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One day. Just one day, Janus had thought. He could close his eyes to Thomas and just relax. Surely, surely, they could handle themselves for one day.
He had been wrong.
It seems that he couldn’t leave Thomas and the idiot squad alone for a single moment.
Thomas had wanted to check out a small magic shop that had popped up unceremoniously nearby. Well, more like Roman and Virgil had insisted, and of course, where they went Patton tended to follow. Thomas assured them that he didn’t actually believe any of that stuff, he just wanted to check it out, and really, could it be all that bad?
Logan and Janus had let him go, only after asking Thomas to promise he wouldn’t get swept up and buy anything.
Of course, while being a natural skeptic (it sort of came with the job, after all), Janus still respected the con. Which is what it was. He highly doubted any of these business owners really believed in anything they were selling. But they didn’t need to; all you needed was to be a convincing enough actor to pull people in- into giving you their money.
Roman, of course, scoffed at this. Said it was ‘Ruining the fun!’.
So, after a quick conferral with Logan, Janus had left them to it. He figured it would be a wonderful time to indulge in some overdue self-care. He didn’t get any opportunity like this often, given how dreadfully busy he always seemed to be. Janus did a lot more than Thomas and most sides knew, which is how he prefers it. In fact, he believes the others think he does nothing but scheming all day. Not far from the truth, but not the whole truth. His favourite area, really.
Well. That was the plan at least.
Janus had just filled a bath and finished lighting some candles, when suddenly, unexpectedly and completely against his will, he found he was no longer in his room at all.
Being summoned, by Thomas (impossible to ignore) or another side (easy to shrug off) is always a possibility, yet Janus has always been able to at least sense it happening. He hadn’t this time, but to be fair, he hadn’t exactly been paying attention.
Now Janus stood in a small shop, overcluttered in a way that seemed intentional, like trying to force a cozy aesthetic. Pretentious and tacky. Ugh. He found himself tucked between two shelves, both stuffed with strange items like tiny bottles of some fluid, half a shelf over dusty books, and so many crystals. The shelves seemed thrown together, like whoever put this place together just threw things on shelves at random.
Right. The magic shop.
Sides, they’ve found, can appear in the ‘real world’. They can even interact with it, though only to a minor degree. Of course, only Thomas could actually hear and see them. And Thomas, being their… person (they had all disagreed with a specific word to use) meant that when in the ‘real world’, they could not be physically very far away from him. Logan had once, very enthusiastically tested this, among other things. They’d found that, when Thomas had gotten far enough away, the sides would blink and find themselves suddenly next to him. Usually they could be in the same room, even as far as the same apartment as him.
So, Janus huffed, straightened his capelet, and looked around for Thomas or any others he unfortunately had to call his coworkers. And if he found that any of them had called on him for something stupid, there might be blood. Maybe he would sic Remus on them. That could be fun.
There were only three aisles in the shop. The front door lay on one side of the room, and a counter against the opposite side. It seemed there was no employee behind the counter, though there was a bead-covered doorway behind it, presumably leading to a back room. One of the other walls was messily stacked with more merchandise, and, strangely, the fourth wall was covered, completely with mirrors or varying sizes, shapes and forms.
Janus took note of all of this, of course, but was a bit distracted by the fact that Thomas and his Sides seemed to be entirely missing. In fact there appeared to be no one in the shop as well.
Well. That was disconcerting. And so, so wrong. There was no way for him to be anywhere without Thomas.
Janus did briefly consider the fact that maybe this was actually The Imagination. That Roman or, more likely, Remus had brought him here for… some reason (He was still working on that part).
But no. Janus double- then triple-checked the store. This was, undoubtedly, the ‘real world’. Which was bad. Bad turned to awful when Janus tried to return to the Front Consciousness of Thomas’ mind. And found that he couldn’t. He tries everything, hell, he’ll take the deepest darkest parts of the Subconsciousness! Which of course doesn’t work.
Instantly, Janus is hit with a wall of anxiety so strong he almost stumbles. He’s just- he’s never- never been this far from Thomas. Thomas, who is everything to him. His whole purpose is to look out for Thomas, to protect him, to be there. And now he’s not. God, what’s going to happen to Thomas without him-
No.
No, he can’t allow himself to panic now. Janus just… he needs more information, is all. Thomas is… nearby. He must be. He’ll figure it out.
