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Janus was not in the middle of making meals for the week when he heard and felt a feeling of distress and fear tug at his heart. He was unconcerned by the feeling and that it was coming from the direction of the dark side bedrooms.

“Remus are you unhurt ?” The self preservation side called out as he made his way to the hall. He was stopped short by the sight of a new door, the tugging was coming from behind it and so was the heartbreaking sound of sobbing.

Remus had popped his head out of his room to answer the other but he also stopped, mouth open to speak, to stare at the new door. It was rather plain looking as new doors often are but it had remnants of stickers in places, like someone had scraped the surface in a hurry and without care. The sad sight made the sobbing coming from the room that much more concerning. Both sides look from the door to each other, Remus nods and heads to the linen closet while Janus walks over to the sad door and summons all his arms.

A few new sides and figments had formed over the years in Thomas’s mind. Not all of them were strong enough to make it to become fully realized and the process of being re-absorbed was extremely painful. The dark sides had a routine in place to try and ease as much suffering as they could for these unfortunate aspects, and by going by the sounds they heard the process might have already started. Now armed and “armed” the sides opened the door quietly and stepped in ready for the ghastly sight that surely awaited them.

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Glass dug into Logan’s clammy skin as he curled up into the fetal position, the self soothing rocking not helping the situation in the slightest. A deep bruising sadness enveloped his form and though he tried to physically hold himself together he couldn’t help the sensation of being broken. The mixture of pains pushed out ragged sobs from him and he let them, holding back his emotions is what had gotten him here and Logan always learned his lessons the first time.

Patton had warned the “light” sides since the split that if they didn’t behave then they would end up on the dark’s side. As children they didn’t have reason to disbelieve what Patton said, he was based on adults like Thomas’s dad and Father McFloot so he must know what’s best. Logan hadn’t thought to question that logic even as he grew to become Logic. It was just a fundamental part of being part of a whole. But now he knew that Patton was right, he was bad and now he was paying for it.

Along with the broken bottles anything not secured was strewn about the floor, the story Roman wrote him for Christmas was having its words washed away by the water leaking out the souvenir snow globe from the planetarium, the stim music cds Virgil had made him were cracked or scratched beyond repair under his toppled desk. The few things he had for himself ruined and crumpled just like him, if he was able to think clearly he might have been inclined to make an observation about how he was also on the floor in a crumpled state. As it was he was not thinking clearly and the two sides inching his way were kind enough not to point it out.

“L-Logan?” Janus’ voice stuck to his throat, having to be forced out to be even a whisper. He knelt next to the sobbing aspect, careful not to cut himself in the process, and slowly used all his arms to transplant Logan onto his lap. Remus being unnaturally quiet snuck back out of the room, likely to get the med kit from the dining nook. “I’ve got you, take some deep breaths for me.” It’s easy to fall back into the tactics he used to use for Virgil, before Anxiety left them. “In 3…2…1. Hold 6…5…4…3…2…1. Out 7…6…5…4…3…2…1.” 

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They sit there like that counting breaths and at some point Remus comes back and joins the count. It seems like it’s been hours by the time Logan has calmed enough to stop full body sobbing and transition to slow, silent, tears but in reality it’s only been 20 or so minutes. Logan sags in Janus’ hold, too tired to even be tense around the supposed villains. “I believe our bibliophile is ready to be doctored, Janny” Remus huffs out in a sad excuse for a reassuring laugh as he opens the med kit. With greater care than he’s ever shown outside of his fellow darks Remus begins clearing and cleaning each wound, most he wraps afterwards but a few cuts are too deep to just leave be. They would have to sew up those and hope that Logan would heal mentally enough for the cuts not to scar, even if scars did look cool sometimes.

 “Hey teach, did you know that the stitch used on people was originally a mattress stitch? How do you think humans discovered it worked on people?” Remus asked as he got out the sterilized surgical silk and the half loop needles. “Cause the earliest reports say humans started sewing each other up around 3000BC, they used all kinds of stuff too like hemp, cotton, silk, animal muscles, and catgut. Catgut is illegal to use in most places now though, since the 30s most suture thread is dissolvable synthetic stuff.” The darker creativity keeps his voice and hands steady as he administered localized anesthesia to each area before seeing the cuts closed. “The standard ratio of stitch to wound used to be 4:1 but nowadays it’s 6:1, bodies stretch a lot so they need that wiggle room. Good old Jenkin and his research stop a lot of painful popped stitches, can you believe that doctors use to only use a 2:1 ratio? And people think I’m a sadist.” 

While Remus babbles on about weird medical facts Janus looked around the room to get an understanding of what happened to Logan. With the way the glass was under the logical side as well as laying on top of him it was reasonable to assume that whatever happened had two parts. There were labels with dates and times on them, the contents must have been important then. Janus lifted a paper label with an extra hand and brought it closer to read. Unfortunately a curved shard pierced his glove, a burning radiated from the nick and built up intensity until the deceptive side was warm all over. It was familiar and foreign at the same time, it reminded Janus of the fondness he held for his boys but centered around the gut instead of the breast. Oh. Oh. This was infatuation, puppy love, and as quickly as it manifested it faded into nothing. ‘What the hell?’

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Once Logan’s cuts were taken care of Janus stood with the logical side still in his grasp, “you need to rest but your room is in no condition to be in right now.” Remus nodded in agreement taking a glance at the bed, one of the supports broken and the mattress sagging. “Do you want to stay in one of our rooms, the living room, or with the figments?” Janus asks as they enter the hallway, there are 3 doors besides Logan’s newly added one, Remus’ sour apple green covered in Various hazard signs, Janus’ butter yellow with gold detailing, and a beige door with all kinds of stickers and decorations. There was another hall with another set of doors but Janus wanted Logan close to his own room in case the poor side started to become unstable.

Weakly Logan looked between his options, he didn’t understand why they were treating him so kindly but he felt an urge to stay close to Remus and Janus. Though it seemed childish he buried his head into the shoulder he was propped against and gripped onto the deceptive side’s cape. “Stay with you?” It came out barely more than a whisper and uncharacteristically nervous for the usually put together logical side. Both senior darks shared a look, less worried now and more achingly sad, before they made their way to the yellow door. “Of course, I would go back on my word. We won’t stick close.” Janus soothed as he pet Logan’s sweaty hair, Remus opens the way into Janus’ room and follows them in before closing it again softly.

The room, like every side’s bedroom, used Thomas’s bedroom as a base but was unique to their aesthetic and purpose. Janus’ had extra bookshelves like Logan’s but instead of science textbooks and mystery novels they were filled with psychology, philosophy, and Greek plays. The whole room felt cozy and safe like that of Patton’s room but without the mind numbing nostalgia, it also lacked the overly sweet smell of store bought sugar cookies and summer breeze detergent. On the bed that they were nearing were pillows with all sorts of textures in assorted shades of yellow along with an old plush bat with mismatched button eyes. When he was set on the bed that childish urge hit again and he gathered the bat in his bandaged arms, hugging it close to his face. It took a few minutes for him to realize that he had been tucked in and that the other sides were talking in hushed tones nearby.

