I had a realization today about love. I pointed at two characters and yelled "THEY'RE IN LOVE!!" and I immediately backtracked and went, "wait no I like them as friends"
But like... why is "in love" assumingly romantic? Is friendship not love? Do you not look into your friends eyes and feel warmth?
What if Janus and Patton were trying to talk some sense into a grumpy/scared Virgil, and after Janus said something Patton said "yes Virgil, listen to your uncle!", and Janus would be so amazed to have Patton's support the last word would almost go over his head
Hello! I'm a barista at the Sleepy Bean Fanfic Café run over at @tsspromptmonth and this is an order for @kieraelieson! It involves Janus centric angst, a happy ending, only one bed and a language barrier. Hope you enjoy!
Summary: Janus came along to his future stepfathers' cousin's wedding in hopes of getting to visit Germany and see some interesting things and not to have to share a bed with another cousin's son. Especially since they don't speak the same language. Literally.
Content Warnings: Human!AU, Angst, Happy Ending, Flashbacks, Nightmares, Language Barrier, German
Read here one Ao3!
German translations at the end.
~~*~~
“I didn’t agree to this!” Janus growls into his phone. His future stepfather sighs on the other end of the line.
“I know, Jay. But there’s nothing I can do about it! The hotel’s booked out, there are no other rooms. It’s just one night,” Remus tries to reason. Janus can hear the dull sound of more voices in the background.
“Then it shouldn’t be a problem for you to switch with me. I can sleep with my dad, and you can sleep with him!”
“Look, I know you’re frustrated, but you can’t actually believe that it’s appropriate for me to sleep in the same bed as my 15-year-old nephew who I hardly know. Especially since we’re out at a bachelor party right now and will be back late and intoxicated. Neither you nor Patton want to sleep next to us afterwards, I promise you.”
“Who thought it was a good idea to have the bachelor party the day before the wedding anyway? Aren’t you all just going to be hung over tomorrow?”
“Never mind that, we’ll deal. Now, you said you’d be okay earlier, what changed? I may not know Patton super well but he’s a good kid. I can’t imagine him doing anything that would upset you this much?”
“It’s the fact that the dude doesn’t seem to speak a lick of English! How am I supposed to tell him what not to do if he doesn’t understand me?!” Janus glances inside through the glass door that leads from the balcony back into the room. Patton is sitting on the bed with a DS in hand, concentrating on whatever game he’s playing.
“He can speak a bit of English, and I taught you a bit of German, you can figure out the rest. Plus, you both have phones, use google translate if you must. Patton knows how to politely share a room, it’ll be fine.”
“Siblings sharing rooms isn’t the same, Remus.”
“He’s an only child. He’s—” Remus breaks off and for a moment Janus thinks the line died. “Look, I don’t want to go into detail, but Pat’s been through a lot. He’s been sick since he was young and spent a lot of time in the hospital. That’s also why he doesn’t speak English all that well, he’s been homeschooled and his parents reasonably decided to focus on other subjects. He’ll be cordial, you can do the same, I’m sure.”
Janus doesn’t say anything but groans maybe a bit dramatically.
“I promise you, Jay, I talked with my cousin, and she made sure that at the wedding venue tomorrow you’ll have two beds. One night. That’s all I’m asking of you. Go to bed early and it’ll be even less of a problem.”
“Urgh, fine! But you owe me.”
“Sure thing, champ. See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Janus hangs up, though not before he hears Remus chuckling on the other end. The guy is so lucky that his dad’s infatuated with him or Janus would hit him in the morning. He lets out another sigh before returning back inside.
Patton looks up from his game at the sound of the door sliding open.
“Okay?” he asks, his head tilted to the side.
“Yeah. Has to be apparently.” He mumbles the last part under his breath and ignores the confused look on Patton’s face. Instead, he tries to recall what little German phrases Remus had taught him before they came here.
“Dein,” he says, motioning towards the side of the bed Patton is sitting on. “Mein.” This time he points at the unoccupied side. “Kein fassen.”
Patton blinks at him before repeating the gestures.
“Me. You. No touch?”
Janus nods.
“No touching my stuff.”
“Natürlich. Would never.”
“Good.” With that, Janus decides to ignore his reluctantly accepted companion and gathers his stuff to go take a shower. Thankfully, the bathroom door locks.
~~*~~
He smells the fire first. Then he feels the heat.
Oh no.
His eyes snap open.
The smoke is surrounding him from all sides.
Not again.
He can’t do it again.
Wasn’t once enough?
What kind of sick joke is this?
He tries to call for help but the air, thick with ash, chokes him before he can muster up a single sound.
Where even is he?
He hears wood groaning and splintering. Something crashes to the ground.
“Janus? Janus!”
A voice he doesn’t recognize rings through the dark. It’s calling his name, but the pronunciation is off.
“Janus! Wach auf! Komm schon, wach auf! Du musst atmen!“
He doesn’t understand. What kind of a language is that?
