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Thomas stares up at his ceiling, laying down on his couch. Dishes were piled up all over the kitchen, clothing piles everywhere, even the trashcan was overflowing. But he didn’t care. He didn’t feel like doing anything. He didn’t feel anything. But at the same time he was feeling everything. For the past several weeks his mental health has been steadily decreasing as the storm in his head grew. Thomas only broke the staring contest with his ceiling when his phone vibrated once again.
He glanced down to see another twitter notification. A fan wishing that he’s ok and will hopefully upload a video or even short soon, it’s been over a month. “I can’t keep doing this” he mumbled to himself as he unstuck himself from his couch, wincing from the ache in his bones from not moving in so long. He had to settle whatever was going on with his sides. They must be the cause or at least know what’s causing it. Thomas stood in the middle of his living room like usual and took a deep breath. He hasn’t heard from any of them much, they’ve been too busy doing whatever in the mind palace.
“...Logan?” he called out hesitantly, looking towards his usual spot. It only took a second before the familiar face rose up. His arms were crossed, hair also disheveled, and even his tie was obviously thrown on quickly. “Thomas,” he greeted, taking a quick glance around the room. “Oh thank god you answered!” Thomas lifted his arms happily, a small smile appearing. “Yes, apologies for my absence. Things have been…for the lack of a better word: chaotic. It’s like logic, or myself, has been figuratively thrown out the window in there. Everyone is in their feelings and not focusing on the actual problems” he rants, fixing his glasses as he huffs. Thomas tilts his head in confusion, “Which is…?”
Logan locks eyes with him, “You. You are always supposed to be our top priority but it seems everyone is forgetting that and it’s not only affecting all the sides but you as well.” Thomas fidgets with his hands, “Well that’s actually why I called you… I’m gonna need your help, we have to fix whatever’s going on. I can’t keep doing this anymore, it’s just- everything sucks right now. I just feel so…so… just uh” he gestures with his hands wildly. Logan smiles slightly, “I’m glad you came to me for help. I know I don’t say this often, but it’ll be best to get Patton here first. I hypothesize that he’ll have the less extreme reaction to gathering everyone here.” Thomas agrees, “And just so we’re on the same page, I mean everyone.” He shrugs, “Of course. Janus and Remus are also a big part of this figurative puzzle, it would be unwise to have a discussion without them present.”
“Right. Well, Patton? You there bud?” the host calls out. After a few seconds, the familiar father figure rises up, “Hey kiddo” he greets with a smile though it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. Like the two of them, he looks disheveled, with dark circles under his eyes. The site even concerns Logan, “Patton are you well?” he asked, letting a bit of his concern slip into his voice. “You’re not even wearing your cardigan,” Thomas points out. Patton looks down at himself and chuckles as he raises his arms in surprise, “Would you look at that, I didn’t even notice. And I’m fine, still ol’ happy pappy Patton” he rests his hands on his hips before summoning his cardigan back on.
“Falsehood. You’re obviously not doing well,” Logan points out. “He’s right, and remember it’s ok to not be ok, Patton. I think we’re all down in the slumps lately” Thomas agrees. Finally, Patton lets his smile drop as he looks at the floor with a defeated expression, “...You’re right… I’m not feeling the greatest.” Thomas smiles sympathetically, “What’s going on, Pat?” Logan crosses his arms as he listens intently. Patton sighed as he rubbed his temples, “I don’t know… I just don’t know what to do anymore. Everyone’s been so down since the…the situation and I can’t help. And that hurts. Every time I try to talk to Roman he shuts me out and Virgil isn’t talking to anyone.”
