There is very little Joker angst on the internet, and on the occasion that I do find angst it’s always “b-b-b-b-b-but he doesn’t actually want to be evil!!!! He’s being forced to by Pierrot!!!! He’s actually really nice!!!!” Or “He has a super sad backstory that totally excuses him from his actions!!!”
Y’all are not taking enough advantage of the fact that this man’s entire existence surrounds the goals of the Bad End Kingdom and serving Pierrot. Like in the event that he survived after Pierrot was defeated by the cures, what would he do? He lost everything that made him the person he was, so now he’s just an empty shell, doomed to wander around without purpose. Or maybe he tries to continue being evil, but he’s defeated every time, leading to an endless loop of failure. Then, what would be the point of trying anymore?
I hope that makes sense dhshhsshsjsjdhdisj
(Alternatively, a sad backstory could work too, but that’s a another post I may or may not make :p)
Summary: What do you do when you're battling with your feelings? Take it to the imagination and battle them for real of course.
Additional Tags: Reconciliation, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Romance, Mutual Pining, Pining, Light-Hearted, Blood and Injury, Angst with a Happy Ending
“That’s a wrap!” Thomas exclaimed, a big grin on his face as they made just a little more progress towards getting that dang finale out.
Of course they would.
Of course.
Honestly, after the years they’ve spent working it and re-working it, Roman had nearly reached the point of apathy—being that he didn’t care if it got out or not. He was just a bit burned out on the project and needed something to spark that creative life back into his work. For now, he and Remus and the rest of the sides were just doing their best to follow Thomas’ lead and get the project out as soon as they could manage it.
Thomas made the timetable of his work, they were just visitors. Quickly enough, the internet star made his exit, leaving the sides to their own devices while he worked on getting the last shoot wrapped up with his crew. They would only be called back if it was found he needed to quickly re-shoot something before he got out of his costuming.
“Great,” came the slightly throaty tones of the anxious side’s lower pitch.
The sound was enough for Roman to glance over from the corner of his eye to see Virgil pushing up from his seat on the steps before stretching his plush-covered arms up over his head. The prince couldn’t be blamed when he noticed the way that the hoodie’s hem rode slowly upwards and slipped around his torso, leaving a usually baggy tshirt to hug the curve of his hip. At the sound of a crash, his eyes flicked away again to see Patton trying to do a bit of damage control on the smoking TV, where Remus’ morningstar was currently sticking out of the shattered remains of the once pristine screen. Simultaneously, Janus seemed to be giving some quipped deadpan “advice” on what to do to “control” the chaotic side.
“Now Remus, we don’t throw things in this household,” Patton said gently, with a hand on Remus’ shoulder.
Remus just snorted at the fatherly attempt. “And yet—” he gestured towards the morningstar before yanking it out from the cracked, glitching TV screen, only to yeet the weapon across the room a second time. Something crashed in the distance and Roman had to wonder if Remus had set up a convenient vase for this particular purpose or if his brother had just carelessly broken one of the few non-plastic dishes that their human owned. “—Alas, I do.”
Patton looked a little helpless at what to do in the situation while Remus cackled.
“Want to see it again?!” Remus asked with an excited glint to his tone that made it obvious he was teasing the paternal side.
“No!” Patton exclaimed.
“No. Stop.” Janus said, staring down at his gloved hand as if he was inspecting his nails. “Remus, that’s terrible. How could you? The injustice.”
“Have you tried dog treats?” Virgil asked, leaning over the banister. “I’ve heard the reinforcement training’s supposed to start early.”
“As if dog treats are worse than some of the things he’s already eaten,” Logan interjected with a scrunch of his nose. “Even recently.”
“There’s nothing wrong with eating leftovers,” Remus defended.
“There is when said leftovers have become their own colony,” Roman replied, remembering the old, moldy mess that Remus had found somehow in the very back corner of the fridge that had somehow been missed in their last clean out.
Roman didn’t know what it was specifically that tickled him, but from Virgil’s place staring down at the lot of them, watching the interactions between everyone made his violet eyes light up until they truly sparkled. There was a tightness in Virgil’s cheek and it made Roman think that he might have been biting the inside of it to keep from laughing. Though, Roman would have preferred if he’d just let himself laugh openly, it was such an alluring chime of a sound when he did. The prince was certain he could listen to Virgil laugh all day, if he ever let himself.
