Summary: In elementary school two boys, Roman and Janus, become best friends. The two grow up together until Janus has to move away, but they never forget each other and eventually they reunite.
Words: 2422
Indoor recess was the best event in these first six years of Roman's life. When recess was outside he always got his Disney Prince outfit covered in mud and he couldn't play with the Disney figurines at the back of the classroom. But when it rained the first graders were allowed to play in the classroom! And all the Disney toys had Roman's name on it.
With a Stitch in one hand and a Snow White in the other Roman was shuffling through all the stuffed toys to find new friends. He had only been in first grade for a few months so he had yet to find out what every single teddy was and what their use in Roman's imagination would be.
But Roman didn't expect his biggest fear - a snake - to be peeking out from the bottom of the pile. "Aaah! Slithery-evil-snake!" Fear controlled the six year old for a while before his courage came back, and he waved the plastic sword he always kept by his side. "I'll kill you!"
"Don't kill him!" Another boy screamed as he ran into Roman's view, a blond haired boy with a brown birthmark on his face. He dived into the pile and retrieved the snake, clasping it to his chest and pouting. "It's my teddy..."
"Your teddy's a snake?" Roman almost screamed again. Why would any sane person want a snake teddy? Dogs, cats and dragons were cute teddies to have but snakes made no sense. They were completely evil and Roman knew that because he knew the entire soundtrack to the Jungle Book by heart.
But the boy smiled wide and walked closer to Roman, stroking the teddy's head. "He's called Slimy!" Roman flinched again when the teddy was brought even closer - but he knew the number one making-friends-with-other-children rule and placed his sword away. "He's not actually slimy don't worry. Oh, but I'm Janus! Who are you?"
"I'm Roman..." Roman responded and dared to pat the snake teddy's head. It wasn't slimy, nor did it come alive and bite Roman's beautiful face off. Maybe snakes weren't that bad.
"You want to be friends?"
"Yeah I'll be friends!"
*****
And friends they stayed. Throughout all of elementary school and middle school they were beside each other's side through thick and thin. Roman came out to his family in freshman year and was luckily supported by everyone that knew him - especially Janus. They entered high school with confidence, and by sophomore year they were ready to leave.
"I cannot handle Mr Bell say 'it's not my time you're wasting it's yours' for a whole hour!" Roman groaned as he twirled down the school corridors, trying to procrastinate going to his Physics class. "Can I just join your class?"
"I don't think Mr Foley would appreciate that." Janus laughed, stopping at his locker for a second, laughing more when he watched Roman twirl stationary instead of a constant velocity forward.
"Oh! I have Mr Foley for English next year! Please tell me we'll be in the same class Jan - please, please, please!" Janus giggled again, but sadness stopped the laugh from being too loud. He'd been hiding this secret all year - a secret he hated but it was inevitable. He was moving away. It was something to do with his parents' jobs that they had to permanently move to the other side of the USA... Hawaii he believed. "Wait, I can read your face. Are you upset about something?"
Now or never. He really should tell his best friend where he was really going this summer. "You know I mentioned that summer holiday to Hawaii later this year?"
Roman gasped excitedly - probably the worst reaction. "Did your parents say I could go with you? That'll be amazing! Roman and Janus taking on the waves that were totally not stolen by the natives according the the history curriculum!"
"You can't come with my family Ro." Janus' heart was breaking to say this. He would have adored to spend the rest of his days at high school and beyond with Roman at his side but that could never happen. He hated having things out of his control. "I'm moving to Hawaii, permanently. I won't be coming back for junior year."
For the first time that day Roman stopped bouncing and he too looked heartbroken. Janus was all he knew since six years old and he was disappearing so quickly because fate was a bitch? How could this happen to him? He wanted to say so much and perform magic to get Janus to stay in Florida forever but only one word escaped his mouth. "... Oh..."
"We'll still keep in touch over texting and FaceTime and all that I promise! But... I don't want to think about leaving you." Janus was also trying not to cry and he was holding his Speech and Debate textbook to his chest just like he did with Slimy when the pair first met. "Maybe, can we just take advantage of the time we can spend together until I go?"
Roman trapped his best friend in a hug, and refused to let go even after the final bell rang. "Of course Snake-Boy."
*****
"Roman! Janus has come to say goodbye!"
Roman had attached himself to his best friend before his mom could finish her sentence, wrapping his arms around his childhood friend. Ten years of friendship with sleepovers and birthday parties were ending just as quick as they started, and Roman didn't want to let his best friend go.
"I would like to breathe Ro." Janus grumbled but took the hug. He never really was a huggy person but Roman was always the exception. Roman was the exception to everything.
"I'll miss you Jan!" Roman pouted as he finally let go, hoping the pout would persuade Janus to stay by his side. He couldn't imagine facing life without his best friend now - but he knew he had to. Janus had a small smirk as he looked back at his parents. The entire family were dressed in thin t-shirts after donating all their thick jumpers to the local thrift shop. He looked happy with this change in his life even though throughout all of elementary school he preferred just being Roman's shadow as opposed to a real human being. He was graduating to a more confident self. "Do you have to go?"
Janus then sighed and ruffled his half blond half brown hair. "I have to Ro, but..." Janus' voice was quiet as he searched into his pocket for something. Roman couldn't help but watch him - focused but peaceful, his birthmark had dissipated over the years but only Roman could see the outline. He was going to enjoy Hawaii - Roman knew he'd be popular especially with the ladies. Janus was a very attractive teen, he just needed the right people to see it.
Shit... Did he really have a crush on Janus? And he had to figure that out right now?
