Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Content warnings: None that I know of (let me know if I missed anything in the comments)

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It was late in the evening, and Logan was relaxing in his cottage in the Sanders woods. These woods are home to all sorts of magical beings. Logan happens to be a witch.

Logan was reading a mystery novel as he sat on his lounge chair in front of his fireplace. He was about to move onto the next chapter of his book when he heard a knock on his door. Logan waits for a moment before getting up, not expecting any visitors. He doesn’t exactly have any friends. The knock happens again, so Logan finally gets up and answers the door.

Outside of his house stood his ex-mentor, The Dragon Witch. Logan had first heard of the powerful witch with a dragon tattoo on her wrist as a teenager, and wanted to learn magic from her. When Logan turned 18, he went off to ask her for an opportunity to be her apprentice. She accepted him as her apprentice and he learned from her for four years. She taught him a lot of spells and gave him a place to stay so he could move out of his parents’ house. A few months ago, a now 22-year-old Logan felt that she couldn’t teach him anything else and decided to go off and keep studying magic on his own. So Logan told the Dragon Witch he was going off on his own, bought a cottage that was a good distance from a small village and made it his home. He told her where he was moving to in case she ever needed to speak to him. However, Logan didn’t expect his former mentor to want to see him again, since she seemed disappointed when he left.

“Hi, Logan. Long time no see.” The Dragon Witch says with a small smile on her face. It’s at this moment that Logan notices she’s holding something in her arms.

“Salutations, Ms. Dragon Witch. What brings you here this evening?” Logan asks curiously, while looking closely at whatever is in her arms.

“Oh, you don’t have to be so formal with me dear. You may not be my apprentice anymore, but you can still call me by my name.” She says.

“Okay, Delaney. Now, please tell me, what brings you here? And what’s that in your arms?” Logan says, tapping his foot slightly out of impatience.

“Oh, you mean this little one.” She says as she adjusts the thing in her arms to reveal it’s a baby wrapped in a blanket. The baby has a little bit of dark brown hair on their head and green scales on the left side of their face. They are asleep at the moment.

“Why do you have a baby? You always used to say you didn’t want to or have time to care for children.” Logan asks, staring at the baby in shock and confusion.

Delaney chuckles before responding. “Well, I had a bit of a potion mishap. I was trying to create a baby dragon for myself. After you left I’ve been wanting a companion, but none of the typical pets really like me. I thought I might as well live up to my name and create a dragon. But I seem to have messed up the potion somehow and ended up with this baby boy. He has scales, so the potion somewhat worked. His scales seem more snake-like though.”

“Okay…and why did you bring him here to meet me? I haven’t taken care of any babies before so if you need parenting advice I don’t think I’ll be of any help.” Logan says and crosses his arms.

“Don’t think so little of your skills Logan. You’d make a way better parent than I ever could. That’s actually why I brought this baby here. I want to give him to you.” Delaney says with a smile on her face. Logan stares at her in shock. He hasn’t seen her since he left her apprenticeship and now she reappears to ask him to raise a baby for her.

Delaney continues before Logan can try and argue against her idea. “You’re very smart and reliable Logan. Way more reliable than me. I’m always traveling to sell potions and gather ingredients to make more. I wouldn’t be able to provide a child with a stable home life. You on the other hand, from what I’ve heard from the village residents as I searched for you, tend to stay in one place. You keep to yourself and are frequently home. And you’re also very smart, so I know you’ll be able to figure out parenting on your own. You’re also the only person I trust with important things, like this baby. I wouldn’t want to send him to an orphanage or leave him on a random doorstep. So please, can you take care of this baby for me?” Logan stared at her for a moment, caught off guard by her kind words. Back when he worked for her, she did compliment him, but never this much.

“Are you completely handing over guardianship to me? Or do you still want to be involved in his life?” Logan asks.

“I’d like to be able to visit him when I can, but I wouldn’t want to be a parent. Maybe I’d consider myself his aunt. While you were my assistant I did start to feel like you were a younger brother I was trying to keep out of trouble.” Delaney says.

Logan sighs, “I didn’t cause that much trouble for you. Yes, some of my spells resulted in the cottage getting messed up but it was easy to fix. Anyways, okay, I’m fine with you being the aunt. And I guess I’ll take over the parental role for you since you trust me so much.”

“Oh, thank you Logan. I promise to visit and help out when I can. For now, here he is.” Delaney then hands Logan the baby. Logan carefully adjusts the infant in his arms and rocks him, trying to keep him calm since he woke up due to being put in someone else’s arms. The boy has one golden eye on the scaled side of his face and a brown eye on the other side.

“Does he have a name yet?” Logan asks. Delaney shakes her head no.

“I thought you should be the one to name him, since you’re going to be his dad. So, what will you name him?”

Logan then looks down at the baby boy in his arms and tries to think of a creative name. He then remembers being told about a certain god as a kid, and felt that the name would fit this child well.

“I’m going to name him Janus.” Logan says and the Dragon Witch smiles in response.

“That’s a lovely name, Logan.” She replies. Then she glances at her watch and sees how late it’s gotten. “I should probably go now, and let you and Janus get settled. I have to travel to sell some potions tomorrow, but I promise to come and visit again when I get back. Goodnight Logan.” Delaney waves goodbye before walking away into the night. Logan watched her go before stepping back into his house and closing the door with one hand, holding Janus with his other arm.

“I guess it’s just you and me now, Janus. I’ll do my best to take care of you. We can go to the village tomorrow to get some things for you.” Logan says to the baby, who makes a squeaking noise.

