A place for all things Loceit and the Fanders who love them.
Moderated by Nici (@naminethewitch) and Edu (@edupunkn00b).
Avatar credit: Johan Nilsson Holmqvist via Unsplash.
Sun, 21 Sept: Chess
Mon, 22 Sept: Everything is Just Fine
Tues, 23 Sept: Strategy
Wed, 24 Sept: Relaxing & Self-care
Thu, 25 Sept: Reading Club
Fri, 26 Sept: Brain Cells
Sat, 27 Sept: Swap
Alternates: Glasses and Gloves, The Other Side (the other Side?), Class, Judge, Books.
We could never leave a good question unanswered. Send us your Asks! And speak up now if you had your heart set on a different prompt… or forever hold your peace. 💛
(ahem) Ah, Jan? Does that need to sound quite so threatening?
October 21 - 27: Spooky Sides Week (@spookysidesweek) New event!
November (All Month): The Sleepy Bean Fanfic Café (@tss-camp-and-coffee)
November 1 - 7: Intrulogical Week (@intrulogicalweek)
November 8 - 14: Roman Week (@coresideweeks)
November 22 - 28: Friends/Familial Dark Sides Week
December/Jan: Sanders Sides Gift Exchange (@sanderssidesgiftxchange) | sign-up in the Fall
December 7 - 13: Moceitweek (@moceitweek)
December 13 - 19: Virgil Week (@darksideweeks)
*Darksideweeks noted they will run Dukeceitweek only if the original host doesn't want to run it in 2026.
The count down has begun! Less than 24 hours left to sign up for Camp Cartoon: Dynamic Duos! We won’t be able to take any more campers after March 28th at Midnight EDT!
Join us in this exciting collaborative writing gift event!!
Welcome, welcome, welcome! I'm just pleased as punch you're joining us for Camp Cartoon! Give this form a looksie and fill it out before Mar
We promised more details about this year's Camp Cartoon and we're just pleased as punch to announce the 2026 Theme:
Dynamic Duos!
Camp Cartoon will be open for sign-ups from March 15 - March 28. The event starts on April 1 and will run for six weeks, through May 15.
For this year's event, each camper will be paired up with another teammate to complete two prompts together. Teamwork really does make the dream work this year and we're excited to see what you all create!
When you sign up, you'll submit one prompt, along with info on what kind of stories you like to write (and what you can't write.) We'll use that to pair you up with your writing partner. Each team will get two prompts to write together over the course of the six week event.
Teams should aim for around 2.5k - 12k words for each story.
Below is what you can expect to see on the sign-up form. Please read through and let us know if anything doesn't make sense! We love questions, so send 'em our way!
Example sign up form. The actual form will be released on March 15th when sign-ups open.
Your Prompt (What a team will write for you):
Main character(s):
Primary relationship(s):
[please indicate if you prefer romantic, platonic, familial, or any]
Prompt in eight words or less: [examples: The Sides go to the beach. Logan and Remus make a discovery. Canonverse DRLAMP soulmates.]
Icks and Triggers: What do you NOT want to read in your story? (examples: no major character death, no u!Sides, no violence, etc.)
What You Write:
Important note: This is an all-ages event. Therefore all stories must be rated either General or Teen and cannot include or reference underage sex or incestuous relationships.
Characters, relationships, settings, tropes, etc. you especially like to write:
Characters, relationships, settings, tropes, etc. you CANNOT write:
Anything else we should know when matching you with a teammate?
---
@tsseventhub, @sanders-sides-events, and Fanders everywhere, can you help us spread the word?
Janus: You won't not not have a good time. Yeah have fun with that one.
Logan: I think it's 'not not not'.
Janus: You won't not... you- *starts to laugh* is it? 'You won't not' is you will. So 'you won't not not' is you won't have a good time.
Logan: But you're telling lies...
Janus: Right.
Logan: So if 'you won't not have a good time', that's you will have a good time, but it's also a lie. So you won't have a good time.
Janus: Right. So 'you won't not not have a good time' is I won't have good time and it's a lie so I will have a good time.
Logan *sounding confused*: So... you won't...
Janus: We're having fun with it right now aren't we! *laughs*
Logan: So is it 'won't not not'? *confused giggling*
Logan *trying to work it out*: You will not...
Janus *trying to not laugh*: This is amazing.
Logan: have a good time. You will not NOT have a good time... you will not not... NOT.. *starts to laugh*
Janus: *chuckling*
Logan: But it's also a lie.
Janus: Yeah it's a lie.
Logan: Okay, okay. So then you're- ok, great, great, great, great, okay, okay!
Janus: *laughing harder*
Ah, Meus? What happened to our prompt list?
Oh, that. I was carrying in my pocket when Ro said I couldn’t beat him in a sword fight and—
Tell me, Muse… is that your boot print?
*compares smudge to his own boot* Nah. It’s Ro’s. My feet are bigger.
*Janus and Logan exchange a long look*
Next year, I’m handling the prompt list.
Prompts:
Saturday, Feb. 14: Valentines
Sunday, Feb. 15: Wild/Calm
Monday, Feb. 16: Two Hands
Tuesday, Feb. 17: Theatre/Theatrics
Wednesday, Feb. 18: Spaghetti
Thursday, Feb. 19: Suave
Friday, Feb. 20: Right Place, Right Time
Alternates:
anger, truth, gremlins,
faulty logic, orange eyes, last time,
better off alone
@tsseventhub and @sanders-sides-events, and all you lovely fanders, would you kindly help us spread the word?
south asian loceit commission i did for @darksides-dutchess ! it was such an honour to be trusted with such beautiful designs ^_^
if you're interested in getting a commission from me, i've put my price sheets below the cut!
Janus returns from Thomas' living room and sees what Logan has been up to in his absence.
He's not the only one.
The final chapter (finally) for @loceit-week.
-
Prev - Brain Cells and Baby Steps - Masterpost - [ AO3 ]
"Logan?"
Logan felt more than heard Janus' return to the shadowed side of the Mindscape. At least until he called out, an edge of panic in his voice. "Logan? Where are—"
"I am right here!" Logan answered, scrambling to get out from behind the—broken—television. He'd spotted over a dozen broken DVDs and game disks behind the console and had needed to slide between the television and the wall to reach them all. "Is everything alright?" he asked, dropping the broken bits into the trashcan he'd found knocked over under the dining table. He'd already salvaged the disks he could, matching them to the cases scattered under the console, behind the couch, and shoved haphazardly back into the DVD shelves.
And, yes, he'd taken a few moments to re-alphabetize them, if only to make his own task easier.
"Are you hur—" Janus rushed over, hands outstretched. His worried expression shifted to confusion. "What… what are you doing?" He offered a suddenly gloved hand as Logan stumbled on the corner of the console.
Logan accepted it gratefully. "I am fine, merely cleaning."
Eyes widening, Janus let the rest of his disguise fall away and looked around the somewhat tidier space. "Oh…"
His hand danced over the green and orange fleece blankets Logan had also found stuffed behind the television, now neatly folded over the back of the couch. The blankets were notably similar to the yellow one draped over Janus' reading chair in his room, and to each of the blankets in the brighter side of the Mindscape.
Janus approached the patio doors, squinting slightly against the Mindscape sunlight streaming through the glass.
"I… I hope you do not mind," Logan began, following Janus' slow steps. "I… I was at a loss for another productive way to spend the time. And…" He shrugged, Janus' silence unnerving. He'd almost hoped Janus might be pleased, but this… This didn't look like pleasure. "It…" Logan sighed. "It seemed a small task I could take on to make your space a little brighter."
Janus' head whipped around, lips quirked in a smile. "That wasn't a pun, was it?" he murmured.
"No," Logan said, fighting his own relieved smile. "Never."
Turning back to the patio doors, Janus dragged a gloved finger down the sparkling glass and inspected the tip. It came away clean, the bright yellow silk spotless. "How did you manage this?" he asked, voice hushed.
"I…" Logan was confused, the citrusy scent of the window spray still lingered in the air. And if Janus turned, he'd see the bucket of used cloths sitting on the counter. "I used the cleanser I found under the sink."
"Logic demands…" Janus muttered, tilting his head and inspecting the glass from a new perspective.
The disbelief in Janus' voice tapped at Logan's brain until realization hit. "You have not had similar results from your efforts to clean?"
Janus shook his head slowly, a crooked smile softening his features. "Not in the least. I've scrubbed this window every morning for… years. Never made a dent."
"Well…" Warmth Logan couldn't explain filled his chest and he slid a little closer to Janus' side. "I am gratified I could be of use to you here, I—"
"Logan," Janus interrupted, reaching for his hand. "Surely your entire worth can be completely valued your utility." He paused, mouth opening then closing again. "I… Your…" He squeezed his hand, looking up and regarding Logan from his slitted eye. "Your presence… matters. I…" he trailed off, looking rather dissatisfied.
But he didn't let go.
Logan looked down at their hands and smiled. "And your actions are clearer than your words sometimes."
Janus chuckled at that. "Well, I should hope so." He looked like he might say more but finally, wordlessly, cast his eyes out at the landscape beyond the patio window.
Together they watched clouds drift through a bright blue sky when Logan finally remembered why he'd sought to occupy his time in Janus' corner of the Mindscape. "What happened with Thomas?"
"Oh, right. I…" He shook his head once then took a deep breath. "I took far too many liberties, and I hope…"
The concern bubbling in Logan's stomach must have been evident in his face because Janus slowed down and stroked his hand. "The others were helping Thomas prepare for an anniversary date with Nico. Roman was…"
Janus laughed. "Serving his role as Roman's overly romantic ego," he said. "As he should. Thomas was… undecided and Virgil was…" Janus shook his head then. "Even more anxious than usual. Roman brought out a book… Red, filled with…" He waved his hand and Logan nodded.
