A big book of small stories

Reptillian Rapscallion (tiny Janus x reader)

"Jan? Stop hiding! You better not be on the floor!" You called out, watching where you stepped.

At the beginning of every month, Janus started shedding, and today was the day. He hated it, he was always itchy and you'd have to help him peel off the old layer of scales. He was not a fan of your help, and always tried to hide.

He was a borrower, as a matter of fact one of the first to be discovered by humans. He was taken to a lab and went through... unspeakable experiments. As a result, half of his body consisted of snake scales. He managed to escape, and you took him in. It took a very long time for him to fully trust you, it took him forever to even tell you his real name!

Even though Janus hated your help, you knew shedding would be far more painful without it. You made your way to the living room, looking under the coffee table, and in every corner of the room. Finally you looked to the couch and smirked to yourself as you slowly crouched down.

"Now where could that little liar be? He wouldn't be stupid enough as to... hide under the couch!" You lifted up the couch cover, and there he was hiding near the back.

His multicoloured eyes widened and he tried scampering away.

"Oh no you don't!" You chuckled as you grabbed the back of his cape, pulling him out in the open.

You lifted him up to eye level, a triumphant smirk plastered on your face. He crossed his arms and gave you an unimpressed glare.

"That totally wasn't rude of you to disrespect my privacy like that." He grumbled sarcastically.

"Awe come on Janus! You know you need my help to shed."

"No I don't!" He scoffed.

"Sure ya don't, Lord of the lies."

"That's Mr. Lord of the lies to you!" He quipped playfully.

You just rolled your eyes, and dropped Janus onto your other palm. You stood up from your crouched position, and heard a small yelp from Janus as he grabbed onto your thumb. You couldn't help but coo at the action, earning another unimpressed glare from him.

You made your way to the bathroom, gently depositing Janus on the counter.

"I still don't understand why you insist on helping me with this." He said as he removed his gloves.

"Because I care about you Jan, and I know it sucks." You said as grabbed some lotion from under the sink.

"It's really not that bad. You don't have to waste your time helping me."

When you looked back up, Janus was itching angrily at his scales. He stopped however when he met your gaze.

"Not that bad huh?"

"Shut up."

About ten minutes later, you had managed to removed the old layer of scales. You left Janus with the lotion so he could rub it over his new skin in private. A couple minutes later, he called to you letting you know he was done. You opened the door again, just in time to see Janus fixing his hat in the comparatively ginormous mirror.

"See that wasn't too bad!" You said cheerily.

"Yeah, but then we have to do it again next month. And the month after that. Sometimes I just wish I was normal again." He sighed sadly.

He raised his hands up, indicating he wanted to be held. You scooped him up without hesitation and brought him to your chest. He melted into the touch, snuggling into the warmth. Another side effect of the experiments was his lack of body heat, which made him addicted to your warm touch. He also loved snuggling to make up for the cold treatment he received at the lab. You gently pet his back with a finger.

"I know Jan. But I'm always gonna be here to help you through it ok?"

"Thank you." He said, though his voice was muffled from your shirt.

"I love you my little reptilian rapscallion." You cooed.

"Stop with the nicknames!" He hissed.