Call me Gozy! | 26 | she/he | Demisexual Biromantic | This is a side blog for the sanders sides! Feel free to ask if you need anything tagged My main blog is awkwardbundle
I like to imagine this is set like right at the end of WTIT before the end card. You canât bury these things forever, Logan and you certainly canât fix him alone.
âHe laughs and he laughs and he cries, there is only pain left within his eyes..â
I found a w.i.p. based on one of these song lyric sets i wrote from who knows how long ago and randomly felt inspired to finish it, so have some Roman angst out of the blue.~
first chapter of a superhero AU commission im very excited to share! it additionally fills (or will fill in next couple of chapters) the patron prompts: Patton and Remus bonding/or being friends, Remus Janus and Virgil hanging out together, & more Remus-focused content!
He wasnât really sure where âhereâ was, either. There were plenty of tall buildings stacked in neat little rows around him, slowly becoming big blocky silhouettes as the sun sank low in the sky.
Heâd thought to ask someone, but the streets were surprisingly bare, and every time he called out to any distant figure, they hurried away as though their lives depended on it.
It sort of hurt his feelings, but he was sure they had a good reason for it! Something they knew that he didnât, probably.
This is supposed to be the last post of 2021 but so much stuff came up for me and I just whip it out as quickly as possible.
What I want to say is, last year (my god it is weird to say that) was a rollercoaster for me and I vomited all over the track, but Sander sides really did kept me going through all of it and I got to meet crazy lovely wonderful people along the way and created silly little dudes to express a lot of my thoughts, and people enjoy it and support me, all crazy stuff I still canât process it.
So thank you everyone who has been there with me last year, I appreciate your existence so freaking much and I canât be grateful enough for you. Itâs you that made me still continue to exist and I will keep thanking you with all my life, I hope to stick around with you till the next years ahead.
Elliot as in the Elliot from cartoon therapy right?
Yes! Iâm always fond of including characters from cartoon therapy or the shorts in stories if it works, and I thought having them as one of the employees fit nicely!
Hello hello! Iâm so excited to present my secret santa gift for @strongindependentcheesecake for the @sanderssidesgiftxchange ! I tried to combine your first two wishes, and Iâm pretty pleased with how it turned out. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year!
Summary: Roman and Remus co-own a bookstore, The Royal Bookshop. The others come and visit them often, though there seems to be some confusion among the employees on who Roman is actually dating.
Roman hummed quietly to himself, shifting some books over on the shelf to add the newest inventory. They had just gotten the first of their holiday shipments in, and while he usually manned the counter or sat in the office working on paperwork, Elliot was in today and had trouble bending over repeatedly. So, they were manning the counter and had put everything in the system while Roman worked to shelve the new books they got in.
From where he was standing, Roman couldnât see the front door or counter over the shelves, so his only warning that a customer came in was the bell above the door tinkling and Elliot saying, âHi, welcome into the Royal Bookshop! Do you need any help today?â
Roman was already making his way towards the counter but sped up with a grin when the customer spoke.
âOh, no thank you. Iâm actually looking for Roman?â The voice was even and calm, and when Roman turned the corner, Logan was standing next the counter, his laptop bag hanging from his shoulder.
It was early November, so he was clad in a sweater that Roman was pretty sure belong to Patton, and one of Virgilâs scarves was hanging from his neck.
Elliot was saying, âOh, I can call him for youââ but didnât get to finish before Roman was speaking over him.
âWhat do I owe the pleasure, my bespeckled nerd?â He swept forward, gathering Logan into his arms. Logan went easily, resting a hand on Romanâs chest.
âItâs 1:30, which is usually your lunch break. I thought Iâd come by and treat you to lunch at the cafĂŠ around the corner?â
Logan was flushed slightly, and Roman couldnât help the besotted smile that overtook his face, which just made Loganâs face go a deeper shade of red.
âYou spoil me, darling,â Roman said, pressing a kiss to Loganâs forehead. He turned to Elliot, who had been watching the interaction with confusion.
