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#ts sanders sides fanfic
urlocal-cryptid7 · 3 months
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Say what you want about the sanders sides fandom but god damn do they know how to write fanfiction
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goldnskyart · 8 months
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Almost forgot to post this here oops- but here’s the final drawing for this au (at least for now) god I love them so much
This is the first time I’ve done a full background in years so I’m very proud lol hope y’all like it too
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I’m also writing a fic for this au here is a link to that post and here it is on ao3 if you wanna read it!
Some other versions below just cause I think they’re nice :3
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Here you can even properly see the background I worked so hard on- and a closeup on the kiss ofc😌
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delimeful · 1 month
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Defender
warnings: bickering, theoretical violence, that's basically it this one's fluffy
Part 8 of MC AU!
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“And you’re sure that this will prevent the village’s valiant defender from attacking Anxiety on sight?” Roman asked, visibly concerned. “Absolutely sure that there won’t be hitting or striking or slaying of any variety?”
Logan disliked repeating himself, and this would be the third time he had done so, hence his rapidly waning patience. “Yes, Roman. I’ve been researching this exact matter for weeks, and I’m very confident that my alterations to the iron golem’s runic carvings will prevent it from targeting Anxiety. I had to perform a similar adjustment for my own person when first creating the golem, as well.”
“Alright, alright,” Roman relented, though when Logan turned away, he could see the adventurer shoot the iron golem a wary look. “I’m just a mite concerned for Tall, Dark, and Spooky, that’s all. I mean, have you seen how bony that guy is? A single punch would practically bowl him over!”
“I think you’re underestimating him,” Logan replied, absently hoping that Roman didn’t notice the way he was triple-checking the images in his reference book and the runes painstakingly carved into the iron golem’s armor. “Endermen are far more durable and far more dangerous than they look.”
A brief stretch of silence, and then he paused his work again to lift his head and elaborate: “Not that Anxiety is a danger to us.”
“Pat’s got us well-trained, huh,” Roman mused, as though he hadn’t just been fretting over the enderman in question. “I swear, one day he’ll bring the Ender Dragon home, and we’ll all just have to adapt to it just to make the guy happy.”
“Please do not speak that into existence,” Logan replied dryly, brushing away some stray metal shavings as he stepped back from the village’s golem to look over his work. “I have no doubt he would be the only one even capable of such a thing.”
Roman hummed in agreement, coming to stand by his side. They surveyed the updated runes together for a long moment.
“And this won’t prevent it from realizing that other endermen are still potential threats?” Roman asked, an eyebrow raised at the complex interwoven symbols. “That’s a pretty specific condition to set for a construct, Specs.”
“It is,” Logan allowed. “Luckily, I am an exceedingly skilled witch.”
The brag earned him a snort and an eyeroll, both gestures a far cry from the wariness that had marked the beginning of their strange enemies-turned-friends dynamic.
“Fine, fine, I’ll stop pestering you,” Roman said, lifting his hands up in a gesture of faux-innocence. “But if Anxiety gets punched into next week by one of those metal tree trunks your golem calls arms, I reserve the right to say I told you so.”
Logan sighed, the noise coming out far fonder than he wanted it to. “Very well. Though, I will remind you how many times you’ve gotten to exercise that particular right over the course of our friendship.”
He wasn’t in the habit of being wrong, especially because letting Roman say ‘I told you so’ to him would be galling beyond belief.
Roman grumbled wordlessly for a moment, before turning on his heel to lead the way back towards the small clearing near Patton’s house. “Regardless, I maintain the right! One of these days, your hubris will be your undoing, and on that day, my powerful intuition and sense for danger will triumph!”
The adventurer accentuated this particular claim by immediately getting his boot caught in a stray pumpkin vine, tripping, and nearly eating dirt.
“Doubtful,” Logan replied with poorly-concealed smugness, preoccupied with carefully replacing the golem’s lodestone and observing it shuffle back into awareness. He paid no mind to the indignant muttered complaints growing fainter behind him.
Once he was satisfied that nothing was amiss and all the inscribed runes were still properly lit up, he turned to follow Roman, beckoning to the golem to follow.
Now came for the nerve-wracking part: ensuring that the runic alterations would take proper effect, something that could only be done by introducing the two.
It was a relatively short walk to the clearing, and once they were close, Roman picked up his pace to sprint ahead and let Patton and Anxiety know that the first test of Logan’s handiwork was about to begin. Since the golem was relatively slow unless agitated, Logan remained behind, walking slowly at its side to keep it on course.
By the time they reached the clearing, everyone was prepared. In Anxiety’s case, perhaps even over-prepared, going by the characteristic ozone scent that cropped up whenever the enderman teleported too many times in a small space. Roman’s apprehension must have unsettled him as well— they did call him Anxiety for a reason, after all.
Concealing a sigh, Logan stepped forward into the clearing and to the side to make way for the construct trailing behind him, clearing his throat as though everyone’s gazes weren’t already locked on his approach. “Anxiety, our iron golem is right behind me. If it locks onto you and begins to move quickly, teleporting a chunk away should be far enough for it to calm down. It won’t harm any of us, as I’ve said before.”
There was an otherworldly hum of acknowledgement, and he noted that Anxiety had settled in front of Patton, rather than behind. By now, everyone had become well-adjusted to making sure to avoid eye contact with their easily-agitated friend, but usually, Anxiety still showed a clear preference for teleporting directly behind any one of them.
(Personally, Logan believed it was at least in part due to the way Roman would always shriek in startlement when Anxiety appeared behind him. Their unusual enderman was difficult to parse at times, but his penchant for mischief wasn’t particularly hard to pick up on.)
This test must have had him truly on edge. Logan turned to watch the golem lumber into the clearing, keeping his own posture forcibly relaxed as he mentally prepared to do damage control if this little experiment failed.
The iron golem drew to a stop a few steps in, its field of vision sweeping over all of them, and the moment stretched. It then made a grinding stone-on-stone rumble inquisitively, as though curious as to why all of them were so tense.
The sigh of relief was audible, even in Anxiety’s warped voice. Logan adjusted his glasses and only barely refrained from flaunting his success over Roman in the name of keeping the current peace. “Anxiety, you should be safe to approach, and I encourage you to do so. If you’re able to interact at close range with the iron golem, that should confirm that each and every one of the adjustments have set in properly.”
Anxiety warbled, teleporting back and forth a few blocks as he often did while nervous, and Patton reached out to give him a supportive pat on the arm.
“This is the one who was looking out for me before I met you,” he told Anxiety, offering an encouraging smile. “I think you two will get along well!”
Anxiety was quiet for a moment, and then walked forward on spindly legs, approaching the guardian with all due tentativeness. The iron golem tilted its head upwards to look at the enderman, making another rumble as it swung its arms back and forth absently, entirely unconcerned with what would normally be a serious enemy to it.
Anxiety ‘vrrp’-d back at the golem, circling around it in an unsteady circle, like a bee around a flower. The golem turned in a slow rotation to follow the enderman’s movement, still languid and unhurried. It painted a rather cute picture, if Logan was honest.
Patton clapped his hands together in glee, happy that they’d managed a successful interaction. Somehow, Logan was reminded of the first time he’d introduced his familiar to Patton’s pet cat. The felines’ resulting tolerance of each other had earned a similar reaction.
“There we have it,” he concluded, satisfied with a job well done. “Anxiety is no longer at any risk from the town’s guardian.”
Roman sidled up next to him, apparently content to ignore Logan’s somewhat self-satisfactory tone. “You know, if you’d told me this was what I’d be helping with a month ago, I wouldn’t have believed you for love or diamonds.”
“Yes, well, I could have said much the same at many points over my acquaintanceship with Patton,” Logan replied, watching as the iron golem slowly offered Anxiety a poppy, as though confused as to why the enderman was still persistently bobbing around it. Anxiety seemed immediately charmed by the gesture. “By now, I suspect I’m growing rather used to it.”
“At least I handled our newest friend better than our first meeting, hm?” Roman said wryly, and Logan exchanged an amused look with him. “Maybe I’m getting used to it, too.”
A few yards away, Patton was still practically jumping for joy. He turned to the two of them, beaming. “Now we can introduce Anxiety to the rest of the village!”
The look they exchanged this time was far more alarmed. “Patton, I’m not so sure that’s the best idea…”
Across the clearing, the iron golem tilted its head curiously as the enderman next to it abruptly teleported a fair few blocks away to hide behind a tree.
Huh. Seemed the latest and strangest addition to the village was shy.
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edupunkn00b · 1 month
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Fanfic Reblog Party 🥳
In all seriousness (and complaints about our Beloved Hellsite’s ™️ busted excuse for search aside), I’m not seeing a lot of stories on my dash. Like none.
Wonderful writers, please reblog your stories and tag me. Old stories, new stories, links to AO3 or big fancy Tumblr posts, reblog and tag me and I’ll reblog. And then more people can reblog those and…
Let’s get this party started!
