Janus was sitting in the living room when Roman walked in. "I figured you would get hungry." He said, examining his glove.
"...I'm sorry about what I said." Roman said gruffly, not even looking at him.
"Whatever," Janus shrugged, standing up and walking over to the prince. "Creativity, let's have a chat."
Janus watched in sadistic glee as Roman paled. He loved it when he had that affect of people.
"Wh-What about?"
"Tell me what you and Remus argued about." Janus said flatly. Roman scowled, fiddling with his sash.
"I don't have to tell you anything."
"Did it sound like I was asking?" Janus tilted his head. Roman pursed his lips.
"Patton,"
"I assumed as much." Janus hummed thoughtfully. "But that's not why you're mad, is it?"
"Of course it is--"
"Try and lie to me, I dare you." Janus growled. "See how that works out."
"Sorry,"
"Don't be sorry, just start talking. What are you mad about?" He asked, glaring at the prince. He was aware that he was being a bit harsh, but he figured doing this softly wouldn't coax the truth out of Roman.
"...everything. He's just so--ugh!" Roman seethed. "I hate him!"
Janus was suddenly intensely aware of Remus, who was listening from around the corner.
Janus frowned. Roman wasn't lying. Still, this behavior was unusual for the prince. Sure, Roman got angry and lashed out a lot, but he rarely stayed angry at someone he truly cared for.
"Are you okay, Roman? Is something bothering you?" Janus frowned.
"Yeah! Fucking Remus!" Roman snapped. "He thinks he can just walk all over me! He's so manipulative!"
"How so?" Janus furrowed his brow, focusing intently on Roman. He could tell something wasn't right here. It reminded him of the feeling he had when he interacted with Remus dressed as Roman.
But it was different, somehow. With Remus, he could tell that something wasn't right with him. He had the nagging feeling that Roman was being impersonated, but figured that wasn't possible since he was the only one who could do that.
But with Roman, he could say with 100% certainty that he was talking to the real Roman. There wasn't a chance that he was being impersonated or mind controlled, it was just Roman.
Still, his intuition told him something was wrong. Janus had learned to trust his intuition.
"He tried to steal my life! He tried to steal Virgil! He didn't even talk to me during the time he was found out! He abandoned me!" Roman growled. "He doesn't even care about me!"
"What? That's ridiculous." Janus said, and instantly knew that was not the right thing to say.
"Ridiculous?" Roman echoed, shaking his head. "Figures. Forget I said anything."
"Roma--"
"Goodbye, my scaly friend." Roman waved, not sparing Janus a second glance as he departed.
Janus sighed. He hadn't expected to like the result of that conversation, but it was still disappointing nonetheless.
"When did it all go wrong?" Remus asked, not even bothering to come out into the open.
"When Patton left you on my doorstep, I'd imagine." Janus replied bluntly. He instantly regretted it when he heard shaky breathing that he recognized as quiet sobs.
"Why do I always ruin everything?" Remus asked, sliding down the wall. Janus finally moved over to him, kneeling down beside him. "First it was with Patton, and then Virgil, and now--"
"Remus..."
"You wouldn't leave me, right? Promise you won't leave, Janus." Remus turned to him, his tearful eyes breaking Janus' heart.
"I'll never leave you, Remus. Never." He promised.
"You're not lying, right?" Remus asked, taking his already broken heart and crushing it. "You'll really never leave?"
"I'm not lying." Janus shook his head. Remus threw his arms around Janus, and the two embraced.
---
Janus entered Logan's room a little bit later, spotting the usually punctual side asleep at his desk.
Janus sighed, walking over to him. That position could not have been good for his back. He reached a hand out, shaking Logan gently.
Logan mumbled something incoherent, before blearily blinking up at Janus. "Wha...?"
"Hey there, Logic." Janus smiled, which must've looked absolutely terrifying on his snake face. He didn't stop, though, considering a blank face would probably be more terrifying.
"Janus...? What...?" He looked around. "Did I fall asleep?"
"Yeah, you did." Janus nodded. "It's okay, just try falling asleep in your bed next time."
"No, I gotta keep working." Logan shook his head, grabbing a nearby pencil. "The others are counting on me for a good plan to apprehend Patton."
"You're exhausted, Logan. I doubt you'll be able to come up with something good in this state." Janus hummed.
Janus gently helped Logan out of his chair and eased him to the bed.
Logan sat up, blinking slowly. "I gotta work."
"Wasn't it you who said to always get proper bedrest?" Janus tilted his head, gently pushing Logan back down. "You should learn to practice what you preach."
When Logan kept attempting to sit up, Janus decided to just climb in the bed as well to keep him still. He gently took Logan up in his arms, placing his head against Janus' chest.
"But--"
"Shh, you work too hard. You need to find time to take of yourself." Janus hummed, beginning to gently fun his fingers through Logan's hair. It had always worked when he tried to get Remus or Virgil to fall asleep.
"But we don't have time--"
"What nonsense." Janus smirked playfully. "Patton wouldn't dare attack us right now. We're all on guard."
"...R-Roman'll get impatient--"
"He has Rem--" He cut himself off, furrowing his brow. "He has Virgil to watch him. Don't be such a worrywart."
Instead of Logan questioning what a 'worrywart' was, like Janus expected, the logical side didn't say anything at all.
Janus looked down, seeing Logan had succumbed to a peaceful sleep. His head was resting on Janus' chest as he took slow, deep breaths. Janus frowned, he probably couldn't move to his bed until Logan had fallen deeper into slumber.
So Janus waited a bit, fighting off exhaustion as well.
He lost the battle when his eyes slipped closed too.
A/N:
Janus is such a teddy bear. 😌
