23 or 26 for the prompt list? I feel like Logan would be great for 26, but I'll leave that up to you...
26: "the diamond in your engagement ring is fake."
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"Dad!! Dad!!" A little girl with curling black hair in matching puffballs atop her head ran up to a man in a bowler hat and a scar across his left eye.
"Ohhoho!! Lili! How's my little girl?" Janus said, spinning the child around.
"Papa was telling me and Caleb stories!! He says that you can tell us stories too when you got home!!"
Janus rested the little girl on his hip as he entered into the house, hanging his hat on the coat hanger near the door. "Is that so? Did Papa say he had a particular story i should tell?"
Lili shook her little head. "Nu-uh! He said that you had the best stories though!"
Janus sat down in a recliner as a small blond boy ran up to him, telling the same story Lili did. Janus picked up the boy and sat him on his lap with his sister. "Well. Do you know the story of how me and Papa met?"
The children's eyes grew wide with wonder, their tiny voices saying, "No!!!" Synchronically.
Janus drew them in with a sly smile. "Well...I guess I should tell you then! It was 7 years ago..."
~~•~~
Janus had made a small business selling an assortment of items- most of it fake jewelry.
Sure, it was illegal, but he made his customers happy! And what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them...and besides, no one would know that he was selling white sapphires for the price of diamonds! Only other professional appraisers would know that, and what professionals would be in Janus' shop?
One day an objectively handsome man walked into the shop, browsing fir just a second before he stopped by the ring section.
Ring hunting...he's looking to propose.
Janus slunk over to the counter and seemed to spook the man with his voice. "Find anything you like?" The man looked slightly off before glancing back at the rings, shaking his head. "Might I suggest this one?" Janus said, pointing to a particularly pretty cut of white sappsapphire on a rosegold band. "Diamonds and rosegold never disappointed a lady."
The man chuckled and shook his head. "No no, not for a lady!" He looked back at the rings. "I'm planning to propose to my boyfriend soon...he's kind of the more emo type..."
Janus smiled. "What's your name, darling?"
"Roman, sir!"
"Well Roman, if your soon-to-be fiance is more into the dark and creepy," Janus pulled out the rings from the case and presented a ring with a black band and rose, a large white sapphire in the center and smaller stones hidden in the petals. "Might i suggest this black rose with white diamonds?" He let Roman inspect the ring in awe. "It's sure to please and cute emo boy."
Janus ignored the ringing of the front door and focused in on his current customer, sure that this would be soon over.
Roman nodded. "I'll take it!"
Janus smiled pleasantly and pulled out a small black ring box. "That'll be 2,000 dollars my good sir!"
Right before the transaction could be completed, the other man who had walked in came over and held out his hand. "Just hold on a moment." He was tall and had dark hair and eyes, glasses adorning his face and a sleek blue tie around his neck. If Janus was being honest with himself, the man was hot. He held out his hand for the ring and Roman gave it to him hesitantly.
He inspected it closely, taking off his frames to do so. And then he nodded, handing the ring back to the other man. "The diamond in your engagement ring is fake." He said, replacing his glasses.
Janus' face faltered. Roman spoke. "What do mean its fake?!" He turned to Janus, outraged. "How dare you try and sell me a glass diamond for-"
The other man spoke up again. "You misunderstand me. Its not glass." He picked the ring up off the counter. "Its a white sapphire. Not nearly as expensive as real diamonds, but no one can really tell the difference." He picked up the box and placed the ring back inside. "Other than that its a wonderful ring. This piece should sell for around 700. And I'm sure your boyfriend would love it."
Roman grumbled but seemed to think about it. "I'll take it for 700 and no more." And thats just what happened.
Once Roman left the store the man turned to Janus. "Listen, i know what you're doing here. But why not just sell them as sapphires. Market them as 'The new diamond of the jewelry world' and sell them for a reasonable price."
Janus listened to the man. "...why would you want to help me?"
The man in glasses smiled. "Why wouldn't I?" There was an awkward moment of silence, the man smiling strangely and Janus cocking his eyebrow, skeptical as always. The man sighed, hiding his face under a hand. "You're also...objectively, quite attractive..."
Janus laughed heartily. "What's your name, cutie? If I'm feeling good I can't guarantee my phone number will stay secret."
The man smiled, the smallest pink dusting his cheeks. "Logan, sir. Logan Berrie." He bowed respectfully, an arm across his front and the other at his side. "At your service."
~~•~~
Caleb's eyes were wide with wonder. "So Papa caught you cheating at selling sapphires?! But you do that now too, Dad!! Do you still cheat?"
Janus laughed. "No! I don't cheat anymore, darling. Your Papa helped me realize i was doing something wrong."
Logan walked in from another room. "Are you telling them how we met? You were a scoundrel, you know that. So evil," Logan waltzed over to Janus and gave him a peck on the forehead. "That you stole my heart."
Janus hummed. "A good thing I did too. You know if i didn't, someone else would have." He tugged on Logan's tie and kissed him.
Lili and Caleb made noises. "Eewww!!! You guys are gross!" Lili exclaimed. "I'm gonna go play dragon witch with Caleb okay?" She seemed to recover quick enough though.
Janus chuckled. "Alright, we'll call you when dinner is ready."
As the children ran off to their room logan swept up his husband, the smaller man giggling in delight, their sapphire rings of many colors glittering in the lamplight.
Logan slowed, letting Janus down and holding him close to his chest and swaying to unheard music as they danced to the sounds of their children playing in the house they called their own.