Chapter Text

Nobody there to kill the pain away

Assay to slither from the pouring rain

You never know it as you hit the trail

All in vain?

 ***

The café, across from the Gymnasium, was just the kind of cozy place that offered just enough privacy, comfort, coziness, and most importantly, oversized mugs of coffee with an oversized amount of coffee. And it was because of these aspects that the café became Viktor’s fondest retreat. Although he regularly met his students or colleagues from high school there, he was never disturbed from his work. Tucked away in the corner of the small café at a table for two, he sat with his laptop open, looking out the glass window onto the busy street. In his hands he clutched a cup of sweetened coffee that felt pleasantly warm in his palms, his hair pinned back and his headphones on his ears, which were playing the symphonic rhythms of Kill the pain away by Avantasia.

The street outside was busting with people walking, the pupils’ morning classes were coming to an end and they were leaving the building in small groups. Viktor had already finished his morning classes and now he was waiting for the afternoon classes, when he was conducting a logic seminar. An elective, but no less important than the others. In this seminar he prepared the students for the university entrance exams; he discussed with them the structure of didactic tests, types of questions and if the students themselves came up with something they needed to explain, he was happy to help them.

His eyes suddenly fell on a man who was crossing the street between the moving cars in quite a hurry. He was in a hurry to get to the café, but not to hurry, Viktor thought as he glanced at the clock on his laptop. Afternoon classes were starting in five minutes, and of course Jayce Talis was teaching his first class of the afternoon.

“Good, an americano with milk and a donut,” Jayce called to the waitress from the doorway. Viktor casually turned off his songs and listened.

“Last minute again, Mr. Talis?” smiled Sky, already hiding the donut in a paper bag.

“I wouldn’t miss my coffee,” Jayce replied, leaning his elbow on the counter. He watched the waitress prepare his coffee in a cup.

The two met here almost regularly, the young teacher Talis ordering the same thing every time, an Americano with milk and a doughnut. And while Jayce always grabbed his order, left the waitress a tip and hurried away, Viktor probably spent more time here than he did at home. He liked it here, it was good for correcting homework or papers, dealing with work emails so his head would be clear at home.

“I must replenish the sugars, ah hello, Mr. Herald!”

He was snapped out of his thoughts by Jayce’s greeting, raising his brown eyes and looking at Jayce in confusion. The gym teacher was smiling at him, one hand waving in the air in greeting. “No lactose-free cheesecake today?”

Viktor looked down at his plate, where a piece of chewy Parisian cake was lying. His coffee was almost empty, and he hadn’t even touched the mango lemonade yet.

When he looked up, Jayce was already taking his coffee from the waitress. He smiled. “You know, Mr. Talis, I have to replenish my sugars once in a while, too.”

“With the way you sweeten your coffee, you’re more likely to get knocked up soon…” Sky joined the conversation, taking the money from Jayce and thanking him.

Jayce laughed loudly, too loudly for Viktor’s taste. “Come on, even teachers have to have something that makes their lives sweet, don’t they, Mr. Herald?”

Something in Jayce’s eyes glittered, hazel eyes gazing warmly at his three years older colleague, and the corners of Jayce’s lips curled upward gently. It was a look full of softness and tenderness. Viktor paused, but when he peeled his eyes to the clock, he propped his chin up triumphantly.

“Teachers are supposed to be on time for their classes too, aren’t they, Mr. Talis?”

“Shit!” Jayce exclaimed when he realized it was already three minutes past the start of his afternoon class. “I’ll see you later, Mr. Herald!”

Viktor watched as Jayce crossed the road while he quickly fed himself a donut. Something about this conversation put a smile on his face, but it didn’t to last for long. As he turned the music back on in his headphones and slid his gaze to his work email, a new message lit up his inbox.

“Viktor, come to me after the afternoon class and we’ll discuss how we’re going to solve your problem. School principal.”

Viktor let out a long sigh, sitting up to relieve the pressure in his bad leg. A stabbing pain shot from this calf to his thigh, as it had been doing for the past week. He’d resigned himself to the fact that he’d be limping forever, but the sudden pain and cramping came out of nowhere, and the inability of his leg to support his weight any longer was terrifying him, though he’d never admit it to anyone. Propping his chin up again, he read the line from the school principal one more time before closing his laptop. Suddenly he didn’t feel like eating the Parisian cake anymore, and as he left, he tipped Sky for the untouched mango lemonade too.

*******

****

“Any questions?” Viktor slammed down his laptop and looked around the classroom. The class was silent, some students were already putting their notebooks in their bags and others were looking tiredly out the window.

“Well, in that case, have a nice rest of the day, we’re done.”

The students began to push their chairs back with a screech, sliding off their desks and gradually leaving the classroom. The said goodbye to Viktor and one of the students even wished him a good day. He waved at her with a fleeting smile.

“You too, Miss Kiramman.”

The classroom emptied out and he was left alone in a quiet room. The tired autumn sun of the late afternoon leaned lazily on the windows and cast long shadows on the opposite wall. Viktor liked this time of year best, neither hot nor cold. Just right.

As he stowed his things in his bag and reached for his cane, he felt the twinge in his knee again. He tried to shift his weight onto his leg, but his knee gave out and he gripped the cane tighter in his hand. He didn’t want to admit to himself that his leg was getting worse, yet he had to take certain measures because of the pain. When he was sure his leg was sufficiently prepared, he made his way out of the classroom with a limp. The corridors were empty and dark. Viktor looked around and proceeded down one floor to the staff room, where he deposited his folder, pulled the strap of his bag, and knocked on the door of the principal’s office next to the staff room.

“Come in,” came the voice of the principal.

Viktor took the door handle and entered but was immediately surprised to find that the headmaster was not alone in the office. An older man, Professor Cecil Heimerdinger, stood by the window looking out onto the school grounds while none other than Jayce Talis was comfortably sitting in the chair in front of his desk. The young gym teacher was still wearing his gym clothes, his dark hair pulled back into a small ponytail, Viktor had never seen him walk any other way. Turning his gaze to the newcomer, Jace rose from his chair and walked over to him. He touched Viktor’s shoulder casually and led him to the chair. A broad smile on his face. “Mr. Herald, I told you we well see again.”

“Viktor, sit down,” principal Heimerdinger spoke to the confused teacher. “So, are you resuming rehab?”

“Given the situation, yes,” Viktor nodded his head at his cane leaning against the side of the chair. “I think that’s the best solution… but as I wrote in my email, my physiotherapist has offered me appointments on Thursdays during afternoon classes, every fortnight. I don’t want to give up my subject completely, but I understand that cutting the class time in half is probably not an option.”

“It really isn’t,” Heimerdinger sighed, turning to face the men. “But I understand that this is not a simple situation, Viktor. That’s why we’ve come up with a solution. Jayce here has offered to take half these hours for you himself. You’ll alternate every fortnight and work together.”

Viktor looked up in surprise at his younger colleague, who had settled himself on the arm of the chair next to him.

“Can it be?” Heimerdinger asked.

Jayce smiled broadly. “I’m happy to help, plus I’d like to try teaching something other than gym and art.”

“Is that a problem, Viktor?” Principal Heimerdinger pulled Viktor’s attention back to himself. “The other solution is to give the subject to someone else, but I’m sure neither you nor I want that.”

“No, I think I can handle it…” finally Viktor breathed. “I’m sure we can handle it, Mr. Talis?”

“Very well, I trust you can come to an agreement. If that’s all, we’re done. You may go,” Heimerdinger waved his hand and sat down at his desk.

Jayce held the door for Viktor and together they walked out into the hallway. Still a little confused by the sudden sequence of events, Viktor felt slightly uneasy, yet he just let out a long sigh and turned his attention to his new companion. “Looks like we have a lot of work to do, we’ll have to talk, I’ll prepare the syllabus and materials for each class…”

“With all due respect, Mr. Herald, I’d like to discuss this somewhere other than the school hallways. I’ve had a long day. How about tomorrow? You’re off at 12:20, so 13:00 At the End of the World?”

“At the end of the world?” Viktor’s confusion deepened.

“That café you go to every day… It’s called At the End of the World.”

Viktor just stared at him in confusion. He had been going to the café every day since he had started teaching at the high school three years ago and he knew the owner, Sky, in person. Yet only now did he realize that he had never cared about its name. He just called it the café.

“So?” prompted Jayce with a kind smile. “Tomorrow at one?”

“Um, okay, tomorrow at one,” Viktor replied…

“Great, well have a good day and walk home,” Jayce waved at him, turned and walked away down the hallway with a brisk stride and his hands in the pockets of his school-print hoodie. Viktor stared at Jayce’s broad back for a moment longer before shaking his head. A few lightened strands of his brown hair slipped into his eyes, and he put it back behind his ear. Finally, still a little confused, he made his way away the other hallway. He had a feeling this year was going to be a long one.

Chapter Text

A wayward mind in concealment

A host in a clamorous crowd

Fragility poorly protected

From discountenance wondered out loud

Right on and if you can't defy it

Omit the feeling of pain

Safe in a still conversation

A child entwined with the rain

***

Even though Fridays were usually pleasant, because Viktor taught only the first two lessons and then the fifth lesson of the day, today he was on the edge of his seat. He didn't like having to share his logic lessons with someone else, yet he knew he had no choice. As he sat in his office, his good leg folded under him, preparing a folder of materials on his google drive, his thoughts wandered back to his conversation with young Talis yesterday. How readily he had offered to help him with his teaching. But Viktor didn't need help, he thought helplessly. Surely there was a way to change the students' schedules to move logic to another afternoon class or add another class a week, after all, he didn't have to share with anyone. But he had to now.

He let out another long sigh, reaching for his coffee mug, but it had been completely empty for a while. Viktor glanced up at the clock on his laptop, he still had twenty minutes left of his free period, so he reached for his cane and struggled to stand on his sore leg. His leg had started to hurt like hell overnight and today he could barely support the weight of his body on it. Walking hurt and he knew that rehab was the least he would have to do. With a sigh, he locked his office, stowed his keys in the pocket of his dark green cardigan, and made his way to the teacher's kitchen upstairs, mug in hand.

The fourth period was in full swing, the classes were quietly learning and the corridors were empty. From some classrooms the voice of teachers could be heard dictating homework or explaining the material, while other classrooms were brimming with heated discussion. But from one classroom there was no sound of either. The closer Victor approached the open door to the art room, the more the quiet melody of jazz began to fill the hallway. When he reached the door all the way, he didn't forgive his curiosity and peered through the open door.

Art class always had a friendly and pleasant atmosphere. The students sat either at wooden ponchos or easels spaced variously in front of the windows to allow as much light as possible to hit their work surface. An oil painting of a jug and an apple side by side was projected on a screen pulled across the whiteboard, from which the pupils drew their own works in pastels. A jazzy melody drifted from the computer speakers, perfectly accentuating the atmosphere of the environment Victor was peering into.

The computer science teacher was able to appreciate the cosiness and comfort, even though he spent most of his time in the computer labs, which, in his opinion, lacked exactly that. Victor taught mainly applied computer science and robotics seminars, in addition to the elective logic seminar. Computers and technology had always been his passion, yet he liked the environment to be comfortable. The computer lab where he tutored students, however, had none of that warm feeling. It was cold, white, full of the latest technology that suddenly felt so distant and alien to Viktor. Viktor made up for it with the cozy café.

Jayce, who was teaching the art class, was just walking among the students, checking their work and now and then giving them advice on their next move. He stayed with the blue-haired girl the longest, praising her abstract work with a broad smile. Viktor found himself staring. Jayce was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, the fate of sportsmen, Victor thought, but this was the first time he'd seen Jayce with his hair down since early September. Dark strands lined his forehead, his face covered in dark beard. Ever since Jayce had started as the new PE and Art teacher in September, Victor had never seen him in anything other than a sports suit and his hair pulled back into a small ponytail at the top of his head. He took turns teaching PE with another older teacher who ran the girls' classes, but otherwise he taught all boys classes in the gym. Viktor couldn't imagine how hard it must be.

When the young PE teacher had checked the progress of all the students, Jayce returned to the teacher's desk where he settled comfortably into his chair. Viktor only now noticed that Jayce himself had an open black-covered sketchbook on his desk, in which he scribbled with a pencil in his spare moments. Victor knew that Jayce taught art as well as PE, yet he suddenly felt the urge to walk into the classroom and look over his colleague's shoulder.

The new teacher suddenly looked up from the scribbled pages, as if sensing that he had been watched the entire time. He turned his gaze to the open door and saw Victor standing in the hallway, an empty mug in his hand. Victor leaned on his cane and swallowed as their gazes met. The moment where they just looked at each other seemed endless until Jayce raised his hand and waved at Viktor with a kind smile. Some students immediately looked up from their work and glanced at Teacher Herald standing in the doorway.

Viktor could feel the heat settling in his face, so he merely raised his hand, waved back at Jayce in a silent greeting, and quickly limped off to the teacher's kitchen around the corner. His heart was beating wildly and in the reflection of the small mirror above the sink by the door, Victor saw his flushed cheeks. Yes, Jayce Talis, the young, handsome, and built gym teacher who was undoubtedly, definitely, and one hundred percent into women, was making Viktor's heart race. That made his cheeks flush and his palms sweat with nervousness.

" Do háje ..." muttered Viktor, as he slowly began to realize what it meant. It was only October, and Viktor swore to himself that he wouldn't stare at their new colleague so intently. But given that they met regularly in the cafeteria, Jayce liked to make small talk, and now he would have to spend time with him and share half of his logic classes, he knew he was completely and fully doomed.

This year hadn't started out at all to his liking, and he was already having to expend most of his strength on self-control to maintain the last vestiges of his dignity. Shaking his head, he prepared another cup of sweetened coffee and hurried with a limp step down the hallway back to his office. He didn't stop at the art room again, yet his thoughts were wrapped in the cozy, warm orange light that in his mind fell on Jayce's face.

*********************************************************************************************************

It was exactly 1:00pm when Viktor stopped outside the glass doors of the small café just across from the high school. His eyes wandered to the wooden sign that did indeed say the simple words At the End of the World . Viktor took a moment to wonder if it was a pop culture reference and the corners of his mouth curled into a small smile. He wanted to believe it was. Using his cane, he climbed the three steps to the café and the bell announced his arrival.

The waitress was behind the bar preparing four cups of cappuccino for the table against the wall. Viktor nodded a greeting to her and she returned it with a wide smile. "Viktor! I'll be right with you."

"Don't hurry Sky, I'm waiting for someone anyway..." replied Viktor, but he stopped when he saw someone already sitting at his favourite table.

He didn't recognize him at first, but when Jayce turned around to see the voice, Viktor was left to stare at him in bewilderment. With a feeling of shame, he realized that this was the second time today. Jayce was wearing a dark turquoise shirt with a cream-colored vest that was decorated with burgundy details, like the hand-embroidered hammer symbol on Jayce's chest. Dark trousers accentuated Jayce's well-groomed appearance and a dark brown corduroy autumn jacket was draped over the back of a chair. Jayce's hair was neatly groomed and down, and a fleeting smile graced his bearded face.

"Mr. Herald, I was afraid you'd forgotten about me."

Well, I won't forget about you even if I tried now , Viktor thought. In the cosy surroundings of the small café, Jayce gave the impression that he had always belonged here. Orange beams of light fell on his face and the young computer scientist noticed that Jayce's hair was not black as he had originally thought, but a dark brown. It had a soft sheen in the light and looked like silk. Viktor shook his head, lowered his gaze to the ground, and walked with a limp towards Jayce.

"This is about my health, Mr. Talis. Have you ordered?"

"No, I was waiting for you."

Viktor sat down in his favourite spot overlooking the café and relieved his aching leg. With a sigh, he leaned his cane against the wall behind him, placed his bag on his lap and began to pull out his laptop and a few papers.

"Hurts a lot, doesn't it," Jayce asked politely.

When Viktor looked up, he saw something in his colleague's face that surprised him. It was concern. Jayce's hazel eyes were fixed on him with warm concern, and Viktor had his work cut out for him to keep a straight face.

"It's... an old injury. The doctors have warned me that some of the pain may return over time. Nothing I can't handle."

"Sure, I just... asked."

There was a moment of silence as Viktor regarded the teacher before him with interest, as Jayce did to him. It was only a matter of time before one of them broke eye contact, and Victor was the first to look back down into his bag. Jayce followed him, his eyes fixed on the menu.

"Well, I'm here now, gentlemen, what'll it be?" the waitress with the Sky name tag smiled at them.

Viktor was about to reply when Jayce beat him to it. "Oh, hello, for Mr. Herald I presume a lactose free cheesecake and a grande latte with caramel syrup."

The waitress looked as surprised as Viktor felt. He measured Jayce with his gaze, leaned his elbows on the table, and hid his chin behind his linked fingers.

"Ohm, okay, and for you-"

"An Americano with milk and a donut with white icing," Victor interrupted, his eyes fixed on his companion. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but a fleeting smile of provocation appeared on Jayce's face, which was gone as soon as Sky spoke.

"Is this some kind of competition or something? Next time, let me guess right now..." she grinned, and with an order she knew by heart, she sauntered over to the counter where she set about making coffee.

Jayce leaned back comfortably in his chair, his fingers resting fleetingly on the wooden tabletop, watching Victor, who didn't know if the sudden attention bothered him or was starting to flatter him. He shook his head again, some things he had forbidden himself a long time ago and the increasing stress that was beginning to build into frustration with his own situation and his aching leg wasn't exactly adding to his feelings. He pushed his glasses up his nose with his index finger, finally spreading his papers out on his desk and opening his work laptop.

"We have a lot of work to do, Mr. Talis, the logic class is geared towards preparing students for the college entrance exams. And since it awaits practically everyone, it's a very popular elective. I always try to make sure my students are fully prepared for all the nooks and crannies of didactic and aptitude tests."

"I see, how does that work?"

"Here." Viktor moved the laptop to the middle of the table so they could both see it. "I've created a folder on google drive, there are worksheets with different kinds of questions that might come up and also often come up on admissions tests. I usually hand them out to the students and let them try to fill them out on their own, then I go through it with them and explain what's not clear. It's not just that though, some pupils already know where they're going, they usually bring their own sets of questions throughout the year, for example psychology or otherwise focused subjects, which I help them with. It's very much about talking to the pupils themselves. It's about a fair approach."

Jayce listened to him with interest, pushing a few papers aside as Sky brought their order to the tray. They thanked him, and Jayce took his Americano and took a big sip of coffee with a sigh of relief. Viktor reached for his own mug and added a teaspoon of sugar to the caramel syrup.

"What?" Viktor caught Jayce's surprised look.

"I wonder if the caramel isn't sweet enough on its own."

"I don't find it, you know, my brain processes a lot of sugars, I have to replenish them," Viktor used Jayce's words.  

"But that amount of sugar is also not healthy. How many of these coffees do you drink in a day anyway..."

Viktor looked up from his laptop and raised his eyebrows. "Are you playing nutritionist, Talis?"

"Yes, yes I am," Jayce replied with a seriousness Victor hadn't expected from him, leaning his elbow on the desk. "Considering that I have to know perfectly well the ratios of the various ingredients in my diet to balance my input and output because of my sport, I would venture to say that your daily input is definitely not equal to your caffeine and glucose output."

"I would venture to say that my daily output is perhaps more challenging than you might imagine."

There was silence between the men. Viktor frowned at his younger companion and watched as Jayce leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

"Are you getting tired, Mr. Herald?" asked Jayce suddenly, his eyes fixed out the window.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm sure you know what I mean, you get up in the morning and you're exhausted, the first coffee doesn't wake you up, maybe the second one does, and yet you still feel like you've been run over by a digger in the afternoon."

Viktor lowered his eyes to his plate of cheesecake, which he suddenly found himself craving. "I don't need a lecture on diet, Mr. Talis," he uttered, emphatically enough to indicate to Jayce that this discussion was over.

He watched as Jayce turned his hazel eyes, which were definitely anything but hostile, towards him, and that perhaps Viktor had crossed a certain line with his overreaction. He cleared his throat, avoided his gaze, and turned his attention back to his laptop.

"Anyway, I'll still be leading a class next week, my rehab starts in a fortnight. I recommend that you come to class next week as part of the hospitalization and getting acquainted with the class."

"Okay, great idea."

"Then we're all set." Viktor finished his coffee halfway, set his mug down on the table, and didn't touch the cheesecake.

He began to stow his papers and laptop back in his bag without so much as a glance at Jayce. He was sure the young gym teacher was watching him, and Viktor mentally scolded himself for getting carried away like that. Great first impression , the computer science teacher thought, and his stomach clenched slightly at the realization. A feeling so familiar, yet so distant at the same time. Anxiety he hadn't experienced in so many years, his body and emotions playing tricks on him. With a sigh, he admitted to himself the truth that he found Jayce Talis incredibly attractive and also that he had made an incredible ass of himself. After a moment, a second intrusive thought stabbed him, during which he allowed himself to look up at Jayce. To his dismay, though, he wasn't met with any looks of disapproval or a gloating smile on his lips. The warm feeling of caring that filled Jayce's suddenly tired face was still there, and it was real. It was just that Jayce was a guy, a handsome guy that all the girls looked up to, and that was the problem.

"Listen, Mr. Herald, I... I didn't mean to come on to you like that, after all, it's your business and you know best how you feel," Jayce broke the silence, his eyes lowered to the tabletop, his voice surprisingly sincere.

How do I feel? Like an idiot in love! Viktor wailed in his head as he watched his colleague before pausing. The realization of what he was feeling brought heat to his cheeks and clenched his stomach even tighter. When Jayce raised his hazel eyes to him, he looked away.

"It's okay, I understand that habit is an iron shirt. Even I tend to correct others when I hear them talking about technology."

Jayce chuckled genuinely, Viktor's anxiety suddenly taking on practically tangible contours. It was only a matter of time before it turned into panic, and that meant it was high time to leave.

"It's not much better with students," Jayce continued the conversation he was trying to salvage.

"I had to help Miss Parkins format an essay for her art class last week. The poor girl looks like she's glad she knows what a mouse and keyboard is."

"Ah, you're helping her? I'm not surprised she's talking about you all the time," Viktor smiled, reaching for his cane and getting to his feet.

"Talking?" Jayce looked up in surprise.

"Oh yeah, she has a thing for you, as do most of the girls in fourth year." Viktor slid his gaze over his face and didn't forgive himself for adding, "And I can understand why."

Viktor watched as Jayce's face took on a pink tint. Could it be that he hadn't realized it until this moment?

"You're young, Jayce, and your appearance is a double-edged weapon that can strike both sides..." Viktor walked with a limp step to the counter, where he used the card in his cell phone to pay.

As he thanked Sky, his gaze slid to young Talis, who remained seated at the table, his eyes lowered to its shiny surface. Viktor was about to leave when he heard Jayce's voice.

"Sometimes I wish people could see the other side of me than just my appearance," he said in a deep, low voice that gave Viktor pause.

Silence once again permeated the café as Viktor sorted through his confused thoughts. He had the feeling that someone had taken them, torn them apart and scattered them across the café floor, and he didn't have the strength to gather them back together. He stared at Jayce's back, just as he had yesterday.

"Maybe you should show it more often. At least to those you want them to appreciate it, Jayce," then he let out a long sigh through his nose. "And by the way."

The young teacher turned at the waist, leaned his elbow on the back of his chair, and looked at his older colleague with a question in his eyes. "My name is Viktor. I'll see you on Monday."

Jayce watched as the front door closed behind Viktor, accompanied by the tinkle of a small bell. He lowered his gaze to the floor, then looked around at the dishes and unfinished desserts on the table.

"I'll pay, Sky," he mouthed to the waitress, then stood up and slung his corduroy jacket over his shoulders.

"But Mr. Herald has already paid for both of you," Sky replied, a wide smile appearing on her face. She didn't miss Jayce's puzzled look and his flushed cheeks. Jayce tucked his head between his shoulders in an attempt to disappear into his corduroy jacket, mumbled a goodbye and walked out of the café, all red.

Chapter Text

I see ghosts, spectres light around me

Vivid and stark, a blaze in the dark

Fire in the night

One by one - pictures gather round me

Where those moonflowers used to grow…

***

Thursday of the following week was not a nice day at all, quite the opposite. Dark clouds had been rolling over the city since the morning, and a strong wind was blowing against trees and buildings and sweeping through the streets, accompanied by a deep roar. Viktor had a hard time getting from the bus stop to the school in the morning. The wind knocked him to one side and his knee stung painfully several times on the way. When he finally reached his office on the second floor of the annex building, he watched out the window as the wind took everything that lay untethered on the street and brought the first raindrops with it. With a sigh, he realized that he would skip visiting the café in his free period today.

*******************************************

The day dragged on, the hours passing slowly and the whole school was immersed in a lazy grey atmosphere. The bell announced the end of morning classes and Viktor wearily deposited his bag in his office. His free period, which he normally spent in the café across the street, was about to begin. But as he glanced up at his office windows, which were wet with raindrops, he was glad he didn't have to go anywhere. After all, he could make coffee at school. With that thought, he grabbed his empty mug, locked his office, and walked down the hallway to the teacher's kitchen with the help of his cane.

His leg was the least sore it had been in days, yet he felt it wasn't perfect. The damaged ligaments were pulling uncomfortably, and the exertion he'd put in on his way to work had left his knee sore. Still, his leg felt a little better. But that was quickly replaced by indignation when he discovered that someone had used up all the coffee. Fatigue was slowly taking over and he wanted to at least get some rest before his logic class. With a sigh, he turned and parted towards the stairs, luckily the school had a commercial coffee machine on the lowest floor, in the hallway by the gym for all occasions. Victor had never really enjoyed these artificial drinks that tasted more like coffee flavored water, but at the moment it was all he had.

The school was crowded. Some of the younger grades had already finished their classes, the older ones were also free right now, only the third year boys were just starting their second period of gym class. Viktor walked down the two flights of stairs and out of the main hall, down the hallway that led to the gym. From a distance he could already hear the shouts of the children, laughter and noise from the sports hall, now and then there was a muffled thud as the ball hit the gym wall. Viktor had given up on most sports, mostly because of his injured leg, but that didn't mean he didn't like watching sports. On the contrary, once in a while he even fell into a hardship and a desire to go jogging or try a sport. Unfortunately, it was impossible.

Viktor passed the open gym door, from which came the noise and shouting of excited boys. He walked to the coffee machine, threw a coin into it and selected the appropriate coffee. The machine immediately began to whirr obediently.

"Pass it in the middle! Here!" came from the gym hall.

"Mr Talis, on the line!" This line snapped Viktor to attention.

He slowly stepped away from the machine and peered through the open door into the gym. It wasn't until this moment that he realized that the only gym teacher who ran the boys' gym class at the school was Jayce. There were eleven boys running around the wide hall, which was flanked on one side by a tiered spectator stand, six wearing the distinctive yellow jersey and the other five wearing orange, as was Jayce. Viktor fleetingly parted his lips as he watched Jayce process a pass with his foot. Jayce had his dark hair pulled into a small ponytail, the rest of his head freshly shaved behind his ears. He was wearing a loose sports shirt and shorts with the number seven on them in addition to his orange distinguished shirt. The muscles on Jayce were playing, tensing with every movement, and Viktor found himself unable to tear his eyes away.

