Sanders Side Fic - Tumblr Posts

Accepting Deceit Chpt.2

@ab-artist 

WARNING; Sympathetic deceit, brief mention of blood

“But... He’s Deceit!” Roman shouted. Virgil was standing, had been for about five minutes. His hand was still tensed on the table, red from when he slammed it down hard. It as his fault. Virgil was the one who came in here, with some cock and bull story about how Deceit was sorry. Deceit couldn’t be sorry. He was... he was Deceit!

“Now, Kiddo, lets here Virgil out, maybe he-”

“Are we all just gonna forget about everything Deceit did? Everything he said?! To me? To you? To us? He constantly tries to get Thomas trouble!” Roman yelled. “Does he even care about Thomas!”

“It’s funny Roman because I once heard you say that about me.” The silence that hit the room was heavy, weighed down by Virgil’s words and the way Roman had jerked back. Sitting down again, Virgil shakily took the glass of water that had been slid over to him by Patton. “I’m not asking you to forgive him off the bat, but don’t push him out. I couldn’t deal with it, and I know he can’t.”

Roman supposed Virgil was right. However, he was not willing to point that out yet. He was brooding in his room. He knew he had been mean to the fellow side. He sighed again, running his hands through his hair. It was just... Deceit didn’t know when to stop. All those ‘compliments’ really hurt him. It hurt twice as hard whenever it was directed at his acting. Each side brought talents to Thomas. One of the talents Patton brought was his skill with helping others, Logan brought his ability to pick things up quickly, Virgil his ability to keep himself and others out of dangerous situations. And he brought his skill for singing and acting. Deceit rarely went after the other’s skills, but he knew Roman weak point, and he abused it.

Every side comment about how he should just give up, or the sarcastic compliments, it hurt. And Virgil and the others were just willing to let that slide? To forgive Deceit? Like, yeah, they did stuff just as bad, but he started it! Roman sighed, realising he was on a dangerous thought process. He wasn’t in the clear here - none of them was. They’d all been rude to Deceit, ignored him, kicked him out, called him names. And Deceit had done the same. Roman supposed it was an ‘if this is how you treat me, then thats how I’ll treat you’ situation. He didn’t even know who started it.

Sighing again, Roman stood up and stretched, before venturing out of his room for some calming tea. He slowly made his way down but hurried slightly when he heard a crash and a sob. He made it to the kitchen before he saw his mug in shambles. However, this was not what his attention was focused on. Deceit sat on the floor, tears running down his face. He had a large gash on his foot and there was blood everywhere. Roman let out an involuntary gasp and Dee’s head shot up. Roman’s mouth opened to ask if he was okay ut Dee got their first.

“I am so sorry! I-i swear it w-w-was an accident! I-I'll cl-clean it up!” Dee went to stand up but almost immediately cried out in pain. 

“Deceit. Hey, Deceit, I’m not mad.” Deceit was shaking and mentioned his name wasn’t helping. “Uhhh, D... Dee?” It didn’t calm him down completely but he wasn’t shaking as violently. “I need to get you out of here, can... can I carry you?” Dee looked down at the broken mug and realised that it was either Roman carrying him or he walked over broken pottery. 

“Y-yeah...” Roman stepped closer to Dee slowly. He put his hands on the boy’s shoulders, looking him in the eyes before he slowly picked him up bridal style. Slowly and carefully, making sure not to overly tense his muscle so Dee didn’t feel like he was hurting Roman, but also not too loose because then Dee might think he’ll drop him. Roman placed him down on the couch before grabbing the first aid kit on the TV stand. He carefully wiped Dee’s cuts, making sure to place an anti-infection cream over it, before wrapping up his foot. Dee took shaky breaths the entire time.

“Dee, I need you to stay calm okay. Do you want to sleep on the couch or in your room?”

“T-the couch...” Dee said. Roman pulled out the bed on the couch and slowly helped Deceit lay down. He covered the side up with blankets. Just as he went to get a pillow, he felt Deceit grab his arm. “I want to apologise.”

“You can do it later, or-”

“No. I need to apologise now. I said some horrible things to you.” Roman sighed.

“We said horrible things to each other. And we’re both sorry but right now your tired and delirious,” Roman said. “If you really mean this apology, we’ll talk in the morning. So we can both apologise when our emotions aren’t mixed. Goodnight, Dee, please get some sleep.”

Roman was really dreading the next morning, but he wasn’t quite as excited as he usually was in the morning. Patton was usually down first, followed by Logan, then Roman and finally, if they were lucky, Virgil would be down before noon. 

This morning, however, Roman was the first up. He put the kettle on, took out some breakfast things before he finally gave up on avoiding the sitting room. He entered, finding Deceit still passed out. He slowly approached the side, trying to remember how they used to walk Virgil up. Then he remembered; They didn’t. Biting his lip and taking a deep breath, Roman kneeled down.

“Dee?” he said softly. Deceit’s eyebrow creased. “Dee, can you wake up please?” Deceit wiggled slightly and Roman smiled at how cute it was. “Dee?” This tie, Deceit opened his eyes, before shooting up, his head colliding with Roman’s. “Ow.”

“Oh- I’m sorry- I didn’t-”

“Sh, hey it's okay. No harm was done. Look, Dee, I know you’re scared but I’m not mad. I just wanna talk. And you apologised last night, so it's my turn now.” Deceit nodded. “So, I have said and done horrible things, and I can’t just let them sit. So, for every snarky comment and shoulder or anything I’ve done, I’m sorry. And I know that you can’t forgive me straight away, and you shouldn’t, but maybe we can work on this?”

“Work on what?”

“A friendship?” Roman nodded slightly.

“yeah, a friendship.”

Original post / one / two / three / four / five

the fic i had planned for remus’ birthday is just sitting in my drafts because i hated it and then i wrote a new ship fic with remus thats a two parter but it has nothing to do with his birthday. do y’all want a birthday fic, or a ship fic?

Remus wasn’t a very romantic person. He didn’t see the appeal in the fancy dinners or candle lit nights. He just couldn’t understand why people loved them.

Virgil, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, both understood and loved the romantic nights. And, despite his attempts at hiding it, Remus quickly noticed. But Remus knew that Virgil loved him, impulses and all.

“Hey trash panda, have you talked to your brother recently?” Virgil asked as he sat on his phone on the couch across from Remus’ design computer.

“Normally, my dark and stormy night, I do my best to avoid the repulsive royal, so that would be a no.” Remus didn’t look up from his project - some horror anime/cartoon he was acting hush-hush on. Virgil knew it was because it was a trial piece and Remus didn’t want jinx himself.

“He and Jan are going to Morocco.” This caused Remus to spin around in his chair, looking at his boyfriend with a raised eyebrow. “Jan just texted me to let me know he couldn’t come us to that horror convention next month. Apparently Roman got a promotion so he bought the tickets as a surprise.” Remus nodded.

“Why Morocco?” Remus said, about to turn back around.

“I think he’s going to propose.” Remus froze before looking at his boyfriend who was frantically typing on his phone.

“How-”

“Jan has always wanted to get engaged on a foreign holiday. Plus, Lolo and I saw Roman talking to Cindy, you know Patton’s friend, one from the jewellery store downtown,” Virgil explained. “I’m texting him now to ask.” Remus nodded but didn’t say anything. there was silence, except for Virgil’s tapping.

“Not gonna lie,” Remus stated. “I always thought Janus would propose.” Virgil paused before gasping, followed by him chuckling.

“Bet you twenty dollars Janus is also planning to propose.” Remus laughed. 

“That’s such a rigged bet, they’re both definitely gonna propose.”

Sure enough, a month later, both boys returned home with engagement rings. The gang - Patton, Logan, Virgil, Remus, Emilie, Remy, Janus and Roman - were all in Logan and Patton’s house for Sunday dinner (a long-standing tradition). Virgil was locked into conversation with Janus, Emilie and Patton, who were both showing off their rings. Virgil was laughing with them. Remus’ eyes were glued to him.

“What's got you so distracted? Worried Virgil-”

“Dude, not funny,” Roman said, cutting Remy off. Remy took a sip from his cup but was otherwise silent. “Remus, what’s up?”

“do you think Virgil is waiting for me to propose?”

“I mean, maybe? Have you talked about marriage?” Remus was silent, thinking. 

“Yes and no. We talked about it ages ago but he hasn’t said anything since.”

“Has he dropped hints?” Remy asked. “That’s what Emilie did.”

“Virgil should know I wouldn’t pick up on them.”

“Hey, don’t stress, Rem, Virgil loves you and you love him, that's all that matters,” Roman said.

“That is correct. Maybe Virgil will propose. Patton knew I wouldn’t be able to pick up signs so he just asked me to my face.”

Remus tried to believe them, and he mostly did. Until later that night, when they were playing truth or dare. Logan and Patton were sharing the two-seater. Not quite cuddling but in each other’s personal space. Emilie had his head on Remy’s shoulder on the long couch, with Roman on Janus’ lap at the other end of the couch. Virgil was tucked into Remus’ side as the room turned their attention to him.

“So,” Janus said, wiggling his eyebrows. “Virgil truth or dare?”

“Considering you dared Remy to kiss Patton, I think I’ll go with truth,” Virgil said.

“Well, you wouldn’t tell us earlier, so... what was your dream proposal as a kid?” Virgil turned red.

“Can’t let that one go, no?” Virgil asked and Janus chuckled, shaking his head. “Uhm, pretty sure it was like a candle-lit dinner or something. Probably something cheesy and romantic.” Virgil then quickly moved on, asking Remy something but Remus tuned out again. Was Virgil disappoint with the lack of romance in their relationship? He’s never said anything directly, but why would he bring us Roman proposing on a romantic holiday if not to tell Remus that's what he wanted? Were there any other hints? Was there-

“Remus.” Remus snapped up to Janus’ gleaming eyes. “Truth or dare?”

“Truth. I think my boyfriend was in the right vein,” Remus responded. Janus simply waved dismissively as he went silent, thinking. Almost a moment later, a light bulb flipped on above his head.

“Do you plan on proposing to Virgil?”

“Janus!” Roman said, looking to his fiancé in exasperation.

“It’s a harmless question!” The two bickered slightly, nothing heated but a simply back and forth.

“You don’t have to answer,” Virgil said in a low tone. He had been trying to catch Remus’ eyes, who was just as determined to avoid Virgil’s. Eventually, the smaller man grabbed his chin so they could look into his eyes. “I’m serious. I don’t want you to feel pressured. I love you, okay?”

“I love you too.”

Despite Virgil’s reassurance, Remus was deeply fixated on the thoughts of marriage and if he was enough for Virgil. Virgil liked romance and dancing in the rain and visiting fancy restaurants. Remus liked staying inside and horror films and going to graveyards to adopt ghosts (which scared Virgil so much he learnt how to banish spirits from the house). Remus couldn’t help but feel like maybe, just maybe, Virgil was better off without him? 

He spun in his chair. He was unable to focus on the novel he was writing anymore. Virgil was at work and wouldn’t be back for ages. Despite trying to work, Remus was now fixated on rings. The truth was, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Virgil but he didn’t see why he needed to buy him a ring or spend thousands of dollars on a wedding to prove his devotion. They bought an apartment together, they had three pissy spirits that they took care of together, and the stray cat that would jump in their window. But if Virgil wanted it, well, who was Remus to say no?

Engagement ring shopping sucked. Plain and simple, it sucked. There were so many different cuts but they all looked so basic. Virgil wasn’t the type to wear flashy jewellery unless it meant something, like the dangly gold earring Remus bough him when he got his masters in psychology. Remus wanted something classy, but all something showed how much Remus knew Virgil, right down to his core. He thought about going to a jewellery shop or hiring someone but how on earth would he be able to explain that to Virgil? In the end, he chose the least expensive route; his brother.

“How do you pick an engagement ring?” Roman choked on his coffee. “What?”

“Try and maybe start a conversation with hello and maybe not something you have never mentioned before now,” Roman said. “But also, why the change in pace?” Remus didn’t say anything. “Is it Janus? he was only messing. He just doesn’t get it sometimes but I told him he need to respect your boundaries-”

“It’s not that.” Roman went quiet, letting his brother speak when comfortable. “I don’t want Virgil to regret being with me. I know that he doesn’t say it but he really likes all the romantic garbage you and Janus do.”

“Remus, Virgil may like romance but he loves you. Plain and simple. But I am your brother and I will support you, so if you need help finding a ring, I will help you,” Roman said sincerely.

“Ugh, you’re so boring and regal. Lighten up. Walk on the gory side.” Roman chuckled.

“I’ll tune it down, but just because you’re my baby brother.”

“Two MINUTES. I AM TWO MINUTES-” Roman burst into laughter, meaning anyone in the cafe who wasn’t staring due to Remus’ screeching, was now looking due to roman’s cackling. 

