!” Patton had beamed as if he had already said yes.

Of course, Remus had agreed enthusiastically, which led them to Christmas morning.

“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!” Remus whined as Janus swung his feet off the bed and into his slippers.

“I do need to get dressed first, Remus,” he reminded.

“Oh, pft, no you don’t! We could both just go in our birthday suits!” He shimmied his shoulders and Janus rolled his eyes fondly. Despite his words, Remus had come to his room fully dressed.

“You said you would behave, Remus. And Patton said that they usually wear their Christmas sweaters, and that we didn’t have to but I like mine, so I’ll go put that on.”

“Ugh, fine! You’re no fun anymore.” Remus threw himself on the bed dramatically as he pouted. Janus didn’t pay him any more attention and disappeared into the bathroom.

He walked to the sink and splashed some water into his face before taking a deep breath. He couldn’t share Remus’ excitement, on the contrary, he was dreading the day more than he looked forward to it. Yes, Patton would do his best to make them comfortable and Logan would be polite as usual, but the other two? Well, Roman would probably be preoccupied by dealing with Remus but that would also mean that Virgil’s focus would be mainly on him.

And that was not an inviting concept.

But he had agreed, so now he had to get through it. If only for Remus’ sake. He again splashed his face with water and got moving to get ready.

When he came back out of the bathroom a few minutes later, fully dressed and a bit more confident to face the day, Remus was crawling along his ceiling on all fours. At least this time he wasn’t secreting slime.

He let himself drop and crashed into the floor when he saw Janus, practically vibrating with excitement again.

“Can we go now?!”

“Almost,” Janus chuckled. Remus’ face fell but Janus knew that he could improve his mood with just a few words. “I have an early present for you.” Immediately, Remus started actually vibrating on the spot, looking at Janus with big eyes.

“What is it? What is it?”

Summoning the box into his hand behind his back, Janus revealed it to his best friend with a flourish. Remus grabbed it greedily, tearing in the wrapping paper and pulling off the lid as soon as he could. Inside laid a thin, green collar with a metal box that kept the ends together.

“Uhh, pretty!” Remus laughed, pulling the collar out of the box with much more care.

“It’s a shock collar,” Janus explained and immediately Remus’ eyes snapped to his.

“For real?” he asked, overjoyed.

“Yes, but—” He grabbed a hold of Remus’ arm before he could put it on and try it out. “For now I have disabled the highest settings. I’m giving this to now because I want you to try and use it to stop yourself from going on your lovely rants the other love so much.” His tone was sarcastic, but his eyes were serious and Remus nodded.

“I get it. Fun impulse control so I don’t fuck it up for us in the first five minutes.”

“Remus—”

“I know, I know. We’re starting small or whatever. I’ll have my fun with this, thanks Banana Bitch!”

Janus sighed but dropped the topic. “You’re welcome. I’ll let you have the full range of options tomorrow, I promise. Now, let’s head to the others before you explode on me.”

Remus whooped, grabbed Janus’ arm and dragged him out of the door.

Janus let him.

This was going to be a long day.

~~*~~

As they arrived downstairs, Janus took a moment to survey the scene before announcing their presence.

(Not that Remus would hold back for his sake, which meant he had until Remus found something to throw himself at. Literally.)

He spotted Virgil and Roman in the living room together, their backs towards him. They were leaning on each other and probably looked at something on a phone together. Patton meanwhile was in the kitchen, humming jovially to the Christmas music playing at a comfortable volume. Logan he couldn’t see, though he presumed he’s helping Patton.

“RO-BRO!” Remus yelled, storming towards the couch and throwing himself into Roman and Virgil’s laps. They both started cursing and shoving at him immediately. Janus decided he wasn’t going to deal with them on his own, so he headed for the kitchen instead.

“Janus!” Patton greeted happily as he saw him enter. “I’m so glad you made it! Remus joined the others in the living room I assume?”

“Yes, he did. Merry Christmas, Patton.” Janus let his eyes wander around the kitchen as he spoke, spotting Logan at the kitchen table, absorbed into a crossword. “And merry Christmas Logan.”

“Merry Christmas to you too, Janus!” Patton laughed while Logan just mumbled, “To you as well,” without looking up from the paper in front of him.

“Don’t mind him, he does one of those every morning and he won’t let the holidays stop him,” Patton smiled, and Janus simply nodded. “Would you mind helping me set the table for breakfast? We’ll do presents first, of course, Roman was already cranky that we had to wait on you to start.”

“Sssure.” The involuntary hiss made Janus flinch slightly – he might be more stressed by the unfamiliar situation than he realized himself – but Patton either didn’t notice or knew not to comment on it as he waved him over to load plates into his hand that he was supposed to place on the living room table.