This is of course, when Janus notices. He’s standing by the wall of mirrors, half way to a panic attack when he catches something out of the corner out of his eye.
Oh. Well, that explains a few things.
Actually, it doesn’t explain anything and only leaves him more confused.
Janus looks at the mirrors, and, instead of catching sight of his own reflection, in one of the mirrors is Logan. He stumbles back at the sight, almost backing up into the shelf behind him, and sees the rest of them. In a mirror to the left is Patton, one of the larger mirrors houses both Roman and Remus for some reason, and tucked in one corner mirror is Virgil. All of them seem to be either pounding at the mirror, mouthing something in Janus’ direction, or, in Roman’s case, pacing around in the mirror behind Remus. Thomas, is not in any of them.
“Oh.” Janus breathes, and suddenly feels so dizzy he might just pass out.
“Can I help you with anything?”
Janus jumps so hard, for a second he’s glad no one was around to see that. Well, except for the Sides trapped in the mirrors, because Janus’ life has never been easy.
The voice belongs to the woman who’s appeared behind the counter. The employee(?) is dressed in simple clothes, long hair falling down in sheets so blonde it’s almost white. Almost as if to make up for her clothes, she’s covered in golden jewelry, a near excessive amount of necklaces, rings and bangles, as well as large sun-shaped earrings. Her eyes sparkle a near-golden colour.
Of course, none of that matters because for some reason she can see him. Which feels like it matters a little more than her outfit.
Forcing himself to ignore his fellow Sides, who all back up at the sight of the woman, Janus steps towards her. The woman is most certainly in control of this situation, far more than Janus is, which unsettles him. He’s working on uneven ground here, and would very much like things to swing in his favour. Regardless, this was far more Janus’ style. Having someone to talk to, to pull the information from them, willingly or not, is his usual expertise.
“I am looking for something, actually.” Janus forces his best grin. “Something specific. You think you can help me with that?”
“Maybe,” the woman purrs. “You’re a part of a whole, looking for the thing that makes you complete. Many people are, darling.”
Ah. So they're done playing this little game. Fine.
“You have him then,” Janus growls, feeling just a bit possessive. Sue him. “Back there, I’m thinking.” He nods towards the curtained door. “Let me guess. You take people, for whatever reason. Draw them into your little shop, isolate them, and steal them. But something's gone wrong, hasn’t it. Something you weren’t expecting. He's different from your usual… customers. Something you don’t understand. Well, let me make this clear-” Janus places his hands on the counter and leans forwards. “He’s mine. And I will be taking him- and all of them -back.”
The woman holds his stare for a moment, then leans back and laughs.
Rude. Janus thought that was actually one of his best speeches, with just the perfect amount of intimidation. He forces himself not to react to her. In his head, that means he wins. He’ll take it.
“And how, darling,” The woman stops laughing, though is clearly still amused. Her eyes glow like sunlight and, for the first time, Janus realizes just how lion-like her face is. “Are you going to accomplish that?”
And- alright, that's a good point. The ball is still clearly in her court. Janus seems to be- unfortunately, at her mercy. What he needs is a leg up. Something to give him at least equal footing. He needs an in.
“Well?” There’s a curious, almost playful glint in her eyes.
It could be risky. He could lose control of the conversation, risk her catching onto him. But Janus knew social games, and he knew the best rewards often came from gambling with the most dangerous chances.
Janus pauses, pretending to think it over with a hum. “How about a game?”
The woman freezes. Her left eye twitches. “A… game?” She asks slowly, head tilting slightly.
“Yes.” Janus forces himself not to appear too outwardly happy. No, that would give too much away. Pulling people along on string can be easy when you know the timing. Know how to show them exactly what they want, exactly what you want them to see. “A puzzle, if you like. Offer up the clues and let me do the work. Does that sound fair to you?”
The woman grins, knife-sharp. “What about stakes?”
“If I can free my… compatriots, you will hand over Thomas Sanders and allow us - all of us - to leave.”
“If not?”
“If not…” I have to play fair. Something equal to my request, something she’ll want. “I will tell you all about how we work. I- I’ll let you put me in a mirror. You get all of us. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”
The leonine lady (that was a good one, he’ll have to tell Roman later) looks equally happy and hungry at the deal, which is very concerning. “Deal.” She extends a hand towards Janus. “Do you agree?”
“It’s hardly fair to make a deal with someone I don’t know.” Janus stalls. “How about your name?”
