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#tss fanfiction
pencilpat · 1 day
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In Any Form You Take - dukeceit
Scar positivity, mostly made for the purpose of comforting myself, but I wanted to share it as well. I hardly see media involving people with scars as gnarly as mine, so hopefully this can bring others comfort as well. The title is a reference to this song.
Read on Ao3 here
[Content warning for implied past self harm and current body image issues.]
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Remus sits splayed out on its bed, trying to act like it isn't waiting for something. Janus has, for the first time in the months they've been dating, agreed to stay the night in its room. He disappeared into the bathroom to change almost 30 minutes ago, and Remus would be lying if it said it wasn't worried. It turns over to look at the ceiling, making bored popping noises with its lips.
It doesn't blame Janus for any nervousness there may be, Janus hasn't been naked around... well, any of the sides for as long as it can remember. Remus can't place when it happened, but as Thomas grew up and Janus became more engrossed in his role, he started to cover up everything. Literally and metaphorically. Long sleeves and even gloves, at one point when they were a teen he even had a half mask on his face before everyone discovered his snake-like features.
Remus knows Janus must be getting into pyjamas, and the sound of shuffling indicates it doesn't have to speculate for very much longer. Janus cracks open the door slightly, just enough to see his face, his long hair down and swaying by his chin. "Remus?"
"Yeah, Janus? Everything okay in there?"
"Yes. I'm okay. I- I just need you to not act weird, okay? Can you promise?"
Remus sits up cross-legged, face scrunched up in confusion. It chuckles slightly, rolling its eyes. "All I ever do is act weird, but I can tone it down for ya."
"Remus, I'm serious."
It takes pause, blinking and tilting its head to the side softly. Janus's tone of voice is heavily somber and almost nervous, and it's not one that Remus hears often. "Uh, okay. I promise, no weirdness."
Janus takes in a deep breath, and the door opens. His hand falls from the knob and holds his own wrist anxiously, eyes refusing to make contact with a nervous attempt at a coy smile filling his features. "I- I know it's a lot, feel free to stare and ogle as long as you'd like." Janus's biting sarcasm feels completely toothless, and he can't quite make himself look at Remus's face. So, when its suddenly right in front of him, he startles and gasps quietly. But as he's pulling away, Remus is reaching towards him.
"Stare and act weird at you about this? What? Why would I be that mean?" Remus lets its hand hover between them as it waits for a sign that it's okay to touch. It tries not to look outwardly fascinated by the scars that cover its boyfriend's arms almost entirely, all thick and bumpy in varying shades of purple and white. Old, but definitely some nasty keloids.
"Remus you've done meaner things in your sleep, don't play with me." Janus laughs and it comes out strained. Cringing at himself, he barely feels present all of a sudden. Like he's floating. Dizzy, lightheaded. "I know you've seen scars before, though you only seem to have them for a short time when you do get them, but they... stayed on me." Janus rubs his own arm, horrifically textured no matter what he does, breathing out shakily. Remus is observing him silently, and Remus is never silent. It makes him terrified. "Sorry, I know they're gross, this was probably overstepping. It was wrong to assume you'd be okay with it, I can go back to my own-"
Remus's hands close the gap, and rests right there, directly touching his scars. "Nah, you assumed right, I don't mind one bit!" It smiles, sharp teeth gleaming at him. "The shit you've seen me touch and you thought I'd find you gross? Jan, that's so unintelligent that I barely recognize you." Janus is frozen in place, his eyes watching Remus's face as it touches his arm, running its hands over even the ones Janus won't let himself touch. A gentle smile fills its face, and it leans in to plant a kiss on Janus's cheek. "Certainly adds a bit of dramatic flair to one's body, huh?"
Janus feels tears in his eyes, glancing to the side as Remus kisses his scales. He can't seem to make words come out of his mouth, because if they did it would just be bashful apologies and humiliated proclamations of how ugly he is.
"Did someone tell you you were gross?" Remus asks, bizarrely quiet and soft compared to its usual self.
"God no, I'd rather die than show any of the others this. No, I did all the name calling myself, thank you very much."
Remus's arms wrap around him in a hug, gripping him tightly. "Well then tell that asshole to shut up for once, why don't you?" It buries its face into Janus's shoulder. "I will hunt down and eat anyone who ever says those things to you, and that includes you yourself!"
"Remus..." Janus can't help a light, comforted chuckle at the expression of violence. "You won't be eating anyone, down boy," he jokes, laughing even as he's sniffling.
Remus pulls back, gazing at him fondly. "You're really pretty, Janus. Scars included." Its eyes darken playfully. "And when I see a pretty boy I want him in my bed!" Remus suddenly swoops Janus up over its shoulder like a sack, making the smaller side yelp and cling to it upside down. Without time to adjust he's chucked haphazardly into a pile of pillows, wheezing out a laugh and covering his face.
"My god, you're so dumb. Fine then, bed me Mr. Duke," Janus dramatically throws a hand against his forehead and lays back as though on a fainting couch.
Remus cackles and throws itself on the pillows right beside him. "No offense, babe, but I'm exhausted and I'd rather just cuddle and feel up your sick ass battle wounds, if you'd let me. I can even scream dramatically and act like I stepped in horse shit if that'll validate your self flagellation!"
"Oh, how caring and noble an offer," Janus quips, rolling his eyes and cuddling against Remus's chest. They both laugh, and then go quiet, staring across at each other.
"Love you," Remus offers up.
"Love you too," Janus accepts, the room darkening as Remus wills it to and settling them into darkness for sleep.
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roseianxiety · 8 months
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Fan Language
× Pairing: Roceit
× Canon Universe
× Tags: Fluff, Crack and Fluff, Crack Treated Seriously, Kissing, Slight Fourth Wall Breaking, Swearing
× Word Count: 1k+ words
× Notes: These are what the fan gestures Janus used mean:
Kiss Me - Press the half-closed fan over the lips
Talk to Me - Touch the lips with the tip of the closed fan
I Fancy You - Place the tip of the closed fan over the cheek
I Love You - Open the fan and place it over the heart
× AO3 link
× Summary: Janus tries to flirt and seduce Roman through the art of fan language. His mission fails successfully.
Janus has been throwing signs at Roman for the past few weeks on how he was utterly in love with the other side but the creative facet was too oblivious for his own good. And Janus was suffering because of it. Good lord, help him.
He let out an exasperated sigh as he fanned himself, the Florida heat getting to him and it made thinking way more difficult than it should have been. Janus pouts to himself, trying to formulate a plan to woo Roman and make him realize that the resident snake likes (more like love) him. He leaned back on the couch while he continued to fan himself... his eyes landing on the fan in his hands. Then the gears in his head began to turn, he was trying to figure something out. And an idea popped up! Janus smirked to himself at what he had thought of, thinking that this was the best idea he had created. Now time to execute his plan (and get himself some royal D).
---
Roman was in the kitchen preparing himself a nice, warm cup of tea to soothe his throat after belting out loud in his room as he practiced for an upcoming play Thomas would lead. He brings his mug to his lips and takes a small sip, the warm liquid is comforting before taking another sip. He hums in satisfaction, hopping onto one of the bar stools, and sipping at the delicious liquid again. He was so occupied by his tea and his own thoughts that he didn't notice a certain snake-like side enter the kitchen until the other coughed to get his attention.
He was snapped out of his thoughts and saw Janus glance at him before passing by, the resident snake heading towards the fridge. His and Janus's relationship was doing rather well, although it took them a long time to finally forgive each other. Their acquaintanceship was improving per se. But Roman does notice sometimes how weird Janus acts around him, making him wonder if it's a negative thing or a positive one. Hopefully the last one. Roman shrugs it off and continues to drink his tea while he now thinks of new ideas he can put into a script he is working on.
"What are you up to, Roman?"
Roman looks up and sees Janus approaching him, also noticing a fan and a glass of wine in both his hands. Roman blinks before shrugging and replying, "Nothing much, just drinking tea and thinking of more glorious ideas." he replies cheerily before finishing the cup and setting it down on the counter before turning his full attention towards the serpent-like side. "What's up?".
Janus presses his half-closed fan over his lips before he speaks up again. "Bored, went here to get me some refreshments," he answers simply, closing his fan and taking a sip from his wine. Roman watched carefully as he listened to Janus speak. "What's with the hand fan by the way?" he queries in curiosity, pointing at the fan Janus was holding. Janus perks up and looks at his fan, "Oh this? Just bringing it around with me, the Florida heat is insufferable." he says plainly, placing his wine glass down on the counter.
Roman nodded in understanding as he got up from his seat, walked towards the sink, and placed his mug there. "Anyway, gotta go back to work now. See ya." he chirps, shooting Janus a charming smile. The other merely nodded and looked away, opening his fan and fanning himself quickly. The creative facet watches him for a moment and shrugs before sinking out to his room.
---
He was done questing from the Imagination and he decided to go to the living room. Roman was thinking about having a movie marathon of his favorite Disney movies (which is all of them by the way), maybe he could invite the others with him. He suddenly popped out of nowhere in the middle of the room, surprising Virgil who let out a surprised scream and sprung up from his seat. Oh, and Janus was there too.
"Holy fuck, Roman! Can you not do that!?" Virgil exclaimed exasperatedly with a hand on his chest, sitting back down on the couch. Roman knew he held no malice behind his words. The princely facet plopped down beside the anxious one and ruffled the other's hair playfully, causing a hiss of annoyance from Virgil. "My bad, my bad." The creative aspect laughs sheepishly, his laughter growing louder as Virgil tries to shove him off the couch but he doesn't budge.
His eyes then landed on Janus who looked at him, the tip of his closed fan touching his lips. Roman smiles at him sweetly and waves at him, "Hey Jan—" but before he can even finish his words, he drops onto the floor face first as Virgil finally shoves him off the couch. He groaned into the carpeted floor while Janus looked amused. Janus giggled softly and shook his head, covering the lower half of his face with the fan as he suppressed his laughter.
Roman looked at him wide-eyed, surprised to hear a genuine laugh from Janus. A very rare occurrence indeed. He couldn't help but smile as well at the sight of Janus' amusement, and he felt his cheeks heat up. Roman spares Virgil's soft glare as the other laughed his ass off at Roman's current state, the creative one rolled his eyes and got up from the floor. He turns on the TV and grabs the remote before plopping back down on the couch, Now he is sitting on the empty spot near Janus.
"I'm gonna have a Disney movie marathon, Y'all interested?" Roman queries, glancing at Virgil. The anxious facet shook his head as he got up from the couch and stuffed his phone inside his hoodie pocket, "Nah. I'm gonna go take a nap.".
"What about the others? What are they doing?"
"I think Patton's taking a nap too, Lo is working with whatever he's working on, and Remus... I don't know what he's up to." Virgil states as he walks towards the stairs. "Enjoy your movie marathon by the way. I'll tell them if they're interested," he added before climbing up to his room. Roman frowns slightly. It seems that no one was interested, Sigh, poor him... Wait, Janus was there too, but he'd declined too—
"What're you going to watch?" Janus queries quietly as he continues to fan himself slowly, his eyes gazing intensely at Roman. The creative one raises his eyebrows at the other's words, before grinning happily. "Oh, I'm gonna watch Cinderella first. Are you... gonna stay and watch with me?" he smiles softly at Janus. Janus blinked and stared blankly at Roman as he processed the question. "... I guess," he muttered, shutting his fan closed.
Roman beamed happily before directing to Disney Plus where he immediately picked Cinderella to begin his movie marathon with. He places the remote down on the coffee table while excitedly flapping his hands against his lap, his eyes glued to the TV. Janus watched him closely, noticing how excited the other was. He got up from his seat and went to sit down beside the spot beside Roman. Roman turned to look at Janus, who was already looking at him, his reddish-brown eyes locked with the latter's dual-colored ones. Roman gives him a smile and Janus then places the tip of his fan over his cheeks before smiling back at the other then looks away to look at the television. The princely trait continued to watch the movie that played on the TV. He also can't help but wonder why Janus keeps doing those certain gestures using his fan.
---
Janus let out a frustrated groan as he sat up on his bed. It has been a week since he tried out his fan language technique on Roman and his clues still haven't gotten through the other trait's head yet. Why is it not working? He questioned as his arms fell limply onto his lap. (It's because barely anyone knows about fan language, Janus.). He glanced over to his side table where his fan was resting; He grabbed the handle and opened it, fanning himself with it in utter annoyance.
What does he have to do to get Roman's attention and for him to notice his dying love for him? (Fucking communicate with him). Janus huffs closes the fan and stands up, walking up to the door and heading down to look for Roman. There, in the kitchen, stood the creative facet. He was drinking his favorite tea as usual and staring into nothingness, probably lost in his thoughts again.
