Roman ‘Creativity’ Sanders was Thomas’ ego. He was bold and loud and proud. But everyone knows that egos can bruise. Quite easily so. In turn, that means Roman bruises easily. All it took was a single blow and the bruise would appear on his face. These bruises were much more painful and lasted longer than the ones he’d get from rough quests and play fights with Remus.
Whenever he’d feel one coming in, Roman would leave immediately and make a run for his room. He’d quickly cover it up with a thick layer of foundation then return to the others with a lie on his tongue and a fake smile. Sure, he could tell the others but they’d only tell him how ‘dramatic’ he’s being. So he kept his mouth shut even if a certain snake had his eye on him.
Today was no different. There was no video today but Thomas called a meeting to talk about future videos and to bounce some ideas around. That meant all sides, especially Roman, were needed. Soon, they were gathered in their host’s living area. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Roman was excited more than anything, holding his beloved red binder close as he waited anxiously to share his idea.
Janus, who had been watching him, couldn’t help but smile fondly at the prince. He finds the creative side cute like this, bouncing up and down with a stupid grin on his perfect face. Not that Janus would ever admit it out loud. The prince probably still hates him for the stunts he pulled in POF. He can only sigh softly and watch as Roman perks up when Thomas finally turns to him.
“Alright, Roman. Any ideas for future videos?” Thomas asks.
Roman nods happily, opening his binder. There’s an anxious look in his eyes and only Janus and maybe Virgil seems to notice it.
“Always! Now, onto the ideas!” the prince replies. “Idea one. Reacting to cute videos!”
“Well...it sounds fun but...I’ve already done so many reaction videos. Plus, there are already so many out there. I don’t think ours will get many views since it’ll be just like any reaction video.” Thomas shrugs.
“Oh.”
Roman’s smile falters with a slight twitch but he wills it to stay as he takes a deep breath. He summons a red pen and marks out the first idea.
“Okay then. Second idea. Some sort of music video. We’ve created many lovely songs and I figured maybe a more professional music video is in order with us in it.” he tries next.
“While that sounds interesting, we’ll need a big budget for that. Thomas’ rent and bills are due soon as well so it’s highly impossible to make a professional music video at the moment. That, and it would require Thomas to write a new song and get all the necessary materials. That cannot be easy for him.” Logan says this time, fixing his glasses.
A glint of hurt flickers in Roman’s eyes but it’s blinked away. He scribbles out the idea and looks down at his binder again. His fingers grip the edge of the binder in an attempt to hide their shaking. Janus notices this and frowns but says nothing.
“I-Idea number 3.” the prince continues, hoping no one heard him stammer. “T-Trying weird food combinations.”
“Again. Already been done by many youtubers.” Thomas sighs.
“We’d also be wasting food and making Thomas sick! And then we’ll get sick!” Patton adds, frowning in disappointment.
Roman’s smile wobbles but he manages to keep it there again.
Scribble scribble.
Another idea marked out. He looks back up and almost everyone is looking at him with big frowns. Swallowing, he looks back down at his binder and reads the next idea. Logan calls it childish.
Scribble scribble.
Roman reads the next idea. Thomas says it’s a bit much.
Scribble scribble.
Roman keeps reading the rest of the ideas and one by one they’re criticized, shot down with no mercy. No one even seems to notice how much Roman is shaking or how much his smile is threatening to break. Or the first tear pricking in the corner of his eye. Well, no one sees it but Janus.
By the time they get to the bottom of the list, Roman is trembling and his paper is marked harshly in red. He pressed his pen so hard that anyone that reads it could see the indentations. His head is bowed as he stares down at his ideas. He hears talking but it’s muffled to him. He feels a dull throb on the side of his cheek. Like someone punched him in the face.
“These ideas seem interesting, Roman. But you know I can’t do them. Some are just a bit too much.” Thomas tells him like he thinks it’ll soften the blow.
“Not to mention childish.” Logan adds quietly.
“Logan!” Patton scolds.
Virgil sighs and cuts in.