âElliot, this is my boyfriend, Logan. Since heâs a sap, he wants to take me lunch, do you think you can man the shop on your own for a bit?â He ignored Logan sputtering next to him, squeezing his waist.
Elliot shrugged, looking a little apprehensive. âI guess, yeah. I can call you if anything happens, right?â
Roman nodded, âYes you can. Iâll be down the street, and inventoryâs done for the day, so you just have to worry about customers coming in.â
âOk, then Iâll be good. Have a good lunch!â
Roman grabbed Loganâs hand and dragged him from the store, making sure the sign out front was still propped up as he did. He swung their hands between them as they went down the street, humming again quietly.
âHas Elliot already had their lunch?â Logan asked, readjusting his laptop bag.
âYeah, theirs was at noon. We also have some snacks in the office if they get hungry.â
Logan nodded, holding open the door for Roman as they arrived at the cafĂŠ. âThatâs good. We could have brought them back something if they hadnât.â
Roman laughed quietly, bumping Loganâs shoulder. âYou mother hen. If youâre worried about them, Iâll buy them some chips. I might anyway, for leaving them at the store alone right before holiday season starts.â
âIs Remus not there?â
âNo, he had a migraine, so I made him stay home.â
Logan hummed, his brow furrowed in concern. âI might head over there after this then, to make sure heâs eaten.â
Romanâs chest felt warm, fondness coursing through him at Loganâs concern. He was such a mother hen, making sure they all were taking care of themselves. It didnât help that Janus more often than not teamed up with him. The two were a force of nature in their own right, let alone together. Roman grabbed Loganâs hand and squeezed.
âHeâll appreciate it.â
They ordered and ate, and Logan walked him back to the store. Roman endured the light teasing from Elliot and went back to the office to keep working.
Remus was back at the store the next day, his migraine having abated enough for him to face shelves and work in the office. Roman wasnât happy about it, wanting Remus to feel fully better before he came back, but Remus had waved him off.
âWe both own this store, Iâm putting in my own fair share. Besides, if it gets worse, I can pass out on the couch in the office. Or on the floor in the kidsâ section, that carpetâs super soft.â
âYouâre not passing out in the kidsâ section again, Remus. Last time the kids drew all over you.â
Remus grinned, lifting his sleeve to show one of his tattoos, a snake wrapped around a bundle of flowers. âThey inspired my newest tattoo though!â
There was a snort from behind the shelves, and Kai, another one of their employees came around the corner holding a few holiday books in their arms.
âYes, because you should let kids decide what should permanently go on your body.â
Remus nodded, âYeah, thatâs what I did!â
Kai huffed, shaking his head. âAlright man, you do you. Do yâall want me to put these on the display shelves at the window or on the front table?â
âThe table,â Roman said, âThe window still has the local authors display up, and Iâd like to keep it for another week or so.â
Kai saluted with one hand, wandering off towards the front of the store. There was a moment of quiet, before a startled, âOh, welcome in!â filtered back to the twins.
When the customer responded, they shared a look, and Remus grinned before shoving Roman into a shelve and racing towards the front. Roman sputtered and had to catch the few books he knocked off, and after he put them back, headed towards the front as well.
When he reached the front of the shop, it was to Remus swinging a man around in circles, ignoring the shrieking from the man and Kaiâs startled look. It wasnât until Remus finally put the man down that he could make out Janusâ disgruntled features.
He reached up to adjust the sun hat he had onâdespite it being mid-November and cloudy outsideâbut didnât stop Remus from wrapping his arms around him from behind.
âHello, dear,â Janus said, resting his hands on Remusâs arms. Remus wiggled in place, smushing his face into the side of Janusâs head.
âIâm going to assume this guy is your boyfriend?â Kai said, absentmindedly rearranging the books on the display table.