Janus coughed softly to get the other's attention, The other jolted before turning to look at him, his eyes widened at seeing Janus there. Janus touched the tip of his fan to his lips before batting his eyes at Roman, seemingly trying to act cute. Roman blinks in confusion and waves at him with a sheepish smile.
The deceitful trait rolled his eyes before opening his fan and placing it over his heart, hoping that Roman would get what he meant. Janus waited patiently as Roman seemed to try to understand what he meant. But alas, Roman still failed. "Janus, what are you even doing?" Roman asks curiously, tilting his head slightly.
Janus huffs before closing his fan (only in half) presses the half-closed over his lips, and does it again. All of this bullshit was fucking stupid, why can't Roman just loves him already so they can make out-- Surely this gesture would get through Roman's head, it's probably the most obvious one yet. Roman looked at him quizically and cocked his head to the side once more and blinked at the snake-like side, looking like a confused puppy.
An exasperated and annoyed noise ripped out of Janus, getting with all this guessing game they were playing. His plan was stupid and pointless, now he had to put his big boy pants on and do it himself. "Oh, you idiot—"
Janus marched towards Roman, which confused the other more, before pulling Roman by his collar and kissing him. Roman's eyes were blown wide in shock as he stared at Janus, his mind going blank. After a minute, he finally snapped out of his shocked state and everything was finally processing in his head. Roman then finally kissed Janus back, his hands tangling on the other's hair.
The both of them soon pulled away from the kiss, and both of their faces were flushed red.
"So... that's what you wanted?" Roman asked, letting out a soft chuckle. Janus looked away in embarrassment, he was still leaning close to Roman. "Yes..." he muttered softly, embarrassed by his own actions. "Well," Roman started, standing straight. "I guess you still got the message across using... what's it again?" the creative facet says, smiling lopsidedly at Janus.
"Fan language."
Roman giggles a bit at hearing Janus' answer. "You do know not everyone's going to understand that, right? And I thought I was the dramatic one," he said with an amused expression. "Hush and just kiss me." The deceptive trait murmured and unfurled his fan with a flourish, concealing both their faces from the supposed audience as their lips met once more.
--------
Writing Taglist: @cutebisexualmess @extraintrovertedalien (please tell me if you want to be added or removed in the tag list)
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tsspromptmonth · 1 year
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Sanders Sides Spring Cleaning Event!
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We are please to announce the Sanders Sides Spring Cleaning Event, a fan creation work in progress swap.
Get your WIP story or art a home and bring new life to another creator’s WIP!
Sign-ups start February 10!
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Seeing as AO3 is down for the foreseeable immediate future: here's a bunch of my fics accessible via Google Docs, if you feel like rereading/reading any of them. It's not all of them - I don't have the time to upload them all! It's just the ones that I already had saved for beta-reading purposes. Enjoy!
(Note: not all of these might be in their final form as they exist on AO3! I tend to edit a tiny bit when it's in the AO3 posting form, and since I can't access those versions right now... this is what you get! Hopefully there's not too many egregious errors in these documents.)
Eucatastrophe - (12 chapters, in separate documents, 99k.) - Thomas gets kidnapped by fairies, the Sides go to rescue him, and then things get all eldritch and weird. Gen canon relationships, some OC M/M. Happy ending!
Janus Sanders and the Cassandra Fallacy - (four chapters, single document, 20k) - canonverse crossover with Percy Jackson, Janus narrates in first person the tale of demigod-Thomas's first big ol' quest. Except, well, it's Janus, so you probably shouldn't believe everything he says. Gen, with undertones of Janus being in love with everyone/everyone being in love with Janus/who knows.
lying in a box with a lid on it - (oneshot, 5k) Virgil and Thomas get buried alive together, and take the opportunity to have a panic attack and a chat about DWIT. Gen.
Eye, Me Myself - (oneshot, 7k, script format) - crossover with TMA. Jon and Martin stumble across c!Thomas (and the sides, sorta) during the Fearpocalypse, have a little chat, take his statement... and things get meta. Gen, with background Jon/Martin.
melliferous - (3 chapters, single document, 22k) - Thomas dies and goes to hell, the Sides go all Orpheus-and-Eurydice to get him back, and also there's a lot of bees and a lil bit of cannibalism. Tragic ending. Gen canon, some OC F/F.
tangential chromatics (the mary’s room remix) - (oneshot, 3k) - Logan and synaesthesiac!Virgil have a chat about science, colors, and fake animals. Gen.
if at first you don't succeed, never try again - (oneshot, 8k) - I still don't know why I wrote this one. Canonverse car racing AU where things get all time travelly and paradoxical and weird. Tragic ending. Gen.
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the-panmixxia · 9 months
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POUND OF PREVENTION (AND AN OUNCE OF CURE) MASTERLIST!
This lovely fic is my submission to the @ts-storytime big bang event. For this I had the privilege of being teamed up with @im-an-anxious-wreck who was sweet enough to create not one, but two gorgeous pieces of art. Check out the post here and send some love.
This fic is based on, and is the sequel to, A Black Cat For (un) Luck, which you can read here.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
(fin)
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keter-class-anomaly · 10 months
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i get to proudly say that the first finished fanfic i wrote is about catboy!logan.
i FINALLY wrote a finished thing, and it's really. uh. bad. i rushed it. but that's alrighty i'll prolly draw the drawing in the fic eventually, but for now, i give you: catboy logan falls asleep in an armchair because he's perfect. it's light logicallity btw :]
Logan sits on an armchair in his room, reading. Patton lays on the ground in front of him, he’s drawing something. The scratching sounds of Patton's pencil bothers Logan slightly. “Pat, can’t you do that in some other place?” he says, looking down at him Patton looks up with a saddened expression on his face, “aww, but i like sitting with you logan! It’s nice.” Logan thinks for a moment, and answers, “fine. You can stay.” 
Patton smiles and gets back to his drawing. Logan tries to focus on his book again, but after a few minutes, he finds his mind wandering as the sunlight softly hits his face, and his fluffy ears. He can hear Patton humming lightly and his pen scratching on the paper again. He wonders for a moment what it is he’s drawing. Logan purrs quietly and shuts his eyes. He doesn’t mind the sound as much as he did before. Logan appreciates that Pat wants to spend time with him.
Patton stops humming. He can hear Logan purring. He looks up to find an elegant scene. Logan is asleep, with the sun shining on his face, and his tail slightly swaying from side to side. The beams from the sun make little dust particles in the room visible. It’s quite pretty. Patton turns his paper over and starts to draw what he sees. When he’s finished he stands up to look at it. He’s happy with his drawing. Patton picks it up and puts it on the table beside Logan's chair. Patton carefully removes the book from Logan's hands, then puts the drawing in it, acting as a bookmark. Patton, back to humming, grabs a small blanket and gently sets it over logan. Patton lightly pets Logan's cat ears for a moment, and plants a kiss on his forehead. He then walks from the room to let logic get some rest. 
When Logan wakes up, he yawns and looks around. He must have fallen asleep by mistake… He sees his book and the drawing set inside of it. Patton did this, he thinks to himself. He’s really been improving in his skill lately, he did lighting and everything. Logan’s flattered that Pat had drawn him so nicely, and a little embarrassed that he saw him sleeping like that. He takes the drawing from the book and puts it up on a cork board. He keeps lists and plans on it most of the time, but he finds a nice place for it. He smiles at it, his tail wagging as he starts to tidy up his room. It had gotten pretty late, Patton was probably already asleep by now. He puts his book away, and starts getting ready for bed.
Before he falls asleep he takes one more look at the drawing Patton had made. He noticed Patton's signature with a little heart next to it. He briefly ponders if that was part of the signature or if he had meant it specifically for the drawing as he drifts off to sleep once more.
__________________________________________________________
[first fan fic posted yippie!] i am taking constructive criticism and whatnot. give me advice if you'd like!
and any comment is highly appreciated, since i'm just getting into writing it will be lovely for my motivation!
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bastard-aziraphale · 1 year
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new fic dropped >:3 part of the anamoceit uni au
it's more "prequel" stuff, establishing dynamics. this one is about anxceit's falling out as freshman -- will probably be posting related art soon, but figured i'd share the fic now:
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maroisedot · 1 month
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I am returning to my roots
@thatsthat24
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reveluving · 6 months
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the bump in the night ; rick flag x reader
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summary: someone made Mrs Flag cry, and her family is not having it.
warnings: tooth-rotting fluff, shadow-magic f!reader, reverse comfort & humour!
a/n: this AU is based on this piece I made a while back, 'cause you already know I can't do this special without hubby Rick and the kids! hope you enjoy it & don’t forget to leave some sugar! ᐠ( ᐛ )ᐟ
» wanna know what I have in store this fall? come & check out my m.list for 'reve's quirky reverie 🕷️'!
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'For now, they had a plan, hoping it could bring a smile to your face.' ;
Coming home to his daughter's hugs had become an everyday thing if Rick didn't have to work overtime, but if the flicker of sadness in her eyes was anything to go by, something had to have happened while he was away.
“Mrs Bedford was saying bad stuff to mama while we were at the park.” 
It was the same thing she told her brothers when they got home from school, and just like them, it was enough for Rick to get the whole picture.
Ah, Mrs Bedford. Or as the neighbourhood youngsters, children and teenagers alike, like to call her 'the modern witch of the road', and not in the cool way. Her husband was no better, always bugging you at any given opportunity. The worst part was Mrs Bedford always antagonized you for it, even if she knew you didn’t entertain her husband’s behaviour. It was also extremely hypocritical of her, considering she herself has tried to make her move on Rick. A lot. Only to be met with disappointment each time. 
Her children were just as bad, too, to put it lightly.
“What did she say?” It was the green light Irene needed before she explained what had happened to a T, courtesy of her father’s eagle eye. Unlike most days, it was just you and Irene visiting the park since your sons had football practice. 
The two of you were feeding the ducks when Mrs Bedford came up to you.
“You on your own?” Was the first thing she asked you before you questionably said ‘yes’, despite Irene being there too, and the little girl realized Mrs Bedford wouldn’t have gone off on a tangent about you and your ‘possibly tainted history’ if her father or brothers were around in the first place.
“I don’t know what you did but I can see it in your eyes, Flag. You’re no saint. You can fool the others with your little flower shop and your so-called angelic kids, but not me.”
Though Mrs Bedford knew nothing about your powers or your time in Belle Reve, instead, spewing hate out of jealousy and hatred for you for being the favourable neighbour, she wasn’t completely wrong. You have hurt people, you’ve even killed some, but they were for the greater good. Since your freedom from hell on earth, you’ve barely used your umbrakineses. It wasn’t until the birth of your children, to which all three of them gained your abilities did you realized you couldn’t run from who you really were—it wasn’t right nor fair to them.
Then, telling them your story as a criminal and how their dad was once your enemy was another thing. You weren’t sure what reaction you were expecting, but it was certainly not amazement and sparkles in their eyes. As they grew older, they began to make sense of how their parents somehow knew people like Aunt Harley, Uncle Robert and hell, even Nanaue.
And at that point in time, Mrs Bedford reminded you of Waller, turning you into submission as you could do nothing but listen to her make a mockery out of you for turning over a new leaf. Irene had to watch your face drop as the woman insulted you, and she knew she had to tell her family about it. 
Irene insisted that she was fine about heading home early, even if you tried to convince her otherwise. She wanted nothing more than to do something about that glazed look in your eyes.
As soon as you stepped foot into the living room, a tear rolled down your cheek. You couldn't help but apologize to her, to everyone if they were with you then. You weren’t entirely sure if it was because you seemed weak over a bunch of words or their fate of ending up with you as the wife and a mother of their family.
Irene shook her head, hugging you with her face in your tummy.
"You're not a mean person, mama. You're the nicest and coolest mama we could ever ask for, and we love you." 
It was simple, something you've heard of thousands of times in your lifetime, but you very much needed it today.
Ever the sweet girl, she accompanied you as you lay in your bed, telling you random stories about what she painted during art class or what she ate at lunch, anything but the time Mrs Bedford’s son, Kyle pushed her off the swing while his older brother, Blake laughed and praised him for doing so. You didn’t need to know that. 
Not yet.
You listened with a warm smile, embarrassed but nonetheless thankful for how observant she was of your feelings before eventually dozing off. 
Irene was careful yet quick to jump off the bed, running downstairs to shush Richie and Ethan as they returned home. 
The more she explained, the brighter their eyes unnaturally glowed. Richie was starting to look like their father as he crossed his arms, listening to her like a police officer, while Ethan seemed like he was already thinking of ways to counter the Bedford’s undignified acts.
Basically, the Bedfords were not the greatest people. Each and every one of them. 