Chapter Text

Content warning(s): food mention (specifically baby formula, fruits, and vegetables). Let me know if I missed anything else in the comments.

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The next day, Logan wakes up and gets himself and Janus ready to head into the village. They need to pick up a lot of items for Janus. The baby needs a proper crib; Logan had to surround the couch with chairs to make a temporary crib for Janus last night. Janus also needs more diapers, clothes, and baby formula. Logan should also pick up some toys for him as well.

After making sure Janus and himself were fed, Logan grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around himself to make a baby carrier. He used a spell to make sure the blanket was sturdy and secure, before placing Janus inside. The baby squeaked and then yawned, starting to fall asleep. Logan then grabbed a bag and left his cottage to head into the village. The village isn’t too far from his home, but it still is a bit of a walk. Logan picked his cottage specifically because he wanted to be close but not too close to a town.

Once he arrived in town, Logan first stopped at the shop “Fantastic Fashions.” He bought all of his clothes from here since he liked the material the shop owner used to make the clothes. He’d seen baby clothes in the store so he knew he’d probably find some outfits for Janus here. Upon entering the shop the bell above the door rang and Logan was greeted by the cashier. “Welcome back Logan, it’s been a while since I last saw you! And who’s the kiddo you’ve got with you?”

Logan had been greeted by this cashier, Patton, before. Patton is a nature fairy who started working at the shop three months ago and always seemed excited when Logan stopped by. Whenever he was at the cash register to pay for his items, Patton would always ask Logan about how his day was going, and how his magic studies were. Logan figured that the cashier probably heard about how he used to work for the Dragon Witch, and wanted to know what great spells he learned from her.

“This is my son, Janus. I need to get some outfits for him. Do you have any suggestions?” Logan asked. He’s willing to take any advice he can get. His outfits are always very formal, so Janus probably wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing anything Logan would pick out.

“Yes, there is a good amount of baby clothes in the back of the shop. Let me show you.” Patton says as he steps out from behind the counter and leads Logan toward the baby clothes.

“So, we have some onesies, pants, shirts, and other items. What exactly are you looking for, and what’s Janus’ size?” Patton says as he motions to all the baby clothes on a table.

“I need a lot of shirts, pants, and onesies. I just need the essentials, all I have currently is what Janus is currently wearing. In terms of size, I’m not entirely sure.” Logan says as he looks down at the sleeping baby in the baby carrier.

“Okay, I’ll give you a few of each item in a few sizes then. You can go to the changing room and try the outfits on Janus to see which ones fit.” Patton says and proceeds to grab several outfits and carries them over to the small changing room in the shop. Logan follows and enters the changing room once Patton leaves and closes the door.

“Okay, little one, I need you to cooperate and let me try these outfits on you.” Logan says and he carefully takes Janus out of the baby carrier, sitting himself down on a bench in the room and placing Janus on his lap. Logan then proceeds to grab one outfit at a time and carefully puts them on Janus. He ends up finding a few onesies, pants, and shirts that fit the baby. Logan changes Janus back into his original clothes and places him back in the baby carrier before leaving the changing room with the outfits that fit.

“Did you find anything that fit him?” Patton asks Logan as leaves the changing room.

“Yes, I found a decent amount of things for Janus and I now know his size. I’ll go pick out a few more items similar to these and then I’ll check them out.” Logan responds.

“Okay, that sounds great. I’ll see you at the checkout counter then.” Patton says with a smile before turning around and heading back to the counter in the front of the store. Logan watches Patton walk away before turning back to the shelves of baby clothes and picking out a few more items for Janus. Then the witch turns back around and goes to the checkout counter to purchase his items. Patton smiles at Logan again as he starts scanning Logan’s items for him, while also asking Logan how he’s been and about his magic as usual.

“Why do you always ask me about my magic? I don’t think that’s something expected of someone who works in customer service.” Logan asks, tired of not knowing Patton’s reasoning.

“Oh, I’m sorry if my questions aren’t appreciated. I just thought it’s the best way to get to know you…” Patton says nervously, stopping with his scanning of the clothes so he could give his full attention to the conversation.

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, I’m just confused. Why exactly do you want to get to know me?” Logan asks.

“Oh, I just thought you seemed cool and nice. I always see you drop off your magical flowers at the flower shop. I’ve bought a few and your spell work is very good since they’re able to live for a very long time.” Patton says with a smile on his face. Logan looked at the cashier in surprise. He knew people liked the magical flowers he grew and sold to the flower shop since the flower shop owner kept buying the flowers from him. However, Logan never saw Patton around when dropping his flower delivery off so he didn’t think the cashier knew of his method of making money.

“Oh, thank you. I’ve never learned who buys my flowers before. I’m glad you enjoy them. Although I’m sure that your plant magic is better than mine since you’re a nature fairy.” Logan says, not sure how to respond to Patton’s compliments.

“You’re welcome! And thanks, but when it comes to my magic I can’t make the plants live longer than they’re supposed to. I mainly just help them grow a bit quicker and can control them to move things around and stuff.” Patton replies.

“In that case…if you ever want to learn about the spell I use I can show it to you… You’d have to stop by my cottage during the day since I keep my spell books there.” Logan says nervously. He hasn’t had anyone to invite over before, and normally he would consider doing so. But Patton said he wanted to get to know Logan and complimented him. So surely this is an offer of a potential friendship.

“Really?! I’d love to stop by one day when I’m not working! I’m free tomorrow if you’re fine with me stopping by then.” Patton says with a bright smile on his face.

“That’s fine with me. My place might be a bit of a mess though since I’ll probably be organizing all the items I get for Janus today…” Logan says with a slight smile on his face.

