Two days late but here is the last story for @intrulogicalweek this year! Once again, it was lots of fun and I am amazed that I am still not tired of these dorks 🤠Anyway, I couldn't help myself and again sneacked in some Intruloceit, though Janus doesn't make an actual appearance. If you want more context for this story, read Sk8er Boi which I wrote for last years Dukeceit Week! It's a prequel to this but not a necessary read to understand this one. Hope you enjoy! 💙💚
“Hey Lo, I’m home!” Remus called as he closed the door to their apartment behind him.
“Welcome back!” his boyfriend answered from what was most likely the living room. Remus quickly took off his combat boots and leather jacket before hurrying to find him. He was indeed in the living room, typing something on his laptop. Remus came to a stop in front of him, bouncing on his feet quietly as he waited for Logan’s signal that he was done.
His boyfriend made an audible click on something, let his eyes dance across the screen once more and then nodded. With a grin, Remus plugged the laptop off his lap and put it on the coffee table before taking its place.
“Hello darling, did you miss me?” he purred as he straddled Logan’s lap.
“I did, Cephy,” his boyfriend chuckled. “I hope you had an enjoyable day.”
“I did! I did! It was very fun, we—”
“Before you start telling me about it – and I do want to hear it,” Logan softly interrupted him, “I have some news for you.”
Remus’ interest was immediately piqued. “What?!” He leaned closer, their noses almost touching.
“The first recording of your new album arrived today.”
With a delighted screech, Remus sprung up and clapped his hands. “Play it, play it, play it!”
“I thought you might say that,” Logan chuckled and grabbed a remote that sat next to him. With one button press, their stereo started playing the newest song of Remus’ rock band and with an excited wiggle, Logan was pulled up and into Remus’ arms.
“Let’s dance!”
They twirled around their living room, Remus holding Logan close to his chest and humming along to the melody. The dance didn’t fit with the music, but Logan was used to that. When Remus got excited, he liked to hold his loved ones close and his usual dance moves didn’t allow for that, so instead he just hugged Logan close and spun around a bit.
It was a tradition at this point with every new bit of music they produced.
“It’s a good album, Cephy. You outdid yourself again,” Logan praised, and Remus kissed him enthusiastically.
“Wasn’t just me! You and Virgil and Pat and Ro all did a lot, too!”
“Of course.”
For a moment they just enjoyed the music until Remus’ initial burst of energy dissipated a bit. He still held Logan close and swayed along to the rhythm but stopped with the spinning. Logan was grateful, he was starting to get dizzy.
“I’d love to hear about your day now,” he reminded, smiling up at Remus, whose expression brightened.
“Oh, it was great! Jannie and I had lots of fun chugging the golf balls as far as possible!”
“Aren’t the courses in a mini golf park rather, well, small? I cannot imagine you had to shoot them all that far.”
“We didn’t!”
With a fond sigh, Logan dropped the topic. He should have known that Remus wouldn’t play the game as intended.
“As long as you didn’t hurt anyone, I guess that is fine, too.”
“We didn’t hit anyone. The owner wasn’t all too pleased with us though,” Remus giggled.
“I can imagine.”
“Jannie said he enjoyed himself though. He also asked about you, you know.”
Logan stiffened slightly in Remus’ arms. “Did he now?”
Remus stopped their dance entirely and grabbed the remote to turn the music down, though he kept his boyfriend close.
“He did. He’d really like to get to know you, too.”
“I know. I would like that as well.”
“But?”
Oh, Remus knew him too well. Nervously, Logan fiddled with Remus’ shirt, keeping his head low to avoid eye contact.
“But I still feel like it’s too early, don’t you? I mean, you just started going out, maybe we should wait to see if—”
Remus squeezed his shoulder to stop his rambling.
“I don’t think that’s actually your issue, is it, Lo Lo? Me and Janus is our thing, you don’t have to worry about us. And there’s nothing to worry about to begin with, we’re great. I really like him, and he likes me, too. And I’m sure you would like him as well if you gave him a chance.”
“I want to give him a chance. It’s just that I…” He trailed off but Remus didn’t push him. He knew that Logan sometimes needed to gather his thoughts before speaking. “I am worried. I know we both agreed that we are open to multiple partners and I am not taking that back. I love you and I am happy that Janus makes you happy as well. I… I am simple worried about managing two relationships at once, I have never done so before.”
