#remus and janus just being tender and loving | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

a-small-batch-of-dragons · 1 year

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Undergoing Restoration

Prompts: Hi, I absolutely loved Out of Commission! You're so amazing at Roman angst, oh my gosh. If you would like, I would love to see a sequel to this where Logan Patton and Virgil learn to be more gentle with Roman, but no pressure at all, I love what's there already! - anon

hi! so uh i’ve been lurking and reading every last roman angst you’ve written and i figured it’s time i throw out a prompt (it’s cool if you’re not taking any at the moment).

So how about some roman angst with some creativitwins where Remus gets protective and pissed after finding out how shitty the others are towards Roman. I’ve been wanting more of that after reading part 3 of Snap. - lio-the-chaotic-nonbeanie-weenie

Read on Ao3 Part 1

Warnings: rejection sensitive dysphoria, self-destructive behavior, self-doubt, self-esteem issues

Pairings: dlampr

Word Count: 8019

Nothing lasts forever, not even good things. Especially not good things. Everything comes to an end—and some would argue that’s what makes them so special, what makes you truly appreciate what you have when you have it—and everything begins again.

Even the bad things.

Roman sighs, rubbing his cheek against the pillow as he curls up under the blankets. He still hasn’t regained full use of his hands, not even with the help, and so he’s resigned himself to flopping around a bit just to get his head on properly before he eventually falls asleep.

This isn’t a good night. Frankly, it never is, not when his hands keep aching and his body keeps doing its best to persuade him that he deserves to be shot for what happened earlier. Which is stupid, it’s stupid and awful and horrifying and he hates it, hates it, but he’s incapable of holding something precious in his hands and not breaking it open to see what makes it so special.

…alright, seems he has to eliminate licorice root tea entirely if it’s going to make him this dramatic.

Except if Thomas ever does theater again. Then he’s gonna slam a mug of that right before the performance and call it a day.

He grumbles, turning for what feels like the eightieth time that night and settling onto the cool side of the pillow.

What really isn’t helping is that he can’t figure out why Janus was being nice to him earlier. Remus is—Remus is his brother and he loves him, loves him so much it hurts because how could Remus love him back—except he does because despite everything Remus is good and Roman, Roman just isn’t, not like that—but Remus helps him because he loves him.

How could someone like Janus ever love him? After all he’s done to him, because of him, how could he ever hope for anything more than begrudging tolerance?

But no, Janus was kind to him earlier. Offered him a place to sit on the couch, somewhere to stay while the world moved too fast around him, and then he—he—he held out his hands and asked for Roman’s and he helped.

Roman tugs his arm up to look at his left hand. It flops back and forth, still getting used to the feeling of being used once more. If he concentrates, he thinks he can still feel the rough texture of Janus’s gloves against the worn and weathered skin, brushing down his palm, his fingers, everything. He can still remember how gentle Janus was, how achingly tender, and how soft and sweet he’d been at the table too, asking for the other one and caring for it silently, hidden beneath the surface where no one else could see.

But…but why?

Does Janus want something from him again? Did he mess up too much and now he needs to be controlled? Do they need to—to condition him to get help as long as he behaves?

A spark of rage flares in his chest, sputters, and dies under the oppressive weight of the cold pit yawning once more, spreading and spreading until his hands flop lifelessly against the covers. He muffles a whine and buries his face in the familiar smell of the fabric.

It’s cold.

God, he wants to sink into the mattress and never have to move again. Wants to let the cold swallow him whole and just make him stay, make him not go out because he gets hurt out there, he doesn’t want to be hurt anymore.

Especially because he knows, he knows if he ever dared breathe a word of this to someone who isn’t Remus, they’d laugh at him or scoff and say that he should be so dramatic.

The spark crackles defiantly, straining against the cold. Do they think he chooses to be like this? That one day he woke up and decided that yes, he wants it to be so he can’t even tolerate vague feelings of rejection or disappointment without feeling like his body wants to tear him in two? That he wants it to feel as though everyone has to walk on eggshells around him because he’s so breakable, so fragile, and he can do whatever he likes because they aren’t? Do they think he’s so weak-willed and stupid that he thinks he can get away with insulting and belittling others only to cry like a baby when they so much as defend themselves?

Is that what they think?

That he’s doing this on purpose?

Don’t they understand that he hates it? He hates feeling so fragile, so breakable, so fucking stupid that he can’t so much as breathe wrong without feeling like he’s going to hurt and lose the ability to use his hands. Don’t they understand that he’s not telling them because he’s trying to make it easier? They shouldn’t have to walk on eggshells around him, they shouldn’t have to be so careful about what they say in the vague promise that they’re going to hurt him, he doesn’t want them to know so they won’t look at him like that.

Like he’s breakable. Like he’s fragile. Like he’s made of finely spun glass, shattered at the slightest brush of someone else.

Roman squeezes his eyes shut and another whine muffles itself in his throat.

An idea springs to the front. A horrible, stupid idea that will not only not help him in the slightest, but will run the risk of Remus finding out how bad he is and coming right over to help, not let him wallow in how miserable he’s becoming.

Yes, that’s probably a good idea, and yes, that’s what he’s supposed to do, but the lure of quick and easy hurt is too much.

So, with useless hands and trembling legs, Roman gets out of bed and stumbles to the Imagination door, pushing it open and staggering onto an empty stage.

The theater is silent. The seats are empty. The lights blare down with unyielding exposure.

He stands, ready to be flayed.

“I am incapable,” he mumbles, the words to the old poem rolling off his tongue, “of holding something in my hands and not imagining how it would break.

I toy with paperclips until they snap,

I bend the metal until it gives under my broken fingers

And I toss away the remains,

Reaching for the next one.

Sometimes I keep a broken piece, twist it around and around the part of my thumb

Because that is all I know how to do.”

Roman looks down at his useless hand and watches it shake.

“To carve bits of myself and see what remains.”

Is that not what it is to create? To break yourself into smaller and smaller pieces and scatter them like seeds?

“It becomes a game

To see how long I can hold something and resist the urge to break it

I don’t want to break things but

I am good at it.”

He swallows, a lump forming in his throat as he looks up into the lights.

“But when you have a hammer every problem looks like a nail,” he croaks,

“I have been hammered into round holes as a square peg

Enough times to know. You do not

Fix

Something like me,

I am not meant to be flexible.”

And isn’t that just the worst irony? That Creativity cannot bend and shape itself to whatever needs suit it?

Roman swallows again, the lump building and building in his throat, until he has to spit out the next words.

“I would make a terrible mother.”

The theater is silent.

“Do you know how easy it is

To fuck up a child?

How easy it is to mold them, twist them, break them,

So much can be done by doing so little

Or nothing at all.

Do not give me your children,

I will only ruin them.

That is all I know how to do to things when I hold them for too long, I break them.

Children should not be broken and

Remade and

Broken again.

Do not give me your children,

I don’t know how to not break myself.”

Broken hands, broken ideas, broken prince.

“Your daughter will look at you one day,” he warbles, clutching his chest, “and ask

Am I pretty?

And you will want to grab her and shake her and say

Of course you are,

You always will be,

Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise,

But you will also want to say

To relieve her of the awful burden of being pretty

But it will come out of your mouth wrong.

Pretty is not the rent you pay to exist in the world as a woman.”

Roman takes a shuddering breath, his arms aching and chest heaving as he faces the relentless silence.

“How could I justify

Bringing a child into the world

If not because I love them and want to see

A human grow

A person become

A someone?

I do not want a baby

A child

A teenage

An adult

And to be a parent needs to want

A baby

A child

An adult

And to want each moment and stage

And to love a teenager

Even when the can’t love anything but the notion of

breaking.”

Roman looks down at his hands and turns them over, legs shaking from the effort of holding himself up.

“Do not give me your children,

I can’t hold something without breaking it.”

And oh, what a delicious irony that is. It goes down like spoiled milk.

“People expect you to say sorry when you break things,” because that’s all he ever does,

“And so I do,” and so he does,

“Sorry, I didn’t realize

Sorry, I didn’t mean to

Sorry, it was an accident

Sorry, it was just so easy.

Sorry, sorry, sorry,

I spend my life in a state of repentance

For crimes that fall from my hands

As easily as memories fall from time.

Do not give me,

I don’t know how to have.

I only know how to say

Sorry

Once something is broken.”

And now, given the stage, given the light, given the words, the spark of rage flares up so strongly it burns through him and he whips his head up, staring accusingly at the empty seats. His tongue loosens and the next words fly from his lips like arrows.

“But why should I apologize

When no one has apologized for making me this way?

When I have a hammer

Everything looks like a nail

When I am nail

The world is my hammer and I can only say

Sorry, sorry, sorry

As I am forced to break whatever falls on the

Wrong side of my sharp edges.

Do not give,

I don’t know,

I don’t know who broke me first

Was I made broken?

Was it a set of parents who didn’t know I was broken?

Was it a selfishness that always wanted

But never got

And so worried itself to the point of breaking?

Was it her?”

His voice catches. No, no, he’s not supposed to blame anyone else, it’s not their fault, it’s his, he’s gone too far, he needs to stop, he—he—

“Her,” his lips say anyways, “who still breaks me even though I haven’t seen her?

Her, whose fingertips still bruise me in my sleep?

Her, who stripped every bit of flesh from my bones and

Refused to give it back?

Perhaps I am broken over her.

Perhaps I am broken because of her.

Perhaps she is just my ex-excuse.”

He swallows.

“…to break.

Do not give me your children,

For I am just a broken child.”

The lights are warm. He’s sweating, panting, staggering under the weight of invisible gazes, even as he scans them frantically knowing he won’t find anyone.

“I was not taught to love myself,” an accusation,

“I was taught to love how useful I was

How smart

How clever

How compassionate

How compliant

How good.

I was taught to hate

My looks

My voice

My body

My self

I was not taught to love

I was taught to

Break.

It is so painfully easy to fuck up a child.”

The theater heaves, shuddering under the force of Roman’s breathing, Roman’s pain, Roman’s existence. He’s going to break this too if he doesn’t stop.

“It was a mistake to write this,” to say this,

“A mistake I can’t stop.

I can’t stop it.

I can’t stop it,

It won’t stop coming.

I can’t stop it,” he gasps, grasping at his chest, scrabbling uselessly, “I can’t shut up, and before long it will hurt, it keeps hurting, it never stops hurting, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, sorry, you need to stop, you need to go, I can’t stop but you can stop reading, you have to stop, you need to go, I’m sorry but you need to stop before I—

Break

You.”

The sorry leaves his lips like a whisper.

“Do not give,” comes torn from limp lips,

“I can’t have.”

The shaking figure on the stage looks up and out at you.

“are you still here?

did you stay?

why did you stay?

I told you to stop.

I told you it was a mistake.

Just a mistake.

sorry.

Do not,

I can’t.

The poets lied, by the way,

(If you’re still here,)

When they said there was beauty in broken things.

There isn’t anything beautiful

about this broken mess

And I don’t fancy having you cut your hands

And bleed trying to find it.

Beauty is not the rent I pay to break in this world.

This isn’t perfect,

Isn’t good,

Isn’t anything other than a mess

Mess is bold,

Yes, sometimes,

But mess is mess

A mess of ruined and broken things

Sorry, I think I broke it

…do you think anyone would ever apologize for breaking me?

Broken, breaking, to break

To break again, to break apart,

To break, to have broken,

Breaking,

broke.

It hurts, it does

To break.

If you care about something,

Don’t let me hold it

If you love something,

Don’t let me touch it

If you think something is pretty,

Don’t let me break it.

And if by some magic,

You found something beautiful

In my broken mess,

Well,

You’re

Better

poet

Than

I could ever be.

A broken puppet collapses onto an empty stage, its strings cut from useless hands.

————

Virgil is worried.

Not just because he’s Anxiety, fuck off, but because he hasn’t seen Janus or Remus around in a while and the last time he heard from Remus, he was muttering something about fourth walls and keeping everyone safe and that’s never a good thing to hear from Remus.

It’s not a good thing to hear in general, but if Remus is worried about something, best be damned sure Virgil’s going to worry about it too.

Anyway, the point is he hasn’t seen the two troublemakers in a while and that means they’re either planning something or something horrible has happened and they’re avoiding the fallout.

He keeps trying to think about what happened to start the whole thing, when they started to pull away, when things first, like, became obvious.

Luckily, Logan—who for some reason is on much better speaking terms with Remus than pretty much everyone—said that there’s no reason to worry about the Imagination. Apparently, there was just a strong burst of energy one night that pushed the boundaries a little bit, easily contained and dealt with and it’s nothing to be concerned about.

Which is great, and Virgil likes very much that Logan has this information and he’s certain about it, but that doesn’t answer the question of where Janus and Remus are and why they’ve been so distant lately.

Now, the next person Virgil would normally ask about this stuff is Roman, but Roman’s been busy trying to work on all the ideas lately and Virgil really doesn’t want to distract him. They’re running a bit behind schedule anyway and if he gives Princey an opportunity to not do his work, he’s sure Patton and Logan will find out and do the whole ‘not mad, just disappointed’ routine.

Fuck, he hates those.

So. Trying to find Remus and Janus on his own it is.

He can tell by the growing sound of the chainsaw that Remus is in his room, which makes things much easier for him, and quickly conjures a pair of waterproof boots, a waterproof coat, and a pair of safety goggles.

He’s learned not to walk into Remus’s room unprepared.

Sure enough, a spurt of a liquid flies at him as soon as he opens the door, dodging it at the last second and wincing as it splatters all over the wall. He turns to see Remus elbow-deep in…something, holding the chainsaw and glancing up to see what the interruption is.

“Emo!”

“Hey, Remus.” Virgil stuffs his hands in his pockets. “What, uh, whatcha got there?”

Remus grins, reaching down and holding up a…drink? “A smoothie!”

“That’s not—y’know what? That’s on me.” He shakes his head and steps a bit closer. “Can I talk to you for a sec?”

“Sure, sure, you want me to put this away?”

“…you mind?”

“Nah. Gotta wash up soon for dinner anyway.” Remus presses a button on the wall and the wall spins, taking the…let’s call it a carcass, taking the carcass away and leaving him to snap his fingers and clean up the rest of the tools. “What do you want?”

“Just, uh…haven’t seen you in a while.”

This is the Dark Side, he has to be extra careful not to summon Janus.

“Mm, yes, I suppose that’s true,” Remus hums, walking to a large sink and beginning to scrub at his hands, “been busy.”

“Oh?” Pushing his luck, he edges closer. “What, uh, what’re you working on?”

“Oh, y’know, this and that. Kraken’s laying a new brood in the Imagination, got a bear trap to work on, all the stuff from Halloween is still trickling in so I gotta catalog that and rework some of my other shit…y’know, things.”

“Wow. Didn’t realize you had so many projects.”

Remus cackles. “Doesn’t run itself, you know!”

“Wish Roman could have some of your productivity.”

The instant it leaves his mouth Virgil knows he’s said something wrong.

Remus pauses, glances up at him in the mirror, and slowly turns off the water. He looks over his shoulder, staring at him until Virgil starts to fidget, then looks away.

“What does that mean?”

“Just, uh,” Virgil stammers, “y’know…I’ve never seen Roman work on so many projects at the same time, he, uh, he normally just does one at a time, so—I dunno, I thought it’d be cool if he could…y’know…”

Remus stays quiet, turning to face him and crossing his arms. He raises an eyebrow like he knows Virgil’s not doing a good job of explaining himself.

“…y’know,” he tries, “have multiple things on the go at once? He’s been working on the same idea, for like, a month.”

“Is this the one you keep asking him to redo?”

“…yeah, think so.”

“And what makes this the only project you think he’s working on?”

Virgil frowns. “Why would he work on other things if this one’s not done yet?”

Remus suddenly glares at him like he’s being a hypocrite. The force of it makes him step back, shoulders hunching defensively.

“What?”

“You’re right,” Remus says cooly, turning around and beginning to wash his hands again, “you shouldn’t bother Roman until he’s done with this idea for you guys. Wouldn’t be a good idea.”

“I shouldn’t—wait, who said I was going to go bother Roman?”

Remus shoots him a look over his shoulder. “You came to ask me about him, didn’t you?”

“N—“ Dark Side, Janus, don’t lie— “look, I just haven’t seen him in a while, okay?”

Remus hums. “Yeah. ‘Cause he’s working so hard on that idea for you.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“You see Janny?”

