The only thing better might be Viktor giving him the ring himself, but either way, K's genuinely happy he wants them to have matching rings in the first place. Though perhaps he's attributing more significance to the suggestion than Viktor intended it to have, if he's confused about how such a meaningful (in K's mind) gesture could bring K happiness.
His curious exploration has already paid off judging by Viktor's reaction, and that also incites a little thrill of excitement in K that can be felt through their bond. He'd been entirely serious when he said that what he likes is the way Viktor touches him... and now he has to think on his reply, because he isn't sure he can offer a better answer than that.
"I guess I'm not sure how I like to be touched, either. It hasn't come up before. Not before you asked." Or at least no one to his knowledge has expressed interest in learning his specific preferences the way Viktor has. Maybe people incorrectly assume human biology or physiology can apply to him and that there's no reason to ask, or maybe they haven't wanted to overstep perceived boundaries, or in one case he doesn't want to think too hard about, maybe they hadn't minded one-sided intimacy. There could be any number of reasons.
"But maybe we could figure that out together, too."
It initially confused Viktor because he thought of them as married (as K would think of it) already. K had asked him to live in his apartment, and he had not asked Viktor to move out nor did Viktor leave on his own, which probably would have constituted a divorce as K understood it. A glimmer of Viktor's old humor was able to peek through as he smiled against K's neck.
"Well, the only thing that I have to go off of is what would feel nice for a human. You will have to show me a different way for you."
Having said that, Viktor reached out to take one of K's hands and pull it back to his chest by the wrist. Once K's hand was resting against his chest, Viktor let go of his wrist and pushed his hand underneath so that K's hand was sandwiching Viktor's between his hand and his chest.
Touch-starved as K is, it doesn't take much to make him feel good. Simply being close together like they are right now does wonders; there's a steady thrum of contentment on K's end of the bond, essentially the emotional equivalent of a cat purring. And now with the possibilities that interfacing with each other brings, especially in combination with the effects of their bond, their imaginations are the limit.
"I'll enjoy learning with you." He squeezes Viktor's hand beneath his and there's a smile in his voice. "Thank you for caring this much." Reconnecting like this has been good, he thinks, and he hopes that no matter what the coming weeks may bring, they can keep holding onto each other.
"Along with matching rings, there's also things like henna," he suggests, still thinking about ways they could mark each other since it's something they both seem to like. "Ink used to draw on skin. For yours, a metallic ink would look good..." And he certainly isn't opposed to receiving love bites, as Viktor suggested, regardless of whether they leave lasting marks.
It's entirely out of affection that Viktor is cuddled tightly against K's side. The mirrored affection on both sides allows him to filter Viktor's other emotions, for which Viktor is endlessly grateful. As such, there isn't much in the bond right now beyond affection.
The soft kind of warmth that would usually be in addition to another stronger kind of emotion. But Viktor wasn't kidding about feeling overwhelmed. The warm feeling of affection was so strong, it was bordering on adoration. Viktor himself may have a fear of being still merged with the hex core, but since it cannot fake human emotion, this would be a direct denial of it still having influence over Viktor's mind. Viktor's metal thumb is feathered back and forth underneath K's hand right now.
"For caring this much? Hasn't anyone asked to learn how you like to be touched before? And as I understand it, henna is a temporary mark at best, so I am not sure that it would be what we're looking for in this instance."
"It hasn't come up before," K repeats, a little more solemnly this time. "You're the first to ask. Even if you weren't... thank you for caring enough to." The truth is, he doesn't have much experience with physical intimacy, period, and only some of it had been positive. He'd been left to assume his past partners had probably just preferred intimacy with their other partners over him. Understandably, in his mind, because who would ever choose an android if they had other, better options?
The shared affection radiating through their bond makes it easier not to dwell on past hurts. That Viktor is able to feel this way about him to begin with is very heartening, for a variety of reasons. The most significant one being that this feels like further proof that Viktor's mind is his own.