“Ha! Nice try.”
Janus spares a glance behind him. Patton is near shaking, biting his nails. Logan is staring at Janus with an intensity he hasn’t seen before, as if to say ‘If you fail this will severely fuck all of us over’. Thanks for reminding me Logan, not stressful at all! Virgil is looking similar, but with strikingly less confidence than Logan (which was near zero anyways, thanks guys!). The twins have switched spots, with Roman now hacking at the mirror surface with his sword, as if it may finally work, while Remus has taken to pacing up a storm behind him. No one, it seems, are remotely happy about this, Janus included. But he knows that even if he spends hours thinking of possible solutions, he’ll never come up with anything. So deal it is.
Janus takes the woman’s hand. “Alright, deal.”
The woman’s jewelry clinks as she moves. “You get two hours, staring as soon as I finish talking. You get five hints, all of which are true and I will not go back on. No cheating, on either side, or the deal is void. Hint one: Anything spoken and heard will be unfailingly true, whereas written things may contain some falsehoods. Hint two: I will tell you things about me, only if you offer things about yourself. An equal exchange of information. Hint three: Lions.”
“Lions?” Janus blanks.
“Lions. Hint four: Don’t break the mirrors. All it will do is hurt your friends. Hint five:
Five parts of a whole
Cut from your reach
Look in, easy to win
Words breaking breach
To take free psyches
A query for each.”
This whole event was undeniably awful. Janus knew this. Yet he found that some small part of him was enjoying this. Was having fun. He longed to feel that little spark whenever he solved something complicated. Janus really shouldn’t be feeling this way with so much at stake, but another part of him loved the thrill of the game.
He ran the woman’s words over in his head. The last clue seemed the most important, specifically the last stanza.
“To take free psyches, a query for each.” Janus muttered. ‘Psyche’ meant soul, and she referenced the other Sides as ‘parts of a whole’, that connection wasn’t hard to put together. And it wasn’t entirely inaccurate either, he mused. So to free them, he needed… a question.
“Questions?” Janus blinks. The woman doesn’t react. “I need to ask the right questions. Specific questions.”
The woman doesn’t say anything, but smiles, and Janus is sure he’s on the right track. It’s not like she’s allowed to lie verbally. He starts to pace, barely noticing he’s doing it. All the information he’ll need has to be in this shop, or directly from her. His job now is to find it.
Janus takes to stalking the aisles, back and forth, aware of the woman’s eyes on him. He combs through each item, though most prove useless. Herb bundles, various crystals, a small carved statue of the goddess Aphrodite, decks of tarot cards, candles and incense, dreamcatchers, small bottles labeled as ‘potions’, old books on witchcraft, and other small decorative items. Janus considers the books for a moment, before remembering hint one. If written things have even a chance of lying, there was no reason to try and figure out what was real from false. It would be a useless endeavor and a waste of his limited time. The only thing that stuck out was the noticeably large amount of sun motifs and iconography.
Janus last examined the mirrors. He’d been, admittedly, avoiding this section, as he had found it a little hard to look at his fellow Sides in their current states. There were several empty mirrors that, for a long stretch of time, Janus considered breaking. The woman had stated that breaking the mirrors that held the Sides would be useless, and might even hurt them. For a second, Janus is plagued with an image of the others stabbed through bleeding with several shards of mirror, the sight so upsettingly realistic it’s almost a surprise Remus isn’t standing right next to him.
But the woman hadn’t said anything about the other mirrors. Janus doubted shattering the other mirrors would help him work out the right questions, but for a childish second he had wanted to lash out and do it anyway. It must show on his face, because Janus catches sight of Logan out of the corner of his eye. Logan, who looks very desperate to talk, but has realized how futile it is. He’s staring intensely at Janus, and for a second Janus has a hard time figuring out just what Logan is trying to communicate until it hits him-
Oh. Janus has been doing this all wrong.
Researching and putting together complicated strings of information had never been Janus’ job or strong suit. That was Logic’s forte. No, Janus’ skills lied in extracting, inch by painful inch, the deepest secrets, the things they wanted to hide, out of people. Twisting them around with pretty words and faux emotional reactions, until they were so confused the words they tried to hide spilled from them and right into Janus’ grasp. He was the king of the social game, maybe even more so than Roman and Patton. He knew every response, every slight movement, every emotion that would get him what he wanted. That was where Janus shone brightest.