“…no.”

“Then that’s that.”

The sink gets louder and Virgil knows he’s being dismissed and gets the heck out of dodge.

That was…weird. Why was Remus so mad? And what’s he doing with Roman? And what does any of this have to do with him?

Virgil leaves with more questions and no answers.

————

Patton knows something’s up and it’s upsetting his kiddos. Logan’s been more withdrawn, Virgil won’t stop muttering, and he’d struggled to see hair or hide of Roman on most days.

Strangely enough, it’s Janus he sees the most of, not that he doesn’t like spending time with him but even the most mundane of conversations aren’t expected from him.

“Hey, Janus?”

“Hm?” He looks up from his book. “Yes?”

“Is…everything okay?”

Janus tilts his head and closes the book, marking his page deftly with a bookmark. “Is there a reason why it shouldn’t be?”

“I don’t know. I feel like I haven’t seen everyone around lately, that’s all.” He nods at him. “It’s mostly been you.”

Janus raises an eyebrow and holds a hand to his chest. “Well, if you were sick of my company—“

“No, no, that’s not what I mean at all!” Only when he notices Janus’s snicker does he realize he’s been had. “Oh, you slippery snake, you fooled me!”

“Sorry, sorry,” he laughs, hiding a smile, “it was right there.”

Patton huffs, hiding a smile of his own, and shaking his head. “I don’t know, Janus, I just—I feel like everyone’s kind of…hiding? Did something happen?”

Janus hums. “When did you first start noticing it?”

“After that dinner, the last one we all had together, I think. It was right after that. Do you think something happened during the dinner?”

“Is there anything you can think of that fits that description?”

“Well, we didn’t make all the food we normally do ‘cause we’re running a little low in the kitchen, there was that brief little argument between Remus and Virgil, but they do that all the time, don’t they?”

“Mm.”

“And…that’s it. I don’t think anything happened.”

“So then perhaps it wasn’t the dinner.”

“But that’s when it started.” Patton closes his eyes, thinking. “Yeah, that has to be when it started because the next day Roman and Remus didn’t come to dinner and then you didn’t come either.”

Janus reclines in the chair, hand under his chin. “Did you ask Roman or Remus why they didn’t come?”

“No, but Logan said he did. He said that they were…working on something, I think.” Patton shakes his head. “Gosh, with the amount of time they say they’re spending on things, you’d think we’d see more of it, wouldn’t you?”

He doesn’t notice the way Janus’s hand curls into a fist.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Huh?”

“When you say you expect more,” Janus says, and he does notice the way Janus’s tone is a little sharper, “what exactly do you mean?”

Patton frowns. “Well…you know, maybe, like, a few more ideas? I mean, at the last meeting, the most workable idea we had was the Q&A and that’s not even that original, at least until we agreed that he’d try and come up with something along the lines of a debate instead—“

“Did you have any ideas?”

“Huh?”

“During the meeting, did you have any ideas?”

“Oh, that’s not my job.” Patton leans back against the couch. “That’s Roman’s job. He’s Creativity.”

“So you don’t come up with the ideas?”

Patton frowns. “N-no, I don’t—Janus, what’s going on?”

“You are not Creativity,” Janus says evenly, sitting up a little more, “it isn’t your job to come up with the ideas. So why would you know what that’s like?”

“…what what’s like?”

“Being the one who has to submit the ideas at the meetings.”

“I—I mean, I guess not, but what—Janus—“

“Then perhaps,” he says, standing up and taking his book with a swirl of fabric, “you should think about that a little bit more before you start asking for more.”

“Asking for—Janus, wait!”

He pauses, looking over his shoulder as Patton swallows.

“Are…are you mad at me?”

Janus just looks at him. “Why would I be mad at you?”

And then he’s gone.

…well, that wasn’t a no, and if the rest of this conversation has been any indication, that’s as good as a yes.

Great. Now Patton’s got to figure out why Janus is mad at him.

Okay. Did he do anything to Janus? No, he doesn’t think so—they’ve been on really good terms lately, they’ve been cooking together, they spend time just reading in the same room, they’ve even watched one of the movies alone when everyone else canceled.

Did he…say something wrong?

Patton furrows his brow.

They—they’d been talking about everyone else. Maybe he said something then. But Janus seemed to be fine with everything until he brought up—

—until he brought up Roman.

But why would Janus be mad at him about that?

Maybe Roman’s still holding a grudge against Janus? But they’d been doing okay—at least Patton thought they’d been doing okay—so why would bringing up Roman make Janus mad?

Maybe…maybe it’s not just Roman? He’d brought up the fact that they were running a little behind schedule and then he’d gotten upset, is that what it is?

No, that doesn’t seem right either.

No, he’d only gotten upset once Patton had said—

Patton’s eyes widen.

…once he said how he’d wanted more from Roman.

How he’d been disappointed, how he’d blamed—well, not outright blamed, but heavily implied—the delays on Roman, and how he wanted Roman to do more. Ever since the meeting, they’d been—

Oh.

The meeting.

Just as Patton realizes why everyone’s been so distant, Virgil appears, tugging on the strings to his hoodie and looking at him with a somber expression.

“Patton, I think we messed up.”

————

If there is one thing Logan truly cannot abide, it is an unanswered question to an unsolved problem.

The question currently occupying the majority of his attention is why Roman has been so hard to get a hold of.

He has not missed any of the planned meetings, no, and he has not failed to submit a draft of an idea once—granted, they have not all been spectacular or even marked improvements, but they have been submitted—but other than that, it has been exceedingly difficult to speak with him.

The few times he’s tried to knock on his door, it’s either been to a sign that says that Roman is working and is not to be disturbed—which he respects entirely—or that he’s not in at the moment. He’s caught sight of him with Remus—or Janus, surprisingly enough—but the two of them have always been in transit to the Imagination or entering Remus’s room.

He has barely made any appearances at dinner, which are always understated or vague when he does, and it’s been…quiet.

Logan doesn’t mind the quiet, but he does mind when it comes at the expense of Roman.

With this in mind, after another meeting, he retreats to his room to gather his thoughts and set aside all of his notebooks and paper and decides to go and speak to Roman. He’s agreed to come to dinner tonight—a relief, truly, he hasn’t seen evidence of Roman eating enough lately—and perhaps he can speak to him beforehand.

At the very least to reassure himself that everything is okay.

He goes to Roman’s room, prepared to knock, when he sees the door is slightly ajar. HE frowns, walking closer, knocking anyway and waiting for a response.

None comes.

“Roman?” When there’s still no voice, he eases it open gingerly, only to see an empty room. “Roman?”

Still nothing, and he closes the door carefully, turning and going to see if he’s perhaps in the Dark Side’s living room. He’d sunk out with Remus, after all, it wasn’t out of the question that the two of them were there.

He walks into the living room, intent on calling out for one of the twins, only to stop abruptly when he sees Roman sitting on the couch.

“Ah, Roman. There you are.”

Roman doesn’t respond, doesn’t look up, does not so much as move. Logan frowns, opening his mouth to chastise him for it, only to pause.

Roman isn’t moving. Not just in reaction to Logan’s arrival, but…not at all. His hands lie limply in his lap, his head is bowed so he’s staring at a spot on the floor, and he scarcely looks as if he’s breathing.

“…Roman?” Logan leans to see if he can see Roman’s eyes flicker at all. They don’t. “Roman, are you okay?”

Nothing. Of course there isn’t anything. It follows that if Roman didn’t react to him before, he couldn’t react now. With this in mind, Logan steps forward to see if he can provide any additional assistance—

—and startles quite terribly when Virgil appears next to him.

“Virgil!”

“Uh, hey.”

“Don’t do that,” he sighs, adjusting his glasses, “you startled me.”

“Didn’t mean to.” He shoves his hands into his pockets. “Someone summoned me.”

“Well, I certainly didn’t.”

“No, I mean—someone got scared and I got summoned.”

Logan frowns. “Someone got scared?”

“Yeah, do you know what—“ Virgil’s head finally turns and he notices Roman. He freezes. Then his shoulders slowly relax. “…oh.”

“‘Oh?’ What does ‘oh’ mean?”

“Roman’s scared, L,” Virgil says, suddenly speaking softly, “that’s why I got summoned.”

“Yes, I gathered, does that mean you know what’s wrong with him?”

Virgil winces. “Not in so many words. Hey, hey, don’t,” he says, quickly holding out a hand when Logan moves to get closer, “you’re gonna scare him more.”

“Does he think I’m going to hurt him?”

“I don’t know, L, I—just don’t get closer right now.”

“Virgil, he’s almost catatonic, I don’t—“

“Yeah, he’s also right there and can hear us so just…shh for a moment, okay?”

Logan hasn’t taken his eyes off of Roman. “But he’s hurting,” he says weakly.

“I know.”

“…what do we do?”

Virgil sighs. “We call Remus, I think.”

“Remus?”

“Yeah. I’m just gonna summon him.”

Before Logan can say anything, Virgil does indeed reach out and summon Remus, who promptly looks around at the situation and levels a glare at them so powerful it makes them take a step back.

“Don’t look at me,” Virgil defends, hands raising, “I got summoned when Roman got scared and I’ve just been standing here.”

Remus’s glare turns to Logan who finds himself wanting to raise his hands too. “I simply wanted to find Roman after the meeting, I came in here and I found him like this. I was only here a moment longer than Virgil.”

Remus glances around, likely waiting for Janus to stride from the shadows, and when no one else appears, gives them one last look that warns them to stay back before crouching down in front of Roman.

“Hey, Roro,” he murmurs in a voice so achingly tender it makes Logan’s chest lurch, “you here with me?”

Logan can’t see what’s happening but Roman must give some indication because Remus’s shoulders relax a fraction.

“Okay. That’s good, Roro. Can we do the blinks if I ask you things? One for yes, two for no, three for don’t know?”

Roman must blink.

“Good, good job, Roro. Can you show me a no? Okay, what about an I don’t know? Okay, thank you. That’s good, Roro, you’re doing real good.”

Virgil shuffles closer to Logan as if to make themselves a smaller point of focus in the room. Logan turns a bit toward him, eyes still fixed on the twins.

“Are you in pain?” A pause. “Okay, is it worse than last time?”

Roman’s in pain? How long has he been hurting? What was ‘last time?’

“Okay. Can you breathe okay?”

Logan has to restrain himself from stepping forward, seized by the idea that Roman’s unable to breathe.

“You can? Okay, that’s good, Roro.”

“What the fuck,” Virgil whispers beside him, and Logan finds himself echoing that sentiment.

“Did something happen during the meeting?”

Another pause, and then Janus appears, taking one look around before his eyes fix on Logan and Virgil. They both raise their hands, ready to defend themselves, when Remus flaps a hand at Janus. Janus makes to step forward but Virgil holds a hand out.

“He’s really scared, J, don’t—don’t get closer.”

“Can I come over for just a second, sweetie?” Even Janus’s voice is remarkably soft. “Just to hug you?”

Remus watches Roman carefully. “Yeah, Janny, but make it quick.”

“Thank you, sweetie.”

Sure enough, Janus walks over and carefully wraps an arm around Roman’s shoulders, pressing a kiss to the top of his head before pulling away. He walks over to Virgil and Logan and fixes them with a stern look, before turning and putting himself between them and the brothers.

It stings a little.

“Do you want them to leave?” A pause, then Remus tilts his head. “Was that a ‘yes, but no?’ Okay, do you want some of them to leave? Okay. Do you want Janus to leave?”

A pause.

“Okay. Do you want Virgil to leave?”

Another pause, then Remus glances up and jerks his head. Virgil tips a two-fingered salute. “See you.”

“He’s gone, Roro,” Remus murmurs as Virgil sinks out, “what about Logan? Do you want Logan to leave?”

A longer pause, Logan’s chest growing heavier, before Remus breathes out slowly and nods.

“Okay, Logan will stay.”

Roman asked for me to stay. He wants me to stay. Logan lets out a breath he wasn’t sure he was holding.

“Do you want them to come closer? Yeah? Okay.” Remus glances up and beckons them over, Janus leading the way as Logan crouches on the floor near Remus.

Oh. Oh, Roman’s crying. Oh, dear.

“Is this alright,” he asks, voice a tad hoarser than he expected, “can I stay here?”

Roman blinks once. Once is a yes.

“Thank you.”

“Do you need to crash, sweetie,” Janus asks gently, “would that help?”

He blinks again and Remus nods.

“Do you want help lying down? Or to go somewhere more comfortable?”

“One question at a time, Snakey.”

“Right, my apologies. Would you like to go somewhere else?”

“That’s a ‘no.’”

“Would you like to lie down?”

“That’s a yes. Easy does it, hey, hey, Roro, shh, it’s okay…”

Logan feels like an intruder here, watching an intimate moment that isn’t for him as Remus and Janus carefully lie Roman down on his back, his head pillowed in Janus’s lap, arms and legs positioned so they won’t fall asleep as Janus runs a hand through his hair.

“Hi, sweetie,” he murmurs, “this okay?”

Roman blinks.

“Good. Do you want to close your eyes and rest for a bit while we talk with Logan?” He smiles, still stroking Roman’s hair. “Yeah? Alright, sweetie, you go on ahead. We’re right here.”

Logan watches them for a moment longer, still taken aback at the intimacy, before Remus elbows him and he turns, facing the glare once more.

“What did you come here for?”

“I wanted to speak with Roman.”

“What for?”

“I—I wanted to see if he was alright,” he says lamely, the words sounding weak even to his own ears, “he’s…I haven’t had the chance to speak to him as much lately.”

“So?”

Janus hisses lightly in warning as Logan opens his mouth. “I…I missed him.”

“You missed him.” Remus stares at him. “You tear down every idea he submits, demand he does more work, and you miss him?”

Logan splutters, indignantly drawing himself up, when Janus murmurs Remus’s name softly and Remus quiets, reaching out and carefully taking one of Roman’s limp hands in his. He starts to massage it carefully, almost like he’s trying to encourage life back into it.

“…Remus,” Logan starts warily, “what’s…what’s going on with Roman?”

“He’s crashed.”

“’Crashed?’”

“Overwhelmed. Unable to function. In need of a reset.” Remus glares. “Crashed.”

“From what?”

“You.”

“M-me?” Logan looks up at Janus who stares back at him. “I did this?”

“Not just you, but yes. You did this.”

“What—how—I didn’t—“ Logan looks back at Roman’s limp form— “h-how did I do this?”

“Are you familiar with RSD?”

“…Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy?”

“Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria.”

Logan frowns. “I believe I’ve heard the term before, but…I cannot say I am familiar with the diagnosis.”

“The gist of it is that people who have it process social rejection or other emotional pains in the same part of the brain as physical pain.” Janus raises an eyebrow. “In other words, being disappointing or being rejected physically hurts them.”

Oh.

Oh, no.

“And Roman’s the Ego,” Remus adds, “which means that if he’s starved of affection or positive reinforcement, he’s weaker and they get worse the more they happen.”

They…they did do this to Roman. He did this to Roman.

“Does this happen after every meeting?”

“It’s not always this bad,” Remus says, “but yes. Something happens in almost every meeting because you bastards are not nice.”

“Remus,” Janus says, even though the chide sounds halfhearted, “that’s not helpful.”

“It’s true.”

When Janus doesn’t deny it, Logan looks back at Roman. Roman, who looks so small and limp and scared in Janus’s lap, his eyes still closed, his cheeks still damp.

“…I never meant to hurt him,” he mumbles, “I…I didn’t know.”

“Well, you did. Whether or not you knew doesn’t matter. You hurt him. You really hurt him.”

Logan can’t stop staring at Roman. “Is…is he going to be alright?”

“Not anytime soon, not from this, but yeah. He’s gonna be okay.”

Logan sags in relief but Remus glares at him again.

“And if you think we’re anywhere near ready to let you guys close to him again, you’ve got another thing coming.”

“C-can I stay,” Logan asks quickly, “please? I want…I want to help.”

Another long lull, during which both Janus and Remus stare at him, then at each other, before Remus takes a deep breath.

“You can stay if you’re willing to listen.”

“Yes,” Logan says in a rush, “anything.”

————

Patton can’t find anyone.

He’s checked the living room, checked the Imagination, checked their rooms, checked the living room again to make sure none of them wandered in while he was looking, and he still can’t find them.

He’s getting nervous enough to just summon one of them when Virgil walks into the room and he all but flies at him.