He felt the heat in his cheeks again, but then his eyes slid down to Jayce's legs. He paused, shook his head, and looked again. Jayce's left knee was adorned with a wide grey brace with lateral metal supports to aid the movement of the joint. Victor recognized the brace immediately and was able to place it in order; it was the kind of brace given to people who had undergone ACL surgery. It helped them get back to their sport, and Viktor also knew that ligament injuries in the knee were among the most common injuries to athletes.

He suddenly remembered the conversation from last week, when they were sitting together in the café. When Jayce was genuinely interested in the pain in his leg. He brushed him off. But now he understood that Jayce might understand him more than anyone else. He was snapped out of his thoughts by the beeping of the coffee machine and he had to involuntarily tear his eyes away from Jayce. Maybe it was a good thing the coffee machine brought him back to reality. He had a feeling that he wouldn’t be able to explain watching Jayce in gym class anymore, so he quickly grabbed the coffee cup and made his way back across the school to his office. He would see Jayce later today after all.

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The bell announced the end of class. Viktor reached over and dumped the empty coffee cup in the trash can, he had everything ready. His laptop was carefully tucked away in his bag, and he checked the worksheets with the specifically selected problems from the aptitude tests one more time, then tucked them into a folder and slid them in next to the laptop. The last thing that was missing was his colleague who was due to come in for the lesson.

Viktor quickly checked the time on the clock above the study door and as if on cue, someone knocked. Viktor didn't even bother to get up, Jayce grabbed the cabinet handle and stormed in, all woozy from gym class. He was still wearing his sports shirt and shorts, only the brace was gone, leaving a few bruises and red stripes on Jayce's thigh, he was carrying his sports bag over his shoulder. Viktor noticed a red scar below his kneecap and two smaller scars above his knee, they looked fairly fresh. It probably hadn't been that long since Jayce had undergone surgery. But Viktor remained discreet and didn't ask any questions.

"I was afraid you'd forgotten about me," Viktor smiled, turning in his chair to face him.

"Pfft, forget about you? Never and I happen to be quite excited to see a professional in action," he winked at him and Viktor just rolled his eyes.

"And I didn't get a chance to change either, so I hope you don't mind," Jayce uttered as if he didn't mind.

Before Viktor could react, Jayce pulled his sports shirt over his head, revealing a broad back to Viktor. The computer science teacher blinked in surprise, his cheeks instantly flushing, and he quickly turned in his chair with his back to Jayce. Suddenly the looking in gym class isn't so bad, huh, debile (asshole), Victor mused, hoping the heat would quickly fade from his cheeks. He could hear Jayce rummaging through his gym bag as he pulled on clean, more formal clothes. Viktor squeezed his eyelids tightly shut and ran his fingers through his hair, his self-control having been tested by fire the last few days.

"Okay, I'm ready," Jayce rumbled, letting his sweaty hair down. He stood at the sink, a small mirror hanging above it. He was still quickly tying his tie and suddenly no one would recognize the gym teacher in him.

Viktor dared to look at him. The transformation was almost startling, he stared at it for a moment and when the bell in the hallway announced the start of class, he shook his head, grabbed his cane and slung his bag over his shoulder.

"Is something wrong?" Jayce registered Viktor's gaze and turned back to the mirror, running his eyes over his tie, beard, and hair.

"No, nothing, you look absolutely gorgeous, Talis, shall we?" Viktor opened the door for him and waited for Jayce to walk through to the hallway so he could lock up. The young gym teacher was carrying a pad and pen to take notes on the proper way to do hospitalizations, which put a fleeting smile on Viktor's face.

"Are you nervous?" He asked as they walked side by side towards the classroom.

"A little," Jayce admitted, ruffling his dark hair. "But at the same time, I can't wait."

"I don't know if I'm more intrigued or baffled by your enthusiasm."

"Yeah well." Jayce paused for a moment. "I wasn't kidding about the professional thing... kids talk about you like that, they have respect for you. They say you can teach them well and be fair at the same time, and they say you always accommodate them too, but you also manage to keep your cool and orderly."

"Really?"

"Yeah, when I asked them about you..."

Viktor paused. Jayce took a few more steps before stopping as well, turning to him with a question in his eyes.

"You asked them about me?" Viktor raised an eyebrow, not missing the fact that Jayce quickly moved his gaze away. In the gloom of the hallway, perhaps Jayce's cheeks seemed to turn fleetingly pink.

"Of course I asked. We're supposed to be working together, plus I'm kind of interested in you, I mean, technology interests me too, and I was hoping we could talk more sometime," he smiled nervously.

Viktor's face remained absolutely calm, watching Jayce with a look that usually belonged to students who didn't respect the rules he set.  He was pleased to find that look working on others as well, as Jayce looked around the hallway as if trying to find an escape route. Viktor choked him for a moment longer before he slowly parted, brushing past Jayce and limping to the open classroom door. The computer science teacher turned his gaze on the confused Jayce and motioned for him to follow him into the classroom.

Several students were already sitting in the classroom, waiting for the teacher to arrive. When Mr. Harold appeared in the doorway, everyone immediately took their seats. Viktor waited a moment, waited for Jayce to enter, and then closed the door behind him. Some of the students looked at each other in surprise, and Viktor even heard quiet rustling. He swept his gaze over the classroom and it immediately fell silent.

"Okay," he began as he used his cane to reach behind the teacher's desk. "We have an important organizational matter to deal with first. Starting next week, you'll have a change in your schedule. In fact, with Mr. Talis, who honored us with a visit today, we will be alternating the leadership of the seminar starting next week. I will have you on odd weeks and Mr. Talis on even weeks."

Jayce stood beside him and greeted the class, who stared at him in surprise. Viktor gave his companion only the slightest nod before turning back to the class. "I think it's a great opportunity for those of you who want to go into the arts or sports to be able to ask a professional in the field." Viktor didn't miss Jayce's fleeting glance and felt the corners of his mouth twitch in a small smile that he easily suppressed.

"All clear? Let's begin then, Mr. Talis, can you please take a seat in the back? Thank you. So, last week we were focusing on word problems, which in addition to knowing the maths often expect you to engage your common sense. I'm looking at you Mylo. Today we're going to look at reading comprehension, send in your worksheets, and hand one to Mr Talis so he can take a look. So, exercise number one..."

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The lesson was intimate; Viktor explained the various exercises on the paper, pointed out some of the tricky things that universities like to put into aptitude tests and answered a few questions from students. When the bell announced the end of the last class of the afternoon, Viktor bade the students goodbye, and while they were packing up, he limped over to the bench where Jayce was sitting.

The gym teacher was in the process of scribbling his last note in his notebook. Viktor glanced fleetingly over his shoulder, and was surprised to find that Jayce had managed to draw during class. And before Jayce closed the notebook, Viktor thought he saw his face pen drawing. But he let it go, waited until Jayce had cleared his desk and stood up.

So, Mr. Talis, I hope I have lived up to your expectations."

"So far, yes, but we'll see," Jayce smiled. "You really are very good at explaining things. If someone had gone over my college entrance tests with me like that, I probably wouldn't be here just being a dumb gym teacher."

"Did you apply somewhere else?"

"Actually, yes," Jayce admitted, walking Viktor to the door. "Physics and computer science."

Viktor looked up at him in surprise. He studied his hazel eyes, in which he found sincerity. Jayce gave a fleeting nod. "I just wasn't good enough to get into that major."

"Silly, I don't think the university knows what talent it's cheated itself out of."

Their gazes met for a moment and Viktor felt his mouth corners twitch again. Jayce studied his dark brown eyes before a fleeting smile appeared on his face as well.

"Maybe, maybe not, it's in the past."

"Well, at least you can do something you really enjoy. I've seen you in gym class and I have to admit you're pretty damn good... And sometimes I'd even like to see how you paint pretty." Viktor admitted.

"You can also come to the lessons and try your hand at art, maybe there's an artist in you," Jayce smiled genuinely.

"More like a natural disaster," Viktor chuckled, looking into Jayce's eyes. "I didn't even thank you."

"Please, you're welcome." Jayce covered his mouth and yawned softly. "I'll go then, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," Viktor smiled and watched as Jayce and two other students left the classroom.

Viktor watched from the doorway for a moment longer, his back leaning against the student's desk, a small smile playing on his face. After a moment, however, he registered someone's gaze, and when he turned his attention to the rest of the class, he saw several students listening to them the entire time, who quickly averted their eyes and began to pack up in a hurry. Viktor watched them silently, then turn his eyes to the teacher's desk and went to get his things.

Last, as always, in the class was Caitlyn Kiramman, a smart and observant girl, sometimes too energetic and radical for Viktor's taste. Viktor had noticed long ago that Caitlyn hated improvisation and would prefer everything to follow a set of rules. Still, he liked her as one of the better students at this school. Suddenly, he had an idea.

"Caitlyn?" Viktor addressed the girl.

"Yes, Mr. Herald?"

"I was just wondering if Mr. Talis was teaching you anything."

The girl measured him with her gaze for a moment before answering. "I'm taking an art seminar with him... Why do you ask?"

Viktor shook his head, not really knowing himself why he decided to ask. "Since I'm going to be giving him some of my classes, I want to make sure you'll be in good hands."

"Ah, sure. Mr. Talis is nice, a bit of a dude for my taste, but the other girls love him. And he's great friends with the boys, but I guess all the gym teachers are."

"Yeah, I guess so," Viktor smiled thoughtfully. "And how does he teach?"

"Well, he hands out papers and we draw. Most of the time he explains what he wants us to do, but he leaves us free hand. He knows we're not all artists, but if someone wants to learn something specific, like perspective, he gives them special attention. Sometimes he even helps us with other tasks."

"Helps with homework?"

"Yeah, if someone doesn't understand something... like Vi, Violet. When Mr. Talis found out from her sister that Vi was failing math, he decided to tutor her instead of art, and it really helps."

Viktor looked up, stared at the girl in front of him, and smiled. "Thank you, Caitlyn, that's good enough for me. I can see that you will indeed be in capable hands."

Caitlyn returned his smile. She walked slowly to the door, but then stopped and turned back with a nervous exhale.

"Mr. Herald?"

"Yes, Cait?"

"Mr. Talis sometimes asks about you too..."

Viktor looked up and slowly straightened, his left hand resting on his cane. "Indeed?"

"Yes, he asks how you teach, if you're good and what you like..."

"Excuse me?" He looked at her, puzzled.

"Well, so... if you get a box of chocolates and a bottle of brandy from him, it certainly wasn't our idea!" She said quickly, turning on her heel and running out of the classroom before Viktor could say anything.

Chapter Text

Fortune favors just the brace
That's what the blessed always say
Love will come in time
But I'm always late
I pray the wine my will to take
And those evil hands to tie
Wreaking havoc, baneful sight is growing dim

***

The week passed like nothing again. Viktor took care of his subjects and Jayce took care of his, yet when they met in the hallway, they greeted each other with small smiles. Even in the cafeteria at the End of the World , if Jayce wasn't in a hurry to get to his afternoon class, the young gym teacher would sit next to Viktor so they could maybe just sit in silence and drink their coffee. Victor was beginning to realize that he was starting to feel more and more relaxed around Mr. Talis. Likewise, he felt that Jayce had overcome his initial nervousness as well. They talked about all sorts of things and Viktor soon found that he was simply comfortable with Jayce.

"And then he asked him if he was a detective pikachu..." laughed Jayce.

A fleeting smile appeared on Viktor's face, it seemed to him that perhaps he had been listening to Jayce for hours and there was still plenty to talk about. "I have to admit, I haven't seen the new Sonic movies yet. But I used to play a lot of the old games when I was a kid."

"Really? We need to fix that! They're perfect, and Jim Carrey is having a blast as Eggman..."

Professor Herald slowly raised his eyes and looked at Jayce over the rim of his coffee mug. "Maybe we can see them together sometime..." he said before he could stop himself.

Jayce's gaze slowly calmed and was replaced with a warm look of tenderness, the corners of his mouth lifting into a fleeting smile. "I'd like that."

The boys looked at each other for a moment before they both looked away. Jayce glanced down at the watch on his forearm. "I should go, I promised the kids I'd play basketball with them."

"Run along and enjoy it."

"With them? I'll be lucky to survive in good health," Jayce grinned, and Viktor's mind flashed back to the brace that supported Jayce during sports. But before he could speak, Jayce put on his corduroy jacket, paid, and left.

Viktor watched him from the window as he crossed the road for a few more moments before Jayce was out of sight. He averted his eyes back to his coffee mug and blinked in surprise when Sky appeared in Jayce's place. A mischievous grin played on the waitress's face as she measured him with her gaze.

"What?"

"Sooo," Sky stretched, propping her chin up with her hands. "Jayce Talis, huh?"

"We're colleagues."

"Feel free to call it whatever you want, Viktor, you know the around you always knows best," she grinned. 

"When were you going to tell me about this?"

"Nothing to talk about, Sky," he fumed fleetingly. "Jayce is taking classes for me that I can't teach myself. That's all."

"If it were that simple, you wouldn't be sitting here together for two hours listening to him talk about Sonic the Hedgehog. Or is this some subject of yours that I don't know about? Old relics?"

"Sky..."

He suddenly felt the warmth of her palm on his hand, which was resting on his coffee mug. Slowly, he raised his eyes to hers, hers playing with determination, as if it was all about her.

"Viktor, I've known you for a long time now and I can see it in you. You like him, so why not give it a try?"

"I can't," he breathed after a moment, his gaze lowered back to the tabletop. "He... He seems so nice and helpful... Maybe even caring... It's scary."

"What exactly?"

" Do háje , Sky, he's a guy. What if he's just being decent... What if I get burned?"

"Then you'll make a colossal idiot of yourself," she shrugged. "But you'll make one even if you don't try."

Viktor looked into her eyes again, and so she continued. "Tell me, do you have more regrets in life for trying something and getting burned than you do for not even trying it and not knowing until now how it might have turned out?"

He listened to her, on the one hand she was right, but that gnawing anxiety took hold of his insides again. He looked away and closed his eyes.

Sky squeezed his hand encouragingly. "Why do we fall, Mr. Wayne?"

"So that we can learn to pick ourselves up," he smiled fleetingly.

"Okay, so?"

"So I'll try," he rolled his eyes, but gave her a small smile.

"Promise? Great, by the way, you still owe me a look at the new Pattinson’s Batman movie together."

"Fine, fine, I promise you everything, now go and stop neglecting your customers."

Sky punched him gently in the shoulder with her fist before getting up and walking back to the counter where a young couple was already waiting to be served. Viktor found himself thinking about her words with his eyes fixed on the gymnasium building. Okay, coward, the signals are there and what's the worst that could happen? He asked himself as he finished the rest of his extremely sweet latte.

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The first half of the week flipped into the second as if it were nothing, and Viktor didn't know if he was more nervous about seeing the physiotherapist or turning his logic class over to Jayce for the first time. They had arranged for Jayce to come to him for materials and Viktor had even left him a second key to the office so Jayce could leave his stuff there.

A few minutes after the bell rang for recess, Jayce knocked and entered the office again uninvited. He walked straight out of gym class again, wearing a sweaty t-shirt and shorts. When Victor saw him, he folded his arms across his chest. "You know it's rude to just barge in."

"I knocked," Jayce shrugged. "And as your substitute teacher, perhaps I have the right to use your office."

With those words, he pulled his sweaty T-shirt over his head again and tossed it onto an unoccupied chair. He hadn't bothered to warn Viktor this time, and even though the computer science teacher had expected it, the sight of Jayce's bare chest had still unnerved him. Heat began to rise in his cheeks again and he just rolled his eyes.

"I'm starting to get the feeling that you're doing this on purpose and that you're damn well enjoying it."

Jayce slowly straightened up with his shirt ready in his hands. He turned to Viktor and suddenly they were very close in the small space of the room. Jayce gently ran the fabric between his fingers before speaking. "Maybe, what if I do?"

Viktor's cheeks burned hotter and hotter, he could smell Jayce's intense scent, and it felt like a room was full of Jayce out of sudden.

"In that case, I'm going to kick you out of here." Viktor could only manage a warning grunt, but he didn't have time to turn his face away. He was sure that Jayce had noticed the way his cheeks had flushed this time, and he had the overwhelming feeling that this was exactly what Jayce was trying to accomplish.

The office fell into silence, filled only by the rustling of fabric. Viktor ran his fingers over a pile of papers and drummed hollowly on them. "Fine, I always set up worksheets for you to go over with the students before class. If you'd like to do anything else with them, write to me the day before and we'll make arrangements."

Meanwhile, Jayce tied his tie and ruffled his dark hair. "Okay..." he smiled before giving Viktor a look. Viktor had a feeling Jayce was checking him out and resisted the urge to turn to face him.

"Are you nervous?" Jayce asked suddenly.

Viktor looked up from the papers he had spread out on his desk. He was nervous, yes, but probably for different reasons than Jayce imagined. It wasn't every day that you had a half-naked man parading in front of you, although it had been happening a little too often for Viktor's liking lately. And if he was nervous about physical therapy? He supposed not, although it was true that the increasing pain in his leg was making him rather uneasy.

"I've been through this cycle a few times, nothing I'm not used to," he replied with a wan smile on his lips. But then he turned to face Jayce and decided to relax a little. "If there's anything that really makes me nervous, it's you."

"Me?" Jayce looked into his eyes in surprise, and Viktor could have sworn there was a gleam in them.

"Yeah, if you don't make a circus out of my carefully behaved class."

Jayce seemed relieved at those words, and just shook his head. He walked over to Viktor and, without warning, rested his hand on the desk behind Viktor's back. Jayce slowly looked up to meet his eyes and watched as Viktor's carefully constructed walls struggled to remain intact. Viktor's gaze was absolutely calm, yet he could feel his heart racing. The computer science teacher slowly folded his arms across his chest and waited to see what would happen. The air between them was filled with the scent of deodorant and a men's perfume Viktor couldn't identify, and when Jayce spoke, a fleeting whiff of menthol brushed against Viktor's cheek.

"I think I can keep my respect, Mr. Herald," Jayce uttered in a low, deep voice that resonated with Viktor to the core.

"That remains to be seen, Mr. Talis," Viktor replied just as quietly, lifting his chin.

Their little game was interrupted by the bell signaling the beginning of the hour. With a fleeting smile on his lips, Jayce picked up the papers from the desk behind Viktor's back and stretched to his full height, towering over Viktor by a half-head.

"See you then." Jayce's breath brushed against Viktor's cheek as the gym teacher moved away. "And may it go well for you."

"Thanks," Viktor replied absently.

"And Viktor?" the gym teacher boomed from the doorway. "It'll be fine."

And with those words, he left the room. Viktor remained staring at the closed door for a moment before removing his glasses from his eyes so he could hide his head in his hands. He gave a muffled scream into his hands, and when his cheeks were uncovered, he was red to the roots of his hair. He gathered his courage to ask Jayce to the café or to lunch as he had promised, but the situation was out of control, the train of feelings had derailed and not just crashed. No, the derailed train was hurtling straight down the cliff. Thankfully it was time to leave, all he could hope for was that he wouldn't meet anyone he knew on the way to the rehab center.

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The next morning, Viktor entered the school building carrying a cup full of coffee in one hand, his other hand resting on his cane, his sore leg from thigh to calf supported by a long orthopaedic brace that he was instructed to wear regularly to make walking easier. The pain in his leg was now unbearable, mainly because of the exercises he had to undergo in rehabilitation. He now had to wear the brace daily and at all times on the advice of his orthopaedic doctor.

With an effort, he ascended to the second floor and headed for his office. On the way, he met several students and teachers who immediately asked him if he was okay and how his leg was doing; he was attracting attention thanks to the brace. Viktor had to repeat over and over again, with increasing reluctance, that this brace was only part of his treatment. Tired in the morning from socializing with so many people, he collapsed into his chair as soon as he closed the office door behind him and cut himself off from the noise of the hallway, at least for a little while.

There were still nearly twenty minutes left before the first class. He quickly scribbled his attendance list in the lounge, checked to see if he had to cover everything, and managed to get all he needed done yesterday. With a quick glance, he checked that he had all the materials for his Computer Science class lined up in his bag and, satisfied that nothing was missing, set the bag down on the floor next to his desk. He pulled his headphones out of the bag, put them on his ears and thanks to the bluetooth connection, the song The Wicked Ruled the Night immediately started playing. Letting the symphonic melody accompanied by the gritty guitar riffs carry him along, he leaned back comfortably in his chair and sipped his sweetened latte.

When he opened his eyes after a few minutes and checked the time so he wouldn't miss the start of first period, he noticed something that definitely didn't belong in his office. Jayce's gray hoodie with the school's logo on it lay draped over an unoccupied chair against the opposite wall. Viktor watched it for a moment, as if looking at a wild animal that might attack him at any moment, then got up and limped over to the chair. He grabbed the hoodie in his hands and spread it out, it was huge, reminding Viktor of the sails from old sea schooners. The hoodie had a small logo of the university Jayce went to printed on the front, and on the back that logo was enlarged with the year the school of physical education was founded.

As he slipped hoodie over his arm, the scent of deodorant and men's perfume wafted through the office. He sighed, he must return it soon or he'll go mad, he thought. Did he feel like the universe was playing a nasty trick on him, or was it Jayce himself who was deliberately embarrassing him? It wouldn't be that simple. He limped back to his chair, but his sore knee wasn’t doing its duty at the moment. The knee buckled under the weight of Viktor's body, and the move was followed by a fall onto the table. With a pained grimace on his face, Viktor quickly caught the edge of the table and the back of the chair, which, of course, twisted aside and he slumped to the wooden top. He swung his arm across the table in an attempt to prevent himself from falling, the coffee cup toppled over and Victor felt the hot coffee soak through his cardigan and clean shirt.

" Kurva !" He relieved himself loudly, tossing Jayce's hoodie onto the chair and quickly reaching for a box of paper towels to clean up the mess.

Wiping the table, he pulled his cardigan off his shoulders and examined the dark stain that was soaking into his purple sweater. Sighing, he tossed the cardigan on the arm of the chair and glanced down at the gray t-shirt that was adorned with an equally dark trace of coffee and was beginning to smell like caramel.

" Do háje !" He shouted again, looking around the office. He didn't wear spare clothes, there was no reason why. He wasn't a gym teacher or an artist to have to wear more clothes to work, and his eyes rested on the grey piece of clothing resting lazily on his chair at the thought. A stupid idea crept into his mind and he shook his head to ward it off, only for the spot on his shirt where Viktor had spilled coffee to start sticking uncomfortably to his bare skin.

He groaned, stripping off his shirt and lifting Jayce's hoodie in the air. As he pulled it over his head, the intense scent so typical of the young gym teacher filled his mind. Lilac and currants , he realized. The mysterious scent that complemented the smell of the deodorant was that of lilac and currant. The hoodie slipped down his body, the sleeves reaching down to his fingertips, and Viktor suddenly felt impossibly small in it. He rolled the sleeves up to his elbows as far as he could, standing there for a moment before slowly burying his head in the soft fabric and taking a deep breath. The smell was an outright enchantment, banishing all thoughts from his mind and replacing them with the smiling face of the inscrutable gym teacher and only that. Viktor shivered and was snapped out of his daze by the bell in the hallway, announcing the start of the first period.

He had no choice, so with a sigh he reached for his cane, slung his satchel over his shoulder and went out into the corridor. It didn't take long before he felt the stares of everyone passing through the hallway rushing to their classes. Whether they were students or teachers...

*****************************************************************************************************

"Alright then, a reminder that next week's assignment is to program a calculator from scratch using the instructions in the textbook. I ask each of you to email me a link to your program by Sunday..."

Viktor was interrupted by the whispered murmurs of students from the back desks. The wide monitors in the computer lab managed to hide most of the students, but Viktor could see two girls in the second row leaning together and whispering something. The rest of the class turned to meet the teacher's gaze and the girls looked up quickly in the sudden silence.

"Is there something on your mind, Miss Parkins?" Viktor prompted her dryly.

There was another rustle, the other girl nudged Miss Parkins with her elbow and she protested louder.

"Miss?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Herald, it's nothing," the girl spoke quickly.

Viktor lifted his chin and glared at the two girls who were flicking their eyes from his face to his clothes. They weren't the first to find Jayce's hoodie stirring conflicting and passionate emotions and the need to share those emotions with someone quickly. Throughout the day, Viktor had the feeling that everyone was staring at him and any quiet conversation that reached his ears, he suspected, was about him. He tried to appear calm and composed at all times, but inside he was screaming with annoyance and pent up emotions.

"Fine, turn off the computers and monitors and you don't even think about turning off the computer with that big button, Mr. Cragglor." Viktor turned his back to the class and used a rag to wipe the marker off the white board.

"Sure, he still had it yesterday..." he heard a quiet whisper behind him.

"Hey, as I was catching up late on logic yesterday, I saw Talis coming out of the Herald's office, his hair was a mess!"

"Geez, Hailee, what aren't you thinking right now..."

"I'm just saying, Herald was leaving after a while and he was all red."

The spasm in his hand told him to loosen his grip on the rag he was wiping the board with. His knuckles went unconsciously white, and he fought the increasingly strong urge to turn around and shout at the girls... Or to head-butt the board in front of him.

"Do you think he gave it to him?"

"Absolutely! That's what partners do, isn't it?"

"That's so sweet." Viktor stared at the white board in surprise. The noise from the hallway made the girls feel like he couldn't hear them, even though they weren't exactly whispering. Sweet ? Victor repeated in his mind.

"I saw them together in the café, it was so cute..."

Cute ? Victor slowly turned back to his things, pretending not to notice the girls at all. Still, he didn't miss a few more words when the girls finally left the classroom and walked out into the hallway. He himself didn't know what he was expecting. Disgust? Contempt? For that matter, he didn't really have anything to do with Jayce, but what was the point of explaining it to these kids, and what was more, when they perceived it in such a positive light? All this time he'd thought they were laughing at him, pointing at him, but what if it was the other way around? Could he have met with understanding? Didn't these kids mind?

Don't think about it like that , he reminded himself, leaning his elbows on the table and running his fingers through his hair. Brown strands spilled over the ridges of his arms, the blond ombré already slowly growing out. After a moment, he realized his hands were shaking. He raised his right hand to the height of his eyes and watched his fingers tremble... Could it get any worse?

"Am I interrupting?" came from the doorway. Victor looked up in surprise to see Jayce's smiling face.

The young PE teacher walked into the classroom and looked around the room as if it was his first time here.

"Cozy," he remarked.

"Can't compare to your art class," Viktor chuckled lamely.

"You think so?"

"Yes, your classes are infused with sunshine and the melody of jazz, all those paintings and the smell of acrylic has something to it. Here? Here, everything is cold, monotonous... unchanging."

"Art will always be art, but here, Viktor, here you are shaping the future," Jayce smiled broadly.

The computer science teacher was measuring him with a look that said nothing. "Did you come here to admire my classroom?"

"Maybe, I came to admire you," Jayce chuckled, walking out to the teachers table and standing in front of Viktor with his hands shoved into his pants pockets. "And I've also heard some rumors. I wanted to see for myself."

