Chapter Text
Janus heard Remus before he saw him for the first time. His loud laugh carried up to the third floor rooftop where Janus had set up shop. Business was slow this lunch period, he usually forged at least two or three signatures and notes on a good day. Today he was distracted by the commotion going on below. He craned his head around to watch. There were four boys playing what looked to be a cross between hackysack and monkey in the middle.
The monkey doesn’t appear to be too happy Janus mused to himself. Indeed the boy in question seemed to have given up rescue attempts of the small purple beanbag. Instead he turned in quick circles trying to track the movements but only succeeding in nearly loosing his round glasses. Another loud laugh and Janus focused in on Remus. Average height, messy uniform, even messier curls, he could’ve been just like any other boy at this school.
Except for that smile. There was something dangerous about that smile. Too much teeth, not enough warmth and entirely too disturbing for a 15 year boy to wear. Janus couldn’t tear his eyes away.
From here on the roof it was safe to watch. He almost pitied the boy in the middle of the demented game. Almost.
Janus was turning back to his lunch when there was an indignant shout.
“Remus, stop this at once.”
Pressing his face to the fence Janus saw a newcomer to the game. Same messy curls and average height but a bright spotless shirt tucked neatly into smart trousers.
“Roman, my dearest brother. Fancy a bit of toss?”, Remus dangled the object in front of him like a bell.
“That doesn’t belong to you”. Remus took an overly exaggerated look at the object in hand as if seeing it for the first time. He held it up as if appraising its worth.
He paused.
“Are you sure, brother? I am holding it.”
Roman took an angry step forward, “ that doesn’t make it yours, give it back. Now!” Remus just laughed. Roman started forward but there was a sudden jerk of Remus’s arm and the beanbag shot into the air. One of the boys gave a low appreciative whistle.
“Nice one Remus, you might hit a tree top with that one.”
“Only if I’m lucky,” Remus quipped shielding his face against the sun as he judged his toss.
Roman having been startled by the sudden throw, now seemed to tremble with new found fury. Where does he get that energy? Janus mused having lost sight of the beanbag. Roman didn’t move and Remus refused to look down from the sky.
Stubborn.
“Roman,” the boy who was monkey was now tugging Roman’s arm, “we might as well go look for it. It couldn’t have gotten too far. I don’t want you getting into trouble so just leaf it, yea?” The monkey’s poor attempt at humor seemed to at least distract Roman who looked down at him with concern.
“But Patton, surely-“
“I said drop it Ro.” Monkey’s-Patton’s apparently- voice was sharp and Roman glared one last time at Remus who was now smiling blissfully at the sky. With a final sound of disgust, Roman allowed Patton to drag him away to the nearby trees out of sight from Janus on the roof above.
“YooHoo! Roof boy, how good was my shot?”
Janus’s head whipped back to Remus on the ground who, sure enough, stared directly at him. Janus stared back, his throat dry.
“Yes you. My shot, how was it? Please tell me it went far, I have a record to beat you know.” Remus stood, hands on his hips, head tilted back at a odd angle all to shout up to Janus as if conversing casually with a old friend.
Janus was torn between annoyance at being discovered and amusement of the situation on whole. Tapping his pen, he made a decision. He tipped his cap in acknowledgement and proceeded rip of a piece of his notebook. Doing some quick estimates, he wrote down a number and crumpled up the piece of paper.
Then, just as Remus had done only minutes before, he popped the paper ball into the air, letting it fall on the other side of the rooftop fence. It fell to the ground below. Remus attempted to catch it, nearly loosing balance. Once upright again, there was a moment of silence as Remus unfolded and read the paper. He looked up.
“Really? Only a tree and a half over?,” he peered at the offending trees behind him,” well shit. Next time I’ll use a bat.”
He folded the paper back up and waved up to Janus, “thanks birdie, remind me to give you a proper thanks next time.”
Next time? What next time? Janus considered if he should be apprehensive or curious. Remus was already disappearing through the trees with his three hackysack friends when Janus looked back again. He continued staring at the trees, turning over the encounter in his mind.
For such a cold smile, Remus certainly seemed to exude some sort of strange warmth. Like a screaming kettle Janus thought with a snort turning back to his lunch.