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manybrokenquills · 3 months
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someone save me I'm slipping back into the clutch of sander sides
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loganslowdown4 · 3 months
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*Logan reading to Roman from a Sherlock Holmes novella*
Roman: I’m loving this one.
Logan: I’m glad you’re enjoying it, it’s one of my favourites.
Roman: Holmes and Watson have it all in this! Action! Adventure! Romance!
Logan: Romance?
Roman: I have a crush on both of them.
Logan: Ah.
@loginceweek2024
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veecosplayer · 6 months
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Roman: you crashed my car..AGAIN?
Remus: sorry man
Virgil, from the other room: Once is a coincidence, twice is a pattern
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annaizscribbling · 4 months
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Frosted Windows
In which Janus has a question to ask.
Wordcount: 2093
Janus tapped his fingers on the wooden end table pressed up against the plush black armchair he was seated in. His mismatched eyes were thoughtful, not kind, but thoughtful. He often looked like he was actively coming up with a challenge. A test. A trick.
The room was lavish. Dark stained oak made up the floors and furniture. A Persian rug covered the floor. High ornate ceilings above. Strange oil paintings adorned the walls, all normal at a first glance yet stranger when examined.
He kept drumming his fingers. The gloves made the sound silent. Still, the movement was captivating. It wasn’t rapid but measured. All five fingers tap in quick succession before a half moment break. Then again. Again. Again.
The ticking of an unseen grandfather clock rocked a rhythm into the room. His legs were crossed. At the ends of his dress pants, black socks peeked through before being hidden below leather dress shoes. It was 9:00AM. He always looked this formal. He smelt like pine.
‘Do you think, in your opinion, that you’re a good person?’ Janus asked coolly, eyes only half open, like the question was so dull he barely had to be awake to ask it.
‘Odd question to ask me of all people.’ I say, because it is. I am the last person worth asking this.
Janus raises his eyebrows in a mocking replica of surprise. Like my assumption is unexpected, or even bold. It isn’t. ‘I never said you were the only person I’ve ever asked,’ Janus said.
I don’t bother challenging that, though I’m positive he hadn’t been rounding us up one by one to ask. ‘Even still. It’s an odd thing to ask me.’
‘I don’t hear an answer,’ Janus says, fingers drumming again. His gaze is drifting away from me. I’m being boring to him. Or maybe he’s pretending to be bored by me. He wouldn’t be the first to do either.
‘I think good and bad are subjective,’ I tell him, nearly clinically.
Janus smiles. His smiles are sharp and pointy like the edge of a blade. ‘You think that answer impresses me,’ he says like it is fact.
‘I don’t care enough to impress you’ I say.
‘You are refusing to entertain the question. Simply by asking specifically for your opinion, I am acknowledging that the question and answer are both subjective. I know that you cannot objectively answer.’ Janus looks back at me. I don’t like his gaze trained so closely on my face.
‘Then what is the point?’ I say, slightly colder now.
‘Come now,’ Janus chuckles. The sound is like a deep rumble from an old actor with a transatlantic accent. ‘Even you aren’t completely practical. Don’t you enjoy a little bit of stimulating company? Indulge me. It’s one question.’
‘There is no simple answer to your singular question,’ I tell him.
‘Then we can start at a simpler point,’ Janus says like I am a child struggling to understand a basic concept. ‘How about this? Is humanity good?’
‘I don’t believe you are as funny as you think you are.’
‘Come on, I’ve been dying to pick your mind,’ Janus says without convincing me of his words. ‘Just answer the question. Is Humanity good in your opinion?’
‘Again, there is no objective answer to that question,’ I sigh curtly, ‘and what’s the point in an answer that subjective? It’s pointless here. I don’t bother with pointless what ifs.’
‘Mmmmm. Not a philosopher Too practical?’ Janus says, smiling at the window. The glass is frosted, so what lies beyond it is too blurry to make out. It’s hard to decide if Janus would be the type of dream up an unused front lawn just to be blurred by a windowpane. There are certainly some of us who would, but would Janus?
‘No. I am not a philosopher. I leave that to you, Janus,’ I tell him tautly.
‘It’s true, I do love hypotheticals,’ Janus preens, running his fingertips along the brim of his hat, ‘but I like them because they so easily apply to reality. I don’t exclusively spend my hours scheming up pointless questions. I think that I’m clever enough to avoid pointless questions. I ask about what I see.’
‘And what do you see, exactly?’
‘More questions,’ Janus shrugs with his usual poised nonchalance. ‘Just like the ones I’m asking you. Is humanity good in your subjective opinion?’
‘Humans are not good or bad,’ I say, knowing I will not sway him.
‘Right, right, but that’s a cop out, my friend. By saying that, what do we imply?’ Janus asked, spreading his arms.
‘I imagine you will tell me.’
‘Saying there is no good or bad implies that humans are animals. There is no good or bad in a deer or a dog. Are we the same? Or do we simply delude ourselves into it? Our higher intelligence only hinders our personal aspirations then. Morality furthers the wellbeing of our species as a whole while shackling the individual. We need not morals or empathy then. Doing ‘bad’ things aren’t actually bad things at all. Only things.’
‘…Sure,’ I say after a pause, if only to appease him. My hesitation makes it sound like I don’t understand. I do. I just don’t like where he might be steering me. I don’t like being steered at all. This is the most basic train of thought; I don’t understand why he’s wasting his time on it.
Janus looks slightly annoyed at my lack of engagement. ‘So what? You agree?’
‘Elaborate.’
‘Humans are animals controlled by invented feelings of guilt and moral superiority to our unrestrained mammals we share the world with,’ he says.
‘I suppose.’
‘So if I hurt you, it means nothing. I can do what I’d like, and you may acknowledge it as harmful to you, either emotionally or physically, but it is not a ‘bad’ thing to do.’
‘Janus,’ I say wearily, ‘this is neither inventive nor stimulating. I was there when Thomas went to high school. I thought you had better material than this.’
‘Come now,’ Janus clicks his tongue, fingers drumming again. ‘I know you know this. I want your opinion on it.’
‘I think you have a guess as to my opinion, and want your guess to be proven correct,’ I say, feeling impatient. I stuff the feeling down. I don’t have anything pressing to do. Feeling impatient otherwise is a childish emotion. I don’t have time to entertain it.
‘Fine,’ Janus sighs, ‘you really know how to suck the fun out of this you know.’
My hands have been folded in my lap until this point. I feel my arms and spine stiffen.
Janus catches the adjustment in my posture. A self-satisfied smirk tugs at his lips.
‘Is that all then?’ I ask.
‘Not yet, no,’ Janus says, recrossing his legs so that the right one is on top. ‘You’re right. I do have a guess, but that’s the fun of it. Haven’t you ever had a hypothesis you’re itching to test?’
‘I have. Though mine don’t usually involve leading my subject in circles until I’m proven correct.’
Janus pretends to be offended, opening his mouth as his eyebrows draw together in a mimicry of hurt. ‘I would never.’
‘Yes, you would, actually.’
‘Okay fine, I totally enjoy doing that,’ Janus immediately concedes with a smug smile, ‘but that’s to prove a point. This is to test a theory of mine. Completely different. I’m honestly shocked you can’t tell the difference.’
'Care to share your theory, then?’ I ask.
‘Fine,’ Janus sighs dramatically, ‘though it’s less fun that way.’ His fingers begin to drum again, aligning with the beat of the clock ticking from somewhere I cannot quite place.
A few seconds pass. Then longer. A minute and a half go by. Janus is thinking, I can see it in the way his lips twitch every so often. I imagine he’s wording and rewording his pitch behind his closed mouth.
‘Well?’
‘I think that deep down, you believe humans are good,’ Janus says all at once. There’s an anticipation behind his eyes but I can’t see through him well enough to understand why.
I feel my face fall flat. I raise an eyebrow. ‘Really?’
‘Yes.’
'Is this a roundabout way of insulting my intelligence?’ I ask without much amusement. I feel like the trap he’s setting is closing in on me. He is going to prod and poke until he gets to laugh at me for something. I can feel it. I want to leave, but I’m not so weak to give in just yet.
‘Why would it be?’ Janus asks without answering, head tilting in intrigue.
I pause to think of a good way to support my claim. I level him with a sharper stare. ‘Do you believe humans are good?’
Janus barks out a laugh, looking excited. ‘Turning it on me now? How coy, but this was about you. Unlike many things which are and should be focused on me, I want this to be about you, untainted by my little old opinion. But let’s pretend I did answer, what would that prove?’
'I think you don’t believe humans are good, if I had to make an instinctive guess,’ I say before faltering.
‘And?’
'And by implying that I believe the opposite of you …’ I trail off to my own frustration. It’s hard to get out the words. I feel like I’m being led across a tight rope with a blindfold on. Each step is a gamble.
