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As always, do not use my fics as medical advice~
Once again, sorry I took a while to update. I feel bad because I already have this fic finished so I literally just need to upload it, but my physical/mental health is crap right now and my family is dysfunctional as hell, so I haven't felt up to posting lately. But I also want to post because then I can at least pretend I'm being productive, I guess?
Idk, here's the chapter:
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Remus didn't know what to do.
He was, to be frank, extremely concerned.
Janus had come down with a bad cold the other day, and it had only been getting worse.
Of course, now that Janus was getting all buddy-buddy with the Light Sides, Patton had come knocking to see if Janus was okay since he wasn't coming to eat with them. Remus wasn't exactly sure how to feel about how quickly Patton had done so- It hadn't even been a day when Patton showed up, all concerned and whatever. Janus was asleep at the time, and Remus hadn't wanted to wake him up, so he'd been forced to tell Patton what was going on- without opening the door, of course. He'd just popped into the hall (and, yes, Patton jumped when Remus appeared, but he hadn't shrieked or anything, so that was something).
When Remus told Patton that Janus was sick, the fatherly side immediately wanted to come in to check on Janus, and though Remus thought that Janus might appreciate the TLC that Patton was surely better than him at providing, he also knew that Janus would be horrified if one of the others came into his bedroom without his permission. Janus had let Remus in, but he hadn't trusted any of the others with his private space yet, and he didn't want to break that trust.
And so, he convinced Patton that Janus wasn't feeling up to having a bunch of visitors, and Patton eventually acquiesced, though the man started bringing up soup and tea for the deceitful side (and he'd also brought Remus some snacks, and damn it, Remus couldn't help but feel touched in his bloody little heart).
He thought Janus would be better in a few days. That's how a cold worked, right? You got sick, you threw up, you sneezed, it sucked, and then you got better and went on with your life.
But Janus was not getting better. No, he was getting worse. So much worse.
Janus hadn't even woken up since yesterday, and no matter what Remus did to try to arouse him, the other man just wouldn't wake up. And his breathing had turned wheezy, and even though he was asleep, his chest was racked with harsh coughs. Even worse, he had a high fever that only seemed to get steadily higher.
And Remus really didn't know what to do. This wasn't his forte. He didn't know how to take care of people, damn it!
Once yet another attempt to wake Janus failed, Remus had to give in- He couldn't let this go on much longer. Clearly, whatever Janus was sick with was worse than the average cold, and he would need help to get Janus healthy again, and if Janus hated him for betraying his trust, he would just have to live with that.
And so, Remus popped up in the kitchen, hoping that the side he was looking for would be there.
As soon as he appeared, he saw that the others were all sitting around the table eating dinner, and though most of them flinched, Remus didn't care at the moment.
"Remus, what are you doing here-" Roman started, a mild look of annoyance on his face.
Had Remus not been doing something more important at the moment, he might have paid more attention to the way that his brother's tone and expression were far less hostile than they usually would have been, and no one had even told him to leave yet- but, he was doing something more important, so he ignored it.
"Nerdy Wolverine," he said, pointing at Logan. "Come with me for a bit, hm?"
Logan adjusted his glasses.
"Is this about Janus?" he asked, his eyebrows slightly pinched in concern.
"Oh no, is he okay?" Patton cried, probably worrying about just how sick Janus could be.
But Remus ignored him, and he ignored the way that Virgil and Roman shot each other concerned glances as well. Instead, he nodded.
"I need your help," Remus admitted, staring Logan in the eyes so he could hopefully convey how serious he was being.
Luckily, Logan didn't need too much convincing.
"Alright," Logan replied, standing from the table.
"Wait, what's wrong with Janus?" Virgil suddenly demanded.
"Sorry, emo, I don't got time for you right now."
And with that, Remus grabbed Logan's bicep and popped back to Janus's room.
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"Oh dear…," Patton mumbled, his voice and expression worried. "Janus must be pretty sick."