“And that’s a valid thing to worry about,” Remus nodded. “It’s not gonna be easy, I mean, our relationship took a while to work out, too. But I’m here for you. And Jannie will understand it, too. I don’t want to share more than I should, but you know he’s trans and grew up in a rather conservative household. He understands how scary change can be and that some stuff will take time to figure out. None of us can expect this to go perfectly, so don’t think about it too much.”
“I know. I’m trying.”
“And I’m very proud of you for that.” Remus pressed a kiss into Logan’s hair. “If you need more time, I won’t push you. But maybe consider letting me invite him for tea or something? It doesn’t have to be anything big; it doesn’t even have to be a date. Just a conversation to start with, okay?”
Logan took a deep breath.
A conversation.
Yeah, he could do that.
“Yes. I’ll try and find something I am comfortable including him in.”
“Thank you, starlight.” Remus hugged him closer, nuzzling him contently. “I love you.” “I love you too, Cephy.”
Rated: T (hello there Remus and, what? Logan!) WC:
A gift for @thecrowslullaby
Remus and Janus are together. Remus and Logan are together. Logan and Janus can barely tolerate being in the same room together. Surely there's some solution to this problem.
How about a nice game of chess?
Special thanks to @treeni for the encouragement!
Opening Gambit
"King me!" Remus' eyes glowed as he slammed down his pawn on Logan's side of the board where a rook used to rest. Wordless, Janus glanced up from his worn copy of The Brothers Karamazov, his tiny smirk showing above the cover.
Logan chuckled and rubbed the side of Remus' shin with one stockinged foot. "'King me' is for checkers, Meus."
"Hm, okay then, Pocket Protector…" He leaned over the board and waggled his eyebrows. "Mount me, then."
"Smooth, Muse, very smooth," Janus purred from his armchair. He didn't look up this time.
He shrugged, "Usually works on you, doesn't it?"
Laughing, Logan replaced the pawn with one of Remus' knights he'd captured earlier in the game. Remus bowed his head in thanks and lifted Logan's hand as though to kiss it, but at the last moment flipped it over and licked his palm instead.
"That is certainly one way to stop me from checkmating you," Logan remarked, feigning annoyance. He hadn't stopped stroking the side of Remus' leg with his foot, though, so the Creative Side simply waggled his eyebrows and grinned with just a little too much teeth.
Janus loudly turned a page in his book and muttered, "So have you decided yet how you're going to finish him off so that—”
"So that I can go finish off Jannie?" Remus interrupted with a lewd gesture toward his boyfriend in the reading nook.
Logan smiled and steepled his fingers as he looked at the board. "Scholar's Mate."
"Hmm… 'Scholar's Mate?' How do you manage to make chess sound so sexy, Lo Lo?"
Janus laid his book in his lap, index finger stuck inside to keep his place. "Muse, to be fair, last week you exclaimed that Logan made fabric softener sexy."
"Well yeah, Jannie…" Remus gave a little shoulder shimmy. "But that was because the sheets were—”
Logan twirled the piece he'd just promoted and captured between his thumb and index finger, eyes trained on the board. "I see I was not the only one with whom you shared that particular insight on satisfactorily reducing friction burns, Meus."
Remus threw his head back and laughed, then he leaned back in his chair, one elbow tucked behind him on the backrest. Janus still hadn't resumed his reading and was, instead, leaning forward in his armchair and examining the board. "Why are you toying with him?" he finally asked from across the room.
"Hm?" was Logan's only response as he adjusted his glasses and pondered the board. Remus grinned, still leaned back in his chair. He watched the pair and tapped his toes within his boots, nearly vibrating in his seat.
Janus began to lean in even closer, then shifted his position so he sat with his legs crossed, tilted as far from the chess match—and Logan—as possible. "Remus went first and opened himself up for a Fool's Mate." Remus began to shimmy his shoulders but Janus silenced him with a sharp look then stabbed Logan with his eyes. "You didn't follow through."
Logan said nothing and simply captured another of Remus' pieces. "And now, you've been no more than four moves to checkmate for the past half hour and yet you leave him dangling on the line. Why—”
"Maybe I like it when Logan dangles me," Remus cackled, moving a bishop across the board without looking. Logan's bishop. Logan reset the piece and moved one of Remus' in a similar move, then advanced his own queen.