“He’s obviously traumatized, whatever happened was enough to make him want to escape!” “ I don’t think that’s the case Remus. His room looked like it was attacked by a tornado, not slid over to a different spot.” “Yeah, that’s why I think he was hurt first. Someone did that and he tried to get away where they can’t get him.” “ I’m not saying he wasn’t hurt. I’m saying I don’t think he’s the one that moved his room.” “D-do you think it was…HIM?” “ Probably. But we’ll deal with that later. Right now Logan needs stability and safety.” “They’re not going to touch him!” “ No they won’t.” With those words ringing firmly who’s ears Logan drifted off.

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Remy and Emile were talking over coffee, a normal evening affair for them, when a knock interrupted their light banter. The sides normally left the figments to do whatever as long as it didn’t mess with their work so being visited wasn’t a normal occurrence and thus…worrying. It was Remy who opened the door for an exhausted and ruffled Remus, “Uh, sup babes? Is like everything Gucci?” The sleep figment asked as he waved the side in. Remus flopped onto the client couch and groaned long and loud before looking up at the others, “Everything is Urban Outfitters!” He finally admits his voice teetering between pained and manic. Emile gasps, eyes wide at the declaration and Remy pales as he sets his cup on the desk, “Catch us up big guy.”

The room is not as bad as he first feared when they were in here earlier, the absence of Logan’s sobbing form and the panic centered around him put the damage in a less frantic light. The bed needed fixing, the glass swept, papers dried and hopefully saved, and replacing some broken knickknacks. Not nearly as bad as it could have been, Janus knew it could have been worse, so, so much worse. First things first, the glass and broken bobbles had to be cleared and that required a broom and dustpan! With that determined Janus nodded his head and headed out to grab the bedded supplies when he bumped into a mop of pink fluffy hair. 

“Ope! Sorry ma.” Said pink haired figment exclaimed as he reached out to steady Janus. The deceitful side thanked the psychologist and straightened(gayed) his cape before looking at the group outside the door with a questioning eyebrow quirk, “Remus said things were oh bother levels of bad so we came to help out!” Emile supplied as Remy looked passed and into the room, “Babe forget oh bother this is a Zoinks. ” The sleep figment commented as he lowered his shades. “Pardon my French mom” he added, glancing at Janus making the side sigh, “Pardoned. Now let’s not get to work while the poor dear isnt still sleeping.” With a shooing motion of his many hands the group went off to get needed items to start clearing.

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Patton marched down the hallway angry, disgusted tears rolling down his chin as he made his way down the stairs and to where the others were sitting on the couch watching an old episode of Kim Possible. “Woah, Pat bud, what’s got you so torn up?” His strange, dark son asked as he stopped beside the coffee table. Wiping the tears always so his glasses would get smudged Patton drew in a deep breath, “L-Logan hates us, he hates us and <hiccup> he tried to h-hurt me <sniffle> So I…I grounded him.” Patton choked out, trying not to go into another crying fit. Beside Virgil Roman gasped and grew pale, the princely side looked scared, good. With an extra sniffle to drive the point, Patton added, “He needs to learn his lesson so please don’t go chasing after him.” Before he raced up to his room to cry a bit longer, leaving one perplexed and one terrified side in his wake.

“Grounded?” Virgil asks bewildered by the whole situation, “Aren’t we a little too old for that? And isn’t that kinda lenient for trying to hurt Pat?” He questions still looking at the stairs that the moral side retreated up a moment before. He was met by an eerie silence as the episode had ended and they hadn’t queued up the next one, “Dude this is seri-“ his words died in his mouth as he took in the state Roman was in, “Princy, dude, what’s up? You look like they announce that Disney is going bankrupt, it’s scaring me man.” His question was met with more silence as Roman started to cry without making a noise, it was the tears of a hopeless man.

 A few minutes of the quiet tears are broken when Roman bows his head and whispers a haunted “I’m sorry.” It doesn’t feel like Ro is apologizing to him and Pat had seemed physically ok so why was he saying sorry like he just watched somebody die? “Virgil, he…he might as well be dead.” He winces as he realizes he must have been mumbling his thoughts out loud but he’s still confused, “Why would you say that? Logan just needs to cool off or whatever, he’ll probably be ungrounded in a few days.” Virgil tries to reason, the prince was just being over dramatic. “Grounded doesn’t mean grounded, grounded means grounded . Logan isn’t coming back.” Roman’s nose is running now and his posture is tense and guarded, he doesn’t look like a heroic prince but a cowering dog with its tail between his legs. That’s when it happens, “Shut up. Shut up! Patton is good to us, he sees us as his kids! He wouldn’t hurt us or Logan so shut up and stop talking like he did!” Virgil snaps at the distraught Roman, growling in frustration and thoughts spiraling from mounting worry. ‘No, Logan wouldn’t abandon them, Patton wouldn’t do anything to hurt them unless he had to, they were a happy family! Roman is just being a dramatic baby-man, it’s nothing but lies, it has to be!’ 

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The clean up went considerably faster with the small family working together, so by the time it was nearing dinner time they had finished separating what was salvageable and tossing what wasn’t. “ Don’t wash up, I won’t insist that you both stay for dinner.” Janus instructs as he wiped his hands free of debris, “It’s not a good thing I wasn’t preparing meals for the week.” He sighs to himself as he shoos the other three out of the room and heads to the kitchen to see where he left off before this whole situation started. 

The already made lasagna sat cold on the rack, waiting to be portioned, several containers of pasta with sauce were stacked on the counter next to it. On the stove the vegetable beef stew was still lazily bubbling and the roast chicken in the oven would likely be golden by now. ‘It would be easier for Logan to stomach the stew but Remus and Remy tend to need to consume more than the others…’ so with that thought Janus used one set of hands to pull out a mixing bowl and the biscuit mix while another pulled out a pan to grease up. Some big fluffy biscuits to dip into the stew would fill up the kids without taking a long time like making cornbread would. So with a little milk with the mix and oil on the pan Janus switched the roast with the dough. He had enough time to go wake Logan from his much needed nap before the timer rang.

