XXX

Okay, so, note for this chapter: I know that the sides' rooms are supposed to vary with Thomas's location, but for the purposes of this fic, their rooms are pretty much their version of Thomas's living room, with a separate, more personalized bedroom attached.

XXX

A few days later, Deceit felt the pull of Thomas summoning him. It was later than usual, so Janus was caught off-guard. Thomas usually didn't do videos this late, so it was probably something else, though Janus didn't know what.

He had been in the middle of working on his next project: a rabbit, though he hadn't actually gotten to the point of taking his yarn out yet. He was still in the design process, trying to iron out the pattern and decide on the colors he wanted to use.

But, well, Thomas took priority, of course. He could finish this another time.

And so he appeared in Thomas's bedroom, not the living room as he and the others normally did. Less surprising was that the others had already been summoned.

"Oh dear, whatever could be happening now?" he drawled.

As he had expected, Virgil immediately hissed at him.

"What are you doing here?!" Virgil growled. "You better not have something to do with this, Deceit."

Ah, so Thomas had summoned him unintentionally. Again.

"Yes, it's wonderful to see you as well, Virgil," he replied, rolling his eyes. "But I'm afraid I don't know what 'this' is. I was summoned, so I appeared."

He saw Thomas blink in confusion where he sat on his bed.

"Oh, uh, sorry, Janus," Thomas apologized. "I didn't mean to summon you. Not that I don't want you here! I just didn't think you'd be the one to talk to about this, and I figured you would have probably been asleep. I didn't wake you up, did I?"

Janus smiled a bit at his host. At least Thomas was starting to warm up to him, even if he didn't default to summoning him when he summoned the others.

"No, I hadn't gone to bed yet," he reassured the man. "Now, what exactly is the issue at hand? Since I was summoned, I assume that I'm needed for something?"

"Uh, well…"

"Actually, I'm kinda the one who summoned him."

Everyone, including Janus himself, looked over to Patton with varying levels of surprise on their faces.

"What?!" Virgil exclaimed. "Why?!"

Patton bit his lip, playing with the ends of his cat hoodie.

"Because he should be involved in this, Virgil," Patton told the other man. "You know that."

Janus sighed.

"What exactly should I be involved in?"

"Thomas has been having nightmares, which have been preventing him from getting very much sleep the past few days," Logan explained.

"Yeah. Nightmares," Virgil stressed. "I'm not making him anxious, and Patton isn't making him feel guilty. Princey already told us he isn't doing it, either. So, shouldn't we be talking to Remus, not him?"

"Oh, I'm hurt, Virgil," Janus put a hand over his heart, using faked dramatics to hide any actual sting the comment caused. "You'd rather talk to Remus than me?"

This earned him another hiss from Virgil, but Janus just ignored it.

"Ah, I see. Dreams and nightmares usually fall under one of your responsibilities, but the process of elimination just leaves me and Remus," Janus hummed. "But, Patton, don't you think that Remus is more likely to have given Thomas a nightmare than I am?"

Now that he understood the situation, he was a bit offended that he had been summoned for this. Was Patton really going to try to make him into the villain again?

But Patton put his hands up, waving them around in the air.

"Oh, no, kiddo, I didn't summon you because I think it's your fault or anything!" Patton denied the unspoken accusation. "I just thought that involving Remus... would probably make things worse. I summoned you because I thought you could help us fix the situation."

"Literally how?"

"Virgil, please," Thomas lightly scolded. "I am a little confused about what you think Janus can do about this, though, Patton."

Janus himself also wanted to know. Maybe Patton thought he could ask Remus to cut it out?

"Well…," the moral side began. "I thought that maybe we could take Thomas to Janus's room."

Everything froze for a moment.

What.

"WHAT. NO WAY!"

Virgil, clearly, wasn't pleased with the idea.

"How exactly is that supposed to help Thomas, Padre?" Roman added. "Entering the snake's lair is just going to make things worse!"

Neither was Roman, apparently.

Janus crossed his arms and grimaced at the two of them.