"Bruises are also only temporary. You want something permanent?" he asks, surprise plain in his voice. Matching rings are a more suitable choice in that case. This particular subject is likely to lead to pleasant daydreams in the future as well... at least until he's right back to worrying about Viktor.
"Matching rings are permanent enough. You don't know what kind of touch you would like, do you?"
If he was the first to ever ask about it, K may not have thought of this before. It certainly would explain a few things, including why K always seemed to focus on touching Viktor whenever they had been intimate. Right now Viktor leaned in and kissed K gently but with an edge of passion. Lifting his hand while keeping K's over it, he first laid it against K's neck.
"Before, when my body was different, you talked about marking my neck or my hip, so let's start there."
K's body was humanoid enough that maybe things like lightly stroking the skin of his back might also feel nice. Or just cupping his cheek. Viktor very much doubted that K was ticklish but he planned to touch him lightly all over and see if a particular area seemed to feel better than another.
Edited (added a sentence, sorry) 2025-03-06 21:39 (UTC)
With so much weighing heavily on K's mind and heart he has trouble shifting gears as easily, though he does gratefully return the kiss, enjoying the feeling of closeness it brings.
Even on a good day focussing on his own pleasure wouldn't be easy for him, with his primary concern being that his limitations will disappoint Viktor and make him feel as though his efforts are wasted on K; he was intended to facilitate others' pleasure, not experience it himself... Everything combined still presents a mental hurdle for him.
"You don't have to," he says softly. "Today has been..." It's difficult to even put it into words. He sighs in lieu of finishing the sentence. "And the last week. The last year, for you. You're allowed to rest. Just let me hold you for a while."
For a moment Viktor looked away, though he kept his hand on K's neck. He was speaking just as softly as K had been.
"For a little while I want to stop thinking about everything that's happened in this past year. I want to focus on something else. Something nice."
Now when Viktor looked back at K there was a level of pleading in his iridescent eyes.
"I know that I don't have to. I want to. It doesn't have to be anything huge, but I would want to explore you just to find out what feels nice. It could be something as simple as just rubbing your back, or running fingers through your hair. It doesn't matter, I just want to feel closer to you."
Though he thinks there may be better ways of distracting Viktor, he doesn't want to give the impression that he doesn't appreciate Viktor wanting to do something nice for him, or doesn't want Viktor touching him, since neither could be further from the truth.
"I've only experienced either as a cat," he says with a slight smile. And he always enjoys it, so there's no reason to think he won't also enjoy it in his android form. He keeps his clothes on for the time being and adjusts his position so he's lying more on his side, giving Viktor better access to do as he wants.
Viktor only took a moment to scoot closer, so he pressed chest to chest with K and he was still speaking very softly.
"I just need to keep touching you. But...but it would be nice if you wanted to touch me too?"
He stayed gentle as he moved the one hand up to run his fingers through K's hair, slowly from the crown of his head down to the nape of his neck. Viktor had to loop his arm under K's to be able to touch his back as well. He was a little slower with that since there was a longer sweep of his hand from just under his shoulders to the small of his back.
"I've only got what would feel nice to a human as a frame of reference. What are your suggestions for what would feel nice to you?"
Initially K remains still, the better to concentrate on the sensations of being touched and how it makes him feel. It's so rare that he lets himself be the center of attention like this that he can't actually recall it happening before now, at least not in his android form. Gradually he arches into Viktor's touch, not so unlike how he does as a cat, clearly enjoying it, and also obliges the request by reaching up to run his fingers through Viktor's hair in turn. One of the only parts of him left unaltered by the hexcore.
"This feels good," he murmurs as he then trails his fingertips along the curve of Viktor's cheek.
There's the unique sensation of expanding awareness as their minds connect on a technological level again, initiated by K. Not with the intention of transferring any data this time, but — just to feel the connection, and take comfort in it. A level of connection not possible among humans.