“Come, little wittle Remus, let’s go ring shopping.”

Remus paid for the ring in cash. He had been taking money out of the account for weeks in preparation. Well, a week. Still, he had it all planned out. He could suck it up for a night. 

He was spreading flowers on the floor when he noticed the dull ache in his chest. Tell-tale signs of a panic attack. Remus paused before moving to sit down. He closed his eyes and repeated his breathing exercises. He could do this. It’s what Virgil wanted. He stood up again, the dull ache turning into a slight pressure. He lit the candles, checked on the food and cleaned up. It was about half six when he realised, he was struggling to breath. Almost as soon as he noticed, the elephant on his chest returned. He backed up, sliding down the wall.

“no... no... not tonight...” He muttered under his breath. He tried to breath but he realised he was struggling. Why tonight. why was he getting a panic attack tonight? it was just one dinner!

“Re- REMUS!” Virgil said, coming in and sitting in front of his boyfriend. “Can I touch you?” Remus shook his head frantically. “Okay, it’s okay, breath with me okay?” Virgil took his boyfriend through his breathing exercises. “Okay, Rem, I need you to name five things you can see.”

“Chair, lights... uh... you, the table... uh, uhm-” Remus swallowed. “And tiles...”

“Okay, four things you can hear.”

“My breathing, your breathing, the neighbours... the oven?” Virgil reached behind him, switching off the oven. 

“Okay, three things you can feel.”

“The floor, my shirt... uhm... sweat?”

“Okay, two things you can taste.”

“Impending doom.” Virgil gave him a look. “Uh, tea and sugar.”

“Okay, finally, one thing you can smell.”

“The candles.” Virgil stood up, switching on the light and blowing out the candles. He finally took in the scene of the room. Remus tried to stand up but was quickly placed down in one of their dining chairs.

“Remus, do you wanna talk about it?” Remus sighed.

“I just... I wanted to plan this big romantic night and I know you like romance but it's just so icky that I must of have been panicked and-” Remus paused, meeting his boyfriend’s eyes. “Look, I know you like romance and I’m sure you’re disappointed I’m not.”

“Remus. I like romance, but I love you.” Remus blinked at him. “I knew what I was getting into when we entered this relationship. You never, ever have to change your boundaries to suit me. Remus, I love you, for you. I know you don’t like romance or pda, but I know that you love me.” Remus didn’t notice he was crying till Virgil wiped the tears from his face. He pressed their foreheads together. “I love you. So much. Romance or not.” Remus held onto his boyfriend. “But I need you to promise to never break your own boundaries for me. I respect the boundaries you put up, and I need you to do the same.”

“I promise.” Virgil smiled and Remus was hit with how overwhelmingly lucky he was to have gotten someone like Virgil to love him. “Ugh,” he groaned. Virgil chuckled.

“What’s up buttercup?”

“Roman was right. I don’t like this timeline.” Virgil just tossed his head back and laughed as Remus whined.

Remus did end up proposing that night. They were watching a horror film and Virgil was critiquing the characters decision when Remus suddenly turned to him.

“I’m just saying, choosing to go down to the creepy basement when you know there’s a serial killer on the loose-”

“Marry me.” Virgil stopped, looking over at his boyfriend. He wasn’t down on one knee but there was a ring in his hands. Virgil’s hand flew to his mouth. “marry me.” Remus sat up. 

“You’re not just doing this for me?” he asked, still in a state of shock.

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and if this is the next step? then I’m going for it.” Virgil jumped up, wrapping his arms around Remus, already crying.

“Yes, yes, yes! Oh my god, yes!” He pulled back, letting Remus slip on the ring before launching himself and his boyfriend and smashing their lips together. It was here that Virgil, admiring his ring with awe filled eyes, also realised how lucky he was for getting someone like Remus to love him too.

Themes: Christmas, no expressed romantic relationships  Warnings: references to sexual things, the odd cuss word Words: 1479 words

“Can someone help me with this oven? I still amn’t used to it,” Patton said, poking his head out from the kitchen door.  

“’amn’t’ isn’t a word, Patton.” Logan said.   

“C’mon specs, don’t just give out to him.” Virgil rose from his seat. “I’ll help, Patton.”  

“Thanks Virgil, I just can't figure out the dials.” The two disappeared into the kitchen as Logan flickered over the page of his book, ignoring Roman’s sharp look.  

“Roman, stop that look with your face, if the wind changes, you’ll be stuck like that,” Janus said, glancing up from his phone. Roman rolled his eyes.  

“Yeah yeah, whatever,” he said, standing up and heading into the kitchen.  

“You should just let Roman be an idiot.”  

“It’s so much more fun to call him out though,” Janus said, smirking. Logan chuckled.  

“Sure, go for it then.”  

“Don’t tell me y’all started the festivities without me!”  

“And risk you placing some gaudy in your face decorations up? It’s a solid no from me,” Virgil said, re-entering the room. “But Pat and I could use your help in the kitchen if you want?” Remus pondered, making a show of putting his hand on his chin and putting on a ‘thinking’ face.   

“Fine,” He said, sighing. “I suppose I shall rescue Christmas with my expert cooking skills.”  

“Yeah sure, whatever shrimpy, get in the kitchen before I change my mind.”  

“Okay, daddy long legs.” Virgil rolled his eyes with a smile.  

“Shut up and help me with the gravy you nuisance to society.”   

“Coming from you, emo, that’s almost a compliment.” Roman said, walking back into the room.  

“Don’t tell Remus, we don’t need his head getting any bigger.” With that, Virgil and Remus disappeared into the kitchen, leaving, Janus, Logan and Roman in the living room.  

“Are you two seriously just going to read all day? It’s Christmas!”  

“You bought the books,” Janus said, not bothering to look up from his book.  

“But now I’m bored.”  

“Go help Patton in the kitchen.” Roman made a farting noise. Logan rolled his eyes. “Very mature,” he said.  

“Thanks, I asked for majority off Santa.”  

“You should’ve asked for a nicer face.”  

“We are literally the same person, idiot.”  

“Don’t call me an idiot, it’s Christmas.” Roman groaned, flopping down on the coach dramatically.  

“It doesn’t feel like Christmas, what with you two doing boring everyday things like reading.”  

“Well, what do you suggest we do?” Janus said, looking up. Logan groaned as a smirk split across Roman’s face.  

“Snow ball fight!”  

There are two things you need to know about the sides. 

1. Never give Roman a challenge 2. Never make Janus feel competitive. 

Once those two rules were broken, all hell broke loose.  

That is precisely how Logan got stuck outside in the cold while Roman and Janus built up defenses fortress’ in the falling snow. Logan was shaking his head at them. Since there was an uneven number, the pair had decided he would be the judge and keep time. He knew this was a very useless role, but also recognized that he could tip the balance and make it an unfair match. 

“On your marks, get set, uhm, throw snow at one another?!  

“Wait no I’m not-”! Roman was cut off by a narrowly missed snowball to the face. He quickly ducked back down.  

“Ha ha, Roman, concede or prepared to be beaten!” Janus said. Roman gave him the fingers before launching a snow ball at the other side. Janus hissed at him before readying his own snow balls.  

-x- 

“Hey, does anyone else think it's too quiet?” Patton asked. Virgil, who was covered in flour and mashed potatoes sent Patton as murderous look.  

“How is this quiet?” Remus, who was holding the back of flour, was smirking.  

“Ah, he is right. There is not sound coming from the other rooms.”  

“That would be because we left Logan and Janus alone, who were both reading.”  

“Yes, be we also left Roman alone with those two and he always brings out the worst in them.”  

“Dear old baby brother, causing mayhem, I’m so proud!” Remus said, dramatically wiping a tear.  

“You can’t call Roman an ‘old baby’. They cancel each other out.”  

“Get out of here with your facts, slender man.” Patton giggled at that.  

“C’mon, let's go check everything out. We’re just waiting on the turkey to cook, but we have time.” Virgil sighed, wiping down his jacket.   

“I’m going to change, since someone-” he shot a sharp look at the smug Remus “-ruined my jacket.”  

“You should wear your Christmas jumper!” Patton called after him. He and Remus headed to the now empty living room. “Well, that's strange.” 

“Well Christ in orgy, where is everybody.” Before Patton could answer, there was shouting from outside. The two sides looked at one another before heading to the source. They followed the noise out to battle. At this stage, much of each fortress has been destroyed by snowballs and both Janus and Roman were trying to alternate between rebuilding their forts but also attacking their competitor. Logan was watching with bewildered amusement, unable to feel most of the chill anymore. He was the first to notice to new arrivals. 

“Roman wanted to be entertained, so he challenged Janus to a snowball fight,” He explained, gesturing to the current situation.  

“Oooh, that sounds like fun!!”  

“Yeah, we should join in.”  

“Dibs on Remus!” Roman shouted, temporarily cease firing. Janus shot him a sharp look.  

“Don’t worry, Jan, I can build your snowballs and work on keep the fort standing!” Janus softened his glare slightly (though he’d never admit that later)  

“Sure Patton, let’s beat the them!” Remus happily jumped over to his brother’s side.   

“Right Remus, the fort’s falling apart, but I’ve got a reserve of snowballs so I say we just attack all at once and claim a sudden victory.”  

“Sounds good, sugar, spice and everything boring.”  

“That’s not the saying.”  

“I don’t care.”  

“Cease fire ending in 3,” Logan said, cutting off the two groups discussions. “2, 1!” The fighting resumed as the front door opened and Virgil stepped outside, holding two mugs.  

“Hey specs, I got a mocha for you,” he said. “I would’ve brought some for the others but they’re technically exercising which’ll keep them warm.” Logan nodded in agreement, taking the cup into his freezing hands.  

“Thank you, Virgil.”  

“No bother, Lolo,” Virgil said, taking a sip of his own warm drink. “So, who’s winning?”  

“In terms of strategy, technically the twins but only because their plan is more thought out, in comparison to Janus and Patton’s ‘we-figure-it-out-as-we-go-along’ approach,” Roman hollered from behind his fortress at Logan’s words. “That being said, the latter team’s fortress is only partially destroyed, whereas the twins one is almost eradicated, so that would hinder their performance enough for Janus and Patton to win.”  

“It’s not over yet, Roman, so pipe down over there!” Janus called out, launching a snowball at Roman’s crumbling base. Virgil laughed at this.  

“Good to know that even at Christmas, some things never change,” He said.  

“In what way?” Logan asked.  

“Just... well this. The fact that Janus and Roman will always butt heads and drag the rest of us into it,” Virgil said.  

“Yes, but that can be very annoying,” Logan said.  

“Still, I wouldn’t change it for the world.” As Virgil was finishing his sentence Roman and Janus both delivered a strong blow to the opposition. Roman’s tower had crumpled, leaving him exposed, whereas Janus had gotten hit in the face.  

“I win!” They both announced at once. There was a silence before everyone turned to Logan and Virgil.  

“Oh no...” Virgil said.  

“Well Logan?” Janus asked,  

“Who won?” Roman finished.  

“Since you never actually expressed what would count as a victory, whether it be knocking your opponent out or crumbling their fort, technically both of you and neither of you win.”  

“Huh?” the two said at once.  

“You never told him what qualifies as victory so you both lose,” Virgil said, downing the rest of his drink. “So congrats, you wasted your own time and now you’re cold.” Janus and Roman exchanged a look before firing a snowball at the two judges. “Oi! Fuck-!” Another snowball landed with a thud on Virgil’s face. “Right then, Logan, let’s get these assholes.”  

“Indeed.”  

Soon, all six were hurling handfuls of snow at one another. Patton would hardly call them balls, more like clumps. The competitive air that had hung around before was gone now, leaving the six sides cackling and laughing at their own antics. Patton stopped for a moment, taking in the scene before him. He let a grin spread across his face as laughter filled up the mind palace.   

His moment was quickly cut short by a snow ball to the head, but we can’t have everything. 

All is well. 

Well, hello. I’m still alive (somewhat). Lost all motivation and creativity but I’m back now! I am in a very stressful school year so I will update when I can. Thank you to everyone who stayed and welcome to everyone who followed.

And happy holidays to everyone who celebrates and happy ‘thank-fuck-2020-is-nearly-over’ to everyone who doesn’t!

