Summary: Logan checks on Remus before the party. Both their costumes aren't really what they want them to be.
Logan knocked on Remus’ door and called: “Are you ready, Cephy?” His answer was a long, drawn-out groan. Concerned, he entered the room. Remus stood in front of his giant, octopus shaped mirror. (Meaning it was round in the middle with tentacle-mirrors branching off to the side. It was stylish, not practical.) Instead of his usual outfit he was wearing something similar but in white and grass green. His hair had been brushed but was still tousled, his moustache was trimmed. Remus’ eyes met Logan in the mirror and he grimaced.
“It feels wrong.” Logan chuckled and joined him on the other side of the room, gently fixing his sash.
“I can see that. But it is just one night, you will survive it. I’m not a fan of this year’s group costume theme but Patton and Roman were very excited, so let us not ruin this for them.” Remus snorted.
“Janus must’ve been too since he didn’t even let us see his costume till tonight. Some boyfriend he is.” Logan gently caressed his cheek while giving him a smile.
“You know very well how competitive he can get. And since Roman practically challenged him to a costume contest it was safe to assume he would be as ‘fired up’ so to say.”
“Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“No, but you can support him by not confronting him about this tonight. We should talk through it sometime after, alright?”
“Ugh, fine!” Remus pulled Logan into a hug, burying his face in his locks. “Still, ‘side-swap’ is a stupid idea,” he grumbled, pressing a kiss to his boyfriend’s head.
“I cannot argue, though I disliked most of the themes that had been up for debate. But again, it is only one evening, we will be okay.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Remus pulled back and examined Logan more closely. “What about you, though? Shouldn’t you get changed?”
“I’m already in costume.” Logan’s idea for his dark-side-persona appeared to be simply wearing a darker tie (still blue and striped), slightly unkept hair and a button-up, black, instead of his polo shirt. Remus shook his head. “Is this not satisfactory?”
“Roman will complain if this is all you’ll do.” Logan furrowed his brows, looking over his ensemble in the mirror.
“What would you suggest then?” Remus grinned.
“First, gel your hair. Dark you would probably be stricter than more relaxed. Then I think swapping the colours of the tie and shirt, without the stripes. And lastly some make-up.” Logan seemed sceptical.
“Is that necessary?”
“Would you rather Roman force you to let him do it? Virgie, Jan-Jan and I all use some rather heavily, so it is kinda a trademark for a dark side,” Remus shrugged. Logan sighed but nodded.
“Very well, I’ll leave it up to you. But please nothing to extravagant. I want to be able to remove it this evening without much trouble and I’d rather not be running late for dinner.”
“You got it, starshine! I’ll take real good care of you.”
Word Count: 1341 - Rated G - Final Story in Overture - [ AO3 ] - Final Story in Overture
May Flowers Event Day 31 Prompt: Orange Rose for Friendship
Janus gets an unexpected visit from a friend. 🧡
There are preachers who kill
There are killers who preach
There are teachers who lie
There are liars who teach
Take your pick, dear
'Cause it's all a façade
If we're not one, but two
Are we evil or good?
- Jeckyll and Hyde, Façade
Janus was alone in the common room when he noticed the first orange rose petal. The color caught his eye and he bent to pick it up, turning it over in his gloved hand. Even through the material covering his fingers, he could tell the petal was fresh, still slightly springy and fragrant. Janus looked around him and noticed another petal on the third step. As Janus bent to retrieve that petal, he spotted another half-way up the staircase. Sighing heavily, he rolled his eyes and followed the trail all the way to the door of his room. A small smile peeking through his much-put-upon expression, Janus opened his door and quickly slid inside, closing and locking it behind him.
"Of course you know you couldn't simply knock like a normal being when you wish to visit me," Janus purred.
Janus felt more than saw the other's responding shrug in the dim light. He was sitting at the chess table, the board already set. He'd taken the white pieces for himself, of course. Janus could no longer hide his smile. Some things never change ...
Janus summoned a large, comfortable chair for himself and slowly sat, leaning back and letting one arm rest along the back in an exaggeratedly relaxed pose. Janus raised an eyebrow at the other's vibrant orange poet shirt and tight pants. "Over-dramatic much in that ensemble?"
"Says the snake man in the bowler hat, silk-lined capelet, and yellow spats." The other advanced his knight. "Glass houses, Janus ...," he murmured in a perfect mimicry of Janus' voice, a smile slowly spreading on his face. Janus narrowed his eyes. So he had been in the courtroom that day. Janus felt a flash of annoyance. The other's presence that day explained a great deal.
"It is merely an observation," Janus said smoothly, advancing his own knight and taking a moment to relish the small frown his unexpected move elicited from the other Side. "You typically prefer more functional attire. Less decorative and more -" he gazed pointedly at the large swathes of exposed skin on the other's chest and neck, "protective."
"Au contraire, mon frère.", the other murmured, moving a pawn to free his bishop. "These clothes will provide all the protection I'm going to need."
"I am not your brother, dear friend," Janus responded as he advanced a pawn, daring the other to capture it. He knew that if he could sufficiently antagonize the other, he was sure to take such easy bait. Janus ignored the second half of the other's statement, though, needing time to work through the riddle.
"Touché, touché," he said as he avoided Janus' pawn and moved one of his own pawns forward two spaces. "Speaking of," he sat back in his seat, watching Janus consider his next move. "How is frater meus feeling these days?"
Janus advanced his pawn again, threatening the other's knight. Then Janus leaned back in his own chair, as the other moved to protect his piece. "As you well know, he would be quick to insist that he doesn't fe-,"
Gripping the table on either side of the chess board so tightly that his fingertips whitened as they pressed into the surface, the other leaned forward, all teeth and sharp eyes. But his voice remained calm. "And that is why I am asking you and not him." He stared into Janus' eyes. "How is my brother feeling these days?"