After only a minute or two they had everything settled and Patton laid a hand on his shoulder.

“Thank you very much for the help, Jan! I really appreciate it.”

“I expect your firstborn in exchange,” he replied dryly and the other laughed.

“But you’re all my kiddos and I don’t actually know which one of you is the oldest!”

“Right.” Janus knew he was being short, but his eyes had wandered over to Roman, Virgil and Remus. Remus seemed to be rambling about something and the other two looked like they would rather be anywhere else. He wondered why they hadn’t tried to stop him.

“Are you nervous?” Patton asked. He was suddenly a lot closer, whispering close to his ear and Janus flinched for the second time that morning.

“No, not at all. Why would I ever be nervous?” Patton didn’t immediately answer but Janus could see in his eyes that he didn’t believe him.

“I understand. But I’ll do my best to make it comfortable for you two, too.”

Janus wanted to bite back, make a witty comment and shrug off the unpleasantness in his stomach but his tongue went dry, and he couldn’t get a word out. So he settled for nodding instead. Patton nodded back and grabbed a plate of cookies off the table.

“Alright, everyone is here so let’s start the day, shall we?” he called, bright and cheery. Janus almost got whiplash from how quickly he had changed his tone.

“Ugh! Finally!” Roman groaned. He grabbed Virgil’s arm and pulled him away from Remus to sit on the other end of the couch. Remus stayed on the floor, a manic grin on his face and Janus could see the movement of his hand in his pocket as he pressed the shock collar remote. The twitch that followed the voltage was almost imperceptible. He remained silent.

“Yes, I have finished my crossword and am ready to give you my undivided attention,” Logan said as he entered from the kitchen. He walked towards the couch with certain steps and took a seat. “Good morning, Remus and merry Christmas.”

“Merry Shitmas, dork!”

Patton laughed uncomfortably at Remus’ returned greeting but didn’t comment on it. He moved towards the Christmas tree that Janus had heard had been created and decorated by Roman. Underneath it sat multiple sets of presents, ten of which Janus had placed there himself during the night, both his and Remus’.

Janus swallowed before moving around the couch to take his own seat. He could tell the moment Virgil noticed him because his gaze felt like a blade trying to dig into him. He gave him only a short glance but that was enough to see the deep distrust in his eyes.

He ended up sitting next to Logan and doing his best to not look over towards Virgil.

The gift giving went mostly smoothly. Patton called a name and that person picked one present of their pile to open. He started with Roman – probably because the prince would have thrown a fit otherwise – and continued with Remus, then Logan, Janus, Virgil and lastly himself. A few presents in, Patton got too distracted by his excitement over what he received that he forgot to call names and Roman just got up, grabbed the rest of his pile and asked who else wanted theirs, too.

The roomed dissolved into loud chatter and yells of excitement. Janus quietly unpacked his gifts – a self-knitted scarf from Patton that had a few holes here and there, a nice bottle of wine from Logan (which he was stopped from opening immediately), a pair of socks from Roman and a blanket from Remus of which he could adjust both temperature and weight. Virgil hadn’t given him nor Remus a present. Janus wasn’t surprised.

His given gifts were received well, too. Patton loved the scrapbook materials and Logan closely studied the motive of the 1500 pieces jigsaw-puzzle. Roman begrudgingly admitted that the fountain pen he had given him was tasteful. He was sure the golden accents and his engraved name helped. Remus cackled manically as he unwrapped his whetstone. His weapons would be even more deadly know, he promised.

At the end only one gift remained wrapped, which Patton pointed out, looking at Virgil quizzically.

“Why’d you leave that one, ki— Virgil?”

“I’m not opening it.”

“But why—?”

“Leave him be,” Janus spoke up, having recognized the wrapping. Virgil stared at him as he said it, his jaw clenched, non-verbally challenging him to agree with Patton and force him to open it.

“But it’s rude towards who gave it to him—"

“He doesn’t have to open it if he doesn’t want to, I don’t mind.”

He’d imagine Virgil wouldn’t have opened Remus’ gift either if Remus hadn’t threatened him to do so with his morningstar. Now Mr. Fuzzy sat with Virgil’s other presents, probably to be thrown into the trash the minute Virgil could get away with it.

(Janus did his best not to think about how much work Remus put into making him.)

Patton looked between the two of them, most likely torn between not wanting to start a fight and reprimand Virgil for being so confrontational.

He settled on, “If you say so,” and called them to the breakfast table.

The tension quickly left the room as they gathered around the table. Roman started bragging about how he gave the best gifts this year which Virgil immediately teased him for, and Remus argued that his had been better. Patton and Logan chimed in occasionally, but Janus kept quiet for them most part. He didn’t want to draw attention to himself again.

