Pairings: Platonic!Dukeceit, Toxic!Moceit

Warnings: Implied verbal abuse, Physical abuse(hitting your partner), Mentioned guilted consent/rape, Unsympathetic/Abusive Patton, not really any happy ending, lmk if I need to add anything else! Seriously, please let me know!

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Remus bit his lip as he stared at Deceit's door. He hadn't knocked yet, didn't know if he wanted to knock. Deceit had told Remus not to bother him when Patton had asked if they could go to Deceit's room. Remus had somewhat obeyed.

I mean, he hadn't bothered them.

But maybe he should've. Standing outside Deceit's door, everything was incredibly muffled but also so loud. Remus guessed if he was in the room too, everything said would've felt like glass shards being shoved in your foot.

He had been standing there for about an hour, and the voice had quieted down. Patton had quieted down. But Remus could still feel him inside the room, and so kept out. He wasn't sure what had happened or what led up to Patton sounding so furious... And that terrified Remus if he was being honest.

He always assumed Patton and Deceit had a wonderful relationship. Soft touches and warm, loving smiles. Always doing things for one another, exchanging tender words. So Remus had never thought to question it.

But that definitely wasn't Deceit shouting in there. Deceit never raised his voice in his own room, never.

Patton's presence had been gone long enough that Remus believed he wasn't coming back, and he raised his fist to the door. He knocked lightly a few times, his other hand going to the doorknob.

"Dee? Can I come in?"

Remus heard nothing for a few minutes. But then he heard a click and he tried to open the door. It opened slowly and with a creek, and Remus hesitantly stepped inside the room. He shuddered slightly.

Deceit's room always felt heavier, like it was harder to move. Deceit said it was because when Thomas or any of the other sides lied, their lies manifested in his room and although they were unable to be seen they still affected the air. Lies slowed people down. So Remus never lied, never added to the tension in Deceit's room.

Remus took a deep breath, it wasn't this bad earlier. He knew because he'd surprised Deceit with edible breakfast this morning. Remus glanced around, his eyes widening when he spotted Deceit.

"Oh gods, Dee." Remus rushed over to Deceit, sinking to his knees in front of the side. Deceit was holding his head in his hands, sitting on the edge of his bed. His clothes looked wrinkled like they had been thrown on haphazardly. "Dee, what happened?"

Remus rested his hands on Deceit's legs, rubbing his thumb into the materiel of his pants, smoothing them as he waited for an answer. Deceit took a deep breath, shaking his head slightly.

"Dee, please... Even I know this isn't good." Deceit shuddered as Remus spoke, and he shook his head again.

"It was nothing, Remus."

The air felt heavier and Remus took another deep breath. It was harder than before. "You're lying, Dee. What happened?"

"You aren't going to stop asking me, are you?" Deceit moved a bit to look down at Remus. Remus saw his eyes, brimmed red, and starting to look irritated from being rubbed at for a while. Deceit's cheek was throbbing pink, and Remus felt his insides twist.

"Did he hurt you?" Remus asked, bringing his hand up to Deceit's cheek. Deceit flinched when Remus's thumb brushed against the stinging skin. "Why would Patton hurt you, Dee?"

"He didn't hurt me, Rem." Remus furrowed his brow, and the air still grew heavier. It would become suffocating soon. "Not... Not really. I deserved this, we had an argument, and Patton did what he always does."

Remus refrained from storming to the Light Commons that instant to go beat Patton to a bloody pulp.

"Let's get out of here, okay?" Remus asked. "Let everything settle in here."

Deceit hesitated before he nodded slowly and Remus took his hands. They rose together and Remus didn't release one of Deceit's hands as they left the room, going downstairs to their own commons. Remus sat Deceit down on the couch, sitting on the edge of the cushion beside the dishonest side.

"Were smacking and yelling at you the only things Patton did?" Remus asked softly, rubbing his thumb over Deceit's hand. Deceit's gloves weren't on, Remus realized, and the scales on his fingers looked as though they had been picked at. They weren't smooth anymore like the scales on Deceit's face. Deceit turned further away, staring at the floor across the room. "Dee?"

"... Yes." Remus frowned at the lie. Even he could tell, and Remus was awful at knowing when someone was lying.

He sighed gently. "Dee, I get if you don't want to tell me. But I want to help you." Remus still held Deceit's hand and used the other to gently tilt Deceit's face towards him. "You're my friend, my family, and I want to make sure you're safe. And happy. Which clearly you're not. But you need to tell me what's going on so I can help."

Remus could see the tears springing back to Deceit's eyes, and he shook his head, biting his lip harshly. "I want to, I don't-" Deceit covered his mouth, choking on his own words.

Remus let his hand trail to Deceit's back and he started to rub it gently, tracing circles with his palm over Deceit's spine. "Take your time, Dee," he whispered. Deceit nodded slightly, the tears starting to slip down his cheeks again.

He leaned on Remus, burying his face in Remus's shoulder. Remus held him close, letting Deceit cry. He briefly wondered if Patton would try and come back, but looking at the clock, he realized the others were all having dinner and Patton usually stayed with them for the rest of the night.

Eventually, Deceit stopped crying, but he still clung to Remus. Remus had smoothed most of Deceit's clothes back to how they usually were and had gotten every tangle from Deceit's hair. Deceit rested his face on Remus's shoulder, Remus's shirt damp from the tears but Remus had made no comment on it.

"He did do a lot more," Deceit croaked, his hand gripping at Remus's sash. Deceit shook his head. "I didn't want to do anything, I just wanted to be left alone but he wouldn't leave I said no but then he said that if I really loved him I'd do it, and I did because I do love him and he kept praising me and..." Deceit trailed off, exhaling shakily as he pressed closer to Remus. "And I hated every minute of it."

"Oh, Dee..." Remus whispered, and he held Deceit tighter. "Did... Did anything else happen? Or did he leave right after?"

"Left right after."

Remus nodded slowly. "You know it's not healthy, this relationship, right?" Deceit nodded.

"But I still love him. Because it was great when we started dating. And- and even though he hurts me I don't- I deserve it, I talk back and I don't listen and I don't show him that I love him enough!" Remus shook his head, still running his fingers through Deceit's hair. It wasn't often Remus was on this side of the fence, comforting someone else. Usually it was the other way around.

"You showed you love him plenty. He should've respected your boundaries. Shouldn't have guilted you into consent. Because that wasn't consent." Remus took a deep breath. "You didn't deserve any of it, Dee, you really didn't."

Deceit shook his head lightly. "I want to believe you, but I don't." His voice was small and broken and Remus wanted nothing more than to take his morning star and shove it up Patton's ass for hurting Deceit.

"I know," Remus mumbled. "But I'll help you believe it."