"I am familiar." He struggled to control the tremor in his left hand and he loosened his grip but Janus only held tighter. After a moment, the tremor stopped.
"Well…" Janus continued, thumb swirling against the back of his hand in a… pleasant manner. "After Roman's completely reasonable plan to elope in Miami, I proposed a idea from the book you had rejected—struck out—and it… it seemed to have, well, worked."
Logan frowned. "A plan I had rejec—"
"Did you see Nico's face when Thomas parked outside the mall?" Patton's over-excited coo shot through the Mindscape and he rose up just outside the kitchen.
"What can I tell you?" Roman rose up beside him with a flourish. Virgil was close behind. "I have the best ideas!"
"Um, your idea, Princey?" he drawled, a decidedly purple glimmer to the shadows under his eyes.
"Fine," Roman rolled his eyes and looked around the living room. He bowed his head with another dramatic gesture when he spotted Logan by the patio. "As much as it pains me to admit it, what kind of royalty would deny credit where credit is due?"
Virgil snorted. "The kind that—" Patton hushed him before he could finish his sentence and Roman acted like he hadn't heard.
"Your idea worked like a charm, Logan," Roman finished but Patton cleared his throat behind him. He rolled his eyes again. "And you were right."
In the hubbub of the others' arrival, Janus had moved closer to the sofa, the high back blocking the others' view of their shared grip. His hand pulsed in his then slacked, warm even through the gloves but holding on very loosely. If Logan moved away only slightly, he'd fall free from Janus grasp.
Logan stepped closer.
Janus' eyes flicked down at their hands before addressing Roman. "I take it Thomas' date has been going well?"
Roman blinked at Janus as though he hadn't realized he was there. Or, for that matter, hadn't realized into which part of they Mindscape they'd risen up. Patton nodded happily and moved to the kitchen, bustling about between the refrigerator and the stove. Virgil folded himself into the corner of the couch and Roman settled beside him.
"Everything's going wonderfully!" Roman exclaimed. "Want to see?" he asked and picked up the remote sitting on the coffee table.
"Where did…" Janus' question faded as his gaze followed Roman's to the now perfectly functional television screen. The image brightened into a Thomas-eye view of the mall as he and Nico laughed and sampled boba mix-ins.
"Anniversary Redux," Logan whispered as they watched the rest of the date unfold. "But wasn't the television—" Logan whispered.
"Destroyed. Yes," Janus answered. "How did—"
His question was interrupted by a slam from upstairs, followed shortly by Remus and Lucas' voices spilling down. "What the fuck is going on?" Lucas demanded, stomping down the stairs. "Janus, what are you up to n—"
"Hiya, Kiddos!" Patton cheered, seeming—pretending?—not to have heard his swear. "How did you get here?" He turned to Janus, confusion not quite muffling his happy grin. "Jan, did you…"
"Whaddya mean 'how did we get here?'" Lucas demanded. He strode into the living room and pointed at the DVDs. "You're in our living room. You're telling me Pat's a secret fan of the Saw franchise?"
Frowning, Patton stood by his side and squinted at the DVDs lining the noticeably fuller shelves. He plucked up a brightly colored case. "And do you watch Bambi?"
Logan and Janus turned as one to the suddenly larger sofa. And the seven rainbow-hued blankets folded over the back of it.
"You don't suppose that—" Janus murmured near his ear.
It was difficult to suppose anything but. Logan whispered back, "Is this you? Have you, ah… 'dropped the veil', so to speak?"
Janus looked around the room. A suddenly taller mug tree filled with cups in each of their favorite colors sat beside one of Lucas' boxing gloves. The plate of cookies cooling on the counter beside an old pickle jar filled with… Well, Logan would rather not wonder what Remus was storing inside the slimy jar. Lucas and Remus' easy presence only completely confirmed…
Their corners of the Mindscape had merged.
Janus shook his head, gloved hand reaching again for Logan's behind the couch. He took it. "This isn't me. I… at least not…"
"Shhh! You're missing the best part!" Roman cried, pointing at the television. Everyone gathered around, eyes on screen. Thomas and Nico stood hand-in-hand, overlooking the sunset, red and purples and oranges reflecting off the water and giving the entire scene a cinematic feel.
Remus laughed when, watching through Thomas' eyes, they couldn't help but notice his gaze lingered longer on Nico's lips… and his tight jeans. He elbowed his brother, smirking, but Roman merely shrugged and smiled at the screen.
Laughing, Nico took out his camera and stepped back, urging Thomas to pose in front of the promenade's railing. He took another step back and a bicycle whizzed past, nearly knocking right into him.
"Hey! Watch where the fuck you're going!" Lucas leapt to his feet. "You almost hit him!"
Janus' hand closed in a fist, too late. Lucas' words came out in Thomas' voice and the bike screeched to a halt.
"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit," Virgil began to pace, alternating between facing the screen, hands fisted. And back turned, hands over his ears.
"Language, both of you!" Patton hissed as the bicyclist got off his bike.
"Sorry!" he called and hurried over. "You okay?"
"Um, yeah," Nico said, cheeks matching the dusky pink in the sky. "Just fine." He smiled at Thomas and the guy waved before getting back on his bicycle and riding away. "I don't think I've ever heard you curse like that before." Turning to face him fully, Nico let go of Thomas' hand.
"Oh," All they could see were Thomas' shoes. "Sorry, I—"
"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. I knew it. I just fucking knew it. He's gonna dump us. He's gonna dump us on our anniversary and—"
"All to defend me?" Thomas looked up and Nico was still smiling. He stepped closer, hands threading together at the back of Thomas' neck. "I gotta admit, that was kinda sexy," he whispered against Thomas' lips before softly kissing him.
Virgil whipped around, eyes darting between Lucas and the screen. Lucas, finally free of Janus' muting, chuckled as he settled back into his seat on the couch. "What can I say?" Silent and rapt, Roman and Remus moved to sit together in front of the television, absorbed by Nico's display of affection.
Patton perched on the coffee table behind them, hands clasped over his heart. "Awwww…"
"Y—yeah?" Thomas stammered when Nico broke away.
"Oh, yeah," Nico said, pulling him in for one more kiss. "Say, how 'bout we finish this date back to my place?"
"Hell, yeah!" Roman and Remus said in unison.
Laughing as Thomas repeated their words, Patton gently batted each of their shoulders. "Language, Kiddos," he scolded, though Logan suspected he was giggling too much for either to take seriously.
With the rest of the Sides remained fixated on the screen, Janus caught Logan's eye and nodded toward the stairs. The others didn't notice their retreat.
Much like the living room sofa, the upstairs hallway had grown, stretching to accommodate three additional doors. Or four, depending on whether Janus' corner of the Mindscape had joined with his or the other way around.
Additional sconces lined the walls and framed pictures of all of them hung between them and the doors. Under the suddenly brighter lights, Logan studied the baseboard and spotted the faint evidence of past scratches and marks left behind. He was hard-pressed to say which side had joined the other.
Janus cleared his throat and Logan interrupted his inspection. Janus stood before his door, hands clasped in front of himself. Once he had Logan's attention, though, he broke away from his gaze to examine Logan's door. The deep indigo paint was even glossier than it had been the day before. Spotless, without even a smudge on door handle. "It appears nothing will stop you from reaching your own room now," he said.
Logan rushed to his door and grabbed the knob, but paused before opening it. What if the door wouldn't open for him? What would it mean if he couldn't enter his own room? Would he end up having to spend another night with Janus? Would Janus even want him there?
He looked up and Janus watched him, waited for him to try. Logan twisted.
And the door cracked opened easily.
Swallowing back a disappointment he couldn't explain, Logan pushed on a thin smile and nodded to Janus over his shoulder. "It opened."
"It did." Expression smooth and unreadable, Janus left him with a little bow of his head and disappeared behind his own door.
Alone now, the others' laughter and surprisingly good-natured bickering washed over him. Date plan implemented, there was no need for logic now. With one last glance at Janus' room across the hall, Logan slipped inside his own room and shut the door.
His room was cold. Quiet but brightly lit, with the last of the setting sun's rays spilling in, the room should have felt warm, inviting. Spying his own copy of Einstein's Dream waiting for him on his nightstand, Logan picked up the book and sat at his desk to read.
The text danced before his eyes, shifting and moving as the words from Janus' poetry book stood out in bolder, larger print.
my… love,
we have found… each other
thirsty…
and we… have
drunk up… all the…
Water and…
the blood…
we found each other…
hungry.
and we… bit… each… other…
as… fire… Bites
leaving wounds… In… us
Janus had been crying when he'd first read this book. To be sure, some of the stories within were tragic. But what else had Janus seen in these pages?
Had the poems popped out at him, too?
Before he could really understand what he was doing, Logan had abandoned the book and found himself standing outside Janus' door, his own knock echoing faintly in the hall.
"Logan."
~
It could be so easy to pretend Logan's reluctance to try his door was something more than a fear of being locked out of his own room. Or that his little sigh upon its opening was not one of relief or surprise.
But disappointment.
"It opened."
Roman was right. Janus truly must be evil to have harbored even a glimmer of hope that Logan's room might remain out of his reach for just one more night. One more night of Logan sharing his room, sharing his bed.