A soft knocking brought Logan out of slumber instantly, he didn’t remember falling asleep but by the look of the room he was in it must be late, Patton would be angry if he was late to dinner again, Patton wou-…Patton had punished him, he was banished to the dark’s side and now he at their mercy. Logan pulled the covers over his head, hugging the fuzzy bat close in foggy brained fear as the door creaked open to silhouette a presence. “Logan, honey? It’s time to come eat. You can go back to sleep afterwards if you want to.” Janus still sounded soft, reassuring and solid but not in a syrup-sweet way like Patton. By the time he made up his mind to answer Janus had walked to the bed and sat on the end, “Do you want to take Artemis with you? I don’t think Virgil would mind if you claimed her, he left her when he went to live on the other side.” Now Logan peeked out from under the covers and looked for any tells that would show Janus was lying. He saw none. “No one will laugh?” He asks weary of what and who lay beyond the room, “I promise honey, no one will laugh at you for needing some extra comfort.” Janus swears by crossing his heart, “Then, yes please.” Logan agrees.  And they make it out of the room just in time for the timer to go off and see Emile pull the pan of golden biscuits out.

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As most of the family moved around the table passing around bowls, plates, and silverware, Logan helped Janus put away the containers of other meals away in the freezer. He held on tightly to Artemis in one arm while he used the other to pass the meatloaf, which was the last thing on the counter needing to be put away. “Thank you Logan, you did have to help me.” Janus praised, “It was unexpected that you would want to rest at the table.” He said gently guiding Logan back to the eating area where the table was now set and waiting for them. Janus sat the logical side next to him so he could be close if anything happened, Logan was still quite fragile at the moment. The food was dished out without much fuss, Emile laughing softly as Remus put an unholy amount of hot pepper flakes into his bowl and Remy quietly conjuring up some colorful drinks. 

“Hey babes, what kind of drink do you want?” Remy asks as he turns to face Logan making the logical side shrink into his seat and hug the bat plush closer to his face, “Can I have some juice, please?” Logan responds shyly, his voice sounding especially small in the moment. “Sure thing babes, apple, grape, or fruit punch?” After a beat of contemplation and a cutely scrunched up face Logan chose apple juice, it reminded him of Isaac Newton. At this exchange Emile took greater notice of how the injured side was behaving, Emile’s knowledge of psychology was partly from Logan so he felt a kinship to the side, and what he saw was signs that Logan was acting childish. Not like Patton during videos or how he himself did from being the youngest of the group, no, Logan was acting like a scared little kid. Oh, oh. They had a lot more to address than they first thought.

Logan ate his stew quietly after Sleep had given him his glass of juice, he didn’t want to interrupt the dark sides and risk making them angry with him. They hadn’t been mean yet but Pat-pat wasn’t mean all the time either, best to be careful and keep them happy, but he was really tired and his hands kept shaking as he gripped the spoon. He should have known better than to put his glass so close to his bowl, it was only logical to put it on the other side but he had needed to use both hands to drink and, and, excuses were just lies that bad boys used to try and get out of trouble , and when he went to get another bite of food onto his spoon he knocked over his glass of juice. The crash silenced the few sounds that had been filling the room, instantly Janus had jumped up all arms out, Remy swore while grabbing a napkin, Remus held his ears and started muttering offensive words, and Logan froze like a deer in headlights. As soon as Janus’ hand reached towards him Logan unfroze and dove under the table apologizing and trying to pick up the chunks of glass with trembling fingers.

 “ ‘m sorry, I’ll fix et! Prease don't be mad! I fix et!” The logical side pleaded as another slippery chunk of the cup slip from his fingers, combined with Remus’ panicked mumbling the scene would break even the hardest of hearts. Filled with concern Janus tried to reach for Logan to make him stop before he got hurt again but he stopped when he sat the side flinch, right trauma. Thankfully Emile had crept over to their side of the table and was now sitting on the floor with Logan, “Logan, little constellation, no one is mad but we do need you to come out so we can clear that up.” The little nervously looked from the mess to the soft concerned faces looking down at him before placing the bits he had back down and nodding. With a relieved smile Emile helped Logan stand, “Thank you. Do you think you and Artemis can be my helpers and take Remus to sit on the couch?” The psychologist fictive watched as some of the tension left the little’s body now that he had something to do to focus on. “Okay, I help Wemus. Im be a good helper.” The others went about slowly soaking up the juice and clearing the cup pieces but they all discreetly observed Logan lead a still slightly upset Remus to sit on the worn couch where the two curled up close together, but not quite touching.

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“I’m not lying” Roman sobs out, covering his hand over his mouth to muffle the sound, “You weren’t around when we were younger, after the divide.” Virgil has to lean in to hear the princely side as he goes on in frantic whispers,“it wasn’t too bad at first, just tantrums, bursts of emotions that Padre couldn’t keep inside. He’d always say sorry though, but then then he would make it sound like it was our fault “I wouldn’t have to hit you if you just stopped asking so many questions logan” “maybe if you cleaned up your mess I wouldn’t be angry all the time Roman” . We tried to be good V, we did!” With a motion that spoke of years of repetition Roman squeezed his arms in a 4/4 pattern. “It g-got really bad when Thomas w-was a teen! Padre got so mad when Lo-Lo and I b-brought up th-the way Thomas liked boys. He wo-wouldn’t allow it.” Repression, Roman was saying Patton forced him to repress part of himself, of Thomas. It wasn’t the first time Pat had tried to lock something or someone away. No, but Pat just didn’t realize it was bad right? He didn’t mean to, he’s just not bright enough to see the way it hurt them. Right?

The worry in Virgil’s stomach grew ever darker as Roman kept talking in a hushed, scared voice.“When Thomas would get in t-trouble for one of our suggestions Padre would put us in ‘time out’ and we’d have to p-patch each other up, we didn’t have the im-impur-impermanence thing Logan can do back then.” He took in a shuddering breath as Virgil was trying to process all this new information, the anxious side felt the frustrated anger from moments ago slowly being washed away with cold dread. Roman’s panic was genuine but he still couldn’t quite fathom Patton acting like that. Roman went to wipe his nose with his sleeve and on instinct Virgil caught his hand, spooking the regal side, “that won’t feel nice, let’s use a tissue and go to your room. We can figure this out once we’re both not flipping out.” A puffy eyed prince nodded and let Virgil hand him some tissues to unstuff his nose.

With a quick stop back to his own room to grab some sleep clothes Virgil shuffles into Roman’s room. He finds Roman in a pair of worn looking sweats and a novelty nasa shirt, he must have been staring because Roman hugs himself defensively, “Lo-Lo said I could have it if he could have my old Barbie shirt.” He won’t meet the other’s eyes as he sniffles and rocks side to side waiting for a scathing remark or jab. “You guys were close. I never realized.” And Virgil felt more like an ass than he did in the common room, even if Roman was being dramatic Logan was still basically a brother to him and he was scared for his brother, Virgil had yelled at him while he was hurting and had been needlessly mean about the whole thing. “Hey, Ro? I’m sorry. I wasn’t being the best of friends back there.” The prince just shrugs and takes a quick glance at the other. “You didn’t know about that stuff or anything before you started coming around” Virgil takes it as an acceptance of his lackluster apology and moves to cautiously sit next to Roman on the bed. “I’m still confused about everything you’ve told me but you didn’t deserve to be repressed…or scolded. I’ll deal with Patton until we find out where Logan is.” He took a breath in, it shook in his chest, being the adult in the situation was terrifying. 

