We're a bit past the event deadline - sorry about that - but here is the fic @moritzsexdream for @typically-untypical and @tss-camp-and-coffee Camp Cartoon 2026 event! I hope you enjoy! šš
Summary: Janus hated this power from the moment it manifested. Now it might just ruin his friendship with Logan.
Content Warnings: Self-deprecation, Remus twisting his body in unnatural ways
Read here on Ao3!
~~*~~
If Janus had been paying attention, he might have been amazed at how comfortable he could feel in somebody else's presence. Sure, Remus and him were close and from time to time just hung out with each other, but with Remus you always had to be at least a little bit on edge. He took pride in his unpredictability after all, there was always a chance he had some kind of trick up his sleeve or would just throw some sort of sharp or disgusting object at Janus without warning.
With Logan, things were very different. Logan was someone who prided himself on his punctuality, routines and schedules. He would be at their agreed meeting spot on time, would take up as much of Janus's time as he said he would and was available at around the same times.
When they met to read books together in the late evenings, for example, Logan would arrive at the cozy study ā that Roman had created for Logan in the mindscape several years ago ā at 8pm, bringing his book and a tea, one of three options that he considered best for quiet evenings. He would stay for about two hours and then wish Janus a good night and leave to start his bedtime routine.
It was orderly and predictable and Janus enjoyed it a lot.
He could finally just relax and let his guard down a bit.
Big mistake, as it turns out.
Logan and him had been reading on their own on a couch, slightly leaning against each other, both so absorbed in their literature that they hadn't even noticed that they had gotten so close to each other.
And Janus hadn't noticed that his usually-carefully-tucked-into-his-gloves sleeve rode up, exposing his skin.
Logan only wore a t-shirt since it was a rather warm evening.
And while one of them shifted to get into a slightly more comfortable position - not even a conscious choice ā their skins brushed against each other.
Immediately, Janus' mind was flooded by a well of emotions.
Indeed, the reason he kept a distance from the others and covered himself as thoroughly as he did, was because he was an Empath. A power he detested from day one.
He manifested it in Thomas' childhood. He'd been stricken with a fever ā probably a side effect of the power settling ā and resting in bed. Virgil had sat next to him, in tears because he was sure Janus was going to die. Janus had moved to pat his hand to reassure he was going to be just fine, but as soon as he touched Virgil's skin, a flood of fear and terror crashed into his brain like a tidal wave and he was just quick enough to turn around and puke into the prepared bucket.
That had of course lead to more fretting from Virgil and not long after, Janus started covering up more. Thank goodness none of them had been very physical with each other in the first place, so when Janus pulled away from touch even more, neither Virgil nor Remus questioned it.
And Janus had managed to not have skin to skin contact with anyone for years just fine, but now one moment of carelessness was his downfall.
Okay, maybe he was getting a bit too dramatic. It wasn't as bad as it used to be his first few times but it was still not fun. And for a person who claims to have no feelings as a being of logic, Janus was sure feeling overwhelmed by Logan's emotions quickly.
The touch was short, thankfully, as Janus pulled his arm away, startled. But it was enough to get an outline of Logan's feelings in that moment.
He was mostly calm, happy and content. Which made sense, they were in a space he felt comfortable in and not pressured by work or anything.
Underneath that however, was a storm of nerves, excitement and agitation. They didn't clash with the calmness, seemed to fuel it even.
Janus had felt that from another person once. Virgil, the first time Janus had seen the purple glitter underneath his eyes. Back when Thomas had his first crush on a guy without feeling absolutely ashamed of it. Thomas and him had just hung out, chatting about musical theater and while Virgil had been super anxious about being in their crush's vicinity, the mundanity of the situation had kept him calm and only strengthened his feelings for the guy.
ā¦So, if that was the same for Logan right now, then he had a crush?
On Janus?!
No, that couldn't be. Why would Loganā¦? And on him of all people? He must've misinterpreted the signals, right? There had been no other signs, right?
"Janus? Are you alright?" Logan asked, his tone worried. Janus startled out of his thoughts, only then realizing he had frozen while clutching his hand around the spot on his wrist that had touched Logan.
"Yes, I'm fine," he pressed out. Logan didn't look like he believed him. "I justā¦ am more tired than I realized. I think I'll turn in early." He quickly got up, slipping a book mark into his book and closing it on autopilot.
"Are you certain? If there is a problem, I am more than willing-"
"I am certain. Please do not worry, Logan. I have been feeling slightly off since this morning, I am sure I'll feel better after some rest." Janus was glad he was such a practiced liar. He regained his composure quick enough and now Logan looked more willing to let him leave.
"Alright then. But please do not hesitate to approach me if I can do anything for you."
Everyone said Patton had the puppy eyes no one could resist, but for Janus, it was definitely the current expression on Logan's face that made him feel the weakest.
"Of course, Logan," he reassured him softly, even if he knew there was no way he would ever bring this incident up with Logan. "I hope you have a good night."
"You as well, Janus. Until tomorrow."
"Until tomorrow," Janus echoed before sinking out.
He was so, so screwed.
~~*~~
As Janus got back to his room, all he could think about was how careful he had been up to that point.
Ever since finding out about his ability, he vowed he'd never use it. Not on purpose, at least. He hated everything about it. Firstly, it was unbelievably overwhelming. How could it not be, given who he was always surrounded by? Feeling all of Virgil's anxiety, all those years ago, scarred him beyond reparations. Remus and Roman were always so constantly exciting and beaming with new ideas (although never on the same page about anything). Patton was constantly feelingā¦ always. He really deserved the title of being the Heart of the group, and he was constantly thinking of how others might be feeling (Janus considered ironic, as he was the empath after all). The entire group was full of big balls of emotions, it was too much for Janus to handle at all times. Not Logan, though.
And that's not to mention how invasive it all felt. As the side that represented self preservation, he understood the importance of keeping the walls up, of keeping things to yourself. Simply being able to feel someone else's emotions, no hiding, all true, was just a major violation of privacy. It was all very antithetical to his beliefs.
It wasn't easy keeping this ability a secret. He had quickly understood that physical touch triggered it, which is why he wore so many layers. The other sides were terribly touchy, in general, so that was a requirement. There was, however, one other side that knew.
~~*~~
In the old days, when it was just him, Remus and Virgil, he decided the layers of clothing werenāt enough. They were never big on physical contact anyway, but sometimes they got too close. They felt comfortable. Then he realized, he had to put up some metaphorical layers as well. And then his classic Janus attitude started to form. Walls up, always, and the snarky comments would push people away. It certainly worked with Virgil, more and more he could feel the distance growing between them. Remus on the other hand, just always had the itch for pushing people's buttons. As he noticed how much Janus was trying to distance himself from the others, the more he wanted to pry.
And pry he did. He was never one for detective work, whatever the reason Janus had for that behavior did not concern him, but he was very fond of being the biggest nuisance possible. So as he noticed Janus trying to stay away, he decided that would not do. He started doing what he does best to show his care: he started pulling pranks.
Most of the pranks were just regular Remus shenanigans ā scares, putting gross things in the others' way, making loud annoying noises ā and were working as he intended, they were making Janus realize there was no way he was getting rid of him. It just didn't really sit well with Virgil, who started to feel not only the distance from Janus, but also the group as a whole.
The day Remus decided to steal Janus's gloves as a prank, that wasn't as harmless.
Janus freaked out as he noticed his gloves weren't on top of his bedside drawer, where they always were. All layers were important to him, but he considered the gloves to be the most important one. He could avoid touch all he wanted but he couldn't deny that he still needed to grab things, move objects and with his hands exposed the chance of a mishap were too high. And that's why he always placed them in the same place every night, and that's why when he woke up and didn't see them there he knew they must've been taken. And he knew damn well Virgil wasn't the one going through his stuff.
"Remus, your games are very fun and all, but I really need my gloves back" he said as he confronted Remus in his room. Yes, he needed those back so badly he decided to show up in that horrid place.
"Well, sweetheart, why don't you come and get them?" Remus replied in a playful tone, dangling the gloves that were in his hand.
Janus knew what Remus wanted. He wanted him to go after them, then Remus would pull them away, and then they'd pretend fight for a while until Janus got the gloves back. But he couldn't do that. He'd never manage that without coming into contact with Remus's skin.
He really did not want to touch Remus directly. He barely had any filter when talking to others, who knew what was going on inside him? But on the other hand, what other option did he have? Telling Remus also didn't sound any fun. He didn't want anyone else to know. His ability felt like a violation, but he also couldn't help but feel invaded when he thought of others knowing. It was a secret he had been keeping for so long. What would someone else do with that information? What would someone like Remus do?