“That is precisely why Thomas has called us here. The state of everything is even starting to affect me too, so you’re not alone, Patton” Logan added, trying his best to convey sympathy. “He’s right, whatever is going on needs to be settled today. That’s why I wanted to hear your thoughts about getting everyone here. Even Janus and Remus” Thomas says. Patton’s face scrunches up, his hands rubbing over his chin, “Kiddo, are you sure? I know you wanna help and all but is that really the best plan? Roman has already been a bit…snappy at me.” The host shook his head, “That’s exactly why I want to, this is getting ridiculous. You guys are my sides, we’re supposed to be working together. But now you guy’s problems are bleeding into my life and I’m just… so so tired” Thomas’s shoulders sagged, and when Patton met his eyes he could see how tired and just unwell he looked.
Patton let out a small sigh, “Ok. If that’s what you think is best then I’ll always support you .” Thomas smiles, “Thanks, Pat.” Logan cleared his throat slightly, “I believe it’ll be wise to summon Roman and Virgil at the same time. I’m sure you both can already predict that both of their reactions will be on the more extreme side. It doesn’t help that Thomas is already anxious and on edge. Perhaps we can break the news to them and then invite either Janus or Remus.” Patton and Thomas both nod along with Logan’s words. “Roman? Virg? Wanna come out?” Thomas called out, clasping his hands together.
Roman was the first to rise up, “Uh, didn’t we already do that?” he joked, a smile surprisingly on his face. Patton brightened up at his happy mood, laughing at his joke, “Yeah, definitely don’t wanna go through that again!” Logan rolled his eyes as Thomas smiled slightly, “Virgil? You mind coming out too?” It was another few moments before he appeared. His hoodie was up, bangs covering most of his eyes, and eyeshadow a lot darker and messier than normal. “Wow, your eyeshadow makes you look-” Roman gets cut off by a look by Thomas, “Great, you look uh- emotastic, work it!” Virgil rolls his eyes, “That was terrible. Thomas, why are we here?” He turned towards their host. Thomas fidgets, not answering right away, “Look…promise not to get mad at me, ok?” Roman raises an eyebrow, “Why would we get mad? Just blurt it out, it can’t be that bad right?” he glances over at Virgil who looks on edge as he waits for Thomas’s answer too. “Guys a little help?” Thomas glanced at Logan and Patton.
Logan cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses, “Thomas, along with Patton and I, agree that we all need to have a talk. And I don’t mean endless bickering until we forget about the issue again, this needs to be settled now. It’s affecting all of our jobs along with Thomas’s life.” Roman shrugged as he smiled, “That shouldn’t be a problem, I’ll do anything to help him reach his dreams. Though I’m not sure what problem you’re talking about.” Virgil’s eyes twitched as he slowly turned to the prince, “Are you serious? You haven’t noticed anything off these past few weeks?!” Roman’s eyebrows furrowed with slight irritation, “That’s what I just said, right?”
”Roman, kiddo, it’s ok. We can all feel the tension throughout the mind palace…and you did snap at me a few times'' Patton trailed off towards the end. The prince scoffed as he ran a hand through his hair, “You just caught me at a bad time, ok, A prince needs his beauty sleep and I haven’t been getting that!” Patton’s eyes were filled with sincerity, “Roman it’s ok if you’re feeling bad too, Thomas had to remind me of that too.” Roman’s eyebrows furrowed further, “Well I’m not you Patton. I don’t repress my feelings and constantly apologize for screwing up then continue to do so!” He lashed out. Patron takes a step back as his face falls. “Roman!” Thomas gasped. Roman threw his hands up, “What! I told him to back off days ago it’s not my fault-“ Logan cuts him off, “That was completely unnecessary and you’re lashing out like a child.” The prince's eyes widened, his hand touching his chest feeling offended, “A child?!”
“Guys-“ Virgil tried to butt in. “An infant would be more accurate at this point. There’s no need to lash out at Patton because of your own insecurities-“ Logan started before Roman cut him off again. “I’m not insecure!”