“That’s fine with me Logan. If that’s the case, I could help you organize tomorrow too. Since you’re going to teach me something, the least I can do is help you out.” Patton replies.

“Okay, I’d appreciate that.” Logan smiles a bit more before remembering he was purchasing things and says. “I guess we should finish this purchase then so I can leave and get more items for Janus before tomorrow then.”

“Oh yes! Silly me, I forgot where we were for a second.” Patton says and quickly finishes scanning all of Logan’s items. “Do you need a bag for these?”

“Yes please” Logan replies. Patton proceeds to bag all of the baby clothes and hands the bag over to Logan. Logan takes the bag and takes out his wallet as Patton says the total cost of the items. Logan pays and then waves goodbye to Patton as he leaves the clothing shop to continue his baby item shopping spree.

That evening Logan returned to his cottage with bags full of baby items and with a hungry Janus squirming in the baby carrier. Logan put the bags down, took out a baby bottle and baby formula he got from a store and fed the baby. Janus happily drank from the bottle and Logan burped him before placing him down on the makeshift crib he made on the couch. The witch then puts together the actual crib he got for the baby and places the infant inside it once it’s finished being built. Logan smiles slightly as he watches Janus relax in the crib and fall asleep. Logan then makes himself a small dinner and eats before getting ready for bed. Logan goes to sleep feeling hopeful about what tomorrow will bring.

—(The next day)—-

As the sun rises Logan gets up and prepares himself and Janus for the day. Patton never said what time he’d stop by so Logan wants to be prepared for his arrival as soon as possible.

Two hours later there is a knock at Logan’s door and he opens the door to see Patton standing there.

“Hi Logan! I hope I didn’t come at a bad time. I tried to not show up too early since I figured you were tired from all the shopping you probably did yesterday.”

“You’re fine Patton, but thank you for being so considerate. You can come in.” Logan motions for Patton to enter the cottage. Once inside the cottage Patton notices Janus sleeping in his crib.

“Your kiddo is very adorable Logan. I’ve never seen you with him before yesterday. How long ago was he born?” Patton asks curiously.

“Oh, maybe two or three days ago. He’s not biologically mine and I didn’t plan on adopting him, he was given to me by the Dragon Witch. She didn’t tell me how long ago he was born, so I can only guess. And his birth didn’t involve pregnancy. Janus was created from a potion. All I can certainly say is that he came into my care two days ago.” Logan replies and walks over to his bookshelf. The witch pulls out a spell book to show Patton.

“It’s nice that you’re taking care of Janus for her. You seem to be a great dad so far.” Patton smiles at Logan.

“Thanks Patton. Now here’s the spell book I use to cast the spell on the plants. Can you take it with you and go outside to the garden in the back? I’ll meet you there once I get Janus in the baby carrier. I don’t want to leave him inside alone.” Logan hands the book to Patton and the nature fairy nods.

“Sure, I’ll see you outside then!” Patton takes the book and heads outside to the back of the cottage. The back is closed off with a fence. There are several flower beds full of flowers of all colors. There is also a section for growing fruits and vegetables.

“Wow.” Patton says in awe of the beautiful garden. It’s at the moment Logan comes outside with Janus in the baby carrier.

“I’m glad you like the garden. Now let me show you how I make the flowers live longer.” Logan says as he gently takes the spell book from Patton and sits down on the grass by the flower beds. Patton joins Logan on the grass and watches as the witch flips through the book to find the spell.

“Here it is. So as you can see here I just recite this spell while pointing a finger at the flower I want to use it on.” After saying this Logan does just that. He points a finger at a flower and casts the spell. The flower is surrounded by a bright, glowing aura that fades as the spell is finished. The flower looks the same, but seems a bit brighter in color.

“The brighter color is a bit of the leftover magic aura that surrounded the flower as I casted the spell. Now this flower’s life span will be longer than normal. Using a lot of magic can be draining so I typically cast this spell on a few flowers each weekday and by the weekend I have enough to sell to the flower shop.” Logan explains as Patton stares at the flower.

“That’s so cool! If I were a witch I’d use that spell all the time.” Patton says enthusiastically.

“Well you may not be able to cast the spell yourself, but you can at least appreciate what it does.” Logan says as he picks the flower and hands it to the nature fairy.

“Oh, Logan, you don’t have to give me this.” Patton says as he hesitantly takes the flower into his hand.

“It’s fine Patton, I have plenty more. Besides, you really like it and you’re the first guest I’ve ever had over. I want to give you something.” Logan says. He knows when people have potential friends over they usually offer snacks or something, but offering a flower is probably okay. Right.

“Ok, thanks Logan.” Patton smiles before continuing, “So, is there anything you need help sorting out in your house? I know you bought a lot of stuff yesterday.

“Oh, if you don’t mind helping, could you assist me in putting together Janus’s stroller? I didn’t have time to put it together last night or this morning.” Logan asks shyly.

“Sure, I’d love to help you get Janus settled into his life here.” Patton says and he smiles at the baby who seems to be waking up. Janus blinks slowly awake and stares at Patton before making a squeaking noise.

“I guess Janus wants you to help too.” Logan says as he motions for Patton to follow him back into the cottage. Logan places Janus back into his crib and spins the mobile on it to keep Janus occupied and possibly get him to nap again. Then the witch joins Patton over by the shopping bags and the two begin to unbox and construct the stroller. As they build it, the two adults discuss their jobs and interests. Logan learns that he and Patton both have a fondness for reading. The two adults happen to both like mystery novels. Although Patton mostly likes graphic novels while Logan mostly likes novels with no illustrations. Logan prefers being able to picture the scenes and characters on his own.