“Come on guys. Leave him alone. He tried. We’ll just have to think of something else. Wouldn’t be the first time anyway.” he huffs like he thinks he’s defending Roman.
Janus shifts awkwardly and turns to Roman for his input. Remus looks over as well, worry filling his eyes.
“Ro?” Remus tries.
Roman is still trembling, tears rolling down his cheeks now. They land on his binder with a soft pitter patter. But they’re not clear tears. His tears had washed off some of the thick foundation that he had carefully put on to hide the bruises he’d get whenever his ego was attacked. He looks up and everyone gasps as his bruises are exposed. Each one is red, black, and blue and are slowly blooming over his cheeks. Roman looks back at that, hurt and embarrassed.
“I-I’m sorry…” he chokes before sinking out.
“Roman, wait!” Patton calls but he’s too late.
Roman has left.
The sides look at each other then to their host. They begin talking amongst themselves, now feeling worried and guilty. They hadn’t realized just how bad they’ve been hurting Roman.
“I don’t understand. Why would he hide something like that?” Patton asks sadly.
“It’s odd. We’re merely facets of Thomas. Any injuries sustained can usually be healed quickly or disappear on its own. Has Roman always had those?” Logan questions.
“I honestly thought he’d be the type to never scar.” Thomas adds.
“Look, we don’t have all the facts. Maybe Roman’s been doing something bad to himself and we didn’t know?” Virgil tries.
“But it’s Roman! Why would he ruin his face like that?”
“Maybe Roman self-harms?”
“Logan, no! We can’t just assume that! We don’t know the whole story.”
“Dude, seriously, Logan? Way to set the bar low. For all we know, Princey is probably just putting on a-”
“ENOUGH!”
Everyone startles as Janus suddenly cuts in with a hiss. The deceitful side’s snake eye glows and his fangs and tongue show for a moment before he calms down. He takes a deep breath before talking again.
“Clearly you all care ssso much about Roman that you’re standing here just talking instead of leaving to see him. But if none of you can even do that, then I will.” he growls. “Remus, you can come with me.”
Remus nods quietly and follows behind Janus as they both sink out of Thomas’ apartment. They sink back into the mindpalace, just outside of Roman’s room. Normally, Remus would’ve broken the door down like usual but he knew that now was clearly not the time for that. He lets Janus take the lead and Janus steps forward, knocking on the door.
“Roman?” the snake side calls.
The sound of fumbling and things falling, and a few thumps are heard from the other side.
“Y-Yes?” comes the soft reply from the prince.
“It’s Janus and Remus. Can we come in?” Janus asks.
“U-Um, could you come back later? I’m very busy at the moment!” is the panicked reply.
Remus looks up at Janus and frowns, seeing the snake’s eye glow as the lie is exposed.
“Come on, Roman. You and I both know by now that lying to me never works. Please, let us in.” Janus tries again.
“I’m sorry but I can’t right now. Please, Janus. Just go.” Roman replies, a soft sniffle following and not going unnoticed by the other two.
Janus sighs and steps back, looking to Remus to try and help next. He knows the brothers have a strong bond deep down. Remus nods and steps forward, knocking on the door next.
“Come on, RoRo. You can’t hide in there forever. Just let us help you.” Remus tries.
“I...I really can’t...You don’t want to see me like this…” Roman replies, voice broken.
“Like what? Looking like sh*t? Roman, I don’t care what you look like, you’re my goddamn brother. I care more that you aren’t hurting and moping in your room like a sad sack. Please, Ro, whatever it is, we don’t have to tell the others yet, ok?”
It’s silent before some movement is heard.
“Royal promise?” Roman then replies, voice much closer now.
“Royal promise, big bro.” Remus answers, even doing the crown symbol above his head.
A beat of silence passes before the lock clicks and the door slowly opens. A disheveled and bruised Roman awkwardly shuffles out, a look of shame on his face. His face is a mess, foundation smeared everywhere and failing to cover the bruises. The bruises look much worse now and there are more in places other than his face. Two soft gasps are heard and Roman winces slightly.
