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He shouldn't be here... He knows that. He thought if he came at night no one else would be around to notice but of course, nothing ever goes the way he wants it to.
And Roman is a loud guy, but he sure can be silent when he wants to. He didn't even notice the footsteps until it was nearly too late, but of course his ears are fine-tuned to that kind of thing. His disguise isn't perfect, but he's hoping the exhaustion that the creative side must be feeling is enough for him not to question why Patton's wearing a normal grey hoodie around his shoulders and not the cat one that Logan gave him.
Sure enough, as Roman shuffles into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes, blinking in confusion, he's not even remotely suspicious. Of course he isn't. Janus is a professional. Even at 2am.
"Patton?" it's a far cry from the prince's usual grandiose and booming voice, but still recognisable as his own.
"Hey, kiddo." he gets into character, hoping that this interaction doesn't last long. "What are you doing up this late? Or early?"
Roman blinks again, clearly exhausted. "You know I always stay up this late working."
Crap. Don't blow your cover, think, what would Patton say? It's too early for this, but Janus knows he can do it. Of course he can.
He puts his hands on his hips, smiling sternly in the same way he's seen the actual Morality do. This is one that he's perfected.
"Didn't I tell you to stop doing that? It's not good for you, Roman." he tuts. He has no idea whether Patton told him that, but it sounds like something the side would say. "And I'm sure if Logan was here he'd tell you some really important reasons why I'm right."
Romans suspicion melts away as he brushes off the concern. "Yeah, yeah, sure Padre. I've seen Logan stay up this late more times than I can count. He needs to take his own advice." he yawns, stepping closer. "What're you doing up, anyway?" his expression turns sympathetic. "Another bad night?"
Janus has no idea what that means, but it sounds like a good excuse. He looks at the floor, letting his cheerful grin dissapear. "Yeah," he admits, pretending to be upset.
"Aw, Pat!" what he didn't anticipate was for the creative side to come bumbling over to encase Ja-Patton in a hug, rubbing his back in what he's sure is supposed to be comforting, but is actually startling. "Why didn't you come get me?"
"I didn't wanna bother you, I'm sure you're working really hard in there at something much more important." Patton says around the hug, trying not to completely tense up.
Thankfully Roman pulls away after that, making a face that he's not quite sure he can interpret.
"Oh, it's nothing special, really."
This is where Patton would come in with some sunny reassurance, so he quickly counters, "Roman, I'm sure anything you do is special."
It's meant to make the side smile, and say "aww thank you you're right of course" and go back to bed and stop bothering him, but it seems to have the adverse affect; Roman's face scrunches up, and before Jan-Patton knows it, he's got a bawling Prince and absolutely no idea how to handle it.
Of course, he doesn't panic. He's just a bit worried because if someone hears, they'll come running to comfort their darling baby and then his whole cover will be blown. So as much as he despises it, he guides Roman to the kitchen table, conjuring a handkerchief out of nowhere because he's sure that Patton is supposed to just carry those things everywhere, and wrapping an arm gingerly around the prince in order to comfort him.
"What's wrong, kiddo?"
Roman doesn't answer for a minute, wiping his tears away before he's able to speak.
"Oh, it's nothing Patton, I promise I'm fine."
Hmm. Well, not only can he smell the lie, he can also see it. You know, because Roman's crying as he says this.
"Roman, don't lie, I know something is bothering you."
Roman sighs. "You're right." he takes a deep breath. "I guess, lately, I've just not been sure if I am really that special."
Now this is where Janus gets really confused, yes, Janus, not Patton, and maybe it's the tires talking but Janus is fairly certain that that doesn't make any sense.
"Are you serious?" Patton lets out a laugh, which is maybe a little too much like a certain deceitful individual to not arouse suspicion but then again, it's 2am, neither of them are really thinking clearly.
"Why would I be any more special than anyone else?" Roman points out, sniffling, an action which is entirely disgusting. It's horrid. It's vile. Janus hates it. Of course. "I just think of stupid ideas that make Virgil uncomfortable and Logan thinks would never work and- Thomas is a bad person because of me! I'm the one making him selfish."
Now, this, this makes more sense.
Janus, of course, knows how to do his job. He's good at his job. He knows 'lie' . He knows 'fake'.
So he's known for some time that Roman's confidence is a lie. That his ego is fake. But dear God, he didn't think it was this bad.