After the stroller is built Janus starts crying and Logan feeds him before sitting down on the couch with the baby in his arms. Patton sits down next to Logan and coos at the baby. Logan then starts to talk to Janus about his day so far. Patton smiles as he watches the father bond with his baby. Patton joins in on the conversation and the baby seems happy. Soon Janus falls asleep again and Logan just holds him gently as he rests. The adults quietly continue discussing their interests and lives. Logan starts to feel like Patton could be a good friend and invites him to stay for lunch. Patton agrees and after placing Janus in his crib, the two adults cook together.

They eat and talk and have a good time getting to know each other more. Logan then asks the question he’s been contemplating since Patton first arrived.

“Do you want to be friends?” Logan asks. He never thought he’d ever get the opportunity or feel compelled to ask this question. But Patton seems very nice and interesting, so Logan would like to keep getting to know him as a friend. “I know we might already be since we’re hanging out but I wanted to confirm.” Logan clarifies.

Patton smiles and says, “Sure, Logan. I’d love to officially be friends.”

Logan finds himself smiling brightly. He normally doesn’t smile so much, but he could get used to this feeling.

After finishing lunch Patton helps Logan clean the dishes before leaving for the day. The two agree to hang out again soon and Logan smiles once again as he watches Patton leave. The witch is looking forward to when they’ll get to hang out again.

Chapter Text

Content Warnings: Logan basically lets a stranger into his house (it’s Roman though and he asks enough questions to trust him before hand), using a somewhat magical singing voice to calm someone down (I don’t know if this could be triggering but I’m putting it to be safe), food mention (baby bottle). Please let me know if I missed anything else.

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It has now been one month since Logan started caring for Janus. Adjusting to being a father was tough. Logan’s sleep schedule was changing due to having to take care of Janus whenever he awoke during the night. But Logan now had the help of Patton during these times. Whenever Logan seemed like he could use a nap during the day, Patton would come over to the cottage and watch Janus for Logan. Patton helping with the baby also gave Logan more time to get to know his new friend. Their friendship was growing stronger, and Logan enjoyed the company while caring for Janus.

When the Dragon Witch came back from her work travels, Logan introduced her to Patton. Delaney quickly grew fond of Patton and thanked the fairy for taking good care of Logan. Delaney also helped with Janus when she came back, offering to babysit so Logan and Patton could hang out by themselves.

All this assistance was great, and Logan was getting used to fatherhood. He enjoyed watching Janus develop new skills, and liked reading to the baby. But tonight was not a good night for Logan.

Currently, Logan was holding a crying Janus in his arms. Logan had checked Janus’ diaper, but that wasn’t the issue. And when Logan offered a bottle to Janus the baby wasn’t hungry either. So Logan just tried rocking him and talking to him, in an attempt to calm Janus down. But the baby kept crying.

Logan was getting frustrated, and he hated not knowing how to help Janus. If only someone else was around who could help.

As if summoned by this thought, there was a knock on the cottage door. Logan placed Janus carefully down in his crib, and went to go answer the door. Standing outside the door was a man with green eyes and red hair. He was wearing a white shirt and red pants that had a scaled pattern to them.

“Salutations, what brings you to my home tonight?” Logan asks the stranger.

The man smiles slightly as he answers, “Oh, I just happen to live in the lake that’s nearby and happened to hear crying coming from here. I just wanted to make sure everything was alright here.”

Oh…well that explains the stranger’s scaled pants. He was probably a merman, Logan thought to himself. Logan takes a moment to clear his mind, still hearing Janus’ cries coming from further inside his cottage.

“Well, I appreciate the concern. I was trying to get my infant back to sleep, but I haven’t been able to calm him down yet. I’m sorry if he disturbed your rest.” Logan says, wanting to keep the conversation short so he can go back to trying to soothe Janus.

“You don’t have to apologize. Your child is upset and you can’t control that.” The man says with an understanding smile on his face. “And now that I know the issue, I think I might be able to help out.”

Logan stares at the man in surprise. A stranger who happens to be a neighbor wants to help calm Janus down. Logan shouldn’t be so quick to trust strangers, but this man seems so genuine. And he hates to admit it, but Logan is a bit desperate for help at this point.

“How do you plan on solving my predicament? And also, I never got your name. I can’t exactly let a stranger into my house, especially not when I have a baby with me.” Logan replies. He really hopes this man is serious about wanting to help. Janus is still crying and Logan really needs to get back to comforting him.

“Oh, I’m sorry for not introducing myself properly. I’m Roman. In terms of how I plan on helping, well, I’m a merman. And as you probably know, merpeople are known for their songs.” Roman says.

That is true, Logan thinks. Merpeople are known for their amazing singing abilities. It’s said that hearing a merperson’s song brings feelings of comfort and calm.

“So, you want to comfort my son with a song?” Logan asks. He’s not much of a singer himself, so he never considered singing to be a solution to this problem. But it’s worth a try, and considering Roman’s a merman, it will mostly like work.

“Yes! My song might not make him sleepy, but it should at least get him calm enough to stop crying.” Roman says.

Logan nods and replies, “Okay Roman, you can help. But if you end up doing anything suspicious, I’ll remove you from my home right away.” The witch is still understandably hesitant about letting a man he just met into his home, but Roman truly seems genuine.

Roman nods in response and promises to be on his best behavior. The merman is then let inside and walks over to Janus’s crib. Roman then kneels beside the crib and starts to sing to the baby. Logan is amazed by how lovely Roman’s voice sounds. He also finds himself feeling less stressed than he was before hearing the song. Logan realizes the song Roman’s singing is typically used as a lullaby.