He pondered. Time was passing and the energy of Remus's room was starting to get him a little freaked out. He felt cornered. There was no way out of it, he didn't want to share that information, he liked keeping all his cards as close to his chest as possible, but Remus knew how to be stubborn, how to push people's buttons. He would not give him his gloves back without a fight, and they'd end up touching. He remembered the time he felt Virgil's emotions, it was terrifying. So intense and so volatile, and he knew feeling Remus's wouldn't be a chill experience for sure. And in the end, who was to say Remus wouldn't end up finding out anyway? He was able to redirect the attention back then, but he couldn't guarantee it this time. Remus was insane, but he wasn't stupid. And if his feelings were to affect Janus as strongly as Virgil's did, he might have been able to piece two and two together.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't, he thought. He really wanted those gloves back, and he really wanted to leave Remus's room. He could either tell Remus right away, which he didn't love, or risk touching him, feeling the horrors that could come from him and still be at risk of Remus finding out anyway. He might not want to share his secret, but he wanted to have that agency taken from him even less. He made a decision, begrudgingly.
"Remus, I can't touch you. I'm an empath, and if I touch you I'll feel all that you're feeling. That's why I've been distancing myself lately and that's why I really need those gloves back" he pleaded.
Remus seemed unimpressed. "Oh yeah? Nice one Janus. Come and get these babies or come up with some other excuse"
āRemus, pleaseā Janus almost begged. He tried to take all of the sarcasm and snark from his voice (not an easy feat, he spent years working on those) to try and make Remus understand he was telling the truth, for once. āYou know how I avoid physical contact. I tuck my shirt sleeves into my gloves so not an inch of skin on my arm will show up and be exposed. I came all this way to get my gloves back, does it look like I enjoy being here? I hate your room. Please.ā
That seemed to do it for Remus. He could see it in Janusās eyes, and he could hear it in his voice. He was crazy and loved to be a nuisance, but in his own way he loved his friend too. Janus never put his foot down to any of his other pranks (many of those being much more annoying, might he add) so this must mean he was telling the truth. He gave him his gloves back, but not without first making Janus promise he'd tell him absolutely everything about this power.
And so, Remus knew. He was the only one. And, considering how unconcerned Remus was with following standard social norms and how much he loved bothering everyone, he kept that secret pretty well. That resulted in a level of trust they felt with each other that deepened their friendship a lot. They didnāt change how they acted, Janus was still a shady bitch and Remus was still an overall problem, but anyone could tell they were much closer now.
That included Virgil. He already could tell the distance between them was growing, but suddenly he felt a key shift. He didnāt know what it was, but it was so painfully clear. There was something going on and he wasnāt included. Suddenly, he didnāt feel part of the group anymore. Suddenly, it was them and then him. He was officially an outcast. Janus and Remus could deny all they wanted but he knew he was right. And that became unbearable to him. To see two other people he cared for so much to exclude him like that hurt like nothing else. And thatās when he started thinking that whatever the others had going on upstairs couldnāt be as bad. And so he started hanging out with the others.
~~*~~
Janus hung around the others now too. The rift between the so called ālight sidesā and ādark sidesā seemed to be basically gone. Thatās how he knew Logan was not as touchy. Thatās what had drawn Janus to him. And the quiet evenings in Loganās study. Until, of course, he slipped up. And now itās kind of ruined.
Thatās why he hated that ability so much. He felt like it wasnāt right that he felt like he knew Loganās secret. Heād still find a way to rationally explain that whatever Logan was feeling was not actually a crush on Janus, he was sure of that, but either way it was a violation of his privacy. He surely wouldnāt want anyone else to know that he maybe also felt the same whirlwind for Logan. That the combination of extreme ease and trust but also excitement and agitation he felt from Logan actually matched what he felt for him pretty well. No, that was another secret he was going to keep.
But he knew about Logan. And he knew about himself. Janus prided himself on being a master of saving face, self preservation and disguise, but all those emotions (and as more time passed more he shared Loganās disdain for them) were unsettling him. He wasnāt sure how heād act around Logan now. Heād never want to force anything but he knew too much now.
So it was decided. He needed to avoid Logan as much as possible. He wasnāt happy about it, but it was the only way this all could work out.
~~*~~
Logan had not expected that he would be needing to make a trip to Remus' room for such a reason. They worked together on occasion now that Thomas was more willing to acknowledge his input ā accepting it was another matter ā but a personal visit? The option had never even crossed his mind.
But he was running out of ideas on what else to do. Janus had started avoiding him days ago and for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why. Any attempt to get Janus to talk to him ended in failure and it started to truly hurt his feelings.
If he'd been given a reason at least, he could accept it. But Janus wasn't willing to give him even that.
So his best option was talking to Remus. He was Janus' best friend, he should know something.
Logan wasn't expecting a straight answer from him, of course. He knew Remus better than that. But at least a hint about what was going on was enough for him. Because if there was one thing Logan hated more than anything, then it was remaining ignorant. He knew there was a problem and he was not going to be kept in the dark about it.
So, he knocked on Remus' door with two sharp raps.
"Who's that knocking on my chamber door?" a voice whispered directly into Logan's ear. He flinched, stumbling away from the sudden noise and turned, pressing himself against the door.
"Remus!" he hissed as he took in the creative side that was now grinning at him. "That was very unpleasant."
"Unpleasant is kinda my brand, dork! What'cha doing at my room?"
"I was hoping to speak to you about a personal issue," Logan explained as he smoothed out his shirt.
"Oh? What kind of personal issue would you need to discuss with me of all people? Wanna get in someone's pants?" Remus wriggled his eyebrows at Logan, who looked at him unimpressed.
"No, it is about Janus. He's been avoiding me and I was wondering if you had any insights as to the reason why he would do that."
"Uhhhh, trouble in paradise! The bananaconda is spiting you?"
"Yes, Remus. For the past few days he's been avoiding me and I do not know why. Everything was fine before then."
Remus closed the space between them, trapping Logan against the wood of his door.
"You sure about that?" he asked, leaning uncomfortably close. His breath smelled rancid, so Logan turned his head away.
"I am not. I cannot think of anything I did, but that does not mean that I believe the fault could not lay with me. But I would prefer not to discuss this in the hallway. May we move inside your room, please?"
"If you wanna get in my sheets, you just need to say so, Logie~"
"That is not my intention, Remus, and I would appreciate if you could take this at least with a touch of sincerity. Janus means a lot to me and I would prefer him not being mad at me," Logan hissed, pushing Remus away from him with a firm hand.
"Alright, alright! Jeez, a buzzkill as always," Remus huffed before reaching past Logan to grab the doorknob. "Then enter my humble abode if you dare! I can't guarantee the safety of your toes, though!"
"No need to worry. My shoes have steel tips for safety."
Remus cackled at Logan's casual remark before making his way inside and immediately going to lounging on his bed. Logan followed him but opted to sit on a mostly clean chair set before a half-filled canvas, though he couldn't make out what the motive was.
"Sooo, Jannie's been avoiding you and you don't know why. What happened the last time you saw him before he decided he loathed your company?"
Logan sat up straighter, adjusting his tie as he thought back.
"We were doing our usual routine of reading in the study. We were both reading our chosen literature comfortably when Janus suddenly flinched, sat up and then declared he was tired and wanted to head to bed early. I found his behavior unusual but did not want to intrude, so I did not pry further. The next morning he left the kitchen as soon as I came in to get a cup of coffee."
"So you knew something was up before," Remus hummed. He was lying down on his bed now, picking his nose and examining what he found. Logan decided not to watch.
"Yes. But I cannot think of what might have changed in that short moment. We have sat that close before, he has not reacted that way any other occasion."
"Oh? You sat close? How close?"
Logan chanced another look at Remus when he heard his excited tone and now found him on all fours at the edge of the bed, leaning as close to him as he could without falling off. His sharp teeth were stretched into a wide grin.
"We were leaning against each other, shoulder to shoulder. Our arms were brushing occasionally," Logan admitted. He felt heat gathering in his cheeks as Remus' grin turned unnaturally large.
"Oh ho!" he cackled. "You two are getting really cozy, huh? You're gonna make me jealous!"
"Why would you be jealous of us?" Logan asked, confused.
"I would love to be as close to either of you as I can get, really~"
"Remus, could we focus on the issue at hand, please?"
"Ugh, fine! You're no fun!" Remus groaned and let himself fall forward, tumbling off the bed and rolling until he laid outstretched on the floor right before Logan. "So you were getting cuddly. How close?"
"As I said, we were leaning against each other. Shoulder to shoulder. Our arms brushed frequently as we flipped pages."
"Arms? Which part of your arms?"
Logan flinched at Remus' sudden change in tone. The duke sounded more serious than he had heard him in a very long time and he was now staring at him with a focus Logan had only see him exhibit when he was working on one of his passion projects.
"I do not know, mostly upper arms? But occasionally lower arms as well. I believe our wrists touched at one point?"
"And what were you wearing?"
"Remus, I hardly believeā"
"What were you wearing, four-eyes?" Remus growled. Suddenly he was on his knees in front of Logan, his hands planted firmly on Logan's thighs as he leaned close.
