Loceit but if they were chads: Janus: "Have you ever seen a man so pretty you cried?"

Logan: "I'm looking at him"

J: "Bro"

L:"....No homo"

Now onto the chapter!

During the months Remus slowly let himself be taken over a few other things were happening during the same time. Particular 3. 1: Remy got a lot sadder than usual. 2: Deceit had a confrontation he didn't expect or desired to have. 3: Logan became much closer friends with a certain snake.

Let's start with the Remy thing.

Remy (the dramatic bitch) was banging their head into Logan's instead of knocking because they were gruuummppyyyy. When the door opened they nearly fell forward. Instead they quickly regained their posture and leaned onto the door frame with a smirk.

"Sup babe" They greeted.

"Salutations" The nerd replied with an unimpressed look.

"It's like tots an ice cream kind of day so ugh" 

It certainly wasn't the first time 'ice cream time' had happened so Logan went into the kitchen while Remy went into the living room. They put on an overly dramatic sad face and pretended to sob their eyes out. They slumped down onto the couch and put their head in Janus' lap without thinking about it.

"GIIIRRlll I haven't gotten any attention in like forever! It's torture I'm telling you like I'm out - Hi Jan- here trying my best and- Wait a fucking second JANUS?"

They sat up while their eyes glimmered with excitement (their sunglasses hid it), The snake moved away slightly. He was far to unsure about how they would react. Surprisingly their first instinct was pull him into a tight hug.

"YOU FUCKING BITCH" They yelled while still hugging him. Janus gulped and tensed up on instinct "How could you just like disappear on me like that? I heard you and Pat broke up and suddenly you were poof gone, I've been worrying like crazzzzy"

"...Thanks" He replied unsure of what else to say.

"Why are you here out of all places? Like where have you been???"

Logan came back from the kitchen with 3 cups of ice cream. He put 2 of the cups on the table and gave one to Remy who blew him a kiss as thanks. He took a chair and sat down next to the couch.

The snake looked over at him. His expression was one of pleading as if he was begging him to explain or make up some lie about why he was here to Remy.

"Janus lives here now, he didn't communicate with anyone expect for me for a while..because of mental health issues" He looked over at the snake while he said it and got a small thumbs up in return.

"Well I can see that you're certainly getting along" They tried to hold back a smirk while tracing over the fading bruises on Dee's neck. They assumed they were playful ones coming from Lo.

"Darling I would just hate if you got your ugly unkept nails away from my skin" He bit off in return.

Remy did an overly offended gasp while moving away. They'd painted their nails 2 days ago damnit! They decided to change the subject and started to grimace but tried to hide it by swallowing a scoop of ice cream "Uhh with him here I dunno if I should spill the tea I was planning to spill"

"Dear, I'm a stone cold bitch I can manage" 

"....Sure" They slumped down in their seat and let out a groan "Ok so like here's thing I feel like Rere is ignoring me, like we used to hang out all the time and now he's busy with Patton all the time!"

Janus tensed up at the name. He looked over at Logan who turned away from his gaze.

"Like when we meet up yesterday you know the whole like gang or whatevs they were so stupidly in love I wanted to vomit. It was-"

"Disgusting" Logan and Remy said at the exact same time. The enby did fingerguns at him.

"Sure I'm happy for them cause they are happy but uuuuunnh Remus can get someone better like someone taller or cooler or with a better fashion sense- NOt to say that Pat isn't good or anything I just yeeeaahh" They rambled on.

"Have you considered that mayhaps you only feel that way because you want attention from Remus and because of this relationship you aren't getting that?" Logan held back the urge to ask if they'd considered that mayhaps Patton was a stupid little bitch.

Remy moved the ice cream around with the spoon while pouting "Mmmmaybe"

Janus frowned while staring down into the ground "Did he look happy?" He quietly asked but once he started to talk he couldn't stop "Did his eyes look hollow? Was he wearing a long sleeved shirt as if he was trying to hide something? Did he flinch away from people? Did his smile seem forced when Patton was close?"

They looked at him weirdly while replying with "Ehm yes. Specs you were there. They were tots down each other's throats the whole time. I haven't seen Rere smile that much in a while" They wished they'd been the one to make him smile that much.

Note that his happened before Remus was first tied up if Remy had been asked all those questions after that.....all the answers wouldn't be yes.

Janus stared at Logan as if he was trying to drill holes into his skill "You knew?" His tone was filled with venom "You knew and you didn't tell me anything?"