Janus smirks, leaning back in his seat. ‘You believe that I might believe humanity is bad, and if like I stated previously, you think humanity is good, I think you are wrong. And we just can’t have that, can we?’
I grit my teeth. ‘…yes.’
'Cute. So this whole little game is just a dig at you. A joke. A fun little riddle where the answer is that you are secretly an idiot. Irrational. Biased. Blinded. Wrong,’ Janus says, counting on his fingers as he comes up with different words to describe me as a fool.
'Your track record does you no favors,’ I say lowly.
‘I suppose not,’ Janus shrugs, ‘but no. You’re harder to lead that way compared to the others. I have a different point to make today. Can you guess my next step, darling?’
I glare at him, but I do understand where he’s going with this. ‘Your first question.’
Janus smirks, fingers drumming once more. ‘If I had a cookie, I’d give it to you.’
'Save it.’
‘Do you remember the question in question,’ Janus asks, his finger drumming picking up the pace, losing some of its rhythm in is excitement.
'You asked if I thought I was a good person,’ I say, refusing to look at him. My heart rate quickens. I don’t let my agitation show. Janus is clever, but he’s no mind reader. He’s no god.
‘If you think humans in general are good—’
'Which we have not established—’
'Then do you think you’re a good human?’ Janus finished; eyes fixed on my every move.
‘I’m not even human.’ I say.
‘Don’t bullshit me, darling,’ Janus says, his smug smile boring into my chest.
‘Then I don’t know. It doesn’t matter enough for me to have decided. I am not human, and even if I considered myself one, it doesn’t matter. It’s subjective. It’s pointless. Am I good or bad? I don’t have an answer. I’m afraid you’ll have to manage without one.’
‘I think,’ Janus began slowly, ‘that you refuse to answer. Even in your innermost thoughts. Because if you do decide, you’ll have to face something much larger than something as simple as good or bad.’
‘And what would that be?’ I demand.
‘If you were a good person, why would you be treated the way you are? And if you’re a bad person, then you deserve what you’re becoming despite what he says—'
My vision goes black as soon as I register what Janus is talking about.
‘You don’t deserve it. You deserve better. You deserve to fight it. Good people aren’t bad for defending themselves. Let me handle it.’
Stop. Stop. Shut up. I’m not doing this. Stay back.
‘Please.’
Shut up.
‘I think you’re good.’
It doesn’t matter.
‘Good people deserve better.’
Good people aren’t real.
‘Let me out.’
You’re just my own thoughts. There is nothing to release.
‘Please, Logan?’
‘This is pointless,’ I say to Janus, standing and sinking out of the room before he could object.
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pencilpat · 28 days
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Concepts for an AU about the dark sides! I'll be writing a fic about these guys at a later date.
They're in a semi-modern fantasy universe where demons, fae, and such are known of phenomena but aren't treated well by society because of those ways of being.
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Virgil was raised in a long family line of 7th-son-of-a-7th-sons, with the natural ability to see through the disguises and glamors other creatures put on. His father, Patton, trained him in the family way of being a bounty hunter that captures creatures for the people seeking them out. His pseudonym is 'Guide'. Virgil will come to find that this way of life is incredibly wrong. However, this is Virgil's first solo hunt without his father, his first time being alone and in full control, after so many years of being babied through their hunts. He cannot fuck this up.
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Remus is his current target and is terrible at blending in with humans for obvious reasons (i.e., weirdly proportioned anatomy, giant fucking tentacles). It was blamed for the murder of a man falsely when the town it lived in discovered it hiding there. Virgil was hired to hunt it down.
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Janus is the one hiding Remus. In fact, he's known very widely in the creature community for hiding other monsters with ease. Janus has the power of Persuasion. Humans tend to believe everything he says immediately once he speaks it. Only humans trained against fae deception tactics can even come close to breaking out of the hold his words have on people. Janus took on hiding Remus when hearing his story, and has been running him around several countries trying to shake Virgil's tailing of them. But Virgil is the most determined hunter he's ever met and that is.... fascinating to him.
(And yes they all fall in love and kiss by the end)
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rosepetalgold · 1 month
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i look at you (and i dream)
Summary: Roman tells Logan what he’s thinking about and discovers his dreams might be closer to reality than he’d dared to imagine.
Relationships: Romantic Logince
Warnings: None! Pure domestic fluff!
Word count: 962
Notes: Title inspired by Mikrokosmos by BTS
Read on Ao3 Masterpost
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“Roman, are you even listening to me?”
Roman blinks, emerging out of the colorful tapestry of his thoughts to find Logan staring at him from where he’s paused chopping vegetables for the dish he’s concocting for dinner, one eyebrow arched in a silent question.
“Sorry, my love,” he says sheepishly. “I just got caught up daydreaming.”
Logan sighs, shaking his head not unkindly as he returns to his cutting board, the slightest upturn of his lips betraying that he mustn’t be too put out by Roman’s lapse of focus. “I suppose it would be too much to ask for your ambitions of fame and grandeur to wait until I was done telling you about my day.”
“Oh, no, I wasn’t thinking about any of that.”
“Work, then?”
“No, not that either.”
“Then what on earth were you daydreaming about?”
“You.”
Logan casts him a sideways glance, clearly baffled, even as his knife doesn’t falter in its steady rhythm. “I’m right here.”
“I know,” Roman breathes, not even trying to keep the wonderment out of his voice at the truth of such a simple statement, still unable to quite believe that this was real, that Logan was here, was choosing him, was his. “But I look at you and I just can’t help but dream.”
But his words only cause the puzzlement furrowing Logan’s brow to deepen. “I don’t understand. What could you possibly be dreaming about?”
Roman laughs under his breath, answers dancing over one another in his mind like so many bits of dandelion fluff caught in a breeze, too many to ever count. Where to even begin?
“Everything.”
He shifts closer, gently finessing the knife from Logan’s grip and laying it on the counter before taking his lover’s hands in his own.
“I dream about waking up next to you every morning and watching the sunset next to you every night. I dream about seeing you land your dream job and finally being recognized for that endlessly brilliant mind of yours. I dream about buying a house together out in the country like you want and us making it our own. I dream about surprising you with homegrown roses on idyllic summer mornings and slow dancing in the dark with you on starlit winter nights. I dream about all the days I’ll come home to you and all the ways I’ll fall even deeper in love with you and all the countless quiet moments I’ll get to just be by your side as we grow old and gray.” He laces their fingers together, marveling inwardly at how readily Logan reciprocates the touch, palms warm and steady against his own. “I dream of us, of the life we’ll lead, of the future we have together.”
Logan only stares at him for a long moment, gaze searching his own as a hint of pink begins to tinge his cheeks, and Roman can’t help but smile softly at the sight, leaning in to press a chaste kiss to the bloom of color.
“You really think about all that?” Logan’s voice is slightly choked, words scarcely more than a whisper, and Roman draws back, a twinge of worry flickering to life in his stomach, but Logan’s grip tightens around his, keeping him from retreating.
“Of course I do. You’re it for me, Logan; why would I ever dream about anything else?”
Logan doesn’t even bother replying, simply tugs one hand free from Roman’s fingers, wraps it around the back of his neck, and pulls him into an ardent kiss.
Logan had never been as much of one for words as Roman was, had always tended to struggle a bit to vocalize his deepest feelings, but Roman doesn’t need a long-winded reply, not when the press of the other man’s body against his is all the answer he needs.
Logan, though, apparently isn’t content to let his reaction do all the talking for him.
“I know that not many people would call me a dreamer,” he says as he pulls back, gaze so open and vulnerable in the golden rays of the late afternoon light that Roman’s heart squeezes in his chest. “But I want that too. That future. The two of us. You.”
“It’s ours,” Roman vows. “And I’m yours.”
They meet in the middle this time, an intoxicating press of lips that tastes of hopes and dreams and happy endings, and oh nevermind all his indulgent imaginings about what might be, this is all Roman could ever want.
If this is his reward for daydreaming, he really needs to do it more often.
Entirely too soon Logan is drawing back again, rosiness now fully blossomed across his cheekbones.
“We don’t have to have a house in the country,” he says as if his brain has just caught up to Roman’s earlier words, the delay in processing entirely more endearing than it should be. “I know you like the city.”
Roman shrugs, sure the expression on his face can only be described as utterly besotted as his hands find a home in the familiar curve of Logan’s waist, pure affection melting through every inch of his body. “I can compromise as long as there’s no bears.”
Logan chuckles, low and bemused.
“No bears,” he promises, and with the way his eyes are sparkling with amusement, what else is Roman supposed to do but kiss him again?
“Love you,” Logan murmurs against his lips, the words still enough even after all this time to send butterflies dancing through Roman’s stomach like it’s the first he’s ever heard them. “I love you so much.”
“Love you too,” he whispers, and here, with Logan in his arms, present and future inseparable from each other for one breathlessly suspended moment, he can’t dream to ask for anything more.