There was silence. Viktor watched him, every inch of his face, no muscle, no movement escaping his sharp gaze. Only Jayce's face played with a casual smile. His golden eyes slid from Viktor's face to his shoulders and chest.

"That's my hoodie."

Viktor overheard the students talking in the hallway. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the child's head disappear behind the wall. He had no doubt they were standing there now, spying on them and listening to everything they would say. He looked straight into Jayce's eyes, why should he suffer alone? Two could play this game.

"You forgot it when you left in a bit of a hurry yesterday," he uttered with his chin lifted towards Jayce. "It was a shame, so I found a use for it."

Jayce blinked in surprise and shrugged. "Guess you're not just going to give it up now."

"Honestly, I can't wait to take it off, your scent is making my head spin."

"Sounds like you are unable to concentrate because of me," Jayce chuckled.

"Maybe, what if I am?" Victor uttered softly, his gaze focused on Jayce's golden eyes, not missing the blush that appeared on the taller man's face.

The hallway rustled wildly, students crowding the doorway to hear as much of their conversation as possible.

"Don't push me, Cait!" It echoed, and then a pink-haired girl appeared in the classroom doorway. 

She blinked in surprise and looked at her two teachers, who both turned to her.

"Um, hello," Vi piped up.

"Violet, aren't you supposed to be in class with your classmates already? I believe it is unwise to keep Professor Medard waiting," Victor spoke firmly.

Violet froze on the spot, but before she could say anything, Victor continued. "Also, tell your pals that it is very rude to eavesdrop on other people's conversations."

"Y-yes, sir." Vi quickly turned to her classmates and began shoving them away. 

"Come on, go or the Herald will blow our heads off!"

The loud conversation of the pinned students faded into the hallway until it died down completely. Viktor laughed a little in amusement and turned his attention back to Jayce.

"I'll leave you with one thing," his taller companion breathed. "You really know how to command respect."

"It's not that hard, Jayce, you just have to show them in the right light..." Viktor paused for a moment before continuing. "Sorry about the hoodie."

"What?"

"I managed to spill coffee on myself this morning, and this was all I could find in the office to wear. I'll give it back to you."

Jayce studied Viktor’s face for a moment, beginning to realize that Viktor had only been acting out the previous conversation, knowing full well that they were being eavesdropped . Was he adding fuel to the fire? Absolutely, but seeing Jayce's flushed cheeks and the confused expression of a wounded puppy made it worth it. Jayce wasn't the only one who could embarrass others.

"Alright, keep it as long as you need it," Jayce finally managed to say.

The classroom fell into silence. They stood facing each other, two men with a whole herd of crazy thoughts running through their heads. Viktor took a breath, it was now or never.

"I was wondering," Jayce's voice came before Viktor could even speak. He looked up at his companion, surprised to find that the blush hadn't disappeared from Jayce's face. Jayce's gaze searched for words somewhere in the wall behind Viktor before he lowered his hazel eyes to him. "I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner with me."

"Dinner?" Viktor repeated in surprise. How was it that Jayce had always been able to take the wind out of his sails so easily?

"Yeah, just you and me... No work, just... us."

It suddenly dawned on Viktor, his cheeks turning pink faster than he could even form a thought. Is that even possible? Jayce Talis was asking him out? Oh, he was definitely asking him out, Viktor wanted to believe that and for a small moment he allowed himself to believe it, not wanting to let that notion just shatter.

"I'd love to go," he breathed finally, the corners of his mouth curling up into a wide smile of his own accord.

"Great, I know a great restaurant just off the waterfront... It's an Italian place on the corner of Ravena Street."

"Yes, I know it."

"So... six o'clock there or should I pick you up?"

"Six o'clock there," Viktor decided.

Jayce's eyes sparkled with happiness and he gave Viktor a wide smile. "Six o'clock then... Deal..."

"Deal."

Chapter Text

All you see will be said
To be just in your head
It's so simple
In the land of dreary

You close your eyes boy, and soon…
You're safe in my world
We're ghosts in the moon

***

"I don't know if you're just punctual or impatient, Mr. Talis," Viktor said as he walked down the sidewalk towards La Rosa Italian restaurant.

The restaurant was located on the corner of a T-shaped intersection; the traffic lights lazily changed color from one to the other and back again. The colors of autumn, the trees colored in all shades of yellow, orange, brown and red, portrayed the beauty of a still warm and pleasant October. Towards evening it was beginning to cool down and the tired afternoon sun was giving way to the grey clouds that were rolling in on the city from the north. The forecast called for clouds, with occasional rain, but the boys were not children to let a few drops of water spoil their dinner.

Viktor was always on time; he liked to get out an hour early because of his leg, so he could walk and have enough time for any stops. He wore headphones and let the pleasant rhythms of the song Sleepwalking carry him away. As he walked down the main street towards the Italian restaurant, he felt just like that. Like a sleepwalker in a dream that couldn't be reality, but was still happening. And seeing Jayce standing on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant fifteen minutes earlier put a smile on his face.

"Probably both," Jayce smiled broadly, and to Viktor's surprise, sincerity filled his smile; there was genuine joy, happiness perhaps?

The computer science teacher looked his colleague over. Jayce's hair was down, partially covered by his grey autumn cap. Strands of dark hair escaped restlessly from under the cap, framing Jayce's soft olive-gray skin. Jayce was wearing a red flannel shirt, a brown t-shirt tucked into dark pants, and comfortable sneakers on his feet. The young gym teacher looked all the more youthful as the last rays of sunlight fell on his exuberant face.

Viktor had his brown hair with the freshly bleached ends pulled back into a small, casual ponytail, a few strands falling out of the ponytail, giving him a less slick look than he had been used to at school. He wore a dark purple shirt, with a black turtleneck hiding underneath, covering part of his neck. His pants were casual, cream-colored, and a long orthopedic brace held his aching leg in place.

He was enjoying the sight of Jayce in front of him more than he ever had before, and Viktor suddenly allowed himself to feel the emotion. Warm emotions that replaced the initial wariness. Jayce was exuberant with a grin from ear to ear and it seemed that perhaps he was the more nervous of the two. Suddenly, Viktor was perhaps too free and uninhibited to assess what it was about Jayce that attracted him. But then he noticed a change.

He raised his eyes and looked at Jayce's face. "You shaved?"

Jayce involuntarily rubbed his chin, which was now adorned with dark and casual stubble all over his face. "Yeah... I thought... I might look a little more human when we go out in public..."

"Hmm," Viktor let out, taking in Jayce's face obliquely. A neat beard was one thing, a clean-shaven face was another. Jayce had kept his beard shorter, which looked groomed and gave him a downright youthful appearance, and Viktor couldn't decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He knew, however, that for some reason unknown to him, it made him a little angry.

"Is something wrong?" asked Jayce cautiously.

Viktor took the opportunity to disturb Jayce immediately, lifting his hand and resting his palm gently on Jayce's cheek. He felt the man flinch under his touch, but Viktor made no sign of it. He pressed his lips into a thin line and examined the short beard with the gaze of a stern teacher, running his thumbs gently over it.

"The long ones suit you better," Viktor finally uttered, not escaping the rosy tinge in Jayce's cheeks. "I feel like I went to dinner with a student this way."

With those words, he pulled his hand back, tucked the headphones into the bag slung over his shoulder, and watched Jayce obliquely, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. The gym teacher turned his head to the glass window and stared absently at his reflection. Viktor suddenly felt like he'd cross the line again, and they were only at the beginning of the evening.

"But that doesn't change the fact that you still look great, Jayce," Viktor added after a moment, straightening up and motioning with his hand towards the restaurant door. "Shall we?"

Jayce measured him with his gaze for a moment before the smile returned to his face. He reached over and held the door for Viktor. "Yeah, let’s go."

*********************************************************************************************************

Dinner was at first a quiet, cautious affair, until the boys began to become more and more daring. Jayce laughed loudly, as was his wont, and Viktor found himself looking at him lovingly. The delicious food was just the icing on this whole cake of a pleasant evening, and Viktor was beginning to feel like everything was okay. That this was the way it was supposed to be. He was treating this like a date, maybe it was a mistake, maybe it was the harsh truth, but he didn't want to spoil his dreams. In his fantasy, Jayce Talis, the handsome and young gym teacher, had asked him out and Viktor was worth all of his time and trouble.

"That was delicious," Jayce smiled as they left the restaurant. "Their lasagna is famous all over town and now I can see why."

"Yes, it was good. And nice..." smiled Viktor, watching his companion melt away.

They stopped again at that T-shaped intersection, standing and looking at each other as if they couldn't find the right words to encompass the evening.

Viktor was still studying Jayce's face. One moment Jayce could be strong and confident, and the next moment he was nervous and unsure. All the signals were there , Viktor reminded himself. Jayce had no reason to tiptoe around him like that, he seemed like a man who always took what he wanted, but he was hesitant with Viktor. And Viktor even knew why, for the same reason he hesitated. They could have played the game together, for the sake of the students at school, they could have acted all sorts of things, but if those feelings really existed and were real, they just couldn't find out. Viktor suddenly forgave himself all the flirting and teasing, he wanted to be sure, but just as he was about to speak, Jayce beat him to it again. How annoying this began to be.

"Seems like a hilarious evening," Jayce smiled.

"Yes, indeed it seems." Viktor returned his smile, then added with boldness. "I'd like to do it again sometime."

Jayce's eyes lit up. "Me too! Well, will we see each other again soon?"

"Yes, we will," smiled Viktor broadly.

It was already deep dark outside, the air was cold and Viktor could have sworn he smelled water in the air. It was about time to go home.

"Hey, I'm by the car, you want a ride home?" Jayce suddenly suggested, and Viktor gave him a quick look.

"No, that's fine, I'm happy to walk," Viktor replied quickly. Maybe faster than he had planned.

Jayce gave him a rather puzzled look, then looked up at the sky, which was dark and full of clouds, before looking back at Viktor. "Fine, then I'll walk you at least a little ways."

That was something Viktor could do. With a fleeting smile, they started down the path towards the historic center of the city. They walked in silence for a while. At the end of the street, they turned a corner and walked down the street towards the river.

"But it's good, I was afraid it would be more cold," Jayce spoke to break the silence.

"October is abnormally warm this year, I don't mind. Autumn is one of my favorite seasons after all."

"Yeah, while it's still warm. But that kind of nice warmth, like today, where you can just go out in a t-shirt and a hoodie and you know you'll be fine."

"By the way," Viktor rummaged in his bag and pulled out Jayce's folded hoodie. "It's washed, and again, sorry about that."

Jayce blinked in surprise and took the hoodie from Viktor. "No problem, I'm glad it was of use. Plus, it looked pretty good on you..."

Viktor raised an eyebrow and gave Jayce a look that said nothing. "You mean the way it hung on me like a sack of potatoes?"

"I wanted to flatter you..."

"Then you'll have to try harder, Mr. Talis." Viktor glanced up fleetingly in his direction.

The gym teacher paused for a moment, tucking the hoodie under his arm and walking beside Viktor, hands in his pockets. It seemed he wasn't going to speak again when Viktor heard Jayce's surprisingly quiet voice.

"I don't know what to call it, but your presence makes me feel... wanted.”

Viktor stopped and Jayce quickly followed. He looked into the taller man's eyes, wondering if he was hearing right, but Jayce didn't return the look. He stared at the ground, searching for more words.

"You make me feel like when I talk, you're actually listening. Most people only perceive muscles, they perceive the view, the way I look," he rubbed his chin with his fingers involuntarily and Viktor realized that the beard comment was still bothering him. "But you... don't address that."

If only you knew , Viktor swallowed, but studied Jayce's face, which lacked all of the fleeting, almost perfunctory smile he wore to fool everyone around him. Only that smile was gone, replaced by something else entirely that Viktor couldn't name. Or rather, he was afraid to name it.

"You look at me and you see me for who I am, with all my temper. Shit, Viktor, other people wouldn't listen to me when I talk for hours about bullshits, the mysteries, about the ultimate question of life, the universe..."

"And everything..." Viktor finished his sentence because he was really listening. "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, your favorite book that made you want to go study physics..."

"You... remember that?"

"Of course I do, you moron, and come on before it starts raining," Viktor urged him, taking a few steps. Only Jayce didn't go. Viktor could feel his gaze on his back, why wasn't he going?

"If you really want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it..." said Jayce suddenly. Viktor stopped, but didn't turn around. 

"Paulo Coelho, the Alchemist... You have that quote posted on the wall in the office." Jayce continued behind his back.

"No one ever knew what book it was from..." uttered Viktor quietly. He heard quiet footsteps until out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of a massive silhouette at his side.

"I've read it, I read quite a lot," Jayce admitted with a fleeting smile.

"Heh, I thought I was the only one who knew it," Viktor chuckled weakly, but Jayce nudged him gently with his shoulder.

"Pfft, don't say that, you're not the only nerd in the world..."

"So it seems there are two of us nerds then... Aaand it's starting to rain.”

Viktor felt a raindrop trickle down his forehead and Jayce winced. A few stray drops slid down the back of his neck and he wiped them away with his hand. Dark patches of raindrops began to appear on the sidewalk and road, and after a while the few pioneers turned into a heavy downpour. Viktor limped quickly towards the nearest shelter and felt his aching leg twitch badly. Jayce hurried after him, and in a moment they were both standing under the sprawling pergola of the closed bakery. They stood staring at the street, which was wet with ropes of rain. Viktor could feel the water running from his hair and landing on his glasses. Pulling a tissue from his bag and wiping the raindrops from his glasses, he looked up at his companion and noticed Jayce had strands of dark hair plastered to his forehead. They just stood there for a moment, watching the rain, feeling the chill that came with the rain and licked their bare cheeks. Jayce suddenly let out a long, deep breath.

"It's just a little water," Viktor reassured him, but Jayce gave him a cranky look.

"This isn't going at all like I planned..."

"You planned something?" The computer science teacher wondered. He raised an eyebrow and watched Jayce's cheeks turn pink again and again.

"Not directly, but... I had some ideas..."

Viktor was silent for a moment, measuring the taller man with his gaze and couldn't help himself. Something about it all, about Jayce's naivety and attitude, he found endearing.

"And what exactly didn't go according to your plan?"

"I don't know, I guess I'm just nervous. I'm not good at conversations, I acted like an idiot, I shaved, and the weather didn't quite work out either. We could have gone to the river bend, maybe had some more wine or something..." Jayce lowered his eyes to the road.

The shorter man watched him for a moment, wordless and with a hidden, unspoken amazement. The signals were there , his own voice echoed in his head.

"I just wanted it to be a perfect evening for you. I know you're probably having a hard time right now, with everything going on, with your leg and the school... I wanted you to have something good in your life too..."

The gym teacher let out a long sigh and looked away with a cranky look. With his hands in his pockets, he watched as more and more circles formed on the nearest puddle from the falling drops. Viktor watched him, pondering his words, and though he appeared calm, his mind was on fire. His brain was working at full speed, trying to take in the meaning of Jayce's words. And suddenly he was the one who wanted something good for Jayce too... 

At that moment, Viktor swayed to the side, his arm wrapped lightly around Jayce's arm, his shoulder resting on his. He could feel Jayce stiffen in surprise as every muscle in his body tensed and relaxed, and he ended up resting his head fleetingly against Jayce's arm.

They stood like that, side by side, blending into one at the same time. It silenced Jayce one hundred percent, and this time it was Viktor who took the wind out of his sails. Jayce's arm was firm, but at the same time, it trembled with every breath he took. Viktor moved his head fleetingly and smelled again that light, unmistakable scent of lilac and currant that he knew would be forever linked to Jayce's face. He felt the gym teacher next to him finally relax as well, as he relaxed his tense shoulders and found Viktor's hand. At first his knuckles just brushed against Viktor's fingertips before he gathered his courage and gently squeezed Viktor's hand in his broad palm. It brought another wave of relief when Viktor returned his grip.

They stood for a long time in a sacred silence, broken only by the sound of the rain. But they had their own little world under the pergola, and it was Viktor who finally broke that silence.

"I already have some good things in my life, Jayce..." he breathed, feeling Jayce's body shudder at his words.

Jayce squeezed Viktor's hand harder, but gently at the same time. As if it were made of porcelain and Jayce could shatter it with his bear strength. Viktor returned the squeeze. A tighter and weaker squeeze, yet full of unspoken feelings that neither of them were ready for, yet they were already there. And they were probably always there, in the center of it all. The rain drummed on the fabric pergola and ropes of water ran off the rooftops in clear streams. They stood there for a long time, and the rain never let up, only the creeping cold began to lick at Viktor's cheeks and get on his skin. He shivered involuntarily.

"Here," though he didn't seem to want to break this almost sacred moment, Jayce pulled away from Viktor and handed his smaller companion his hoodie that Viktor had washed that day.

"That's good."

"Take it, I can see you're cold." Jayce shoved the hoodie all the way under his nose, leaving Viktor with no choice but to put it on over his head. He had to give Jayce credit; the hoodie was heavy and kept him pleasantly warm in the sudden chill.

Jayce smiled and looked around the street. "Wait here, I'll get the car and give you a ride home."

"No, it's okay... I'll wait until it stops raining and..."

"Like that? You'll be standing here until morning," Jayce chuckled, but Viktor was aware that Jayce hadn't missed his second strange reaction to the ride. Viktor saw curiosity, maybe suspicion, in his gaze. Viktor had nothing against Jayce's driving, there was something different and much deeper.

"Just wait here, okay?" Jayce commanded him, running off before Viktor could protest again.

The gym teacher pulled the collar of his shirt tighter to his neck and ran out into the rain. He was out of Viktor's field of vision in a moment as he ran around the corner back to the restaurant and Viktor just let out a long sigh. He pulled the sleeves of his hoodie tighter over his fingers as well, pulling the hood tighter to his neck and huddling all the way into the hoodie. The spot on his shoulder where he'd been touching Jayce only moments ago was strangely cold, and even the hoodie couldn't keep this warm.

It wasn't long before Viktor saw the blurred reflections of headlights on the road. The car was moving slowly, the wipers fighting for their bare lives in an attempt to wipe all the water off the glass, and the wheels slipped fleetingly on the wet road as Jayce pulled over to the side as close to Viktor as he could get. The computer science teacher was looking at the plain black car, his gaze blank, lost in thoughts from which he was only pulled out by the sound of the door opening. Jayce reached over to open the passenger door and shouted at Viktor.

"Come on! It's much better here than under that pergola."

The computer science teacher let out a long breath, hesitating, but knowing he couldn't hesitate for long. For Jayce's sake.. . he said to himself, and reluctantly trudged to the car. His leg hurt like hell and walking caused a stabbing pain in his knee. He slumped into the passenger seat and closed the door behind him, greeted by the pleasant warmth of the heated car. But he pulled his hoodie tighter to his body, as if perhaps it would protect him from something Jayce didn't yet understand. As soon as Viktor sat up, he immediately buckled up. His right hand gripped the handle on the car door and his left held onto the seat beneath him. When he turned his gaze toward the driver, Jayce looked away at that moment, and Viktor could tell that the gym teacher hadn't missed his odd behavior.

"I'll drive carefully," Jayce said into the tense silence.

"Just make sure we get there as soon as possible," Viktor breathed shakily. "House number 17 on War Heroes Avenue."

"Okay, that's not far," Jayce smiled encouragingly, giving him a look. Viktor kept his gaze out the car window, though, the light from the lamps they passed flitting across his face, and he was aware of nothing but the distant, traumatic and familiar growl of the engine.

Jayce drove really carefully; even though the roads were mostly empty late in the day and in this weather, Jayce obeyed all the rules, signs, and colored lights. The rain wasn't exactly making his driving any easier, but he knew the city well enough to drive with confidence. It wasn't long before Jayce had parked his car in the parking space in front of the house with Viktor's apartment.

Viktor quickly pulled away and let out an involuntary sigh of relief that didn't escape Jayce either. As the computer scientist peeled his eyes over Jayce, he realized that his younger companion must have been watching him with a question in his eyes. Viktor averted his gaze, but the car was already filled with an oppressive silence and full of unspoken questions. He had to get home quickly.

"Thank you," Viktor spoke into the silence. "For tonight, it was great and I'll be glad to see you again."

"I'll see you on Monday." Jayce put his hands on the steering wheel and chuckled.

"Yeah, but I meant the other side of you too," Viktor smiled, watching Jayce's expression as the gym teacher realized Viktor had used his words from the cafeteria when they were planning their class together.

"So... Good night and please drive safe..." his voice held urgency and pleading.

Still, without another word, Viktor opened the car door, leaned on his cane, and walked out with a quick step to the front door. The rain was unpleasant, his cane slipped in a deeper puddle and he barely kept his balance. He prayed Jayce would leave as soon as possible. But as he stomped up the steps to the front door, his foot again failed him as it had that morning. His knee buckled and he had no choice but to grip the railing. Do háje , he thought, hoping Jayce had already left. Even though he knew full well that wasn't true.

"Viktor!" He heard Jayce's voice behind him and immediately felt his firm hands on his shoulders.

"I'm fine... I just slipped." Viktor attempted a weak smile and glanced at his colleague. He wanted to push him away, to reassure him that he was handling everything, but the genuine fear and concern in Jayce's eyes disarmed him.

Wordlessly and utterly spellbound, he gazed into Jayce's golden eyes. He was looking into the face of a man who was genuinely and unabashedly worried about him. He couldn't push him away. Not now. Viktor lowered his gaze and turned away. He tried to take another step toward the door, but his knee suddenly couldn't support the weight of his body, and he collapsed helplessly right into Jayce's arms.

" Kurva ," he muttered in Bohemian, gripping the stronger man tighter.

One thing was for sure, he overdid it with effort today. His knee had given out on him earlier in the morning, yet he continued to strain it, insisting for his own pride that he would make it to the restaurant by foot. The long walks weren't doing his leg any good, and he couldn't afford to lose any more ground underneath him now, he needed to function. He already felt condemned to rely on the help of his surroundings too much, and he didn't like that at all.

"Here, let me help you." Jayce gently took the keys from his hands, unlocked the front door, and then went back for his partner. He supported Viktor from one side, draping his arm over his shoulders, and Viktor felt the incredible strength of Jayce's physique. As he leaned against him and allowed himself to be supported by him, he was surprised that he didn't feel as weak as he thought. He hated helplessness. He lowered his gaze with a sigh though, now he had no choice but to accept the help that was so warmly offered.

"Which floor do you live on?"

"The third one..."

"Ah, and do you have an elevator?"

"It's an old building, Jayce..."

"Okay, so no... Let me see."

Before Viktor could protest, Jayce had his arm under his legs and his other arm wrapped around his waist. Without any trouble at all, he lifted his smaller colleague into his arms as if Viktor weighed nothing. Surprised, the computer science teacher clenched around Jayce’s neck, gripping the cane tighter in his hand so that it wouldn't get stuck anywhere on the narrow staircase. He felt like a wimp, but the movement of Jayce's body was somehow comforting. Viktro refused to even look at the gym teacher.

Still, he could feel Jayce all wet with rain. The cap on his head was soaked, water dripping from his hair and dark strands sticking to his forehead. The red flannel shirt was full of water and Viktor realized that Jayce had gone through all this for him. Jayce ran out into the rain to get the car because of his stubbornness. Jayce got wet twice just to take care of Viktor. And Viktor didn't like that. Why was that overgrown dumbass so selfless? With a sigh, he buried his head in Jayce's shoulder, the scent of lilacs and currants mingling with the crisp scent of autumn rain.

"That wasn't necessary, Jayce..." he finally got out as Jayce climbed the stairs to the third floor.

"But it was , what kind of friend would I be if I left you to deal with this alone?"

Viktor looked up at him, and for the first time his face showed surprise. Jayce gave the impression that Viktor's body was no match for him, not even the six flights of stairs he had to climb. His face was calm, showing no signs of irritation, and his eyes were as warm as ever.

"Here," Viktor pointed to the first door on the third floor. A simple nameplate with his name, Viktor Herald, was affixed to the dark wood, and Jayce placed him on the floor just next to the door. He was careful not to move his foot and made sure Viktor didn't fall when he took the next step.

"Thank you," Viktor breathed, allowing his palms to rest on Jayce’s chest to regain his balance. His cheeks turned pink when he realized this, and he withdrew his hands and averted his gaze.

"It’s okay..." chuckled Jayce, watching Viktor's embarrassment. They stood in front of the door for what felt like quite a while, at least to Viktor, before Jayce scratched the back of his head nervously. "Good night then." Jayce smiled broadly, waved goodbye, and strode toward the stairs.

Viktor stared at his back, then turned his gaze to the door of his apartment. He gasped, what kind of friend am I? He thought to himself.

"Jayce! Wait!"

"Yes?" Jayce shouted from the stairs and stopped.

"Do you want to come in? Dry off? Probably not wise to go back out in the rain. You're soaked to the skin so you can catch a cold..."

A puzzled look settled on Jayce's face before the corners of his mouth curled into a small, warm smile.

"Gladly."

"Come on, I'll make us some tea." Viktor opened the front door, flipped on the light, and hung the apartment keys on the rack next to the door. He stripped, set his bag down on the shoe rack, and turned to Jayce. "Come in."

The gym teacher followed him and closed the door behind him; the apartment was small, consisting of two rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. As Jayce entered and Viktor flicked on the light in the living room, which was connected to the kitchen area by an archway, he saw something large and furry flicker under his feet. A large yellow cat with long fur and a long bushy tail sat between Jayce and the door to the living room. He looked at Jayce with curiosity with his green eyes, frowning and flicking his tail from side to side.

"I didn't know you had a cat..."

"His name is Blitz. Don't worry, he'll just sniff you and leave you alone," Viktor replied from the kitchen, where he was already opening the cat's can and spooning food into Blitz's bowl.

Jayce squatted down, reaching out to the cat and watching as the cat's pupils narrowed. At first the cat was wary, then slowly sniffed his hand, and then, to Jayce's surprise, rubbed his head against his hand. Blitz allowed himself a fleeting scratch, then got up on all fours, turned, and marched into the living room. Jayce followed him, amused.

The living room was simple, With one old sofa, a coffee table right in the middle. To the right there was a window, and around it was a tall tree for the cats, on which Blitz was already resting calmly. On the left side of the room there was a door that led to the bedroom, flanked on one side by a tall bookcase and on the other by a desk with a laptop and a stack of papers. Opposite the sofa was a television and two more cabinets, one for books and games, and the other with drawers. Jayce didn't miss the flickering light of the game console resting on the table under the television, and leaning against the console were several games in blue boxes that Viktor was probably playing at the moment. Jayce picked one up, read its name, Detroit Become Human , grinned and put the box back in its place.

"Sit on the couch, make yourself comfortable..." spoke Viktor from the small kitchen that was connected to the living room by an archway.

"Do you need any help?" Jayce asked cautiously, standing on the threshold of the kitchen and watching as Viktor struggled to bridge the distance between the counter and the cabinet on the other side of the room. His leg was visibly aching and Jayce couldn't escape the pained grimace that swept across Viktor’s face.

"No. I can handle this..." grumbled Viktor and soon he had two cups of tea ready.