The song seems to be living up to its name, as Janus stops crying and soon falls asleep. Roman hums for a bit after Janus falls asleep before standing up and turning around to face Logan again.

“Well, he’s asleep now. Hopefully he gets some rest for a while.” Roman says.

“Thanks for helping. I don’t know if I would’ve been able to solve the issue so quickly if you didn’t show up.” Logan says hesitantly, not happy to admit that he was feeling a bit hopeless about finding a solution before.

“It’s no problem. I’m just being a good neighbor. And now you’ll know to try singing the next time your son’s upset. Your song may not have an immediate effect like mine, but I think it should work just fine.” Roman says with a bright smile on his face.

“I’m not much of a singer, but I’ll definitely consider your advice.” Logan says before realizing that he still hasn’t told Roman his name.

“I just realized, I never properly introduced myself either. Now that you helped me, I think you deserve a good introduction. I’m Logan and my son’s name is Janus.” Logan said and stuck out a hand to shake Roman’s. Roman smiled even brighter somehow, and shook Logan’s hand.

“It’s nice to properly meet you Logan. And since you’re not much of a singer, if you ever need help with Janus again, I’m always nearby.” Roman says and then reaches into one of his pants’ pockets. The merman pulls out what appears to be a bracelet and hands it to Logan.

“What’s this for?” Logan asks curiously as he inspects the piece of jewelry. The bracelet is made of string and has a red gemstone on it.

“That’s for you to call me whenever you need assistance with Janus.” Roman says and points to the gemstone. “If you tap the gemstone three times I’ll know you need me and come to help.”

“Oh, thank you for the gift and the offer of future assistance.” Logan says, surprised by how nice Roman is being despite them just meeting each other tonight.

“It’s no problem. Like I said, neighbors should help each other out.” Roman says before shyly adding, “and maybe we could hang out as friends too? I’ve seen you around town before in the library. When I saw you looking at a book on Greek mythology, I wanted to try and start a conversation. But you seemed so invested in the book that I didn’t want to disturb you….”

Roman had wanted to talk to him about the book he was reading? Logan would’ve loved to have someone to talk about Greek mythology with. And Roman was so caring towards Janus. The merman seemed interesting and was clearly a kind person. Logan now wished he had noticed Roman that day in the library. But now the merman was here, and he wanted to be friends…

Before Patton, Logan might’ve been more hesitant to let another person enter his life. But after spending so much time with the fairy and finding it enjoyable to have a friend, the idea of letting Roman into his life seemed very appealing.

Logan smiles reassuringly at the merman before replying, “I’d be interested in hanging out as friends as well. That is, if you don’t mind Janus most likely being around most of the time we hang out. I promise that he doesn’t cry this much most of the time.”

Roman smiles back and says, “I don’t mind having your little prince around. I’ll have more time to get to know him as well then.”

“I guess I’ll see you around then, Roman.” Logan says as he realizes it has gotten very late and they should both get some sleep.

“See you around, Logan. Remember, tap the bracelet if you need me.” Roman says with a smile and a wave before turning around and walking off towards the lake.

Logan watches him go with a hopeful smile on his face, looking forward to seeing how his new friendship develops.

Chapter Text

Content Warnings: Breaking into someone’s home (it’s just Remus so nothing bad results from this), singing to calm a baby down (the merman’s singing is partly calming due to magic), Remus is shirtless just because, food mention (specifically cereal and baby formula), Remus briefly talks about wanting to take Logan’s eyes (he doesn’t though), let me know if I missed anything else.

Relationships: All platonic, but Remus thinks Roman and Logan are dating for a moment. They are not though.

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After meeting Roman properly for the first time, Logan’s nights became more enjoyable. Whenever Janus struggled to fall asleep, Logan would tap the gem on his bracelet and Roman would appear to help. The baby really seemed to enjoy the merman’s songs and Logan found the music soothing too, and would sometimes fall asleep from it.

When Logan didn’t fall asleep right away, Roman would keep him company and the two would discuss all kinds of things. Although they mostly spoke about Greek mythology, poetry, and books they’ve both read. These conversations eventually transferred into the day time as well. The two men would meet up at a cafe in the village to talk with each other, and would sometimes go to the library together. Janus would come with Logan most of the time, since the witch couldn’t always find a babysitter. But when Logan did leave Janus with a babysitter, it was typically Patton.

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One night, after putting Janus to bed Logan heard noise coming from another part of his cottage. Both on guard and curious, Logan quietly left his bedroom, shutting the door so he’d know to go protect Janus if he heard the door creak open.

Logan silently walks towards the noise, which appears to be coming from his small study. He stands on the side of the doorway and leans slightly to the side to peak in. He then watches as a figure looks through his bookshelf, throwing some books carelessly to the floor. Logan frowned at the sight of his books being handled so roughly. That’s no way to take care of a book.

Logan went to take a step forward, wanting to sneak up behind the intruder and confront them. But once he took the first step the floor made a creaking sound and the figure startled and turned around, making eye contact with Logan. The study’s lights were off and the moon wasn’t visible through the one window in the room, so the only part of the figure Logan could make out were their green eyes, which appeared to be glowing in the dark. Something about that shade of green seemed familiar. Where had he seen eyes like that before?