“Guys-“ Virgil tried again, his voice starting to echo. He noticed everyone starting to develop dark shadows under their eyes as Thomas started to hyperventilate and fidget more. “I’m sorry I made you feel that way Roman but…that was really hurtful and wrong of you to say” Patton said, his voice having a slight quiver. “Patton, you have no need to apologize for his outbursts” Logan rolls his eyes. “Ok nerd, I-“
“ SHUT UP! ” Virgil yelled, his voice echoing loudly as the 3 sides froze to look at him. All the sides are starting to develop even dark shadows under their eyes. “ Look what you’re doing to Thomas, ” their host currently had his hands covering his ears as his breathing came in quick and short breaths, “ if you idiots couldn’t tell, your arguing is making his anxiety flare up more. Logan, do you still have that curve thing? ” Virgil looked to the logical side. Logan gives a curt nod before summoning the chart, “Yes, the Yerkes-Dodson curve. I feel a little pride that you still remember something I taught you all. But, Virgil is right, our arguing is pushing us further on the heightened side of the curve.” Roman looks down, fidgeting with his costume. Patton looked away too, tears still sat in his eyes. “ Now, I need you all to take some deep breaths before this turns into a full blown panic attack ” Virgil instructs.
The 3 sides glance at each other before taking a deep breath in and out. As they continued to do so, Thomas visibly calmed down. Patton looks over at him feeling his fatherly instincts kicks in, “You with us, kiddo?” He nods silently as he takes some breaths himself. Virgil felt himself calm down slightly now that Thomas was doing better, though he could tell that they both were still jittery and on edge. “I think that proved Logan’s point. There is something seriously messed up happening and we need to fix it. No more fighting and lashing out, we all can take some blame for the last few weeks. Now, we need to listen to Thomas,” Virgil turned towards their host, “Whenever you’re ready.”
Thomas took one more calming breath before looking up at his sides, “Guys…we have to figure out what this problem is and fix it. I hate seeing you all fight and say such hurtful things to each other.” Roman sighs before locking eyes with Patton, “Y-you’re right, I’ve just been so…so angry lately and I had no right to take that out on you…any of you. A prince is supposed to have honor and I’ve been lacking in that department” he says sadly. Patton frowns as he reaches a hand out towards him, “It’s ok, Roman! I know you didn’t mean it, but that’s why Thomas wants us all here so we can figure out these tough and not-so-great feelings.” Roman nods as he wraps his arms around himself, “Ok… Thomas, what do you suppose we do to solve this?” The host rubs his neck as he glances at Logan, “You and Virgil aren’t gonna like this…”
Virgil stuffs his hands into his hoodie pockets, “Well, things are already crappy so I doubt whatever you’ll say would be worse.” Roman nodded in agreement as Thomas winced, “Well… first we need everyone” he hinted. Roman looked confused as he rested a hand on his hip, “Are not all here-”
“ No ” Virgil cut him off, “Thomas tell me you don’t mean what I think you mean,” he begged, looking at Patton and Logan for answers. Patton didn’t meet his eyes but Logan nodded to confirm his thoughts. “Mind filling me in? What are they talking about?” the prince asked. “They want Remus and Deceit to be involved,” the emo huffed. “What?!” Roman yelled, “After everything they’ve done?! They’re evil!”
“They’re not evil,” Patton defended. Thomas nodded in agreement, “If they’re evil then I’m evil. They’re a part of me and they deserve a seat at the table. It took me too long to realize that.” Logan then adds, “Not to mention that our problems started to occur once Deceit revealed himself. I’ve been trying to explain to you both that they are both vital parts of Thomas’s personality. Neither one of them should be considered ‘evil’. And Thomas made a good point, if they’re evil then so he is. Is Thoams evil?”
