#child!janus

“I just talked with your uncle Patton on the phone. He says hi.”

 “Oh, okay. If that’s all, I’ll go back upstairs and…” Suddenly Janus seemed very eager to escape. Logan didn’t let him.

 “Not so fast, young man.” Janus froze, his shoulders tense and he refused to look directly at his father. “Patton mentioned that Virgil brought back your latest vocabulary test. You haven’t mentioned that you got them back to me yet. Is there a reason for that?”

 “Ummm… About that…” Janus eyes nervously bounced around the room. “The test… I didn’t tell you about it because… I lost it!”

 “You lost it?” Janus eagerly nodded, rocking back and forth on his feet nervously.

 “Yeah. I’m sorry.” Logan eyes his son who was still refusing to look at him.

 “Where did you lose it? Maybe we can find it if I help you look.”

 “NO!” Janus shouted. Logan raised an eyebrow at his sudden volume and Janus quickly tried to explain. “It was outside! On my way back. I was thirsty so I opened my bag to grab my bottle and the test slipped out. The wind carried it away before I could grab it.” He seemed to gain more confidence in his story as he told it but Logan would not be fooled.

 “I see. So if I were to go upstairs right now and look in your bag I would not find the test, correct?” Janus paled, his mouth opening but no words came out. Logan sighed and moved passed him towards the stairs. Janus didn’t stop him but followed while chewing on his lip most likely trying to find an excuse to keep his father out of his room. He didn’t think of anything fast enough.

 Logan entered his son’s room and immediately spotted his school bag placed on the desk chair. He grabbed it, opened it and pulled out its contents one by one. Janus placed his snake back with the other two before watching his father pull out the piece of paper he’d been trying to hide. Logan studied it before sighing and motioning towards the bed.

 “Sit down, please.” Janus moved to do so without a word. Logan kneeled down next to him so they were about the same height. “Jay, please look at me and explain why you felt the need to lie to me about this.” He laid the piece of paper on the bed next to Janus, displaying the result of 8/20. His son glanced at it before looking away, tears starting to gather in his eyes.

 “I wasn’t gonna lie, I just wanted to talk to Mrs. Dot about it before I showed you. I know I could do better, but I was feeling icky when we took the test and… I didn’t want you to be mad at me.” Logan gently reached out to take his son’s hands in his own, finally making eye contact again.

 “I promise you, Janus, I will never be mad at you for a simple grade. Not as long as I’m sure you did your very best. And I can see you tried here.” At this point Janus had started crying and Logan pulled out a handkerchief to catch gently wipe his face. “You could have told Mrs. Dot that you weren’t feeling well, I’m sure she would have let you take the test another time.”

 “The others always say that’s cheating, that the kids who do that just fake it to get out of it. And they’re very mean to the ones who do,” Janus sniffled, squeezing his Papa’s hand in his. Logan nodded.

 “That isn’t very nice of them. I will have to speak about this with your teachers soon.” His son didn’t seem too thrilled about the idea but didn’t argue. “Promise me you will not lie about grades and tests to me or your dad anymore and I’ll make you some hot cocoa with marshmallows, how does that sound?”

“Dad already left?”

 “Yeah. He said something about exploding paint and left for the studio. I did not want to ask further questions but I told him to not drag paint into the house. Again.” Now it was Janus’ turn to snicker and he took a seat at the table. “What do you want for breakfast? Toast or cereal?”

 “Cereal, please,” Janus said with a smile and got back up to get the bowl and spoon for himself while Logan grabbed the box and milk. Logan had eaten with his husband but kept his son company while reading the newspaper and drinking the last of his coffee. They usually spend this part of their routine in silence, just enjoying each other’s company however if Remus were here they would listen to whatever he wanted to infodump about. Logan and Janus both needed some time in the morning to really wake up but Remus was always full of energy after getting up.

 “Hey, papa?” Janus eventually broke their traditional silence.

 “Yes, Jay?”

 “Can I ask you something?” Logan raised an eyebrow but put the newspaper aside to devote his full attention to his son.

 “Of course. What can I help you with?” Janus pushed the now empty bowl away and began fidgeting in his seat.

 “Can I take Jake to school with me today?” Logan’s eyes flickered to the snake in question, still curled around his son’s arm, apparently content to just hang on. He focused back on Janus who did his best impression of his uncle’s puppy eyes. Logan sighed.

