Remus sanders headcannon that when he was a kid, the only way Janus and Virgil could get him to do things he didn't want to do was by putting the word 'evil' in front of it. Like 'evil' bath, or 'evil' eating actual food that isn't dirt. And it got to the point that that was just what things were called in the darkside now.
At some point in season one Virgil tells Logan, Patton, and Roman he's going to be late for 'evil' dinner and then doesn't harass Thomas for three straight weeks out of embarrassment alone.
Kid Remus *crying*: They don't wanna play with me any more! They say I'm to scary!
Kid Janus *hanging upside down from a branch by the knees*: That sounds like a they problem. *drops down to the ground* I don't find you scary.
Kid Remus *sniffles*: You don't?
Kid Janus *shakes his head*: No, you're weird, for sure... But I like that you're weird!
(just now realizing the posts i scheduled the past two days didn't go through so we should all totally agree to ignore that part in exchange for little baby hcs)
okay kid sides right. kid sides when it was maybe a little more acceptable for janus and remus and logan to be friends before the religious guilt kicked in.
mischief and curiosity both loved making slime together. lies always gave them the best recipes for slime without borax or glue! they didn't work a lot though...
curiosity would be trying to make friends and he'd accidentally make feelings cry by saying something about how dogs only live 13 years. every time he did, he'd go to lies and ask him to please tell him what he did wrong so feelings would talk to him again.
lies had a speech impediment and he couldn't say his S's without hissing. one time imagination made fun of him for it and mischief tried to beat him up for talking bad about his best friend.
lies and mischief will both try to sneak around and tease feelings and imagination only to get themselves in trouble. curiosity has to break them out of imaginary jail every time.
shockingly, it was that trio who put on the best plays in the mindscape. lies had a knack for big sweeping stories that exagerated the truth, mischief was dramatic and managed to play every role with the same energy, and curiosity always made little craft props for his friends. (and the shadows always went dark at all the perfect moments, i wonder why that was?)
Kid Dark Sides because I wanted to draw a scene in my head but I don't have the skill for that, so writing it is.
"But why?!" No-longer-the-King's voice cracked from how loudly he was yelling. "We were always over there! Why the frick am I not allowed back there?!" He jabbed his finger towards the Light Side, across the river dividing the Mindscape.
Lie sighed and tried to keep his face neutral. "Because," he intoned, "this is where everything bad goes. Feelings decided you're not good enough to be Thomas, so you're here with us and you're stuck like the rest of us!"
Not wholly right. The half that wasn't the King anymore might be unwanted now, Dark, but he wasn't like Lie. He was bright green among the black, his skin was rosy, his hair the same shade of brown as Thomas', whereas Lie was just side enough to have a hint of colour in their cheeks and hair, if the light hit it right. He'd started out entirely black and white, as but a fragment, and had had to work for his greys and then colour. He was established enough now that he'd dared to follow No-longer-the-King out here and try to calm his tantrum down, but if the other were to really snap, he could easily devour Lie and take his aspect for himself.
The power difference between them seemed to be the last thing on the half's mind though. His face twisted and he balled his hands at his sides, looking between the other shore and Lie with all the desperation of a kicked puppy.
"But that's not fair! My other half is over there, why does he get to-? It's not fair!"
Lie felt a spark of pity. He shook it off. He was here to offer him his help anyway, whether he did it out of pity or because having a so established Side as an ally might prove useful didn't really matter, did it?
"It's not, I know. But neither of us can do something about it," he said. "Come. There's no point standing here and yelling at the river. I have a home, you can stay with me for now if you want to, then we can figure out where you can make yourself at home together." He turned away from the rushing water and started into the dark forest. He had walked barely twenty steps when he heard the former King curse and stomp after him. He smiled to himself.
Unbeknownst to either of them, a fragment, but a fleeting thing, a shadow like many of them passed through a developing mind at the daily without a lasting impact, was hiding behind a tree and watching. There's-something-in-the-closet stood silently as No-longer-the-King stomped after Lie, and blinked. He hadn't existed long enough to ever contemplate his place in this world, neither in relation to Thomas not the rest of the Mind, and the conversation he had overheard was hard to make sense of.
He looked over at the other side of the river. There were flowers there, songbirds, so unlike what he knew. Something colourful fluttered between the flowers.
There's-something-in-the-closet watched it, wondering idly if he should try to consume There's-something-under-the-bed later, to try to become something that wouldn't bd gone in a few days time, hopefully. Gain a little more of a foothold.
The colourful thing started flying across the river, unbothered by the rushing currents below it.