He looked away while his hand dragged in his tie over and over "I thought that the information might not be good for your mental state-"

"You thought? Right! I forgot! I'm apparently a giant oversensitive baby who has to be protected from everything! The fact that you've already lied to me so you could do that more doesn't make me feel unsafe at all nooo what makes you think that" He lied while making theatrical hand movements.

Remy looked between them while eating more ice cream. They did enjoy gossip but they did not enjoy actual conflict.

"That wasn't my intention" Logan assured while crossing his arms.

"Of course that solves everything, just perfect. I'm not leaving this conversation at all" He got up and stormed out of the room.

Janus sat down on the floor of the kitchen with a sigh. He moved his knees up to his chest and leaned his head against them.

He could hear the other two talking on the other side of the wall. It was mostly Remy rambling about their week. It must have gone at least an hour before it stopped and they moved to the hallway. Worry took over Janus mind as he realized he was alone in the apartment with Logan once more.

"Hey, Remy has left now" Logan said while leaned against the doorframe to the kitchen. He had a regretful look on his face.

Janus heart beat so fast he could hear it drumming in his ears. He crawled backwards until his back hit the kitchen cabinets. He moved his shaking hands up to hide his head.

"I'm sorry I-I didn't mean-ean to talk back" He stuttered out.

Logan took a step closer to him and opened his mouth to speak but the other man spoke over him.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I mean it please I'm not lying I swear I really am sorry" He babbled out.

Logan hunched down in front of him. He made sure to not be too close. He held out his hand without saying anything. Janus looked at the hand as if it was a bear trap. He hesitantly laid his hand against the other man's palm.

He intertwined their fingers and said with a calm voice "You're okay" 

"You're not mad?" The snake asked but it came out as a whisper.

"As far as I can see there is no reason for me to be. You expressed an opinion and you're right I should have told you about the sudden.....thing between Remus and the fucking bitchass dementor but...I didn't want to make you more stressed. All I want is for you to be okay and I truly would do anything to make that happen"

Janus looked away while biting his lip. The only thing he felt was embarrassment over overreacting "I'm sorry" He mumbled.

"Dear I think you've already apologized enough" He replied while running a circle with his thumb into his friend's hand to calm him.

He couldn't help but smirk and move his left eyebrow up to look cocky "Dear?"

"You say dear and darling all the time I've simply copied your speech because I've spent so much time around you" Logan heaved out the explanation while letting go of Janus' hand. He cleared his throat while standing up "So...dear..would a hug suffice?"

The snake stood up as well while nodding. Logan wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him close. He made sure not to embrace him to tight so he knew he could move away at any moment. Janus let his arms stay by his side. He buried his face against Lo's shoulder and smiled.

Second the confrontation. 

Deceit was out on a walk. He'd started going on a lot of walks after Logan told him it would be better for his mental health than staying cooped up in the apartment all day. This walk was a long one, he'd passed the zoo and made a mental note to ask his roomate whether they should go check out the animals some time. (Omg they were roomates)

When he passed the supermarket he saw a familiar figure standing by the trashcans behinds the shop. He held back a smile as he stepped closer.

"Remus! It's been far too long, I've been trying to reach you you know" The snake said while trying not to step into any of the garbage.

The man in question slowly looked up from the garbage can he was looking through. Remus' eyes immediately got small and his hands closed into fists as he growled.

 "I will rip out your teeth one by one and shove them down your throat if you ever say another word" he threatened. Janus was taken back but he tried to lie to himself that this was just one of his expressions.

The duke placed the newly found garbage in a jar before throwing it down into a plastic bag where the groceries he'd just bought were (octopus sushi, deodorant and empanadas). He began walking away but Dee followed shortly behind.

"Excuse me if I've done anything wrong but I most definitely see an obvious reason for the change of tone" He lied.

The duke turned around so quickly it made Janus flinch back. Remus grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and growled "You're an abusive piece of shit and I hope you rot ten times over. If I had a knife right now I would stab you in the chest until you were begging for me to kill you. That's what you deserve for hurting Patton"

He let go of his grip which made Janus fall down on the ground. It felt like he was back to being threatened in that apartment. It was as if he'd never left.

Remus stormed away and left him on the ground with shaking hands and tears pressing on.

It took far longer than usual beforeJanus was able to get back to the apartement. He'd gotten his own key so he entered the hallway quietly. He crept into the living room. The fear of Logan being angry if he was too loud had returned.

As he sat down on the couch it felt like his body was still in that bedroom. He could smell the strawberry scent that came off of Patton. He could feel his rough hands around his throat. He could hear the death threats as if it was happening all over again.

'There are so many ways I could end your life right now' Janus turned his head around to try and see where the whispering was coming from. It had to be real, it couldn't just be in his head. It felt like he was going insane.