Remus and Roman snorted at the same time. Remus smiled brightly at Kai and said, âGross! Heâs my QPP.â He tapped two small pins on his jacket, one pin of the ace flag and the other the aro flag.
âOh shit, my bad.â Kai rubbed the back of their neck, looking sheepish.
Janus waved him off, âItâs not a problem. What will be a problem, is if my boyfriend doesnât come to say hello.â
At this, he made grabby hands at Roman. When Roman got close enough, Janus cupped his face and kissed his cheek, humming when Roman did the same.
âWhat.â Kai said, face blank the way only pure confusion can cause. Remus cackled before giving out a dramatic fake wail, pulling Janus away from Roman. Janus went willingly, letting Remus swing him around a bit as Remus played up the dramatics.
âHe stole my partner right from under my moustache!â Remus said, his voice pitched like he was going to cry. Roman sputtered, but Remus just began to make noises like a dying cat.
Kai put their hands up, turning away to go deeper into the store. âNot my problem, bye!â He said, disappearing around the shelves.
âOh, donât be ridiculous dear,â Janus said, gently patting Remusâ arms where they were wrapped around his waist, âIf anything, Iâm playing the long con here to snatch him from the other three.â This was said with a lack of irony, considering that Janus still had a lipstick smudge on his cheek from Virgil, and was wearing one of Loganâs button ups over his shirt.
âRemus donât make me seem like a homewrecker! Iâm going to have to explain that to Kai now.â Roman sighed but couldnât help the smile twitching at the corners of his lips as Remus kept up the dramatics.
âIf he thinks that Remus is being serious right now, then I worry for your hiring choices,â Janus drawled, patting Remusâ arms again to make him quiet down. Remus did, tucking his head over Janusâs shoulder.
âAlthough,â Janus continued with a smirk, âhe isnât too far off. We did start dating after Remus and I became partners.â
âYou guys have been partners since freshman year of college! Iâm not a homewrecker,â Roman huffed, crossing his arms.
âWell duh, Ro, if you were, weâd have had a long and bloody battle by now,â Remus said, âIâm just playing, and you know Kai knows that.â
Roman sighed and took a step forward to grab Janusâs hands. âYeah, I know. Iâll probably still talk to them though.â
He never did end up talking to Kai, as the holiday season seemed to ramp up immediately after that day. Shipments began coming in almost every day and foot traffic to the store increased, causing the twins to get their holiday help in early.
Remy wasnât upset about it, saying something about âdouble the pay, working here and the coffeeshop at the same time.â Remus made sure his schedule wasnât too overloaded though, so that Remy could take breaks away from work when he needed to.
Today, the twins were both couped up in the office, trying to slog through the different inventory sheets they had gotten.
âI swear, Hatchette either needs to get better quality boxes or laminate their inventory sheets. Iâm working with a puzzle here.â Roman said, trying to piece the torn-up sheet back together. Hatchette Publishing boxes always came torn up and damaged in some ways, which meant the inventory sheets and books came damaged too. The number of books that they had to send back because of Hatchette was annoying at best and a loss of money at worst.
Remus only hummed, highlighting one of the sheets that Roman had passed him earlier as he checked to make sure everything was in the system. He worked with a narrow-minded focus that only appeared when he was at the shop and working with the business side of their store. Remus finished the sheet he was working on and reached for another, only to find the stack empty. He blinked, coming back to himself, and seemed to register what Roman had said.
âOh, no, yeah they suck. Is that the last one?â
âYeah, then weâll be done with yesterday and todayâs shipments.â
Remus stood and stretched, before shuffling the sheets he had finished together. âThen Iâm going to go grab a coffee real quick. You want anything?â
âCan I get a mocha?â
Remus clicked his tongue in acknowledgement and headed out of the office. Roman kept working, finally managing to put the sheet together and get the items on it in the system and marked off.