Jayce couldn't just look at him, though. Viktor rested his palms on the kitchen counter, let out a long sigh, and picked up the tray. But Jayce's hand landed on his forearm in a turn that stopped him in his tracks. "Wait, I'll get them." Jayce didn't wait for protests, taking the tea from Viktor's hands and walking out into the living room. "Will you please sit down... that leg needs rest."

With those words, he transferred the tea tray to the coffee table and watched as Viktor hobbled over to the sofa. His walking was becoming increasingly painful. His leg was letting Viktor know that he had overdone it today. Using his hands, he lifted his leg and placed it on the coffee table. The brace was strangling him and his knee was throbbing badly.

"Will you sit down, already?" Viktor asked the teacher standing in front of him, looking down at him from his height.

The gym teacher sat down, but not on the seat. To Viktor's surprise, Jayce rested his weight on the coffee table next to Viktor's sore leg. There was silence for a moment, the gym teacher removed his soaked shirt from his shoulders and tossed it onto the back of the sofa. The T-shirt that hid under the shirt was short-sleeved, and Viktor watched the sleeve hems encircle Jayce's massive arms. Suddenly, Jayce's fingers touched the brace on his leg, and his touch was surprisingly soft and gentle for such a hulking man. Viktor held his breath.

"May I?" Jayce touched the Velcro strap that tightened the brace on Viktor's thigh with his thumb and forefinger. Viktor hesitated for a moment, but then nodded and allowed Jayce to undo the Velcro. The sound of the Velcro cut through the silence of the room, and Blitz lifted his head at the sound and flicked his tail in displeasure.

Jayce released the four straps that tighten the brace. Then, with all the care that was almost sacred, he grasped Viktor's leg and gently picked it up in his lap. Viktor watched him in puzzlement, realizing that he hadn't taken a breath in a good few minutes. He exhaled slowly through his nose and watched as Jayce, with care and precision, pulled the brace off his leg and freed it. When the brace was removed and tossed on the coffee table, Viktor breathed a sigh of relief. The brace was like a prison, constricting and strangling, yet necessary for his treatment. A treatment that had taken far too long for his liking, and he was slowly beginning to realize that it would probably last forever.

He was pulled from his thoughts by a gentle touch on his calf. He felt his cheeks slowly turn pink and the glasses on his nose slide lower. He watched Jayce, his broad palms tenderly massaging the sore leg, easing the cramp and pain. The tense and clenched muscles practically melted under Jayce’s touch and Viktor looked away.

"Hey, are you playing masseur?"

"Sort of," Jayce admitted with a fleeting smile, not looking up from his work.

"First a nutritionist and now a massage therapist? You're a man of many faces, Jayce."

The gym teacher shrugged. "I finished a few certifications in one semester, took a course in massage therapy and taping... I believed that would come in handy as a gym teacher someday." 

Viktor watched him with new admiration, how was it possible that this man still managed to surprise him? They had only known each other for a month and a half, of course, yet he felt as if he had known Jayce for longer and yet knew so little about him.

"What happened to you?" Jayce's deep voice broke the silence. "If you don't mind me asking..."

But he didn't get an answer, not right away. Viktor searched the coffee table for words, wondering how to avoid the question. After a moment of thought, when Jayce had given up hope for an answer, Viktor closed his eyes and spoke in a low voice. After today, Jayce deserved to know the truth.

"It's been three years," Viktor spoke into the silence, Jayce slowly looking up from Viktor's feet. He watched the teacher's face before him, Viktor's brown eyes darting over the smooth surface of the desk and couch, trying to find the words and the courage to continue.

"I had a boyfriend at the time, he was an idiot. But I trusted him...He loved fast cars and driving and stuff, we met at university in the Czech Republic." Viktor slowly looked up, his gaze fixed out the window into the darkness. Raindrops smashed against the smooth window pane and ran down it in a winding and erratic path.

With a sigh, he continued. "I don't remember if it was nice or rainy, in the end it doesn't matter. The idiot couldn't handle the driving, we got a skid and the car crashed into the nearest tree, I was left wedged in the passenger seat, my leg broken underneath me... It never mended properly, it broke in two places..."

Jayce’s eyes shut in pain, and Viktor realized that talking about his leg injury wasn't the best topic for him. The touch on Viktor's leg softened, and Jayce's fingers traced the stiff muscles with renewed care. He didn't seem to want to hurt Viktor any more, as if perhaps he still could.

"And what happened next?" Jayce asked after a moment.

"What would...we broke up."

"He didn't have any injuries?" Jayce asked horrified, but Viktor shook his head.

"He only got away with a concussion and cuts from broken glass. Me? I got a permanent leg injury... And I was just sitting in that car."

He paused. Jayce stopped massaging for a moment and gently placed Viktor's foot on his lap.

"That's why you didn't want to get in the car," Jayce replied, and Viktor just nodded. "You could have told me."

"I'm not comfortable talking about it, Jayce," Viktor admitted shyly.  "It's something I can't just get rid of, like that leg."

The room was once again filled with silence. Viktor watched Jayce's face, which showed the purest of emotions; sadness, anger, concern. Jayce curled his gaze away and exhaled.

"I'm sorry," Jayce spoke into the silence. "I'm sorry for what happened to you."

"It was a long time ago."

"Three years isn't enough time for some wounds to heal, Viktor. Whether those on the body or the soul." Jayce looked up and stared straight into his eyes. The raw honesty practically paralyzed Viktor, the computer scientist's gaze drinking in Jayce's hazel eyes. Viktor found sadness and regret in them, only he didn't care about any regret.

"I know, but it's just one of those things I can't change no matter how much I scream into the universe. It happened and I have to live with it and move on." He pulled his foot off Jayce's lap and towards him.

Jayce kept his eyes on the surface of the coffee table until a small smile appeared on his face. He flicked a glance at Viktor and reached for his tea. "Let us accept fate as it is and accept it with joy..." he breathed with a small smile on his face.

Viktor raised his head in surprise just as he reached for his tea. Jayce didn't seem like the sort of person to brandish such lofty quotes, nor did he come across as someone who should know them. Viktor looked searchingly at the young man before him, whose personality was beginning to fascinate him more and more.

"Comenius?" 

"No, more like Seneca, but I don't think there is the author of that quote directly..." replied Jayce simply, giving his colleague a look.

"Jayce," Viktor breathed, a genuine and unadulterated smile settling on his face for the first time since they had entered the apartment. "How much more are you hiding from me? Mathematician, physicist and philosopher, I'm going to think you're hiding the whole universe from me."

"Didn't Comenius say that man is his own universe?"

Viktor watched him, the corners of his mouth curling upward as he leaned back in his seat. "In each of us there is a microtheos , a part of God, and a microcosm , a separate universe. And man is the abyss of the abyss, for only he can hold the whole universe within him, but at the same time balance over the abyss of nothingness."

"Ha, General Counsel on the Correction of the Affairs of Men, I know that book."

Viktor smiled at him warmly and sincerely. "Of course you do."

They looked at each other, fleeting smiles settling on both men's faces. They imagined each other's microcosm, their little part of the universe within themselves, and longed to delve deeper and get to know the man at the center of it all. Viktor realized that Jayce was brimming with a brilliant mind that had never been appreciated. Until now, Viktor was growing to like the man he was looking at more and more. But not just by the way he looked and acted, but by how wild his microcosm was.

"I'm... I'm going to get in the shower," Viktor breathed, standing up. Without the brace, his movement was slower and clumsier. He walked over to the cabinet next to the door to the hallway, opened the drawer, and rummaged inside. He pulled out two black t-shirts, draped one over his shoulder, and tossed the other to Jayce.

"Here, here's something dry to wear, you should be fine."

Jayce grabbed the shirt and held it up in front of him to inspect it. It was an old t-shirt with a faded music band print on it.

"Nightwish?"

"Yeah, I don't listen to them much anymore, plus it’s big. I wear it to sleep, but it'll do you more good now than your wet clothes."

"Thank you," Jayce smiled. "I'll give it back to you on Monday..."

"Feel free to keep it," Viktor waved a hand at that, closing the hall door behind him.

Jayce merely nodded silently, changed into dry clothes, and sipped his hot tea with a satisfied smile on his face.

Viktor ducked into the small bathroom where he put his head in his hands. He let out a long breath and realized his hands were shaking fleetingly. With a sigh, he realized that the trauma he had experienced three years ago was still strong and still gnawing at him. He had overcome it today, but at what cost? And saying it to Jayce hadn't exactly helped him twice. He'd thought that talking about it would make the weight of the painful memories more bearable, but it hadn't. When his hands finally calmed at least a little, he stripped and got under the hot shower.

Running water takes away all the bad thoughts, he reminds himself of the wisdom his mother used to say back in the Czech Republic whenever he was worried. There was probably something to it, he let the stream of water run down his face and onto his hair, letting the water carry him away.

When he finally returned clean to the living room, the corners of his mouth curled into a wide smile that he didn't even try to hide. The tall gym teacher was sitting on the couch, his back leaning against the sofa, his head falled and curled up on his left shoulder. His still damp hair was attached to his forehead, his eyes closed and his lips slightly parted in a regular sigh. Viktor’s old t-shirt was just right, the Nightwish lettering stretched across Jayce’s broad chest, giving the impression that metal simply suited Jayce. One of Jayce's hands was resting in his lap and the other, much to Viktor's surprise, was resting on the rusty fur of a huge Maine cat. Blitz, eyes closed, lay stretched across Jayce's lap, purring contentedly.

The sight gave Viktor a surprisingly warm feeling. It was strange to have someone else in the apartment, and to see that someone sleeping so calmly with his cat in his lap warmed his chest. With a limp, he walked over to them and sat down on the coffee table where Jayce had been sitting earlier. Viktor fought the urge to stroke Jayce's knee, pulling the wrinkled sleeve of his shirt down over his bicep and brushing strands of dark hair back from his forehead. It all seemed so natural, yet forbidden at the same time. The cat meowed softly. Smiling, Viktor at least reached out and stroked between Blitz's ears.

After a moment of quiet cat purring, Viktor pulled his hand off the cat, stood up and grabbed the blanket that was lying on the back of the sofa. Unfolding the blanket, he draped it over Jayce and covered the cat as well, who mewed in displeasure under the blanket but made no resistance. With a grin, Viktor took one last look at them and went into his bedroom.

***********

Morning came faster than Viktor liked. He didn't realize what time it was when they finally got to his apartment or what time they even went to bed. He was only aware that the weak rays of the morning sun were tiredly licking his cheeks and shining into his eyes. Viktor rolled over onto his stomach, all broken up, and felt his cat's shaggy tail with his hand on the blanket. He raised himself up on his elbows and stared into the green eyes of Blitz, whose pupils dilated slightly.

"You traitor," Viktor sneered, throwing his legs off the bed and reaching for his cane. It was only then that he noticed that Blitz was laying on the top of Jayce's hoodie, which Viktor had regained. The one that had now officially become Viktor's hoodie.

With a long exhale, the computer scientist stood on his weak leg and stretched. The apartment seemed cold, even though it was bathed in early October sunlight. The chill rose from his bare feet to his entire body, and when he stepped out into the living room, he realized he was completely alone in the apartment. 

Just him and the rusty cat. The couch was tidy, the blanket folded on the back and the tea cups washed and put away on the drainer. Viktor peeked into the hallway, but Jayce's shoes were gone, as were his clothes and shirt. With a sigh, he surveyed the empty living room, which suddenly seemed even more cold and deserted when he noticed the paper lying on the coffee table.

He turned the paper over in curiosity and looked at it in surprise. A blush replaced the surprised expression, and the corners of his mouth curled up in a wide, spontaneous smile.

On the paper was his face, drawn in pencil. It had its own original style, but Viktor could tell it was him very well. At the bottom was Jayce's neat signature, and on the back of the paper was the date and just a few words...

"Thank you for the best night of my life. J."

Chapter Text

As I walk through the mist

And the ruins of things that used to be

Silent remnants of magical times

A cabinet of curiosities

Old companions and past Christmas ghosts

Juvenile levity

Sacred gatherings, pictures of days

Swallowed away on the road to forever

***

The coffee machine at the gymnasium was once again humming contentedly during the simple preparation of coffee. The teacher's kitchen had run out of coffee again and Viktor hadn't had time to go to the store and buy one, even though he was aware that sooner or later he would have to make the trip to the store for himself anyway. Even his own fridge was slowly emptying and he had no strength to do much of anything, because the regular exercise left his leg in pain. All he could think about the last few days was his bed, movies on Netflix, and (to his not-so-great surprise) Jayce's face. He rubbed his chin absently as he waited, running his fingers over the unshaven stubble that was slowly growing. He'd never had a beard and never tried to, yet he still shaved once in a while when a few stray hairs did grow on his face, but he hadn't had the strength for that lately either.

Monday morning was the most tiring morning of the whole week, and Viktor hadn't run into the gym teacher yet. He realized, casually, that he was a little sad because of that. He shook his head, trying to push away thoughts about feelings and an image of an attractive gym teacher. Still, as he waited for a simple coffee from the commercial machine, he suspected himself that he didn't mind making his way across the school to the gym, though at the gym he was more disappointed than he would have expected in such a situation, when he had found out that girls had gym class on Monday morning and that means no Talis. The loud conversation of the fourth graders came from the open change room next to the coffee machine, chatting and laughing loudly about all sorts of things.

"Hello, Mr. Herald," greeted several girls who had already hurried into the gym. Viktor returned their greeting with a wave and waited for his coffee.

"Did you see what Talis is wearing today?" He heard behind him.

Viktor snapped to attention, as he always did the last few days when he heard his or Jayce's name in the hallway. Mostly Jayce's, and he was beginning to hate himself for that automatic reaction.

"I told you he had taste."

"So why does he always play jazz in art class? He might as well put on the Nightwish when he listens to them."

A familiar anxiety crept into his chest. He was about to quickly grab his coffee and run when a pink-haired girl bumped into his left side. Viktor shifted painfully from foot to foot, hissing in pain, but in an instant reaction he grabbed the girl's arm, hard to tell if to hold her or simply hold himself.

"Violet! Watch out!"

Vi blinked in surprise, automatically grabbing Viktor's wrist and helping him keep his balance. "Mr. Herald, I'm terribly sorry, I didn't see you."

"You should be more aware of your surroundings, Violet, you can be glad I didn't spill coffee on you," he scowled at the girl, taking a cup of artificially scented drink from the vending machine and let out a long sigh.

He didn't notice as Vi and her pal Kiramman exchanged smiles behind his back. Caitlyn slowly walked into Viktor's field of vision. Her dark hair was pulled into a tight ponytail, unruly strands falling out from behind her ears and framing her youthful face. She wore a flowy printed t-shirt and shorts.

"Mr. Herald?" she drawled with a smile.

Viktor knew at that moment that there would be troubles, yet he managed to keep a straight face. Blowing into his hot coffee, he rested his other hand on his cane and half turned to her. "Yes, Miss?"

"You have a free period now, right?"

The teacher slowly raised an eyebrow, sizing up the girl in front of him. Caitlyn's eyes wandered to Vi and then back to Viktor. "We were wondering if you'd like to drink your coffee in the gym and watch us?"

"I don't think it's a good idea for me to spend my free hours watching teenage girls in gym class, Miss Kiramman."

"Pfft, you'd be looking at something else..." chuckled Vi, but she let out a loud poof when Caitlyn elbowed her in the side. Viktor, however, didn't miss that.

"Mr. Herald, please, you won't regret it," the dark-haired girl smiled broadly and Viktor sighed resignedly.

"Well done!" Caitlyn exclaimed victoriously, grabbing him under the arm and already dragging a surprised Viktor into the gym.

I didn't say anything, he thought quickly, letting the young girl lead him to the bleachers in the gym where the non-exercising girls were already sitting. This is going to be a problem , Viktor muttered under his beard as he looked around the gym. The girls were being taught by old Grayson, a gym teacher in her senior age, but she had managed to get the whole school perfectly in line, and often not just the kids. Viktor himself remembered when she'd straightened out the entire teaching staff in early September, and especially Jayce when he'd left the equipment out in the gym. Viktor had to smile at the memory, old Grayson won’t be happy about finding him here. But when he looked around, he didn't see the old gym teacher anywhere. Just a group of girls standing in the middle of the floor and it wasn't until Viktor stopped that he realized who the girls were standing around.

"Yeah, Mr. Talis is teaching us today," Caitlyn smiled. "I thought you might like a free period like this."

Viktor fixed her with a frown, yet he could feel the heat rising to his cheeks. "Miss Kiramman, I swear I won't let you graduate for this," he ground out between his teeth.

"Hey, Cait, Vi, what are you doing there?" Viktor heard Jayce's voice echoing through the gym.

He glanced at the playground and his gaze met Jayce's, who remained staring at him in surprise, just as Viktor was staring at him. Jayce was dressed in sportswear, more or less; his hair was pulled back into a small ponytail, revealing his shaved sides above his ears and the back of his head. He wore a black undershirt, white shorts with the number 7 and the logo of a basketball team Viktor didn't know. And what caught Viktor's attention the most was the cotton, cozy Nightwish t-shirt that Jayce was wearing over the undershirt.

"Mr. Talis!" Cait exclaimed with a smile, jumping down from the bleachers and onto the field. "Do you mind we invite Mr. Herald? You see, he's got a free period now, and I'm sure you know he likes to shut himself up in his office. So Vi and I thought he could have his coffee here so he wouldn't be so lonely."

Viktor felt his professionality crumble to pieces and disappear into the ground. His cheeks were burning, he could feel himself flushed a little, and he also knew that all those teenage girls could see it. He made a mental note not to give it to them and he'd give them a small punishment in class. The look he gave Jayce, however, was one of silent apology and shame, with an urgent cry for help, perhaps.

But Jayce's puzzled expression turned into a wide, warm smile. "That was a great idea, Cait. No one should be left alone. And we're the best company Mr. Herald could ask for."

The computer science teacher remained staring at him, confused, and noticed Jayce wink at him in amusement. Instantly all the heat was gone from his face. Wait a minute, two can play this game , Viktor thought, sat away from the non-exercising girls and watched Jayce explaining the rules of basketball with a calm, thoughtful expression, so much his own.

The gym class went in a pleasant spirit. The girls played a simple game of dodgeball to warm up, two rounds, both of which Vi won, of course, while the others tried their best to knock the pink-haired girl out of the game. Viktor watched this with a fleeting smile on his lips, thinking about his childhood and his elementary school gym classes. He watched as Jayce ordered the girls to do three laps around the gym for a breather and instructed Vi to warm everyone up. With a sigh, Viktor rolled his eyes at his aching leg, hidden in a high brace. He'd always enjoyed volleyball, he remembered. Viktor wasn't the athletic type, but he still managed to find enjoyment in some games he knew he'd never play again.

"Hey, enjoying the view?" Jayce's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

Viktor looked up and glanced at the young gym teacher. Indeed I am , he thought, quickly turning his gaze away. Jayce was standing next to him, his left foot resting on the bleachers where Viktor sat, playing with a basketball in his hand. Viktor could now clearly see the pink scar on Jayce's knee. The strip of conjoined skin was still fresh; it probably hadn't been that long since Jayce had undergone surgery. The two smaller scars near the kneecap were a sign of arthroscopy and the long one under the kneecap was a sign of removal of the hamstring, a piece of muscle to create a sculpture. It was clear that Jayce had recently torn the cruciate ligament in his knee. Viktor knew more about leg injuries than he probably should have; Viktor's own right leg was adorned with two wide and faded scars, intersecting each other from an open fracture from a car accident.

He shook his head to banish all unwanted thoughts and memories. He glanced around the gym casually.

"Cozy place," he remarked as he sipped his coffee.

"I guess you don't go to the gym much," Jayce stated, but immediately started to defend himself from Viktor's scowl. "I meant because of the leg, you know what I mean, right?"

Viktor scowled at him, then curled his gaze back to the coffee cup. "I used to play volleyball, back in the Czech republic..."

"You miss it, don't you? Yeah, I know that feeling," Jayce sighed, rolling his eyes away and gripping the basketball tighter in his hands. There was silence between them, filled only by the swishing of the girls and the stomping of feet.

"So, did you come here to admire my class?" Jayce chuckled to take their thoughts elsewhere.

Viktor raised his eyebrows and noticed the look of some of the girls, smiled to himself and hid his smile in his coffee cup. "Maybe, I came to admire you," he replied as if to say nothing. "And by the way, you have my shirt."

Jayce didn't miss Viktor's excuse, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile, his gaze softening. "You said I can keep it."

"Yeah, for sleeping..."

"Do you want it back?" Jayce grinned, already taking it off. The tight undershirt precisely lined Jayce's broad chest and the muscles of his stomach as if it wasn't even there. Viktor felt his ears begin to turn red as well.

"For God's sake keep it," Viktor rolled his eyes, grabbing the hem of the shirt and pulling it back down over Jayce's stomach. "Besides, I don't know if I could bear to have another thing in my house that smells like you."

Jayce laughed, deep and throaty, and leaned more into him with a fleeting smile, with a look focused on Viktor’s hand. "That’s a coffee?"

"Hmm," Viktor nodded. "From the vending machine in the hallway. It's not like the coffee from Sky, but it's good."

"Can I have a drink?"

There was silence. Too quiet for a gym full of teenage girls. Viktor watched him, then slowly picked up the cup and offered it to Jayce. The gym teacher took the cup from him; taking care to touch Viktor's fingers as he moved, through which an electric pulse passed. Viktor swallowed imperceptibly. He watched as Jayce slowly brought the cup to his lips, turned aside, and took a sip. As he pulled the cup away from his mouth, Viktor noticed Jayce gently wipe a few coffee drops from the rim with his tongue. The computer scientist swallowed again and heard his heart pounding all the way in his throat. He slowly took the cup back from Jayce, avoiding his amused gaze.

"Hm, over-sweetened as always," Jayce chuckled.

"I'm replenishing the sugars, Mr. Talis," Viktor grunted crookedly, giving him an oblique look.

Jayce was smiling like sunshine, and Viktor could have sworn the gym teacher was enjoying the sight of the IT teacher freaking out more than was healthy. Though Viktor had to admit to himself that it was quite a lot that had been throwing him off lately and, unfortunately for him, it all revolved around Talis. Suddenly, though, Jayce's gaze grew serious. The intensity of the stare made Viktor nervous even more, his cheeks began to flush and he didn't understand what was happening.

The gym teacher slowly leaned over to his seated colleague. Viktor drank in Jayce's hazel eyes, yet wished he could fall through the bleachers. Jayce slowly reached out and his fingers fleetingly touched Viktor's chin. The IT guy raised his head arbitrarily, staring at Jayce in incomprehension. The man ran his fingers over the sharply cut chin before resting his palm on Viktor's cheek and repeating the motion, his lips stretching into a wide smile.

"You're growing a beard!"

Viktor blushed. He grabbed Jayce's hand in an attempt to push it away, but only wrapped his long fingers around his wrist.

"Yeah, well, I didn't get a chance to shave."

"Fascinating..."

"Fascinating? Jayce!" Viktor finally pushed his hand away. "Why do you keep doing this to me?"

"Me? You're the one who came to watch me in gym class."

"I was forced to!" Viktor spat, rubbing his growing stubble nervously. He was determined, tonight he will shave.

Jayce noticed it, reached out again and touched Viktor's wrist. He gently pulled the teacher's hand away and looked into Viktor's eyes. "Come on, I like it and it suits you."

Viktor couldn't resist anymore and when Jayce placed his palm on his cheek again to explore the growing stubble with his thumb, the world melted away in the gentle touch. Viktor allowed himself a shaky breath and his gaze slid over Jayce's face; taking in his olive skin, his hazel eyes, the scar on his right eyebrow, the prominent cheekbones and the thickening beard lining his pink lips. Viktor bit his lip and closed his eyes in a flood of heat, letting himself rest in Jayce’s palm. Then he slowly opened his eyes again.

"Isn't it a little too quiet in here?" The IT teacher asked, and they both realized at that moment they were in the school.

They pulled away from each other, their faces blushing red as they turned towards the playground. A group of girls stood in the middle of the gym, watching them shamelessly. Ear to ear smiles adorned the girls' faces, some whispering amongst themselves, but none wanting to interfere with what was going on between them.

Vi, who was standing in front of everyone, folded her arms on her chest with an amused smile. "Just don't get distracted."

Both men peeled their eyes at each other; Jayce looked particularly flustered, cheeks pink, but Viktor managed to look calm despite the redder tinge in his cheeks, a pleased smile on his lips. He motioned for Jayce to go, picked up his coffee cup and sipped at the spot where Jayce had touched it earlier. The gym teacher grinned. Viktor might not be a mind reader, but he knew perfectly well what the look was supposed to mean. Just wait , Jayce's eyes were whispering.

The gym teacher jumped down from the bleachers, his booming voice filling the gym. "Now, since you've cooled off again, four more rounds. And no buts, you might as well have spoken up. Oh no, you're just a bunch of teenage girls, huh? It's no wonder, so go on, go on, you can run those laps till the end of class!"

Viktor watched Jayce with a smile as he stood in the middle of the gym in the worn Nightwish t-shirt he proudly wore, not because he had to, but because he wanted to. Viktor had put on Jayce's hoodie in need, now he was fully determined to wear it to school with new pride on the next day. He looked up at the digital clock above the basketball hoop. With thirty minutes left in class, Viktor leaned back and contentedly sipped the rest of his sweet coffee.

****

"Hey, try a shot!" Caitlyn shouted to her teammate in the orange jersey, who was standing on the three-ring around the basketball hoop. Jayce watched the stopwatch on his phone, seconds to go. The girl let out a gasp, about to take a shot, but suddenly Vi appeared in front of her, knocking the ball out of her hand and slamming her foot into her friend as she moved forward. The girl jumped aside in surprise, preventing herself from falling.

"Over!" boomed Jayce, pocketing his phone. "Okay, Ms. Grayson will send you more information about tomorrow's tournament. Vi?"

The pink-haired girl looked up breathlessly, the ball in her hands. "Yes?"

"Great game, really, you've got it in you, but watch out. Basketball is a non-contact sport, you play too hard and someone could get hurt."

"All right, Mr. Talis."

Jayce nodded, checked the time on his watch again and sent the girls to the changeroom. The girls said their goodbyes in unison, some waving to Viktor who stood on the playing field by the door returning their greeting with a nod. The IT guy watched the basketball game with more interest than he expected from himself. The girls were playing well and he especially noticed that Jayce was giving them strategic advice and tips for the game that gave the impression that he understood the sport quite well. He waited until Jayce had high-fived Vi, took the ball from her and put it away in the closet. Locking the door, he made his way to Viktor with a light step, the gym now just the two of them.

"Violet's a smart girl, a bit of a wreck, but she's got it in her," Jayce said, escorting the last girl out the door with a look.

"She's found a good group, she wasn't like that before," Viktor replied, continuing when he saw Jayce's questioning expression. "She liked to fight, even believed for a while that violence was the only solution to everything."

"She acts so..."

"Indeed, but Miss Kiramman keeps her short."

"Caitlyn? Those two are as different as night and day."

Viktor curled his gaze to Jayce, raised an eyebrow, and peered at him over the top of his glasses.

