[ IC INBOX ] labyrinthum

[hexcorized]

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action; +1 guard dog.

[malleiform]

[ He hadn't expected to run into Viktor in this place. Not only that, it was a Viktor who was before everything went really wrong at home. It was one untouched by the damage they rained upon the world. Jayce wanted to keep it that way. He certainly would have found somewhere else to stay if Viktor didn't want him there, and he would find another place the moment Viktor decided he shouldn't stay.

Even if Viktor only had was a porch, or a chunk of the floor - Jayce would have taken it. He wants to stay. He doesn't have anything to bring with, beyond whatever was in the satchel - none of which he dared consume. He supposes that wouldn't come as a surprise.

Softly, after a few moments of looking around: ]

Thanks for letting me stay here.

[ He would say for now, but there's no reason to put any limitations on it. ]

time to get the treats ready

[hexcorized]

[ Viktor more or less has gotten settled here. Visium and Stellari are unlike Piltover and The Undercity, which had made his first month here quite tumultuous to say the least. Jayce's arrival, however, has given him some peace of mind and he's more or less getting used to having Jayce around again. Naturally, he does give Jayce his space and allows him to use the guest room that all these smaller cottages come with. It's quaint, easily accessible for them both, and they each have their shared space.

Of course, working together for 7 something years allows you to get comfortable with the other person regardless. Especially so considering how many hours they had slaved away with the hexgates. Viktor gives Jayce a soft smile and a nod as he walks through the small house, his crutch clicking against the stone floor of the cottage. ]

No need, you would have done the same, I'm sure. [ They were partners, after all. ] It's a bit modest, not much space for work, but it will do.

[malleiform]

In a heartbeat...

[ His voice trails off. He only says it in case there was a bout in Viktor's mind that Jayce wouldn't offer the same. It's cozy, comfortable, and even in the short time Viktor has been here - it just felt like him here. It made him feel warm and comfortable being in this space. No extra voices, just the sound of Viktor's voice.

They've worked closely for so long that in a smaller space made no difference to him. ]

More than enough, really. Besides, neither of us has been here long, so we're really just starting.

[ Like a lot of things, this was the part where they would be asking questions, doing things on a small scale. They weren't out here building giant projects, but if they wanted to - Jayce hasn't forgotten how to ask for things they needed. ]

[hexcorized]

[ Viktor is impatient and ambitious and just filled with a curiosity that cannot be entirely tempered with small projects and the like. But he is doing his best with what he has and with the time he has left. ]

I had hoped...to get a lab here. [ It's a murmured sentence as he looks back at Jayce briefly before his eyes stray away again. ] The crystals here can do that as well, create spaces with everything one needs. Truly a fascinating magical anomaly here, if nothing else.

[ He will wander towards the cottage's kitchen as he gets two cups out for some tea or coffee. ] Do you still prefer tea?

[ So much about Jayce has changed that he can't help but ask now. But he wants to learn of any other changes that may be made to him. ]

[malleiform]

In time, we'll make sure to have a lab. [ They'd both be working in it, after all. Jayce has an easy time making assumptions about the future of a not-yet existing lab. He is admittedly sharing in Viktor's own curiosity about the magic here.]

That's fairly impressive magic. [ He considers that there's possibly a lot more things it can do, likely undiscovered. It's kind of exciting to rediscover everything. ]

I do. Fortunately, my taste doesn't seem to have changed.

[ He watches Viktor. He doesn't follow Viktor into the kitchen, but he does linger against the door frame. He wants to continue their conversation, and he ca also take the tea off his hands when he's finished. ]

As far as you know, does the crystal do this unprompted? Like can I expect to see a random space appear?

[ He's just going to talk shop, of course. It keeps him busy. It feels normal. ]

i just live here now | action - forward dated to next week.

[malleiform]

[ He's taken some time thinking about a couple of conversations he wanted to have with Viktor. The most important one of them was the one that he had wanted to ahve since he got here. But he also didn't know what the consequences of it would be. Even though he's not been here that long, he's learned through his time here that he doesn't think what is said here will actually impact home. But, since he's here with Viktor, he thinks the man deserves to know more of what had happened.

He wants to give him the choice he didn't give him at home for how he wants to interact with Jayce. It would be awkward, he knew. Worse if Viktor hated him for it. But he had to stick to just what had happened and everything surrounding that. Before anything else, he wanted to give Viktor the opportunity to process this.

