Chapter Text
After his many outbursts the day before, Viktor did not want to face Jayce. It felt like the skin of his face would melt off in shame the moment they locked eyes together. Like the hotness of it will pool in the crease of his eyes and seep into his sockets, getting deep into his skull and burning whatever remained of his pride.
He had acted like a child, screaming and crying. And he didn’t know if he could face that fact.
In a way he knew that’s exactly where the situation had been leading up to since the beginning, the built up frustration and pain ought to explode at some point in a way or another, Viktor just didn’t expect it to be so soon and so embarrassing.
The nicer part of him – the one that sounded eerily similar to Jayce – kept on telling him that Jayce wouldn’t mind, that Jayce was an understanding and loving man, who would be happy to know Viktor had finally gotten the frustration and sadness out of his system, and would be delighted to start a new day next to him.
The louder, colder and crueller side of him, wanted to make him believe Jayce would be entirely thrown off by Viktor’s behavior. It was extremely out of character for a man, who was known to be calm and collected, to break down in such a shameful way. He usually was one to have quiet anger, cold anger — not explosive or aggressive, but rather avoidant and calculated.
He guessed the situation warranted it.
He opted to shut his eyes tight, and wait until something, or someone, forced him to acknowledge morning had finally come, and he had to face his reality all over again.
He didn’t expect the thing that would make him open his eyes was soft humming coming from the kitchen, along with a delightful waft of something sweet — maybe oatmeal, or maybe that delicious, thick drink Jayce sometimes liked making out of cornstarch.
Viktor had been put off by it at first, cornstarch-thickened milk with sugar and cinnamon sounded downright vile. But he had given it a shot after Jayce had explained how often he’d have it as a child, and how comforting and warm it was.
Viktor later learned it was a struggle meal — the ingredients were affordable, and it was enough to keep children full for a while. Ximena couldn’t always afford a more elaborate meal.
Jayce was extremely fond of it.
Viktor, having the biggest sweet-tooth to have ever walked on earth, took a liking to it almost immediately. Jayce had served it hot in a bowl, almost like a soup, and had sprinkled cinnamon powder over it for Viktor to try. With a hesitant hand Viktor grabbed the spoon and took a bite of the silky, rich texture, only to be completely enamoured by the flavor. ‘I must admit, I didn’t expect it to be this good.’ Jayce had smiled, extremely pleased that Viktor had liked it, ‘I knew you’d love it!’.
So nested in bed, flat on his back, which was growing tired from the position, warm with a heap of blankets, Viktor silently begged that’s what Jayce was making. It would be a good enough reason to start his day.
And deep down, Viktor knew Jayce knew how hard this was for him, and maybe such a tiny thing, like a foreign struggle meal, was an act of love. Comforting and warm for both of them, familiar enough to make them comfortable, and private enough to be something uniquely theirs, something they shared.
It brought a small smile to his lips.
Out of all of the people in the world, Viktor had the sweetest most loving person as his partner — he didn’t know what he’d done to deserve to be cared for by someone like Jayce.
He breathed in deeply, and groaned when the expansion of his chest still hurt. The rods and screws were still stiff and painful, but it definitely felt better to how it’d felt during the first few days.
His body was sore, his hips and his legs felt tense. But the medication and Jayce’s massage had undoubtedly helped soothe his body. He would need to start tending to his legs again soon, doing his exercises and stretches, unless he wanted them to wither into what they’d become during the past week.
But for now, Viktor would have to take it easy as he recovered from the tremendous strain he went through the day prior.
If it gave him a break from the torture it was to try walking then Viktor would take it. However, he was growing antsy. It’d been six days since he’d been wheeled out of the operating room, and still Viktor hadn’t been able to walk. It worried him, and a nagging feeling in the back of his head kept on repeating he’d just unknowingly given up his ability to move.
The more time it took, the more he felt like he wouldn’t be able to walk again — it gave him a sense of urgency. Like he needed to get it done quickly, but he did not want to experience such mind shattering pain ever again. And pushing himself would cause only that.
He sighed and let the thought go, he could think about all of that later.
