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Jayce comes back to him reeking of heat.
He looks just as he did when Viktor saw him through Salo's eyes; dirty, shaking, baring his teeth in fear. It's nothing like the Jayce he remembers. The one who smiled and laughed at Viktor's sarcastic humor, the one who couldn't get enough of his personal space.
It's been months, here in the commune without his partner. At first it had been fine- Viktor had made the choice to leave him first, after all. But as the weeks, months, passed there was a subtle but distinct longing in his chest. Viktor began to reminisce about his days in the lab, the moments spent with Jayce.
First it was wandering thoughts. What was Jayce up to? Did he miss him? Viktor was sure he did, given the tantrum Jayce threw when he left for his calling down in the fissures. In that moment Viktor hadn't reacted to it, but the more he thought about it the more guilt crept in; had he been too cruel to Jayce, leaving him behind?
There was worry too, spreading through Viktor's mind like spilled ink. His partner had been shirtless but wrapped in bandages- what had happened, what had caused that? The last thing he remembered was sitting in Jayce's chair in the council room, his next being his escape from the hexcorized cocoon.
Some days Viktor thought, briefly, of returning to Piltover, just to check in on his partner.
But his commune was expanding, the demand for his services higher. Even with the help of his closest members like Huck- and before he had been taken out, Salo- helping manage day to day happenings, Viktor was needed nearly every moment.
But sometimes, when he was meditating and connected to the arcane, Viktor imagined his partner. One day it'd be a scene of him climbing back up to Piltover, sneaking into the lab that had once been their's, and seeing what had happened to his partner. Other days it was Jayce joining the commune, wrapped in white robes and shimmering fingerprints glowing on his skin.
But the months passed and there was no sign of his partner. Even when Salo had come down, wheeled in and legs atrophied, there was no news of Jayce.
"And how is..." he had hesitated for a moment before gaining his nerve, "Jayce?"
"Gone," Salo had said simply, refusing or unable to elaborate.
Viktor had taken the news in stride- what else could he do? His commune needed him and the note he had left Jayce on was more than bitter; would he even accept Viktor back, with open arms as he always did? Or would he shun him, kick him from their lab.
"You said affection held us together," maybe Jayce would say. "There's no more of that now."
It had... disheartened Viktor, even with his regulated emotions. He missed Jayce, as much as he could. He wanted back those days in lab, bouncing ideas off eachother. The days in Jayce's apartment, feet tangled together as they sat on the couch and read their own books.
But now that had all changed, and Jayce was back.
It had been hours since Salo had been crushed by Jayce's hammer. Viktor had waited nervously, anxiously awaiting the next sighting of his seemingly feral partner.
And now he here he was, and beyond his haggard appearance Viktor noted something else: Jayce was in heat.
It sent memories rushing back, of Jayce's past heats.
It had been nearly two years into the partnership when they had gotten together, and months later Jayce's heat had come. His partner had insisted that he would want no one but Viktor with him during such a vulnerable time, but he had hesitated.
What good could Viktor do? A lame, limping alpha with no social standing. Not only that but Viktor had no experience with an omega, let alone one in heat.
But Jayce had been stubborn, not budging an inch on the subject. "You're my partner, V." He had said, smiling and hands gentle on his shoulders. "There's no one else I'd want here with me."
That first heat had been awkward, Viktor fumbling around without a clue on what to do. And in the throes of his heat and instincts, Jayce hadn't been able to speak much. He had been hesitant to have sex with his partner, scared that's he'd either mess something up or hurt Jayce when he was unable to speak up and defend himself.
But when the heat had faded and left Jayce more snuggly than needy, he had thanked Viktor like he had personally hung the stars for him.
From then on Viktor had become more confident during Jayce's heats. He learned what Jayce did and didn't like: he loved Viktor asserting himself, giving into his instincts by growling and pushing Jayce around. He didn't like being on top of Viktor, though sometimes it was necessary- his leg could only handle so much strain so later in the heat Jayce would have to settle for riding him.
The first day was fine, Jayce clingy and grumbling. He'd, stubbornly, come to the lab, smelling like sugar and citrus. There was nothing Viktor could do to convince him to stay at home, even when Jayce complained of cramps and the stuffiness of the lab.
The second and third day were harder, Jayce falling deep into instincts.
He'd whine and keen, wordlessly begging Viktor to come closer, even if he was already in their nest. Then he'd become restless, fussing over the blankets and scenting everything, most often Viktor.
Viktor would keep up with Jayce's needs as much as he could. He'd bring his muscle relaxants, his better pain killers, his leather leg brace that wouldn't pinch either of their skin during their frantic movements. He'd bully Jayce onto his back, rub his wrists against his partner to scent him; he strived to get Jayce purring everytime, which was an easy task given how smitten he was during his heats.
The fourth day was secretly Viktor's favorite. The day when Jayce was sated enough to come out of his instincts but too tired and clingy to get out of the nest for more than a drink of water or a hot bath.
They'd sleep in, spend hours curling around each other, lazily nuzzling eachother's necks and pressing wrists to the other. Then they'd slowly wake up a little; Viktor would cook them a late lunch as Jayce took a bath. They'd eat at the table, only because he insisted they avoid crumbs in the nest. They'd grab books or notes taken from the lab and quietly settle back into their nest, working, pressed side to side.
But that had been too long ago, and now Jayce smelt different, was different.
The sugary smell had become burnt, the citrus that once clung to him gaining the sickly-sweet scent of rot. Also taken into account was the mustiness that cloaked Jayce now too, covered in dirt and, more worryingly, blood. He looked much worse than when Viktor had left him, though if he still bore bandages he couldn't tell as he wore his- now rather ratty- white coat.
Gently, so as to not startle this new form of his partner, Viktor descended from his place at the top of his dome. The arcane tendrils slowly withdrew from him; Jayce's face pinched in fear and distrust, hands tightening on the handle of his hammer as Viktor moved. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Viktor moved towards his partner.
He knew Jayce was different now, feral, smelling of stress and sickened heat, but the greater part of him knew Jayce would never hurt him.
Viktor takes all but three steps towards his partner when Jayce bares his teeth, shakily raising the head of his hammer. He takes a stumbling step back, more of a shuffle than anything, and winces in pain when his braced leg moves- what had happened to his leg? Since when had Jayce learned to bare the pain of a body that didn't work?
A growl, low and raspy, builds in his throat. It's a warning, weak as it is. Stay back, he says without his words.
In that moment Viktor realizes this isn't the easy start or slow end of his heat, that Jayce must be deep into his instincts. It's... unfortunate, given Jayce's fragile nature. In his imagings of Jayce and his acceptance into the commune, Viktor had thought they'd speak thoroughly about their new work together. He hadn't thought his partner would come back to him like this, feral and untrusting, locked behind a wall of instincts and, as he was sure, discomfort from his unsated heat.