Not A Lie

Themes: Virgil and Janus actually talk for once, ship fic Warnings: Reference to lies, crying, shouting work, minor cursing. Words: 662 words

“You left us! You were the one who thought you were better than us!” Janus is screaming now. He’s screaming and he can’t find it in himself to care. “Stop acting like you’re the one who was hurt by all of this, you left us! You left me!” There’s silence but Janus is fuming. No, Virgil doesn’t get to just silently sit through this. He has to respond. He has to face Janus’ anger. “Oh really?! Nothing to say now, huh, Virgil?! No, come back?! NO-”

“You left me first.” And the room is silent again. Janus is looking at Virgil, at the silently furry that rolls off him in waves. “You left me first.” He repeats. “You stepped back. I- I kissed you and you kissed me back and then- then, you pretended it never happened! Like we never happened. And you ignored me and lied to me when I tried to ask about it, tried to figure out what was happening. So you get off your high horse, you’re not the only one that got left behind!” Janus is silent. His fuming. He’s so angry he doesn’t know what to do with himself. He wants to shout at Virgil, but he also just wants to go to his room and never leave again.

“We don’t work.”

“We don’t.”

There’s a silent understanding that they could. If they tried, they could work. They could work beautifully. But neither want to make the first move. There’s too much hurt and too much pain there. It’s a wound that neither side will ever fully heal from separately. But together is exhausting. Being together is scary. Janus is look at him, at Virgil, and he almost reaches out. He almost extends his hand and brushes the hair from his face like he’s done a million times before. But he can’t and he hates it. His fingers twitch, almost beginning but then Virgil is looking at him with tears in his eyes. Virgil is crying. He made Virgil cry. And Virgil made him cry,

“Goodbye, Janus.” ‘Beg me to stay. Ask me stay. I’ll stay if you tell me to,’ Virgil’s mind screams. ‘I would stay here and fight but I need you to give me a reason. Give me a reason, Jan, please-’

“Goodbye Virgil.”

They just couldn’t work, could they?

They were improbable.

--

It took Janus a whole twenty seconds to realise he did not fucking care. He did not give a single shit about probability (who let’s math dictate their live?).

It takes him twenty seconds to realise he was wrong. He didn’t want to repeat this cycle. He was never a fan of cycles. 

It takes him twenty seconds to realise he was wrong, and another twenty to start moving. 

He moves fast, like he’ll die if he doesn’t. To a degree, he will. Because he’s sick of being scared. He’s darting through the hallway (he’s probably almost knocking into someone but he doesn’t care.) He’s running because this is Virgil and he’s sick to death of being stubborn. He barges into Virgil’s room and his heart breaks when he sees the tear streaked face.

“What?” He says, voice heavy. “What more could you possibility want?”

“I love you.”

“Shut up.”

“I have been in love with you for years.”

“Please.”

“And I know you’re anxious-” duh “-and you have no reason to trust me.”

“You’re a liar.”

“But, liar’s honour, I love you.” He’s standing in front of first now, who hasn’t moved. Weakly, Virgil lifts his hand, hitting it softly against Janus’ chest.

“I hate you.” Lie. “I hate you so much.” Another lie. 

“You know I know when you lie, right?”

“Yes.” Not a lie. They’re silent. Janus hesitantly opens his arms and Virgil falls against his chest. “I wish I could hate you.” Lie. “But I love you too much.” Not a lie. Janus smiles, wrapping his arms against the other side.

“I love you.” Not a lie.

“I know.” Not a lie.

Here. Uhm, have this short fic because I’m not dead :)

Grief

Themes: death, grief, hopeful ending Warnings: Death, grief, anger, pain, loss, car accidents, crying. Words: A fair amount (1245 words)

i. I am coping. I'll post something happier soon. Take care of yourselves and each other

Virgil realises that his thoughts tend to think in Before and After on a slightly damp day.

Before the event and After.

It's a steeling sort of realisation, like a dunk of cold water as he remembers there once was Before—a before the chest pain and the tears. There was a time when it was just a worst-case scenario and not his reality.

There was a time before Janus was dead.

And now he was in the after.

He still thinks about that before, more than any good grief counsellor would let him get away with. He still thinks about the night he went to bed, Virgil Storm, a 30-year-old with a husband who works night shifts. Not Virgil Storm, a widow. Not Virgil Storm, whose friends have to visit every day because they know there's no food in the house, and they don't want to plan another funeral.

It's an awful feeling, too, because no matter how much he closes his eyes and squeezes them shut to the point of pain, there's no going back to the before. There's no prayer, wish, spell, or nothing that will bring him back to the before. Or that will bring Janus to the after. There's no backwards, and the forwards seem unbearable to him, sitting here on a damp day, with the heating off but a blanket around him. Janus' cup from that morning Is still on the end table because Virgil hasn't been able to cope with the thought of there never being another cup there.

He cries a lot and is tired a lot. Patton tries his best to get him to sleep but doesn't understand why Virgil can't seem to. He thinks it would be an escape, but Virgil just can't do it. He can't bring himself to sleep when he knows he will only have to wake up again. And for a few minutes, Virgil knows he won't remember. He'll reach for that long-cold side of the bed because he won't remember, and he thinks that might be the cruellest thing he could ever do. A selfish part of him wants to forget, wants to forget this sadness and pain, but he can't, so he won't. Janus doesn't deserve that; Janus deserves more than to be t-boned on the interstate when coming home after making a pitstop because Virgil wanted doughnuts.

But Virgil can't think about that right now, so he doesn't. He just cries and huddles closer to the blanket.

Remus supposes they think he's heartless. Or if not heartless, then repressed. If he's frank, he's probably a little bit of both. And stupid, added in. Though he'd have to give a massive fuck you to the people who seem to think they get to decide how he copes.

It wasn't their best friend who was killed by a fucking idiot drunk driver at 4 am. No, it was his. His oldest friend was killed just like that, and Remus thinks he's allowed to cope however the fuck he sees fit. Whether it be drinking himself, angry and getting into a fight, or screaming so hard the cops are called at 2 am while at home, then he's coping, sue him.

It hits him in waves, the grief. In the mornings, he'll wake up and be sad, but he'll be able to breathe. And then he'll be at the store, and he'll see Janus' favourite chocolates on sale or smell his cologne or hear something, and it's like his finding out all over again, and he can't breathe again, and his eyes will water, and he'll have to go home and cry like a baby.

He knows one person in the world will understand his feelings, but how does he do that? Reach out to Virgil, Janus' widow, and say he's struggling? As if the man didn't lose his husband, his partner, the person he wanted and was willing to spend the rest of his life with. The person he wanted to travel with and host Christmas with. How does Remus go up to the man who lost his soulmate and look for comfort in him?

So he doesn't.

He didn't think Virgil would either until he did.

Remus finds himself at the front door of Virgil's house (it's a punch in his gut to no longer call it Virgil and Janus' house), and he's stalling on ringing the doorbell because then he'll come face to face with the widow of his best friend.

Once again, Virgil makes the first move. He opens the door, and red eyes meet watery ones.

"Come in," he says. And Remus does. He steps inside, and he stands in the hallway.

"how-"

"don't," Virgil says. "You know, so don't ask." And Remus nods because he does know. Of course, he does. If anyone would, it's him. "I didn't ask you here to help me through my grief; let's face it, neither of us is doing well. I asked you here because there's no point in both of us going through it alone." He takes a deep breath. "He wouldn't want us to, and since he isn't here to force us to talk to each other, I'm doing it." Remus has nothing to say in response, so he only nods. Virgil's right. Janus would hit them both on the head for isolating themselves. "So we're going to clean in silence. We're going to clean-" Virgil breaks off, a sob escaping before he takes a deep breath and continues, voice thick, "we're going to clean his cups and plates, and I've been too scared to. And his shirts." And Remus nods again, shoulders shaking.

"We will." And it's all he can manage to say, he realises. Because he has no other words to share, he realises that's okay.

So they clean. And when Virgil's sobs get too loud, or Remus' hands shake too much, they stop and drink a glass of water or watch some dumb sitcom episode. And when the sobs and shakes subside, they help each other and continue.

It takes three days and millions of breaks, but the next time Patton visits to restock the fridge, the plates and bowls are gone, and the sheets are clean. There are still shirts that need to be washed, but Remus puts them back on Janus' side of the bed, reminding Virgil this is a marathon, not a sprint. And there are still albums that need to be sorted, but Virgil took them from Remus' shaking hands and put them in a bag for Remus to take home to keep when he has the strength to return to his apartment.

The others come over for dinner - Logon and Roman coming in after work, Roman pulling his brother close the second he's in arms reach. Patton makes pasta, and the three of them - Logon, Roman and Patton - share stories and jokes about Janus. Virgil and Remus are quiet, but it's not a lousy quiet. They're just exhausting because grief is crippling, and this is the first time they've genuinely stopped in what feels like weeks, so they relish in it.

And in the morning, they both wake up on the couch, turn on the TV, and comfort each other when Janus' favourite documentary or an ad for his favourite movie comes on.

They'll live, they decide. They'll suffer, choke, cry, and get angry, but they'll live.

If for no reason other than Janus' wasn't able to, they'll live.

If The Heavens Ever Did Speak

Warnings: religious trauma, demons, biased view of religion, insecurity, homophobia, church, quotes from the bible Themes: Religion, demons, corruption Words: I'd say a lot (2091)

this is all based on a dream I had ages ago

-

“In him was life, and that life was the light of men."

The chapel is filled with the muttering of the hopeless and hopeful. Logan tunes them out as he listens to the words as absorbs them. A shoulder presses to his, a soft movement and slow reminding him that there is a body beside him. He does not turn to face them as he is sure they don’t either. His mind is on his Lord, and there it will stay. He listens to the words and lets them sink deep into his skin and brain. His mind is on the Lord, and there it will stay.

Virgil is silent beside him, hands interlocked and close to his lips as he repeats the scriptures and words, repeating and muttering as he gives his all to his Lord. Logan is beside him, and Virgil knows his eyes are closed as he lets the words be absorbed. Virgil does not look, keeping his eyes cracked as he mutters and prays alongside his community. From the corner of his eyes, he sees the fearful, those who do not respect what they are doing. He will not let himself be tainted with them.

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

They are quiet upon their return home. Their home is cracking and broken, but they do not complain. If not in this life, then in the next, they will see heaven. They will see plenty and will not want for anything. They will not want in this life. Virgil is the first to speak, the first to break their silence and bring them away from their scripture.

“Lunch?” Logan gives him a small smile, nodding as he puts their coats away as Virgil moves slowly through the kitchen. His limbs are heavy, and his mind is complete, but he moves methodically. The curtains are blowing softly beside him as he moves slowly. The light is soft and grey as the rain is drizzling down. If he strains, he can hear the scratching of Logan’s quill move against the paper in the other room, but for not, he won’t. The floors creak below him, and the ceiling above him does so too. He does not want nor does he complain. He is alive.

“Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, you forgive them all.”

“Humans? Again?” Instead of remaining focused on the humans through the screen, he doesn't turn to the voice. “Remus? This is hardly normal?” Subpoena tries to fight the grin that is consuming his face, but he can’t.

“What can I say, Roman? They intrigue me,” He replies before he spots them. They’re his favourites to watch. They’re slow and sullen, and he almost revels in it. Almost. 

“Remus.” He doesn’t respond, his mind and eyes following the humans as they move slowly, their bodies rigid. “Their god does not like us.”

“Their god has nothing on me.” Remus blocks him out, letting his humans consume him in their movements. He can hear the sound of footsteps as Roman leaves, but he does not turn. He watches their descent to their quarters. His lips curl into a scowl as the run-down shack they live in. The wallpaper is crumbling, and the table and furniture are chipped. His eyebrows furrowed as he leaned forward, planting his hand on his chin as he watched their movement. One moves to the kitchen, preparing a simple stew. The other moves to the bedroom, scribbling in a notebook. Remus, still leaning forward, lets a smirk overcome his face again.

“The Lord will fight for you; you only need to be still.”

Virgil finds himself being drawn to the man before him. He is supposed to be helping the priest with the monthly charity event, but he’s found himself completely distracted. The man’s hair is darker than the night, and his eyes seem to be overtaken by a shadow that Virgil is entranced by and wishes to get lost in. He finds himself moving without thought, entirely overwhelmed by desire as he moves close to the man. He pauses a few metres away, suddenly aware of his .mind again. He frowns, looking at the floor as he frowns at himself. He should not desire for anything, he remembers. He turns around, leaving the man behind. 

Throughout the day, the man sits in his mind. He is consumed by him, so much so that he returns to the same place where he first saw him. To his surprise, the man is there again.

“Hello,” the man says, a smile spread across his face. Virgil does not match the expression but does not turn away. He knows he should. The Lord does not welcome mingling with outsiders, but he figures once won’t hurt. “What’s your name?”

“Virgil,” he speaks before thinking. 

“I’m Remus. Tell me, where did you disappear off to? You seemed to be hellbent on coming over to me, then changed your mind.”

“I had to help my priest organise an event,” Virgil says.

“You’re religious?” Virgil nods. “Do you ever grow tired?” Virgil blinks at him, eyes widening. “Tired of waiting for your god to help you?”