The rest of the day passed similarly. They moved from activity to activity (boardgames, movies, etc.) and Janus let the others talk. When he did contribute however, Virgil more often than not shot back with some passive aggressive statements, no matter what the topic had been. Patton tried to get him to stop but Janus waved it off, pretending it didn’t bother him.

Those times Patton didn’t catch him lying.

~~*~~

Then it was time for the last activity of the day. Apparently, it was tradition for the Light Sides to go out to a snowy landscape Roman created to enjoy the chill, drink something warm and light a few sparklers. Janus wasn’t enthused about the idea on grounds that he was cold-blooded and going out into the snow would surely lead to him loosing his precious body heat but he participated nonetheless.

Especially since it gave him an excuse to stay farther away from Virgil.

He took the longest to get ready, as he needed to wear more layers than anyone else. He was in the process of pulling on a second jacket, standing close to the door that would lead him outside to the cold where the others were already waiting.

Well, almost all of them.

Virgil passed him, lightly knocking into him. It didn’t hurt but it certainly got his attention.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to pull here,” Virgil hissed. He stood in the doorway, blocking Janus’ view of the others.

Isolating him.

“If you think you can fool me by playing the good guy, then you’re wrong. I know you. I know your tricks and your lies. And you always lie. You’ve got some kind of agender, you always do. But newsflash, your stupid plans never really seem to work out, now do they? The wedding fiasco for example. You should leave before you ruin this too.”

Virgil didn’t wait for his response. He turned back and headed outside. He was greeted by Logan who pushed a steaming mug into his hands with a smile. Past them, Janus could hear and just make out the twins having a snowball fight that Patton seemed to be refereeing.

They seemed to be having a pretty good time.

Without him.

Janus left.

Before he could really think about it, he was back in his room, shrugging off the jackets, then the snow pants and more layers until he was left with a long-sleeved shirt and leggings. In a daze, he crawled into bed, under his many, many blankets.

Virgil was right. He didn’t belong there. He had been awful to Roman during the wedding affair. To Logan, too, if he was honest. Patton may have found common ground with him but maybe that was build up on false pretenses. He didn’t really know him after all.

Would Remus even be his friend if they hadn’t been stuck with each other for all those years?

Maybe he would leave him too now.

He wouldn’t begrudge him for it.

Remus deserved so much more than him.

He was just a manipulator.

A liar.

A snake.

Unlovable.

Unlov—

“Janny!”

The blankets are pulled away from him and Janus gasped, wide eyes finding Remus, who stood above him with a worried expression.

“Hey there, snakey. Those didn’t sound like nice thoughts to have.”

“Remus?” Janus’ voice was weak and he only now noticed he was crying.

“Yeah, it’s me. You didn’t come outside, so I got worried. C’mon, sit up.” Gently, Remus pulled Janus up so he could sit leaned against him. Then he pulled a blanket around his shoulders. And not just any blanket but the one that Remus gifted him this morning. The weight settled nicely around him and Janus sighed, relieved.

“Here,” Remus pushed the controls for the blanket into his hand. “Put in what you need.”

“It’s already good, thank you.”

“You wanna talk about it?”

“Not really.”

“Okay. Just let me ask one question.”

“Alright.”

“Was it Virgin?”

Janus couldn’t help the flinch. Remus growled lowly but didn’t move.

“He couldn’t leave you alone for just one day, could he.”

“Please Remus, I don’t wanna think about it more now.” Janus knew if he started now, it would be opening a can of worms and as much as Remus would enjoy that if he meant it literally, he didn’t and didn’t have enough energy to do so metaphorically.

“Fine. Cuddles for my snake now, a mace to the face for the emo tomorrow.”

Janus didn’t argue in the moment but they both knew that he wouldn’t let him get that far in the morning. For now, they just sat in silence, Remus holding him in a loose grip. After the tears stopped, he made him drink some water and afterwards offered to put on a movie, but Janus just wanted to sleep.

Remus helped him settle down, sitting next to him and quietly complained about his brother to provide background noise so Janus didn’t get lost in his thoughts again.

Then there was a knock on the door.

Janus really didn’t like how much he flinched today.

“I’ll get it,” Remus mumbled and got up. Janus felt like a coward but didn’t move. He couldn’t deal with any of the others right now.

“Oh, Remus. I didn’t know you were here.”

That was Patton. Why was he here?

“Yeah, well, Janny’s my friend. What’s your excuse?”

“I noticed Janus never joined us outside, so I wanted to check on him. I know him being cold-blooded made the weather less than ideal for him, but I thought he’d come out at least for a little while. And after Virgil said all those things… Well, I got a bit worried.”