Even so, with all his bravado and posturing and hefted up hammer, Viktor can't help but smile. "Jayce," he says softly, stepping forward with his hands out, soothing the animal that is his partner. "I've missed you."
Jayce backs up another step, fingers tightening on the handle of his weapon. He growls again, though his expression is nothing but fear.
Viktor hesitates- when had Jayce ever been scared of him? Besides the fact that Jayce was twice his size and more than three times stronger than him, he had never felt anything but love for him. He had seen many of Jayce's expressions over the years, who couldn't when they spent hours upon hours together, but never before had he seen this, seen true fear.
He lowers his hands, taking a moment to observe his partner more closely.
Jayce is dirty, yes, but there's something else about him. His usually well kept and cropped hair is long now, oily strands lumped together and hanging in front of his eyes. His cheeks are thinner now, almost sunken in; his stance is weak, wobbling against the instability of his injured and braced leg. This is more than misguided instinct, this is true harm that's befallen his partner.
"Jayce," Viktor sighs gently, worriedly. "What- what happened to you?"
Jayce, as he's now learning to expect, doesn't answer, simply growling and baring his teeth. He aims to lift the hammer, but his arms shake and it drops further down, nearly touching the floor. Whatever has happened, it's obvious that Jayce's mind has been altered.
It's now that Viktor remembers the confrontation in the chambers, seeing Jayce through Salo's eyes. He had felt it then, the changes in his partner that weren't physical- the arcane ran through Jayce now, but not as fluidly as it did through Viktor. There was something jagged about it, wild and lashing out. He had watched, and felt, as Jayce and his mind had shuttered, body flinching away from something internal.
"The arcane," he says, taking another step closer, raising his hands up half way to his chest in an attempt to keep Jayce soothed. "It has changed you, your mind."
Jayce growls, lifting the hammer. But his arms finally give out and the weapon thuds heavily to the floor. In the next moment, Jayce's eyes flutter closed, his scent shifting bitterly, and he whines. He drops to his knees, whimpering and shaking- even in his fear it seems his mind can't help but recognize Viktor, his mate.
Viktor steps forward, crouching down in front of his partner. He reaches out, aiming to brush the a strand of hair from Jayce's face. But the moment his fingers make contact Jayce whimpers, flinching violently away. He curls over his legs, pressing his forehead to the cold floor, shaking and dirt covered hands coming up to grip his hair desperately.
"Oh Jayce," he whispers softly, feeling his transformed heart break.
He couldn't imagine what has happened to his Jayce, to have caused such violent and disorientating changes. And to not only survive that, but to be thrown into a heat too- his partner is strong, Viktor knows, to prevail like this. To, even in his weakest and most vulnerable moments, beaten down and fearful and changed by the arcane, come crawling back to him proved that somewhere down in there his mate was still in there. Even if Jayce doesn't trust him yet, Viktor knows he'll do anything to work his way back into his partner's heart.
He waits Jayce out, letting him come apart in relative peace.
Still whining, Jayce shakes on the ground. His fingers clench in a stuttered rhythm against strands of hair, occasionally pressing down against his skull. He quakes like a cornered and injured animal, cowering in the face of a predator- Viktor hates to think that. To know that now, for some reason, his partner views him as a threat.
It takes awhile for Jayce to calm down, all the while his scent pours through the air of the dome. Burnt and rotten, Viktor can smell the fear beneath the heat. There's also something else there too, another piece of his scent Viktor recognizes: the longing. The desperate and wordless call for a partner, for comfort and coddling. Jayce may not be a typical omega, small and slight, but he still had the instincts of one.
Eventually the fear withers away, giving way to the somewhat less bitter scent of a heat sick omega. Jayce's whines pick up again, though not as fearful, instead calling out for his mate, begging for a response.
Viktor feels nothing towards it, not like he used to.
Before he would have curled up to his partner, would have pet over his scent glands and body. He'd settle his restless omega by being close and fussing over him, giving into his own instincts to protect and provide. Then he'd answer with his own calls, rumbling chuffs and his own purring, deeper than Jayce's, responding to his mate's calls.
Now though, he feels no call of instincts, no urging, inner need to soothe the upset omega before him. His heart, distant and subtle as it is now, aches faintly for Jayce, but he feels no overwhelming need to comfort him like he knows he used to.
Jayce gives a high whine, loud and reedy, all but begging for a response.
Unable to help himself, Viktor shushes him, hand trying again to reach out. This time, when he makes contact, Jayce leans into it, so much so he nearly topples onto his side. He lifts his head, staring through glassy eyes at Viktor, mouth parted as he pants and whimpers.
"Jayce," he says gently. Even deep in his heat, Jayce could gather himself enough to speak when he needed to, he just needed a little urging. But, instead of calling him gently from his instincts, his voice seems to upset Jayce further. He keens, tears gathering in his eyes and breath coming out in harsher pants. One hand lets go of his hair, whipping out to snatch Viktor's outstretched wrist in a shaking but tight and desperate grip.
"You must calm yourself," Viktor urges gently, brow creasing as he watches the crumbling mess of his partner. Shaking, Jayce tightens his grip on his wrist, tears now leaking slowly from the corners of his eyes. Viktor opens his mouth, going to attempt to soothe his partner, when Jayce suddenly lets go.
In an unexpected move Jayce places his hands on the floor and crawls.
It's only a few short shuffles but it surprises Viktor nonetheless, especially when Jayce sobs and drops his weight into his lap.
Jayce's hands come to clutch at Viktor's hips, fingers digging into the small groves of his body beneath his robe. His head wriggles in Viktor's lap, rubbing off tears- and most likely snot- onto the soft fabric. His body shakes with sobs, growing from quiet to audible in a worryingly quick moment.
Viktor, once again, hesitates, unsure of what to do. Even during his rougher heats Jayce had never been this upset. Though, he acknowledges, he also had never been beaten down, dirty and reeking of fear and rotten fruit. Not for the last time, Viktor hopelessly wonders what's happened to his precious boy.
"Shh," he says, unable to help the hand drifting to Jayce's head. He pets gently, stroking his oily hair in light touches- when this is over, when Jayce is more himself, Viktor will bathe him. Wash the grime and filth from his partner's body, soothe his new aches and work this quivering fear out of him. Now, though, Viktor plans only to calm Jayce down.
"My Jayce," his sighs softly, brow still pinched in dampened concern. He looks down at him, at his ratty hair and shaking body, and feels his subtle heartbeat skip. "You've been deeply hurt by the arcane, haven't you? You have grown fearful of it, of me."
Jayce hears him, he thinks, because he clings tighter, shoving his face harder into his lap and choking on a sob. He's not sure how much his partner can understand right now, but he hopes that at least his calming and gentle tone breaks through the haze of his instincts.