“Of course not” “He isn’t”
“Then that settles it,” Logan shrugs. Roman stumped his foot as he huffed, “No! That doesn’t settle it! Freaking JaNuS is an evil snake, he’s trying to make us go back on everything we’ve known and everything Patton stands for.” The father figure raises his arms as he laughs nervously, “H-hey, I didn’t say all that. I’ve learned that I’ve been wrong…a lot in the past. I tried to steer Thomas in the direction that I thought was right but I learned that I was causing more harm than good. Janus actually made a lot of good points-”
“Maybe, and emphasis on the maybe, Deceit can be justified but Remus?” Virgil grimaces. The prince wags his finger at Virgil in agreement, “Emo nightmare is right. We can not speak sense to Remus. He’s- he basically embodies all the parts of Thomas that he wants to block out!” he huffs again. “Which is why we need them both, Roman! I can’t keep blocking out the parts of myself that I’m not proud of. It obviously makes things worse, especially with Remus,” The host takes a deep breath as his shoulders sag. “I am so freaking tired, guys. I don’t want to do anything. I can’t sleep. I can’t work. It’s hard to find the energy to even eat! As Patton said, he tries to push me to do what he thinks is right. Have you ever thought that maybe they’re trying to do the same thing? All I’m asking is for you guys to give it a try and be respectful, at the least. Please. Virg?”
Virgil doesn’t meet his gaze as he thinks it over, “...Fine.” Roman stares at him in disbelief. “Thank you-” Thomas starts before getting cut off. “But. If things start going south, we shut it down immediately. I know how they are, there’s always some ulterior motive” Virgil jumps in. “Of course! I don’t want this getting out of hand,” Thomas looks to his creative side, “Roman? I’d rather do this with you here. You’re important.” The prince let out a long sigh as he ran a hand through his hair, “Is this really what you think will help? Do you know what you’re unleashing?” Thomas nods, “I really do believe this is the best way. And if it starts to go horribly wrong, then at least we have an amazing prince to save the day, right?” A smile grows on Roman’s face, “I’d always save you, nerds. Fine! I’ll agree to do this.”
“Thank you, Roman. Thank all of you, I know this is difficult for everyone” Thomas smiles to all his sides. “Thank you for wanting to help us, Kiddo. Now, should we call both of them here?” Patton asked. “I believe it’s best to call Janus first, he is the more…reasonable one,” Logan answered. Thomas nodded again, looking at all of the sides to make sure they’re ready. “Janus?”
The deceitful side appeared next to Patton, startling both of them. “Wow, I’m definitely not confused at all on why I’ve been summoned for the first time,” Janus glances at everyone, “And you have us all gathered, is this a party?” he smirks. Virgil and Roman both glare at him, Patton tries to give a welcoming smile as he makes room for the side and Logan watches, feeling unfazed. “I- We, actually needed to talk to you” Thomas speaks up, fidgeting with his hands. Janus visibly falters, “To me?” he tries to hide shock expression again, “I’m totally not shocked or anything.” Virgil rolls his eyes, “You want us to trust him but he can’t even be honest about how he’s feeling.”
The deceitful side turns towards him, “Virgil, how I’ve missed you insulting me as soon as I arrive. Thank you for that because you obviously wouldn’t feel some sort of confusion after being summoned for the first time.” When the dark side doesn’t respond, Janus takes that as a small victory and turns back to Thomas. “Again, it’s just such a habit and a matter of self-control really. Bad Deceit, oh sorry Deceit! I’m just kidding” he chuckles. “But honestly, why am I here? I’m more than aware that my presence is unwelcomed” Janus says seriously. Roman huffs out a laugh, “At least you’re aware of that.” Thomas shoots him a glare, “Roman-”
“Don’t worry yourself, Thomas, I’m definitely not used to this type of treatment” Janus turns towards the prince now, “You know, Roman, once upon a time you enjoyed my company. We were practically best friends.” The prince’s scowl deepens, “Yeah. Before I realized that all you do is lie and use people, Harvey Dense.” The deceitful side rolls his eyes, “Yes, because it is so surprising that I, Deceit , lies to people. And as we saw in the courtroom, I’m not the only person in this room capable of lying.”
“Ok! Enough! You 3 will continue to bicker and we won’t get anywhere” Thomas jumps in, massaging his temples. Roman crossed his arms over his chest, “He started it,” he grumbled.