“Nice!” Remus cheered, getting in on the joke and summoning a shovel in his hand that looked suspiciously freshly-used. “I’m ready.”
“Is it still a criminal offense to chuck the whole side six feet down if he’s this ready and willing?” Virgil asked, a full smile cracking out across his face finally as he couldn’t quite hold down the laughter.
“Better to wait for his own decisions to run their course,” Janus said, winking up at Virgil who gave a little salute in return.
“Early morning burial it is, Dee,” Virgil replied.
Janus looked entirely too pleased when Virgil broke, laughter pealing out from the stormy side as he leaned a little more fully on the banister. A plush-covered arm hugged the light wood just to keep himself up. At the same time, Roman found himself reaching for the wall, just to keep himself equally as steady. It was odd but he suddenly found himself feeling a little weak, like he couldn’t quite hold up his own weight; which was silly, considering he was certain he could pick up anyone else in the room and haul them about without breaking a sweat.
Did he mention the way that Virgil’s entire expression softened just so when he laughed like that?
Roman wanted to reach out and touch him.
He wanted to paint him.
He wanted-
“So we have a plan!” Remus cut through Roman’s thoughts, leaving him reeling as he tried to figure out just what plan his brother was taking about. “Pitterpat, you’re with me~!”
“Wait-!” The heart could hardly react before Remus threw a glittery, ruffle-clad arm around Patton’s back and they both disappeared in an instant.
Roman would have been worried about whatever it was that the intrusive side was up to, except for the fact that Virgil looked mildly amused, at worst. So it couldn’t be anything too terrible, could it? Or was Virgil still mad at Patton and taking an odd glee out of whatever it was that the fatherly side was about to suffer? A glance at Janus’ unreadable expression and Logan’s impassive one told him nothing, especially since both seemed more interested in looking his way. Janus pretended he wasn’t but Roman could see the way that the deceitful side’s irises flitted to the corner of his eyes, keeping a glance in his direction. Meanwhile Logan just stared outright, seemingly unabashedly scrutinizing him.
Rude.
“Whelp, the sun’s still out, meaning I shouldn’t be,” Virgil said, pushing up from his place to rock back onto his heels, looking ready to leave the lot of them behind and Roman at the mercy of whatever it was that the two scholarly sides were plotting. Though, something made Virgil pause as his eye caught Roman’s. “Don’t forget, Hercules tonight, Ro.”
“Technically the Greek figure was Heracles,“ Logan cut in, but Roman rolled his eyes. He said that every time they mentioned the Disney film. They got it.
“I wouldn’t miss it,” the prince said easily when he caught Virgil’s eye again. Roman gave a little nod and he couldn’t help the tug at the corner of his mouth at the thought of their shared time. The collective movie nights had branched out into all sorts of different things to act as inspiration towards their future videos, but both Roman and Virgil had missed their Disney nights, so the duo had taken things into their own hands and started their own little “Cartoony Tuesdays” as their tradition had become affectionately called by the others.
“Get some rest, Virgil,” Janus said, the tiniest bit of lecture to his tone that had Virgil glancing his way.
“Make me,” Virgil replied, amusement saturating his defiant tone, enough so that it was obvious he wasn’t actually offended by the little push from the deceitful side. A second later he sunk away, leaving just three.
The two prim sides immediately shared some kind of glance that didn’t go unnoticed by Roman, as he tried to figure out what unspoken conversation the pair was having, and just what was being spoken when there weren’t other ears to hear it. Before Roman could question them, Janus was gone, disappearing in an instant and Logan took a big step towards him to closing the gap that separated him from the logical side. Logan held up what appeared to be a crisp, freshly-made note-card, something that contrasted against most of his growing deck. They had started to get little bends and worn edges from Logan’s use and study of modern slang.
“What’s this?” Roman asked.
“I believe I’m using this correctly,” Logan said with a little nod as he pressed the card purposefully into Roman’s hand, faced down before sinking away himself.
Roman was left standing there, feeling dumb-founded as he stared at the card that still smelled distinctly of fresh sharpie.
It read: ‘You’ve got it bad!’
To read the rest go to: https://archiveofourown.org/works/57186205
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