"Are you… Are you sure that's really a great idea, Pat?" Thomas questioned. "I mean, I've been in your room and Virgil's, and spending too much time in there kinda didn't go so well…"

"Yeah, but that shouldn't usually happen, Thomas," Patton replied. "When you came to our rooms, Virgil and I had both been pretty… well, upset, and we didn't have a good grip on what our rooms were doing. Most of the time, if you enter our rooms, you should be fine."

"Oh," Thomas accepted warily. "But... Why Janus's room?"

Silently, Janus wondered the same thing. Wouldn't it be better to surround Thomas in happy memories in Patton's room or with wondrous fantasies in Roman's?

"Well, he isn't just Deceit. He's also your self-preservation, so it's his job to protect you," Patton continued. "So I thought that his room would probably make you feel safe, and you could go to sleep and hopefully not have any more nightmares tonight."

Thomas's eyebrows creased, seemingly trying to figure out if Patton was right or not. He looked to Logan, which was kind of annoying since, really, it was his room they were talking about.

This wasn't good. He didn't like the idea of anyone going into his room, especially unannounced. They would see things, and he wasn't ready for that. He wasn't ready for them to laugh at him right now.

He just hoped Logan would tell them it was a horrible idea.

"Actually, if my memory is correct- which it is- that might not be such a bad idea, Patton," Logan hummed, a hand on his chin. "I do believe that, assuming Janus isn't in the middle of an emotional crisis, his room should have that effect on Thomas."

Well, he was certainly going to have an emotional crisis if the others went to his room and started mocking him.

"And just how exactly do you two know what my room does?" Janus questioned, fearing that the others might know from experience.

"I have general knowledge of all the rooms in the mind palace, as well as the blueprints. So I have a good idea of what effects each of our rooms have."

"Um, well, I kinda just guessed."

Janus almost let out a groan. At least it seemed like the two of them hadn't snooped too deeply.

And then Thomas was looking at him, his face uncertain.

"Um. Well, are you okay with this, Janus? I don't want to intrude if it'll make you uncomfortable," he said.

Janus pursed his lips. He wanted to say no. He wanted to lie, to tell Thomas that his room would hurt him, that something bad would happen if he ever went in there. He wanted to make up some sort of excuse and leave. But Thomas looked so worn-out and tired, and Janus hated seeing Thomas suffer. He wanted Thomas to be safe and happy and have everything he wanted.

So, even if Janus hated the idea, if this is what Thomas wanted, he would give it to him.

"... Very well," he acquiesced. "But I'll need a minute. I wasn't expecting guests."

Thomas looked at him with an expression of surprise.

"Oh! Uh, sure."

"Hold on," Virgil called out, putting up a hand. "I'm still not at all down with this plan, but how messy can your room possibly be? Are you planning to do something?"

Once again, Janus found himself rolling his eyes at Virgil.

"I am truly astounded by how well you're able to top even your own paranoia, Virgil," Janus replied scathingly. "Tell me, what exactly do you think I'll do?"

Virgil didn't answer, growling instead. Janus sighed dramatically before returning his attention to Thomas.

"I'll be right back."

And then he sank down into his room, letting out a nervous breath as he covered his face. He let out a groan. He didn't like this. Not at all.

Janus had to spend a moment settling his nerves. He didn't have time for freaking out right now, and if he let himself get too deep in his thoughts, his room really would become dangerous for Thomas, and that was probably one of the last things he wanted. Just breathe in. And out.

Okay. This wasn't a big deal. Luckily, most of his stuffed animals and supplies were kept in his actual bedroom, so as long as he shoved everything else in there and kept the others out of that room, it should be okay.

And so, Janus scanned the room, picking up all of the stuffed animals he had scattered around whenever he spotted one. Once he thought he had them all- about 15 yarn creatures- he deposited them in his bedroom. He had to drop them onto the floor in a corner, seeing as he didn't have time to organize them neatly at the moment. While he was in there, he grabbed his various pillows and blankets, debating whether he should bring the blanket he had made himself, but he reasoned that the others probably wouldn't even realize he'd made it. And even if they did, he should be able to stop them from figuring out what else he made. As he exited the bedroom, he deposited the bedding onto his couch and checked the room again for anything else he needed to hide. He ended up finding some balls of yarn, a few crochet hooks, and three more stuffed animals.