The door opening didn't make much of a sound but it was loud enough for Janus to flinch. He wanted to hide before anyone saw him.

"Salutations. I see that you're home" Patton greeted with a smile when he saw him.

Janus hid his head in his hands as his breathing to faster. He was still there, he was still in that apartment, he never left, he's still stuck with no end in sight.

"I will touch you now in an attempt to comfort you" Patton's words were far away. Janus noticed he was still holding the key in his hand and quivered away. A few times when he'd broken the rules his boyfriend would swing the key at him and it would leave jagged bruises.

The hand on his shoulder made him flinch away and try and make himself as small as possible. His entire body tensed up. He put his hands against Patton's chest to try and push him away...wait...when had he started wearing black shirts? and blue ties?

His gaze slowly went up to the other man's face and he realized it was just Logan. He breathed out while feeling like he'd just survived death itself.

"May I request for you to move your hands away from my chest?" Lo asked while fixing his glasses.

Janus entire face went red from blushing as he quickly yanked them away and instead put them deep down in his pockets "Sorry" He wrapped a blanket around his shoulders to try and protect himself somehow.

"Are you alright?" The nerd asked while moving so he was sitting more far away. It seemed like his friend needed space. 

"I was the monster the whole time" He mumbled out as tears started to drip down his cheeks. "I was the abusive one"

He moved his hand in a circle on Janus' back "Unless there is something you're not telling me which I doubt there is no possible way you could have been the abusive one"

"I-I tried to hur-rt him once, he was so angry and I didn't know what to do so I-I kicked him so h-he wouldn't get close to me. My-y knee hurt so badly after that, he wouldn't stop shouting and c-crying about how I abuse-ed him while while- my knee became purple from br-ruises because he-he" Instead of words a sob left his mouth.

"Shh it's okay, you're safe. You're in my apartement and he can not hurt you" Logan carefully took off the other man's glove and moved his hand across the couch cushions so he could feel that he wasn't with Patton anymore.

"R-remus said I-I was abusive- I me-et him on-n the walk. He h-has to be right. Oh god he hates m-me. I'm awful"

"Don't you think it's more likely that Patton has lied to him about what happened?" 

"That's worse! I'm awf-ful for letting him get together with him. W-why does Patton get to move on so quickly"

"The chance is that he is trying to move on quickly to annoy you and or make you go back" Logan explained in his most calm voice, he hoped that if he stayed calm it would automatically make his friend calm. "Or he is simply trying to replace you"

"It's all my fault if Remus gets h-hurt then" He sobbed out.

"No it's Patton's. You do not control what he does"

"I'm horrible" Janus mumbled out while his eyes were fixated on a spot on the ground "I'm a horrible person. Everything he said was right. I'm pathetic and worthless and just a dirty liar with no use and-"

Logan leaned closer and carefully placed his hands on each of Janus' shoulders. He shook him ever so lightly which forced him out of his downward spiral "Falsehood! I won't tolerate hearing any more of Patton's words coming out of your mouth understood?"

He quickly nodded, his body tensed up in anticipation for what would have happened if he hadn't agreed.

Logan's expression softened as he continued with "You mean a lot to me and I would kill someone for you"

The other man was caught of guard. He looked up at him and said "You mean figuratively....right?"

"I know what I said and I mean literally so anyone who has or will ever hurt you should prepare themselves for their future residence in hell" His tone was completely serious.

Sometimes when he couldn't sleep at night he would fantasize about killing Patton as if he was a less stinky version of Remus.

Janus looked away and hastily wiped away the last of his tears. He'd never liked crying in front of other people. It made him feel weak, maybe he was.

"Since you seemingly have calmed down I would like to inform you that I got you something on my way back from work" Lo got up and left the room to fetch it.

It was a punch wasn't it. Or something in that nature. Something to hurt him because he must have done something wrong. Had he left the apartment too much? Was that it? Had he forgotten to be polite and never take anything for granted?

He covered his ears with his hands while hissing at his thoughts to shut up. Lo wasn't going to hurt him he was just on edge......It was a knife wasn't it. That was the gift. A knife against his throat and more death threats.

When Logan got back to the room with something hidden behind his back Janus was so tensed up a needle dropping on the ground would make him jump away.

"I saw it in the store window and thought about you and I had a bit of extra money so I thought I might as well" The nerd explained while holding the gift forward.

It was a book about psychology, specifically psychological experiments. 