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Taglist (let me know if you’d like to be added or removed!): @darth-does-stuff
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roseianxiety · 4 months
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All wrapped up by the fireplace
Ship: Romantic Roceit
Content Warnings: Mentions of alcohol usage, drunkenness, foul language, slight innuendo
Synopsis: Roman has some alone time with himself after their little Christmas Eve celebration, but a certain drunken snake approaches him and ruins his peace. At least that's what he thinks.
AO3
“Roman, is it really necessary for you to turn the living room into THIS?” 
Logan queries loudly as he gestures to the living room, now completely covered in Christmas decor and where their TV stood was now replaced with a grand brick fireplace. Roman really put a lot of effort into all this grandiosity.
“Yes, Logan, it is necessary.” Roman drawled out as he gave Logan a look while hanging the last ornament on the Christmas tree. He then added, hopping off his little stool. “You'd really expect ME to NOT go all out on Christmas?” he remarked at Logan.
Logan merely sighs and rolls his eyes, making his way towards his recliner chair. “I shouldn't have expected less from you and Patton when it comes to celebrating festivities,” he stated, gently sitting down and opening up one of the newspapers Virgil gave him. 
Roman hums proudly before strutting to the kitchen to check on whatever Patton was working on.
“Hey, Popstar, how's the baked goods doing there?” Roman questions cheerily from across the counter, propping his palm under his chin while he watches Patton do his thing.
Patton turns around, slightly surprised at Roman's sudden appearance but then giggles. “Oh hey ya, kiddo, didn't see you there.”. He continued, pulling out a tray of gingerbread man cookies out of the oven. “I'm almost done with the last batch. Careful, they're very hot.”.
He says before placing the tray down on the countertop to let it cool. Roman immediately reaches for one but hisses in pain and pulls his hand back when he burns himself with the piping-hot cookies. “Ow…”.
Patton tuts and shakes his head at Roman's impulsiveness, “I did tell you they're hot. You saw me take them out of the oven just now.”. He reaches to take Roman's hand but the other declines and pulls away. 
“Nah, it's okay. This burn is far from reaching my intestines anyway, so I'm cool. I was merely excited to taste your fantastic cookies, Padre.” Roman shrugs and moves to try and take one but Patton gently slaps his hand away. The creative prince pouts at that.
“No no, they're still piping hot. And, we still have to wait for the last batch before we can finally eat all of these.” Patton states with a raised chin, trying to seem authoritative but he looks silly and cute. Don't tell him that.
“Bummer,” Roman mutters with a pout before sighing. He straightens (ha!) his posture and stretches his arms over his head, turning on his heels. “Anyways, you better continue that while I go check whatever chaos Remus is doing. Don't want him ruining my party.”.
He says as he makes his way back to the living room. As he does so, he could see Virgil hissing aggressively at Remus while his twin brother was teasing the crap out of the anxious facet.
“Come on, take him! He's Mr. Fuzzy’s boyfriend!” Remus exclaimed, trying to give another handcrafted hairball abomination to Virgil who was desperately trying to get away from him. And Janus was there, laughing his drunk ass off by the sidelines.
Virgil notices Roman walking towards them and immediately calls for him while trying to stop Remus from getting close to him. “Roman! Come get your unhinged brother!” He exclaimed, before hissing at Remus.
“Hi, Roman~” Janus giggles drunkenly as he gives Roman a small. Geez… he really was drunk. Roman chooses to ignore him.
“Sorry Virgil but you're gonna have to deal with him yourself.” Roman hums, raising his hands in defense. Virgil groans at his response, now more annoyed. Remus then pushes the hairball abomination right at Virgil's face, causing the other to yelp.
Roman leaves them be and walks towards the couch, plopping just beside Logan who was engrossed with his puzzle thing or whatever it was. He tried to take a peek at it only for his face to scrunch up in confusion, not understanding one bit of it. Roman didn't what was so interesting about it but eh, at least Logan was having the time of his life.
He leans back on the couch while he watches as the fire crackles in the fireplace, emitting a cozy warmth that he always loved. Roman might now admit it out loud but he loved enjoying his Christmas with everyone. It’s good not to be alone.
“To be honest, I didn't think Remus would be this… tame when he is drunk. How surprising.” Logan comments as looks down at Remus on the floor before sipping on his wine. The chaotic individual was currently splayed out on the living room floor, already deadbeat asleep.
Patton carefully takes the empty mug from Remus’ grasp, trying not to wake him up. “So alcohol is just the way to calm him down?” He says, letting out a soft yelp when Remus grumbles and pulls the mug away from him, hugging it close. Patton frowns and leans back on the couch but not before grabbing two cookies from the snack platter.
“You know, it's already late and I already feel the spirit of Christmas welling up inside me. And by that, I mean vomit. Merry Christmas y'all, I'm gonna go bury myself in the comforts of my blankets.” Virgil suddenly says as he gets up from his usual place on the couch before sinking out, not letting anyone say a word.
Logan proceeds to check the time on his wristwatch. “Virgil is right, it is past twelve and my bedtime schedule. Merry Christmas everyone. Be sure to sleep well.” He says in a monotone, glancing at the rest of them. He then leaves as well, following right after Virgil.
“Aww geez, everyone's going to sleep now. I'm starting to feel eepy too. So sorry your party didn't go the way you wanted it to, Roman.” Patton apologizes with a small frown as he looks at the princely trait but Roman waves it off.
“It's quite alright, Patton, I am not easily upset at something so trivial.” He says casually, getting up from his spot on the couch and beginning to stretch his arms, hearing satisfying pops from his joints. “You go ahead and rest your adorable self, I'll deal with all the mess here.” Roman then added.
“Are you sure? I can help you—”
Roman immediately cuts Patton off before he can even continue his sentence, “Shush, Patton. I can handle this. You've been dozing off a lot, it's best for you to rest.”.
“Plus, I've still got a pump of adrenaline in me so I'm not that tired yet. I'm gonna spend all that leftover energy cleaning all of this.” He chuckles, trying to reassure the fatherly figure.
“Oh…if you say so. But don't forget to rest too. Merry Christmas, kiddo! I love you!” Patton exclaims before throwing himself on Roman, giving the other a tight, warm hug. Roman smiles fondly, hugging the other back. Eventually, Patton sinks out and returns to his room.
When Patton left, Roman immediately started his work. He cleaned all of the junk left in the living room, from the torn gift wrappers to the various cookie crumbs lying around. Roman resorted to carrying Remus onto the couch, Remus might not be the physically built one between them but God, was he heavy. 
He continued to clean the living room and even cleaned the kitchen as well, making sure there wasn't any mess left in the morning. After half an hour or so, he was finally done.
He makes a little nest out of pillows and blankets by the fireplace before situating himself in his creation. Even after all that cleaning, he still wasn't tired. And he couldn't think of anything to do. So why not look at fire instead?
Janus stumbles down from the stairs, drunk as fuck. He was planning to get some water but his eyes landed on something by the fireplace. Or more likely, someone.
“My my, what's our beloved prince doing here all by himself?”
Roman suddenly snaps his head back as soon as he hears that all too familiar sultry voice. His eyes narrow at the very presence of his archenemy. Janus was making his way towards him, while almost tripping on his own feet. He clearly was still not sober.
“What do you want, Janus? I'm not exactly in the mood to deal with you right now.” Roman groaned before turning back to the fireplace, crossing his arms over his chest.
“What? Am I not allowed to be in the living room? I just wanna get warm.” Janus huffs before plopping down beside the prince, causing the other's face to scrunch up more in frustration and annoyance. Roman scoots away from him and avoids meeting his gaze. He crosses his arms further, a big pout already forming on his lips. 
There was a big silence between them, and Roman liked it that way. Heck, he even forgot Janus was there beside him in the first place. Out of annoyance and trying to avoid the other, he got distracted by watching the fire slowly move and crackle in an intricately artistic dance. Not until Janus said the most out-of-pocket thing ever which ruined the vibe.
“You know, you could've done other things to warm me up than buy me socks.”
Those. Those were the very words that ruined his perfectly good vibes. Because what the actual fuck!?
“W-what? No!” Roman remarked quickly in sheer embarrassment, his whole face as red as his sash. Now why did Janus have to say that?!
Janus only tilted his head at him, staring at him innocently for a few minutes before letting out a sadistic cackle, making Roman turn red. “I'm just messing with you, Roman.”.
He then stops momentarily, batting his eyelashes at Roman as he bites his lips suggestively. “Unless you want to…”.
Roman's whole face immediately burned up like the fire in the fireplace. For some random reason, the way Janus was saying that in a low and sultry voice while biting his lip was absolutely sending him. Jesus Christ on a stick, it was not the right time to be a gay mess.
“How many bottles of wine have you drunk today?” Roman queries, gently gripping Janus' face as he tries to look for any sign of sobriety.
“Just a bit. Like, three or four bottles. I don't know, I forgot. Silly me.” Janus giggles, looking up at Roman with a drunken gaze, his whole face dusted in pink. Okay, but truth be told, he was quite cute when he was not up to something devious. Not that Roman would admit it.
