madeofthreads

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The silence stretched between them. Ariadne flexed her fingers in the absence of the Hexcore, uncertain what to do now. It felt rude to simply turn her back and leave again, but in her lingering, she felt like she was intruding on something that was not meant for her.

Jayce was unwell. Dangerously unwell, she could read the mood. And Viktor was tethered to his side, offering him comfort, remaining for a vigil that might see Jayce turn like the other expeditioners on this long and bloodied path... they didn't fade into soft petals, the chroma in their body hardened, like statues.

Somehow she looked further down, ashamed of her thoughts. Thinking of the end didn't feel right. Subtly, one of her hands reached, and her knuckles brushed against the wood of the crate. Knock on wood.

That sudden admission, however, prompted Ariadne to look up.

Her eyes searched Viktor's expression. He was speaking in a way that shocked her, on a day of so many shocks. Slowly, she advanced her footsteps, daring to stand next to the bedroll.

"... it isn't fair." Ariadne offered, fingertips twitching up. A moment later she reached to lay her hand on Viktor's shoulder with her eyes closed. "Jayce is still fighting. We have to keep fighting too. Sometimes that means something big, like confronting an Axon. Sometimes that means the small things. Like daring to hope that we can still make the impossible, possible."

Slowly, her hand pulled away. "I know those aren't things you want to hear right now. When the world feels dark, it's easy to sit and feel dark. But... if you burned this world, I think you're helping that man, and we're all too spiteful for that."

Ariadne's gaze lowered to Jayce. After a beat of silence, she took a knee and leaned, her lips pressed briefly to both him and Viktor, barely kissing Jayce's forehead and Viktor's worrying fingers. Then she pulled herself away and stood from her crouch in that easy way of a teenager.

"Keep fighting." she whispered, before she exited through a different door. It was such a tiny detail. Easily overlooked.

As was the brief shadow that passed overhead, like a large cloud.

Barely an hour passed and the door to their room opened again. It was Somnus who stood there, eyes fierce as he looked around the room. Ariadne was not here but the Hexcore was. He silently passed through, marching out the other door, voice carrying his loud call for Ariadne. A beat, and he called Esquie. Then a loud curse followed.

Silently, Somnus joined Viktor with the bridge of his nose pinched. Normally they didn't quite see eye to eye. Normally he would have given the man an abundance of space, especially now. But nothing about this was normal. He sat in a different vigil, waiting for his wayward daughter to return.

The subtle shudder that ran through the abandoned house made Somnus pick up his head. He stood at the ready — he was going to grab Ariadne into a hug and lead her away, even opened the door to meet her head on.

Though that stern and serious edge in his expression collapsed with a gasp.

Like a breath of fresh air, Aerith walked into the fractured home and caught Somnus with a squeezing hug and a kiss. Though she didn't linger, seeking Viktor instead, her smile soft and full of concern.

There was no baby bump.

"How long has it been since his injury? Is the fever new?" Aerith asked, leaping right to the point.

Not too far from the house, Esquie shadowed over the path, and in front of him stood not one, but two shocks of silver hair, quietly bickering.

Viktor barely glanced up from his ‘work’ in sorting Jayce’s strands over and over when Ariadne came. She looked afraid. He had known her for a good decade now and sometime she could predict her reactions quite well. She had been so determined to join this expedition after she had learnt that Somnus would be leaving.

But nothing could have prepared her for the reality. Even Viktor could hardly cope with it. But he had to. And he had to make it right.

Looking to the Hexcore for a moment, Viktor nodded, his eyes dropping back to Jayce. His voice sounded hoarse when he spoke, as if he had been screaming for hours.

“Thank you…”

He had forgotten about his most beloved creation in all this chaos. Because it meant nothing, if Jayce wasn’t there.