"A blue t-shirt and black pants, I think?"
"And Jannie?"
"His usual outfit. Long black shirt, caplet, hat, black trousersā"
"His gloves?"
"Yes. Of course. I've never seen him without them."
"He was covered? Completely?"
"I believe so? Maybe his shirt rode up at some pointā"
"Maybe? Did it or did it not?"
"I do not know! I was focused on my book! As was Janus! We might have brushed against each other for a moment before he excused himself but he held his arm away from me so quickly, I cannot be sure if there was skin exposed!"
Remus leaned closer, putting his weight on Logan's thighs as he studied his eyes for as close as he could. The silence sat heavy between them, a tension in the air that Logan didn't dare break. It felt like they remained like that for minutes but it could only have been a few moments when Remus pulled back again.
"I gotta talk to Jannie. You get outta here." He stood and turned to head out of the door but Logan jumped up from his seat and grabbed his arm.
"Wait! Why is it so important if Janus' skin was exposed?"
"Look, Logie," Remus said slowly, though he didn't turn around to look at him. "I like you and I think Jannie's being a bit stupid, so I'm gonna give you a hint. There's a reason Jannie keeps himself as covered up and it's not because he's a prude. Have you ever seen him touch anyone? Seen him in close proximity of anyone for longer than a few seconds? He's been making exceptions for you but everyone else? He doesn't wanna risk it."
"Risk what?"
Remus threw his head back and laughed. His neck elongated until his head was hanging upside down in front of Logan, sharp grin back on his face.
"I know I can be cruel, but even I wouldn't just spill my best friend's secrets! Just think about it, dork. Why would he stay away from everyone? And I know it's not your strong suit but try being a bit creative? It's not gonna be the obvious answer, I can tell you that."
"I see," Logan nodded and he let go of Remus' hand. "I will think it over. Thank you for talking with me, Remus. I appreciate it."
"No problem, pocket watch! See ya later!"
And with that, Remus sunk out, leaving Logan alone to ponder the questions he left him with. The hint didn't help him much, but at least it was more than he had before. So, Logan sank out as well, heading to his room to do some research.
~~*~~
By that time a few weeks earlier, Janus would have been heading out to meet Logan in the study and have a shared reading session. That wasn't possible anymore, he was avoiding Logan so these moments together were a thing of the past. He was instead reading in his room, enjoying the quiet and trying not to think about how he missed Logan when he heard a horrible guttural scream coming from right outside his door.
"You may come in, Remus" he responded to the yell, knowing that his friend wasn't keen on a simple knock on the door.
Remus opened the door with a huge creepy smile on his face and his eyes were almost looking a little crazy. Nothing out of the ordinary. He moved towards Janus until they were uncomfortably close, but without touching.
"Jannieā¦ I have some tea" he grinned as he spoke and Janus perked up immediately. Nothing like a bit of gossip to brighten up his mood.
"Ooh, please, do tell" Janus answered excitedly, putting his book away. Not like he was paying much attention to it anyway.
"You're not gonna believe this! So, a little birdie told me that a certain someone with empathic powers accidentally touched the huge nerd we have to live with and now he's avoiding him! Isn't that exciting?"
Janus's smile dropped immediately.
"I don't know what you're talking about"
"Aw, come on Janie Bananie! I thought we were besties. Aren't you gonna share what happened with your dear old Remus? Are you gonna leave me in the dark, alone, unenlightened, like one of Cinderella's stepsisters going blind after having her eyes torn out by a dove?" Remus pleaded, trying his best to pout and look cute, but actually looking horrifying.
"Gross. Fine, I'll tell you what happened, but please stop doing that with your face" Janus gave in and Remus sat up in the bed excitedly "so, a few days ago Logan and I were in the study together reading. We were sitting close to each other and my sleeve may or may not have ridden up a little bit without my knowledge and we might have brushed our skin against each other. That's it, there was definitely not anymore to it." He lied, but Remus didn't buy it.
"Oh of course there was nothing more to it. So Logan appeared in my room of all places to ask me why you are avoiding him because everything was absolutely normal"
Janus hesitated. Logan went to Remus's room to ask about his avoidance? Knowing full well the horrors that place evoked? That wasn't good. That meant he missed him. It was becoming harder and harder to find a way to justify Logan's feelings as not a crush. Damn it, why did he need to be so caring and thoughtful and intelligent? Janus was at the brink of freaking out when Remus pulled him from his thoughts.
"Please Janie, if you're gonna spiral at least let me join in on the fun! What was Logan feeling when you touched him? Did you feel he had a thing for you?"
"What? No! Remus, that's ridiculous" Janus tried to argue.
"I knew it!" Remus suddenly stood up, thrilled with the discoveries he was making. "Oooh Logan has a crush on Janie and Janie is denying it because he also has a crush on that nerd!" he started twirling with excitement.
"Remus! Please! You're wrong, I'm avoiding him because I feel bad for violating his privacy. We have talked about this, that's why I avoid everyone's touch"
"Jan. Please. If that was the case you would just have pretended nothing happened and moved on. But you're avoiding him, which means I'm right. Come on, I might be crazy but I'm not dumb. I can put two and two together" he said, as he sat down in the bed again after getting dizzy from spinning so much.
Janus hid his face in his hands and let out a heavy sigh.
"Fine! You're right! I have a crush on Logan and I know he feels it too and I don't want to be close to him with this knowledge because it makes me feel bad that I know it and I might lose the ability to act normal around him and I don't want to ruin our friendship! There! Are you happy now?" He blurted out in one breath.
Remus looked elated to have extracted this confirmation out of him.
"Ooh you want each other so bad! See, I knew for a while you had a thing for Logan, but this twist of events is exciting! C'mon Jan, what's the problem? Just go talk to him, work it out then make out! Oh my God, Jan, think of how crazy your power is going to make you feel when you finally fuā¦"
"Shut up!" Janus interrupted him before he could finish his sentence. "I don't want to think about that and I will not talk to Logan about it"
Remus turned to Janus and looked unusually serious.
"Janus, you know I hate being the voice of reason, but you're leaving me no other choice. You can't avoid Logan forever. And if I was able to figure out what is happening, it's not going to take long for him to figure out too. He's the nerd here, not me. So just think about that, okay?"
It felt odd to have Remus be so reasonable, but Janus couldn't deny he was right. He looked his friend in the eye and gave him a knowing smile, which he understood instantly. A smile that said "yeah, I guess you're right. It's weird that you're making so much sense but I can't argue with that. I'm gonna think about your words".
"Well, my job here is done I guess" Remus said, standing up and heading out the door. "I guess I'll go back to my room and write some of the dirtiest, smuttiest and wrongest fanfiction about you two. Or maybe I'll terrorize Roman a little bit! That's always fun!" He stood by the door and let his head turn 180Ā° degrees, just like the Exorcist girl, and waved "Bye Janie! Always a great time talking to you!"
He closed the door behind him and left Janus alone in his room with his thoughts. He hated how right Remus was, he couldn't let this situation carry out for much longer. Sooner or later, Logan and him would need to have a conversation about what happened. He could lie about it, of course. He was a professional in that field. But did he want to? Maybe things could work out for the better. Or maybe everything would go wrong. Once again, he hated his "gift" and everything it entailed. He hated how much he felt like he was invading Logan's privacy and how he let this whole situation get so far. He didn't like that he was starting to feel hopeful.
Janus made up his mind. Perhaps he still wasn't ready to confront Logan, but if Logan confronted him, perhaps it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to take off one of the many metaphorical layers he built throughout the years. Perhaps.
~~*~~
It took a few days. After Remus' visit, Janus had expected Logan to make a move soon but instead he was barely seen by anyone for a while. He came in the mornings to grab coffee and a light breakfast before disappearing, citing that he had research to do. Despite growing worried, Janus stuck to his guns and stayed away.
Then the letter appeared.
It was a late afternoon when someone knocked on Janus' door. He called out asking who it was but didn't get an answer. When he went to the door to check, he found an indigo envelope on the ground instead. He hesitated for a moment before picking it up and taking it inside.
The contents were simple and to the point, very much like Logan. He was asking Janus to come by his room for a talk and while he wasn't enthusiastic about it, Janus remembered his talk with Remus and steeled himself. He should at least hear him out. He owed him that much.
Janus took some time to gather his thoughts before heading out, rising up in front of Logan's room and knocking before he could talk himself out of it. Logan took mere seconds to open the door.
"Janus. I am glad to see you, please come in."
"It's good to see you as well." There was an awkward tension between them but Janus figured that was simply natural considering the situation. Even while his entire body was screaming at him to get away from there and just ignore the problem like he tended to do, he walked past Logan into the room and took a seat on his desk chair, turning it to face the room and in turn, Logan.