He has no time to dwell on it as something next to him falls. He flinches away but that only leads him closer to the heat. He turns around and is face to face with the flames.
“No. No. Please. I can’t,” he whimpers, unable still to raise his voice. His knees give away under him and he falls to the ground.
The air is thick down here as well and he starts coughing.
Is he going to die this time?
“Janus? Tut mir leid, aber Remus hat gesagt das würde helfen…“
What is the voice saying? He doesn’t—
Suddenly there’s something cold on his hand and Janus gasps.
His eyes fly open, and he sits up as if stung.
“Oh, Gott sei dank.”
Janus is still trying to get his breathing under control as his eyes find Patton sitting next to him, a water bottle in his hand. A drop of water is running down its side.
Ah, so that was the cold thing.
“What—” He gasps for more breath. “What happened?”
“Oh, uhm… Moment, please.”
Janus watches as Patton sets the water bottle aside on his nightstand and grabbing his phone instead. He types on it for a moment.
“You niktmare?” he asks, holding out his phone for Janus to see. It takes him a moment to get his eyes to focus on the screen, his breathing finally calming down. Patton has pulled up google translate, one side reading Albtraum and the other nightmare.
Oh yeah.
That would explain things.
His scars itch at the memory but he pushes the sensation away.
Patton is still looking at him, concerned.
“Yes,” he nods. “Nightmare.”
“Guessed. Called Remus. Coming here. With Logan.”
Janus sinks back down onto the bed with a sigh. So, his dad and soon-to-be stepfather were on their way back to check on him. He doesn’t like to admit it but he’s glad. He likes to pretend that he’s 16 and totally independent but staying in a foreign country with a guy he doesn’t know seems to have stressed him more than he thought if it brought back the worst memories of his life.
“Danke,” he says and Patton smiles.
“Kein Problem. Ich hoffe es geht dir bald besser.“
Janus can only guess what that means but he doesn’t press.
It’ll be okay.
A tap on his shoulder makes him flinch and he looks to Patton who’s holding the water bottle again.
“Drink?” he asks.
Janus wonders for a moment where the bottle had even come from but then he remembered the mini fridge. They’d have to pay extra for using it, but… He could really use a cold drink right now.
He nods and Patton brightens, eagerly unscrewing the lid.
Janus watches him and thinks that maybe the next few days aren’t going to be that bad.
~~*~~
Natürlich - Of course
Janus! Wach auf! Komm schon, wach auf! Du musst atmen! - Janus! Wake up! Come on, wake up! You need to breathe!
Janus? Tut mir leid, aber Remus hat gesagt das würde helfen… - Janus? I'm sorry, but Remus said this would help...
Oh, Gott sei dank. - Oh, thank God.
Danke - Thanks
Kein Problem. Ich hoffe es geht dir bald besser. - No problem. I hope you feel better soon.
Hey Janus, what do you think of Orange simping for Logan? You know, as his Snake Mom?
Patton: As for my question, I think he’s alright. I used to be better friends with him, but once I developed into the representation of morality, he kinda backed off.
Janus: He’s kind of scared of you.
Patton: I don’t know why.
Janus: You used your dad voice on him one time when we were kids.
It is once again time for the @sanderssidesgiftxchange! This year I wrote for @authorgirl0131 who wanted a story about Janus and Remus' first Christmas with the Lights Sides as well as some Hurt/Comfort. I hope you enjoy 💛
Read here on Ao3
Summary: Janus and Remus spend their first Christmas with the Light Sides. One in particular isn't amused.
Content Warnings: Christmas, Virgil is pretty mean to Janus, Janus is caught in a self-hate spiral near the end, Cursing, Hurt/Comfort, Hopeful Ending
~~*~~
“J-ANUS!” Remus yelled as he crashed into the door to Janus’ room and before Janus could open his eyes, the other was on top of him.
“It’s Christmas! You need to get up! I wanna annoy my brother!”
Janus groaned and slowly opened his eyes, flinching at the brightness of his room. Remus’ sharp grin was only inches from his face and Janus pushed him away with all six of his arms.
“Yes, yes, I know,” he yawned, slowly sitting up. Remus bounced of the bed, and he didn’t stop bouncing as he circled around the room, not standing still for even a second. Janus couldn’t blame him; this would be the first time in forever that he spends the holiday with his brother.
Patton had invited Janus to join them on Christmas day at the beginning of the month. When he had just raised his eyebrows at the suggestion, Patton had quickly tagged on that Remus would be welcome as well, under a few stipulations. Janus’ brow had wandered higher.
“Yes, a wonderful idea of you to invite us behind the others back, that won’t cause any problems at all!” he had scoffed.
“Wha—? No! No, I asked the others. Logan said he didn’t mind, just that I should tell him early on if you agree to come so he has time to organize the presents. Roman and Verge weren’t… thrilled by the idea but they agreed that we should try to get along, for Thomas’ sake. Roman insisted though that Remus had to follow some rules if he wants to come.”