Caressing his fingertips over Jayce’s temple, Viktor tried to catch and yet also soothe and flutter of eyelashes. He wanted nothing more than for Jayce to open his eyes and be fine again… but in order of that to happen, he needed rest. And so much more care…

“I hate our world.”, Viktor uttered suddenly. He didn’t even know whether he spoke to poor Ariadne or poor Jayce. Or just to himself. There was a bitterness to his tone that seemed as if it now broke free after fighting it back down for years.

“What kind of life is this? We were sitting ducks all our lives… and as soon as we step out to try and better the world, it is just… even worse. We lost so many… they’re all dead… taken by this… lunatic. This bastard. And now he wanted to take Jayce, too. If he… if he succeeds… I will burn this world down…”

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That mumbled apology tickled a grin from Jayce. He didn't need Viktor to apologise, but it was still a nice feeling, to be given one so freely when he knew it didn't come easily. He pressed another kiss to his partner's head, this time lingering before he pulled away fully with a hum.

"I will. Thankyou Viktor." Jayce had to pull himself away before he lingered to lateness here. It was such an easy thing to do but he was conscious not to keep his mother waiting.

Just like that, he breezed back out of the workshop.

It was hours upon hours later that his familiar footsteps echoed through the darkened halls of the Academy. Honestly, he thought Viktor would have already gone home.

Colour him surprised when he found their workshop door unlocked. He lingered in the doorway, leaning a shoulder against the threshold with his arms crossed. A fond smile was painted over his face as he quietly watched his partner.

He was a lucky man. Viktor knew that. But it was hard to admit. Jayce was way too understanding for how Viktor acted so erratic some days… like this day.

Viktor shoved his hands over his face in defeat at the soft gesture and kiss to his head.

“I’m sorry, Jayce.”, he mumbled into his palms, admitting to being a fool. Which was quite the feat in of itself. Why was he so… jealous? The mere thought of Jayce dressing up so nicely for anyone else to see had made him ready to abandon all work and glare at whomever dared to look at him.

He was obsessive… maybe he needed help. Oh Janna…

A small smirk sneaked up on his features. Well - who could blame him? Jayce was perfect. The act alone today...

“Give your mother greetings from me, okay? I hope you both have a nice evening.”

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Some of my latest Viktor doodles

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face card glorious

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otp sparring: nice

otp sparring until one of them has a back to the wall and a blade at their throat: excellent

the other person dropping their weapon and the otp is k i s s i n g: I WILL LIFT THIS TABLE AND FLI P IT

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Jayce watched for a long moment. He wasn't a complete fool, he sensed the shift in Viktor's demeanour. Sure, he could be oblivious at times... but the way his partner busied himself so quickly, and the way his hands couldn't seem to decide where to settle and with which tool.

Viktor was avoiding him. Slowly the pieces fell into place, and a smile bloomed on Jayce's face. He thought he was all dressed up for some fancy event where fancy people would notice him, right?

Viktor would hear the sharp click of Jayce's dress shoes as he approached where he sat. Would feel the warmth of him standing right behind him, as though he had never been schooled about 'personal space' before.

Jayce's hands settled on Viktor's tensed shoulders with a small squeeze before he dipped himself and pressed a sweet kiss to his partner's head. "I understand." he easily replied, not rubbing Viktor's nose in it one bit.

"It won't be a late night out. I'll stop by after dinner, gotta make sure you don't work yourself too much."

Viktor should have noticed the very first tone coming from Jayce that something was off. Not in the off-way Viktor had suspected. But the completely opposite way.

And each word out of Jayce’ s mouth made it worse. Each syllable drove heat, shame and redness up into his face.

Viktor had fucked up. He knew that. It was painfully obvious. He had thought Jayce was out to have some fun with someone… and yet he was meeting with his sweet mother to remember his father. His dead father.

And the worst part? Jayce was so gracious and kind about it.

He would let Viktor tag along to such an intimate and important events for a man Viktor hadn’t even known.

