Where Ever you Go

..Chapter 8 - Waterlogged Waiting..

It was one thing to be running through a forest, but to be running through a forest during a rainstorm was a tragedy. The mud slid under his feet, large drops of water smacked him in the head; if Roman wasn't more used to this he would have already tapped out. He pushed back his soaking wet hair, grumbling about how it was going to take him forever to get it looking right again. Though his complaints were mostly meant as a distraction as he looked for signs of Remus. It wasn't going to be easy, the rain washed away a lot of evidence, but his brother had been frantic to getaway. Tracing Remus when his mind was clear, completely impossible, tracing Remus when he was frantic, doable. Once Roman found the first clue he was able to latch onto Remus's path fairly easily.

Even so, it took Roman an hour of carefully walking through the forest before he finally found Remus, curled up in a tree hollow. It didn't surprise him, Remus had a knack for finding small spaces he could hide in.

"Back off," his voice came out as a growl, he sounded feral and angry. Logan would consider it dramatic but Roman knew it was sensible. Remus was hurting, and he wasn't dumb enough to reach out for him, lest he want to get hurt.

"I'm not here to hurt you or take you back. I... what Logan did was wrong."

"No duh, we have been doing wrong our whole lives."

Roman bit his lip at that. "Still, you're my brother..."

There was silence for a moment, only the rain gently falling. Roman debated sitting down, lowering himself to Remus's level, but then the mud. He didn't want to get his outfit dirty, then again, it might be a lost cause. He lowered himself gently and looked at Remus, his twin's eyes swirling with pain as he looked up at him.

"Why didn't you check on me?"

That was a complicated question. It had only been a few months since they had lost Virgil because and though Roman wasn't necessarily close with moody-b-moans, he feared losing Remus as well. He was all for adventures into the unknown, but the people by his side had to stay consistent.

"Nerd-gan said that the cops were closing in, and that going to see you would put you in too much danger." I didn't want to lose you. He left the last part unsaid. How could he say it when they had lost Remus all the same.

"Psh, since when did he care about danger."

"You know he has always been an overly cautious stick in the mud."

Remus was beginning to relax, and Roman was thankful. This was completely ruining his shoes, but also, he wanted his twin back.

"I always thought that he would do anything for us, especially after what happened with Virgil, but... maybe none of us matter to him. Do you think our brother even understands emotions?"

"I... I don't know. I think he cares. If he didn't he probably wouldn't have taken care of us after mom and dad died. But... either way, I'm on your side." He held out his hand to pull Remus out of the hallow. "Best Brothers remember."

Remus gave him a crooked smile. "Yeah, whatever, Best Brothers." He said, taking Roman's hand. "So, you are going to be cool if I turn Logan in? He deserves to pay."

"After what he did... yeah. I'll stand by you... Remus."

Remus wrapped himself around Roman, definitely ruining his outfit. Yet, wrapping his brother safely in his arms, the man who loved fashion and cleanliness couldn't seem to care about a little mud.

When they finally pulled apart, Remus smiled brightly and stood up. "Do you have your phone on you?"

"Oh butter biscuits of the high priest, he could track that couldn't he?" Roman went to fish his phone out. They needed to turn it off before Logan tried to track them down.

"Yeah, but I need to make a phone call first."

"What?"

"This is going to be tricky and I will have to apologize to Poppa Pat, cuz he is going to have to replace his phone. Gimmie."

Roman could see the wheels in Remus's head-turning. He hesitated for just a moment before he fished out his phone and handed it over to his brother. In no time at all he had dialed a number and was waiting for it to ring.

Apparently, there wasn't an answer because Remus hung up the phone and dialed again. He wished he knew what was going on in his brother's mind, his manic energy suddenly slipping as his shoulders sank. Then, over the sound of rain, Roman could hear a soft "Hello?"

Roman scooted closer, trying to hear the whole conversation. There was an obvious bit of skepticism in the voice that answered but Remus had a look of recognition.

"P, it's Remus, here me out. I know who killed Jay, and it wasn't me. I escaped, kind of, and I'm using one of the perpetrator's phones."

"Remus?!" He could hear a chair clattering to the ground. "Where are you?"

There was another sound that Roman couldn't hear but his brother's face cycled through ten different emotions before settling on resignation. Who else was there? Was his friend already talking to the cops?

"Cuttlefish, are you okay, are you safe?" Oh no, that was the man who had been in the house. How was he alive?

"You aren't dead." He breathed, sinking to his knees. Roman went to catch Remus, preventing hun from sinking fully into the mud. "You aren't dead."

"No, no, I'm very much alive. He did threaten to come back but we can discuss that later. I'm so thankful to hear your voice. Where are you?"

Remus sniffled, clutching the phone tightly. "Somewhere in the forest, how did you survive, I heard it, he shot you."

"He just shot near me. Do you know where in the forest? Patton and I are coming to get you."

"No, but we can make it to the road."

"We?"

"Roman is with me... he's helping."

Silence.

Roman should have expected that level of honesty from Remus.

"Fine, but I'm not going to be kind to him."

Just like he should have expected that hostility.

"Okay," Remus said with a slight nod. "Should I hang up now?"

"No," Janus said all too quickly, "no, stay on the line."

Roman helped Remus stand back up. They had to try to make it back to the road, then it was all about waiting.

AN: Me, wanting to get the kitchen clean before posting this chapter, also me, oh, it's 3pm and I've only had toast today, I should sit down and eat.