Janus knew Patton wasn’t lying but he could hardly believe it was the truth. Virgil said okay to him and Remus coming? Ever since he left, things had been… more than a little strained. Sure, they hadn’t had the best relationship even before then, but now Virgil met them with animosity whenever he saw them.
Still, he couldn’t turn down the offer if it meant that Remus could finally spend more time with his brother.
“Alright,” he said slowly. “What are these rules then?”
“It’s just about the gifts!” Patton reassured. “Roman said that Remus can’t get us anything that is alive, rotting, sharp, or deadly. Or any combination of those.”
“That’s… fair enough, I suppose. I’ll ask him and get back to you.”
“Please do!” Patton had beamed as if he had already said yes.
Of course, Remus had agreed enthusiastically, which led them to Christmas morning.
“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!” Remus whined as Janus swung his feet off the bed and into his slippers.
“I do need to get dressed first, Remus,” he reminded.
“Oh, pft, no you don’t! We could both just go in our birthday suits!” He shimmied his shoulders and Janus rolled his eyes fondly. Despite his words, Remus had come to his room fully dressed.
“You said you would behave, Remus. And Patton said that they usually wear their Christmas sweaters, and that we didn’t have to but I like mine, so I’ll go put that on.”
“Ugh, fine! You’re no fun anymore.” Remus threw himself on the bed dramatically as he pouted. Janus didn’t pay him any more attention and disappeared into the bathroom.
He walked to the sink and splashed some water into his face before taking a deep breath. He couldn’t share Remus’ excitement, on the contrary, he was dreading the day more than he looked forward to it. Yes, Patton would do his best to make them comfortable and Logan would be polite as usual, but the other two? Well, Roman would probably be preoccupied by dealing with Remus but that would also mean that Virgil’s focus would be mainly on him.
And that was not an inviting concept.
But he had agreed, so now he had to get through it. If only for Remus’ sake. He again splashed his face with water and got moving to get ready.
When he came back out of the bathroom a few minutes later, fully dressed and a bit more confident to face the day, Remus was crawling along his ceiling on all fours. At least this time he wasn’t secreting slime.
He let himself drop and crashed into the floor when he saw Janus, practically vibrating with excitement again.
“Can we go now?!”
“Almost,” Janus chuckled. Remus’ face fell but Janus knew that he could improve his mood with just a few words. “I have an early present for you.” Immediately, Remus started actually vibrating on the spot, looking at Janus with big eyes.
“What is it? What is it?”
Summoning the box into his hand behind his back, Janus revealed it to his best friend with a flourish. Remus grabbed it greedily, tearing in the wrapping paper and pulling off the lid as soon as he could. Inside laid a thin, green collar with a metal box that kept the ends together.
“Uhh, pretty!” Remus laughed, pulling the collar out of the box with much more care.
“It’s a shock collar,” Janus explained and immediately Remus’ eyes snapped to his.
“For real?” he asked, overjoyed.
“Yes, but—” He grabbed a hold of Remus’ arm before he could put it on and try it out. “For now I have disabled the highest settings. I’m giving this to now because I want you to try and use it to stop yourself from going on your lovely rants the other love so much.” His tone was sarcastic, but his eyes were serious and Remus nodded.
“I get it. Fun impulse control so I don’t fuck it up for us in the first five minutes.”
“Remus—”
“I know, I know. We’re starting small or whatever. I’ll have my fun with this, thanks Banana Bitch!”
Janus sighed but dropped the topic. “You’re welcome. I’ll let you have the full range of options tomorrow, I promise. Now, let’s head to the others before you explode on me.”
Remus whooped, grabbed Janus’ arm and dragged him out of the door.
Janus let him.
This was going to be a long day.
~~*~~
As they arrived downstairs, Janus took a moment to survey the scene before announcing their presence.
(Not that Remus would hold back for his sake, which meant he had until Remus found something to throw himself at. Literally.)
He spotted Virgil and Roman in the living room together, their backs towards him. They were leaning on each other and probably looked at something on a phone together. Patton meanwhile was in the kitchen, humming jovially to the Christmas music playing at a comfortable volume. Logan he couldn’t see, though he presumed he’s helping Patton.
“RO-BRO!” Remus yelled, storming towards the couch and throwing himself into Roman and Virgil’s laps. They both started cursing and shoving at him immediately. Janus decided he wasn’t going to deal with them on his own, so he headed for the kitchen instead.
“Janus!” Patton greeted happily as he saw him enter. “I’m so glad you made it! Remus joined the others in the living room I assume?”
“Yes, he did. Merry Christmas, Patton.” Janus let his eyes wander around the kitchen as he spoke, spotting Logan at the kitchen table, absorbed into a crossword. “And merry Christmas Logan.”