"It did." Janus glanced at the other doors now together in one hall. Lucas' next to Patton's. The twins across from them both with Virgil's between. Baby steps, he thought to himself, then retreated behind his own yellow door, Logan's directly across from it. Whatever was happening, it was something new, something he would need to observe and… strategize.
Thomas and Nico's relationship was well past the time for tiny white lies on each date. And even Janus would readily admit, there was no room for dishonesty in the boudoir. His talents would be unneeded tonight.
The presence of all three of their doors now interspersed with the Core Four foretold his other, more secretive duties were unlikely to be needed tonight, either.
With an entire evening at his disposal, there were a dozen different treats Janus could indulge in. He could settle into his reading chair with a book and a glass of wine. He could draw a bath and soak or sneak into Roman's side of the Imagination for a massage or a jazz-filled evening in a speakeasy.
He could do anything he wanted.
And so Janus did none of that. Instead, he sat on the edge of his bed, fingers digging into the plush pillow on what, for one night, had been Logan's side of the bed.
He hugged the pillow close and, behind closed doors, in the quiet privacy of his own room, pressed his face against the soft cotton pillowcase and inhaled the last lingering scents of ink and paper and coffee. Of Logan.
He jerked at the sudden knock at his door, dropping the pillow. He scooped it up and hurried to answer the door before it turned into impatient pounding.
Instead of Remus or Lucas or even Patton, though, he found Logan at his doorway.
"Logan?" Had his thoughts somehow summoned him? "What… what brings you here?"
"I…" Mouth working, no other sounds came out and Logan shook his head, jaw snapping shut with a little click. He glanced from side to side, the sounds of the others in the living room—all of the others—an odd new background buzz in the Mindscape.
Arms crossed over his belly in what could only be described as hugging himself, Logan's fingers dragged against the cardigan sleeves.
Gaze following Janus', Logan's eyes widened. "Oh! I… I didn't realize I was still wearing your sweater. I—I—I—suppose I should return it." He started to tug it off, but Janus stopped him.
"Only if you want to," Janus said far too easily from the pocket of honesty in his room.
"I…" Eyes big and bright and not missing a beat, Logan looked at the threshhold between them then stopped. "May I come in?"
"Every time you wish." Heart in his throat, Janus watched the calculation behind Logan's eyes. The knowledge of just how much truth Janus had let slip. Bowing his head, he repeated, slower and quieter. "Only if you want to."
Logan's lips quirked up in a smile. "Would you like me to come in?"
"Now that's unfair," Janus murmured, a matching smile stretching his own face. He stepped back, arm out in a welcoming gesture. "Yes, please," spilled out past his smile. Janus pressed his lips together but he couldn't take back his admission.
Logan didn't lose his smile, though, and stepped through. "You really mean that," he said once he was inside.
Janus looked away, at the darkening sky outside his window, at the book laying sideways on his shelf, at a loose thread on his pant leg. At anything but Logan's eyes. "Of course I do, Logan," he finally said. "You are always more than welcome in my room."
"I may have to test that supposition," Logan said, arms relaxing at his sides. His fingers twitched, though, reaching jerkily for…
Janus wouldn't let himself wonder was stopping himself from reaching for. "I hope you do." A quiet fell between them as Janus fought to keep his thoughts—and his words—to himself. Before he let anything else slip. "May I make you some tea?" Janus said, breaking the silence.
Horror-movie slow, the rug beneath Logan's feet snagged on his toe. He stumbled, arms flailing. Janus rushed forward to catch him and Logan ended up in his arms.
"I—thank you, again," Logan said, a little breathless. "I… I am not usually so clumsy."
Janus chuckled, reluctant to let go. Well, he couldn't, at any rate, not until Logan stepped back onto his own feet.
Which he didn't seem all that inclined to do.
"Are you alright?" Janus asked. Logan had straightened somewhat, standing more on his own, still near enough Janus could make out the tiniest flecks of gold in his eyes. Near enough he could feel the heat of Logan's breath on his cheeks. His mouth.
"I think your room tripped me," Logan whispered, that tiny smile returning.
"What? No." Janus shook his head, heart pounding as Logan shifted in his arms. Please don't go, he nearly blurted out, just barely replacing his plea with a question. "Why would my room want to hurt you?"
Smile growing, Logan's arms circled Janus' waist and he drew him even closer. "So I could do this," he whispered and pulled him into a kiss.
~
Later…
"Oh, for Archimedes sake, I didn't ask before I kissed you! I was so caught up in the moment and I didn't even ask if—"
Janus answers Thomas' call and Logan takes on a task for Janus.
Prev - In the Other Side's Shoes - Next - Masterpost - [ AO3 ]
WC: ~2k - Rated: G (this chapter) - CW: none
Hair smoothed back, shoulders squared, and with Logan's actual tie—still warm from the Logical Side's neck—neat under his collar, Janus rose up in Thomas' living room.
Roman's bitter voice assaulted Janus' ears the moment he arrived. "Oh, look who's finally deigned to join us—"
"Now, Kiddo, it's still early. Maybe Logie was just… sleeping in a bit." Patton's voice, though softer and drenched in sweetness, was strained. Tight. "You didn't mean to leave us hanging, right, Logie?"
"Of course not, Patton. My apologies to you all for the delay," Janus replied, straightening his glasses. "Now, Thomas, how may I be of assistance? You appear…" Arms stiff at his sides, Janus looked around the space through Logan's eyes.
The room was a disaster.
Every scrap of clothing Thomas owned lay scattered. Shirts and pants and socks were piled on every flat surface, draped over the back of the couch, the banister, even the television. Jackets hung crooked on their hangers all along the counter and the edge of Thomas' new filming desk before finally ending in a heap behind the couch.
Thomas himself wore two different shirts over his Rocky Horror Picture Show cast tee, one sleeve from each pulled roughly over either arm. Each fingernail had been painted a different color and even his shoes were unmatched: one a polished loafer, the other a scuffed deck shoe, worn sockless.
Janus raised an eyebrow. "You appear… undecided, Thomas."
"Of course he is, Calculator Watch! That's why I'm—"
"We're," Virgil interjected, holding three different belts in one hand, two satchels in the other.
"We're," Roman corrected himself with a little bow in Virgil's direction. "We are helping Thomas decide what to wear on his anniversary date with Nico tonight."
Janus frowned at a teetering stack of jeans as it slid off one end of the coffee table. "And I presume you are cleaning up after the decision is made?"
"Oh, yeah, Logan, sure," Thomas said, distracted, and studied his reflection in a gilded mirror decidedly more suited to Roman's castle than to a simple apartment in Gainesville, Florida. He turned his profile in one direction, then the other, frowning. "After I get back from my date."
"After you—" Janus cut himself off, needing no effort to imitate Logan's typically perennially suppressed scowl. He'd crossed his arms, as well. Consciously relaxing them, he opened and closed his fists, counting silently to five. "Thomas," he said slowly. "Does it not sound remotely possible you might like to bring Nico back home after said date?" He picked up a discarded shirt and sniffed it.
He shouldn't have.
Janus let the garment fall from his fingertips. "Wouldn't you feel more comfortable if your space were a bit…"
Thomas stepped back, eyes focused on the mirror at his pant legs. One cuffed, the other plain. Thomas took another step back and bumped into a pile of tee shirts heaped on an armrest.
"A bit tidier?" Janus finished.
"Logie's got a point, Kiddo," Patton began, wringing his catigan sleeves. "It is getting kinda—"
"Oh, can it, Nerdenstein. It's fine," Roman muttered as he waded through the piles of clothes, two more shirts held high. "Try these Thomas! You'll be irresistible in the red one!"
"You can't seriously believe this is fine," Janus protested, keeping his voice pitched low. "This is hardly the impression we want to give our beau." He met Virgil's eyes, silently pleading for a bit of back up. "What would he think of us?"
Virgil gnawed at his lip, eyes bouncing between the mess, Patton, and Roman. "I—"
"We'll get a hotel room!" Roman cried out, his sudden—and utterly ludicrous—epiphany brightening the room as every light bulb in Thomas' house literally glowed.
"Here, Nerd, catch!" Roman called to Janus over his shoulder, barely glancing in his direction. He tossed a gleaming red leather book and quill in his direction.
Janus managed to catch them, the slap of leather on his bare hands disguising the growl rising up in his throat.
"Get all this down. We'll rent a room at the Drury. We'll need to catch a quick flight—traffic's a bitch on the weekends—but that won't be a problem, we'll get an UberX to the airport and…"
Ignoring the little looks Patton and Virgil shot each other, Janus let Roman's voice wash over him as he flipped through the book. Most of the pages were already filled with Logan's tiny, precise print. Each page was number and dated, with what looked like cross-referencing marks on many of them.
But the letters covering the pages of the dozen or so most recent entries was tighter, shaky even. The nib had been pressed so hard against the paper that in a few places it had even broken right through to the other side of the page.
Janus brushed his fingers along the imprint on the backside of the most recent page.
Logan, dear… what were you holding back?
"Did you get all that, Logie?" Patton asked, holding up one end of a giant red banner above Thomas' head. Gold script spread across it, declaring, 'Welcome, Newlyweds!'
Virgil stood holding the other end, smiling at Roman. But his bottom lip was chewed raw, nails ragged. Even Thomas looked uncertain, head tilting to one side as he stared back at his own reflection, the pink boutonnière pinned to his lapel wilting before their eyes.
"Absolutely not!" Janus snapped Roman's book shut and strode forward. He pressed the book into Roman's hands and stood tall, shoulders back. "This is absurd and I will stand for it no longer!"
