Archive of Our Own ^beta

"Keep it together" he muttered to himself, right before a new wave of nausea came by to make him violently throw up whatever was left of his lunch, the eco of his desperate gags muffled by the pounding of his heart in his ears

Keep it together, he repited over and over in his mind, They need you.You've already failed them enough, you have to be there for them now. He took his head out of the trash can once he was sure nothing else would come out, and pretended that the tears were only from the sudden sickness as he cleared them with his sleeve, along with the excess vomit. Flashes of the scene kept coming back over and over in a erratic movie, as if trying to see how much was he able to take. He had seen horrible, obsene things, as it was natural living on the Dark Side of the Mindpalace and the imagination, but never had it caused a reaction like this. His child... his little shadow, all beaten up, his husband screaming for him to help him, the paper- Why the hell did he think reading that paper was a good idea?! He was so lost on the havoc of his mind that he didn't hear the rushing steps, not even when they got slowler and closer. 

"Janus?" the voice almost made him lose composture, but still managed to turn at it with as much grace has he could kneeled over a trash can, eyes red and puffy and his mouth open way farther than any human should be able to 

"Roman?" he summoned his cane to push himself up with a low growl, hiding the way his legs still trembled "What are you doing in here?"

"I- Uh- I was looking for Virgil-"

"Why?"

"Look, he's probably- no, he is really hurt and I don't know-"

"Did you hurt him?" He wasn't one for rude bluntness, that was Remus' number, but right now he was seeing red, not only on the prince's slash, and it was taking more effort than he thought was worth to keep his venom on his fangs

"What? Why would I do that?!"

"Answer. The. Question"

"Of course I didn't hurt him!" With the taste of vomit still stuck with fierce in his mouth, it was hard to tell it apart from the words, and almost missed the sweet honey flavor tingling in his tongue... almost. For this once, Roman was honest. "I really should be going- but also- I know we aren't like, the bestest of friends but are you al-"

"Virgil is here" 

"...Really?" Janus knew there was a good chance he'd regret it later but his mind was too loud and too silent to actually think through the possible ill intentions of the other as he walked to the door at their side; besides, it'd be a good way of avoiding getting asked why he was so pale or what was he doing in the middle of the Mindpalace's only hospital. Roman didn't have to be asked to follow.

Janus heard the other caugh at the sudden concentraded smell of alcohol and other substances only Logan could name as they entered the hospital room. Paying no mind to him, his eyes immiadiatly went to the limp body of his dearest, connected to dozends of needles and machineries that beeped in just the most creepy and annoying matter possible, the only sound in that wing of the hospital other than their voices. He then drifted to his husband, his lanky and pale body hunched over the bed, his hand rubbing the one of the comatose side, not paying much attention of the scene at his right 

"Rem..." with a sigh, the decietful side put a hand on the shoulder of his loved one, making him look up and break whatever terrible train of thought he must have been in

"Oh, hi, stared gettin'-" he finally he noticed his brother coming in, covering his nose with his inner forearm

"Uhg, do I want to know-? For... Walt... Disney..." He didn't even notice the duke, he just ran straight to the other side of the bed, a hand ghosting over the unconscious Virgil while the other grasped his already messy hair 

"Why the hell you're here?"

"After I told Virgil to escape I- I figured he'd go to the Dark side- just not your hospital, that took a while. Should have guessed sooner. Oh, Virgil... I'm sorry, man" 

"After you told him scape?" he was up in a second, his hand in position to summon his morning star as he walked to Roman a little too fast with a loud growl until Janus stopped him by putting his cane in front of him, inches from a very confused Roman

"Calm down, darling, it wasn't him"

"Wha- You guys think I did this?!"

"Well, y'know more than we do, since he was too busy cryin' his heart out to tell us" he was almost ripping the words from his throat

"Look, V- Virgil and I have our differences, but I'd never land a hand on him! But... I'm still guilty of this.." Janus not so descreetly took out his tongue to make sure he was tasting correctly. True... both guilty and innocent, just what had he done? Roman turned once again to the sleeping side, squeezing his hand lighly "Virgil, I'm sorry... I- I didn't know he could- I didn't imagine he was capable of doing this. I should have known, I'm your friend! The hero! I should have..." he started to shake, still trying keep his strong appearance dispite everything. In retrospective, he should be glad it cracked. At least now Remus knew not to kill him.

Janus, noticing that the duke had drop his menacing demeanor, took his cane out of the way, snake eyes still hoovering the prince in precaution. No one talked, they refused to, too scared of the Pandora box they might open. Only the machines filled the sickening atmosphere they all had grown familiar with faster than they'd like to admit, no one looking at nothing for too long.

"Who?" after what felt like eternity, the duke spoke, firm and with a monotonus tone no one had ever heard from him before, not even his husband "Who did this to him? Roman, who did this?! Who hurt my son?!"  he grabed the prince by the slash, forcing him to look at him. His eyes shacked with erratic angry madness, blood tears falling from them like someone had stabbed them, messing up his makeup and moustache as some of it fell into his mouth, turned into a snarl that showed teeth way too sharp and far too many to be human, each of his heavy breaths taking away any kind of rationality and showing nothing but a furious beast

"I'd anssswer quick if I was you, Princey" the snake did nothing to stop the other, only hissed, spitting some venom drops with each word. They wanted blood, they wanted vangeance. They wanted to find whoever had dared to hurt their child and return the pain a thousand times, to make them scream and cry like Virgil had while they covered him in bandages and medicines, or how their hearts were stabed while they tried to calm him down until the drugs made their effect, or when they read the paper Remus had made keeping track of exactly what injuries he had because it wws hard to tell from so many bruises and blood so much blood they wanted they needed-

"Patton! It was... Patton..."

A scream broke the window