I still can barely believe I finished this thing. I started it in 2019 without too much of a real plan besides wanting to combine two of my favorite things. And then just... So much happened. I put it down multiple times throughout the course of this. I think once for about a year and then again for around three and a half years. But it's really done now. I'd like to especially thank @nekoabi and @edupunkn00b for helping me finish this. Your encouragement was such a big part of getting me through this whole thing. Thank you both so much. <3
Previous Chapter - Masterlist
A lot changed very quickly for everyone once the sanctuary opened. Logan’s days looked different now - dramatically so - but he was still the man he had always been. And that man had always functioned best on a schedule.
He woke before the sanctuary did. Despite the busy halls and near constant murmur of activity that it held throughout the day, the building was often still at this hour. Logan might have been the earliest riser on the premises - if not for Roman.
Most mornings, he woke up to find Roman asleep beside him. When he did, Logan could usually tell from Roman’s still damp hair that he’d slipped back into bed after a workout and a shower. Their days were full, and early morning was often the only time Roman could fit in his own personal exercise.
That wasn’t to say he slowed down afterward, Roman seemed to spend most of his day in motion. He could often be found play-chasing the kids, leading exercises for residents who wanted them - sometimes power-related and sometimes not, or simply checking in everywhere to make sure everyone was doing well.
This morning, Roman was missing. He must have gotten pulled away by something, but Logan would find him later. For now, back to that structure that helped him feel grounded.
First, he checked the schedule for the classrooms for the day - double checking who was teaching where and whether there was anywhere he needed to be at any given point to assist or teach. They didn’t offer the kind of high-level chemistry courses he’d once taught at the university, though he was considering resuming that work after taking a few semesters off to reevaluate what kind of class load he could comfortably manage. Still, there was plenty he could provide here.
Once he’d confirmed where he needed to be, he headed to the nearest kitchen to start the coffee pots and kettles. He poured himself a mug to begin his day with and left the rest warming for everyone else as they woke. Once he had his coffee in hand, he usually took a walk. He wasn’t Roman, but he liked to get at least a little exercise in, and most days a good walk suited him just fine - especially given how often he found himself pulled into all manner of other things. By the time he’d finished his rounds through the halls and along the perimeter, Patton and Marq would already have breakfast underway.
They were both quite talented cooks and had actually taught each other a lot. Theirs might not have been the strangest new friendship to come out of the sanctuary, but it was close.
Breakfast was also when Logan typically checked in with Janus, who’d give him the updates on any technical or mechanical issues that had occurred since the previous morning. Janus monitored the security system and power readouts, responding to urgent matters as they arose and saving the rest for breakfast with Logan. From there, Logan would either handle it himself, pass it along to whoever could handle it, or bring it to Roman so they could handle it together.
Their debriefing lasted either until Janus had told Logan everything he wanted him to know, or until Remy showed up - whichever came first. That was usually the point at which Janus lost the ability to focus on technical things, largely because Remy made it his personal mission to make sure Janus didn’t overwork himself. Or, as he put it, “All work and no play dulls his babes’ shine.”
Those two would leave breakfast together, lingering in the same few spots around the sanctuary. They made a point of staying visible, available. Everyone who came to live there was set up with a phone by Janus - on Roman’s dime, obviously - and given a short list of numbers, no matter who they were.
Emile’s and Patton’s, for emotional support - whether someone needed thoughtful guidance or simply a friend who’d listen.
Logan’s, Roman’s, and Simone’s, for varying levels and intensities of mentorship. It was understood that Logan was the one people went to when they wanted things explained clearly and logically, when they needed help thinking through a problem. Roman, on the other hand, was the more approachable and energetic option. Approachable, at least, once people adjusted to seeing him just as Roman rather than a celebrity - which normally didn’t take longer than a week or two. He made advice feel less like an instruction and more like encouragement. Simone was the most direct of the three, blunt in a way that cut through hesitation without being unkind. She also offered a different perspective, having grown up far removed from Roman’s high-profile world and nearly as distant from Logan’s more conventional one. For some residents, her presence alone - an adult woman who was also a mutant - made reaching out to her feel safer.
Most of the residents - especially those of college age and younger - knew that the three of them functioned as parental figures to anyone who needed one. Very few people ever said it to any of their faces.
And then there were the final two numbers on the short list: Janus’s and Remy’s.
Janus’s official reason for sharing his was for tech support. Remy claimed everyone needed his number so he was never left out of any house drama. But it was quietly understood that the two of them were always there for anyone struggling with confidence - especially when it had to do with physical mutations.
Virgil was actually open to giving anyone his number if they asked for it - he just preferred they get it directly from him so he knew exactly who had it. It made him feel a bit better about his contact information being out there. Plenty of people did have it, though. The anxious young man had actually started teaching a regular group of students.