Janus' heart seemed to flutter as he took it. He traced his finger over the cover while saying "Thank you but you didn't have to"

"I know, I wanted to" Logan shot him a smile filled with warmth "Since I haven't been able to go get your things from mr.idiot I thought that it would be nice if something in this apartment was completely yours. For your information one of the experiment involves snakes and they are not mistreated"

"Thank you...wait I already said that" Janus took a deep breath to make his mind less cloudy before asking "Would you want to hear me read for a while?"

"I would love to" Logan sat down next to him and swung his arm around Janus's shoulders. When his friend began to read out loud he sat back and relaxed.

Lastly the third thing.

Logan always had a faint smell of cigarette smoke on him after he got home from work as a cleaner at a hotel. He also always looked exhausted and he also always laid down on the couch and let Janus massage his back or comb through his hair or simply hug him for a while.

Every day expect for today. Today when he got home he was coughing and there were clear sleeping bags under his eyes. He looked utterly exhausted as he took off his jacket with a huff. He went into the living room like normal.

"Hello specs, I found a website where you can do sodukos online and thought you might like it" Janus said with a smile when he saw the other man.

Before Logan could say anything in return his eyes rolled back and he fell down onto the ground. His roommate nearly jumped up from his seat. He hunched down next to him and moved him around so he was laying on his back. Thankfully his glasses hadn't been destroyed, under them his eyes were closed and it was clear he'd passed out.

For a moment the only thing Janus felt was panic. He put his trembling hand on top of his friend's forehead and felt how he was practically burning up.

"A fever huh?" He mumbled to himself before reminding himself that it was better if he stayed quiet so he didn't disturb Patton.....wait..no...he wasn't with him anymore "I can talk as much as I want!"

He grabbed ahold of Logan's wrists and whispered an apology to him before dragging him over the floor and onto the couch. He moved the blankets and pillows around him to try and make it as comfortably as possible. He took a step back and thought about what else he could do to help.

Clothes! Logan was still wearing his work outfit which didn't look that comfortable to sleep in. Janus looked around in the piles of clothes that laid around the floor (he made a mental note to clean later) until he'd found some nice looking pajama pants and shirt. He gulped when he realized he would have to change his clothes for him....fuck.

"It's fine" He lied "He's changed shirts in front of me before so I've already seen his chest. I'm sure he wouldn't mind"

He carefully leaned over his passed out friend and unbuttoned the light blue shirt. His hand accidentally touched Logan's bare chest for a moment and he nearly jumped back like a scared cat. Was this how Patton had seen him during the nights when he would wake him up by- Janus shook his head to force the thoughts away. 

Once the pajama shirt was one his gaze moved down to his pants. He stared at those pants for longer than what was socially acceptable before deciding to leave them on because he was not risking the nerd waking up while he was taking off his pants.

When Logan woke up it was already the next morning. The sun was blaring in from the open window and a few bird chirps could be heard. Singing also could be heard but it was coming from the kitchen. It was Janus singing while cooking.

For a few minutes Lo simply sat there and listened to his friend sing before a terrible headache made him clutch his head from pain. His throat felt like it was raw and every now and then he coughed.

The singing stopped and Janus looked into the living room. His lips didn't move but his eyes got filled with joy. 

"Finally you're awake, only took 87 years" He scoffed while rolling his eyes. He was wearing Lo's apron which he'd gotten from Remy. It had the words 'Kiss the cook' on it. Remus had written in green sharpie 'And kiss the cock'. "I know you like instructions but there's no need to follow the apron's instructions"

"Excuse me for being a bother" Logan said in return "My immune system is quite frail and I have not been sleeping enough lately so it only makes sense I was out cold the entire night"

"It's okay" He assured with a small smile "I made some chicken soup, that usually helped me when I had a cold and I definitely did not clean up the trash dump you call your apartment"

The nerd looked around and indeed the floor was practically spotless "You didn't have to do that-"

"I'm aware, I wanted to" He disappeared to the kitchen for a few minutes before coming back with a warm bowl of soup. He sat down on the couch next to his friend and handed it over.

Lo sat up and took a long sip of it. He grimaced when the warm fluid scorched against his hurting throat but forced more down and the grimace turned into the Lo-equivalent of a smile "It's delicious"

"Ooh no need for thanks I am already aware of my amazing cooking skills" He lied while fiddling with the apron and looking away.

Logan leaned forward and moved his hand to half cup his friend's cheek "Well it's true. Really thank you"

Janus loosely grabbed ahold of Lo's wrist. He wanted to keep his hand there, he wanted the affection but it was reminding him too much of affection turned into slaps and yelling. He shut his eyes while forcing his hand away. It felt like the hand had left a vacant hole on his cheek.

He longed for the day he could receive affection with expecting pain in return.