He closed his eyes again, being lulled by Jayce’s muffled humming of a familiar song in a language Viktor did not know but was starting to pick up from listening to Ximena and Jayce talk.
The soft, sweet aroma and the low sound of his lover’s happiness soothed him back to sleep.
***
Viktor came back to it when a gentle hand brushed through his hair, and both his eyelids were tenderly kissed, one after the other.
He scrunched his face at the disturbance, but smiled softly at the sweetness of his lover. He opened his eyes.
“Good morning,” Jayce spoke softly. His breath was minty and pleasant. And the refreshing smell of Jayce’s body wash and aftershave made Viktor crave burying his nose into the softness of his chest. Oh, how he missed their closeness.
“You smell good,” Viktor muttered.
Jayce smiled, “I showered.”
Viktor laughed softly, being careful not to make himself hurt. “I can tell.”
Jayce’s hair was damp and his face was freshly shaven.
Viktor had slept for longer than Jayce had anticipated, which gave him time to tend to himself while his partner got the rest he needed. The pill really had knocked Viktor out, making him sleep through the worst of it, all throughout the night and late into the morning.
“Are you ready to get up? I made some coffee.”
“Is that all you made?”
“Hmm I might have some breakfast ready.” Jayce placed his hand on Viktor’s chest, softly stroking it, bunching up the fabric of his sweater, making it catch slightly on the texture of his brace.
Viktor almost shivered with excitement. “Is it… what was the name again?”
Jayce nosed his chin and pressed a kiss, “You always forget it.”
“Do you remember the name of any of the dishes I’ve shown you?”
Jayce chuckled, “Touché.”
They stayed tenderly caressing each other for a few minutes, until Viktor decided it was time to get up.
They did it calmly and gingerly, taking their time. Viktor’s body was still tender, but not in agony. After undressing him and taking off his brace, and very gently scratching the skin under it with dull nails, Jayce managed to move him without much trouble. He’d started to get the hang of it.
A quick shower, shave and some fresh clothes left Viktor feeling more human.
After that, Jayce settled him back in bed, with a wedge behind him so he could eat. It propped Viktor up enough so he wouldn’t spill anything on himself, but kept his back supported and in a position that caused little pain. The brace, which Jayce had also made sure to fasten back on, did wonders to relieve his spine after moving around without it.
Jayce draped a blanket over Viktor’s legs before arranging the table that went over them.
He left the room shortly after that, leaving Viktor to fidget absentmindedly on one of the soft corners of the blanket while Jayce gathered their breakfast.
Jayce walked in with a tray with food for both of them, which he put on Viktor’s bedside table. Two cups of coffee, two bowls of colada and a plate with a few crackers and cut up pieces of fresh cheese. And, of course, Viktor’s morning medications — painkillers and antibiotics.
A simple breakfast, but one they both loved.
Jayce brought one of the many stools they had scattered around the house right next to the bed, so he could eat next to Vitkor. He imagined eating alone in the room would feel alienating and lonely, and he didn’t want Viktor to feel like that at all.
“Here,” he said with a smile, “I made more if you want seconds.”
Jayce placed Viktor’s bowl and spoon on his bed-desk, while he used the bedside table for himself.
“Thank you, Jayce.”
“Want any cheese or crackers?”
“No, thank you.”
Jayce shrugged, “Your loss.”
He settled on the stool and grabbed his own bowl, in which he cracked a few of the crackers and added pieces of cheese while the liquid was still steaming.
Viktor watched in horror, “You’re… a very weird man, Jayce.”
“This is the way to eat it!” Exclaimed Jayce, as he mixed it all with a spoon, “The cheese gets melty and the crackers are a nice crunch.”
“Sounds like a sensory nightmare,” said Viktor.
“No, you’re just missing out.”
“I think you need help,” Viktor joked.
Jayce laughed, “Then an entire community of people needs help. This is very common back home.”
Viktor made a sound, like a hum and a groan, skeptical. “I find it hard to believe.”
“Ask my mom.”
“I have, and she’s just as deranged, adding cheese to things that are perfectly fine without it.”
“What’s wrong with cheese?”
“Nothing, but you put it in everything and it, eh, freaks me out.”
Jayce chuckled, “Eat before it gets cold.”