Viktor spends the next long minutes simply petting Jayce's head, waiting for him to calm down. It takes awhile, longer than he likes, for Jayce to come to an end of his crying. He still sniffles and adjusts himself in Viktor's lap, trying to burrow through his robe and into his skin. It's... pathetic, in all honestly, to see the usually proud and healthy Golden Boy be reduced to a crying and shaking mess of broken instinct.
Viktor waits a few moments after Jayce mostly stops his break down before he speaks, keeping his voice quiet and soothing.
"Why don't you come with me," he suggests, slipping his hands down to cradle Jayce's cheeks. He pulls lightly, just enough to get Jayce to lift his head and meet his eyes; they're red and irritated, watery with tears still, pupils thin and shaking. Another part of him breaks despite not feeling much emotion these days; his perfect boy, broken and shaking. "I have the nest ready for you," he encourages.
It had been sentiment- the same reason he gave to Jayce back when he emerged from his cocoon and left him- that spurred him into making and maintaining a nest in his home, near the back edge of the commune.
It was a simple thing, Jayce had always done more of the nest building than him, but it was all he had. While Viktor hadn't had any instincts, or scent for that matter, after his transformation there was a nagging, achingly human part of him that demanded it. What if Jayce came to him, he thought, what if they became partners once more, sharing not only their work but their life together.
It wasn't anything like the nests Jayce would build, grand and comfortable things constructed upon his large bed. There was no abundance of quilts or clothes or pillows. Viktor's nest was simple, boringly so. It was on the floor, for one, placed on a medium sized rug. A few pillows were spaced in a loose circle, covered with a few blankets all faded of color. And without his scent glands- changed, altered and whisked away by his transformation- he also couldn't scent the nest like one typically would.
It was more of a sitting area than anything, if he was being honest. But sometimes, often after long sessions of meditating, Viktor would feel empty and melancholic. He'd shuffle himself into his home, make his way to the plain and empty nest and lower himself into it. He'd lay there, motionless, barely breathing and with his eyes open, staring off in some random distance and just think. Imaging the life he could have had if he hadn't been changed so thoroughly by the hexcore.
Now though he knew what Jayce needed- familiarity, comfort. As plain as it was, the nest would provide a little of it to Jayce, deep in his fragile instincts as he was.
"Come," Viktor urges gently, giving Jayce a small and sad smile. At first, his partner resists the movement, tensing his muscles as Viktor tries to guide him. But he gives a breathy, quiet whine and stumbles upwards, hissing in pain when he levers up onto his braced leg; Viktor rubs his thumb over his cheek, aiming to soothe.
Gently, he leads Jayce out of the dome. Within the connection, Viktor tasks Huck with gathering up the hammer left behind them in the dome; weapons were not needed in the commune, but he had a feeling Jayce would want to keep his so he asked his follower to put it somewhere safe, out of sight from others.
The walk from the dome to his home is a short one, thankfully. He walks backwards the whole way, slow and somewhat ungraceful as he shuffles. But something tells him this is the only way, to look steadily and calmly into his partner's eyes, hands cupping the sides of his face and baring a small, comforting smile. It seems enough for Jayce, even if he occasionally pants and huffs out sad, worried sounds.
They reach the construct and Viktor briefly fumbles behind his back for the handle of his door. Once he finds it he swings it open, still guiding Jayce backwards into the home. Once inside he leans over Jayce's shoulder, gently closing the door behind them.
"Come," Viktor says again, thumbing his cheek one last time before pulling away; Jayce whines, hand coming up to desperately hold his wrist between twitching fingers. He allows it, shuffling backwards and to the side until he enters his bedroom.
It's not really a bedroom, as Viktor doesn't need to sleep anymore. In the beginning he slept still, used to the human routine of resting one's body and mind. But over time he learned he didn't need it anymore, that mediation and connecting to the arcane was enough to rejuvenate his new body. It had been an odd adjustment but one easy to slip into- privately Viktor daydreamed of the lazy days spent in his and Jayce's nest in his partner's home. Of quiet nights and slow mornings curled up with one another, half dozing and content.
Used as a bedroom or not, it still holds his feeble nest. Viktor reels Jayce in with his hand, the one being held onto, and turns to show Jayce the nest. "This," he explains, looking softly at his partner, "is for you, Jayce."
Jayce blinks, still staring at Viktor blankly. But after a moment he seems to gather himself, the words or perhaps the urging tone slipping into his brain. He turns to look slowly down at the nest, eyes squinting at it. After a moment he seems to connect the dots on what he's looking at though he does not move.
After a long moment Viktor considers ushering his partner in the nest himself when Jayce suddenly clenches his fingers around his wrist. His grip pulses over his metal-like skin a few times before Jayce whines and lets go, shuffling unevenly towards the pile of pillows and blankets.
Jayce makes it to the edge of the depressingly simple nest and... stops. He stares and shakes faintly, and for a moment Viktor knows he should feel embarrassed for his attempt at making a nest- even in his instincts Jayce would not accept the fumbling attempt of a nest. But, right before Viktor can apologize for the poor quality, Jayce drops to his knees.
It's not an entirely soft landing, the metal of Jayce's brace scrapping the floor through the blankets, but it doesn't seem to bother him. With another quiet whine he curls over himself, just as he did in the dome. His fingers curl into the blanket, a faded sage-green color, and twitch restlessly.
Viktor isn't quite sure what to do next but settles for sitting near the nest, not yet in it.
He gives Jayce a few moments to adjust, to calm himself and his raging, frantic instincts. Once his breath evens mostly evens out and his fingers stop twitching, Viktor reaches out slowly. His fingers brush softly against Jayce's hair, at the back of his skull. He weaves his gold-streaked fingers through the clumps of hair, gently scratching at the omega's scalp.
He knows he should speak, should question Jayce on what happened, or try to soothe him further. But Jayce is so fragile under his hand and so deep in his heat and ensuing instincts that he doubts he would truly be able to answer anything. It's almost, distantly, scary to see Jayce this way. Curled on himself, shaking and whimpering against the blanketed floor, nothing but a ball of fear and raging instinct.
Instead, Viktor settles for petting over his head, watching as Jayce calms down.
Eventually it seems that exhaustion takes over, and his stuttered breathing deepens and calms. His fingers rest limply in the fabric of the nest, joints lose and placid. Although he can't see his face, pressed into the floor as it is, Viktor imagines that Jayce's eyes must be half closed, or maybe slipping shut entirely.
Viktor's gaze wanders during the following moments, taking in Jayce's form. His coat, once pristine and well kept and tailored, is torn and dirtied. There's stains all over it, some looking worryingly like old blood, and it's covered in a coarse dust. It hangs differently now too, loose in the shoulders and hanging limp around the collar. Again, if he could feel more fully, Viktor knows he'd be fretting endlessly over the changes in his partner.