As he's trying to process this, there is an ugly silence between the two of them where Roman looks down at the table in shame.
"I told you it was stupid." he mutters. Jan-Patton blinks and he's back in gear.
"Roman, how could you say that about yourself? Of course you're special! You're amazing!"
Instantly it's like a bit of the light returns and Roman looks so hopeful in that moment. It's utterly sickening, of course.
"Really?" so much doubt, in that one word. He's whispering to keep from being too loud, Roman, is trying not to be too loud, and Ja-Pat-he- it's pathetic. Of course.
His disguise flickers, just for a millisecond. Roman doesn't notice. He's looking at the table. He breathes a sigh of relief, and holds the disguise a little bit tighter.
"Roman, you're Creativity." Patton's smile is beautiful, and he beams at Roman with the shine of a thousand stars in the hopes that just one star will shine back at him. "The things that you dream, that you build out of a single thought, it's utterly inspiring. Thomas made his career out of ideas that you gave him, and you do that everyday?" he patted his shoulder cautiously, maintaining the smile on his face. "I think that's pretty special. And I think all the others would agree with me."
"Would they?" and again, that hope, and again, that doubt. Roman wants to believe it, he really does. His eyes are wide and pleading, like he's just praying that Patton is telling him the truth.
Janus himself is praying that he doesn't mess this up.
"Of course they would." he says firmly, leaving no room for argument.
Roman is smiling at him now. A really, proper, smile. He can see the truth behind it, all the shadows suddenly disappearing.
"Thank you!" he shouts suddenly into the deadly silent room. And Patt-Janus jumps, frightened. The chair makes a sudden clattering noise against the floor at his jerky movement, and the disguise flickers once more. Only this time, Roman is watching it happen.
They both freeze, inches away from each other, both unsure what to do. Janus gets up from his chair, not bothering to fix the disguise. Roman gets up too, still wide-eyed. It's clear that he can't really understand what's happening.
"Deceit?" he tries, still clutching the goddamn hanky.
And Deceit nods once.
"You-you-" he listens to the Prince struggle for words for a minute, dreading what he would say.
"You're not Patton." he manages finally.
"Well done Captain Obvious." Deceit mutters.
"What are you- why did you-" Deceit can hear the others waking up, and sighs internally. The conversation to come will not be pleasant.
"Why were you disguising yourself as Patton?" Roman finally asks, just as Logan appears in the kitchen from the hallway, nOT WEARING A TIE AND HE NEVER THOUGHT HE'D LIVE TO SEE THE DAY -
Alright, he's officially too tired to function.
Logan spots Deceit. "What is going on here?" he demands to know, frowning slightly in confusion. Logic Man doesn't like not knowing things. Shocker.
Deceit decides to mess with him. "Yes, well, I'd like to know too. Where is your necktie?" Logan looks briefly surprised, looking down at himself as though he wasn't aware of the fact.
"Unacceptable." Deceit rants, stalling for time. "I guess I'm not the only liar, huh? I thought you said you always wear the necktie? Where is it now, huh? In your pocket?"
Now comes Virgil, who actually seems to have slept. He rubs sleep out of his eyes as he comes to stand next to Logan in the doorway, eyes widening in realisation as he spots Deceit.
"Whaddya doin' in the kitchen 't 2am?" he slurs sleepily.
"He was- he was pretending to be Patton!" Roman finds his voice once again. "And I came in and we-" he stops. Deceit isn't sure whether it's because he doesn't want to tell the group what happened or because he's just tired. He reckons probably both.
"Why, though?" Virgil's question is a fair one. "Why were you in the kitchen in the first place?"
Deceit shrugs. "No particular reason." he steps back, retreating the the doorway where his bedroom resides. "If that's all, I'll be going now..." he didn't get what he came for, but, of course, that would be too much to ask.
"Wait!" Roman's voice calls out. Deceit pauses, hand in the doorknob.
"Did you- did you mean what you said?" he can hear it in the prince's voice. He wants it to be true.
And despite their differences, their disagreements, Janus smiles. He cannot deny him this one truth.
"Of course."
Meanwhile, Virgil seems to have figured it out.
"You came here for the oreos, didn't you?" his eyes narrow in suspicion. "I know it's you who keeps taking them."
Crap. "I have no idea what you're talking about." he says flippantly, dissapearing into the hallway quickly before anyone can ask him any more questions.