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Patton’s heart seized, recoiling back.
Had he just-? Why?
Patton’s back hit the wall. The sensation sent another jolt through Patton as his brain screamed at him that he was cornered, which was the main reason he yelled out in fear.
“Jan- Janus, get away!” Dece- Janus stiffened immediately, his face blanking for a moment as he automatically moved a distance away before his expression came back, a slight crinkle of his brows as D- Janus looked around confusedly for a moment before he looked back at Patton.
“Ah, I see you got me while my guard was down, I wasn’t prepared for that, but I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable. Believe me, Morality, I don’t want to hurt you or make you feel uncomfortable or unwelcome. I only ask you don’t use my true name to hurt me.”
Patton’s nickname had no power over him and by Janus’s neutral expression when nothing happened, Janus wasn’t expecting it to. Patton inwardly chided himself at forgetting that named only had power over you if you identified with the name, and he had never identified with ‘Morality.’
“I- You- you can still lie, or tell half-truths! I can’t trust you unless- Unless!”
Patton clutched the sheet of the bed tight as he raised his voice once more, trying to hide the tremble in his hands and his voice from Janus’s endless eyes.
“Janus, approach slowly to closest point where I’m... visibly still comfortable and tell me exactly why you ‘got’ me and what you truly intend to do with me. I want to know, I’m... sorry.”
Patton didn’t know why he apologized to someone he didn’t fully trust yet, but he couldn’t deny that his heart still hitched when Janus stiffened once again as Patton invoked the power of his true name. This time Janus’s face was much more aware, glancing down at his body as if it was a separate thing to himself, which to Janus at the moment, it probably was as his body moved without his express permission.
Patton nearly jumped as Janus made a small noise as his body jolted him forwards, his face looking uncertain.
“Wow this is- Woah! New... ”
Janus was interrupted and slowly trailed off as at a certain radius away from Patton, Janus’s body immediately slowed down as his eyes involuntarily shot to Patton with an eerie focus.
Patton nearly told Janus to stop looking at him like that when he remembered that he had told Janus to make sure he was at a comfortable distance away.
Unfortunately, or... perhaps fortunately, a side effect of Janus’s laser focus on Patton was that Patton couldn’t escape Janus’s endless gaze. Without thinking about it, he started to get lost in Janus’s eyes once more, his body slowly relaxing and uncoiling as the eyes shifted from impassive and intense focus in examination to a concerned searching of Patton’s own eyes that Patton barely noticed.
So... beautiful...
It wasn’t until Janus’s hand alighted on the bed, his fingers hovering just above it that Patton blinked down from Janus’s eyes, lips parted in surprise at how suddenly Janus was that CLOSE!
Janus’s body stopped abruptly at that moment, Patton’s own words crashing back into Patton’s mind, having lost them in Janus’s eyes.
I really need to stop looking in Janus’s eyes... Nothing good is coming from looking into his... beautiful eyes.
Patton shrunk back just a little, his mind catching back up with what he had been doing to remind him that he didn’t trust this fae yet... And yet...
“No one’s eve really used my name before to make me do things, not really even my mother... This is... weird... new... feeling...” Janus whispered, his words trailed off as his body settled down on the bed.
Patton almost reached out his hand to Janus’s to... comfort? sympathize? but Patton clenched his fist instead. Patton didn’t trust him that much yet.
But you do, why else would you keep looking into his eyes like you have? A small voice at the back of his brain chided him. He ignored it.
When Janus spoke again, his voice was stilted, most of the genuine emotion gone as the words were the work of Janus’s true name on him. Janus’s eyes were still expressive now, but the work of his mouth was not his own.
“On the topic of my mother, you were supposed to be a gift for me from her, in her words ‘this human is one of the most docile of the human’s I’ve heard about, it will be perfect for your first human.’”
Janus’s voice mirrored his mother’s inflection, the hint of disgust at the fact that Patton was simply a human. But Janus’s eyes told them it was only because he was instructed to tell Patton why, and this was part of that.
“Supposed to be?” Patton murmured, soft enough not to interrupt Janus, but his mind couldn’t hold onto Janus’s wording for long as he continued.
“Now, I was against getting a human, as I was sure I was fine on my own. However, my mother insisted, and you don’t want to see her when she gets cross. Things get... icy when she’s cross.” Janus was able to snort, the word clearly meant to be a pun at the emphasis put on it.
Patton’s eyes widened, conflicted between laughing at the pun as he got it or shudder at the mental image of his mother and the power that mere pun hinted at.
Patton settled on doing neither instead, waiting for Janus’s next line.
“So she told me that she was going to buy you and have you escorted to me within the moon phase and you came the next day, which is of course, today. As for what I intend to do with you now that you are in my home?”
Janus was able to somehow pause for dramatic effect, even with his true name magic compelling him. Janus managed a small genuine and... soft smile towards Patton. Patton tried not to let the smile melt his insides, but... he was failing miserably.
“I don’t intend to do anything other than allow you any freedom you desire. However, I cannot guarantee you the freedom to leave the fae realm as I cannot free you back to the human realm without consequences from my society. That doesn’t mean I am not willing, in fact, your smile alone was almost enough to- mfffmffm”
Janus tried to slap his hand over his mouth to stop himself from speaking, his sharp cheeks blooming a bright rose red as his mouth betrayed him. The true name magic forced his hand to his side, compelling him to finish answering Patton’s question despite both parties starting to blush intensely.
“-convince me to try and let you go then and there. However, overall, I only want to truly help you the best in good conscious escape back to the human realm at the right time where me are least likely to get caught.”
Janus went silent, his posture finally relaxing as the fae magic ebbed out of him. He swayed a little before, nearly collapsing on the edge of the bed as he suddenly clutched his head.
Patton squeaked, grabbing Janus’s elbows before he could think about what he was doing.
“Hey... are you okay?” Patton asked, voice tick with concern as Janus looked up into Patton’s face, expression clear with exhaustion.
“Oh yeah sorry... I guess resisting true name magic exhausts you a bit, huh?”
Patton retracted his hands, the reality of what was doing hit when-
Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.
There was a set of 4 knocks that froze both of them to the spot, both their eyes filling with fear.
No...