“Merry Christmas to you too, Janus!” Patton laughed while Logan just mumbled, “To you as well,” without looking up from the paper in front of him.
“Don’t mind him, he does one of those every morning and he won’t let the holidays stop him,” Patton smiled, and Janus simply nodded. “Would you mind helping me set the table for breakfast? We’ll do presents first, of course, Roman was already cranky that we had to wait on you to start.”
“Sssure.” The involuntary hiss made Janus flinch slightly – he might be more stressed by the unfamiliar situation than he realized himself – but Patton either didn’t notice or knew not to comment on it as he waved him over to load plates into his hand that he was supposed to place on the living room table.
After only a minute or two they had everything settled and Patton laid a hand on his shoulder.
“Thank you very much for the help, Jan! I really appreciate it.”
“I expect your firstborn in exchange,” he replied dryly and the other laughed.
“But you’re all my kiddos and I don’t actually know which one of you is the oldest!”
“Right.” Janus knew he was being short, but his eyes had wandered over to Roman, Virgil and Remus. Remus seemed to be rambling about something and the other two looked like they would rather be anywhere else. He wondered why they hadn’t tried to stop him.
“Are you nervous?” Patton asked. He was suddenly a lot closer, whispering close to his ear and Janus flinched for the second time that morning.
“No, not at all. Why would I ever be nervous?” Patton didn’t immediately answer but Janus could see in his eyes that he didn’t believe him.
“I understand. But I’ll do my best to make it comfortable for you two, too.”
Janus wanted to bite back, make a witty comment and shrug off the unpleasantness in his stomach but his tongue went dry, and he couldn’t get a word out. So he settled for nodding instead. Patton nodded back and grabbed a plate of cookies off the table.
“Alright, everyone is here so let’s start the day, shall we?” he called, bright and cheery. Janus almost got whiplash from how quickly he had changed his tone.
“Ugh! Finally!” Roman groaned. He grabbed Virgil’s arm and pulled him away from Remus to sit on the other end of the couch. Remus stayed on the floor, a manic grin on his face and Janus could see the movement of his hand in his pocket as he pressed the shock collar remote. The twitch that followed the voltage was almost imperceptible. He remained silent.
“Yes, I have finished my crossword and am ready to give you my undivided attention,” Logan said as he entered from the kitchen. He walked towards the couch with certain steps and took a seat. “Good morning, Remus and merry Christmas.”
“Merry Shitmas, dork!”
Patton laughed uncomfortably at Remus’ returned greeting but didn’t comment on it. He moved towards the Christmas tree that Janus had heard had been created and decorated by Roman. Underneath it sat multiple sets of presents, ten of which Janus had placed there himself during the night, both his and Remus’.
Janus swallowed before moving around the couch to take his own seat. He could tell the moment Virgil noticed him because his gaze felt like a blade trying to dig into him. He gave him only a short glance but that was enough to see the deep distrust in his eyes.
He ended up sitting next to Logan and doing his best to not look over towards Virgil.
The gift giving went mostly smoothly. Patton called a name and that person picked one present of their pile to open. He started with Roman – probably because the prince would have thrown a fit otherwise – and continued with Remus, then Logan, Janus, Virgil and lastly himself. A few presents in, Patton got too distracted by his excitement over what he received that he forgot to call names and Roman just got up, grabbed the rest of his pile and asked who else wanted theirs, too.
The roomed dissolved into loud chatter and yells of excitement. Janus quietly unpacked his gifts – a self-knitted scarf from Patton that had a few holes here and there, a nice bottle of wine from Logan (which he was stopped from opening immediately), a pair of socks from Roman and a blanket from Remus of which he could adjust both temperature and weight. Virgil hadn’t given him nor Remus a present. Janus wasn’t surprised.
His given gifts were received well, too. Patton loved the scrapbook materials and Logan closely studied the motive of the 1500 pieces jigsaw-puzzle. Roman begrudgingly admitted that the fountain pen he had given him was tasteful. He was sure the golden accents and his engraved name helped. Remus cackled manically as he unwrapped his whetstone. His weapons would be even more deadly know, he promised.
At the end only one gift remained wrapped, which Patton pointed out, looking at Virgil quizzically.
“Why’d you leave that one, ki— Virgil?”
“I’m not opening it.”
“But why—?”
“Leave him be,” Janus spoke up, having recognized the wrapping. Virgil stared at him as he said it, his jaw clenched, non-verbally challenging him to agree with Patton and force him to open it.
“But it’s rude towards who gave it to him—"
“He doesn’t have to open it if he doesn’t want to, I don’t mind.”
He’d imagine Virgil wouldn’t have opened Remus’ gift either if Remus hadn’t threatened him to do so with his morningstar. Now Mr. Fuzzy sat with Virgil’s other presents, probably to be thrown into the trash the minute Virgil could get away with it.
(Janus did his best not to think about how much work Remus put into making him.)
