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Language:
English
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Published:
2022-02-20
Completed:
2022-02-20
Words:
2,037
Chapters:
2/2
Comments:
6
Kudos:
133
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8
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1,290

this is home

Summary:

janus sheds his skin.

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

with an annoyed huff, janus scratched at the calloused patch on his hip. the dreaded few days had rolled around yet again. it was the couple days a month where his skin refused to slip off easily, like a normal snake. oh no, it clung on like a cheap facemask, leaving him to itch like a dog with fleas.

he rolled over onto his back, stretching out like a starfish. oh god, it was torture, he thought. janus dragged his nails deeply across the scales, melting at the momentary burst of relief. he should get up and soak in the bath until the itching eases. then again, that's a lot of effort. he laid there, staring at the ceiling; maybe if he ignored it, it would go away. that line of thinking almost never worked; in fact there was a range of scenarios proving its uselessness. but janus was tired and janus was scratchy and janus didn't much care about the plethora of stories he could be telling about repression.

he must've fallen asleep because the next thing he felt was a finger jabbing the human side of his face. janus batted the hand away, letting out a grumpy noise. he twisted towards the wall and winced at the collision between pillow case and snakeskin.

the bed sunk under someone's weight as they sat beside him. janus shifted away, hating that someone was watching him exist in this vulnerable state. the same hand tenderly trailed over his scales, which didn't help with the itching in the slightest. his foot shot out and kicked the figure, who shoved him back. despite the itching which felt like an army of fire ants stinging him relentlessly, he laughed wanly, knowing that this side wouldn't treat him any different regardless.

"shedding?" the normally low voice contained a slightly concerned tone; like honey drizzled over broken glass.

he nodded, too worn out to conjure up a sardonic remark. in return, he received a sympathetic murmur and an odd yet affectionate forehead kiss. Virgil was always strangely lovey-dovey around this time; it was like valentines for two cynics.

janus left ref nail marks across his skin like tiger stripes; the crimson standing out against the green. snatching his hand, virgil glared at him, "you know you're gonna scar."

janus shrugged, yanking his loose t-shirt over his head. it exposed further scales, some of which where already beginning to pucker. he picked at the edges, pulling harder than necessary.

virgil kicked him again.

rubbing the flakes off with his thumb, he considered taking a steamy shower. or taking sandpaper to his skin. he imagined how smooth it would be to touch, like seaglass that had been tossed to shore after years of tumbling in the ocean.

out of the corner of his eye, he saw virgil wrinkling his nose, silently grossed out. he started to peel a layer, not even wincing at the slight prickling sensation with a mischievous smile. virgil was quiet for a moment, staring with a disgusted curiosity, before kicking him again with a disgusted shudder. virgil's squeamishness was the only source of entertainment nowadays.

"what? can't a man shed his-"

"piss off."

 

janus laughed and fell back onto the bed, flexing his fingers. he shouldn't scratch. it would hurt. logan would get all judgemental. he shouldn't scratch.

glancing over at virgil, who was completely oblivious to this emotional dilemma that was occuring next to him, he realized that he'd never asked what he was doing here. it hadn't occurred to janus to even wonder why there was an emo slouched at the end of the bed playing animal crossing. since joining the light sides, he had decided to just go with the flow. these guys were weird and he had elected to embrace it; learn to love it.
... tolerate it, at most.

janus nudged him with a foot. he was wearing yellow socks that were sort of on brand for him. to be honest, he was wearing one on-brand, buttercup sock and one holey sock that was covered with a thin layer of dust.
anyway, he nudged virgil, "why are you here anyway?"

virgil glanced up from his switch, a look of surprise taped on his face like a missing paper fluttering in the wind, "because you're ill, dumbass.

the side went silent, a little stunned. janus shrugged, awkwardly fluffing the pillow beside him so his hands weren't just hanging there doing nothing. it was a nice cushion, he thought, blatantly ignoring the urge to tear his skin off. he picked at the loose, scruffy snakes he'd embroidered so long ago. he smiled fondly at the memory, recalling how logan had stitched steadily as he'd wobbily sewed a few snakes, that looked more like worms.

that reminded him.

"i presume logan's busy?" he tossed the pillow away and inspected the tiny hole on the cuff of his joggers. it was easy than looking virgil in the eye. the side's raspy laugh broke the pregnant silence, causing janus to scoff. his laugh was so entirely annoying. the laugh was lemonade poured on on ice-cubes, salty waves crashing on cliffs and scratched CDs skipping in the player.

"you miss logan, hm?" virgils voice was grating on his last nerve more by the second. with every sentence, it grew more teasing. he wanted to kick him off the bed so bad. in a loving way. he wanted to LOVINGLY shove virgil onto the floor WITH LOVE AND AFFECTION.

janus ran a hand through his hair, trying not to itch the scales that splotched across his forehead. with a voice that spoke mostly to the air, he muttered, "maybe."

virgil laughed that jumpy, cd scratch laugh again, "he'll come by later. try to sleep or something."

rolling his eyes, janus curled up into the mattress. a duvet was chucked over him as his eyes fluttered closed. he smiled to himself, stretching out like a cat, regardless of the other side's complaints. the sun leaked through the cracks in the blinds and pooled onto the duvet cover. the room was draped in a sunshiny, comforting blanket. even though he was in a constant state of dull pain, the duvet was toasty and virgil's hand was tapping a tune on his waist and life was pretty good, to be honest.