He grabbed the stack of books that had been held back due to the sheet being so torn up and made his through the shelves. About halfway through the stack, Roman heard the bell above the door jingle, and startled when, instead of the usual greeting, Remy said, âWe donât welcome your kind here.â
It was followed immediate by a âFuck off,â and a loud cackle, so Roman just rolled his eyes and finished shelving the books in his hands before going to the front counter.
As he got closer, he could make out the sounds of playful arguing, which made sense considering that it was Virgil standing at the counter.
They were holding Romanâs mocha in their hand, and still had their apron on, meaning that Remus had most likely pulled them away from their shift to hand deliver Roman his coffee.
âIâm sorry,â Remy was saying, âbut we donât carry The Guide to being Emo here. Maybe you could try the local Hot Topic?â His voice was sickly sweet, the smile on his face an over exaggeration of a customer service smile.
âYou canât talk to me like that, Iâm your boss,â Virgil replied, their scowl just as exaggerated.
âTechnically, youâre only my boss on Wednesdays through Fridays. Roman and Remus are my bosses right now,â Remy said, trying to swipe the coffee out of Virgilâs hand.
Virgil huffed, turning towards Remus with a pout. Their eyes lit up when they saw Roman behind him, but they kept the pout.
Remus snorted. âCanât help you there, V, heâs technically right.â
Virgil immediately turned towards Roman, and Roman, ever the pushover when it came to any of his partners, caved.
âRemy, be nice to Virgil, even if they arenât your boss right now. Theyâre still my partner,â Roman kissed Virgilâs cheek, taking the mocha out of their hand and taking a sip.
Remy sighed in disappointment, and Roman couldnât tell if it was because he got told to stop or because he couldnât have the coffee.
âAlright, I guess Iâll be nice.â Remy said, leaning back in the chair behind the counter. He almost overbalanced and tipped over but caught himself.
âNone of you saw that!â He said, his face red.
Virgil snickered, âSure, and I wonât be telling Emile about it when I get back to the coffeeshop.â
Emile was another one of their holiday workers they borrowed from Virgil, though he mainly only came if they were super busy or one of the others called out. He was scheduled for the next day, actually, since Elliot couldnât make it in. Emile was also Remyâs boyfriend and loved to tease him.
Remyâs face went a deeper shade of red. âYou will not! He wonât let me live it down unless I make brownies.â
âSo, make brownies?â Roman said, leaning against Virgilâs side.
Remy groaned, âTheyâre so messy! They also use so many dishes, I hate making them.â
âYour problem would be solved if you didnât make it from scratch.â Virgil said, stealing Romanâs mocha to have some.
Remy gasped, scandalized. âI will not use a box mix! Theyâre fine, but they arenât as good as ones made from scratch.â After a moment, he added, âAlso Emile can tell the difference now and it wonât work.â
âSucks to suck, Remy. Better stop at the store and get supplies after your shift then!â Virgil said, tapping the counter a bit.
Remy groaned again, and they laughed. Virgil stayed a bit longer before they went back to work, and then it was back to prepping for the holiday season.
The next day saw both Emile and Roman at the counter to handle the amount customers coming in. They worked through lunch, not having a moment for Roman to send Emile on break. They finally got a calm moment, but right as Roman went to send Emile on his lunch break, the bell above the door signaled a new customer. Roman suppressed a sigh and turned, only to light up as he saw it was Patton that had come in.
Patton was wrapped up in one of Janusâs puffy jackets, his face mostly obscured by a scarf that could have belonged to any of them, and his curls poking out of one of Romanâs beanies. He was holding a lunch sack in his hands and was stomping some of the snow off of his boots on the doormat.
âPat, itâs not that cold out,â Roman said, trying not to laugh. Patton looked up, pulling the scarf down to reveal a bright grin.
âIt is for me! Southern California doesnât get much snow, so this is new.â
âYou say that like you havenât lived here for close to decade at this point.â
Patton just shrugged and dumped the lunch sack on the counter.