Patton looked between the two of them, most likely torn between not wanting to start a fight and reprimand Virgil for being so confrontational.
He settled on, “If you say so,” and called them to the breakfast table.
The tension quickly left the room as they gathered around the table. Roman started bragging about how he gave the best gifts this year which Virgil immediately teased him for, and Remus argued that his had been better. Patton and Logan chimed in occasionally, but Janus kept quiet for them most part. He didn’t want to draw attention to himself again.
The rest of the day passed similarly. They moved from activity to activity (boardgames, movies, etc.) and Janus let the others talk. When he did contribute however, Virgil more often than not shot back with some passive aggressive statements, no matter what the topic had been. Patton tried to get him to stop but Janus waved it off, pretending it didn’t bother him.
Those times Patton didn’t catch him lying.
~~*~~
Then it was time for the last activity of the day. Apparently, it was tradition for the Light Sides to go out to a snowy landscape Roman created to enjoy the chill, drink something warm and light a few sparklers. Janus wasn’t enthused about the idea on grounds that he was cold-blooded and going out into the snow would surely lead to him loosing his precious body heat but he participated nonetheless.
Especially since it gave him an excuse to stay farther away from Virgil.
He took the longest to get ready, as he needed to wear more layers than anyone else. He was in the process of pulling on a second jacket, standing close to the door that would lead him outside to the cold where the others were already waiting.
Well, almost all of them.
Virgil passed him, lightly knocking into him. It didn’t hurt but it certainly got his attention.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to pull here,” Virgil hissed. He stood in the doorway, blocking Janus’ view of the others.
Isolating him.
“If you think you can fool me by playing the good guy, then you’re wrong. I know you. I know your tricks and your lies. And you always lie. You’ve got some kind of agender, you always do. But newsflash, your stupid plans never really seem to work out, now do they? The wedding fiasco for example. You should leave before you ruin this too.”
Virgil didn’t wait for his response. He turned back and headed outside. He was greeted by Logan who pushed a steaming mug into his hands with a smile. Past them, Janus could hear and just make out the twins having a snowball fight that Patton seemed to be refereeing.
They seemed to be having a pretty good time.
Without him.
Janus left.
Before he could really think about it, he was back in his room, shrugging off the jackets, then the snow pants and more layers until he was left with a long-sleeved shirt and leggings. In a daze, he crawled into bed, under his many, many blankets.
Virgil was right. He didn’t belong there. He had been awful to Roman during the wedding affair. To Logan, too, if he was honest. Patton may have found common ground with him but maybe that was build up on false pretenses. He didn’t really know him after all.
Would Remus even be his friend if they hadn’t been stuck with each other for all those years?
Maybe he would leave him too now.
He wouldn’t begrudge him for it.
Remus deserved so much more than him.
He was just a manipulator.
A liar.
A snake.
Unlovable.
Unlovable.
Unlovable.
Unlovable.
Unlov—
“Janny!”
The blankets are pulled away from him and Janus gasped, wide eyes finding Remus, who stood above him with a worried expression.
“Hey there, snakey. Those didn’t sound like nice thoughts to have.”
“Remus?” Janus’ voice was weak and he only now noticed he was crying.
“Yeah, it’s me. You didn’t come outside, so I got worried. C’mon, sit up.” Gently, Remus pulled Janus up so he could sit leaned against him. Then he pulled a blanket around his shoulders. And not just any blanket but the one that Remus gifted him this morning. The weight settled nicely around him and Janus sighed, relieved.
“Here,” Remus pushed the controls for the blanket into his hand. “Put in what you need.”
“It’s already good, thank you.”
“You wanna talk about it?”
“Not really.”
“Okay. Just let me ask one question.”
“Alright.”
“Was it Virgin?”
Janus couldn’t help the flinch. Remus growled lowly but didn’t move.
“He couldn’t leave you alone for just one day, could he.”
“Please Remus, I don’t wanna think about it more now.” Janus knew if he started now, it would be opening a can of worms and as much as Remus would enjoy that if he meant it literally, he didn’t and didn’t have enough energy to do so metaphorically.
“Fine. Cuddles for my snake now, a mace to the face for the emo tomorrow.”
Janus didn’t argue in the moment but they both knew that he wouldn’t let him get that far in the morning. For now, they just sat in silence, Remus holding him in a loose grip. After the tears stopped, he made him drink some water and afterwards offered to put on a movie, but Janus just wanted to sleep.
Remus helped him settle down, sitting next to him and quietly complained about his brother to provide background noise so Janus didn’t get lost in his thoughts again.
Then there was a knock on the door.
Janus really didn’t like how much he flinched today.
“I’ll get it,” Remus mumbled and got up. Janus felt like a coward but didn’t move. He couldn’t deal with any of the others right now.
“Oh, Remus. I didn’t know you were here.”
That was Patton. Why was he here?
“Yeah, well, Janny’s my friend. What’s your excuse?”