Though they had a myriad of ideas, they weren’t sure how much their father would appreciate it, even if it was for your sake. Still, they thanked Irene for being there for you, promising that something would be done, no matter what it would be.
For now, they had a plan, hoping it could bring a smile to your face.
After an unexpected nap, you came down to find your kids huddled on the couch, whispering and hushing each other. Curious, you approached them.
Ethan was the first to notice you, offering you a grin before showing you what was in their hands, “Look, ma, I think we got it.” 
You leaned in to take a closer look, only for your breath to hitch at the sight of life on their palms. There, they showed you the differing mass of shadows they conjured, a tougher one you just taught them about a week ago. You have always loved this trick as a kid, and it only aided your sanity when you were by your lonesome in the penitentiary. In a way, you were replacing what life truly was by making your own, even if they were temporary because there was no telling when or if you’d ever be free. 
Yet, here they were, prompting joy and pride as they held the wispy animals of their choice; Richie with what seemed to be an adorable little puppy, Ethan creatively emulated a bioluminescent jellyfish and Irene…
Oh, Irene.
She scarcely remembered how much you loved making her laugh by conjuring butterflies when she was still very little if not for the twins confirming it. 
The butterfly was as small as her hand, but the wings were majestic, idly flapping before flying over to you, leaving cloudy black trails and landing on your outstretched finger. 
You stared at their creations ever so lovingly, already on the brink of tears. You were just as mad at yourself for doubting your worth, and your potential, just because of the things you had to do in the past, for the sake of the person you were now.
You embraced Irene in a tight hug before pulling your boys in as well. You sniffled, absolutely joyous and blessed to be surrounded by the most loving people. Nothing could deter you from this, not even as the shadow puppy yipped and chased the jellyfish and butterfly in excitement. Your cat, Tofu, must’ve heard the commotion, too, as she came from the kitchen to check, only to be frightened and jump on the couch with you as the puppy came running to her.
Rick finally arrived about two hours later, coming home to hear laughter before he saw Irene running across the room, followed by Tofu and the shadow puppy in tow. The jellyfish laid on Richie’s head like a nest whereas the butterfly decided to make Ethan’s shoulder its home as they hung out with you on the couch.
“Daddy!” Irene greeted him before running over to him. He didn’t question the questioning look she gave him just yet and instead, hoisted her up, laughing as Tofu and the puppy pawed at his bootlaces.
“What’s going on here?” He raised his brows, amused by what could be described as a fever dream of a sight.
“The kids learnt how to make little lives.” You giggled, allowing Rick to sit next to you as you scooted over.
“And I got a new hat,” Richie gestured to the jellyfish, who he has now dubbed as Jelly. As if it understood, Jelly immediately floated away, leaving Richie’s hair flattened, “Never mind.”
You shared a laugh as he deadpanned before you turned to Rick, “Was work okay?”
“Yeah, the usual. Decorated the place today, actually.” He took his phone out of his pocket, opening his gallery and showing you and the kids the spookily tacky decor that furnished his workplace.
“Did you really paint ‘dead inside, don’t open’ on the entrance door?” The twins gawked.
“Fitting, ain't it?” Rick joked, prompting smiles and chuckles from you once more before falling back on the couch, “But at least I’m off tomorrow, so I was thinking we could eat out for dinner.”
“Oh! We should head to Pop’s since they’re also offering their apple betty.” Ethan suggested.
“Well, I think that’s a good idea, so,” Richie trailed off, raising anticipation from the rest of you before jumping off the couch and running up the stairs. Ethan and Irene simultaneously gasped before the former took his sister out of Rick’s arms to chase their brother together. You and Rick could only watch with delight as Tofu and the shadow creatures followed them too.
“Everything okay?” He wanted to know, but he wouldn’t pry if you weren’t ready to tell him.
“Yeah,” You nodded, gazing down for a moment before continuing, “Something happened earlier but…”
“Richie! You better not lock the door or I swear to God!” Ethan’s voice rang out from upstairs, followed by Irene’s ‘language!’, and you couldn’t help but shake your head in amusement. 
“It’s all good now.” You reassured him. You knew you could’ve told him, but it wasn’t worth dwelling on. You had children to nurture and a husband to take on the world with.
“The Bedfords?” He guessed. If it wasn’t them, then it had to be Mr Walker.
“The Bedfords,” You confirmed with a tight smile, “I’m just more upset that Irene was there to hear it.”
You didn’t explain any further and Rick took it as a sign to drop it. If they were able to make you this upset, then it was best to ask the kids instead. 
“I’m sorry,” He pulled you to his chest, planting a slow and gentle kiss on your forehead. He rubbed your back, sighing at the very mention of that family. Rick loathed that they were influential enough to be one of the higher-ups of the school’s PTA, though he was confident that money was involved in it too. He hated that they were reasons why you’d come home ranting about how Mrs Bedford bugged you again, or when he had to make sure Mr Bedford knew he was making a promise and not an empty threat whenever it involved their kids and his, "You know I can talk to them." 
It would do no good, but it was worth trying. 
"No, you know how the Bedfords are. Don’t worry, okay? Not now,” You kissed the inside of his palm before pressing your lips against his, soft, sensual and safe. Rick moved forward, deepening the kiss as held the nape of your neck. You pulled away but not before nuzzling his nose, “We should be celebrating.”
He nodded, though he knew it would only linger in his mind for a while. Still, he adhered to your wishes, standing up before offering you his hand to get ready, “Right, right. Shall we?”
You snorted, placing your hand in his the way a princess would when a prince asks for a dance. Unexpectedly, he twirled you around, wrapping his arms around you he pulled you in, chest to chest. You playfully smacked him, though it did very little to wipe off the pleased look on his face as the two of you headed to your room. 
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You and the boys were the first to head out to the front yard, chatting and evaluating the decors of the houses while waiting for Rick and Irene. 
“What happened today?” He asked his daughter quietly as they stood at the front door, helping with her shoes while she slid on a jacket. 
“Mrs Bedford was saying bad stuff to mama while we were at the park.” She whispered back, swinging her arms as she watched her father tie her shoelace, “Like, really mean stuff. No one was around except us so she was kinda loud, too.”
Rick fumed, clenching his jaw as he could already hear and picture whatever nonsense she loved to spit out. 
“Mama got kinda quiet when we came home, and then she started crying. About how she’s sorry she was a criminal and how we’re ‘stuck’ with her powers.” She added. If anything, she and the boys thought your abilities were the coolest thing to have ever happened to them. 
He shook his head—who wouldn't crack after being subjected to their ways for so long? He hummed, hiding the seething resentment by ruffling Irene's hair.
"Can you help me distract your mother while I talk to the boys for a bit?" She nodded diligently, skipping over to you before Rick called out to his sons, "Need some help, boys." 
They rushed over, glancing at you before Ethan spoke up first, "She told you?" 
"Yeah." Rick replied as he locked the door.
"Can't we do something about it?" Richie asked with a frown.
"You boys are not punching Blake again." Rick reminded them with a small smile. 
"You didn't seem to mind it," Ethan mirrored his father's amusement, "He was yelling at our teammate and encouraged his troll brother to push Irene off a swing." 
"I'm mad, too," Rick was more than mad, but he couldn't let his emotions run wild, "Look, we'll think of something, alright? For now, just make sure she's happy." 
That's all they ever wanted.
The drive to Pop's was a lively one, and so was the dinner itself. Though you knew you'd be thinking about Mrs Bedford's words every once in a while, the smiles and laughter of your family were already a welcoming distraction as it is. 
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Midnight rolled around, and everyone had returned to their rooms with sore cheeks and a full stomach. You were the first to slip under the covers after a shower, hoping you wouldn't be too tired as you waited for Rick, though it didn't work.
By the time Rick got out of the bathroom, you were peacefully asleep, your face just a breath away from your husband's pillow as his scent soothed you like no other. 
Rick smiled to himself, changing into his PJs before sitting on your side of the bed. The dip roused you from your slumber just a little.
"Rick?" You murmured, fluttering your lashes tiredly.
"Forgot to get some water," He caressed your cheek before bending down to kiss it, "I'll be back." 
You mustered a closed-eye smile and before you knew it, you drifted off once again, lulled by the way he patted your back.
Once the coast was clear, he moved off the bed, silently slipping out and closing the door before heading over to the twins' room. He knocked on the door, just enough for them to hear before doing the same with Irene's door and headed downstairs.
Rick sat down at the dining table with a glass of cold water, arms crossed and lost in his own thoughts before hearing light footsteps approaching.
Richie, Ethan and Irene carefully pulled their chairs back before taking a seat, and just like that, the discussion began.
But it didn't seem like they were getting anywhere and at some point, they just started shit-talking.
"Man, I wish coach would just kick Blake out." Ethan groaned, his head falling back. 
"Tell me about it. He's shit at quarterback." Richie clicked his tongue.
"Boys." Rick warned them, partially because his youngest was listening.
"Sorry." They apologized but Irene didn't seem to mind.
"How about…" She chimed in, tapping her finger on her chin, "We scare them?" 
"Like…?" Richie cocked his head, hoping she'd say more than just that.
"I don't know, I just thought it'd be cool since it's Halloween and stuff. And, well, maybe we could use our powers, but I know mama and daddy wouldn't want that." She shrugged, pouting because she hadn't thought it far enough.
"It would be a miracle to scare them without using our powers in the first place," Richie sighed, looking over to his father, "What do you think, dad?" 
No reply.
"Dad?" Ethan followed suit as the three of them raised their brows.
“How far are you in your shadow puppet practice?” Rick asked out of the blue, staring ahead as though imagining whatever idea he had played out. 
“Uh, pretty far, I think? Ma taught us how to merge our shadows into one if we wanted to make a bigger animal.” Richie answered, earning affirmative nods from his siblings. 
“How big?” 
“Like, this big!” Irene opened her arms wide to let him know just how big of a monster they would be able to make if they wanted to. They haven’t, there was no reason to, but the more their father asked, the more it piqued their interest.
Rick thought it through for a moment. It has been a while since he has seen you make that one particular lifeform, but it was worth a shot. If it were able to render Waller speechless, then it’ll definitely make the Bedfords piss their pants. 
No actual attacks, and definitely no killings. But he’ll make sure they shudder at the mere thought of Halloween. Put the fear of God in them. They had it coming, too, stomping on other neighbours’ happiness for years just for the fun of it. 
He just had to play it safe. 
He slowly broke into a sinister smile.
“You three ever heard of a hellhound?”
˚ · . f i n . · ˚
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» a/n: ahh hubby rick <3 ;; gorgeous rose divider by @firefly-graphics ♡
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prodigal-explorer · 7 months
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sanders sides controversial opinions poll!
hi, guys! i've been in the sanders sides fandom for a few years now, and i've been really curious about where the majority of fans stand in terms of the most hot topics in the fandom right now. i made a nice little google form, and i'd love it if you guys filled it out with your opinions, anonymously, of course! there are no wrong answers, it's just opinions, and i want to know the real information, so don't worry about getting flamed or hated on because that's not going to happen!
also please reblog or send to your fander friends! i want this to reach as many interested people as possible!!
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pencilpat · 5 months
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Sanders Sides: College AU - Part 4
Character sheets | Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Despite starting out with future dukeceit, this is primarily logince content lol. Logan is a transfem nonbinary person and Janus is transfem in this AU.
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Janus considers the strings she's laid while Remus sits by, uncharacteristically anxious. Roman and Logan go on their first date as a queerplatonic couple, and while Roman's lavish lifestyle rubs her a bit wrong, Roman himself has undoubtedly charmed her.
5,096 words
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Not unlike any morning before, Janus wakes up with a hangover. Thank god it’s the weekend, and a day she doesn’t have to work, because she thinks if she had to function as a human being she would push someone down a flight of stairs if she felt frisky enough. She tries to push herself up, but her arms shake and give out the moment she tries to put her weight on them. She groans, rolling her eyes at her own body. Opting to force herself to roll over onto her back and sit up that way, she notices about half way through the upward struggle that her apartment smells like food. Successfully upright, she stares at the door, the concept of Remus cooking for her making her, oddly, slightly angry at him. She knows it’s irrational and sighs at herself, throwing a grey sweater over her old t-shirt and pyjama pants as she makes her way out. Her apartment’s shitty heating is starting to not be enough for the colder weather.
The sound of sizzling is filling her kitchen, and she leans on the outer side of the island, staring at Remus at the stove in the corner facing away from her. Janus clears her throat dramatically against a hovering fist. Remus spins around with his tongue poking out, wide eyes looking at her like she caught him committing a crime.
“Oh, Janus! Um. Hi!”
“Hello.”
“I’m making food!”
“I can smell that.”