He insisted it wasn’t a class. He referred to it more as a club, one he only technically headed. It had started with him helping out a few new friends with breathing exercises that worked for him when his anxiety spiked, and had grown through word of mouth into something much larger. Now he was “hosting club meetings,” where he helped “some pals” with all sorts of protective and defensive techniques.
Patton was his teaching assistant - or, as Virgil insisted, “second club leader” - and together they were an enormous help to anyone who attended.
Virgil could deny it was a class all he wanted. Logan still had him on the official classroom rotation. Which, as far as Logan was concerned, made it a class.
Logan usually crossed paths with Emile at least once during the day, often just before or after lunch. He was usually in his office by then, and he’d started keeping appointments with some residents. Early on, Logan and Roman had made a point of telling him he didn’t have to work at the sanctuary. This could be his home. It didn't need to also be his job.
Emile had assured them he understood. He’d also explained that this was simply who he was. Most of the people he spoke with regularly weren’t really like patients. Some felt like friends, others like colleagues. Even those who mirrored the students he’d worked with in the past only ever saw him in that capacity during defined appointment times. Emile was careful about his boundaries - no one dropped in unannounced while he was eating lunch or watching his cartoons. When he flipped the sign on his office door, he wasn’t Dr. Picani anymore. He was just Emile. And everyone respected that.
Logan was walking away from where he tended to eat breakfast, having lingered a bit longer than he did on some days. He’d managed to sit with both Mr. Weaver - whom he was still consciously trying to remember to call Maurice - and Lewis. They’d ended up discussing a scientific journal Lewis had mentioned, one Logan was already looking forward to tracking down later for further study.
As he moved down the hall, he caught a familiar sound: soft, rapid steps, moving beneath the floor.
Remus still preferred to travel by his tunnel network, surfacing whenever and wherever he pleased - often just to get a rise out of Roman. Logan could always hear when he was nearby, noting the subtle change in sound as he prepared to pop up and startle someone. He wasn’t sure how Roman continued to be surprised almost every time. Roman insisted Logan’s hearing had improved after the power-swap incident, but Logan hadn’t noticed anything himself.
The twins had settled quickly into a dynamic Logan recognized as distinctly sibling-like. He suspected they were subconsciously making up for lost teenage years through the sheer immaturity of their antics. Logan had tried, more than once, to tell Roman that Remus favored certain routes - that he tended to surprise him in the same places. It had not seemed to help.
One tunnel in particular was used far more often than the rest.
Logan had noticed that the most traveled route led directly to Emile's office. Whether or not Roman had noticed as well was unclear. Logan had long since decided it was not going to be him who shared that particular observation with his fiancé, and that decision had not changed.
As he passed the therapist’s door, he could hear Remus and Emile talking and laughing, the warm sound drifting out into the hall. He really didn’t understand it.
Then again, most people didn’t understand him and Roman either.
So, who was he to judge?
Seeing as Emile was clearly preoccupied, Logan continued down the hall and ducked into the library. He wasn’t expected to be anywhere just then, and he was always reachable if that changed.
He hadn’t actually realized he’d selected a book - or sat down to read it - until a little head popped up beside the armchair he had apparently occupied.
“Whatcha readin’?” Ruby asked.
Logan glanced down at the cover of the book in his hands, then back at her. “It’s called Adaptive Biochemistry Under Extreme Conditions.”
“Oh.” She considered that for a moment, resting her elbows on the arm of the chair and propping her chin in her hands. “What’s it about?”
“How different people’s bodies can learn to protect themselves, even when things go very wrong.” Logan explained.
“Ohh.” Ruby nodded solemnly. “That sounds good. I hope they’re all okay in the end.” She paused. “Are there pictures?”
Logan huffed softly. “...Not fun ones.”
“Why would they put pictures if they aren’t fun?”
“Sometimes it’s important to see things even when they aren’t good.” Logan said. “So we can learn what things can look like when they’re bad.”
“...I guess that makes sense.” Ruby decided. “I don’t want to see them though. Can you tell me how it ends later?”
“Of course.” Logan nodded. He could practically hear Roman in his head - and you thought you didn’t know how to talk to kids.
“Thanks!” Ruby beamed up at him, then seemed to remember what she’d come looking for in the first place. “...Did Papa figure out the papers you needed?”
“I don’t know yet.” Logan admitted. “But I can go ask him. Is it okay if I let you know at lunchtime?”
“Yeah! Thanks, Dad!”
She pushed herself up with her hands, using the borrowed height to press a quick kiss to his cheek. “I’ll see you at lunchtime!”