Oh, wow.

Patton actually cared.

Janus knew that, of course, but he hadn’t realized to what extent.

Remus glanced over to him; thankfully he was hidden from Patton’s view.

He didn’t want to be seen like this by anyone but Remus.

“Yeah, that was a shitshow. But that’s a discussion for another day, Janny’s asleep and I don’t wanna wake him.”

“Oh! Sorry to have bothered then, I’ll come by tomorrow. And I’ll have a talk with Virgil, promise. I can’t force him to get along with you, but he shouldn’t have said all of those things.”

“Sure. Bye now, daddy.” Remus closed the door in Patton’s face before he could respond and returned to the bed. “You heard all that? He’s gonna be back tomorrow.”

“Yesss. Thank you, Remus.”

“No problem. I’ll let you sleep now.”

Janus didn’t register himself moving until he was already holding onto Remus’ sleeve tightly.

“Don’t go. Please.”

He hated how small his voice was but the idea of having to be alone was even worse.

Remus blinked a few times, surprised, but then he grinned and quickly climbed onto the bed next to Janus.

“Fuck yeah, sleepover!” With a giggle and wiggle he pressed himself tightly against Janus’ back and hugged him. “Gonna cuddle you so hard we’ll melt together over night!”

Janus made a face.

“I’ll make you bathe at least every other day.”

The hold loosened a bit.

“Fine. No melting.”

“Thank you.”

“Sure thing! Melting or not, I’ll always be here for you, Janny.”

Janus couldn’t help the smile that stole itself onto his face.

“Same here, dukey.”

Remus giggled at the nickname but didn’t say more. Quickly after Janus could tell he had fallen asleep as his breathing evened out.

He yawned, getting sleepy himself.

Maybe one day the two of them will find their place along the others, to help Thomas be whatever he wanted to be. But for now they had each other and nobody could take that away from them.

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littlerat2 · 1 month

Text

School Dances Suck... Most of the time. (Part 1)

Summary:

A highschool AU where everyone is struggling through Junior Year! When Janus is forced to go to a school dance, he usually just sits in the corner with Virgil and Remus. But this time, they have dates, and Janus doesn't. There will be multiple parts. I don't know how long this will be, but I've been thinking of expanding on everyone a little bit :)

Words: 1875

Warnings: None that I can think of for this one part, but please, please feel free to let me know if you think I should add some.

AO3

Author's Note: Apologies if there's any issues with spacing or formatting. It's my first time posting a fic on Tumblr, or, well, anywhere. I'm a tad new at this, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it in time!

Janus sat alone in the corner of the gym. He hadn’t expected to be alone tonight.

Virgil was always his resident loner friend at school functions. Neither of them wanted to be there, but their parents always insisted. So the two always sat in the same spot and talked. And sometimes, Remus would keep them company too. But tonight, even Virgil had been dragged away to the dance floor by Roman. Remus had even managed to convince Logan to dance with him smack dab in the middle of the gym.

So Janus sat alone, counting the minutes until he could go home, and watching his friends dance.

Janus scrolled Tumblr on his phone for as long as he could before it got boring. When it eventually did, he returned to his spiteful watching of the crowd. But before too long, he heard someone sit down next to him. He turned to see Patton.

He’d only met Patton a handful of times. They sat next to each other in their AP Psychology class, but Janus didn’t talk to him much. Other than borrowing a pencil or charger was the extent of their interactions. But Janus had heard of Patton from others. He was friendly with everyone, very generous, and kind. Most people were at least acquaintances with him.

“Hey, Jan!” He beamed.

“Hello, Patton.” He turned to face him, adjusting his hat.

“I like your skirt!”

That’s right, he’d worn his new favorite outfit. If he was going to be forced to sit in a gym with a bunch of people he didn’t care to know, listening to shitty, outdated music, he was at least going to look good. He wore a brand new silk skirt that lapped at his ankles, with a simple black blouse, topped with a black shawl with yellow rimming, and a big, floppy black hat. And to top it all off, half of a masquerade mask over the aged burns on his face.

“Thank you,” he said, smoothing his hands over his skirt as he did. Patton nodded, smiling. “Why are you sitting alone?”

Janus scoffed. “Because Virgil and Remus abandoned me! “ He huffed. “Our parents make us come to every school dance, and we sit right here and hate it together. But this time, Virgil has a date.” He hissed the word ‘date’ like a curse. “And Remus managed to extort Logan for a dance too. So I’m here. Alone.”

“Oh, Jan… That doesn’t sound fun. But, aren’t you happy they’re enjoying themselves?”

