Work Text:
Jayce paused by the door, coat half-shrugged on, and looked through to the study where Viktor sat. His knee was drawn up to his chest perched on an office chair, its leather still shiny and uncreased. His back hunched over a little, his brace digging into him from the angle, and he chewed on his lip with a heavily furrowed brow. The untucked leg dragged on the floor in slow frustrated circles.
Jayce sighed and tugged his coat off again. He folded it over his arm as he walked across to his husband.
“Viktor?” He spoke softly and quietly. The only indicator he had that Viktor had heard him at all was a slow exhale.
It was the first full day Jayce would be in the office since the tense agreement to have Viktor working solely from home. While they’d been setting up their home office, Jayce had sat beside Viktor, working sometimes from the same monitor, tweaking their digital models and running simulations on them nearly the same as they would in their development lab. But it had only been a matter of time before Jayce’s other responsibilities pulled him away from that oasis of calm, and he was needed at the office. Messages had been piling up in Jayce’s inbox; requests for meetings about funding (steadily turning to demands), for public appearances, and a number of other things that Viktor had declared to be unnecessary (albeit over a shared blanket on the bathroom floor and pack of particularly strong painkillers). And however much VIktor might grumble about it, he knew a certain level of hoop jumping was necessary. He hadn’t truly fought Jayce on any of it- god knows the man could be more than stubborn enough if given the chance.
Jayce sighed quietly. Sometimes trying to talk through with Viktor felt like trying to communicate with a cat.
“Viki…” The soft Czech nickname made Viktor’s head raise his head from the furious scribblings in a battered journal. “V. I’ll be back soon, alright?”
There was a dismissive snort. “I know. I am a grown man, Jayce, I can more than handle working alone in an office. I’m not going to come crying for you and tugging at your sleeve before recess.” The words came across harsh, with only a touch of Viktor’s usual teasing smile.
Jayce put a hand gently on Viktor’s shoulder. His mouth moved silently a little as he tried to find a way to word it all.
“I know you’re more than capable. I didn’t mean that. I just know all… this has been a bit hard on you, that’s all.”
Something twisted a little painfully on Viktor’s face as he looked at Jayce.
“Oh, it’s been ‘a bit hard’? You think? Losing my independence, my mobility, my ability to work even- don’t look at me like that, you know this whole… elaborate setup is not the same, we can’t have half the equipment the labs have in here- is ‘a bit hard’? My entire life has been limited to 500 square feet- except on the rare days I am able to leave. What a treat. Maybe if I’m extra good I will be allowed to sit on the front porch for five minutes.”
Jayce winced a bit at that. After the incident that left Viktor hospitalised, he’d become a little protective. Corralling his partner into a routine optimised for rest, nutrition, and allocated slots for mental stimulation. He’d relaxed some once the doctor dialled back some of the medication Viktor was on, before finally approving light movement, but- that last comment…
The week before Viktor had been quiet and wistful, staring out at the window. Jayce had hovered, running through symptoms of depression in his mind, memorised from a clinical leaflet folded into his hand by their last doctor’s visit. And Viktor had said he wanted to go outside, watch the sun set. It was cold out though, a light frost settling with the sun. And Viktor already had pneumonia twice that year. So Jayce had bundled him up, looking like one of those chihuahuas in those puffy little coats, and sat him on the front steps of the apartment building. He’d timed every second, cross-referencing with a guide to risk for vulnerable people, and tugged Viktor away the second the time ticked into the red. The sun had barely shifted in the sky. Clouds were only just beginning to bleed their evening orange.
The moment hadn’t stood out for Jayce, just another moment of taking care of his love with all he had. But the bitter taste of Viktor’s words had things shifting wildly. It was like he’d tilted his head and all the puzzle pieces had slid into place. This hadn’t liberated his partner, Jayce hadn’t been facilitating rest- he’d been caging him.
The realisation rose up in his throat like bile. It was acrid and burning.
Jayce dropped his hand.
Knowing he’d become part of the problem, knowing he’d not only failed to help but made things worse? Jayce could feel his very body begin to consume itself in guilt. He swallowed. Spoke quietly.
“I’ll… I’ll be back later.”
Jayce pulled his coat back on. He walked out the room. He shut the door quietly.