Janus steps forward first, looking up at Roman. He softens when he sees Roman’s usually flawless face covered in such dark bruises. Before he can stop himself, Janus slowly reaches up and caresses Roman’s cheek. The prince squeaks softly in pain and Janus pulls back.
“S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Janus apologizes.
“I-It’s okay. I’m used to this.” Roman replies, gesturing to his cheek.
“But that doesn’t mean you should hide it from us.” Remus cuts in.
Roman sighs, gently touching his face and hissing softly before starting to scratch lightly at it.
“Then what? I just leave it there and let them see how much of an embarrassment I am to Thomas? How much I failed again? I’ve heard enough, Remus. I don’t want to go back there right now.” he huffs, turning to walk into his room.
“You don’t have to if you’re not feeling up to it, Roman. We’re not here to force you back out there. We just want to make sure you’re okay.” Janus adds, following Roman and Remus inside.
If they see his vanity a mess with its products strewn on the floor and its mirror shattered, neither of them question it.
“Yeah, you can stay here and mope. We’ll hang out with you if you want.” Remus adds.
Roman sighs again, moving to stand in front of his full-length mirror. He usually keeps it covered because, in truth, he actually hates his reflection and only uses it from time to time to make sure he looks perfect on video shooting days or on trips to the Imagination. He looks at himself, still scratching away.
“Fine...but please, no comments on all of this. I’ve had enough as it is.” he sighs.
Janus nods then notices the scratch marks starting to form under Roman’s fingers, the blood drying in his nails and mixing with the messy foundation. He steps forward and takes Roman’s hands, pulling them away from his cheek. He doesn’t know why he’s doing this, but it feels right.
“Roman, you’re bleeding. You should stop touching it. Have you always done that? The scratching, I mean.” he asks.
Roman shrugs.
“I guess? I never even knew I was bleeding. I just scratch at it because it itches sometimes.” he mumbles.
Janus frowns in concern.
“Well, now you know. If you’ll let me, I can clean that up and maybe it’ll itch less?” he offers.
“Why would you do that? Wait, why do you care about me?”
Janus wasn’t expecting that and flusters, averting his gaze.
“I...I guess I have some regrets for what I did and said to you the past month. I’ve been trying to figure out how to fix things but I didn’t know how beyond a simple ‘I’m sorry’ from me. I thought I’d take this chance to show you how sincere I am despite what I represent.” he admits.
Roman thinks and decides to play it safe first.
“How do I know you’re not lying?” he asks.
Janus, understanding why Roman would ask that, smiles softly and removes his right glove. He holds it up for Roman to see.
“But I can understand if you decide not to trust me,” he adds.
Roman looks over Janus, searching for any signs of lies. Nothing. There’s no twitching or that deceitful spark in his eyes. Just sincerity and...the softest, prettiest, smile he’s ever seen. Wait...what? Where did that come from? He takes a deep breath, trying not to let the gay thoughts fill his mind.
“I think...I can trust you a little.” he says, flustering. “I-I mean, since Remus does.”
Janus chuckles softly and nods, flustering as well.
“Of course. Thank you, Roman. Will you let me help now?”
Roman nods and he’s led to his bathroom and sat down on the toilet lid. Remus sits by his feet, resting his head in his brother’s lap to distract him. Janus moves to look around for a first aid kit. The bathroom is a mess with Roman’s makeup and hair products everywhere. Empty foundation bottles litter the area around the sink. And when Janus opens the medicine cabinet, he finds more foundation bottles and makeup. He sighs and shuts the cabinet and moves to look in the sink cabinet.
Janus opens it and finds the first aid kit behind some bubble bath and other bath related things. He pulls it out and stands back up, shutting the cabinet and moving to stand in front of Roman. He then notices Roman hanging his head in shame, crying again and not caring that his tears are dripping into Remus’ hair. Janus softens and sets the kit on the sink counter before kneeling down and looking up at his face.
“Roman, what’s wrong?” he asks softly.
Roman sighs.
