Chapter Text
In the last five years, so many things had changed.
Thomas had found a way to let himself grow, whilst still maintaining just an essence of his inner-childishness and innocence. He found a way to let himself be passionate enough to pursue his dreams. He found a way to let his logical side shine through when needed. He learned to accept his anxiety, having deceit as a part of his trait, and even having intrusive thoughts at most times.
Patton had started talking to them more about his bottled-up emotions that he had rightfully kept hidden all this time. There were laughter, there were tears, there was awkwardness. But that didn't stop the moral trait from finally letting himself be taken care of for once.
Janus was starting to grow accustomed to being a part of the group, though he still continued doubting himself most times. Yes, he had grown close to Patton, but all the things he had pulled on them always came rushing back, knocking him completely off track. He often spoke in his true nature of lying, but each word left a bitter, nauseating taste in his mouth.
Remus was… well, Remus was still Remus. Though with Janus around, he often remained settled down and less intrusive than normal. He did start showing signs of a possible development in his nature and personality, so at least Janus was hopeful in some way.
Roman grew more silent and became more hesitant in giving his opinions and ideas. Yes, he was there when Thomas had met Nico, but he felt like he wasn't enough. That he was never enough. The negativity grew, reminding Janus of what had happened after Mary Lee and Lee's wedding. He would wince whenever Roman's pained laugh would haunt his mind.
His relationship with Virgil was still rocky; not quite the same as it was way before the younger had joined the main three. Though there were small, manageable improvements, the Anxious trait still found it impossible to trust him entirely. In all honesty, Janus couldn't blame him.
Remy and Emile remained unbothered, though they still stopped by most times just to check on them. Mostly to chat with Janus, since they were starting to grow close, what with Emile's natural friendly nature and Remy's sincere, though bitchy ways of showing their affections.
Logan, however, was a different story. He wished he could explain it all, even talking to Emile about his concerns. Since the other was a bit older, he felt like he was talking to an older brother, calming him somehow. Logan began acting strange, most especially after the recent videos, the most recent one when Thomas had met with Nico abruptly to look at art.
No one had complained about that, since they were starting to warm up to the idea of Thomas finally landing himself in a relationship that could be good for him. But Logan's behaviour was something that bothered Janus enough for a while, though he kept himself composed.
Surely, I could find the time to help Logan, right? He asked himself, unsure of the answer that he left for himself.
He snapped out of his thoughts when Patton stirred on his shoulder, blinking for a second before realising that they were still snuggled in the living room.
"You hungry, Jan?" He yawned, fixing the onesie.
"Not yet, but thank you, Patton. Your concern is very well appreciated." the Moral trait chuckled, nuzzling against him again, falling back into a deep sleep. Roman soon joined them in the living room, still in his black shirt and white pants, suggesting that he, as he had done recently, had not gotten any proper sleep.
“Good morning, Roman,” the younger let out a soft grunt, slumping against the headrest, eyes falling closed. The Deceitful trait frowned, looking down at Patton and the space on his other side. He nudged the one half of the Creative traits with his toe, careful not to move Patton.
“Hmp?” Roman grunted, opening an eye. Janus pat the space next to him, hoping that even in his tired state, he would understand.
“I can move Patton a little bit so you can both be comfortable.”
“I can manage-”
“You’re gonna hurt your neck there. Even Princes need help sometimes, Roman,” he reprimanded, locking eyes with the brunette. Roman eventually grumbled and stood up, sitting down next to him. Janus gently laid his head down on his shoulder. Roman let out a huff, surprised at how soft, yet firm, his shoulder was.
Janus eventually wrapped an arm around his waist, softly tapping his side, and lulling him to sleep. Virgil joined them, not too soon, sitting on the ground and leaning his head against Janus’ right leg. Logan, still in his pyjamas, also sat on the ground and leant against Janus’ left leg. Remus took a seat on Roman’s former location, grinning at a pillowed Janus. The half-snake trait could only roll his eyes and chuckle, shaking his head.
“Aww, look at you guys,” Emile cooed, taking a photo of all six traits, smiling warmly at Janus.
“I actually cannot come up with anything bitchy to say,” Remy lowered their glasses, blinking.