“Falsehood” “Lies”
Janus glances at Logan, surprised that he called Roman out. “Janus asked a valid question then Virgil started this bickering,” Logan shrugs. Virgil huffs, “So you’re saying this is my fault?!” Patton frowns, “I don’t think he’s trying to do that, kiddo-”
“Don’t patronize me,” Virgil muttered, glaring at Patton. The father figure grew silent. A part of Virgil felt guilty but he was too annoyed with the situation to properly address it. Janus looks to his right and feels sympathy for his fellow side, “Virgil gets to yell at Patton, yet I’m called the dark side? Funny how that works. I’ve never even raised my voice at Patton.” Virgil stuffed his clenched fist into his pockets as he glared at the ground, “I’m not one of you anymore.” Roman nods, “Exactly! He’s important to all of us and Thomas. He had a grand redemption arc and is one of the good guys.”
Janus laughs in disbelief, “So let me get this straight, Virgil gets to be loud and annoying because he believed that was the only way for you guys to listen to him. But once he was done with you all insulting him he gets to leave and that’s when you finally realize how important he is. Now, bam! He’s a good guy. But when I do the things that I believe are right and are the only way for people to listen to me I get called evil. A liar. A dark side. Which by the way is a term that Roman came up with one day and you all just kept using it!” He takes a breath to calm himself, everyone falling silent and feeling mixed emotions.
“Do you all truly believe I want what’s worse for Thomas? Our host? The man that made us in the first place? I didn’t choose to be or look this way. Did any of you get to pick which side of Thomas you have to represent? No! So why am I being punished for doing the exact same thing your preciousss Virgil did? Yet I don’t get some form of redemption arc. I even tried to be vulnerable and share my name but your perfect and dasssshing prince laughed. He laughed at one of the most vulnerable things a side can share. You call us the ‘dark sides’ yet you are the ones acting cruel and unfair Janus rants, his voice starting to hiss the more he gets frustrated.
All the sides fall into an uncomfortable silence as they take in Janus’s words. Thomas is the first to break it, “Janus…I am so sorry you feel that way, For what it’s worth: I don’t think any of you are evil.” Janus’s face softens a bit, “Thank you, Thomas. I really do appreciate that, especially from you.” Thomas smiles back, “I want to accept all the different parts about myself. I want you to have a seat at the table and be here to work with me.” Janus’s smile grows even though he tries to hide it.
Patton speaks up next, a frown heavily present on his face, “Janus…I’m really sorry that we treated you so… so horribly. It’s not fair that we gave Virgil a chance but never thought to hear you out.” The deceitful side smiles at the father figure next to him, “Again, I appreciate that. I know that as Thomas’s morality, we will naturally have our disagreements.” Patton awes as he pulls him into a hug, “You deserve to be accepted, Kiddo.” Janus tenses, his face almost comical from how shocked he was. “Oh sh*t. That’s enough, let go” He pats Patton’s back as he pulls away.
Logan leans against the railing of the staircase, “I, for one, have never had a ‘problem’ with you being here. I think I’ve been clear enough in the past that all the different parts of Thomas are important and need to have a figurative seat at the table.”
“You’ve also said that too much of anything can be bad,” Virgil muttered quietly. “Indeed I did. However, Janus’s presence has been severely lacking up until now. There are times when lying can be logical. This can be seen at almost any point in history. In my humble opinion, he needs to be here more often. Along with Remus-”
“No! I can tolerate Jack the Fibber here, I guess, but I draw the line at Remus” Roman declares. “Exactly, you saw what he did to Thomas!” Virgil adds. “Again I’ll say, Thomas’s mental state and lack of sleep was because of yours and Patton’s reaction to him. Remus himself can not cause physical harm to Thomas. With you all forcing him to stay away is causing harm. You can not make intrusive thoughts go away. The more you repress them the more unsettling and distracting they’ll become. He has to be here more often for him to settle down,” Logan states. “I’d also like to add that Remus isn’t so bad once you get to know him and embrace his um…uniqueness,” Janus says.