“I don’t have those thoughts,” Virgil says, moving away from the man, but he follows him.

“Don’t or shouldn’t. Surely you have wants? Desires?”

“I-” Virgil pauses, standing in front of him.

“You can tell me your wants?”

Let it be known that Virgil rarely doubts. The church was his saviour, saving him from himself when he was young and alone. It gave him Logan, his love (even if he could never tell him), and it gave him a home, a community. Virgil has not wanted for anything because he knows what it is to suffer, and so he will be thankful for what little he has.

“You could have more,” the man, Remus, says. “You could have more than what you have.” Remus moves closer to him, and Virgil should move away, should return to his life and not want. He should never question his Lord. But he doesn’t. “I could give you what you want and what you need.” Virgil feels a hand on his hip, and he finds himself unwilling to move away, his breath stolen from him as he feels the man’s arms consume him.

“Remus, I- what- But-” 

“Shhh, let yourself want, human, let yourself want with me,” Remus’s voice is in his ear. 

“I shouldn’t think these things,” Virgil whispers.

“Your Lord has no control here.”

“I-” Virgil closes his eyes, mind conflicted. His lord saved him and gave him Logan; he should never doubt him.

“Is Logan your love's name?”

“I- He’s not my-”

“I see how you look at him?” Quality’s face burns red. “I see how he looks at you.”

“He doesn’t- it’s not returned.”

“Oh dear, little one, your Lord has led you astray. Making you believe you cannot love. Follow me. Come with me. You can love in peace with me.”

“But my lord-”

“Your Lord has forgotten you.” Virgil opens his eyes to meet Remus’s red ones. His eyes widen more as a soft hand comes up to cradle his face. He should pull away, but he finds himself wanting to stay. He finds himself wanting. “Stay with me.”

“And Logan?”

“Let’s go to him then.” Virgil feels himself being moved, and in the blink of an eye, he’s home, and Logan is looking up at him. 

“Logan…” he says, and his voice already betrays him. The air is heavy and cold, and Virgil thinks he might cry at the look in Logan’s eyes.

“You have forsaken him-”

“Logan-”

“After all he’s done for you-”

“Logan, please-”

“After all he’s given us?”

“I love you.” Logan is quiet, eyes wide. “I know he says we are wrong, but we aren’t. I love you. Please, Logan, we could- I don’t know, Logan, we could go, Logan, please, I love you-”

“No- no, you can’t. It’s wrong, Virgil, it’s-” Virgil is crying, tears streaming down his face as Logan steps back.

“Logan.” Logan spins around at the new voice. “Your Lord has forsaken you. He knows nothing of love.”

“No, he loves us, he cares for us, he-”

“Has left you behind.” Remus moves closer to him. “I know this. Virgil knows this. See the light.”

“No, he- no!”

“He has left you in the dark, Logan. He has forsaken you.”

“No, I- no, he-. NO!”

“You love Logan. You love Virgil, but your lord has abandoned you. You cling to a faith that has done nothing but hurt you.” Logan’s breath catches as his eyes connect with fiery red eyes. “I can offer you safety. I have seen you two want for more than you have. For safety and love, Logan, I can give you that. Come with me.”

“Logan, please,” Virgil says. “I can’t stay, not now. But I can’t leave you-” He cuts himself off with a sob, Remus pulls him close, and Logan feels something well in his chest at the sight.

“You’re a demon,” Logan whispers.

“I am,” Remus says. “I am a demon, and I am your salvation.” Logan steps towards Virgil, towards both of them. He extends his hand, letting Virgil attach to them, to fall into his arms.

“I love you,” he mumbles to the man, who only cries harder. “Why do you help us?” he asks the demon, and the demon smiles, not cruel or unkind like he’s been taught but small and vulnerable.

“I have seen what you god does to his people; I do not wish to see you suffer.”

“But why?” he asks, desperately searching for anything because if he’s going to leave all he’s known behind, he needs a reason.

“Because I know what it is to want. To want for something and not get it,” Remus says, hands moving to cup Logan’s cheek to press against Virgil. “To love and not be allowed to show it.” Logan's face tilts, almost unconsciously, leaning against the warm hand. “Your God hath forsaken you, but I never will.”

“My lovers got humour.”

Remus finds himself to be lucky. He supposes it’s in his nature. The sky is dark as he sits. If he were awake, Virgil would say the sky is always dark here, but he sleeps peacefully on his lap, his head rested on his chest as his chest rises and falls softly and peacefully. Logan remains awake, his hand moving through Virgil’s hair, looking up at Remus, where he sits at his throne every few moments. When he’s sure Virgil is asleep, he moves away, letting Remus’s hand replace his and brush through Virgil’s hair.

“Why?” Logan asks, voice quiet. “Why us?”

“Love is a fickle thing,” Remus responds. “I’ve seen how your god treats his people, with punishments and pain for things that are out of your control. I do not wish to see you suffer. To see either of you suffer.”

“Why us?”

“Because you deserve better.”

“How do you know? How do you know we do? We have sinned. We have loved people we should not. We have broken the rules. We’ve been tempted. We’ve wanted.”

“You can want here.”

“It is wrong,” Logan whispers, but Remus knows he does not mean it.

“You are happier here,” Remus says. “You could be. You could be safe here. You could love him here.”

“Why help us?”

“I love you.”

“You don’t know us.”

“Unlike your old God, I take care of my people. You will not have to want because I will give you it all. I will shower you in it all.” Logan says nothing, letting himself move closer to believe. “You can love here. You can stay here.”

“You don’t know us,” Logan repeats, doubting his own words.

“I do not need to. I want to, but I have seen you, how you need.” Remus’s warm hand returns to his cheeks. “Can your God do this?” And then there are lips on his, and Logan feels the want rush through him. The wants he has repressed for years on the instruction of his community. He feels the want to kiss Virgil and hold him. The want to make mistakes and to live rush through him as Remus moves away. “Let the want consume you.”

“It’s a sin,” Logan whispers, but he doesn’t mean it. He finds himself wanting to sin.

“Whats sin to a demon?”

"Knows everybody's disapproval, should've worshipped them sooner."

Coffee, Words and Fists

Characters: Roman, Virgil, Janus, Patton, Logan, Remus

Trigger warnings: a fair amount of abuse, toxic relationship, negligent parenting, some incredibly low self esteem, forced starvation 

Ships: toxic Prinxiety, not romantic Princeit 

Summary: Roman loves his chemically imbalanced Romance, but does Virgil love him back? Also Janus is a pretty important character. 

AO3 Link

Roman was sitting alone in his room. He was practically praying that Virgil wouldn't come into his room tonight. Of course, when the two began, all was well. They still argued but that was just par for the course for the embodiments of Anxiety and Creativity, but hey, they usually made up afterwards. Usually. But as Virgil became more and more part of the group, Roman found himself being pushed further out. This did nothing to help his already low self-esteem, but he held a brave face. The others didn't need to deal with his issues on top of everything else. Virgil, however, grew more confident as the weeks turned to months. He shared his thoughts more and the others would stand up for him if Roman dared call him any sort of nickname. So it seemed Virgil had noticed, though it was hard not to, and began giving Roman the exact same treatment the creative side gave him pre-accepting anxiety. The nicknames, the lot. It started off small enough, nothing Roman couldn't handle, but things never stay small when this was the way things were headed with the sides. Roman still loved the anxious side, his little smirk when he heard a pun, the way he blushed when Roman flirted with him, all those little things. So of course he could handle it, right? Right. He was a prince, after all. Princes handled far worse than a few nicknames. He thought over this as he cuddled his stuffed Simba plushie close to his chest. Then he heard the dreaded sound of the door opening. He quickly put the toy onto his pillow as he made eye contact with the smirking side who now stood in his room. 

"Really, Ro? A toy? Woulda thought you're too old for that shit." Virgil chuckled, closing the door behind him. "I-Simba's special, Virge. He was a birthday gift from Patton, you know that." the prince replied, almost stumbling over his words. His heart was pounding. "Yeah, I know. Just teasing, geeze, Princey." that nickname again. Princey. Why was it always Princey, and in such a mocking tone? Roman chuckled, though there was no joy to the sound. "I guess. So, uh, what brings you to- to my room, of all places?" he asked. Virgil flopped onto the large four-poster bed. "Aren't I allowed to say hi to you? You're such a jerk." he said in a tone that he couldn't tell if it was serious or joking. "Of course, love, I'm sorry. I would have gone to see you tonight, honest, I'm just in a bit of a state. You know, after that whole ordeal with Janus. It has me in a bit of a certain way, you understand?" he explained, reaching for his Simba once more. "You'd better not be interested in him, Roman." Virgil said, his tone soft and menacing. "No, I would never. You're the only one I could ever want." he replied, hoping that was what he wanted to hear. Virgil was silent for a moment. "I should think so." he said. Before Roman could object, the man snatched his Simba out of his arms. "If I see anything that suggests you might be second-guessing us, you're not gonna see this again, you hear?" he said, the lion held in a firm grip. That 'toy' was one of his most prized posessions. He gulped. "Y-yes, love." he said, his voice shaking noticeably. "Good. Sweet dreams, Princey." Virgil said, walking out of the room. Roman nodded, but knew he wouldn't be having any of the sort tonight.

He curled into a small ball on his large bed and, despite his attempts, could not stop the onslaught of sobs that racked his body. Those sobs quickly escalated, and this time there was no Simba to help him calm down. He buried his face in his pillows to attempt to hide his pitiful weeping, but it did little. He barely heard the sound of his door opening once more. Although this time, he could tell it wasn't Virgil. Virgil would have made a snarky comment on his sobbing. Instead, it was the voice of Patton. "Are you alright, kiddo?" he asked, walking over. Roman lifted his teary face out of the pillows. "Virge took my Simba." he managed to choke out. The father figure simply tutted. "Come on, Ro, that's nothing to be so upset about! After all, it's only a toy!" he said, pulling the creative side into an embrace. Simba wasn't only a toy, why could no one see that? Roman could do nothing but cry into Patton's shoulder. Maybe the father figure was right, it probably wasn't something to get so worked up about. He shouldn't get so upset over his simba. It was just silly and childish to get upset about a toy, even if that toy was pretty much the only thing that got him to sleep at night anymore. He pulled away from his father figure and rubbed the tears away from his now-red and puffy eyes. Patton gave him a smile. "Better?" he asked. "Better." the prince lied. "Goodo, well I've got some cookies in the oven so I'll catch ya later! Sleep well, kiddo!" the father figure beamed as he left the room. Roman felt the tears welling up in his eyes again. Darn it, why couldn't he just get over a damn Simba toy? He heard another set of footsteps in his room. Who was it this time, and why couldn't they just leave him alone? "You are aware, yes, that you are allowed to feel negative emotions about things you care about being taken away from you?" a familiar, smooth voice came. Janus. "Oh. I'm fine, you know." Roman replied, rubbing the stubborn tears out of his eyes. "Please, I am the literal embodiment of deception. You can't lie to me." the reptilian side stated softly, taking a seat on the bed. "I told you, I'm fine. If I wasn't I would be with Virge." he said firmly. Janus sighed. "Are you certain?" he asked skeptically. "Positively." the prince replied. Janus stood up once more. "Well then, I guess I can't force you to tell what's wrong. I won't be back, Roman." he said, sinking out. Roman grabbed a pillow and hugged it tight. It wasn't his Simba but it would have to do for now. He buried his face in it and fell into a restless sleep, waking up every so often thanks to the nightmares that now plagued him.

When dawn finally arose, he was thankful to get out of bed. He decided to wander down to the kitchen to find a snack. Patton had said he was baking cookies last night, where would those be? He pondered this as he wandered down the stairs. He entered the kitchen and quickly spotted the cookie jar on top of the cabinet. Being one of the shorter sides, he did have to use a step-stool to reach them but it was a small sacrifice to make for his delicious treasures. He took the lid off and relished in the heavenly scent for a moment before grabbing one of the treats and munching on it. If there was one thing Patton was good at, it was baking. He finished off his first cookie and started on a second. A second turned into a third, which in turn led to a fourth. He was in cookie heaven. Then he heard a voice he really did not need to hear this early in the morning. "You may wanna slow your roll on those cookies, you've been packing on a few pounds recently." the deep voice of Virgil came. Roman almost jumped. "Sorry, Virge." he said, putting the cookie jar down. Was he really gaining weight? Come to think of it, his frame did look a bit bigger when he looked in the mirror. "No 'good morning'? Rude." the emo said with an eyebrow raise. "I apologise again, I'm tired." he replied. A hot liquid suddenly splashed over his face. "Wake up then, Princey." Virgil said. Roman found it hard to be sleepy any more with the scalding coffee burning his face. He attempted to ignore the sensation and wiped it with his sleeve, which didn't do much in terms of easing it. "I will do better next time." he said softly. Virgil snorted suddenly. "Talk about creative burnout-" he said, falling into a fit of laughter. Roman cautiously chuckled with him, backing out of the room. As soon as he was out of sight, he began power-walking back to his room. As he was speeding through the hallway, he bumped into someone, knocking the both of them over. That someone was Logan. "Sorry, teach." the prince muttered, picking himself up off the floor. "It is alright, Roman. Perchance watch where you are going next time." the Logan said, straightening his clothes and continuing his walk in the other direction.