“I feel embarrassed. And…I’m sorry.” he mumbles. “I’m supposed to look brave and dashing...and I look like this...and you still want to help me even after I was horrible to you and unaccepting...I don’t deserve your kindness.”
“Oh, Roman…” Janus smiles sadly as he takes one of Roman’s hands. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Your bruises don’t make me-us...love you any less. And I hold nothing against you. I know you only wanted to protect Thomas and I do too. But I never meant to hurt you in the process. So, I’ll say it again, I’m sorry. You’re not at fault and I forgive you.”
Sniffle, sniffle.
“Y-You do? Even if I laughed at you?”
“Even then.”
“Okay...I...I forgive you.”
“Thank you, Roman.” Janus smiles softly. “Now, I’m going to look at your bruises. okay? Tell me if I’m hurting you.”
Roman nods and Janus stand again. He then slips a finger under Roman’s chin and tilts his head up, looking over his face. The bruises are still dark and the one that was scratched is still bleeding but not as much. Janus continues looking over Roman, humming in thought.
“Does it look bad?” Roman asks quietly.
“Not as bad as the scales on my face.” Janus chuckles softly. “I just need to patch up your scratch mark. As for your bruises...well...a bruised ego may be hard to fix but not impossible, my prince.”
Roman flusters, caught slightly off guard at the nickname. That’s the first he’s heard it coming out of Janus’ mouth like that. And...it sounded so genuine. There was no sarcasm or malice or teasing tone. It sounded...warm. Not that he minded. It felt nice to hear it. He wonders if he can make Janus say it more. Oh no. He’s having gay snake thoughts again. He ignores the thoughts again and looks up at Janus as he remembers what he said about his scales.
“Your scales aren’t bad, Janus. They’re a part of you.” the prince says, resisting the urge to touch them even though his fingers twitch.
Janus finds himself smiling softly again, realizing Roman’s been making him do that a lot lately.
“I’m not sure what’s so beautiful about scales that get itchy and dry every other day.” he says, turning to the first aid kit.
“Well, scales sparkle beautifully in the sun. They also come in many, different beautiful colors. I’d say those are much better than painful bruises.”
Janus feels his heart...flutter. Weird. It’s never done that. He also feels warmth in his tummy and on his cheeks. It’s a good thing he’s facing away from Roman. He wasn’t sure he’d have a lie for the blush on his cheeks. He wills the blush away and grabs some things from the kit. As he collects the things he needs, he hears Roman giggling softly as Remus whispers something to him.
“Just tell him, Ro!”
“I can’t, Ree! He’s gonna think I’m dumb.”
“What, no! The only dummy here is me. Dummy thicc at least!”
“Still, I’m not telling him.”
“Why not? It could lead into something fun~”
“Remus!”
Janus smiles fondly to himself, hearing the two twins giggling amongst each other. How long has it been since he last heard them together like this? No banter. No fighting or violence. No crying. No death threats and injuring each other. Just plain bonding and laughing. They were so young the last time he had heard it. He takes a moment to listen to them before turning back around just barely missing the slight blush on Roman’s face. He does notice that a few bruises have disappeared and the remaining ones have started to lighten. He then approaches Roman with some bandages, ointment, and a wet cloth.
“Okay, Roman, this will only hurt for just a few moments. Keep still, okay?” he tells the prince.
Roman nods and shuts his eyes so he doesn’t see it, feeling Remus’ hand squeeze his own as he waits for the inevitable pain. Then...he feels the cool, wet cloth gently and lightly brushing against his skin. Whimpering from the pain, he moves away a bit with a soft hiss.
“S-Sorry.” Roman apologizes sheepishly, feeling a bit embarrassed again for acting like this. He’s a prince for goodness sake!
“It’s alright. I know it hurts but you need to be taken care of. Just a little more and then I’ll patch it up, okay?” Janus soothes.