Janus smiled at Logan, hoping the genuine appreciation would show. He turned on his heel and stalked back up to the front counter. The woman was waiting for him.
“An equal exchange of information.” Janus repeats. “That’s what you said.”
“It is.”
“I’m actually not that big a fan of Cabaret.” Janus tries. He doesn’t think it’s going to work, but-
The woman laughs softly. “I did say equal information. I could just tell you honey is my favourite yogurt topping. You’ll have to use something… else.”
Janus fights the urge to groan out loud. It’s fairly well-known that Janus is… not the biggest fan of speaking aloud personal things about himself. Hated it, in fact, and was all too happy to come up with some grand lie instead. However, he had a feeling she would be able to tell if he was lying. And that would be cheating on Janus’ end; verbal information being untrue. And that would doom Thomas and the rest of them forever. Not an option.
Right. He needed something else. The woman had seemed interested in how the sides worked. It was clear she didn’t know very much. She would find that information valuable. A strong part of him rebelled at the idea of giving such delicate and personal information to someone who was undoubtedly their enemy. In fact, it went against Janus’ entire purpose. But regrettably, there was no one else to do this for him.
“We are all tied to Thomas physically.” Janus digs his nails into the heel of his palm. Giving up the information feels like nails scraping against his throat. “When we manifest in the physical world, we cannot be too far from him; after a while we simply reappear at his side.”
Janus barely has time to think ‘Please let the be enough’ before the woman is grinning, drinking in the information like a thirsty man at the first sight of water. Then, she pauses, leaning back in her chair. Then she stands, which horrifies Janus, because up to this point, he hadn’t known she was sitting. It’s hard not to instinctively stumble back, but Janus manages just barely. The woman must be at least nine feet tall, if not ten.
“Fourty-eight swine in the home
Fifty men left it.”
For just a second, Janus is possessed with the urge to leap over the counter and strangle her.
“What?” He chokes out. “What the hell was that? You were supposed to give information about yourself, not another damn riddle. Equal exchange, remember?” Janus finds himself half-growling.
“I have not broken the rules.” Is all she states.
As if I can trust you, Janus almost spits at her, before cutting himself off. She’ll play by the rules.
But Janus is still pissed off and petty enough that he can’t stand to look at her anymore, so he turns around sharply, not facing her. He watches the dangling metal suns hanging from the store window and finds his mind stuck on his least favourite hint, hint three.
Lions.
Some visual combination of the suns and lions and the small statue of the goddess Aphrodite hits Janus with a memory he had thought long forgotten. It almost slips away from him, but he reaches out and grabs it. A story he’d heard once, a long time ago. One of Regina’s favourites. Of course, any thought that includes Regina sends a crack through his heart, but Janus just shoves down the pain as roughly as he can and forces himself to focus on the memory of the story instead.
Swine. Swine as in pigs. The suns, lions, the herb bundles. Forty-eight pigs enter, fifty men leave. His eyes catch on the Aphrodite statue. A goddess.
It hits him all at once. Janus can’t help but grin.
He turns back around.
“Hello, Circe.”
The woman - Circe - flinches. Names are powerful, after all.
“Well done.” She purrs, and Janus is starting to wonder why he hadn’t taken notice of her obvious godhood before. “I knew you could do it. None of the others made it this far.”
Janus glances back at mirrors.
“Very impressive.” Circe sits back down. “But I’m afraid it won’t help you. Unless you’ve come up with six questions already?”
Any pride and sparkling joy that had risen up in Janus from solving Circe’s identity are snuffed out in an instant. Because she’s right. He still has nothing.
So Janus goes through everything again.
And again.
And still comes up with nothing.
He goes through every item in the shop. Goes over everything he can remember about the goddess Circe. Goes over the hints, again. Comes up with thousands of questions, but none of them seem right, and he has no way of testing them without risking the chance of getting one wrong.
He feels almost every second of time passing, and knows it’s running out.
Janus finds himself pacing the aisle with the mirrors. He can’t look at any of them, for potentially the first time in his life, finding himself afraid of their disappointment.
“You’re stuck.” Circe purrs.
“I’m not.” Janus insists. He is, actually. ‘Questions’ is too broad a category.
“And running out of time.”
“Shut up.” Janus snaps, but there's no heat behind it. He stops pacing.
He’s failed.