"What?" Jayce didn't understand.

"Jayce, it's obvious. You've never seen them in the hallway? Or in front of the school?"

"I don't know what you're talking about..."

But Viktor continued to fix him with his piercing gaze until the gears in Jayce's head clicked into place.

"Wait, you mean... No, I didn’t notice! I mean, the Kiramans are so... snobbish. I saw them once... and Violet? Her dad owns a pub!"

"Opposites seem to attract each other," Viktor pointed out, putting his hand in his pocket. "I'm surprised you didn't notice, they were the biggest phenomenon at the school in September."

"And they're not anymore?"

"Well..." Viktor chuckled, amused by Jayce's distraction. "Let's just say that two unnamed teachers caught the school's attention more than teenage lesbians."

The computer scientist followed Jayce's gaze and so continued. He turned to face his colleague and lifted his chin. "After all, they're spending a lot of time together now, visiting each other in class for no reason and putting themselves on display in each other's clothes. I don't know where you're going with this, Mr. Talis, but this is way beyond your agreed work hours."

Jayce stood in front of Viktor and unconsciously leaned closer to him, the space between them filling with that familiar scent of lilac and currant. His gaze slid over Viktor's face, scanning his hair and brushing his breath against his neck. Nothing escaped Jayce's warm and tender gaze. He leaned his head fleetingly and stared at the side of Viktor's neck where bleached blonde strands covered his mole-streaked skin. Viktor could feel Jayce's intense gaze. The distance between them grew increasingly blurred. When Jayce spoke in a low, deep voice, Viktor flinched. Hot breath touched the skin on his neck, the gym melted away again.

"What can I say, I'm vain at some things," he whispered.

And then Viktor felt it, the touch of soft lips, the tickle of beard on the side of his neck, and the cold tip of his nose pressed against his ear. He exhaled, his breath coming in shudders. He felt Jayce's broad palms on his hips with care as the gym teacher slowly pushed into his personal space, and Viktor realized he was allowing it. Hot breath left a trail on his neck, the touch of his lips causing an almost electric tingle that sent shivers through his entire body. Slowly, he lifted his free hand and touched Jayce's shoulder with his long fingers.

The world around them melted away in the hot breath that touched their skin. Viktor leaned closer, brushing his lips against his mate's cheek with the same fragile care. His dark beard tickled under his nose, his shoulders shuddered, and he repeated the motion before pressing his lips to the side of Jayce's nose. He continued the soft, gentle, almost sacred touches until he brushed the corner of Jayce's lips. They paused, time stopped as well, and they remained frozen in motion for a moment before slowly pulling away from each other. Just a little, and just for a moment. Everything was so blurry, every intrusive thought that flashed through Viktor's mind seemed natural and yet forbidden. He wanted it so much, he realized. He wanted so badly to cross that invisible line that hung in the air between them. Viktor could feel Jayce's shuddering breath on his skin. He could feel the heat radiating from both of them, filling them with that familiar scent of lilac and currant. Gently, Viktor touched by fingers to Jayce's shaved neck, digging into the short, soft hairs. Jayce parted his trembling lips, Viktor swallowed. The signals were there...

Viktor moved first, and their lips met in a slow but careful kiss, full of caution, wariness, but also something hidden deep inside. Cautiously, they explored each other's movements, taking in the other's taste... The computer scientist tangled his fingers in the dark hair, letting Jayce’s broad palms pull his hips tighter together. A fireworks of emotions and sensations exploded in their bodies, the flapping of butterfly wings settling in Viktor's stomach and the anxiety eased for a moment, though it didn't disappear completely.

Suddenly they pulled away from each other. They stared at each other, eyes wide open and pupils dilated, gasping, cheeks red in the rush of heat. Viktor's glasses slid lower down his nose, his gaze following Jayce's lips, which were now pinker than before. He wanted so badly to touch them again...

When he looked up, he saw the same confusion in Jayce's expression that he felt. An unstoppable rush of emotions that they couldn't understand, but were evidence of something much deeper. Something warmingly deeper that now settled in each of them. Jayce let go of Viktor's hips and Viktor withdrew his hand from Jayce's hair. They were exactly as Viktor had imagined them. They turned away, each to the opposite side. Viktor buried his lips in his palm and Jayce cleared his throat.

"Well, um... next class starts soon..." remarked Jayce, but his voice was too weak and his hand was nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah,it is," Viktor replied, tapping his cane nervously on the gym floor.

They stood in silence for a long time, the silence of the sports hall was almost deafening and the time on the digital clock above the basketball hoops passed so slowly. Jayce scratched the back of his neck again, and Viktor touched his own lips, where he could still feel Jayce's throbbing touch.

"Well, I... I was wondering..." began Jayce slowly, and Viktor turned curious eyes to him. "I was wondering... if you wanted to come to the match tomorrow..."

"Match?"

"Yeah, you know, kids versus teachers. It was on the weekly schedule."

"Ah, yes, I remember..."

"We'll play basketball. I'll play and well... I'd love you to see me. I mean, if you'd come and watch the game. You see?"

A nervousness fulfills Jayce that Viktor had never seen in him before. The IT guy reached over to the stuttering Jayce, took his hand in his own and squeezed it gently, silencing him and drawing his attention.

"Of course I'll come to see you," Viktor chuckled, watching as a stone fell from Jayce's heart in relief.

"I'll be glad to..."

"We should get going, Mr. Talis," Viktor growled with a fleeting smile. "Our students are already waiting for us, and I'm sure they're already coming up with all sorts of theories about what we could be doing."

"Then don't let them see us together," Jayce winked at him, but squeezed Viktor's hand more.

Viktor searched the taller man's face, but suddenly broke eye contact, let go of Jayce, and walked with a limp toward the door. "Let's go or we will never leave."

What Viktor couldn't see anymore was the wide, wistful smile that appeared on the gym teacher's face. Jayce shook his head, a few hairs invading his face, and involuntary clenched his palm into a fist as if to keep as much of Viktor's warmth in it as possible. He watched the back of his colleague before he run after him..

Chapter Text

You beat up against the wind and the flow

Concealing your tears

With the sweat from your brow

No one see's them, they're next to you

Deride them, despite they're the faithful

The only, the true, oh…

***

"Please have a nice day." Sky smiled broadly after the leaving customer, who was contentedly sipping cappuccino from a paper cup. There was hardly anyone in the café except for the two regulars, so she cleaned up the coffee machine, threw away her towel, and went to drink her mango soda at the only occupied table in the corner of the small café.

"Shouldn't you two be, I don't know, at work?" She asked as she pulled a chair up to the table where Viktor sat, his eyes fixed thoughtfully on his work laptop. Across from Viktor, Jayce leaned back, lazily scrolling through the contents on his phone with a finger.

"Hm? Oh, it's sports day," Viktor replied without looking up from the document he had just opened. "That means all classes are cancelled. The class teachers are providing entertainment for the kids, they mostly went to the park or the playground to play some sports."

"And in the afternoon there will be a basketball tournament between the students and teachers," Jayce added, stretching.

"Wow, I could work like that too," Sky grinned.

The boys raised their heads in unison and looked around the empty cafeteria. Viktor grinned. "Yeah, today’s shift is knocking your socks off."

Sky rolled her eyes and sucked on her mango soda through the straw. She was checking the messages on her phone when she quickly set her glass down on the table and smiled. "Hey, Zaun_Menace has released another chapter!"

"Zaun what?" Viktor gave her a questioning look and Sky pressed her lips into a tight line.

"Nothing, nothing."

"I swear, if it's some other fanfiction with the Joker and Harley Quinn, I'm leaving," Viktor uttered menacingly.

"No, no, it's not about the Joker and Harley..." she reassured him, not forgiving herself to add. "It's much worse than that."

"The Joker and Batman?" glared Jayce at her, and by then even Sky was horrified.

"God, it's really not THAT bad... Okay, okay, fine. How can I put this, well, someone from school is writing a fanfiction about you two."

Jayce raised an eyebrow in surprise, but immediately turned his gaze to his partner. Viktor coughed loudly as his sweet latte flew up his nose. Grabbing a napkin, he quickly wiped his cheeks and nose and gave Sky a startled look. "They're doing what?!"

"Relax, it's nicely written and they've hit the character quite well."

"That doesn't make me feel better!" Viktor exclaimed.

Jayce leaned toward Sky and looked over her shoulder at the phone screen. "Can you send me the link?"

"Jayce!" Viktor shouted at him, his voice full of desperation.

"Sure, it's on AO3, by the name The Line, it's really pretty and cute..."

"Sky!" Viktor kept trying, but he felt largely ignored. "You can't read this! This shouldn't even exist!"

"Hey, if people can write fanfictions about real actors and singers, why not about us? I mean, it's fun."

"This isn't fun, it's an invasion of privacy..."

"Does it limit you that it exists?" Sky raised an eyebrow.

"Well... No, but that's not the point at all."

Jayce's phone buzzed, and with a chuckle, he unfolded the message and glanced at Sky. "Thanks."

"You’re welcome. Then you'll have to tell me what you think about it and if some things are true."

"Like what?"

"Borrowing each other's clothes or going to each other's classes."

"Well, it's a little colorful and bloated, but basically yes. It's happened a few times," Jayce chuckled, watching as Viktor slumped his shoulders in resignation.

"I'll forever remain misunderstood," Viktor grumbled.

"Well, whoever's writing this kinda understands you..." Grinned Jayce, who gave the fanfiction a cursory glance and laughed loudly when he noticed Viktor's murderous look.

"I wonder who's writing this," Jayce uttered after a moment of scrolling. "It's well written, a few grammatical mistakes, but it can be overlooked. Someone's got a big imagination. My guess is a girl."

"How did you even find out about this?" Viktor grumbled in Sky's direction.

"Oh, the girls from your school were talking about it, the pink-haired one and her gang. I couldn't resist."

"Yeah, you never..." Viktor took off his glasses and rubbed his tired cheek

"Hm, I'll try to find out who's writing this!" Jayce decided, putting the phone down on the table.

"I don't think I want to know it, I want to leave this planet..." groaned Viktor into his coffee mug.

"Oh come on, it's funny, would you rather they despised us? I mean, they visibly adore us!" The gym teacher snickered, reaching across the table and covering Viktor's hand with his broad palm. He squeezed it encouragingly. "It's no big deal."

With a long exhale, Viktor squeezed Jayce's hand back. "I know... But what if..."

He lowered his gaze and continued. "I still have this ingrained fear that no one should know what we're doing... What if we lose our jobs because of it? What if you lose your job... because of me?"

"Viktor, we are two grown men, this is our life and no one else's. Our private life is ours and ours alone, and if someone doesn't like it, what are they going to do about it?"

Jayce squeezed Viktor's hand encouragingly and leaned across the table. "And even if I were to lose my job, you're worth it. Come on, Viky." Jayce lowered his voice and forced Viktor to look at him. "We can do this together."

Viktor shuddered at the nickname Jayce started to use. Viktor’s mom called him like that back in the Czech republic, and it made his cheeks turn pink, and he could only stare at his taller colleague. Jayce smiled lovingly, hazel eyes warm, the corners of his mouth curling into a small smile. Could it be true, Viktor thought. Could Jayce really be this in love with one poor cripple with a bad leg? Jayce's eyes sparkled, and it took the wind out of Viktor's sails again and again. How could he be angry? How could he be angry at what they themselves had caused just by existing side by side, in the same school. That they had found each other.

Viktor shook his head, this wasn't like him. He wouldn't have been so concerned with his sexuality before, and he'd never been ashamed of it before. Shit, before he would have screamed his love for Jayce to the world, but this sudden relationship that was forming between them was unlike anything Viktor had ever experienced. He was important to him, and Viktor didn't want to lose him...

The ringing of Jayce's phone snapped them out of their brief moment. Jayce glanced at the lit screen and was horrified. "It's Grayson, we were supposed to meet at the gym at half past two to get ready for the tournament..."

"You've still got a few minutes," Sky grinned and Viktor gave her a fleeting glance.

"Exactly," he pointed out seriously.

Jayce quickly stood up, gathered his things and pressed the green button on the phone's display. "Yes? No, I’m coming… I'm... I'm on my way. Yes. I'll be there in a minute..." The gym teacher gave another quick wave to his two companions and ran out of the cafe.

Viktor and Sky watched as Jayce quickly crossed the road, constantly answering something into his phone.

"Old Grayson is still alive?" Sky asked, startled.

"Yeah, only Jayce won't be after today," he grinned, looking down at his latte. He ran his finger over the tab of the tall mug. "Sky?"

"Huh?" The waitress looked up from her phone and sipped her mango lemonade through a straw.

"I promised Jayce I'd come to see the game. Do you want to come with me?"

"Watch the basketball game? Um, why not," she giggled.

"Thanks, Sky," Viktor breathed, then looked at her as if something had occurred to him that he hadn't thought about before. "But what about the café?"

"I've got workers, they can do it without me," she grinned. "Shall we make Jayce a poster?"

"For God's sake, no," Viktor rolled his eyes, ready to regret his decision.

"Come on, that would be great! If he saw his friends in the stands, who have trust him so much..."

"Sky, I'm begging you..."

And with that, they both laughed out loud.

***

As Viktor expected, the school hall and gym was full of people; parents, junior students and even non-sporting teachers, all came to watch the game. Viktor thought he was the only one of the teaching staff not attending the tournament, yet he spotted several of his colleagues in the stands. Sky walked alongside him, they sat in the third row of the stands where there was an empty seat and looked around.

"You were right, there are a lot of people here, look." Sky pointed to the playing field.

The student team was wearing a grey jersey with the school logo on the chest and a number on the back. The captain of the pupil's team was of course Vi, who managed to keep the boys in line with her fighting spirit. Jayce was wearing the captain's armband of the teacher's team. Viktor spotted him right away. He was standing under the basket loop, hair down, wearing a white school jersey, with the number seven, of course. His leg was foamed by an orthopedic brace, and he was dribbling the ball as if he'd been born with it in his hands. He picked up the ball, spun it on his finger, and hit the basket on the first shot. The history teacher, who was in the process of running under the basket, sent the ball back to Jayce, and Viktor realized he had no idea what he'd expected from the game, but what little Jayce had shown so far fascinated him.

Jayce caught the ball in his arms, stretched, and pulled his hair into a small ponytail. He glanced around the stands as if his gaze was searching for someone. Then he found them, a wide smile appeared on his face, and he raised his hand waving. Sky immediately waved back, and Viktor followed with a fleeting motion of his hand. He felt the corners of his mouth curl into a proud smile. Viktor shook his head and leaned his elbows on his knees. It was a silly friendly game between teachers and students, yet it had the atmosphere of a big tournament and Viktor felt a strange pride filling his mind. This was his guy.

"We should have made that banner," Sky grumbled.

After a quick warm-up, the referee blew his whistle. Principal Heimerdinger took the floor and welcomed both teams, as well as the students, parents, and anyone else who came to watch the game. It was a nice end to the month of October and a welcome to the approaching winter. Heimerdinger gave a short speech about the future and about having fun, and at the end he wished both teams much success and sat on the timekeeper's table next to the students who were tasked with keeping time and manning the scoreboard.

The teams took the field with a starting lineup of five players, Jayce and Vi shook hands at midfield and prepared for the start of the game. The hall fell silent in anticipation of a quality show, even if it was just a school game. The referee kicked the ball into the air, both captains bounced off the ground in an attempt to play the ball to their side. The game started.

The hall full of students from the lower grades erupted in raucous cheers, shouts of support echoed throughout the gym, sweeping others away with them. Some cheered for the students, others for the teachers, and Viktor just snorted in amusement; two groups of fans shouted over each other. He watched the game and was marveled at the ease with which Jayce was able to dribble all over the court and finish his action with a shot at the basket. How natural he was on the court.

"Wow, he's really good," Sky breathed.

"Yeah, he sure is," Viktor nodded, his voice filled with undisguised admiration.

With a few quick runs, Jayce flipped the score in the teacher's favor, high-fiving his teammates before focusing on defense. It was obvious the students weren't expecting such a start, most annoyed was Vi, who had taken it upon herself to defend the gym teacher. Jayce, however, easily and cleanly outmaneuvered her several times. The game came to a standstill, moving into the second quarter, and after a short break the game resumed. Viktor watched as Jayce enjoyed the game. He watched him win balls for his team with ease and with a smile on his face, setting up attacks despite the brace on his leg. Jayce was in his element and it warmed Viktor's heart.

The ball was then recovered by the student team, a long pass came from under the basket to the half where Vi caught the ball. Jayce stood close to her, arms raised, ready to defend the girl. But Vi aggressively evaded him and spun determinedly up the middle. But Jayce was still in her way.

It was only a second, but a second during which Jayce was the slower one. He backed away from the sacrificing Vi, but left his left leg with the brace in place longer than he should have. The pink-haired girl surged forward, trying to dial more to the middle, but the damage was already done. Her knee slammed into Jayce's in the move, partially dislocating the kneecap from its joint capsule. The kneecap immediately snapped back into place, but pain shot through his entire leg, which buckled, and Jayce contorted his face in pain. He fell on his butt and his fingers gripped his injured knee tightly, his jaw clenched in pain.

Viktor watched the whole thing in horror. The impact lifted him off the seat and he had to watch helplessly as his boyfriend painfully got to his feet. Jayce limply trotted under the basket they were defending, but his movements were suddenly slower, more uncertain. He was a step too late everywhere. He waved to the bench and indicated with his hand that he had to substitute. With each step he limped more and more, switched places with the older history teacher on the line, grabbed a water bottle from the bench, and moved painfully to the side. He pushed away Grayson, who yelled at him. He was limping more and more and Viktor knew that’s not good.

The IT teacher paused in his movement, could he have just run onto the field? He felt a palm on his hip, Sky gently pushed him forward.

"Come on, go to him!"

And so he didn't hesitate another second. With the help of his cane, he descended the steps to the pitch and parted along the touchline. Fortunately, the play had moved under the other basket, and with a limp but quick stride, he crossed to the other side of the field. Jayce stood in the corner of the room, away from everyone, a short distance from the open door to the dress room. The gym teacher took a slow drink, then stretched and threw the water bottle furiously against the floor. The bottle rolled out of the gym with a loud noise, drawing a few curious looks from the seats. Viktor paused in puzzlement, watching Jayce's face contorted with pain, but also something deeper than Viktor had ever seen in him. Jayce unbuckled the straps of his brace, leaned his back against the wall and slid down it into a sitting position. His head drooped onto his chest, a few strands fell on his forehead.

Viktor reached him. He set the cane aside and knelt in front of Jayce. He surveyed the pile of misery that was so suddenly before him. Jayce had always seemed confident, on top of things, but now he was hurt. And Viktor suspected it wasn't just his knee. He gently reached out and placed his hand on the brace on Jayce's leg.

"Jayce..." he whispered softly, feeling Jayce tremble.

"It's bad, V," he heard Jayce's shaky voice. It was low and full of pain. Viktor moved closer, lifted his fingers and brushed Jayce's hair back from his forehead. But Jayce slowly pulled away. Viktor had not missed the glint in Jayce's hazel eyes, which quickly rolled back into the ground.

"I just wanted to play... That's all..."

"And you played brilliantly," Viktor added softly, his voice filled with unadulterated admiration.

"Fucking injure!" Jayce relieved himself painfully. He tried to move his leg, but the pain shot up his thigh, which visibly tensed.

"Relax, just calm down. Let me take a look." Viktor sat back and touched his fingers to Jayce's calf. Carefully, he lifted the leg and straightened it as much as he could to a horizontal position. He felt Jayce shudder in pain as he hissed between clenched teeth. Viktor didn't want to cause him any more pain, but he knew there was no other way. Carefully, his fingers went under the hem of the sweaty brace, peeled it away from Jayce's thigh, as well as his calf, and began to pull it down. It was difficult, and the iron braces on the sides didn't make his job any easier. Jayce helped him get the sweaty rubber from his knee to his calf, and when the brace stopped squeezing, he let out a sigh of relief. He leaned his head against the gym wall, eyes closed.

Viktor's attention turned to his knee, which was red from the impact. He gently touched the pink scar with his fingers, then checked the skin around the kneecap, then the part of the leg above the knee.

"It's okay," he breathed, his fingers still tracing the sensitive spots on Jayce's calf, which was tight and cramping. "It's not swollen, it's just a shock, Jayce..."

Jayce shook his head, but the diagnosis didn't seem to do anything to ease his frustration. His body, however, slowly stopped shaking under Viktor's touch. The IT teacher continued to gently massage the taller man's stiff calf, feeling the firm muscles clench in spasm. Then he moved to Jayce's thigh. "Easy... It'll be okay," he allowed himself to say with a fleeting smile on his lips.

"It's still fresh, isn't it?" Viktor asked after a moment, looking up to meet Jayce's eyes. They were still dull and cranky.

"A year and a half..."

"That's not a long time ago."

Jayce lowered his eyes to the rubber floor of the gym. "I played basketball for Newcastle, a B-team. Ten years..."

"So that's why the jersey... I know the name, They are still in the league, don't they?"

"A normal team, we were doing well, so to speak..." Jayce searched for words for a moment. "I was supposed to move up to the A's, try out for the big games, the extra league, I tore my ligaments and crushed my meniscus in the selection tournament. I wanted to... I wanted to show them that I was good enough, but I overdid it and left my leg behind during one run..."

Viktor listened to him, didn’t care about the loud gym, Jayce was all that mattered to him now.

"I went into surgery, I wanted to come back, but I found I was slower than before. That my muscles weren't responding with the speed I was used to, that I couldn't move properly with the brace. I was clumsy. It wasn't worth it. Trying to fit myself somewhere I no longer belong..."

Jayce's eyes teared a little. It was time to go.

"Come on." Viktor used his cane to pull himself on feets, reaching out to Jayce and pulling the broken gym teacher up. Jayce tried to shift his weight onto his leg, but the knee protested with sharp pain. Viktor watched as Jayce's face twitch in frustration and pain; now it was up to Viktor to hold his partner up. Hooking his cane into his arm, he wrapped his arms around Jayce's broad chest and moved Jayce's palm to his side. It wasn't comfortable, it was probably painful for both of them, but they were supporting each other.

Limping, they parted down the hallway out of the gym, where Jayce's bottle was still lying on the floor. Viktor helped him into the change room, turned on the light, and let Jayce rest on the long wooden bench. The door closed behind them, cutting them off from the noise of the gym.

"Man, this pisses me off," Viktor heard Jayce's shaky voice. He turned his brown eyes to the seated man, cut off from everyone, watching as Jayce's shoulders slowly began to shake, his jaw clenched tightly as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"All I wanted was to play again..."

"You'll play again, all days aren't over..."

"You don't understand..." snapped Jayce in a way Viktor had never seen from him before. When he spoke again, his voice was laced with frustration, regret, but mostly a gnawing and unmistakable pain that had nothing to do with the physical. "I've seen guys who've returned to elite sport without a problem, both knees in a brace, both ligaments replaced, knees screwed together, and me? I can't even play a damn school tournament!"

Viktor watched as Jayce's face filled with something that came from deep within him. The gym teacher always had a smile on his face, Viktor didn't know him otherwise, and that smile was driving him crazy. Jayce was always ready to brighten the day of someone who needed help if it was in his power, but Viktor never thought about how much pain could be hiding under that smile, because of broken dreams… That he was helping precisely because no one had helped him. Viktor lowered his eyes, those who smile the most carry the most pain.

"Jayce," Viktor spoke after a moment, trying to cheer the gym teacher up, "this wasn't your fault, Violet is playing too aggressive, you pointed it out to her yourself yesterday."

"Exactly! I should have known it and been quicker. I should have seen it coming!"

Jayce rubbed his cheeks, his fingers trembling. He let out a shaky breath. "I'm tired, I screwed everything up."

"What?" Viktor walked over to him, confused by the sudden twist of the situation.

"Just... everything. Shit! I could have been a professional player! I could have taught physics, and I could have been better. I should have been better! I fucked everything up!"

"Jayce... That's not true." Viktor knelt in front of his colleague, his fingers squeezing Jayce's thigh, but no response.

"Shit, Viktor, you think that's what I wanted?" Jayce spoke in a low, broken voice. "That I wanted to be a stupid gym teacher? Or spend hours explaining the difference between oil and acrylic to kids? Don't you think I wanted something more out of life?"

"Jayce, but those kids love their stupid gym teacher, those kids care about the difference between oil and acrylic. Isn't that why it is worth it? If you taught physics, math... maybe you'd never know the enjoyment of students who admire you..." Maybe we would never have known each other too, Viktor realized silently. Buckling up on his knees he was watching Jayce's absent gaze, Viktor's words passed him by.

"Jayce, look at me," the IT teacher squeezed the strong thigh again, more painfully, but Jayce didn't move.

The gym teacher shook his head, his fingers slipping into his dark hair, which he squeezed in frustration, causing it to come loose from its ponytail. "I was always just the other guy, the one who failed... The one who didn't try hard enough to be someone... I could have been somewhere else, but I wasn't good enough... I never wanted this… I’ve never asked for this…"

That's enough!

Viktor rose to his knees, cupped Jayce's face firmly in his hands, and pressed his lips to Jayce's. Strongly, urgently. He closed his eyes while Jayce opened them in surprise. The gym teacher's hands hung in the air in confusion. The kiss lasted longer than the day before, filled with urgency, necessity. It was a weapon to get Jayce's full attention. Slowly, Jayce closed his eyes and leaned back, pressed against the wooden cabinet. Viktor withdrew his right hand from his face, grabbing Jayce's palm and placing it on his hip where it belonged, his other palm quickly following. When the IT guy finally pulled away, Jayce automatically reached for Viktor’s lips, but stopped himself. The older teacher gently stroked his thumb over Jayce’s bearded chin. The gym teacher slowly opened his eyes, staring at Viktor's nose; his partner's cheeks were pink, his breath panting, and his lips curled into a weak smile.

"Will you listen to me now?" Viktor asked softly, and Jayce swallowed imperceptibly.

Suddenly there was no room for questions, no room for doubt, no room for regret. This time it was Jayce who once again bridged the distance between them. He pressed against the kneeling Viktor, lips finding his, bolder than yesterday and more urgent than a few seconds ago. His left hand slipped into Viktor's tousled hair and Viktor let him. He returned his kiss, lips undulating in silent response, his hand resting on Jayce's stomach where his fingers toyed with the hem of his sweaty jersey. The locker room melted away around them, as did the gym, the school, and the world. Time stood still for a moment, their bodies responding automatically, with tenderness and unspoken longing.

After a moment, they pulled apart, breathless. Jayce rested his forehead against Viktor's, the young computer science teacher feeling Jayce's warm breath on cheeks. Jayce's palm gripping Viktor's waist, his fingers exploring Viktor's hair. He let out a long breath.

"Thank you," Jayce whispered.

Viktor opened his eyes in surprise, but smiled. "Bože, ty jsi trdlo."

"What?" Jayce pulled away slowly, looking into Viktor's eyes with gratitude.

"I was saying that you are Trdlo, the Czech word for a dork."

Jayce smiled and shook his head. "In that case, you're mi todo."

"And that means what?"