“I noticed Janus never joined us outside, so I wanted to check on him. I know him being cold-blooded made the weather less than ideal for him, but I thought he’d come out at least for a little while. And after Virgil said all those things… Well, I got a bit worried.”
Oh, wow.
Patton actually cared.
Janus knew that, of course, but he hadn’t realized to what extent.
Remus glanced over to him; thankfully he was hidden from Patton’s view.
He didn’t want to be seen like this by anyone but Remus.
“Yeah, that was a shitshow. But that’s a discussion for another day, Janny’s asleep and I don’t wanna wake him.”
“Oh! Sorry to have bothered then, I’ll come by tomorrow. And I’ll have a talk with Virgil, promise. I can’t force him to get along with you, but he shouldn’t have said all of those things.”
“Sure. Bye now, daddy.” Remus closed the door in Patton’s face before he could respond and returned to the bed. “You heard all that? He’s gonna be back tomorrow.”
“Yesss. Thank you, Remus.”
“No problem. I’ll let you sleep now.”
Janus didn’t register himself moving until he was already holding onto Remus’ sleeve tightly.
“Don’t go. Please.”
He hated how small his voice was but the idea of having to be alone was even worse.
Remus blinked a few times, surprised, but then he grinned and quickly climbed onto the bed next to Janus.
“Fuck yeah, sleepover!” With a giggle and wiggle he pressed himself tightly against Janus’ back and hugged him. “Gonna cuddle you so hard we’ll melt together over night!”
Janus made a face.
“I’ll make you bathe at least every other day.”
The hold loosened a bit.
“Fine. No melting.”
“Thank you.”
“Sure thing! Melting or not, I’ll always be here for you, Janny.”
Janus couldn’t help the smile that stole itself onto his face.
“Same here, dukey.”
Remus giggled at the nickname but didn’t say more. Quickly after Janus could tell he had fallen asleep as his breathing evened out.
He yawned, getting sleepy himself.
Maybe one day the two of them will find their place along the others, to help Thomas be whatever he wanted to be. But for now they had each other and nobody could take that away from them.
Mutualism; a relationship between two different kinds of organisms that benefits both.
Pairing: platonic moceit
Word count: 896
Warnings: a pushy failed blind date, but nothing happens
Notes: part of my MPD verse
for @lighthouseinagardenofstars
thank you to @teacupfulofstarshine for beta reading
---
“I will give you four dollars and a really good croissant if you let me hide in here.”
Devin blinked in confusion at the cherubic, wind-flushed hobbit who’d just entered his store, who was currently glancing nervously over his shoulder and looking like he was on the run from a pack of wolves.
Making a split second decision, he gestured firmly for the hobbit to come behind the counter (he didn’t think he had time to explain the curse, so talking wasn’t going to be helpful at the moment), earning a relieved smile. The hobbit darted behind Devin, who turned back to the dried and powdered flowers display next to the register, looking surreptitiously out of the corner of his eyes at the door.
A man walked past, looking searchingly around him, even going so far as to cup his hands to the glass front windows and scowl inside. He didn’t see Devin’s hidden charge, visibly slumping in frustration, and huffed out what was most likely an inaudible curse word before stalking further down the street.
“Ex?” he said, not looking up (just in case the searcher suddenly came back).
“Blind date,” said the hobbit.
“That bad?”
“Worse.”
“Condolences.”
“Is he gone?”
“I’m surely going to have an easy time answering that before you’ve looked at my curse bracelet.”
The hobbit visitor simply appeared next to him in that startling way hobbits often did, as if he’d materialized from nothing. He peered around Devin’s shoulder, and Devin helpfully raised his wrist so the bracelet could be read.
“Okay, I’m up to date!”
“In that case, no, he’s right outside the door.”
The hobbit giggled, before offering a hand for a shake.
“Thanks so much!” he said cheerfully. “I’m Patton. What’s your name?”
“It’s not Devin. And I’m certainly not at all curious as to what your blind date could have done to make himself so distasteful you hid from him that quickly.”
“The date was actually last night,” said Patton. “And it wasn’t that bad, we just didn’t hit it off, and I said so in the text I sent him after. But he showed up to my work today and bothered me through my whole shift, and then he tried to follow me home after I got off.”
“Totally not completely terrifying.”
“I know right?” said Patton. “He’s lucky my brother wasn’t working today, Virgil might have literally stabbed him.”
“Doesn’t sound like my kind of solution.”
“Thank you so much for letting me hide!” said Patton, pulling out a lunch box from seemingly nowhere.
“It was very troubling,” said Devin, waving a hand dismissively.
“Here’s your croissant!”
“I want it,” said Devin. “It was a huge inconvenience to let you duck behind my counter for three minutes. I’ll be taking your lunch.”
“I have two!” Patton chirped, holding out the napkin-wrapped croissant insistently. Devin was surprised – normally the longer he spoke, the more trouble people had parsing what he was trying to say, but Patton didn’t seem confused or put out by having to decipher it. He hadn’t even mentioned Devin’s curse since he read the bracelet.