âEven so. Anyway, I brought yâall some lunch, since I knew today would be busy! Emile, I made sure that your sandwich was gluten free, and itâs wrapped in its own bag in this one,â he said, starting to unpack the sack. âHow are you, by the way? I havenât been able to stop by the coffeeshop in a bit.â
âIâm doing well!â Emile said, taking his food with a smile. âFinals went well, Iâm enjoying the break. Iâve also almost managed to get Remyâs brown butter snickerdoodle recipe out of him, so thatâs fun.â
Patton gasped, stars in his eyes. âYou have to share that with me if you get it! Nothing I find online is near as good.â
Emile laughed, âIf I get his permission, Iâll let you know. Howâre you?â
The two continued to chat, and Roman left them to it with a kiss to Pattonâs hair as he grabbed Remusâs sandwich and brought it back to him in the office. They were getting closer Christmas, and Remus was trying to figure out what days they could close after the holidays compared to the last few years.
Looking at the different spread sheets Remus had made of doing cost comparisons and sales and employee hours from the past three years made Romanâs head hurt, but Remus enjoyed it, so he left him to it with a pat on the head and a reminder to drink some water when he ate his sandwich.
A few days later they were in the full swing of things, and all hands were on deck. While it wasnât the first time that all four of their employees worked the same shift, it was the first time this season that they had needed to do so.
Emile and Elliot were at the front counter, Remy and Kai were working on facing the shelves and restocking when needed, and Roman and Remus were both rotating between the front of store, the office, and the shelves as the others took their breaks.
At one point, both were at the front counter, though Roman was considering letting Remus switch with Remy or Kai. He never liked working the front, the constant barrage of customers often leading to a burnout of Remusâs social battery. Remus kept waving him off though, so for now Roman was leaving him be.
He finished bagging the books he had in hand, handing them off to the customer with a âThanks for coming in, have a happy holiday!â and turned towards Remus.
Remus was tapping the counter with one hand, ringing up a different customerâs order with the other, his smile looking forced. Roman waited for Remus to finish the transaction, giving the customer a quick smile as they left.
âYou doing okay, Rem?â he asked, pitching his voice a bit low so the customers looking at the displays nearby couldnât hear.
Remus nodded, humming low in his throat. âYeah, Iâm fine. I might take a break soon though, get some food or something.â
Roman nodded. âThatâd be a good idea. Maybe make a coffee run.â
Remus hummed in acknowledgment, and when they hit a slow moment, he slipped away. A minute or so later, Remy joined Roman behind the counter.
âRemus is making a coffee run, did you want anything?â Remy asked, a text conversation with Remus pulled up.
Roman shrugged, motioning for a customer to come to the counter. âI wouldnât mind a coffee, but he doesnât have to get me one.â
He greeted the customer, and as he checked them out another line formed. He and Remy worked through it, Remy only having to leave once to grab some more bags from the office.
Roman smiled at the couple he just checked out, sending them off with a âHave a happy holiday!â before calling the next customer to the counter. He didnât look as they approached, bringing the transaction screen back to beginning to start their order.
âHi, did you find everything all right?â He said, turning to the customer, only to light up as he came face to face with Logan and Janus. Logan was setting a drink onto the counter, Janus holding two in his hands.
âOh my gosh, hello! What are you two doing here?â Roman asked, only accepting the cup when Logan slid it towards him.
âRemus stopped at the coffeeshop, said you all were in need of caffeine,â Janus said, passing back on of the cups to Logan.
âWe thought it would be nice to bring them to you all, see how you were doing.â Logan finished. Instead of drinking out of the cup, he slid it over the counter towards Remy.
Remy looked surprised, picking up the cup questioningly. âI didnât think Remus would actually get me anything.â
Loganâs brows dipped, âOf course he would, he said you all would need it. That isnât limited to just Remus and Roman.â
âI know, I know, Iâm justâsurprised I guess,â Remy said, taking a cautious sip. He hummed in appreciation, drinking half the drink down before he resurfaced for air. âOk, so I needed that more than I thought.â
âDamn right, you guys havenât really stopped today, have you?â
They all jumped a bit at Virgilâs voice. They appeared from between the shelves, Patton, Remus, and the rest of the bookshop employees following behind. Roman took a quick glance around the areas of the stores he could see, and Remus shook his head when they made eye contact. No customers were currently in the store, then.
