Archive of Our Own

His expression went from startled and scared back to his old resting face that never showed Patton’s inner emotions for his previous masters. Patton didn’t want Deceit to know what he was feeling as everything was actually real.

He analyzed everything that had just happened with the knowledge that had just happened, everything had been to good to be true... but it wasn’t?

All of that gentleness was real?

Or is this another trick Deceit wants to pull?

Maybe Deceit wanted to lull Patton into another false sense of security so that the torture afterwards would be that much sweeter.

Patton’s eyes were searching desperately around, not really taking in the room, as he grappled with the knowledge that everything that he thought had been a dream was real.

Deceit reached out, as Patton had snatched his hand away, slowly and gently reaching to grasp it. 

Patton’s good ol’ training training kicked in once again, not moving the hand and allowing Deceit to pick up his hand without a protest. 

The action did send a fluttering in Patton’s stomach and his heart racing, which Patton attributed to his confusion and fear about the whole situation. Patton was avoiding any eye contact he could with Deceit, his mind always got lost in Deceit’s eyes, and he needed to think.

Just like before, Deceit held his hand gently, not speaking for a while, just gently running his slender fingers across Patton’s knuckles. The touch felt like a perversion of gentle touch, Patton’s master’s touch felt like that when they were gentle just to torture Patton twice as hard the next day.

“Morality, look at me, please?”

Patton’s stomach flipped at the request. His masters before Deceit had never asked Patton please even when they were feigning gentleness just to mentally torture him. There was always a vague threat or a harsher punishment later if he didn’t comply.

None of his masters ever said please.

This felt like a part of the trick, Patton was surprised Deceit was willing to bring himself down to his level from Deceit’s perspective at least. 

Patton was human and on the same level of consideration as any being with critical thought. These fae were just big ol’ meanies that didn’t play fair. They didn’t give Patton his worth, he had his worth already, the fae just didn’t use the same currency to measure his wealth.

Patton inwardly jolted, realization suddenly arcing through him. He hadn’t complied yet, still mulling over how the past 5 minutes wasn’t a dream.

Patton immediately faced Deceit, careful not to make eye contact lest that ‘spell’ of sorts with Deceit’s eyes draw him in again. Instead, Patton studied Deceit’s eyebrows, watching the light glint off of them like jewels and after a long moment he felt his eyes being drawn to Deceit’s eyes, the darkness inviting him just to peek... or maybe stare.

Deceit’s expression was still gentle, that cloying gentleness that was too sickeningly sweet to be true. And yet... Patton couldn’t bring himself to completely disbelieve the expression, a small part of Patton was whispering to him.

The voice in his head was whispering that this was real and Deceit was finally the first decent Fae he had met. Deceit had seemed reluctant, and had mentioned something about Patton being a gift. Had Deceit been reluctant about it?

Patton just didn’t know what to think, but for now he would remain vigilant.

There was only one question Patton had for Deceit himself:

Why? Why do this? Why? Why? Why? Why? Wh-

“Morality.” Patton straightened his back at being addressed directly automatically. His gaze was suddenly on the very edge of Deceit’s eyes, going no further as Deceit hadn’t instructed him to gaze into his eyes.

Patton waited patiently, back straight and motionless, waiting for a command, some kind of guidance for what Patton needed to do to get on Deceit’s good side. 

“No Morality, relax. You don’t need to do that.” Deceit’s voice urged, a touch exasperated but mostly frantic. It really felt genuine too, almost made Patton glance into Deceit’s eyes.

How long was Deceit going to keep this charade up? 

Patton did as he was told, relaxing his posture into a more comfortable one, but the posture was not his natural one, it was simply the action that best fit Deceit’s order.

Patton stayed silent and still, waiting once again for what Deceit wanted with him.

Deceit groaned.

“Morality, you- I’m not- You don’t have to-” Deceit spluttered, for the first time since Patton had met him he was speechless, fumbling over his words for what he wanted to say.

Patton didn’t react, not outwardly at least. Inside, he was still spiraling, wanting to know what Deceit wanted with him. And in the process of mulling over everything, that one word that was repeating itself over and over in Patton’s mind cascaded out of his lips.

“Why?” Patton regretted the words immediately, he had never spoken unless spoken to since around his fifth ‘owner.’ With one word he had shattered the barrier of obedience he had built up around him, protecting him from being tortured for defying his ‘owners.’

And now Patton was scared. He yelled at himself internally for being so careless.

What was that? I know I’m curious but he’s my ‘owner’ I can’t just ask him why he’s doing something! That just gets me more and painful ‘corrections,’ I’m not a newbie, how could I slip up like that? Deceit’s gonna hurt me. He has to.

Deceit himself was just as surprised as Patton was with himself with Patton speaking, arcing an eyebrow in slight confusion.

“Why what, Morality?” 

Patton didn’t know what to say for a moment. Why had he asked? There was so many things he could’ve asked for, but even he didn’t know why he asked. But he had to give Deceit an answer, Deceit asked for one.

But even though his mind couldn’t place why he had asked, his mouth did, moving as if on it’s own.

“Why are you doing this?”

Deceit’s brow furrowed.

“What? Why am I being a decent person? Because I’m not like all your other ‘owners’ that want to torture you just for fun, Morality. I don’t want to hurt you. Not... not all fae hate humans. Or at least... I know I don’t hate humans, and that makes that true, even if it’s only me that actually has the decency to treat humans like actual people.”

Patton was hit in the face with Deceit’s words. Fae couldn’t lie, they could tell half truths and manipulate meanings of words to mean what they truly mean.

But this... there was no way Deceit was lying, despite his given name suggesting otherwise. There was no other way to spin the statement ‘I don’t want to hurt you.’

“Prove it.” The words flowed from Patton’s mouth as if they had been waiting to fall for a long time now.

Deceit’s surprised expression melted into a smile, a knowing smile that strangely and suddenly made Patton’s insides want to melt.

“Oh, I thought it was going to be hard to convince you. I know the simplest and surefire way I can get you to trust me.”

Deceit squeezed Patton’s hand with purpose, parting his lips to say the words waiting to be spoken from Deceit’s mouth. 

Patton finally locked eyes once again with Deceit, those deep, deep circles that Patton couldn’t escape since he had gotten there. 

“My name, my true name... is Janus.”