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Every morning, Janus ran out to buy him and Remus coffees while Remus stayed behind and burnt their breakfast.
Logan woke up to the smoke detector screaming and the rest of their roommates groaning while Roman frantically waved a blanket and snapped at his brother (Janus still smiled when he came home). It was as good of an alarm clock as any.
Every morning, Logan scraped together breakfast for a boyfriend he didn’t love.
Remus and Janus’ voices carried over from the living room as they ate on the couch. Logan used the burnt remnants of their stove to make bacon and eggs, something he could cook in his sleep. He wasn’t sleeping, though—He was focused on Remus and Janus.
“So,” Remus stole a piece of bacon and talked with his mouth full, “when’s the oaf getting up?”
Janus sipped at his coffee. “Obligatory defensive comment incoming,” he murmured, and Remus wrapped an arm around his waist.
“Don’t make fun of him,” Logan announced.
As much as Patton begged everyone to get along, Remus was never one to hide how he felt. Neither was Jaxon.
“You know he doesn’t do it on purpose, and you know he’ll be down here any second,” he whispered, and bumped Remus with his hip, who laughed. “Get out of here!”
Remus finished the bacon and said, “I gotta get to work anyway.”
That didn’t stop him from making out with Janus a good few minutes before leaving.
Jaxon stumbled into the kitchen sleepily.
“Morning, J,” Logan said quietly.
He hated Jaxon’s first appearance—he was too tired for Logan to tell what type of mood he was in. He used to stay quiet until he knew for sure, but Jaxon snapped at him once and said, “When you don’t say good morning, it feels like you’re mad at me or you don’t care about me.”
Logan always said good morning now.
Jaxon ignored him, took his plate, and went back upstairs. Logan relaxed.
“Just let me know when you want me to kill him for you,” Janus sneered, then ducked into his and Remus’ room.
Roman left for work next, singing on his way out, followed by Patton, who kissed Logan’s cheek and told him to stay safe. Virgil worked nights and didn’t wake until well after 3pm. Janus used noise-cancelling headphones while he worked. As much as Logan tried, he couldn’t get a shift today. He was essentially alone with Jaxon.
His stomach churned.
He went to his computer.
It didn’t take long for Jaxon to come back downstairs. He wrapped his arms around Logan’s shoulders and nuzzled into his neck.
“What’s going on?” Jaxon asked. “You’re tense.”
Logan’s shoulders relaxed. “I just have a lot of work to do.”
“So? Take a break. Come hang out with me.”
“Jaxon…” Logan frowned at the screen. “I have a deadline.”
Jaxon yanked his arms back. “Are you mad at me or something?”
Logan looked over his shoulder. “What? No. Why would I be mad?”
He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled, brown eyes hard. “Because you haven’t hung out with me all week. I never see you anymore.”
“I work right here in the living room because you wanted to see me more,” Logan insisted. “And we watched three movies last night. We can watch three more tonight.”
“Well I don’t wanna force you.”
Janus’ door creaked open. “That’s exactly what you want to do. Can you two quiet down?”
“Come with me,” Jaxon growled under his breath and grabbed Logan’s wrist.
Logan stumbled after him.
“HEY!” Janus stormed forward and grabbed Logan’s other wrist. “He has a deadline. He needs to work. Have you no manners?”
“Sorry, princess, I wasn’t raised in a castle.” Jaxon yanked Logan hard enough for his shoulder to ache.
“You’re hurting me,” he said desperately.
“Let go of him.” Janus’ eyes were deadly slits. His teeth were fangs, his grip of a Boa.
Logan pulled—he’d get punished for that later—until Jaxon let go and he stumbled back into Janus’ arms. Janus quickly righted him then took his hands away. Logan shivered.
“We’ll talk about this later,” Jaxon mumbled, “when the snake isn’t around.”
He turned and stomped up the stairs. The door slammed, and Logan flinched.
“I’m sorry,” he spouted as he turned to Janus. “I’m so sorry about that. I didn’t mean to interrupt your work.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“And what he said—”
“I am a snake. It’s great. Is your wrist okay?”