Roman sighs and nods, leaning forward again. He feels something squeeze his hand and he looks down to see his brother smiling at him. Roman smiles back softly and returns the squeeze. He then feels the cloth again on his cheek and it’s much gentler than before. He looks up and…
Oh…
Janus was....really close to his face now. He can see that pretty snake eye concentrating on him. He could see the scales on his face, shining beautifully in the light. He could...He could easily reach out and touch his face. He could even ki-
Janus then pulls back, that finger goes back under Roman’s face and checks him again.
“Okay, cleaning is done. You did good, Roman. Now, I’ll just put a bandaid on it.” he tells him.
Roman blinks and nods, hoping Janus didn’t see him flustering as he ignores Remus’ quiet snicker. He watches as Janus turns around again and rummages through the first aid kit. Janus then turns back around with a small box of band-aids and some ointment. He returns to Roman and sets the band-aids down on the counter. He then opens the ointment and applies a little on his finger before setting the tube aside and attending to Roman’s face.
“Ooh, can I have some too?” Remus pipes in as he watches Janus apply the medicine to the wound.
“No, Remus. You can’t eat the ointment.” Janus chuckles softly.
Remus huffs.
“Boo. You never let me eat the ointment.”
“I know but it’s for your own good, Remus.”
Roman normally would have chuckled along but his brain had long short-circuited, feeling Janus’ bare fingers gently caress his skin. It just felt so...nice. He couldn’t resist leaning into it a little. Janus’ hands were soft and cool despite the scales on the other side of them. Roman actually wanted more of his touches. But the touch then suddenly disappears and Roman blinks and sees Janus now peeling a bandaid. He then feels the touch again for a moment as Janus sticks the bandaid on him. He forces himself not to pout when Janus removes his hand and turns away. A few moments pass before Janus turns back to Roman.
“Okay, are there any other bruises I need to know about?” he asks the prince.
“Well...I have a few on my chest, stomach, and back but they’ll go away.” Roman sighs. “Eventually.”
“Alright, well, I guess in the meantime you should get some rest for now. I can tell you’ve been hard at work, my prince.”
Roman flusters. There was that pet name again. He wants to keep hearing it more and more.
“I don’t know if you’d call those flopped ideas hard work. The others practically hated them. It’s so embarrassing.” he says, hiding his flustered face in his hands. “I honestly feel like I wasted mine and everyone else’s time.”
Janus sighs, taking Roman’s hands in his. He smiles softly as the creative side averts his gaze again, his face a darker shade of red. It makes the lying side soften even more, getting the courage to cup Roman’s face with one hand.
“Roman...Roman, look at me.” Janus says, looking him in those pretty eyes. “Your ideas aren’t what defines you. You are Thomas’ creativity. You are our prince. Princes are allowed to have bad days and fall apart. It’s going to be okay, Roman. When you’re rested and healed from these bruises, you’ll feel much better. I know confidence is hard to find but I believe in you. I know deep down that confidence is still there and you’ll find it again.”
Roman sniffles as he tears up again.
“Janus...y-you mean it? Or is this another lie that leads into a hurtful joke?” he asks though he leans into the deceitful side’s touch again.
“Search my eyes and tell me if I’m lying, my prince.”
Silence falls in as Roman gazes up at Janus’ mesmerizing, mismatched eyes again. The softness and kindness he’d seen earlier only multiplied. There wasn’t anything negative that he could find.
“You...You really do mean it…” Roman whispers after a beat of silence.
“Of course, Roman. I can’t bring myself to lie to you again. Not after how I had broken your heart by mistake.” Janus smiles softly again.
Another sniffle.
“T-Thank you, Janus. For fixing things between us. Know that I do accept you now.” Roman replies.
“Thank you as well, Roman. Now, why don’t we rest in your bed and you can pick a Disney movie to watch.”
Roman blinks in surprise at Janus’ offer.
“Y-You’re not leaving?” he asks.
“Do you want me to?” Janus asks in return.
Roman flusters, smiling bashfully.
“N-No…I just...I didn’t think you wanted to stay with me…”
“Roman…”
Janus’ snake eye glows and Roman sighs.
“Okay...I might have...wanted to ask you and Remus to stay the night.” the prince admits shyly.