"I thought he just had a cold, though?" Roman questioned.
"I mean, could be the flu or something," Virgil suggested. "But I haven't seen Remus that worried, like, ever."
Roman sighed.
"Neither have I."
Patton's lip wobbled.
"Remus wouldn't let me in to see him, but I should have tried harder…," he said, more to himself than them. "Maybe I could have helped…"
"Pat, you've already done what you could have," Virgil told him.
He really had. Ever since Patton learned that Janus was sick, he'd been bringing warm (canned) soup and tea to the Dark Side for Janus, and there wasn't really much else he could have done without even being able to see the man.
Virgil was, of course, worried. Janus didn't get sick very often, but when he did, it usually hit him pretty hard. He wasn't exactly surprised that Janus was so sick, but he was surprised that Remus looked as concerned as he did. Remus's typical style of helping a sick snake was to stick to his side and keep the man amused so he wouldn't be bored in bed all day. Remus would usually be pulling out all the stops to be as silly as he could during times like this. The man didn't let himself look concerned like this.
And that meant Janus was probably pretty sick.
That worried Virgil. And perhaps he should be worried about why Remus was keeping them out of Janus's room, worried that this was part of a plot, but he wasn't. He was just worried about whether Janus would be okay.
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Remus brought Logan to the main part of Janus's room, not wanting to teleport him directly into the bedroom. Because, though he was deeply concerned for Janus's health, he had to make sure that Logan wasn't going to hold anything he saw over Janus once he recovered.
As such, he turned and held Logan by both shoulders, getting close to the other man's face.
"Look," Remus began. "Snakey is really sick, and I can't help him by myself. I brought you here because you're usually the one with the brain cell, so you probably know how to help him."
He leaned in even closer, so that their noses were touching.
"But do not tell anyone about what you see, and don't you dare make fun of him, got it?" Remus concluded, making his voice harsh.
Logan took half a step back and adjusted his tie.
"I assure you that I have no intention of ridiculing Janus for anything," he replied. "I will do what I can for him, though I do have to actually see what's wrong first."
With a sigh, Remus nodded and let go of the other man's shoulders before going over to the bedroom door and flinging it open as quietly as he was capable of. Logan followed him inside, and though the logical side clearly raised an eyebrow as he stepped into the room, he quickly returned his face to a neutral expression and went over to Janus's bedside.
Janus was curled up beneath the covers, his giant snake curled around him, with a scattering of a few other favored animals amongst the pillows. His bangs and shirt were clinging to him with sweat, and his cheeks were flushed with heat. Remus couldn't miss the way that Logan tried- and failed- to keep the concern out of his expression.
"I haven't been able to wake him up since yesterday, and his fever's getting worse," Remus explained. "I don't know what to do."
"Have you given him any fever-reducing medication?"
"I did before, but he's been too unconscious to take any today."
Logan nodded grimly.
"Alright."
And then Logan picked up the thermometer from where Remus had left it on the bedside table and stuck it in Janus's mouth. After a minute, it beeped, and Logan frowned when he saw the number it displayed.
"Yeah, it's… pretty fucking bad," said Remus as he crossed his arms and tapped his fingers on his forearms.
"It's certainly very high," Logan agreed. "It would be best to give him medication, but if he won't wake up, we don't want to risk him choking. For now, I think we'll have to lower his temperature in other ways."
"What ways?"
"Well, I think we should put him in a lukewarm bath," Logan answered. "It'll likely be uncomfortable, but it's the fastest way for us to safely lower his temperature right now. Can you start undressing him while I run the bath?"
"Kinky."
"Remus."
"Yeah, I know. Not the time," he sighed. "Just…"
Logan reached out a hand and briefly placed it on Remus's shoulder.
"He'll be fine, Remus."
And with that, Logan left and went over to the other door in the room, assuming it was Janus's bathroom. The other side pulled the door open and went in. As Remus heard water begin to fill the tub, he looked down at his sick friend.