“Obviously,” Janus snapped, regretting it immediately upon seeing Patton wince. “Sorry.”

“That’s okay,” Patton said, incredibly patiently. Janus didn’t know how he managed.

“I'm glad they're happy. But I'm still here. Alone.”

“Well, you're not alone now.” Patton stood up, offering his hand with a smile. “What do you say? Treat me to a dance?” He asked hopefully. Janus looked at his hand for a moment, blinking.

“You? Dance with me?”

“You don’t have to,” Patton said, looking a little dejected.

“No, that’s not what I meant. I just- won’t people look at you weird?”

“Why would they?”

“Why wouldn’t they?” Janus motioned toward the singed side of his face. “I’m not really high on the social ladder here, Patton.”

“So?”

“You are.”

“And why would that matter?”

“I-”

“Just dance with me, Janus,” Patton said with a softness Janus had never heard from him. Patton’s voice was always gentle, but this was a different kind of gentleness that Janus couldn’t quite place. He couldn't say no to that.

He took Patton’s hand, and watched his face light up. Patton guided Janus to the middle of the gym, and started dancing with him. And god, he was terrible at it. He’d not only stepped on Janus’ toes, but someone else’s. He was a hazard. But it brought a smile to Janus’ face. He looked at Patton and held back a laugh, taking both of his hands. He led with the grace of a professional. Patton seemed surprised by this.

“What? Didn’t think I could dance?” Janus asked, a slightly amused smirk on his face.

“I- well, I didn’t think you’d be this good at it!” Patton admitted. “You said it yourself, you don’t like these dances.”

“Years of practice, darling.”

“Do you dance a lot?”

“Not by choice. My parents have had me in lessons since I could walk.” Janus rolled his eyes. He felt Patton hesitate. “This is the first time I’ve really enjoyed dancing.” He said, and Patton seemed to brighten at that. “Well, a real dance, anyway.”

“What do you mean, a real dance?”

“Well, sometimes Virgil, Remus, and I will dance in the rain, but it’s not like… a real dance. It’s more of… frolicking.” He looked down to see Patton smiling fondly.

“You three are close, huh?”

“Yeah. We grew up together. They’re… They’re like my family. More than my actual family, even. I mean, not my mom. She’s great.” Janus smiled softly. Why was he telling this to Patton of all people? He barely knew him. But something about the man was so easy to talk to. Like he’d listen for hours, no matter what you were talking about. Before he could treat himself to that rabbit hole, Patton’s voice lured him from his thoughts.

“Aw, that’s great! That’s kind of like Roman, Logan and I. What do you say we check on them?” Patton looked around, pointing to Logan and Remus, who had now migrated to the outskirts of the gym. Remus had Logan in an awkward looking hug, but Logan, surprisingly, was smiling, very wide. Remus seemed to be happy, so Janus was satisfied.

Next was Virgil and Roman. They weren’t hard to find at all. Roman usually commanded all of the attention in a room, and tonight was no exception with his red, sequin covered skirt. He stood by the DJ, whispering to them while Virgil stood off to the side. Then, a moment later, a Paramore song started blasting through the gym. Virgil’s face bloomed into a smile, and Roman pulled him close, dipped him dramatically, and said something to him. Whatever it was, it seemed to have flustered him, as his face turned beet red.

Janus burst out laughing, but his gaze was soft. “It’s been awhile since Virgil has looked at anyone like that. It’s nice to see him so happy again.”

“Same with Logan. Don’t tell him I said this, but he gushes about Remus all the time,” Patton giggled.

“Come to think of it, Remus has been talking about him a lot too.

They seem to understand each other… somehow.”

“Awww.”

“Even I don't understand Remus,” Janus said fondly. He didn’t know what possessed him to say what he was about to say. “I don’t really know Roman that well, but Logan seems cool. And you… I’d like to get to know you more. And the others. If, um, if you wouldn’t mind.” His head caught up with his words, and he cleared his throat, his face suddenly hot.

Patton smiled. “I think I’d really enjoy that.”

“Good,” Janus said, looking away awkwardly. “So, um, Remus, Virgil and I usually go to dinner after these kinds of things… Would you like to join us? You can bring Roman and Logan. I’d be happy to pay for all three of you.”

“That’s a lot of money, Janus,” Patton said, a bit of a guilty look on his face.

“Money is just an object. My parents and I are far from struggling. Really, I insist.”

“I don’t think Logan will let you pay for him.”

“He can suit himself. But I’m still paying for you.”

“I pay for half of it.”

“Deal.” Janus chuckled.

The Paramore song Roman had played for Virgil now faded into slow, soft music.