Remus pauses, scratching his calf with his foot. “Uh. Want some?”
“Depends. What are you making? And how dirty was the pavement you seemingly picked this food up off of?”
Remus laughs, a weirdly soft, genuine sounding one for him. “Oh c’mon, you know I went to the store, I’m not that crazy!”
“You’re not crazy,” she immediately corrects him in somewhat of a snap. Remus straightens up slightly at her tone, blinking rapidly, one of her spatulas hanging from his hand. Janus catches herself, sighing. “Just- Don’t talk to yourself like your mom did, okay? Anyway. What are you making?”
“Uh, just pancakes ‘n eggs. I figured you would get mad if I spent money on meat for you, so, I just got quick mix batter and a cheap thing of eggs!” Remus is scratching his calf again, not making anything close to eye contact even though he’s smiling. Janus feels cold in her chest, seeing him seemingly anxious over the potential of hurting her feelings.
“Eggs sound great, Remus. How did you remember I enjoy those?” she says, keeping her voice light and playful. Remus perks up slightly, seeming less downtrodden.
“Dunno! Maybe I’m magic,” he shrugs, grinning and turning around to flip a pancake.
“How are you good at cooking and I’m not?” Janus teases, leaning more of her weight on the counter as her weakness seems to feel more poignant suddenly. Remus doesn’t turn around for a moment, before flipping the final of five pancakes onto one of her plates. He ends up not answering at all, seemingly distracted by the food. Janus doesn’t have a kitchen table, so Remus carries the plates over onto the pullout couch, setting the eggs and syrup bottle next to it. He walks up to Janus and begins touching her and she swats at him. “What are you doing?”
“Oh- Sorry! I was gonna help you to the bed!”
“Remus, it’s like three footsteps, I’m fine.”
“But you’re sweating,” he pouts. Janus rolls her eyes and pushes herself off the counter, stumbling around and sitting on the bed.
“There, see? Shockingly, I’m not helpless.”
Remus chuckles, yet again weirdly soft sounding for him, and sits across from her, grabbing up two pancakes, sandwiching eggs in the middle, and eating it like a sandwich. Janus snorts, then covers her mouth slightly, clearing her throat. His ridiculousness can be genuinely entertaining, whether she likes it or not. She picks up one of the forks he brought over and skewers some eggs. As she tastes it, she realizes he bought cheese and spices too, and along with the eggs she swallows guilt at being so aggressive to him last night.
“So, where were you at last night?” Remus speaks through a mouthful of food.
“Just out.”
“I don’t know any of the bars on this side of town. Seems like they’ve got good stuff!”
Janus cringes. “Uh, yeah, sure. I don’t know.” She stabs more eggs, and her mind drifts to the hazy memories from Blacklight Mamba. She bites down on the eggs hard, the feeling of seeing that stupid purple patched hoodie from across the bar fresh in her chest. Virgil seemingly having such a sweet, innocent little partner makes her feel ill. Jealousy or anger or worry over the partner? Who’s to say. “How have the rest of our old pals been, Remus?”
Remus stops chewing with the look of someone caught in the middle of two fighting lions. “Why d’ you ask? I figured you would want me to mention them as little as possible,” he laughs.
Janus picks at her nails. “Indulge my curiosity, why don’t you.”
“Erm,” Remus swallows hard. “Well, I got cut off from our parents and about the same time Roman got accepted to the same college as Virgil. Our parents gave him a huge old house with a bunch of rooms and they pay for it and give him an allowance! Can you even? Anyway, Virgil lives there with his partner, Patton, and I was living there in secret for a while under our parent’s noses,” he rambles on. “But then Patton decided to be a dick about me liking weed, and they screamed at me like I was a fucking kid or something, told me I had to move out, else I was being kicked out. And yeah, then I texted you. Now I’m here.”
Janus tries to eat her pancake casually, reassessing her thoughts on this Patton character. “Seems like an interesting turn of events. As co-dependent as you and Roman always were I’m shocked he let you be-“
Remus swats at her hair, startling her into stopping. “We were not co-dependent, what?! Come on, man, we just care about each other like any twins would.”
“Roman literally used to sleep in your bed when you first started hallucinating,” she offers up, deadpan.
Remus makes a warbling, gasping sound, gesticulating at her like she just implied the sky is red. “He was just taking care of me! I mean, no one else was.”
“If you feel that way,” she says with a dismissive wave of her hand. Janus cuts away a bite of pancake with the edge of her fork, a bit too violently. Patton definitely didn’t know who she was, and that is for the better. She smirks around the bite of food as she imagines Virgil seeing her high school contact name in his partner’s phone. That ought to be fun.
“What you smiling about?” Remus says, eating his third pancake yet again like it’s a sandwich. She notices him leaving most of the eggs for her, glancing up to meet his eyes.
“Just thinking, is all.”
“Penny for ‘em?”
“Remus, no one carries cash anymore, I know for a fact you don’t have a penny.”
To her surprise, he fishes in his cargo pants’ pocket with a big smile. A dime comes out rather than a penny, and he scowls at it. “Guess you owe me ten of your thoughts now, madame!”
Janus rolls her eyes. “I was just thinking about how much my head hurts, you doofus.” Remus squints at her, knowing instantly that Janus isn’t being honest. He decides to just let it go though, and flicks the dime at her. She catches it out of the air, winking at him as she spins it between her fingers.
“Guessing that’s the most money you’d let me give you directly,” Remus snickers.
Janus frowns at him. “Forgive me for not wanting handouts from a former trust fund baby.”
Remus throws his hands up defensively. “I’m not a trust fund baby anymore though! I’m just your regular civilian with a hardworking job.”
“Tattooing is not exactly an example of the typical civilian job. Try fast food for even a week. You’d crumble into pieces in a day.”
Remus gesticulates towards her, pursing his lips with an expression of conceding agreement. He pops the last bite of his pancake into his mouth, then splays himself backwards on the end half of the pullout bed, staring at the ceiling. Maybe Janus will be honest with him one day. If he keeps treating her nicely, she might remember what it was like to trust a friend. He peeks at her eating her final pancake, seemingly as at peace as she can get as she eats something he made just for her. It’s a nice sight, and he can’t help a slight smile and light blush dusting his face. Maybe one day, maybe one day.
--
Monday afternoon, wind tosses leaves about as Roman stares hard at his phone, his entire face creased with a mix of emotions. He messaged his twin two days ago to tell him about his new partner. Remus is always excited for him and his romantic conquests, no matter how short and spontaneous they’ve been in the past. Yet, it has gone unreplied to, not even opened seemingly, as it doesn’t read as ‘seen’ either. He sets his eyes in his hand, leaning over himself on some random park bench while he waits for the others to finish their classes. Did he really mess up that badly by asking him to move?
He reopens his phone, checking again uselessly, in case he missed something somehow. Knowing that Remus is with Janus, too, has been making him wake up in nervous sweats. There’s a taste of intentional betrayal, in choosing to stay with her specifically, but Roman isn’t sure if Remus is smart enough to take things like that into consideration. His foot is tapping so hard it’s echoing slightly in the empty courtyard. Am I really that shit of a brother? he thinks to himself miserably. He pulls his red jacket tighter over himself like it has the magical abilities to hide insecurities too.
The faint sound of the bell inside the building closest to him sounds the toll that sends herds of students out to change classes or head home. He spots the others crossing the yard in a little group. As they move closer Roman sees Patton is holding a very grumpy seeming Logan’s hand, and Virgil is pink from laughter.
“Now, what happened here? Are we swapping or something?” Roman puts his hand on his hip, smiling. Virgil immediately begins laughing into his hand again, and Patton also giggles.
“I was holding Virgil’s hand, and Logan accused us of showing off,” Patton faux whines, swinging their hands as Logan stares directly at the ground with a red face. “So, I told her her hand was just lonely, and I helped it out!”
Logan sighs, very loudly. “Patton, it is a hand, it cannot get lonely. May I be free now?”
“Well, considering there’s a new friend for your hand…” Patton drags Logan’s hand over and places it into Roman’s which makes both flush instantly. “I can let you go!”
“Patton, please,” Roman scolds, letting go of her hand and covering his face as he turns around to face away from them all dramatically. Virgil loses it, laughing hard into his hand and doubling over. Logan seems to be attempting to tune out entirely, her eyes being closed and her fists gently clenched with sheer embarrassment.
“That aside,” she speaks up, a little too loudly. “Roman, we have places to be. Patton was taking your car home, and I’m driving us, right?”
Roman breathes in deeply and turns around to face the group again. “Actually, Lo, we don’t need to take your car – I made arrangements.” Roman practically purrs the last word, smiling to himself proudly.
“Arrangements?”
“Since I’m taking you to a very nice place, I got a limo. I wanted to give you a true experience.”
Logan doesn’t look as pleased as Roman thought she would, just adjusting her glasses with a slight frown. “I don’t see the purpose. My car is perfectly functional. It feels very showy.”
“Showy is the point, dear Lo! We’re going somewhere er… more my family’s taste, if you know what I mean.” Roman watches her frown not change, internally panicking a bit. “I just… wanted to treat you to something really nice, for my turn paying. You deserve nice things.” He holds her hand, meeting her eyes nervously. She looks back at him, and her face melts slightly, the frown turning into a more playful, soft one.
“Alright, Roman. I understand you want to make it special, as the first one. Just do not spend recklessly like this for any of the other dates.”
Patton and Virgil depart to find Roman’s car in the student parking lot, and Logan follows behind Roman as he walks towards the front of campus to meet the waiting car. Behind him she rolls her eyes at the exuberantly glimmering white limo, being gawked at by students as they leave for the day. Logan attempts to cover her identity with her hand as the driver exits and opens the door. Roman pats the man’s shoulder and when his hand moves away Logan sees he’s wordlessly left a bill in the man’s pocket. She tries not to feel sour about that, pausing and muttering “thank you,” to the man, who smiles at her.
The inside of the car is purple, both in lighting and seat color. Logan flips her skirt under her as she sits. Roman is already reaching into a miniature fridge and pulling out travel size bottles of wine. Logan makes an uncomfortable noise before she can help it, and Roman looks over at her. “Is something wrong?”
“I don’t drink. At all.”
“Why not?” Roman asks, casual.
Logan’s shoulders tense, and she shifts slightly in place. “I have bad experiences with it.”
“Oh,” Roman says, glancing at the bottles. “Well, then I shan’t leave you sober alone!” The bottles are popped right back in the fridge, and he slams the door shut with a resolute grin. Logan blinks rapidly for a moment, her brain seeming to calculate him in a different manner than before.
“Thank you, Roman. What restaurant will we be going to? I was wondering this morning why you were in such fanciful clothing.” She regards his ironed black button up and dark red suit, accompanied by lavish yet simple jewelry. She thanks the stars that all her clothing is rather nice and professional, tugging at her tie to tighten it.
“It’s a hibachi bar!”
“That is not as fancy as I had thought.”
“Oh, Lo, that’s cute. This place is… There will pretty much only be other bigheaded suits at the other tables having business meetings about major companies.”
“Hm. Unpleasant.”
“Er- Yes, but,” Roman reaches across and takes her hand into his black gloves, smiling at her with shining eyes. “We only need focus on you and I, at our own table.” He pauses for a moment. “Plus, the amount of food you get here will leave enough for you to portion for a week at least,” Roman tantalizes.
Logan cracks a smile, rolling her eyes just slightly. “Ah, I see you are using my love of pre-planned meals against me.”
“I need some kind of ammunition to get you to let me spoil you!”
--
Even his hyping up of the fanciness of the restaurant was underselling it. There is an entrance hall where a man in a suit offers to take their coats, to which both decline. The red carpet is lush and well-cleaned, and the walls are black marble with carved pillars stretching to the high ceiling. The man pushes open the black wooden doors and gestures for them to follow. Logan feels frozen, hesitating in the hall. Roman’s hand suddenly touches hers.
“Are you alright?” he murmurs gently against her ear. She turns to look at him, seeing his lightly worried face.
“I don’t- I don’t know if I’m right for a place like this.”
Roman stands in front of her with a wave to the host to hold on. He brushes at the cowlick in her hair, tucking it behind her ear. He adjusts her glasses with a hum, pats at her vest and tie. “I think you look splendid. I’d be shocked if someone doesn’t mistake you for royalty,” he mutters, smiling at her sweetly. Logan’s face turns pink, and she looks at the floor.
“If you’re certain.”
The host leads them in, and Logan takes in several black hibachi grills spread around a large open space. There are private non-grill tables behind partitions painted lavishly with birds of paradise. Roman leads her along. She can’t help noticing that everyone at the grills is dressed in similarly lowkey designer clothes like Roman. The ‘old money’ look and air about them puts her off entirely, making her stance awkward and stiff. Roman’s hand holding hers grounds her though, even as they pass a table and someone mutters about ‘the Carmona’s boy.’ She watches Roman suddenly stand with even better posture and puff himself up.