"If you believe I am not playing my best, then perhaps you had better play a match with me," Logan murmured, watching Remus suddenly turn his attention to the board, stroking his mustache as though deep in thought.
"Perhaps I should," Janus' voice wasn't quite as honeyed as it usually was.
Logan pivoted in his seat, adjusting his tie and turning to face Janus for the first time during his match with Remus. "How about tomorrow night then?"
"I look forward to it," Janus murmured before picking up his book and turning the page.
Queen to Knight 3
"I look forward to it."
"What the hell had I been thinking?" cried Janus, head nestled in Remus' lap as the Creative Side carded long fingers through his hair, scratching gently at his scalp with neon green nails. "I don't want his attention out of pity or some misplaced sense of guilt for keeping you for a long time."
Remus tutted quietly. That was Janus first clue that he had completely lost it. Remus was never quiet .
"Jannie," Remus held Janus' face between his hands, softly rubbing his thumb along the edge where scales and skin met. "Lo Lo asked you to play. He's Logan . He wouldn't've done that unless he really wanted to play with you."
"But doesn't he still hate me?" Janus' voice was small as he turned his head and held his breath, afraid to taste the truth. Logan had never fully warmed up to him again after his impersonations. Janus used to tell himself it didn't matter, he didn't care that the Logical Side could barely stand to look at him, never meeting his eyes, sitting stiffly and avoiding even incidental touches whenever they were forced into the same space.
And it had only gotten worse when Logan had begun dating Remus, too.
"Heeey, Jannie… " Remus had called to him in his bedroom from downstairs in the kitchen.
"Really, Meus, are you sure this is mpfm —”
Logan's urgent whisper was interrupted by a wet smacking sound.
"Yes, I'm sure , Nerdy Wolverine. We've talked about it, it's cool."
Janus stopped just before the landing, hand hovering over the handrail. Though his voice was low, Janus' role made his hearing especially attuned to the secrets and half-truths laced through the musical timbre of Logan's voice. "Meus, just with our… history, are you quite certain he won’t be upset? And are you sure you won’t inadvertently re—”
"Muse?" Janus asked, swirling down the last step and into the kitchen, tugging at the edges of his gloves. "Was there something you needed, my dear?"
"Yeah, Jannie!" Remus held up Logan's hand and gestured toward their shared grip with his other, their fingers intertwined. Logan let out a quiet yelp when Remus conjured a third hand to grab his ass. "Lo Lo and I are dating now, too! Turns out you really do start to fall for your co-stars," he chuckled. "Hey, we never did get to finish that dunce sce—”
"What wonderful news," Janus purred, his voice honey sweet and smooth. "I'm ecstatic for both of you." He straightened his capelet and blinked placidly at Logan, tilting his face to keep his scaled side pointed toward the pair. "Perhaps between the two of us we can keep our dear Muse busy enough to let us all have a moment to breathe."
"Oh, Jannie," Remus had laughed, reaching for Janus' hand and pulling him into the kitchen. "You make me sound like a big dog you need to run to keep him from chewing the furniture."
He had wagged his tongue and barked. "I like it."
"Jannie… trust me on this. He wants to spend time with you."
The following night, Janus was already in the common room by the time Logan came downstairs after dinner. "Oh, Janus, you are early," Logan muttered as he checked his watch. “I did not intend to leave you waiting. I will be just one more moment, I planned to brew a cup of—”
“Earl Grey?” Janus murmured, holding up a deep indigo teapot wrapped in a yellow wool tea cozy. “Tsk, tsk, caffeine at this hour, my dear Logic.” He tapped his mild smirk with the index finger on another hand. “But I won’t breathe a word if you would be so kind as to overlook my own indulgence in a cup.”
Logan stood frozen between the kitchen and the small table they used for chess games. Finally, he cleared his throat and moved to the chair across from Janus. “I find that to be an acceptable compromise.” His tone was dry but Janus thought he saw a hint of a smile on the Logical Side’s lips. Janus smiled as he sat down and poured him a cup of tea, the bright bergamot notes wafting up in the steam. He managed to set down the teapot with a quiet clink before the tremor in his grip became noticeable.
