Logic called his Mom. He needed someone to talk to that wasn't at the center of the incident. And he didn't want to involve his classmates in something so personal; it's not like other Logics would be able to help him much on the topic of emotions. He briefly considered calling Sandra or Structure, but something held him back. Perhaps he was embarrassed.

Not everyone had a Fusion like Remus in their pod. He could have gone through this entire experiment without discovering a piece of him so vile. Of course, the government didn't keep track of Fusions, but there was plenty of record for Logic to know - they were in the minority. Remus was an outlier.

So what could he be?

His Mom answered the phone immediately. She spoke quickly, softly. "Logan, honey. Are you okay?"

"Yes, it's a non-emergency. Is it your study hall?" Logic knew it was, his parents had given him their schedules.

"Yeah, I can talk." Mom said. "There's just a few kids here so I might have to answer a question or two. You have, oh, twenty minutes."

"It's about fusion." Logic started.

His Mom interrupted, "Have you talked to your Mother about this? She's the Fusion expert."

"I'm aware. Um, no." Logic felt his face flush. He was alone in his room, the door closed. Many of his housemates were out for the day, and he had just come home between classes. Virgil and Janus wouldn't interrupt him, holed up in Jan's room.

He sighed. "It's less of a scientific inquiry. I… I have a Fusion in my pod that I…" He couldn't think of the words to describe what had happened. He finally settled on, "That I don't like. He doesn't seem safe."

"Oh." Mom sounded surprised. "Really? In your Side pod?"

"I wasn't a part of the Fusion. He was a combination of - essentially - two Negatives and an unknown trait." Logic sighed, picking at his jeans. "He- We don't want to make him again."

"Well that's okay, honey. Fusion doesn't just happen out of nowhere. You know, when two Sides are compatible-"

"Mom." Logic felt a grin spread across his lips. His mothers have given him the 'Fusion Talk' dozens of times. He heard her giggle.

He pressed his hand to his face and tried to focus. He asked, "Did you ever…?"

"No, dear." She sounded apologetic. "The worst I ever got was sad, not angry."

"I don't think he was angry." Logic said, his brows pinched. "He seemed to be enjoying himself, at least."

"Hm. Well, the point still stands, dear. Just keep those three apart. Shouldn't be hard. They were shaken up from it, weren't they?" She said.

Logic thought about that. He didn't want to keep the three of them away from each other, physically or emotionally. But he was sure they didn't want to form Remus again either.

"Yes, they certainly were. He had to be removed through forced Fission." He heard Mom make a hissing sound of sympathy. His throat grew tight. "Two got burned."

"Okay, Logan? This is important. Those two are going to be unwell. I've seen it multiple times with my students - Fission burns affect the mind just as much as the skin." His Mom said, her voice sounding stern. "Keep an eye on them, and if you get worried, sign them up for therapy. I have a few people I could set them up with."

"Thank you, I will. They've been isolating themselves and - it worries me." He chewed his lip, staring at his door as if he could see through it.

"They've gone through a great trauma, Logan. Be kind to them." She said.

Logic certainly wasn't planning to be cruel. Remus wasn't their fault, nor was he Roman's. No Side can control who they turn into. It was simply a combination of chemicals, one that ended with an explosive reaction.

"I still want to know what he was. He wouldn't tell us." Logic said, more to himself than to Mom. "My current hypothesis is Impulsive."

"Well, why don't you have your Mother look at him?" Mom said.

"I don't think that's safe-"

"Sorry. I meant the undiagnosed one. She could fix him up."

Logic paused. He never considered that. His Mother was one of the lead researchers in the Side and Fusion field. She would certainly know what Roman was. And maybe knowing that could help Logic discover what Remus is.

He had gone through all of Roman's known Fusions, trying to pick apart the pieces. He gave Logic creativity for Innovative. But was there more? Their time was so brief, Logic didn't know further than the surface level information provided.

Jason was a weird one. He's unexpectedly stupid. Logic didn't know how to work with that. Moving on.