“They must know my father,” he whispers to her as they’re sat down with menus. “Or my mother. I get recognized sometimes because of, erm…” Roman gestures to the marks of his piebaldism with a scowl. “Stands out a bit among the menagerie.” He does a flowing gesture with his hands and rolls his eyes.
Logan hums quietly in thought. Roman sits half turned in his seat in order to look only at her. “I already know the menu, why don’t you take a look, hm?” Logan nods, and opens the menu. And dear god. Prices in the 100s hit her in the face like a truck. She glances around the laminated page, desperate to find anything at a reasonable price. Roman’s hand appears in her view, and then draws her chin up to have her look at him.
“Price doesn’t matter, don’t fret so much,” he soothes. “I know it seems like a lot, but look how much food comes with it.” He points to the cheapest thing available, shrimp fried rice. Logan reads it shakily, and sees that it comes with a noodle dish, rice, shrimp, vegetables, soup, and a dessert of which there two courses. She bites her lip, considering. It is a lot of food, at $59.00. That will do, she supposes.
A young male waiter greets them politely, and Roman orders the fried rice dish with chicken instead, as well as a teriyaki steak. Logan tries not to get dizzy at the price of that one. She orders the fried rice somewhat timidly. Logan thanks the waiter pointedly, to which Roman also thanks him, finally giving even a hint that he appreciates the workers around him.
The waiter leaves, and they chat idly until he returns with a tray and two bowls of soup.
“Chirirenge,” Roman flounces, holding up the spoon that comes with the dish.
“Pardon?”
“Asian soup spoon! It’s called a chirirenge.”
“Ah, you’re right, they are. Something about looking like a lotus petal? I’m not one for metaphors. To me it just means it holds more soup. You know Japanese?”
“Ehh. I’m nowhere near fluent anymore, so don’t expect me to speak any. I learned several languages as a little kid, from a tutor.”
“Fascinating. Do you remember much of any of them?”
“Yo hablo algo de español,” he says, titling his hand from side to side to imply how iffy his knowledge is. “My mom travels in South America often; she’s starred in quite a few smaller movies over there.”
“Yo también hablo español,” Logan says, happily surprised. “I’ve always wanted to travel there, some day. The landscape is beautiful…”
Roman gasps, touching her hand. “I have to take you some time! Wouldn’t a trip be fabulous?”
Logan hesitates, cringing. “I’d prefer to work to a place in my life where I could pay for it myself.”
“Oh,” Roman says, quieting. He puffs up, and squeezes her hand. “Well, when that day comes, I hope I’ll still be here to go with you and show you my favorite towns.”
“Thank you, Roman.” Logan nods and smiles at him, appreciating the effort to act like he’s not rich, even if for a moment. She turns and begins tasting the broth soup. It’s incredibly good, to her surprise, and she lets out a noise of enjoyment, taking many more bites. Roman is smiling at her as he watches her enjoy herself openly, when he feels the hair on his neck prickling.
Lo notices Roman glance over his shoulder at that table from before. “Old hag staring alert,” he snickers, sitting up straighter. “God forbid an actor’s child exist in a public space. I swear if she calls paparazzi of any kind, ugh.”
“Your mother is famous enough for that?”
“Eh, it depends on if she was in any films recently, she’s more of a star in some cult classics and smaller films. Usually I don’t even get noticed, but this woman must be a fan,” he says, sounding sick on that last word. Logan glances too, and sees an older woman staring at Roman’s back hungrily, tense in her seat. She turns away quickly, feeling a bit disturbed.
“I always thought of fans as a pleasant part of being famous.” She notices how uncomfortable Roman looks, and lifts her hand, hovering in the air hesitantly for a moment before she rests it on his gloves. “Don’t let it ruin our fun, Roman. I’m sure it will be okay.” Roman smiles at her thankfully.
Both were too distracted to notice the chef and his cart pulling up to their table, and he clears his throat to get their attention. They both turn to face him, and he laughs, then begins lighting the grill up. Logan jumps when he starts sharpening knives against each other, and Roman giggles at her. The chef pours oil onto the grill and it sizzles loudly. He tosses vegetables on and begins chopping them up, eventually moving them into a pile.
“Lean back,” Roman warns, and Logan almost doesn’t have time to do so before a burst of flame lights up in the oil from the controlled blowtorch the chef wields. Logan reels back; she grabs and adjusts her glasses a tad frantically as both Roman and the chef laugh at her reaction. “It’s her first time!” Roman offers heartily. The chef chuckles and winks at him.
He stirs around vegetables a bit more, and then scoops a tiny piece of zucchini onto the blade, nodding to Roman. Roman nods back excitedly, and Logan watches in confusion as he holds his mouth open. The chef tosses the bit of food across the table, and Roman catches it in his mouth, laughing. By the time Logan looks back the chef is looking at her with a piece ready. She nods, hesitantly holding her lips apart. Not apart enough, as the piece hits her lip and falls, she fumbles but catches it in her hand, holding it up to show she saved it. The chef and Roman both laugh and start clapping for her as she sheepishly pops the tidbit in her mouth.
The veggies get pushed to the side to cook, and the chef pours more sparkling oil onto the grill. Logan watches in fascination as he puts some long, flat noodles on, douses them in two different sauces, and then stirs them around and around on the grill, before depositing them to the side to cook.
He walks around and sets two large plates beside their soup bowls, winking at Logan. “Enjoying your first, miss?”
“Yes,” she admits, glancing at Roman. “I am.”
The chef, behind the grill again, shovels heaps of vegetables on each of their plates. Logan adjusts her glasses, a bit wide-eyed at the sheer amount of food. And there’s more to come? Perhaps Roman wasn’t joking about having weeks’ worth of leftovers. She unwraps chopsticks and a fork from the pre-laid place-setter napkins and uses the chopsticks to bring a piece of broccoli to her mouth. It’s delicious, falling apart under her teeth, soft and fried perfectly. Roman chuckles beside her.
“Does it taste good?” he asks in a somewhat dreamy voice.
Logan clears her throat, her face pink. “Ah, yes. Apologies, was I..?”
“Wide eyed and shining like a star with joy? Yes, Logan, you were.”
Logan looks away and back to her food. “I just- I don’t quite know what to do. This is just the vegetables?”
“Well, yeah!” Roman nods to the chef, who is scooping piles of the long noodles onto the plates with the other heap of food. “It’s only the second course too, he hasn’t even started the rice.”
Logan breathes out slowly. She begins eating again, trying to make her way through at least enough to give the poor chef room when he finishes the sizzling pile of rice he’s tossing around. The noodles are one of the best pieces of food she has had in her entire life, she can’t imagine how good rice and meat will be. He’s cooking her dish first, chopping shrimp into pieces and mixing them into half the pile of rice. He douses it in more oil, and sauce, making the grill sizzle loudly. Logan watches him stirring it around with an amazed face, and Roman can only seem to look at her face. He’s never seen her make such big expressions before, and she’s very pretty when she is showing emotion, in his opinion.
Logan has only eaten about one third of the noodles and half of the vegetables when the rice is dumped onto her plate. She tastes it, and accidentally lets out an innocent moan at how good it tastes. Roman covers his mouth to mask a huge, loving grin. Though they’re queerplatonic, sometimes Roman’s aesthetic and alterous attraction overlap in a way that makes him understand what being romantically in love with her would feel like. He tries to focus on his food, but she’s just… radiant.
Logan catches him staring, glancing over to him. “Are you alright, Roman?”
“Hm? Oh- Yes, quite! You’re just such a distraction, Lo.”
Logan lets a short, nervous laugh out, smiling like a cartoon character that was just kissed. “Roman, please settle down.” She pushes up her glasses on her nose.
“I do mean it though,” he sighs. “I wasn’t lying when I said you could be mistaken for royalty. Whether night or day, you’re the heavens at play,” he says, touching his chest and raising an arm like a prince delivering a sonnet.
“Hm, is the couplet an attempt to woo me?”
“But of course,” he winks. A waiter clears their throat, and Roman politely moves his plate to the side so his steak dish can be set down. He pokes at it with his fork, then turns to Logan. “Want to try it?” Logan nods, and begins reaching over with her own fork. Roman shakes his head, raising his up with a bite of meat on it. “Lean over here, pretty.”
Logan’s face goes pink, and she rolls her eyes, but she leans over and lets him place a bite in her mouth tenderly. His gloves stroke her chin softly as he pulls away. She pulls back, setting a fist against her mouth as she chews. “It’s very good.”
“I know, right? This place’s food is just divine.”
Logan takes in Roman’s lovesick face, his slightly crooked grin and glimmering green eyes, filled with emotion that is all caused by her. She breaks eye contact, looking back to her food, trying to contain a dorky smile as she digs through the feast she’s been gifted.
--
Roman insisted on her letting the driver take her four to-go boxes worth of food as they got back in the car. They sit on the same side this time, Logan leaning slightly into the crook of Roman’s neck. Despite being taller, she has realized she enjoys feeling cradled, especially after so much stimulation. Roman had set his suit jacket around her shoulders, and she holds it tight around herself, dazed and dizzy with emotion. She’s mostly lost talking ability after such a big event, but Roman simply lets her rest in silence, rubbing his hand over her hair. It’s the first time he’s ever seen her hair down, and he can see that it’s slightly curly, falling in black waves just over her shoulders.
Logan lets out a tired sigh, watching street lights pass by. They’ve come back to the school after dark for her to retrieve her car, though driving might be an issue, she realizes faintly. But, to her surprise, Roman also exits the limo, handing a few more bills to the driver as he goes.
“What?” she asks simply.
“I’m going to drive you to your place. I know you have a sofa I can stay on, just for tonight. We can get to class together,” he steps towards her, tucking her cowlick behind her ear again. “You can make sure I actually get there on time for once.”
Logan hesitates, only for a moment, but concedes with a nod, swaying slightly on her feet. Roman drives them, and helps her get up the stairs to her part of the housing unit. The welcoming arms of her dark bedroom feels like being cradled too, and Logan barely even takes off her tie properly before laying down. She sees Roman’s shadow about to leave, and calls to him. “Roman, wait- Can you- could you sleep here? With me?”
Roman’s figure pauses in the doorway, and she can’t see the massive smile cross his face as he melts. He comes back over to her bed, and lays down across from her, squished together on a twin bed. He tries to give her space still, but their faces are there together, looking at each other’s shadowy forms.
“I think I like you. A lot.” Roman confesses it quietly. Logan hums, and crosses the gap, resting her head on his chest.
“You’re pretty nice as well,” she mutters softly.
They drift to sleep with full stomachs, and full hearts as well for that matter.
15 notes · View notes
roseianxiety · 9 months
Text
oh bittersweet betrayal
× Pairing: Roceit
× Royalty/Historical AU, Assassins
× Tags: Angst and tragedy, Tragic romance, Slight fluff, Implied/referenced character death, Sad ending, also Open/ambiguous ending, Prince Roman, Assassin Janus, Not Beta Read
× Word Count: 4k+ words
× Notes: This was heavily inspired by Masquerade from the podcast Dangerously Yours. Posted on AO3. Forgot to post this here lol.
× AO3 link
× Summary:
"If I betray you, I betray myself. But I cannot risk betraying them, my organization is very dear to me."
"Dearer than I?..." Roman murmured his grip on Janus' hand loosening gradually. He let go, stepping back. A pained expression covered his face as he lowered his gaze.
Janus looked away, "Yes, dearer than you.". It was a lie. But he cannot bare to say the truth to Roman, he can't. So Janus lied like he always does.
A young man sat by his desk, his medium-length blond hair left untied as it flowed elegantly down his back, his eyes scanning the parchment paper in his hands with utmost focus. It was a letter from his higher-up. About a special mission tasked for him only. The man's amber eyes drifted on each word written with ink on the parchment, his expression remained stoic and focused.
« Dear Mister Janus Silverthorne,
It has come to our attention that you have displayed your outstanding skills within the field. So we have sent you a letter, regarding an important assignment to be done. This assignment is of vital importance to our organization. This mission is entrusted solely to you and you only, so we hope you understand your responsibilities and will not take this assignment lightly. Please follow every detail carefully.
You are tasked to execute the crown prince of Ruisite, Prince Roman Estrelle. As the heir to the throne, Prince Roman poses a significant threat to our interests. It is imperative that he is to be eliminated discreetly and swiftly. Along with this letter, we have sent an enclosed dossier which contains all the necessary information about the prince's whereabouts, routines, and potential vulnerabilities. It also includes further instructions and information that you will need. Study it carefully and devise a well-thought-out plan.