Roman slowed his pace and reached his room, and stepped inside. He shut the door and headed over to his beloved writing desk. He pondered what he should write, before settling on a play. He began brainstorming ideas on what to write about, and ended up deciding on a story of a prince and his quest to find true love. He needed that sort of energy right now. As he began writing what came to mind, his room shifted to match the setting of his play. He was now in a beautiful stone castle with sturdy oak beams and elegant furnishings. Through the window, the moonlight came streaming in, and his wooden desk was illuminated by a few wax candles. He always enjoyed this sort of setting. The more he wrote, the more detailed his surroundings became until he could almost see an entire village out of his window and beyond that, a great forest. Past the forest were tall, rocky mountains in which sat the dragon-witch's tower, the place the prince was reluctantly headed to. This prince was not a fighter, he was a lover. But little did he know that was exactly what he would find, but not in the tower and not anywhere else. For the prince did not know it yet, but this dragon-witch was not a hideous monster but in fact, a handsome man with dual-coloured eyes who, much like the prince, had no desire to fight. He had merely been cast out from the village as a result of his nature. Once the prince arrived at the tower, he was indeed greeted by this stunning man who did not mean him harm. Instead, the dragon-witch invited him inside and the two discovered something richer than victory or wealth or power. They found the one thing that could bring peasants and kings alike to their knees. They found romance. True romance. A romance so powerful, neither could deny they felt it. The prince soon decided to stay with the dragon-witch, this man who took care of him. And the two would live happily, forever after. Roman smiled as he went through the story a few times, it was a fine piece. It was always nice to write something he was truly proud of. "What'cha up to, Princey?" a distinct voice came from the doorway, snapping him out of his whimsy and returning his room to its natural state. He looked up from his work and saw his lover leaning against the doorframe. "Just some writing." the prince said, his voice infuriatingly quiet. Virgil stalked over to the desk. "Mind if I take a look?" he asked. Before Roman could respond, the gothic man had picked up the script and began flicking through it, his face painfully blank. Roman wished he knew what the man was thinking, hopefully good things but more likely judgements. That was just Virgil's nature, to be skeptical and judgemental, right? Right. The man occasionally would make a small 'hm' sound as he read, but apart from that he was expressionless. And honestly, Roman would have been less afraid if Virgil responded negatively as he read. But eventually, the man finished reading and shoved the script carelessly back onto the desk. "Eugh, charming." he said distastefully before taking a seat on Roman's bed. The malice in his words reminded Roman of his facial wound and re-lit the intense pain. He gingerly touched the wound, quickly deciding to retract his hand. He should probably ask about it. "Hey, Virge? Why'd you have to throw that coffee at me?" he asked. The man in question met his eyes with confusion and anger. "I didn't throw it, Ro. You accusing me of assault or something?" He snapped. "Well no, that's not exactly what I mean-" "Are you saying I'd just hurt you for no reason?" "No no, of course not! I just-" "You are accusing me! I would never without reason, why can't you see past your own ego for five seconds? You're pegging me as the bad guy again, you always do!" "I didn't realise I was, I'm so sorry Love, I would never intentionally." "Yeah sure. You keep believing that stupid bullshit. Great, now I need a break." the emo stormed out of the room with great haste. "Wait, no, Virgil-" but it was too late. The man in question had already slammed the door behind him. Roman looked over at his script with despair. Why couldn't he do anything right? Not his writing, not loving his boyfriend, not even his own job. Virgil didn't even like his script one bit, but was that really a surprise? After all, it was just a mediocre plotline partnered with sub-par writing skills. Of course he hated it, it was completely childish and far too fantastical and whimsical and unrealistic and who said those happy endings even existed in real life? It was everything Roman was. Oh goodness, it was everything he was. Virgil must absolutely hate him, and that conversation just earlier did nothing to disprove the matter. He picked up the useless script and shuffled over to the wall that he always kept bare. It was bare for a reason, he could do with it what he wished. And what he wished to do was summon a large fireplace with a crackling fire inside. It soon materialised, large and grand, and he threw the script in, leaving it to the mercy of the vicious tongues of the flame. He watched as hours of work was reduced to ashes in mere minutes, and while it absolutely tore him up inside to do so he would not show it. He sighed and returned the blank wall to its natural blank state, then climbed into his bed. If he got to sleep, maybe he wouldn't have to see anyone today. He could almost chuckle at how much he sounded like Virgil right now. Maybe the two weren't so different. He pulled his pillow into his arms and curled around it, and squeezed his eyes shut. He lay there for a good few minutes before he felt a gentle hand, rhythmically stroking his hair. He was tired and just wanted to sleep and besides, it was relaxing. So he let it continue. Whoever it was started singing a soft lullabye in french, which confirmed his suspicions that it wasn't Virgil. But who was it then? Patton could only speak english, Logan was in the process of learning Spanish, so it couldn't be either of them, right? Unless they knew something that he didn't. Remus knew a bit of french, but this definitely wasn't his distinct nasally voice. That left Janus. But Janus wasn't the type to do such a thing, right? Of course not, the man was a villain. So who could it be? Maybe it was a product of his own imagination. Either way, the voice was deep and smooth and rich, and had a certain honey-like quality to it. It was nice to listen to, at for the first time in forever he drifted off into a peaceful and nightmare-free sleep.

When he awoke, the person was gone. He felt a pang of disappointment that the figure was not there to bring him that relief he had felt last night, but he brushed it off. He was most likely late for breakfast, and Virgil was never happy when Roman was the one who overslept. He groggily climbed out of bed and realised he had fallen asleep in his costume, which was now horrendously wrinkled and stunk like he had worn it for two days straight. Probably because he had. He pulled off the suit and threw it haphazardly toward the laundry hamper, and opened up his closet. He picked out something comfy, in this case a red t-shirt and a pair of white sweatpants, and cautiously left his room. He shuffled downstairs and into the kitchen, where he noticed the other three light sides were already sitting and eating breakfast. His spot was set with a portion of Patton's famous chocolate chip pancakes, which he gleefully sat down to. "Morning, sleepyhead!" the father figure said playfully. "Good morning, Padre." the prince responded. Virgil cleared his throat rather obviously. "Of course, a wonderful morning to you, my chemically imbalanced romance," Roman added with a bit of a smile. He was in a good mood this morning. "Morning, Princey." the emo responded before returning to his breakfast. The prince picked up his fork and grabbed a mouthful of pancake. He was about to place it in his mouth when Virgil cleared his throat again, with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. He put the fork down. "Are you not hungry, Roman? I did not see you at any of yesterday's meals." Logan stated. "I probably shouldn't, teach." He responded. The teacher looked at him with skepticism. "Just eat some. I do not wish to see you get too thin." he insisted. Roman sighed and picked up the fork again. His stomach was definitely growling. He took a deep breath and lifted the food to his lips. Swallowing seemed a definite chore. "Right, that's enough, Ro! Weren't you gonna do something today?" Virgil said louder than usual. That first mouthful of pancake only made him feel more noticeably hungry. "It's just one meal." he said. He couldn't be sure if he was talking to Virgil or himself, but nonetheless he took another forkful of the delicious breakfast. Virgil had gotten up and was walking over. The man's very gaze was enough to send shivers down his spine. "Roman, stop that." He said coldly. Roman glanced to the two figures sitting across the table, but they just kept eating and not paying attention. "It'll only be this one meal today, I promise." he said, putting the second forkful in his mouth. Virgil slapped the fork just as it reached the prince's mouth, scraping across his cheek. It wasn't that bad of an injury, nothing he couldn't take. He swallowed. That was when the emo had hit the last straw. He grabbed Roman by the throat and pulled him to his feet. Virgil was surprisingly muscular. He began throwing punches at the prince without relent, repeating over and over how he had been warned and he deserved this. The prince felt tears running down his face and called feebly for the other two to do something, only to be met with more reasons as to why he deserved this. Breathing was becoming a strain and he had to stop in order to preserve air. He squeezed his eyes shut as the blows got harder and faster, when all of a sudden they stopped. Although that could have been because his senses had numbed. He could tell there was talking going on around him, but he couldn't pinpoint who was talking. The tight grip around his neck ceased and he collapsed to the floor. More talking. Then he felt something unexpected. Two pairs of arms wrapped around him gently and one hand gently stroked his hair, much like the mysterious figure from last night. He so desperately wanted to lean into the touches, but that probably wasn't a smart move.

The noise around him faded and he felt the familiar sensation of rising up. The arms were still around him, which was odd. Usually only one or two people could rise up at the same time. "You can open your eyes, Roman." that smooth as honey voice said softly. Slowly he peeked his eyes open, and noticed he was in an unfamiliar room. This room was a darker, more comfortable brightness and shifted gently around the edges. The arms wrapped around him were scaly and clad in a yellow sweater. "I don't apologise for taking you out of the mindscape but my room is safer." the voice said. The prince turned his head to see who his rescuer was, and was shocked at his discovery. The man was none other than Janus, the disney villain. Wearing a sweater with a snake on it. The villain gave a small smile. Well, it would have been smaller and softer if the man's mouth on his snake half did not reach right across his cheek. But it was a surprisingly soft gaze nonetheless. Roman sat there in that embrace for a good minute, attempting to think of something to say. "Why did you stop him?" he managed to ask. "Stop who, Virgil?" the snake asked in a curious tone. "Mmn. I deserved all of that." the prince responded. "Listen to me, Roman. That was abuse. You do not deserve abuse, and you do not deserve to see your so-called family stand idly by while you are being physically and verbally assaulted. Why did you never tell anyone?" Janus asked, his spare sixth hand raised with the thumb and pinky tucked in to show he was not lying this time. "I tried at first. It was always my fault." Roman said, his body shaking again. "I mean someone who cares, dear. Like Remus and I." "Neither of you care about me though." "Of course not, I rescued you out of pure spite." "Well Remus hates me, at least." "Remus wishes more than anything that you could be friends with him again." "He'd probably murder Virge." Roman stated. Janus chuckled. "I suppose that is true. But neither of us think ill of any of you. Well, perchance there is some spite aimed at Virgil. But my point is, we are here to help you." he said with a wide, fangy smile. The door suddenly swung open and a certain duke bounded in. His eyes drifted immediately to the prince in Janus' arms. "Roro, who tried to murder you?" he asked, launching at his twin with open arms. "No one you should worry about." Janus said softly. Remus pulled his hug back and began examining his brother for notable injuries. He scanned the face and squinted. "That's not good, you look like Jan but worse!" he noted, eyeing the burn mark. Janus cleared his throat. "Maybe do that later, Rem." he said. The duke sat back on his feet. "Oki then." he said, his stache twitching. "Now listen here, Roman." Janus said softly but firmly. "You will always be safe here."

Raise Hell - Creativitwins and Darkside!Roman Fic

Fic Summary: After a brooding session in his room after the events of SVS2, Roman decides Fuck It! and visits his brother Remus' room. As the two brothers reconnect, Roman ends up making a startling decision.

Warnings: Roman Angst, Self Loathing, Self Deprecating, Darkside!Roman, Gore, Violence, Weapons, Sexual Innuendos (Basically Remus just being Remus)

Pairings: None!

Wordcount: 7k+ (almost 8k)

Author's Note:

I started writing this fic immediately after SVS2 so it's canon complacent until after that, where it branches off into this AU! This was before both Flirting With Social Anxiety and Working Through Intrusive Thoughts came out, so please just consider this an alternate "What If?" scenario! (Also this just goes to show you how much I procrastinate when it comes to writing whoops lol.)

Roman sat curled up on his bed. Sitting in the same position that he had been for the past two days or so. He couldn't exactly recall how long he had been there holed up in his room, actually.

The only thing he could recall was the disappointed looks on their faces, their harsh words whether intentional or not, and the feeling of his whole world seemingly crumbling down around him. It was all too much too soon, and after his outburst he had sunken into a numb state of suspension. Waiting to feel anything other than anger, grief, and disappointment. All three of which were mainly pointed dangerously at his own self like a bunch of daggers repeatedly striking where they knew it would hurt most.