And he knew that's what he'd want himself. After everything, all he'd want is honesty, even if he didn't like it.

He had gone out for a short walk, he did that sometimes, but never for long. When he stepped back inside. ]

Viktor? You home?

[ He anticipated he was, but if something in changed in an hour, he wanted to be sure. He doesn't wait for an answer, just continues. ]

I want to do a short check on your brace. Maybe we can have a talk, too.

[ His stomach twists a little, anxious, but keeping it suppressed. ]

good all is as it should be

[hexcorized]

[ Of course Viktor was home, where else would he be? It had taken some getting used to their living arrangements, but not much, considering how much time they spent together for 7 years. But that also might be why it was a bit hard getting used to. This wasn't the Jayce he knew, after all, and it was almost like having to relearn everything over again with slight variations. Viktor often cursed his ability to make note of every minute detail and observation about a person, Jayce especially. He's come to realize that living with his lab partner has only made him notice more things about the way Jayce acts and reacts to things. Like a whole new person to study, but still etched with those same mannerisms that Viktor has come to just accept and enjoy about the other. It was strange and it was somewhat heartbreaking in a way that he couldn't fully explain. But it just made his chest hurt ever so slightly sometimes especially if he ever caught Jayce having a rather tumultuous episode.

He was in his bedroom when he heard Jayce's voice. He had heard Jayce leave early in the morning, wondering at times where he goes, what he does, but it's none of his business to pry into such things. Jayce can do as he pleases, of course, and he often comes back within an hour or so, still, Viktor often has to wonder where it is he goes. Viktor will get up from his desk, and the rhythmic thud of his crutch against the wooden floorboards will alert Jayce to his presence immediately. ] My brace? Have you finished the new one already?

[ Jayce tended to be obsessive when it came to work, but Viktor was much the same, so he couldn't fault the man in that. ] And a talk? Quite the ominous delivery. But it's not as if we're busy.

[ A shrug as he walks to the couch to take a seat. ]

[malleiform]

[ Jayce watches as Viktor comes into the living room, taking his spot on the couch. He resists the temptation to guide him there - just as he always would with a hand on his back - but it wasn't like he had to go far. Once Viktor is settled in on the couch, he shifts, turning to go pick up the pieces of the leg brace that he's neatly settled against a wall. It looked complete, at least. ]

As long as everything fits right, yes.

[ He anticipates that it will fit right, though. If it doesn't, he hopes Viktor still wants anything to do with him after the conversation that they're going to have - even if the only thing he allows is Jayce to make sure that the work is done. He gently starts to unbuckle the pieces as he stands nearer to the couch.

Viktor will notice that he's not laughing off the comment about it being ominous, which he would do if it wasn't a serious conversation. But it's weighing on him a lot. What he did, what they both did, what they made. And the what the world is becoming. He doesn't have to tell Viktor everything, but he should tell him most of it.

He kneels down near the other - his right, good leg - on the ground and leans in, gently working to undo Viktor's own work so he can start putting his own work in its place. ]

Mhm. I've made some observations about this world and I don't think we can change what happens. [ His touch as he works on the brace is delicate, fingers moving over Viktor's leg as if he were the most fragile piece of glass. ] So I owe it to you to fill in some blanks.

[hexcorized]

[ He'll stretch his braced leg out with a soft, pained sigh, eyes closing briefly because the pain has been almost unbearable. He's been making do with whatever pain medicine he can find here, but it's never enough. Viktor stills as he watches Jayce undo his makeshift brace that he had to cobble together for himself upon his arrival here. It's not been doing him any favors as his knee and hip ache with the release of it around his leg. His breath does hitch a bit because...watching Jayce looking like that, moving his hands like that, touching his leg like he's the most precious thing in the world and made of glass, it's like the first time he had taken his measurements. A similar thing happened, and it's probably one of the first instances that he became well aware of his...feelings for the other man. That roil of heat building in his stomach and the pounding in his chest as he watches with half-lidded eyes as Jayce is bowed before him. All very sequential and entirely the same as before. He is nothing if not consistent.

Even looking as Jayce does now, it only seems to ignite something in Viktor tenfold. His face is a bit hot before he averts his gaze. ] I appreciate your willingness to share with me. But...I had thought you were against the idea when you arrived. [ He'll tilt his head a little as he finally regards Jayce once more. ]

What's changed?