Viktor sighed a little as the click of the closing door faded, and rested his face in his hands. This was all just so difficult. Things with Jayce had never been difficult before, not like this. Shared passion, dreams, and wildly compatible… intellect had propelled them so far. And Jayce was full of energy and desire to help- but. Well. That shining desire to help sometimes seemed to override greater critical thought, and Jayce had barrelled on forward as men like him were wont to do.
Sometimes, intention did not override impact. And Viktor undeniably felt small, penned in, bitter over the way he’d been treated.
A part of him wanted to bury himself in work about it, hide away, work and talk around it all until it somehow went away and they could re-find that still so strange and new sense of peace and domesticity in this house- this home- that Viktor and Jayce had built together. And another part (probably the one that had been listening to the therapy Viktor had been trying his best to engage with) knew that when Jayce got back there would have to be communication and discussion about all of this. Which ultimately would bring them back to that safe happy place with a much stronger foundation and both their needs being met, but damn it if he wasn’t going to pout about having to be sensible about it all. Frankly Viktor had to make so many annoyingly sensible decisions lately, he felt entitled to at least sulk and grumble about it. He was pretty sure one of the things his therapist had talked about was ‘letting his feelings be felt’. Or something.
As the time ticked on through the day, tasks got steadily ticked off his list, and Viktor took the bare minimum of breaks to stretch his aching body. It became clear that there might have been some points on which Jayce was actually right.
In every moment that Viktor was aware of his own self, of his surroundings, he also noticed there was something empty there. He would go to turn to Jayce, make some quip about the work he was correcting, or to talk through a problem he was having, and was met with silence. Just heavy air and an empty chair.
Viktor had to admit, he was lonely.
There was just something missing. Admitting that to Jayce, though? No, just a step too far. It was only the first day, anyways. He would surely adjust. This hollow emptiness would just have to be filled with work.
Jayce was worrying all day. Of course he was. He had to grapple with just how badly he had fucked this whole thing up, talk himself out of just staying at the office and never going home, rather than figure out how he was actually going to address the mistakes he’d made. Which was quite a lot, while also handling investors and clients who were mostly interested in the money he could make them rather than anything Jayce actually cared about. For some, this might have worked to focus their minds. For Jayce, it only increased his concern while decreasing his capacity to think sensibly.
When he’d tried to call in to his lunch meeting with Caitlyn 4 hours late and holding a clipboard in place of his lunch, Cait - and thank fuck for Cait- had told him very sternly he was to take a break that instant, and to make sure he walked home. She had, very unfortunately, been on the receiving end of his anger a fair few times, both in their angsty teen years and more than once into his professional life. She knew his tells, and knew he needed the time to cool off. He had grumbled about it, but it had been performative more than anything.
Cait had also threatened to call him and force him to leave the office the second the hour hand ticked over to 5, but it wasn’t necessary. Jayce missed Viktor. Of course he did- Viktor had been by his side since before their company was even conceived of. They’d birthed the whole thing together, each messy, brutal part by each other’s side. Viktor was his buffer and his rock, his motivation during every hard part, and spurred him on - for better or for worse. And… maybe Jayce was a creature of habit who hated to be separated from his routine.
So when the clock ticked over his alarm rang, he texted Caitlyn, and Jayce pulled his coat on to leave.
It was bitterly cold outside, with the kind of wind that leaves your cheeks more red than pink, and draws tracks of tears from your eyes. Jayce shoved his hands deep into his pockets and exhaled. His breath fogged up into a little cloud and he smiled. He thought of Viktor, of the way they used to sit in the cold together trying to make shapes out of their breath when they were students sat on the steps of some lecture hall, trying to carve out more and more time together. He thought of Viktor, of the way those cheeks blushed an even deeper red the first time he had leaned in close and kissed Viktor’s icy hands. He thought of Viktor, of him huddled on the front step of their shitty apartment building for all of five minutes. He had only wanted to see the sunrise and was denied even that.
Jayce had to apologise, of course. But an apology alone was not enough. No, he had to work on a way of giving Viktor as much independence as possible without compromising on his safety. He had to give back that which he had taken away.
What he saw next might have been fate, might have been some divine intervention- or it might have been that Jayce planned his route home to go by the shelter and dog daycare- but whatever the cause was, it broke through his musing and gave rise to a plan. Wrapped around a lamppost ahead of Jayce was a poster, bright against frost-draped, early evening landscape, advertising classes to help train service dogs.
