Patton walked into the room that Pager shares with a nice old lady. He fidgets with the beaded string bracelet on his wrist as excitement and fear battle inside him.

It's been a year...a whole year. He breaths, remembering to be relieved that it wasn't for any longer. His hands shook with nerves. The last time he spoke to him wasn't very...happy.

Pager was sitting there, awake, staring at nothing. He looked at Patton. Patton wanted to cry.

"Pa-" but before Pager could finish, Patton was engulfing him. Smothering him with a year's worth of unnoticed love.

"I love you more than I could love any romantic partner, do you understand?" Patton was sobbing, "I had to go through that, too...please...please never leave me alone with those memories again...please..."

Pager broke. Sobbing into Patton's cookie felt embrace. After who knows how long, they finally pulled away.

"I'm sorry... I'm so so sorry...I spiraled, it-...it became all I could think about, like I was reliving it and I just needed it to stop...I couldn't make it stop..." He sobbed, broken before Patton.

Patton stayed there, legs cramping, arms aching, but he never let go.

"We can do therapy together...your mother is moving you to my new town, now that you're awake....you can meet my friends...okay?"

Pager sniffed and nodded, "I'd like that...a lot....I just...I need to get away from here."

Patton shushed him.

This isn't the end of the things they need to work out, but it's enough for now.

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-

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.-

Janus sat there, lounging on his bed. His beautiful king snake coiled around him. Her black and yellow scales matching his aesthetic. Libra is definitely not his favorite snake, no, he does not have favorites. He's stroking her scales as he contemplates. Something Logan texted him.

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Logan: Janus...our situations are damaging. Look up the definitions of abuse and read stories of kids from abusive and toxic situations. We match. Janus we match and we need help, and honestly, I'm terrified. What do we do?

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That was the most emotional Logan has ever sounded in a text. And he did what he asked. He looked up stories and read definitions. And...and he can't seem to think of a counter argument. Then again, he can't bring himself to get surprised..

He sat up and checked his other conversations.

Just countless links of therapists and mental hell centers from Patton and Emile. Virgil telling him about his parents and his panic attacks. Remy and Remus begging him to get drunk with them. Lark asking about Roman.

And Janus sees people genuinely doing everything they can to love him more than his own family does. He let the tears fall. Fuck his parents. Fuck the media. Fuck reputation. Fuck his fucking life. He can't just deal with it anymore. Not now that he's letting himself feel rightfully hurt and angry at the bullshit his parents wrap him into. Enough is enough.

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Janus: You're right. What are we gonna do about it?

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-

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-

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Remus flopped next to Roman. Roman didn't say anything.

"Did you know that whales have belly buttons?"

"No..." Roman could barely hear him.

Remus sighed and sat up, "We need to talk."

"About?"

"Roman, I'm so...so sorry."

Roman looked up and tried to act confused. But if he thought about it... there's a lot they both need to apologize for, "For what?" He feigned.

"For everything. I was so wrapped up in my own world, in how I was being treated, on how you acted. I ignored all of the signs, and when I saw them, I chose to look away. I wanted you to be bad. I wanted you to be a bad person, yet still happy. But...but you're not. You're a good person and you're miserable, and Ro, I've been overlooking it on purpose," Remus scrubbed at his tears, "You-...I'm so sorry."

Roman stared at Remus, forcing the dumpster fire to remain calm, "Remus...no. I'm sorry. I just... I've acted terrible...I am terrible, and I- Remus, there's no excuse for how I act."

Remus shifted onto his knees and squished his brother's face, "You've had every reason."

Roman felt tears prick at his eyes and he pulled away, "What you think mom and dad did to me...they didn't do anything. It's just... you've seen everything they did. Apart from the physical parts-..."

"...When did it start getting physical?" Remus dreaded the answer, but he had to know.

Roman shrugged, "There's always been a few things. You did, too. A phwap with some paper, a smack of our hands. But...maybe a year ago? Maybe two? They started getting angrier. And more creative," He could feel himself slipping into the memories, memories of belts and bleeding and ice and hands. He forced his attention onto his brother. Onto safety. "I always deserved it, though. So it's not really abuse." The words are lead, even on his own tongue.

"No...no, you didn't."

Roman shrugged. Then a question fell out if his mouth before he could stop it.

"Remus, are we broken?"

Remus turned it over in his head. Roman wants what he honestly thinks, right?

"I think we might be."

"Are we fixable?"

"I don't know if humans can be fixed. By the way, what made you finally believe what I told you? About this not being okay."

Roman hoped he wouldn't ask that. He felt the ice weigh down his stomach.

"I'm scared..."

"Of what?"

"Of everything. I- I've wanted to do things to myself for years, now. Things I don't think normal people do." Memories flashed through his head once more. Of ice, flames, blades, and vomit and the ironically sickening feeling of starving, "And new ones started coming. And they're getting stronger, and they're constantly begging me to listen to them, and I don't know how to make it stop, and I'm terrified, and Remus, how do you run from your own head?" Roman choked. He was crying. He started crying. And oh fuck, he shouldn't be crying, but he can't stop. He can't breathe, but that's fine, because everything's burning.

Remus listened to his twin in horror. But, as awful as it is...not surprise.

For the first time in what might have been 7 years, Remus watched his brother start to cry. Because of two psychopaths who don't know how to treat people, nevermind their own kids. Because no one's actually seen him for years, maybe even his entire life, nobody ever really looked at him. And fuck, Remus would be crying, too. Oh- oh, he is crying.

He pulled the shards of Roman Prince into his arms and he did everything he could to hold them together as they both fell apart.