“Do you want to leave after this song? Remus doesn’t really like slow dances, and Virgil is usually tired of this many people by now. And, I think I usually see Logan reading in the corner by now.”

“Yeah. But I still have you for this song.” Patton gave him a look, and smiled. “I’m not great at this, but-”

“Not to worry! I can show you. Just follow my lead.” Janus felt himself smiling wider as Patton nodded, determination in his eyes. As Janus led, neither of them said a word. Patton was concentrating, mostly staring at their feet, trying to copy Janus’ movements. When he got a vague grasp of it, he looked up at Janus, smiling wide. Janus had a small, fond smile on his face, too.

Janus took Patton’s hand, spinning him around. He was a little flustered, but adjusted quickly, with a few bright giggles. Janus felt a few laughs bubble up in his stomach as well. He had this warm feeling in his chest, and his face hurt from smiling so much. What was this? Why did Patton have this effect on him?

Any other time, he’d back out right now. Leave, and never look Patton in the eyes again. He was already in too deep for his liking. He’d asked Patton to dinner for fucks sake! But if Virgil and Remus had found people they tolerated, why couldn’t he? Besides, after tonight, he didn’t expect many Patton-free days, even if he tried. And he wasn’t sure he wanted many Patton-free days, after all.

He felt at ease. His friends were happy, Patton was happy. And, he was happy. He would be content to sway with Patton all night. He closed his eyes, taking in the peace of it all.

Maybe getting close to Patton wouldn’t be so bad.

He hadn’t even noticed the song had ended, before Remus bumped into him, hard.

"Hey, Jan!”

“Hello.”

“So, what are our dinner plans tonight? I was hoping that maybe…”

“I already offered to bring Logan when I invited Patton.”

“Awesome!” Remus cheered, pumping his fists in the air. That earned a soft chuckle from Logan behind him. “Virgil asked if we could leave soon. It’s a little loud here for him.”

“Yeah, we’ll go in just a second. Could you go get him? Tell him to bring Roman too.”

“Are you feeling alright, Jan? You hate people.”

A laugh escaped Patton, but he quickly covered his mouth.

“I'm feeling particularly generous tonight, Re. It's been a rather nice night.” He smiled, his eyes flicking towards Patton for just a second, though he wished his gaze could linger on the other man.

Remus raised his brows at Janus with a smug look.

“Fuck off.” Janus shoved Remus lightly. “Go find Virgil! And take Specks here with you.” He flashed an apologetic look toward Logan, who waved it off, seemingly unbothered.

“Fiiiine. We'll meet at your car.” Remus scurried off, dragging Logan behind him by the arm with no warning.

Janus turned back to Patton, melting as he smiled.

“I think we should do this again,” Patton said, and Janus' chest felt warm again.

“My family hosts a spring masquerade every year. If you'd like to come, I'm sure my mom would be delighted to know I'm coming with someone this year.” “I'd like that.”

Janus decided to test his luck. “Then, it's a date.”

Patton went red, but he smiled. “I can't wait.”

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oldkamelle · 2 years

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rat and snake, what crimes will they commit

#remus sanders #janus sanders #platonic dukeceit #oldart #thomas

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halfhissandwich · 2 months

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Janus likes using his disguises to tease Remus lol

#sanders sides #virgil sanders #remus sanders #janus sanders #love remus’ totally canon crush on virgil #dukexiety #platonic dukeceit

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dystopiagnome · 2 years

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Your honor, they’re my emotional support assholes.

#platonic demus #platonic dukeceit #tss janus #tss remus #this is to distract you from anaroceit week #but also your honor I do love them #I think they’re shitheads

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moss-sprout · 3 months

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Just thought of a really funny fanfic idea: Remus committed an illegal crime and Janus is assigned to be his criminal defense lawyer in court, but Remus is making Janus' job *really* difficult in making him seem innocent

#dukeceit #platonic dukeceit #lawyer aus >>>

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ask-nico-and-the-sides · 1 month

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Remus, how you holding up?

Janus: WHO HURT MY BESTIE

#sanders sides #remus sanders #janus sanders #platonic dukeceit

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edupunkn00b · 13 days

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Progression, Chapter 5: Killer Inside of Me

Photo by edupunkn00b

Prev - Killer Inside of Me - Next - Masterpost - [ AO3 ]

If only Roman and Remus could solve their problems the way they used to. Written for @imnotgrimimjustagrumpyreaper's @dukeceit-week-2024, Day 5: Cowboys

Warm air spilled from an ancient vent over his door and The Muse pressed a cheek to the grate, breathing it in. Jannie’s cologne, a pot of rice and onions on the verge of burning… bearing grease and singed wire insulation… soap bubbles and steam.

