Child Janus ⌚ | 13/11/24

He is thinking about @ofchiaroscuros' hours. Maybe he will use the watch for just an hour before he needs to return to the present time again and continue this emotionally heavy moment between them.

If he ever fancies to do another

visit , he might catch the doctor

with his child held in his arm while

he busied himself cleaning the

study's table from scattered books

and papers .

He is welcome , of course .

the little boy was simply toying

with his father's ponytail .

Just hit me with Janus. Is okay... I just... 

Peter used the watch, it was always the same and his body had to adjust - which took always some minutes and after so many time of using this watch he had already also the right clothes and with this he entered the villa from the one he always jumped in. 

He heard noises in the villa, but what cought him off guard was the child noises, his stomach got an very unpleasant knot and then he saw him, Gio with Janus. It took him a little, tears welling up behind his eyes and he wiped them away and cleared his throat. 

"Hello Gio." Peter said, feeling his voice fading.

Oh, the doctor knew that voice .

for all the times he has seen him,

he can't help but recognize the

man immediately . Looking up ,

he offered him a gentle smile .

“ Buonasera , — ”

he greets , gasping softly when

the small child coos and attempts

to squirm away from his arm . the watch held everything that

is dear to Gio ; and he is more than

welcome to see it for himself .

he was there, with the little

messed ponytail . a little tired but

he will come and approach their

guest while he cradles his son

properly .

“ sorry , ah . . . What brings you here ? ”

Can he be of help about anything ?

there was a small smile that curled

on his lips; all while he was gently

bouncing the child .

small Janus .

very small .

the small child would coo,

biting on his little fingers before

yawning quietly .

” Ah , do you mind if you hold him for me

for awhile ? ”

he nervously chuckled .

he might need a hand . It already

shows on his face that he's rather

tired despite the smile .

“ I just really need to finish

cleaning my desk . . . . ”

Seeing how little Janus bit into Gio's finger awakened many old memories. It seemed like the boy had always been like this. Peter wasn't surprised, and when he handed Janus to him, his heart dropped even more. It was a rather strange feeling to see his kind of dead lover in flesh, alive and as a child, and the boy didn't even recognize him. 

For a moment, he looked helplessly at Gio, knowing that while using the watch he had no control over where he would land, but this was the last thing he wished to experience. When he looked at the older male, he found himself unable to say no to him, as he had countless times before, and he nodded. He really needed a little help so he did as he asked. 

"I will take him so you can clean your desk." He almost didn't dare to ask where his wife was; it felt like a form of double cheating. But then he took Janus and smiled at him. "You really never changed..." he said, pressing the little one against his chest for a moment. This felt real, like the tears that threatened to come again. 

"Is your wife also around? The reason I came is that I had to escape a heavy moment and wanted to see you. It was the only place I wanted to be; I only have an hour." “ Grazie - ”

he softly mutters as he handed

the small child to him, quickly

running towards the desk to

collect the papers ; notes , some

studies and his own experiments...

it's been a long day .

and Janus would only stare up

at the man with curious eyes .

little hands reached up mindlessly as he cooed,

laughing with his little voice .

Gio can't help but smile when

the child did a small noise ,

giggling to himself .

“ I think he's fond of you . ”

aside from Gracián and the

colleagues he had, it seems .

while collecting the papers and arranging them, some back to

the shelf while others were done

on the other desk, his giggle faded

before he looked up in after the

question.

with a small smile, he shook his

head . He didn't mind ; it had been

frequently asked .

         “ — not anymore . ” a kind voice replies .

it's been a year and a half .

at least he knows she's resting

peacefully now and he has a

child . . . 

is it a year and a half ? Maybe

two? he wasn't sure ; he stopped

counting the days .

as soon as he finishes , the doctor

approaches him again and smiled down at the cooing

child . oh, he always had those

curious eyes . . .

“ He's so small, isn't he ? ”

he chuckled, a finger reached

out to allow the child to grab

on .

“ His mother always carried him

around even in our talks ; quite

a clingy little one . ”

That's when he shot his head up. Had his wife died that early? He never spoke about it. Not even Janus spoke of his mother. It was always a challenge to get through to him; most of the time, they had to take care of Carlos, and that was the greatest challenge. He didn't know Gio yet; he came much later. When the male was in his life as well, Peter had been busy keeping all three in line, which was an even bigger challenge. 

But now, having little Janus in his arms and watching how Gio tried to speak about his dead wife, it felt all too surreal. But here he was, and the watch wanted this. The watch was a curse and a gift at the same time; that’s how he started to feel about it. 

Seeing your dead lover was probably the cruelest thing so far for him. A small nod came from him. "What was her name? I am very sorry for your loss; it must be hard raising a little child all alone," especially Janus, he thought to himself. He sighed and brushed his knuckles against the child's cheek, and even tears wanted to come again, but Peter swallowed them all. 

"I know how loss feels. I lost my lover several years ago. He was gone from me, and I miss him often. Do you miss her too?" "