"My everything," Jayce breathed softly, closing his eyes again and pulling Viktor into a tight hug.

Viktor shivered. He placed his palms on Jayce's back and gently stroked his spine. He curled closer, into his friend's strong arms. He snuggled in, fingers gripping Jayce's shirt on his shoulder.

"Remember, Jayce," Viktor whispered so that only Jayce could hear him, even though no one else was in the locker room with them. "I'm here, okay? I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. And I'll be here with you to help you get back on your feet, to help you find your way again if you lose it. To show you that you matter. Because you matter to me, you understand?"

He felt Jayce's embrace grow stronger. The taller, brawnier man shuddered. How his shoulders trembled at those words and his breath came in shuddering gasps. Viktor continued to stroke his back, running his fingers into the soft hair and letting the dark strands slide between his fingers.

I love you, Jayce, do you understand? He added mentally, but he believed his words were filled with enough of the love he felt, for Jayce to know their true intent. All this time Jayce had been taking care of Viktor, since September, the computer scientist realized. Maybe it was time for Viktor to take care of him instead.

Chapter Text

Deep into the past

Follow the aeon path

Greet a blade of grass

Every endless form most beautiful

***

Thursday dragged lazily on, like any other tired day. The sky outside the windows was dark, foretelling the approach of a cold autumn and a creeping, cold winter. The school days slowly rolled over the middle of November, the trees outside the windows were wearing multicolored leaves hardly holding themselves on branches. All it took was a single gust of wind to carry the colorful leaves God knows where, leaving behind a bare, soulless broom. The trees were slowly going into hibernation, and Viktor himself would have preferred to take one of these long naps too.

He sat behind the chair in the computer lab, propping his chin up with his elbow and staring absently out the window on the opposite side of the computer lab. Dreamy, lost in his thoughts. Rehabilitation continued as planned, of course there was another session today, his leg was still trapped in the orthopedic brace and the pain constantly accompanied his every step. The pain wasn't as severe after all, perhaps leg was getting better, but there was something else occupying Viktor's mind, something he could focus on.

"Am I interrupting?" A familiar deep voice echoed, snapping him out of his thoughts. He slowly rolled his eyes to the door where he saw a young gym teacher with his hair pulled back in a ponytail, wearing his new hoodie and white jersey shorts with the number seven on them. In his hands he held two cups of hot, fresh coffee. "I thought you might like some coffee."

Their relationship has changed. It was no longer purely business. The time they spent together became the most valuable thing that fulfilled them both. They found support in each other, understanding, and most importantly, love. Regular coffee shop meetings became meetings full of laughter and small banter. They no longer spent their evenings immersed in work or their own hardships, but in each other's presence. Jayce was becoming more and more frequent at Viktor's apartman, becoming another unofficial tenant alongside the cat. He liked to come over and cuddle with Blitz, play PlayStation games with Viktor, or watch movies together that Jayce had just seen and had to share with his friend.

When Viktor saw him, the corners of his mouth curled up into a smile of its own accord. Jayce walked over to him, placing the taller latte cup in front of Viktor and casually wrapping his free arm around his shoulders. He hesitated for a moment before pressing a kiss into his hair. Viktor closed his eyes contentedly. These little touches and pleasures were something they both had yet to get used to. It hadn't been that long since Viktor had stopped worrying about what their surroundings would think, yet the taller man's sudden attention was flattering. He realized that as long as Jayce kept bringing coffee up to his nose and gifting his small frame with tiny kisses and touches, he was willing to overlook a lot of things or not notice at all.

"Thank you, láska ."

" De nada, mi amor ," Jayce replied.

"Where did you learn to speak Spanish so well?"

"Hm?" Jayce sipped from his cup and looked at Viktor. "Back home... I mean, my family isn't from England, my mom has roots in Mexico and she grew up there as a kid. I had to know Spanish because of my old family, and I sometimes speak that way with my mom at home."

Viktor looked at him with interest. "Then why don't you teach Spanish? You're practically a native speaker!"

"I never even thought about it," he admitted honestly. "I don't know how it works, if I need a certificate or a language exam... I guess my level is good, but I don't think I'd be able to teach anyone to speak. I don't know how to explain half the grammar myself, I just know how to use it."

The gym teacher stirred his coffee and turned his eyes at Viktor. "Why did you leave the Czech Republic?"

"I simply knew there was no future waiting for me there," Viktor shrugged. "Besides, I wanted to see a little of the world."

"And you landed here, hu?" Jayce chuckled.

"The universe seemed to want it that way."

"You know, for a guy who deals with technology all day, you can get pretty superstitious sometimes."

"Yeah, that... that’s because of my mom," Viktor admitted. "She's always been on a slightly different astral plane, if you know what I mean. Our apartment was full of dream catchers and tarot cards."

"That happens to be very cool! Your mom stayed in the Czech Republic?"

"Yes..." Viktor lowered his gaze into his coffee for a small moment. "But we're still in touch. She's doing well."

Jayce turned his eyes back to the cup in his hand. "I thought I'd introduce you to my family, I mean... my mom."

Viktor looked at him in surprise. "What, all of a sudden? Do you want to take our relationship to the next level, Mr. Talis?"

"Maybe," Jayce chuckled nervously, then leaned in and kissed him gently on the cheek again. His breath smelled of coffee as he whispered. "But for now, I like it the way it is."

The young IT guy closed his eyes contentedly, curled his face up to Jayce's and returned the kiss on his neck. "You purr, like a cat," he remarked with a smile.

"Most people say I'm more of a dog," Jayce chuckled.

"I guess there's something to that." Viktor mused with his eyes to the ceiling. "You too, when someone throws you a ball, you run after it."

"Hey!" Jayce punched him gently in the arm and Viktor laughed. Their chatting was interrupted by the bell announcing the start of the next class.

Jayce reluctantly straightened up. "I have to run, I have art class now. I'll see you at the meeting this afternoon. Bye, cariño ." And with those words, he walked out into the hallway, leaving Viktor to continue daydreaming, leaning against his desk, coffee in hand.

The gym teacher had wasted enough time, and his visits to Viktor just became more and more frequent, and it took all of the time for his preparation for class. That was the cost. He started coming up with a program for gym class or a topic for art class seconds at the last moment. So far, he thought, it was working. In the hallway, he passed a group of fourth grade girls walking lazily to their own class. He could clearly make out Caitlyn and Violet in them, with two other classmates. They were late for their class, but they didn't seem to care much. He was about to hurry the girls along when he overheard part of their conversation.

"I heard Talis talking to Herald in Spanish. It would be so cool if that showed up," Caitlyn smiled broadly.

"Spanish, for God's sake, that's so romantic!" Hailee, their friend, gushed. "What most girls would give for that."

"See, and Talis will invariably pick the only eligible guy in school," Vi grinned.

"Do you have something against Mr. Dawson?"

"That old man who teaches history?"

"He's not that old..."

"I'm sorry, but he must be in his fifties already."

"And what's in the new chapter anyway?" the fourth girl turned her eyes over Caitlyn.

"Something more daring, I hear. I'm honestly curious about it."

"We all are," Hailee grinned, and the girls disappeared around the corner.

Jayce remained standing in the hallway, pretending to look at the school bulletin board full of papers and university offers. The Line fanfiction had become a hit at school; it was read by just about everyone who had any interest in the two young teachers and their relationship, or was simply curious. Even Jayce himself read it, and not just once, but four times, fascinated by how much detail the author was able to capture. He never mentioned it to Viktor, but he himself wrote an encouraging comment to the author, anonymously of course. It still was on his mind who was writing the fanfiction. He'd always thought it must be someone who was taught by both of them. Except that Jayce and Viktr taught a diverse range of students, mostly electives, in which he was not able to find any consistency. But as he listened to the girls, he realized that there could be more authors after all. And of course, Caitlyn and Vi were hanging around.

He glanced back down the hallway in the direction the four girls had gone and then parted to the other side. He was already almost ten minutes late for art class. One day the world won't go crazy , he thought.

**************

"And the next thing to discuss is, of course, the Christmas party and, most importantly, the Christmas trip to Europe," Principal Heimerdinger smiled, the tips of his beard curling upwards as he motioned for Mel at his side to continue.

The meeting of the teaching staff had already lasted nearly an hour and a half. Viktor sat wearily at a side table, his eyes looking around the gym teacher whose head was falling two seats away. The students' behaviour seemed to be getting worse every year and new educational measures had to be taken, but they only concerned the core subjects. These did not concern Viktor or Jayce at all, who taught education and mostly electives and could not complain about the behaviour of the students. Jayce, on the other hand, seemed to have earned their respect because of his fairness and sportsmanlike character, while Viktor had a natural authority that no one dared to question. 

Mel Medarda, social studies and political science teacher, nodded and took the floor.

"Last year's trip to Vienna was a huge success, so we decided to stay in the heart of Europe and plan a trip there. In the end, we agreed in the principal's office that it would be nice to visit the markets in Prague."

Viktor's attention was drawn when he heard the name of the capital of his homeland. Mel noticed, of course, the corners of her mouth curling upwards in a quiet, measured smile. "And of course, that means we've already decided who's going to be taking care of the students on this trip."

"It fell to our youngest this year," Heimerdinger smiled. "Mr. Talis will be in charge of one fourth class and Mr. Herald will be in charge of the second class."

Both men raised their heads in confusion, looked at each other and back at principal. Viktor furrowed his brow, ready to protest. "But Mr. Heimderdinger, you can't. You know I don't go on school trips..."

"Then you start," Mel interrupted him firmly, and Viktor pressed his lips together in a thin line. "You've been at the school long enough to be involved in these things, besides, who else are we going to send with the kids to the Czech Republic but someone who speaks Czech?"

Viktor stared at her, his jaw clenched tightly. He took a breath to protest further, but Jayce spoke first.

"Okay, we can do that," the gym teacher smiled broadly. "It'll be fun. I hear Prague is a beautiful city."

Viktor gave him a disbelieving look, slumped his shoulders in resignation, and grunted. If you don't get stabbed at Anděl, you will , he thought, glancing at his friend, who gave the management a broad smile. Viktor suddenly had the feeling, when he saw the young sociologist's expression, that Mel and Heimerdinger and the entire school had set this up on them. But who was he to judge the management's decision?

***

"Come on, it'll be fine." Jayce rubbed Viktor's shoulder encouragingly. They walked side by side down the school hallway.

Viktor let out a long, frustrated sigh. "I hope so, but I don't like it. I can't march around Prague in my condition and have forty kids on my hands."

"But Mel's right in that who else should go to the Czech republic with them but you?" He looked at him. "I mean, you grew up there, you studied there."

"And for some reason I left there too," he grinned. "Prague is a beautiful city, yes, but dangerous and suffering from overtourism, especially around the Christmas holidays. There are markets in every square. The main tourist districts will be packed with people, in the end you get more angry and frustrated from such a trip and it spoils the whole Christmas atmosphere..."

Jayce paused, grabbing Viktor's wrist and pulling the smaller man towards him until Victor gasped in surprise, struggling to keep his balance.

" Viky , it's going to be okay," Jayce spoke in the low, deep voice that always made Viktor shiver. "Remember, we'll be there together. You and me. I'll see a piece of your country and your culture. That's what I'm looking forward to."

Viktor looked into his eyes, unable to speak. He parted his lips in mute reply, but just swallowed and dropped his gaze to Jayce's chest. "It won't be that easy..."

"Then we'll make it simple. The kids are grown, most of them. Think of it as our little Christmas vacation. The first time that will be ours and ours alone."

"You know that's not true," Viktor protested, but Jayce thumbed his chin up and looked into his dark eyes. He ran his fingers over Victor's chin, stroking the tiny stubble Viktor had let grow at Jayce's urging, and the look he was giving Viktor made the computer scientist's knees buckle.

Jayce had taken the wind out of his sails time and time again; the silent protests dissolved in a warm moment and Viktor was slowly beginning to believe that maybe this could work. He swallowed blankly and averted his eyes.

"Just you, me and our kids, it's going to be a great vacation," Jayce chimed in.

"Sounds even worse when you put it that way," Viktor grinned back.

The gym teacher slowly released him from his grip and Viktor quickly straightened up.

"Promise me you'll try to be a little positive, okay?" Jayce looked at him, a silent plea showing in his eyes.

"Fine, fine. I promise," the computer scientist sighed, giving him a brief look. "But if anything goes wrong, it'll be on you."

"Deal!" Jayce leaned down and planted a long, soft kiss on his cheek. Viktor exhaled in amusement, the corners of his mouth lifting involuntarily into a smile that was not worth hiding.

Jayce looked him over for a moment longer before letting out a long sigh.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow," he sighed, kissing Viktor’s hair goodbye and pulling away. Viktor let go of his hand and watched as Jayce parted down the long hallway towards the gym. He could still feel Victor's gaze on his back, but he couldn't walk him home today. Jayce had a lot of work waiting for him in his office, grading essays for art class and entering grades into the school system, which he left for last.

Most of the teachers were already going home, and he was one of those who refused to bring his work with him. What he could get done at school, he always did at school, no matter if it meant being the last one to leave and lock up the building along with the old woman who cleaned the school.

The physical education office was down the hallway toward the gym. It was the one room he shared with old Grayson. Jayce had not only his sports equipment here, but also canvases and student artworks spread out for him to grade. His colleague had opinions about this, but he cheerfully ignored her. What else could he do? Fortunately, the senior PE teacher had left right after the meeting today, and Jayce had the entire office to himself.

Tossing his hoodie on the chair next to his desk, he turned on his work laptop, where the Spotify app immediately loaded. He looked at the song selection for a moment, then scrolled down to the search bar, and after a moment of searching, the cabinet was filled with the rhythms of Nightwish's Endless forms most beautiful . Ever since he started seeing Viktor, his playlist had changed beyond recognition. He wasn't a hardcore metal fan like his friend, but once he put on a Nightwish t-shirt, he decided to give the band a chance. He started listening to them regularly, accompanied by slightly softer tracks by Skillet or the returning Linkin Park. Not that he didn't like symphonic metal, it was damn energetic and some of the lyrics had depth, he needed more time to get into the genre. He smiled as he pulled his favorite Gaga songs into the resulting playlist, full of metal and rock.

Soon he found himself jamming to the beat and a few dark strands came into his eyes. It was time to get down to business. Pulling out the blue blanket he had folded on the other chair just in case, he tossed it on the floor and made himself some herbal tea in a big mug. He sat down on the floor, spread the essays and papers to be graded in front of him, grabbed a pencil and a red pen, and checked off the first wrong answer on the test.

His work was going well and soon the pile of tests and notebooks to check began to shrink. As he took a good sip of his tea, he heard a knock on the door. He looked up and waited to see who would come in. But the door didn't open, so he slowly stood up, stretched his back and checked the time on his watch. Everyone was supposed to be gone by this time, so he walked to the door and opened it. To his surprise, a nervous pink-haired girl stood behind them.

"Violet," he greeted her in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Vi looked up at him, big blue eyes fixed on him with obvious nervousness, even as the girl tried to appear on top of things. The teacher raised an eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest.

"Mr. Talis, I came to apologize."

"Apologize?" He blinked in surprise, and the girl tensed nervously, hands behind her back.

"Yes, for the tournament. For the knee. I didn't mean to knock you down or hurt you, and I didn't notice you were hurt already."

Jayce eyed the girl in front of him in confusion; it had been a week since the tournament, his knee still hurt, but he could walk and he was taking a break from sports with the students. If there was anything he hadn't really expected, it was Vi with an apology at his office door. He shook his head, a wide smile appearing on his face. "Vi, it's no big deal. You couldn't have known. Besides, it was my stupidity, I should have been quicker.

"Mr. Talis, we both know I overreacted." She threw up her hands and revealed what she was hiding behind her back. In one hand she held a small chocolate box and in the other a bottle of brandy. But the girl was too hot-tempered to even realize that she had given away the surprise. "I was angry. You're so good and it annoyed me. I didn't do it on purpose, but I should have restrained myself."

"Just like now, Violet, calm down," he chuckled, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Nothing serious happened, I don't blame you, okay?"

The girl looked into his eyes and just nodded silently. "I brought you something, it's stupid, but Caitlyn insisted..."

Vi held up her hands and handed Jayce a chocolate box and a bottle of brandy. He stared at her gift for a moment, then took it with a smile. "Thank you, Vi, it's been on your mind a lot, hasn't it?"

"I know what it's like to get hurt, especially through no fault of your own, and this was my fault. You're a great teacher and an awfully good player, I'm sorry..."

"Okay, I understand. Thank you Vi, apology accepted, I appreciate it." Jayce set the gifts down on his desk and peeled his eyes over her. It was then that something occurred to him.

"Well, I'll be going," Vi started, but Jayce walked back to her.

"Wait a minute, now I'm going to ask you a question in return." Vi stopped moving, looking up at him in surprise.

"I hear there's a popular story on campus right now... a fanfiction featuring me and Professor Herald," he snapped his eyes at her, watching the girl's reaction, but Vi didn't move.

"Do you know which one it is?"

"I heard something," she shrugged. "You're very popular with the kids..."

"Well, that's probably the case..." sighed Jayce, fixing Vi with piercing hazel eyes. "Are you writing this?"

"Excuse me?" She raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "For God's sake no, you know I can't even put together a stupid title for an essay, have you forgotten my art paper from the beginning of the school year?"

Jayce rubbed his forehead, Vi was right about that. "I didn't forget, I just asked. You know, I'm in a very strange position right now."

Vi stared at him for a moment, then lowered her gaze and looked up again. "When you find out who's writing this, is that someone going to get in trouble?"

"Huh? No, of course not. It's no big deal. I'm just curious and it's getting a little personal," Jayce smiled weakly. "You can go, Vi."

"Yeah... Have a nice day, Mr. Talis," and with those words, the pink-haired girl parted down the hallway, hands still tucked in her pockets. Jayce watched her back until the girl disappeared from his sight at the end of the long hallway.

The gym teacher sighed, looking around his office, his eyes lingering on the chocolates and brandy. His grading were far from finished, but he had a feeling he wasn't going back to them just yet. Concentration faded, his head slowly began to ache, and he just rubbed his tired forehead.

After a moment of convincing himself to get back to work, he pulled out his phone. He just stared at the screen for a moment before texting Viktor.

J: Hey, are you still at school?

V: I am, why?

J: Okay, I'll be right with you. ;)

Jayce grabbed his backpack, stuffed what he still needed to grade into it, closed his work laptop, and folded his blanket. He decided to finish the repairs at home, nice and quiet. He took a brandy in one hand, a box of chocolate in the other, and slammed the cabinet door behind him. The school was already empty, some might find it scary, but Jayce liked to stay here this long. It had its charms. Jayce hurried down the long corridor to the main hall and jumped up the stairs to the second floor of the annex. He stopped just outside the door to Viktor's office and knocked.

"Come in," Viktor boomed from inside, and Jayce immediately grabbed the handle.

Viktor was sitting comfortably in his chair, a cup of nearly empty tea in his hands, his headphones off. The work was long done, the papers graded, the essays corrected, and he seemed ready to leave as soon as he had finished the contents of the cup. Jayce grimaced as he entered, shutting the door behind him and shoving himself into the other chair next to Viktor.

"Will you kindly explain the reason for your visit?" Viktor raised an eyebrow, watching Jayce's amused face.

"I have something for you!" Jayce smiled broadly and pulled out a box of chocolates and a bottle of brandy from his backpack. Viktor blinked in surprise, sighed, and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Like really?"

"Yeah! I got it from Vi as an apology for the basketball game, and what kind of friend would I be if I kept it to myself."

"Probably one that I wouldn't feel the urge to hit over with a cane," Viktor rolled his eyes and watched as Jayce opened the box, placed it on the table and took one chocolate in his hand.

"Come on, we need to sweeten our lives a little too, don't we?" Viktor said, indicating for him to open his mouth.

"This is ridiculous, Jayce," Viktor grumbled.

Jayce waited a moment with the chocolate between his fingers, but when Viktor was having none of it, he shrugged and ate the chocolate himself. It was good, just sweet enough with a hint of cherry. He smiled and reached for the brandy.

"Wait, I hope you're not planning on opening it!"

"I do," Jayce grinned, already setting the top down on the table. "And I plan on drinking it, too. With you."

"Let me remind you that we're still at work..."

"But we're not working anymore!" Jayce threw up his hands. "We only have Friday and the weekend ahead of us. Relax a little."

With that, Viktor let out a long sigh, took the bottle of brandy from Jayce's hands and took a big sip. Jayce watched him in puzzlement, the chocolate halfway to his lips. He watched as Viktor downed two gulps of brandy and set it on the table with a sigh. Jayce realized he'd never seen him drink before, and he also realized he was staring. He swallowed and watched as Viktor wiped his lips on the back of his hand. Slowly, he lifted the chocolate towards Viktor, and the teacher raised an eyebrow, then leaned towards the sweet. He took the chocolate in his mouth and his lips lightly brushed Jayce's fingers before pulling away.

The gym teacher felt the heat in his cheeks. He was on fire, red to the roots of his hair, and Victor was enjoying the sight of the distraught Talis immensely. "It was your idea, now deal with the consequences."

"I think I love you more and more," Jayce breathed, a wide smile appearing on his face.

Viktor paused and looked his friend in the eye. Enthusiasm and contentment was what emanated from Jayce as he reached for the bottle of brandy himself, nodded to Viktor in greeting and took a big sip as well. The IT guy laughed stupidly, perhaps for the first time in all the time they had known each other, and Jayce genuinely enjoyed the sound of the laughter.

********************************************************************

It was almost six o'clock when there was a knock on the office door. An annoyed knock was followed by a mixture of curses from the older cleaning lady who stormed in with anger. It was getting late, Jayce and Victor were probably the last teachers in the entire school, and they didn't even care.

"You've got to be kidding me!" The cleaning lady bellowed like an angry bull, a wonder she didn't knock Viktor out of his chair.

Viktor, who had his hair pulled back in a ponytail and was tiredly gathering his things, glared at her. His cheeks were fleetingly pink, but he was more lucid than his laughing colleague. Jayce Talis, a young up-and-coming gym teacher, was sitting in a chair, his head thrown back. A wide smile played on his red face.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Berta looked at Talis, then at Herald, then at the table where an empty brandy bottle and a box of chocolates were lying. "Can't you make these... these...things back at home?!"

"We're on our way out, ma'am," Viktor assured her, but Jayce laughed loudly at that moment and threw his hands up in the air.

"Berta! Darling! So good to see you!" He rose to his feet, ready to give Bertha a big hug. But the cleaning lady had a firm grip on the mop stick, which was about to land on his head at any moment.

Viktor quickly stood in Jayce's path, stopping him and placing a hand on his chest. The gym teacher looked at his companion in confusion, forgetting about the armed Berta, and pressed Viktor's hand more tightly to his chest. He parted his lips and stared at Viktor with a look that betrayed that he was out of his mind. Jayce wasn't at home , Victor thought, glancing meaningfully at the cleaning lady.

"Viktor..." growled Bertha between her teeth, "take the overgrown puppy and get out of here!"

"Sure, sure... Jayce come on, we have to go." But Jayce fell around Viktor's shoulders and whimpered something unintelligible.

"We don't have time for this, come on." Viktor pushed him away slightly, taking his bag over his shoulder, and Jayce's pack on his back and reaching for his cane. With his free hand, he grabbed Jayce's broad palm, gripped it tightly with his fingers, and squeezed past Berta, Jayce hurrying after him even as his legs wobbled.

"Dumbasses, it's unbelievable. I've seen a snake piss, a horse bleat, a fighter jet reverse, but I've never seen such rudeness before..." muttered Berta under her beard, and Viktor groaned in a silent prayer that they wouldn't meet anyone else.

Jayce hummed merrily behind him, and Viktor was beginning to regret every life decision that came with it. "You're not really used to drinking, are you?"

"That's not true... my friends and I used to drink all the time at the university... with pauses..."

"But the pauses took a month or two, huh?" snapped Victor, gripping his friend's palm tighter. "Now I just need to get you home..."

Jayce stopped, immediately stopping Viktor in his tracks, and he turned involuntarily to Jayce. "What?"

"I can't..."

"What can't?"

"I can’t go home… You know I live far away, on the other side of town... I'm driving here..."

"Good." Viktor rubbed the bridge of his nose. "So change of plan..."

Viktor grabbed Jayce's hand again and pulled his drunken partner away. It was already dark outside, cars driving back and forth on the main road in front of the school, the cones of light from the street lamps cutting islands of light into the pitch black night. Viktor led Jayce down the sidewalk, not stopping, not turning, and certainly not planning to talk to Jayce. Idiot , Victor muttered to himself, and you're an even bigger one for letting it happen.

"Are you angry?" Jayce asked after a moment of pacing and silence, watching Viktor grow more and more limp. The gym teacher realized at that moment that the smaller teacher had to carry all their things. He stopped, grabbing Victor by the backpack strap and causing the Herald to stagger in place.

"I am now! What the fuck are you doing?"

"I want my backpack..."

"Come on," Viktor groaned, breaking apart but not moving his stubborn companion.

"You can't carry everything..."

"Jayce, shut up and come."

"I'll take it." Jayce tugged at the strap of his pack again. Viktor turned sharply and struck Jayce lightly in the arm with the end of his cane. Jayce withdrew his hand in surprise and stared at Viktor.

"You should have thought that through before you poured all the brandy into yourself. Come on, we're almost there, so don't delay."

Viktor took a few labored steps, but Jayce stayed where he was. Viktor let out a long sigh, lowered his gaze and pulled his backpack off his shoulders. He turned to Jayce and tossed it to him. Jayce caught the backpack with a slight clumsiness and still remained staring at his smaller colleague. Victor reached out to him with a sigh. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hit you... Okay? Please, come on."

Jayce stared at him for a moment before finally catching Viktor's hand and matching his walk. The apartment building where Viktor's apartment was located wasn't far from the school. After a few minutes of walking, they were climbing the stairs of the old building to the third floor. Victor unlocked the door and let Jayce in.

The gym teacher stood in the hallway, like a pillar, watching Viktor limp past him.

"Well, strip down, take off your clothes and sit somewhere..."

"And what... am I going to do here?"

"What the hell, we'll go to sleep. I'm not letting you wander around pissed off like that, here," Viktor tossed him another of his black t-shirts from his old band series, this time Hammerfall. Jayce grabbed it and walked over to the other room. Meanwhile, Viktor set up a blanket, spread them out on the couch and limped into the kitchen. The apartment soon smelled of the bitter scent of herbal tea.

When he returned to the living room, however, Jayce was nowhere to be found, and the apartment was not so large that he could get lost in it. Besides, Jayce was a huge man who was hardly overlooked either. Viktor looked around the living room in confusion, then peeked into the hallway and bathroom, but no one was there. He was the last to enter his bedroom where, to his surprise, he found Jayce lying on his bed. Jayce hugged pillow and stared glassily at the wall, wearing a Hammerfall t-shirt and boxers. A pile of Jayce's clothes were lying on the floor next to the bed, and it was obvious that he wasn't going anywhere in this state.

Viktor stared at him before rubbing the bridge of his nose with a sigh. He carried Jayce's mug of tea to the bedside table and sighed again. "Okay, I'm going to lie down on the couch..."