The house was quiet. It was late, the rice probably set for Papa Bear's favorite congee. A door swished somewhere upstairs, faint. Maybe only imagined. Maybe not.

Palm pressed flat against the wall, he fought past the buzz of his shield, reaching for tiny hints of the world beyond his four walls. The shield scorched the edges of his mind and sent the room spinning. He clawed at the wall, seeking purchase in the layers of antique paint and wallpaper. Bile churned in his stomach but he breathed in the scents of home again and smiled.

Flowers.

The flowers weren’t really there in the house. It was winter and the only growth outside was kudzu and stubborn blackberry, but he smelled flowers. Ro's flowers. The Muse inhaled again. Red trillium and hibiscus and posies. Roses.

He was on his way.

His makeshift ladder clattered to the floor as he scrambled down, forehead pressed to the window so he could watch the glow of the elevator’s lights. They dimmed then brightened with each floor change, the peak joined with a near silent thud when the elevator reached the bottom floor.

“Ro!” he shouted through the door, watching light bleed over the basement floor from the now open elevator. “Ro! Ro, you made it!”

Shock widened his brother’s eyes when he stepped into view and The Muse dragged a hand over his face. It came away damp, a rusty smear of sweat and blood staining his fingertips. “It’s okay!” he grinned, hand pressed to the window. “See? It’s healing!”

Ro swallowed, throat bobbing, but he pushed a smile on his face and nodded. “It is,” he said, too quiet to hear but carefully articulated so The Muse could read his lips.

They’d gotten good at that.

Reaching into the bag strapped to his hip, Ro pulled out a pair of work gloves.

“Virge’ll kill ya if you mess up his favorite gloves.”

Ro just smiled and pressed a bare palm to the controls.

The door slid open.

The Muse leapt to his feet, hands out at his sides. “Ro,” he whispered, careful, quiet. Contained. Too loud and Ro might leave. Too loud and Ro might disappear.

“I promised Virge I wouldn’t damage them when I borrowed them,” he said, pulling on the gloves and tucking them up into his sleeves before stepping inside. “May I hug y—”

The Muse barrelled into him before he could finish the question. To his credit, Ro kept his feet, shoulders nearly as broad as Papa Bear’s and arms thicker than The Muse’s thighs hugging him back.

“Missed you, Ro,” The Muse mumbled, tears sneaking past closed eyes. Poppies sprouted around their feet, spreading and looping over the floor, over the boots abandoned by his nest of blankets in the corner. Soft red petals poked between the salvaged paper books on the shelves and green tendrils reached for the gap under the door and the grating in the wall.

Heavy and perfumed, the air tasted syrupy sweet and The Muse’s eyes grew heavy.

“Re, careful,” Ro choked, holding his breath, one gloved hand cupped over his mouth and nose.

Blinking away tears, his eyes burned and he used his sleeve to dry Ro’s face. “It’s okay, it’s…” Mouth gone dry, he shook his head. -”It’s okay, Ro Bro,”- Thoughts came easy and Ro smiled. -”It’s okay.”-

It was too much. It was too much and Roman knew it, but he couldn’t make himself let go. He couldn’t really remember the last time Jan had let them visit but it certainly hadn’t been alone, with Jan and Lucas on guard, watching, waiting.

It had been a good thing then, too.

But this time could be different. They had a plan this time, and they were both older, stronger. They could do this.

The cloying scent of poppies filled Roman’s lungs and he shook his head. -“Re, let up,”- he mumbled along with the thought, but couldn’t voice the words. He tried again, pushing clarity into his thoughts. -”Re, I won’t be able…”- He hummed, waves of poppies softening the floor beneath their feet. He sat down and smiled up at his brother. -”All we need is a good horse and we ride out of town together.”-

Re laughed and sat in front of him. Legs criss-crossed, their knees bonked against each other’s. -”I’ll get the horse. You’ll need to get us past the Sheriff and his men.”-

-”Child’s play!”- Roman scoffed, grinning even as flowers filled his mouth and dragged them both to the floor.

Child’s play.

Alarms blared, red lights flashing along the crown moulding and illuminating the darkened bedroom. Janus and Luc leapt out of bed and ran to the common room. Patton and Virge were already there.

“Ro’s room is empty,” Patton said, a panicked warble in his voice. He reached back gratefully when Luc took his hand.

“He’s not outside,” Virge said from behind his new tablet. The bluish glow deepened the shadows under his eyes and he shook his head. “He’s… Dammit. He’s downstairs.”

They moved to the elevator as one.

“I should’ve asked why he wanted work gloves,” Virgil muttered, swiping and tapping at the screen in search of a better view into The Muse’s room. “I shouldn’t’ve—”

“Kiddo, it’s not your fault,” Patton squeezed his shoulder and smiled. “You didn’t know.”