He's fragile, both in body and mind now. There's a signature of the arcane in Jayce's body, thrumming and deeply embedded. Viktor has never seen anything like it, not even in himself and his own connection to the arcane, and the scientist still in him wonders openly what happened. Why is Jayce so intertwined with the arcane now? Why is he injured and fragile, covered in injury and dirt and fear?
His eyes eventually make it down to Jayce's brace and he can't help but reach out for it, to brush his fingers along the edge of the metal to make understanding of it.
Viktor's fingertips barely brushes the brace when Jayce flinches to the side, pulling his leg away as quick as he can manage in his exhausted and injured state. He lifts and turns his head just enough to look at Viktor, a shaking growl beginning to build in his throat.
He pulls his hand away slowly, holding it up in the air in a placating manner. "I apologize," he says; then, after a moment, "it must hurt you."
Jayce's growl tapers off but he doesn't look away from Viktor, not yet. He's untrusting and fearful of Viktor's touches, as much as he seemed to crave it during his earlier breakdown. Again, he wonders deeply what could have changed the omega so much- when Jayce was upset he'd come running to Viktor, begging for reassurance and his fond, if unpracticed, touch. Now, though, Jayce pulls away from his comforting, hesitates to trust the hands he once preened under.
"I won't touch you again," Viktor assures, even though he doubts Jayce can fully understand him in this state.
His partner blinks once, twice, before turning his head back down into the floor, heaving out a tired sigh. Where ever he had been must have been hard on him, for Jayce to be so fragile-emotioned and exhausted; Viktor does not envy him, not the changes to his mind or body
Nearly half an hour passes and in that time Viktor watches Jayce slowly but surely fall into sleep. It's a slow process, the omega randomly twitching himself away with a whine or snarl, but eventually his body must give in to the exhaustion.
Sure that he's now asleep, Viktor brings his hand up to pet once more along Jayce's skull. Had he been able to feel as keenly anymore he would have probably recoiled at the slick, oily texture of Jayce's hair, or scrunched his nose in disgust of the musty smell clinging to his partner beneath the scent of fear and heat. But now he is above those things. Now he only wishes to wash away the filth from his partner, to replace his dirtied suit with soft, seamless robes made from forgiving fabric.
Viktor studies his partner in his sleep and wonders, in a distinctly worried and human manner, what had become of his mate while they were separated.
---
While he does not sleep, Viktor does, for lack of a better phrase, zone out a little too far during the next few hours.
His hand rhythmically soothes over his partner's skull, fingers gently detangling the mats in Jayce's hair. Moments pass by fluidly like the tides and waves of the oceans. He does little more than watch his partner, observing the minute twitches of his now fragile body; maybe he's dreaming, Viktor thinks. Maybe it's a nightmare, given the way Jayce huffs and shifts restlessly.
Somewhat bored by the uneventful sight that is his sleeping partner, it takes Viktor a minute too long to recognize the scent beginning to fill the space around him.
Jayce's slick had been just like any other omega's: strongly scented, heavy and rich. It still smelled like Jayce, of sweetness and citrus, but it held a muskier quality. It was closer to body odor than the perfume-like scent from his glands. As basic and instinct driven it was, Viktor had always liked the smell. Many times before having lost himself to the scent and taste of it, the tacky texture and the way the viscous stings clung between his fingers and lips.
Not a moment after Viktor shocks himself back into full awareness at the revelation of what he's smelling, Jayce stirs.
It starts slow, with the omega snuffling and taking a deep breath. But soon enough Jayce is adjusting himself, shrugging his shoulders and twisting his body uncomfortably in what must an attempt to escape cramping. Viktor retracts his hand from Jayce's hair just as the man leans over and lays on his side, back facing Viktor.
Unable, and unknowing what else to do, Viktor watches as Jayce stirs fully in to consciousness. The whining from before starts up, breathy and high; Jayce's shoulders curl in then, huddling against himself as he tried to make his large- not quite as before. It's obvious that whatever happened to Jayce forced him to lose weight; had he starved?- frame more compact.
The sweet scent hangs in the air, growing heavier. Viktor is... saddened.
He remembers how deeply he used to enjoy the scent, the pheromones that leaked from his partner. But now, with out the driving instincts of a human alpha behind him, Viktor can only note the objectively pleasant scent of the slick. Clinical and detached, just the same as the rest of him.
Viktor is content with watching his partner wake up until he notes that Jayce's thighs are rubbing restlessly against each other, the discomforted wriggling of his body yet to stop.
"Jayce?" He says softly, leaning a little closer to hear Jayce's noises clearer; no response. He tries again. "Jayce, are you awake?"
There's a pause, wherein Jayce shudders in one long breath. Viktor waits, hoping to hear a responsive sound, maybe even a clear word. But he shifts back when Jayce releases an explosive sob, loud and painful sounding.
Viktor shuffles a little closer, deciding to risk a bodily flinch from his partner as he reaches out to touch. His hand lands on Jayce's shoulder, shaking deeply under his touch, and he fans out his fingers. Again, Jayce sobs. It sounds like it hurts, the deep and throaty way the sound crawls up and heaves out.
"Jayce," he says after a moment when the sobs don't settle but get worse. Before he can speak further a hand shoots around Jayce's side to grab at his fingers.
He only grabs two of Viktor's fingers but his grip is strong and clingy. After a moment of the fluttering hold Jayce begins to pull; for a second, hesitant, but quickly growing confident enough to practically yank Viktor forward by the hand.
Viktor, too, hesitates for a second. He knows that Jayce is not in his right mind, and given the way he's been occasionally flinching from his touch it's difficult to dismiss the fearful responses. But before he can reason himself out of it the omega whines loudly. The pulling turns into tugging, near childish in its wordless plea; with a settling breath, Viktor allows himself to be led into the nest.
He doesn't have to go far- the moment his thigh brushes Jayce's back the man lets go. He flips over with little grace, allowing Viktor a brief glimpse of his red-cheeked and tear stained face, scrunched in a sorrowful expression. With more strength than before, Jayce clings, pulling himself against the weight of Viktor's body to move closer. It's worryingly- even to Viktor with his emotions the way they are now, muted. Inhuman.- pathetic, even for someone as low and broken as Jayce is now. Like a child clinging to his mother's leg.
Cross-legged, Viktor settles against the inner edge of the nest. Jayce's face tucks into the cradle of his thigh and hip, nose pressed harshly and insistently against the bone beneath; through his robe Viktor feels the warm air that heaves from Jayce's lungs for another sob.
"Jayce," he soothes, or attempts to. He's not sure if it's heard over all of Jayce's noise. "Please," he says and pets his fingers along the back side of the omega's head; Jayce leans into it with force. "You must-"
Before he can finish, Jayce sucks in a startled-sounding wheeze and squeezes all his strength into the grip around Viktor's waist.