"Thank you for coming," Logan said as he closed the door. "I was unsure what to do if you had not. Well, to be honest, I wasn't sure what to do at all since you started avoiding me. I did not understand why you suddenly changed your attitude toward me so drastically. It hurt not getting any explanation either."
Janus flinched. He had pretty much ignored how all of this would affect Logan, hadn't he? Maybe Virgil was right in thinking that he was selfishā¦
"I went to talk to Remus because I simply couldn't think of anything else to do," Logan continued. "And while he did not give me clear answers either, at least he gave me a direction to go off of: Your avoidance of touch. So, I spent the last few days researching why you might want to limit physical contact but I am ashamed to admit that I did not come to a concrete conclusion. There are certain phobias that could be the cause, or other anxieties, though for the most part I considered touch starvation. However, Remus saying that it was not an obvious answer gave me pause. I began wondering if this is related to our metaphysical existence. Since there are no studies on beings such as us, I found it unnecessary to do further research and decided it would be better to simply ask you to speak with me directly."
Logan had paced before Janus during his explanation, clearly in need to get some nervous energy out. Janus didn't dare interrupt, he simply sat and let the words wash over him. It was sweet that Logan went through so much effort to understand him, even if it didn't end up bearing fruit, but Janus really shouldn't have made him worry so much in the first place.
He stopped his self-deprecating spiral when Logan's feet appeared in his vision. When had he started staring at the floor?
"I also thought a lot about what I wanted to get out of this conversation," Logan confessed. Janus looked up to find him fiddling with his tie nervously. "I realized that while I would like to know what exactly happened that evening that made you want to avoid me, I value your comfort more. So if you do not wish to tell me anything, I am also willing to accept that. I simply hope that we can return to how our relationship was before. I quite enjoy spending time with you and I'd hate to miss it."
"Logan, Iā" Janus cut himself off, unsure of what to say. He really appreciated Logan's dedication and he knows he could trust him with his secret, but stillā¦ He'd avoided the topic for so long, was he really ready to talk about it?
His hesitance must've shown on his face because Logan spoke up again.
"You do not have to make a decision now, Janus. I am willing to wait however long you need to gather your thoughts." His hand reached forward to where Janus' hands were tightly clasped together on his lap, as if to comfort him but holding himself back knowing it could cross a boundary.
How could Janus ever deserve him?
"I'm an empath!"
ā¦Janus had not meant to say that. He stared wide-eyed at Logan who stared back at him just as surprised, though it soon morphed to confusion, because of course Logan wouldn't know what an empath was.
And despite every part of his brain protesting the notion, demanding him to get out of there and to safety ā not that Logan could ever be unsafe to him ā Janus let his mouth talk, explaining his powers to Logan, how he discovered them as a child and how he had avoided touch as much as possible since. By the end he was shaking with the effort to keep his hands from slapping over his mouth to stop himself from talking.
"I believe I understand," Logan hummed once Janus stopped. "How very fascinating! Do you know how you establish that emotional link to the other person? Since it requires physical touch, skin to skin to be precise, is there a conduit on your skin that connect to the otherā" He stopped himself. "I apologize if I am being too forward, I simply am curious to know the intricacies of the process but I do not wish to overstep any boundaries. No need for you to give me further information."
"I wouldn't answer any questions I didn't want to, Logan, you know that. I'm kind of relieved that you're taking this so well, I worried you'd be disgusted with me or something." He said it with a laugh to appear nonchalant, but Logan's expression only spoke of confusion once again.
"Why would I be?"
"Huh?"
"Why would I be disgusted by you? You are not at fault for the powers you manifest and besides that, there is nothing unpleasant about it in my eyes."
"You should find it unpleasant," Janus huffed, avoiding eye contact.
"Why?"
"Because it's a blatant invasion of privacy! I get a look into your most private thoughts basically without any consent! Everything you want to hide, repress, keep to yourself is open to me without any filter! I hate it. I wouldn't want anyone in my head like that."
Logan was quiet for a long moment. Longer than Janus was comfortable with, to be honest. When he looked up to see what Logan could be thinking, he found his expression blank.
"ā¦Logan?" he dared to ask after a few more seconds of silence.
"I had not yet considered what you had experienced during our short moment of contact," he confessed. Though he raised his hand to hide it, Janus could see the red creeping onto his face.
He must've realized.
"I'm so sorry, Logan, I really didn't mean toā"
Janus was stopped by Logan raising his hand.
"Please do not apologize. I am honestly relieved that you found out like that because I was very much struggling with how I could possibly put my feelings for you into words. I considered writing some poetry but even then I was at a loss of how to express myself. You have made my life quite a bit easier. Would you like to go on a date with me?"
Way too sudden!! Janus.exe did not handle the sudden change in topic well.
"Iā Whaā You don'tā Ummā¦ IāIā" he spluttered, trying to get his thought process back under control. When that didn't seem to work, he simply shut his mouth, once again avoiding eye contact.
"I apologize," Logan said, sheepishly. "I thought based on prior interaction that you might be interested in me romantically as well, but if that is not the case and you would prefer I stay away from you from now on, then I will of course respect your decisionā"
"NO!" Janus interrupted frantically. "That's not what Iā I just thought you shouldn'tā I'm noā" He cleared his throat, trying to get his racing heart under control. After two deep breaths, he started again. "I was just surprised. I thought that maybe the last few days might've changed something. But I would like to go on a date sometime."
Janus could feel the blood gathering in his face, the blush clearly evident to Logan, but he refused to avoid eye contact again. Not in this moment. Not when Logan smiled so brilliantly.
"I am happy to hear that, thank you, Janus! And if you would like help with studying your powers more, then I am happy to help you. I would enjoy it if I could hold your hand someday."
Janus had no idea how Logan could say such cheesy things with a straight face but he hardly cared.
Somehow this horrible situation had lead to the best possible outcome.
Written with @naminethewriter for @ghostkittypog as part of TSS Camp and Coffee's Camp Cartoon - Dynamic Duos @tss-camp-and-coffee
I had a great time writing this! I hope you enjoy, and I'd also like to thank Nici for being a great cowriter!
Summary: Janus and Remus are not from this Earth. They have a mission: assimilate and gather information. So far they got jobs, an apartment, and even befriended their neighbors. So far, the invasion has been going well. What could possibly go wrong?
Warnings: None
Relationships: Dukeceit, LAMP
Word count: 7348
Read it on ao3 here!
Janus woke up that day, as most days, with the entirety of Remusās body on top of him, pretty sure they were not like this when they fell asleep. Adapting to the human sleep schedule was hard at first, but now he had to admit he had grown to like it. Their species didnāt require rest like that, they could easily recharge their energy throughout the day through a very quick process they could even do with their eyes open, like a smartphone with an extremely quick charger. But sleeping was actually quite nice. And he ended up finding out thereās not much to do from 10pm to 6am anyway, since most humans were sleeping, so it ended up being beneficial to them as well.
āCāmon Remus, itās time to wake up. We have jobs here that require us,ā Janus said loudly as he pushed Remus away from him, resulting in groans.
āAw Jannie, please, letās not work today. What could possibly go wrong?ā Remus complained, not wanting to move.
āOh yeah, nothing too bad indeed. Just that we get fired and donāt get other jobs, we lose the ability to assimilate and fail at our actual job of gathering information on Earth and possibly get killed. Youāre right, nothing bad.ā Janus rolled his eyes as he answered, already up and getting ready for his position in the local library.
Remus let out another groan in response but started moving. As he got up, he noticed Janus still hadnāt shifted to the human form he had chosen for himself and still wasnāt completely dressed. Surreptitiously, he came up behind Janus, tackled him to the floor, which got him a loud āOWā as a response, and started giving many little kisses and randomly licking around Janusās naked shoulders.
āEw! Gross! Stop it, I donāt even like you like that,ā Janus said in affectionate annoyance, pushing Remus away from him for the second time that day. Before getting up completely, Remus still reached and bit Janus in his favorite spot: the little nook on his right shoulder, above the collarbone, where itās almost the neck but itās still definitely the shoulder. It reinforced the mark that was always there and never disappeared, even after Janus shapeshifted. His clothes usually covered it, so it didnāt raise suspicion. Where they're from, this type of biting is reserved for showing a deep and special type of relationship you have with someone else.
They finished getting ready and were heading out of their apartment when Janus suddenly stopped them and turned to Remus.
āBefore we leave, you do remember our primary directives, right?ā
āYeah, yeah, assimilate, gather information, not reveal ourselves as aliens, whatever. Letās go, I have plans for today,ā Remus answered with a devious tone.
āPlease, just donāt do anything stupid.ā
āCāmon Janus, you know Iād never do anything not stupid,ā he joked.
āGreat, you make me feel so secure. I trust you so very much.ā Janus used his utmost sarcastic voice there, but after this many months together on Earth both of them deep down knew their mission wasnāt truly at risk.