If you succeed in carrying out this mission, you will be rewarded with your own land, an astronomical sum of money, and be promoted to a higher position. But if you do fail, you will face grave repercussions and lose everything you possess. Do remember that our organization does not tolerate failures. And there's no turning back once we make a decision. Your job will depend on your discretion and ability to carry it out without being detected. We expect you to succeed in this mission and bring glory to yourself, and bring honor to our organization. Best of luck, Janus.
Sincerely,
The New Order »
Janus set the parchment paper aside before grabbing the dossier that was also sent to him with the letter. He untied the string that bound the file together and opened it. His fingers skimmed over the information as he read through it carefully, skimming through the details about the prince that were given to him. He glances at the small photograph that was clipped to it and took a closer look. The crown prince had tanned skin, hazel eyes, a chiseled jaw, and reddish-brown hair. He looked like what you would expect a royal would be. Janus admits the prince was a handsome man. Pity he would not live soon. He then looks at the prince's possible schedule, already planning his first move.
---
"Good Afternoon, Sir. Welcome to The Nightingale Inn, are you perhaps Mister Janus Cassidy?" The young bellboy greeted with a friendly tone as he bowed slightly at Janus. Janus hums, flicking his hair. He was disguising himself as an only son of a baron from a neighboring kingdom, who is taking a supposed "vacation" in Ruisite.
Janus nodded with a courteous smile, playing the part of the baron's son effortlessly. "Indeed, I am Janus Cassidy," he replied, adopting the alias he had carefully crafted for this mission. The bellboy extended a hand to take Janus's bag. "Allow me to assist you with your belongings, sir. The finest suite in the inn has been prepared for your stay. If there is anything you require during your time here, please do not hesitate to ask."
"Thank you," Janus said, handing over his bag. "I appreciate your attentiveness. I expect my stay to be pleasant and peaceful.". The bellboy led Janus to his room, a lavishly decorated suite befitting someone of noble status. Janus made sure to maintain his act as he chatted casually with the bell boy, asking about the inn and the local attractions to blend in seamlessly.
Once inside his room, Janus closed the door behind him, his expression turning serious. He took a moment to assess the suite for any hidden threats or surveillance devices. Satisfied that he was alone, he retrieved the dossier and laid it on the desk. Studying the information meticulously, he began formulating his plan to get close to Prince Roman. The dossier revealed that the prince would be visiting the tavern connected to this inn he was staying in, said tavern only allows guests of nobility. But accessing it wouldn't be a problem for him.
Janus' eyes wandered around the lavishly designed tavern, looking for a particular person. He had just arrived at the tavern and he was trying to find where the crown prince was among the crowds of high-ranked individuals, waiting for the right time to initiate his plan.
Janus began to walk around the tavern, examining everyone in there with a watchful eye while he tried not to mingle with any one of them, keeping a low profile. He took a sip from his wine, his eyes landing on a man sitting on the table across from him. His features were sharp and beautiful, his reddish-brown hair curled softly and falling gently around his face. It was no one other than his target, Prince Roman. The heir to the throne was sitting next to another gentleman, both seemingly engrossed in a conversation. Janus smirked at himself as he places his wine glass down on a nearby table, looks like his plan is about to start.
"While I was headed back here from my trip, I found this fascinating creature. Its beauty was no other, it looked exceptional! A rare sight, indeed" Roman exclaimed happily at his friend, who was seated opposite him. The gentleman looked up at the crown prince with mild interest, nodding slowly, his blue eyes watching intently. "Do you perhaps know what kind of creature it was? It should be studied.".
Roman sighs as he leaned back on his seat, clasping his hands behind his head. "Like what I have told you, I do not know! What I do know is it looked like it was straight out of a fairytale, I tell ya! It—". Before he could even finish his sentence, they heard loud and aggressive footsteps heading toward the two of them, causing the prince and his friend to look up.
"You are a liar, Ferdinand! How dare you betray like that. Here, you can take these useless jewels and leave me alone!" A blond exclaimed angrily as he slammed pieces of jewelry on Roman's table, glaring at the prince for a slight moment, and immediately stormed off before Roman could even say anything. The commotion that the blond man caused had caught the attention of a few people near the crown prince's table.
Roman looked dumbfounded like someone had given him a difficult equation to solve. He turned to look at his friend, who also had confusion etched on his face. "Do you know that gentleman?" asked Roman. His friend shooked his head, perplexed. "I have no idea. I thought you knew him.". Roman frowned deeply, thinking deeply. "No. He must have mistaken me for someone else.". A servant then arrived with their orders, Roman decided to question him about that peculiar man.
"Who was that man?"
The servant looked at him, surprised, but answered nonetheless. "He is Mister Janus Cassidy, a son of a baron from a neighboring kingdom," he says simply. Roman furrowed his eyebrows slightly, thinking about the name 'Janus.' It sounded familiar. He smiles politely at the servant before dismissing him. Now, he has to find out who this Janus fellow is.
---
A knock came on Janus' door just as he had expected. "Just a moment!" He smiles and fixes his hair slightly, wanting to look good, before heading to the door to open it. Standing on the other side was no other than Prince Roman himself, he was clutching the jewelry that Janus had left on his table. It seems that his plan is going well.
"Hello, Sir. But you got the wrong man. My name is not Ferdinand and I certainly have not seen you before." Roman stated with a small frown, crossing his arms. Roman is taller than Janus by a few inches; however, the height doesn't intimidate him in any way. Janus merely smiled as he stood his ground, raising an eyebrow challengingly. "I know.".
"Wouldn't you like to come in, Prince Roman?" Janus smiles up at him sweetly, acting with faux innocence before opening the door wider. Roman's eyes widened at his words, face etched with confusion and shock. "W-wait, you know who I am?" he queries, bewildered. Janus chuckles in amusement.
"Why of course! Only a fool would not recognize a handsome and dashing prince such as you, Prince Roman. And I thought I was feeling rather bold and wanted to make the acquaintance of the distinguished Prince Roman Estrelle." Janus replies, tilting his head slightly. His eyes scanned Roman's form again, noticing the way pink had dusted the prince's cheeks. Oh, he was flustered. How adorable. "Well, how could you be so sure that I'm the right prince and not a con man? I could have run off with your jewels." The heir questioned.
“I took the risk. And besides, those jewels are insured.” Janus chuckles softly, his amber eyes sparkling with mischief. “Oh, and I had a hunch that you are not just any ordinary con man. Besides, I believe it’s rare for a con man to look as captivating as you, Prince Roman.” He flashed a playful smile, adding a touch of charm to his words.
Roman raised an eyebrow followed by an amused smile, intrigued by Janus’s boldness and charm. “You have quite the audacity to approach a prince so casually. Not many would dare to do so,” he remarked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.
Janus leaned in slightly, his amber eyes locking with Roman’s hazel ones. “Oh, I have a penchant for taking risks. Life would be quite dull without it, don’t you agree Prince Roman?”. “And I wanted to meet you, and perhaps spend some time together. You see, I have a weakness for charming and intriguing individuals like yourself.”. The prince’s cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink, feeling rather overwhelmed by all of Janus' sweet words.
“Are you angry at me, your highness?” Janus queries, batting his eyelashes at Roman.
The crown prince immediately shook his head in disagreement, before responding with a soft chuckle. “Oh no no, I’m not angry. Just, flattered by all your compliments. You are quite the charmer, Lord Janus.”. Janus merely smiles at him.
“If fate itself brought me this stunning man before me, then I suppose I cannot decline such an opportunity to dine with him. Would you do the honor to join me for dinner this evening, my lord?" Roman says smoothly, reaching for Janus' hand before pressing a gentle kiss on his knuckles. Janus accepts the offer, a smirk gracing his lips. "That would be an honor, your highness.".
"Roman. No need for formalities."
"Well Roman, I am expecting that I shall enjoy my time with you this evening."
"So do I, Janus."
---
"Apologies if I am late, I was busy mingling with the guests and I had a difficult time finding my way out,"
Janus immediately turned his head as soon as he heard that familiar voice. Roman stood there at the opening of the balcony with a lopsided and sheepish smile, slowly approaching. Janus gives him a small smile before turning back to look at the vast, ebony skies with stars that twinkled like no other as the cold breeze hit his face.
"No need to apologize, you are a busy man after all." He hums softly, taking a sip from his wine glass. Roman stares at him, lovingly, before moving to stand beside him. His stare did not falter for a few minutes, the crown prince's eyes fixated upon the beautiful man next to him. A smile forms on his lips once more, now turning his gaze away from Janus towards the night sky.
"They are like diamonds, no? They adorn the night sky so perfectly. It's utterly breathtaking and beautiful..." Roman whispered in awe, then glancing at Janus once more. Janus' face was completely void of emotion, his eyes focused on the stars above, a light pink dusting the bridge of his nose and the apples of his cheeks. His long lashes cast shadows on his cheeks as he stared into the night sky solemnly.
Roman chuckles softly which snaps Janus from the trance-like state he was momentarily stuck on. Janus turns to him with a raised brow, looking at him with skepticism. "What are you chuckling on about, Roman?" he queries. The prince waves his question off and faces forward, a smile still gracing his lips. "Nothing at all.". Janus scoffs and rolls his eyes but there is no malice in them. They both stood in silence side by side as they watched the sky, their hands brushing every so often.
Suddenly, a shooting star appeared in the sky, quickly passing over their heads. Roman gasps loudly, pointing at it as it disappeared into the dark clouds. "Look a shooting star! Did you make a wish?" he turns to look at Janus with bright eyes. The other shook his head softly, "I didn't have time.". Roman frowns slightly, saddened by Janus' answer before turning back to the night sky.
"Do you have something to wish for, Janus?"
"Yes..."
Roman questions softly, "What is it that you wanted to wish?". Janus looks at him and smiles, it was not one of his mischievous and teasing smiles, it was something sincere and serene. "It's secret.".
Roman chuckled lightly, "Secrets always intrigue me.". "Well then, my prince, may I ask you a favor?" Janus asks, looking intently into Roman's eyes. "Of course. Ask away, dearest," Roman responds, looking down at him, his curiosity piqued. Janus reaches and cups the prince's cheeks, before leaning closer, their faces merely inches apart.
"Will you grant my wish and kiss me?" He whispers, his breath tickling Roman's lips. The crown prince's eyes were blown wide and a dark red blush burned onto his cheeks. He could feel his heart skip a beat or two, the other's favor catching him off guard.
"Yes." He whispers.
"Then grant my request, please," Janus replies. With a shaky breath, Roman leans in and presses their lips together, his fingers gripping Janus' waist tightly. The kiss ignited a fire within the both of them, something odd yet it felt almost familiar.
Janus swiftly took out a small dagger hidden from a secret compartment of his clothes without Roman ever noticing it, before pulling Roman closer, urging him to deepen the kiss. The prince complied cluelessly, tilting his head for a better angle and deepening their kiss even more. Janus loosely draped his hands around Roman's neck, holding him closer to his body, his dagger ready to plunge it into the prince's back at any given moment.
He waited, he waited for himself to dig the dagger into the other's back, but he never did. He couldn't just stab Roman for some reason. Janus was annoyed, how could he waste a perfect opportunity like this? Oh but his heart, his heart cried out and pleaded for him to not do it, that this was something he had long craved. He tried to push those feelings away but it did not work, the dagger stayed in place. It was as though Janus was being drawn by force, compelled. What has gotten into him!? This was not professional of him, this is a mission that should be completed. Had he... had he gone soft for this prince?
Janus pulled away from the kiss and he could feel his knees start to buckle beneath him, he quickly leaned on the railing of the balcony for support as he subtly throws his dagger over the balcony before Roman could see it. As he stood back up straight again, he looked at Roman who was staring at him with concern.
"Janus.. is everything alright?" Roman asked gently. Janus looked at him before shooting him a fake sweet smile, "Everything is fine, dear Roman. It's the wine, I might have consumed too much of it." he explains, feigning a light chuckle. Roman narrowed his eyes at him, a concerned look on his face but he didn't question him any further. "I'll call a carriage to escort you back to the inn. Let's go." He says before gently grabbing Janus' wrist and pulling him along inside the palace.
---
"Oh, you idiot! How can you not do such a simple assignment!?" Janus exclaimed to himself as he pushed all of his things off the desk in annoyance. He began to pace and forth in the middle of his room, raking his hand through his tousled blond locks in utter frustration, having the strong urge to scream. Why couldn't he do this simple assignment?! Why did he let himself get attached to his target!? He had gone too soft. It was foolish.