“Geez, you're so drunk right now. You need to go back to your room and sleep.” Roman clicked his tongue before letting go of Janus, causing the other to slump forward against him.
The deceitful facet whined, clinging close to him. “I'm not drunk! I am very sober as you can see. Iz jus very very cold… hmm, you're warm.” he grumbled lowly, nuzzling close to Roman. The creative prince was having second thoughts if he should push Janus away or let him cuddle with him, he's still not on good terms with Janus after all and the latter was drunk.
“Even while drunk you still have the gall to lie.” Roman scoffs with a roll of his eyes.
“So warm… you are like a walking furnace. Very warm. I like warmth.” Janus babbled, not wanting to let go of Roman. The other could do nothing but grimace, having no choice but to let Janus cling to him like a koala bear.
“Not gonna lie, you're sorta cute when you're drunk. And pretty annoying too.” Roman commented, glancing at Janus for a moment.
“Awww, you think I'm cute AND pretty, Roman? Do you like meeee?”
The creative trait could feel his cheeks heat up at Janus' bold words. He tries to hide his blush by averting his gaze from Janus while his heart begins to ram against his ribcage.
“No way! I-I meant pretty annoying! Nothing else.” Roman exclaims in defense but Janus merely chuckles at him, clearly not convinced with his answer. And of course, Janus doesn't stop taunting him.
“Then why are you blushing?~” Janus teases as he reaches to grab Roman's face, urging the other to look at him. 
“I'm not!”
“You so are.”
Roman let out a frustrated groan and covered his face. Janus was going to be the death of him if he didn't stop teasing him. He wanted to rip out his hair and scream. Roman took back what he said, Janus was not cute when he was drunk, more like annoying.
“By the way, how did you know I'm cold-blooded? I never truly told anyone that.” Janus wonders, seemingly having calmed down from his amusement. Roman glances at him, slightly caught off guard by his question.
Roman thinks for a moment, he didn't think of the possibility that Janus might ask that question. When he got Janus for Secret Santa, his first plan was to give him something shitty like a passive-aggressive letter but he scrapped that because he might seem like too much of an asshole. So he went for something useful. He may or may not have done some research for Janus' gift.
“I just assumed because you're a snake and all,” Roman muttered, still refusing to look at Janus at the fear that the other would tease the crap out of him or if his heart would fully jump out of his chest. “They're not that special, just some pair of yellow socks.”.
“I like them though, they're yellow and keep my feet warm.” Janus hums happily before raising one of his feet up to show off his cool new socks, then wiggles his toes a bit just to fuck with Roman. The princely facet gave him a disgusted look but it quickly melted away into a hearty laugh.
“Didn't expect you'd wear them immediately. Thought you might throw it away because it does not match your ‘Disney Villain’-esque aesthetic.” Roman chuckles softly. Janus smiles at him, a sincere and genuine one at that.
Roman wanted to admit it, but Janus was growing on him. He had never seen this side of him before when he was sober. He was less villainy and scheme-y, although Janus still got that sass and all. Yet it was his first time seeing him smile so genuinely. It was a fresh sight to see.
Their eyes suddenly met for a moment, the both of them could feel a quick spark of electricity as soon as their gaze landed on each other. Roman could only watch as Janus slowly leaned closer toward him, almost climbing on his lap. 
They stare at each other intently, not knowing what will happen. Roman's gaze moved from Janus' eyes down to his lips, then back up, before gulping softly. There was a pregnant pause between them, but it was broken when Janus leaned forward, closing the gap between them.
Sparks fly as their lips collide in a kiss, likening it to a fireworks display. All the background noises seemed to quiet down behind them, only the loud thumps of their passionate hearts that seemed to jump out of their chests could be heard. Roman only stared at Janus in shock as he sat there, frozen. His brain was still processing what was happening. 
But before he could, Janus suddenly pulled away. 
“I love you…” He mutters against Roman's lips before moving away to rest his head on the prince’s shoulder.
Then it finally clicked to Roman. He snapped out of his trance and immediately reached to touch his lips with his fingers, trying to feel the bits of the presence of Janus' kiss as his whole face warmed up. Janus kissed him and confessed to him… Janus…kissed…him
.
.
.
.
.
.
JANUS KISSED HIM!
The realization dawned upon him like being hit with a ten-wheeler truck. Did this mean Janus liked him all this time?! No… no, that can't be the case, right? He was drunk. That cannot be true… right? But it did seem genuine.
He was about to question Janus when he realized the other had already fallen asleep while lying on his shoulder. Really? He just kissed Roman and gave him a dilemma then went to sleep!
Roman let out a groan, mentally slapping himself on the face. He did not want his Christmas to start with him overthinking about this. After a long while, he lets out a long sigh, choosing to accept his reality. Maybe Janus did like him. But does he like him back?
He glances at Janus once more, observing his features. Huh, his scales were interesting up close. They shine like emeralds. A small smile creeps up on Roman's lips while he watches Janus sleep peacefully, he really is stunning.
Janus suddenly shudders in his sleep, clinging more to Roman. The personification of creativity notices this and decides to pull the other closer, basically letting his archenemy cuddle him. Roman looks around for the blankets until he finds one, draping it around him and Janus, hoping that would shield them from the chilly breeze.
Roman then queries softly, “Still cold?”. 
Janus then unconsciously shakes his head as a response while he nuzzles the other. The creative facet chuckles softly, wrapping his arms around Janus to keep him warm.
He continues to observe the other for a few moments, watching as he softly breathes and snore. It was cute. This could be good blackmail material for Janus, but Roman wasn't exactly in the mood. All he wanted to do right now was admire him. Roman then whispers to him, pressing a gentle kiss on Janus’ forehead. 
“I love you too, Janus.”
-----------------------------------
Writing Taglist: @cutebisexualmess @extraintrovertedalien (please tell me if you want to be added or removed in the tag list)
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A Sleeping Dragon
“This movie is completely unrealistic!” spoke out Logan, completely and utterly exasperated during Wreck it Ralph. Family movie nights never went according to plan. “There is no possible way video game characters could interact in that way and frankly, the way the inner workings of electrical units are portrayed is ridiculous.”
Roman sighed. He looked down at Virgil who was laying into him fast asleep. “Logan, it’s just a movie. It's a silly movie. It isn’t meant to be realistic.”
Patton giggled. “Yeah, Lo! It’s just a movie.”
Logan huffed. “I don’t see how someone could enjoy a film when it is so blatantly ridiculous.” Roman rolled his eyes, while Patton just giggled again. “It should have at least some aspect of a realistic component to it.”
”Just watch the movie, Specs,” huffed Roman in annoyance.
Virgil, who was curled up napping in between Roman and Patton with his head in Roman’s lap, stirred. He grunted, very annoyed. “Who woke me up?”
All three sides froze. You did not want to be the person who woke Virgil up. He didn’t sleep much, so when he did, he expected to not be disturbed.
“Well? I’m waiting,” demanded Virgil, now sitting up straight. He looked around in question, arms crossed.
Roman blurted out, pointing an accusatory finger toward the logical trait in the recliner. “Logan was complaining about the movie!”
Logan glared at Roman in indignation. “Oh, I’m sorry. Am I not allowed to speak during the whole movie?” he inquired angrily. He turned to Virgil. “Besides, I would have dropped it if Roman would have just nodded and agreed with me. But no, he had to argue,” he added scowling.
Virgil hid his smirk and instead raised an eyebrow. “Oh, is that so?” In reality, he never actually got mad when he was woken up. He just liked messing with the others (especially Roman) however he could. Virgil figured he could have some fun with this.
”O-oh, well-” stuttered Roman.
“I thought I heard something other than Logan’s voice! I heard someone else who was frankly quite louder than Logan!” interjected Virgil looking up at Roman. Roman paled.
“Ah well, I was just defending the movie that’s all,” he replied, trying to hide his fear and failing miserably. “Simply making conversation.”
Virgil smothered a grin. He loved making Roman nervous. “Well, Roman, we all know you’re a lot louder than Logan; it was probably you who woke me up.”
“Now that’s not always-“
Roman was cut off by his yelp, feeling a poke at his ribs. “No interrupting!” scolded Virgil, this time forgetting to mask the grin and the obvious enjoyment he was getting out of this.
Roman blanched as Virgil’s intentions were made clear. “Virge, I’m sorry! Honest! You can go back to sleep, and we’ll all be quiet okay?” He glanced around to see if any of the other Sides would lend a hand. Logan was pretending to be fascinated by the movie suddenly and Patton was also suddenly too ‘preoccupied‘ to notice. He began to grow very nervous as Virgil crept up closer to him.
“Well, I’m already awake now thanks to you-“ he poked Roman’s side again who squeaked at the touch. Virgil‘s evil smile took up his whole face. “I’m very upset, Roman. My sleep was disturbed.” Roman began whining and backed into the arm of the sofa as Virgil continued to get closer. Patton and Logan finally turned their attention to the two traits in the middle of a standoff.