This wasn’t the first time Jayce had considered getting a dog. He was very fond of animals and had always imagined building a home with a little furry friend for company- especially one he might be able to take on walks or adventures. Really, he thought anything might be an adventure with a little imagination and the right company. A service dog proper would be a lot of work… though, it would probably be a challenge Viktor would enjoy, when Jayce considered it. One or two tasks though, that could be doable. It would force Viktor up sometimes, and into some semblance of a routine- maybe even get him into some good meal habits. Jayce worried often, with the way Viktor’s laser focus could consume him. But having another being in the house, a little friend when Jayce was not there- that might help.
The more Jayce considered it, feet slowing against the pavement, the more it made sense. He built up a picture in his head, of some pup laying curled up by Viktor as he worked, of taking them on long walks- of managing gentle strolls with Viktor, that weren’t bitter products of worry and over-control. He imagined Viktor having someone to speak to in the day, sweet little conversations in that half-Czech murmur he did while not completely paying attention.
Somewhere in his musings, Jayce had come to a stop. He was by the shelter. He could take a look. Just a quick look! There was no harm in seeing the kind of dogs available, or talk to staff about what an ideal fit might look like before he inevitably lost himself to research and built up an unrealistic idea in his head of what he might be able to get.
A little soft part in Jayce’s mind wanted to get a shelter dog- to take in the way Viktor had been, the way he had been. To give a better life, the way they had forged one together.
Jayce could almost hear the logical objections that Viktor might make to that, of unknown pasts, behavioural issues, of all the myriad problems that rescue brought with it. But… well. It was just a look.
He brought his phone out of his pocket, and typed out a quick text to Viktor.
[Just taking a quick detour on my way home. Will be late, shouldn’t be long! Love you xxx]
The door was propped open, with a sign that read ‘Lock Broken, Sorry’. Jayce eased his way in and gave the receptionist, in thick jumper and mittens, a sympathetic smile. It was a far cry from any of the places he spent most of his time, with once-bright walls covered in dog-themed decals somewhere between twee and charming, and well-worn wooden furnishings.
The part that best held his eye, and made him stay despite there being no respite from the cold, was the large corkboard behind the receptionist filled with pictures. Photographs of dogs covered every inch, and then some- all with new owners bearing big smiles. Some were blurry, some high-quality and shiny. You could look at the pictures and read them like strata, finding aeons of time and lines of change. There were sun-faded images no longer visible, the entire history of the place one layered ever-building collage of love.
Maybe it was cheesy, maybe he should have gone back to Viktor and their flat to research the pros and cons of all the shelters, rescues, and breeders in the area to compile into one spreadsheet. Maybe the whole idea was just a product of fantasy. But… dreams and fantasy brought Jayce his work. His job. His Viktor.
“Excuse me, sir? Can I help you?”
Jayce snapped out of his thoughts and smiled at the receptionist. “Hi! Yeah, I was wondering if I could just take a look at some of your dogs?”
The receptionist nods, and smiles- though looking a little wary- and pressed a button on the desk. A buzzer sounded and heavy green doors to the left relaxed a little, like pressure released.
“Alright then. You go on through, and one of the guys should be in there to answer any questions you might have.”
Jayce smiled and bounced on his feet a bit before going in, and pushing open the door. Near immediately he was greeted with echoing barks from dogs, both excited and nervous, tails wagging fast and ears pricked up like a group of particularly perky helicopters, in the rows of kennels. Each had a sweet shining face, little pieces of personality shining through just begging to be seen and cherished.
There was something more than a little depressing about it though, if you stopped and looked for more than a second. Even though the shelter had dressed it all up well with blankets, propped up dividing walls and colourful name tags tied into the fronts of the kennels- the room still resembled a jail more than a home.
Across at the end of the room, was a worker in a green flannel jacket and scruffy trousers. They sat on the concrete floor, legs outstretched, reaching through the bars of the kennel to pet the head of a tired looking greyhound. Her soft, grey head rested in one hand, tilting into soft scratches from the other, while big brown eyes looked up, darting across the room to stare at Jayce when he spoke.
“Hi there! I’m just wanting to take a look at the dogs? Just looking!”
For just a moment Jayce was overwhelmed by the amount of noise and activity in the room; his attention fractured, eyes trying to look in too many places at once, but he blinked a second, shoved his hands into his pockets where he could clench them into slow fists, and smiled.
The worker smiled easily and nodded. “Sure thing. You know what you’re interested in?”