But just then, Jayce's hand shot up and caught Viktor before he could leave. "No... Come here, there's plenty of room..."

Viktor blinked in surprise. It was true that even though they spent a lot of time together and had officially been dating for a few weeks, they hadn't slept in the same bed together yet. And Jayce was spending quite a bit of time in Viktor's apartment. Jayce practically lived here too, along with Viktor and Blitz the cat, who was now sitting in the window above the bed, looking down with squinted eyes at the pair below him. The bed was big enough; it was a double bed, too. Viktor liked to have plenty of space around him. But with Jayce next to him, he suddenly wasn't sure...

The gym teacher squeezed his hand tighter. "Viktor... please..."

"And... are you okay with that?"

"Otherwise I wouldn't be pressing so hard, don't you think?" He dropped his gaze to the pillow. "I'm sorry about today... about the brandy and my stupidity."

Viktor sat down on the edge of the bed with a fleeting smile, gathering his courage and lifting his hand, which he tangled in Jayce's dark hair, which was lazily lounging on the pillow. A light touch in Jayce's hair and he closed his eyes contentedly. Viktor was pleased by the reaction and continued to lightly stroke his soft hair.

"You're an idiot, Talis..."

"I know," Jayce piped up, opening his eyes. "Do you still like me?"

Viktor chuckled, leaned lower and kissed him gently on the lips. A gentle, fleeting touch. "What do you think, trdlo ."

Jayce lifted his broad arms, stretched them awkwardly around Viktor, and hugged the thinner man tightly. Victor let himself be pulled down onto Jayce's broad chest, and the man grunted contentedly beneath him, rolling over and letting Viktor slide to the other half of the bed. He curled toward him, his half-drunken, half-loving gaze scanning his official partner's face. Victor returned the look with more sobriety, lifting his hand and stroking Jayce's beard.

"Remember, Mr. Talis, never try to drink with a Moravian again."

"With who?"

"Moravian, It’s the part of the Czech Republic I'm from," he chuckled. "We have a tough root..."

"Ah..." murmured Jayce sleepily, Viktor's touch cradling him, and Viktor realized how natural it suddenly seemed. He continued to stroke Jayce's cheek until the gym teacher's brandy-scented breathing calmed down and became regular gasps. Jayce's breath reached Victor and brushed against his cheek. The computer scientist moved boldly closer to his partner, slowly, almost sacredly, resting his head on Jayce's shoulder and closing his eyes. He could get used to this , he thought.

******************************************************************

With a strange feeling that he definitely shouldn't have slept that long, Jayce rolled over onto his back, but immediately regretted the move. His headache was as if someone had hit it with a hammer. A sharp pain dug into his forehead and he could only manage a long, deep whimper that escaped his lips.

"Meow." Jayce lifted his head in surprise, turning at the sound and looking into the green eyes of the Maine Coon cat lying on the bed beside him.

It took a moment for Jayce to get his bearings. He definitely wasn't at his house, he didn't have a cat. He looked around the small square bedroom. The desk against the opposite wall was hidden under a pile of things and clothes that needed to be put away in the closet next to the desk. The bed was tucked away in the corner of the room, nicely under the window from which the cold rays of the autumn's tired sun streamed in. Above the bed hung a framed poster of the icy wasteland of the planet Hoth with two AT-AT walkers from Star Wars. Jayce let out a long groan, laid his head back on the pillow, and slowly began to remember the night before.

"God, Jayce, you're an idiot..." he muttered to himself, covering his eyes with his arm. He heard the cat rise to his feet, the mattress next to him moved, and then only when he felt the big feline paws on his chest. He growled and uncovered one eye to look at Blitz, who was contentedly snuggled on top of him with a typically feline possessive expression.

Jayce sighed, rolling his eyes over to the bedside table where a piece of paper was propped against a cup of cold tea. Squinting at the paper, he reached for it and brought it to his eyes.

"I told Heimerdinger you were sick, you're welcome, V.

P.S. At least keep some order in that apartment, thank you."

The gym teacher read the note twice before he fully understood the meaning of the words scribbled on it. Then he reached for his phone, the time of 9:32 shining brightly on it. Below the time was the date, and his phone showed that today was Friday. After Thursday, he grinned wryly. Jayce lowered the phone onto the bed beside him, grunted tiredly, and rested his left hand on the cat's back. Blitz closed his eyes contentedly, and a loud contented purr filled the room...

Chapter Text

Chapter 9.

You feel no more coldness

It slowly fades away in the dark

I tame the storm at night

Braving wind and rain

I tame the storm at night

Carry me away

***

Days turned into weeks and suddenly November became December. The first snowflakes appeared already at the end of November, and it seemed to Viktor that it got cold much earlier and much faster than previous years. He didn't like the winter, it was beautiful, yes, but outside the window. As long as he could sit with a mug of hot coffee in his hands and view the frozen beauty from the safety and warmth of his apartment, he had no problem with the cold. It was worse when he had to go out. The condition of his leg didn't change much and the cold weather didn't exactly help to ease the pain. After a hard day he limped more than he would have liked, and considered the occasional spasms to be mere additions to his dull existence. Outside, his feet were slipping on the ice, he was much slower, and the support cane was now doing more harm than good. Unfortunately, he now had to function more than his own body seemed to allow him to.

With a sigh and a travel bag full of clothes on his shoulder, he waited outside his house until a familiar black car came down the road. Jayce stopped at the roadside, quickly jumped out of the car and walked to Viktor.

"Here, I will take it," the PE teacher took the travel bag from him and threw it in the back seat of the car next to his own. He leaned against the open passenger door and waited for Viktor to overcome the pitfalls in the form of frozen puddles.

"Thanks," said the computer scientist sternly as he got into the passenger seat. He had ridden in Jayce's car several times now and was slowly getting used to it and getting over his trauma from the car accident. He surprised himself that he trusted Jayce. Jayce was no racer and his driving was nothing like a demolition derby. He drove carefully, according to the regulations, fully aware of who he had in the passenger seat. Viktor, on the other hand, seemed calmer, more relaxed, although some of the more violent movements of the car or the screeching of the wheels when Jayce accidentally drove over a pothole still caused him anxiety. Every time he felt like he was back in that car, closed his eyes tightly and gripped the passenger door handle with his hand.

And every time that happened, he suddenly felt a large palm on his knee. Jayce was always there to squeeze his thigh, to show him that he was here with him, in reality, and Viktor was grateful for that. A painful stimulus, even a stupid squeeze and pinch, helped keep him in the moment of reality, not escaping into the past, and of course Jayce knew that very well. Every gentle squeeze of his thigh, every touch that brought him back meant only one thing. Hey, you're here with me and I won't let this happen.

After a short drive, Jayce parked the car in the school yard. When they arrived, Viktor saw students standing in front of the school, wearing different colored jackets and coats, suitcases or other luggage standing everywhere. Jayce took both travel bags and with a smile walked beside Viktor towards the bus stop where their tour bus was supposed to arrive. They reached a group of students who were already greeting them from afar.

While Viktor wasn't particularly enthusiastic about the trip to the Czech Republic, Jayce and the fourth-year students didn't seem too concerned. It seemed to be the other way around. Jayce was glad to be able to spend a few days away from school, just with Viktor and to have the opportunity to get to know Viktor's home country. And the fourth-graders, as Viktor found out from other teachers, were excited that the two of them were going on the school trip with them. Viktor slowly realized that he was popular among the students. He always felt that he was a strict teacher with clear boundaries, but found that his students adored him for his sarcastic sense of humor and knowledge of Internet pop culture. He wasn't as well versed in it as Jayce, who spent a lot of time on the Internet, but Viktor played games and found his way around it. He'll never forget the day he talked to first-year students about indie horror games instead of the basics of Excel.

As he scanned everyone involved, he cleared his throat and raised his voice.

"So!" In his hands he clutched some papers, lists of pupils and instructions for the trip. "Now we'll make an appointment, so I know who is willing to go with us, and who isn't, then we'll start," he read the names of the students who signed up one by one and he ticked them off. When he had the entire list crossed off, he flipped over to another piece of paper.

"This is a four-day stay in the Czech Republic. Prague is a big city and also dangerous, so we will follow a series of rules that no one, I repeat NO ONE, will break," Viktor's natural authority was enough for the students to know that it was not wise to upset him. They listened and nodded.

"During your stay, you will stay with your class, except for the time when you will be free. We always set a meet-point and time. We do not destroy anything in the accommodation and we do not use narcotic or otherwise addictive substances. Do we understand? On the trip, we behave politely and with respect for foreign culture. That would be the basis, of course, we will repeat it several times and add to it. And so that it is not just any trip, there are several activities waiting for you as a way out of the trip that I will ask you to do,” the students grumbled disapprovingly, but it only took one look from the computer scientist to shut them up.

"We'll discuss everything on the spot. Me and Mr. Talis will be in charge of you, so solve any problems with us... If, God forbid, anything happens, your class teachers and legal representatives will find out about everything and it will be dealt with properly. Fine."

Viktor skimmed the other papers with his eyes, everything important had been said and he would comment on other things only on the spot. He looked at Jayce and nodded. The gym teacher took charge of organizing the pupils, counting them and repeating a few important rules on how to behave on the bus. After a while, their long-distance bus pulled into the street and the luggage transfer and seat selection began. Viktor stood outside, watching the growing hype with a sigh, and noticed someone running towards him across the street.

"Hey! You're leaving without even saying goodbye?" Sky snapped, wrapped up her nose in a shaggy scarf.

"After all, we're only leaving for four days," grumbled Viktor, but the corners of his mouth curled into a furtive smile.

"Well, I have to find other customers, who will do the sales for me in the cafe while you are gone," she smirked. “Here, I have something for you here.”

Sky handed him a cardboard holder with two holes in which cups of coffee were inserted, in her other hand she held two bags of sweet pastries and two croissants.

Viktor blinked in surprise and looked up. “Sky, it didn't have to be…”

"Yeah, you're going to need a lot of sugar to handle that bunch," she smirked and waved at Jayce, who was helping the kids with their suitcases and bags in the trunk.

"Sky... Thank you," Viktor smiled at her and suddenly the trip didn't seem so terrible to him anymore. The waitress quickly hugged him and pulled away.

"Just come back whole and enjoy it, okay?"

"Fine, you somehow survive here without us, maybe you won't go bankrupt by then," Viktor grinned and earned a punch to the shoulder from Sky.

Sky stood at the bus stop and watched as everyone fit into the tour bus. Jayce and Viktor sat in the front seats next to the driver. Viktor quickly repeated a few more rules about good behavior and keeping order, and then their bus finally started moving. Sky waved cheerfully at them and both of her most popular customers waved back.

Viktor sat next to Jayce closer to the aisle, put his cane down on the free two-seat behind the driver and took out his headphones and phone.

Jayce nudged him with his shoulder. "See? It won't be so bad again. I feel good about it."

"For now, I wouldn't jump to conclusions yet."

“You're a pessimist,” Jayce rolled his eyes.

"I'm a realist, you see that bunch of kids?" he turned his head back and watched the students loudly having fun and discussing across the bus. "We have to get these all back in order."

"Then we'll do exactly that," Jayce shrugged. "It’s not a racket science. We can do it together," with those words, Jayce found Viktor's hand, rested it on his thigh and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Viktor watched him, his gaze still full of doubt, yet he smiled for a small moment and allowed himself to think that everything was going to be okay. It's only a four-day stay in Prague, what could possibly go wrong?

***

One thing Viktor had to admit, Prague was a really beautiful place if you knew where to go and what time of day. Of course, if it were up to him, everyone gets up at five in the morning and enjoys the beauty of the deserted Wenceslas Square. Unfortunately, it wasn't entirely up to him, so he let all the participants sleep until seven o'clock, sent them out for breakfast and presented everyone with a group project, which he will want as an output from this trip. He drew up an assignment sheet, wrote down the groups on the papers, and then sat down in a chair next to Jayce, who had just brought him coffee.

"You've never led a school trip before?" Jayce asked.

“No, this is the first time, why?”

"You're doing damn well. I have to admit, if it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't know what to do with those kids."

"I believe that the situation would force you..." Viktor lifted his coffee to his mouth and sniffed. The intense scent of gingerbread spice and cinnamon filled the air and for a brief moment he felt like it was Christmas.

“How is it?” Jayce smirked as he watched Viktor lick his lips.

"Excellent…"

"They didn't have caramel, but with the holidays coming up, these cinnamony sweet flavors are everywhere, of course I added a spoon of sugar for you," he winked at him.

Viktor slowly raised his eyes and gazed at his companion with admiration; Jayce remembered every little detail that could make him happy. Viktor knew very well that Jayce would go to the ends of the world for him if necessary. And he hoped it would never be necessary. How many times, looking into those hazel eyes, he asked what he did to deserve such a partner. He had long ago learned not to question the universe, and the fear that it was all just a dream, just a joke, always melted away when he could lean on Jayce's strong chest. When he could hold his hand in his, when he could feel his breath on his neck.

"Mr. Herald?" he heard the child's voice. He reluctantly turned away from Jayce, who hid his amused smile behind coffee mug.

"Yes? Well we will leave in half an hour, meet me up downstairs in the lobby, today we will go through the center, tomorrow the quieter parts of Prague."

Jayce watched him with a loving gaze. Everything will be fine , he recalled.

***

"Well, this is Wenceslas Square," said Viktor, casually leaning on his cane. "Could anyone tell me why it's called Wenceslas?"

"Because of that statue," Caitlyn pointed towards the equestrian statue outside the museum, where Saint Wenceslas, the patron saint of the Bohemian lands, towered over everyone.

"Very well, Miss Kiramman. Fine, we'll break up here and have time for lunch. Here at Václavák you will find a lot of shops, international as well as local, and especially many stalls... Try not to make any trouble, and you will get along well, most of the people here are used to speaking English. So, meet up at one o'clock in the lower part of the square, then we will continue to the Powder Tower, the Charles Bridge and then the Prague Castle. Free time starts now!" Viktor commanded.

Crowds of children ran in all directions, some headed straight to McDonald's, others to clothing stores, others walked through the center of the square between stalls with various handicrafts, traditional food or drinks. There were crowds of people running around, and Viktor didn't feel the need to squeeze in among them at all. He turned on his heel and limped away.

"Where are you going?" Jayce looked at him in surprise.

"For coffee, there are a lot of people here and I don't want to squeeze in between them..."

"Don't you want to go through it with me?" Jayce pitched and Viktor flicked his eyes at him. "I'll hold you and push people away so you can get through."

The computer scientist stared at him, then looked around the crowded square. He would have preferred to turn and leave, but he couldn't do that to Jayce, so he just agreed with a sigh. "Fine..."

Jayce smiled widely, then raised his hand and offered it to Viktor. "Come on then."

And Viktor caught his hand in his. He got used to walking hand in hand quickly and it felt completely natural to him. He was a little afraid of it at first, of course, he would never have allowed it at school in front of the kids, even though he knew that it would have never bothered Jayce. Viktor had never experienced anything like this before, Jayce was proud of his bisexuality and equally proud of Viktor, who had already learned to accept Jayce's small displays of affection in public and at school. Slowly he stopped being ashamed, slowly he began to realize that this is what he wants and how it should be. As he looked down at their holding hands and then looked up at Jayce’s smiling, bearded face, he knew this was the right place to be.

He unknowingly gripped Jayce's hand tighter and leaned into the gym teacher's shoulder.
Viktir wouldn't trade this for anything in the world.

“I mean, you were right, there's a lot of people here,” Jayce grumbled as he stood between the stalls.

"Prague is heavily visited, especially at Christmas. Tradition is slowly disappearing here and it's more commercial," sighed Viktor.

“But this is the main tourist attraction, isn't it?”

"More or less yes, if you want, you can walk from the train station over there to the entire center. continue to Prague Castle and then get back. Here you can always find the most important things, I think from the point of history."

"Um, and that's all? The castle, the bridge..."

"No, it’s just a surface," replied Viktor calmly, looking up towards the museum. "There are other places, if you're looking for a bit of nature, I recommend a hike to Petřín , it's behind Prague Castle, if you're looking for nightlife, the banks of the Vltava river are ideal for that. For culture, you can go to the National Theater and so on."

"And what is your favorite place?" Jayce looked at him.

Viktor thought and rolled his eyes at one of the stalls. " Vyšehrad ."

" Vyšehrad ?"

"Yes, it's on the opposite side. On the hill above the river, the Basilica of St. Peter and Paul was built there, there is a cemetery of the famous, but mainly remains of an old castle. A beautiful park with a view of the whole of Prague... I spent whole days there during my studies," he admitted.

"That sounds amazing, are you planning to visit him?"

"Actually yes, tomorrow. We'll take a trip by Prague's underground to the overground station, maybe a walk along the banks of the river. Plus a few more places."

Viktor looked around at the people, it was getting to be too much for him, and looked nervously at Jayce, who was staring thoughtfully into the crowd.

"Well, I can't stand here any longer," Viktor said after a while. "But feel free to keep looking..."

"Fine," Jayce answered uncertainty, looking at his partner. "Then where will I find you?"

Viktor turned to him and picked up his phone. "In a cafe, it's not far, I'll send it to you in the messages. But don't rush. I already know these markets anyway, you can enjoy it."

Viktor watched Jayce's look, which clearly said he didn't want to just let him go. Still, there were two grown men who were able to agree on a compromise.

"Okay, I'll find you then," Jayce finally smiled and waved at his partner.

The computer scientist made his way down the square and then into one of the side streets where crowds of people usually no longer went. He liked Christmas, but anywhere but Prague. He didn't want to admit it, but he didn't have a lot of good memories of this place, and he especially didn't want to admit it to Jayce, who was more excited to visit Viktor's homeland than everyone else. He didn't blame him. Jayce was a kind, caring and loving boy, and Viktor had to ask the Universe again and again what he did to deserve him.

He still remembered the way to the café, it was a small, unremarkable business, bearing the name Second home. During his studies at Charles University, it was his most popular place to go. He just stared at the café for a while, taking it all in and feeling a growing sense of nostalgia before he opened the door. The café welcomed him with the ringing of the bell, the pleasant warmth touched his fragile cheeks and he breathed in the aroma of fresh coffee.

"Dobrý den, ” he greeted in Czech and smiled at the man standing behind the counter. He was still the same , Viktor thought.

"Cože? Čech? Nemožné, dobrej," the man replied, giving him a cursory glance before turning to him and looking him over.

“Viktor?”

With a fleeting smile, the computer scientist shrugged his shoulders. The man surprisingly almost jumped over the café counter, a big smile on his face.

"Viktor! I’m so glad to see you!"

"Me too, Robin," Viktor raised his arms, but Robin caught him in a wide bear hug. His build resembled a smaller Jayce, his hair was rusty and pulled back into a small ponytail. Besides the red hair, the other thing that caught the eye was Robin's red, parted beard.

"Wow, how many years has it been? Three? Five? Why did you come back?" Robin studied him, then his eyes slid to his cane and his braced leg. "And what happened to you?"

Viktor sighed. "It's been a long time, I had an accident, about three years ago."

"I'm sorry… Look, sit down, I'll get you a coffee and you'll tell me everything," Robin nudged him to an empty seat and went back behind the bar. He exchanged a few words with the other waitress and Viktor watched him prepare a large latte with caramel syrup on the coffee machine...

"Still have the sweet tooth, huh?" chuckled Robin as he watched Viktor sweeten his sweet latte with a teaspoon of sugar.

"I'm trying to limit it a bit, but sweet coffee will probably forever be my kryptonite."

"As you say," Robin sat across from Viktor in an empty chair. "I haven't seen you since university, since you decided to continue studies in London… How are you doing?"

"Pretty good, I'm a high school teacher, computer science and robotics. What about you? I see you're still here."

"Yeah, you know it's always been a big dream of mine to have my own coffee shop, and that master degree from languages ​​will come in handy when I go bankrupt here. But I don't plan to do that yet."

"So sales are going well?" Viktor wondered.

"Pretty much, the tourists leave money here and are willing to buy any stupid thing, but the rents and energy…" Robin shook his head. "It could be better, but I'm not complaining."

Viktor listened to him with a fleeting smile. Robin studied with him at the Faculty of Education at Charles University in Prague. They were good friends and together with other people from the university, they used to be a great and tight-knit group until Viktor decided to move on. Returning to the Czech Republic was suddenly a little more bearable when Viktor listened to Robin speak in his native language. He realized that it was refreshing to speak in Czech again; Viktor's English was really good and if he didn't have his distinctive Czech accent, no one would even notice, but it was refreshing to switch his brain back to his native language. They chatted for as long as Robin had free time; Viktor asked about their mutual friends and classmates and liked to listen to stories from his homeland.

The bell at the main door rang again and Jayce appeared at the café's door. His dark hair was decorated with glittering snowflakes, resembling tiny crystals, and his cap and shoulders were also covered with a small layer of snow. He looked around the café until he found Viktor sitting at the table by the window. He suddenly stopped when he realized that Viktor wasn't sitting at the table alone. He was staring at the back of a man who was conversing with Viktor in Czech. Jayce suddenly felt a little embarrassed, he didn't want to disturb them, on the other hand, Viktor was his friend and he felt a fleeting, heavy flame of dislike warm up in his chest.

However, Viktor noticed him immediately, raised his eyes and peered over Robin's shoulder. He waved at Jayce with a smile and Robin turned to meet his gaze.

"Who is that?"

“My colleague…Jayce,” Viktor replied curtly. “Can I ask you for an Americano?”

"Sure, sure," Robin smirked, not missing the fleeting smile on Viktor's lips that he hadn't seen since their studies. Viktor rarely smiled, and when he did, it was just a stupid, practiced smile that he wore so people wouldn't think he was a complete moron.

Robin stood up, walked past Jayce and spoke to him in strong Czech with a smirk on his face. " Dobrý den !”

“ Dobrý den ,” muttered Jayce in an attempt to imitate Czech, looking confusedly behind the leaving café owner and quickly walked out to Viktor.

"Who was that?"

"Robin, my university college," chuckled Viktor. "I already ordered your coffee. Did you enjoy the markets?"

"Pretty much, but it's really crowded and it's starting to snow," Jayce grumbled, dusting his cap of snowflakes. Viktor looked him over with a smile, raised his hand and ran a hand through Jayce's hair, brushing away a few snowflakes that glittered on his dark hair like a starry sky on black velvet. He exhaled, a fleeting, self-willed smile adorning his face and caught himself stroking Jayce's hair as Jayce closed his eyes in contentment. Viktor blushed briefly; this was one of the things he always wanted to do when he looked at Jayce… Stroke his hair that he admired and loved so much.

Jayce closed his eyes and pressed closer to Viktor's touch. For a brief moment they allowed themselves to be just the two of them until Robin interrupted them with Jayce's coffee on the tray. Viktor quickly hid his hand in his lap and gave Robin a fleeting smile. "Thanks."

"Well, you're welcome, don't be disturbed, gentlemen, " Robin sneered, speaking fluent English with the same but less pronounced accent as Viktor. The barista placed a mug of hot coffee in front of Jayce, who silently thanked him. "I have to say, I haven't seen Viktor this happy since first-year of bachelor studies."

"I guess I just haven't had a reason since then," grumbled Viktor, giving Robin a clear look that he should go.

But the barman waited in place and turned his green eyes on Jayce. "Viktor can be pretty morose, which he is, but he has a heart of gold, you just have to look for it for a long time."

"I noticed," Jayce chuckled.

Robin laughed, folded his arms over his chest and exhaled. "But I'm glad to see him in one piece, happy. Knowing what he went through with that idiot I'm glad he's finally happy. He deserves it… And you, Jayce, keep an eye on him, okay?” Robin smiled and walked back behind the cafe counter.

Viktor took a long breath and looked down at the table. “Still the same…”

“I like him, he's cute,” Jayce smirked. The clock showed that they only had time for one coffee before they had to go to the meeting, Viktor had no illusions that they wouldn't have to look for students all over Wenceslas Square. The gym teacher in front of him gratefully sip from the coffee, took a long breath, and enjoyed the warm feeling of the hot drink.

"By the way, I bought you something," Jayce said suddenly, and Viktor could have sworn that the teacher's cheeks turned pink for a brief moment. "It's stupid, but I thought it’s Christmas... And I wanted to make you happy with something, so that you know that I listen to you and appreciate you..."

"Jayce, I know this even without gifts, you didn't have to buy me anything," Viktor looked at him in shock.

Jayce nervously scratched the back of his neck, as he always did when he was uncomfortable. He pulled out a cardboard box from a white plastic bag. He handed it to Viktor, his eyes shining with a warm sparkle. "Here, merry Christmas."

Viktor looked at the box in his hands in shock, slowly raised his eyes and looked into the warm, but at the same time uncertainty determined eyes of his friend. He took the box and curiously opened it. Inside was a mug. White mug with nicely shaped handle and painting. When Viktor took it out of the box and examined it, he found that he was looking at a beautiful hand-painted drawing of Vyšehrad . Staring at the cup speechless, he ran his thumb over the wonderful depiction of the Basilica of St. Peter and Paul and breathed shakily.

"You like it? I wanted to buy you something... I didn't know what, but I thought it had to be something personal. I can always buy a mug with your favorite band or a t-shirt, but your favorite place is here in Prague and you'll have it like this back at home..." muttered Jayce nervously.

Viktor raised his hand and touched the rims of his glasses. He removed them from his face and quickly rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.

"So you like it?" Jayce asked again, watching his partner's reaction.

"You sentimental fool," Viktor chuckled softly, putting his glasses back on. His brown eyes shone, but there was no sadness, indignation, or anger in them. They contained silent thanks and the unspoken love he felt for the younger man.

The IT guy reached across the table and squeezed Jay's fingers in his hand. "My favorite place is where you are, ty trdlo ."

The gymnast looked stunned, his face slowly relaxed in relief and a wide smile appeared on his lips. Shaking his head in silent gratitude, he let a few strands of hair fall across his forehead and pressed the back of Viktor's hand to his lips. "I was afraid you wouldn't like it..."

“Jayce, I love it,” Viktor said, but his gaze didn't belong to the mug, and probably neither did the words. He looked at his partner. He allowed himself a gentle smile, there was a lot he truly loved about Jayce. His tenacity, stubbornness and dedication. He loved how he always made sure Viktor was comfortable. He adored his tall frame, his soft hair and every tiny detail no one else had noticed. He loved the gap between Jayce’s teeth that showed every time Jayce smiled. He loved his tiny fangs, which he showed off when he laughed loudly. He loved his hazel eyes and that look full of tenderness. Yes, he loves it.

The room faded around them. It was just the two of them exactly where they wanted to be. The cafe owner was watching them with his elbow resting on the cafe counter. A fleeting smile played on Robin's face. He thought he had already seen Viktor in love, but the view before him convinced him otherwise. He had never seen Viktor like this before and it was a view he wouldn't trade for anything in the world. Viktor's former boyfriend , with whom he went to London, was a complete stranger to him even during their school years, but he was well aware that he did not like Viktor's at all. Now he was hundred percent sure that Viktor didn't love that man the way he loved the college sitting in front of him now. And it was beautiful.