Another thing Janus had grown to like was his job at the local library, and it was mostly because of the quiet. Earth was a noisy place, living in an apartment complex was noisy and he lived with Remus, so definitely noisy. All of those things were necessary parts of a bigger plan, but he missed the peace and quiet. His official position was as a librarian, which he later found out was a job that did require certification and he of course didn't have it. Both him and Remus got their jobs by Remus using his powers to convince the employers to hire them. So anything like previous experiences or qualifications weren't an issue. And, in an usual day, Janus got by just fine. Not a lot of people visited there, and the ones that did were regulars who never required any help. So he spent most of his work days reading and gathering information. He'd start by reading some newspapers, to get familiarized with current events (even the ones he didn't understand) and not stick out in conversations. Then he'd mostly spend the rest of the time reading about history and anthropology, to gather as much information as possible. If there was someone that helped him out sometimes, it was Logan.
Logan was one of his neighbors that he'd grown close to. Contact with humans was supposed to be merely to have them as objects of study, which is why they chose to live in an apartment complex in the first place, but even Janus had begrudgingly admitted that Logan, and the entire polycule he was a part of, had become his friend. At first, Janus only saw him as useful for his research, since Logan tended to do often what humans called "infodumping", but his overall grounded demeanor provided a lot of comfort. Moreover, once they got closer, Janus could start to notice that he did care a lot about the others ā Roman, Patton and Virgil ā but also about him and Remus too, which he vastly appreciated. He had also learned Logan adhered very strictly to routines and was quite methodical, which reminded Janus that Logan's weekly visit to the library was about to happen.
"Hello, Patton. Fancy seeing you here, usually it's Logan that comes by this time."
"Oh yeah, he always comes at this time, I know, but today he had to go to jury duty. Can you believe that?"
Oh no. Janus definitely did not know what jury duty was, but Patton said it so naturally he figured it'd be weird to ask what it was, and he couldn't risk getting his cover blown. He made a mental note to research that later, but for now he'd just have to move on with the conversation.
"I can't believe that, Patton. You must be lying to me." Janus was very thankful sarcasm was also very common on Earth, so his response got a chuckle out of the other.
"Yeah, but the case doesn't seem too serious, so he won't have to be sequestered at least." Janus also made the note to look up the definition of "sequestered" in jury duty, because the one he was used to seemed way too severe for the context. "Anyway, he asked me to bring the book he borrowed last week to you and gave me the name of the next one he wants. Can you help me with that, or are you fully booked?"
"Ha. Ha. Ha. That was a funny one. Don't worry, I can help you."
As he lead the way to the astrophysics section, he couldn't help but let a little smile out at the pun. Patton really was a nice guy, in different ways that Logan was. Out of all the neighbors, he was the first one to greet Janus and Remus very enthusiastically, said he "needed to make them feel welcomed", and he was the one that introduced them to basically everyone else they knew. Apparently he was the one that suggested that his apartment should be connected internally to Logan's, Roman's and Virgil's. He was big on displays of affection and expressing his gratitude towards everyone.
They got to the correct shelf they were looking for and Janus put the book Patton had brought with him in its place and easily found the one Logan was looking for. Logan's weekly visits were the things that helped him get around the library, he inadvertently taught him to find the astrophysics section and how to look for the books on the shelf.
"Here you go, Patton, is there anything else I can be of assistance with?"
"Actually yes, if you don't mind me booking you for a little longer." Patton chuckled again, but Janus wasn't sure he liked where that was going. "Since I was going to the library I asked Roman and Virgil if they needed anything, and Roman asked me if I could get the book version of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, since he is auditioning for the stage version of that book. See, I don't know how they're going to make a stage version of that book, I think the makeup and special effects must be really complicated, but I didn't want to bother Roman for too long so I said I'd get it for him. Virgil said he didn't want anything but I felt bad coming home with stuff just for Roman and Logan and nothing for him so I decided I could bring something from Edgar Allan Poe since he always liked those dark themes." He took a deep breath, as if he spoke that whole thing in one breath. Patton did that a lot. "So if you could please, with a cherry on top, take me to the classic literature section so I can get those books for them I'd really appreciate it."
Janus agreed and started leading the way, but inside he was freaking out, because he definitely did not know where the classic literature section was. He only hung around the history, anthropology and astrophysics section. Of course he wouldn't let Patton know that, and he knew how to turn things out, so he eventually got them there. He got lost a couple of times and did one too many unnecessary turns, but if Patton noticed, he didn't mention it.
He got the books needed and led them back to the front desk to check them out. Patton put them in his bag and as he walked to the door, he suddenly turned and hugged Janus unexpectedly.
As for the rest of the day, Janus decided to research on the whole jury duty thing. There weren't many books on the matter, so he decided to use one of the library's computer to do his research. Technically, those were for visitors, not employees, so Janus shapeshifted to someone else so he wouldn't get caught. What's a little bit of deceit anyway? By the end of the day, he was buzzing with information, and couldn't wait to get home and tell Remus about the new stuff he found out.
"Is this about the Remus Special? Did you finally accept my request to allow me to put some of the dirt that's on the floor as one of the ingredients? Please, Remy!" He asked, with an odd glow in his eyes
"What? No." Remy rolled his eyes at the question but didn't seem to mind the unusual nature of it. "Girl, I was just calling you here because I wanted to congratulate you on your work recently. I don't know what kind of magic you have but the amount of complaints we've been getting has been decreasing at an impressive rate. So whatever it is it's working. Keep it up." He congratulated him in a very unimpressed tone.
"Thanks, I guess I just have a way of charming people" Remus answered with the tone of voice that Patton once described as "a little unsettling".
"Now, go back to work, please. There's a line."
As Remus made his way back, he contemplated on how boring this job would be without his mind powers. No fun making drinks, no convincing customers that yes, of course they ordered that and obviously Remus didn't mess it up on purpose because they looked like dicks. No Remus special either. Just boredom and annoyances. As his colleague was out on their break, he was responsible for taking the orders and making the drinks. He wasn't in the mood to talk to them so he didn't even bother telling them about the ingredients they ran out of, he decided to just make the substitutions himself. Not without checking their dietary restrictions first of course, which was a requirement Janus made so he wouldn't actually put people in danger and attract too much attention (but Remus thought it took the fun out of the thing).
Only when it was Patton's time to order he noticed he was there the whole time.
"Patsy! I didn't see you there, otherwise I would have told everyone else to fuck off so I could serve you!"
"Hi Remus! Don't worry about it, no skim off my back! I wouldn't have accepted it anyway, it wouldn't have been fair."
"Ugh, you're no fun! Almost thought I was talking to Logan for a second. Anyway, my dear Pattycake, what can I get for you?"
"Umā¦ today I think I'll just have the hot chocolate with whipped cream and some sprinkles please."
"Uh oh, I'm sorry. We ran out of whipped cream." While at first it was hard for him and Patton to see eye to eye, now he considered him one of his friends. And he usually tried to tone down the mind powers usage on his friends, unless it was to do something really funny.
He finished his order and sat in one of the tables. As Remus was making his drink, he noticed Patton started engaging in conversation with another customer. He was indeed quite friendly, and he always asked everyone how they were and how they liked the place. Remus swears Remy didn't need a satisfaction survey, he could just ask Patton what people thought and he'd for sure be able to give the general public's opinion.
As he served Patton his hot chocolate, he noticed there wasn't a line anymore.
"Hey Patty Daddy, there are no customers here right now, shall we spill some tea?" It wasn't uncommon for them to just chat a little bit when there weren't many clients around, and Remus learned the expression "spill the tea" when Patton once asked him to do it and he took it quite literally.
"Aw Remus, unfortunately I'm running a bit latte today. I'm running some of Logan's errands since he's out today. Otherwise I'd really stay!"
"C'mon, just for a little bit. Our chats are soā¦ riveting."
"I'm flattered but I really have to go, you know I'd talk your ears off if I stayed!"
"Don't worry about that, I can rip out that guy's ears if you want me to."
Patton looked at him with a slight look of concern after that answer, but then let out a laugh that still wasn't quite at ease.
"Oh Remus, you are really funny. You know, at first I just thought you were really unsettling, but now after getting to know you better, I think we make quite a nice blend!" Patton chuckled "You know, like coffee blend?"
Remus just stared back, not blinking but smiling a little creepily.
"Well, I'm going now. Bye Remus!" Patton said as he left. Remus noticed he skipped around when he reached the street.
The rest of the shift went just as any other day. When Janus suggested to him that he got some sort of service industry job, it was under the premises that he'd be able to understand humans better in practice, while Janus studying in the library would understand them in theory. If he was being honest, Remus thought that the most he learned was how much he could get under a human's skin before setting them off completely. Which, in a way, was useful for their mission. In his eyes, the invasion plan was going quite well.