Why couldn’t the experiment in front of him just open up a void and swallow him whole? Viktor’s eyes were wide, his face reddish, as he quickly turned back to his desk to hide the shame and embarrassment.

“Oh. I… I thought you were- no. I- thank you. But no.”, he stuttered, aimlessly picking up this and that tool, before dropping it again with a small clatter, “I am… busy.”

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That fierce and biting response from Viktor would have normally made Jayce straighten to attention. He listened to his partner, always, but these were not normal circumstances.

It was a battle of its own forcing Jayce to finish the rest of the potion. It was bitter, it was something that had to be choked down, and in the end — it was something that was mostly hurled back up, not that he had done so on purpose.

Soon, other familiar faces started to arrive. Jayce perked a little. "You.. you have to take Viktor.. it's not safe," he pleaded, barely calmed by Leander's solemn promise to make sure all of them got to safety.

There was another flash of white hot pain when Leander and Somnus figured out between them how they would carry him. He grit his teeth and hissed, fading in and out between being in the moment, and trying to disassociate from it all.

Though, deep down, he knew Viktor had remained by his side through it all.

Ji-eun approached with another potion. "Watered down." she explained simply to Viktor. It was still the same thing, still had the same healing properties, but it was thinned out. The potions were something to be gulped down fast and it was evident that Jayce wasn't in the right mindset.

They were left somewhat alone for a time. After all was said and done, nothing more was left. That one special healing potion from Aerith... Somnus had already given it to Viktor. His lungs sounded better. But now, there were no more miracles left to give.

Jayce himself had lulled to a sleep. He had felt weak. Nauseous. His body was wrecked between pain and shock, it was honestly a mercy that he was able to find any moment of rest. He looked paler than usual. More vulnerable than he had ever been before... but at least there was some peace in his face, while he was able to sleep...

There came a very soft knock at the door frame.

Ariadne kept her eyes down. The scene... finding Jayce like that, and Viktor was still covered in some of the blood... she had been shocked. Deeply. She understood that their expedition was one carved in blood... but to actually see it, up close... it was a lot...

But she hadn't come to seek comfort from her old teacher. In her hands thrummed the Hexcore. It still whirred with faint webs of its unique energy. "... I... I found..." Ariadne lifted it a little as if it weren't already obvious. She carefully set the device down on a crate in the room, avoiding looking at either of them directly.

“No!”, Viktor hissed at Jayce, grabbing his face to force him to look back at him and get more of the liquid from the vial into him, “You have tod rink that! I will go nowhere!”

He did not want to sound angry, he did not want to grab Jayce so forcefully, he did not want to hurt him… but Viktor had never felt this loss of control and desperation. He was scared. He was so deeply scared, the sound of Jayce’s screams burrowed into his chest, his very bones.

His eyes darted back to Jayce’s arm- or where his arm should be. Blood was still seeping out slowly. He would bleed out. He would die… Jayce would die here.

Viktor’s own breath choked on that realization. He could feel his eyes sting. This wasn’t like the beach, where he could drag Jayce into the waters and they were safe. He couldn’t do this alone.

He could not… he could not… please…

“HELP!”, he yelled. A word that he never thought would have crossed his lips. But it wasn’t for himself…, “JAYCE IS HURT! HE NEEDS HELP!”

It probably weren’t just his yells that had brought the others in. Jayce’s screaming would have already drawn attention. But Viktor felt so relieved, when the remainder of their group showed up. There was no animosity in this moment. No comments, no biting arguments. There were orders. Hands. A defence and barrier around them, magic whirred in the air.

Viktor would never be able to recount the details. He didn’t even know what exactly happened in these moments. Just that one of his hands stayed on Jayce at all times. Fisted into his clothes. Cupping his head. Caressing over his cold and sweaty skin. His eyes stayed on his partner’s face. Hoping he would never see the life fade from his features.