Logan held it up. The skin was clear, but a bruise would surely show. “It’s fine. He almost…” He forced a laugh, “almost dislocated my shoulder, though.”
“Let me take a look at it. Sit down.”
Logan sat and Janus tugged his loose neckline down enough to expose his shoulder. Janus hummed.
“Is it hurting?”
“Just a little. I’m okay.”
“Let me get some ice.”
Janus came back a moment later and settled the icepack on Logan’s shoulder.
“Why haven’t you kicked us out?” Logan asked quietly.
“Because if he left, you’d go with him. And we like you a lot.” Janus ran his fingers through Logan’s hair, who leaned into the touch. “Besides, we have better plans for him. We’re killing him, remember?”
Logan laughed, and prayed to God Jaxon didn’t hear.
xxx
Logan didn’t see Jaxon again until dinner. Roman and Remus were play-fighting in the kitchen, yelling over the boiling of a stew. Patton and Virgil were watching a horror movie on the couch, Janus sat at their feet. Virgil kept kicking him.
Jaxon came down the stairs as Logan asked to help with dinner. Remus quickly took Logan under his arm.
“Yeah! Stir this for me. Hey, Jaxon. I’ve got Logan helping me here.”
“I missed you at lunch today,” Logan said over his shoulder. “Are you okay? Feeling sick?”
“A little,” he mumbled. “Will you eat with me?”
Logan melted. “Of course. Remus, is this safe for him?”
Remus grabbed Logan’s shoulder. Logan furrowed his eyebrows as they locked eyes.
“Yes.” Remus tapped something on the counter. “Janus and Roman helped me.”
Logan glanced down.
Peanut powder.
He swallowed.
“It’s perfectly safe for Jaxon.”
Blood rushed through Logan’s ears.
“No, actually.” Logan sucked in a shuddering breath. “No, I want to make him something myself.”
Remus’ shoulders slumped. “I understand. I guess .”
“But…” Logan grabbed his hand. “You can make it again if I ask?”
Roman set a hand on Logan’s lightly purpled shoulder. “We absolutely can.”
Logan got to work making Jaxon grilled cheese sandwiches, and they ate in the living room with everyone else. Jaxon kept wrinkling his nose and pursing his lips like he was rubbing his tongue against the roof of his mouth.
“Everything okay, Jax?” Patton asked sweetly.
“There’s no peanuts in that, right? Something about the smell is setting me off.”
“Nope.” Janus laid his head in Remus’ lap. “We know about your allergy, Jaxon. We’re careful.”
xxx
That night, Logan stayed up late with Jaxon watching movies. Logan fell asleep cuddled against Jaxon’s chest and woke up the next morning snuggled with him in bed.
He hauled himself out of bed, heavy with exhaustion, as the smoke alarm screamed. Janus kissed Remus on the cheek before leaving for their coffees. Remus cracked another egg in the pan. Roman sang Disney at the top of his lungs as he got ready in the bathroom, Virgil pounding on the door demanding that he needed to piss. Patton snapped that there’s another bathroom upstairs and that if those two didn’t stop fighting he’d lose his mind.
Logan found a path in the kitchen to grab the stuff for French toast. He pushed aside Remus’ used dishes and ingredients to set his own down.
“How are you feeling?” Remus asked as Logan whisked. “You know, about the decision you made.”
“Good,” he admitted. “I think it was the right call.”
Remus set the spatula down hard. “So how else do you wanna proceed?”
Logan’s whisks slowed. “I… I don’t know. Last time I talked about maybe taking a break, he—”
“Hey, Jaxon!” Patton greeted cheerfully.
Logan snapped his mouth shut.
“Morning, handsome.” Jaxon kissed the back of Logan’s neck.
He smiled as Jaxon poured them both juice. “It was the right decision.”
xxx
“Logan!” Jaxon bounded down the stairs. “When are you stopping for lunch?”
“Um…” Logan shifted in his seat. “I had lunch.”
Jaxon stopped. “What?”
“It was quick.” Logan pushed back in the chair to face Jaxon. “Just a snack, really. Then I got right back to work.”