When their shifts aligned ā and they did most of the time, Remus made sure of that ā they went home together. Janus' shift ended about half an hour before Remus' did, so he came over and got a drink while waiting for his roommate to finish cleaning and locking up.
On the way back to their flat they then discussed their day, what they learned, what people they met and so on and so forth. Sometimes they stopped by a grocery store, but not this day. Janus had already planned what he was going to make for dinner and gotten the ingredients in advance.
Nothing was out of the ordinary when they entered their apartment either. Remus was in the middle of telling Janus about a particularly annoying customer who insisted that he needed a specific brand of almond milk they didn't carry and refused to believe Remus when he said they didn't have it.
"In the end I just made him get a pastry and a black coffee, serves him right. Would've spit in it too if there wasn't a line and Remy right behind me. I don't get humans and their weirdly specific diet. Why the fuck does it matter what brand name is on the box, the inside is basically always the same, right?"
"I have no idea, Remus," Janus shrugged as he took off his coat and placed it on the designated hanger. "Their manufacturing is so complex, I have no idea what is the same and what isn't. I mean, they have different names on the boxes but turns out both brands are from the same company and so the product is the same and in the end you're just basically paying extra for a different name on the box. It's ridiculous."
"It is! It's also so fascinating! Humans are so strange, it's entertaining! Honestly, I thought this job would suck total ass but it's been kinda fun overall! I like Earth," Remus confessed as he unlaced his combat boots. Janus froze as he was about to place his shoes on the rack.
"Look, Re, I like it, too. It's a pleasant first assignment for sure. But we have no idea how long we'll stay here. We could be reassigned any moment."
Janus sighed, finally placing his shoes down and patting Remus on the head.
"I get it, Octi, but it's not up to us. Don't get attached."
"Like you're any better," Remus snorted, getting up from the ground and kicking his shoes into a corner. Janus rolled his eyes but didn't reprimand or clean up after him. Instead, he followed Remus to their living room, walking past the kitchen where he failed to notice a certain someone standing perfectly still.
"I am perfectly professional, thank you very much!" Janus huffed. "Anyway, you need to be more careful about using your ability willy-nilly, all just to mess with people. Someone's gonna find it odd that all the people arguing with you just chill out from one second to another."
"What?! Nobody gives a shit! Nobody gives a shit when you 'disappear' during work and suddenly there's a new patron at the computer!"
"I made sure to tell someone I was taking my break!" Janus hissed before taking a deep breath to calm down. "Not the point I was trying to make. Just be more careful not to blow our cover, okay?"
"Well, then maybe we shouldn't discuss all of this with Patton right there in our kitchen!" Remus defended. Janus' jaw fell open.
"With who where?" he asked, quietly.
"You didn't notice?"
Without another word, Janus turned around and with a few, quick steps, he was at the kitchen door, only to truly find Patton standing there hunched over a half-closed drawer where Remus and him kept their containers. Janus just stared at him, watching as Patton slowly turned his head to look at him with a sheepish smile.
"Welcome home?" he said with a nervous laugh while straightening up.
"Patton," Janus practically squeaked before clearing his throat and trying to regain his composure. "What gives us the honor of your visit?"
"Weeeeeellā¦ I really just wanted to come by and return the containers you lent us last time? But you weren't home and I didn't want to bother you any later, so I just thought I'd let myself in real quick and put them back! I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I just kind of panicked, sorry about that."
Right, Janus had forgotten that they'd given their spare key to the polycule for emergencies and in turn accepted a spare of their apartment as well. He should consider incorporating a perimeter check into his coming home routine from now on, it seemed. If it wasn't already to late for that.
"So how much did ya hear?" Remus asked, appearing behind Janus in the doorway.
"The place isn't that big, soā¦ everything since you came in? I'm so sorry!" Patton apologized, his hands tightly knitted together in front of him. "I swear I didn't mean to! We all wanted to respect your boundaries and not bring it up until you were ready to talk about it and I screwed it up for you, I can't say sorry enough."
Janus felt like he was back on that first, old and shaky ship that had taken him off of his home planet and towards an unknown future. What the hell was Patton talking about?!
"Ready to talk about what exactly?"
"About you being aliens? We figured it was like coming out of the closet or something and that we should let you decide when you felt comfortable talking to us about it."
"We?" Remus asked.
"Logan, Roman, Virgil and I."
"You all knew? How?!" Janus was absolutely baffled by this turn of events. Everything had been going so well, he had been so careful, how had their neighbors figured them out?!
"Oh, Janus." The note of pity in Patton's tone made him almost want to throw up. "I know you tried real hard to keep it hidden but I've worked in costumer service for a while and the way Remus gets people to just accept the changes to their orders is not natural. And earlier when you were leading me through the library and didn't know where to go? Your scales were just barely showing on your neck. It's not the first time I've seen them, so I'm sure no one would notice if they weren't looking for them, though!"
Patton was trying to reassure them. Patton was trying to reassure them that their mess-ups were not that bad. That it wasn't a big deal that they had just been exposed! That their first real mission was a complete failure!
"Look, I'm sorry I sprung this on you, that was really not my intention at all," Patton said in the most apologetic tone Janus had ever heard after both Remus and him failed to react. "How about I leave you two alone to process and you come over later for dinner and then all six of us can talk it out, okay? I promise none of us hold anything against you, we all had to come out to our families at some point and it was not easy. Food should be ready at around 8pm, okay?"
Patton slowly walked over to them, as if they were wild animals he didn't want to spook and moved passed them into the hallway.
"See you later, I hope!"
Janus managed to give a small nod before he watched Patton slipping out of their apartment. When the door clicked shut, his knees gave out from under him. Remus was quick to react, catching him before he could fall and picking him up. He carried him to the living room and set him on their couch before he left for a short moment to grab a glass of water.
"There you go, snakey. Just breathe, it's gonna be fine."
"Fine?! Nothing is fine, Remus! Patton knows, his boyfriends know, our cover's been blown!" Janus hissed, angrily gripping the glass in his hand and gesturing around with it. "We are done for if they find out about this!"
"They don't have to find out though."
"What the hell do you suggest we do to prevent them from finding out then?"
Remus sat down on the couch next to Janus and grabbed his hands, stopping him from accidentally smashing the glass.
"We go to dinner. We listen to them, get them to tell us what and how they figured it all out and then I can erase their memories."
Janus raised an eyebrow. "You can do that?"
"In theory."
A dry laugh escaped Janus and he let himself sink into the cushions.
"So you can't."
"I can," Remus insisted. "It's tricky and I haven't done it a lot but I can do it, promise!"
Janus pulled his hands from Remus' and put the glass aside before catching his roommates hands again.
"I'll trust you, Re. After all, what other choice do I have?"
Janus was standing in front of the polycule's apartment with Remus, but he didn't want to knock. He agreed to dinner, agreed with Remus's plan, but it didn't mean he was looking forward to it. He still couldn't believe the situation they were facing, but there was nothing else to be done.
Unsure if by coincidence or if by his partner's influence, Patton opened the door before either of them had the chance to knock.
"Hey guys!" He hugged the both of them excitedly and had a lot of care in his voice "I'm truly happy you guys came. The lasagna is basically ready, I was waiting for you to take it out of the oven. Make yourselves at home while I set everything up!"
They made their way inside, admiring how, even though their apartments were the same structure wise, they couldn't be more different inside. Janus was pretty sure the interior design was mainly Patton's and Roman's doing, with the beautiful decorations, furniture and wall paintings coming from the latter and the abundance of framed pictures and memorabilia owed to the former. His home with Remus, however, was still quite empty. They had essential furniture and appliances, sure, but in comparison to where they were, theirs seemed so bare. After a few visits to the polycule's unit and learning what decorations were for, Remus told Janus he wanted some too, but Janus thought it wasn't a great idea, as to not get too attached to Earth. Look at us now, he thought.
They reached the living room and saw Virgil sitting on the couch, next to Roman, who had his arm around him. Logan was sitting in an armchair, wearing a dark suit with a blue tie, writing something in a little notebook but looking very tired. Virgil noticed their arrival and waved quietly with a casual nod, Roman let out a loud "Huzzah!" and Logan didn't even acknowledge them.
"Janus and Remus! Glad to have you join us for our dinner tonight!" Roman exclaimed, with his usual loud and dramatic voice. "So, how are our favorite aliens going?"
"Dude!" Virgil interjected, slightly nudging him with his elbow but trying to keep a low voice. "We're supposed to let them speak about it first!"
"What? I know I'm an actor, but I'm done with theatricalities! Let's cut to the chase!" Roman uttered with his typical Roman intensity.
"Let's have dinner!" Patton called from the dining table, making Janus relieved he could pause that conversation momentarily, even if just to eat some bites of lasagna. That call was what made Logan snap back into reality and finally noticed Janus and Remus there.
