Baited~ Book 2

36

"R-Ro...man... st..op." Roman's eyes snapped wide seeing Janus crying, his face red from lack of air. Roman's eyes filled with horror seeing his hands wrapped tight around the snake. Roman quickly let go as guilt tore threw him. Janus dropped to the floor as Roman stood there frozen in shock. He didn't even notice that the lizard had at some point made his way to his hair again.

"What the fuck was I doing?" Roman just stared in pure fear of himself at his hands as they shook. "W-What... why... fuck." Virgil pawed at Roman's head trying to get his attention but Roman didn't notice him at all. Virgil understood though. He could feel the guilt and fear in his love. That alone was enough to break Roman. "I'm so... I'm so sorry. I... I don't understand." Janus stood there rubbing his neck as he struggled to get some air into him. His own mind was flashing bring him back to all the other times he's dealt with being choked. He only noticed someone move closer and he involuntarily flinched making Roman freeze up. 

"Right... You wouldn't want my help... Not after I just... I just... shit, what the fuck is wrong with me?" Virgil tried again to paw at Roman's face but his foot got tangled up in Roman's hair making him trip and tumble over. Roman didn't even see him. All he noticed was this sudden fear and soon he had caught the small lizard in his hands. Roman's eyes went wide as the lizard curled up in his hands wrapping his tail around his thumb. "H-Hey... You ok, little one?" Virgil shivered as he licked Roman's hand, trembling in the anxiety over what he saw, how he felt, and nearly falling and getting hurt. "Shh shh shh... I've got you. Roman's got you." Roman shifted the lizard so that he one in only one hand as he placed him delicately on his chest and held his close, his eyes going back to Janus who was shaking bad himself. "J-Jan?"

"W-What..." The snake shook his head trying to get a hold of himself as he looked up to find Roman standing there with concerned guilt written all over him. "What happened to y-you?"

"It was... Him... again." Janus's eyes went wide as Roman looked away. "He hit me with this... flashback? It wasn't pretty. I... I must have snapped while under. I'm sorry. I... I didn't..." Roman sighed as he tensed up as swallowed his guilt absentmindedly brushing his thumb across the lizard's scales. "I was... there in that basement again but... Janus, It wasn't me who you had... who Deceit had." Janus's eyes went wide as Roman smiled sadly. "He's Virgils insanity... He's been showing me things that have happened to him. Trying to break me... I'm sorry."

"What was it?" Roman's eyes darkened as Janus just sat there staring blankly at nothing. "What did I to?"

"You had him chained up but at first you let him just stand there. You wanted answers... about his parents." Janus's eyes filled with horror as Roman bit his lip anxiously. "I... Janus, It was like I was the one in his shoes. I was seeing through his eyes. I knew it was Virgil but... I felt everything, he did. I felt the punches... I felt the cattleprod... th-the shocking." 

"I... I wanted him to admit it." Roman frowned seeing how Janus slowly stood up. His eyes were glowing a bright yellow as he smiled through the tears. "Father was so adamant that he was a monster. I wanted to hear it from him. I had to hear it from him... but he isn't a monster." Janus deflated as he shook his head and started to turn away. "I... I think I need to lie down."

"Jan wait..." The snake paused as Roman went to hand the lizard over only for Janus to flinch away. "Jan?"

"You watch him... He's safer with you anyway." Roman cringed hearing the near monotone and empty sound his voice held. "I'm the monster that hurt him."

"What?" Roman frowned as he stared down at the lizard seeing it curled up in his palm. "Hurt him... what are you..." By the time he looked back up the snake was gone... and he had a very bad feeling.  Roman's eyes narrowed as he held the lizard up to his eyes and frowned. He brushed his finger gently down his back getting a purr from the little one as he glanced back after Janus. "Hey." Roman gently poked the lizards head and frowned seeing it curl up tighter as if it had fallen asleep from the shock of falling. It probably did. "Hey." Roman spoke a little louder as his concern for Janus started to build.  He didn't entirely know why he felt this but he just knew it would know what was going to happen. "I need you to wake up." The lizard whipped it's tail at Roman's finger making the prince growl in response. It slowly lifted it's head blinking away the tired haze before looking around and frowning. Roman could literally see the question in it's eyes. "He's gone." The lizard jumped up as Roman held him firmly as to not let him fall. "He was... He worried me. H-He didn't look all to well." The lizard look over at Roman before looking around in a panic... a panic Roman could feel. Roman's eyes narrowed as his grip on the lizard tightened a bit. "Your scared?" It nodded furiously as it tried to escape his hands. Roman frowned as he carefully let him down and just watched as it sped off down the hall. He watched as that fear crawled up his spine. He watched as just before they vanished it shifted into a person... He watched as it became Virgil.

"JANUS OPEN UP!" Virgil banged on the door with tears in his eyes. "JANUS PLEASE?!" He didn't care if he wasn't supposed to show himself yet. He didn't care if Roman fucking saw. His love was in pain and his best friend was probably... "JANUS?!" Virgil's eyes shined a bright burning red. His fear snaked up around his throat choking him as he struggled just to breathe. He was panicking. "JA..." Suddenly the door was busted through, door handle shattered on the floor where instead a transparent purple orb stood. Virgil was frozen in place as he watched him walk ahead and push the door open wider for him to go through. Virgil couldn't even look up at him. He just ran through instantly taking on the scent of metal and tearing up. "JANUS?"