“I hope you like it hot,” Janus said, both sides’ eyes widening at his choice of words. “The tea, I mean.” He smirked and looked to his right to straighten his already impeccable capelet, hiding the blush on the human side of his face. “It appears Remus is rubbing—is a powerful influence on us.”
Eyes down on the board, Logan straightened his tie. “Well, yes, it appears so.” He cleared his throat again and gestured to the white chess pieces lined up on Janus’ side of the board. “Perhaps we should best begin?”
Hiding the tremor in his fingers with a magician’s grace, Janus swirled his fingers over his pieces and advanced a pawn, freeing his bishop. “Three Knights,” Logan murmured, more a statement than a question. He looked up and caught Logan’s steely gaze boring right into him as he moved without hesitation to meet Janus’ pawn with his own. Keeping his smile, he gestured toward the board and inclined his head, certain that if he had to keep the Logical Side’s gaze for one more moment he might faint.
He stared down at their game, fingers steepled together, gloved tips pressed tightly together to avoid the impulse to fidget with the chain on his capelet. "So," he began, his voice not betraying his heart thanks only to his powers of duplicity. "You and Remus are certainly getting along well."
Logan nearly choked on his tea, coughing into his elbow and accepting Janus proffered yellow lace edged handkerchief with a nod and without meeting his eye. Janus couldn't be certain if the pink on his cheeks was from his coughing fit or the topic at hand.
"Apologies, Logan, I did not intend—”
"It is quite alright. I merely swallowed wrong," Logan insisted, straightening his tie and taking a—more careful—sip of his tea. "Yes, I would not have expected Remus and I to be as emotionally or physically compatible as we are. I would have expected to connect better with someone more—” Logan's eyes flicked up and briefly met Janus before he looked away again, clearing his throat. "Well, yes," he finished vaguely.
Humming noncommittally, Janus advanced his bishop. "Indeed," he murmured under his breath. How many games like this has he imagined over the years? The quiet, darkened common room after everyone else had gone to bed, two cups of earl grey, gazing into those deep, thoughtful eyes across the board from him. Then afterwards, they could banter over who really won or if combining Kholmov's Combination with Geller's Rook and Pawn defense was brilliant or merely a hack as they slowly made their way upstairs, hand in hand.
"Have I confounded you by advancing my pawn?"
Logan's resonant voice ripped him from his musing and Janus looked up, feigning irritation with a frown. "It's not a timed game, unless you are overly anxious to retire for the evening." Janus didn't need to fake his scowl at who Logan was spending his evening with. "I suppose it's natural,” he purred, moving his king’s bishop across the board. He pierced Logan with his gaze as he looked away to arrange his captured pieces, eyebrow on his snake’s side raised. “You do plan to see Remus after this game, don't you?"
Logan sat back in his chair, tea cup gripped in both hands. "My apologies. I should not have rushed you." He took a slow sip of his tea and cleared his throat when his voice cracked. "You simply appeared lost in thought." He replaced his cup on the saucer with a little clink. "Perhaps… perhaps this match was a mistake. I appreciate you humoring me—”
Logan started to rise but Janus leapt to his feet, reaching across the board with both hands, "No, don't go!" his words tumbled out and he straightened, dropping his hands to smooth his capelet. "You can't simply leave in the middle of a game when you are ahead," he continued in a more controlled voice. "Give me the opportunity to counter your attack, at least."
Eyeing him carefully, Logan slowly returned to his seat. "If you insist."
"I do," Janus said, a small smile spreading on his face when Logan was seated again. "More tea?" he asked, holding the teapot aloft.
Knight's Revenge
Fifteen minutes before he was due downstairs for their chess game, Logan was pacing in his room, hair still wet and tie hanging undone over his shoulders. He'd laid a towel on top of it to catch the drips before they hit his button down, but his collar was open, the rest of the buttons fastened but off by one. He swore as he flung another rejected pair of slacks over his shoulder, replaying last night's conversation in his head.
'How about tomorrow night, then?'
"What the fuck had I been thinking?" he cried to Remus as he flung another rejected pair of slacks over his shoulder. Remus caught them and folded them in half, pressing the creases flat before hanging them over his arm with the others. "Janus hates me! He only agreed because he feels obligated to make nice for your sake."