A weight falling into his side startled him out of his line of thought, a very tired prince was leaning into him with eyes drooping. Right, crying and worry make non-anxiety based imagination people tired. “I think it’s time for bed Princy, scooch over.” He huffed playfully (or teasingly since that was more their dynamic) and pulled back the blanket behind them for the other side to crawl under. Once Roman was under the covers Virgil got up but stopped when he heard the other whimper, “Chill dude I’m just locking the door, I’m not going anywhere” “Promise?” and with a quick check to make sure the door was in fact locked Virgil walked back to the bed and slid in next to Roman. “Promise”

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The table was set and the guests were all settled as Roman tinged his tea cup with a tea-spoon, “Welcome all to the monthly  tea and toast club meeting, the Crofters trees were bountiful with jars so everyone feast to your heart’s content!” A round of cheers sound from around the table followed by the popping of fresh picked jam jars and then the scraping of butter knives on crisp toast. On his left he heard Logan hum in pleasure as he had a loganberry and honey slice, while on his right Remus was scarfing down a strawberrylapeño slathered stack of burnt bread. Roman sipped his tea and sighed in contentment as he watched the sides and figments relax with each other, the picture of a happy family.

”Prince Roman, let’s dance under the raspcherry trees!” The little cream side exclaimed as he raced from his seat to the front of the table. Roman laughs at the enthusiasm and agrees, lifting the child into his arms and swaying softly to music that came from all around. “Toast day is my favorite day!” The little boy giggles as Roman twirls, “It’s my favorite day too because it means I get to spend time with all of you.” The prince admits before placing a fond kiss on the top of the child’s head. “Nothing is better than being with my family.”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*°*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ 

Virgil watched as Roman snuggled closer and mumbled in his sleep, he hoped that whatever was going on in the creative side’s head was nice, a nightmare after a sucky day wouldn’t be fair. As he thought that a rumble of thunder rolled by “outside”, likely mimicking the weather in the real world. “…Great”

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It was an easy decision to go ahead and put away the leftovers as when Remy checked both Remus and Logan were asleep on the couch. Emile asked Remy to take Remus to bed so he could talk with their mom, which amused Sleep as it did every time Jan was called any form of mom. “Hey ma” Emile started as Janus came back from the kitchen, “It’s kind of obvious that Logan isn’t acting like his normal self” to which Janus nodded and waited for the other to continue, “well the thing is that I recognize some of the behaviors, you remember when we were looking at coping techniques for Virgil?” With a hum Janus nods and motions for his youngest to keep talking, “so what I think is happening is Logan is a little, or well…his mind is a child to cope with whatever happened. But without more interactions I won’t know if it is something he has control over or if it’s involuntary.” They both looked at the snoozing side on the couch before Janus finally spoke, “no matter if isnt voluntary or is he’s family now and we never take care of our own. The question right now is ‘is he old enough to sleep by himself?’” Immediately Emile shook his head, “little or not Logan seems to blame himself for whatever landed him here, one of us should keep an eye on him incase he spirals again. He should sleep in his room though to keep him healthy but not alone.”

Logan felt a hand in his hair and a voice in his ear. He didn’t want to get up, it was so comfy here, “Logan, my honeybee, I’m going to carry you back to your room.” Logan whimpered at that, his room was scary, he got punished there. “Oh honey, it’s alright now. I’ll be with you to scare away all the bad things.” That sounded nice, sometimes Roman would do that too after they had nightmares, he missed his big brother bunches. “I know baby, this is all new and scary but we will be here for you the whole way.” The voice soothed him and he was almost back to sleep when he felt his firm bed and cool sheets underneath him, he didn’t want the cold though! He wants the warm voice to stay! The sad whine leaves him and he reaches out before he even realizes what he’s doing, the voice shushes him and runs a hand in his hair again, “just have to not snap on sleep clothes, be patient with me honey” a snap and swoosh had Logan in a soft loose shirt and baggy pants, the warmth slides into bed next to him and there is soft humming beckoning him into dreams. It’s nice, Logan’s last thought is that he will miss this niceness when he wakes up tomorrow.

Remy has a job to do, some errands to run before Thomas wakes up and does his reality person junk but first he and Em totally needed to snag a few things for their newest fam. Namely things that he can enjoy big or, if Em is right and he usually is, little. Sure they could conjure up things that related to their functions, unlike sides that could tap into Thomas’s imagination and make anything they could think up, soooo they would have to go into the imagination itself to grab what they needed.Em once said it was kind of like the holo-deck from Star Trek but less controllable cause it’s like alive. Thankfully they just needed a market with kid stuff and like novelty gifts and Em, smart bean he is, had a small list of crud that the tyke might enjoy. Remy had taken a peek and was not too good to admit he wouldn’t have thought of puzzle trays or a chalkboard, he did however know something that was missing, “Em, add on a nightlight. His old one was all busted up from the move.” He says with a gentle nudge to the other’s shoulder, “Oh! Yes, I hope they have a few to pick from. He likes space and ponies right?” The therapist asks as they come up to the door they need to use, Remy cackles and playful wipes a fake tear away, “the baby like unicorns, gurl you were so close oh my Gucci!” Which makes Emile flush and laugh out an “oops”, they took a moment to chill before they concentrated hard on wanting to shop and opening the door and walking in.

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Lightning flashes and the rain beats on the window as Virgil lays next to the sleeping Roman, with the heavy weather and heavier emotions Virgil is jolted by a lost memory of a similar night long long ago.

/Thomas is 8 and enjoying a bit of imaginary play time with the help of Theodosius (Play) or as the younger sides called him, Theo. Their playing was getting a bit rough as Thomas’s brothers joined in, it was a bit scary for little Virgil (Shyness) and toddler Logan (Questions) but the teenage Janus (Protection) had told them that even though it all looked real to them that Thomas and his brothers were safe from the dangers Theo created. But then in the excitement Chris accidentally knocked into Thomas and caused him to skin his knee pretty badly, he cried out and Mom came out. “Boys, what happened?” She asked after finding them in the backyard. Both of his older brothers were scared of getting in trouble but had honestly not noticed what happened so they didn’t have an answer for their mom. “Thomas, do you know how you got hurt?” She gently questions. Janus stepped up to be behind Thomas, “ Tell her you just tripped. No need to tattle when they didn’t mean to. You just tripped.” He suggests as he rubs a hand on his person’s back encouragingly, but another side pops up with an angry expression, “ You have to tell the truth! Lying is a sin and so is not listening to your parents!” The pre-teen Patton (Rules) shouts threateningly as he pushes Protection’s hand away, leaving a sharp pain where they touch. Thomas who had taken a calming breath is now crying again “Chris pushed me!” He wails. Mom was not happy to hear that and they all got grounded for playing too rough, Thomas’s brothers are not happy either, Thomas is confused and sad now. He had only answered mom’s question and been honest.