“... A little? But I’m just here to get a feel for things. Just to take a look.” That was all. Just gathering information.
So with a pleased nod, and the beginning of a practised adoption spiel, Jayce began to look around. He’d be back soon. It would be fine.
Viktor was generally a man of logic, not feeling (that was what he liked to say to himself anyway, when gripped by things he could not change or explain). So it was fine that Jayce was late home. He had texted, after all, and Viktor was not entirely useless. He could make himself food - even if that food was only noodles and reheated dumplings- and he’d lined up all his pills by size and colour to take them (thinking of Jayce all the while, trying not to feel like he’d been somehow abandoned). So he was fine! Maybe he had paced by the front door til his back had given out. And maybe he sat staring at his phone after that. So maybe he felt a little less fine, and maybe Jayce was right about him feeling lonely.
But it wouldn’t do to let him know that outright. A man had to be allowed to stew for a little bit. When the front door finally opened, the click and rush of cold air clear even from his place on the sofa, Viktor fully intended to just let Jayce have it. But as Jayce rounded the corner and faced him, what he said instead was-
“What the fuck did you do?”
Trotting happily alongside his love - who was looking more dashing than was really fair in his wool coat and leather gloves- was.. A dog? More like a puppy really, with the size of the creature, and the way she seemed to almost bounce in place waiting for something. Jayce laughed nervously.
“This is a dog!”
“Yes, panák, I see that. I do know what a dog is. What is one doing here?” Viktor was half between exasperation and laughter, teetering on hysteria as he took in the scene.The dog was delightful- a little velvety grey thing; with white-socked feet at the end of gangly legs, a damp pink nose, and ears that flopped about with each movement. Both were covered in a dusting of light snow, melting quick, and both his husband and the accompanying dog looked shiftily around the room, as if uncertain where to put themselves.
“This is our dog?”
“We don’t have a dog. I’m sure I would not forget a thing like that.” Viktor huffs a bit. “However feeble you might think me.” It was a bit of a jab, but… he was entitled to it, really.
Jayce’s face fell, and the puppy sat down heavily on hearing Viktor’s tone. Her ears drooped slightly, head tilted down, eyes up as if searching for approval.
“No… Love. I don’t think that, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry I treated you the way I did. I was trying to help, but-” A deep breath, and Jayce clutches the red lead he’s holding in both hands. “I didn’t think enough about you. I- I was.. mostly thinking about myself. So I’m sorry.”
They were always going to talk things through eventually, Viktor knew that, but he expected some of their usual darting and dancing around the subject. This was a genuine surprise- and a pleasant one, vindicating some of those hurt feelings, his bruised ego- but one he was not entirely sure how to process alongside the presence of an unexplained animal.
Viktor blinked a few times and nodded. He wasn’t totally sure what his face was doing, Jayce said it sometimes twisted in odd ways or fell into a flat expression, but frankly Jayce would have to cope, having disrupted so much in such little time. He swallowed.
“You’re right. You uh… did not consider me, as a person, or my autonomy.” He exhaled slowly. Remembered how he felt, remembered to put it into words. “It did not, uh, feel good. You wanted to help but I felt trapped.”
“I understand. I am sorry.” Jayce sighed seriously and shifted on his feet. “I’m going to do better. I’ll prove it to you, I will.”
Viktor stared at the dog. The dog stared back. This felt slightly insane.
“And- you still have not explained why you have a dog with you?”
Jayce gently lit up. “He’s our dog!”
Viktor rubbed at his forehead. “So you have said, oh light of my life. This does not explain anything. When did we get a dog? Why did we get a dog?”
There was a moment of silence before Jayce laughed a little, and sat down next to Viktor. Viktor’s hands went to his shoulders- brushing off water droplets from Jayce’s coat and sliding it off- and the pup jumped into Jayce’s lap excitedly, slender tail wagging like a whip, ears perked up and tongue lapping at whatever body part she could reach. They both startled into laughter.
“Well, it seems the pup is already quite attached to you, zlatíčko.”
The laughter was a pebble in a pond, surface tension breaking in ripples around it. Both their shoulders relaxed a little. Viktor slid his legs slightly closer to brush against Jayce’s, and the contact soothed them both.
Jayce petted over the dog’s soft velveteen head, down her long nose. “Yeah- it seems like she really likes me.” He grins wide at Viktor, who just raises an eyebrow. Jayce sighs and nods. “Yeah- okay.”