“Good, for once you’re not so mean,” Janus mumbled, looking up at them.
“Hush, you don’t wanna wake them, do you?” Janus looked down at the four sides sleeping against him, a small smile making its way to his face. “Aww, Jan, are you smiling?” The half-snake trait flicked his tongue out at the doctor, hissing softly. Emile chuckled, patting his head.
“There’s nothing wrong with caring, buddy.” Janus huffed, adjusting Roman on his side. He tensed slightly, however, when he saw Logan looking up at him.
“Pardon my question, but did you just… blep?” Remy snorted, finally finding their source of teasing. Before they could, however, Emile pushed them back up the stairs, no doubt off to play boardgames again.
“For lack of a better term, yes. I’d prefer it if you didn’t tell everyone else, though.”
“Would you mind doing it again?” He considered saying no, but once his gaze landed on the Logical trait’s curious eyes, he couldn’t find the willpower to do so. He flicked out his tongue once, twice, tasting Remy’s coffee-scented candles in the air.
“Fascinating,” Logan mumbled. He was about to stand up when he felt Janus’ heavy gaze on him. “What?”
“Don’t get up. Rest.”
“But-”
“You haven’t been sleeping well lately. Now’s the time to. Rest.”
“Jan-”
“I’ll let you see it again later, alright? How does that sound?”
“Fair enough.” Logan leant back against his leg, breathing and sighing softly. It took him an hour to finally fall asleep, his glasses sliding down his nose. Remus also fell asleep, leaving him the only one awake. He didn’t mind it, though.
He carefully reached for the remote on the arm rest next to Roman, muting the audio before playing his newfound favourite musical on Netflix. About thirty minutes into Jeanna de Waal singing, Virgil woke up, yawning quite adorably before dropping his chin on Janus’s thigh. He started watching along with the Deceitful trait, asking him to turn up the volume slightly.
Patton woke up next, using a hand to card through Logan’s hair. The Creative twins woke up next, Roman choosing to stay snuggled against Janus’s side. Logan slept the longest, even sleeping through Roman’s horrified gasp when he found out what happened as the musical ended. Virgil chuckled at him, sticking his tongue out as one half of the Creative traits rolled his eyes. Janus promised to show him how the musical started and more films regarding the story, if only to stop a brewing childish argument between the two. Roman calmed down and agreed, not before softly flicking Virgil’s ear.
They watched a documentary after that, Remus sitting next to Patton. The Moral trait wrapped an arm around him, pulling him against his side. Janus felt himself almost falling asleep, blinking several times to keep his eyes open.
He couldn't recall falling asleep, but he must've, seeing as how he was now laying fully on the sofa, a thick red blanket draped over him. He shook his head and smiled, knowing almost immediately that the said blanket was owned by Roman. No one else was around, save for someone humming somewhere in the kitchen. He turned on his back, staring up at the ceiling, which was now a cluster of stars and colours. Must be Logan's doing , he thought.
"Hey, Jan," Patton smiled at him warmly, patting the top of his head. He hummed, moving his legs so the Moral trait could sit next to him. “You fell asleep and we didn’t want to wake you, so I asked Roman to lend you a blanket and Logan to do that thing he does in his room.”
“Thank you, Patton. Have they eaten?”
“They were supposed to, but all of them were stubborn.”
“We wanted to wait for you,” Remus said as-a-matter-of-factly, handing him a cup of tea. Out of all of them, he was the only one who refused to drink the bitter supposed energy source of a drink called coffee. Janus glanced at the clock, brows furrowing when he saw the time displayed : 11:19 AM.
“It’s almost noon,” he raised a brow, looking at Patton.
“I told you,” the Moral trait laughed, shaking his head. “They were stubborn. Virgil and Roman in particular.”
“Thanks, Patton!” he heard a voice call out from the stairs. He laughed when Virgil’s face came to view, eyes softening. Maybe their relationship had indeed shifted, afterall. Roman only smiled at him, his cheeks flushed a slight tinge of pink.
“Where’s Lo-”
“He went to his room, muttering about something that sounded like research,” Janus could only chuckle at that, knowing he was the reason for the sudden surge to do research. He summoned the Logical side, smiling when he saw that the latter was too engrossed in a book about snakes. He only realised where he was when Roman nudged his knee, blinking several times before his eyes landed on Janus.