Patton had stopped by shortly after he had first sunk out, yes. But Roman could hardly hear what the fatherly side was saying to him over the ringing in his ears and his own rapid heartbeat constantly reminding him it had been recently struck through. Something about everything being okay, he thinks? Yet how could Patton have said that when absolutely nothing was okay right now? In fact, he doubted anything could be okay ever again. Not after…well, after he had apparently messed up again.

It was starting to become a habit now, all of these stupid mistakes. And how could such a perfect prince as him make such mistakes? He was supposed to be a paragon of perfection! An idol for all aspiring heroes alike! The pinnacle of heroism and all that is good in the world! Instead he was just...just wrong. Always wrong. Always wrong no matter who's side he took or who he believed in or what he said or didn't say. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.

But if he wasn't a perfect prince...if he wasn't a hero...if he wasn't right...then what exactly was he? What was left? Well, nothing, really. He had put all of his eggs in one basket and now the littlest breeze had apparently sent it toppling over.

Wait a minute...If he had nothing left, then that meant he had nothing left to lose, right? Which meant all of his old restrictions on himself, all of his walking the fine line and all of him staying on the right side of the fence- All of it was meaningless. It was doing nothing, just like him.

He slowly unfurled his body from it's curled up position and turned his gaze towards the closet on the far side of his room. The door was dingier compared to the rest of the elegant and ornately designed bedroom. Scratch marks marred its greyed, wooden surface and a sign was tapped loosely and half-hazardly to the middle. "Danger: Nightmare Zone. Keep out!" It read in bright red lettering.

"Keep out, huh...I must have been really mad when I wrote that." Roman glanced down to his hands, which he had clenched. "But now I'm just empty...so what's the use in obeying a stupid sign that I put up there myself?" He unfisted his hands and looked back to the imposing closet door. "What could be more dangerous in there than staying here and stewing in my own thoughts?"

He slowly stood up, his legs tingling from being in one position for far too long. He made his way over to the closet door. Slowly. Cautiously. Glancing over his shoulder as if someone was going to walk in on him at any moment. As his hand grasped the handle, he felt himself gulp. Did he really want to do this?

"…"

Well, what else was there to do?

He pushed the door open and stepped into the closet full of old clothes. All of his new princely adornments were actually being stored in a mahogany wardrobe beside his nightstand. These clothes were...they belonged to...Well, someone who didn't exist. At least not anymore. He pushed his way through dusty and moth-bitten clothes as if he was pushing through the undergrowth of a dense jungle. As he neared his destination, the place grew darker and smelled more and more of mold.

He finally arrived at another door. This one was more well kept than the last, with golden trimmings and an intricate door handle. He took a deep breath to steal his nerves before pushing it open.

He stepped out into another bedroom. This one had moss in the corners, cobwebs on the ceiling, and ivy climbing it's walls. Even still, it was much tidier than he had been expecting. It gave off more of a wild feeling rather than a dirty one. Just as he was about to take another step to inspect further, there was a mace in his face.

He hadn't even flinched back, he was so tired and dazed. Roman sucked in a nervous breath and looked to the wielder of the weapon.

Remus was standing frozen in place, his face flickering between emotions. Eyes twitching. It appeared like he had intended to knock him out again...just like last time in the living room...but something must have made him pause.

"You've been crying." He hissed, less of a question and more of an accusation.

Roman blinked, confused, before reaching up to poke the skin underneath his eyes. Sure enough, it was puffy. He bet if he looked in a mirror they'd be red-rimmed as well. But he didn't even want to see his own face right now. He huffed out in irritation. "So what if I have?"

Remus' face flickered once more before settling into a firm stare as he slowly lowered his morning star mace away from Roman's head. He was being oddly still and slow in his motions, and the difference between this and his usual rambunctiousness was making Roman's skin crawl with nerves. "Why?"

"Why?" Roman repeated after him, bristling, "Why do you even care why?"

Remus blinked, seeming to come out of his previous mood. "You tell me Prince Smarmy! You came into my turf." He rested his mace behind his shoulders and started rocking back and forth on the heels of his boots.

"I…" Roman's gaze fell to the ground. "I don't know. It's just the last place I could go, I guess?" He shrugged before waving a dramatic arm, "But if you don't want me here either, then just say it to my face!"

Remus tilted his head curiously before leaning forward "Oh, I can do way better than that, brohide." And with that, he snapped his fingers and the room flipped upside down.

Roman gasped as they fell through the air. The room seemed to twist and morph around them. Until finally, he had landed roughly on his own fluffy white floor rug. Remus, however, had fallen through the fancy canopy of his bed. Tearing a large hole through it and landing in a heap on the covers.

"Hey, my bed!" He shouted, offended beyond belief.

"Oh tough titty." Remus chastised as he picked up a golden laced, red silk pillow. He started plucking at it's loose threads. "I bet you have a ton of those ugly tent things."

"They're called canopies, you uncultured swine!"

Roman got up in a huff and dusted off and straightened his rumpled clothes. He sent a glare over to Remus as he did so. "Why'd you do that?"

"Do what?~" He sing-songed annoyingly back.

"Teleport us in such an unruly manner!"

"Hmmm…" He flopped over on to his back and started doing snow angel motions. "Why'd you go in my room?~Huh? Huh?"

"Wha- I- I asked you first!"

"I asked you second!!" He rolled over on the bed to grin up at Roman, still clutching the poor, abused pillow.

"Ugh, fine!" Roman threw his hands up in the air and moved to grab his vanity chair. He pulled it over to sit in front of the bed. "I just didn't want to be in my own room right now, okay??"

Remus frowned with pursed lips and sat up, scooching forward on the bed. "But it's your room, numbnuts."

"Well maybe I don't want to be near me right now…Um, wait. That doesn't make any sense, does it?"

"Probably not! But-" He cupped a hand over his mouth and loudly whispered conspiratorially, "I can rip your head off your body and throw it to the side for you so you're not close to it anymore?"

"No that's...That's not what I meant and you know it!"

"Fucking party pooper!" Remus threw his hands up then abandoned the pillow he had been holding to riffle curiously through the rest. "Do you not keep a dagger under your pillow??"

"What? No, of course not! Who would do that?"

"Me, duh! For security reasons, bitch boy."

"Well I'm obviously more sensible than that. I keep swords under the bed like a sane person."

"Wait, really?!" Remus threw himself over the side of the bed to look underneath it. "Holy shit, nice!" He rustled through them for a moment before grabbing a sleek black flamberge by it's blade and pulling it up. "I'm keeping this!"

"I would protest that but you've already gotten your filthy blood all over it and that sword is a particular bitch to clean."

"Sibling souvenir!" Proclaimed Remus as he stabbed it into his stomach for safe keeping.

"What on earth are you doing? Why would you stab yourself??"

"To make sure it doesn't go anywhere! Oh, and to test it's stabby powers."

"You know in hindsight, I shouldn't have even asked."

"Speaking of askings of questions-ing, why did you visit my room of all places? Needed to get rid of some trash? Because I'm taking if you're offering. I could always use more decorations!"

"Remus, you rat bastard, I saw that your room was cleaner than you let people believe it to be. If you did take any of my trash you'd probably organize it into the proper bins and everything."

Remus gasped and put an offended hand over his chest. "How dare you! My room is perfectly and gloriously trashy and stinky, just like me."

"Mhmm, sure it is."

A shuriken flew past the side of his head and embedded itself right in the face of one of his many Disney posters.

"Just answer my question!!"

"Okay, okay jeez!" Roman raised his hands placatingly before dropping them to grip at his knees nervously. "I, well, I didn't want to be alone anymore…"

"And? You couldn't just visit the other lamo light bitches in the living-dead room?"

"They, um." He sighed before looking over at his posters. Prince Charming smiled brightly back at him, even with a weapon digging into his forehead. "They don't want to be around me. They don't want me. Not anymore. If they ever did. They have him, after all. Both of them."

"Him. Them. Stop playing the pronoun game already and get fucking on with it!"

"He has Janus now! Thomas chose Janus! Patton chose Janus! They chose Janus! They both chose Janus...over me…" Roman blurted out. The words were spilling out now, unstoppable. He sniffled as he felt the tears threatening to fall once more as well. He didn't even realize he had any left to cry. "I chose Thomas. Thomas chose Patton. Patton chose Janus. No one ever chooses me! No one ever takes my side!"

"Apparently, I'm always the one in the wrong..." He ran his shaky hands over his cheeks, desperately trying to push any tears that appeared away. To keep them from falling anymore. Hadn't he cried enough? "I was wrong about Virgil. I was wrong with how I talked to Logan. I was wrong about the breakup. I was wrong about the wedding. Now I was wrong about Deceit- no, Janus- ugh...Everything I do is wrong!"

He lowered his hands again to dig his fingers back into his knees. Roman drew in another shaky breath, trying to calm himself after the outburst. He glanced nervously up at Remus to gauge his reaction to his brother's crazed rambles.

Remus had leaned forward to hear him better over his sobs and shaky voice, almost tipping over the edge of the bed. He had his nails digging into Roman's comforter, and Roman was afraid he was about to rip holes into it. He already had a canopy to replace after all, he didn't want to have to replace that as well! They stared at each other in tense silence for a few moments more, one at a loss on what to say next and the other trying to process the onslaught of new information. Finally, Remus let go of the comforter, slid off the bed, and sat on the floor in front of him with his legs splayed out.

"So what you're saying is...wait, Jan Jan the Banana Man actually told you his name?"

"Well, he more so told Thomas and Patton it and...I just happened to be there too?"

"Huh. Never thought he'd tell anyone else. Well, not after Virgil…was Virgil there?"

"No. Unfortunately Virgil wasn't there to back me up. If he would have even taken my side at all...And Logan was...there in textbox spirit?"

"What'd nerd-a-lerd say?"

"He…well, I wasn't really paying much attention to- I was panicking okay! But I heard enough." He looked to the side, feeling shame well up in himself again. "Enough to know that he was taking his side, just like everyone else."

He heard a mumbled "Damn pronoun name again-" before Remus clapped his hands together with a loud boom that echoed through the large room. "Okay! And I can't believe I'm saying this but- tell me the whole story. Top dick to bottom butt."

"Ew." Roman wrinkled his nose up in disgust.

"Just tell me already!!" Annnddd another shuriken whizzed past his head. This time it embedded itself in his dresser. He hoped it hadn't cracked the wood too much...

Thus Roman spun the entire tale, starting at Janus' first appearance and ending with the absolute fiasco between the callback and the wedding that had occurred a couple of days ago...or had it been several? Time had muddied itself in his reclusion. He would take several breaks in his storytelling to go off on self-deprecating tangents that sounded an awful lot like dramatic monologues from some tragic play. More often than not these tangents were cut short by Remus, who would hurry them along with crude nicknames and threats to get back to the main story.

Somehow during this storytelling process both of the brothers had ended up splayed out side by side on top of Roman's fluffy white floor rug. As if they were kids gossiping on the floor at a sleepover. Remus had busied his hands by pulling out locks of the fur from the rug while Roman's own hands gesticulated wildly with the ups and downs of his tale. As he neared the end of the story, Roman curled up to lay on his side so he could face Remus and see his reaction.

"...and then I decided to go to your room. Because I had nowhere else to go. I didn't want to stay in my room with my own thoughts any longer...but I didn't want to see any of the other sides, either."

Remus was laying on his stomach, fiddling with the rug and swaying his feet in the air. At hearing the last bit, his feet fell back down to rest on the floor. "...But you wanted to see me?" His voice was the softest Roman had ever heard him speak. It was incredulous and almost...hopeful.

"I-I don't know. I-" Roman diverted his eyes across the room, sweeping over the damage done by them earlier and eventually landing on the dingy and scratched up closet door. He stared at it for a moment in thought before looking back over to Remus. "Do you ever…Ever miss sharing a bedroom?" He murmured.

Remus wrinkled his nose and glared at him, likely upset that he had dodged the question. "Not really. Your taste in stuff is far too Gucci-Gucci-bougie for me."

"No, not that!" Roman dismissed with a wave of his hand, " Not the furniture or anything like that. Just the…the feel of someone else being there too? Knowing that someone else is always there? Someone who's kind of like you but not really? Someone you can talk to when you have no one else?" Roman ran his fingers through his hair in distress. "Does that make any sense???"

Remus was still glaring at him, but now his eyebrows twitched with an unseen emotion. "Being brothers?" He hissed.

"What?"

Remus reached over to grab Roman's shoulders and shake him silly. "What you're describing. Is being brothers. What I wanted to be. What you didn't let us be. What you rejected. Shoved into the darkest corner. Placed under a Do Not Enter sign-"

"I'm sorry, okay! I didn't mean it!"

Remus paused in his shaking, several emotions flashing across his face. "Didn't mean it?"