[malleiform]

[ Before he puts on a new brace, he moves his thumbs over the sides of his knee, pressing in a little into the pressure point there. His touch is still as gentle as it ever is - if not more so simply by nature of knowing that it has to hurt. He's not oblivious to Viktor trying to keep some of that pain at bay. He doesn't let his hands linger too long before he reaches for the brace and shows Viktor his work. ]

It's pretty similar to what you had at home. Similar to mine, as well.

[ They match. But he considers Viktor's question and he shakes his head. ]

Nothing. Which is...actually why my thoughts on it have changed. I don't think what I tell you here will change what's happened at home. [ As far as he can tell, at least. He starts to gently strap the new brace on, starting down by his ankle. ]

I also want you...to feel like you can ask questions. But it's not fair to you for me to not share things with you.

action; several days after death

[malleiform]

[ He didn't know how long he was down there, but he knew that it had to have been awhile. It felt like awhile. When he was there, he could see and hear Viktor. Or at least he thought he had been seeing and hearing Viktor. Part of him knew that it wasn't really him, but he still struggled with the thought that it could be.

When he got back, the first place he went was home. There was no hesitation in his steps. He wanted to see the man that he loves, died for, and thought of the whole time he was gone. His body feels heavy as he moves forward. He makes the choice to ignore the pain in his limbs, the voices that were far louder than they had been for awhile. They were just another thing to lock away.

He stands on the front porch of their home for a moment - before he simply walks inside. He doesn't shout, but his voice cracks a little when he speaks. ]

Viktor.

[ More than anything, he missed him. ]

[hexcorized]

[ These last 3 days have been hard to say the least. People becoming corrupted beasts, his wish turning him into...this, and Jayce's death have left Viktor reeling from it all and considering Jayce's death to be a fault of his own. If he weren't so...so broken, then this would never have happened. He's in the kitchen when Jayce finally comes back, staring into an empty cup, about ready to put the kettle on for some tea, when his head, with that long hair and golden highlights, whips towards the door. The shock on Viktor's face is easily recognizable as he stumbles to his feet. He'll use the wall to drag himself as fast as he's able towards the other. Eyes glimmering with unshed tears as Viktor stands in the middle of their living room, draped in a hooded robe. It's the only thing that's been useful in covering his entire body. ]

Jayce... [ you're back, you're home. He doesn't say anything as he wraps an arm around himself. Has it been three days already? He hasn't been keeping track of time, so lost in his own thoughts and with everything else going on around them, he's surprised he's even remembered to eat.

More than anything, Viktor has missed him too. ]

[malleiform]

[ He's just glad to be back and see Viktor alive. He had been worried considering how dangerous things seemed to be getting here. He hated leaving Viktor like that. Not because he had died, but because he knows what it means to watch someone you care about die like that. For him, he was glad that Viktor was there. He was glad that he was by his side. While there was a time where he wouldn't have needed to have Viktor by his side, now he knows there's a certain peace that comes with dying by someone you love.

But he knew this place didn't work like that and it wouldn't stick. So he dealt with the hell that he was in again for the privilege of returning back to life. There was something about his time in Inferna that reminded him of his time in the pit - alone, trapped in his head, but fighting to push himself through with a goal in mind.

He stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Viktor's shoulders, pulling the man to his chest without a moment's hesitation. ]

I'm glad to see you. [ The desperation lingers n his voice. ]

[hexcorized]

Jayce... [ He gives a shuddering sigh as he all but sobs into Jayce's chest as he's pulled into that embrace. His voice is barely above a whisper, shaky, almost ready to fall apart because Jayce had died because of him and his inability to do anything in this broken body of his. Unable to defend himself and protect Jayce like had protected him 4 days ago. His metallic hands grip the fabric of Jayce's shirt, and he just wants to push the other away and curl in on himself at the sheer and utter pain he feels in his chest at this moment. ]

I'm sorry. I. I couldn't...I couldn't do anything to help you. You paid the price for my weakness. [ It's his fault for Jayce's death, and yet the other is still glad to see him. Unbelievable. ]

[malleiform]

[ Jayce holds onto Viktor. He reminds himself of a couple of a very important thing: Viktor is real, and he's truly here. His tightens his arms around Viktor's shoulders, finding the most comfort even in the touch. His head is spinning - a push and pull of voices, but he centers himself on Viktor and is kept from floating away by his voice, his touch, his everything.