“Salutations, Janus.”
“Hello, stranger. Why don’t we talk about that research later? You can help me in the kitchen while I think of a late lunch.”
“That sounds superb. Virgil? Roman?” the two were already making a run for it, running towards the stairs rather than the kitchen.
“I’ll go after them,” Remus smiled mischievously, starting after them.
“No pranks, Remus!” Janus called out, receiving an annoyed grunt in return. Patton chuckled somewhere from his right, leading him to the kitchen. The three oldest traits were surrounded by silence as each of them began to tend to their specific duties and responsibilities.
Logan was in charge of making the salad, Patton with peeling, chopping, and cooking the meat and vegetables, whilst Janus was in charge of the stew. Following suit with their advice on Thomas, they too began to eat more healthy meals to keep themselves fit and healthy.
Their host had been in his happiest the last few weeks, and they were more than willing to let it stay that way. They hoped that nothing could or would change it.
“Should I call them down?” Janus asked, placing the lid of the casserole pot to simmer.
“Yes please, I need to adjust these to their taste.” The Deceitful trait nodded, brushing against Logan before climbing up the stairs in search of the younger three. Virgil was in his room, brightening up when Janus walked in after a brief knock.
“Patton wants you three to taste the dish he made so he could adjust it to your levels of flavour.” Virgil nodded, slipping into his sweater and following the older out of his room. They bumped into the twins arguing about which brand of ground coffee tasted better and worked better as a facial scrub. Eventually, they made it downstairs, Patton finishing up in time to set the table.
Their lunch was filled with talks and laughter, the twins still bickering whilst avoiding a lecture from the two oldest. Janus had noticed that both Roman and Virgil, whom he took notice weeks prior had reduced their portions, had returned to their usual servings, painting a beautiful smile on his face.
“Awww you guys, look! Jan is smiling!” the latter huffed, his cheeks tinted a slight tinge of pink as all of them turned to look at him. He considered melting then and there, but for once, the feeling in his chest was pleasant.
“Alright, alright. I smile too, sometimes. Can we discuss something else?” Roman gave him a soft smile, the blush returning on his cheeks.
After a few more teasing and bickers, the three youngest began to clear the table since it was their turn to do so. Janus and Logan managed to come up with a compromise that left no one complaining about their house chores. Everyone retreated back to their rooms after lunch, hoping to get some rest before their host calls them up. The Logical trait found himself outside Janus’ door, hesitating to knock, but the latter must’ve already sensed him there, opening the door in his black shirt and slacks.
“Logan,” he gave the other a small smile, ushering him inside. “What exactly do you want to know? Just so I know what to tell you or show you?”
“S-show?” Logan stuttered, but he chose not to ask him about it.
“Well, Patton had said that you were looking at this as a research, and as most good researchers would, they need either photographic or physical evidence to make their mark and prove their point.” The Logical trait cleared his throat, nodding and mumbling things that the other couldn’t quite understand.
“Scales,”
“Hm?”
“Your s-scales… are they just on your face, or do they flow down the rest of your body?”
“Would you like me to take my shirt off? So you can see?”
“U-um.. y-yes, that would… that would be for the best. I MEAN-for closer inspection,” Janus chuckled, removing his shirt. The Logical trait's eyes widened, but was soon replaced with wonder and curiosity, hand reaching out as if he was going to touch him. "May I?"
After being given approval, Logan planted a hand on his shoulder, slowly sliding down his arm and feeling the soft scales on the other's skin. "I was right. They are soft and you don't secrete slime the way snails do,"
"Well, that wouldn't make sense, would it? I am half-reptile. And none of the reptiles I know secrete slime of any sort." Logan was still in too deep, his hand now on the Deceitful trait's chest.
"Beautiful," he muttered under his breath, not even daring himself to blink. "And your tongue?"
"Well, when I flick my tongue, or as you called it 'blep', I taste the air. For example, earlier, I tasted remnants of Remy's coffee scented candles."
"I read in the book that your sense of smell and sight are slightly limited, which is why you rely on your tongue."