Chapter 2: 2

Chapter Text

another slap and a hushed "don't HIT him" brought him back to consiousness. he rubbed his eyes, surprised to see two sides standing over him. the room had melted into darkness, throwing shadows behind every surface and shattering glass to embellish the night sky.

the emo moved back to his end of the bed when he noticed janus had woken up. virgil had terrible posture. he was leant against the wall, slouched over his DS. the blue light illuminated his face, highlighting his tiny smile.

logan perched on the edge of the bed, examining the exposed, blistering scales. janus was still as the side inspected his face and neck. logan's warm breath tickled his neck and he longed to shove the side into him. aching, he imagined how logan's mouth would move, how his tongue would flick across his neck. he pressed his lips together, intertwining their hands to logan's surprise. shedding flooded him with hormones; the predominant one at this moment in time being lust, as embarrassing as that was. most of the time he was cool and collected, but now he was a mess. he was a mess that wanted logan, almost desperately.

logan gestured for him to pull the blanket back, "can i?"

janus did as he said, letting logan look closer at the patches that adorned his back and torso. his fingers danced across him, causing him to melt. his head was fuzzy, his cheeks warm, but he could still notice virgil's light chuckling from beside him. though logan seemed to be oblivious, virgil wasn't. he hated how virgil picked up on every tiny change that morphed his face by the slightest bit.

most people would assume that logan was simply being caring but janus knew better. he was immensely interested in his scales and frequently bombarded him with questions. strangely enough, he kept a notebook recording the abnormalities. janus supposed that it was fair; he was a freak of nature and logan was a scientist. logan had obviously picked up on how shitty he was feeling and decided to stay quiet, but he'd definitely get the relentless questions tomorrow.

"you having fun-" janus raised an eyebrow as logan traced a particular clump of scales with his pinky. it was easier to focus on being snarky, rather than admit which feelings were stirring in his stomach. logan had such nice hands as well, which made it worse. he had velvety, moisturized skin that moved against his own fluidly. he longed to tug logan closer, by the tie, just to feel his rosy lips brush his. janus would tangle his fingers in logan's fly-away hair, tugging slightly at certain intervals.

logan looked up with a dry expression, as if he could read janus' mind, "take a bath. you'll be okay."

"i knew i'd be okay," he said, pushing logan's prodding fingers away. logan's hands would feel so good on him. he could picture the lazy movements that dragged lower, leaving a tightness in his shorts. he silently wished he hadn't prevented him from doing such.

silently, virgil hauled the logical side onto the bed, knocking his glasses askew. his protests trailed off as he relaxed into the embrace, resting his head in the crook of virgil's elegant neck. he lazily drew shapes on janus' arm with his free hand, leaving a burning sensation throughout his arm.

the three sides sprawled on janus' grey duvet, doing separate activities, only connected by light touches that lingered for too long. virgil was slouched over his video game, cursing through his teeth every so often. occasionally, he posted doritos into logan's mouth, earning a gentle peck on the cheek.

logan was studying the marks that garnished janus' hip, comparing them to detailed scientific sketches in a chunky book. he had a pencil balanced behind his ear and was frowning at the page. janus ached for the times where he'd caress the bumpy skin, whispering under his breath.

"speak up, lo." janus murmured, self-conscious of his scratchy throat.

"Klauber describes how the keels on the scales of crotalus rattlesnakes are particularly strong mid-dorsally, but gradually weaken on the lateral rows with the ventral scales being smooth. Many of those traits can be applied to your scales; it interests me greatly."

janus chuckled softly, a look of slight shock etched across his features, "klauber?"

"he was an american herpetologist and one of the most important figures in the rattlesnake community." logan informed him happily.

virgil snorted, "there's a rattlesnake community?"

"of course there's a rattlesnake community. it is a subject of great interest to many individuals, such as myself." he argued, still snuggled in virgil's arms.

janus watched the pair bicker, subtle adoration rising in his chest. he loved that they could argue over the silliest things, such as rattlesnakes, while still being so intimate. he'd never seen logan so relaxed prior to this relationship. around the other sides, he still stood straight, his mouth a harsh line. but when it was just the three of them, he lightened, leaving kisses on cheeks and laughing that fire-y laugh.

turning to janus, virgil snickered to himself,
"if we put a facemask on jan, he might shed easier."

his laughter trailed off as the others exchanged a LOOK. a particular look that said '... not a bad idea."

logan took janus' hand, "snakes tend to shed better in water. it helps dislodge the skin."

and that's how three sides ended up lounging in a steamy bathroom, peel-off facemasks on their faces, wine glasses in hand. janus was in the bath, a moment away from ripping his skin off, but still sipping his wine with a certain elegant class. virgil was perched in the sink, swigging his wine like a sailor knocking back rum in a cheap saloon. and finally, logan was sitting cross-legged on the bathroom floor, topping up everyone's drinks whilst rambling about snakeskins to a captive audience.

this is home.

Notes:

i spent hours researching snakes for this dumb fic