Janus sighed and cursed himself. He hadn't exactly realized just how many stuffed animals he had.

He performed his check a few more times, and once he was satisfied, he let out a sigh.

"Alright. This is fine. Nothing will happen."

And he sank out, reappearing in Thomas's bedroom. He saw the others jump at his appearance, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes. It wasn't like they didn't know he was coming back.

"Ah, uh, welcome back, Janus," Thomas greeted him awkwardly.

"Yes, hello," he replied. "It seems everything is in order, so shall we be off, then?"

"Yeah, I guess?" Thomas agreed. "So, do I, like, just think about lying?"

Janus nodded, and Thomas got under his covers and closed his eyes.

"Ugh, I have such a bad feeling about this."

"Virgil…"

"I've got my eye on you, Lyin' King."

"Let's not delay this any further."

And then they all sunk out.

XXX

As Thomas opened his eyes, he saw a dimly lit version of his living room. Just like when he went into Virgil's and Patton's rooms, things like the stairs and the couch were in the same place, but the decorations were different. Janus's room was covered in vines and potted plants, and he could see a shelf of teacups on one wall. Below it, there was a wine stand with a single glass on top. Unlike Thomas's own home, the rug was fluffier and softer. The air also felt warmer and more humid than Thomas's actual house, though it somehow didn't feel uncomfortable. Rather, it felt almost as though the air enveloped him like a blanket. It felt… welcoming.

Comforting.

Safe.

Despite being in unfamiliar surroundings, Thomas immediately felt himself relax.

Janus could see Thomas and the others looking around his room, and he felt his heartbeat pick up slightly.

"Like what you see?" he asked with a smirk, attempting to hide his nervousness.

"You… have a lot of plants…," Thomas observed.

"Wonderful observation," Janus responded dryly, causing Virgil to growl.

"Well, it's rather late, so let's not waste time contemplating Deceit's interior design choices," Logan spoke up. "We should be getting to sleep."

"I guess I should conjure up some extra blankets and pillows, then," Roman reluctantly offered.

Wait, what?

"Hold on, you are not all sleeping in my room!" Deceit protested.

"Yeah, like we're gonna just leave Thomas in here alone with you!" Virgil hissed.

"Well, technically, Thomas is in his bed-"

"Well, I'm not exactly in the mood to get stabbed in my sleep, and it's my room," Janus argued.

"Oh, don't be such a drama queen-"

"Like you're one to talk!"

"Guys-"

"I knew he was planning something-"

"I'm. Not!"

"Kiddos-"

"Thomas, this is a bad idea-"

"Are you kidding me right now-"

"ENOUGH!"

Everyone was shocked out of arguing by Logan's shout.

"Enough arguing. The only danger Thomas is likely to encounter here is if all this fighting makes Janus lose control of the room," Logan explained, his tone scolding. "Roman, Virgil, I understand why you have reservations about this, but if you were in Janus's position, I doubt you would be comfortable with the situation either. And Janus, I understand that you're uncomfortable, but if we are proceeding with this plan, I think you can understand why some of us have some reservations about leaving Thomas alone with you."

If Janus had a little less self-control, he would have growled like Virgil. Everyone was on his case, but he hadn't even done anything. This wasn't his idea! He had just been enjoying his night, and they dragged him into it! And he wanted to help Thomas, that was his purpose, but that didn't mean he was going to let the others treat him however they wanted. They couldn't just invade his privacy out of the blue and then accuse him of crafting villainous schemes or whatever.

"You know what. Fine," Janus agreed, his voice sharp. "But you can't all stay. Either Patton or Logan can, but I'm not sleeping in the same room as people who won't stop accusing me."

He had his hands on his hips, and he knew he was glaring, eyes narrowed. Logan pushed his glasses up.