Things had been awkward between them since even before the trial. Logan would freeze every time Janus came near, his silky smooth voice and his ever-present spicy chai scent locking his mental gears, all his logical thought grinding to a halt. The last time it had happened, it was all Logan could do to stop staring at the way his scales caught the light, and the way his eyes sparkled as he described his favorite chapter in the latest novel Cixin Liu. When Janus had stopped talking, the Logical side had nearly reached for his hand, begging him to continue, and he'd had to take a step back, out of arm’s reach, just to get himself back under control.
Janus had been so irritated by his distracted behavior that he’d avoided him for several weeks after that, barely looking at him when they happened upon each other in the kitchen or the hall. And now he’d managed to manipulate Janus into a game of chess when Logan was certain he’d much rather spend time with Remus.
Finally finding a pair that were dressy without being fussy, Logan yanked on his pants, hands shaking as he threaded his favorite belt through the loops. "I am taking advantage of Janus’ good manners! This is such a mistake, I should just call it off now, let this all blow over and everything can go back to the way it was. I am confident I can manage to stay out of his way for a few weeks or months or—"Â
"Lo Lo," He looked up at Remus' quiet interruption, mouth trembling. Remus draped the slacks over his desk chair and held out his arms. Logan practically collapsed into his hold and Remus blipped them over to the bed, Logan laying on top of him. Remus rubbed circles into the tight muscles at the back of Logan's neck and waited for him to speak. The Logical Side buried his face in Remus' chest, his voice muffled by the other's sash.
"Why could I not simply leave well enough alone?"
Remus tilted up Logan's chin and kissed his crown, rubbing firm lines up and down his back just the way he liked it. "Lo Lo… Jannie doesn't hate you." Logan slid his arms up and under Remus' shoulders, soaking in the warmth of his touch, and listened. "Unless it's for Thomas, Jannie doesn't do a damn thing he doesn't want to. And—” Remus cut off Logan's protest with a smile and a sloppy kiss on his forehead. "And he wants to spend time with you. You know I won't lie just to spare somebody’s feelings. Even some body as hot as yours, Pocket Protector."
As if to make his point, Remus waggled his eyebrows as his hands trailed lower down Logan’s back. “Meus,” Logan warned, the blush on his face a stark contrast with the rest of his stern expression. “I would like to have time to make a cup of tea before the game.”
Remus pouted but didn’t stop Logan from getting up and frowning at his reflection in the mirror. He leapt out of the bed and quickly re-buttoned Logan’s shirt from behind him. “Well, I would like to have time to make a cup of you before the game,” he laughed against the Logical Side’s neck after eliciting a little yelp with a not-so-gentle nip.
“But you’d be amazed at how patient I can be,” Remus winked when Logan turned in his arms, unable to decide if he was annoyed or pleased. “Knock him dead,” he muttered, planting one more hungry kiss on Logan’s mouth. “Remember, I get winner!”
Logan had been momentarily stunned to see Janus already downstairs, the room dark save for a bright task lamp illuminating the ready chess game in front of him. So much for having a moment to make a cup of tea. He’d blinked in surprise when Janus showed him he’d already prepared a pot of his favorite tea. For a moment, Logan considered commenting that he thought Janus exclusively drank chai, but he worried it might sound ungrateful, so he ultimately accepted the cup and tried to refocus his thoughts on the game and away from… other matters.
His attempt was short-lived when he had an immediate and embarrassing reaction to Janus’ unintended innuendo and Logan struggled to maintain his train of thought as he watched the other’s expression as he played. Janus carefully considered each move, and Logan imagined he could see him map out future moves behind the bright glow of his heterochromatic eyes.
Five moves in, Logan knew he’d lost the game when, after moving his queen’s rook, Janus’ smile briefly bloomed as his eyes danced across the game board. “Remind me to play poker with you sometime,” Logan murmured, hiding his disappointment at his impending loss behind a sip of his third cup of tea.
Janus looked up, and in the dim light, Logan imagined he spotted a dusting of pink on Janus’s human features. “I wasn’t aware you were a gambler, my dear Logan.”
Illogically, Logan’s heart warmed at Janus’ affectionate phrasing. He shook away the thought and advanced his queen, unwilling to reveal he knew he’d lost. “Your expressions betray you.” Janus fumbled his cup, nearly dropping it onto the board.
“Ex—excuse me?” Janus stuttered, his suave tone lost as he righted his cup on its saucer.
