Chapter Text
After the world ends, the first thing he sees is a butterfly.
Delicate, translucent, perching on meadowgrass--
Meadow? Grass? Sky. Snow. Jayce jerks awake, except not awake but... into new sensation. Warm sunshine and the bite of frosty air. Dew seeping through the picnic blanket that he lies on -- that they lie on.
Viktor faces him, dozing peacefully. As if they had fallen asleep forehead-to-forehead instead of...
What? Getting obliterated into stardust? Cast into the deepest depths of the Arcane? It's not like Jayce knew what he was doing. When he handed the rune to Viktor, it was... instinct. The only thing he knew for certain was that he didn't want Viktor to be alone.
They are alive. Alive.
Viktor sleeps. Jayce can't stop staring at the human wholeness of him. His hair is long and grey-streaked like the Herald's, but tied neatly into a ponytail. Well-tailored winter clothes in cream-and-white (Talis colors, the back of his mind supplied helpfully), and no augments. Not that Jayce would've loved him less without augments, but this means...
He doesn't know what it means.
Jayce examines himself. His hair is clipped short again, his beard neatly trimmed. There's a constant twinge in his shin, but the feeling is minor enough that it can be pushed to the back corner of his mind. The brace flexes without discomfort.
His hands are weathered and calloused. He vaguely notes that the dirt under his fingernails is gone, alongside the scabbed skin and dried blood from his attempt to climb through an apocalypse.
Digging around their (presumed) belongings yields some answers. The picnic basket contains brochures, train tickets, and pre-written postcard to Cait that has yet to find a mailbox. It seems like they are on a vacation through the Freljord, and by the postcard's vague and cheerful tone, not much is amiss.
Viktor inhales sharply and Jayce rushes back to him. As much as this world feels like a pleasant dream, Viktor gasps like he's clawing awake from a nightmare. No doubt readjusting to yet another new body. Jayce holds him steady.
"Jayce?" Viktor looks around wildly until he finally registers that he's in Jayce's lap, "Where are we?"
"Don't know."
"Are we dead?"
"Don't think so."
Viktor's brow furrows, "It hurts."
"What does?"
"My leg," Viktor says, and they find it stiff and barely responsive. When Jayce digs his fingers into his thigh, Viktor groans quietly.
"It's just a cramp," Jayce murmurs. They've been here before; late nights at the lab, Viktor struggling to stand after hours hunched over the desk. Jayce works his strong hands into the muscle until Viktor's leg relaxes. Even then, it doesn't seem to obey Viktor's wishes.
"Take a deep breath," Jayce presses a hand to Viktor's chest, and they find no obstruction. No rattling coughs or blood staining handkerchiefs. Jayce touches his waist, feeling the imprint of metal and gears through his shirt. So he still has the back brace. The intimacy of it all hits him, and Jayce draws his hand back, "Sorry, I'm all over you."
Viktor laughs, and Jayce thrills at the sound. No hacking coughs to follow, no arcane distortion, just... affection. "No," Viktor says, "It's alright."
Jayce takes that as permission to hug him, and they just hold each other. Just for a little while.
Jayce's stomach interrupts them with a growl. "Oh, there's food!" he scrambles for the picnic basket. They unwrap familiar-looking sandwiches, "Looks like I packed this myself. When's the last time you've eaten?"
"Since the explosion," Viktor nibbles tentatively, and then seems to find his appetite.
Jayce stares at him, forgetting his meal, "The... The council explosion?"
"I had no need of it," Viktor stares off into the distance, absentminded, "Which had been a constant dream."
"Yeah, you got that right," Jayce scoffs, "No eating, no sleeping, just... lab. Well, you're not doing any more of that here."
"Here," Viktor mused, "Where is here?" He starts to get up, but Jayce makes him sit and finish the meal.
The view from the picnic is breathtaking -- glacier lakes and icy peaks -- but the moment Jayce crests the hill it's clear that they're not the only ones who noticed. They're a stone's throw from a clifftop hotel. As he watches, a small figure emerges, pushing an empty wheelchair.