“...See you soon, Ruby.”
She scampered off, and Logan had to take a moment to center himself - setting the book aside and removing his glasses to rub his eyes.
First of all, she really was getting better at using her powers. Remy would never admit it outright, but Logan knew he’d been working with residents whose abilities were constantly on, helping them learn to dial things back or even fully pause them for brief periods. Ruby had kissed Logan on the cheek without incident. And even when she didn’t manage it perfectly, something so brief would never be worth mentioning. It was no worse than a static shock, and Logan would never dream of discouraging something as simple and sweet as giving her dad a kiss on the cheek because it hurt for half of a second.
And as far as that other thing...
Logan had seen it coming more quickly than Roman had - at least logically. Ruby had wrapped Roman around her finger from the first time he picked her up and held her, so by that metric, Roman had probably been ahead of Logan emotionally. They’d just approached the inevitability from opposite directions.
It had been Mr. Weaver who had accidentally put the idea in Ruby’s head. Or, at least the words. It became clear early on that Simone, her Seesee, felt like a big sister to her. But Roman and Logan were the ones who took care of her. Did her hair. Taught her things outside of a classroom. Carried her around. Blew on her food when it was too hot.
So when her teacher had casually asked her if she wanted to go show her dads her project, it all just clicked.
It turned out that Maurice had genuinely assumed she was Roman’s daughter. Knowing that Roman and Logan were engaged, he’d made a reasonable guess. And that was that.
Calling Roman Roro had turned into Papa. Dad had honestly come out of nowhere.
And what, exactly, was Logan supposed to do about that? Tell her no? Obviously not.
He wasn’t used to it yet. But he also wasn’t upset about it either. It felt… Complicated. But not unwanted. Emotions really weren’t his thing, but he’d get there.
So for now… He supposed he’d get up and go ask Roman about that paperwork.
Name change paperwork. Well. Adoption paperwork.
Ruby didn’t really understand yet that deciding they were her dads didn’t literally make them her dads. That part was complicated. But she did understand paperwork - mostly. They’d explained that if she wanted to change her name, they needed some papers. She knew she wanted that.
They’d asked her if she wanted to change her last name to match theirs, explaining that once they were married, they’d both have the same one. She’d looked at them in genuine confusion and asked what they meant - because she already had.
The explanation that followed had been… Something. Something that certainly made perfect sense to a six-year-old.
Ruby had seen Roman and his powers on television. Since she was a little shiny too, she’d decided she wanted a name like his. But with her flaming red eyes and hair, she determined she was much more like a ruby than a diamond. She’d never liked her given name, so she’d picked Ruby as her “fun super name.”
And then, at some point, she’d just never stopped using it.
Roman had nearly cried on the spot.
It was undeniably precious - and something that made Roman a little misty-eyed if he thought about it for a bit too long - but it had also opened several cans of worms for Logan.
They didn’t technically have documentation for Ruby. And given the nature of mutants being born to parents who couldn’t - or wouldn’t - care for them, Logan had to assume they’d eventually take in children even younger than she was. Children who would arrive with even less information, if any at all.
Could they register the sanctuary as a safe surrender site? Could it legally be classified as a foster facility? Could it be both? What other options were there to make sure the people who came into their care were protected?
Logan had no intention of letting anyone under his watch become a target.
That was part of what Roman was working on now, diving into research with help from his myriad of contacts. There were a lot of layers.
Logan stepped into Roman’s office and found his fiancé sitting behind his desk, focused intently on his computer.
“Roman, did you finish the-” Logan stopped short.
Roman’s eyes widened the instant he registered Logan’s presence, hands scrambling to minimize whatever was open on his screen.
Logan crossed his arms. “Roman. What have you been doing this morning?”
“Um. Nothing?” Roman tried, then immediately abandoned that path. “I mean - a lot. A lot of things. I’ve been very busy. With very important work. Yes.”
Logan sighed, pushing up his glasses as he pinched his nose in mock frustration. “You’re wedding planning, aren’t you?”
Roman just stared at him, his brown eyes wide and wholly guileless.
“Roman.”
“...Okay, but hear me out.” Roman said quickly. “I could make us gemstone goblets. I could probably even make them half ruby and half sapphire - or maybe do one for the stem and one for the bowl. Lo, it would be gorgeous. When we do the toast, they’ll refract the light perfectly. And then if ours are half-and-half, then I could make special ones for the wedding party and they’d all be different! So Patton’s could be sapphire and Ruby’s could be - well, ruby. But still different from our’s!”
“...Why does Ruby need a toasting goblet?” Logan asked.
“I mean, I know she can’t toast champagne.” Roman said, immediately defensive. “But she’s the flower girl. She’s still part of the wedding party. I don’t want her to be left out.”