“Don’t hurt him, Virgil!” pleaded Patton.
“I appreciate your concern, but don’t worry Pat. I won’t hurt him. Physically anyway. His pride might be a little bruised.” Virgil smirked again. Roman continued to plead with the darker side despite knowing full well that nothing would stop what was about to happen.
“Come on, Virgil, please! I promise it won’t happen again! I- EEP!“ A pinch to his side.
“Too late, Princey. In all your years of being a prince, has no one told you the most important rule?“
Virgil paused as if trying to build up even more anticipation. He leaned in so close, that Roman could feel the anxious Side’s breath against his neck.
“Don’t wake a sleeping dragon.”
With that, he pounced on Roman and scribbled all over his torso immediately causing the Prince to break into frantic cackles. He mercilessly tickled all over and despite Roman’s defenses, Virgil was just too fast. Every place he tried to guard, the anxious side would just tickle somewhere else. Roman was hysterically laughing and resorted to calling for help from the others.
“HEEHEHEHELLLPPP!!” He cried through his desperate laughter.
“You shouldn’t require our assistance. You should be able to fight him off yourself. If I’m not mistaken, you supposedly have beaten this so-called ‘Dragon Witch’ which, judging by the name, would seem much more dangerous than the tickle monster,” replied Logan, a teasing smile encompassing his features.
”Oh I’m not sure about that Logan,” joked Virgil. “The tickle monster is pretty vicious.”
Poor Roman turned a bright red. “Stahahahahahahap teheheheasheheing!!”
“Aww Lo, look he’s blushing really hard,” Patton gushed.
Roman just blushed harder at that, the teasing was killing him. He was laughing himself hoarse while Virgil just snickered with no signs of stopping anytime soon. After what seemed like hours, Virgil noticed Roman’s laugh becoming more breathy.
“Well, Princey,” Virgil began. Roman was beside himself laughing, as Virgil’s hands were shoved in his armpits “I think you might have learned your lesson.” Roman nodded frantically. “Okay, okay. I’ll stop on one condition. You say, ‘Virgil, you are the best side in the entire world and I would be nothing without you, and I promise to never disrupt your sleep ever again.’ Can you say that?” Roman squeaked as a response. Virgil chuckled knowing Roman couldn’t possibly; he was laughing way too hard.
“VIRHIHIGLLE YOHOHOHO ARHAHAA AHHHHH!”
“Yes? I am what?”
“BEHEHEHEEHEST SIHIHIHIHDE- OHOHOHO MYHHYHY GOHOHOSH!”
Virgil laughed. “And?”
“IHIHIHI CAHAHAHANT REMEHEHEMBER!!” Roman cried in desperation. Virgil started to feel a little bad.
“Alright close enough.” He finally stopped and poor Princey fell limp, giggling and wheezing for air. Virgil smiled down at him. “Sorry dude. May have gone slightly overboard,” he apologized.
“Hahaha, my stohohomahahach, ohoho mahan.”
Virgil helped him sit up and got him settled. Roman was exhausted, so Virgil let him lay in his lap. “There you go, Sir Sing-a-lot,” Roman mumbled a thank you. The roles were reversed as Roman laid napping on Virgil and the rest of the bunch were threatened to stay quiet by Virgil, lest they get the same treatment Roman did. They all watched the movie in silence.
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delimeful · 8 months
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helpless (7)
warnings: restraints, blood and injury, unethical treatment, spider mention/drider, misunderstandings, cannibalism mentions, kidnapping, lmk if i missed any
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Janus managed to bite three different people before they finally pinned him in one place long enough to force the makeshift muzzle over his head.
He didn’t regret it, persay, but the little victory would have been far more gratifying if he hadn’t gotten his head slammed into a wall hard enough to make him see stars right afterwards.
If it weren’t for the cobbled-together gag, he would have started swearing. It was already extremely unlikely that he’d make it out of this particular clusterfuck unscathed, and seeing double certainly wasn’t going to improve his odds.
At least he’d ruined a few lives on his way out, he reflected as they hauled him up and out the door of the decrepit barn at the edge of town. His curse wasn’t useful for much, but he’d made the most of his venom and its ‘truth-telling’ properties no matter where he went.
The ones he’d bitten would be spilling their guts for the better part of a day, and he was more than sure that they’d be dropping some unpleasant secrets. If he was lucky, they’d be forced to regurgitate his little vigilante scheme to someone in town who’d see it for the idiocy it was.
Well, no. If he was actually lucky, he’d miraculously wiggle his way out of a painful and messy death. Getting his tormentors punished was more of a pleasant afterthought in the luck department.
He was unimaginably pissed that of all the plots against him, this was the one he hadn’t seen coming.
Sure, in retrospect, the dragon that used to demand tribute from the town had clearly had a bigger impact on the older populace than he’d first assumed. He’d been wary about settling there for a while, what with the scales and the eye and the other dragon-adjacent traits, but nobody had given him more than the usual level of confusion and distaste, and some people had been outright friendly.
How was he supposed to know that opinion would suddenly shift because something as generally positive as a rescued child?
He hadn’t even been involved with the whole situation!
Sure, he’d felt the overwhelming dread in the air when the child of one of the town’s governing members had disappeared. He’d breathed in a sigh of relief the same as everyone else when she’d been miraculously returned barely a day later. He’d even heard a fair number of the rumors recounting the stories she’d told about the creature in the woods that had helped her.
Strange, and definitely a reason to keep an eye on those woods, but the ordeal had nothing to do with him, and he’d thought it was over.
Except, according to his oh-so-gracious captors, that wasn’t the end of it. No supernatural presence came without strings attached, and with the rescue of one that could (at a stretch) be called an heir, they were convinced that the town would be called on to repay the debt.
So they’d decided that rather than wait for a monster to come claim a resident and steal them away in a week or two, they would choose the payment themselves. At that point, it was only a matter of picking someone they could afford to lose. Unsurprisingly, they settled on the cursed foreigner with the bad attitude.
Janus had had his humanity doubted his entire life, and now he’d been forced into the role of human sacrifice. He imagined he would have appreciated the irony more if it weren’t at his own expense.
His only balm was the fact that this clearly wasn’t a unanimous decision, going by the cloak-and-dagger way he’d been abducted and dragged out of town. He liked a fair few of his neighbors at this point, and he would have hated to find out that in addition to his imminent demise, he was also a horrible judge of character.
His attention snapped back to the unfortunate situation at hand as his captors slowed to a stop. They had reached a small, man-made clearing a little ways into the woods, with a tall, worn post driven deep into the earth. The wood was stained and the ground indented in strange places, as though the dragon and a bloody sacrifice had departed only hours ago, instead of years.
A shudder ran through the idiot on his left, clearly remembering something about the horrors that had taken place here. As someone who was about to become a horror taking place here, Janus found himself utterly unable to dredge up any sympathy for him.
In fact, he abruptly decided that the hypocrisy had earned his captor a knee to the groin, in the name of him getting the hell out of here.
The person on his other side must’ve been the keener sort, because their reflexes were much sharper.
One very short escape attempt later, Janus was firmly tied to the post, now with a spattering of heavy bruising all along his ribs in addition to his probable concussion.
To add insult to injury– or rather, injury to injury, they’d bid him farewell with a gash sliced into the front of his lower leg, relatively shallow but easily deep enough for blood to start seeping into his pants.
Fantastic. More obstacles to him getting out of this, exactly what he needed.
He tried not to dwell on his own helplessness, but it was everywhere he looked. He’d been stripped of his work belt and all the tools on it. He couldn’t make them doubt themselves with any well-placed remarks. He couldn’t even glare at their retreating backs without sending a new spike of pain through his throbbing skull.
A glance at the post was enough to dispel any hopes he’d had of physically breaking free; it was covered in various scratches and scrapes from previous victims, and there was no sign that any of them had gotten anywhere close to damaging it.
He tenderly leaned his head back against the wood and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to think of a way out. Trying not to let the creeping fear overwhelm his irritation.
A distant rustle made his head snap up with a painful jolt, scanning the treeline for a long moment, body drawn as taut as a bowstring.
Nothing. Nothing he could see, anyway.
Janus hissed lowly against the cloth of the gag, ignoring the way his hands had started shaking from where they were pinned behind his back.
It was going to be a long night.
Virgil was doing some early-morning web maintenance when he found them.
Or more accurately, stumbled across them. He regularly cut across this part of the forest to avoid running into anyone in the grove of fruit trees that the nearby town liked to harvest from, and he’d already been halfway across the clearing when the scent of blood hit him.
He stopped dead, shuffling his legs slightly to make sure he wasn’t imagining things, and then turned to actually look over the open space with a growing sense of dread.
Oh. The weird wooden pole driven into the center of the clearing now had a human tied to it. One that was staring directly at him.