“There. Was that so hard to admit?” Janus chuckles softly, oddly finding the prince cute when he flusters like this.
“Oh hush, snakey.”
That only makes Janus chuckle more, flustering a bit at the new nickname.
“Alright, alright. But don’t worry, Roman. Remus and I will stay with you.”
Remus nods happily.
“Yeah! We did say earlier that we’d hang out with you while you mope!” he adds.
Janus chuckles again and Roman finds himself smiling small but softly again, the prince’s bruises another shade lighter once more. Some of the smaller ones had even faded away.
“So...Disney movie?” Janus smiles, offering his hand this time.
Roman’ smile softens.
“Sure.”
With that, Roman is led out of his bedroom and Remus happily follows. The three head to Roman’s bed. If Remus snapped his fingers and Roman’s vanity was suddenly clean, Janus and Roman said nothing about it. Roman snaps his fingers again and he’s changed into a plain white t-shirt and a pair of red sweats. Janus follows and is wearing his black with gold trim silk pajamas.
Remus comes in last, wearing a black Thriller t-shirt and green shorts. He also conjured up some snacks and brought along two familiar stuffed toys. A raggedy white bunny with red patches and a slightly but dirty green octopus with a mustache. It catches Roman’s eye, and he looks up from his collection of movies to look at them.
“Wait...you...you actually kept those, Ree?” the prince says in surprise.
The duke nods happily, bouncing onto Roman’s bed with the snacks and drinks and stuffed toys.
“Yeah! Why wouldn’t I?” he says, holding the octopus one close as he smiles softly at him. “You made them for us, Ro. You royal promised that Squisyboo would always protect me from anything if I kept him close. And...Mrs. Fluffybottom was all I had after you left, and I knew she was your favorite, so I kept her safe. But I think she missed you more.”
Roman finds himself smiling softly once again as Remus presses the bunny into his arms. He holds the bunny close and joins Remus on the bed, sitting next to him as he looks at the bunny. Her green little outfit was still mostly clean and looks like it’s been sewn up in places. There’s a few faded stains but it doesn’t bother Roman. He still loves his bunny, and he could still smell its strawberry scent. It was a small feature that Roman added as he loved strawberry scented things and wanted something that’ll keep that scent. He couldn’t resist anymore and hugged Remus. Remus was startled at first but immediately hugged back, eyes watering a little as he pulled Roman close. When was the last time they hugged like this?
“Thank you, Remus…” the prince whispers, a faint glimpse of his true smile showing for a moment.
“Of course, big bro.”
Janus watches for a moment, smiling fondly. It’s nice to see Remus and Roman together like this. They seem...happy enough with each other. Though, part of Janus wonders just how bad the light sides have unknowingly been hurting Roman for him to lose his real smile. He decides not to dwell on it too much and lets the brothers have their moment.
The brothers soon pull away and they all settle in for the movie. Aladdin was the chosen movie and it began playing. As the movie plays the opening chase scene through the market, the three start getting comfortable. Janus lays in between the twins. Roman lays on his right and Remus lays on his left. By the time Aladdin has met Jasmine, both twins are using Janus as a pillow as they’re held by three Janus arms each. If Roman and Remus’ hands are touching, no one says anything. The movie plays on and as Aladdin or, Prince Ali now, talks to Jasmine on the balcony, Roman pauses when he feels a hand in his hair. He looks up for a moment and sees Janus smiling softly at him.
“Is this okay, my prince?” Janus whispers, flustered.
Roman nods back, flustered as well. He shivers slightly when he feels Janus massage his scalp. Oh...that felt...nice. Even better than when Janus touched his face. He doesn’t resist leaning into Janus’ touch this time and relaxes as the movie continues. Soon, Jasmine is about to marry Aladdin and the three are much more at ease. Some of Roman’s bruises are much lighter now. Janus notices and frowns slightly, knowing there’s much more that Roman’s hiding. He knows how fragile his ego has grown and sees all the cracks in his self-esteem. He caused those cracks. Sighing softly, Janus turns back to the movie. Then-
“Hey, Janus?”