Viktor brought a spoonful to his mouth.
The flavor was exactly as he remembered, and the silky texture that coated his throat warmed him up. He hummed.
“Is it good?” Asked Jayce, excited for praise.
“Yes, very good. You’re a good cook, Jayce.”
He beamed in glee. “I’m glad you like it.”
They ate in silence for a moment. Jayce added a few pieces of crushed up crackers and heat-softened cheese into every bite, while Viktor kept his plain.
Occasionally silence was broken by Viktor softly asking Jayce to pass him his coffee, which they opted not to place on the bed-desk in case it slipped off.
When both their bowls were almost empty Jayce spoke.
“I know you don’t really want to talk about it, but I would appreciate it if you told me what happened yesterday with the physiotherapist.”
He had waited until Viktor was calm and content to ask, as he knew it was probably a touchy subject.
Viktor sighed, he knew he couldn’t keep on avoiding it.
“He was just very pushy,” he explained simply, shrinking the situation that had him so shaken up the day prior.
“Pushy in what way?”
Viktor’s face pinched in discomfort. It wasn’t pleasant to remember the man who took away his agency like he had always feared. Who forced him to stand even if it hurt, and who ignored his pleads when he’d grown too tired.
“He just wouldn’t listen to me.”
“I know this is hard, Viktor, but I really need you to elaborate.”
“It was– he just—” Viktor breathed out heavily through his nose, trying to gather his words, “I had been standing for a few minutes already, stuck — I just couldn’t walk. And he expected me to push through and take the step. I tried, I really did,” he said honestly.
His voice sounded genuine – it made anger creep up Jayce’s body slowly, starting from his legs and moving all the way up to his stomach, it pooled in there, warming him up from the inside.
Viktor continued, “But my legs were getting really tired, and I knew,” he emphasized the word, “That if I kept on standing for longer I would fall, I knew it Jayce, I could feel it. My legs were shaking really bad and my back was starting to hurt a lot too — so I told him I needed to take a break–”
Jayce knew, better than anyone, how hard all of this had been for Viktor. How much it hurt physically and mentally. How much of an effort he was making to just try. Jayce knew. So the fact that someone who was supposed to help him in his recovery only managed to hurt Viktor, both physically and emotionally, made his blood boil.
“–He, uh, grabbed my arm like, really hard and wouldn’t let me go until I ‘ tried some more’ , we went back and forth for a little while, until I really felt like I was going to hurt myself, so I asked him to leave.”
“He grabbed you?” Asked Jayce with an uncharacteristically cold voice, “He grabbed you so you couldn’t sit back down?”
Viktor shrugged as best as he could, “Yes.”
“You asked for a break, you told him you were going to fall, you communicated all of this to him, and he wouldn’t let you take a break?”
“Yes.”
“And then he just left you on the couch for me to find you.”
“Pretty much.”
After so many years of knowing Viktor, he knew how much his agency meant to him, and how, in moments of vulnerability, his words were his only line of defense. After the surgery, Viktor’s only way to get his needs met was voicing them out, which was already hard enough for a man so proud and independent.
To an outsider, it might not seem like a big deal. Maybe even for the therapist what he was doing was simply a ‘push in the right direction’ — but for Viktor it was his agency being stripped away. It was his needs and wants getting ignored by the only person who was around to help him. It was a betrayal of trust. It was hurtful.
That man knew Viktor wouldn’t have been able to move from the couch after he left. He knew he was in pain due to his own fault.
“I’ll get him fired,” stated Jayce.
Despite being a kind-hearted, very loving person, Jayce had always been quick to anger and impulsive, unlike Viktor. And since he had started gaining more wealth and power, Viktor feared that all of that sometimes went to his head.
Jayce was still Jayce, and Viktor loved Jayce. But occasionally it was hard not to see piltovian entitlement in him.
“What? No. You don’t need to do that, just let it go.”
“Let it go? Viktor, he hurt you.”
“Eh, yes, but I wouldn’t like thinking that someone lost their livelihood because of me.”
“It wouldn’t be because of you, it’d be because of his actions.”
“It’s fine, Jayce. I’m okay now aren’t I?”