“Why would you eat without me? I knew it, you are mad at me. We always have lunch together.”
“I know, I’m sorry—”
“If you know, why did you eat without me? What did I even do?”
“You didn’t do anything!”
“But you’re mad at me.”
“I’m not mad at you!”
“THEN WHY WOULD YOU EAT WITHOUT ME?”
Logan flinched.
Jaxon grabbed his wrist and hauled him to his feet. “Don’t be a baby! Just tell me!”
He slammed Logan into the wall just as Janus’ door opened. Logan’s head bounced off the paint, his eye erupting in pain.
“Get off,” Janus snapped.
“This is none of your business! Go back to work!”
Janus pulled his phone out of his pocket. He dialed three numbers.
“Put the phone down!”
“I need someone here right away, my roommate—”
Jaxon leapt ten steps back. Logan crumpled in on himself, pressed against the wall where Jaxon left him.
“I think he’s calming down now,” Janus said into the phone. He raised an eyebrow. “Yes, I would like you to remain on the line.”
Jaxon grabbed his wallet and keys, and stormed out. The door slammed and Logan flinched.
“He’s gone now. Thank you for your help. Let me ask.” He pressed the phone to his shirt. “Do you want to press charges? Do you want the police to come?”
Logan shook his head, eyes watering. “I want to make dinner.”
xxx
“That again?” Jaxon asked, peering over Logan’s shoulder.
Logan stirred the thick broth. “You didn’t get to try it. It’s good.”
Jaxon shrugged. “Is your eye okay?”
“It’ll heal.”
He left. Logan grabbed the peanut powder and dumped in a generous amount, then left it to boil and cook down.
Everyone stared at Jaxon as they ate. Logan finished his bowl and grabbed seconds. Pale blotches appeared on Jaxon’s face. His lips swelled.
“Are you sure this doesn’t have peanuts?” He asked nervously. “I don’t feel great.”
“My eye hurts,” Logan announced.
“I have some medicine for it.” Remus kissed Logan’s cheek. “I’ll be right back.”
Jaxon glared. “Kiss your own boyfriend!”
By the time Remus came back, Jaxon’s throat was swelling shut. “Drive me to a hospital,” he demanded in a hoarse voice.
Patton knelt between Logan’s legs and applied the cream Remus bought to Logan’s browbone and the top of his cheekbone.
“Dinner was good,” Virgil said. “Are you gonna finish yours, Jax?”
He glared and stumbled for the door. “What the hell is this?”
Virgil shrugged and grabbed Jaxon’s bowl, downing the rest. Roman leaned against the door with his arms crossed. Jaxon threw a punch, but Roman easily ducked against Jaxon’s weak, wobbling frame.
“Oh, God, are you okay?” Patton gasped. “Call an ambulance!”
Jaxon collapsed to his knees as his body convulsed. His hands dug into the carpet. He vomited, elbows and knees locking.
“Shit, did we add peanut?” Roman asked. “Old habits.”
“What’s the number again?” Remus stared at his phone in confusion.
“What’s… wrong… with you… all…” Jaxon gasped through his throw up.
“911, I think,” Logan mumbled. “Are you okay, love?”
“I need someone here right away. My roommate is having an allergic reaction. He was eating alone, we didn’t catch it very fast— yes. Okay, I understand. Mhm.” He gave them the address then hung up.
Janus, Remus, and Roman turned on the T.V. Logan and Patton got to work cleaning up after dinner. Virgil stared Jaxon down.
He was dead before the paramedics arrived.
xxx
The smoke alarm blared. Logan hauled himself out of the warm bed and came out of Janus and Remus’ room.
“Slept long enough,” Janus said, wrapping his arms around Logan’s waist.
Logan leaned his head on Janus’ shoulder. “Coffee?”
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
“Breakfast is almost ready!” Remus called. “Hurry up!”
“I HAVE TO PISS, ROMAN!”
“THERE ARE TWO BATHROOMS!”
Logan got into the car with Janus. Janus pulled out of the driveway and headed towards the nearest coffee shop.
“How are you feeling?” Janus asked, reaching over and taking his hand.
“Hungry.”