All four froze, eyes trained on him. "Thomas," Janus modulated his voice. Logan would never yell at Thomas. "You will wear the Hamilton tee—it's Nico's favorite—and the hibiscus shirt over it. Both coordinate well with the pants you're currently wearing and will accentuate your… assets."
Patton stifled a giggle and Janus fixed him with a glare, but he didn't stop smiling. Even Virgil seemed ready to laugh. "You made a dad joke."
"Never intentionally," Janus lied smoothly in Logan's voice. He waited until Thomas began changing his shirt before facing Roman. He snatched back the red book and flipped through the pages, hunting for the least bad idea in the bunch. Midway through the notes, Logan had crossed out an entire section labeled Revisit first date for anniversary.
Janus tapped the entry as he read. He had to hand it to Roman— the idea wasn't half bad. It was realistic and thoughtful and charmingly simple. The whole evening could end up being rather… romantic. Why had Logan rejected it? Shaking his head, Janus pledged to find out later.
"As for the date." He turned again to Thomas. "You will go on this year's Art Walk together and have dinner at a food truck along the route, just like Nico mentioned enjoying on your last date."
Virgil bit at what was left of his thumbnail. "How will we decide which one? That sounds—"
"Nico will pick."
Virgil and Patton exchanged a little nod, then turned to Roman. "It's hardly romantic," he muttered.
"I wasn't finished," Janus snapped back, adjusting Logan's glasses. He continued. "It will be warm and you'll stop at the mall for bobas from the new establishment that replaced the carrot smoothie vendor. You'll then enjoy a stroll along the promenade as the sun sets over the water."
"Oh!" Roman exclaimed. "We could exchange vows overlooking the lake and—"
"Roman!" Now more than ever, Janus understood Logan's desire to throw things across the room. His fingers twitched, the book heavy in his hands. "No. It will be a lovely evening and perhaps, if you get all of this cleaned up, Thomas may invite him back here if Nico does not extend an invitation to his place first."
Roman stamped his foot. "But how will Thomas profess his undying love and affection if not through a vow?"
"Planning Nico and Thomas' wedding without Nico even present is hardly a profession of love!"
"Well, I…" Roman's eye shot over to Thomas, then Virgil and Patton. They both smiled sympathetically.
Patton stepped closer and took his hand. "Won't it be more fun to plan the wedding—" Thomas groaned, head in hands, and Virgil stood close. "If there's a wedding, won't it be more fun to plan together?"
"I… I suppose it could be romantic. A candlelight dinner, a traveling desk box to hold scraps of parchment for capturing out ideas…" His left hand fluttered at his side, a bit of gold glitter dusting his fingertips. "Yes," he nodded. "Yes, I suppose I could work with that."
The banner dissolved. Looking more than a little relieved, Thomas finished dressing while Virgil and Patton listened to Roman muse.
Finally, Patton and Virgil exchanged one more little smile and Janus cleared his throat. He looked pointedly at the mess still surrounding them.
"Right!" Patton said and scooped up the nearest pile of pants. He pressed them into Roman's arms. "Here, you hold these and I'll pop some hangers on 'em!"
Virgil and Thomas were already hard at work re-folding a heap of tee-shirts and Janus gave each a stiff nod. "It seems you all have this well in hand." He spared Thomas tight smile and began to sink out.
"Wait—you're not going to help clean this up?" Roman called after him.
Janus straightened Logan's tie and smiled. "No," he said and finished sinking out.
~
Alone in the kitchen, Logan watched himself sink down and out of sight. Feet sticking to the vaguely tacky tile floor, he stood still. And waited.
If Janus' disguise was insufficient, the others would immediately riot and either send him back or…
Or accept Janus' presence as a suitable substitute for whatever Thomas needed.
It had not taken long for Janus to be unmasked—well, to unmask himself—the previous two times he'd impersonated him.
But today, Janus did not immediately return, nor did Logan detect any of the raucous debate he might expect from his sudden discovery. In fact, Logan didn't hear much of anything. This deep into the unconscious, all Logan could make out were muffled tones; Roman's exuberance, the low rumble of Virgil's uncertainty, Patton's overly peppy joy. Thomas' confusion.
And his own voice. Low, measured, evenly modulated. He attempted to guess at what they might be saying but, frankly, all he could do was speculate, every theory was laced through with his own cognitive distortions. He didn't know what might be happening in Thomas' living room or what Janus might say or do in his place.
Logan hugged Janus' sweater closer to himself. When he closed his eyes, he could almost feel the delicate pressure of Janus' hand against his back, Janus' palm cupping his cheek. Janus' fingers through his hair.
He didn't know precisely what Janus might do or say, but he did know Janus would do all he could to keep his secret. To keep him safe.
Logan dragged himself back from his ruminations and looked around the kitchen. Faint wisps of steam rose up from Janus' unfinished coffee. After exploring the cabinets, Logan found a saucer to cover the cup and trap a bit of the heat inside. He swallowed down the last of his own coffee and poured himself another. As he sipped, he tapped the cup, eyes darting around the more hidden, more neglected corner of Thomas' Mindscape. He supposed he might as well make himself useful as he waited.
Lacking pen and paper or any of his other usual planning supplies, and not at all confident Janus would appreciate him rummaging through his bedroom to find some, Logan made a mental list of cleaning tasks he could tackle. The dishwasher was nearly done with its pre-soak, and Janus would certainly be relieved to have that particular task removed from his day's duties. The counters and cabinets and sink would benefit from a good scrubbing. He grimaced as the wet slapping sound his feet made as he moved about the kitchen. The floors would need sweeping and mopping after that was done, as well.
But first things first, he thought, as the kitchen light flickered overhead. To do the job properly, the entire space required more illumination.
The patio doors at the opposite end of the living room looked similar enough to his usual part of the Mindscape; big, wide, floor to ceiling glass doors overlooking a Mindscape meadow. The sun appeared to be shining beyond the doors and, with the blinds wide open, Logan would expect the room to be flooded with bright, natural light.
These doors, however, were grimy, encrusted with what looked like years of dust and muck. While Logan waited for the dishwasher to finish, he would start there. Logan fetched the cleaning supplies he'd spied earlier under the kitchen sink and got to work.
Check and Mate, Ch. 5: Waking Up With the Other Side
Janus wakes with Logan still in his room.
And Janus isn't the only one who knows he's there.
Books referenced: Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman and Absense from Love Poems by Pablo Neruda.
Prev - Waking Up With the Other Side - Next - Masterpost - [ AO3 ]
WC: 4192 - Rated: M (suggestive, swearing, Lucas/Remus' dynamic)
Janus woke before his alarm, the room still dim and near silent. His blankets lay warm and heavy over his body. His blankets…
and Logan.
Moving slowly, Janus craned his neck and, were it not for the firm tug where Logan gripped the side of his pajama top and the soft, steady rise and fall of Logan's back under his arm, Janus would have been certain his own eyes lied to him.
With one hand twisted in Janus' pajamas and the other arm curled tightly around him, Logan lay across his chest. Face slack and smooth in sleep, he breathed easily and deeply, content. And so very warm.
Lips so often drawn into a tight, thin line or—increasingly—a trembling frown, now puffed out, pink and oh-so-slightly parting with each exhalation. Brow unfurrowed and lids smooth, Logan's big eyes flicked gently from side to side; the dance of a pleasant dream. No longer hidden behind thick black frames, Logan's lashes kissed the still-barely shadowed skin beneath his eyes; soft, sculpted cheekbones arched over his square jaw, uncommonly, blessedly unclenched.
How long had it been since Janus had seen Logan so relaxed? Years?
Too long, certainly.
As if in agreement, Logan's eyebrows twitched beneath a fallen lock of hair. Carefully, Janus brushed it back, just barely stifling a gasp at his hair's softness. With his hair always so prim and proper, neatly combed back and away from his face, Janus had always assumed Logan's liberal use of some sort of product, a shellac or wax or spray he'd summoned from Thomas' memories.
Janus bit back a chuckle even as his fingers danced along the edges of Logan's hair. No, it appeared, as with all other parts of himself, Logan kept each strand in place through sheer force of will and discipline.
Now, in sleep, his hair fell haphazardly across his forehead, free and lovely.
Silk between Janus' fingers.
Logan shifted and Janus froze, hand mid-stroke. But Logan merely sighed, a half-smile curling up his lips. Another lock of hair spilled over his ear and Janus slowly, diligently, tucked it back into place.
Again, though, his fingers lingered, basking in the soft warmth pouring off Logan's temple, along his hairline, the curve of his neck.
Gradually, Janus lowered his hand until it rested on Logan's shoulder, forearm draped over his. The rest of Logan's arm disappeared between the bed and Janus' back, tucked firmly beneath him, even in sleep.
They lay like that as the Mindscape's sunrise slowly bled through the slits in Janus' blinds and Janus' alarm began its quiet chime.
Soft, less insistent than it usually sounded, it was like the alarm itself was muffled by the peace of Logan's sleep, the calm of their shared repose. Given the strangeness of his own room, Janus' imagining that the alarm itself was reluctant to disturb Logan's much-needed rest did not seem all that impossible.
Eventually, Logan's breathing changed, a deep inhalation followed by a low groan, muffled by Janus' pajama top. Logan shifted, eyes slowly blinking open until they snapped open with a start.
"Janus!" he gasped—croaked, really. Rough with sleep and pitched even lower than usual, Logan's voice rumbled in his chest, vibrations shooting right through Janus' body beneath it. "I… I apologize. I did n—" He started to pull away and Janus reached for him before he could move too quickly.
"No apologies needed… or desired, Logan."