“Now you’re suddenly friends with my brother? All the more reason to not trust you” Roman rolls his eyes. Janus huffs but throws up a smile as to not say something he’ll regret, “Remus and I have been friends for quite some time actually. During the time of Thomas’s development when he was learning good and bad, we got shunned to the back of his mind. All we had were eachother once Virgil left. We’ve had a lot of time to just talk and get to know each other. Accepting the good and the bad, something you wouldn’t know anything about.”
Roman scoffs, “And what is that supposed to mean?” Janus huffs as he rolls his eyes, “For once can you both be honest with yourselves,” he points at Virgil and Roman. “The real reason you jussst hate me and Remus! Both of your own insecurities get in the way of your judgment. We simply remind you of everything you don’t want to be. I will say this once, do not expect me to ever repeat myself…I am sorry. I am sorry for calling you the evil twin,” he locks eyes with Roman. He then turns to Virgil, “I am sorry for how I used to treat you in the past before you got accepted by Thomas.”
The room is uncomfortably silent after his confession. Logan gives Patton a look so he won’t break it. This is a problem that has nothing to do with them any more. “Janus-” Thomas started. Janus clears his throat as he keeps his gaze on the ground, “Don’t. I’d rather we invite Remus here before we continue. I’ve said more than enough already.” Thomas nods in agreement, not looking at the others for their permission, “Remus?”
Remus rises up next to Roman, a half eaten deodorant stick in his hand. “Oooh this is a fun surprise, I didn’t realize that’s what being summoned felt like. You should of pulled me by my di-”
“Remus!” Janus interrupts, shaking his head no at him. Remus sighs dramatically, “Boo, you’re no fun.” He then scans the room, smiling at Virgil’s and Roman’s glare. “I just so love when everyone is uncomfortable, it gives me a fun tingly sensation” he smiles. Patton frowns slightly at the implication, “Um, hi Remus” he responds first. The dark twin shifts towards Patton, “Hello Patton~ Oh should I say Daddy”
“No! No, just a dad” Patton clarifies. Remus giggles as he leans against Roman, who quickly pushes off his hand with an offended huff. “You’re always so mean to me, Roman. I’m your brother-”
“You’re not my brother, more of a nuisance and a thorn in my side,” the prince rolls his eyes. The duke frowns as his shoulders sag, “But you call me the evil twin, I haven’t even done anything yet!” He then summons his mace with a smile, “Ooh! How about we really be Cain and Abel and fight to the death!” Roman summons his sword as he glares at him, “Gladly.” Both of their weapons clash against each other repeatedly. Logan rolls his eyes as he rubs at his temples, “We can’t stay productive for more than 5 minutes.” Virgil and Thomas both visually grow more anxious as they start to fold in on themselves. “Remus!” Janus yelled over the commotion. Which was the same time Patton yelled, “Roman!”
Both twins pause their swinging as they turn towards them. “He started it!” Remus pouted at Janus. The prince whipped his head back to his brother, “Me?! Are you serious right now you…you evil demon!” he shouted with frustration. The darker twin glares, “Shut your mouth before I rip off all your toenails and shove them up your nose-”
“ Both of you stop talking! ” Virgil growled, both of his hands covering his ears as Thomas was doing the same. They both stop talking as their mouth snapped shut, Roman huffing as he crossed his arms over his chest. Janus then jumps in, “He’s right. At this rate you’ll push Thomas into another panic attack. Now, Remus, I know this is hard and goes against your nature but can you try to stay serious so we can have a discussion.” He’s silent for a few moments before sighing dramatically, “I guesssss. But sometimes I just can’t help myself and want to go BOOM! I’ll try my best though, you're lucky I like you.” Janus gives him a small smile as a thanks.