“Virgil! There you are, I can’t find anyone, do you know what’s—“

“Slow down, Pop Star,” Virgil says, his voice low, “come sit.”

“What’s going on? Is everything okay?”

Virgil sighs, waiting for Patton to sit down, before he scrubs a hand over his face and looks up at him. “Roman’s not alright.”

Roman? No, Roman was fine a few minutes ago, he was in the meeting, he was talking, he was— “What happened to Roman?”

“I don’t know, Pat, but it’s…whatever it is, it’s not good and it’s been happening for a while.”

“Can we go to him?”

Virgil shakes his head. “The others are with him now. They know how to help him. Well, no. Janus and Remus know how to help him. I…I don’t know about Logan. I left before I could find out.”

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know.” Virgil leans against the back of the couch, a frown on his face. “I don’t—look. I got summoned when someone got scared. Princey was…he’s not okay, I don’t know how else to describe it.”

“Was he injured?”

“He’s in pain, apparently—“

“What do you mean, apparently?”

“Look, I’m just telling you what I know, okay? I got there, he was sitting on the couch and not moving and terrified, so neither me nor Logan were willing to get closer so I summoned Remus and he took it from there.” Virgil sighs again. “I don’t know what’s going on with him, Patton, but it’s—Remus made it pretty clear that it’s because of the meetings.”

Patton’s heart races. Roman’s hurt, Roman’s upset, Roman’s scared, and it’s…it’s their fault? “Can…can we help?”

“Not right now. I think Remus was about to bite my head off if I didn’t leave when Roman said he didn’t want me there.”

“Roman said he didn’t want you?”

“There were a lot of us, Pat, and I think we all surprised him when he was really vulnerable. Remus—Remus, it makes sense. He’s Princey’s brother, he’s—he probably knows exactly what this is and how to help Roman. Janus also seemed to know what was going on and I only got summoned ‘cause Logan accidentally spooked him.”

Patton bites his lip, hands twisted together in his lap as Virgil shakes his head. “Virgil, what do we do?”

“Right now?” Virgil lets his head flop miserably onto the back of the couch. “Wait.”

And so they do. They sit on the couch and they don’t say much and they watch the rest of the room for any sign of the others.

How did he not notice Roman was getting hurt? How did he hurt Roman without realizing it? And how long has it been since Roman felt like he could tell Patton if he was hurting?

Patton’s not sure he wants the answer to any of these.

Of course, when Remus shows up looking like he’s ready to eviscerate them, he knows he’s going to get them whether he likes it or not.

————

There’s a hand in his hair.

Roman comes back to his body slowly, finally breaking free of the cold pit taking his chest hostage, only to realize there’s a hand carding gently through his hair, nails scratching delicately at his scalp.

It feels nice.

…something’s wrong.

He opens his eyes, half expecting to see Remus there, but not expecting to see Logan.

And then Logan smiles down at him, hand still gentle and sure on his head, curving down to stroke across his cheek and Roman is so confused.

“Hush, little one,” Logan says in a tender voice, “it’s alright. Don’t try and move too quickly, your muscles are going to be stiff.”

What is Logan doing here? He remembers Logan showing up but why—where’s Remus? Where’s Janus? What’s happening?

“Easy, sweetie—“ oh, there’s Janus— “it’s okay. I’m still here, I just needed to move for a moment. Shh, shh, none of that now, do you want to sit up?”

Roman nods, a little surprised by how delighted they both look when he does—maybe he’s crushing them?—only for Logan to reach down and still him when he starts struggling to move.

“Hold on to me,” he instructs softly, “if you get too dizzy, lean on me and we can lie you back down. We’ll go slow, alright, darling?”

Roman shudders at the pet name, spoken with such sincerity that it threatens tears at the corners of his eyes, even as Logan’s arms wind around him.

“Are you ready, Roman?” Roman nods, trying to reach for Logan too but he can’t. His arms aren’t working. “It’s alright, take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”

Logan’s…holding him. Logan’s holding him. He’s holding him against his chest, cradled in his arms, leaning over him with his breath puffing slightly over his forehead, looking at him like he’s something precious.

“Ready?” He asks as Roman finally manages to twist his fingers into the fabric of Logan’s shirt. “One…two…three.”

Logan lifts him up like he weighs nothing, moving slowly enough for Roman to get used to the feeling of being upright, until he’s propped up halfway across Logan’s lap, head resting against Logan’s shoulder and the crook of his arms, right next to his face. After another moment, he ends up leaning against the back of the couch, cheek pressed to the back, as Logan turns enough so he can see his face without straining.

“There you are,” he says, still speaking in the soft voice that Roman never wants to stop hearing, “hello, Roman.”

“…wh—“ Roman swallows. “Where’s Remus?”

“Currently talking to Virgil and Patton,” Janus says, taking a seat behind Logan where Roman can see him, “but will be back soon, I’m sure.”

Roman looks from Janus to Logan and back. “What’s…what’s going on?”

“What do you remember?”

“I…I sunk out after the meeting. I got here. I sat on the couch.” He frowns. “You…you showed up. Then Virgil. Then—then Remus—and then Janus and I—I—“

“Shh, shh, shh,” Logan murmurs, reaching out and ruffling his hair again, “easy, darling. You’re going to work yourself up again.”

“I think you’re doing a fine job of that,” Janus teases lightly, watching Roman’s cheeks flush as Logan showers him in the gentle attention, “he’s blushing.”

“He does that a lot, Janus.”

“Mm, surely those two things aren’t related at all. Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry,” Janus says quickly as Roman’s face contorts, “I’m being mean, aren’t I? I’ll stop, I won’t tease, I’m sorry.”

“What’s going on,” Roman tries again, failing to keep the whine out of his voice, “why’re you being nice, what’s happening, I—what did I do?”

Logan takes a deep breath, hand still carding through his hair. “You’ve been hurting, Roman, from the actions of myself and the others. I wanted to come and find you after the meeting and talk to you, but…I found you almost catatonic instead.”

“I’m s—“

“Shh, none of that, little one.” Logan tugs his hair gently. “It’s not your fault. Janus and Remus explained everything.”

“E-everything everything?”

“Well, I don’t know. Only about RSD and how much you’ve…well, how badly we’ve taken care of you.” Logan smiles and lightly squeezes his shoulder. “I am…currently attempting to amend that.”

“…and the others?”

“I’m sure will want to do the same.”

“But that doesn’t have to be now,” Janus says quickly, as if noticing how overwhelmed Roman’s getting, “that can be…whenever you like. If you want to go back to sleep, you can. It’s up to you.”

Roman stares at Logan. He…he does want to sleep, and lying down in a bed sounds really, really good…but the thought of losing this, losing the softness and the care he’s being shown right now…

It hurts as badly as his hands.

As if he can read Roman’s thoughts, Logan’s expression softens and he leans closer. “Cuddles, darling?”

A whine leaves his mouth and Logan chuckles.

“May I carry you?”

“Mhm.”

“I’ll come with,” Janus says as he belatedly realizes he doesn’t want Janus to leave either and reaches out for him, “don’t you worry.”

“Close your eyes if you like,” Logan bids gently as he lifts him up again, “we’ll get there in a moment.”

As Roman lets his eyes close and he’s laid down on a bed, his bed, Logan’s warmth wrapping around him, he thinks that perhaps this good thing doesn’t have to end for a while longer.

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#dragonbabbles #sanders sides #patton sanders #virgil sanders #Logan sanders #roman sanders #roman angst #roman sanders angst #remus sanders #sympathetic remus #deceit sanders #janus sanders #sympathetic deceit #fic

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goodieghosty · 1 year

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Reading about the pool again and how Logan shows Janus and Remus especially nice alternate timelines to cheer them up. Has Janus ever asked him about a timeline where he and Virgil ever dated. Even if just for a little while? Cuz I'm now obsessed with onesided god anciet angst.

(I give you this long goofy drabble)

"Oh come now, Logan." Janus sighs, "You already know how this is going to end, so may as well get it over with and show me already. I don't have anywhere else I need to be for a good millennia or so."

Logan-God of Knowledge, Seer of All, Keeper of the Pool of Pathways-stands there with a mug of black coffee in hand. He knew he would need it. "Janus." He starts, but he also knows that what this scaled god says is true. "... very well."

Unfortunately.

This was better than the other outcome, he tells himself. Better than leaving Janus to sate his curiosity and getting distracted by the location of a divine weapon. That Janus was never himself after. Stuck in a never ending loop wherein he can't tell what's real or not. Poor man.

"... you mean it?" Janus sits up straight, eager. Like a child on Christmas.

"I wouldn't have said so otherwise. You will not tell the others what you see. Especially not Him." That isn't a threat. Or a condition. That's simply a fact. Logan knows it.

The pool is warm, welcoming. A light swirls around Janus once he steps in.

"I've set the path. All you need to do is let yourself float. And do remember, nothing is actually happening. You cannot change or do things a certain way. Also," he pauses, his third eye rolling in disgust. "I've already seen to it that you will not be experiencing any 'special activities' during this."

"Did you have to start doing that because of Remus?" He mused.

The silence was answer enough.

He's surprised to be reliving their first meeting. It's just as terrifying and exciting as the first.

"This was the start. In this path you did something he thought was... charming." Logan clearly didn't think so.

Before he could wonder what that could have been, Virgil growled. That same, deep, thundering sound that he knew so well. And what did this Janus do? He stood tall. Firm. Puffed out his chest-and he copied it.

Well.

To the best of his abilities anyhow.

"That's... embarrassing."

"Not to Virgil. Mind you he was still a tad feral at this point. But this is what started it."

"You can't be serious. Something so little?"

"Well, it did help that you had just gotten done with a war and reeked of blood and fear. Moving on."

There's a flurry of images now. Small, brief glimpses of tender moments. But things felt... wrong? Off. Somehow. He was sure that if he had lived these moments they would have felt nice. But there was something... weird.

"Wait-no, I don't remember this war." Janus looks up, confusion on his face. Logan is grim.

"That is because This Janus started it. To feed Virgil. It was... something done out of love, but without thought of the consequences. Or the people it would effect."

"To feed... but-Virgil would have never allowed that! He hates senseless war! Why-"

"Because he was always so Hungry. And you were sure he would waste away if he didn't have anything. And then... so much fear, all at once. He became gluttonous. You thought you were helping. But you only made him worse."

"Why... why didn't anyone try to stop me?"

"They did. But by then it was too late. Virgil was already teetering on an edge from the moment he came into being. Anything could have tipped the scales. In that path he became... something foul. He made all the rumors of himself true. All of them." Logan rubs his face. "That Virgil launched a war on the rest of the gods who didn't immediately side with him. All he wanted was fear. More fear. Humans were mere cattle to him. And you were just the hand that fed him."

"I am... sorry this wasn't what you thought it'd be. Not all of the paths are good. But I had to show you that one first, otherwise you would have done something really... bad."

"Oh... would it be troublesome to ask to see one of the good paths? If I promise not to do anything wild, I mean."

Logan pauses a moment, thinking it over, but then he nods.

He shows Janus a festival. One he chose not to attend. Here, he sees Virgil in his old armor, leaning against a pillar as he watches the people celebrating.

And then he sees himself, disguised as always, approaching him. He tries to trick Virgil, no doubt, but of course he doesn't fall for it. He can tell that he's only playing along. But his heart still skips in time to this Janus' when Virgil takes his hand to his lips. And only then does this Janus reveal himself by dropping the facade. Virgil's laughter is infectious. But Janus is sore about being found out, and feeling cheeky.

"If you had wanted to kiss me I would have preferred elsewhere." Is what he says, right before stealing himself a kiss, and then immediately rushing off into the crowd of people before he can find the consequences of his actions.

This would have been a good bit before Virgil met Orpheus, he wagers. He still has both arms. Which he uses to grab Janus when he's found hiding in an orchard. The two share another kiss.

There's a mighty big skip there, Logan appearing very flustered indeed. This makes Janus laugh.

"Ah, well. You, Virgil, and Orpheus later become what the kids call a 'throuple'. It's incredibly awkward for Ajax when he discovered that. And admittedly Orpheus did get a little ego boost when he found he had not one, but two gods falling for him. You have a child together. In this path. Very adorable. Raven hair and golden eyes. A little older than Remy. She would have became a goddess of War and Strategy. You call her-Janus." Logan stops in his rambling, watching as the god leaves the pool. And once he does Logan is once again able to use his powers to see what his intentions are. "Janus don't you think it's a little rude to ask your friends to-"

"Spring is near and you just filled my head with images of a little baby girl, whatever I do now is on you. And you know it."

"...." he sighed, "Ah, baby fever."

#godsides au #godsides au asks #anxceit

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fangirlwriting-stories · 9 months

Note

Hello darling ❤️ gosh I can't even pick one but like, god— PROTECTOR. I actually wanted to wait for it to be posted in full before reading it all at once but like, I know how much you love the relationships between the characters in the fic and how messy and nuanced and just shsksjs they are. (the brotherly dukexiety in particular is 🥺✨👌🏽👏🏽😭). So can you talk a bit more about that? Like, the relationships between each character etc? I would love to hear you ramble about the Bois 💜💚

God, the relationships. The relationships in this fic are my favorite part and also the bane of my fucking existence. They are the entire reason this fic is 111,000 words and not like, 45,000. Well, that and the fact that Virgil and Janus flat out refused to talk about anything, and then they refused to talk about everything at the same time, and then by the time they finally got to the point I needed them to in order to move the plot forward it was goddamn chapter 18.

But mostly it was Virgil’s fault. Virgil was supposed to be angry at the core sides and stay angry at the core sides, but no, he had to start caring about them, which overrode just enough of his anger to make everything way more complicated, the little shit. Virgil’s relationship with Remus was actually the easy one, he was always supposed to care about Remus to the point of causing problems for everyone else. What he wasn’t supposed to do was start caring about Remus’ stupid asshole princey brother, or the softie Patton, or the robot Logan, or the actual asshole that abandoned them in the first place. Virgil you’re supposed to be a prick, why do you have to secretly be such a softie?

Anyway, yeah, specifics. Writing Patton and Virgil was fun because I got to make a ton of bonding and tender moments and symbolism out of things like Patton showing Virgil how to cook or do the laundry. They’re the entire reason I love writing realistic fiction, I get to shove so much character into those moments. It’s not about the laundry guys, it’s about they love each other!

Logan and Virgil was supposed to be how Virgil learned a couple coping skills without Logan realizing that’s what was happening, but then Virgil accidentally stumbled into a friendship that worked really well for both of them. Virgil being surprised that he cared so much about his time sitting with Logan was a bit of a surprise to me too. Honestly so much of this story was Virgil telling me through the writing “my feelings about this have changed” and me going “seriously? Okay I guess we’re doing this now, great”

Roman and Virgil were probably the most similar to how they are in canon, in that they fought quite a bit until something forced a perspective change, the only difference being the perspective change was caused by Janus. I do remember when I sent you (Mishii) the “Why do you have to be so much like our brother” line and we both just started screaming “OUR BROTHER” back and forth xD

Virgil and Janus, as I said, were this story’s biggest stallers. They didn’t want to talk. They didn’t want to do it they didn’t want to talk and no matter how many times I got at their feet and begged them they just wouldn’t do it they’re so goddamn stubborn I can’t take it—

Anyway they have the most complicated relationship throughout the story, for obvious reasons. Virgil’s dealing with the very difficult situation of realizing that someone who was shitty family to you is very good family to other people, and it’s naturally gonna cause some confusing and complicated feelings. These two still have a bit to go for the rest of the story, but the place they end is both inevitable and fucking exhausting for me, the author.

Virgil and Thomas were about how they were in canon, just in a different order. Thomas is kind and understanding at first because that’s who he is, and learns things about Virgil he later thinks are lies but are actually true. So his feelings fluctuate a lot, while Virgil’s stay positive throughout, whether it’s complicated love, uncomplicated love, complicated love again, and ending on uncomplicated love. Thomas is always his Thomas, it’s just his behavior that’s changing.

And Virgil and Remus, despite being the story’s most important relationship, are also the least complicated one. They’re just ride or die brothers and best friends who have each others back, and I love them for it. Guys, thank you for staying consistent for me and just agreeing that you love each other, you made my job slightly more easy than it would have been.

Anyway. Wow this got long. Fuck characters having free will. It makes the story better but it is fucking annoying for me.