This, too.
Even if it can't fully distract him from the sense of gnawing dread, it does help take the edge off it. At least Viktor is safe in his arms for the time being.
Actually, Viktor's hair has been affected. On the back of his skull, that's become a mix of metal and magic, his hair now grows out white. But that's only at the bottom, and the rest of his hair is the same brown color it's always been. The sensation of K's fingertips touching his face is surreal since no one has done that before except maybe Jayce. It's more intimate than he thought it would be.
I've never communicated this way before. But if it feels nice for you, then I want to learn.
Letting his hand drift aimlessly, he circled underneath K's shoulder blade onto his bare shoulder. Since he has been altered, he has only touched other people with the tips of his fingers. So when his palm makes contact with K's bare skin, he can feel the current of energy running down K's arm. There is an echo of his own palm touching K's arm on his arm as he does it. Slowly and carefully, his palm follows that feeling of energy until it stops at the edge of K's tank top.
Just as before, the more skin to skin contact they share, the stronger the recursive sensations become; the full press of Viktor's palm is like a rivulet of feeling becoming a river. It draws a soft, encouraging sound from K. At the request, he disentangles himself enough so he can sit up and tug off his shirt, then he's gently touching Viktor's face again as he leans down to kiss him.
Viktor responded to the kiss hungrily, eager for even the smallest part of making K feel nice. As soon as he could, his palm touched K's shoulder and followed it to the area just under K's collarbone.
I can feel your energy. I don't know if it's your inner power system or just the way that your magic spreads throughout your entire body.
It felt like different branching paths coalesced closer to the center of K's chest. From collarbone to clavicles, Viktor's touch remained light but still in contact with K's skin. What had been a ghostly echo was now something that felt so real Viktor would have sworn that the identical touch was slowly tracing across him too. But just the touch of a hand did would not seem to feel as if warm tendrils of energy were connecting the closer that Viktor was getting to the center of K's chest.
The lingering warmth left in the wake of Viktor's touch makes K feel as though, if his body were capable of it, it would be glowing in those places the same as Viktor's could now. The warmth slowly spreads of its own accord as well, and perhaps it is his own innate magic reacting to Viktor's, attracted like a magnetic force toward each other. As far as he knows, his magic stems from his altered blood and so in a practical sense, his magic and physiology could very well be one and the same, intrinsically intertwined.
He's still cupping Viktor's face with one of his hands, stroking his cheek with his thumb. It's helping to anchor K. As is so often the case with Viktor, it would be only too easy to lose himself in the shared sensations. But right now, he prefers to remain more present in the moment, taking in everything that's happening.
I think it's reacting to your magic. You can feel it too?
I don't know if it is reacting; I've never felt this way before.
Since they didn't have to talk with their mouths and neither one needed to breathe, they could continue to kiss with no interruption. Viktor shifted a little bit so the palm of his other hand could also touch K's bare chest. Magnets being attracted to each other made sense because Viktor had the urge to be as close to K as he could, which is why he wrapped one of his legs over K's thigh. His free hand moved to be in the center of K's chest and the echoed feeling was so strong that Viktor made a little half-swallowed sound into the kiss.
With one hand directly above the other, it was like something closed the circuit and just the smallest rill of magic glittered between Viktor's hands and from their up his arms and into his body. Like a stone thrown into a pond, ripples of light emanated from his shoulders down to the rest of his body.
Whatever I just did, please don't stop touching me.
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no subject
His curious exploration has already paid off judging by Viktor's reaction, and that also incites a little thrill of excitement in K that can be felt through their bond. He'd been entirely serious when he said that what he likes is the way Viktor touches him... and now he has to think on his reply, because he isn't sure he can offer a better answer than that.