"Sorry, Jannie. I swear I'm not doing this for creepy reasons, okay?"
He peeled the blanket back, making Janus whimper at the loss of heat, though the man still didn't wake. It only took a minute for Remus to undress the other side down to his boxers and pick him up, carrying him over to the bathroom. At their arrival, Logan looked up from where he knelt beside the tub, his one hand submerged to test the water's temperature.
"This feels about right," he told Remus. "Can you slowly lower him into the bath? And keep in mind that he might move around, so be careful not to drop him."
With a nod, Remus brought Janus closer and held him over the tub. He almost wished Janus would struggle- at least that would be a sign that he was well enough to do so- but he didn't. His only reaction to the comparatively cold water was to whimper again. Remus remained close to the tub, holding onto Janus to make sure he didn't slide too far down into the water.
"Alright, hopefully he wakes up soon, at least long enough to get him to swallow the medication," Logan spoke with a sigh. "Can you tell me his other symptoms aside from the fever?"
"Um," Remus said, thinking to make sure he didn't forget anything. "Well, he's unconscious. And he's been wheezing and coughing up his lungs and shit. I think the coughing gave him a sore throat, too. Uh… chills, I think? He didn't want to eat much, either, but he hasn't thrown up."
"Has he been drinking anything?"
Remus scanned his brain.
"A little. Mostly when I got him to swallow the pills."
Logan frowned again.
"He's probably dehydrated. When we get him to wake up, we'll make sure he drinks something."
Remus nodded.
And then he heard a knock on Janus's door.
XXX
Their attempts to remain at the kitchen table didn't last very long. They knew that Remus was intentionally keeping them away and that Janus preferred his privacy, but they were worried. Patton was wringing his hands, Roman was shaking one of his legs, and Virgil couldn't stop fiddling with his sleeves.
Before long, they just couldn't take it anymore, and Roman was the one to first stand from the table, his chair scraping across the floor behind him.
"This is ridiculous," he said. "We can at least try to see how he is."
"Remus isn't gonna let us in, Princey."
"I don't care! Remus isn't his keeper, and we at least deserve to know what's wrong!" Roman exclaimed. "Just… we should at least try."
Virgil sighed, conflicted, but gave in soon enough.
"Okay…"
"Maybe we should bring something? Like, some more medicine and stuff?" Patton suggested.
The other two nodded.
"Great idea, Pat."
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Remus let out a low growl at the sound, knowing exactly who it was knocking on the door (of course, it's not like there were that many people living in the mindscape, so it wasn't like it was hard to guess in the first place).
After a second, the knocking came again.
Logan went to stand up, and Remus shot him a glare.
"Remus," he said. "I think you know that they aren't going to go away if we just ignore them. I understand that Janus doesn't want people in his room, but we should update them on the situation. I'll just be a minute."
"Don't let them in, Specs," Remus growled. "If you do, I'll feed your toes to a chihuahua!"
"I assure you that I don't intend to let them invade Janus's privacy," Logan replied evenly. "Though I don't think that Janus needs to be so concerned with what we'll think about his… decor."
"That's not the point, dumbass!" Remus shot back. "DeeDee doesn't want people to know! I only let you in because he's probably dying or some shit!"
"Janus isn't dying. He's very sick, but he is not dying."
"You don't know that!"
"I do," Logan denied. "We're figments of Thomas's mind. He won't die; at least, not permanently."
Remus let out an exasperated scream.
"So he is gonna die!"
Having realized that he could have chosen more comforting words, Logan quickly attempted to calm the situation.
"He's not. Remus, look at me," Logan instructed. "Janus is not going to die. He's sick, but you've been taking care of him, and once we cool him off a bit, he should wake up. Then, we'll give him medicine, and he should start recovering soon after. He is not dying."
But the two of them were too distracted by the conversation to notice the knocking becoming more insistent.
They certainly did notice when the door to Janus's room broke open.