"I know I-" Roman placed his hands over Remus' on his shoulders but didn't push him away and lowered his head in shame. "I acted rashly and perhaps a tad extreme to our new circumstances at the time. But it was for what I thought was the best. I only ever wanted to serve Thomas. I only ever wanted to please them. I never thought- I-" He looked sincerely back up into his brother's eyes. "I never thought about what that would mean for you. What that would do to you. What that would do to us. And for that, I'm sorry."

Remus loosened his grip but didn't let go entirely, staring intensely and attentively at Roman.

"I never actually wanted to push you away. I was just doing so because I thought- Well, okay admittedly I wasn't thinking much at all really but-" His eyes briefly flickered back to the closet door "I didn't want to become a dark side too! I didn't want to not be able to see Thomas. Or to be rejected by the others. I-" He laughed then. A dry, helpless laugh. He shifted to put his head in his hands. "But I guess that happened anyway, didn't it? What sick irony, huh? Maybe it's what I deserve… Maybe it's karmic retribution…"

"..."

"I shoved you away... And now they're shoving me away! I lost a brother so I could keep everyone and everything else in my life but now- now I've lost that, too- Now I have nothing. Now I am no-"

Remus tightened his grip on Roman's shoulders again and pulled him towards himself. He ended up knocking their heads together in the process-

"Ow! What the hell are you-"

-of wrapping his arms around Roman and hugging him to himself.

"You-You're hugging me?"

"You didn't lose a brother…" Remus pouted, as if he was a petulant toddler, "I've always been right fucking here if you'd open your stupid eyes for once."

Roman let out a shuddering breath, feeling an entirely new type of tear prickling at the corners of his eyes. He buried his head in Remus' shoulder and gripped onto the back of hid brother's clothes as if he was his last lifeline. He probably was.

Sure the hug was the most uncomfortable one he'd ever had, what with the hilt of the sword in Remus' stomach poking him in his own and his forehead still ringing with the pain from where Remus banged them together, but somehow it was still nice. It still felt like...home.

"...But I thought you hated me?"

"What gave you that idea?"

"You're always calling me names and hitting me with stuff!"

He felt Remus shrug. "You do the same thing."

"You do it first!"

"Eh- that's just what siblings do~~"

"With medieval weapons?!"

"Says the guy with a stash of swords under his bed!~" Remus sing-songed teasingly.

"Oh like you have room to talk- You said you keep daggers under your pillow!"

"Shouldn't everyone? You should keep some under yours too, Mr Whiny Prissy Pants!"

"And there's the name calling again."

"Hey now, you know it's the older siblings job to pick on the younger-"

"But I'm the older sibling! I manifested my form first!"

"Eh, semantics-schmantics! Same diff!"

"You're completely unreasonable!"

"And you're too stuck up!"

Roman let out a growl and smacked a hand over Remus' face, pushing him away and breaking up the hug. Remus let out a huff and reached over to slap the back of Roman's head in retaliation. This caused them to descend into a full on slap fight, looking like a slapstick scene straight out of a comedy movie.

They roughhoused like this, like a pair of bickering elementary schoolers, until they eventually tired themselves out and flipped gracelessly back onto the floor. They both stared at the ceiling for a few silent seconds before bursting out into fits of crazed laughter.

"That was the worst hug ever! Hahaha!"

"Hey! I don't have much practice! Heeheehee!"

"Haha! We must look like a couple of insane people lying here!"

"Haha! I knooowww~~ You're room is sooo trashed!~Heehee!"

"Hey! You're the one that trashed it! Hahaha!"

"Well you're the one who invited me here brozilla! Hahahoo!"

"You're the one that brought us here! Hahaheh! I wanted to be in your room! Heh!"

Their laughter eventually died down. But just as Roman was about to drift off into sleep from his position lying on the floor, he heard Remus ask, "Do you still want to go to my room?"

Roman blinked his eyes open. He sat up and looked forlornly around his own bedroom. The thought of staying here seemed lonely, now that he'd finally reunited and reconciled with his brother. And the pictures and posters adorning the walls just reminded him of past memories that only hurt to think about right now. "......Yeah. Yes, actually." He turned to Remus, who had also sat back up, " I know, I know it sounds crazy but-"

"I like crazy!" Remus grinned and raised his fingers in preparation to snap, causing Roman to have a flashback to the previous time he did it.

"Wait! Don't turn the room upside down again! We can just sink through the floor like we normally-"

"Sink through the floor? Okay, if you say so!" His grin widened maniacally and he snapped his fingers.

The floor started to shift and cave in on itself, causing Roman's furniture to all move closer to the center. A hole slowly opened under where the brothers had been sitting that pulled them down into it. Roman screamed as they were both sucked into the abyss.

His scream ended abruptly as he was flung up into Remus' room, the hole now acting as a geyser of sorts. Roman landed in an unruly manner and was knocked out of breath while Remus landed swiftly on his knee before rolling up into a standing position.

"Home, Smelly Home!" He proudly declared with his hands on his hips, either unaware of or uncaring towards his brother's struggle to get up from the floor.

"Shouldn't have opened my big mouth..." Mumbled Roman as he dusted his clothes off and tried to straighten his appearance, only for his work to be completely undone when Remus yanked him into his side and rustled his hair with his elbow. "Hey! Stop that! Do you have any idea how long it takes to do my hair?"

"Eh, it was already messed up anyways." Remus slapped Roman's shoulder, "Now come on slowpoke, I'm gonna give you the grand tour!" Remus then ran off further into his room, causing Roman to have to chase after him in order to keep up.

Remus showed him his bedroom first, which had a mirrored layout to Roman's, but the furniture was darker and more rustic. The decorations looked more like something out of a haunted mansion than a grand palace, like Roman's did. Remus then stopped by his weapons closet, where he finally removed the flamberge sword from his stomach and tossed it haphazardly inside. From what Roman could make out before Remus had shut the door again was that the room looked bigger on the inside than the title 'closet' would suggest. Remus then pointed out a few more small areas of note before eventually leading Roman to the back door.

Every side's room had a front door- where the other sides could enter their room, and a backdoor- where each side could go out of their room and into their own personal section of the mindscape. Most sides referred to it as their 'backyard', of sorts.

Roman followed Remus out of his backdoor and onto a balcony overlooking a dark, twisted forest. The balcony itself was the same design as Roman's own balcony but was made up of black marble instead of white. There were a few cracks here and there, yet it was overall fairly stable. English Ivy crept along the rails and crawled down the side of the castle. There were no stairs in sight, unlike with his own balcony, leading Roman to wonder whether Remus would take the time to climb down the Ivy or simply jump off of the railing in order to enter his backyard.

Remus spread his arms out in a grand gesture before spinning around to sit backwards on the railing, facing Roman. "So, what do ya' think? Badass digs, right?"

Roman, lost in thought and not expecting the question, blurted out the first thing to cross his mind. "We have similar balconies."

Remus raised an amused brow. "No shit, Sher-cock. We're in the same castle. Same castle, same floor plan. Duh."

"Wait, the same castle…?"

Remus shrugged, leaning far enough back on the railing to have Roman worry about him falling over the side of it, "It split when we did. We still share a room and space... it's just-" He waved around a hand dismissively. "Halved, now."

"Ah...so that's the reason we can visit each other without going through our front doors…" Roman walked up to lean forwards on the railing, right beside Remus. "Wonder why I didn't question that sooner?" He rested his chin in his hand with a sigh. "All this time, we were even in the same castle...the same area of the mindscape...and I never- I never even bothered to visit-"

Remus, who had grown bored of the conversation and had started to pick his nose, interrupted Roman's spiral by flicking boogers at him. "Hey now, none of that. You did enough moping back in your own room, you cry baby.*

"Ugh! Ew!" Roman sputtered indignantly and pulled out a doily to wipe his face. "You're disgusting." He huffed.

Remus stuck his tongue out at him and laughed. "If you start saying sad shit again, I'll give you a wet willy." He then leaned towards Roman and started wiggling his fingers menacingly.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me, bitch!"

"Well, if you do that, then I'll- Then I'll shove you off of the balcony!"

Remus faked a scandalized gasp and placed a hand over his chest while the other draped across his forehead. "You'd murder your own dearest brother?!"

"It wouldn't kill you, you overdramatic oaf, sides can't die!"

"You're calling me overdramatic?" Remus abandoned the pose to lean forward with a knowing grin. "Talk about the pot calling the kettle black."

"Oh shut up." Roman pushed Remus away, before turning around to sit beside him atop the railing.

Remus' eyes widened. "My goody two shoes brother is sitting precariously on a railing? Since when? Is it opposite day? "

"What do you mean? I do dangerous stuff all the time!"

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

Roman gestured wildly, "I slay the dragons! I defeat the monsters! I save the people! I...fight the bad guys…" Roman deflated as his hands fell beside him to lock the rail in a death grip. "But I guess I failed at all of that, huh? So much for being a goody two shoes…"

Remus hummed in thought, nails tapping against the black marble. His legs swayed back and forth as they both looked up at the night sky above them in companionable silence. Roman eventually let out a forlorn sigh and relaxed his grip on the railing. Suddenly, Remus let out a loud gasp and clapped his hands together, startling Roman who in turn almost tipped over the edge of the balcony.

"I have the best idea!"

"Oh no, you're planning something. That can never be good."

" No, no! Really, really! Listen, listen!" Remus smacked Roman's arm and shoulder excitedly in-between each word.

"Okay, okay! Just stop!" Roman slapped Remus' hands away. "Tell me then brother, what is it?"

Remus beamed and jumped to stand back on the balcony. "Okay so, you're saying that the other sides are shutting you out, right? And that they made you feel like a stinky doodoo head?"

"Gee, thanks for reminding me. Totally helps me feel better." Roman grimaced with a sarcastic thumbs up as Remus paced back and forth.

"Right! So, they're starting to treat you like a villain. And J-Anus as a good guy?"

"I- I guess? That's like the bare essentials of what happened...I mean, that's what it seems like--Ugh, just what are you getting at?!"

Remus stopped pacing to spin towards Roman and spread his hands out. "So why not just be a villain?"

"......what?"

"Join the dark sides with me!" Remus then awkwardly faked a modeling pose. "We have great fashion! And weapons! Lots of weapons!"

Roman scoffed. "I know, I saw your weapons closet." He slid off the railing to stand in front of his brother. "But what makes you think I'd want to be a villain?"

"Well, they made you feel fucking awful, right?" Remus leaned forward with a menacing grin, "So why not give them a little hell in return?"

"What, as in revenge?! I'm supposed to be a purveyor of justice!"

Remus shrugged and started circling Roman. "Where's the justice in always shutting you out? Of always telling you that everything you do is wrong? Of splitting us apart?" He stopped to put his hands on Roman's shoulders again. "Aren't you tired of trying to be a good guy all the time? Don't you just want to let loose and raise a little hell?"

Roman bit his lip and wrung his hands together. He looked down at his feet as his brother's words rang through his head. Where was the justice in that? He had always tried to do the right thing before. To be the good guy. To be the hero. But no one ever appreciated his efforts. Instead they always, always focused only on his mistakes.

The other sides' voices chimed off in his head.

"Roman, you can't do that." "Shut up Roman." "That was wrong, Roman." "Stop being so dramatic, Roman."

He pushed those invading voices furiously away and tried to reorganize his thoughts.

Him, joining the dark sides? Could it even be done? A light side had never switched over to the dark side before... Well, unless you counted the original Creativity and their split. Where a part of that Creativity had...had been pushed to the dark sides and…

Roman's eyes widened in realization as he looked back up at his brother. "You too." He breathed out.

Remus squinted his eyes and scrunched his nose at him. "Hah?"

"Always being shut out. Always being told everything you do is wrong. Being forced to split apart." Roman grabbed the hands that were on his shoulders to move them down and squeeze them reassuringly. "You experienced all of that too. Even more than I did…Don't you want to raise hell too?"

Roman grinned in a very in unprincely manner and released Remus' hands. He swept his arms aside in a grand motion. "Let's raise hell together, brother. What do you say?"

Remus stared at him blankly for a moment before breaking out into a shit eating grin of his own. "Hell yeah! Hell mother fucking yeah!" He jumped up and down excitedly and clapped his hands. "Oh! We're gonna have so much fun! Those butt holes have no idea what's coming."

Roman chuckled fondly at his brother's enthusiasm. He felt lighter than he had in years. Free of responsibility. Free of expectations. Free of limitations. Free to do whatever he wanted. Speaking of which…

"You mentioned fashion earlier, didn't you?" Roman pulled at the hem of his shirt in thought before smirking up at Remus. "I believe for me to officially join the dark sides, a makeover may be in order."

Remus nodded and grabbed his brother's hand to drag him back inside, chanting, "Makeover time! Makeover time!" The entire way while pumping his fist victoriously into the air.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, in Thomas' living room.