Logan stilled, eyes flicking around the room. Janus could practically see the gears turning in his mind, recalling their conversation from last night. "I shou—Shou—"
Janus watched that worried wrinkle press itself between Logan's eyebrows as the room held back his less-than-honest words.
"I believe I should get up," he finally finished. A glorious spark of pride glimmered behind his eyes at his little honesty workaround. "Don't you agree?"
Janus smiled but didn't make a move to get up. "Only if you wish to." He waved a hand in the direction of the soft strings playing from his clock, then returned it to its place resting in the middle of Logan's back. "Even my alarm seems loathe to force up before you are ready."
Logan squinted in the direction of the alarm clock and Janus plucked up Logan's glasses. Before Logan could move, Janus tucked them carefully into place.
"Thank you," he murmured and shifted to face the alarm. Cheek pressed against Janus' thick flannel top, the mystery had supplanted his instinct to rise. "I do not understand," he said after a moment, turning back and meeting Janus' eyes.
"My typical morning alarm is considerably more… grating. It ensures I am not tempted to linger in the comfort of my bed past when I need to wake." He shrugged, fingers flexing against the blanket draped over both of them.
The electric coils were still warm.
"Your room changes to accommodate your needs?"
"Doesn't yours? The extra soundproofing when you work?" Janus pressed down the smirk trying to force its way onto his face. Ensconced in the thick, soundless space, Remus had spent an hour shouting and pounding out in the hall, trying his damnedest to draw the Logical Side out for that video until finally he ambushed him in the kitchen. "Research materials appearing when you need them? Paper and—"
"The book," Logan finished. He lifted his head just enough to scan the room and his gaze landed on the copy of Einstein's Dream still sitting beside Janus' chair.
"But I ended up reading your book," he said.
Janus smiled. "And did you enjoy it?"
"Immensely," he blurted out, turning back to fully face him.
It seemed Logan was just as reluctant to separate but Janus swallowed that particular observation and nodding, listened.
"There was a poem, Absence… " Logan paused, searching for words with a little frown, but then he closed his eyes and repeated with perfect accuracy,
'My love,
we have found each other
thirsty and we have
drunk up all the water and the blood,
we found each other
hungry
and we bit each other
as fire bites
leaving wounds in us'
"You'd marked it. Is that you feel about—"
Logan flinched when a dull scrape against the other side of the door interrupted him.
"Shhh!" Lucas' voice hissed from the hall. "You'll wake up the warden, Pup."
"He should be awake!" Remus' cranky morning voice was pitched an octave too low. "Don't care if he has company."
Still curled over Janus chest, Logan stiffened, breath held. Janus hummed softly, an almost purr, and drew his arm a little firmer over Logan's back. "You're safe," he murmured.
Remus continued to kvetch on the other side of the door. "I'm hungry and I need coffee and you took my deodorant away."
The fear painted on Logan's face shifted into… recognition.
Janus couldn't resist leaning closer to whisper by his ear, "Sounds just like Roman, doesn't he?" Logan huffed, an almost laugh.
"And I'm not a pup." Remus' pout was audible. "I'm a hellhound."
Lucas' laughed, low and happy and muffled. "You're my hellhound."
"Ruff, ruff."
"Good boy."
Remus sniffed the air, loudly huffing at the edges of Janus' door. "I can smell his company." There was a scuffle and Remus' voice was quieter. "He's got the Nerd in there."
"How can you—Well…" Lucas sighed. "Listen, pup, if you can make it downstairs without dragging that thing against the walls, you might even earn back a treat."
"You sweet-talker, you."
Logan's eyes followed their retreat down the hall.
"If you're feeling ready, we can join them for breakfast," Janus offered. Logan's stomach grumbled, but he only stared, like at any moment Remus might smash through the wall with his morningstar.
"Or I could bring you something to eat," Janus tried again. "You could stay here."
Logan eyed the door and Janus' hand twitched—the urge to stroke away the worry creasing his brow, to tug away the lip snagged between his teeth nearly overwhelming.
And completely inappropriate.
"No-one can enter this room without my permission."
Logan finally faced him.
"You're safe here."
Face a riot of thoughts and flickers of quickly suppressed emotions, Logan looked down where his fingers still clung to Janus' pajamas. Slowly, he relaxed his grip and drew in a metered breath. "They both know I'm here. I… I don't suppose I can delay the inevitable forever."
"A tautology," Janus chuckled. "Very safe statement in this room. Touché."
Logan's face glowed, soft pink rising up on his cheeks and all the way to the tips of his ears as he looked away. "Under other circumstances, I would think you were poking fun at me, however…"
"However you may be experiencing some of the positives of this room, hmm?"
"Indeed." Leaning to one side, Logan pulled his arm free and pushed to sit.
Like he was tied to him by a string, Janus followed his movement, then forced his legs to swing over the other side of his bed. "Let's prepare to meet this day, then."
~
With Logan dressing in the ensuite, Janus dressed quickly in his room. He lingered over making his bed, though, slow to tidy and smooth away the evidence of Logan's presence the previous night; the untucked corner, the way he'd scrunched the pillow on one side.
Janus waved away their tea cups but left the books where they sat.
Surely by the time night fell, they would have gotten all this sorted and Logan would read his own books tonight. Sleep in his own bed. But Janus' truth whispered to him in the empty room.
And even he couldn't pretend he didn't hope Logan might stay longer.
The door to the ensuite cracked open and Janus dragged his mind away from his musing. "All clear," he called quietly and Logan stepped inside, clad once again in his neatly pressed jeans and polo, tie perfectly knotted. Shoulders curled in, one arm hugged Janus' pajamas to his chest. The other alternated between hanging stiff at his side. And wrapping tight around his belly.
Janus smiled and accepted the pajamas. "Feel better to be back in your own clothes?"
"No." Logan's hand came up to cover his own mouth, eyes wide in horror at the too-honest answer. He shivered and looked away.
"I believe I may have a solution for that." Janus moved quickly to his closet, noting the disappointment flash across Logan's face when he didn't return the pajamas. Instead, he pulled out a thick black cardigan from the back of his closet and presented it to Logan. "Would you like to see how this fits?"
Face scrunched, Logan took the sweater. "We are all the same size, we, share a metaphysical form and—"
"Just put it on, Logan," Janus laughed.
To his surprise, Logan let out a little chuckle. "Thank you," he said, stroking the fluffy knit. He pushed one arm through and let out a low sigh as the black knit enveloped him.
Janus pretended not to notice the way he subtly sniffed at the fabric. Nor the way whatever he smelled made his lips curl up in a brighter smile. Logan hugged the sweater around himself before buttoning it and Janus reached out to tap where the collar nicely framed his tie.
"Better?" he asked again.
"Much," Logan answered quickly, cheeks reddening.
One hand on each shoulder, Janus carefully turned him so he could see his own reflection above Janus' dresser. "Your truth doesn't need to embarrass you, Logan." He winked when their eyes met in the mirror. "Certainly not in here."
~
After one last check of his reflection, Logan waited while Janus donned his gloves and hat. Together they listened when he carefully cracked open the door.
Dishes rattled downstairs, punctuated by a steady thunk-thunk-thunk. Janus sighed and, shaking his head, beckoned Logan to follow him out in the hall.
"That doesn't sound good," he murmured close to Janus' ear. In the chill of the hall, his breath was warm against Janus' skin. Welcome.
Janus shook his head again. "It's not." Then he gave Logan as reassuring of a smile as he could manage. "But I've heard worse."
The thunking stopped and heavy boots pounded up the stairs. Arms out and crook in his hand, Janus moved between Logan and the top of the staircase just as a familiar grey-streaked head popped into view. "You two finally done doing the nasty?" Remus grinned, too-wide eyes taking in Janus' protective stance. And Logan's sweater.
"Re, what're you—" Just behind him, Lucas stopped short.
"Told ya he had company," Remus taunted, shifting his morningstar from one shoulder to the other.
Lucas peered over Remus' shoulder and flicked away the spiky end. "Well, fuck. You were right."
"So how was it?" Remus laughed, sauntering up the final few steps.
"Remus…" Janus loosely fisted his hand, a tug on the leash.
"Rude," he sucked his teeth, forcing the word out. Remus stared back, defiant. "You didn't invite us to watch."
"Re," Lucas began, rolling his eyes.
"Okay, me to watch. We always—"
Lucas' voice came out in a growl. "Re!"
"Fine!" He laughed, one hand pressed to his heart in an uncanny impression of his brother. "I always invite you, Jannie. Somebody around here's got manners." He licked his lips and let his eyes trail up and down Logan's body. "So did you get railed last night or did Jannie take it like a champ?"
"I didn't just fuck Lo—"
"That's none of your—"
They each fell silent and Janus' ears buzzed with the differences in their responses. He kept his crook raised high between the dynamic duo and Logan, one hand ready to silence Remus if he started in on him again.
"Yeah, I coulda told you that," Lucas shrugged. "You're both entirely too pissed to have freshly fucked." He looped one arm around Remus' waist. Holding him back or claiming him, Janus couldn't tell.
"Oh, well, if that's the case," Remus shimmied his shoulders and disappeared, popping up again just behind Logan.
To his credit, Logan barely flinched.
"If Big D doesn't do it for ya, I'd be happy to take anything you had to offer."
"Re!"
"Remus!"
Lucas and Janus whipped around, crook raised and orange fire crackling between Lucas' fingers.
But Logan's response stilled them. "Doubtful." He adjusted his glasses and turned to face Remus, back ram-rod straight. "I am uncertain you could properly receive all I have to offer."