Logan had to stop himself from responding. Roman was sidetracking him.
He was far too good at this.
Logan sighed. “I came to ask you about the paperwork for Ruby. But it seems like you’ve been procrastinating.”
“Oh, that?” Roman seemed genuinely surprised. “No, I did that hours ago. I just need you to sign it too.” He reached into the wire tray on his desk, picked up a few sheets, and held them out to Logan.
Logan raised an eyebrow as he stepped closer, taking the papers and skimming through them. “I thought this wouldn’t be possible until we were married.”
“I mean, it normally wouldn’t be.” Roman admitted. “But it’s honestly not that uncommon in my neck of the woods. My dad got me one of his friend's numbers so I could go through their lawyer.” He paused. “...I still haven’t told him exactly why I needed the contact, but we’ll get there.”
Logan hummed, reading carefully. A few minutes passed before he looked back up. “So, what were you procrastinating on? Research about the grounds?”
“I wasn’t procrastinating.” Roman protested. “I just had that really good idea about the goblets, which innocently distracted me from coming to find you and showing you this email I got back.”
“Right.” Logan said, shaking his head fondly. “What’s this email, then?”
“Come over here.” Roman said, waving him around the desk. “I’ll just show you.”
They stood there for a moment, Logan leaning over Roman’s shoulder to look at the screen as he pulled up the email.
It was only a few seconds later that they heard - and felt - a distant, rumbling boom from somewhere out on the grounds.
Rather than looking surprised, Logan just stood up straight and stretched his arms with a sigh. “...You just had to open a superpower school.”
Roman stood as well, smiling cheekily. “Hey. You let me.”
“I know.”
They headed for the door, Roman pausing at the last second to take Logan’s hand and gently pull him to a stop. Logan just raised an eyebrow, questioning, but didn’t pull away.
“Hey.” Roman began, softly. “Thanks again for doing this with me. I know I say it a lot, but…” He laced their fingers together, smiling fondly. “You know. I love you, Logan.”
“I love you too, Roman.” Logan returned the smile, squeezing his hand. He tugged Roman in just long enough to press a quick kiss to his lips. “Now we should really go make sure everything’s still intact.”
“Right, right.” Roman agreed. “Let’s go.”
Mugshot time for the Squad! (Update: Fixed a few, added a few!)
No reposting, theft, feeding to an AI, editing, altering, or otherwise taking, please. Using as phone backgrounds/avatars/pfps/header images is cool with credit! Inspired by is cool, too, just @ me so I can see!
So. There was a new meme. I got out of hand as usual. Multiple dynamics for the squad! All the darksides and Remy (Sleep) because I love Mr. Sleep desperately, thank you for coming to my tedtalk. sleepanxceitmus interactions ftw. People interpret characters differently, so hopefully your duo has the vibe you're looking for!
Please consider reblogging for my poor hand and to support fanartists. Tell me about your faves, which dynamic it is, why it's the best in the tags or replies or reblogs, I'd really love to see!
I’ve been posting mostly fanart since 2024 started, so here’s my first set of headcannons for 2024.
Content Warnings: Food/Drink mention (specifically coffee and tea). Let me know if I missed anything in the comments and I’ll update this.
Ship: Rosleepceit/Rodesleep (Roman x Remy x Janus)
- Janus is a morning person, so he is the first one awake every day out of the three. Because he’s the first one awake, Janus always prepared coffee for Remy, and tea for Roman.
- Remy lets Janus wear his jacket a lot since Janus gets cold easily, and also because Remy thinks Janus looks adorable in the jacket. The jacket is a bit big on Janus because he’s shorter than Remy.
- The three of them have karaoke nights every Friday. Roman always picks Disney or musical theater songs, and will have his boyfriends join him for duets.
- Roman created a cafe in the imagination so Remy can get coffee from there whenever he pleases.
- Before they started dating, Roman liked to wear Janus’ hat and Remy’s sunglasses when they weren’t around. The creative side found the items very stylish but knew Janus and Remy didn’t like parting with the items. But when the three men started dating and Roman revealed he’d been borrowing their hat and sunglasses, Janus and Remy weren’t too upset and told Roman that he could wear their accessories sometimes. Janus and Remy agreed because they thought their boyfriend would look adorable in their hat and sunglasses. The two men were also flattered that Roman thought their chosen accessories were stylish.
- After they have been dating for a few months, Roman gets matching pajamas for himself and his boyfriends.
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End notes: Thanks for reading! As always, if you like any of these headcannons and want to make fanart or fanfics based on them, you can do so. You just need to ask me first and then credit and tag me in the post so I can see it.