A pity No-longer-the-King couldn't fly, There's-something-in-the-closet mused. He might not be so upset.
The butterfly - the knowledge of the fluttering thing's name came to him easily, it was something Thomas knew, so it was something all of them could know, no matter how unformed, had nearly reached the shore now. There's-something-in-the-closet could see it's patterns as it tumbled through the air. If he could speak he might've said hello. As it was he just didn't dare to move, scared he could scare this butterfly off.
It flew this way and that way, and then suddenly right towards him, and before he could react, it had landed on his forehead.
Giddiness went cross-eyed trying to keep it in his sight, then flinched hard when he realised that he wasn't what he'd been just moment before anymore. He shouted with a mouth he hadn't had and fell back into the dirt. Grey, barely brown hair fell into his eyes.
Giddiness let out another small wordless shout. He was filled with a feeling he'd never known and yelling seemed to let it out somewhat.
He scrambled on his hands and knees towards the water to get a look at his reflection.
He was grey, not black and white, and under his eyes a bright colour reflected back at him. Giddiness carefully touched his face, pulling at the pink skin. Something bubbled in his chest and spilt over as giggles. Startled he pressed his hands over his mouth.
When the Sides were younger, Virgil used to have trouble sleeping because he thought that there was a monster under his bed. Remus started sleeping under Virgil’s bed in order to scare the monster away.
Summary: Life and Death, two very contrast things. Or are they? In the zombie apocalypse, what is death? What is life? Is anyone truly living? A scientist searching for a cure to his mistake, a firefighter bent on helping survivors, two supernatural brothers struggling to adapt and survive, and two brothers who desperately want to rest and find safety. Will they survive?
Chapter 1
The world didn’t end with a bang. It didn’t end in war. It didn’t end in nukes. It didn’t end with the sun going supernova. It didn’t end with pollution or melting ice caps. No, it ended with a cup of coffee. Two scientists for the company Lily of the Valley, the flower of death, destroyed the world. The two never got along, they were working on a new project. Unfortunately together, unfortunately at unsustainably long hours. Unfortunately, with their brains impaired by lack of proper food, sleep, or hydration, tensions boiled. They weren’t as careful as they should have been. They fought over the last bit of coffee and beakers broke. They became the first two infected with the zombie virus. All over a cup of coffee.
Death watched in disappointment as he held the two souls as their body spread the virus, ripping flesh from the people near them. Making his job harder than it ever should have been. They would never even see the damage they had done. They would never live through the fear they had brought over the world. Life appeared next to him, her normally warm features stony. She took the two souls from him.
“I’m tired, Death. They have doomed my creations.” Life said quietly.
“I am tired as well. But there is work to be done.” Death sighed.
“Not for us. They made this mess. They can deal with it.” Life said, looking scornfully down at the two souls.
The smell of coffee filled Roman’s senses when he woke up. He rose from bed and was going to wake up Remus only to have his brother’s hand clasp over his mouth. He held a finger to his lips and pointed towards their bedroom door. Roman saw the blood seeping from beneath the door. He smelled the blood. He heard the screams outside. He saw the word zombies written in blood on the door. He looked at his brother, there was blood on his face and hands, his pajamas were ripped. With shaky hands he moved his twin’s hand from his mouth.
“Mom? Dad? Are they-?” Roman couldn’t finish the whispered question.
Remus only nodded. He didn’t look sad. Was this a prank? No. Remus looked too serious. The blood, he could smell it. They were orphans in the zombie apocalypse. This was a shitty way to start their eleventh birthday. He heard a thud against their bedroom door and nearly yelped, but his cry was muffled by Remus pulling him into a hug. He was shaking. Remus was shaking. This was real. What were they going to do?
They couldn’t stay here. Roman gently pulled out of the hug and took his brother’s hand. He led him to the closet and gave him a bag. Remus seemed to know exactly what he wanted to say. They started packing what they could, trying to keep it to things they needed, but Roman couldn’t help but include the scrapbook he had been working on with his dad and grandma. It had too many memories to leave behind. Were his grandparents still alive? He felt a hand on his shoulder and saw the look of worry his brother had. At least he still had him.
Roman gave him a reassuring smile. Silently, they got back to packing and getting ready. He didn’t know where they were going to go or how they were going to get out of the apartment alive. But they’d figure it out. They had too. Remus’s constant planning for alien invasions and zombie apocalypses seemed a lot less stupid now. Maybe his brother’s love of gore would save them? He gave a silent sight. They were eleven now. He woke up to coffee and zombies. Great.
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