A/N: In which Janus is lowkey a simp. This chap feels like mostly filler to me but that might just be because I’ve proofed it too many times? Anyway, school starts soon, so that should be interesting for my wack writing schedule... we’ll see how that goes. Enjoy!
Fic synopsis: When the twins split two years ago, Janus was tasked with raising Remus. His only help was the evasive and sullen Virgil- who he already had to wrangle like a stray teenager. The endless days in the Dark Side’s Mindpalace were broken only by monthly catch-ups with Patton, and the only thing that ever changed the stories that Janus used to get Remus to bed. This time, though, something was different: secrets were slipping through Janus’ lips- and past the divide between Dark and Light.
Ships: Moceit
Word count: 1285
TW: None I can think of! Ask to tag
One single breakdown after two years of strength had brought Janus to this point instantly. It was ridiculous. He was letting a six-year-old lead him along the path to the Light Sides, the path that he hadn’t walked in years, the path he’d promised to overlook.
He sternly forbade himself from picturing Patton’s face. He was doing the right thing- the poor kid needed a change. Patton would agree. Of course he would. And Logan was being foolish. Under normal circumstances, Janus had a certain respect for his fellow voice of reason, but not this time. This time, the Light Sides had been cripplingly misdirected in their judgement- it wasn’t the first account of this by a long shot, but this one effected the wrong person. No, not just the Light Sides- it was Logan. Logan had convinced Patton of his selfish opinion, and-
Janus would not picture Patton’s face. He would look into Remus’ and walk forward until the kid was reunited with Prince Roman because it was the right thing to do. If the others couldn’t see that… well. Janus was already a Dark Side. There wasn’t much more they could do to him.
The kid bounced on the balls of his feet, unnervingly quiet as he stood beside his caretaker. They looked together through the door.
“Should we bring graham crackers? For Roman? Or- if we get hungry? Are you sure Virgil doesn’t wanna come with us? Why not?”
There it was. Maybe Janus hadn’t missed the chattering, after all.
He didn’t mean that.
“...Maybe you’re right. We should bring food.” Janus turned around, but Remus’ hand dashed out to cling to his.
“No, no, we’re going. Let’s go!”
His uncharacteristic moment of anxiety gone as soon as it had arrived, Remus pulled Janus through the door with surprising strength- and in the next moment, they were on the path, almost unrecognizable from the last time Janus had walked it.
It was cold and dark- darker here than anywhere else on their side of the Mindscape. If this was what the Light Sides saw of them, Janus could almost understand their fear. Almost.
Remus was undeterred, if intrigued. He didn’t waste any time, striding over the narrow path and forcing Janus to steady himself and follow.
The ground squelched miserably underfoot as Remus chattered on, the raised pitch of his voice the only thing that betrayed his unusual mood. Janus tried to focus on the child’s words, even if they were mostly just for the sake of keeping busy, but found he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the looming branches and marshy land, the fog and the darkness and the shadows that moved but not really but maybe. If the Light Sides came through here and the door found them at the end of the dreary trail, all else they’d see of Janus’ home was the gray walls and the artificial lights and the old carpeting. He couldn’t stand it.
But that wasn’t all they’d seen, was it? Patton and Logan had gone into the Dark Sides’ real forest, with the tall trees and the springy pine needles underfoot. He’d taken the shady shortcut to the edge of the Light pathways with Patton trailing behind, ready to pull ahead once they’d reached his terf- although Janus knew it just as well, now. They knew that this wasn’t all there was- and, really, Janus hadn’t even known the extent of it until he’d walked this way himself.
They pretended this was all they’d seen: the creeping vines that strangled the gnarled trees, the mysterious blinks of light that came in pairs, eyes watching from the shadows- like animatronics in a carnival ride. They pretended Janus and Virgil and this- this kid were all just some of the monsters in their closet.
Janus shook his head. Patton took time off just to come see him, to talk about their lives. He couldn’t imagine the fragile side would much enjoy traversing this path every month, but he did it for them. And yet… he never asked to see Remus. He followed Logan’s ideas like a lost puppy- and he was supposed to be the moral side, the leader in his field.
And suddenly Janus’ pace picked up with his thoughts. That was where this all came from, wasn’t it? The logical side had too much sway over Patton- once he’d decided that Remus was dangerous, that would’ve been the end of it, no matter what Morality thought. Janus’ heart surged at the idea- Patton had been innocent the whole time. Misguided. And of course he was- he wouldn’t have allowed any of this otherwise.
