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[scienceofthearcane]

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You have reached Viktor. I'm sorry I can't receive your message right now. But if you leave it for me here, I'll return it as soon as I can.

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[scienceofthearcane]

...well shit.

This had opened up a very difficult subject to navigate. If he admitted to liking the fact Jayce had never been shy about physical contact, even if Viktor absolutely could be, would that then mean that Jayce would get awkward about doing it now? Viktor had a moment of wondering if he should lie and hope to keep the same working relationship they had always had. But lying had only compounded problems or created new ones, so it was deemed as not worth it. A muscle tightened in Viktor's jaw before he spoke.

"Sometimes. Not always."

There. Make of that what you will, Jayce.

[defenderoftomorrow]

Jayce straightened a little, his cheekbones still dusted pink, but he was getting his blushing under control. Much like Viktor, he was torn about how to act next. He hadn't meant to put his partner in an uncomfortable situation, not now and not in the past. Touching others was simply Jayce's first way of expressing concern or friendliness, but he could now see how it could have been interpreted as him wanting more.  Perhaps, subconsciously, that's exactly what he was doing.

He didn't want to stop touching Viktor, is the thing, but he also didn't want to make things awkward between them. In the end, it was not his choice to make, and in part, he was grateful for that. He took a step closer, looked down between them, and brushed his hand against Viktor's before meeting the man's eyes. 

"Do you want me to stop?"

[scienceofthearcane]

Viktor stayed completely still as if Jayce were a wild animal that might get spooked and run away. Even the light touch to the back of his hand didn't make him stir, because Viktor wasn't sure what he would do if he did move.

"...no. I don't want you to stop."

And just maybe Viktor's hand did risk moving then. Maybe a single finger returned that caress to one of Jayce's fingers, only the touch was feather-light. Maybe there was also a moment in there when their eyes did meet and Jayce had a moment of seeing the intensity in Viktor's.

But in the end, it was only a moment and a fleeting one at that.

In an effort to keep himself from blushing and thus giving himself away, Viktor checks a very distinctive pocket watch that he didn't have before Valentine's day. Nor did he have the remains of a dozen roses.

"I made a resin cast of the new robotic hand. It should have hardened enough to be ready now. I wanted to add small neoprene pads to the tips of the fingers for better touch control."

[defenderoftomorrow]

Time seemed to slow down, and for a beat, it was just Viktor and him, frozen in time. Jayce liked the quiet and appreciated Viktor not pulling away in disgust when they touched.

"I don't want to stop either." His breath caught in his chest when the light touch of this hand was returned. It might have seemed small to an onlooker, but it meant the world to him. It made Jayce think: Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps...Maybe there was a chance for them. Jayce's eyes light up again, another flash of gold as their eyes meet.

It felt all too brief.

When Viktor looked away and inspected his new watch, the spell was broken Jayce looked away and cleared his throat. He closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and then looked at the arm, trying to concentrate on what Viktor was saying.

"You are doing a fantastic job with that arm. Cobb will be pleased. I've been working on the system to turn on and off the cooling system, to make the switch as small and intrusive as possible. And I've also finished the desing of Rio's aquarium tank ."

Jayce left the blueprints on the worktable and leaned to inspect the arm, curiosity piqued. He wasn't simply praising Viktor when he mentioned that his partner did a good job, it was the honest truth. There was something else that got Jayce curious.

"That's a really beautiful watch. Is it new?"

[scienceofthearcane]

The irony is that Jayce had more than a chance if either one of them would just set aside their own silly fears about making the other feel awkward. Viktor glanced once at Jayce then looked back at the watch and turned pink. He smiled as he closed it thinking of the night he got it.

"Yes. Inanna gave it to me on our date for Valentine's day. He's better at celebrating an Earth holiday than I am, I think."

[defenderoftomorrow]

One day, they might get there. One day. How long could it take them? Another decade? Hopefully not.

And now there was that lovely blush on Viktor's cheek again. Jayce was getting very fond of the view. Of course, once it was clear why Viktor was blushing, he paused and blinked in confusion.

Date?

Valentine's day date?

For a very, very brief moment, Jayce's eyes flashed green. He frowned, but it didn't last more than a second, and thankfully, Viktor was still looking at the watch. Then he felt ashamed of himself for the brief pang of jealousy and for being this selfish after Viktor had accepted his bond with K so openly.

Inanna was a good man and an even better friend. Someone who was understanding, sweet, protective, and witty. Someone who would look after Viktor and make him feel special and loved. Once Jayce faced the facts, it wasn't difficult to feel happy for them.

"That was very sweet of him, I'm glad you had a good time. I didn't know you were dating. It's good to hear he's treating you well." Jayce also had no doubt that Viktor would be just as good for Inanna as well, and the goddess deserved some real appreciation after everything he had gone through.

[scienceofthearcane]

Viktor had entirely missed that flash of green in Jayce's eyes but he looked back up now. He was still pink and still smiling. There seemed to be so few things in Viktor's life that made him smile, but speaking of Inanna always did it.

"He made it very clear that we weren't going to be exclusive from the beginning, but I don't know if he's dating anyone else. As smart and magical as he is I would not doubt it. But I'm not dating anyone else right now. so while not exclusive it is just us."

The last part was said with a bit of a shrug.

"I haven't been capable of things like dating before, so this is all still kind of new to me. It's nice though."

[defenderoftomorrow]

Probably for the better. The green was...well it was not nothing, but Jayce truly didn't want to bring jealousy into this. It was undeserved, and he was honestly glad about Viktor and Inanna had found happiness in each other.

Part of Jayce can't help but feel bad that he was too late, that now Viktor had someone who made him happy. He would not care for anyone else in that same way. That was it until Viktor clarifies that they were not exclusive, prompting Jayce's eyes to get bright gold again.

"Oh, you're not? I see...of course, right. Whatever works best for you both. I mean. That's...that's great to know."

Jayce was babbling He was aware he was babbling. Jayce couldn't stop babbling. He could, however, try not to smile like an idiot. The keyword there was 'try'.

"You deserve these things, Viktor. That kind of happiness."

I wish I could give it to you.