The temporary small camp they retreated to was in an old ruin. A house half sunken into the sea. But the upper floors were dry and safe from rain, wind and prying eyes. It was a quick solution, but it was all they could manage with one of them hurt so badly. Some others had minor injuries, too. From the fall… but no one had met the man with his cane.

No one but Jayce. Sweet, kind, beautiful Jayce, who now laid half propped up on a bedroll. Viktor never left his side. The others changed. Each one tried their best to heal and mend what they could. Potions, elixirs, pictos. But it was all in the stars, whether Jayce would still be alive come morning.

Viktor held Jayce’s head in his lap, meticulously tugging away every strand of hair, smoothing over it endlessly. He could see the burning golden number on the monolith through the broken walls next to himself. But his eyes were only focused on Jayce.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry I made you come here…”

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give it up for everyone's favourite lover boy jayce talis

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The chain of events were too surreal for Jayce to fully grasp. It felt like mind tricks, one after the other, no sooner had he called for Viktor to run — he was right there with him.

He thought he had conjured him up in his mind. Surely. He didn't want to die alone, so his mind gave him this comfort...

... only, the pain wasn't imagined. That was very real. As were the agonised screams ripped from him, screams that barely settled at all, he sounded like a wounded beast vocalising his last bloodied moments.

Teeth gritted fierce, eyes screwed shut, Jayce clung to Viktor's voice. He made promises that sounded defeated. Maybe it was his Viktor after all, surely he would have imagined something far more nice in what were probably his final moments. "You.. have to run.." Jayce gritted out, voice coloured with the sound of pain.

Pain that was almost too much. There was a lull and a roll of his head that came close to outright passing out, but that would have been too much of a mercy.

The violent shake of an explosion made his eyes peel back open and it was Viktor, again, who stole up his attention. He reached with his remaining hand to hold over his partner's arm, his touch already felt cool, and drenched with his sweat.

He damn near hurled when that potion was forced upon him. He barely choked a sip down, turned his head away in refusal. No. "Have to.. get out of here.. Vik, he'll..." kill you.

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Clack. Clack. Clack.

The echo of a cane. His own. Another. His own heartbeat. The latter drowned out all. Viktor had stood there, seen Jayce. For just a moment, a splitsecond. But it was too late. The sudden burst of cold harsh light cut off any yell coming from Viktor.

And then there only was blood.

So much blood.

And Jayce’s face. Still so pretty. So beautiful. But drenched in utter shock. Fear. Pain.

“JAYCE!”

Viktor would never be able to recall how he had made his way over to Jayce so fast. He should not be able to do that, his bad leg getting caught on every ragged stone. He should not be able to run, lunge or jump. But he did. He was at Jayce’s side within a second.

Holding onto him. Warm and wet – his hands, his arms were immediately sticky from the red blood pouring out of Jayce’s arm. What was left of it…

No. Nononono.

“It’s okay.”, Viktor heard himself utter. Hollow.

It was not.

He bound the blue shawl, the very one he had been gifted by Jayce around his partner’s arm, his shoulder. A sling he pulled so tight, it would make Jayce scream.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… it will be okay…”, he promised emptily. Fingers digging deep into the wound, trying to subdue any more bleeding that could bypass the makeshift tourniquet. He was functioning on autopilot. A list rattling in his mind. How to act, what to do. Because if he let his emotions overrun him… Jayce would die…

Please.

Clack.

Viktor could see the crackle of white magic from the corner of his eye. Another moment that went by so fast. Another reaction that was more reflex than anything else. The Hexclaw on his back reacted immediately. A laser shooting towards the face that had haunted Viktor since they had arrived here.

He. The whitehaired man. He had hurt Jayce. He had wanted to kill him.

The ire in Viktor’s chest had the same colour of the crackling magic. Blinding hot. The scream ripping from his lungs sounding inhuman. Viktor hooked his own cane beneath the one of the whitehaired man, pulling it away, while he himself lunged up. The Hexclaw drove forwards, burrowing itself in the head of the man, while Viktor’s hands gripped the Hexcore from his side tight, shoving it forwards, fingers turning runes. It was muscle memory.