"Viktor-"
He startles, faintly as he does, and his fingers freeze tangled in Jayce's hair. Subtly, his eyes widen before smoothing out a moment later; shock becomes quickly overruled by relief.
"Yes, yes." Viktor encourages between the sobs and wheezed in breaths. "Yes, Jayce. Speak to me."
Jayce's hands slip from around his waist to against his thighs, fingers changing from twitching to grasping. His hold seeps between the sinewy skin of his changed body, fingertips pressed harsh enough that even Viktor's metal-lined nerves could feel the nails. Desperate as his hold is, Viktor can feel the bone-deep trembling as it begins.
"Viktor," he sobs again, breathing in so sharply that the air isn't given the time to be sucked down.
"...Jayce," he mutters. In this moment, stronger than ever before, rises his melancholy.
Possessively, like a broody mother tucking her young under a wing, Viktor presses both his hands onto the back of Jayce's head. With a gentle but firm use of his arcane-enhanced strength, he presses down; it must hurt, the way the omega's nose is pressed stubbornly into his hip. Jayce doesn't seem to mind.
"Jayce," he says, shaken; for a moment, at the height of it, Viktor wonders if his instincts have kicked in. He feels such an urge to soothe Jayce, to please his omega, to calm his mate-
But when his body is unable to instinctively respond to Jayce's whimpering cries, Viktor reels himself back in.
He easy out the force of his pressing, instead resting his palms on Jayce's scalp; he soothes his thumb across his hair. Viktor blinks at the wall once before turning down to look at the omega in his hands. Suddenly his mind flips from scared omega to the only thing worse, scared Jayce.
"Hush," Viktor calms gently. His fingertips dig between Jayce's hair, subtly tugging before massaging outwards in apology. Even with his heart he can feel the empathetic breaking of it. "Jayce, please, you must calm yourself."
But when Jayce only responds with another few retching 'Viktor'-s, he can't help but sigh in overwhelm. Even with his connection to the arcane he can't sense any clue on how to respond. It reminds him of that first heat together, but the bumbling is far from innocent and lovesick now.
Viktor breathes as deep and evenly as he can, loud over the noises of the omega in his lap. He feels a distant pressure behind his eyes, the most human-like thing he's felt since his transformation.
He begins to then quietly mutter Jayce's name, reverent as it was worried; each sob plucked a startlingly human-like heart string in punishment. "Oh my Jayce," Viktor says as gently as he's ever been. "Poor boy- what happened to you?"
The omega heaves in and out a few times before picking a new phrase. "I'm sorry," he whimpers as loudly as he can through his breathlessness, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"
"What for, Jayce?" Viktor half demands, barely frantic. Jayce sobs, wheezes around a near-cough, and parrots the word 'I-' a moment.
"I failed- I failed you." He insists when he's able. He digs his fingers deeper, surely hurting himself at this point; the man sobs out a few breaths of warm, wet air onto Viktor's covered thigh, wordless once more. His legs curl under him, braced one held out awkwardly, like a bird's broken wing- it only breaks his inhuman heart once more.
"Jayce," he says, loud and firm enough to be heard over his partner's crying. "You have done no such thing. Even if you had- I forgive you. I will always forgive you."
Jayce, with all the suddenness of a striking snake, sucks a breath in and stops crying. His breath audibly wobbles in his nose but the omega near-completely silences himself, listening as coherently as he's been since he arrived here. Shoulders hunch inwards, furthering the sizing down of his malnourished figure. It pulls something distinctly alphaen from his body, something that has still managed to weave itself into this arcane body of his.
Viktor tries to make a comforting purr, falling into the muscle memory of soothing his unsettled omega. His purrs, as an alpha, were from deeper in his chest, more of a rhythmic growl than anything. But when his body does nothing but briefly seize, stuttering around a noise it can't make anymore, Viktor's melancholic waves heighten.
Just as quickly they drop completely, almost leaving Viktor in with emotional whiplash.
"Jayce," he says calmly, trying to aim for soothing and stable. The omega fumbles blindly above his head, reaching for Viktor. His fingers brush then cling to his wrist, tugging it frantically between the alpha's thigh and the his face. He watches Jayce breathe in heavily, looking for a scent he won't find; in a positively impulsive move of frustration, Jayce bites, sinking his small omega fangs into the sinew of his skin. Something below the exteriors of the muscle-like strands tingles, the most feeling Viktor's had in this body.
In the next and immediate second Jayce releases his wrist and sobs, thumping his forehead between the indented groves of his fangs.
He hums, subconsciously deep enough to a be interpenetrated as a calming chuff, as his trapped hand curls. Fingertips brush and pet through the overgrown beard beneath them. With his free hand, he resumes the massaging scrapes against his partner's scalp; he feels like a new mother, fretting over how to best groom her children.
"Oh, my Jayce." He soothes, blinking near blankly down at the omega holding him. "Will you tell me what happened?"
"I failed," he exhales. "I failed you, and now everyone's going to die-"
With a sudden clarity, Viktor knows what's plaguing his partner's mind. He feels... nothing, at this revelation. Simply filing it away in his mind. The attack, he surmises, the one where his human body had died. A truly traumatic moment for Jayce; had these events damaged Jayce so badly as to leave him like this? Could he have gotten bond sickness, body crying out for its mate?
"Jayce," he says again, gently. What he wouldn't do to reach down, to lift his omega's head up and at him. To creep forward with spread fingers, ready to touch his forehead, to heal, to fix-
This is exactly what he does, giving his partner a blank but not unkind look before reaching for Jayce's tanned skin. He watches as Jayce's pupils dilate in anticipation before rapidly narrowing in fear. The man gasps and throws himself half upright and over to the opposite side of the nest. His small fangs bare and growls in defense, but just as quickly he throws his head back, thumping his skull onto the floor with a whiny sob- his braced leg had been yanked around, held uncomfortably on its side; with sure and gentle hands, Viktor eased the joint into a more natural position.
"You really must speak with me, not to me," Viktor says sternly. The omega's head pops back up, eyes watery and red. He waits a moment, giving Jayce a moment to respond. The omega's breath shakes, growl just barely held back, and he stares wild-eyed at the alpha. His scent flares, full of the sharp, almost chemical smelling twist of stress and fear. Had he been a human still, maybe Viktor would have released his own scents, ones meant to soothe and calm. Maybe he would have bared the side of his neck, showing the omega he was submitting to his defensive response.
But now all he does is fold his hands into his lap, placidly blinking at Jayce as he snarls.