#asks #Story Talk #Protector #Virgil and Janus stop being stubborn assholes challenge

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an-organized-confusion · 1 year

Text

More art ideas I’ll get to someday... family portraits!

iZombie

Ortiz Family

The last/only photo where Roman, Remus, and their parents were in the same picture was when they were very little... want to say not even 10 years old. Rómulo in stuffy business attire, Mara heavily made-up with ostentatious jewelry and designer wear. It’s very stiff in composition and expression... besides Remus being more squirmy.

Then there’s probably one where Roman is standing with his parents w/ his BA diploma in hand... while Remus is in prison “fucked off”.

Plenty pictures the twins together after the events of main fic, in company of their friends & SOs (Virgil, Janus, Logan... Patton might look a bit awkward if pictured. Just because of HIPAA and therapist/client boundaries. Patton is awkward about Ro and Vi off the clock, man... not helped by them being zombies held in confidence too.)

Enache Family

Virgil with his grandparents, he was an only child and in like... middle school. Just some tenderness, Virgil looks extremely shy in the picture.

Same thing, Virgil’s in HS, dressed in the emo du jour. He is smiling a little bit (as irritable and anxious as he was getting while being a more and more parentified by them, they all still love each other...)

There’s a picture of him and his grandpa when he graduated high school and/or entered college. Virgil is carrying himself with more confidence (thanks to all the therapy work he did with Patton.)

Gymrat

Sanchez Family

I think Ro does have a pretty tattered family picture with Remus and their parents not long before they died. Probably the only family they’re willing to honor on the ofrenda as adults...

There’s probably a picture of the twins with their uncle Esteban. Remus is trying his hardest to ruin the picture - they didn’t bother re-shooting. (It might also be obvious he wants to tear off the frilly dress Esteban made him wear...)

Remus wants to burn that one, expedite the bastard’s second death, piss on the dude’s grave, just everything. (After all the BS the uncle put the two through - especially Roman.)

Roman can’t make himself throw it away, but tries to bury it far away from sight/awareness. His memory issues are a blessing and a curse sometimes...

Begotten

Espinoza Family

Just a normal, happy family with the twins and their parents. One before the twins started having their nightmares, so like 5 years old. Carrie might be in a jumpsuit and/or the jacket she got from a mentor named “Old Rosie”, from her work as an airplane tech.

Another after they started, creepy middle-schooler twins vibes there. Just give a sense that there’s something wrong with them, but their parents unchanging in their tenderness. Vic might be wearing veterinarian scrubs.

One after the twins graduated HS... and after everything was turned upside down.

Version 1: looks normal. Except the twins still can’t not look creepy in photos.

Version 2: the outlines of Roman and Remus’s Horrors visible (dragon & kraken), Vic’s gathering magical energy, Carrie is wielding a crossbow...

There’s several with extended family too, joyous affairs really.

Janus’s Brood

A picture of Janus, Logan, Virgil, and Patton. Janus is like the pseudo-matriarch in the group, basically adopting the other three. Consider the rest having a sibling-like relationship, Logan the eldest and Patton the youngest. (Janus may be especially soft with Virgil and Patton because she crossed paths with them while they were orphaned/lost/homeless kids... Logan was barely an adult, in comparison.)

An extremely crowded picture where the Espinozas are crammed into it. It’s certainly something to behold. :,D

#sanders sides #roman sanders #remus sanders #virgil sanders #janus sanders #logan sanders #patton sanders #reference #creativitwins #(creativitwins all the way down... pffft)#(i'll never not be amused abt saying 'those boys aint right' at the begotten!twins)#(carrie and vic are only slightly less confused why they can't not look creepy in the fic after they realized their natures)#(the twins don't know what everyone else's problem is)#(also gymrat!remus being a huge nerd despite him wanting to exude Delinquent Energy amuses me to no end)#(this feral looking cryptid human can fix your entire server room if it annoys him badly enough)#(or if he's bored enough out of his skull)#(or wants to spite someone)#(logan AND virgil will happily call him a nerd)

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vulgarvixxen · 2 years

Note

Loceit, #25. “i love you. so, so much.”

Anding these together, because there will be more of the Bikini!AU aaaand cause this derailed from the og plan

Warnings: 18+, semi-public sex, nearly getting caught, mild panic attack, lmk if should add more

Sunshine

I love you

“I love you. So, so much” Janus professes as Logan uses his tongue to make love to Jan’s clits again, he lovingly pets the other’s hair from where it had fallen into his face. This was round three excluding the original beach escapade and Logan was proving to have extreme stamina. He’d have to reward his new lover with a day of pampering, neck massages and happy endings, to show how appreciative he was for the attention. Janus was close again when a door slammed downstairs and they could hear another side headed straight to the laundry room …exactly where they were holed up! They both froze, adrenaline and endorphins fogging their brains too much to think clearly. Patton’s cheerful voice was right outside the door when another voice called out for him, “there’s an extra towel in the bathroom, don’t worry about it Peppermintbear!” They heard Pat’s steps go back to the stairs, “Okay, smart thinking Remus!” And the oblivious side left again, likely back to the festivities.

Janus sagged in relief, that was too close for comfort and he was glad that Remus was still running interference. He was going to make a comment on being in the “closet” when he noticed that Logan was breathing hard and still staring at the door, “Dove, are you alright?” He was answered by a sob, instantly he was off of his perch on the dryer and next to Logan on the floor, “Dearest we are safe, it’s alright now. Breath with me” they took deep breaths together on the laundry room floor, hands clasped as pulses began to slow back down. “Is it alright if I sink us into your room? I think you need to rest.”

He gets a nod from the quiet logical side and cautiously sinks them into the indigo room. With a bit of help Logan is able to get into bed but as Janus goes towards the door he tries to sit up and makes a whimpering sound much like a kicked dog, “don’t leave”. Janus practically dives onto the bed so he can hold Logan close, “Not leaving, dove, I can just snap the lock. Don’t want anyone walking in and waking us.” With a snap the door that Janus was headed towards locks and he settles his hand onto Logan’s back again to continue the embrace. After a while of just holding each other and letting the tension bleed out of them Janus starts singing and using a second pair of hands to cradle Lo’s head.

“ you are my sunshine

my only sunshine

you make me happy

when skies are gray

you’ll never know dear

how much I love you

please don’t take my sunshine away”

“Did you mean it? Do you love me?”

“If I had my gloves on I’d say, “I hate and loathe you, you disgust me whenever you’re near” but I don’t so I will say. I love and adore you, you are a delight to be in company with. And I mean every word.” Janus punctuated the statement with a tender kiss. “Rest now, Dove, the kids will be home by the time you wake.”

><><><><><><><

“So Jan and Lo huh?” Virgil asks in a low tone, trying not to get the attention of the other two in their group, “yeP!” Remus pops the word like a gum wad bubble. “Cool” “mhmm”

#supersecretsmutside #anon ask #nsfs logan #nsfs janus #nsfs loceit #not safe for sanders #bikini!AU

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starshard17 · 2 years

Note

forehead kisses but it's the male taller one being kissed on the forehead. With two sides of your choosing!

Heheheh.. alright I have a funny idea for this one..

"Surprise smooches!" Remus shouted as he jumped from a surprisingly high place, latching onto Logan and presses many kisses to his forehead. Logan's face burned bright.

"Hello Remus..." Logan mumbled, wrapping his arms tight around the Duke to ensure he didn't fall to the ground.

"Hey babe." Remus giggled. Logan glanced up to where Remus had appeared from. It made no logical sense, but then again, when did Remus ever make sense.

Logan was yanked out of his thoughts with a light tug on his head. Another slobbery kiss was pressed to his forehead.

"Oh gross..." Logan muttered, setting Remus down and washing off the slobber on his forehead. All the while Remus was grinning widely.

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

"Lo can you lean down for a sec please?" Patton asked, voice sweet. Logan glanced away from his current activity, his eyes focusing on the figure beside him.

"Sure?" The logical side said with a shrug, leaning down. His face was cupped into Patton's warm hands and a gentle kiss was pressed to his forehead.

He blushed again.

"I... ah... thank you. Patton." Logan stammered, pulling away and hiding his face. A light giggle cane from the other side.

"You're welcome Lo."

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

Logan felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned to be met with Virgil and next thing he knew the emo had planted a soft kiss right in the middle of Logan's forehead.

"Oh..." Logan breathed out, surprised. Virgil let out a quiet laugh.

"Thanks Logan." Virgil said, walking away, hands stuffed into his pockets.

"You're welcome...?" Logan mumbled, touching his forehead, a nice warmth flooding his cheeks.

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

"Hey Specs?"

Logan turned at the sound of Roman's voice. There was a big grin on Roman's face.

"Can I help you?" Logan asked, turning his body fully to him. Roman nodded.

"Yes. Down on you knees. Right now." Roman ordered.

"Excuse me?" Logan sputtered.

"Don't ask questions just do." Roman said with a huff.

"Alright alright." Logan said, raising his hands defensively. He lowered himself down onto his knees, looking up at Roman.

Roman bent over, holding the back of Logan's neck, pressing a tender, loving kiss to Logan's forehead.

Logan felt his cheeks warm up. They were no doubt very visibly red.

"You look especially pretty today Lo." Roman muttered against his skin. He slowly pulled away.

"Anywho that's all I wanted. Bye Lo!" Roman chirped, walking away from Logan.

What was happening?

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

"LOGAN!" Janus shouted, running up to Logan and jumping at him when he turned. Logan, mind half working, grabbed Janus before throwing him to the floor. He slapped a hand over his mouth, staring at Janus in surprise.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry Janus." Logan said in a rush, watching as he slowly sat up.

"You can make it up to me with a forehead kiss. Janus said, looking up at him. Logan raised an eyebrow. Janus too? At least he wanted to receive one as opposed to giving one.

Logan knelt down beside Janus, leaning in close before Janus stopped him. The logical side was puzzled. Was that not what he wanted?

"I never said I want one from you. Lean your head down a bit." Janus prompted, two of his hands cupping Logan's face while two others held his hips. Logan did as he was asked.

He pressed a long, sweet kiss on Logan's forehead, pulling away and smirking at him.

"Now that that's said and done... you might want to look in a mirror sweetheart. You've got a little something... everywhere..." Janus spoke with a snicker, poking Logan's forehead.

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

To think all day the others had been giving him forehead kisses and he didn't even notice the bright lipstick colors they had been wearing.

His forehead was covered in lip marks.

He noticed his face flushing in the mirror.

It was different for sure. But he supposed it wasn't all too bad. Perhaps next time he should be careful not to throw Janus though.

#moonblade writing #sanders sides #ts roman #ts janus #ts remus #ts patton #ts logan #ts virgil #drlamp

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four-rabbit · 2 years

Note

May I recommend a Demus sick fic? Janus being all fretful over a feverish Remus or Janus being a horrible patient and refusing to stay in bed and rest.

I already have a sick Remus fanfic so have a sick Janus fanfic

Warnings: sickness, some gross things

Also thanks so much for the prompt, the fic is small but it still felt nice to write something

If you asked any other side how they think Remus would handle having to take care of someone that is sick they would laugh at your face and mumble something about he would find a way to make it worse, but not Janus.

“I got it, I made soup, don’t promise that it’s good, but it’s warm so there’s that to you want more blankets?”

Not Janus, seeing his lover open the door to his room trying to balance all those blankets, medicine and some warm soup, with worry and tenderness all around his face and on his every movement

“Oh definitely, this isn’t enough” Janus said, his voice muffled by the six blankets covering his body.

“Have one more, just in case” Remus put another over his boyfriend’s head, who rolled his eyes, but accepted it. Remus sat down on the chair by the side of Janus’ bed, literally vibrating with worry, handing him a pill of medicine between his hands dirty with blood and some more questionable substances. Janus sat up, got the pill, swallowed it and went back to laying down with a sigh.

“Do you feel better”

“Sure, because the medicine works in a matter of seconds my love” Remus stopped to think for a bit, agreed with a wave of his head and didn’t say a thing, just looking at Janus in the eye, without blinking for almost thirty seconds.

“Do you feel better now?”

“Remus, be pa-” Janus interrupted himself by sneezing violently, to which Remus responded by getting a really dirty tissue out of his pocket and offering it to Janus, who refused it “Oh well, it could be worse”

“Yeah, you could have diarrhea” Janus cringed.

“Yes, that. That. Anyway, pass me that soup” Remus happily gave the bowl to Janus, who took a quick look at it to evaluate if it was edible.

“Remus is. Is that a dead rat inside my soup?’

“I mean… you’re a snake”

“Oh well, I'd rather eat them alive in that case” Remus giggled, it was always nice to see someone reciproticating his humor at least in the slightest. Janus put the bowl down.

“How about some tea?” There were few foods and drinks that didn’t become absolutely disgusting in Remus’ hands and for some reason one of those was tea. Janus was sure it had nothing to do with the fact every time Roman tried to create tea it tasted terribly. Remus waved his head in agreement and with a wave of his hand, the soup bowl became a black tea cup with some tea in the color of blood inside of it. Janus took a sip and the warm liquid going down his throat felt like swallowing the concept of home and safety.

“Do you like it?”

“No, it’s absolutely disgusting” Remus opened a wide smile, a quite disturbing one, that stretched in an unnatural way and revealed teeth sharp enough to break bones. Janus thought it was absolutely endearing.

“Do you feel better now?”

“A bit. I’m sure after some rest I’ll feel better” Remus’ eyes lit up.

“DO YOU WANNA CUDDLE?” said in one breath, leaning toward his boyfriend, who couldn’t help but let out a quick laugh.

“Do you wanna risk getting sick too?”

“it’s not that easy to get me sick, Double D, c’mon” Remus rolled his eyes dramatically.

“Fair, come here then” Remus again vibrated with happiness, getting by Janus’ side on the bed and somehow just his presence, his arms wrapped around Janus’ body, and their skin touching made Janus much warmer than he would be even with all the blankets in the world.

#I apologize for any spelling mistakes #rabbit writes #remus sanders #roman sanders #dukeceit #tw sickness

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beauty-and-passion · 3 years

Text

Time to talk about the flower shirt

You read the title. Time to talk about this.

This is the infamous flower shirt Thomas put on in his store and, since the fandom is the fandom, everyone started to speculate about those flowers.

At first, I didn’t want to do it. They’re just flowers and other people already talked about them, so what could I possibly add to the conversation?

But while I was writing about Orange, I had to talk a moment about the orange flower. It was supposed to be a small parenthesis, just a couple of words about that.

But then I looked at the other flowers and what other people told/not told about them and how some didn’t find Patton’s flower... so here I am, adding my two cents to this theme.

You needed it? Probably not. Well, I’m writing it anyway.

So let’s take a closer look at those flowers and see each one in detail:

__________________________________

Roman: Red rose

Should I really explain why it’s perfect for Roman? Red roses are the universal symbol of love. Basically in all cultures red roses symbolize passion, true love, romance and desire. Also, according to this website, even the shade has a meaning! In fact, the deeper the red shade is, the stronger is the passion.

And even the number of red roses has a meaning! In this case, we have only one single red rose and that "represents love at first sight, or if it’s coming from a long-term partner, they are saying “you are still the one”.”

You know what that made me think? About Thomas telling Roman “You’re my hero”. A perfect symbol that he was “still the one” for Thomas.

__________________________________

Orange: Lantana camara

This is an incredibly peculiar flower.

Lantana Camara symbolizes severity and rigour. And this alone can be analyzed in all possible ways, but there are other interesting details about this plant I think it's worth mentioning.

Lantana is toxic for livestock, such as cattle, sheep, horses, dogs and goats. According to Wikipedia, previous studies suggested it could be toxic for humans too, especially the green unripe berries. However "other studies have found evidence which suggests that its fruit poses no risk to humans".

Lantana is a freaking invasive plant. In some areas, it's so predominant, to reduce biodiversity, because its presence "can significantly slow down the regeneration of forests, by preventing the growth of new trees". Also, as if this isn't enough, this plant can also produce toxic chemicals which inhibit other plant species.

Lantana has also a great adaptability, that helped it to be so invasive: it can live in a wide range of different environmental conditions, it can survive long periods without water, heck it's even resistant to fire. It's not a plant you can underestimate. Like Orange, I assume.

But Lantana isn't just an invasive plant. Lantana has always been used for medical purposes, because it showed good antimicrobial, fungicidal and insecticidal properties and its extract helps against respiratory infections and ulcers.