"I guess I'm not sure how I like to be touched, either. It hasn't come up before. Not before you asked." Or at least no one to his knowledge has expressed interest in learning his specific preferences the way Viktor has. Maybe people incorrectly assume human biology or physiology can apply to him and that there's no reason to ask, or maybe they haven't wanted to overstep perceived boundaries, or in one case he doesn't want to think too hard about, maybe they hadn't minded one-sided intimacy. There could be any number of reasons.
"But maybe we could figure that out together, too."
no subject
"Well, the only thing that I have to go off of is what would feel nice for a human. You will have to show me a different way for you."
Having said that, Viktor reached out to take one of K's hands and pull it back to his chest by the wrist. Once K's hand was resting against his chest, Viktor let go of his wrist and pushed his hand underneath so that K's hand was sandwiching Viktor's between his hand and his chest.
no subject
"I'll enjoy learning with you." He squeezes Viktor's hand beneath his and there's a smile in his voice. "Thank you for caring this much." Reconnecting like this has been good, he thinks, and he hopes that no matter what the coming weeks may bring, they can keep holding onto each other.
"Along with matching rings, there's also things like henna," he suggests, still thinking about ways they could mark each other since it's something they both seem to like. "Ink used to draw on skin. For yours, a metallic ink would look good..." And he certainly isn't opposed to receiving love bites, as Viktor suggested, regardless of whether they leave lasting marks.
no subject
The soft kind of warmth that would usually be in addition to another stronger kind of emotion. But Viktor wasn't kidding about feeling overwhelmed. The warm feeling of affection was so strong, it was bordering on adoration. Viktor himself may have a fear of being still merged with the hex core, but since it cannot fake human emotion, this would be a direct denial of it still having influence over Viktor's mind. Viktor's metal thumb is feathered back and forth underneath K's hand right now.
"For caring this much? Hasn't anyone asked to learn how you like to be touched before? And as I understand it, henna is a temporary mark at best, so I am not sure that it would be what we're looking for in this instance."
no subject
The shared affection radiating through their bond makes it easier not to dwell on past hurts. That Viktor is able to feel this way about him to begin with is very heartening, for a variety of reasons. The most significant one being that this feels like further proof that Viktor's mind is his own.
"Bruises are also only temporary. You want something permanent?" he asks, surprise plain in his voice. Matching rings are a more suitable choice in that case. This particular subject is likely to lead to pleasant daydreams in the future as well... at least until he's right back to worrying about Viktor.
no subject
If he was the first to ever ask about it, K may not have thought of this before. It certainly would explain a few things, including why K always seemed to focus on touching Viktor whenever they had been intimate. Right now Viktor leaned in and kissed K gently but with an edge of passion. Lifting his hand while keeping K's over it, he first laid it against K's neck.
"Before, when my body was different, you talked about marking my neck or my hip, so let's start there."
K's body was humanoid enough that maybe things like lightly stroking the skin of his back might also feel nice. Or just cupping his cheek. Viktor very much doubted that K was ticklish but he planned to touch him lightly all over and see if a particular area seemed to feel better than another.
no subject
Even on a good day focussing on his own pleasure wouldn't be easy for him, with his primary concern being that his limitations will disappoint Viktor and make him feel as though his efforts are wasted on K; he was intended to facilitate others' pleasure, not experience it himself... Everything combined still presents a mental hurdle for him.
"You don't have to," he says softly. "Today has been..." It's difficult to even put it into words. He sighs in lieu of finishing the sentence. "And the last week. The last year, for you. You're allowed to rest. Just let me hold you for a while."
no subject
"For a little while I want to stop thinking about everything that's happened in this past year. I want to focus on something else. Something nice."
Now when Viktor looked back at K there was a level of pleading in his iridescent eyes.
"I know that I don't have to. I want to. It doesn't have to be anything huge, but I would want to explore you just to find out what feels nice. It could be something as simple as just rubbing your back, or running fingers through your hair. It doesn't matter, I just want to feel closer to you."
no subject
"I've only experienced either as a cat," he says with a slight smile. And he always enjoys it, so there's no reason to think he won't also enjoy it in his android form. He keeps his clothes on for the time being and adjusts his position so he's lying more on his side, giving Viktor better access to do as he wants.