Suddenly, the figure started walking forward and Logan backed up as they left the darkness of the study and stood in the light of the hallway. Now that he could see the figure clearly, Logan could tell why the eyes seemed familiar. The intruder looked similar to Roman. He had green eyes, red hair, and was wearing pants that had a scaled pattern to them. But unlike Roman, this intruder had a mustache, a gray streak in his hair, green colored pants, and wasn’t wearing a shirt.

After examining the intruder’s appearance, Logan noticed he appeared to be observing Logan’s appearance as well.

“So…you’re the one my brother keeps running off to see so much.” The man then suddenly leans closer to Logan’s face, just staring at his eyes for a few awkward moments before exclaiming, “Your eyes are a very nice shade of gray! Can I have them?!”

“Um….no you cannot. I’d like to keep my eyes for myself.” Logan replies, very confused by this eccentric stranger. Once he got his bearings again, the witch then proceeded to ask the important questions. “Who are you? And how and why did you enter my home?” Logan knew some defensive spells from memory, so if things went wrong he knew he’d be able to defend himself. But first, he wants to hear the intruder’s story.

“Oh! I’m Remus! You can probably guess by my appearance but I might as well say that I’m Roman’s twin brother. To answer your second question, I simply picked the lock on your door and entered the house. I wanted to find out who had caught my twin’s attention so much that he’s been out a night so much lately.” Remus explains with a smirk.

“…Your Roman’s brother?” Logan stared in shock at the man. While it was clear Remus and Roman looked similar, the two clearly had very different personalities. Despite just meeting Remus, Logan could tell that the merman was very chaotic. After all, Remus did break into the cottage. He clearly doesn’t care too much about the law.

“Yes! I got tired of my brother leaving me alone so much. I wanted to go on the adventure, so I came here and found you!” Remus says and he points a finger at Logan. “So tell me, what has my twin been doing with you here so often. Are you his boyfriend? Because if so, then I don’t know why he didn’t tell me. We promised as kids to tell each other about any relationships we have in the future. My own brother has betrayed me! I’ve been stabbed in the back!” The merman then dramatically places a hand on his chest, as if in pain.

Logan sighs and tiredly shakes his head. “I thought Roman was dramatic at times, but you seem even more eccentric than him. And to answer your question, no, your brother and I aren’t dating. So he hasn’t betrayed you. Roman is my friend though. He’s mainly been coming over here to help me put my son to bed whenever he can’t stop crying.”

“So you’re telling me I’m basically an uncle now, and I wasn’t told about this! Roman has basically been playing house with you here and I wasn’t invited to join this family. I must meet my nephew now!” Remus says before he starts to curiously look around the hallway. “Where’s the little gremlin?”

“You’re not an uncle. Roman isn’t my son’s other dad. He’s just a friend who helps me out. But since you wanted to know what your brother gets up to here, I might as well introduce you to Janus anyway. But you need to be quiet. I put him to sleep before coming out here to look for you.”

“Okay!” Remus shouts before quickly correcting himself, “Okay, I’ll be extra quiet. I can be really sneaky when I need to.”

Logan sighs again before motioning for Remus to follow him towards the bedroom. The two men enter the room to see Janus sleeping peacefully in his crib. Logan glances at Remus to see him staring in what looks like amazement at Janus.

“He has scales on his face. Is he part dragon? Snake? Does he also have magic like you? I noticed all the spell books you have so I know you’re probably a witch.” Remus rambles quietly as he continues to admire the scales on the baby’s face.

“I think his scales resemble snake scales the most. And I don’t think he has magic, at least not right now. He might develop some in the future since he was created through a spell by the Dragon Witch. And you’re correct in assuming that I’m a witch.” Logan replies. Logan is impressed by how observant the merman seems to be. Remus noticed all the spell books and correctly assumed that Logan was a witch.

“You’ve met the Dragon Witch?! I’ve always wanted to meet her since hearing stories about how powerful she was when I was a kid! Can you introduce me?!” Remus shouts excitedly, forgetting about being quiet. This causes Janus to wake up and start crying. Remus looks over to the now awake and crying baby before looking to Logan apologetically.

“I’m sorry magic man. Let me make up for disturbing the gremlin.” Remus says quietly and walks closer to the crib before Logan can question what he’s going to do. The merman then kneels before the crib and starts singing a lullaby. His singing voice is more raspy than Roman’s, but it’s still just as soothing and Janus soon falls back asleep. Remus then looks to Logan and smiles slightly. “He’s okay now.”

“I can see that. Thank you for calming him back down. But please try to not disturb him again while you’re here. We can continue talking in the living room so we don’t disturb Janus.” Logan replies with a small smile on his face.

“You want to keep talking to me?” Remus asks, tilting his head in surprise and confusion.

“Yes. You had some questions before that I didn’t get to answer. And since you helped with Janus and seem harmless, I’d like to keep talking to you.” Logan says. The witch can tell that like him, Remus probably struggles when it comes to friendships. The merman only mentioned his brother and was clearly upset that Roman kept leaving him alone to hang out with Logan.

Remus smiles and replies, “Okay. I’d like to talk to you more too. You seem interesting, magic man.”

Logan smiles back and motions for Remus to follow him to the living room. The two then spend a good portion of the night just talking about whatever comes to mind. Logan tells Remus about the Dragon Witch, and answers any other questions the merman has. In return, Remus answers any questions Logan has about the magic of merpeople and life under the water. Eventually the two notice how late it’s gotten and Logan says they should probably get some sleep. The witch lets Remus stay the night on the couch and Logan goes back to his room to rest.

The next day, the two men and Janus eat breakfast together (the adults have cereal and Janus has a bottle of baby formula). Remus and Logan continue discussing random things and end up realizing they really like spending time together. After breakfast, Remus decides he should go home since Roman is probably wondering where he’s been. Logan agrees and walks Remus to the door.