XXX
They had been knocking on Janus's door for a few minutes, to no avail. No one answered, not even Remus telling them to screw off. They couldn't hear anything from inside the room, either.
Until they heard Remus scream about Janus dying, that is.
"What was that?!" Virgil yelped.
"Oh dear…"
Roman continued knocking, harder.
"Remus! Logan! What's going on?!" he yelled, worried.
When they continued to be ignored, however, determination took over the princely side's face.
"I'm gonna break down the door."
Virgil and Patton tried to protest-
"You're WHAT-"
"Roman-"
But they were cut off by Roman lifting one of his legs and roughly slamming it into the bedroom door. And though that wouldn't have worked so easily in reality (or usually in the mindscape, either, but Janus's powers- and therefore his control of his room- were clearly diminished right now), the door flew open, the knob on the other side harshly slamming into the wall.
And then Roman charged forward, and the other two felt like they had to follow. It only took a second for Roman to open the currently unlocked bedroom door and another second for them to enter the bedroom as well.
"What's going on?!" Roman yelled as he ran in.
Logan was standing in the doorway of the bathroom, hands on his hips and giving them an exasperated glare.
"Was breaking the door down really necessary?" he questioned crossly.
"We heard you two screaming about how Janus is dying!"
Logan sighed.
"That was Remus, and Janus is not dying," he told them. "I was literally just about to go out and update you all on the situation."
"Well, what is the situation, then?!"
Logan pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Janus is very sick, and he has a high fever. Remus came to get me because he couldn't wake Janus up," Logan explained. "So we're cooling him down in the bath, and when he wakes up, we'll give him more medicine. Remus screamed because he's afraid that Janus is dying, which, again, he is not."
"Logan!" Remus yelled from the bathroom. "Can you come hold Janny up so I can kick these idiots' asses?"
Logan turned back into the bathroom.
"Please refrain from violence at this time, Remus," Logan huffed before turning back to his friends. "Look, I understand that you're worried about Janus, but charging into his bedroom is an extreme invasion of his privacy, and it's distracting us from trying to help him."
"And that's why I gotta kick their butts!"
Roman opened his mouth to argue, but then they heard another voice.
"Wha's goin' on…?"
"JAN!"
Logan immediately returned into the bathroom, leaving the doorway open for the rest of them to peer inside. Janus was laying in the bathtub, being held up by Remus, who was now hugging onto him as tightly as he could without hurting the other side.
"Ree…?"
"Yeah, it's me, Janny!" Remus exclaimed, relief clear in his voice.
"Wha…"
Logan knelt down beside the tub as well, holding a bottle.
"Janus, you're very sick right now. Do you understand me?" asked the logical side.
Janus didn't respond for a long moment, but he eventually nodded.
"Good," Logan spoke. "I'm going to give you some medicine now. It's very bitter, but it should help with your fever. Alright?"
Thankfully, Janus nodded again, and he didn't fight Logan when he poured a spoonful of medicine into his mouth. He did grimace and gag for a moment, though, before practically collapsing back against Remus. His eyes closed, but he didn't seem to have fallen back to sleep quite yet.
"Okay, now that Janus is awake, we should put him back in bed," Logan announced, standing. "Remus?"
"Yep, got it," Remus replied as he scooped Janus out of the water. "Move it, buttholes, before I slap you with a tuna."
The three sides standing in the doorway stepped aside, and Remus strode past them to place the sleeping snake on his bed. Then, he carefully helped redress him while the others glanced around awkwardly. This was, of course, when they finally noticed what the bedroom actually looked like. They'd been far too distracted by their concern before and hadn't paid attention to their surroundings. Now, though, it was hard not to notice that every spare surface of the room was covered in stuffed animals, most made of yarn. There were even some scattered on the floor and crowding Janus's bed. Virgil and Roman stared in surprise at them, but Patton took a step forward.
"Um. We brought some things," he spoke softly, having noticed that Janus appeared to have completely fallen back asleep once he was on his bed. "Like, some more medicine and a thermos of broth. And a bottle of Gatorade. Um… we thought it might help."
