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Jayce doesn’t win in every timeline.
In some, he doesn’t survive the anomaly. He gives up before he can talk to the other Viktor, or dies of an illness or an infection that spreads too fast.
In some… he cannot fulfill his promise.
In one, or maybe a few… he hesitates for too long.
He approaches. His head is reeling, he has been guided in by a small child. His weapon has not been forced from his hands… and he draws near where Viktor is.
Jayce looks up, and god… his hair is longer, blond strands framing his face… he’s so beautiful in the light.
The former pauses. He knows he shouldn’t, he has to kill Viktor’s physical form. He will come back, but the knowledge he has to hurt him causes a deep ache in his chest. Looking up at his old partner soothes it for just a moment.
And… Viktor opens his eyes. They flutter, only for a second, and the man looks down. Meeting Jayce’s own gaze.
He smiles. Soft, welcoming, warm. Jayce has missed it. He grips the hexcorized hammer, he needs to use it, he needs to before he loses his chance.
But he can’t. He can’t. Not with Viktor looking down, after months, his Viktor with a gentle watch over him, just them.
He drops the hammer. It hurts, this isn’t fair, why must this hurt so bad?
Viktor lowers to the ground. Jayce remembers how badly it hurt when he left. How long ago had that been? When even was it now?
“Jayce.” His name is spoken so carefully, so lovingly. Not distorted by or mixed with anyone else's.
He can’t find the will to reply.
He flinches, falling to his knees as his head pounds, he needs to pick up the hammer and shoot.
When he looks up, Viktor is standing before him. Posture relaxed, a hand out toward him.
“I can help you. You are hurting, Jayce,” he murmurs.
“No. No, no…” Jayce stands, shaky, clutching his hammer once more. He stares at the ground. He can’t give in.
But Viktor is here. Viktor is offering him his hand. Viktor is beautiful right now, in front of him, and…
He charges up his hammer, and Viktor’s expression turns to one of fear.
He can’t.
Jayce can’t complete his promise, he can’t hurt his partner.
The hammer goes silent, and Jayce takes in a stuttering breath.
Viktor relaxes.
Looking up, Jayce heaves a sigh and crumples. Viktor comes over, and kneels beside him.
He’s doomed his timeline.
———————
Everything does not fall apart immediately.
Jayce is accepted by Viktor and the commune members. He spends time by Viktor’s side; this is what he has traded the world for—life beside his partner.
It isn’t how it used to be, not exactly. But Jayce is not… upset. He is upset with himself, but he is not upset while he is with Viktor.
He has missed him. And he can love him freely, he can love him all he wants.
———————
Jayce stepped into his room. Well, his and Viktor’s room. Viktor sits, still upon the bed.
The former sat near Viktor, taking a hand to his jaw and kissing the side of his face.
Viktor shrank from the touch. Unusual for him.
“V?”
Jayce sat next to his partner, attempting to place a hand on the other’s.
Again, he drew back.
“Jayce, how can you love me?”
He almost flinched at the question.
“Viktor, what? I… how can I not?”
Viktor stared downward. His gaze traveled over his limbs, the metallic shine contrasting with an internal purple light emitting from him.
“Look at me.”
Jayce watched Viktor’s expression contort in disgust. He carefully placed a hand on Viktor’s jaw, guiding the man to face him.
“V… you’re beautiful,” he said, giving his partner a soft smile.
“I’m… this isn’t what was supposed to happen. I’m not... I’m repulsive,” he tried to argue, though his voice dripped with a pain Jayce hated to hear.
It reminded him of when Viktor failed a few too many times at an experiment or project, the exhaustion and defeat. But he always came back from it, and that gave Jayce a dose of his own confidence as well.
“I suffered before all this, and I suffer now. My body is metal, I am comparable to a machine, Jayce. Unalive… nothing anyone would want to love.”
Viktor turned away from Jayce and stared at himself, a pained look on his face.
Jayce inhaled deeply, heart aching for his beloved.
“I love you, I love your body, I love everything about you Viktor. I wouldn’t change a single part of you,” Jayce began, kissing Viktor’s temple. He did not withdraw this time. He took Viktor’s hand, bringing his partner’s knuckles to his lips. He kissed up the man’s arm, and Viktor leaned his head up when Jayce kissed his neck. A soft sigh escaped him.
“You’re so gorgeous, perfect, simply divine.”
Jayce leaned down to kiss his knees, a hand caressing Viktor’s lower thighs as he did so.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to prove that to you,” he murmured as he leaned up to kiss the other’s jaw.
He noticed tears in his partner’s eyes.
“Jayce…” his voice shook.
“Viktor,” Jayce responded lowly, pulling the robes made out of a long-ago-gifted blanket down by just a few inches to press gentle pecks across his partner’s chest.
His hands then traced along the curves and edges of Viktor’s body, up and along his limbs in a soothing manner. Purple and gold alike caressed tenderly in a way only Jayce could.
He noticed a tremble in the other’s lip when he leaned up again, gaze softening.
Viktor pressed his forehead to Jayce’s shoulder, letting out a trembling sob.
Jayce pulled him closer.
“I love you,” Jayce said as he pressed his lips to the top of Viktor’s head. “I love you, and nothing is going to change that.”
Viktor held onto Jayce as his cries continued. Jayce let a hand rest upon the man's back.
“I have you.”
His words were quiet, devoted, filled to the brim with adoration. He silently hoped Viktor could comprehend how much he meant it.