“Thanks for stopping by. Despite you breaking in and initially startling me, I enjoyed getting to know you. Would you want to meet up again sometime? Without the breaking in part.” Logan asks, feeling more comfortable initiating hang-outs with potential friends.

Remus gives a big smile and nods, “Sure, I’d love to hang out again. And this time, I’ll knock on the door to let you know I’m here. Or I guess you know where to find me too since you probably know where my brother and I live.”

“Yes, I know where you two reside. Now you should probably get going before Roman starts to look for you.” Logan says and watches as Remus nods in agreement. Before leaving though, Remus quickly hugs Logan before pulling away and turning around.

“Goodbye, magic man! See you around.” Remus says with a smirk before walking away. Logan stands in surprise for a moment and watches Remus leave. The witch hadn’t expected to receive a hug right away. Patton was a hugger but he didn’t initiate hugs until he and Logan had been friends for a while.

Logan smiles to himself. That hug was nice, and he could definitely see himself getting used to sudden hugs from Remus in the future.

Chapter Text

Content Warnings: Brief mention of singing lullabies (which are calming due partly to magic), nothing else that I’m aware of, but please let me know if I missed anything.

Relationships: All platonic

—————————————————————

It’s been two months now since Janus first arrived at Logan’s cottage. The witch feels a bit more confident in his parenting skills. This confidence is probably due to all the help he receives from his new friends. Patton helps babysit Janus during days when Logan needs a break, and Roman and Remus sing lullabies for Janus whenever Logan struggles with getting the baby to fall asleep.

Logan has also had a lot of fun spending time with his new friends. He can talk to Patton about mystery novels and gardening. With Roman, Logan can talk about Greek Mythology and poetry. Then with Remus, Logan can discuss magic and whatever other random things that the merman had questions about.

Logan even introduced Patton to the twins, and while Patton seemed a bit nervous around Remus at first, the two soon grew comfortable around each other and discussed different kinds of plants. With Roman, Patton got comfortable talking to him very quickly. The two discussed fashion and romance novels. Logan was happy to see his new friends bond and after the introduction, the friend group started to meet up at a cafe regularly. Janus seemed to enjoy seeing them all get along too, as the baby had started to smile a lot whenever the friend group hung out.

———————

One night in the cottage, when he was talking with Roman in the study after putting Janus to sleep, Logan glanced down at a piece of paper he had on his desk and remembered something he’d forgotten to do. The witch quickly grabbed the paper and began looking through the books on his bookshelf.

“What are you looking for, specs?” Roman asked, surprised by how quickly Logan stopped participating in their conversation to search through the bookshelf.

“I just remembered a library book I was supposed to return a week ago. I usually never forget to return my books. I hope I don’t have to pay too much for being late returning it.” Logan says as he keeps looking through the books, eventually finding the one he borrowed and pulled it off the shelf.

Logan then turns around to face Roman and asks, “Could you possibly stay here with Janus so I can go return the book now? It’s only eight o’clock, so I have an hour before the library closes for the night.”

“Sure, Logan. I can keep an eye on your little prince for you. I hope the returning process goes well.” The merman replies with a smile and motions for Logan to go. The witch nods his head in thanks and leaves the study with the book in his hand. Logan quickly grabs a bag and his wallet before heading out the door.

———————

Once he arrives at the library, Logan quickly enters the building and heads towards the front desk. Standing behind the counter is a tall man, dressed in ripped black jeans, a purple t-shirt, and a black hoodie with patches on it. The man is looking at something on his phone but glances up once he hears Logan’s footsteps approaching.

“Hello, what can I help you with this evening?” The man says in a customer service voice.

“Salutations. I just came here to return a book. I’m a few days late returning this though.” Logan replies and hands over the book to the library worker. The man takes the book and scans it before logging into the library’s system on the computer that’s on the counter.

“Okay, so you’re Logan Sharp then?” The man asks as he looks at the computer screen.

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Okay, your book is late by a week so you have to pay five dollars.” The man says as he glances up from the computer to look at Logan.

Logan nods and pulls out his wallet from his bag. He takes out a five dollar bill from the wallet and hands it over to the man. The man takes it and goes to put it in the cash register.

“I can’t help but be curious, how come I haven’t seen you working here until today? I’ve been a frequent visitor of this library.” Logan asks as the man closes the cash register and hands Logan a receipt.

“Oh, well my shift is from the afternoon to closing time, so if you don’t come to the library later in the day then you probably wouldn’t ever see me.” The man replies as he goes back on the computer, probably to mark down the book as returned and paid for.

“That makes sense then. I typically come here early in the day. Are you always the only worker left in the front here?” Logan gestures around him at the empty front section of the library besides the two of them.

“Yeah, it’s usually just me by the desk at this time. There are a few other workers around though to reorganize the shelves though. I don’t mind the quiet though.” The man says with a small smile on his face. The smile reveals that the man has small fangs.

“That’s good. I like how quiet it can be here in the library too. The late shift must also be nice when you’re a vampire.” Logan remarks. Vampires are known to be mostly nocturnal. They have more energy at night, so the morning and early afternoon is when they usually sleep. The man seems surprised by Logan’s last statement.

“How did you know I’m a vampire?” The man questions.

“I saw your fangs when you smiled before. So…is the late shift good for vampires?” The witch asks.

“Yeah, it is. I can get some sleep in the morning before coming into work. My shift’s ending time is also nice since I get time to myself back at home while I’m still energized.” The man says with a slight smile again.