That only left Remus, since Roman hasn't fused with Patton or Virgil yet. It was a puzzle with the center pieces missing; Logic could only go in circles around the edge.

"Maybe. He seems to have some anxiety around the concept of diagnosis. He's gone to many doctors." Logic said. His Mom's silence made him respond, "I'll find a time to bring him. We're busy this weekend."

"Oh good! Your Mother will be so excited to meet him." She said.

Logic chewed his lip. "Of course."

"What are you doing this weekend?"

He relaxed at the topic change. "We have to buy replacements for some broken items."

"That Fusion really was a handful, huh?"

Logic stared down at his hand, laying limply in his lap, wrist exposed. He swallowed heavily, blinking away the memory of sharp metal tapping his skin.

"Yeah. He, uh, sure was." Logic's voice sounded wrong, even to him. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eye, focusing on breathing.

"Let me send you some money." Mom said, gaining his attention again. "You did the right thing, calling me. I won't tell your Mother."

Logic didn't call for money. "Thank you."

"I have to go now. Let me know when your bringing your undiagnosed friend. We've been dying to meet your Sides, Logan." She said cheerfully.

"I understand. I'll see what I can do." He said.

Mom snorted a small laugh. She said, "Love you, Logan."

"And I, you." He said. She laughed again and hung up. Logic set his phone down and rubbed his wrists, thinking.

Eventually he opened his laptop and clicked through his files to find his final essay. He scrolled to the bottom and placed his fingers on the keys. The cursor blinked.

He typed, 'Fusions determine their own diagnosis through internal debate and understanding of the self. Can a Fusion be fully aware of their own traits if a component of them is undiagnosed? Could a Fusion see a purpose in withholding such information?'.

Logic shook his head and deleted what he just wrote. He tried again, this time introducing Remus by how he acted. This was worse. Logic deleted it again and stared at the blinking cursor.

Did he want to expose this information? He hoped this essay would be good enough for publication. If it did get that far, would Logic be comfortable with the entire academic world knowing he had such a Fusion within him?

Remus was interesting, that was for certain. For better or for worse, Logic simply couldn't stop thinking of him. His snarky laugh, his wide eyes, his strong, firm grip on Logic's wrists. Leaning close, speaking such dirty words with ease; making Logic's heart trip over itself.

He was being ridiculous. There was absolutely nothing appealing about that Fusion.

"Meow! Mrrow! Meeeoow!" The distinct shouting of Shadow came from behind his door. He stood and opened it, expecting the cat to be on the other side. She was further down the hall, brushing against the bathroom door and screaming.

Logic approached slowly. The light was on in the bathroom. Logic knocked, getting no answer.

"Virgil? Are you in there?" He knocked again, still nothing. He thought he could hear running water. Logic decided to just take a peek. If nothing was wrong, he would apologize and leave.

As soon as he cracked the door open, Shadow pushed her way through, rushing inside. She kept meowing.

Logic followed her, glancing around the small room. It wasn't Virgil.

"Janus." He didn't respond to Logic's voice.

He stood in front of the sink, water running wastefully, as he stared at himself in the mirror. His body was twisted to one side, as he inspected his hurt shoulder. The bandages were removed, and the entire, nasty scar was on display.

Logic stepped closer, stopping behind him. Even though he was visible in the mirror, Janus didn't blink. Watery gaze transfixed on his skin.

Logic reached around him and turned off the sink. Janus jumped, twisting around instantly. He practically hopped up onto the counter in his frantic attempt to escape. Logic held his hands behind his back and stepped a little away.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to-" Logic's apology stopped short when the tears started to fall. Logic reached out, stepping close once more. His hands found Janus' cheeks. Logic dropped his left hand when Janus flinched at the contact.

Janus curled forward, gripping Logic's shirt. Logic held him close as Shadow circled their feet. Logic ran a hand through Jan's curls. He was the only one with curly hair, the only blond. He stood out less now that Roman and Virgil had dyed hair. But Jan's hair was uniquely beautiful. Logic pressed a kiss to his temple and rubbed his back.