"That seems like a reasonable compromise."

"Logan, you can't seriously-"

"Virgil," Patton cut in, his voice soft but stern. "We're asking Janus to do something he doesn't really want to do so we can help Thomas. It'll be okay. I don't think Janus would do anything anyway, but isn't having one of us here enough?"

"But, Pat-"

"No, Kiddo. I know you don't like this, but Thomas needs to sleep…," Patton continued. "And I trust him not to do anything."

Virgil looked like he wanted to continue arguing, but after a silent stare-down between the two sides, the man's shoulders slumped.

"Whatever. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

And then Virgil was gone. Roman gave Patton a kicked-puppy look and followed him a few moments later.

Janus felt rage stewing in his gut, but he had to ignore it, push it away, tell himself that he wasn't mad and this was fine. He didn't want to get too upset. He didn't want to prove them right, prove that he really was dangerous for Thomas.

"... Are you okay, Janus?" Patton asked hesitantly.

"Never better," he huffed.

Patton didn't look like he believed him, but luckily, Logan didn't seem to pick up on that.

"So, would you prefer having Patton or I stay?" he asked.

Janus didn't really want either of them to stay, but he clearly wasn't going to get his way here.

"It doesn't matter."

"I… I can stay, if you're okay with that?" Patton suggested.

"Fine. Whatever. Great," Janus agreed. "Let's just go to sleep."

"Um. Well."

Patton pointed toward the couch, and Janus saw that, somehow, Thomas had managed to fall asleep amongst everything.

"Ah. Well, at least this plan of yours worked," the deceitful side sighed. "Let's get to sleep then."

Logan bade them goodnight and sunk out, and then Patton and Janus settled onto the couch, where they tried to avoid the lingering awkwardness and tension.

It didn't work.

"I'm sorry about all this, Janus…," Patton whispered eventually. "It's just… Thomas really hasn't been sleeping."

"It's fine, Patton," he stressed. "I want Thomas to be happy as much as the rest of you."

"I… I know," replied the moral side. "But I know you aren't really comfortable with us invading your privacy like this."

Janus didn't respond.

"... Goodnight, kiddo…"

Janus didn't fall asleep for a while, and when he did, he slipped into a dreamless blankness.

XXX

"He's hiding something. I know it!," Virgil hissed. "I know Janus never leaves his room a mess! He obviously just had to go hide something!"

"Yeah, but he's gotten Patton and Logan on his side now, and Thomas has accepted him," Roman responded with a huff. "So what can we do about it?"

"We're going to have to find out what he's hiding!"

"Yeah, but how, Virge?"

"... We'll have to check out his room later. When he's not around."

"Hm… Do you know where his room actually is, though?" Roman asked. "I don't."

Virgil bit his thumbnail.

"I mean, I know it's on the Dark Side of the mind palace, but he moves it around a lot…," he told him. "It probably isn't in the same place it used to be."

"Well, then how are we supposed to snoop?"

"I mean, Logan said he has the blueprints of the mind palace. And he probably keeps an up-to-date version," he answered. "If we look at it, we should be able to find out where it is right now."

"Alright. Tomorrow, you can distract Logan while I go check," Roman agreed.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Virgil sighed.

"'Kay."

And then another side appeared in the light sides' common room, surprising the two of them.

"Oh. You two are still up," Logan observed.

"Yeah," Virgil replied with a shrug. "Just, you know. Talking."

"Hm," Logan hummed. "I know that you are unsettled, Virgil, and I appreciate your vigilance, but I think it would be best for you two to go to sleep. Thomas will be fine. Patton is watching him, and if anything seriously wrong occurs, we'll be able to sense it. It will be fine."

Virgil sighed.

"Yeah, okay. Let's get to bed, Princey."

And then Virgil took Roman by the arm and started leading him down the hall.

"After breakfast."

XXX

And so begins the scheming.

This chapter's is pretty much just-

Janus: I wasn't expecting guests, so give me a minute.

Virgil: Well, obviously he's doing something evil.

XXX