Patton then turns to Roman with an almost disappointed face, “You said you’d try, kiddo. Thomas needs you.” The prince sighed as he let his arms fall back to his sides, “I’m sorry,” he mumbled. As this is happening, Logan is looking between Virgil and Thomas. “Are you guys doing all right?” he asked, genuine concern showing on his face. Virgil and Thomas both slowly drop their hands from cupping their ears. The host takes a few more deep breaths before nodding. “2 anxiety attacks like that are giving me a headache and the both of us are tired now. No more yelling and fighting” Virgil says. The logic side nods at his words, “I think it’ll be best for everyone to try and reign in our emotions. I believe it would be rational to get back to the task at hand, figuratively.”
Remus rests his chin on his hand as he stroked his mustache, “What is the task? I am very confused” he laughed. Thomas clears his throat lightly before speaking, “Sorry Remus. I kind of dragged you here and then things got out of hand. Here’s the gist of it, I want you and Janus to have a say in my life. Overall, I want you guys to be here more. You are both parts of myself that I need to stop shoving away. You guys are just as important as the others. We already had a long talk with Janus and now I want your thoughts.” The duke was for once frozen and had no words. He pulled off his ears and wiped them on his suit before placing them back (Patton and Thomas gagging). “I don’t think I heard that right, say it again?” he smiled.
“I’m being honest, Remus. I want you all to be here and help me talk things out,” Thomas said, trying to sound as sincere as possible. Remus glanced at Janus who nodded at him. “To add on, having you both present will be beneficial for all of us. You mentioned that you always get an urge to just do things randomly right? That’s what caused the whole unpleasant dream problem and you presenting yourself to Thomas,” Logan asked. The duke nodded, “Yes! It’s like an itch that won’t go away unless you gouge your own eyes out.”
Logan then turned towards Janus, “And you have said today and in the past, that not lying takes a lot of self-control. Is it safe to assume that you speak in lies and sometimes don’t mean to but you feel compelled to do so?” The snake had a skeptical look on his face before nodding, “Yes. Sometimes I don’t even realize I’m doing it.”
“Where’re you going with this?” Virgil speaks up. “I’m curious too, Logan,” Thomas adds, Patton nodding in agreement. Logan smiled at the question, “Has anyone noticed that since we started this conversation, Janus hasn’t said a single lie. Even Remus has been significantly less…um”
“Annoying? Demented? Psychotic?” Remus smiled wildly. The logical side waved his hand at him, “No, impulsive was the word I’m looking for.” Janus crossed his arms over his chest, “It does feel easier to just speak my mind.” Thomas and Patton look surprised while Virgil still has an eerie look. Roman fidgets with his sash, taking quick glances at his brother. “Now that you mention it, yes I do notice. What does that mean?” Thomas asked. “This is proving why I have always said that we need Janus and Remus here more often. When a side is too far gone from Thomas, for extended periods of time, it starts to negatively affect everyone. Especially Thomas. An example was when Virgil figuratively ducked out-”
“Quack”
“And Thomas was acting unproductive and very unsafe. The lack of anxiety took away several survival instincts Thomas needs to go about everyday life. The same can happen if Patton leaves, or Roman, or even myself. In this case, we’re seeing it with Janus and Remus. With them being gone and not present consistently, Thomas experiences more intrusive thoughts and urges to lie or be deceitful. If you want these to be at a more tolerable level, we all must be present and have a say in Thomas’s life. Did that make sense or did I lose you all?” Logan pauses, taking a look at everyone.
Everyone stays silent for a few moments, digesting everything. Surprisingly the silence was broken by Virgil, “Janus,” he started. The snake side looked up at him, surprised that he said his actual name. “You're right. It’s not fair that I got to be ‘evil anxiety’ and get a redemption arc while you don't. You’ve just been doing what you thought was right, and I have no right to judge that. It’s not our fault that we represent what we represent. I-...I’m sorry, for everything. A-and I get if you need time or-”
“Shut up, emo. Thank you for that, I do honestly appreciate that” Janus says, a smile growing on his face. Thomas smiles at the two of them, and Patton is quietly trying to contain his relief. A loud sob breaks the happy moment as Roman covers his face, tears quickly falling from his face. Everyone is startled by the sound, “Roman?” the host called out.