"-and a part of taking care of yourself is to not self-deprecate." Janus was explaining, standing next to Logan.

"Yeah, you've gotta compliment yourself sometimes, Thomas!" Patton added happily.

Thomas scratched the back of his head nervously. "I don't know guys... isn't that a little…"

"Conceited?" Virgil cut in, glaring over at Janus' before looking back to Thomas. "What if we end up doing that out loud in front of others? What if people think we're stuck up?"

"Well, it's better than always thinking so negatively of himself." Janus spat out.

"Janus has a point, Virgil. It's been proven that constant self-deprecating behavior can have a wide range of negative effects on one's psyche and mental health." Logan chinned in while adjusting his glasses. "Which could also lead to eventual negative effects on one's physical health, including-"

"Well, I mean yeah!-" Virgil rushed to interrupt, "He shouldn't think too badly of himself...but he shouldn't think too highly of himself, either!" He uncrossed his arms and gestured towards the empty space where Roman usually stood. "I mean, what if Thomas ends up as stuck up as Princy here, huh? What would you do then-"

"Wait-" Thomas interrupted him, "Where is Roman? Has anyone seen him lately?"

The sides fell silent as they all looked curiously towards the empty spot.

"I haven't seen him since Janus joined us... Patton, didn't you check up on him or something?"

"Well, yeah! Of course I did kiddo!" Patton nodded then pouted, "He didn't seem to want to talk to me though…"

"Has anyone actually talked to Roman in a while? Where is he?"

The sides gave Thomas varying degrees of shrugs and noncommittal answers in response.

Thomas sighed, "Really, guys?" He then looked towards the corner again and called out, "Roman! Are you there? Are you listening? If so, come on up! You should join us!"

They waited in awkward silence for a while for Roman to appear, or to at least respond to Thomas' call...until they heard a deep chuckle emanating from behind the tv.

"Join you? Nope! Not possible~"

Hands crept out from behind the tv, grabbing onto the wall, causing everyone in the room to immediately be alert. They remembered the last time they saw hands there...this couldn't be good! Something was wrong! Sure enough, Remus slowly emerged, climbing up the wall as if he was a lizard. He then twisted his head around, causing Patton to almost faint from fear. Thomas, meanwhile, backed away as far as he could without falling over the couch.

"I'm afraid he's already joined someone else!~"

Remus jumped off of the wall to land in Roman's designated spot. His head and body shifted back to their original positions and he grinned at the others with his arms spread out. Now, the others could see that along with his usual attire, he also donned a crooked and cracked silver crown atop his head. His purplish eyeshadow was gone, instead replaced with a messily applied sparkly silver eyeshadow. Some of the glitter from it fell down the sides of his face to freckle his cheeks as well. The wide grin of his lips was painted in a deep green lipstick.

"Me!"

"Remus…?" Janus breathed out, confused.

"I didn't call for you! I called for Roman!" Thomas shouted once he had regained his composure from witnessing such a horrifying sight.

Virgil bristled and stood up from where he had been leaning against the stairs. "Where is he? What did you do with him?" He bared his teeth at Remus as if he was an agitated guard dog.

Remus put his hands on his hips and threw his head back with a laugh. "What did I do to him?" He leaned forward with a smirk. "What did you do to him? Huh?"

"Wha-what do you mean? W-we didn't do anything..." Stammered out Patton.

"Also, did he change his makeup?" Muttered Thomas, "It actually looks kinda good…"

"Focus on the main issue here, dudes!" Virgil snapped his fingers at them both before turning back to Remus. "Okay, whatever. It doesn't matter wherever you put him, just give him back!"

Remus chuckled and stepped to the side, "You hear that, dear brother? Sounds like they're ready for you to come out!~"

At that, the tv seemed to flicker to life. A colorful error screen appeared and started to crackle and fizz. As the glow from the tv lit up the room, the rest of the room started to glitch along with it.

The sides glanced around nervously, fear creeping into their bones once more.

"What's going on? What's happening to the room?!" Thomas panicked.

Logan placed a hand on his chin. "These types of spatial effects seeming to happen in Thomas' physical living room instead of just inside the mindscape...could it be?"

"No…" Gasped Janus, "No, it can't be!"

"Oh but it can!~" Announced another voice from inside the tv.

Hands reached out from inside the error screen to grasp the sides of the tv. A form slowly climbed out of the tv and stepped into the living room.

"......Roman? What on earth are you wearing?!" Virgil waved a hand incredulously at his new get up.

Roman, now fully standing beside Remus in his usual spot, smirked at Virgil and flicked his cape. "It's called fashion, Midnight Query."

Roman's usual outfit was now black in all of the areas it used to be white. On top of that, he wore a red velvet cape with a white and black spotted fur trim. On his shoulder laid a skull where the cape connected and clasped shut. His upper eyelid was decorated in sparkly gold eyeshadow and thick black eyeliner which spread out into a cat-eye look. His smirk donned blood red lipstick and a crown identical to Remus' was atop his head, except his crown was golden and not crooked or cracked at all. He looked like he had stepped right out of a fairytale…but as an evil king instead of a noble prince.

"Perhaps you should try it sometime, Dark and Dreary. It might make you look less…" Roman made a point of looking Virgil up and down before waving his hand at him with a scowl, "Drab."

"Roman! Where have you been? I missed you. Your makeup looks great!" Patton rambled ecstatically.

"Missed me?" He sneered, "Ha! I bet you all didn't even realize that I was gone." Roman then looked down to check his meticulously manicured nails with a bored expression.

"Of course we did! That's why I called you!" Insisted Thomas.

Roman tsked and shook his head. "Oh Thomas, Thomas. Always the peacemaker." He moved the hand he had been checking to flip his cape over his shoulder. "But I'm not here to make peace. We're here to raise hell. Isn't that right, brother?"

In response, Remus summoned a pitch black flamberge sword and stabbed the blade into the ground. "Hell yeah we are!"

The area of the floor that he smashed cracked open to reveal an eerie green and yellow glow. Small shadow hands emerged as little demons started crawling through the cracks.

Roman summoned a longsword with a ruby embedded in its hilt and slashed at the wall. Red and orange flames burst forth from the rip as even more shadow demons started to join them.

The glitching of the room from the tv screen grew at an alarming rate, some of the glitches covering entire pieces of furniture.

"What on earth is happening!?" Thomas screamed, gesturing wildly at, well, everything.

"Roman, you need to stop this now!" Virgil growled, slipping into his Tempest Tongue.

"Yeah kiddo," chuckled Patton nervously as he tried to wrestle his hoodie away from a demon that was currently trying to steal it. "Isn't this a tad bit extreme?"

Roman laughed darkly, raising his sword into a shrug. "And why should I?"

Remus rested his elbow on Roman's shoulder, "We haven't even begun to have our fun yet!"

Janus narrowed his eyes at Remus, "Remus, this is not what I meant when I said-"

"Blah blah blah!" Remus mimed a mouth with his hand. "That's all you are, anacon-don't. All talk, no action!"

"What's going on?! Why isn't anyone answering me?!"

"Well, Thomas, it appears that Roman and Remus have initiated-" Logan started only to get interrupted by Virgil.

"They started Daymare Mode!" Virgil shouted as he angrily threw a demon that had been crawling on him into the wall, knocking it out instantly.

"Daymare Mode? What's Daymare Mode?!"

"It's a combination of Daydream Mode and Nightmare Mode." Janus explained while shaking a demon off of his hat with a sneer, "It's a state Creativity can only achieve when it's whole…"

"So, what? They can affect the real world now that they're working together?!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Thomas." Chastised Logan, "You're technically just hallucinating-"

"I'm hallucinating?!"

"Yes, that is what I just said."

A demon tugged at Logan's pant leg only to be sent running away in fear by a well-placed harsh glare.

Patton, finally having gotten his hoodie free, tied it back around his shoulders and clapped his hands. "Okay, you two! That's enough. I'm not sure what's gotten into you today, but-"

"Oh no, no, no." Roman waved a finger at him, "I'm afraid we're not going to be listening to you anymore, padre."

"We've got our own plans, Daddy DingDong!"

"Oh yeah?" Hissed Janus, "And what exactly are those?"

"You can't do them, whatever they are!" Virgil yelled out as he stomped on another demon's tail, sending it hopping away in pain. "We won't let you. I won't let you!"

Remus and Roman exchanged amused glances before turning back to the others.

"You don't have to let us do anything," Roman hummed, "We're the kings. We shall do whatever we want." He waved a dismissive hand.

"Hear ye, Hear ye! The Twin Kings of Creativity!" Hollered Remus, as both twins raised their swords triumphantly in the air, "We take no shit and kick some ass!"

"To us!" Roman high fived Remus' hand, then turned to grin menacingly at the others, "And now, time for you to go to hell."

"To hell?!" Thomas gasped, looking desperately back and forth at the other sides.

Logan's eyes widened, having figured out what they were planning to do. "Roman, if I'm correct- and I always am- then I'd advise against-"

"Too late, Deuce Banner!" Remus shouted triumphantly as he and Roman clashed their weapons together. The sound from the clang resonated in all of their heads, making their vision blurry.

Thomas gripped the sides of his head, trying to get the ringing to stop hurting his ears. His head felt like it was splitting open. And then, there was nothing. Just a fade to black.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thomas gasped for air as he woke up. Wait, woke up? Had it all been a dream? Thank god-!

"Well, well, well. It's about damn time." Drawled Roman.

"We thought you were never gonna come to!" Laughed Remus.

Thomas jumped up in surprise from where he'd been laying on the floor, only to immediately regret moving so harshly as he felt his head swim. "Ow ow ow." He gripped his forehead and peered around, "What-"

"Welcome, welcome!" Roman proclaimed as he spread his arms out in a grand gesture. "To the Kingdom of Creativity."

Thomas looked up to see Roman and Remus sitting side by side on twin thrones, one gold with red cushions and one silver with green cushions. Roman sat up straight with impeccable posture and one leg crossed over the other. Remus lay sideways across his throne, kicking his feet and tossing what appeared to be a grenade up and down as if it was a baseball.

"...What? Where am I?"

"We just told you." Scoffed Roman, "You're in the Kingdom of Creativity." At Thomas' confused frown, he continued, "You're in our room, Thomas."

"Your room?" Thomas looked around at the ornate throne room. "It doesn't look like my living room, like the others' did."

"That's cause we're not as boring as the other sides." Sighed Roman, "We have much more pizazz." He gestured at the room around them. "We did some redecorating recently, actually. What do you think, hmm?"

The throne room was mainly black, with silver and gold furniture giving the darkness a stark contrast. Banners of their two symbols hung on opposite sides of the room in correspondence with each side's throne. Overall it gave off a majestic yet eerie feel.

"It's- Um." Thomas finally stood up from his position on the floor and glanced around nervously. "It's certainly something. But um, where are the others…?"

He had long since noticed that it was just him and the twins in this room. The others had seemingly vanished into thin air. Their continued disappearance was making him more and more uneasy as each second ticked by.

Remus huffed and casually threw the grenade over his shoulder and out a window, causing an explosion to be heard outside. "What's wrong Thomathy, our room not up to snuff with the others? You prefer Daddyo's and Scene-Kid's rooms? Huh?"

"What? No!" Thomas raised his hands placatingly, not wanting to anger the two currently volatile sides, "You're room is fine! It's great! It's just they were here and now they're not here and I was just wondering-"

"They're off on their own adventure right now, Thomas." Roman butted in. He leaned forward to place his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands. "That doesn't matter, though. What matters right now is us. Don't you want to stay here with us, Thomas? We can show you around the castle~!"

"Um- No, that's fine... No thank you." Thomas smiled as his voice shook. "I'm sorry, I can't stay here... I need to find the others."

Roman's pleased smile immediately fell into a scowl, "Fine, then. You want to see the others so badly?" He stood up from his throne and gestured for his brother to do the same. "Then why don't you just join them already!"

The both summoned their new weapons again, causing Thomas to start to panic. "Wait! Don't! Not again!"

"Too late, Thomas. You should have accepted our gracious offer."

"We could've had so much fun together!" Chirped Remus.

"And we will! You're just not ready yet, it seems." Roman sighed with a disappointed frown, "Now, for the time being~"

"Have fun in hell instead!~" The twins chimed in unison as they clashed their swords together for a second time.

The clanging rang in Thomas' already aching head as everything fell into the blackness once more.

Hey so I kinda doubt many people will see this, but does anybody have Sanders sides fic recommendations for just... a lot of familial and platonic cuddling? I feel like projecting my need for affection but I’m too lazy to look for fics myself.

And if you do happen to see this, I want you to know that you are loved and important, and it would make my day if you have a good day, ok? I hope you find it easy to smile today :)