After a moment Jayce seems to calm himself down and he whines pitifully at the alpha. Protect me, his instinctual noises try to convince Viktor's nonexistent hind brain, I'm defenseless, I'm weak, protect me-
"Speak, Jayce." He repeats. The omega gives a louder, more distressed whine. Jayce bares his throat fully to the alpha, trying to entice him closer. Bite me, mark me. The watery film of his eyes breaks free, small, desperate tears rolling down Jayce's flushed cheeks; the perfect picture of a submissive omega, smelling of heat and slick and arousal.
"I will leave," Viktor says, putting his hands on his knees as if he moves to stand up. He watches as the omega's eyes widen, face dropping in horror.
Jayce scrambles upright, onto his knees even when his braced thigh gives out and nearly sends him falling over. One hand clutched to his chest, the other used to stabilize himself against the floor of the nest. He looks up at Viktor, tears still gathering and falling. "No," he begs desperately. "No, no, no- Viktor you can't, please."
The omega gasps, neck craned awkwardly to keep eye contact with Viktor. "Please- please, please please-" Jayce begs before suddenly gasping, his head dropping and chin tucked to his chest.
He sobs harshly, hand being previously clutched to his chest driving down, between Jayce legs and against his crotch. The man rubs frantically, whimpering when it either is too much or not quite enough; he gives a submissive, pleading whine. "Please, Viktor." Jayce cries, hips rocking against his hand. He sucks his teeth on another whine, instincts overwhelming him with the need for comfort. "Alpha."
Viktor decides he's had enough and sighs, lifting one hand to face palm up on his knee. "Come here," he orders.
He cries out, sucking in a sharp breath before crawling forward. Jayce opts to drop the hand he was grinding on to bring himself on all fours. Shakily he shuffles closer, noises caught between sobs and keening whines; the omega, when in distance, drops his forehead back onto Vitkor's thigh. His shaking hands grip onto the alpha's fingers and palm and drag it slowly but steadily, bringing him further down, past his chest, down his stomach, lower-
When he realizes what Jayce is doing, he locks his arm. His fingers span outwards and his palm presses firmly but softly against Jayce's lower abdomen. "No," he says sternly, but he can't help the fond exasperation in his chest.
The moment Viktor had recognized the scent of Jayce's heat, he had made to decision to not engage with Jayce physically more than necessary. It was clear the omega was not in his right mind to begin with but the situation was only furthered by the fact he was in heat. He knew what Jayce was like in the throes of heat: whimpering, wordless, submissive. There was little worded communication between them during the height of it, not if Jayce could help it. The only reason he had engaged with the omega during his heats at all were Jayce's constant, enthusiastic, persisting consent.
"We will not be doing that," he explains softly, humming when the omega against him hiccups. "I don't know if you are in your right mind, Jayce. It would be immoral of me to take advantage of that."
"Please," Jayce sobs, curling his legs up under him and trying to shove Viktor's hand further down. His hips ground against the air uselessly, the omega's shoulders beginning to shake roughly as his crying began anew. "It hurts. Please, Viktor. Alpha-"
Viktor asserts himself. "No," he orders, gentle but firm. "As I said, it would be wrong to-"
The omega cuts him off with a loud, begging whine. He gives up trying to drag the alpha's hand downward, instead directing his strength into pushing Viktor's hand up. The heel of his palm presses harshly against Jayce's lower stomach, enough that surely it hurts. But he doesn't relent, fingers clenching around Viktor's wrist and breaths heavy and wet against his thigh.
Allowing the omega a simple comfort, he massages his hand in soothing circles against his stomach. He had always gotten cramps between the waves of his heat, deep and insistent thing that drove Jayce mad. Around the third shared heat between them Viktor had learned to firmly massage his partner's abdomen, quelling the aches into something more tolerable.
It calms Jayce's cries, reducing them to pitiful sniffling. He rubs his forehead back and forth, self soothing, and whimpers against Viktor's metal skin. Dipping his chin down and to the side, the omega rubs the scent glads of his neck agaisnt his wrist, where Viktor's own scent gland should be. When he finds no scent, not even the traces of Viktor's old one- sharp but soothing, rich with cinnamon and cloves- Jayce whines once again, loud and begging.
"Hush," Viktor soothes. He presses his fingertips against the omega's jacket, still massaging the man's abdomen. Jayce settles, briefly, before sniffling and dropping his weight with gravity; slowly, as if trying to be stealthy, the hand not gripping Viktor's creeps forward. Fingers hover over his skin, moving up, up, up, into the gap of his legs, against his inner thighs-
"Jayce," he warns, voice fond despite his exasperation. "How many times must I tell you, hm?"
He hiccups, but his hand stops moving, fingertips pressing into his robe. "Please, alpha. Viktor," Jayce heaves out, "it hurts. It hurts, I need- I'm sorry. I failed you, I failed-"
Having enough of Jayce's endless cycle of breakdown, Viktor hums and reaches for his neck. His fingers grip either side of Jayce's neck, pushing down and together with enough force to properly scruff the omega.
It takes a moment for the hold to take effect, but when it does Viktor feels it in the warm breath huffed against his knee. Jayce's fingers go limp with a twitch and a heavy, defeated sigh; whatever of his weight that he had been holding up drops, face smushed into Viktor's forearm and thigh, chest pressed nearly to the floor. The alpha hums in content, holding his scruff for a moment longer before releasing the omega. He soothes his hand up and down the back of Jayce's neck, scratching his fingertips against the omega's nape and to the bottom of his scalp.
After a quiet moment Viktor speaks. "You have not failed me," he assures steadily. "Did you not hear earlier? I will always forgive you, Jayce. Always. You are my partner, my mate, I would never shun you."
They rest for a moment, simply existing. Jayce swallows hard enough that he feels the man's adams apple bob against his skin, Viktor's expression softening as the crumbling mess of his omega begins to shiver in his hands. His scratching hand dips low, down the side of Jayce's face to cup his fingers between the omega's cheek and his thigh. When he tries to lift his partner's head up, the omega locks the muscles in his neck and shoulders, refusing.
Viktor pauses, allowing the defiance for a moment- Jayce had never been such a brat before. He was always a willing, submissive partner, unfolding beneath Viktor's touch. But now he must acknowledge that Jayce has changed, mentally and physically. He wasn't the soft, comforted omega he used to be, now turned into a feral, animal of a thing. Driven between warring sides of his instincts, thoughts and feelings pulled in every which way as he tried to make sense of his surroundings.
He gives Jayce one last second to change his defiance before he forces him up.
The man clings to his other wrist with both hands, clenching his fingers hard enough to hurt. He whines and ducks his head, trying to twist away from Viktor's grasp. The alpha gives his best impression of a low but placating growl, just a few tones off; in a moment Jayce goes limp again, whimpering when Viktor lifts his head up to look at him.
His eyes, ever glassy and tear-filled, are red and irritated, pupils enlarged. Jayce's lower lip trembles faintly, face twitching with the restraint to keep a sad frown from his expression; Viktor can't help but give a small smile, rubbing his thumb across a tear track running over Jayce's cheek.