… How many times was this going to happen to him?!
Not the thing to focus on, right now. Virgil took a deep breath, forcing himself to assess his latest mess instead of cursing whatever deity had apparently thought it funny to put him in situations like this.
The human was on the shorter side, with disheveled blonde hair, mismatched eyes, and a startling pattern of greenish-gold scales along one side of their face. Their clothes were meticulously embroidered, though Virgil couldn’t make out the patterns through the extensive amount of ropes binding them to the wooden pole. As though those weren’t bad enough, there was a strange haphazard gag tied around their head, preventing them from speaking.
Clearly, they had been brought here against their will. Not unscathed, either. Their legs were stretched out in front of them, and though their pants were black, one pant leg was torn and glinting wetly with what was almost certainly blood.
The sight was enough to jolt Virgil into action, and he turned to actually face the stranger, skittering forward a few steps–
They recoiled harshly enough to bang the back of their head against the wood, and made a low, panicked sound of pain.
Virgil froze, his chest growing tight at the way they were watching him. Their eyes flicked over every inch of him like a cornered deer, their chest rising and falling in shallow bursts.
This wasn’t one of his humans. This was a stranger that had been left to an uncertain fate, now faced with a monster. They were terrified.
“Hey, I– I’m not going to hurt you,” he said, his voice coming out slightly hoarse. He crept forward, slower now, with his hands raised in the human version of nonaggression. He tilted one down to gesture at their wound. “I don’t know how you got here, but that leg looks pretty bad.”
The stranger dragged both legs up to tuck their knees against their chest, curling into a defensive ball with a glare that screamed ‘back-off-don’t-touch-me’. The injured leg was visibly shaking with the strain.
“No, look– hey. I promise I’m not going to kill you or eat you or anything,” he tried, attempting to meet their eyes directly. He crept forward a few more steps. “I know that might be hard to believe with the whole giant spider thing but I’m very firmly anti-cannibalism. Even if it’s technically like, only partial cannibalism.”
That… actually didn’t sound super reassuring, out loud. Virgil winced, resisting the urge to groan. Why had he decided to start using words like ‘cannibalism’?
He really should just call it quits and go get one of the others. After all these years of avoiding contact to avoid scaring the life out of people, he finally had friends that could help him out of awkward situations like these.
Except… the thought of turning around and leaving the stranger like this, bound and helpless while those who did it to them were presumably still running around…
It would only be for a little while. Just until he could poke Patton awake and lead him back here. But a lot could happen in a little while.
The stranger was studying him with a little less mindless panic, now, but he could see the fine tremors running through their frame. It was probably from fear, or pain, or even… cold?
This close, he could see that their clothes were actually pretty damp everywhere, which was odd. The dirt was hard packed under them, no dew-covered grass in reach, and Virgil had been out and about for most of the night. It hadn’t rained this morning, only late… last night…
“Holy shit, you’ve been out here all night,” he said, horrified. “Bleeding!”
The stranger blinked at him with a level of mild disorientation that Virgil probably should have picked up on earlier.
Okay. Forget trying to coax them into letting him close enough to undo the binds and lead them back to town. The stranger was getting help whether they liked it or not.
Scurrying around the post, Virgil pulled his dagger and slit the restraints in one smooth movement, and then immediately swept in and plucked the human off the ground, lifting them up with the practiced strength of someone who regularly caught humans flinging themselves in his direction.
They responded with a distinctly-upset muffled protest, and a well-aimed kick to the gut.
“Don’t kick me with your injured leg, are you stupid?!” Virgil demanded through a wheeze, holding them out a little farther and twisting away from a second, much weaker kick. “Stop that!”
Deciding that making sure they didn’t bleed out took priority over trying to calm them down, he pulled some silk and wrapped it around the wound as best he could.
The stranger made a gargled hiss through the gag. Virgil hissed back absently, sticking the end of the webbing in place and deeming it a good enough placeholder bandage.
He readjusted so that he was carrying them more securely, an arm under their back and another wrapped around the crook of their knees, and hurried off towards the slowly-growing campsite where his humans were sleeping.
This was now officially an abduction; hopefully Roman wouldn’t get stabby about it.
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edupunkn00b · 2 months
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Look what Friday has gifted us!!
youtube
@lost-in-thought-20 ‘s incredible story, as read by @typically-untypical and featuring art by @starshard17
Logan caring for Janus? Logic and calm when Janus is struggling? OML this story!! 💙💛
Can’t wait for a whole month of Lost’s stories on Raven’s channel!!
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The Weight of Being a "Good Friend"
@tss-anxceit-week Day 3: Trust & Betrayal Canonverse 2,535 Words
Logan appeared in Virgil’s room with his arms folded behind his back, looking at Virgil pointedly. Virgil tensed and paused chewing on his nails to look at him, jumping off the top of his couch to greet him. After a shared quizzical expression, Logan cleared his throat.
“Yeah? What is it?” Virgil demanded, not bothering with politeness or disguising the fatigue in his voice.
 Logan nodded to the couch and Virgil stepped back to let Logan in, who went to go sit on the couch. Virgil shut the door quietly and went to go lean on the wall near him, swallowing heavily and looking down to the ground.
“Virgil, you know I do not handle emotional aspects, but I have been... concerned about your behaviour lately. You seem to always be tired, and you haven’t been talking to Thomas, either. It’s obvious that something is wrong, but I don’t know what it is.” Logan said quietly, rubbing his thumb over the back of his hand.
"I’m fine, Logan.” Virgil glanced up at Logan through his bangs, who’s face remained apprehensive. “Yeah, you don’t believe that. Well, whatever. I’m not talking about it. Everybody will think I’m blowing things out of proportion.” Virgil shook his head, stuffing his hands in his hoodie pockets.
“I promise I will not. Virgil, I need to know what’s going on. This does not seem sustainable,” Logan pleaded emphatically, gripping at his knees.
Virgil hesitated, examining Logan’s face for a moment. His brow was furrowed, and he worried his lip with his teeth for a second before noticing and stopping. “I’ll think about it,” Virgil offered instead. Logan watched Virgil a little longer before nodding in agreement. “Get back to your busy schedule. I’m going to bed.” He stood up straight from off the wall, and Logan looked at him in surprise for a second before getting off the couch. It wasn’t that late, but the expanded dark patches under his eyes and unusually pale color of his skin said that he needed the rest. Virgil watched him closely as he moved, his eyes tracking Logan with a weak wave as he lowered out of the room.
Logan hummed curiously and walked down the stairs and to the kitchen table, depositing himself on a chair. Roman and Patton were situated on the couch, watching TV along with Thomas quietly. It seemed like an average evening. Logan summoned his planner and reviewed the schedule, like he often did in the evenings, but he struggled with focusing. He glanced up at the stairs once more and sighed. Anxiety was still clearly very present in Thomas’s life, but Virgil not communicating about his issue was a problem.
The way Patton also worried his lip when he thought no one was looking made the inefficacy more apparent. Logan was frustrated by missing information and left feeling restless when there were unresolved problems. He took a deep breath and put his head down on the table, pushing the schedule aside. 
“What’s got ya down, kiddo?” Patton asked, leaning in near Logan. Logan jumped slightly in surprise, not realizing Patton had gotten so close.
“I am simply tired, Patton. I think it would be wise to turn in early tonight,” Logan stated, sitting up at the table and adjusting his tie. “I’d like to set an alarm so that Thomas doesn’t stay up late on his phone again,” he added, projecting slightly louder for Roman to hear.
“What if the next post is the right inspiration he needs for something new?” Roman pipped up, looking more interested in the television than the conversation.
“He can find it tomorrow. He will not have the time or the energy to do anything with the inspiration tonight. He could perhaps even miss the post that might be inspiring in his exhaustion,” Logan pointed out the obvious flaw in his logic.
“Last time we tried that, Thomas just turned off the alarm and kept scrolling.” Patton pulled out a dining chair and joined Logan at the table.
“If we come to an accord and agree to not do that tonight, it should not be an issue again,” Logan asserted, pulling the schedule back up to him to return to examining.
“That sounds fair,” Patton said, nodding sagely and holding his chin. “Roman?” He called out to confirm.
“Fine. I guess.” Roman agreed as well, though clearly very reluctantly. Logan let out a small breath of relief and let Thomas know to set a ‘doom-scroll’ alarm for later. Logan glanced over to Virgil’s door again, wondering if Virgil was already asleep.
“Are you wondering if Virge is gonna join us tonight?” Patton asked, folding one arm on the table and propping up his head with the other.
“No, Virgil stated that he was going to bed earlier.” Logan shook his head and flipped the page on his planner, making sure the things that were missed today were recorded to do tomorrow.  
“Oh! Now, that’s surprising from my spooky son. Last month, I caught him sitting under the kitchen table watching conspiracy theories on his phone at two in the morning while I was trying to figure out why Thomas couldn’t fall asleep,” Patton explained with a slight fond chuckle.