Also, since it doesn't have many pests or diseases, lantana became a common ornamental plant. It even attracts butterflies!

In other words: isn't that the perfect plant to symbolize the double nature of a dark side? It can be a threat, change the environment, destroy and even kill. But it can also be a medicine, something useful, something beautiful.

Whoever Orange is, Lantana camara tells us that, whithout a doubt, he’s a dark side.

__________________________________

Janus: Sunflower

Do you think Janus isn't perfect enough as he is? Do you think there's not enough husband material in the snek?

Well, you’re wrong and the sunflower is here to prove it.

Sunflower symbolizes loyalty, adoration, longevity, vitality, worship. Now add this up to the sunflower’s behaviour and how it follows the sun... and you’ll get Janus. Janus literally acts like a sunflower: Thomas is his sun and everything Janus does is for him. His whole existence is centered around Thomas.

But we already knew that, because it's the same message that shone through his playlist. Everything about Janus tells us how much he adores Thomas, from his canonical behavior in the series, to his playlist, to this flower.

Oh, do you need another proof that this is flower is perfect for Janus? Some societies use sunflowers as religious symbols. Ah, some good ol' reference to religion: it’s like being in his playlist all over again.

And, of course, sunflowers are used for a variety of reasons, like cooking oils, skin care and so on. Even the flower says self care.

This man is perfect.

__________________________________

Remus: Green chrysanthemum

Here's another interesting flower.

Chrysanthemum symbolizes death and it’s the typical flower used for funerals. And I thought this was its universal meaning. It was perfect for Remus just like that.

But then I found out that Europeans use chrysanthemums for funerals and to honor the dead. This flower actually has a whole lot of meanings, some completely different from this.

In China, for example, chrysanthemums are associated with wealth, prosperity and long life. Also they're symbols of new life and reincarnations, so they're the perfect gift for old people or newborns.

While in Japan chrysanthemums are symbols of power and royalty. And that's even more fitting for Remus, because he's a Duke, so he is royalty.

But chrysanthemum also symbolizes friendship - and not just "a friendship", but a meaningful one. It's a symbol of loyalty, devotion, romantic/platonic love and, in general, positive energy. It's a flower with an incredibly strong meaning, so it can't be given too lightly.

And this makes it even more perfect for Remus. It's a flower with a huge plurality of meanings, it's both associated with life and death, it's powerful and it's royalty.

Also, you can eat it. Isn't that the perfect Remus flower?

(On a side note: please notice how chrysanthemums and sunflowers are both associated with joy, loyalty and devotion. I would have never considered "joy" a common trait between Janus and Remus while loyalty and devotion... well, they both care about Thomas and his career and they both work for him despite not being accepted, so I can see why those are common traits.)

__________________________________

Patton: Nemophila

Surprise surprise, this flower wasn't easy to find. I’ve never heard of it, so I had to search among endless lists of blue flowers, hoping to find one that would perfectly match the one on the shirt.

And that’s how I found nemophila.

First of all: nemophila is also known as "Baby Blue Eyes" and it's an extremely rare color to find in nature. It’s very famous in Japan, thanks to the Hitachi Seaside Park. Open this link: it’s a literal sea of blue and it’s absolutely gorgeous. Of course, it attracts people every year.

Nemophila represents prosperity, congratulations on success and victory. Not the first things you would associate with Patton, right?

Well, while I was searching more informations about this flower, I found out this website about the essence of Baby Blue Eyes and the passage I quoted down below has the exact same words you can find on that link:

With its pronounced affinity for water, the Baby Blue Eyes flower essences addresses qualities of tender sensitivity, innocence and trust associated one’s early childhood relationship to the father, or other significant masculine figures that are in some way disturbed.

Very often the father was absent, or there was a lack of support or genuine presence. The Baby Blue Eyes type attempts over time to cover this wound of vulnerability with a false “hardening,” such as emotional distancing, mistrust, cynicism or spiritual alienation. It is a flower that can be equally helpful for men or women, although it is especially needed for many men who struggle to become strong, by disowning their pain.

So nemophilia’s essence has qualities associated with childhood, to the father figure and attempts to “repress” and hide emotions.

That’s Patton. That’s him, period. The childhood-related emotions, that are linked to Patton’s longing for “a simpler time”. The mentions of a father figure - who migh be absent or showing lack of support (like, idk, suggesting you should die so your friends live?). And the attempt to “cover the vulnerability” doesn’t remind you anything? Like the Nostalgia episodes?

This flower is Patton.

__________________________________

Logan: Blue petunia

I would like to say, from the bottom of my heart, a huge "FUCK YOU" to this flower, because I spent TWO DAYS searching all the blue flowers in the world and all possible variants, asking myself why this goddamn flower looked so familiar and why it was so hard to find. Blue isn't even a common color in nature, so why couldn't I find it?

I've learned more about blue flowers in these two days than in my entire life. I've searched among flowers I never saw before, like glandora diffusa, leschenaultia and omphalodes verna. I was so desperate to consider this flower a new species, with the petals of a bellflower and the corolla of a morning glory. I even found a goddamn chinese variant of the morning glory that was somehow similar but not that much and why, WHY this was so hard to find?!

And then, after two days and a lot more desperation, I remembered: my dear friend @reptilianwithscallions told me about a post they made, regarding this shirt and the flowers. Maybe they had some idea about Logan's flower?

Well, let's all thank my saviour and this post, because otherwise I would've kept searching until the end of my days.

Long story short, Logan's flower is a fucking blue petunia.

And it's a very peculiar choice, because petunias have multiple meanings, several of which can be contradictory.

In general, petunia symbolizes anger and resentment. It reminds someone that you're still angry or disappointed by their actions and you haven’t gotten over the things that caused these feelings.

Oh my, I didn't know we were back in Logan's playlist. It's basically what he kept expressing towards Thomas with his songs: that he was angry at Thomas for his decision, that he doesn't approve that Thomas hasn't "a real job" and so on. Petunia is a flower that screams passive-aggressive, so it's perfect for Logan.

But petunia's meaning deeply changes, depending on the color of the flower. And while petunia in general symbolizes anger, a blue petunia is a symbol of peacefulness, intimacy and deep trust, shared between two or more people. It's so wholesome, because the deep trust reminds me - again - of Logan's playlist and how it ended: no matter what, he and Thomas are always best friends.

Also, petunia flowers have even a secret meaning behind. Since they’re also gifted to new neighbors or to people who have just moved into a new home, they represent a perfect welcome and a way to express affection and kindness to others.

You’re lucky to be so wholesome, you tricky flower.

__________________________________

Virgil: Perennial Geranium

Geranium is a confused flower.

Some of the other flowers have conflicted meanings, but not as much as this flower. These are the most common meanings I found:

Folly or Stupidity

Gentility and kind nature

Clever minds

Ingenuity

Melancholy

Perfect gift for a bride

You can gift it to someone with whom you have planned a meeting

You can gift it to someone with whom you haven't planned a meeting, just to make them feel welcomed

True Friendship

See? It’s confused.

Aside from jokes, this variety of meanings is due to its great diffusion: since geraniums grow everywhere, every culture gave them a different meaning. And sometimes these meanings depend on the situation too.

Awww, isn't it perfect for Virgil? He can be good and bad at the same time. Anxiety can be bad for Thomas and detrimental for his life, but it can also be the alarm Thomas needs. It depends on the situation.

And, just like geraniums in general symbolize positive emotions, happiness and friendship, so Virgil is in general a good guy. All he does is for Thomas' wellbeing, not against him.

And this is confirmed by the vast use of geranium's essential oil. It's one of the most popular and it has a ton of properties: anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-depressant, decongestant, relaxing and so on. Just like our Virge boy can be incredibly useful under the right circumstances. (Did someone say "Flirting with social Anxiety"?)

Also, geraniums are simple, humble flowers that usually grow outside, but then we take them and make them part of our homes. Once again, it’s Virgil: he's an outsider, he's humble, he talks bad about himself - but Thomas and the others took him and made him part of the famILY anyway.

__________________________________

Thomas: Cherry blossom

I searched this flower everywhere and the only one that looks like the one on the shirt is the cherry blossom. Why did Thomas make a cherry blossom with eight petals, when they all have five? I have no idea. Is this a different flower, maybe? Maybe, but I’m done: I've looked at enough flowers and I don’t have any strength left.

As you probably already know, cherry blossoms are extremely important in Japan. They're beautiful, they're everywhere and they're meaningful.

Why? Because cherry blossoms are considered the perfect metaphor for human existence. When they blossom it's a pink ocean, a party, people go to admire them - but they’re short lived, because in two weeks, the blossoms start to fall. It's just like human life: a small, rich, glorious parenthesis in the void. Something little and precious that ends soon.

But cherry blossoms also symbolize rebirth, optimism, hopes and dreams. When they bloom, it means springtime is coming and spring has always been associated with renewal.

That’s a very good choice for character Thomas. He’s basically a cherry blossom, the whole series is: something that reminds us how beautiful life is, how multi-faceted, how important. Just like Thomas' single being encompasses seven different sides of himself, so life presents a wide range of choices, of aspects, of flavours. All beautiful, all worthy of appreciation, no matter how different they can be from you and your experience.

And this becomes even more important, in relation to the passage of time and the transience of life. Because life is short and, after that, there won't be any more time to appreciate anything.

In addition to that, I would like to point out how the theme of passage of time is something we already saw in the series. And not just one time, but several. Since the first season, we have episodes all around the concept of growing up, growing old, not being a child anymore, becoming an adult. And the last Aside keeps going in this direction. It's clear this is a big theme and its connection with the cherry blossoms proves it.

But why is the flower so different on the shirt? Because Thomas wanted to mess up with us? Probably. Almost certainly. Once again, thank you Mr. Sanders for making me question everything.

The floor is (figuratively) yours now: if you have any other information, thoughts or opinions, feel free to share them.

_______________________________

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majoringinclownery · 3 years

Text

giving me your weekends

summary: "While Virgil now incorporates more color in his wardrobe and is careful to soften his teasing toward the others- Roman in particular- once the cameras stop rolling he gravitates toward Remus and Janus. Tonight, after a long day of filming, he’s grateful to see a familiar figure lounging on his bed."

@princeanxious said he wanted more anxciet content and you bet i will deliver. this is literally just a cute fluffy ficlet of Virgil and Janus being cute boyfriends.

pairing: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders (romantic anxceit)

word count: 1k

Read it on AO3

While the other self-dubbed “Light Sides” may not be aware of the fact, Virgil didn’t just suddenly cut off Remus or Janus after joining them. It’s hard to say if they’re aware of it, but to him, it’s all part of the act to an extent. That’s not to say Virgil hasn’t grown since he first began starring in Thomas’s videos as some sort of antagonist- he has changed, and he has further decided to continue making an effort to better himself in the future. For the sake of himself, the others, and most importantly, Thomas.

But no, even though he may spend more time with Patton, Logan, and Roman than previously, he hasn’t abandoned the friends he’s held for the entirety of Thomas’s life. There’s too much history, too many inside jokes to simply walk away from. Not to mention that the other two “Dark Sides” provide a certain degree of comfort that the other three cannot at this time. The friendships between them are too new and uncertain.

So while Virgil now incorporates more color in his wardrobe and is careful to soften his teasing toward the others- Roman in particular- once the cameras stop rolling he gravitates toward Remus and Janus. Tonight, after a long day of filming, he’s grateful to see a familiar figure lounging on his bed.

“Virgil, darling,” Janus’s voice is velvet soft as he reclines propped up on his arms. Virgil’s shoulders slump, a pleased smile warming his expression as he crosses the room. His boyfriend is already dressed in his pajamas- a stylish black silk set with gold trim, as extravagant as the rest of his taste. His hair is fluffy and falls across his forehead without any hair gel to style it back.

Reaching the bed, Virgil straddles Janus’s legs, leaning forward to share a tender kiss. “Hey,” Virgil murmurs against his lips, voice low and scratchy after spending the afternoon talking nonstop. “I missed you.”

Janus hums, a hand reaching up to cup Virgil’s cheek. “I cannot say the same,” he drawls, a teasing smile on his lips. Virgil laughs, resting his forehead against Janus’s. They share a quiet moment, simply basking in each other’s presence.

Sighing, Virgil breaks away first. “I need to change and take off my makeup, but I won’t be long.” With another quick peck, he rises and moves toward his closet, shrugging off his hoodie.

“I washed your pajamas with my load today, they’re on the dresser.” Janus says, shifting to get more comfortable amongst Virgil’s blankets and pillows. Virgil glances in the indicated direction before flashing Janus a smile of thanks. As he begins changing, Janus speaks up again. “I don’t know how you manage it, darling.”

Virgil raises an eyebrow, meeting his boyfriend’s eye across the room. “What are you talking about?”

“Spending hours on end with those three. An insufferably stuffy bunch.”

Snorting, Virgil shakes his head, “They aren’t that bad, love. Sure, Roman can be a bit…” he trails off, wiping his makeup off and thinking of how best to describe the dramatic side. “Eccentric, but he’s not all that different from Remus. Well, he is, but once you spend some time with him and understand him better, it’s actually kind of fun.”

Janus sniffs, looking unconvinced. “Right. And I totally didn’t notice how tired you looked when you entered the room. Not at all.”

Finished changing, Virgil drops his laundry in the basket before returning to Janus’s side. “It’s cute that you’re worried about me.” His boyfriend scowls up at him and Virgil laughs, reaching out and running a hand through Janus’s hair. The scowl eases. “But filming videos just tires me out, none of them are to blame. Sure, Roman can be a bit nitpicky about it, but that’s kind of his job as creativity. Besides, it’s all in good fun and he’s trying to be nicer since I returned.”

His lips are pressed together as he searches Virgil’s expression, but Janus sighs and concedes with a nod. “Alright, alright. I suppose I am simply a victim of the mortal plight of worry for my dearest love, whom I cherish with all my-”

Huffing in amusement, Virgil leans down, ending Janus’s dramatics with another kiss. “Yes, yes. Thank you, I appreciate how much you care and look out for me, and I promise I will tell you if anything bothers me in the future.”

“Good.” Virgil yelps as Janus suddenly pulls him down, causing him to lose balance and fall to the bed. He frowns at the smug expression on Janus’s face, but takes the hint, further settling in bed with his partner. The pair crawl under the blankets and cuddle up together, Virgil breathing in the scent of Janus’s shampoo with a satisfied sigh. To his surprise, Janus seems to have a plan, adjusting them to sit back against the pillows and headboard. He snaps his fingers, and the lights dim and a projector flickers to life on the opposite wall.

Virgil glances at Janus, curious, “What’s all this?”

“Date night. I did miss you, I wasn’t lying about that.”

He can feel the way his entire being softens, and Virgil is certain his heart has never been so clearly on his sleeve. Or, rather, his face. It should be embarrassing, but he could never be embarrassed of Janus or their relationship. “Oh.”

“Yes. Oh.” Another snap of his fingers as the movie starts playing, and Janus is handing him a milkshake with one yellow and one purple straw sticking out the top, a basket of fries nestled in the space between their legs. “We’re watching Pride and Prejudice, and you will never mention such a thing to the others. Especially Roman.”

“Or Remus. He’ll be a little put out if he finds out we watched it without him, date night or not.”

Janus nods in agreement, taking a careful sip of the milkshake while his eyes remain trained on the screen as the movie begins. Virgil, however, only has eyes for the man beside him.

Leaning over, Virgil kisses Janus’s cheek. “I love you, Dee.”

Janus glances over, eyes warm. “Love you too, Virge.”

#anxciet #romantic anxciet #virgil sanders #janus sanders #sanders sides fanfic #sanders sides #fanfic #mywriting #hey i haven't been active in this fandom since like 2019 #or something #but fuck this man wants content #and i had to deliver #please enjoy

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a-small-batch-of-dragons · 1 year

Note

hi there!! so i LOVE Come Now, Little Prince, they’re all precious and you write soft janus so WELL, im so happy Remus is finally getting the love he deserves too! Buuuut i’m a little confused on a few things, and maybe this has already been clarified in the story and i just missed it, but is remus older than roman? Cause Janus treats roman like a young kid basically, and calls the others all “little heroes”, but treats remus like an adult, what with bringing him whisky and referring to him as a man rather than a boy or kid. Or are they the same age and janus has just never cared for remus because he’s a hardened crime boss, but now that he’s softened up thanks to the heroes, he’ll realize remus is really just as young and traumatized as they are? also, and i’m very sorry to bombard you with questions but this is the last one, what are the age ranges for the heroes/remus/janus? I keep picturing roman and the heroes as 17-18, and janus somewhere in his 40s, but is that wrong?

again, sorry for all the questions, i just really enjoy the story and having the answers to these questions would help me enjoy it better! don’t feel the need to answer any you don’t want to or that might be spoilers tho, ofc 💕💕 ty!!