Thrusting the man away, Viktor expected blood, splinters of a skull, brain… but nothing of that sort splattered across him. No… it was… another liquid. He didn’t know what, he didn’t want to know in this moment. Throwing himself back to shield Jayce, Viktor screwed his eyes shut, arms wrapped around Jayce. The implosion from the Hexcore was loud, crackling blue magic throwing shadows of the explosion, painting fragile webs of white and pale colours onto the edges of the rock they were hiding behind.

Nothing could survive that.

The clatter of the cane… was gone…

Viktor’s eyes did not even search for any remains or where his Hexcore laid. Instead he immediately cupped Jayce’s face, pushing wet strands out of his face, searching those golden eyes for any flicker of emotion or reaction.

“Hey. Hey, look at me. You have to look at me, okay? Stay awake! You need to stay awake, Jayce!”, he begged him, unscrewing one of the small green vials and forcing it to Jayce's lips.

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"For bringing up those memories." Jayce offered an apologetic little smile and a shrug. He had only mentioned Somnus... but he had no idea what happened on that beach. Whether the man he so boldly called a prick was even still alive. "... and for being out cold so soon." he offered.

He was not a small-built man. It was a wonder Viktor had been able to drag him anywhere at all, through water or otherwise. Dead weight was burden enough, then factor in a man as big as him.

Though Viktor's new admission pulled a surprised look from him. One that was just as quickly chased by a breath that had been tickled by amusement. "Stupid heroic shit." Jayce echoed with an acknowledging little tilt of his head.

"You're not wrong. I only remember Alan... I don't know what I was going to do, but I know I was already reacting. Probably would have ended just as quickly." he commented, eyes cast down with a concerned furrow in his brow. "He didn't do anything. He wasn't threatening at all. He just... asked who he was. What the fuck."

“…for what?”, Viktor asked back, giving Jayce a questioning look, though he kept walking on, across the sprawling clearing bordering some forests, “It wasn’t your fault…”

Viktor shook his head. He… did not want to recall all that he had seen, but he knew the pictures were seared into his mind. The noises, the smell… that all he could deal with. But the feeling of utter shock and dread had rattled him deep to his bones. To hold onto Jayce and feeling hopeless for a moment, before their journey had even truly begun… that had been a real shock.

“I think… I am relieved you were out cold.”, he admitted with a quip of sarcasm to his tone, “You would only have tried stupid heroic shit, if you had been conscious. And that would have risked your life even more. No way in hell would Jayce Talis just have opted to retreat on a battlefield.”

He wanted to nudge his partner with a little irony. But there was a kernel of truth to Viktor’s words.

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@versus-written | X

There was rarely a time where anything related to the workshop remained a mystery to one or the other. That included matters of funding — Viktor was more than welcome to refuse social events where their investors gathered, which he did so liberally, but nothing had ever been made a secret.

Jayce had too large of a mouth on him to not say anything, anyway.

So, it was a sound conclusion to arrive at. He was dressed up nicely for a private event. One that his partner was not aware of.

"I'm looking for my ring, I put it right here... ish." Jayce explained, rummaging until he perked up with a bright "ah!" of triumph, his Talis sigil ring secured on his hand once more.

He hadn't meant to sidestep the question. He took it quite literally, that was what he was doing. Then Viktor asked a different question that gave him pause.

Jayce almost looked dumbfounded as he turned to his partner. He blinked, almost tilted his head like a confused dog. "Uh." What? "You can, but... are you sure?" He offered with a confused tone. Then he gave a shrug.

"We're laying flowers first, I'll pick Ma up from her home and we'll head to the cemetary. Then we always have dinner at Pa's favourite restaurant." It was Father's Day. Jayce and his mother had their own little tradition, one that started when he was a boy, and one that had never stopped.