"Salutations, Janus and Remus. I apologize for the unusual aloofness, I am just quite tired from my exhausting experience on jury duty. Don't worry, Janus, I can tell you everything about it later." With that last sentence, Janus almost felt like Logan read his mind. But of course he didn't, humans don't have telepathic powers (at least as far as he's concerned).
They all sat around the table and took turns serving themselves, and while that happened the topic of conversation shifted to something else that Janus was not paying attention to, still nervous about coming clean. But there was no going back at that point.
"Okay!" He said, a little louder than most of the conversations going on, in order to call the attention of all the others. "So, Remus and I are not from Earth, and all of you know this, as I've been made aware by Patton earlier today. May I ask what made you all find out?"
Virgil was the first to say something.
"Okay, so, I'm not proud to admit it, but as you know I am an anxious person. And, for some reason you two sounded alarms inside my brain and I kept thinking 'there's something off with these guys'" he sheepishly admitted "And so I got a little paranoid. I started being hyper attentive to whatever you said or did and I kept trying to sort out the puzzles pieces in my mind to find out what was wrong. I believe I was the first one out of us to notice your scales, Janus. And then 'aliens' was the thing that made the most sense."
Janus felt even more exposed than he was already after that answer, although Remus didn't look bothered. He seemed rather intrigued, actually.
"Ooh, this is so enticing!" Remus said "So you just kept staring and noticing us all the time until you figured out? Freak yourself out until you made out the truth? That's flattering, Virge. Kind of hot even."
Virgil blushed and hid his face inside his hoodie, letting out a very loud "UGH". Remus seemed pleased with the effect he had on him, and Logan was the next one to speak.
"My story with it is not that different from Virgil's, although it stemmed from an investigative urge rather than paranoia. I also noticed that you two sometimes displayed behaviors and said things that wereā¦ unusual, to say the least." He adjusted his tie and took a breath before continuing. "I never got a bad feeling like Virgil, I just got really curious. You moved here and found a new job quite quickly. Never seemed to have a lot of personal belongings, and when we asked about your backstory your answers were always soā¦ regular and not revealing. I needed to investigate further. See, it wasn't easy to reach the alien conclusion, but one time in one of Remus's seemingly random outbursts, he mentioned very briefly a satellite that isn't known here in Earth by people who aren't actively studying astrophysics.
"Well, that sent me into what some would call a 'rabbit hole'. I imagine you two might be concerned over your cover, but you don't need to worry about that. It required a great deal of research for me to get to this conclusion, and I still wasn't 100% sure until we had the collective talk about it one day. Life on other planets is still something not universally agreed upon here on Earth so I wouldn't count on anyone else figuring it out, even if they are scientists. Here, take a look at some notes from my notebook."
Janus was speechless as him and Remus flipped through his notes. Maybe Logan really was a genius. There were a lot of astute observations in there, and even if it wasn't all correct, it was extremely impressive that Logan figured out all of that on his own, without ever leaving the planet himself. His approximation of the location of Janus and Remus's home galaxy was almost perfect.
"Logan, this is genuinely amazing. We ā" Janus was about to say "we can talk later about the more exact details if you want" when he decided against it. He wasn't sure there would be a later for them yet. "Well, this is great."
"And what about you Roman? What crazy story you have to tell us about how you found out?" Remus asked
"Oh, it's not a crazy story at all. Very uninteresting if you ask me. We can pass my turn, don't worry!" Suddenly, something shifted on his face. "Well, I can tell since you're insisting."
Janus immediately understood what had just happened and slightly elbowed Remus in disapproval. They had talked about this, he should avoid using his powers on friends. But Remus really wanted to know what was going on, secrets were no fun!
"I found out the day we had a household meeting to discuss 'the situation with our new neighbors' and these three started talking about you being aliens. To be entirely fair, it didn't even cross my mind before then. I know a lot of weirdos that were definitely born on Earth! I mean, even us, we are a bunch of characters," Roman blurted out. Remus and Janus laughed at the confession, and no one questioned his last sentence.
"Still, I was the one that suggested that we didn't say anything to you before you talked to us. I guess Patton accidentally changed our plans, but my unrivaled sensitivity and social awareness were the ones behind being civil!" Roman exclaimed, as if narrating a heroic deed. "And I guess it all lead to this point. Do you want to say anything?" He looked at both Janus and Remus, waiting for an answer.
"I have another question. How long has it been since you figured us out?" Janus asked
"Well, the household meeting Roman mentioned was something that I organized after Logan and I had a very quick chat about the topic, once we realized we both had noticed the oddities" Patton explained "And that was aboutā¦ four months ago? Maybe?"
"It was three months and seventeen days ago, to be precise" Logan added.
They looked at each other. So it was answered, all of them knew they were aliens for a while, and knew superficially about their special abilities. They didn't know about their mission and the reason they were there. And now, Janus and Remus had to make a decision: what else would they say? And would Remus erase their memories after?
"Firstly, I must say that the lasagna was delicious, Patton. Thank you very much for this meal," Janus said, and Patton nodded and smiled widely. "I can't speak for Remus, but I know I can say the best meals I've had were here on Earth, specially made by you. I am sure there are more things you want to know about us. Where we come from, why we are here and what else can we do. But I am still unsure how much we can share with you right now. Right, Remus?"
"Well, what I can say is that I am having the time of my fucking life here on Earth and I definitely don't want to go back to where we came from. What? It's the truth" Remus replied when he saw Janus's disapproving glance. Turning to the others again, he added "Snakey over here doesn't want me to say that, but I mean it."
Janus definitely didn't want to start a discussion in front of them. And, if he was being honest (not that he usually was), he was still questioning everything he believed they should do, and if he was about to spiral, he wanted to do it in privacy.
"Well, dear friends, I'm glad we had this dinner. I believe Remus and I have some stuff to discuss in private. So I guess we must go now." He knew this wasn't where Patton and the others expected to go. They wanted answers for them too, surely, but Janus couldn't take it anymore. He started making his way out, with Remus following him, when he was suddenly interrupted.
"Wait! Before you go, there's something we wanted you both to have," Patton said, as he left the table and hurriedly made his way to the bedroom area. When he came back, he had a small package in his hands, and gave it to Remus. Janus approached him so they could open the small package ā a gift ā together.
It was a picture frame, with very beautiful small paintings decorating it, with the picture being a printed version of the first selfie they all took together. It was taken on the day Patton first invited them for dinner, and he insisted he should capture the moment. At that time, neither Remus nor Janus cared a lot for it. But now, seeing it in their hands, it was suddenly much more meaningful.
"So, just so you don't feel coy, this gift is something we were all planning on giving to you regardless of alien or not alien. We all thought you might want something to make your apartment less empty, but we noticed that Janus's skin isn't very well camouflaged in the picture so we held it until you felt comfortable to have this conversation with us. We don't know what is going to happen next, but I hope you can keep this forever to remember us," Patton explained, with his voice even quivering a little bit in the end.
"Forever might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I do share Patton's feelings. I don't think any of us intent on telling anyone else what we know. Even my research at the university is more focused on behaviors of another galaxy, not yours, so you don't need to worry about the word getting out on that end either. You can trust us," Logan added.
"Yeah, what they said! I'm a great actor, as you know, so I know very well how to keep a secret! Count on me too, definitely." And with his usual antics, Roman bowed before them, as if he truly believed he was a prince of some sort.
Virgil wasn't the most talkative out of all of them. While sometimes he let loose a little, that was not one of those moments. He seemed anxious and like he was looking for the right words.
"Justā¦ I know it's not up to me, but if it was, I'd say to please don't go away. I kind of like you and I kind of will miss you if you leave," he said, very quietly, as if he was embarrassed, but everyone heard.
With that, Patton pulled all of them into a big group hug, trying to hold back tears. As the embrace ended, he opened the door and let Janus and Remus leave, but not without reminding them they could always count on him, and on any of the others.
Janus and Remus made their way back to their apartment in total silence, still in awe with everything that just happened. Janus held the picture frame in his hands and couldn't keep his mind off of it until he sat down on their couch and Remus forced him to come back to reality.
"Jan, please, we need to stay here. Who cares about our mission?"
"We could get killed! Please, Octi, let's be reasonable. We didn't have a choice to come, it was our jobs as part of the Force. And now we have to do our jobs properly or the Leaders could come after us."
"Come on Jannie! Do you think they really care about us? We're on our first mission, we're nothing to them! They are trying to colonize half the universe, what is one planet less. You haven't even sent any of the monthly reports we're supposed to write to them and we've been here for many months now! You're also stalling because you're enjoying our time here! And they didn't even notice!"
"No, that's preposterous. I just wanted toā¦ gather a lot of information to be really thorough with the report," Janus lied. He knew Remus was right, but he was still scared of the repercussions. He wanted to do what was best for the both of them.