“Indeed,” Logan hummed. “I doubt that will be a problem tonight. He appeared to be incredibly exhausted when he told me he was going to bed.” He summoned a pencil to adjust the time on something scheduled for tomorrow that did not seem like it had enough of a time cushion.
“He really hasn’t been around much,” Patton mused, throwing a glance at the stairs and sounding melancholy.
“It has been quite quiet,” Roman stated, shifting on the living room floor as he kept watching television.
“Those are both accurate summations,” Logan validated both their points distractedly.
“Are you worried about Virgil?” Patton asked kindly, looking at Logan with a soft expression.
“I am always concerned with productivity. Thomas is very hard to work with when he keeps falling prey to distractions.” Logan rubbed his face, knocking at his glasses briefly before adjusting them back into position.
“I think he’s easier to work with,” Roman muttered under his breath.
“We have very different jobs, Roman, and I know you are also frustrated by the current state of Thomas’s hair,” Logan reminded him passively.
“Ugh, we better not get any visitors or video calls,” Roman groaned.
“We’re just home alone watching TV, you two, there’s no harm in messy hair,” Patton chided, tapping the table.
“I am aware, Patton, but it is better to be presentable as a form of preparedness rather than letting healthy self-care habits slide. Thomas’s appearance is important to him, and that changing suddenly is an indicator of an issue,” Logan reminded them, adjusting his glasses. Logan looked up from planner and over to Thomas, who wasn’t even watching TV and on his phone again, already doom-scrolling. Logan groaned, closing up the planner and sending it off, standing up from the couch.
“What’s up, teach?” Roman asked, distracted by looking over Thomas’ shoulder to see the phone.
“I don’t believe anything productive is happening tonight,” Logan replied shortly. “Thomas, set an alarm to get ready for bed on your phone,” he told Thomas loudly enough to not be ignored, and Thomas blinked a few times, looking at Logan before switching to the alarm app and setting one for nine PM. “You’ll ignore that one, it is too early. Set an alarm for 11:30 PM and take it seriously when it goes off,” Logan insisted firmly. Roman rolled his eyes, letting out a little huff and Thomas just looked at Logan oddly. “Thomas.”
“Fine, okay, got it,” Thomas replied, setting the alarm where requested. He didn’t seem concerned about not getting enough sleep in the slightest, despite even Virgil valuing that by going to bed early. If Virgil did go to bed, at all. Logan technically couldn’t confirm. The alarm was set, so other than checking in at 11:30, Logan wasn’t needed here for doom-scrolling, so he left to his room to review the memories for the day to make sure the important ones were stored correctly.
———
Virgil paced the room helplessly, long since having given up on trying to sleep. He felt so damn exhausted all the time, but the sleep just wouldn’t come. He was completely on edge, racing thoughts of things that could happen and how terribly things were going plagued every corner of his mind. Checking in on Thomas revealed he was still doom-scrolling, with Patton making quiet awkward stammering noises and looking at the clock. Virgil Let out a heavy sigh and tugged at the zipper on his hoodie sleeve, pulling it up and down while he walked.
“Not that your little failure of a lie earlier wasn’t amusing, Virgil, but if you’re going to go out of your way to fib, shouldn’t you do something more fun than pacing about like a caged animal?” Janus asked in a silky smooth voice, and Virgil jumped, turning to see Janus sitting on the couch with his legs crossed and leaning his chin on an arm resting on his knee.
“Get out of here!” Virgil shot, motioning away.
“Really, you should work on your subterfuge. Dreadful stuff,” Janus teased, grinning at Virgil like a shark would at his dinner.
“I didn’t mean to lie about going to bed, I just couldn’t get to sleep!” Virgil protested, hunching over and glaring at Janus. “Seriously, what are you doing here?” Virgil demanded shortly.
“I was talking about that little squeaky ‘I’m fine’ you tried, but that one was also truly heinous,” Janus replied with the bite of snark.
“Hey, I didn’t squeak!” Virgil clenched his fists as he glowered at Janus.
“Po-tay-to, Po-tot-to,” Janus hummed, drumming his fingers on his chin. “Now, what are you doing trying to lie when it is my thing and clearly not your forté?” He asked with a smug purr in his voice.
Virgil stared at Janus incredulously for a moment, but the expression never faltered, keeping his cool confidence despite the confused stare. “It’s—It’s you, Janus!”
“Yes, lord of the lies, at your service,” Janus said.
“No, I mean, you’re causing this!” Virgil hissed, crossing his arms tightly over his chest and returning to pacing.
“If it was me, I would have lied impeccably, thank you very much,” Janus refuted, sitting up and folding his hands on his lap.
“I hate not bringing it up, and I hate trying to be a ‘good friend’,” Virgil muttered, kicking his sneaker as he turned around during his endless march.
“Of course you do. Terrible thing, really. Now, for the spider’s benefit, seeing as I fully understand, can you explain exactly about what?” Janus asked airily, twisting his gloved hand a little in the air.
Virgil rolled his eyes and huffed. “Elliot’s new boyfriend, Mitchell. He’s awful. And I know Elliot asked us to let them figure it out themselves. And I know we agreed. But it’s killing me to think about what’s going on behind closed doors if that’s how he acts in public,” he explained bitterly.
Janus froze and blinked, then facetiously coughed a few times to hide his surprise. “Virgil, you know that has nothing to do with us, along with the rest of these things you’re so positive about? He could be just the same, or better. Why are you assuming it’s terrible? And why are you acting like it’s our job to fix it when Elliot is their own person?”
“They’re our friend, and we don’t want them hurt, doy!” Virgil smacked himself in the temple with his fist and made a face.
“You can’t save people from being hurt. It’s just an unfortunate part of life,” Janus replied flatly, his face setting seriously.
“Well, maybe it freaking sucks! Maybe it’s normal to be worried about your friends. Why don’t you look past yourself for one freaking second and see how bad this situation is,” Virgil said angrily, his speed picking up as he walked back and forth.
 “Not like this, you’re blowing things out of proportion,” Janus replied, his voice faltering.
“This is why I didn’t want to tell anyone! You’re always telling me I’m overreacting, but eventually I’m not going to be, and Elliot could be the one suffering for it!” Virgil threw his arms in the air and scuffed his shoe on the carpet.
“Virgil. Stop,” Janus said, and Virgil paused to look at him. Janus patted the spot on the couch next to him, and Virgil stomped over to drop onto the couch, just to make it clear he wasn’t fighting for the sake of fighting. “Sometimes, in life, we have to watch our friends and loved ones suffer. Even though we knew there was a better way. Or a compromise. Because they want to be the ones to make their own mistakes. Elliot asked us to drop it, so we did. We can bring it up again if—”
“When,” Virgil insisted.
“If we see it again. And suggest healthier boundaries, because we don’t want to see them hurt. But I’m afraid it’s Elliot’s life and ultimately Elliot’s choice. And no amount of panic or anger will change that. We simply can’t spend all of our time and energy on trying to change something we have no say in. Thomas is sitting out there doom-scrolling because he’s burnt out, even though he already knows that no amount of Twitter will quiet the duke’s suggestions. You know what to do in these situations already. Now look at me and tell me what we’re going to do,” Janus insisted firmly.
“It’s called ‘X’ now,” Virgil said in annoyance, but Janus only glared at him with thinly pressed lips. “Take a deep breath. Tell myself that this is something I can’t change. Try to adapt. Focus on moving forward,” Virgil recited in defeat.
“Right. And we don’t have to keep silent. Nor do we have to stay friends with Elliot, either, if this keeps hurting us. But we should still respect Elliot’s wishes and assume they can handle themselves. They have done so for all the years before we met them. But it’s still their job to speak up in their relationship if they’re unhappy. If we butt in and try to fix things for them, the odds are good it’ll do nothing but breed resentment. We have to live our life and Elliot has to live theirs,” Janus said reassuringly, melting the bitterness from Virgil’s face. Virgil took a deep breath and nodded, letting out the air as a tired sigh. “Is there anything else I need to intelligently and humbly point out before you kick me out of your room?” Janus teased.
Virgil looked up at him, reaching for the capelet with a small tug. “Stay?” Janus wrapped an arm around Virgil’s shoulder, and he leaned in, still holding on to the fabric. They sat there in comfortable silence as Virgil’s breathing evened out and the light in the living room went out when Thomas switched it off. “Tell anyone this happened, and I’ll kill you,” Virgil whispered silently.
“I’ll alert the presses,” Janus scoffed, rubbing Virgil’s shoulder. 
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thatonelesbianfander · 3 months
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Currently working on an AU where Janus is a grim reaper and Remus is a spirit that Janus reaped who follows him around because I got bored and wanted to get back into writing fanfic. I’m going to write chapters 1 & 2 and post them and then see where my motivation takes me from there
Edit: Chapters 1&2 are currently out! You can find chapter 1 here and there’s a link on chapter one that will lead you to chapter two
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