His mother.
Warmth blooms in Jayce's chest. There's nothing more he wants than to run down the hill into her arms, but... Viktor first.
The crutch is nowhere to be found, and they conclude that Jayce must've carried Viktor up the hill. Viktor's cheek colors when Jayce offers to do so again.
"That's... People would see..." he mutters.
"Who cares?" Jayce tests his own leg, and deems that he can certainly take on more weight. There's a vague ache in his knees, which must be a sign of age, "And my mother's waiting."
"I..." Viktor shies away, shame burning his cheeks.
"You remember what I said, right?" Jayce can't help but touch him again, settling his arm against the small of Viktor's back, "If you need help, I want to help. I would never--"
"I know," Viktor sighs, and miraculously, wraps his arms around Jayce's neck, "Let us get this over with."
Jayce lifts him in a princess carry, picnic basket resting in Viktor's lap. Ximena waves at them as they descend the hill.
"You're so light," Jayce comments, and it's so good to feel Viktor's arms gripping his shoulders, hair tickling his cheek. He feels solid and warm, and it seems like this body has gained a healthy amount of weight. Jayce readjusts his hold, "This is way better than last time."
Viktor chuckles, disbelieving, "Excuse me? Last time? Even after an all-nighter, I wouldn't have let you carry me."
"After the explosion," Jayce murmurs, "They, um... tried to revive you. Before I carried you back to the lab myself."
Viktor's expression is unreadable when they reach the bottom of the hill. Jayce doesn't care. They'll have to talk about it eventually. Maybe even fight about it. But he's not going to leave. He sets Viktor down in the chair as gently as possible, and sweeps his mother into a hug.
"Missed you." It's difficult not to bury his nose in her hair, to let all the loneliness and neediness seep out. He's ached for her presence since he was at the bottom of that godforsaken ditch.
"Has it been years since breakfast?" she laughs, and he hugs her tighter, "What's gotten into you?"
"Sorry. Maybe I'm feeling off. We napped. Lost track of time."
"So you have, we're close to missing our train," she releases him and shakes a threatening finger at both of them, "Go and pack up. And I don't want to walk into you two distracting each other again."
His cheeks redden at the accusation, "Mom..."
She laughs and pinches Viktor's cheek. He shakes himself from whatever feelings he's having about the chair, and smiles at her. It's a little wooden -- Viktor and Ximena were familiar in their world, but not this familiar. Thankfully she doesn't seem to notice the difference.
Ximena starts to push Viktor's chair, presumably to the room they're meant to pack up. Jayce watches as Viktor visibly bites down his protests, and ambles alongside as Ximena talks about the local flora and fauna she's observed. They both smile at her descriptions -- Jayce got the hammer business from his father, and his curiosity from his mother.
Just as Ximena rushes off to get her own bags, a shout comes from the other side of the promenade.
"Professor Talis!" A young man strides towards them, clad in skiing gear, Academy-crest pin gleaming on his jacket. A student, then, fresh-faced and eager. Jayce raises his hand in greeting but the kid breezes right past him. He stops a respectable distance from Viktor's chair.
"I tried to sign up for your class this semester, but the waitlist was miles long," the kid gushes, "I read your latest paper. It's brilliant! Is there any way--" Viktor raises a polite hand, and he immediately shuts up.
"And when did you sign up?" Viktor is improvising beautifully, his smile warm and wry like he really was a popular professor.
"Professor... The signup windows are unfair to late risers," The kid pouts, "Please consider taking on one more student... Or adding another class, even, there's more than enough demand to warrant it--" he finally seems to notice Jayce and suddenly looks embarrassed, "Sorry for interrupting your vacation. I'll talk to you more on campus!"
As the kid bounds away, Jayce and Viktor share a look.
"Lead the way, Professor Talis," Jayce tries to joke, but his heart lodges in his throat and he ends up dropping their room keys into Viktor's lap.