"Yawn. Boring. You can't lie to me Janus. Yeah, sure, you're taking months to write a single report because you don't want to miss a single detail. We're also sleeping together and I give you the signature bite because it enriches the mission too? You're all mushy inside seeing the gift we got because you just want to write a really good report?" Remus replied, defiantly.
"Fine, whatever, I also like Earth! And I like that we can spend so much time together just chilling! And I like those losers we call friends! Okay!" Janus finally admitted out loud. While his tone could be interpreted as "begrudgingly", he felt a weight coming off his shoulders.
"We need a new plan though. Yes, they haven't complained about our seeming disappearance, but only so far. What if they do?" Janus tried to come up with a plan "Well, maybe I can say I did write butā¦ all the space trash around Earth messed with our signal and the message never got to them!"
"Oooh, I like the idea. I'm always down to anything involving trash!" Remus seemed excited with the idea, already having the creepy glow in his eyes. "Maybe even the nerd could help us with that!"
"Yes, brilliant! And if anything ever comes to happen, then you can erase their memories and we try to make everything alright with the leaders," Janus concluded the plan.
"Sounds like a deal to me." Remus approached Janus, gave him a small kiss, licked his face and said, "Come on, let's rejoin our little humans. I guess we owe some explanations still."
Janus agreed, and they both made their way back to the polycule's apartment. They were received with a lot of hugs, excitement, curiosity, but most of all, happy feelings, happy that they were not going to part ways.
Many more months passed, and no reports were ever sent. Janus and Remus were fully adapted to their lives on Earth now, and they also got even closer with Patton, Logan and Roman. They kept their original jobs, they still had their fun and didn't see the need with trying to look for something new. Although the others kept their word, they really never shared their secret, Logan really wanted to know more about their origins, so occasionally they had study sessions where Janus and Remus would tell him about their planet of origin. They still tried to not go overboard with their powers, but Janus's shapeshifting ability came in handy a lot, specially when helping Roman rehearse and remember lines for his roles. Of course, Remus kept using his to survive his job at Remy's.
Everything was going so well, Remus never even needed to check if he actually could erase the other's memories. Maybe when he first suggested it to Janus he could, but now he was sure he couldn't. They had infiltrated their lives so well, they were now also inseparable, and they left traces of their existence everywhere. It would be very hard to erase all that, after they left their mark. But, he could definitely see it now ā albeit not in the same way they imagined at first ā the invasion was for sure a success.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 7/7
Fandom: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Logic | Logan Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman āPrinceyā Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus āThe Dukeā Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders
Characters: Logic | Logan Sanders, Morality | Patton Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus āThe Dukeā Sanders, Deceit | Janus Sanders, Creativity | Roman āPrinceyā Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, (Virgilās just mentioned. Heās a busy man.)
Additional Tags: logicality - Freeform, dukeceit, demus - Freeform, Prinxiety - Freeform, Background Prinxiety - Freeform, past relationships hinted at, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Road Trip, Fluff, nearly completely fluff, just a little brief angst, you knowā for a treat, Innuendo, Censored Swearing, logan and his lists, patton and his jokes, written for Camp Cartoon Dynamic Duos
Summary:
After months of research and list-making and planning, Logan and Patton are all set to embark on the most perfectly coordinated road trip the world has ever seen.
Of course, thatās not the road trip they actually end up on. Not at first, at least.
~
Written by @sleepy-nova-tea,Ā Calliope_505, and @edupunkn00bĀ for @moritzsexdream as part of TSS Camp and Coffeeās Camp Cartoon - Dynamic Duos. Special thanks to @typically-untypical for beta reading!
Thank you so much, Lola, for the delightful prompt! We hope you enjoy!!
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 7/7
Fandom: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Logic | Logan Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman āPrinceyā Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus āThe Dukeā Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders
Characters: Logic | Logan Sanders, Morality | Patton Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus āThe Dukeā Sanders, Deceit | Janus Sanders, Creativity | Roman āPrinceyā Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, (Virgilās just mentioned. Heās a busy man.)
Additional Tags: logicality - Freeform, dukeceit, demus - Freeform, Prinxiety - Freeform, Background Prinxiety - Freeform, past relationships hinted at, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Road Trip, Fluff, nearly completely fluff, just a little brief angst, you knowā for a treat, Innuendo, Censored Swearing, logan and his lists, patton and his jokes, written for Camp Cartoon Dynamic Duos
Summary:
After months of research and list-making and planning, Logan and Patton are all set to embark on the most perfectly coordinated road trip the world has ever seen.
Of course, thatās not the road trip they actually end up on. Not at first, at least.
~
Written by @sleepy-nova-tea,Ā Calliope_505, and @edupunkn00bĀ for @moritzsexdream as part of TSS Camp and Coffeeās Camp Cartoon - Dynamic Duos. Special thanks to @typically-untypical for beta reading!
Thank you so much, Lola, for the delightful prompt! We hope you enjoy!!
Heartwarming story: Little girl doesnāt have to do anything to fund her dadās surgery because his expenses are covered by his countryās universal healthcare.
Human determination: Man bikes 18 miles to work every morning because he wants to and not because he canāt afford a car and would be fired if heās late.
Spirit of Brotherhood: Neighbors host housewarming party for elderly resident who doesnāt need help in paying rent because his pension is more than enough.
SO INSPIRING: Local middle school students bake dozens of cupcakes because their home economics class is doing a baking unit. Their school is fully funded with everything they need.
I LOVE when Patton is a baker!!!!! Iām glad thatās such a popular interpretation of the character because it just suits him soooooooo well
I also LOVE when they make Patton actually intelligent. Like yes my guy may be cooky and quirky and overall really silly but letās not make him stupid. So I love when fics make him intelligent. I love when heās a doctor or a teacher/professor. One time I read a high school au where he was the second best student in the school behind only Logan and I fuck with that HEAVILY
When they make Patton an actual dad!!! Specially if his son is Virgil. How did he end up being a dad? Irrelevant, I love him as a dad especially when you can tell heās a really good dad.
I love when the physical description of Patton is different from what is considered the āfandom normā (skinny white blue eyes blonde etc. Except the round frames the round frames STAY). I love when Patton is chubby (he should always be chubby imo) or when he has a ādad bodā (I hate that term but idk how to describe it) or when he has dark hair!! Or when heās Latino!!!! Latino Patton get behind me
Also the many last names you can give to Patton related to his role in SaSi. Patton Hart to me is the GOAT and whoever came up with that should win the lottery. Patton Morales for Latino Patton is also absolute perfection.
Above all I just think itās very neat when writers actually understand Patton. So yeah go writers!!!
you donāt realize how important lunch is until youāre wandering around thinking about how unloveable and untalented and uniquely cursed you are and then itās 4pm and you finally eat lunch and you go Oh. oh right.
lot of people commenting on this post like "who eats lunch at 4pm that's a terrible time to eat lunch" yes. that is the point. 4pm lunch is inadvisable. 4pm lunch is not the ideal. 4pm lunch makes the mind demons real.
time loop with two people in it but one person refuses to acknowledge the loop and pretends to be looping with everyone else. meanwhile the other person is freaking out
There are multiple chapters that are set in hospitals where the characters are attempting to recover from injuries that never fully heal. I must once again stress that my experience in WWI was perfectly normal.
There is a giant horrible mudplain full of unrecoverable and perfectly preserved dead bodies that the characters have to walk through in a land where the air is poisoned gas, and on a compLETELY UNRELATED NOTE: WWI WAS TOTALLY FINE AND NORMAL!!
im so sorry but i feel like some of us are sleeping on the āwhy give me crowley, why make me feel complete and then take him away from meā line a bit too much cause aziraphale said that to god ?? in her face ??
an angel, whose purpose is to serve and devote themselves to god, who canāt love anything more than them. an angel saying that he feels complete not only by another being (which is already huge) but by a demon !!!
i canāt imagine a greater love confession, not from aziraphale, who always triedāeven forced himselfāto have faith in godās plan and intentions, to serve her blindly and to be on her side and her side only.
aziraphale, who barely dared to speak to her when asked, now standing his ground at the boundaries of a universe that already ceased to exist, with nothing left to lose, and nothing left to fight for. speaking up for himself, blaming god for his own misery, for creating someone so perfect for him but never letting him live that love openly and freely. they spent 6000 years dancing around each other, pretending they werenāt an us, because he couldnāt go against the ineffable plan, against his purpose as an angel, against god. meanwhile, god didnāt care at all.
and now here they are, god, satan, aziraphale and his other half, one step away from eternal nothingness, from complete and cruel erasure. and here he is, this angel who in his lordās face confesses his love and devotion to the one who actually inspired him, who showed him what pure kindness and selfless, unconditional and stubborn love really look like. not the almighty herself, but crowley. the best of godās angels according to aziraphale, and probably the one who was hurt the most by her.
crowley completes aziraphale, he makes him feel whole. and in the end, crowley is the one aziraphale chose
discoholicmusic
tangentwithtanner
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dailybridgerton
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origamiaround