"That is correct. As of right now, I can see you, but you're slightly blurred."
Logan hummed, making a mental note in his head. "And the plants?" He gestured to the bookshelf that held many tiny pots with plants.
"That," Janus started with a laugh. "Is my main entertainment and hobby. Besides reading. And taming Remus." Logan laughed at how taming the Intrusive trait was considered a hobby. Explained why the latter was less crude than the first time they were introduced.
Logan let his eyes wander the room, taking note of how impulsively neat it was, almost similar to his own room. Janus' bed was made perfectly with no lumps, there was a hamper on a retractable drawer on his open closet, his clothes were organised by colour and category, his shoes were neatly sat on the rack below the hamper and not a thing was out of place. He also took notice of the drawer labelled sanitizers on his closet, smiling internally.
"Like what you're seeing?" Janus had intended it as a joke, but was surprised when Logan nodded, turning to smile at him.
"Your room… . the way everything is organised and arranged, it's almost similar to mine. And the only place in Thomas' consciousness that I feel most comfortable with is my room. Hence, I feel comfortable here, too. I hope that's not too weird?"
"Not at all. You're welcome to come here when you want to, I have books you can read." Logan nodded, offering him a small smile. They stood there for a minute more, surrounded by calming silence, until Logan had excused himself, admitting that he had promised to help Patton organise his collection of books, majority being Disney and about flowers.
As the door in his room shut with a soft click, Janus couldn't help but smile. His smile widened, however, when he saw Roman walk in shyly, in his Olaf onesie.
Amongst all other arrangements made with the others, he had the most unique one with Roman. Ever since they had argued about Thomas never making it to his callback just so he could attend Lee and Mary Lee's wedding (a part of Roman getting torn away and lost in the abyss in the process), the younger had been hesitant to talk to others. He held himself back. He wasn't the same bouncy, dramatic, beautifully extra trait he was before, and Janus found himself missing that.
The first time he had seen Roman so vulnerable, the younger had been angry, crying in his room whilst pacing back and forth. He actually even threw several things at Janus, yelling out angrily when the Deceitful trait wouldn't leave. When he began falling, Janus had caught him in time so he wouldn't touch the ground. He cried in the other's arms for the whole night, falling asleep after long hours.
He understood the younger's need for space, so he distanced himself when necessary. When the night came, however, Roman found himself seeking Janus' comfort. He felt safe in the other's arms, and for whatever reason, he wished that he knew. But the other was incredibly understanding, hugging him close to his chest until he fell asleep.
It had been that way between them since then. Roman would go to Janus' room, or vice versa, the nights ending with them in each other's arms.
"I wanted to take a nap… but I needed to see if you were busy first, so-"
"Hush now, darling. I was the one that made the offer, remember?" Roman blushed, nodding. With a snap of his fingers, Janus shut the blinds, turned off the lights, and changed his clothes into more comfortable ones. He let Roman climb onto his bed first, following suit and hugging the younger around the waist.
Roman almost instantly leaned back against him, sighing and humming in content. Janus took that as a yes to card his fingers through the younger's hair, twirling some of the curls in his fingers.
He heard Roman chuckle, making him smile unconsciously. "Aren't you supposed to be taking a nap?"
"I was planning on doing just that," the younger shifted, turning around in his arms so they were face to face. "Until I realised just how much trouble I'm in."
Janus raised a brow, surprised at the words that left the other's mouth. "Oh? What are you in trouble for exactly?" Roman only shook his head, letting his eyes glance back and forth between Janus' eyes and soft, seemingly kissable pink lips.
"Roman?"
Damn if I do, damn if I don't!
Roman leaned up and closed the small gap between the two of them, eyes falling shut, the pieces of his heart falling into place. Though it took the older a minute, Janus finally kissed back, his arms around the younger tightening in a very calming, and secure way. Their mouths moved together perfectly, two halves of a whole.
Quite unfortunately, however, the need to breathe forced them apart, exchanging sweet, lazy kisses that turned into soft pecks until their foreheads were leant against each other.
"You really are in so much trouble," Roman quietly laughed, lightly punching his shoulder. "How long?"
"I don't even know, to be honest… your first introduction to Thomas certainly was not pleasant, but I've learned from our younger years that you were kind. Gentle. Truthful, when the moment called for it."