Viktor folds his hands in his lap and looks at Jayce, expectant.
“Well- okay. So I might have adopted a dog-”
“You said that you were taking a detour Jayce!”
“Yeah, and I didn’t mean to actually come home with a dog right away,, bu-”
“That’s not something you do by accident. You have- a lead, and paperwork, and - Jayce, is your bag full of dog supplies?”
“Well, yes! I wasn’t just going to come home with a dog, I needed to make sure I had all the things you need to take care of a dog.”
“And.. talking to me wasn’t something you thought of?”
Jayce, to his credit, looked a little sheepish- though the sincerity of it was marred by the excitable puppy licking at his nose.
“Okay. If- can I just..” Jayce sighed, though not without a giggle at the wagging tail that had started to bat Viktor’s arm.
Viktor raised an eyebrow. “Walk me through your thought process. Please.” He did his best to calm the twitch at the side of his mouth. The dog was.. very cute, and watching her excitedly turn circles trying to settle in Jayce’s lap was quietly destroying the calm search for truth he was attempting.
Jayce nodded and looked off to the side seriously. Probably the only way he would stand a fighting chance at keeping his train of thought going.
“Okay. So- I was thinking on my way home, that maybe… some of my energy and need to take care of you might be best directed somewhere else so I don’t end up smothering you, or- something.” He swallowed a bit. Viktor could see his genuine remorse, and understanding, and nodded in appreciation as Jayce continued. “And I passed by the shelter, which was open late. I thought that- maybe if we had a dog that I could take care of it, take it out on walks- get some of my energy out- and focus on training it, and that might.. help? Me?”
Jayce’s eyes darted to the side, meeting Viktor’s for only a second. It was something he did when he was trying to avoid saying something- but if there was something Jayce was hiding, Viktor would have to trust Jayce to be honest about it eventually. That kind of trust had to be the basis of everything. So he filed that observation away.
Viktor nodded slowly.
“Okay. So.. you thought it would be a good idea for us to get a dog.”
“Mmm! Yes. And I thought that since they were open I would go in and just have a chat to some of the employees, have a look at the dogs, so I could maybe have a better idea about some of the kinds of options we’d have, what might be good for us.”
There was a little snort. “You thought I would say no, off the bat.”
“Well I- uh. Yeah.” Jayce meets Viktor with a sheepish smile. Viktor knows this man, his husband, intimately- and he can tell how secretly pleased he is that Viktor just understands.
The puppy has calmed down a little now, matching their energy. Viktor notes that quality appreciatively- and the way they seem to be enjoying gnawing on Jayce’s knuckles. They’d have to find something better for the pup to chew on soon.
With a deep breath Jayce continues. “I had intended to just look, but then I went in, and I got to talking- and I saw her.” He petted the dog’s soft floppy ears with a fond smile. She leaned into the touch with tongue lolling and eyes shut.
And this- suddenly, in a rush of warmth, with the sun just peeking low beneath the clouds in its evening glow- felt right. Perhaps there was a piece missing before, perhaps he was just tired and willing to accept things, but Viktor felt like this was right. Jayce, a spindly soft dog with limbs sprawling everywhere on his lap, the sun turning both their eyes an amber that seemed to hold everything he loves in eternal preserved perfection, sat on their sofa, in their apartment. Viktor sighed, but with love.
“You saw her, and you fell in love?” His stupid, darling, soft-hearted husband.
Jayce nodded, looking down at her again. She pawed at him, with her little white socks and speckled paw pads. She tilted her head. “Her name is Tuna.”
“..Tuna?” A little smile forced its way onto Viktor’s face. He huffed out a slight laugh. He thought about Crusty, the scrappy little thing he used to feed in his student days- a cat named Stuffed Crust Pizza after the greasy pizza box he first found her in. It made him glad.
Jayce grinned wide. “Yeah. Tuna Noodle Casserole.”
Viktor couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course- Jayce, you dork.” He rubbed a hand over his face and shook his head slightly- but with a smile. “Of course.” A little look at the puppy, their heads tilting in unison- and Viktor did catch Jayce’s smothered giggle at that, thank you very much. “Hello, Tuna.”
She wagged her tail and bumped her snout into Viktor’s arm. Viktor smiled at it- how could he not?