He stopped in front of a mirror, gazing at his own reflection. His once perfectly styled hair was messy and tousled, making Janus sigh deeply and run his fingers through the strands of his hair, trying to tame his wild mess. He needed to calm down, think straight, and avoid further distractions. He was a ruthless assassin, he had killed many for all of his years in service to the organization, executing Roman would barely be any difficulty to him. The prince was quite a fool, he let his emotions control him more than his head. He was so naive, so easy to manipulate.
He had already fallen into Janus' trap.
But everything seemed to backfire back to Janus. He was letting himself be swayed by Roman, getting himself swept off his feet by the ever-so-charming prince. And the worst part is he knows that this will only make things harder, his feelings are already starting to get in his way, and it was frustrating.
Janus was immediately snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a knock on his door. He looked back at the mirror and his reflectiquickly fixing his messy blonde hair and smoothing out his wrinkly shirt before walking to open the door. "Alright! Please wait for a second!" he exclaimed as the knock continued on. He sighs heavily, opening the door widely. As soon as he opened the door, he was greeted by the presence of an all too familiar older man in a fine suit, a chill suddenly running down Janus' spine.
"Greetings, Mister Silverthorne." The older man said followed by a smile, though that smile was anything but genuine. Janus knew this man was not here to just chit chat. "How has your mission been going so far?".
Janus stepped aside as he let his superior, keeping his head down. "It has been doing well, sir. The prince is already wrapped around my fingers," he answered as truthfully as he can.
"Hm. Then why is that insolent prince still alive, Janus?" The older man asked, turning his head to look at Janus with those cold grey eyes. "Don't tell me you have grown attached? Is that the reason, dear?" he queries, causing Janus to stiffen slightly.
"...No," Janus answers simply, keeping eye contact with the elder. "I have not been attached to him. I have already made attempts in assassinating him, the crown prince will be dealt with swiftly." his voice remained steady as he keep his gaze on the older man. The older man's calculating gaze bore into Janus, seemingly dissecting every word. "Very well," he finally conceded. "But remember Janus, sentimentality has no place in our line of work.". Janus nodded curtly, concealing the storm of emotions beneath his composed façade. "Of course, sir. I understand."
His superior's stern expression softened slightly. "Good. Do not allow distractions to jeopardize the mission. Eliminate the prince as soon as possible. Do not mess this up, the organization relies on you greatly." Janus bowed his head slightly, acknowledging the directive. "I will ensure the mission's success."
As his superior departed, leaving behind an atmosphere laden with tension, Janus closed the door, leaning against it and exhaling a long breath. He sighed once more, slowly moving away from the door, walking back to his desk, and sitting down on his chair again. He stared ahead blankly, taking in deep breaths.
He needed to kill Roman.
---
Janus was already packing all of his belongings in his suitcase, no other evidence of his presence in that inn be left behind. His mind was racing, he needed to move fast, and now. If he doesn't kill Prince Roman soon, the organization will come after him, if not worse. He slipped on his black coat and reached for the gun sitting on the table, it was a handheld weaponry given to him by the organization. And he was going to use it to execute Roman. His beloved Roman.
Just as soon as he finishes packing up his things, the door suddenly bursts open and Roman was running up to him already. "Janus, I heard you were leaving early. Why didn't you tell me?" he queries with furrowed brows, a worried look etched on his beautiful face. Janus chuckled humorlessly. "I don't need to tell you anything, Prince Roman," he said bitterly, avoiding Roman's intense gaze.
Roman frowned and grabbed his arm softly. "Please don't leave, Janus. I'm willing to give you anything you desire. I will offer the three things that I value greatly; my heart, my dreams, my life." He pleaded, squeezing his arm reassuringly. Janus shook his head, looking away from him. "You are too generous but I want none of that," Janus stated plainly. There was a pregnant pause between them.
"Ever since I met you, you have completely turned my life upside down. You brightened my days that used to be dull, you brought the thrill that I crave." Roman exclaimed with such passion, grabbing Janus' chin gently to make the other look at him. "My heart beats only for you, I would not live without you by my side.".
"Enough! I do not want to hear those words any further, Roman. We are two worlds apart, we do not fit together! I am nothing compared to you, I do not deserve your love!" Janus shouted, pushing Roman away from him as hard as he possibly could, holding back the tears that threatened to spill out of his eyes.
Roman remained still, unfazed as he stared at Janus with sorrowful eyes. "I know, Janus.". Janus froze and stared back with wide-eyed disbelief. He stared in complete shock. Did this mean...? "What..." Janus trailed, unable to form any coherent sentences. Roman smiled sadly. "I know who you actually are, where you are from, and what you are here for. After the commotion you made that day, I had my right-hand man look into your past.". Janus flinched, backing away a bit. Roman took a few steps forward to reach Janus.
"Then how can you still trust me?!"
"Because I love you! And we both know you love me as well!" Roman exclaimed in desperation. Janus scoffed as he shook his head before turning to look back at Roman. "You are quite wrong with that. I never loved you, I was only using you." Janus stated while glaring coldly at the other male, hoping to intimidate him. But Roman stood tall, staring right back at him.
"You may as well take my heart, Janus. It's already full of you!" he shouted as he went to cup the other male's cheek.
"You are a fool," Janus said bitterly.
"Yes, I am a fool. A fool for your love." Roman answered. "For you, Janus.".
"You say such things as if you have known me all your life. You have only known me for a week, Roman. A week!" he shouted, shaking in anger, pushing Roman away once more but Roman grabbed him by his wrist, forcing him to face him as he kept speaking. "I know. But being with you felt like I have known you ever since. When I heard beautiful music, I always thought 'Janus would like that', and when I see flowers, I always dreamt of giving them to you.".
"Oh stop! I am sent here to kill you! You can't trust me, Roman. You simply cannot." Janus argued with a shake of his head, trying to pull his hand away from Roman. But Roman wouldn't budge, refusing to release him even as his grip got tighter. "I love you! You being here to betray me doesn't make any difference because my heart has already fallen for you." he proclaimed, his tone firm, determined. "I trust you so much that I am willing to give you my life.".
"So please stay, be with me. I can help you escape your organization, I'll make sure they would not harm you. Please, Janus." Roman begged desperation filling his voice. Janus stayed quiet. "No.".
"If I betray you, I betray myself. But I cannot risk betraying them, my organization is very dear to me."
"Dearer than I?..." Roman murmured his grip on Janus' hand loosening gradually. He let go, stepping back. A pained expression covered his face as he lowered his gaze.
Janus looked away, "Yes, dearer than you.". It was a lie. But he cannot bare to say the truth to Roman, he can't. So Janus lied like he always does.
"I knew you were only deceiving me this whole time but I still let you fool me around because I love you, Janus. Whenever we were together, I always thought 'he's just pretending' yet I let you pretend. I fell so deeply in love with you, my darling Janus." Janus winced, closing his eyes and shaking his head as he heard the last words from Roman's lips.
"Say more of those words then I wouldn't hesitate to shoot you with this gun in my hand." Janus threatened as he raises the gun and points it at the prince's chest. A sad smile appears across Roman's lips and his eyes soften slightly as he says:
"Do it, shoot me. But remember, your days will be dark and dull without me by your side. When you stare at the stars at night, you will only yearn for me but there will be an empty space by your side like the aching hole in your heart." Roman stated sincerely, his voice quivering slightly. Janus clenched his jaw and clenched the gun tightly. "How can you still say those words to me while being held at gunpoint? Such a childish and foolish act." he scoffs.
"Because I love you, Janus..."
Then Janus pulled the trigger. The sound of the gunshot echoed through the room and Roman collapsed onto the ground, clutching the place where he was shot. He looked up at Janus, before smiling softly. "I love you.".
Janus stared down at him, frozen. He had done it. A soft sob escaped his lips as he stared at Roman whose eyes bore into his own. He shook his head and immediately stuffed his gun in his suitcase before quickly exiting his room through the window without looking back at Roman, pained to look at the man he loved.
"Virgil! Help me up here..." Roman choked out as he tried to stand up, he was already losing blood. His right-hand man rushed over, quickly assisting him towards the couch. He settled Roman's body onto the couch, "Oh I knew you shouldn't have gone here." Virgil said worriedly as he checked Roman's injury. Roman shook his head, insisting, "I'm alright.".
"We should contact the—" but before Virgil could even finish his sentence, Roman stopped him.
"N-no. Let him go."
"But sire—"
"That's an order." Roman interrupted him, his voice was stern and commanding. Virgil's face softened slightly as he sighed in defeat. "Very well, sir.".
Roman stared at where Janus has fled to. His heart ached but he knew he couldn't do anything with it, he loved Janus but he had to let him go eventually. Roman had loved him so much that he had risked his life for him. He wishes that one day, or in another lifetime, they would be two different people.
One who would finally belong to each other.
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Writing Taglist: @cutebisexualmess @extraintrovertedalien (please tell me if you want to be added or removed in the tag list)
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ronithesnail · 8 months
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HELLO IM NOT DEAD :D
I participated in this year’s TSS Big Bang and drew for @logarhythm-bees fic “To Unearth and Back Again” :D
@tss-storytime
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Link to Chapter one:
(The rest should be out soon as far as i know)
(Closeups under cut cuz i love the closeups)
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tss-whumper · 2 months
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(cw -> talk of homophobia, internalized homophobia, religious trauma, suppression, brief mention of physical abuse, cages, knives, and scars.)
classic sanders sides concept of: roman realizes that thomas is gay and patton suppresses him and forces him to keep it secret and blames roman for thomas being "broken" as a lover because he is gay.
BUT
the addition of janus into this equation. after all, the transition from closeted to out and proud has a lot of deceit involved. convincing others you're straight. convincing YOURSELF you're straight.
janus and patton both working to make sure that roman doesn't get to express love/romance freely because of the social consequences that may arise, caring more about the potential harm thomas may face than the guaranteed harm that roman will face as a result of being suppressed.
it would be extra whumpy if there was some sort of physical manifestation of patton and janus suppressing roman. imagine they lock roman in a literal closet, or a cage. to keep him from escaping and continuing to express his gay-ass truth. maybe they cut him through the heart in the hopes that they might kill the part of him that is making thomas gay. maybe he has permanent scars on his chest around his heart as a result.
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the-panmixxia · 9 months
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Pound of Prevention (and an ounce of cure) Chapter 1
Before we begin the fic, I would like to preface this by saying - this is my continuation of the 'A Black Cat For (un)Luck' and is also my big bang for this year! I was lucky enough to be paired up with @im-an-anxious-wreck to create some incredible art. I hope you check them out and stay tuned for the master post! (I no longer have a pc, so I'm doing all this on mobile,,, please be kind lmao)
"Oh em gee. What's a lil cutie like you doing in here?"
Virgil froze, fur standing on edge as spook quietly tilted spooks head. In the darkness of the apartment, spooks vampire roommate lurked rather ominously. The vampire that was supposed to be at work right now, shit. Had Virgil forgotten a day off, holiday of some kind? Why the fuck was Remy here!
"An itty bitty kitty~" They purred, and faster than Virgil could blink, spook was lifted by the scruff. "Where the heck did you come from? How'd you even get in? I bet Virgil let you in, knew that little shit was keeping a secret. Honestly thought spook just had a boyfriend or some shit like that. I prefer this though."
Virgil yowled in mild irritation, willing spooks body to move so spook could get out of this embarrassing hold. Remy simply smiled, showing off a row of pearly whites, along with an intimidating set of fangs. Virgil would've been intimated if it wasn't Remy.
"Spicy lil' cayenne coffee, huh? What do you want, babes?"
'let me down!' Virgil internally roared. It came out as a fierce sounding hiss, but Remy simply cooed in spooks face. Humiliating.
"Oohhh I'm keeping you. Don't care what Virgie says. You snooze, you lose. C'mon, there's some chicken in the fridge, it's time to totally manipulate your affection and make me your fave owner. Yeah. Bet cranky lil Virge never gives you chicken, huh? Criminal. Absolutely criminal."
Virgil was plonked down on the cabinets, gentle claws scratching spooks ears before wandering off towards the fridge. Spook meowed imploringly, but was ultimately ignored. Bummer. The kitten looked around, sniffing the outlet and cringing at how filthy it was. Spook should probably clean the kitchen properly in the morning, the landlord would probably blow up and evict them both if they reported another ant infestation.
Spook peered over the edge of the cabinet as Remy was preoccupied googling what cats could eat. The answer was no they can not eat fruit loaf Remy you idiot -
Hmm. The ledge was too tall for Virgil to safely launch spookself off. In human form, spook had a reputation as the perfect blend of cat and cryptid due to the uncanny ability to appear on random surfaces and within impossible crevices - though it seemed in actual cat form, Virgil was lacking.