âI mean, weâve had some breaks, but itâs been pretty busy today.â Elliot said, taking a sip of some iced drink. They were less than a week out from Christmas, and people were hitting that point of desperation in getting gifts.
âThen itâs a good thing we brought you all a caffeine boost!â Patton said, âHopefully itâll help yâall get through the rest of the day.â
He approached the counter, and with a quick, âHi honey,â he kissed Roman on the cheek. Out of the corner of his eye, Roman saw Kai jerk in surprise, and Elliot choked a bit on their drink.
Remus thumped Elliotâs back, and Roman leaned around Patton to give them his full attention.
âAre you okay?â
Elliot cleared their throat, their face flushed. âYeah, yeah, Iâm fine. Justâcaught off guard.â
âAt what?â Remus asked, though he didnât look as confused at Roman felt, some sort of realization seeming to cross his face with a mixture of delight.
Elliotâs face got redder as they stuttered out, âWell, I, um, that is I didnât, I donât really know, wellââ
âHow many boyfriends do you have?â Kai burst out, confusion clear on his face. âI thought you were just dating Janus, but I guess Patton too? But Patton and Virgil were holding hands when they gave me my drink? Whatâs happening here?â
They had set down their drink at this point, leaning on the counter as if it was the only thing keeping them up. Remus began cackling, and Janus and Virgil laughed along with him. Kaiâs face was growing steadily redder, but they seemed to calm when Logan patted their shoulder.
âThe confusion is understandable.â He said, but before he could continue Remus cut him off.
âHeâs in a torrid affair with all of them,â Remus said, his grin wide enough to show all his teeth.
âOh, be quiet, you gremlin,â Roman says, exasperated. He turned back to Kai, explaining, âI have four partners. Youâve all met them at some point, I swear.â
Remy nodded, while Emile, Kai, and Elliot shook their heads. Remy did a double take at Emile not knowing, saying, âBabe, I knew because I work at Virgilâs shop, like you do. How did you not know?â
Emile shrugged. âI knew Virgil and Roman were dating, and that Roman and Patton were dating, but I didnât know they all were dating. I get theyâre in the store a lot, but I had just assumed they were close friends.â
Virgil snorted. âThatâs because I know how to not flirt while Iâm working.â
âYou flirt with me when you come here though!â Roman protested.
âAh, but Iâm not working when Iâm here, arenât I? Thatâs on you, sweetheart,â Virgil said, giving Roman cheesy fingers guns.
Roman huffed, exasperated, but he could feel the smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
âYouâre a menace,â he said, leaning against the counter. The bell above the door chimed as someone walked in, and Roman gave them a quick greeting before turning back to his partners.
âBack to the grind, I suppose. Thank you all for bringing us something to drink, I appreciate it.â
The others gave similar replies, and Romanâs partners gave varying responses back, ranging from a bright âYouâre welcome!â from Patton to a simple shrug from Virgil.
âWeâll see you and Remus tonight for dinner?â Logan asked, âItâs Janusâs and Iâs turn to cook.â
âWouldnât miss it, Specs,â Roman replied. Remus nodded.
âAlrighty, then weâll head off and let yâall get back to your work.â Patton said, darting forward to give Roman another kiss on the cheek. The rest of Romanâs partners followed suit, and Remus gave Janus a quick squeeze of a hug before the four left the shop.
It was quiet for a moment, before Kai asked, âHow did you all get together?â
Remus grinned, immediately launching into some dramatic telling of the groupâs college days and how Roman âfought for their hearts in a bloody battle of subterfuge and dumbasseryâ while Roman denied and agreed with parts in turn. At some point, the customer that had walked in checked out with their purchases, only giving a quick bemused glance towards Remus as he acted out what Roman could only guess to be he and Virgilâs first meeting and subsequent fight.