Jayce wanted to respond with a redundant no, Viktor wasn’t fine. He had come back home to pick up the pieces of what was left after such an experience. He had seen Viktor heave and gag with pain, he saw his body curling into itself and spasming in agony, he’d seen Viktor entirely misconfigured.
He’d seen such a raw and painful version of Viktor, as if he was nothing more than an exposed nerve. All he could do was suffer.
And Jayce was merely a man. He didn’t have the power to ignore something as divine as Viktor. He wasn’t capable of ignoring his pain.
But he was even more unable to ignore his lover’s wishes.
He looked at him helplessly, like asking for permission.
Viktor sighed. With difficulty he brought his hand up to Jayce’s face and stroked his cheek gently. “I don’t want to discuss it further.”
Jayce frowned, “So you’re just going to let it slide?”
Viktor didn’t answer.
Jayce couldn’t understand how Viktor was willing to let it go, especially after he’d seen him so devastated the day before.
He guessed, in a way, Viktor didn’t exactly blame the physiotherapist. Or didn’t think that what he did was bad enough.
It shouldn’t surprise Jayce that Viktor wouldn’t think of something like this as nothing more than a personal problem, that only he had to carry the consequences from.
“Just let it go, Jayce.”
Jayce wanted to be angry, but it was hard when Viktor was holding him so tenderly.
“Fine.”
There was a ghost of a smile on Viktor's face. Satisfied. He knew Jayce so well.
“Good,” praised Viktor.
Jayce wanted to shiver under his touch.
“I should’ve come back home sooner,” he sounded defeated.
“Don’t blame yourself. It’s okay now.”
“You were in pain,” argued Jayce.
“And you took care of me. You always do.”
Jayce looked at him, like a man would look up to a God.
It was ironic, in a way. Jayce could stand strong and proud, and from his position, he was looking down at Viktor’s battered body, but his eyes screamed nothing but adoration.
“You’re so good to me Jayce.”
It didn’t take long for Jayce to put everything away, their empty cups and clean bowls, the trays and tables. They were left forgotten in the sink. That could wait. Everything could wait.
Jayce crawled onto the bed, falling gently at Viktor’s legs, making a comfortable place for his head on Viktor’s bony thighs. The soft fabric of Viktor’s trousers felt good against his freshly shaved face.
He held himself up with his forearms, which encased Viktor’s legs, that way his entire weight wouldn’t be on his partner.
It felt good to be there, at Viktor’s feet.
If he could, he would lay entirely on Viktor’s chest, or on the thin softness of his stomach, and hear his heart, but right now, even the discomfort of Viktor’s bony legs digging at his chest felt soothing.
“You’re warm,” said Viktor.
“Yeah?”
“It feels good on my knees.”
“Then I’ll stay here for a while.”
***
Jayce moved from Viktor’s legs sooner than he would’ve liked. Mainly because his arms were growing numb, as were Viktor’s legs.
He rubbed them soothingly. He would need to tend to them again that night, and for a couple of nights after that. They really did not take the aftermath of the surgery kindly.
After that Jayce helped Viktor onto his side, wedging a small pillow between his legs, to which he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Does that feel good?” Asked Jayce.
“Yes, it feels much better.”
Jayce smiled.
He laid next to Viktor, able to look directly at his face. At the warmness of his eyes, and the small curve of his lips. To the twin moles he adored to kiss.
He smiled wider.
Viktor scrunched his face, feeling slightly exposed.
“The investor really took his time yesterday, no? What did they decide?”
“He hasn't made a decision yet, but the meeting went well, I think he will invest in that transport project Sky is working on.”
Jayce brought his hand up to rest on Viktor’s head. He played with the shorter hairs at Viktor’s nape, curling them around his finger gently.
Viktor hummed, both in understanding and relaxation. “That’s good.”
“Yeah.”
“What took you so long anyway?” Viktor asked absentmindedly, hoping Jayce would tell him more about the meeting.
“What took me so….” Something in Jayce’s face lighted up — his eyes went wide and a blinding smile bloomed. “Oh my god Viktor, how did I forget?!”
Viktor lifted an eyebrow, “Forget what?”