"Woo-wee, Logan!" Remus cackled as Lucas stomped forward and grabbed him by the back of the neck. "Didn't know you had it in you. Well—" He laughed, eyes darting over to Lucas. "Well, that I coulda had in me? Pretty please, Lukey? With Logan on top?"
"No!" Lucas and Logan said together.
"Well, poopy," he pouted, again looking more like his brother than the big bad scary Intrusive Thoughts of Thomas' psyche.
He inched closer to Logan. "Can't hurt to ask."
"It can if you keep it up," Lucas glowered.
"Oh, you promise?" He clapped his hands together as Lucas dragged him away from Logan's side.
Lucas growled but even Logan seemed to note how carefully he gripped Remus. "I might but it's not much of a punishment when you just enjoy it."
Remus beamed like he'd been given a prize. "I do, don't I?" Wiggling free of Lucas' admittedly lax grip, he faced him, lips pursed and leaning in for a kiss.
Orange flames extinguished, Lucas carded his hand through Remus' hair and kissed him softly.
Logan watched them for a moment, expression smooth and unreadable. Guarded. He tugged Janus' sweater a little tighter around himself and eventually looked away.
Finally, Lucas gave them a little wave and led Remus back to his room. Logan then turned to him, a riot of emotions hiding behind his eyes. "You said there might be coffee?"
Dismissing Lucas—and Remus—with a nod, Janus smiled back at him. "Right this way."
Even after Lucas' bedroom door slammed shut, Logan remained quiet as they made their way downstairs to the kitchen. The counter was barely visible beneath teetering stacks of sticky mixing bowls and kitchen gadgets and the sink was filled past the faucet with crud-crusted pots and pans.
Biting back a growl at the state of things, Janus swept the lot of it into the dishwasher and set it for a pre-wash.
"It will be easier to deal with after that," he muttered to Logan, who was already nodding.
"I do the same after one of Roman's 'artistic' dinner nights," he said, rummaging around under the sink. "Just be sure to set it to—"
"No heat?"
"Patton's pancakes." Logan chuckled and rose, clutching a miraculously clean stack of dish cloths he'd apparently found in some hidden corner of the cabinet. "Lessons we never forget, I suppose."
Despite hours of effort and a gallon of soap and hot water, neither had been able to scour away the remaining pancake batter they'd effectively baked onto the beaters the first time Heart had tried his hand at breakfast. The first time they'd attempted to use the Mindscape's version of a dishwasher.
Janus hummed as he filled the coffee carafe at the sink. "I… I didn't think you remembered anything… before," he finished vaguely.
"Of course I do. I'm Thomas' knowledge." Janus watched Logan pause his cleaning, eyes faraway. ""If he remembers, if any of us remember, so do I." He caught Janus watching him and renewed his efforts to scrub away a sticky spot from the edge of the counter.
A door swung open upstairs and raucous laughter, from Remus and Lucas both, poured down. "See ya, Nerds!" Remus called. "We're headed to my castle! Do everything I would do!" he added. The solid thunk of his door to the Imagination swallowed most of Lucas' response but his tone left its contents clear.
Cheeks pink, Logan's gaze lingered on the stairs, a question burning behind his eyes.
Janus left him to his private thoughts and loaded up the machine with coffee. The coffee scoop scraped the bottom of the bag and Janus turned to search for another. Logan stood behind him, fresh beans in hand.
"Thank you," he nodded, then quietly filled the machine and set it to brew. And waited for Logan to be ready to speak.
He didn't have to wait long.
"Has it always been just the two of them in a relationship? I mean… since…"
"Since Virgil left?"
Logan looked down, hiding his expression behind his glasses. "Well, yes, and…" Trailing off, he opened the cabinet over the sink and scanned the contents for a moment before taking two plain black mugs. "After Lucas… emerged."
"They…" Janus weighed the truth and finally shrugged. Virgil's business was his own and if he hadn't shared his past relationships with the others, Janus wouldn't be the one to reveal his secrets. "Essentially, yes."
"Were you and Virgil—"
"Are you and Virgil together?" Janus asked rather than think about that particular less-than-gentle rejection.
Logan tilted his head to one side, searching Janus' eyes as though he was the one who could tell truth from lies. Finally he shook his head. "No. Never."
Sharp truth cut through the space between them and Janus would've taken back the question if it could erase the frown pulling down the edges Logan's mouth. "Neither have I," he answered. Belated. Too late. "Not with any of them," he added, honesty burning his tongue. "I have not been compatible with…" He waved his hand, letting the gesture speak and, absurdly, wishing Logan's curiosity had struck him upstairs where honesty came easier for him.
Seeming to misinterpret Janus' reluctance, Logan sounded contrite. "I… I apologize for such a personal quest—" his footsteps drew nearer.
"What about you?" Janus whipped around, eyes widening when he saw Logan held sugar and vanilla, cinnamon, and milk.
Where had he found milk?
"I…" he squared his shoulders, throat bobbing above his tie. "I suppose it's only fair to ask," he said with a tight smile. A false smile. "No. I have never been involved romantically or sexually with… any of the others. I am…" Logan set down the collection of bottles and tugged his sweater closer. "I am not 'partner' material."
Janus regarded him for a long moment, dropping his gaze only when the coffee maker gurgled its completion. He filled the first mug and set it before Logan on the counter. As he filled his own cup, Janus watched Logan from the corner of his eye as he first stirred in a teaspoon and a half of sugar before adding several drops of vanilla and milk. He popped in two cinnamon sticks and blew on the brew.
"Excellent taste," Janus murmured.
"Indeed," Logan said with a chuckle.
Using the same teaspoon, Janus scooped up sugar for his own coffee but Logan stopped him, handing him the cup he'd just prepared.
"No, thank you," he said with a small smile, picking up the coffee Janus had just poured. "I take it black."
"Then why—" Janus frowned. He let his words fall away, staring at the little swirls of milk in his cup. "How did you know how I…"
Logan smiled and sipped his plain coffee. "You made yourself coffee the morning Virgil's room reappeared next to mine."
He'd had to lay on the whole Scooby Doo villain routine thick that morning, making a show of swiping bacon fresh from the pan and pouring himself a giant mug of coffee as the others had run about, panicked at the change in the Mindscape. With everyone too consumed with figuring out why Virgil's room had moved again, Janus was certain no-one had even noticed him.
It seemed someone had.
"You know, I think you're right," Janus winked, lingering on Logan's eyes until he was sure his sarcasm was clear. "This isn't at all the behavior of a thoughtful partner."
Logan froze, mug half-way to his mouth for another sip. "I—" He looked away and gulped at his coffee as though he'd find the right words at the bottom of the cup. "I merely remembered how you took your coffee and wanted you to have an enjoyable—ah…"
Janus blew at the steaming rising up before taking a slow sip. "You're doing little to deny the allegations you are a kind and thoughtful person, Logan. In fact, I—"
Their eyes met, the tug of Thomas' sudden call for Logan flickering through the Mindcape. "Excuse me," he said, setting down his nearly finished coffee. "I must go. Thank you for the coffee and… Well, for everything."
"You were such an imposition," Janus said, raising his own cup with a smile.
Logan gave him one more nod and—
And remained in the kitchen.
"Oh, no," he muttered, then closed his eyes, hands fisted at his sides.
Logan didn't budge.
"I… I can't—I—"
Thomas' summons grew stronger and tears pricked Logan's eyes. He trembled, the effort of sinking out draining him.
"Here." Janus set down his cup and offered his hands. "I can take you, I'll—"
"No." Logan shook his head, panic sharpening his voice. "No, they'll know something is wrong with me." He straightened his tie, face wet with tears and sweat. "Go. Go for me. You can…" He make a whooshing gesture between them, his meaning clear.
"Are you sure?"
Logan shrugged but the tremble in his jaw revealed how much this pained him. "You've done it before."
The first time he'd impersonated Logan, Janus had wanted to get caught. And even with his glaring, intentional mistakes; the tie, the slips in language, the sour glances at Virgil… It had taken the others an unbearably long time to recognize he was not actually Logan.
What had been intended as a demonstration of how much the others valued Logan's input and recognized the importance of his presence had instead backfired spectacularly, achieving opposite. Much as the rest of that day had.
And the second time he'd replaced Logan…
Thomas' summons grew insistent, a rough pull strong enough to rattle their mugs on the counter. "Please, Janus!"
The panic in Logan's eyes decided for him and, in a flash, Janus' capelet, gloves, and hat sloughed off and disappeared, revealing a replica of Logan's black polo and jeans. His scales dissolved, leaving behind two matching brown eyes and dark Warby Parkers. He smoothed back his hair into Logan's typical style and began to sink out.
"Wait!" Logan grabbed his shoulder, then tapped the tie knotted around his neck. It was pale blue, the wrong color.
The purple stripes in Logan's tie were the one color he couldn't mimic.
"Take this." Logan tugged at his own tie and looped it around Janus' neck. Carefully knotting it, he smoothed it down, then nodded. "There." His hand lingered over Janus' heart. Could he feel its pounding?
Drumming his fingers to hide the tremble in his own hand, Janus covered Logan's. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
"I know."
Shoulders slumped and hugging Janus' sweater tight around his body, Logan's eyes followed him as he sunk down.
Then Logan was gone and Thomas' living room spun around him as Janus rose up in Logan's spot.
Calling all Sanders Sides Event Runners: Looking ahead to 2026
The stack of pages on the calendar grow thin and the new year approaches! Some event organizers are already looking ahead to the new year and planning out their dates.
And so are we!
Send us an Ask at the blog and we'll add your dates to the soon-to-be-posted 2026 list!
