Work Text:
Jacobi has always been sure that when he dies, he will be torn to pieces. He will die of heat, and sharpness and energy, a force far out of his control. When Jacobi dies, he thinks, it will be because he miscalculated. He will have been too sure of himself, too confident in his predictions of something ultimately unpredictable.
The thing is, Jacobi is good at predicting the unpredictable. He’s the best even. He takes powder and electricity and chemicals, and he measures them and manipulates them and he trusts them not to break him because he trusts himself not to let them. He trusts himself to predict the power behind an explosion, the heat behind a spark, enough to do his job with what seems like impossible precision.
“I’m sure” he says when Kepler asks him if the risk of an explosion is worth it, and what he means is that he is as sure as he can possibly be. The risk is half the fun, and Jacobi has always loved to play with fire. His calculations are as close to perfect as possible, but one day, he knows, it will not be close enough, and he will be torn apart.
Jacobi has always been sure that when he dies, he will be torn to pieces. He will die of heat, and sharpness and energy, a force far out of his control. When Jacobi dies, he thinks, it will be because he miscalculated. He will have been too sure of himself, too confident in his predictions of something ultimately unpredictable.
Jacobi is the best at predicting the unpredictable. He takes orders and commands and challenges and he teases and provokes and resists. He pledges his loyalty and his trust to a man and he trusts him not break him because he trusts himself not to make him. He trusts himself to predict the power behind an explosion, the heat behind a spark, enough to give himself over with what seems like impossible faith.
“I’m sure” he says when Maxwell asks him if the risk of an explosion is worth it, and what he means is he’s as sure as he can possibly be. The risk is half the fun, and Jacobi has always loved to play with fire. He keeps his heart as close as possible, but one day, he knows, it will be too close, and he will be burnt to ashes.
Jacobi has always been sure that when he dies, he will be torn to pieces. But he has never considered the possibility of having to live long after having been ripped to shreds.