Remus and Roman are about the same age--I think Remus is a few months older. Roman's definitely the oldest of the heroes--they're all early twenties, Virgil's the youngest at 20 even, Roman and Remus the oldest at 23. Janus is in his 40s, I picture him around 44.

Janus definitely treated Remus as just a henchman for a long time and kind of took him for granted until Roman's whole...ordeal. I think Remus was just grateful to have that clear divide between boss/employee. In a weird way he's glad Janus didn't care that much about him because that meant he didn't have to worry about someone putting effort into keeping him the way he was, there was a freedom in knowing he could die and just be replaced and it wouldn't matter.

But then of course here comes Roman, who's made Janus all soft and tender and all the things Remus still doesn't know because all he ever had was stolen moments between swivels of a security camera and the tenderness of having someone you know patch up the wounds they gave you. And now he's wondering if he missed his chance for that because Janus isn't like that with him. He's not special to Janus and he went out of his way to make sure of that. Janus is his boss, not his protector.

There is a moment for Janus, though, where he's trying so hard to keep Roman and the other heroes separate from his work as the Serpent--he can't have people knowing he's going soft after all--and realizes he's using Remus to do that. And it isn't that Remus is protesting or making a fuss about it, it's that he isn't. He's letting Janus push him around and treat him the way he always does--like he's nothing but a tool and always about two wrong steps from being taken on a very long drive off a very short pier--and vanishing when he isn't called upon.

In my head there's one time where Janus finds Roman and Remus asleep on Roman's bed (that he doesn't use very often because snek gotta cuddle) and is struck by three things.

One: his first instinct is to yell at Remus for falling asleep while watching Roman.

Two: he's horrified that he wants to do that.

Three: Remus, asleep, curled up in Roman's hold, looks so young.

'Cause Janus still needs to be gentle with the heroes, they're so fresh from the trauma and everything that he has to be careful, has to treat them like they're fragile, can't be too possessive just yet.

But with Remus?

Remus is his.

And I think that there's a part of him that sighs in relief when he realizes he can be as feral and possessive and fierce as he wants with Remus because Remus wants him to be. The heroes need time to figure out who they are without the Cyrus Corporation, Remus wants to feel like he belongs somewhere where he's wanted. And so in true Remus fashion he wants it to be messier, less polished, less practiced and safe and calculated.

Janus definitely chases Remus down a little bit once he realizes how fucked up Remus still is from all this shit and is like give me your struggles and your messes and your fury, i will cradle you within it until it forges into armor

100% meltdowns all over Janus and the scared little boy who used to forego sleep until his brother came back finally learns what protection feels like

#i swear these turn into minifics whether i want them to or not #dragonbabbles #sanders sides #fic #i guess #i do have opinions on the matter

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iclaimedtobethebetterbard · 3 years

Text

dukeceit week 2021 - masterpost

Welcome to Dukeceit Week! This post is where I will collect the links to all the fics I write for the week, and it will be updated every day until the week is done.

To be on my taglist for this series or my general taglist, just shoot me an ask or a DM!

All the fics for this week take place in my Starlight Universe, but will be at different points in time and not posted in chronological order. You should be able to jump in at any point, without needing to read anything else for each individual work to make sense! Have fun!

my fic masterpost

Starlight Universe masterpost

dukeceit week AO3 link

Day 1 - cool weeds (& neat stuff like that) | tumblr | AO3 Summary: Remus enjoys celebrating anniversaries, even unusual ones like "that time we kissed during Spin the Bottle before we began dating." Janus is not complaining about this.

Day 2 - gray skies & pretty colors | tumblr | AO3 Summary: Sometimes Janus is gray inside. Remus has colors (literally) to spare.

Day 3 - snakes & silliness | tumblr | AO3 Summary: The selecting of a first family pet is a very important matter. Almost as important as making Janus grin and blush in the middle of the reptile section. Luckily, Remus and Patton take both of these tasks as seriously as they should.

Day 4 - seductive wiles (aka a pretty smile) | tumblr | AO3 Summary: It may be Logan and Virgil's wedding, but Remus sees no reason why he should pay much attention to that fact when his own partners are right there and very kissable.

Day 5 - tender & soft(ly aching) | tumblr | AO3 Summary: “Would you like to hold me?” Janus asked. “Mmhm.” Remus’s voice cracked and wavered. “Please.”

Day 6 - popcorn & pronouns | tumblr | AO3 Summary: A movie night date leads to an important conversation. Already being t4t makes it a lot easier. Or, in Remus's own words, “This is just, like, going to be a week of people coming out to me, I guess. Huh.”

Day 7 - the easiness of loving you | tumblr | AO3 Summary: Three firsts and one very lovely last that Janus and Remus experienced together.

Chronological Order Compilation

#sanders sides #thomas sanders #thatsthat24 #dukeceit #dukeceitweek #dukeceit week #demus #romantic dukeceit #romantic demus #remus sanders #janus sanders #ts remus #ts janus #peregrin's starlight universe #ts fic #ts fanfic #fanfiction #fanfic #peregrin writes

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vulgarvixxen · 1 year

Text

I posted 461 times in 2022

That's 395 more posts than 2021!

42 posts created (9%)

419 posts reblogged (91%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@of-mutts-and-men

@nsfsprince

@vulgarvixxen

@subloganrights

@sanderssidessmutprompts

I tagged 81 of my posts in 2022

#🧪 anon - 13 posts

#vixxen speaks - 10 posts

#not safe for sanders - 8 posts

#anon ask - 6 posts

#nsfs roman - 5 posts

#nsfs logan - 5 posts

#nsfs virgil - 5 posts

#supersecretsmutside - 5 posts

#nsfs janus - 5 posts

#minors dni - 4 posts

Longest Tag: 90 characters

#also i might not use it at the start of the fic but it will be what i build the fic off of

My Top Posts in 2022:

Loceit, #25. “i love you. so, so much.”

Anding these together, because there will be more of the Bikini!AU aaaand cause this derailed from the og plan

Warnings: 18+, semi-public sex, nearly getting caught, mild panic attack, lmk if should add more

Sunshine

I love you

“ you are my sunshine

my only sunshine

you make me happy

when skies are gray

you’ll never know dear

how much I love you

please don’t take my sunshine away”

“Did you mean it? Do you love me?”

><><><><><><><

“So Jan and Lo huh?” Virgil asks in a low tone, trying not to get the attention of the other two in their group, “yeP!” Remus pops the word like a gum wad bubble. “Cool” “mhmm”

7 notes - Posted May 4, 2022

I simply think. Logan teaching Thomas how pussy works.

You are so right anon and honestly I had intended for this to have twice as much Logan but Thomas became the focus. I hope you enjoy this anyway.

Warnings ⚠️: 18+ only, oral sex, vaginal fingering, hint of degradation, hint of feminization kink, slight dom/sub elements, lmk if I missed any

Logan class in session

It happened while talking to Talon and Joan about exes. Talon had lamented about a guy who would never go down because “he didn’t think pussy needed that much fuss.” it made him realize he didn’t know anything about pleasuring a partner with a vagina. Sure he knew from biology where some stuff was but it was only a vague idea and that didn’t help him know what to do or where, and that’s how he ended up here in the mind-palace with Logan and two very enthusiastic volunteers.

On the projector screen was a very simplistic illustration of the human vaginal anatomy, Logan was talking about how the muscular canal is both elastic and flexible. Not as interesting as the fact that it expands? During? Sex? then just goes back to normal later? Why hadn’t that been in his college biology textbook, that was more relevant than the section on how the nose smells! Oh and it turns out those weird videos he came across as a young adult where the actresses “squirted”? Yeah that’s a real thing not just something for porn, the porn was still exaggerating and lame but it was real! Thomas was really enjoying this time with Logan…and two oddly quiet twins.

“Now that we have gone over some of the basic understanding of the vagina and it’s parts I think it’s time for some on hand experience. Remus and Roman have been kind enough to shift their anatomy to a human,” he stops and glares at Remus who just huffs and waves off the teacher’s obvious reprimand, “a human vagina, so you can see how different stimuli are received. Any questions before we begin?” Thomas raises his hand and is called on.

“Why do we need both of them to shift?”

“Ah! Yes, great question! Well just as every penis is unique so is every vagina and as such no two people will respond the same. You will switch between them to try and find what each likes best, and it helps to have a backup if one of our subjects needs a break for water!” Logan says it like he’s reading a script but there is an underlying chipperness one would more likely associate with Patton, it was nice to see.

“You really thought this through. Alrighty I guess I’m as ready as I’m going to be.”

Thomas’s tongue teased Roman’s folds, earning a sighing moan from the red twin, it wasn’t Roman’s “spot” but Thomas liked the breathy moans it pulled out of the other. He teased a little longer before he added circling his thumb around so it swiped both the clit and it’s hood. That got Roman howling out in pleasure, arching his back and grasping for anything for leverage. He switches his tongue and thumb so he’s pressing the tip of his tongue against the clit in a flicking motion.

“𝓕𝓤𝓬𝓴 𝓕𝓤𝓒𝓚, 𝓣𝓗𝓞𝓜𝓐𝓢 𝓓𝓞𝓝𝓣 𝓓𝓐𝓡𝓔 𝓢𝓣𝓞𝓟! 𝓑𝓨 𝓣𝓗𝓔 𝓖𝓞𝓓𝓢 𝓓𝓞 𝓝𝓞𝓣 𝓢𝓣𝓞𝓟“*

Bolstered by the pleading of his ego Thomas continues his flicking, every few licks longer than the others until the cries of “fuck” become screams of “yes” and “Thomas” but he doesn’t stop until Roman is squirming and whining.

“Amazing work Thomas, you found the places that give Roman the most stimulation and used that to help him reach a satisfying climax.” Praises Logan as he helps Roman sit up and sip some water. “I believe our other subject is very excited to be of help, don’t keep him waiting.”

At the direction Thomas wipes his face of the cooling mix of ejaculation and drool and heads over to where Remus is whimpering and clutching the end of his casual shirt. It was kind of cute seeing him so needy and willing, maybe he could do this sort of thing with the intrusive side more often.

“Just lean back now, I’m going to find what makes you feel good. Ok?” Remus nods eagerly to the instructions and falls back onto the bed/table thing both twins have been situated on, his hands still hold his shirt but now his legs are spread and Thomas has to swallow to keep the drool in his mouth from running down his chin.

“Are you always this horny or is it just because you’ve been waiting?” Thomas teased as he leaned down to take his experimental lick over the folds.

“I could hear what you were doing to Ro-Ro and how much he was loving it, couldn’t wait for that to be me. Thomas, make me your bitch, make me feel like a Duchess only good for making her king an heir.” Remus pleads and Thomas backs off to look the side in the eyes.

“Do…do you want me to use she/her while we’re doing this? Cause I’m fine with that but I’m not going to call you names while I’m trying to make you feel good.”

“Shit, yes. Yes please use she/her and call me Duchess if you get the chance to talk!” Remus blushes as she admits what she really wanted and Thomas chuckles at how cute he finds her antics right now.

Right off the bat he finds that she likes her urethra teased a lot more than Roman had but that nibbly kisses on her inner folds got the best gasping jolts out of her. He takes a chance and nibble kisses Remus’s hood as he’s running his fingers over her folds and into the vagina and is rewarded with a chant of “𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐦𝐲 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞“ so he kept up the rhythm before changing the angle of his hand so the urethra gets some attention and he can tell she holding back,

“Duchess, be a good girl and cum for your king.” As soon as he finishes his encouragement he is back to nibble kisses but not for much longer as Remus let’s go and let’s her orgasm wash over her. Thomas is thrilled when she “squirts” a stream of ejaculation on his hand between clenches.

“You ok my beautiful Duchess?” He asks after Remus has stopped gasping for breath.

“Wonderful! You’re a natural Tommy, you put straight white guys to shame!” She giggles, she pauses as Logan comes over to help her up just as he did her brother.

“Remus, though in her own words are a bit lacking, is correct. We’ve only had one lesson but I’m confident that should the need arise you will be prepared to bring pleasure to a partner who has a vagina.” Agrees Logan as Remus enjoys her water and waves at Roman who seems to be trying to stay awake.

“Thanks, I really enjoyed this. I feel like I’ve gotten close to the three of you and not just in the biblical sense.” That gets another giggle from Remus and a smile from Logan.

“No more talk, I want snuggles!” Roman demands in a sleepy grumble. It doesn’t take much to snap the twins into clean, soft clothes and shift the mind-palace into a big pile of padding, blankets and pillows. With three of his sides dozing off Thomas couldn’t help but think that he owes Talon a nice candy bouquet for planting the idea in his head.

* fuck fuck, Thomas don’t dare stop, by the gods don’t stop!

11 notes - Posted April 9, 2022

Bless your followers with more long Patton. 🙏 mayhaps a bit of him going deep. 😳

I gotcha fam 🖤

Full of Feelings

Warnings: 18+ only, sexual encounters, clothed sex, hand-jobs, spit-roasting, cum eating, blow-jobs, Remus eats something unusual

A new normal had settled upon the Mindscape, it was not unusual to see Patton walking around in sheer or transparent clothing throughout the day. There were more family nights now too, everyone taking turns to have Pat sit in their lap. Being able to take in that beautiful cock and Patton being happy to accept touches had boosted everyone’s moods and relations were mending, the world was healing.

Movie night had them all on the couch watching a cheesy RomCom, Patton had pulled Janus close with a “it’s a little chilly” as an excuse to cuddle. They were at the second sexually tension scene and by now Jan sat fulling on Pat’s lap. That’s when a thick pressure grinded up against Janus’s ass, coupled with a needy whine from behind him. Subtlety Janus pushed back to increase the friction, loving the way he could feel Pat from his ass to his base. They humped for the rest of the movie, picking up speed close to the end and finishing when the light came on. Janus came so hard that if he hadn’t been wearing briefs it would have been audible, the cum from Patton soaks through to his skin making the clothing even more soiled. The others stare with hungry eyes but say nothing. “Thanks Jay-bird, I’m a lot warmer now.”

During an idea session Remus and Roman argued over the placement of some jokes, it was loud and Virgil was getting a headache from the noise. He was about to just leave when Patton took his and guided it to his barely concealed erection, Virgil tilted his head until Patton started to rub a palm against Virgil’s crotch. Oh! The pair tuned out the twins and focused on slowly jerking each other off. Eventually the twins shut up and watched the lovely show in front of them. Once Virgil came he put more effort into bringing Patton to completion…the meeting table had to be cleaned but Virgil didn’t have a headache anymore.

Logan wanted to be filled, he had gone to Remus for help but the usual tentacles in his anus were not cutting it. He was about to ask Remus to stop when Patton walked past the, unintentionally left opened, door. The father side popped his head in and the pair stopped, “Lo-Lo are you alright? You feel kinda sad.” Patton asks, Remus looks at the logical side with panic but is waved off. “Just need a little …more.” “Maybe I can help!” And that is how Logan ends up spit-roasted on three tentacles in his anis and Patton’s cock in his mouth, full and content. (He continued to be full and content from all the cum and mucus-slime he had taken too.)

Roman was making Patton a new robe but he wanted this one to hug the heart’s body unlike the ones before that were flowy so he needed Pat’s measurements. He had the arms, chest, and hips now he needed length and inseam. Length was just an inch longer than Roman himself and inseam waaaaas “Ro that tickles, if you wanted to touch you just had to ask!” The heart laughs as he runs a hand through Roman’s hair, and Roman can’t help it when he sighs and leans into the touch. The project is set aside as Roman and Patton exchange heated touches, sweet kisses, and grinding hips until they both spill all over Roman’s outfit. He doesn’t mind continuing his work in the nude, not if it’s for Patton.