That night the sky reflected the stormy emotions, Rules was angry with everyone for letting Thomas get hurt and getting grounded. Shyness watched in the mindscape as Rules called Protection a lying snake and slapped him on the face, it left a big scary green mark on Protection’s face. Questions starts to cry and Shyness trembles as Play rushes in, bouncing Questions in his arms and letting Shyness hide his face in his long coat. “Sinful,  Deceitful snakes get punished by God, I’m not letting you take Thomas to hell so you have to go away!” With an added foot stomp a door rises from the floor, dark vines leap out of it and drag Protection through the door./

Virgil gasps as the newly recovered memory is accompanied by a shooting pain, he closes his eyes against another bolt of lightning that makes his head ache more. He was so confused by the scene that played in his mind, he honestly didn’t remember anything before Thomas was 10, figuring he was mostly just a mindless instinct until then. But he wasn’t, he could recall Theo making him and Logan semi-matching blankets for naps and Janus reading the three of them bedtime stories. And baby Logan’s first words were nana, his name for Janus, and pa for Patton. Theo’s coat was a rich warm brown with brass buttons and long dramatic tail that Virgil had hidden behind so many times. How did he forget his big brother who spoiled him or his little one who was always asking “why”? How did he forget the first 7 years of his life?! But the worst realization from all these messy memories being uncovered was why Theo had become Remus and Roman.
Patton killed Virgil’s older brother.

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The door to the imagination closed and the shimmering lights faded away into the form of a thrift mall. The place was huge, rows and rows of new and gently used items and clothes making it feel like an episode of hoarders. “Babe try not to, like, get lost. It’d be hell to find you again.” Remy chuckles as Emile smiles and nudges the other’s shoulder playfully, “I’m lost”  The giggling duo walk farther into the mess and begin their mission of finding welcome gifts for the newest family member.

The first small treasure they found was a set of puzzles and puzzle trays, the smallest was a 10 piece world map with the names of the continents, then there were some 50 piece sets with dinosaurs and ocean life, the largest was 100 pieces depicting the table of elements. They agreed that if Logan liked these then they would definitely get him more. Along with the puzzles on the shelf were some well loved books, most were trashy romance novels that mom liked to read and make fun of and thus not what they were looking for. While rummaging through the titles Remy found The Big Book of Why , it looked interesting enough to the facet so he put it on the stack of puzzles. “Hey babe, I don’t think there’s much else over here to find, where you want to look next?” He asked as he rolled over an empty cart to start filling, “The toys and electronics look like they start over by the wall. We can work our way aroooouund toooowwn to find the men’s clothing.” Remy rolled his eyes at the old SpongeBob reference but headed to the closest wall to look at toys.

The toys were a complete mixed bag, hot wheels and barbies next to boxes of monopoly and jenga. None of it seemed like anything Logan big or little might like until Emile accidentally bumped the cart into a tote box. He couldn’t see through the plastic so he set the tote on the corner of the cart and opened the top, “Jinkies!” The exclamation catches the attention of other facet who peers into the tote before lowering his sunglasses and giving a low whistle, “Jackpot, nice find. Legos are the bomb.” So the tote was added to the cart and they continued on to look at the dated electronics. There they found a night-light shaped like a shooting star and speak&spell that was in great condition, the banged up but unopened box to a diy soda can robot was another great find before they left that area and ventured into the furniture and decor area.

Ratty old sofas and musty chairs were ignored by the facets as they zigged and zagged around the unneeded items. “Hey what about Em? His shelves were all knocked off the walls and this could hold his stuff until we fix them.” Remy points to a stout bookshelf, “that would be work for now and if he wants a separate space for his little things we can use it there! Great pick!” Emile gushes as he pulls a sold tag from nowhere to mark the bulky item as theirs. They located a plain chair as a temporary replacement for the desk chair that had to be thrown out and were about to finally move on to clothes when a set of frames caught Remy’s eye. They were antique blue and silver wall art, “I Love You To The Moon And Back” with stars and swirls, “Dream Big Little One” surrounded by clouds, and the last one was a minimalist unicorn. One of the frames was loose but it could be fixed with some glue, the trio was just too perfect to leave behind for such a silly reason. 

It was getting close to being an hour since they entered the imagination when they reached the section that they were least sure about. The sides didn’t differ too much in size but they didn’t share every proportion exactly so it wasn’t like one could try something in place of another, they’d have to use their best guess. They found some galaxy print drawstring shorts and nasa fleece pj pants that were roomy and would be comfy big or little. Remy found a funny hoodie with an astronaut vacuuming up star dust that was probably a size too big but it made Emile giggle so it was going inthe cart! Near the end of the section they stumbled upon a soft black shirt with a cute bat logo for a cave tour neither had heard of before. “Alright, this is at least a good enough start. I say, I say, anymore shopping and I’ll drop.” Emile jokes as he takes the cart to the exit. Remy would roll his eyes but there’s no point with the shades on. “That one was a little weak doc .” Emile gasps at the bugs bunny impersonation Remy makes at the last word.

The door they walk through says exit but spits them back out into the mindscape. Their items now  in bags and the bookshelf sitting next to the coffee table Emile and Remy went back over the list to check off the things they had found this round. It wasn’t a whole lot since it was based on a thrift shop and not an outlet mall that would have multiple stores but it was way better than the nothing they started with. “Ok, so I’ll try and get more clothes for the baby while I’m out tonight and you can get more kid stuff after work?” Remy asks as he checks his watch, “Sure, I really want to get him some art things. Art is a great way for kids to communicate and work through their thoughts.” Nodded Emile as he wrote a few more things to the list. They might be going overboard but what they witnessed a few hours ago had been pretty unsettling and they both wanted Logan to never be that scared again if they could help it. 

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Virgil pulls Roman closer, tucking the younger side’s head under his chin protectively; he used to do the same to Remus when they were younger, when they were closer. The memories made his heart ache for his brothers, he wanted Remus, Remy, Obby, Theo…oh god he was hit with a new wave of loss thinking about Theo and the tears that fall burn his eyes. Roman snuggles and mumbles, right, he can’t save Theo, couldn’t have even when he was little but he has Roman and he will never let Patton hurt him EVER again. They needed to run, get out from under Patton’s thumb before he pulled some crazy shit like before, like whatever he did to Logan. He needed to see his baby brother was safe, that he wasn’t torn to splinters, left as pieces. 

/Theo was trying to comfort a crying Virgil, he woke from another nightmare calling out for Nana to save him. Patton hadn’t taken kindly to hearing that name again after the banishment and had spanked the kid for waking everyone, the punishments only got worse every time it happened. So Theo whispered and hummed softly to quiet thetyke, praying to something that Patton would be deep asleep and not notice the sniffles. The tune of Itsy bitsy spider washed over the two as sleepiness coaxed their eyes closed. 