It was a huge weight off of Janus’ shoulders. Logan was the leader of the Light Sides, then, much like he was the leader of his domain. Though, really, he was more of a parent- his wards needed him. Patton was capable of making his own decisions. It was Logan’s vice that he overlooked his companion, not Patton’s.
Remus ran ahead on his little legs and Janus swore, dashing after him- but his carefully hopeful mood wasn’t dampened. When he looked at Remus, the mantra echoed through his head-
It’s not Patton’s fault.
It can’t be.
The rest of the walk went similarly, Janus’ thoughts chasing each other around his head as he tried to stay calm. The path they were on, however, changed drastically- first the black mosses and creeping vines retreated, leaving the dark trees bare like marble pillars. Then, slowly, the ground underfoot firmed, and the banks became dotted with new life. Tiny sprouts and grasses, hiding the black earth- and even the trees seemed to grow new branches as the two of them went on. Green climbing flowers began to consume the rough bark, covering them with little yellow flowers and hanging down curtains of moss from their strong branches.
Janus and Remus came to a full stop as they reached the first sign of sunlight, a thick beam of it breaking in from the canopy far above. Their toes touched the edge of the warmed reddish brown dirt. He wasn’t as unfamiliar with the concept of direct sunlight as his- as the kid was, but this time it felt… important.
Speaking of the child- Remus’ face was flushed from overexertion, but he hardly seemed to notice. His panting breaths had quieted through his parted lips, and his eyes were huge as he looked at the stark line between sun and shade. Janus had plenty of time to wonder if Remus remembered the moment he stepped out of that light- the seconds seemed to stretch on forever.
Remus leaned forward almost indiscernibly, and the slant of the light caught the tip of his nose, lighting the edges and warming his pale skin. The kid’s brow furrowed and he shied back out of the light.
“I didn’t know the sun could do that,” he remarked matter-of-factly, trying to peer up through the leaves without getting any more sun on his face. “Is it dangerous? Will I get a sunburn and have to peel my face off?”
“...No. Direct sunlight only burns after more than ten minutes- and that’s not how sunburns work.” Janus answered, trying to keep his voice even.
“Have you ever had one?”
“Once or twice.”
“From when?”
“Work meetings. We have them outside.” This seemed to satisfy Remus- but only for a moment.
“So it’s safe to go out in?”
“Perfectly safe.”
“...I didn’t know the sun could do this,” he repeated, almost to himself. The words jabbed Janus anew, and the next second the kid was winding up and jumping two-footed over the line.
The cast-off advisor stepped with the Prince into the Light Side.
TAG LIST
@dolphin-squirrel @thenaiads @soysaucevictim @dappersdespair I assumed you’d want to be tagged? Just ask and I’ll take you off! <3
A/N: This chapter feels shorter than it is but writing’s hard and it’ll hurt you anyway so whatever SJDGJSGD have fun :)
Synopsis: When the twins split two years ago, Janus was tasked with raising Remus. His only help was the evasive and sullen Virgil- who he already had to wrangle like a stray teenager. The endless days in the Dark Side’s Mindpalace were broken only by monthly catch-ups with Patton, and the only thing that ever changed the stories that Janus used to get Remus to bed. This time, though, something was different: secrets were slipping through Janus’ lips- and past the divide between Dark and Light.
Ships: Moceit
Word count: 1117
TW: swearing, crying, ask to tag!
“I have a brother!”
The squeak might’ve been a question if it hadn’t grown so harshly in volume and pitch along the way. Remus was basically vibrating with energy, and Janus was filled with exhaustion at the thought of the damage control he’d have to face- even as the proclamation lifted two years of weight from his shoulders.
“We’re all quite taken to interpreting it that way, yes- but he’s mostly your… other half. He’s your age, and he’s been living with Logan and Patton.” Janus said, voice even. His next words, however, threatened to choke him. “You aren’t permitted to see him, though. Not yet.”
“That’s a pile of donkey shit!” Remus spoke, not missing a beat. His caretaker winced. “Where is he?”
“I can’t tell you, Remus.”
“Is he in the house?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
“He is?!”
“He’s not.”
Remus’ face was energized and determined in a way that meant he was devastated. Janus’ guilt- what remained of it- was melting away in the face of righteousness. He was making the right decision. “It’s not my fault, Remus. You’re not permitted by the Light Sides.”
Remus’ tiny face grew petulant.
“I don’t want to hear the rest of the story.”
“This isn’t a story.” Janus watched the rusty gears of the kid’s head turn, waiting for them to click into place. They didn’t.
“The hell are you talking about?” The humor of the moment was lost on Janus favor of weariness.