Thomas was out on a date and Patton was feeling all those extra feelings and hormones at full blast. He was about to try taking a cool shower to ease the heat boiling in his guts but just as he was about to get up Remus entered the room. The darker creativity stopped abruptly and sniffed the air like a hunting dog, turning to look at Patton with a queasy smile, “does daddy dearest need a hot hole to fill? Cause I got several!” Remus says with a cackle. Patton is so happy that Remus is showing his caring side for a change, “sure kiddo! Take me however you feel most comfortable with!” With a snap Re is on his knees and pouring ranch!? Flavored lube onto Pat’s cock and sucking it down his throat like a slurpy. It doesn’t take awfully long with the strong suction and tight, warm squeeze for Remus to be swallowing Patton’s large load of cum. He licks his lips, kisses Pat, and skips away happily. The fatherly side giggles as he watches the other leave, he likes this new normal.

13 notes - Posted April 18, 2022

Going off the hiking prompt: Logan getting double dicked against a tree

Survivalist Hike

Warnings: 18+, pre-hyperthermia, d.a.p., mild sex-pollen, snake anatomy Janus

There has been a lot of stress in the Mindscape lately, projects in the works and deadlines to be met. Logan had taken the brunt of it all trying to keep the schedule and keep the others motivated while also planning for the coming weeks, he was relieved when they reached the weekend that Janus marked for self-care. He was burnt out and wanted some time away from the “office”, luckily Janus had suggested they go camping which Logan had been asking the other side to do for months now. You see Logan loved hiking and camping in the imagination where he could watch the wildlife and study them, it relaxed his mind while stimulating his body! He figured that Janus would also enjoy the outdoors since it was late spring and the weather would be accommodating to their other’s snake attributes. This is how they found themselves on a mountain in the imagination with an unexpected cold front rolling in bringing freezing rain and howling winds, having only one extra blanket in their tent.

“Uuggh one of the twins must have changed the forecast after we left, the bratssss!” Janus hisses, his breath just barely visible in the cold air. “We will speak with them when we return. Which I suggest we do soon since this temperature could become dangerous for your health.” Logan replies as he packs away his things, his fingers numbing the longer they are exposed to the cold. “But thissss was sssupposed to be your weekend, a time to relaxxx” the other pouted as he snuggled in the one blanket. Logan sighed but kept packing, sure he was disappointed but he wasn’t going to risk their health and safety for a trip that would just cause more stress. Better to go home and just go back to work.

“I know itsss not the same but we could ssspend the night in my greenhouse, it will be warm there and you can ssstudy the plantsss.” Janus suggests when he notices the resigned look in Logan’s eyes, he doesn’t add that his snakes also live there so the logical side will be surprised. A bit of light returns to Logan as he thinks about it, “Yes, that sounds like an acceptable second choice for our trip.” He reaches out to sink them out but the imagination pushes back, like stretched rubber bands they spring back to where they were. A few more tries prove just as fruitless, “they messsssssed with the sssettings! Stupid boysss!”

Getting out the map, one Roman gave him to fill out, Logan looked for the closest exit…it was miles away. He let out a deep sigh, there was no way either he or Janus could hike that long in these conditions after a long day of walking already under their figurative belts. There had to be some other way out or at least somewhere safer to wait until the storm passed, wait what was that symbol on the map across the river from them? “Janus, do you know what this symbol means? It’s not on the key.” The shivering snake looked down at the paper with a critical glare before his eyes widened and a giddy smile graced his face, “that is a love nest, Roman and Virgil come out here for their little sex retreats. It will be nice and warm, probably full of booze and firewood too! Logan it’s so close!” The embrace of the snake hybrid startled the logical side not only because it was unexpected but also because Janus’s skin was as cold as the rain outside, they needed to get to this “love nest” quickly. “Put on all the clothes we brought and use one of the sleeping bags as cover, I’ll carry the bags. We might get there before the sun sets and leaves us in the dark.”

They trek the dirt path and across the footbridge over the river to a strange looking tree, where the other trees were thin and tall, this one had a stout trunk and thick branches that turned up like a flute glass. With the dwindling light it took far longer for Logan to find the hidden entrance into the secret getaway, a knot on the trunk was a latch-knob that needed to be lifted to open. By then a sheet of ice was coating the ground and the sleeping bags they used as coats and Janus had stopped talking a few minutes ago, a troubling development. He tossed the bags to the side of the entrance and dragged the snake side into the shelter. He noted that Janus moved sluggishly and was beginning to take a blue tint on his human half, “T-takkke offff the w-w-wet c-clothes an-and shhhoes, gotta g-get you warmmm.” Logan chatters the instructions as he also strips off his wet shoes, socks, and pants.

Janus gets his shoes off no problem but Logan has to help him get the outermost pants and shirts off so they don’t soak his already freezing skin. Once he gets Janus on a plush seat with a dry blanket Logan staggers to the fireplace and throws on the logs stacked by the wall, thank goodness for magic since the logs replenish after a moment. His numb fingers fumble with the match but eventually he gets the fire going and starts looking for anything to help them heat back up safely, Janus especially needs to warm up without shocking his system. In the kitchen he finds a two burner stove and a kettle that he fills with water and sets on a burner to heat, there is some strange tea in a red box that smells sweet and fruity that they can drink. In a room upstairs there are plenty of dry clothes to change into while theirs are still wet. When he comes back down with sweatpants on and some more layers for Janus the water is ready for tea. Its fruity scent is even stronger as it steeps in the mugs, he’ll have to ask Roman for some when they return home.

“Janus, I know moving is uncomfortable but you need to drink something, please.” He coaxes the lethargic side to take the mug who immediately curls over the source of warmth. A good sign. Logan finds another blanket and to conserve heat sits next to Janus, it also lets him keep an eye on the other’s health as the night progresses. Silence is filled with sips and the popping crackles of the fire that has warmed the room considerably, it’s peaceful and as their mugs are drained the sides start to fall asleep leaning against each other.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Way too soon for his taste later, Logan woke feeling better but also a little off. He figured it was just the fatigue and skipping dinner that made him feel “funny” but as his mind woke more he noticed that his companion was missing, “Jan? Where?” He looked around and saw that the blanket that was tucked around Janus earlier was now leading down the hall. Groggily he followed down the hall to find his missing companion and check on his health, the snake side needed to keep warm. So it was worrying to see discarded layers thrown haphazardly about as he neared the over the top bedroom. “Janus?” He calls out worriedly, “Here darling, closer.” Janus’s voice is huskier than normal and sends an ember of heat to his guts, it was a wonderful feeling that washed away the weirdness he woke with. He walked more into the bedroom, towards where he was sure he heard the other call to him, when he was shoved up against the bark-like wall.

Lips met his in searing kisses, hungry but experienced as they coaxed open his mouth to drag out sounds that Remus would approve of. A thigh nudged his legs apart to give Janus room to pin him in, three sets of hands tugging away at fabric to get to heated flesh, “So warm darling, you make me so warm. Want you, want to be in you.” Janus moans between kisses, and Logan wants that too, wants to chase this feeling and let Janus ruin him. “Yes, yes, I want you too!” He gasps as a set of arms lifts him up.

He hadn’t noticed when his boxers came off but the sensation of his dick rubbing against Janus’s own dicks made his head spin at how amazing it was. When a slick finger enters his hole he thinks he sees stars, Janus, please! Feels so good!” He cries as the other side adds another finger, “Soon darling. Don’t want to hurt you, my love.” And that hits Logan hard, Janus could use him right now and he’d thank him for it but the selfish side was being gentle, considering his needs too, it was far softer than he was used to when he was with the others. Before he can get too into his own head Janus adds a third finger, pumping and curling the digits to find that sweet spot.

Ahhh!

The musical sound that Logan makes when Janus hits his prostate breaks the resolve the snake side had, “I think you’re ready love, relax for me.” Janus bids as he lines up one of his dicks with Logan’s hole. He slides in and let’s the logical side sink down onto him slowly, “That’s it darling, there we go.” A beat later and Janus starts to rock up into Logan with one dick as the other still ruts against the other’s own. The night is filled with porn worthy moans and gasps of each other’s names, the buildup of heat between them steaming up the windows.

Logan can feel his climax nearing but he wants more, wants something else, “Janus, I can’t take both, give me both.” He pleads as Janus thrusts again, “Ok love, but you have to stop me if it hurts.” Janus agrees, he uses two sets of arms to lift Logan again and holds his dicks together to ease them in. It stretches him but it doesn’t hurt like he half expects so he only whines needily to get the other moving again. Janus just huffs fondly and sets back to his pace, rocking up in a rhythm of in and out, in and out, the squeeze of Logan’s hole heavenly hot and accommodating to the girth. “Feel so good in you Darling, so perfect. My perfect Logan.” He whispers as he speeds up a bit, listening to the other’s breath hitch at the compliment, he keeps calling Logan perfect and darling until he feels the logical side spill cum over both of their stomachs. He can feel his own release close behind so he takes the time to kiss as much of Logan as he can reach as he thrusts harder, when he cums his teeth sink into soft flesh and his vision whites out.

When Janus comes back into himself he finds that he and Logan are still connected and entangled together. The logical side is pushing back his sweaty bangs and looking at him with such reverence that it’s frightening at first. “Are you alright darling? I didn’t mean to break skin.” The bite was bleeding and once again Janus was glad he wasn’t venomous. “I’m fine, you don’t have to apologize for something I liked.” A blissful smiles graces Logan’s lips and Janus feels his face blush bright red, a strange twist since they had just fucked and now he was flustered.

They stayed there on the floor until the room temperature started to get noticeably cooler, retreating onto the bed and under the plush comforter. The next day came quickly and with much warmer weather, they spent most of the morning and afternoon lazing in bed where it was cozy. Hiking was forgotten in favor of repeating the events of the night before, several times. When they returned Sunday evening everyone commented on how relaxed Logan looked…if he and Janus decided to take more hiking trips no one made comment on it, except for the dwindling supply of Vitali-tea in the love nest, oops!

23 notes - Posted April 28, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

11.“shh, you can take it. you're doing so well.”

-🧪

The itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the spout

Shout out to @supersecretsmutside for helping me pick a ship and concept when I was too overwhelmed by the possibilities. This prompt is frankly too delicious and I couldn’t settle on how to use it!

Warnings: 18+, spider!virgil, Inaccurate spider anatomy, sounding, frotting, oviposition/eggpreg, dub-con(consent for the future is given later), lmk if I missed any

It was nice having Patton on display all the time and getting absolutely pounded by his giant cock but for Virgil it was having an annoying drawback. His spider half was “female” and being bred was making him need to lay a clutch, unfortunately Thomas didn’t know much about spider mating habits so instead of just laying the eggs in a nice little bundle of web he needed to insert them somewhere warm first. Virgil had held back for so long but now he absolutely needed to lay in someone or the clutch would be lost, his instincts wouldn’t allow that. He could go to one of the other dark sides but neither one of them had the body heat his eggs needed. Logan would love to experience the process for science but he has been so upset lately that he might not be able to enjoy it…maybe next clutch. Roman probably wouldn’t mind but he was busy helping Thomas with work for the next script, and…and Patton would likely be grossed out by having spiders inside of him, even if they were his babies. Bother Logan or scare Patton away? Ugh why was his life so difficult!?

So deep in his anxious debating Virgil doesn’t notice when another person comes up behind him until there are arms around his waist and a thick package rutting against his back, if he wasn’t so horny from the hormones urging him to lay he would have been startled. Now though? He twists in the other’s grip and claims their mouth in hot open-mouthed kisses. Even clothes the frotting spurs on his need, mating out in the open didn’t feel safe so as the two continue to get hot and heavy they sink out into Virgil’s bedroom. They land on the plush bed and for the first time since they started Virgil notices the bright blue Georgette cloth used as a wrap skirt, of course Patton would be the one to find him in such a state! He makes quick work of getting his ovipositor out of his pants and unknotting Patton’s skirt, the drive of his instincts causing his mouth to water at the sight of the thick long cock that filled him with such delicious hot seed. Later he will wonder if he’s venomous like Janus because Patton becomes putty under him, lax and pliable as he takes the other’s throbbing erection and starts to slide into it.

Oh! It’s so warm and tight around his thin appendage, his natural slime-like secretion letting him glide in without difficulty. “Hung!” Patton chokes on a confused gasp at the new feeling, he’s never been penetrated before and had never imagined his first time being like this. The farther Virgil goes the better it feels to be so incredibly full, the weird purple stuff oozing out with his pre cum tingles the same way Virgil’s mouth is, it’s like heaven. Virgil pulls back just a little to get more coating inside the other’s cock before he starts pushing all the way in, stopping only because he reached residence. Patton is underneath him moaning and sobbing from the pressure keeping him from cumming, a now clawed hand brushes away his tears, “s͟h͟h͟,͟ ͟y͟o͟u͟ ͟c͟a͟n͟ ͟t͟a͟k͟e͟ ͟i͟t͟.͟ ͟y͟o͟u͟'͟r͟e͟ ͟d͟o͟i͟n͟g͟ ͟s͟o͟ ͟w͟e͟l͟l͟.͟”͟ the spider side rumbles affectionately as he nibbles little love bites along his mates chest, coaxing his to relax so the appendage will keep going. Some more tingling kisses and backing out for the slime to build up let’s Virgil press on with just a wet pop and a shiver of bliss running up Patton through his cock.

Now inserted to his base and inside the hottest part he can get in his mate Virgil lets his cluster work their way through the ovipositor, the eggs are the size of the small beads (8/0) and slip easily into their father. Shallow thrusts force a bundle of eggs into their resting place and finally the deed is done, their brood is being warmed and are safe for the short time they need to incubate and Virgil has a whimpering mewling mess of a mate under him begging for more. With his human mind becoming clearer without the need to lay he can help his mate enjoy their time connected even more. He slides most of the way out and begins to slowly slide in just to pull back out just a bit, sounding Patton’s cock with his still inflated ovipositor. Shaking and moaning in pleasure, Patton hardly has time to call out a broken “close” before he’s cumming on Virgil’s appendage and he can feel the now slightly bigger eggs (5/0) pushing up out of him.

The barely still inflated ovipositor is marbled in translucent purple and pearly white that makes Virgil’s dick hard in knowing that he made his mate feel good but the throaty moans still coming from his mate mean the process isn’t done yet. Weaving together a cone of his silk Virgil starts pumping Patton’s cock, milking out the eggs and mixture of their cum into the soft safe silk. “Virgie, it feels so nice. Like I get to keep cumming and cumming, those little beads rub inside so perfectly. Virgie, honey, baby, can we do this more? Love feeling you inside me so close!” The heart babbles as he watches the last of the objects leave him and his body goes limp on the bed. Virgil nuzzles him and closes the web up around their clutch. “You keep fucking me all the time and I’ll keep making babies to fill you up with.” He purrs in response. Patton gasps, “babies?! Oh gosh we’re parents, of course I’ll give you more children! As many as you want honey!” The enthusiasm is appreciated as the idea of more healthy broods make the animalistic side of Virgil preen at having such a providing mate.

“So many, Pop-star, I want so many. But I might not be able to always go to you for incubation, is that alright?” Some of his normal anxiety is bleeding back in as his post sex high and animal need wanes, the idea of his mate rejecting him in some way is settling into his mind. “Of course baby, I want to help you with our…eggs? But even I know I can’t be there all the time! Lo-Lo and Remus will want to help for sure and I know Roman loves feeling useful, do what you need to bring those spidery little kiddos into the world!” If he could move Patton would be snuggling his emo sweetheart and peppering kisses all over his face but Virgil was fidgeting with their loving bundle and sleepiness was dragging Patton under anyway.

“Cuddle me? After you put the kids to bed?”

“Yeah, I can use some cuddles after that too.”

*(8/0) is very small and (5/0) is about twice that and barely smaller that a standard poni bead

26 notes - Posted April 30, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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starshard17 · 3 years

Text

Dukeceit Week | Day 1 | Anniversary Gifts

Pairing : Romantic Dukeceit (Married)

Summary : Remus planned a surprise for Janus for their happy five years <3

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"Remus put me down!" Janus giggled, beating his fists against his husband's back. Remus laughed, holding onto him tighter.

"No I've got a surprise for you and I'm taking you there! You're going to love it!" He cooed, running through the house. Janus laughed again and continued lightly punching Remus' back.

"Rem I can walk myself! Put me down!" He cried out, kicking his legs and giggling.

"Nope nope nope!" Remus laughed.

Eventually Janus felt himself slip out of Remus' arms and his feet made contact with the ground. He turned his head to look at his surroundings before he was suddenly shrouded in darkness. He placed his hands on the ones in front of his eyes and smiled at the familiarity of Remus' rough skin.