"Here!" Janus said triumphantly, revealing a simple yellow pin in the shape of a snake. "I saw this at the thrift store when I was giving some stuff, and I knew you'd like it." Without hesitation Janus started to pin the badge onto Roman's shirt, his knuckles pushing against Roman's chest. Suddenly the pretend prince's palms were extra sweaty. "So whenever you wear it you can think of me. I'll always be right with you."
Unfortunately Janus' parents had to disrupt this moment before Roman could share his revelation. "Janus! We have our flight at 4pm!"
"Talk to you later, Ro." Janus smirked and Roman was 90% sure he was going to have a heart attack. The teen ran down the drive back to his family, helping them place the last suitcase in the car and saluting his friend as a final goodbye. Roman saluted back and disappeared back into his house.
As he walked past he spotted his older brother, Remus, lying on the sofa and reading one of his college textbooks (but secretly scrolling through TikTok instead). When Roman walked past Remus could quickly read him - he knew everything about his baby brother. "Hey Princey?" Roman looked like a deer in headlights when he looked over. "You're a fucking simp."
Roman chuckled, accepting his fate but also feeling lucky we wouldn't have to attend school everyday with his new crush. "Yeah I am."
*****
Unsurprisingly with the five hour time difference Janus and Roman eventually lost contact. They managed to keep conversations during junior year, but then with the stress of senior year they just stopped talking. College came and went without any random texts so Roman just assumed his friend had forgotten about him.
But now Roman was twenty five - the perfect age where he didn't have the stress of college anymore but also didn't have to settle down and find the one. He worked in some average tech company, still lived at home, and was heavily involved in hook-up culture. He just didn't have time to find and keep a boyfriend.
Roman's favourite place to frequent was the local gay bar - Joan and Talyn's. The music was good and the alcohol was even better. The men were never that bad looking either.
"Well aren't you a pretty thing..." A man approached Roman almost straight away, almost completely covered in orange from head-to-toe. "Anything I can do for you tonight?"
"Whatever you'd like sweet cheeks." The two men peacefully danced together, willingly flirting and getting closer and closer. Roman wouldn't mind leaving his bedroom for the night again if this was what he spend the night with. It will be another night of bliss.
"Did your boyfriend give you that little badge then?"
Yes, Roman still kept the little snake badge even though he had lost contact with the person that gave it to him. It was just a nice design, and even if he wondered every night what would have happened if Janus hadn't moved away he knew he would never see the shy boy again. The badge was just a reminder of childhood at this point.
"Nah, just an old friend." Roman quickly answered before realising his drink was empty. He sighed to himself at that, he wished he could just continue to talk and dance with this man but now he was thinking of Janus again he definitely needed another drink. Remus was right - he really was a simp. "Mind if I go get a drink?" The orange man didn't bother requesting to pay, and instead entertained himself in conversation with another eager man. So much for a night away from home.
The bar wasn't too crowded luckily, so Roman could quickly pay for a refill and sit down. The orange man didn't seem to care about him anymore and had his arms around someone else - and everyone else was coupled up and dancing. Well, apart from a man at the other end of the bar sipping beer and typing on his phone without a care. The man definitely wasn't local otherwise Roman would recognise him, his hair was dyed brown with a bright, ash blond at the tips and his eyes were an equally bright hazel. He wore a simple yellow shirt with a snake on the shoulder and some black jeans. The more Roman stared the more he thought he recognised him...
The mysterious man raised his head and smirked a mischievous little smile that took Roman's breath away. Then he recognised him - it was Janus!
Janus seemed to quickly recognise Roman too as his expression became one of shock instead of charismatic mystique. "Jan!" Roman screamed, running over to his childhood friend. Janus wore an equally wide smile and accepted the hug just like old times. "I thought you'd still be in Hawaii! Why are you back?"
"Oh, I escaped back to mainland as soon as I could." Janus chuckled firstly, pulling out a chair for Roman to sit down on. It was fair to say Janus had the chance to glow up in Hawaii - he had been to the gym and learnt a bit of make-up to completely cover his birthmark. "Just had the chance to visit some extended family here, but I moved to California for college and I've stayed there ever since."
At least Janus was closer now, Roman thought, they could definitely keep in touch again and Roman would adore visiting California. He'd wanted to go to LA since middle school. But that was the last of Roman's concerns - he'd love to see the happy life Janus must have created. If he looked like he did in this moment he must have a wife and kids, and Roman was the best uncle.
But then Roman remembered both he and Janus were in a gay bar.
"Uh... You here with anyone?" He definitely had gay friends seeming he dealt with Roman for ten years. Maybe he was at a bachelor night or just night out with another old friend he met in Hawaii or elsewhere.
Janus only laughed though, chugging a gulp of his beer with a wide smile. "That's a little forward, but no - I'm not with anyone, not seeing anyone, but I am looking for someone and you fill pretty much all the criteria." Shit - Roman's cheeks were as red as his shirt. But none of this made sense - Janus was straight throughout elementary, middle and most of high school. Did college really change everything? Was it Roman's lucky day?
"I... I didn't know you weren't straight..." Janus gave a confused look at that, as if recounting the last nine years and what his best friend could have missed. He then giggled a little, a blush coming to his face that looked beautiful.
"I found out I was pansexual in senior year... part of the reason we lost contact actually. You started to really confuse me once I moved to Hawaii. It lowkey became a crush." This was definitely Roman's lucky day. Janus had a crush on him too? Maybe that whole idea of finding a boyfriend and staying with him forever wasn't that bad of an idea. "So... what do you think about going on a date sometime?"
Maybe Roman was a little too tipsy but he couldn't resist kissing Janus' lips. And he was receptive of it too. This wasn't going to be a one-and-done overnight deal - this was going to be a forever deal.