"But we all had our roles to play," Janus finished his recollection for him. "I realised mine when Thomas had first been asked of his gender identity and I had him lie to protect him."
"But I still longed for you," Roman smiled, softly squeezing his arm. "Every midnight, I still waited for you by the boundary between our side just to go to the Imagination. We were free there."
"We could be ourselves. I loved you deeply too, you know. But after the roles were defined, even after Virgil was accepted, I was afraid you no longer felt the same."
"That's why you flattered me when we decided for Thomas to go to the wedding?"
".... Yes. I needed you to know that somehow, I was still there. That my heart still beats for you, that it never stopped."
"And I was the one that worried about you not feeling the same for me ."
"That makes us equally stupid, I think."
"It does," Roman laughed, shaking his head. They let themselves fall into a comfortable silence, cherishing each other's presence.
When their eyes met, all they could see was the blooming seed of their love, used to be barely alive and forgotten, now more beautiful than ever.
Patton had never squealed so loudly in his life.
•∆•
Virgil winced, chuckling when he heard the Moral trait's squeal from somewhere around the house. Wherever it was, he just hoped that Logan wasn't anywhere near. The Logical trait loved them all, but he had his limits, his.. boundaries.
Speaking of which..
"I have no clue what to do, Marcus," he looked at his pet spider as if the little critter could understand him. "No clue at all, I mean, falling for Logan of all people?! It's absurd, let me tell you, buddy.
"And then there's the recurring feelings for Janus that should've been long gone. And Princey. Oh man, Princey. Where do I even begin?" He sighed, dropping back onto his bed, running his hands across his face as if it would help his dilemma.
"I have zero fucking clue on what I should do. And it's killing me, Marcus. Killing me."
"If your pet could talk back to you, he'd ask if he could do it himself," Remy smirked from the doorway, an arm around Emile's waist.
"Babe! That's too harsh."
"Only speaking the truth, honey. I'm serious, V, you're sitting here going insane whilst talking to your tarantula when you could be talking to them."
"Who would I even talk to first?" Virgil whisper-yelled, pulling down the hood of his hoodie.
"Well, who did you fall for first? I'm assuming you were already in love with a certain someone before Logan and Roman came along." The younger groaned, covering his face with a pillow.
"He probably hates me."
"You're a dick." Virgil made some sort of offended noises that all of them knew would mostly come from Roman, resulting in Emile glaring at Remy.
" Baaabeee !" He whined, pouting when Remy only tapped his nose. "Still the truth, honey. Virgil, you moping around like some sad sop will not help. Really, have you seen the way he looks at you? I mean, I thought you were all already dating!"
"All? The fuck do you mean by all?" By the way Emile softly smacked his theyfriend's arm, adorably glaring at them, he believed that the pair knew something he obviously didn't. "What are you not telling me?"
"Nothing, kiddo."
"Dad," Virgil said warningly, sitting up. "What do I not know?"
Emile sighed, patting the top of his head. "You'll find out soon enough, kiddo." The younger huffed, but nodded, trusting the older's words.
"Now, we were gonna order some donuts, did you want any?"
"Just the sugar-glazed ones and the choco butternut ones."
"Noted. Love you, kid." He hummed, slumping back against his bed. Almost too immediately after, Logan knocked and sat down on the foot of his bed, starting to read the book he had with him.
Much so like Janus' arrangement with Roman, Virgil and Logan had made the arrangement to visit the other's room whenever they were feeling uneasy, or anxious, or if they simply needed company. Logan often went to him to soothe his mind, whilst Virgil found himself escaping to his room, and his arms, after every panic attack.
Logan wouldn't dare admit it to himself, but he had begun to feel a romantic attraction towards the Anxious trait. He had no idea how or even when it began, but he woke up uneasily one night, finding himself longing for the younger's presence. He yearned for Virgil's presence, sending him into a confusing, emotional spiral that sent him to the younger's door at two in the morning.
The younger didn't look like he was anywhere near asleep when he opened the door for Logan, but he sure as hell was surprised. Nevertheless, he let the Logical trait in, shyly managing even a small ' ta-da '. Logan knew he had smiled then, finding himself lost in the younger's eyes.