"Remus darling where are we?" Janus asked, rubbing Remus' hands and smiling as he waited for an answer from his husband. Janus felt his hat being removed from his head and little pecks being left on his head. He giggled, leaning against his husband, his gloved hands running over the ring on Remus' finger.

Slowly Remus split his fingers apart, revealing slivers of the outside world to the deceitful man. Janus' eyes wandered around the setting, noticing candles and gifts and a table set for two. A small draft drifted by, causing Janus to shiver. Finally Remus completely moved his hands away, revealing the beautiful scene outside that he had set up for the two of them. Janus took in a deep breath, relishing in all of the lovely smells.

There were stacks upon stacks of gift boxes wrapped in beautiful gold paper with floral patterns along the ribbons tied around them. There were sets of green and gold candles along a beautifully adorned table. A white table cloth with black rose and thorn patterns along the trim. Set on the table was honey roasted turkey, seasoned broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots, a bowl of baked potatoes. Dishes of diced green onions and sour cream. A stick of butter, a basket of rolls, and two pies in the middle of the table along with a container of whipped cream beside it. There were multiple serving spoons and knives on the table.

Janus fiddled with the ring on his finger, his heart gushing with pure love and joy at the amount of effort Remus had put into doing this just for him. He always knew Remus' cooking was the best and his decorating while weird at times was absolutely impeccable, but he's never seen him go this far just to please him. He turned to face his husband and was met with his adorably crazy expression, a wide grin spread on Remus' face.

"You made this for me?" Janus gushed, a blush rising on his face. Remus nodded excitedly, bouncing up and down on his feet.

"You always spoil me so I decided to finally spoil you today! Cause you deserve it. You deserve the world even. But I can't really do that for you. So this is the next best thing! I hope." He explained, holding his own hands and bouncing even more.

"We'll eat, you can open your gifts, then we can gaze at the stars together!" He cheered, grabbing Janus' hand and pulling them up to his mouth, kissing his knuckles. Janus chuckled then frowned a little, gripping onto his hands tighter.

"Something wrong baby?" Remus asked, looking at him, concerned.

"I didn't get you anything." Janus sighed, looking towards the ground. "I'm sorry." He choked out.

"Hey, I just told you I did all of this to spoil you because in our five years of being married you spoiled me a fuckload. You deserve all of this. I don't care that you didn't get me anything, you being able to put up with me for so long is enough." Remus crooned, planting a kiss on Janus' forehead. He smiled up at his gremlin of a husband.

"Lets eat?" Remus asked, practically vibrating with happiness.

"Lets." Janus agreed, walking over to the table and taking a seat. Remus sat down right beside him and the two shared a lively conversation throughout dinner, a light breeze blowing past them, carrying the scent of summer flowers.

--------

The two of them stared up at the stars, Janus' head resting on Remus' chest, the sound of his heart beating residing in his ear.

"Janus?" Remus suddenly spoke out into the silence.

"Hmm?" Janus responded, looking up at his husband. Remus looked at the scaly man on his chest and smiled as their eyes locked onto one another's.

"Thank you for being the most incredible husband a duke could have ever asked for." He cooed, lifting Janus up towards the sky. He giggled and placed his hands on either side of Remus' head, smiling.

"And thank you for being the nicest, most generous man in my life. I love you Remus." Janus purred, caressing his husband's cheek with his hand.

"I love you more Janus." He answered back, pulling him in for a soft, sweet and tender kiss.

#ts janus #ts remus #romantic dukeceit #my writing #dukeceitweek

13 notes · View notes

vintage-squid · 4 years

Text

Vulture Culture

Summary: Remus loves living in his little cabin in the woods with his two gorgeous, snarky partners. Coming home from another scavenging adventure to Virgil and Janus being their wonderful selves, Remus has a very important question to ask them.

Pairing: Virgil/Janus/Remus Rating: G Warnings: Animal bones, use of scavenged bones for art, a whole truck load of fluff

Huge thank you to @rosesisupposes for beta’ing for me!

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“Ohh honey-bunny-bums! I’m home!”

The front door slammed against the wall, echoing through the house as Remus stomped inside, a wide grin spread on his face and his backpack heavy over one shoulder. Bracing the toes of one foot against the heel of the other, he aggressively yanked his feet out of his boots, laces still tied. He haphazardly tossed his jacket and toque over the back of the nearby armchair - on top of other outdoor outfits that had already received a similar treatment. With much more care, he set his bag on the floor.

“We’re in the kitchen, Re!”

“And I swear to the gods, your boots better not be on your feet when you get in here, because I am not mopping up after you again!”

“Yeah, yeah, no need to get your knickers in a twist,” Remus snorted, grabbing his backpack by one strap and slinging it over one shoulder. He made his way further into the house, following the sound of his loved ones' voices. “I’m still wearing socks, though, so no peeping at my toes for you! You’ll have to wait ‘til later for that treat.” Coming around the corner into the kitchen, Remus gave an exaggerated wink to his partner standing on the step-stool by the window.

Virgil rolled their eyes, shaking their head and setting aside the small scissors they had been using to tend to their plants. “I offer to give you a massage one time for your sore feet, and suddenly I’m the one with the foot fetish, I see how it is.”

Smirking, Virgil turned to face Remus, but before they could hop off their stool, a pair of burly arms cinched around their middle and swept them into the air.

“Remus!” They shrieked, dissolving into laughter as their boyfriend held them close and spun them around the room.

“I’ve got a Virgil!” Remus hollered, bouncing them both as he giggled. Even in play, Remus was cautious not to spin too fast and actually upset Virgil’s nerves; it was a delicate balance, one he had perfected over the years. Both of them were snickering breathlessly when Remus finally came to a stop and set Virgil’s feet back on the floor, though his arms remained snug around their chest. The pair faced Janus, who was smirking at them with a raised brow.

“If the children are done playing in the kitchen where I am currently working over a hot stove?” Despite her tone, Janus’ smile softened fondly as she flicked her wrist to cut the heat. The fire witch stepped forward and planted a smooch on Remus’ nose, her hand following quickly to cup his face and smooth her thumb over the boisterously grinning chub of his cheek. “Welcome home, possum. I’m glad to see you’ve returned safe and sound, and not covered in pond scum.”

Remus only grinned wider and hugged Virgil a little closer, much to their grumbling delight. “The grime feels so good, though! Oozing between your fingers and squelching when you bend your knees! Come on, you have to admit that my skin was so soft for, like, a week after I fell in last time!”

“I will admit to nothing, other than that you smelled like a rotted fish for that week too,” Janus retorted. “I still think you did that on purpose; there’s no way a water witch wouldn’t be able to bathe himself properly to get rid of that odor.” Pushing up onto her toes, she pressed a tender, lingering kiss to his lips. “I, however, much prefer your natural musk.”

Leaning in to Remus again, Janus yelped as Virgil suddenly grabbed her by the front of her shirt and tugged her into a searing kiss that made bursts of colour flash behind her eyelids. Melting against their mouth, she gripped Remus’ forearm with one hand while the other ran through Virgil’s long hair over and over, dragging them back for more when they tried to pull away. When the pair finally parted, panting heavily, Janus couldn’t help the lazy satisfaction that settled over her when she was greeted with Virgil’s smile.

“What?” They asked innocently. “You gave Remus kisses, and I wanted some attention too.”

Janus rolled her eyes, thumb tenderly rubbing the back of their neck. “So needy, I swear.”

Remus snorted, gently depositing Virgil into a dining chair and scooping his bag off the floor where he had left it in favour of his favourite tiny plant witch. “You’re one to talk, mixter-”

“Ah, she/her now, darling, changed about an hour after you left this morning. I just haven’t had the mind to swap out my necklaces while Virgil and I have been working in here. Sorry, possum,” she murmured, fiddling with the sparrow’s skull resting at the hollow of her throat from a braided rope.

“Well, princess,” Remus adjusted smoothly, kissing the top of Janus’ head and petting over the buzzed side of her hair. “First off, you have no grounds to complain about me being needy, Miss clings-with-all-four-limbs-every-night. And secondly,” his voice softened, “you never have to apologize for expressing whatever gender feels best for you, ever. Okay? Do you want me to grab Trip for you?”

Laying her hand - slimmer than his, but still larger than Virgil’s - atop Remus’, Janus nuzzled into the calloused warmth of his palm. “I would appreciate that, possum. I think I left her on the smaller bookshelf in the bedroom.”

“Anything for you, dandelion. Lemme take Kee, too.”

Obligingly, Dee lifted her hair, long only on the right side of her head and curlier than a pig’s tail, to allow Remus room to remove her current necklace. She glanced up, feeling a tingle down her neck that had nothing to do with her boyfriend’s wandering fingers. Virgil was seated at the table across the kitchen, their cheek propped on one fist, a dreamy haze over their normally snarky features.

“See something you like?” Janus asked with a snort.

“Only the loves of my life,” Virgil replied, grinning wider when Dee scoffed to hide her fluster. “Ohh, you thought I meant you two? No, no, the coffee machine and a bag of chips are on the counter behind you, babe.” They cackled as both their partners squawked in indignation, hiding their wide smile behind their sleeve.

Janus rolled her eyes, stepping away from Remus and lightly kicking the leg of Virgil’s chair before sitting across from them. “Ha ha, you’re so funny, V.”

“I knew it was only a matter of time before you recognized my true genius.”

“Alright you gaggle of gossiping gophers,” Remus cut in, dropping his bag on the table between them. “Why don’t you have a look through what I found today while I get Janus’ necklace and change into something a little more cozy.” He exaggerated a wink at his partners, taking their snorting laughter with him as he swaggered off in the direction of the bedroom.

Virgil and Janus shared a look before diving for the ties on the bag. Janus worked the flap open, allowing Virgil to reach their hand in for the first discovery. Their eyes lit up, with a sparkle that had nothing to do with the green magic flowing through their veins, as they pulled out a neatly tied bundle of watercress, the pale roots intact and cleaned of any potentially parasite carrying soil.

“Ah! Where did he manage to find this!? I’ve been needing more since that doe and her fawns have started coming by,” they murmured, bringing the bundle up to their face and inhaling deeply. “Mother Earth, there is no better smell in this world.”

“And of course you’re selflessly going to plant it all outside in the pond for our little ungulate neighbours without keeping some as a snack for yourself,” Janus drawled while reaching into the bag herself.

Virgil finally looked away from the watercress to smirk at their girlfriend, plucking a plant free from the bundle and nibbling on it like a rabbit. “I never said anything of the sort.”

Heart throbbing fondly, Janus snickered and pulled out the next of Remus’ finds. Her fingers wrapped around a small burlap bag and she squealed. Pulling it out, she eagerly opened the drawstrings and carefully dumped the contents onto the tabletop: a grey, spherical rock, seven small vertebrae of assorted shape, and three colourful, river-polished stones. Janus cooed, smoothing the tips of her fingers over her new treasures, eyes wide with wonder and ideas for her latest art project.

When she looked up to share her excitement with Virgil, they were already rifling through the next of Remus’ gifts, a collection of plucked flowers spread out across their side of the table. Their wide smile softened as they glanced up and made eye contact.

“Reme really went all out today, I can’t believe some of these blooms he managed to find at this time of the year!”

“I wonder what we did to deserve such a spoiling?”

“You two were absolutely perfect, that’s what.”

Virgil and Janus perked up, turning to look at their returned third. Both seated witches felt their stomachs lurch with affection as Remus stood in the doorway dressed, for once, in a clean shirt the same colour as his intelligent blue eyes. It was buttoned up only halfway, his burly chest exposed to the warm air of the kitchen and his partners’ hungry gazes. Both hands were held suspiciously behind his back.

Virgil recovered first, trying to appear nonchalant by tousseling their fingers through their shaggy bangs. The effect was betrayed by the glowing vines that had begun to creep up their forearms like living tattoos, pulsing in time with the rapid fluttering of their heart. “Whatcha got there, possum?”

Biting his lip, Remus couldn’t stop himself from breaking out into a wide grin as he shrugged one shoulder in a not-answer. “We all know that Janus is usually the sappy one among us-

“Hey!”

“So, I’m sorry sunshine, but I’m about to borrow your role for a second.”

Virgil and Janus exchanged a glance as Remus paused again to exhale slow and deep, almost as if he were running through one of Virgil’s breathing exercises. What could have made their fearlessly boisterous possum so uncharacteristically nervous? Their attention snapped back to their third as Remus stepped forward, stopping at the head of the table between the seated pair.

“Most of the people I meet in my life haven’t been overly enthusiastic to meet me in turn. Lotsa people don’t want to put up with my magic or my brain, or really anything about me, and even among those who do, most of them just don’t really get me, y’know? But... but you two...”

Remus looked from Virgil to Janus, love welling in his eyes like the rising tide he so adored. His hands tightened on the objects still hidden behind his back.

“You two not only understand me, but you encourage me to be myself and are actually fucking comfortable being around me? Like, holy shit. I don’t even have the words to explain to you what that means to me - and I usually have no problem describing anything! Like how some sharks are so gluttonous they will gorge themselves and then throw up everything they just ate so that they can keep eating! Isn’t that so cool!?” As he got more and more excited, his shoulders began to hunch and roll in a mimicry of his usual out of control gesturing. Somehow, he managed to hold onto enough sense of mind to keep hidden his hands, and the precious cargo they held.

Janus leaned forward, tapping one manicured nail on the table to draw Remus’ attention back. “C’mon, possum, you can tell us all about vomiting sharks after you finish our surprise speech.”

Shockingly, a faint blush coloured Remus cheeks. He cleared his throat and glanced to the side with a sheepish grin. “Ah, right.” Looking back to the loves of his life, Remus set his shoulders square and dropped down to one knee, delighting in his partners’ gasps and widening eyes.

“What I was trying to say, is that I love you two so fucking much, and I wanna spend the rest of our lives together. So…” Remus brought his hands out from behind his back and held them up.

In front of Janus he presented a gaboon viper’s skull, meticulously cleaned with the top few vertebrae still attached at the jaw hinge so the mouth could remain propped open to show off the elongated upper fangs. The larger bones were intricately carved with runes for love, protection, and strength all twined together. Looking closer, the grain of the pattern wasn’t rough, as it would be if the markings had been made with a knife, but smooth and even like a stone polished by the endless waters of a river.

Cradled in his left hand for Virgil was a delicate crested gecko skeleton. Every minute bone was present, complete down to the tiny claw tips on each foot. With the tail slightly raised, and the front right foot lifted in step, the tiny skeleton looked like it was moments away from coming to life and skittering up their arm. Only the skull was large enough for the carved depictions of hyacinths to be visible - Virgil’s favourite flower. They had always favoured constancy, after all.

“Will you marry me?”

Though Virgil covered their mouth with both hands, it couldn’t hide the smile crinkling the corners of their watery eyes. Sniffling, they nodded rapidly. “Y-Yes! A million times yes!” Reaching out to cup the fragile skeleton in their hands, they brought it up to their face to briefly admire the little bones. By the time they had carefully set it aside on the table, Janus had already slid out of her chair and into Remus’ arms on the floor. She was pressing kisses all over his face, and the snake skull was resting on the countertop above them.

Quickly dropping to their knees and squirming their way up under Remus’ free arm, Virgil joined Janus in covering their third in smooches. The flurry of joyous affection softened as lips finally met in languidly. They traded off, kissing what they could of the other two when their lips were free.

Both smaller witches suddenly squealed with laughter - though they would aggressively deny it later - as Remus cinched his arms around their waists and rolled to his feet, easily hoisting them up and spinning them around.

When he finally slowed to a stop, Remus was speechless at the sight of their flushed cheeks and wide smiles.

“I love you both so much,” he whispered.

Janus smiled and leaned up to kiss his cheek once more with a loud smack of her lips. Virgil was quick to mirror her on the other side, tucking their face into the crook of Remus’ shoulder and neck afterwards with a content hum.

“We love you too, possum.”

“Always and forever, Reme.”

----

Janus' pronoun charms are three necklaces, each a different skull on a rope chain that Virgil braided. Sparrow skull - Kee - they/them Salamander skull - Trip - she/her Squirrel skull - Riz - he/him

#virgil sanders #janus sanders #remus sanders #anxceitmus #nonbinary virgil sanders #genderfluid janus sanders #witch au #squid scribbles

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