Ignoring the question, Janus murmured, "You are asking me and not him because he doesn't even know you exist, does he?" He picked up a bishop and rolled it between gloved fingers before moving it across the board.
The other's eyes flashed a bright orange for a brief second. Janus's hands made fists and he closed his eyes, carefully counting out his breaths, grounding himself against the burning tightness that pounded inside his chest, roaring to be let out. Especially now that Janus was beginning to see the full extent to which the other had been involved in his recent failures, he refused to let himself be influenced in his own room. There had been enough of that the day of the Lee and Mary Lee's wedding. Gradually, the fire released him and Janus opened his eyes, easing his lips into a smile.
They sat in silence for a few minutes until the other finally spoke, bringing out his own bishop, "I know you are only trying to make me angry so that you can beat me at this game, Janus. Have you actually forgotten who holds those keys?" He watched Janus take his turn and then reached across the board, capturing Janus' newly exposed knight with a pawn. "That old ploy hasn't worked in years. What makes you think it would work today?"
Janus sighed, crossing his arms lightly in front of him. "I know that your concern for your brother has been making you sloppy. I've seen you in his room, more than once in the last week alone."
The other laughed, a rare, low rumble that Janus felt in his bones. "And what have you been doing in my little brother's room so often that you've perchanced to see me?" His grin grew at the flush growing on Janus' human-looking features. "Do I need to have a shovel talk with you?" The other's voice grew deeper, "And with Remus?"
Janus ignored the other's questions and their implications. "I also know that you and I have both observed a recurrence of the conditions which we thought we could prevent through ...," gesturing toward the other. Janus made a show of returning his attention to the game. He toyed with the idea of moving his bishop into the far quadrant of the board before reconsidering, steepling his fingers together as he stared at the remaining pieces. "And," Janus murmured as he castled his king, "I know that you were likely ... surprised that Roman's brother was introduced to Thomas before you."
"You mean you think that I was surprised when you released Remus before me?" The other Side stared until Janus bowed his head, granting the accuracy of the correction. "You make it sound like I resent dear Remus." The other crossed his arms and scowled. "His acceptance was justice at last. Who would I be if I begrudged him his righteous reward for silently carrying us through Roman's '0.5% for dreams' depressive episode?" He scoffed at Janus' stunned expression. "Oh, don't look so shocked. I pay attention."
"So you don't begrudge Remus his acceptance ...," Janus carefully watched the other Side's shifting expression. "You just want to know when it will be your turn."
He waved his hands magnanimously. "And who better to ask than you, dear Janus, the keeper of gates and secrets himself?"
Janus met his eyes, staring into the the indigo irises ringed in amber. "You know I want you to be able to join us. He needs you." Janus pressed his lips together before quietly adding, "We all do."
The other Side rolled his eyes and looked away. Swearing softly, Janus ripped off his gloves in an effort to emphasize his sincerity. "I know better than most what it's like to try to serve a vital function while locked away from the light." He held out both of his now-bare hands, palms up, in a show of humility and vulnerability he knew the other Side couldn't mistake. "I've known for longer than anyone else." Janus took a deep breath, feeling the tension in his chest - and the rest of the room - unwind as the other finally met his eyes again. "It will be soon, my friend, I promise you."
"If it is happening again, if ... if all of this, if everything we did was just a deferment and he's still doomed to ...," the other's voice trailed off as he dropped his head into his hands, tugging at his hair, unwilling to give words to his fears.
Janus moved closer to him, pulling his hands from his hair and gently holding them. "I will not let him be harmed."
"Do you really think Thomas is ready?"
Janus stared into the other's eyes. "We both know he's going to have to be."
---
The Overture is complete and the first movement will begin in the TS Storytime Big Bang fic, Do Us Any Harm.
"Character A: Are you sure this is safe? Character B: I sincerely doubt it, but hey, I’ve been surprised before" with Roman and Remus? Maybe in the Imagination and they're on an adventure together. All I can imagine is absolute chaos happening a few lines afterwards...
This ended up being really short- hope you enjoy anyway tho!
Pairings: Creativitwins + implied Intruloceit in the background
Warnings: Mentions of PAST injuries which include burns, being shot by arrows, stab wounds, and broken bones; lmk if I need to add anything else!
Masterpost
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"I know it's rich coming from me, but are you sure this is safe?"
Roman looked up from where he was tying a rope for a really, really old bridge. He tilted his head at his brother, then glanced back to the massive canyon that stretched on for miles. The bridge was definitely not very sturdy.
"I sincerely doubt it, but hey, I've been surprised before." Roman finished securing the bridge. "Why're you concerned, though? I'd figure you'd be itching to dance across this while it was still broken."
"Normally, yeah, but I promised Dee and Lo I'd come back without many injuries."
Roman laughed, grabbing his share of their things. "Really?"
"Apparently I gave them both heart attacks when I came back from our last adventure." Remus shrugged, stepping onto the rope bridge first. It creaked under his weight.
Roman remembered their last adventure well. The twins had gone to an abandoned castle to find one of King's lost treasures, were separated, and when they found one another again Remus had been hit by a dozen arrows, broken an arm, and was bleeding heavily from what appeared to be a stab wound.
Roman hadn't been too much better, having run into moving statues that were intent on killing him, plus he nearly fell into lava, and had to jump through flames to get to the other side to continue, burning any exposed skin at the time.
They still got the item, of course, but everyone was very worried when they returned, laughing in triumph through their pain.
"Well, let's hope we don't crash to the bottom of the canyon this time, then." That's also happened before.
Remus rolled his eyes, taking careful steps. "Comforting, Roman. Real comforting."
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