Their employees were all enraptured with the tale, though they seemed more amused by Remusâ dramatics rather than the actual story. Roman shook his head, doing a quick sweep around the store to check it was empty and putting a âBe Back Soon!â sign on the door. Remus wouldnât be done with the story for another half hour at least, if he was only just getting to Roman and Janusâs first date. They all could take a break, he thought, beginning to usher them all towards the office. It was the holiday season, and what better way to spend a quick break than by listening to a story about love and joy?
hey uh idk if youâve answered this already lately i looked and didnât see anything (also sorry if this not a good time to ask or if this comes off as rude or smth) but do you have any updates on the uni au? i recently remembered it again and i miss it :)
no updates, per se, as in i havent finished the one story from like forever ago because life is busy and ive been in a rut :( but here's a ficlet for you because i love them and this was a very sweet ask :)
(if you remember the fic from a looong time ago where janus is very gay for logan being unkempt, here's the inverse of that because ive wanted to write it since i wrote the first one lol)
Logan is familiar with all-nighters. Not fond, or even impartial, really, but... familiar.
He just likes to get things done, is all. Going to sleep with an assignment looming over his head, hovering all night like some academic sword above his crown (God forbid, he sounds like Roman), it makes him uneasy - there's no reason to rest first when he should be getting work out of the way. There may be some rebuke of self care in that midst, he knows. Patton certainly attests to rest over efficiency, shooing him to bed if he sees a light on too late or hears him rooting around the kitchen for a midnight study snack. Logan does take care of himself, though; he tells Patton as much. He's very adamant about getting adequate rest, just... after work. And if a night of productivity means he has to down an extra cup of coffee the next morning, bitter and sharp to shock his senses back to attention, or he has to take some naps in his car between classes, using his sweater as a pillow and ignoring the crick in his neck to follow, that's fine by him. Not fun, or favorable, but fine.
He is very much not familiar with Janus' all-nighters.
"Can you sit down like a normal person or are you just going to keep gawking at me?"
Logan isn't gawking, for the record. For his own record, when he inevitably looks back on this moment, for no reason - he is not gawking. He's just analyzing. Or scoping out- it doesn't matter what he's doing, actually, besides trying to greet his study partner, and that's not gawking.
Study-partner in question is scowling at him from the table, though, and it's a bit of a distracting circumstance upon first arrival to the library. Janus is, holistically, a bit of a distracting circumstance, given the fact that he looks like he hasn't slept in days, and reasonably, that should make him less... appealing to look at, Logan supposes that's the way to put it. But it doesn't.
Because - and this is hypothetically, now, a bit of algorithmic experimentation, mental math of sorts - reasonably, having dark circles under your eyes should be jarring, or at least concerning. They don't strike Logan as worrisome on Janus, though, not until after he realizes they draw attention to Janus' eyes, cloudy and ablaze as he glares, blue and amber as they are. It adds an edge to Janus' face, so usually smooth and relentlessly charming, untouched.
And reasonably - logically - messy hair on someone as put together, as carefully crafted as Janus should be unimpressive. He has a way of putting his waves just so; so particular is he that he won't take hats off without a mirror or a fuss, and he wholly lacks Logan's own habit of running his hands through his hair, sharp and attentive to strays and errant strands like his life depends on it. So theoretically, the way his hair sits in disarray now should grab Logan's attention as a flaw; theoretically, there should be no noticing of how it falls across his forehead in soft waves, or how some pieces stick out near his ears, like he's tried in vain to tuck them back. The caramel color seems richer under the skylight.