Janus looks down and Roman shifts awkwardly. Almost nervously.
“Go on, Roman. You can tell me.” he encourages softly.
Roman flusters at that, feeling Remus squeeze his hand.
“Do...you...really believe that I’m good enough?” he then asks in a soft voice.
Janus softens once again, now feeling warm inside. Why was Roman making him feel like this?
“Of course I do, Roman. I know you’re finding it hard to accept that, but I do. Your role as a side is just as important as everyone else’s. Even if some of your days are less colorful than usual. I wish you could see what I see. Or even what Remus sees. You’re still the creativity we know and love.” he tells them with his right hand up, watching one bruise vanish.
“But the others-”
“Never mind what the others think. They’re blind if they can’t see just how wonderful you are. They’re blind if they can’t see how hard you work or what you do to help Thomas. They’re blind if they can’t see the you that I see. Roman ‘Creativity’ Sanders, you are perfect enough to me. You are so much more than you think. And...you’ll always be mine and Remus’ hero.”
By the end of Janus’ little speech, Roman’s face was burning red. The prince squeaked and hid his face in his hands. He was totally not grinning like a dork. ...No, the gay thoughts didn’t win. Shut up.
“Januuuss!” he whines. “Why do you have to be right and good with words?!”
A few more bruises vanish.
Janus chuckles softly, uncovering Roman’s face and taking his hands in his. He sees that real smile returning. It was a beautiful sight and Janus hopes he can see it more.
“Don’t hide your beautiful face, Roman~” he grins. “I want to see you shine brighter than the stars.”
“Stooop!”
“Not until you admit that you’re good enough.”
“Nooo!”
“Roman…”
“You can’t make me!”
“Ro-”
Remus groans.
“Oh my god just f*ck already! I can’t take the gay tension or your mutual pining anymore.”
Both Janus and Roman turn red now.
“Ree!” Roman chokes, smacking Remus’s shoulder lightly.
“What? You both are clearly hiding some sexual tension. I can feel it.”
“Ew! That’s even worse, Ree!”
Remus only cackles as Roman smacks him again.
“Well, if you’re not gonna f*ck, at least kiss each other so I don’t have to see you both being gay disasters.” he says, grinning as he gets two red faces in response.
Roman averts his gaze but a hand makes him look up at Janus who smiles at him.
“Well, do you want to do this, my prince?” Janus asks, caressing Roman’s cheek.
Roman places his hand over Janus’.
“I do but...what happens after we kiss? Are we going to be something more?”
“Only if you’re willing to try.”
“I am. Do you promise to be honest with me?”
Janus holds his right hand up.
“I’ll do my best for you, my prince.”
“That’s all I needed to hear.”
And with that, Janus leaned down and softly pressed his lips onto Roman’s. He lets go of Remus, ignoring the huff from him as he pulls Roman closer. Roman wraps his arms around Janus and kisses back, eyes fluttering shut. The warm feeling in their stomachs only grows hotter and hotter. For the first time in years, Roman feels loved and for the moment nothing hurts inside. He and Janus then pull away, looking at each other in awe. Janus is still smiling and now so is Roman. The two chuckle softly as they touch foreheads.
“Ugh, gross, now you’re both sappier than Aladdin and Jasmine.” Remus gags before grinning. “But I’m happy for you both. Janus, you f*ck this up, I’ll make your cane f*ck you.”
“Duly noted, Remus.”
Roman laughs and snuggles up to Janus. Janus pulls him close. Whatever pain Roman was feeling earlier had disappeared. It was odd at first to have Janus care for him but now he wouldn’t change it for the world. It just felt right. And Roman felt like he could do anything, knowing he had Remus and Janus by his side.
Then finally, the last bruise on Roman’s skin vanishes and he truly smiles.
![Bruised Ego - lili_the_chaotic_queen - Sanders Sides (Web Series) [Archive of Our Own] (2024)](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mP8/h8AAvMB+NzmkbcAAAAASUVORK5CYII=)