Janus thinks about Thomas. Thomas, currently tied up in the backroom, who knows what Circe is going to do to him? Janus should have been there. It’s his job, his purpose, to protect Thomas. If he had just been there, with Thomas when he came to this cursed shop, maybe he could have done something. When Janus was very young, he made a promise to protect Thomas no matter what the cost. God, he couldn’t even do that. And now all of them were going to suffer because of him. Because of his mistake and the fact he can’t fix it. He wasn’t self-preservation. That wasn’t even his real title, and he’d been foolish to think he could ever be that. But Janus is painfully familiar with mistakes. He’s the reason Regina, his best friend, is dead. He’s the reason Virgil was thrown out before he had a place in the light, an action which led to an attempted ‘ducking out’. He’s the reason Roman is falling apart, Patton is questioning everything, Logan is cut off and about to make a dangerous deal because of it. He’s the reason Thomas is about to die-
Janus is so caught up in his own damning thought spiral, he almost doesn’t notice when his reality begins to glitch around him. Flickering between the shop and a tiny dark room with a mirror which looks onto the shop-
Janus gasps, throwing himself backwards. The flickering cuts short, and he’s half-collapsed on the floor. Janus scrambles to his feet and throws himself out of the mirror aisle.
He almost- almost-
Janus lets out a shaky breath. That’s how they got stuck in the mirrors. God knows there’s enough self-doubt and depressive spirals in the mindscape. Janus had assumed Circe was physically throwing them in there.
‘Look in, easy to win
Words breaking breach’
The solution hits Janus like a bag of bricks.
He confronts Circe at the counter.
“Personal questions. Things only I know, because- because they’re things I would never ask. Honest, vulnerable.” Janus hates every word coming out of his mouth right now.
Circe gives nothing away.
“But that’s unfair!” Janus insists. “There’s no way for you to know what the right answer is!”
Then freezes.
Because Circe did not put them in the mirrors.
Maybe he doesn’t need her to get them out.
“But you don’t need to know, do you?”
Janus doesn’t for a response or a reaction. He rushes back to the mirror aisle and plants himself in front of the mirror the twins are sharing.
“Firstly, I’ll just say, per the rules everything I say is the truth.”
He turns to Roman, ignoring the part of him that is screaming at him for being so open and honest.
“I’m sorry. I- Y’know, I had always hoped some day we might be on the same team. We both try and push Thomas in his career and- well- I stand by saying we have a lot in common. I hope, maybe someday, we could work together. I know you’ve been hurt, so w- I probably have a long way to go in that regard. I don’t know the best place to start. But I know I’ve always wanted to see one of your shows. Would you let me come see you at your best, one day?”
Half the mirror shatters, and out of it stumbles the Mindscape Prince himself. Janus turns to Remus without missing a beat.
“You’re my best friend, you know that? I think maybe I don’t say that enough. You’ve always been there for me, even when you didn’t have to. You’re so clever, and always make me laugh, and I think I love you. You mean so much to me. I don’t tell you that enough, either. Have you ever truly realized how important you are to me?”
The rest of the mirror falls apart, letting Janus’ second favourite person tumble out of it. Remus jumps up and throws his arms around Janus’ back. He lets Janus shove him off gently. Janus moves to face Patton’s mirror.
“We were the first. Do you remember? For the first few months, it was just the two of us. We should’ve talked more, throughout the years. Sometimes I think you are the only Side to fully understand me. My other half, maybe, if you want to be poetic about it. I think it’s my fault. I tucked myself into the darkness and hid there for years. I was convinced it was best. Even after the Mindscape split, you tried for weeks. To talk, to try and bring us back together. I thought it would be easier to cut you off. I’m sorry. I know things are better now, but I’ve never asked. Did you miss me as much as I missed you?”
When Patton steps out of the mirror, he wraps an arm around Janus’ shoulder, pulls close and whispers: “Of course I did. You know that.”
Janus just barely manages to not start crying. It’s extremely hard and he should be rewarded.
Logan next.
“First of all, thanks for the help. Don’t think I didn’t notice. I’ve always wanted to talk to you more. I mean, you’ve never cared about the split Mindscape bullshit, that would win me over any day. Frankly I find you greatly underappreciated. God knows how often I had to talk Remus down from kidnapping you over it. You’re probably the Side I respect the most, and I’ve thought a lot about a debate or even a game of chess. I think maybe I could sit and listen to you talk about anything for hours. I’m just really sorry I’ve had to shaft you, in both the court case and the post-wedding disaster. You would’ve made for a more than worthy opponent. But now that things are a little more settled- what do you think? Can I get a reschedule on that debate?”