There are still a few more events this year, too, including the Sleepy Bean Café (@tss-camp-and-coffee ), @intrulogicalweek, and Friends and Family Dark Sides (@darksideweeks) in November, Virgil's Week (@darksideweeks ) and @moceitweek in December. We've got the full list on the blog.
(full list of event organizer blogs and dates we know about so far is below the cut)
Out of options, Logan prepares for bed in Janus' room.
Books referenced:
Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman
Epithalamium from Love Poems by Pablo Neruda
Prev - Care and Self - Next - Masterpost - [ AO3 ]
WC: 2349 - Rated: G - Written (slowly) for @loceit-week
"But I don't wa—" Logan sucked in a breath. No. He needed to go back. "I don't wa—" The power of Janus' room fought to pry the words from his tongue and he shook his head. "I don't believe you."
Janus looked back at him, eyes softer than he'd ever seen them. "I would be surprised if you did."
The lump in Logan's throat threatened to choke him and he could only clench his fists tighter, blunt nails digging into his palms. Which part of what he'd said—what he'd started to say—was Janus agreeing with?
And why did Logan care so much?
"Come, Logic…" Those his voice was warm, caring even, somehow dulling the razor-sharpness of Logan's title.
At least in Logan's fuzzy mind. His ears buzzed, his earlier exhaustion compounded with repeated, failed attempts to sink out draining him of his final reserves. Almost dizzy, he sat where Janus indicated, concentrating on keeping his back straight and his churning thoughts to himself.
'I would be surprised if you did.' If I did what? If I trusted you? Do you want me to trust you? How could I? No, it can't be that. So why did Janus anticipate him wanting to stay in the dark corners of Thomas' mind? To stay here, in his room? Did Janus want him to stay, as well?
Logan blew out a short breath. None of it was consequential. Janus' repeated use of his title instead of his name only emphasized the show of concern was nothing more than him serving his own role. What sort of Self-Preservation could he be if he allowed their Logic to fall into distress?
"We'll both be better problem solvers after some sleep. I'll find you something to wear."
Still, Janus' voice remained low and soft, the invitation seemingly sincere and straightforward in the bounds of this truth chamber he'd built himself. Or that the Mindscape had built for him. Logan hadn't built his own library, had he?
With such honesty enforced, Logan was forced to admit to himself how much he craved a book in that moment. Something solid and true he could devote his attention to. Wrestle it away from the thoughts swirling in his mind.
Why didn't he want to go back?
The rustle of pages drew both their attention. Two books sat atop Janus' nightstand. One a dog-eared and tattered version of the tiny Pablo Neruda's poetry collection Thomas had borrowed from a his university library decades ago. The other…
Janus picked up the small brown and black tome. "Einstein's Dreams?" he asked, sparing him a half smile. "Reading is an excellent form of self care," he added after carefully setting it on the other side of his bed. "Unless you'd like trade books for the evening?"
"H—h—how did you know I'd been reading that?" Logan asked. It wasn't his copy, but a battered version they'd seen through Thomas' eyes at a used bookstore.
Humming, Janus turned back to his dresser and pulled out a set of flannel pajamas in the same black flannel that peeked beneath the hem of his plush yellow robe. "I didn't," he said without explaining.
Curiosity kept Logan's eyes fixed on the faded pink cover of the Neruda. Several of the marked pages were after the position of Janus' bookmark. Perhaps it was not abuse but repeated, consistent re-reads that had so damaged the pages and the cover. "I would enj—I—that is… I—I wouldn't—"
Back turned to him, Janus quietly collected socks and an undershirt from another drawer.
"A temporary book exchange might prove illuminating," Logan finally managed, truth and pride intact.
When Janus turned and presented him with a neat stack of sleep clothes, he was smiling. "I would enjoy that, as well."
~
Limbs leaden and vision fuzzed that no amount of polishing the lenses would cure, Logan was slow to change into the pajamas Janus had provided him. By the time he emerged from the adjoining bath, rubbing the irresistibly soft cuffs between thumb and forefinger, Janus had already shed his robe and was seated in an armchair next to the bed, a steaming teacup at his side and several pages into Einstein's Dream.
The eyes that looked up at his approach were wet. "Are all the tales as heartbreaking as time being a circle?" he asked, lips clamping shut as though he'd surprised himself by his own question.
Head tilted to one side, Logan considered the question. And how to answer. "In—in their own ways… yes. But…" Logan sat on the edge of the bed nearest Janus and reached for the book. Janus diligently marked his own page and passed it over. Logan checked where he'd left off and smiled. "There is a freedom in predictability, an assurance that even when acting in error, you could not have made a better choice." He skipped ahead to the story of the violinists who, miles apart, play the same song. He smiled and handed Janus the open book. "There are stories like this, too."
He watched Janus read the short story, watched the smile fight its way onto his lips. Finally Janus marked the page and closed it in his lap. He let out a slow breath before sipping his tea. "I… I see why you… so enjoy this book," he said, slowly. Carefully.
Logan wondered what he wasn't saying.
It was only then he remembered Janus' book was waiting for him. He stretched and picked it up. A second cup was also waiting for him on the other side of the bed. "You… you made me tea?" Logan asked, the evidence of the still hot cup unable to silence the superfluous question.
Janus didn't answer, merely raised his own cup.
Wary of seeming ungrateful, he moved to the other side of the bed and took a slow sip. It was just-right-hot, spicy and a little sweet. The flavor burst on his tongue, warming him all the way through. "Thank you, it's perfect," he murmured. Cheeks warming from the tea and from the sudden exaggerative outburst—Was it really exaggerative, though?, he mused as he took another sip—he just managed to set the cup down before yawning. Loudly.
"Excuse me," he mumbled, hand raised as though he could take back the unprofessional sound. "That was—"
"No apologies are needed for feeling tired at…" Janus craned his neck to glance at the small clock next to his tea. "Well past midnight. Perhaps you would like to read in bed?" Janus waved toward the lights. "There's a lamp beside you."
Right. Bed.
"I… Well, I'd assumed I'd attempt to make myself comfortable on the floor." Logan frowned. "That didn't come out right."
Janus merely chuckled and peeled back the blankets. "If it makes you truly uncomfortable to share what is undeniably a rather large bed"—He looked pointedly at the king-sized mattress—"I will sleep in my chair and you will take the bed." Janus raised an eyebrow, lips tight but not completely hiding a smile.
"I can—" Logan huffed and tried again. "I can—" Arms crossed and hugging Janus' book to his chest, Logan rolled his eyes. "I do not wish to take your bed from you."
"Then don't. Will it make you uncomfortable to sleep in the same bed?" Janus asked pointedly. "Yes or no?"
"No." Logan answered far too quickly.
If anything, though, Janus seemed pleased by his answer. "There's your truth," he said just loud enough to be heard. "Please turn on the reading light and get comfortable," Janus said, a little louder. "And I'll turn off the overhead lights."
He didn't move toward the wall light, just stood there, watching Logan with a half-smile. Waiting. For assent? For permission to turn off the light in his own room?
Logan nodded quickly and flicked on the small reading light before turning back to the bed.
Janus' blankets were soft and… warm to the touch. "How…" he started to ask, hand hovering over the bed. The air just over the blankets was several degrees warmer than the surrounding air.
Janus chuckled. "Electric as a base," he said, watching him peel back the fluffy comforter to reveal a second blanket, toasty warm.
Logan slipped under the covers. His muscles melted beneath the warmth. "Oh," he sighed without really meaning to. "How do you even get out of bed?"
Lights lowered, Janus slid beneath the covers on the other side. The bed was so large Logan would have to stretch to reach him.
Why did—
Janus' responding laugh, low and rumbly, drew his wandering thoughts back. "The promise of what those two might get up to without supervision is often more than enough enticement."
Worry seized Logan's heart, the memory of Remus' pounding against the door fresh. Janus wouldn't be able to keep him hidden here forever. "What will happen in the morning?"
Curled on his side, Janus turned to face him completely. The reading light danced and flickered in his eyes, one rich espresso brown, the other burnished bronze. "Whatever tomorrow will bring," Janus promised with another half smile, "it will be easier if we rest now."
Nodding, Logan picked up the book of poems and settled against the pillows. Janus' eyes had just slipped shut when Logan snapped the book shut. "But what if—"
"Logic! Rest," Janus whispered back, an almost hiss.
Biting back a harsher response, Logan reopened the book but the words swam before him. He turned to the next dog-eared page and tried again.
… and that's why the clay and the flower,
the mud and the roots
know your name
Logan snapped the book shut. "Why do you call me that?" His jaw clicked, too late to stop the words. Logan folded his arms and looked away, trying to ignore the faint orange glow spilling out onto his borrowed pajama sleeves.
"What?" Abandoning sleep, Janus sat up. Logan risked a glance and Janus looked back at him, brow crinkled. "Call you 'Logic'? It's your function. I'm Thomas' Dece—Self-Preservation," he gestured to his own heart after a bit of a stutter.
Logan felt his own jaw soften and he turned to face him. It seemed Janus' own room would not allow him to accept the simpler, incomplete title Morality had bestowed on him.
Head bowed, Janus then gestured to him. "And you are Thomas' love of knowledge and his logic."
"But I've called you nothing but 'Janus,'" Logan said slowly. "I've called you that ever since you revealed your name to Thomas."
Head tilted, Janus regarded him from his serpentine eye. "And as Thomas' knowledge keeper, you have always known my name. Yet would not use it."