"My Jayce," Viktor says, asserting his ownership, their relationship. He stares deep into his partner's eyes for a moment, searching for something he doesn't know. "What happened to you?" He asks softly but in a firm voice. "Tell me, what did this to you?"
Jayce hiccups, jolting in place before his lip wobbles dangerously; the omega takes a shallow breath in before he speaks.
"Viktor," he whimpers. "Viktor I missed you. I was alone in the dark and you weren't there. And then I climbed out, I got out, and then my body was there. My body. And then mage came and it was you-"
Perhaps the arcane had done more than touch Jayce's brain. Maybe, Viktor thinks somewhat sadly, it had broken it. There was little knowledge on how the arcane effects the psyche, the only sources being Viktor himself and his now fragile, instinct driven partner.
"Oh my boy," he soothes, placating in his motherly tone. He extracts his arm from the omega's hold, bring his hand up to brush across Jayce's forehead and pushing strands of oily hair from his eyes. "The arcane. It's changed you, hasn't it?"
Jayce can't help but nod, sniffling and blinking tears from his eyes. Then, as Viktor watches and hold him, he begins to shift upwards. He snakes his hands forward and up, first hovering just over his chest before pressing down. Fingers curl, clawing softly upwards, against the sides of Viktor's face, pulling himself up to the alpha's level.
Viktor, curious to see where this is going, allows it, leaning back when Jayce begins to force him down. The omega gets his knees fully under him; as his head leans closer to Viktor's, his thighs tense. With a pained wince the man swings one leg over Viktor's waist, straddling him.
Jayce moves in far enough for a kiss, only a few inches away, when Viktor puts his hand up. He guards his lips from the omega's, not allowing Jayce to bully him into submission. Frustrated, he whines and presses himself down to grind against Viktor's crotch, desperate to get a rise out of the alpha he's above. Insistent, he tries to force his head forward, to push Viktor's hand out of the way and kiss him.
After a long moment where Jayce shuts his eyes, tears falling and a overwhelmed sob building in his chest, Viktor slides his hand. He cups the side of the omega's face, waiting until the man opens his eyes and looks back at him.
"Jayce," he says, unsure himself if he's playing along or trying to put his foot down.
The man's pupils eclipse his iris, eyes dark and wanting. His scent still lingered in the air, the smell of his slick growing heavy enough to make even Viktor breathe a little heavier- he could feel how worked up Jayce was, the cool wet spot on his robe from the crotch of Jayce's pants seeping into the fabric.
Before he can say anything Jayce leans forward, pushing past the hold on his face and pressing his lips to Viktor's.
At first it's closed lipped, chaste and longing. But it quickly devolves into open mouthed kisses, Jayce trying to convince Viktor to open up, to bully his tongue into his mouth, to give into his instincts and assert himself as his alpha. For a moment, he allows it. Lets Jayce twist his head this way and that, looking for the angle which would make Viktor open up and reciprocate. Just as Jayce beings to whine, the noise building deep and desperate in the back of his throat, Viktor moves.
Quickly, so as to avoid startling the omega before he could grab him, Viktor grips Jayce's neck and squeezes firmly.
The man sobs, breath escaping in a huff, and his chin drops to his chest, still straddling Viktor's hips. His breaths brush over his skin, watery and shaky. Next his hands drop from Viktor's face, coming down to his shoulders to hold himself upright so he doesn't flop heavily on top of Viktor's chest.
Viktor lets go, testing the waters; Jayce whimpers and clenches his thighs around the outsides of his hips. Eyes flutter open and wander up, starting to roll back, as the omega begins to grind his hips down again. Back his hand goes, squeezing the omega's neck and fingers flexing in both a warning and a punishment.
Jayce, for lack of a better word, surrenders then. He whimpers and folds himself down, pressing his forehead to the juncture of Viktor's neck. He tucks his hands between their chests, fingers gripping tightly between the groves of his sternum. His body shudders as he tries to control his breathing, and after a moment Viktor deems it calm enough to release the man.
"Do not attempt that again," he says, giving a final warning squeeze before letting go. One hand comes up to hold at Jayce's flank, steadying him as he wavers in place. The other wanders from the man's neck to his hair, cupping the back of Jayce's skull gently.
Despite his hard won obedience, Jayce's scent screams of arousal, of want. Even without his hind brain Viktor can feel it, that instinctual urge to soothe, to care for the defenseless omega above him, to hold him close and scent him and protect him-
"What happened?" He asks again, rubbing his hand up and down over Jayce's scalp when the omega tenses. He nearly sighs when the man's voice breaks on another grating whine.
"I was stuck, Viktor. Stuck." Jayce says, nonsensical. "I was sick and alone and- Viktor, I was going to die-" he keens, working himself up before Viktor's hand creeps downwards; the threat of being scruffed silences the omega, the man holding his breath instantly.
"Try again," the alpha urges gently, resuming the rhythmic pets of Jayce's hair. The omega takes a stubborn, shaking breath in before he gives a faint nod, just the dip of his chin. "Ok," he wishpers, "ok."
They sit in semi-silence for a moment, disturbed by nothing but the panting of Jayce's breathing. His arms wriggle out from where they're trapped between their chests, winding down Viktor's sides and under his back. Jayce squeezes him close and Viktor allows him, content that Jayce is not trying to force himself into a frenzy of instinct and heat anymore; as a reward he gently tugs out a tangle on the back of the man's head.
"I fell," he finally says, so quiet it's nearly a whisper. "And I broke my leg- I couldn't get out. I wanted to get out, I wanted to. But my leg. Our bond was breaking and I was sick and- Viktor, I missed you so much. I was lonely, so lonely."
Viktor hums gently, easily mistaken for a quiet purr to Jayce's ears. He responds in kind, a gentle, rasping rumble beginning in his throat before growing louder. In a moment his purr was shaking his ribs, pressed against Viktor's chest. It holds a soothing quality for a few seconds before it turns into a forced, heavy thing, coming out too fast and stuttered it can't be anything other than a stress response.
He'd only ever seen Jayce stress-purr once, right before the Distinguished Innovators competition. As he notched the gears in the carriage over he built up the self soothing noise, eyes wide and brow furrowed in stress. In the moment Viktor had been nearly pushed to follow suit, to soothe his own nervous instincts, unable to focus much on his partner's panic as he went through it himself.
Now, though, Viktor is in his right mind, enough to shush his partner gently. "Oh Jayce," He soothes, cupping he back of his head and pressing his fingertips into Jayce's side. "My sweet boy, my omega, my mate."
"What can I do for you?" He asks, indulging himself and tucking his nose into Jayce's hair. He smells of grime, of sweat and heat and dust. Soon, he knows, he'll get his partner into a bath and wash away the dirt from Jayce's body. Help him erase the evidence of his tortures. "How can I help you, what do I fix?"