And reasonably, there should be no reaction to Janus' outfit besides a smug look, or a judgmental tsk, something to keep Logan poised as self-satisfied and ultimately above him, to keep their schtick going. But the honey-colored crewneck Janus is wearing, pulled over a white turtleneck and pushed up to his elbows, is so very different than his usual outfits - there's no sharp silhouette, no crisp prints, no metallic accents for him to flash - that Logan's eyes just flit around the ensemble for a second. A very long second.
Reasonably, that should all be the end of it. A look, a thought, and he's done, processed Janus' change enough to carry on.
Unreasonably, Logan is struck still by how... endearing it all is.
Janus, in all his unusual endearing-ness, is still scowling at him. Logan snaps to some semblance of attention and clears his throat. "You look tired."
"And you look like a knock-off Professor Plum," Janus shoots back immediately, turning his scowl back to the marked pages of his book, "but no one comments on that."
Logan raises his eyebrows.
"I had a presentation for Philosophy this morning." Janus shoves a coffee cup across the table to him as he finally sits down, and Logan takes it wordlessly, equal parts stunned and placating. There's a messy, doodled heart peeking over the cardboard sleeve. "My group members didn't finish their parts, so I was up doing it for them."
Logan takes a sip of the drink as Janus talks - it's a caramel macchiato, a sugary concoction Janus made him try a few months ago after finding out he'd never had one. He seems to favor caramel. Logan's come to like it quite a bit, too, though he'd never tell Janus that. The drink is still hot.
"Did you tell your professor?" he says between measured sips.
Janus' mouth quirks into a small smile, crooked and complacent. Logan, reasonable as he is, does not get distracted and nearly spill his drink, nor does he burn his tongue in the process. Reasonably so.
"I didn't need to. They had no idea what they were presenting on. Made a fool of themselves in front of the class," he flips a page in his book, voice singsong as he scans it, "and I did swimmingly, even despite the sleep deprivation."
Logan nods, a small smile of his own creeping up. Reasonably, he pushes it down. Unreasonably, it does not work very well. "I wouldn't make that a habit, if I were you."
"Hm?" Janus glances at him again, an eyebrow raised, and gestures to his outfit. "What, you don't like the all-nighter chic?"
No, I do. Logan bites his tongue.
(He does like it, though, the soft hair and pullover and the edge in Janus' tired eyes. He likes knowing that Janus most definitely didn't go to class like this, that he was undoubtedly as put-together as usual this morning, that he didn't change until he knew he would only be seeing Logan at their table, until he'd be bickering and giving Logan coffee with a heart doodled beneath the sleeve. A foolish, unreasonable part of him likes that Janus is familiar with him, enough to be casual.)
"It's certainly a look," he says evenly, deliberately so. He knows Janus is going to throw a pen at him as soon as he says it. He leans to the side, avoids it, and knows Janus will grumble about understanding fashion and trends before they both move on to actually studying in their easy silence. He takes another sip of his coffee and, as unreasonable as it is, he is wholly endeared.
I just love so many things about the latest sanders sides video. Like Janus hitting Remus with the spoiler spray so he would shut up, Roman saying Virgilâs name so softly, Patton calling himself the Dad and Logan the Mom, Logan being confused as to why heâs the âMomâ of the family while looking like a âWine Momâ, Virgil being the emo gay cousin and Janus and Remus being his parents AKA Remus being the uncle of the family and Janus being the mean aunt who talks sh*t about everyone and Roman being the son of the family AKA Patton and Loganâs son lmao. Virgil teasing Janus about the Lies song video, Loganâs wine glass growing bigger and bigger each time we see him. Roman saying that Nico and Thomas should be on the millionth base already and Virgil being sarcastic and asking if the millionth base would be getting married in space and gandalf and dumbledore would be there and Roman just says â thats exactly what it is⌠wow he got that right on the moneyâ
my friend came up with some ideas and im destined to provide them serotonin so i made sum
[you can, too, feed me some ideas because drawing these boys is such a nice past time, strangely therapeutic] [send some requests and prompts if you like]
FLAMES ON THE SIDE OF MY FACE @all-time-logan - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