—

The pressure of going from the fun brother to being the caregiver was grating on Theo, he should be making up games and cracking jokes, not trying to use the microwave to make dinner without being scolded for the beeping or hiding the little ones when he heard stomping steps coming up the stairs. It was all getting to him and Thomas hadn’t been getting along with his own brothers so why not do something that would let them blow off some steam. It was just a drawing, it’s not like Thomas really wanted his brother to get hurt, it was just a drawing…

—

“That dirty snake poisoned you! You’ve been sneaking around and hiding things from me and now you are getting Thomas in trouble! You need to be saved! . . . I will save you. I’ll rip out the poison and then you’ll be good!” Patton had a crazed look in his eyes as he grabbed Theo by the shoulders, his hands glowed a ghostly blue before he pulled and. Five year old Virgil screamed as his bestest big brother was ripped in half into two shining parts that melted into puddles. He was dead. Play was all gone and now there was no one to keep him and Questions safe, to love them. Virgil’s scream went from anguished to enraged, and as his emotions changed so did his body. Thick spider legs sprouted from his back and hips and with all the strength in his tiny body he launched himself at Rules, at the person that ruined their family, scratching and biting and screaming.

 Rules screamed too but from pain and fear, “You monster! You are poisoned too!” He spits as he throws the little side off of him and into a wall. Rules raises a hand to squash the creepy crawly death dealer but stops when he hears a pair of voices whine, he turns away from the crumpled child and towards the sound to find two toddlers the same age as Questions. These new sides whimpered and clung to each other as Rules stalked closer with a frantic grin, he looked closer at them as they looked up at him in old world awe. The one with eyes of red-brown reached out one of his chubby hands to Rules making grabbing motions but the other, the toddler with eyes of green swirling into dark brown cried at that and tried to pull his twin back but it was too late. Rules lifted up the red twin m, having to pull it from the others grip, and cooed affectionately at it.

—

When the door that brought him to this lifeless corner of Thomas’s mind reappeared Deceit was prepared for a battle, a real fight between the two oldest sides! What he was not prepared for was a beaten Virgil to tumble through the entry holding a crying toddler close to his chest. Deceit felt the tension in his body shift as he rushed over taking the babe from the child using one set of arms to sit the tiny thing on one of his hips before he did the same for Virgil. “Oh god, what hasn’t He done?” The teen wants to cry or go back to where He is and destroy him, to  protect his babies from that monster. Who knows what was happening to Theo or Logan if this is how little Shyness looked after this long. “Lovebug, please don’t tell me what happened.” And with dead eyes and a lifeless voice Virgil recounts what happened, the way he talks about watching Theo’s death is so detached./

Yeah, they needed to leave. Ja- Mom would forgive him for forgetting, for pinning the blame on the wrong parent. But they had to be smart about it or Patton would flex his control over them as punishment. Virgil felt Roman start to stir as the last of the storm pitter pattered against the window. 

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Logan woke to swaddling warmth and a feeling of safety, he can’t remember the last time that happened maybe it never did, it made it hard to force himself up to start the day. “Honeybee, it’s too early to wake up, go back to sleep baby.” The smooth voice beside him jolted him awake, a dark side was in his bed! Sleeping with him! Oh no! “What are you doing here Janus?!” He screeched as he scooted as far as he could from the other side. Janus, not expecting the loud volume, flung out of the bed in a panic, looking around the room for danger before the words registered. The panic left his face and way replaced with confusion, it was such an open expression of emotion that Logan was left feeling even more scared, why was Janus acting so familiar with him?

It wasn’t the best way to start a morning but Janus had raised Remus so a little screaming was not too bad, at least there wasn’t any goop. After taking a few calming breaths Janus realized what Logan had asked, did the side not remember the day before? Was it denial? Maybe they had missed a more serious head injury? Well no way of knowing until he stopped standing gaping like a fish. “Logan, what’s the first thing you remember before waking up?” He kept his voice quiet and steady, no need to frighten the logical side more than he already was. Janus watched Logan think about the question and then what had to be him recalling his appearance in the dark’s side. It broke his heart to watch the other’s face crumble into a mixture of grief and fear, he just wanted to hold him close and reassure Logan that he was safe but he had to left Logan come to him or else frighten the poor dear even more.

“Pa– Morality se-sent me here for b-being bad. You, you f-found me? I- I can’t- my mind g-gets blurry after that. What happened? Why w-were you in my b-bed?” He had kept the tears back but his breath hitched at odd times making him stumble over his words. His chest hurt and he just wanted to be held, which was silly and childish and not serious like a logic should be. Logan jumped a bit when Janus took a spent closer and then stopped to look at Logan with an expression that was too complex for Logan to label, the other stepped back and slowly sat on the floor with his hands up in a show of surrender. Logan being up higher made him feel less vulnerable, again silly as he was still trapped in a room with a dark side on the dark’s side.

Settled into his spot Janus looked up to Logan and sighed, “When you woke you were very alert and steady , while eating you knocked over a glass and had a panic attack. If we hadn’t already decided to have someone watch over you for any health changes then that would have changed left then and there.” It was always better to be direct with Logan, as much as the others tended towards the dramatic Logan could only take so much before if frustrated him. Though Janus did leave out the age regression, better to ask about that once Logan was less stressed so he didn’t regress before they could get answers.

Why couldn’t he remember any of that? It was, it was upsetting! He could recall everything with exceptions few and far between, why was this one of them? And why couldn’t he get control of himself? He felt like a liquid motion toy that had been shaken up, why couldn’t he just be warm and safe again? Everything was too much! Suddenly he was wrapped in something soft, warm, and solid, it shut out the world and made the sounds and light muffled. It was like one of Virgil’s weighted blankets. 

Janus was glad he was already sitting because out of nowhere Logan was swathed in black fuzzy wings! But he’d only been on the dark’s side for maybe 12 hours at most! Why did he already develop his animal trait? Was it the stress? Janus knew he and Virgil had their traits before they were sent to the darks but the others all got theirs in times of stress. Remy had turned into a cat one trying weekend where teen Thomas refused to sleep the whole 48 hours, GG had scared them all when he abruptly plopped onto the floor as a jellyfish when trying to decide on his name, and Remus had spouted tentacles as a toddler when Thomas wouldn’t eat the mud pie they made together. Was Janus the stressor, maybe it was reliving the past day, or maybe the weight of all his emotions finally catching up to him, whatever the trigger it seemed that his traits were there to help him through this as their own had helped each dark side before him. It seemed Logan had more than a childish attachment to Artemis but a kinship to the bat as it would appear Logan was a bat of some kind.