His mind started turning. With Jayce away most of the day, it would be up to Viktor to do lots of care. There would have to be research about how best to approach her training, to achieve consistency between the two of them, and what kind of extra supplies might need to be caught up. Viktor rarely even thought to spend money on himself- but there was no need to be frugal with a sweet little creature dependent on them. Perhaps some of those tricks might even be useful- tasks more than anything showy.
He imagined then, days at home, with her by his side, nosing at him when it was time to take his medication, bringing him bottles of water and snacks, pain relief on the bad days. With an unpleasant shiver, Viktor also remembered the fall that was the precursor to his latest hospitalisation- if Jayce had not been around he might have laid there for hours before anyone even knew something was wrong. But with an intelligent four-legged companion- an emergency button, or something similar get to help would be achievable. Jayce had previously suggested some kind of fall alert on his person but the idea of needing such a thing sent Viktor into a tailspin- they were designed for the elderly, the frail, something he decidedly was not. Being able to design something himself, though? Training a dog like that? That would solve a problem (and likely ease some of Jayce’s worries).
There was an errant thought in Viktor’s mind that cast him back to that pit of loneliness he’d teetered on during the day. He imagined again. Thought of having a little face to look back at him while he rambled, a warm body beside him.
“I suppose..” He started slowly, a deliberately serious look on his face. After everything he deserved to be able to make the man sweat a little. Jayce’s eyes looking up at him matched Tuna’s. “I suppose we will need to make room in our budget and schedule for training classes.”
Jayce’s eyes lit up- and as if on cue the little greyhound barked, ears perked up.
“So we can keep her?” Oh how Jayce, his little love, was doing his best to keep the hope and twinges of sadness from his face and voice, but it all bled through. Viktor knew this was no act, not a tactic to guilt him. Jayce had genuinely fallen deeply in love with the little pup already.
Viktor laughed slightly. “Of course.” Jayce sagged in relief and Tuna licked his face. “But if you come home with an unexpected pet again- I will be divorcing you.” The corner of Viktor’s mouth twitched up. “And I will take the animals with me.”
Jayce fell back against the sofa in a combination of mock shock and genuine relief, which Tuna seemed to take as her cue to hop off his lap and start sniffing around the room, cautious but with her tail and ears still relaxed. “Oh, how cruel!” He laughed lightly, and watched their new friend take in her environment.
Viktor leaned in against Jayce. Jayce sighed and put an arm behind him, resting on the back of the sofa, hand stroking over his shoulder.
“I know this was stupid. And it’s… again, something I should have just talked to you about. But I think… maybe… it could be good?”
Viktor shifted so his head was leant against Jayce’s shoulder. He was warm, like always. “You are correct. It was stupid. And I do not think that this conversation, or our earlier one, is done.”
Jayce shook his head and sighed. “There’s a lot I have to learn and get right.”
Viktor hesitated before breathing out, and admitting, “And I believe I have much to learn too. Try and… uh, communicate a little better with how you are making me feel.”
Jayce squeezed him softly. “We’ll work on it together.”
“Together.” Viktor gave him a slight teasing smile. “Another project then, eh?”
They both watched Tuna sniff around for a little more, before she hopped back up to the sofa. Entirely unphased, as if she had lived there her whole life, she nosed her way between them, and set her soft grey head on Viktor’s lap. He could already see silvery hairs on his dark trousers, and he smiled slightly.
There was a little sound, something reluctant, before Viktor spoke again.
“In the interest of, ah, honesty… You know. I did find that I was, perhaps, a little lonely today.” A light sigh. Conceding was not easy. “And I might find that, maybe, our little friend here could help me feel less lonely.” He very deliberately kept his gaze trained on the velvety soft ears under his fingers. “And perhaps. Perhaps. I might be able to train… Tuna,” a light laugh escaped at her name,sounding more like an exhale to those who did not know Viktor, “to do some useful tasks, to ah, help me.”
“Oh? Is that right?” Jayce did his best to not sound too interested or excited. It failed miserably. “Good! That’s what I- I mean. Uh.”
“Jayce?”
“..Mmm?”
“That was the plan all along, wasn’t it.”
“...Maybe.”
Viktor hit Jayce over the head with a pillow. He probably deserved it. Tuna jumped up excitedly, not sure what was going on but pleased to be joining in.
“You know, you are an idiot.”
“Aww, but I’m your idiot, V.”
Viktor looks at Jayce, at the excited dog now licking at his face, and sighs with a smile. “That you are.”
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