Jayce bounced excitedly off the bed, “Stay here, I’ll be right back.”
“Careful Jayce, I might break into a sprint.”
Jayce laughed at his sarcasm, it was refreshing. There was an air of normalcy – a shift in the atmosphere in their apartment. What the day before felt somber and dark, now felt hopeful and light.
“Please don’t,” Jayce followed along, “I need to show you something.”
Viktor smiled fondly and Jayce left the room to where things were still scattered on the floor from the day before.
He watched Jayce leave and smiled. He felt a lot better — still sore, and slightly dampened by his condition, but leaps calmer. Content, even.
Jayce came back into the room with his arms fuller than Viktor expected. A leather bag hung from his shoulder, while his arms hugged a pair of brown paper-rolled… tubes? Viktor couldn’t exactly pinpoint the outline. They were long, going from Jayce’s shoulders down to his knees, and irregularly shaped. Between them, a shorter item was held up precariously by the mangle of materials that relied on Jayce’s arm.
“What is all of this?”
Jayce smiled, gently leaning them against the wall.
“Remember when the doctor said you couldn’t use your crutch because it fucked up your posture?” Asked Jayce.
Viktor hummed.
“Right. So I thought maybe the solution to the whole posture thing would be two crutches that are a little taller than your usual one, that way you don’t have to crouch, and they help hold your weight better, as they distribute it evenly.” He spoke as he carefully unwrapped one of them. It had the same silver color as his last one, with red and gold accents that screamed nothing but Talis.
Viktor looked at it with shock. He was expecting Jayce to do something , he wasn’t expecting him to arrive home with a set of shiny new crutches.
“Wha— did you do all of this yesterday?”
Jayce laughed, “What? No. Of course not. I have been working on the crutches since the doctor told you you couldn’t use yours. When I wasn’t at the hospital with you I was at the forge.”
“What?” Viktor asked.
The sunken eyes, the tired semblance. Jayce wasn’t having trouble sleeping — Jayce was working . He was melting and hammering metal for him .
Viktor didn’t know what to say.
“That’s not all!” Jayce continued.
He grabbed the shorter piece that was also wrapped in paper. He revealed it to be a brace which looked identical to the one he already had.
“I made the joint stronger, so it won’t bend all the way, just a tiny bit, enough to give a step.”
“Jayce I—“
“This one I did yesterday, we had the old molds, I just had to change the mechanism.”
“I don’t even know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything,” Jayce said honestly.
Viktor smiled, Jayce was too good. “Thank you.”
Jayce went on a tangent, explaining how he’d made everything.
The brace was the easiest part, to Viktor’s surprise, Jayce still had the molds and the measurements from when they'd worked on it together years ago. The joint just needed a few adjustments and a sturdier material, but it didn’t take Jayce more than a few hours to complete it. The crutches, on the other hand, were an original design, which provided more support to Viktor’s back and stood a bit taller than the last one, which prevented Viktor from leaning to the side while walking.
He’d been working on them since Viktor’s first attempt to walk at the hospital, and after confirming with the surgeon that two crutches were far better than just one, he wasted no time in starting working on them.
“You don’t have to thank me,” said Jayce.
“Of course I do. You did this for me,” Viktor pointed out.
“Viktor,” he smiled, “This is nothing. I’d do anything for you.”
That effectively shut Viktor up. He never quite knew how to properly react to Jayce’s devotion. Not that it wasn’t requited, Viktor just wouldn’t voice out the lengths he’d go for Jayce. It felt too intimate.
His face warmed up. “Don’t say things like that.”
Jayce laughed.
“Want to try them?”
“Tomorrow, Jayce. Let me rest today.”
And so Jayce did.
***
The day after came quicker than Viktor had expected. The afternoon passed by in a blur of domestic bliss, in which he finally allowed Jayce to freely take care of him.
He tried to enjoy it, Jayce’s attentions were tender and sweet — he fed him, clothed him, massaged him and overall loved him. If Viktor put aside his pride and his guilt, it wasn’t half bad.
Jayce had also brought him some of his notebooks and blueprints from the lab, which meant he’d be able to continue some of his projects even while he healed, especially with the nice desk Jayce had gotten for him.