"Well, yes," Logan stammered, his own brow furrowing until it ached. "I'd meant no offense, it was—"
Instead of anger, Janus merely raised an eyebrow and nodded, as one might encourage a slow student on the cusp of an epiphany.
Logan pushed down a flash of annoyance. "I'd used your title as a show of respect for your privacy, your…" Lips pursed, he flailed for the right word. Book clutched close to his chest, he nearly tore into the pages, searching for something to express his thought. "I chose to wait until you had revealed your name of your own volition, rather than—"
Logan's jaw dropped at the same time a slow smile curled up one side of Janus' lips.
"Rather than let your use of my name reveal it to Thomas before I was ready?"
"I…" Logan licked his lips, words dissolving on his tongue.
Janus simply waited, that half-smile softening.
"I thought you intended it as an…" Logan shivered and Janus tugged the blankets up a little closer to him.
"As an insult?" he finished gently, not meeting his eyes.
The blanket's warmth seeped through his skin, through his bones. He nodded once.
Janus laid a hand on Logan's cheek. It was only then Logan realized he'd taken off his gloves to sleep. "Never."
The word fell smoothly from his lips, its truth warm and almost tangible between them.
Logan's mind spun, re-contextualizing each time Janus had called him Logic in all the years after Patton had revealed his name for him. His frustration that he'd lost the chance everyone else had taken for granted. Everyone but Janus, it seemed.
"Thank you," he finally said. "I…" He looked up to meet Janus' eyes. "I would very much like it if you called me 'Logan.'" That wasn't what he'd intended to say, but perhaps…
Perhaps it was what he'd wanted to say.
"Since you've asked so nicely," Janus' smile grew and his hand lowered, resting on Logan's in his lap. "I supp—" He let out a small sigh and squeezed his hand. "I am… pleased to oblige, Logan."
Logan's cheeks warmed and he leaned back against the headboard. Logan's thumb stroked the spine of the book, tracing a thin fracture in the binding from repeated readings. He wondered vaguely how many times Janus must have read it. "I…"
Janus looked down where he still practically held Logan's hand. He gave it one last squeeze and lay down again. Blankets pulled up to his chin, Janus turned and smiled in the dim light. "Good night, then… Logan." He glanced down at the book, eyebrow raised. "Don't stay up too late reading."
"I…" The words 'I won't' wouldn't form so Logan just smiled. "Thank you. Good night, Janus."
Mouth opening and closing again, Janus looked like he might say something else, but finally settled his head on the pillows and closed his eyes.
Best to wait for morning anyway. Nodding to himself, Logan opened the book and picked up a little further down the page.
because we were sown together in the earth
and we alone did not know it
and that we grow together
and flower together
and therefore
when we pass,
your name is on the petals
that grow on the stone,
my name is on the grottoes.
They know it all,
we have no secrets,
we have grown together
but we did not know it.
To Logan's credit, he was the first to suggest they take a break.
To his further credit, he'd initiated a slow morning, that had started with refusing to get up while Janus was sleeping on his arm. If Janus felt his gaze on him and decided to stay put for just a little longer, that was neither here nor there.
When they did get up, Logan had made tea, cooked breakfast, eaten slowly, and washed the pots and plates, before suggesting they leave.
After all that, Janus had been prepared for a long, rough walk. He'd gotten just that.
Now, they had reached a creek, and while stopping to fill their waterskins was the only sensible thing to do, Janus had not expected Logan to also take a seat on a rock and pull forth a trail mix.
The air was dense in the forest, and the clouds were heavy with promised rain. The autumn orange canopy above was still dense, but the creek meant a narrow gap, through which they could just see a faint green glow beyond the clouds, growing ever closer. Janus felt his stomach turn and his shoulders tense at the sight. The closer it got, and the closer they got, the more plausible it seemed that the thing would turn out to be disastorous in some way.
At least if it caused a forest fire, the impending downpour might save them.
"If you're worried about the rain, you're welcome to return home." Logan broke through his thoughts.
Home.
"And miss all the fun? Please." Janus shook the creak water off his hands.
Logan nodded once. "Whatever you prefer." He tried to pass Janus the trail mix.
"I'll eat in a few minutes. I think there are flowers nearby. If you'll excuse me."
"I will."
The response pulled a smile to Janus' lips as he wandered just a little ways downstream.
While this wasn't an unlikely place for flowers to grow, it was more than that which led Janus along the creek: he could feel them growing, thriving off of the steady supply of water, and off of whatever sparse sunlight they could get from the break in the canopy. Bluebells and butter blooms crowded the riverbed.
When Janus returned with a little bouquet in his hand, Logan nearly dropped his trail mix. "Janus!" he exclaimed, but had no words to finish his thought. His gaze was locked on the flowers.
Janus traded the bouquet for the trail mix and sat on the rock beside Logan. "I know, it's gorgeous." Though his tone was flat, his smile betrayed his self satisfaction.
"How?" Logan finally managed.
In truth, Janus saw nothing special about the bouquets he made compared to those made by others, and Janus was not ordinarily a humble man. Yet anyone who saw his bouquets were enchanted by them, no matter how simple they were.
"Just a hidden talent; one of few perks of being fae born."
"A close bond with nature," Logan breathed, tilting the bouquet this way and that. To be fair, the yellows, blues, and greens did come together beautifully.
"Flowers in specific, in my case." Janus was in the process of picking the walnuts out of his handful of trailmix to toss them back into the bag.
"Just like you can sense magic."
"You noticed that, did you?"
"You knew that the blanket was magical, and you look up whenever I cast a spell."
"You're rather observant." Janus nodded in approval. "Do you know how I sense it?"
Logan finally tore his gaze from the bouquet. "Through the air?"
"Yes, technically. I can taste it." Janus flicked his tongue to demonstrate.
Logan lit up. "So that is what that is! Fascinating!" His gaze snagged on the flowers again, so he went to fasten them to his backpack, just out of sight.
"I suppose I am." Janus handed him the rest of the now walnut-forward trail mix, a little smile playing on his lips.
When Logan sat back up, he was just a little closer than before. "Is there anything else your heritage left you with?"
Janus inclined his head toward him. "I can hear lies."
"Huh. That's ironic."
"How so?" Janus knew the answer, but he wanted to make Logan say it.
"To the best of my knowledge, most faeries can't lie." Logan narrowed his eyes. "Can you?"
Janus finished his trail mix and tilted his head back. "I despise being here on this journey with you," he said, a smile playing on his lips. When Logan's face dropped, he was quick to go on. "Not to mention, the weather is beautiful today; I expect no rain whatsoever. That bouquet is made up of entirely white flowers, I have no scales on my face, and I harbor no curiosity toward your space rock whatsoever."
Logan sighed with relief. "Oh good. You're just showing off your ability to lie, aren't you?"
"Believe me, if I did not want to be on this trip, I wouldn't have come along. I'm not one to act out of politeness if there's nothing in it for me." Janus nudged Logan's shoulder with his own.
Logan regarded him. "You must find the space rock very intriguing, then. Though to be clear, we don't even know whether or not it's a rock."
Janus chuckled. "As intriguing as that is, I'm not mostly here for the space- object."
"But that is what you've been saying," Logan protested. "You didn't want to miss the fun."
"That's true, I don't." Janus held his gaze. "Do you have any idea how much fun it is to watch you get excited about- well, pretty much anything that interests you?"
They suddenly found themselves close together.
"I do not," Logan answered quietly.
"Well, you're positively adorable when you get excited. You light up like the stars above you," Janus explained, his voice soft. "I wouldn't miss that when I had a chance to see it; you pouring over that rock, taking samples, rambling about your findings, scribbling notes."
"We don't know that it's a rock," Logan repeated.
"That's beside the point, dear."
"Perhaps it is." Logan's gaze flickered between Janus' eyes. "Janus?"
"Yes?"
"I think I'd like to kiss you."
"Then why don't you?"
"Well, I suppose I don't know whether you would like me to, and-"
"Logan."
Logan froze.
Janus implored, "Please kiss me."
It was the rush of a river meeting the ocean.
It was the tilt of a flower reaching toward the sun.
It was the ease of an autumn leaf falling to the ground.
It was interrupted by a crash.
- - -
For or a long moment, Logan stayed in Janus' embrace, staring at the green smoke billowing from just beyond the creek.
The mysterious object wasn't supposed to land yet. Why was it here? Why now? What did a kiss even mean? Had his calculations been wrong? Had the mysterious object changed course again?
Had anything changed?
Everything had changed.
"Are you ready to go see it?" Janus broke through his thoughts, his voice quiet and gentle so close to his ear.
The most concrete change was a mysterious space object only a few meters away from them. Logan chose to focus on the most concrete change.
"Of course." He took Janus' hand, and together they stepped over the creek.
- - -
The mysterious object had left a small crater. But the crater was empty.
Logan climbed down to investigate it anyway. Maybe it had left a trace, or maybe it was invisible.
It only took a moment before he was interrupted again.
"Holy fuck! People!"
A man wearing shredded clothes stepped out of the bushes. Nearly all his visible skin was torn and raw.
Janus and Logan both stared. The man stared back. His grin was so wide it looked manic.
Janus was the first to find his words, though his voice came out stilted. "Can we help you?"
"Maybe. Probably. Watcha doing?" He first flickered his gaze between the two of them at an unprecedented speed, then squeezed his eyes shut as if disoriented.
Logan forced himself to stay polite. "I was looking for the object that fell from the sky."
The man lit up. "Oh, that's me! I'm Remus!"
- - -
Author's note: if all goes according to plan, the story will continue during intruloceit week, starting tomorrow!
(Though given the delays this chapter faced, we shall see)