This called for one thing. It was time to meow frantically until everyone caved to spooks needs.
Meows began, slipping out the kitten's body with ease, practically screaming with urgency. Lemme down! Lemme down, I want down!
It was effective, Remy whipping around and staring at Virgil as if the kitten had burst into song or something as equally baffling. After a second, Remy shook their head and stood up, shushing loudly.
"Shhh, no, shhh! You're gonna wake Virgil up! That little goth is deprived of sleep as it, we can't be waking spook up."
Aw. Well, that was almost cute.
"Plus, spooks such a stress head, I know if spook wakes up I'll just get chewed out for calling in sick today."
So that's why Remy was still here? Virgil hadn't forgotten their shifts. Little shit. Spook yowled in the utmost distaste, and Remy just narrowed his eyes, hands on hips.
"Don't give me that look, you crusty little feline. You gotta take a day off every once in a while, keep your boss on their toes."
Crusty? How could anyone be so cruel to a little kitten? Virgil hissed in offense, swiping tiny claws towards spooks roommate.
Remy seemed to interpret the dangerous display as an urge to be picked up, as Virgil was once again in spooks roommate's arms - thankfully the hold was no longer on Virgil's scruff and instead cradled in Remy's arms, the gentle kiss to spooks head was vastly different to Remy's usual casual affection.
"C'mon, hissy-boy, let's grab you something to eat. I'll just give ya, yup, there it is. Eat this, babes, hear cats go nuts over this stuff."
Four paws landed on a cheap laminate floor, as Remy placed both the cat and a take-away container of dry chicken down. Huh. At least it was human food? Yeah, it was certainly more appealing than the strange oat food that Virgil was fed the last time a person found spook in kitten form.
"Alright, babes! I think we just became besties, huh? Are you my best friend? I'm gonna tell Virgil I've ditched spook for you. I'm sure I'll be forgiven."
Well, at least that much was true. If Remy had brought home another cat Virgil would have been more than happy to house the little thing, but that wasn't the point! There was no way Virgil would tell Remy about this predicament either, they'd never let spook live it down. Virgil bumps spooks head against Remy's leg gently, to signal spook was finished eating.
"Aw. I guess I'll let you mooch around. Gotta get out of these day clothes," Remy tugged on their pajamas "and into something stylish. B-R-B, kitty cat."
This gave Virgil some time on spooks own, mooching around the apartment - spook never normally left spooks room during these nightly spells, but Virgil didn't realize how different everything would look from down here. Even the chipped coffee table looked like some sort of landmark.
The shower kicked in a few moments later, while Virgil was trying to scale the couch, and spook was quietly happy that spook wasn't sleeping - Remy didn't have a great gauge of how much noise they were making, and had woken Virgil up on multiple occasions.
The time alone have Virgil time to ponder spooks predicament for the millionth time. As inconvenient as this curse is, Janus really could've hit spook with something a lot more deadly - Virgil is thankful for that, at least, but really how long can the bitter mage keep this going? There is a time limit, surely. Virgil can't spend spooks entire life turning into a kitten every night like some mockery of Princess Fiona. Maybe, just maybe, Virgil should speak to Janus again. Not to forgive him. To stop this. Yeah, that was it.
It's Janus that should be asking for Virgil's forgiveness, anyway. It's totally immoral to curse your former best friend and roommate. Probably. In fact, the mage was so far up his own ass with all that philosophy crap, he'd probably go on a long monologue on how perfectly moral this whole situation is while also dressing down the idea of morality or… Something. Virgil kind of tuned out of those debates.
Yeah, no, contacting Janus would be spooks last choice. Virgil was not interested in trying to appeal to their ego again, especially not with Remus around, being a little shit and stoking the flame.
Virgil huffed and tried to find a position that was comfortable to curl up on. Being much smaller only seemed to magnify the lumps and bumps in the old piece of furniture, the stuffing underneath the fake leather was compressed into a texture resembling porridge, and still smelt like the sidewalk spook and Remy dragged it from. Vampires had advanced senses of smell, so could Remy smell this shit all the time? Are they used to it? It was so gross. No wonder Virgil burst out in pimples whenever spook crashed on the couch.
A curt knock rapped on the apartment door. Virgil froze on the couch and tilted spooks head. They weren't expecting anyone, unless Remy decided to pull a 'roommate mega dick move' and invite friends over, in the middle of the night, without telling Virgil.
The mystery person knocked again, but the shower kept running and there were no other indications that Remy heard the door. Virgil tediously jumped down, trying to utilize the powers of this strange body spook was inhabiting to listen in on clues of who this may be-
"Hey, Microsoft-nerd, we aren't knocking on doors! Waking up the neighbours is not the way to get help in feline forage!"
The voice was unfamiliar to Virgil, as was the answering voice, much closer to the door.
"I am aware of the standard procedure, Roman. However, on this occasion, I can sense a fellow vampire is inside and thus there is a high chance they'll answer the door. Though that does not seem to be the case right now…"
"Shoot, can't you use your magic vampire brain to communicate?"
"No, Roman, that only works with fellow coven members. And even then it takes an especially large bond to send comments or instructions. It's mostly feelings of visions of something - like sending the sense of danger out to alert the whole coven to a hostility."
"Ugh,whatever - just post the flyer. Patton is awaiting our return. He's cooking Madras! With venison."
"Roman we have several more apartments to visit -"
Virgil jumped back with a slight squeak, as a menacing object floated from the letter box to where spook was just standing. Once it had landed, Virgil could properly inspect it. It seemed to be a lost poster, with the words MISSING KITTEN in a bold, red font. A stock image of a black kitten graced the front, watermark pasted all over, with an arrow labeling it 'KITTEN LOOKS LIKE THIS' as well as a few paragraphs of text all around, explaining that this kitten had somehow got out of the apartment, that they were a rescue and not at an adoptable age, that they'll seek out warm small areas to keep warm and safe, and very kindly asking residents to keep an eye out. There was a whole $800 listed as reward money.
Virgil's first thought was pity, some poor person had lost a cat they'd tried to rescue, and was clearly trying their best to find the lil thing. Hell, Virgil should probably help look for it tomorrow, eight hundred could really help spook and Remy out this month.
Virgil's second thought, after briefly skimming contact information, was 'oh shit'. 'Please Contact Patton,' was at the bottom, with a telephone number, and beneath that was the apartment number. The apartment that Virgil had crawled out of when snatched by a werewolf.
Patton, that was the werewolf's name. Spook remembers the uncomfortable elevator ride where Patton introduced faemself, there's absolutely no mistaking it, Patton wasn't exactly a super common name. The two at the door were talking about a Patton as well, weren't they? One was a vampire, which didn't make sense, but was the other part of Patton's pack?
This was a lot of trouble to go through for one scrappy kitten, if Remy's theory was true.
Would Patton eat a kitten?
It's not like Virgil knows the were properly, but spook did spend a night with Patton, a night where Patton thought fae was interacting with a real kitten and therefore had no reason to be fake nice to spook. Shit, had Virgil just judged this were on event that even spook didn't think happened?
"Ooh, what'cha got, gurl? You gonna bring me my mail like a lil puppy?" A voice coos, Virgil snapping out of spooks character development to look up at an amused Remy who was perched on the arm of the stinky ass couch.
The vamp was dressed down in lounge wear, though it was glaringly obviously the 'Falling In Reverse' band shirt was Virgil's and not Remy's. Virgil stared distastefully at spooks roommate, grumpy sounds leaving the kittens tiny body. Remy glowered right back, pointing at the creature.
"Oh, you must be Virgil's pet. No one else can embody that much grumpy emo vibes. Spook has a billion tees, I'm just wearing it this once."
That was such a Remy response. Unable to roll spooks eyes at the vampire, Virgil opted to turn back around and paw the flyer once more. Over here, idiot, come read this.
Remy, for once, didn't use his vampire powers to teleport across the room, and instead took a rather leisurely stroll across the room, crouching down to read.
"Hmmm, missing cat… Is that you? Did Virgie steal someone's pet, huh?" They lifted the page closer, inspecting it with pursed lips. Remy's eyes were a very pleasing shade of red behind those shades, it was quite nice to see. Virgil moved closer, seating spookself on Remy's socked foot, and as planned, receiving a pleasant head scratch.
"Wait. Hold the fucking phone, I know that apartment, that's fucking Wolfie's apartment. Holy crap, what a psycho, he's actually putting out lost posters? Did you manage to escape his dinner plate or something?"
Remy scooped the kitten up, holding Virgil close with a protective grumble. Like a feral wolf was going to burst through the door and gobble spook up. Virgil made sure to warble out a disgruntled noise at the vampire.
"Hold your horses, puss-puss, it says here you went missing last Wednesday and that's when Virgil crawled through my window like a creep," Remy held the little body up to eye level, staring so intensely, and for a second was sure Remy was a gorgon with how still spook got. Did they figure it out? How?
"That must've been what spook was doing, rescuing you! Honestly, I didn't think Virge had enough courage to break into a were's house to steal something. Spook can't even say spooks order at the drive thru, so I'm thoroughly impressed."
Well that was both rude and awfully convenient, as much as Virgil trusted spooks roommate on matters of life and death… Honestly, Remy likely wouldn't let Virgil live it down if they found out that spook turned into a tiny kitten each night. Virgil would rather not deal with the embarrassment.
"Come on, you. I wanna watch Grey's Anatomy and I'm not letting you wander round the apartment. You'd probably piss on something."
That was rude. Virgil had excellent control of spooks bladder, thank you very much. Still, this was at least a way to watch the soap without pretending it was cringey, spook supposed. Remy draped across the god awful sofa, falling into a position Virgil had seen spooks roommate in many times, and settled the tiny body of Virgil on his chest. Since Remy didn't have body heat, it was rather like laying on a tiled floor - or having the pillow be permanently cold. Virgil decided spook liked it that way, and a gentle purr started up.
Remy's expression, still trained on the television as they searched for the show, turned down right gooey.
"You cute little thing. You're gonna love watching this, look, Meredith has just gone seeing her dad and Thatcher is there. Not British Thatcher, this one's a dude. Was in Prison Break as well, we can watch that one later."
Maybe this is why Latte ran away. Contrary to what Remy believes, most cats aren't down to sit still and watch endless sitcoms.
As the hours ticked on, Virgil tried many times to sneak away. It seemed Remy was adamant to stay on the couch all night and to keep spook right next to them. Rigorous squirming landed Virgil to be sat in a shoebox full of newspaper - something spook hadn't noticed Remy making before all this - then listening to the vampire repeat a 'potty' command repeatedly. Embarrassingly, Virgil had used it, but only once. Spooks dumbass roommate hadn't given Virgil a single drop of water.
Still pressed against Remy's cold chest, Virgil could barely make out the busted kitchen clock as it struggled its way towards half nine. Shit. Shit, Virgil was screwed.
Hissing and yowling had not worked all night, though Virgil was currently weighing the pros and cons to scratching Remy's eyes out. The vampire in question sighed at spooks dramatics, scooping the kitten up and plonking it back into the DIY litter tray. This time, Remy stood up, stretching long limbs and teasing their curls into an effortless, glamorous bedhead. Red eyes stared into green for a moment before Remy let out a loud yawn.
"You stay there, puss. I need a leak, then I'm gonna cook Virge some breakfast. Try and sweeten spook up before I ask for a feeding, heh."
Aw, that was almost sweet. In a way. Virgil was gonna enjoy that breakfast, if spook could just escape this darn box while Remy was out of the room. Huzzah! Freedom.
The box tilted over, freeing the black kitten, as spook made a mad dash for spooks bedroom, luckily it always had a jar open.
At that moment, the magic began to tingle, signaling to Virgil that time was up, but spook was nearly to the bedroom. Unfortunately, a loud 'hey!' distracted spook, turning to look at the vampire that seemed rather peeved about the cat escaping. A stagger on an uneven rug had Virgil tripping up, unfortunately the transformation completed itself at that moment, meaning Virgil's human body grew itself big enough to smack full force into the door, leaving the emo flat on the floor with a light groan.
The door was pushed with quite some force, hitting the doorstop and coming back to bap Virgil a second time. Brilliant.
Virgil sighed into the cheap olefin carpet, hearing hesitant feet shuffle around to get a better look. Spook bent spooks neck awkwardly, looking at Remy with squinting eyes. The vampire looked completely befuddled, before lips began to curve upwards into a big smile. A big, overly smug smile.
"Oh, babes. You've got some tea to spill!"
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maedhrosdefender · 1 year
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I would like the world to know that someone wrote an entire 285K word sequel to the Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern and posted it on ao3
it’s called Fateheart: A Starless Seaquel and it’s a masterpiece that everyone needs in their lives Erin better see it istg
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