Viktor was, slowly but surely, growing more comfortable with the fact that he’d have to stay home and almost bedbound for a considerable period of time.
Jayce made sure to make it a lot more bearable.
That night Jayce set him on his side, which allowed Viktor to spoon him to sleep. Viktor’s arms wrapped as tightly as they could around Jayce’s strong torso — for the first time in weeks he indulged in touching his partner like he longed to do. His thin fingers traced the pattern of his chest and his abdomen, dipping down the curve of his navel and the strong muscle of his hips. Jayce was truly a work of art.
His body was strong but pliant, so obedient and untouched by pain. Viktor could only admire it from afar and thank he had such a wonderful body in his arms at all times. He was glad it was Jayce’s — he hoped Jayce would never have to experience feeling like a stranger in his own body, he hoped it would always obey him, unlike Viktor’s.
Oh, he begged, that life wouldn’t change for Jayce.
Jayce made a show of waking him up. He turned in his arms and nuzzled against his neck, pressing kisses along the thin column of Viktor’s Adam's apple — he didn’t bite, like he liked to do, he wanted to wake Viktor up gently, not aroused and bothered.
Viktor woke with a groan, which only made Jayce open his mouth slightly, to dampen the skin of Viktor’s sensitive pulse with the heat of his lips.
“What are you doing?” Asked Viktor.
“Waking up my beautiful partner,” he said, as if it was obvious, “Mind your business.”
The rare times in which Jayce was sarcastic amused Viktor immensely, and this time it was not the exception. A laugh came directly from his belly, making his entire body tense.
He smacked Jayce softly on the back of his head, “Don’t make me laugh, it hurts.”
Jayce kissed his neck some more as an apology, “Sorry, baby.”
Viktor sighed — the feeling was delightful. Softly pleasurable and intimate. If it wouldn’t cause tremendous pain, Viktor would have probably asked Jayce to fuck him awake, but alas, it was not possible.
Something stirred low on Viktor’s abdomen. A subtle tingle that slowly grew more present.
“S-stop Jayce you’re going to… rile me up.”
“So?”
“I hate to be the one to break this to you but if we were to have sex I don’t think I’d make it out in one piece.”
Jayce complained, a whiny little sound that made Viktor laugh again.
“You’re so needy,” said Viktor.
Jayce unlatched from his neck, which was already growing tender and red. He kept his head tucked there, tickling Viktor with his breath.
“You love it,” said Jayce.
Yes, Viktor did.
***
Further than having atrophied muscles and bone pain, Viktor’s leg was turned inward. His toes shifted toward his middle, and his ankle turned awkwardly whenever he walked.
The twist only got worse as the years passed, and the brace that encased his entire leg, from the sole of his foot up to his thigh, not only served the purpose of keeping his leg from bending under his weight, it also helped immensely to keep his leg looking forward. Which lessened his limp and made his already terrible posture a little bit better.
But it wasn’t all good — the position, which was unnatural to his body, his leg was forced into, tended to hurt the place where his femur met his hip. Pain in the joints, in Viktor’s eyes, is one of the worst types of aches — it irradiates to the rest of the limb, form the socket of his hip to the tip of his toes, in a thin line that ran close to his bone, too deep for his fingers to try and soothe.
Viktor had to pick his poison.
Either be unable to walk, or deal with the pain of having his leg encased and tortured under his weight.
Viktor chose the latter, and paid the consequences.
He had learned to live with it, and was grateful for the ability to walk for periods of time thanks to the brace and his crutch, even if that meant more frequent flare ups and the constant bruising from the brace.
Jayce had very gently suggested they design a wheelchair too, when they were first brainstorming for his crutch and his brace, to which Viktor had vehemently opposed. But he sometimes wished he would’ve taken Jayce up on that offer.
He was reminded of the pain of getting his leg to face forward again as Jayce, as carefully as he could, fastened the new brace in place.
He started with his foot, which had a thick sock covering it to protect it from chafing and bruising. He grabbed it with his two hands, one on the outer side of his heel, holding it in place, making very slight pressure inwards, and the other closer to his toes, on the inner side of his foot. That hand made more pressure outwards, forcing Viktor’s entire leg to shift from its unhealthy position, to how it was originally supposed to look had he not been born the way he was.