Tilting his head at Janus’ unexpectedly intense response, Logan narrowed his eyes and spoke slowly, a sudden uncertainty falling over him. “When I moved my rook to knight three.” He watched Janus’ eyes refocus on the board, widening in understanding. “You smiled when you realized you’d just won the game.”
Check and Mate
“I wasn’t aware you were a gambler, my dear Logan.” Janus could almost see Logan sitting across from him on the other side a green felt covered table, adjusting his glasses and face blooming in a smile as he pushed a stack of poker chips into the pot. "I see your twenty and raise you a hundred." Poker really wasn’t a fair game for Janus to play with any of the Sides. What good is trying to bluff when your opponent can taste when you're lying?
So Janus would have to make certain accommodations in order to play poker with Logan. Remus would likely enjoy playing, as well, especially if he managed to convince them to play strip poker. He peered at Logan over the chess board and pondered how that game might go. If they did play together, would Logan choose to lose his tie first? Or last?
'Your expressions betray you,' Logan quietly intoned, turning a captured pawn between his fingers end over end.
Janus nearly dropped his cup, spilling his tea all over the board, the table, his lap. How the hell did he know?! More importantly, though, he didn't seem disturbed. Has just been waiting for me to—
Understanding washed over him as Logan explained and he attempted to hide his shameful disappointment behind a renewed interest in the game board. Janus waved his hand dismissively, "Well do you—do you wish to forfeit now or—”
His stammering was interrupted by Remus' loud voice from the top of the stairs. "Ugh! I wanna go to bed! Just skip to the song and kiss him already!"
Logan's and Janus' outraged responses overlapped.
"Meus, you promised to keep that—”
"Muse! What part of secret didn't—"
Remus leaned against the banister and conjured a tub of pickle and kimchi coated popcorn and crunched loudly as he watched with a wicked smile as Logan and Janus turned to stare at each other instead of Remus.
"Wait, does that mean you —”
Logan leaned across the board and grabbed Janus' capelet with both hands. "Oh, just shut up and kiss me already," he murmured, a happy smirk spreading on his face.
Remus watched them kiss with a bright grin as he finished his popcorn. When he was done, he disappeared the empty tub and licked his fingers clean. Logan and Janus were still kissing. Janus had returned to his chair and Logan had settled into his lap, arms draped over his soft capelet. "Took you two long enough. Alright, see you upstairs…" He cackled when he got to the top landing.Â
Remus is the star attraction and Janus is the show master/MC for the hottest new "vegan" circus and Logan is the administrator/CFO/Top Nerd™ as Remus calls him.
Logan scowled at Janus when he presented their new branding. "Vegan circus?"
"Yes, of course," he'd purred as he added more glitter to the splash of 'scales' painted down his face, neck, and chest. "Unlike a certain philanderer's 'greatest' show, we don't abuse animals."
Logan's scowl deepened and he adjusted his tie to keep his hands off his scheming friend s throat. "'Vegan circus' makes it sound like something you eat."
"Well if that's what you wanted—” Remus interjected, hands already working to undo the straps on his trapeze costume.
"Remus!" Logan and Janus quickly shouted together, interrupting the eccentric performer before things got out of hand in the tiny makeup trailer.
Pouting slightly, Remus returned his attention to his own makeup. Janus watched him for a moment before catching Logan's eye in the mirror. "You still haven't told me how the trapeze lessons are going..."
Janus swivelled in his chair, piercing the other two with knowing eyes. "You have started the lessons haven't you?"
"Well, yes, of course we have, it is just that the last few lessons have devolved somewhat into—”
"I'm teaching Lo Lo more than the trapeze!"
Logan's reddened cheeks rivalled the red velvet of Janus's MC coat.
Janus pinched the bridge of his nose. "You do know those lessons were meant to be actual lessons? Not some slow burn, bad fanfic, trope-level excuse to set the two of you up, right?"
Janus glared at Logan. "Everyone needs an act. Everyone. And no-one will pay $100 a ticket to see you work a spreadsheet."
Janus spritzed his face with setting spray then stood, ripping off the cloth protecting his costume and stepping through the door of the trailer. He turned back, fixing Logan and Remus with his 'Make it happen or you're both lunch' fangy smile.
"I want you ready to perform by the next city or I'll teach a clown how to work QuickBooks. Don't test me."