So much so that he doesn't notice the metal immediately. Instead, he takes in Viktor's apology. Why is he apologizing? He's not responsible for this. He just wants to hold him close and stay like that. He wants to be swept up in Viktor's being. ]

You're — don't. You shouldn't be apologizing. [ Jayce never saw Viktor as weak. And if he were, he didn't die because of Viktor. He died explicitly because he didn't want to see Viktor get killed or hurt. Not again. He had told Mel that it should have been him under the rubble. That was why Jayce made sure it would be him. It's why he kept Viktor safe.

He pulls away, shifting to take Viktor's hand in his when he notices it, and his eyes jump up to Viktor's face. He's looking for an answer. Anything. Something. He needs to k now that despite this change this is the real thing. ]

text; un: talis (during vampire times...ofc)

[malleiform]

Are you hungry? I don't mean for something like cake, either. I'm on my way home and wanted to reach you before I got back.

I heard if you let yourself go without food, you can lose control.

[hexcorized]

[ Hunger, hm. Viktor wasn't typically one to ever be hungry enough to have it affect his work. Back home he had been in so much pain day in and day out that hunger was never really on his mind. But since this transformation his body is healthy again no longer plagued by indescribable pain and that burning sensation within his lungs. But this feeling, this...craving is beyond even his own perceptions of the word hunger.

Yes he was hungry but if he told Jayce that it would just keep him out longer. No. What he wanted was Jayce here...alone, with him. ]

Not particularly, no.

[malleiform]

No? Are you sure?

[ He's not sure if he likes that answer if only because hunter was a part of what someone feels. He's still making his way back, but he can answer the messages slowly as he does. ]

[hexcorized]

I'm quite sure, Jayce. I just want to see you.

[ Perhaps that'll give him an appetite. ]

[malleiform]

I want you to take care of yourself.

[ He's still coming home at least?? ]

takes a seat, post-convention shopping.

[malleiform]

[ Jayce has spent a good chunk of the day checking out the convention that seems to have appeared out of nowhere. He forgot to bring his cane, leaving it propped against the door, so when he gets back he's feeling a little sore and tired. Still, he seems cheerful — amused even. He has a small tote over his shoulder, carrying the far too many things he purchased.

When he steps in, he calls out to see if Viktor is home. He's going to hear the obvious delight in Jayce's tone when he speaks, too. ]

Vik~tor.

[ He comes home bearing gifts. ]

IT'S TIME. ACTION.

[malleiform]

[ Jayce told Caitlyn he would be at the party a little bit later (promised, even) but he had a couple things he wanted to accomplish before he went out. He picks up a few items around the house (knocked around by the cats, of course) and puts them back into their places. He's otherwise pretty quiet when he makes his way to their room. Viktor will hear him, though - he knows what Jayce's footsteps sound like. He shifts, moving to lean against the door frame.

His smile is soft. ]

Want to join me at the party? Whatever it may be. Could be fun.

[ Probably at least better than anything he would have gone to in Piltover. ]

Ahh!!

[hexcorized]

[ Viktor is, of course, working in some manner of the word. He's mostly scribbling on sheets of paper about the potions and the crystals when Jayce walks in. He coughs lightly into his hand as he smiles back at the other, unable to help himself when he sees Jayce sporting a genuine smile like that.

They are fleeting and rare these days, but it's not entirely surprising considering what he knows now. ]

Parties are not really my, eh, thing, Jayce. But...I suppose I can be persuaded to go together if that is what you want. Fun is relative, but I think we both know this place will make it interesting at least.

[malleiform]

[ He steps forward, moving to lean over to press a kiss to the top of Viktor's head. He leans to peek over his shoulder to see what it is he's working on. He feels...good today. ]

I know they're not. Not me, either. Not anymore.

[ He looks towards the door. ]

But I'd like to go with you. Working on anything I can help you with?

[hexcorized]

[ Oh. Well, that's how they're starting this day, then? Viktor easily flushes under the kiss as he looks away and smiles ever so slightly. ]

Then I will. If that is what you want.

[ He looks backs towards his notes. ] Mm. No. Simply rewriting notes I have gotten on the potions here. There is a young man here who shows promise in regards to science and the like. [ He's not sure if Jayce has met Senku yet, but he thinks they would get along. ] But that can wait. Party, yes?

[ He moves to get up, grabbing his crutch as he looks back at Jayce. Nothing but love and adoration in his eyes. ] I suppose there is to be a dress code. I. I have nothing suitable for such events. Maybe they will have some things there for us to use?