Viktor hissed, the shift was always uncomfortable, but not overly painful, the pain always came later.
“That good?” Asked Jayce.
“Yes.”
He held Viktor’s foot in place with his right hand, while his left hand fumbled to slip the brace in place from below, encasing the entirety of Viktor’s leg, starting from his foot, going up to his calf, knee and finally his thigh.
Jayce wasted no time in fastening the straps that held the foot in place tightly, making sure it wouldn't go back to its original position as he worked on the rest of the straps.
The brace tightened quickly. A familiar feeling that even if uncomfortable, made Viktor feel more like himself. He was used to it. Similarly to how people who wear watches get used to always having one on them, and feel like something is missing whenever something isn’t encasing their wrist.
“How does that feel?” Asked Jayce, who was still holding his leg.
“Good, thank you.”
Jayce smiled, pleased with himself.
Jayce put some pressure on his calf, trying to bend his leg, which only did so very slightly, until it came to a halt at a very open obtuse angle, just enough to take a step.
“Does it pinch anywhere?”
“No, it’s perfect.”
“Good, then I guess we’re ready to go,” The excitement in Jayce's voice was palpable.
“I’m kind of… nervous about the crutches,” admitted Viktor.
That caught Jayce’s attention. “Why?”
“I’ve always had a bit of, eh, trouble getting used to new aids.”
Despite spending so much time with him, Viktor had never mentioned this to Jayce.
“Wait, really?”
Viktor hummed. “I used to use my cane wrong,” he confessed, “Until I was like, twenty something. I wonder if that fucked up my back….”
It was rare for Viktor to talk about himself so openly, so Jayce listened. Almost scared of making noise, as if he opened his mouth would scare Viktor away.
“I mean, fucked up my back even more,” he chuckled, “My back has always been wrong, but it wasn’t until it really started hurting that I realized I had awful posture due to the cane.”
Jayce started counting dates in his mind. “When was that?”
“Hmmm, many years ago. Around that time we made the brace, and the crutch, which really helped.”
At the time, when they were just friends, Viktor was very secretive about his medical life. He would disappear on random days — be it due to a flare up or to a visit to the hospital. Jayce was always worried, but he never felt like he could ask. Viktor wouldn’t let him. He was dismissive. But he does remember when Viktor swapped sides for his cane.
It wasn’t long after that that they designed his crutch together. Jayce was the only one of them who knew how to work such big pieces of metal, so Viktor couldn’t exactly hide it.
They spent a lot of time together at the forge.
They were enjoyable days, the ones he spent looking at Jayce, tanned and strong, sweating in front of the fire. Viktor’s mouth salivated as he watched him hammer the piece of metal that would later keep him upright.
Viktor held the crutch close to his chest after that. Marked with the Talis house symbol. Marked for him. He fell asleep that night thinking of a future he thought he couldn’t have, next to Jayce.
Oh, how life changes.
Now Viktor not only had a symbol to hold close to his chest, but Jayce himself. They lived together, and Jayce had proven his love for him more times than Viktor could count.
He looked back at himself, at the young man who thought the most he’d get out of Jayce was a friendship and smiled.
Life really does change.
“Well, I hope this brace and these crutches help too,” said Jayce.
Viktor smiled, “Me too.”
***
Viktor was again settled on the sofa, with his bad leg fully extended, as he couldn’t bend it due to the new brace.
Jayce stood in front of him, ready to help him in case he needed it.
He held the handle of the two crutches, one in each hand.
“Ready to try?” Asked Jayce.
“Yes,” Viktor was determined.
It was hard to stand with his bad leg in the way, but Viktor had done it so many times that, with the help of the crutches, it didn’t take him any longer than it did in his past attempts.
As soon as he was standing Jayce helped settle the crutches under his arms correctly.
The handles were made of soft leather, and the armrests too were comfortable. Jayce made them so they wouldn’t chafe the sensitive skin of his underarm.
It was such a small detail that he put thought into. Viktor would have to properly thank him later.
“How does that feel?” Asked Jayce.
“Stable,” said Viktor.
“And the brace?”