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Patton could feel his hold slipping, ever since Janus appeared the heart had grown weaker and his sway over the others waning. Sending Logan away had been impulsive but it had the benefit of making Roman fear punishment and he heard Virgil lose his composure so the little brat would be coming to him for comfort soon. Everything would be fine, Logan would probably be crawling back begging to be taken back into the light, to be saved by Patton’s loving forgiveness. Yes he might be feeling out of control right now but he could see the end of that in sight, these trying times would pass.

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Luckily for Virgil Roman slept through him getting out of bed, he didn’t know what to do if Roman woke up to being left alone. Though he didn’t leave for long, just enough to sneak over to his own room and grab a bag of clothes and a few things he couldn't replace if lost then slink back into the room with the sleeping prince. Virgil had no idea what Roman treasured most but he started rummaging around the drawers for a few pairs of clothes to get started. The anxious side had run away from home before so he knew what to plan for. Their rooms might take some time to follow them over so clothes, bathroom stuff, and memories that might get lost or damaged were all things that had to come with them. They'd have to be ready and leave as soon as they could, he just hoped Roman would be up for it.

“Roman, Ro? Can you wake up for me buddy?” Virgil shook Roman’s shoulder as the clock blinked 5:00AM at them, late enough for the younger side to have gotten some restful sleep but early enough that Patton wouldn’t be awake yet. “I need you to pick some things to take with us.” He said as he shook Roman again. With a soft groan Roman cracked open his eyes and mumbled out “are we going on an adventure?” He sounded like a hopeful kid, he actually hurt Virgil’s heart to hear it, “Yeah, yeah buddy we’re going on a trip and you need to pick some things to put in your bag. Think you can do that for me bud?” Might as well roll with it and keep Roman calm even if he had to force a smile and happy tone. 

Roman didn’t give him any fuss as they picked out a few books, a folder of recent ideas, and a few knick knacks. They were about ready when Virgil heard Roman gasp. “What’s wrong Ro?” He turned to see the creative side half under the bed, “Dude, what’s going on? It’s almost time to go on our trip, we can’t waste time.” But he was only answered by Roman shimmying out with the old plush bunny from an earlier Sanders Sides episode. “She has to come too, she’ll get lonely!” Pleads Roman when he looks up at Virgil, who could say no to those puppy dog eyes? “Of course but we have to go now, ok?” When Virgil got an enthusiastic nod at that he picked up their bags and reached out his hand for Roman to hold, it just felt right, and instructed him to close his eyes. With a deep breath to steady his nerves he sank them out. 

“𝑯𝒆𝒚 𝑽𝒊𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒍”

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Remus woke up early, well late to others but early for him anyway, it was still morning so it counted. His head felt all steel-wool and cotton balls (hehe) and he just wanted to snuggle up on the couch and watch trash tv while Janus puttered around doing parenty stuff in the background. So when he rounded the end of the hall to go to the couch he was mildly confused by the swaddled bundle that was already there, Virgil used to do that but Virg was gone so wh- ‘OH right, tiny teacher’ he recalled as some of the mess in his brain cleared. No biggie they could chill together, the kid was quiet for the most part and as long as nothing set off the munchkin then Remus should be able to vegetate like he planned. 

“Hey kid, mind if I watch some nature Sh-omg! That’s not a blanket!” He exclaimed after he walked closer to the couch intending not to spook the kid, “Holy Zeus’s balls! FUCK can’t say shit like that around kids, fuckfuckfuck Jan is gonna have my mustache for this” Remus tugged on said mustache, making his head go side to side like a weird metronome. But before he could think to dash away to avoid being caught Logan looked up from a very not kid-level law book, a look of confusion painting his features. Features that now included deep dark indigo wings that looked velvety and sparkly.

 “Remus, though I do believe that that much swearing is excessive, this is 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 home and unless Janus has a hard rule against it you should speak freely.” Logan comments as he shifts his wings closer to himself, obviously uncomfortable with how close Remus is getting. He’s saved from the ominous staring when Janus comes back from the duller hallway with a tray of empty plates. The cough and following glare make Remus smile a toothy grin as he bounds over to Janus’s side with his wiggly energy. “Hey nana, iwasntcussingaroundthebaby, so can I eat the plates?” Logan’s forehead crease deepened when he caught the word baby, that’s several times now that Remus has addressed him as some sort of child. Remus wasn’t known for his consistency, this would have to be something he paid attention to going farther. 

With a rather impressive eye roll Janus gave the tray to Remus, “Get crumbs everywhere, that would be delightful to clean up. And it would be awful if the soon to spoil leftovers were taken care of too.” With a cheer Remus took his prize and ran towards the kitchen where the sound of the refrigerator opening and Tupperware being moved signified that he had done as Janus asked. Good, no need for pitching out perfectly edible food, and it meant his most nosey child was out of the way for this, “Logan, I think we should have a more  vague talk about yesterday. There are some things that happened that we wouldn’t like answers to.” Janus explained as he sat on the couch with a full seat between them. Logan let his wings relax from the tense way he was holding them and set his book to the side to give Janus his full attention.

“Emile had a theory and I’ll need to confirm with him but I think it might explain why you can’t recall much of the evening. Emile said it seemed you were in a state called Age Regression, do you know what that is?” Janus asks, trying to come off as soft but not condescending. The logical side’s head tilted to one side as he thought about it, “I think Thomas researched it for a Cartoon Therapy video but it didn’t work for the theme so the idea was put on hold.” He recalled reading the brief explanation at the top of the site Thomas had been reading. “But I don’t know more than the basic concept.” He admits looking away from Janus so he wouldn’t have to see the other’s face when he was to eventually be chastised for not having the knowledge on hand. “That’s alright, I don’t know more than that myself. Emile was the one that looked into it some years ago when Virgil was still with us. So this sort of thing hasn’t happened before?” That…that was not the response Logan was expecting, he wiped his head up so fast that it should have hurt, Janus wasn’t disappointed? He wasn’t going to scold Logan? 

“Nuh uh” he answered as his mind was too preoccupied trying to figure out the catch. Janus wasn’t like Patton, he was like the mirror opposite actually. Where Patton would act loving but take it all back Janus seemed to pretend to be scary but be very caring, where Patton ran the household with a threat of punishment Janus had only been understanding and accommodating to his family. Suddenly Logan felt the sting of tears welling up in his eyes, “this is the first time I know of, what if it happens again?” The tears spill over now. 

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As Janus moved closer to Logan to offer the other a comforting hug two other people entered the room, “Oh dang gurl I think we chose the wrong time to show up.” Remy said in a hushed voice, Emile acknowledged the observation with a grim frown and nod. Instead of leaving however Emile walks closer and settles himself on the floor next to the couch, “Hey Logan, I know this is a lot to take in with everything that’s been happening but you are safe here.” The figment assured as Logan looked up from where he had placed his face on Janus’s shoulder, “How do you know that, why are you and Sleep here?” Logan narrowed his eyes at the two, he knew Emile was there last night from what he was told this morning but why would the Therapist figment be here again.