“Fine,” said Devin, taking the pastry and nibbling on the corner. “... Unholy shit.”
“I know, right?” said Patton smugly. “Me and my brother are so good.”
“You didn’t make this,” said Devin incredulously.
“Sure did! Apothecafe, down the street, it’s me and my brother’s coffee shop and bakery. Patton Cottonwood, at your service.”
“I’ve had a chance to try it out.”
“Well, that won’t do!” exclaimed Patton. “All my friends get half off treats!”
“Oh, really?” laughed Devin’s, “Is this how you normally make friends?”
“Oh definitely not, normally I’m the one doing the rescuing,” said Patton, in a very over-the-top way and a twinkle in his eye that made Devin think he was being sarcastic in a strangely saccharine way. “I’m a regular superhero, just look at me. Can’t you tell?”
Devin looked him up and down, all four-feet-something of him, springy brown curls and golden skin with pink-apple cheeks and a smile like a storybook character.
“Oh, definitely,” he deadpanned.
Patton let out a trill of a giggle.
“Gimme your phone,” he said, shaking his hand insistently. “I’ll put my number in and you can text me when you’re coming into the bakery! I’ll be sure to find something you like on the menu.”
“You’re not at all presumptuous you know,” said Devin, even as he did capitulate by unlocking and handing over his phone.
“I’ve been told I make friends like a steamroller!”
“An inaccurate comparison.”
Patton handed Devin’s phone back and trotted toward the door.
“I gotta head home, chores to do, but text me!” said Patton. “Treats! Half off! I am not above bribing you to be my friend!”
“You’re not very strange, Patton Cottonwood.”
“You’re stuck with me now so you better get used to iiiiit!” sing-songed Patton, darting out the door with a jingle of the bell and half-jogging down the street in the direction he’d come from.
“What a normal little creature,” Devin muttered to himself.
He glanced down at the contact in his phone.
‘Your New Best Friend Patton.’
Rolling his eyes, Devin changed it and texted a screenshot to him, getting a long string of laughter emojis in response.
‘Patton (Nuisance)’
Patton replied with another screenshot, and Devin couldn’t help but laugh.
Thank you for the ask! Sorry it took me a while to get to it. Turns out this one is a lot less angsty and even a bit fluffy, so hope you'll enjoy the hurt/comfort with this one <3 (I'll be back with something more angsty and painful next time /hj >:3)
"Hope is Scary" (Patton)
Warnings: none I can think of
Word count: 1,397
...
“You know, I just realized something.”
Janus clanked his teaspoon against the rim of his cup, watching the lukewarm green tea swirl in on itself. Patton shifted in his seat opposite of him, as they sat at the quaintly decorated table reminiscent of an interior design at granny’s house. Thomas must have been feeling sentimental, to want to meet with his friend in a cafe like this.
“And what’s that?” Patton chuckled awkwardly, desperate attempts to keep up his charade even longer. Janus shot a glance at Thomas at the table next to them, a mellow smile on his face, talking about the mundanities of his past week. His brow furrowed, Janus sighed and met Patton’s eyes again.
“You’re scared,” he said, and something flickered in Patton’s gaze. “Petrified, even. I’d say your fear can topple that of your dark strange son.”
“Don’t call him that, Jan,” Patton replied dejectedly, almost guiltily. “And… I suppose we’re all a little scared. Isn’t that natural? There’s a lot of change happening lately. Which can be exciting, too! There’s nothing wrong with some healthy tension to keep you on your toes, right?”
Janus huffed, lacing his gloved fingers around his cup. “Ah, of course. Some ‘healthy tension’ in your picture-perfect family. It’s endearing in a way, how much you like clinging to that ideal, after everything that happened,” he smirked, poking to get a reaction out of Patton.
Janus half-expected him to defend said image, but after several of their mutual visits and talks together, Patton’s strength to object to Janus’ allegations had gradually seeped out of him.
As was the case now. Patton’s expression darkened and he took a quick sip of his own tea, which could hardly be called tea anymore considering the amount of milk and sugar he would always blend into it.
Little did it help to sweeten the bitterness of the truth.
“Is it that wrong to have hope?” Patton croaked after gulping down his sip of tea. His lips pursed together, and he looked over at Thomas to see his expression similarly fall to one of unease and worry.
“…I’m not blind, you know. Not with my trusted companion goggles, I’m not!” Patton forced a chuckle and pushed up his glasses. Janus rolled his eyes, and Patton’s recovery facade quickly fell apart. He let out a sound that was close to a whimper.
“I know things aren’t perfect. Ups and downs, they come and go with each family, but…” he chuckled again, and his hands tensed around his cup. “...well, it’s been nothing but tension with our kids lately, hasn’t it?”
Janus sighed, “Oh yes, please lump me together with the rest of you hypocritical idiots.”