Viktor hadn’t put his foot fully in the ground yet. Too used to relying solely on his good leg.
He took a deep breath before finally settling weight on the new brace, which, as Jayce had explained, bent only slightly, but it felt firm enough to not let him fall.
“It’s good.”
It took a bit of coaxing, but Viktor eventually gathered enough courage to actually take a few steps, and for the first time in a week, he managed to walk further than two steps.
His pace was slow, and his demeanor was unsure, but he made it across the living room.
His legs were firm enough to hold him up, and the crutches at both his sides helped him keep his balance. It was painful, more painful than he would’ve liked. Lifting the crutches tugged at his cut, and his legs felt tired, but he was walking, actually walking.
A huge smile threatened to split Jayce’s face into two with how wide it stretched. If Viktor was looking, he would be able to see almost all his teeth, the gap between them.
Viktor had a smile on his face too, which grew from being a press of the lips, to a toothy smile. The small crooks of his canines peeked over his lower lip.
Jayce loved the sight. He wanted to kiss Viktor’s smile silly.
“Viktor you’re doing it!”
“I suppose I am,” he said giddily.
“How does it feel?”
“Easier.”
***
It did become easier, the more he walked.
Jayce was strict about encouraging him to walk around for at least 20 minutes every day for the first week.
The time just kept on increasing after that.
Despite not being able to do a lot of things on his own at first, like holding himself up in the shower, or lifting his arms for long enough to wash his hair, or bend down to put on his shoes or slip on his pants, his new mobility allowed him to walk around the apartment when needed.
It gave him back a bit of the independence he’d thought he’d lost.
The recovery, as expected, was slow, and there were days in which Viktor’s back felt strong and firm, and others in which its pain felt worse than it did at the beginning.
It was full of ups and downs — so fast and ever-changing that a lot of times Viktor felt like stumbling and falling.
But Jayce was always there to catch him, figuratively and literally.
His stitches got taken out.
He’d been nervous to visit the hospital again. Afraid they’d tell him something else was wrong, or that he wasn’t healing correctly, but all he got was the green light to move around a bit more, maybe even go back to doing light chores and standing for longer.
It was freeing.
The crutches helped immensely for the first couple of weeks, until Viktor’s leg — under Jayce’s tender care — went back to normal. Still crooked and weak, but able to hold him up with a little help. After that, they only got in the way, so, working hard to keep his posture as straight as possible, he went back to using just one crutch and his old brace.
It felt normal.
Viktor was back to feeling like himself.
It would take months to be able to go back to his normal life and for the pain to dissolve completely. But, for once, Viktor was content with that fact.
A month and a few days into his recovery, the sun shone a little brighter, and Viktor’s side of the bed warmed up deliciously with its rays.
Viktor was awoken gently with a feeling of normalcy with a small sliver of determination.
Grabbing his crutch he stood from the bed carefully. He was as quiet as a person with a crutch could be — not that it mattered, Jayce slept like a rock.
He headed to the kitchen.
The wooden floor of their apartment looked like honey under the light of the morning, Viktor breathed in deeply, the air was cold. With his free arm, wrapped his cardigan a little tighter around himself.
He stood in front of the coffee machine. It felt like ages since he last used it. It was like seeing an old friend.
Viktor smiled at it and grabbed the bag with ground coffee that always sat next to it, and a spoon from the drying rack.
He wanted to make some coffee for Jayce, like he used to do before. He could surprise him with it.
Yes, he’d like that.
As the boiling water dropped slowly into the ground beans, seeping them to their core and squeezing out their flavor, Viktor breathed in deeply, it didn’t hurt to expand his chest anymore.
The rich aroma soothed him.
Oh, he’d missed this.
He prepared two mugs, one for Jayce, one for him. As was usual, only a splash of milk for Jayce, and a considerable amount of sugar for him.
He took a small sip from the too-hot liquid and closed his eyes, savoring it.
It was nice. He was eager to wake Jayce up and surprise him with it.
A swirl of happiness danced in his chest. An excitement he was not expecting.
In the middle of the kitchen, holding a cup of coffee that was meant for his lover, Viktor had a realization:
He was going to be okay.