Logan sighed, taking the items from Patton's arms and setting them down on the bedside table, amongst the other medicines and toys that were already there.
"Thank you, Patton," he said.
"So, Jan's really gonna be okay, Lo?" Patton questioned.
"Yes," Logan confirmed. "It looks like he has the flu, and now that the fever's down, our biggest concern is getting him hydrated. As long as he takes his medicine, drinks plenty of fluids, and gets some rest, he should be fine in a few days. Luckily, Remus has been doing well with taking care of him."
At this, Remus's head snapped toward Logan, his expression flabbergasted. Logan clearly noticed, and he gave Remus a small smile before continuing.
"He likely only became this sick because he was resistant to eating or drinking," he said. "I'd imagine he's nauseous and wanted to avoid throwing up."
Patton visibly deflated as his shoulders untensed.
"That's good… him getting better soon, I mean. Not him throwing up."
"You're… sure he's gonna be okay?" Virgil asked for confirmation.
"Yes, I'm sure."
And at this, Logan looked at each of them, clearly trying to make sure they all believed him.
"If he dies, I'm gonna stab you," Remus muttered quietly, though his voice lacked any venom.
It was awkwardly silent for a while as Remus helped get Janus settled, gently shaking him awake long enough to coax him to drink some of the Gatorade Patton brought and then tucking him under the covers with a giant stuffed snake. In the quiet, they could hear the deceitful side's wheezy breathing, and though it made them question whether Logan was telling them the truth or not, they allowed themselves to be convinced, because imagining the alternative felt like a punch in the stomach (or, they allowed themselves to be mostly convinced. It wasn't exactly like anxious thoughts are particularly easy to dismiss, especially when you have the embodiments of anxiety and intrusive thoughts in the room).
The next time the silence was broken, it was Roman who spoke.
He had moved over to one of the piles of stuffed animals, picking up a small, red teddy bear.
"Did… Did Janus make these?"
Remus growled at him.
"Don't touch!" he scolded irritably. "Janny didn't want you to fucking see them, so don't fucking touch them, you fuckers."
Roman raised an eyebrow at him but put the toy back.
"Why… wouldn't he want us to see them?"
Remus threw his hands in the air.
"Because he thinks you'll make fun of him! He didn't even want to tell me at first because he thought I'd make fun of him, and like- have you seen me?!" he exclaimed, though not as loud as he usually would have been. "And I swear, if you do make fun of him, I'll skin you with a cheese grater and shove all the tiny pieces into a-"
"Remus, please," Patton squeaked.
The darker side of creativity growled again, looking between the other sides, similar to what Logan had done a few minutes before, but he had a threat in his eyes.
"I'm fucking serious," he stated. "Do not make fun of him for this. You don't get to barge into his room without permission and then make fun of the things that make him happy."
Roman made a face, but it was hard to tell what the exact expression was.
"I… I'm not going to make fun of him, bro."
"I'm not, either," Virgil added softly.
"I don't think any of us want to make fun of him, Remus," Patton told the other man. "I don't see anything here that's something anyone should tease him about."
Remus huffed, looking back to his sleeping friend.
"Yeah, well, better tell him that when he wakes up so he doesn't freak out and bite you with his poisonous fangs and make you get all dead and squishy!" Remus told them.
"Wait, does Janus actually have venom?"
"I dunno, probably."
"I… don't think he does, Logan," Virgil offered.
"Oh. That's rather unfortunate."
"How is it unfortunate that he isn't poisonous?!"
"Venomous."
"..."
"Well, now we know why he knows so much about yarn, I guess…," Roman muttered, only barely loud enough to hear.
"They make him happy," Remus repeated, crossing his arms.
"We… we know. Now, at least."
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So, I had 2 ideas for how the others would find out about the stuffed animals: Janus would trust them enough to tell them himself, or they're forced to go in his room and see them. I, clearly, picked the more dramatic option.
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