 “I am quite certain that is against school rules, so no.”

 “It’s not, I checked! There is not one word about snakes in there.”

 “However, there is a rule against all pets on school grounds within regular school hours.”

 “Jake’s not a pet, he’s my friend!” Janus pouted, as if the mere suggestion that his snake could be a pet is insulting.

 “I am sorry, Jay, but the school board defines all animals held within student or teacher’s living space as pets, no matter how close a bond you have. Jake stays here.” Janus squinted at him.

 “Debate Challenge!”

 It was a house rule that if there was a conflict of interest or argument happening that someone involved can call out ‘Debate Challenge’ and the situation would be resolved through a proper discussion. The format would allow each side to present their arguments without getting interrupted or immediately refuted as well as form a proper response. Team-ups were allowed as long as it was not Janus (or one child) against his dads (or two adults). It was a rule that Logan had put into place well before Remus and he even got engaged. Logan liked order and fights were nothing if not messy. And even if Remus preferred chaos, he could appreciate the guarantee to be listened to.

 Logan checked the clock before answering: “Alright. In order for you to arrive at school on time we need to leave in 20 minutes, 25 maxima. Considering how much time we both need to get ready; you have 10 minutes to convince me. Take the first two to prepare your strategy.” Janus nodded and pulled the notepad they kept on the table in case Remus needs to write down a sudden idea or they get crucial information on the phone to take notes. Meanwhile Logan cleaned up the dishes.

 “Okay, done!” Janus called a bit over two minutes later.

 “Good. Now you have two minutes for your arguments, then I will respond in another two minutes and after that we each get one minute for rebuttals. Sound fair?”

 “Yes.”

 “Then you may start.”

 “First, I understand why there is a rule against pets during school. Most common pets, such as dogs or cats, can be loud and distracting and can make a mess. But Jake is small, quiet and probably won’t need to poop until tomorrow. If I keep him in my pocket, the teachers won’t even know he’s there. I already fed him and Joey so he won’t need any more until I’m back home. Virgil is still sick and you know I don’t have any friends in my class. I just don’t wanna be alone and I don’t even have anyone to show him to.” At the end, Janus’ eyes were fixated on the table and he was biting his lips as well as fidgeting with the paper in his hand. Logan nodded in understanding. He knew Janus was having a hard time making friends and since his cousin caught the flue, it was only getting worse.

 “Thank you for sharing your concerns with me. I understand your points and I agree that in this case the rule against pets could be ignored.” Janus eyes lit up a bit but Logan kept his expression stern. “However-“ Janus eyes dimmed and he already started pouting again- “it is too much of a risk. Jake is a living creature and you cannot be sure how he would react to such an environment. If he were to get uncomfortable and escape, it would cause a lot of problems. Most people do not like snakes, he could send someone into a panic. Even if he were to be discovered without a ruckus, your teacher would still be very mad at you and me for allowing something like this. And we already do not have a great standing with the board, you know that.” Janus averted his eyes but nodded. “Lastly, imagine what would happen if Jake were discovered by those kids who are already mean to you. If they don’t immediately tell a teacher, they might just try to hurt him. As I’ve mentioned, many people do not like snakes and children can be very cruel about things they do not like. You would be putting him in danger.” Janus hummed and stopped pouting but he was still fidgeting with the paper. “You may now respond.” He was quiet for several seconds.

 “Ok, maybe taking him today is a bad idea. But what if we register him as a therapy animal. Virgil said that his dads are looking for something fitting for him. Maybe if we use my vitiligo it could work?” Janus sounded hopeful and Logan hated saying no to his son but if he didn’t stand firm, no one would. Especially not Remus. He was totally weak against their son’s begging.

 “I’m afraid your vitiligo doesn’t qualify. Virgil was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, which is a mental illness and that is why he gets a pet that is specifically trained to help him with it. Jake is not trained and I will not try to get him a license.” Logan reached out and took his son’s hands in his own. “I love you, Janus, and I hate to see you struggling but this is not the way to deal with the situation. Jake remains here. Thank you for a great debate but you need to get ready now.” Janus sighed but nodded. He would need to accept defeat this time. He squeezed his father’s hands before standing.

 “Love you too, papa,” he said before heading back to his room.