After being given permission to stay the night, Logan made a makeshift galaxy in his room, throwing in a couple of clusters of stars, feeling warm at the awed expression on the Anxious trait's face. Virgil then snuggled close to him, laying his head on the older's chest as he looked above them in wonder.
That was one thing that remained and became a constant whenever they were together.
"Virgil? Are you alright? You seem to be… lost in thought."
"Just… thinking about the first night we spent together," Logan then smiled, the tips of his ears slightly tinged with pink as he too, remembered.
"Ah… " he didn't know why, but Virgil felt himself become warm from head to toe, and all because of Logan's innocent, beautiful smile.
"I keep thinking about that, you know. That night became a constant in my dreams and… and I stopped having nightmares."
"You did?" Virgil nodded. "Well, I'm glad, in that case. I'm glad I managed to stumble in front of your door at two in the morning." The pair laughed, Logan allowing himself to stare at the younger for a bit longer.
He only broke his gaze when he noticed a small movement from somewhere behind the younger, smiling.
"I think you forgot to return Marcus back to his habitatury enclosure." Virgil cursed under his breath, mumbling incoherently whilst taking Marcus back to his enclosure.
"Roman would've had my head if he knew I had a spider here,"
"That, or Patton would've made the strangest of noises whilst using Roman as a human shield." Virgil laughed, shaking his head. He saw Logan crack a small smile from the corner of his eyes, warmth spreading throughout his chest.
"You're looking at me… again.." Logan pointed out, his gaze softening as his eyes met with the younger's. Virgil blushed, but not tearing his gaze away. If he could, he wanted to be lost in the older's gaze for as long as the time would allow them to live.
"Can't help it. Sue me." Logan chuckled, stunned at the sudden bravery. Virgil had never really been vocal about his appreciation towards them, though Patton makes the exception every now and then. He was always shy and not as vocal as the other two, but he knew that the Anxious trait loved them all just as much.
"You should smile more often." Was all he could say, returning his attention back to his book.
"Oh yeah? You should laugh more often. You sound beautiful." Both traits froze at the words that left his mouth, Virgil wanting nothing more than to join Marcus in his enclosure.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck wHAT THE FUCK-
Virgil threw the blanket over himself, a laughing Logan in disbelief caging him in his arms.
"I appear to not have heard that right? Would you mind saying it again?" Virgil whined, pushing the Logical trait off the bed. Logan chuckled, pushing his glasses back up from sliding down his nose.
Virgil mumbled beneath the blanket, whining when Logan poked at his sides, taunting him. The older only stopped when a soft knock came from the door, followed by a soft thudding of footsteps and the door closing again.
"Am I… interrupting anything?"
"Not at all, Janus," Virgil froze underneath the blanket, willing himself not to move or even breathe for the fear that Janus would notice. "Did you need anything?"
"I… forgot what I was coming here for. Is that Virgil?" He felt Logan affectionately pat the top of his head, leaning into the touch.
"Yes," Logan chuckled, shaking his head. Janus then mumbled something the younger quite struggled to understand, but seemingly sent Logan to throw a soft punch on the Deceitful trait's shoulder.
"What was that all about with Patton squealing his heart out?"
"Oh… well, he found me and Roman cuddling, woke him up from his nap. Patton let him choose the movie they're watching to make up for it. Now that you mention it, though, I remember now why I was sent here. "
"Patton wanted to know if we wanted to join them."
"Quite so. Allow me," he added, winking. Virgil yelped, feeling himself being carried and cradled in someone's arms.
"Who the fu-J-Jan?" He squeaked out, hiding back underneath the blanket.
"Hello, darling." The younger huffed, leaning his head on the older's chest.
"Hey, you're finally ba-is that Virgil?" Patton giggled, poking at the lump in Janus' arms. Virgil whined, finally poking his head out of the blanket.
"What is with everyone poking me? Is there anyone else that would be dumb enough to hide in a lump of blanket?" He whined, looking at Logan pleadingly. The older only smiled at him and affectionately pat his hair, his eyes hinting at something else entirely, that Virgil chose not to bring up for attention then.
Coming from where he was now, though, he wished he did.