Logan smiles - actually smiles! - and says: “We’ll make it a date.”
And then there’s just-
Janus stands in front of Virgil’s mirror and tries to ignore the fact that his instincts are screaming at him to jump out of the nearest window.
“God, where do I even start? I’m sorry. I’ve hurt you so much I don’t even know how many times I’ll have to say it but I’ll keep trying. I’ll save you from talking about all of it. Just- When you first formed, it was right after Re- the Mindscape split. I keep thinking about how you didn’t know anything yet. But you still helped me. You’re a good person. I miss you. I- I-” His voice cracks and he thinks maybe he can’t get through this. Then, he looks up and sees Virgil- who, for the first time in years, doesn’t look hostile at all. “I don’t deserve it. But you deserve the chance to decide for yourself. You deserve to have the option be in your hands. Do you think I could get a try at that second chance?”
The last mirror shatters. Then Virgil is standing in front of him. For a moment of silence there’s nothing then-
Virgil hugs him.
It’s so quick Janus is almost shocked enough to believe it didn’t even happen. Virgil pulls back, a little red in the face.
“That- that didn’t happen, alright?” Virgil mutters.
Janus just grins. “Yeah, yeah, sure.”
He turns to face the others. Most of them have small shards of glass in their hair and clothes, but they don’t even seem that bothered. Looking at them, Janus is so blindingly happy he thinks perhaps Circe was onto something with the whole ‘pieces of the same soul’ thing.
Knowing the others are following behind, Janus strides up to the counter and faces Circe. “I’d like my man back now.”
There’s a frightful moment of silence when Janus thinks maybe she won’t free them, then-
Circe smiles.
And everything explodes.
Everything bursts into pure white light, and in it, just for a second Janus sees something. He thinks blindly, wildly, that it must be The Goddess’ true form, because it’s light in human form and incomprehensible and holy and eldritch-
-
The next thing Janus knows, he’s falling. He nearly collapses right into the grass, but someone catches him and pulls him back up. Janus blinks and finds himself chest to chest with Thomas.
“Janus! There you are! You were missing for a moment, we didn’t know-”
Janus pulls Thomas into a hug before he can even think about it. Then pulls back, presses a finger to Thomas’ chest and-
“Don’t pull any shit like that ever again Sanders!”
Thomas raises his hands. “I won’t, promise!”
“Good.”
“Thank you, for saving me.”
“That is my job, Thomas. Wait- you saw all that?”
“Of course. You’re all a part of me, remember?”
“Is that how this works now?”
“I’ve stopped questioning how this worked a long time ago.”
It seems as if the other Sides can’t stand to wait any longer. The four of them rush forward, grasping onto Thomas like they’re afraid any second he might disappear again. Janus takes a few steps and joins Logan, who’s looking at the shop-
No.
Where the shop used to be.
They’re definitely in front of the shop; standing on the grass, the road and Thomas’ car behind them. But where the building should be, there is only an empty plot.
“It was there.” Logan states with wide-eyed wonder. “The memory is not faulty, and yet-”
“We just faced a literal goddess,” Janus just stops himself from laughing. “Which are real, apparently, and magic- And you’re caught up on the disappearing building? I’d honestly thought you would be freaking out a lot more.”
“Oh, I am ‘freaking out’ about all of that..” Logan confirms. “But I am choosing, for now, to not focus on those things in favour of the more obvious missing building.”
Janus laughs. “Fair enough.”
“You should take credit.” Logan says. “You did save all of us. It must have been both difficult and distressing.”
“Hey, dorks!” Virgil calls out from where he’s tucked into Thomas’ side, ignoring Remus’ little cackle. “Get over here before Patton starts crying.”
“Oh sure, use Patton to deflect!” Janus crows back. Virgil flips him off. Things are all back to where they should be.
Janus takes Logan’s hand. Logan leads him to Thomas.
Janus takes in the view. Logan leading him by the hand to Thomas. Thomas, in the middle, looking tired, but happy. The twins each grabbing on to Thomas’ shoulder, Patton on his right, Virgil on the left.
And Janus thinks he’s never seen a more beautiful image in his entire life.