“I should’ve asked.”

“Would he have been honest about what he'd wanted them for if you had?” Janus frowned. If anyone should’ve known…

They piled out and into the hall, freezing when they saw The Muse’s door swung wide open.

“Stay here,” he ordered the other three. “I promise I’ll call for you if I need help.” Patton opened his mouth like he wanted to argue but nodded, wrapping one beefy arm over Virgil's shoulders. Luc stood a bit behind them, arms crossed over his chest, but he remained silent, eyes a dim amber.

-”Be careful, love.”- Worry seeped through Luc’s ironclad control. -”Be gentle.”-

-”Always.”-

In the room, Ro lay sprawled on his back, head pillowed in his brother’s lap. Blood trickled from his nose and his mouth and his eyes danced, wide and unseeing. The Muse curled over him, stroking back his hair and whispering frantically near his ear. He didn’t look up as Janus approached.

“Muse? Ro?” Janus tried aloud from the doorway, his quiet words carrying easily into the near-silence of The Muse’s room.

Neither brother acknowledged his presence. He closed his own eyes and stepped through the EMF shield.

Dust and grit whirled around him and he pushed past a mass of thigh-deep tumbleweed. “Muse? Ro? Where are you?” He squinted against the scrape of sharp sand and spotted shifting shadows in the distance. The sandstorm’s roar swallowed his voice and he tried again. -”Muse? Muse where are you?”-

-”I’m in my room, Jannie…”- His words came from behind Janus and he spun on the spot, grasping at empty air. The sand scoured his bare skin. He’d run down in sleep pants and nothing else. -”Where else would I be?”-

-”Muse, let me help you,”- Janus called back. -”Let us help you.”-

-”Help?!”- The word rattled through his mind, echoing and layering. -”Help? You want to help?”-

-”Of course I want to help!”- Lightning flashed and fat, heavy raindrops pattered the ground. The sand grew soft and muddy and he sunk down to his ankles. -”Muse! Muse, stop this!”-

The storm fell away and Janus was alone in an empty room. Floorboards gleamed without a speck of dust or dirt to be found. Soft light spilled from windows set high along the walls. -”Muse?”- he called, quieter.

-”You want to help?”- a tiny voice asked and Janus looked down into the bright green eyes of the child he’d first met fifteen years ago.

Janus crouched until he was low enough to see the child at eye level. He nodded. -“Very much so, Re.”-

Nodding solemnly, the little boy turned and picked up something from the floor behind him. -”Take care of him, then,”- he sent in a whispered thought as he placed Ro in his arms. -”Help him.”-

“Patton, take him.” Ro’s whimper filled his ears the moment they stepped over the threshold and back into the protected hallway. The Muse closed the door behind them. "Please, Pat…"

Janus stumbled, shocked by the full weight of the much more muscled Mad Lad in his arm when he left the bubble of The Muse’s Illusion.

Patton rushed forward, scooping Ro up in his arms and steadying Janus. “I got him,” he nodded and examined Janus’ eyes. “Are you—”

“I’m fine,” Janus lied. He felt Luc’s eyes on him but he pressed a smile onto his face. “Take Ro up to the medbay,” he said, looking up to include Virgil in his order. "I'll be up in a moment."

Quietly, they complied, filing into the elevator and leaving Luc and Janus alone in the hall.

Luc was suddenly at his side. “He needs more control,” Janus let the wall—and his husband—support his weight and his eyes fell shut. “He needs more practice. This shouldn’t—”

“He needs a purpose, Jan. An outlet. When was the last time you’ve let him leave HQ? When was the last time you’ve even let him leave that fucking room?”

“What, so he can put more Eastern guardsmen in the hospital?”

“Would that really be so terrible?" Luc's voice was soft. Reasonable. "Would you rather he hurts Ro again? Or that we help him put his power to good use? That we put all our powers to good use?”

“The Muse is not a weapon." Ro's blood covered his hands and he scrubbed them on his pants. "He would be mortified at what he’s done. The ones who survived are still hidden away in padded cells!”

Luc stroked his hand. “Just like he is, love?”

Rage and fear boiled under his skin and Luc stepped back. Janus stood up straight and met his eyes, embers glowing under ash. “It’s not the same and you know it!"

-Are you quite certain of that?-

Luc raised an eyebrow, unspoken words heavy in the air between them as he turned and walked away.

#Progression #ts remus #ts janus #dukeceit #platonic dukeceit #demus #dukeceit week 2024 #The Mad Lads #Meus ex Machina #sanders sides #remus sanders #janus sanders #the others are there too #roman sanders #ts roman

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