“Well, that’s what you signed up for, Jan..!” Patton responded, sounding more desperate than stern. “Thomas offered you a seat at the table,” Patton gestured to the table they were sat at, “...which means you’re stuck sitting with us, too. It’s part of the deal you shook your hand on, or… well, took off your glove for. And, you enjoy these chats, don’t you? You see there’s merit in them?”
“Well, I can’t deny how much I relish in seeing you clutch to false hope,” Janus shrugged, sipping his tea. “But we have just been going around in circles, haven’t we? You can’t admit that you’re terrified, and I mean terrified, of the change happening around you. Of how it’s ripping your precious family apart. You’re trying to sell the story to me that there’s hope of things getting better.”
“And you aren’t listening..!” Patton suddenly raised his voice, and he seemed startled by his own advances. He glanced at Thomas, who suddenly tensed up, and Patton cleared his throat. He continued in a quieter voice, “...you aren’t listening when I tell you that there’s nothing wrong with having hope. I know how you think it’s… making me blind,” Patton huffed and took off his glasses for a moment, to drive home his point. “...to have hope, but actually, it’s – ”
“– not being realistic,” Janus interjected as Patton fumbled to get his glasses back on his face. “If you’d taken any heed to what Logan has been saying, as well as me, you’d realize this false hope you’re clinging to is like a lovesick mist that-”
“I can’t help myself, Jan!” Patton’s hand slipped and hit the table, making their cups of tea clang against the wooden table. “I’ve seen what it’s like to lose hope. I’ve seen what he’s like… I can’t let that happen again.” He shook his head, and the tremble in his words made Janus almost regret his harsh tone. “I’d rather be a hopeful idiot, than a hopeless pessimist.”
From the opposite side of the quaint little table, Janus scoffed lightly.
“...Like me, huh?”
Janus created a silence between them, after he spoke. He sighed and looked at Thomas, his friend’s hand covering Thomas’ and seemingly speaking words of reassurance to him. Janus frowned; he hadn’t come here to see Thomas cry.
“I’m not saying hope is a bad thing,” Janus added softly, his chest aching a little. “I’m concerned it’s clouding your judgment. As much as I… used to delight in watching you struggle in naive ignorance, if anything, these talks of ours are an opportunity where I can offer you my advice. Things aren’t getting better, if you keep ignoring the issues that are causing this tension. The longer you turn a blind eye, the worse the situation will get.”
As if they both had the same inclination, Janus and Patton turned to look at Thomas again. It was good he had a friend to keep him company, when the ‘parents’ were bickering like this. “It’s going to hurt him either way,” Janus said softly when he met Patton’s eyes again. “He’ll be hurt less, if you won’t give hope a chance to mystify you into believing that everything is okay if you ignore it.”
“I won’t.” Patton shook his head decidedly, a determined frown on his face that exerted a degree of authority. “It won’t cloud my judgment… Not as long as I have you on my team.”
An unexpected smile tugged on Patton’s lips, and he held out an open hand to Janus. Taken aback by the kind gesture, Janus pretended not to be affected. Even though his hand seemed to move to hold Patton’s on its own.
Patton smiled wider, squeezing Janus’ hand a bit. “I appreciate your advice, Jan. I do. It’s good advice. And… I do have a tendency to get too hopeful and think we can just pretend that tension doesn’t exist,” he chuckled lightly. His hand trembled as it clutched Janus’ fingers, and Janus leaned in closer to see the hesitance he expected behind Patton’s glasses.
“You’re right, I am scared. But, just between you and me… it’s losing hope what scares me more than anything. You might think it’s naive, or stupid, but I don’t want to lose it. Let me be the hopeful idiot, and you can be… the hopeless genius! We’ll be the perfect team. Okay?”
Janus huffed and shook his head; he continued to be baffled by Patton’s ability to squeeze that sentimentality into even Janus’ cold-blooded heart.
“Okay,” he relented. “Keep your hope. Let’s… see what good it does you,” he let out a sigh, leaning back in his chair and slipping his hand out of Patton’s grip. He pretended the warmth of his fingers around his glove didn’t affect him in the slightest.
Neither did the way his chest felt warmer, as he watched Thomas smile again, wiping at his eyes a bit.
“That’s the spirit, bestie!”
That nickname dragged Janus out of his reverie. “Don’t call me that,” he winced, not bothering to risk the use of sarcasm here.
“Come now, Jan, you started it!” Patton grinned, and his previous fearful discomfort seemed to melt away in the blink of an eye. Now that was some scary ability. Patton took another sip of his tea, before his face recoiled a bit. “Gosh, my tea’s gone all cold! No choice but to go for another round. What about you, Jan? My treat!”
Janus raised an eyebrow, before glancing over to see Thomas and company ordering a second batch of beverages as well.
Frankly, Janus was in the mood for something sweet. He smiled, “Sure, go ahead and treat me.”