“I-I’m so sorry, I keep doing this. I keep projecting my own failures onto you all. I was mean to Virgil and didn’t see him as important until he left. Now I’m repeating the same problem! I-I keep failing you as a hero, Thomas. I laughed at Janus’s name, I’m a horrible brother. It feels like every problem we have, your hopes and dreams are at the root of it. I’m an evil prince” he said between sobs. “Roman, that's not true! You’re still my hero” Thomas tried to reassure him. Patton nodded along, “You didn’t do anything-”
“Don't erase the things he has said and done when he’s trying to be honest and take responsibility for it. Roman, you have said some hurtful things. Especially when you laughed at such a vulnerable moment for any side. However, I have also lied and manipulated you in the past which I am sorry for. I would like to work with all of you and move past this if you are willing,” Janus tells him, eyes filled with sincerity. The prince gave him a small nod as he continued to cry into his hands. He still felt as though everything was his fault and like he failed everyone as a prince.
Roman jumps as arms wrap tightly around him, holding him close. He looks up, still sniffling, “Remus?” He spoke in a quiet voice. The dark twin had a big pout on his face as he held his twin, “You’re not a bad brother.” Tears immediately welled up in his eyes as he held onto Remus even tighter. “I-I wanna be better. A better brother, a better prince, a better friend and side” Roman sniffed.
“And that’s great! We can work together at being better, I think we can all use some self-improvement. But I still love you guys for who you are and what you represent about me” Thomas says, tears in his eyes from all the emotions. “Oh here comes the waterworks, I love you all too!” Patton smiles brightly. Logan and Janus grimace at all the crying. “I, um, feel good emotions towards you all” Logan tries. The snake side nods, “Yeah, that.” Virgil tries to hide his smile, “I guess you guys are ok” he rolled his eyes. “I love…tormenting you all, it’s so much fun! Sorry, I had too. But I do love this! Hanging out with you has been so much fun!” Remus adds, ruffling Roman’s hair. The brother swats his hand away as he wipes his tears away.
Thomas clasps his hands together, “Now, I think we all need some time to reset and take a break from emotions. We can talk more and figure out logistics tomorrow. Ok?” Logan nods as he already begins to sink down, “Gladly. All these feelings are giving me a headache.” Patton sinks down too, “I enjoyed it! I’m glad we did this!”
“I hope we can have a fresh start and move on” Virgil looks to Janus and Remus. “I hope so too,” the snake side says. “Don’t sweat it, you know I love you emo” Remus smiles. Virgil smirks before saluting to Thomas as he sinks down. Roman hugs Remus one more time before facing Janus, “Thank you. For giving me another chance.” Janus softens as he meets his gaze, “Thank you for accepting us.” The prince pats Remus’s shoulder before sinking down, leaving Thomas alone with Janus and Remus.
Remus drops his usual chaotic smile and has a more serious look for once as he locks eyes with Janus. “Thomas, we really are sorry for what we’ve done in the past,” Janus says, looking at the host. “I don’t mean to be so…so violent at times” Remus pouts again. “And that’s exactly why you guys shouldn’t be sorry. Yes we had our problems but that was because I didn’t accept those parts of myself and pushed it away. I promise to not do that again, I need you guys” Thomas said. Tears prick at Janus’s eyes since he could tell it wasn’t a lie. “Aww, are you crying?” Thomas teased. “What? No. Byeee” he said, quickly sinking down. Remus giggles before sighing, “Well, I’m gonna check on Roman.” The host nods, “I’m glad you two are starting to connect and work through things. Take care of him.” The side nods, “I am too, and I will. I’ll try not to hit you with thoughts too intrusive. Though I’m still waiting for you to jump out of a moving car” he sighed dramatically, sinking down.
Thomas laughs as he watches him go, “Yea I’m pretty used to that one.” Now that he was left alone, he felt happier. Like he was at peace with himself. They still had a lot to work on but this is a great start. Thomas heads over to his couch as he laid down with a smile.
“I think everything is going to just fine”