"Can I do anything for you?"
no subject
"I just need to keep touching you. But...but it would be nice if you wanted to touch me too?"
He stayed gentle as he moved the one hand up to run his fingers through K's hair, slowly from the crown of his head down to the nape of his neck. Viktor had to loop his arm under K's to be able to touch his back as well. He was a little slower with that since there was a longer sweep of his hand from just under his shoulders to the small of his back.
"I've only got what would feel nice to a human as a frame of reference. What are your suggestions for what would feel nice to you?"
no subject
"This feels good," he murmurs as he then trails his fingertips along the curve of Viktor's cheek.
There's the unique sensation of expanding awareness as their minds connect on a technological level again, initiated by K. Not with the intention of transferring any data this time, but — just to feel the connection, and take comfort in it. A level of connection not possible among humans.
This, too.
Even if it can't fully distract him from the sense of gnawing dread, it does help take the edge off it. At least Viktor is safe in his arms for the time being.
no subject
I've never communicated this way before. But if it feels nice for you, then I want to learn.
Letting his hand drift aimlessly, he circled underneath K's shoulder blade onto his bare shoulder. Since he has been altered, he has only touched other people with the tips of his fingers. So when his palm makes contact with K's bare skin, he can feel the current of energy running down K's arm. There is an echo of his own palm touching K's arm on his arm as he does it. Slowly and carefully, his palm follows that feeling of energy until it stops at the edge of K's tank top.
"Could you take your shirt off, please?"
no subject
Just as before, the more skin to skin contact they share, the stronger the recursive sensations become; the full press of Viktor's palm is like a rivulet of feeling becoming a river. It draws a soft, encouraging sound from K. At the request, he disentangles himself enough so he can sit up and tug off his shirt, then he's gently touching Viktor's face again as he leans down to kiss him.
no subject
I can feel your energy. I don't know if it's your inner power system or just the way that your magic spreads throughout your entire body.
It felt like different branching paths coalesced closer to the center of K's chest. From collarbone to clavicles, Viktor's touch remained light but still in contact with K's skin. What had been a ghostly echo was now something that felt so real Viktor would have sworn that the identical touch was slowly tracing across him too. But just the touch of a hand did would not seem to feel as if warm tendrils of energy were connecting the closer that Viktor was getting to the center of K's chest.
no subject
The lingering warmth left in the wake of Viktor's touch makes K feel as though, if his body were capable of it, it would be glowing in those places the same as Viktor's could now. The warmth slowly spreads of its own accord as well, and perhaps it is his own innate magic reacting to Viktor's, attracted like a magnetic force toward each other. As far as he knows, his magic stems from his altered blood and so in a practical sense, his magic and physiology could very well be one and the same, intrinsically intertwined.
He's still cupping Viktor's face with one of his hands, stroking his cheek with his thumb. It's helping to anchor K. As is so often the case with Viktor, it would be only too easy to lose himself in the shared sensations. But right now, he prefers to remain more present in the moment, taking in everything that's happening.
I think it's reacting to your magic. You can feel it too?
no subject
Since they didn't have to talk with their mouths and neither one needed to breathe, they could continue to kiss with no interruption. Viktor shifted a little bit so the palm of his other hand could also touch K's bare chest. Magnets being attracted to each other made sense because Viktor had the urge to be as close to K as he could, which is why he wrapped one of his legs over K's thigh. His free hand moved to be in the center of K's chest and the echoed feeling was so strong that Viktor made a little half-swallowed sound into the kiss.
With one hand directly above the other, it was like something closed the circuit and just the smallest rill of magic glittered between Viktor's hands and from their up his arms and into his body. Like a stone thrown into a pond, ripples of light emanated from his shoulders down to the rest of his body.
Whatever I just did, please don't stop touching me.