Baited~ Book 2

28

"What is it, Kiddo?" Roman sighed as he clutched his jacket tightly. He had asked Patton to take a walk with him but hadn't told him why... not that anyone really needs to tell Patton anything. "Kiddo, if this is about earlier I can personally promise you Janus doesn't..."

"I want you to teach me some magic." Patton smiled softly as they both just kept walking. "Virgil doesn't want to see me right now and that's fine. That's his choice but... Remus is right. I need him."

"You always have, Roman." Roman frowned as Patton took his hand and stopping there walk as he just smiled. "Roman... I remember when my mother... Sorry, Sophie started having nightmares. Only Aimon could calm them down for her. I was really small but... Even then I knew Ami loved her and helped her in ways not even father could."

"I forget you remember all your past lives." Patton nodded as his head tilted a bit in thought.

"Roman, it's not that Virgil doesn't want to see you. Trust me, he wants to do more than that... he loves you but he's scared." Roman sighed as Patton rubbed his thumb over his hand. "You just have to give him time... or... open you eyes to what's around you."

"What?" Patton laughed as he shook his head. 

"You're not allowing yourself to see what's there. You're letting your mind be fooled by what your eyes are seeing. If you opened them to everything that's happening..." Patton smiled at the sound of his brother's voice coming through his ears as if they were right there talking. "... you might find you had what you longed for all along."

"I just don't know." Janus paced the floor of his guest room with anxious nerves. "You saw it all right? There is something clearly wrong with him. I'm not just... projecting... right?" The tiny little lizard frowned as it shook and shivered. "I'm not deaf. I heard the glitch. His voice was glitching... and the look in his eyes..." There was this sudden gasp making the snake freeze and look over to see someone sitting on the floor with a frown. "I'm not wrong... am I?" 

"No, I heard it too." Janus crashed as he fell to his knees letting the other pull him in, his usual patchwork hoodie now sporting patches of scales symbolizing his transformation. 

"Virgil, I'm scared." The dragon frowned as he held his friend close feeling how his body shook. "Roman... Roman reminds me to much of you, Virge. I'm actually scared... for him."

"I am to Jan." Virgil sighed as he held back the tears that wanted to spill. "I am too, but... We don't know what going on with him. Just... Just that he gets violent."

"Virgil, he gets more than violent. He tried to kill Remus." Virgil flinched as Janus pulled away. "You don't think he... I mean, he gave me your curse..."

"No."

"Virgil..."

"No! It just isn't possible." Janus frowned as Virgil shook his red eyes glowing a tad bit brighter. "It wasn't a curse, Jan. My mind was shattered into a million pieces... but it wasn't a curse. His power couldn't possibly have..."

"How do you know?" Virgil froze up as his eyes flashed impossibly bright. "How do you know Roman couldn't... and didn't?"

"I... I don't but..." Virgil's eyes dropped to his hands as they narrowed. "I haven't been hearing them. They haven't said a thing not even... not even when I went back to the sanctuary. Not even when you..." Janus tensed up as Virgil started to cry. "Oh god. I thought it was all too quiet. I didn't understand... do you really think he..."

"The only way to know is for him to tell us but... I don't see that happening anytime..."

"Janus?" The boys froze up at the sudden sound of Roman's voice. "Are you ok in there?"

"I'm fine!" Janus squeaked out in surprise as Virgil and him shared a worried look. 

"Oh... Are you sure? You sounded like you were talking to someone."

"Nope!" Virgil ran to the door hiding where he couldn't be seen and frowned as Janus shook. "Just talking out loud."

"If you say so. Anyway, Patton told me to come and get you... he said he's going to teach both of us... I'm not entirely sure what though... Can I just..." Roman opened the door a bit with shaking hands making Janus tense up. "I don't like talking behind closed doors."

"I-It's ok." Janus tried to smile but his nerves were really shot. As the door opened and Roman walked in Virgil couldn't stop himself from reaching out towards his love. Thankfully the open door blocked Roman from seeing him. 

"Patton said for us to meet him in the training room... Where Remus had taken me before." Janus tensed up as anxiety tore through him and Roman frowned taking a step back. "It's ok if you don't want to... after everything that happened, I'm surprised you even still here."

"Roman I'm not going to leave just because..." Roman's eyes darkened as he looked away and shook his head. "Roman?"

"You're in danger being around me. You really shouldn't be here Jan." Roman hugged himself feeling his mind starting to spiral. "I don't understand, how Virgil could handle this." Virgil winced as Janus's eyes went wide. "I don't know, maybe he's right. Maybe I'm just weak."

"Don't say that!" Roman jumped at the sudden voice, Virgil's hand clamped over his mouth. 

"Ro..."Roman slowly looked behind him only to find the tiny lizard shaking on the floor and he frowned. "What is it?"

"Nothing... I just thought I heard Virgil." Roman groaned as he ran a hand through his hair and frowned. "Not that it would be the first time. He loves toying me like that... Whatever."

"Roman, talk to me. I know a lot about... Virgil and things..." Roman's eyes narrowed as Janus knelt down to pick the little lizard up. "Maybe I can help?"

"I'm sure you could Jan." Roman laughed a bit as he started for the door. "I'm also sure you shouldn't. I'm not safe..."

"Neither was I." Roman froze up as he sighed and looked back. "Neither was he. Tell me what's going on with you."

"Jan, I can't." Janus deflated as Roman shook his head. "Telling you... is like telling him. I'm afraid... once I say it... Once he knows... that's it. There's no going back."

"What could be so bad that you don't want Virgil to know?" Roman laughed as he rolled his eyes.

"Plenty, Janus. Plenty..." Roman took the snakes hand who shifted to let the lizard... Virgil, rest on his shoulder. "Now let's go already."