"Fuck." Janus whispered. Then again, "Fuck."

"It's alright, dear." Logic said. "I'm here now. What do you need?"

Janus shook his head. "I'm fine, I can do it."

"I'm sure you can. But I won't let you. What was the task?" Logic asked. He looked down at the dirty bandages on the counter. He grit his teeth at the sight of dried blood on them. Beside that, a small bottle of cream. Logic picked up the bottle and inspected the ingredients.

"Fuck." Janus whispered, resting his forehead on Logic's chest.

"Does it hurt?" Logic asked.

He didn't respond.

"Will you let me help you?" He asked. When Janus didn't speak, Logic leaned down and made eye contact. He spoke quietly. "I won't tell anyone, love. Not a soul will know."

Janus bit his lip, closing his eyes tight. Finally he nodded. Logic smiled and kissed his forehead.

"Have you been doing this by yourself this whole time?" Logic asked as he washed his hands. Tears rolled. Logic tried to hide his disappointment. "But you've been giving Virgil your full attention."

"I don't need the lecture, thanks." Janus' voice was wet. "Just- get it over with. Please."

He gripped the counter tightly, wincing when Logic touched the cream against his wound. Logic did his best to work quickly without causing any more pain. Neither of them spoke again.

Shadow jumped up on the counter and nuzzled Janus' other side. Jan pushed her back onto the floor wordlessly.

"Will you do me a favor?" Logic asked.

"No." Janus didn't look up from the floor.

Logic ignored him and threw away the old bandages. "If you need help again, come get me?"

Janus blinked up at him, staring into his eyes. Logic didn't know what he was thinking, hiding away to take care of himself alone. But he knew now was not the time to ask. He waited patiently for Janus to respond.

Finally he nodded. His voice cracked as he said, "Okay."

"I won't judge you, love." Logic whispered, reaching out to take his hand. "None of us will."

Janus snorted at that, clearly not believing him. "Sure you won't. I got what I deserved and all that."

Logic's shoulder muscles tensed. He placed a finger under Janus' chin and tilted his head up. Janus glared into his eyes. Logic tilted his head and asked, "Who told you that you deserve punishment for what Remus did?"

He swatted Logic's hand away, "Don't."

"You didn't cause him." Logic said, "You weren't in control."

"I said don't." Janus pushed off the counter, poking Logic hard in the chest. "Don't act like you knew what happened in there, or how I feel, or- or-"

Logic exhaled slowly and opened his arms. Janus sputtered to a stop, gaze darting to his hands, then back up to his eyes. Logic didn't say anything, simply let the offer hang in the air. Janus shuffled his feet before he practically lunged forward. His fingers dug into the fabric of Logic's shirt. His face curled into Logic's neck. He let out a shuddering breath, then sobbed. Logic held him close silently.

They stayed like that for three minutes and twenty-seven seconds before Janus pushed him away and wiped his eyes. He was frowning, but most of the tension in his shoulders disappeared.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Logic asked.

Janus rolled his eyes. "Oh, yeah, sounds like fun."

"Janus." Logic started, but the other grabbed his supplies from the counter and turned to the door.

"Drop it, Logic. I'm fine." He added, quieter, "You wouldn't understand."

Logic couldn't see what about the situation was so complex he couldn't handle. He understood that burns hurt, and that it was an accident. What more was there that Janus couldn't share?

"I-"

"Logan." Janus hesitated, before glancing up at him with all the remorse and embarrassment projected in his mismatched eyes. He swallowed and said stiffly, "Thank you."

Logic accepted the gratitude with a small nod. Janus ducked out of the bathroom, with Shadow close on his heels. Logic moved to watch him go into his room. How he stopped at the door, straightened his clothes and wiped his face. Took a deep breath, and walked in.

Logic could just hear his soothing voice before the door closed. "I'm back, love. You're okay, here I come."

Concerning. Very concerning indeed. Logic debated skipping his afternoon class to keep an eye on them, but his trait wouldn't allow it.

For now, there was nothing he could do.


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