Chapter Text
‘One of these days you’re gonna get caught, Jay.’ Virgil tried to sound grave, but couldn’t quite keep the smirk off his face as his friend emptied his pockets onto the coffee table. Stealing snacks from the core sides was one of Janus’ habits that Virgil rarely complained about, considering he usually got a share of the spoils. Marcus swiped a slightly crushed bag of cookies before him, but Virgil managed to grab the sour candy just before Remus. Janus watched them divide the pile roughly equally, not due to ideals about fairness but because the three were each willing to stoop to new and devious lows to get their share.
‘Do you guys think they even notice when this shit goes missing?’ Marcus asked, holding a chip up to the dim ceiling light. Remus shrugged, chewing loudly. ‘Probably not, they can just summon more. If they cared, they could set some beartraps.’ He waggled his eyes at their scaled friend, who raised an amused eyebrow.
‘Bold of you to assume I’d allow myself to be noticed. Of course I’d set foot in a trap.’ They all laughed at the idea. Who could catch Janus? Morality was out of the question, far too innocent for any sort of suspicion. Logic was too caught up in his little rules and trying to keep Thomas on schedule to notice much around the mindscape. And Creativity? Even if he thought there was a snake lurking about, he’d never stand a chance at finding him. Living with Remus meant the other Creativity was utterly defanged as a threat.
They put on a movie with only a little mild squabbling, ended when Janus stole the remote. Some animated movie, though Remus and Marcus had both protested Disney vehemently. Apparently The Pagemaster was an acceptable compromise though. Virgil perched on the armrest of their sagging couch, at first enjoying the pilfered snacks more than the film. He hadn’t seen it, and judging by their reactions neither had the others. Probably why Janus had chosen it. Remus delighted in telling them all how gruesomely the characters were probably dying offscreen. There was a rare moment of collective silence near the end of the movie, as they watched with baited breath to see if Horror would be left behind, shattered by their cheers when he wasn’t.
Virgil glanced sidelong at his fellows as the credits began. Janus was in the kitchen, making a cup of tea. Marcus was being baited by Remus into wrestling. No doubt it would end in a shouting match. For a moment though, things were okay.