"You can't," Jayce whines. He sobs gently, once, and turns his head, pressing it further into the base of his neck. The fingers under his back curl into desperate claws, digging into his robe and through the gaps of his skin below it. "If- if you fix me, if you make me like them I'd- I'd- you can't, Viktor. I'd die."
"You would not die," Viktor says, "I would not allow it. My touch should not scare you, Jayce. You should not fear my abilities- I only want to help, to fix your leg. I only-"
His next words are cut off by Jayce's obnoxious, forcibly loud and stressed purr. With a faint fondness, he sighs and smiles into the omega's hair; he takes an indulgent sniff, seeking out the smell of his partner's heat. He has no hind brain anymore, no begging instincts, but that doesn't help the flood of enjoyment from rushing through him as Jayce's sugar-citrus scent hits the back of his throat.
"Tell me, Jayce. All of it," he orders, tangling his fingers in his dark hair before giving a gentle tug. The man whines, shaking his head. "No," he whispers softly. He licks at the joint of his neck, where his scent gland should be, sniffling when he finds nothing. Although pushing the limits of their little game, Viktor allows it when the omega doesn't do anything further.
Jayce whines, high and long and loud. It drags on for a full second, followed by a few pleading whimpers. "Please," he begs the alpha. His hands start to come out from behind his back, aiming to grab his hips. Before he can do it, as Viktor assumes to grind their crotches together, Viktor pulls his hair, harder than before.
"Alpha," he begs again, insistent. He puts his hands back under Viktor but wriggles his body side to side, squirming on Viktor's chest and stomach. "It hurts, it hurts. Help me, please. I missed you, I want you, please-"
"That's quite enough, Jayce." Viktor says, patience beginning to thin. The omega shudders and goes quiet, body stilling when Viktor curls his fingers against his flank in warning. "I want you to answer my question- tell me what happened."
"No," Jayce repeats, whimpering when Viktor tenses his fingers, about to punish his refusal with another hair tug. "I mean- no. I- I can't, Viktor. If I do I'll fail and you'll hate me, you will. You'll send me away and I'll be alone. Again. And then you'll-"
"Enough," he says in a deep enough voice that the omega takes it as a commanding growl. He sobs, once and softly, before he shakes his head.
"Viktor," he whimpers. The smell of slick hangs heavy still, mixing with the scent of Jayce's arousal and stress. The wet spot on the fabric of their crotches grows cooler, spreading. "Please. Just- just help me. I'm out, you're here. Please take me, please, please."
Done with speaking- evidently, it isn't getting through to Jayce- Viktor brings his hand down to scruff Jayce again. He pulls, ignoring the omega's disapproving whine, and rolls him off his front and down to his side, on his back. He keeps his hand squeezed against the sides and back of Jayce's neck, even as the omega's limbs go limp and pliant.
"You are obviously in need of rest, Jayce." He says. "Your mind need to heal itself," Viktor continues, watching as Jayce's lip wobbles, the man tilting his head against the blankets of the nest floor and squeezing his eyes shut tightly. A tear escapes the side of one of his eyes, the omega shuddering when Viktor uses his free hand to swipe it away.
Viktor brushes his fingers, feather-light, across Jayce's forehead; he fans his fingers out, spreading them around the crown of his partner's head. "Let me help you," he coos, pressing his fingers down and watching Jayce's full body shudder- either anticipation or fear. "I will heal you Jayce, not harm you."
Just as Viktor shifts his weight, about to press into his mate's mind, Jayce's hand shoots up to his wrist. Even scruffed the omega forces himself to move, eyes cracking open. They're teary, fearful unlike how they've ever been before, and the man takes a moment to blink the water away.
"I'm scared," Jayce confesses in a whisper, fingers shaking around Viktor's wrist.
"I know," he says gently. He leans over, dropping his hand to instead cradle Jayce's cheek as he presses a closed mouth peck to Jayce's forehead. The man gives a half-formed sob and leans up into the contact, purr raising back up from where it had faded, sounding content instead of stressed. "I know, my Jayce. But tell me, do you trust me?"
Jayce hesitates before nodding, hand dropping slowly from Viktor's wrist, falling back to lay limply by his side. "Yeah," he says quietly, near revrent. "Yeah I- I need you, Viktor. Please, please help me."
Viktor smiles against his partner's skin before slowly pulling back, drifting his fingers back to the crown of the omega's head.
"I will make you whole again," he promises, Jayce's eyes fluttering closed for a final time, tears having since run out. "I will make you perfect, Jayce. Just as you used to be."
"Ok," he whispers shakily, tilting his head up into Viktor's touch. "Ok, Viktor. I trust you. I- I love you, my mate, my alpha."
"Yes," Viktor encourages just as quietly. "I am all of those and more. Together, I will show you what I've made here, what I've done. You will love it here, and I will love you."
He lets go of Jayce's scruff, his hand drifting down to press steadily into the center of Jayce's chest, grounding. "I will fix this for you, my Jayce. You need only ask."
"Please." Jayce agrees, hands slowly working their way up to grasp at the hand on his chest. His fingers tighten briefly before relaxing; the man heaves out a gentle sigh before going fully limp, trusting and malleable in his hands.
Viktor smiles, rubbing his hand on his partner's chest as the energy of the arcane arched through his hand, down his fingers.
Jayce gasps, reeling upwards as Viktor's magic probed at his mind. But just as quickly he sighs, dropping back down with loose limbs and a content huff. His eyes twitch but stay shut, just as Viktor expected.
"Rest," he says to Jayce's already unconscious body. He pulls back, admiring the view beside him; the omega breathes deeply, put into a deep and relaxing sleep. Viktor pulls his hand back just far enough to see the glimmering points left behind on his mate's forehead. A possessive streak bolts through him, knowing he's now claimed Jayce, his mate, so thoroughly.
With a final brush of a fingertip around the edge of the center-most mark, Viktor hums and places his palm over Jayce's crown, thumbs soothing against the scar on Jayce's eyebrow.
He doesn't know what's happened to his mate, doubts- based on the omegas reactions thus far- that he ever truly will. It will take time to bring Jayce, his Jayce, back out from his broken, defensive shell. It will be hard work, to train out the omega's self-protective attitude, the warring instincts, but Viktor wouldn't have it any other way.
He looks away, at the wall as he begins to zone out, mindlessly brushing his thumb back and forth on Jayce's brow. His omega will need many things in his journey to be rehabilitated, tamed. Patience, of course, but other things too: a good bath or two, a small but filling meal, trying to avoid rushing too many nutrients into his stomach at once. A better nest, obviously, something softer and fuller. Whatever his Jayce needs, Viktor decides in that moment, he will get.
It will take time to heal his partner, but Viktor's more than ready to wait for him.