Suddenly, another library worker comes toward the front desk and starts speaking to the man.

“Well I’m leaving for the night. See you tomorrow, Virgil.” The library worker says before walking away.

“See you tomorrow, Lucy.” The man, Virgil, replies back as he watches Lucy leave. Then Virgil seems to glance at the time on the computer and sees the library closes in 10 minutes.

“Well, looks like I have to start closing up the library. It was nice meeting you, Logan.” Virgil holds out a hand for Logan to shake.

Logan nods and shakes Virgil’s hand.

“Same goes for you. Maybe we can continue our conversation another time, during or outside of your work hours.” The witch suggests, wanting to continue getting to know Virgil. The man seems interesting.

“Maybe. I’d be okay with that.” The vampire replies.

“Okay then, I’ll see you around then. Goodnight, Virgil.” Logan says before turning around and leaving the library.

Logan smiles to himself, thinking about how he has an interesting story to tell Roman when he gets home now.

Chapter Text

Content Warnings: Mention of horror novels (only by name), mention of having lunch (nothing specific). Let me know if I missed anything else.

—————————————————————————

It’s now been three months since Logan became Janus’ dad. Janus is growing up so fast. He’s now babbling and grabbing onto things. Logan feels happy every time Janus achieves a new skill.

Logan has also spent more time with Virgil. The two have hung out at the cottage and the cafe. Logan would also visit the library more often in the evenings to talk to Virgil during his breaks or whenever there aren’t many visitors in need of the vampire’s assistance. They often talk about horror novels. Logan doesn’t read horror often, but he does have an appreciation for the genre, so he can bond with Virgil over some horror novels. Some of the books they’ve talked about are “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley, “The Haunting of Hill House” by Shirley Jackson, and “Bird Box” by Josh Malerman.

Today, Logan is introducing Virgil to his other friends and Delaney. Since the twins and Patton get along well, Logan thinks Virgil will be accepted into the friend group easily. Delaney already met the merman twins, and got along well with the both of them, so Logan thinks she should like Virgil as well. These thoughts are proven true when his guests all arrive. Patton and the twins arrive together. The next to arrive is Delaney, and she has a gift for Janus. It’s a snake themed baby rattle. When Logan offers the rattle to Janus, the 3-month old immediately shakes it and babbles happily. After this moment, Virgil arrives. Logan introduces the vampire to the rest of the guests.

Upon being introduced to Virgil, Patton immediately asks if he can give the vampire a hug. Virgil hesitantly agrees. Patton starts to ask Virgil about himself and the two end up discussing cats. It turns out that they both like to leave food out for the stray cats that wander around the village. Roman and Remus are able to bond with Virgil over books. Roman and the vampire discuss fantasy books, and even give each other book recommendations. Remus and the vampire discuss horror novels they both like. They decide they need to find a new horror novel to read and discuss together. Delaney and Virgil are able to bond by talking about the various spell books in the public library. Virgil even recommends some books for her to check out if she visits the library sometime soon.

Logan joins in on these conversations every so often, but he mostly just enjoys watching the people he cares about getting along. The witch also plays with Janus by shaking the new baby rattle.

—————————

The 5 adults and baby eventually have lunch together and keep enjoying each other’s company. After the meal, the guests slowly started to leave. Delaney ended up sticking around the longest.

“Hey Logan.” Delaney says while watching Logan put Janus into his crib for a nap.

“Yes, Delaney?”

“I’m proud of you.” She says with a smile on her face.

“Proud of me for what?” Logan turns away from the crib to look at Delaney.

“For stepping outside of your comfort zone and finding a family. When you were my apprentice, you told me you didn’t care for making friends. You only really spoke with me, and kept conversations very formal. I wanted you to find friends that you felt like you didn’t have to be so formal around. And I wanted you to not be only focused on your studies. You deserved a break to do whatever else you find fun. When you eventually left your apprenticeship with me, I hoped you’d try and find some friends who you could have fun with. But when I came to give you Janus, I realized you weren’t doing that. I almost thought I shouldn’t give you Janus, since becoming a father would probably take away even more free time from you. Our little snake ended up being what you needed though, didn’t he?”

“Yeah. If it wasn’t for Janus, I wouldn’t have met any of my friends. I wouldn’t have reconnected with you…”

Delaney smiles at that last comment.

“I’m glad we’re talking again. I missed having you around. And I’m grateful for you taking on the responsibility of being Janus’ parent. He’s grown so much, and you’re a great dad.”

Logan smiles slightly.

“Thanks. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to be the good father figure you thought I’d be.”

“Oh, you definitely have succeeded at fatherhood. And if you ever struggle in the future, I’m here to help as the honorary Aunt.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Logan smiles a bit more.

“Well, I gotta get going now. See you around.” Delaney says, before turning around to walk out of the cottage.

“Wait!”

Delaney stops moving to find Logan walking over to stand in front of her. He opens his arms.

“I know that in all the time you’ve known me, I haven’t been that physically affectionate. But I want to hug you now, if you’re okay with it…” Logan says quietly while nervously avoiding eye contact.

Delaney quickly pulls him into a hug.

“I would never turn down a hug from you.” She says, holding him gently.

Logan relaxes into the embrace and hugs her back. They stay like that for a few minutes. Just enjoying being in each other’s presence. Then they pull away from the hug and Delaney says goodbye again and leaves.

After watching her go, Logan thinks about what she said at the start of their conversation. He really did find himself a family, didn’t he? A family of a witch, a baby, and all their friends. It may not be what’s considered the standard family, but Logan wouldn’t change it for the world.