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✦ = being well-dressed. — Jayce

 He could hear Jayce enter their workshop and walk to his desk, rummaging through some of the boxes. Viktor would have just ignored that, as he was completely focused on the little experiment in front of him. But… but, the way Jayce’s steps sounded was new. He always had worn nice shoes, but the clacking noise of these was new. Sharper.

Turning around and shoving his safety goggles up, Viktor made a surprised little noise. Jayce was… dressed up. More than usual. He looked absolutely fine with a suit that was tailored to his form, hugging him… nicely…

“… what are you doing?”, Viktor asked, with a  little wariness in his tone. Was there an important meeting? Investors? Or was Jayce headed out… privately? The latter thought made Viktor narrow his eyes even more… and caused the following question.

“Can I come with you?”

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Leander is the type to fall into a relationship hard and fast but he's also deeply committed. It's problematic in its own way because he skips vital beginning steps and sets himself up for the kind of heartbreak that anyone else could see coming.

He doesn't shy away from his emotions either. E.g. In his male friend group he has the reputation as being "the girlfriend" for crying at sappy romance movies.

Break-ups for him are rough. He looks rough during one, and while he doesn't necessarily wall himself off from his friends, he definitely finds it easier to turn down the more public hangouts because he isn't in the mood to mask up and be pleasantly social. He mopes and trudges along until he has finished processing the end of his relationship fully.

Anyway, I just think he's a fun disaster because in the same breath he's the kind of idiotically loyal friend that will pick up the phone at 1am on a work night, you know. He craves loyalty because that's the kind of person he is.

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Chronic petname user Jayce vs Vik who only says his name (and a couple terms of endearment from his mother tongue)

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(wip) I should really just kick myself in the arse and finish this painting but the flesh is weak

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Jayce hummed with a barely-there smile and trailed next to Viktor, keeping pace with him. It was an expression that was quickly dropped when his partner continued on. Fuck...

The expression dropped as he listened. He knew it had been an unwelcome kind of arrival. He knew the older man had... there had been an attack. Commander Alan. Fuck.

"Vik... I'm sorry." It was a weak apology. Jayce should have known better than to crack any jokes, he had been knocked out of the fighting so fast. He really didn't know what else had happened and he hadn't dared to ask.

He looked across to him and gave a nod of agreement. "There have to be more than us." he agreed. Though there was also the likelihood that anyone who survived was scattered far from the beach. Some may not have ever reached the gathering point.

"Let's stick to heading North, then. We have a better chance of meeting someone, anyone, as long as we stay the course." They may have shattered apart but they all still had one collective goal.

Viktor knew Jayce. They had been together for years, as partners – in every sense by now. That brief reaction, the look in his golden eyes… Jayce was an expert in diverting the topic again and putting on a mask. But Viktor had seen that glimpse.

“I’m sorry.”, he uttered, briefly fishing for Jayce’s hand and squeezing at his fingers. He knew. He knew that sound. Viktor himself had been so confused at the beach. That familiar sound that had accompanied him his whole life. The clank of a metal cane. It was his sound. And yet, for the first time, Viktor had stood across from someone, who also used a cane – and had slaughtered so many.

Though the comment about Somnus made Viktor “tch” and he turned towards the north, starting their trek.

“If he even survived. Last I saw him, he was running like a madman across the beach.”

Towards… the girl, that had come with them. She had been way too young for this. And now she…

Viktor’s expression became sombre.

“I am not sure who survived… or how many.”, he admitted. They hadn’t talked about what Viktor had all seen. It wasn’t too much more than Jayce, but he had at least seen the fight unfold. People dying. Nevrons had appeared…

“We started with about 100 people. There have to be survivors. By chance and statistic alone. If I managed to drag you out… others have had to make it, too. I think I saw this one writer, too. Ji-Eun. And I heard Somnus yell to disband and run to the waters.”