“The Light Sides. Patton and Logan… and your brother.”
“...The pâtissier?” It dawned on him. “The advisor?”
“And the Prince,” Janus finished, relieved. “Well… one of them.”
Remus let out a little breath- Janus thought it was a laugh, but soon he realized it had been a sob. The kid was crying.
For the first time since his first day with the Remus, Janus didn’t know what to do with him. Stiffly, he bundled Remus into his arms, his guilt flooding him once more as the child made no attempt to fight off the affection. He cursed Logan and Patton- not for the first time- in his mind. They’d never seen Remus as a person. How could they, and keep him away from his other half? They didn’t think of the result of their actions, of this grinning, dauntless child crying in Janus’ arms for the only time in their two years of being in close quarters. Six-year-olds cried, he knew this- but not Remus. Not for any reason other than juvenile rebelion, and never in a way that sought comfort. He’d never seen Remus sad. Never scared, or even seriously despondent. The kid had always been happy and impassioned.
Janus realized that he’d only made half of the right decision.
It was high time he fixed the rest.
He had to fix the rest- and Patton would help him. The caring side couldn’t turn against a crying child, no matter how intrinsically wrong he somehow thought said child was. Janus… he trusted the fatherly side more than any other. That wasn’t saying much, as a deep hatred for everyone causing Remus harm was creeping over him every second he spent cradling the trembling form.
Speaking of- how long had the kid been harboring these tears? How long had Remus been internalizing his loneliness? Every time Janus had put the kid to bed with no one to whisper to in the dark, every time he’d put off Remus’ needs for his own, every day he’d spent with Patton, shuttling the kid into the care of the fearful and seemingly disinterested Virgil. His own childhood had been spent in close quarters with five other children, all jostling for affection and friendship and entertainment and the fire extinguisher every time Patton tried to light a candle or bake cookies or Logan failed an experiment or a hundred other absurd cases.
Remus had none of that.
Remus had Janus and Virgil- one already exhausted from trying to corral an adult who acted like an angsty teenager and the other, well. An adult who asked like an angsty teenager. One who was too often absent and another who only left his room to eat. Two dysfunctional adults in a dark, damp, winding house. A loud kid in a quiet house.
Janus held Remus close. “Yknow what, Kid?”
The response took a little too long.
“...What?”
“Fuck the Light Sides.”
The child laughed, wiping his eyes, and Janus’ heart swelled uncharacteristically.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. We’re getting you to your brother.”
Remus was shocked. Janus had never seen this expression on the tiny sides face- he’d always been indetirible, a bundle of chaotic energy. The situation had brought so much more out of the round face.
Remus scrambled off of Janus’ lap- the older side had never been more relieved to get an knee to the stomach.
“Get away from me, oaf- lets go! Like, now go! Go now!” Remus’ words scrambled over each other. “Should I bring him something? Sugar? I like sugar- Jan, do you know if Roman likes sugar?” Janus didn’t have time to wonder if he’d told Remus his brother’s name before the kid was standing on the kitchen counter, opening the cabinets to find the hidden sweetener. He huffed as he stood to redirect the tiny fingers, but relief seeped into him- this version of the kid he could deal with. This he was used to.
Janus lifted Remus, setting him down on the floor.
“Not everyone eats plain sugar, Remus- and you’re still not allowed to, either,” He scolded.
“My brother does, I’m sure of it! He’ll be just like me, Jan. Lemmie get him sugar- please, Jan?” The older side smiled at Remus’ puppy eyes- not in compliance, but because he was used to them, too. They were easy to refuse, unlike tears.
“No. You’ve been off sugar for two weeks now, Remus, you are not relapsing and you are not dragging Roman down with you.” Remus was only put off for a few moments before he spun himself back into a whirlwind.
“But would he like sugar? Does he? I’m sure he does- right, Jan?”
“Sure. Just not straight from the bag.” Remus gave a contemplative nod. His caretaker was still on his toes, half expecting the kid to launch himself back onto the counter and run- but Remus had moved on.
“What about birds? I like chasing birds with sticks, but you and Virgil don’t like that- will Roman? He will, right? Whatever, we can just go ask him. Let’s go!” Remus tugged on Janus’ hand.
“Hold on, Remus. It takes a long time to hike all the way to him, and we aren’t supposed to be there at all. We need a plan, or at least some kind of forethought.” Damn kid had made Janus sympathetic- since when had he ever tried to reason with Remus? And since when had he waited for a reply?
“No. We’re leaving now.” And since when had the kid made demands of him? And since when had he been tempted to reply…