 Remy rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses, “We live here, at least when we’re not busy with our drama. And that’s how we know it’s safe.” The sleep figment sassed back only for Logan to flinch at the tone, “‘m sorry, I fwought you lived in the magi-nation.” The more Logan spoke the clearer it was that he was regressing again, Remy sighed defeated as both Janus and Emile gave him disapproving looks. “Don’t fret kid, it’s not like the MAN upstairs would have told you much about us.” Remy assured Logan, adding on, “I’m not upset with you babe, I’m upset about the situation.” But Logan didn’t seem sure about that as he leaned into Janus’s side to be slightly hidden from Sleep’s line of sight. Janus wasted no time going into protective parent mode and brushed Logan’s hair soothingly. With a pointed look and head jerk from Emile Remy excused himself to make tea in the kitchen, not like he needed anything in there to make tea but he wasn’t helping the situation so…yeah…kitchen.

“I know he sounded mean but what Remy said is true, our room is down here. Janus raised us and helped us with figuring out how we help Thomas. And he also was there for us when we messed up or got hurt like a real parent should. So you are safe here with us, I promise.” It was supposed to just be an explanation but looking into a scared little Logan’s face turned it into a declaration that Emile hoped they wouldn’t break. “Weally? An’ Wemy not mad a’ me?” Logan asked, looking from Emile to the entrance of the kitchen. “Really. And Remy…well he's not mad at you, he is mad for you. He and I got you some things last night actually. He really wanted you to feel welcomed.” The gifts were in Remy’s magic sand bag, wrapped up and ready for the right moment. Just at that moment Remy returned with several mugs of hot tea and one insulated travel mug with warm apple cider, “drinks?” 

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Jumping nearly out of his skin from fear Virgil rounded to face the side that addressed him while keeping Roman behind him, his whole body tensed to fight or flee. “Jumpy as ever I see.” Laughs the embodiment of Obsession, it has a slight crazed edge to it and Virgil can see dark rings under their eyes…probably hyper focused all night. Virgil let’s his muscles relax a smidge at the sight of one of his baby brothers sitting at a desk painting a model of Appa. “Yeah man. So things got dicey up there and you know me, first to jump out of the sinking ship.” He tried to come off as joking but he’s feeling about as well rested and confident as Obby looks so it doesn’t really hit its mark. 

“Shit, well mama always said it was destined to go to hell in a handbasket. Also thought it would be sooner though…but whatever. Who’s the guy?” Obsession asks, pointing at Roman who is looking at the Kingdom Heart figurines that lined one of the shelves. “This is Roman, Remus’ other half. How did we end up here? I was aiming for the common room.” That statement made Obby’s eyes get comically big and his lips to split in a wide smile. “Oh oh that was my doing! A safety measure if ma’s Armageddon came true! But it’s a bit off since it should have sent you straight into Remus’ room so thatyouwouldbetoo distractedtogetanywhereandmacouldscoop youup…if you were attackers that is.” Obby rubbed his neck and shrugged, “glad we found out this way and not with bloodthirsty Morality charging in.” Another shrug but this one with a sad sigh, Obsession hated when his projects failed, building and tinkering were his strong suits.

Roman yawned then and turned back to the other two sides in the room, “Is this part of the adventure? Is he a good guy?” The princely side inquired looking at the disheveled dark-pink clad side that talked really fast and seemed to know Vi, “He’s a good guy most of the time but his um……“magic gate” pulled us slightly away from where we were going. You can call him Obby.” Virgil tells Roman with only a moment of hesitation in explanation, Roman lit up at the mention of magic though. “So he’s a wizard!?” Wizards were very good for adventures and stories, Roman knew lots about wizards from his fairytale books. Obsession blushed a little at the awed tone that the famed Prince Roman used towards him. “Sure, yeah. I’m a kind of wizard and you can call me Obby or, or you can call me Plutus. It’s my real name.” Obby admits and Roman gasps, “Vi! Vi! Plutus is a very good wizard name! Can he come with us on the adventure?” The word adventure gets stretched as Roman yawns again. 

Both Plutus and Virgil chuckle at the enthusiasm but Virgil let’s out a big yawn right after, “I think we need to take a nap before we go anywhere else. What kind of heroes will we be if we fall asleep on our feet?” Virgil reasons as he nudges Roman to a plush chair and takes the bag the other was holding. You and your bunny here and I’ll take the chair over there so you can get me if you need anything.” He instructs motioning to another chair that was close to a bookshelf full of some of the book series Thomas had read religiously as a teen. Plutus got up out of the desk chair he had been sitting in and tossed each a throw blanket before flopping onto his messy bed. “Same, wake me if you need anything.”

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Remus’ meal tasted wormy now, someone was having some turbulent thoughts. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who it was, the guy had gone through the wringer just yesterday and having Emile as a sibling meant knowing that “healing doesn’t happen overnight”. Gulping down the last of his distraction-meal Remus sunk out from the kitchen (leaving all the dishes to rinse out later when things calmed) and rose up in the hallway that held the doors to his younger siblings’ rooms. It was annoying to just hide out but if he was away while Janus helped Logan things would go better, smoother. His presence could make any troubling lines of thought in the guy’s head worse. He did want to hurt Logan, not like that.

Now in the hall Remus took in the short hallway and take in their states. The marigold orange door muffled the sound of some punk band that Imp adored, farther down the hall on the same side Obby’s magenta door was covered in stickers and signs to the point where the paint was almost completely obscured. The only door on the side Remus was leaning against was a soft dove grey and other than the simple nameplate was bare of any personalization. Thya (thigh-ah) wouldn’t mind him popping in and just vegging, though he still knocked so he didn’t take the other side by surprise, it wasn’t fun to scare Thya…ever. “Coming in” he announced as the door opened easily for him. 

Apathy was sitting in a chair looking out a window Remus added years ago so that his sibling could have plenty of sunlight, the houseplants that Thya hoarded enjoyed it too. “Hey bud, room for one more?” And for the first time since he entered Apathy looked at him, “mhm” it was just a small sound but in the quiet room it was easy to hear. “Thanks kid, needed some chill time and you are the best at chilling.” That got a smile out of the other, always a treasure to receive. Remus grabbed the beanbag chair that typically found its way into this room and plopped himself next to Thya. It wasn’t the comfort of the common room but the dulling effects of Apathy’s room left him thinking less about his worries and just exist, a small break from the noise in his head. When they were younger Remus used to think it was scary to not be overstuffed with ideas and questions, he would have to be dragged in to visit Thya but as an adult…being able to escape from his heavy thoughts for little stints was a gift. They sat there together just looking out the window at a lush forest set in late autumn, the rain from last night leaving a light fog to rise. Finally the feeling of worms in his stomach faded to just a dull gurgle.