***

Their trip to Prague was slowly coming to an end.

Prague Castle and the impressive view from the Charles Bridge left a sense of majesty in all participants. Prague Castle was one of the largest castle complexes in Central Europe, and when Jayce took pictures of the magnificent view of the illuminated castle from the historic bridge on his phone, he understood why. And when Viktor took them the next day to the Vyšehrad that had been already mentioned so many times, he also understood why it was Viktor's favorite place in the entire city. There used to be a castle, of which only the foundations left, the basilica of St. Peter and Paul towered above the trees, which were decorated with a light snow cover. Although the park around Vyšehrad had been sleeping, the gym teacher could only imagine how wonderful the place must be in the summer, full of color and life.

As they stood by the view over the Vltava River, he remained amazed at the magnificent sight; It almost felt like they had Prague in the palm of their hands. Cruise ships floated lazily along the wide riverbed, people on board waving merrily. Jayce raised his hand. He waved back and Viktor by his side leaned his palm against the cold stone. Many memories came back to him and he knew that not all of them were always beautiful and sunny. He shook his head and slid his gaze to Jayce's smiling face. Viktor suspected that his colleague was enjoying the trip to Prague more than he should have, but he didn't blame him. He would definitely act the same way in Jayce's hometown. And this unintentional effort and Jayce's shyness brought a smile to Viktor's face.

The computer scientist subtly moved his fingers and covered Jayce's cold hand with his warm palm. He saw Jayce shiver briefly before turning his hazel eyes on him.

“You were right, this place is amazing,” Jayce grinned.

"Well, it's much more beautiful in the summer. And also full of people..."

"What in Prague isn't full of people," Jayce mused, and Viktor just grinned sourly.

"I used to come here to study when I had time. I lived nearby, we rented one of the student apartments up there. We always spread a blanket under a tree, people walked by with dogs or did various activities here. Once we even ran into historical swordsmen," Viktor smiled, but his eyes grew heavy and his face darkened under the weight of memories.

"Everything okay?" Jayce wondered softly, gently squeezing Viktor's hand in his.

"Yeah, it's just… There are things I don't like to remember… And some things happened here. Stupid old memories…" he sighed.

Suddenly he felt Jayce's palm touch his face. A warm touch that accompanied the movement of his thumb along Viktor's cheekbone. He looked up. Jayce was smiling, his brown eyes sparkling.

"So let's make new memories then," Jayce whispered, his warm breath brushing against Viktor's face and the computer scientist just closed his eyes.

The next moment he felt soft lips on his. The beard rustled lightly under his nose, he didn't defend himself. On the contrary, he rose as high as his sore leg allowed and leaned back into the kiss. He felt Jayce's other hand on his hip, pulling Viktor closer. After a while they slowly pulled away from each other, their breaths mingling, their lips warm, and cheeks pink but not from the cold. Something warm emanating from both of them.

Here and now it was just the two of them and several pairs of curious eyes watching them from afar. Viktor turned his head to the side, in the direction where the group of students was standing. Violet and Caitlyn, of course, were standing in the front row, whispering eagerly; he let out a long breath and rested his shoulder on Jayce's chest.

"Are we going to yell at them?" Viktor asked calmly.

“Um,” Jayce grunted, his gaze fixed in the same direction. Viktor felt Jayce's chest rise under his shoulder. "Do you want to?"

"No… not really," Viktor replied with a chuckle, glancing at Jayce. "So, did you enjoy my home ?"

"Pretty much yes, and I'd definitely like to visit it sometime again," he smiled.

"You've only tasted a bare minimum Jayce, my country hides far more beautiful and less populated places than the capital city."

"In that case, I look forward to you showing me all of them," Jayce smiled.

Viktor rolled his eyes back to the view, allowing himself to lean more against Jayce's chest, a wide palm keeping him close.

"We're going home tomorrow," Viktor breathed, and Jayce gave him a long, searching look that the IT guy didn't see. He realized that Viktor did not consider the Czech Republic his home. He ran away from it and considered a home where he was comfortable. And by the way how Viktor was now leaning against his chest, clutching his hand in his, he realized that Talis was now what Viktor called home.

Because home is where your heart is... 

***

Everyone spent the last evening in the hotel where they were staying. The evening program consisted of sharing experiences from the trip and mainly presenting the assigned task to teachers and classmates. Viktor was sitting at the table in the dining room and was writing down the evaluations of the individual groups. Even though he didn't really believe it at first, the fourth-graders completed the tasks and everyone tried to fulfill their assignment. He had to admit that he was proud of them and hoped that during this short time he was able to pass on a piece of colorful Czech history to them.

"Okay, now everyone listen to me," Viktor straightened and looked around the room full of chattering students. "Tomorrow we are returning home. I hope that you bring something nice from the Czech Republic with you, that you learned something new and that you will remember our trip for a long time. Tomorrow we have to leave the rooms by nine o'clock And we will be leaving at ten o'clock. The bus will arrive at the parking lot where he kicked us out. And since I have to praise you all for your behavior and work, Mr. Talis and I have decided to extend your free time until ten o'clock. Of course we will go around and check on you, enjoy the evening.”

Viktor smiled at everyone, some children thanked him and others immediately wished him good night.

"After all, the trip didn't turn out so badly, did it?" Jayce nudged him with his shoulder.

"No, but it's not over yet," Viktor gave a long yawn.

Jayce watched his tired eyes and sleepy complexion. "Hey, go lie down."

"What?" Viktor slowly looked up from his papers.

“You're tired, go rest,” Jayce took his hand in his and gave it an encouraging squeeze.

"It's not possible, we have to stay up and check on the kids."

But Jayce squeezed his hand tighter. " Vicky , there are two of us. You planned it all, organized it and made sure the trip ran smoothly. You've done a lot of work and you have the most right of us to rest a little, I'll look after them."

"Are you sure?" Viktor looked into his eyes and Jayce just smiled boldly.

“Of course, I can handle a bunch of teenage kids…”

Viktor took a long breath and slowly nodded after a while. Using his cane, he rose to his feet and walked over to Jayce, giving him a soft, grateful kiss on the cheek. "Alright, but if anything happens wake me up, okay? Good night."

"Sweet dreams, Viktor,” Jayce gave him a loving smile and watched him leave for his room.

Viktor gave another long yawn. His leg was shaking after walking all day, the brace was squeezing him, strangling him, and all he wanted now was a long hot shower, headphones and to lie down in bed. Jayce was right, he was exhausted; preparing the entire stay, coming up with tasks, tours and sights, it all cost him a lot of energy, he just refused to admit it. He reached his room and went inside. He immediately took off his brace, pants, took a new t-shirt with the latest Gloryhammer album printed on it, sweatpants and limped off to the bathroom where he ran hot water on himself. He washed away all the feelings from that hard and long day, let the water run down his cheeks and hair and finally allowed himself to rest a little. Then when he returned to his room, threw a towel over the chair and collapsed into bed, he was overcome with the most beautiful feeling of the whole day, a strong, pleasant and well-deserved tiredness. He propped his hips up with a pillow, took out his headphones, put them on his ears and, with his mobile phone in hand, started listening to Temperance's album while scrolling through Instagram posts with his finger. This is exactly what he needed.

Only ten minutes left until ten o’clock when someone knocked on the door of Viktor's room. Viktor stopped the music, listened for a moment, wondering if he was just imagining it, but the knocking came again. Exhaling in annoyance, he dropped his feet to the floor and limped towards the door. He could walk such a distance without any problems even without a cane. When he opened the door, he saw young Kiramman standing in the corridor. Caitlyn looked nervous, her cheeks pink and Viktor's brows furrowed tightly.

“Caitlyn?”

“Mr Herald… We… We need your help…”

"With what?" he sighed tiredly, but something about Caitlyn's absent-mindedness worried him.

"You know, it's my birthday today... And Vi decided we'd celebrate it properly... She bought some liquor and wine and..."

"Wait, you came to confess to me that you and Vi bought and drank alcohol?" Viktor raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Caitlyn fidgeted nervously. “No… Not really… I came to tell you that Mr. Talis drank some of it…”

Viktor stared at her in surprise, speechless. He opened his mouth in a shocked response, but couldn't get the words out and closed his mouth again.

"What? Just… What happened?!" he finally stammered out.

"Mr. Talis caught us drinking and Vi invited him for a drink. We had an agreement that if we didn't tell he was drinking with us, he wouldn't say that about us either. But... Mr. Talis can't drink at all..."

Viktor just stared at her in shock for a moment before his face contorted into an angry grimace.

“I'm going to kill him,” he said, his voice deep and hard, it startled Caitlyn. "Where is he?"

"In our room..." the girl beeped and quickly stepped away from the door.

And at that moment, Viktor, without a cane or brace, limply but briskly walked down the hall. Caitlyn had a lot to do to catch up with him. His leg did hurt, the spasms stung him like shards in his calf and thigh, but all that was secondary now. He walked over to the room that Caitlyn and Vi shared and swung the door open until it hit the wall. The children from the surrounding rooms began to poke their heads out curiously, but when they saw an enraged Viktor, they quickly crawled back into their rooms. No one had ever seen Mr. Herald so upset before. He never yelled at the students, he didn't need to, his natural authority didn't require it, and one look was enough to get the students to work. But this was something else.

The room the girls shared was small, with two beds that were both made up. On one lay a few pieces of clothing, on the other sat Vi, her cheeks as pink as Kiramman’s. When Viktor opened the door, she looked up at him in fear before her gaze changed, resigned to what was to come. But it wasn't about her and Caitlyn at that moment at all, as she soon realized. She found the one Viktor was looking for was sitting on the floor of the room; Jayce's back was leaning against Vi's bed, his face red and glassy. He was holding a plastic cup of something he was about to drink, but when the computer scientist opened the door, he spilled the cup on himself. Viktor scowled at him, red with rage, and Jayce stopped moving. Despite his drunken mood, he knew it was going to be bad.

“ Vicky , I… I'll explain it to you,” he tried to salvage the situation, but his tongue was tumbling.

“ Co si kurva myslíš, že děláš! " Viktor yelled in Czech. Cait and Vi exchanged stunned looks; they didn't understand anything Viktor was saying, but Viktor's tone and expression made it clear he was furious. Neither of them had ever seen him like this and never wanted to see him like this again.

“ Vicky... ”

“Žádný Vicky! Co to má kurva znamenat? Jsi ty vůbec normální? Pít se studenty? Na školním výletě?! Ty absolutní debile, tohle tě může stát místo. Kurva, zešílel jsi snad?!”

Viktor rubbed the bridge of his nose and tried to switch back to English. "You one…imbecile. How could you even think of this?! How could you think this would be a good idea?! Are you normal!" he roared again.

Jayce stared at him speechlessly, acting like one of the children. His shoulders were guiltily slumped and he fixed his golden eyes only on Viktor in astonishment. He tried to say something, but Viktor shut him up sharply, "Shut up. For your own good, shut up and get your ass off the ground."

And the PE teacher stood up on his feet, even as the whole world swayed and moved beneath him. Viktor grabbed his arm, pulling him firmly and painfully out the door. "Kiramman, Violet, I want all the alcohol in the room in five minutes. You Will face consequences.” Viktor turned to Jayce. “And you… Just… come on…”

Viktor could no longer find words, but everyone present knew that it was bad. Mr. Herald never got angry, never yelled, and now he was almost tearing his hair out in anger as he walked back to his room with a painful limp and Jayce closed behind him. Viktor pushed Jayce inside, slamming the door behind him, and walked past him before turning sharply to face him, his brown eyes filled with anger, cheeks red. Jayce looked down and slumped his shoulders.

“I'm sorry…”

"You're… sorry? Are you even normal?! You're here as a teacher, for god’s sake! As a supervisor and a person in charge. And you're going to do this? Make an agreement with the students not to snap at each other? What the hell were you thinking?"

“I…” Jayce began, but he had no explanation to justify his stupid and unreasonable behavior.

"You know if this get out you can lose your job?" Viktor softened his voice.

“I know…”

"And yet you did it."

Viktor collapsed tiredly on the floor next to the bed. Leaning his back against the wooden side, he took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb. When he spoke again, an unadulterated collection of Czech words filled the room.

“Ty jsi takovej kretén… Kolosální idiot první třídy… Kurva… Tohle je snad zlej sen… ”

The gym teacher stood there, in the middle of the hotel room. Shoulders drooping, gaze lowered to the floor. He swayed from side to side. He didn't want Viktor to yell at him like that, to make Viktor angry, but he understood that he had made a big and unforgivable mistake. That he deserved it. He slowly looked up and fixed his glassy eyes on Viktor, who was still angry at him.

Viktor finally sighed, slowly raising his hand towards Jayce. “Come here you idiot…”

And Jayce didn't have to be asked twice. He slumped to the floor next to Viktor, his head falling on Viktor's shoulder immediately and his arms around Viktor's arm. He clung to him as if he was the only fixed point in a swaying world. He closed his eyes, bit his lip. "I'm so sorry..."

"Don't apologize and rather pray that it doesn't turn out to be a mess..." grumbled Viktor.

They were interrupted by a sharp knock on the door.

"Come in," shouted the computer scientist in resignation, watching as the door opened in uncertainty. Vi and Caitlyn stood in the doorway, each holding a bottle of alcohol. Vi had an almost empty glass bottle in her hands and Caitlyn had half of the wine, a semi-sweet drink. The girls stared at the men sitting leaning against each other on the floor. Viktor looked back at her and frowned. He nodded to them to put the bottles on the table and go.

“Er, Mr. Herald?” Caitlyn said nervously. Viktor tiredly looked up at the dark haired girl and waited for her to continue.

"I guess we're going to be in a lot of trouble, aren't we?"

"Mr. Herald, it's my fault," Vi interjected. “It was my idea and I bought it… Cait has nothing to do with that!”

Viktor glanced from one to the other and then to the erratic, dozing man on his shoulder. He sighed. He was very well aware of Caitlyn's background and the impact this teenage misstep would have on her life and future. The Kiramman family was one of the high-ranking British families, even today. Her parents wanted only the best for her and expected the best in return. Their position was also important for the school, because they supported the gymnasium financially for many years.

He inhaled through his nose and let out a long breath. "Girls, how can I punish you for getting food poisoning? Czech food is not for everyone."

The girls stared at him, speechless. Viktor watched as the cogs in the girls' heads scraped before they clicked into place. No, Viktor didn't plan to get them into trouble, not that he was any different when he was young. And the main reason he wasn't planning to deal with it was leaning on his shoulder.

“Mr. Herald… Are you serious?” Vi gasped in surprise.

"Indeed, and as far as I know, it's already past your bedtime..."

The girls looked at each other, big smiles on their faces. They thanked and quickly hurried to the door, where Kiramman stopped even more quickly. At the last moment, Caitlyn turned and glared at Viktor, whose attention was already fully on his partner. Jayce was still red in the face, swaying slightly from side to side, breathing softly with his eyes closed as he leaned against Viktor's shoulder.

“Mr Herald…?”

“Yes, Cait?”

"I hope Mr. Talis gets well soon, as you said, Czech food is not for everyone..."

The computer science teacher slowly looked up into the girl's eyes. She was good, he thought. Caitlyn understood and was able to play games that many of their classmates hardly even observed. Viktor nodded imperceptibly and waved her to go. When the door closed behind the girls, he allowed himself to take a long breath and tilt his head back. He took his glasses off his eyes and placed them on the nightstand and felt Jayce rest his full weight on him. With a sigh, he turned to the overgrown puppy.

"I'm sorry," the gym teacher muttered again, his breath smelling of herbs and alcohol.

"Apologies won't help here..."

Jayce moved closer, lifting his head and fixing his hazel eyes on Viktor. The intense and obscured, alcoholic si did not look well, and Viktor preferred to turn his head away. Then he felt it, the gentle touch of soft lips on the side of his neck.

“Jayce, don't even think about it,” he growled in response and pulled away quickly, but Jayce leaned after him.

“ Vicky... ”

"I'm mad, Jayce! Stop it!" Viktor's voice trembled as he felt Jayce's lips again.

"Let me make it up to you..."

"God, that sounds terrible. Just… just…" the computer scientist breathed out giving up. He casually tilted his head to the other shoulder to reveal more of his neck.

I will totally regret this… Viktor thought, but Jayce’s sudden awkwardness completely disarmed him. He was still angry, yes. But…

Viktor turned to Jayce, who continued to explore the nape of skinny neck with his lips. Viktor touched Jay's chin with his fingers and lifted it. He studied that moron, that absolute idiot, every feature of his face, which was colored in pink. Jayce's eyes were still slightly clouded, but there was a glint of humility and playfulness in them. Viktor could not resist it for long. He leaned in and kissed his partner on the lips. Kiss tasted of herbs and the spiciness of alcohol. It wasn't the hesitant, slow, probingly careful kiss like the first time, there wasn't even a hint of urgency and necessity like the second time. Now it was deep, wistful, catchy and absolutely real.

Viktor zoomed off and studied the young teacher next to him, Jayce was breathing heavily with a wide smile on his face. The PE teacher reached in for another kiss, but Viktor put a hand over red lips, stopping him. Man watched in confusion as Viktor got up, strode over to the door and locked it. It was already after the bedtime, but Viktor didn't want them to be disturbed by stray students, to have anyone witness what he was about to do. He turned back to Jayce, his aching leg protesting with each limping step, but Viktor ignored it.

Bridging the distance between them, he knelt in the confused Jayce's lap and rested his hands on his shoulders. Another kiss, more urgent and lusty than the last. He could feel Jayce's body shaking, unsure of what to do with his hands until they rested on Viktor's waist. Viktor rose to his knees, ignoring his own pain, towered over the seated Jayce, fingers probing his dark beard and pressing his lips closer to his. Jayce slowly yielded to him, parting his lips, and Viktor gently bit the bottom lip in his teeth before brushing his tongue against his.

After a moment, Viktor pulled away again, out of breath, red in the face. He cupped Jay's cheeks in his hands, thumbs stroking growing beard.

"How..." he muttered. "How is it possible that you always get away with everything..."

"I don't know, I guess I'm lucky," Jayce answered quietly, raising his puppy dog ​​eyes to Viktor. "And I have you..."

"Yeah, I'll iron out your problems and you'll get a reward for it..." growled Viktor and pulled him by the beard.

Jayce brought his arms up, wrapping them around Viktor's shoulders and nuzzling his slim neck. His breath caressed Viktor's ear lightly as he spoke. "I deserve more of a punishment..."

Viktor opened his eyes wide. You bastard… Suddenly, Viktor straightened sharply, his eyes burning with determination and a long-hidden and repressed passion. Willed himself to stop suppressing the lust that was slowly taking control of his body, he simply wanted Jayce. And he really wanted to punish him.

Jayce kept his eyes on him, an amused smile played on his face. At that moment, the computer scientist rushed forward. He braced his hands on the bed behind Jayce's head, pressing his lips fiercely against his, pushing his tongue as far as it would go. He rose to his knees and pushed Jayce backwards until the PE teacher felt absolutely small and helpless beneath Viktor. The IT guy pulled away, grabbed the hem of Jayce's shirt, didn't wait for permission and simply pulled it over Jayce's head, messing up his hair, and then kissing him again. Jayce tried to return the kisses with equal vigor, feeling Viktor's hands slide down his bare shoulders, cold fingers touching the bare skin of his neck. Gasping, Viktor moved his lips to the exposed, olive skin.

It was something different, something new that neither of them had ever experienced before. Not like this. The bond they shared was stronger than all their past relationships combined. Everything seemed so natural. So right. The way it should be.

Viktor pulled away just enough to pull his own shirt off. Tossing his clothes aside, he rose to his knees and entangled his fingers in Jayce's hair. He gripped the dark locks between his fingers, forcing Jayce to tilt his head back to look up at Viktor's face. Enjoying the sight, Viktor tugged at his hair again, feeling Jayce's hands slide down his exposed back. He gripped the top of Talis' head and pressed his face violently against his chest between his breasts. Jayce exhaled sharply, hot breath melting on Viktor's heated skin. He gasped as Jayce began to caress pale skin with lips, feeling a wet tongue against his skin and the soft, gentle touch of his teeth.

The IT guy slowly pulled away again, kneeling in Jayce's lap, his hands resting broad bare shoulders. He looked down at the gymnast below him, who with pink lips was eagerly anticipating what was going to happen next. Viktor studied him, the disheveled, street-looking hair, the wide hazel eyes in which he saw his own reflection. A thick beard that shimmered and left an electrifying sensation on the skin. He wanted to feel it all, maybe forever. He slowly leaned towards him.

"This isn't fair, Talis. I'm not going to solve your problems," he whispered, hot breath brushing Jayce's face.

"What…," he said, "I'll do whatever you want…" Jayce replied urgently.

Viktor eyed him before the corners of his mouth curled into a smirk and he whispered again close to the heated skin. "You'll do it, Jayce, and you'll try damn hard to make it good… Or never again."

Hot breath licked Jayce's equally hot face. His eyes widened as he stared at Viktor who began to slowly lean away. Jayce reached out for him, he longed for him, but Viktor wasn't going to let him just do it. Jayce gasped, wanting and trying to feel Viktor's touch on his skin.

“Viktor… Please…”

"You are begging?" Viktor raised an eyebrow, watching the urgency in Jayce's every move. He could feel the man beneath him shivering with desire and the cold that crept between them. "I'm not giving you this for free..."

At that point, Jayce couldn't take it anymore. He picked himself up, grabbed Viktor by the arms and leaned into a predatory, longing kiss. Viktor closed his eyes contentedly, lips working against Jayce's, palms pressed against the skin of the broad chest. He felt Jayce's hands slide up his shoulders, his sides, until they slipped under Viktor's butt. Jayce tensed, pulling Viktor closer to him and lifting him up with more ease than either man expected. Slowly, during the kisses, he managed to get up with Viktor in his arms, he turned to the bed, where he just held the smaller man over the soft mattress for a while. The computer scientist wrapped his legs around Jayce's hips. They were closer than ever.

The moment they both found themselves on the soft mattress, the world around them melted away. It didn't matter where they were, whether at home, at school or in Prague. What mattered was that they were together. Every movement of their bodies seemed to be in harmony as Jayce planted his lips on Viktor's chest and went lower and lower. Trembling lips and beard brushed against his lower abdomen, and the pleasure engulfed Viktor's body. Everything felt so natural and right for once. He gasped, digging his fingers into the covers and feeling only Jayce's regular movements and hot breath on his skin. He closed his eyes. Just the way it should be.

***

"So, we have a long way home, but I believe we'll take a lot of memories, positive experiences with us, and maybe you learned something new here. For example, the fact that I come from the Czech Republic and not the Soviet Union, right, Mr. Craggor? You should definitely brush up on your history, because this is terrible." Viktor was standing in the lane of the bus, which was already speeding along the wide highway out of Prague. He spoke to the children, most of whom were still asleep, and he was absolutely fine with it.

"If you need anything, me and Mr. Talis are fully at your disposal, but I believe that we are all looking forward to going home. Fine, I won't disturb you any longer," Viktor grinned as he noticed the looks of some students who simply wanted to sleep.

The IT guy slumped into his seat next to Jayce. The gym teacher didn't even bother to do his hair in the morning. He boarded the bus as he woke up; disheveled, tired and with a really bad headache. Jayce was leaning his forehead against the cold glass of the bus, and Viktor was just watching him with amusement. And while Mr. Talis looked dying, Mr. Herald seemed more than happy since morning. He was looking forward to going home, yes, but mostly he was surprised that he wasn't leaving Prague with the same disgust he had years ago. No, he was leaving with a smile on his face and a warm feeling in his heart. And with a look focused on Jayce, he realized that he was taking more than just one mug back with him.

As the road went by Jayce was resting tiredly by the window. Viktor just watched his partner silently for a while. Then he put on his headphones and turned on the music. He found Jayce's hand with his, which he immediately squeezed and placed in his lap. The gym teacher looked at him, eyes a fleeting red, and Viktor was sure that Jayce would never touch any alcohol again after the experience of the previous night. Talis looked at him for a moment, then wiggled towards Viktor, allowing his head to rest on his boyfriend's shoulder. Viktor stroke Jayce’s broad hand with his thumb and listened to the melody of the song I tame the storm at night with a fleeting smile.

Chapter Text

Wake me up when diamonds will light up the dark,

The more I believe it, the less they'll fall apart.

Far beyond the horizon they'll shine like the sun,

A million of voices will rise to sing as one.

They're defying gravity, against all the odds, facing all of our fears.

It's a new reality, believe it or not: now their message is clear.

***

"So what? Did you figure something out?" Sky sat on a chair at a table in the corner of the cafe, listening to Jayce eagerly share his thoughts on the new chapter of the fanfiction The Line .

The cafe was half empty on a Thursday afternoon and Sky was enjoying these rare moments, when she was able to sit down with her two most popular customers. She felt comfortable in their company, had known Viktor for several years and went alone with Jayce almost immediately.

"No, but I've heard the girls in the fourth grade were talking about it, almost like they're planning the next chapters."

"And did you hear anything specific?"

"Something about my Spanish and honestly I wouldn't even be surprised if they included the trip to Prague..."

Viktor, who had been working on his laptop ignoring their debate, looked up at Jayce over the top of his glasses. "You two haven't gotten over it yet?"

"No," Sky grinned. "I want to know who's writing it."

"Me too. I'm close," Jayce leaned his elbow on the table and rubbed his beard. "I think Kiramman might know something."

"Nah. She's too expressive for that," Sky shook her head.

"And Violet, on the other hand, can't write a thing..."

"And didn't you think that they could work together?" Sky raised an eyebrow.

"I did," he admitted. "But it's hard to say."

Viktor took a long breath. "The school has eight classes of twenty-five students each, if you don't count the kids from the primary school. That's two hundred students in total, Jayce, any of them can write it."

"Yes, but the people who write it obviously know us. They included brandy and a box of chocolates, and IV.B came up with that."

"I still don't understand how you can be reading that," grumbled Viktor.

"You might as well read it, you might learn some new information about yourself," Jayce smirked.

"That’s what scares me," Viktor smirked back at him.

The gym teacher laughed loudly and returned to his conversation with the waitress. Sky and Jayce formed a fast friendship that mostly consisted of making fun of Viktor. He got used to serving only as an entertainment shot, and even though he seemed annoyed by them, he still enjoyed the companion of his friends. The computer scientist glanced at the clock on the laptop screen, it was slowly time to leave, so he closed the laptop and rummaged through his bag. He pulled out a stack of papers that he needed to flatten so that his laptop would fit in the bag. But Jayce immediately noticed the red letter that Viktor had placed on top of all the work papers. He reached for the envelope and examined it.

"What is it?"

Viktor looked up and waved his hand over it. "The invitation to the graduation ball. IV. B flew into my office with it."

"Prom! This is great!" Jayce smiled widely, but he didn't miss Viktor's slightly exasperated smile. He furrowed his brows. "You're going there, aren't you?"

"Well, I didn't exactly plan it," Viktor admitted cautiously.

"What? You're not serious!" Sky exclaimed, "You have to go there!"

"Actually, I don't have to, I'm not the class teacher or the school management."

“But the kids want you there,” Jayce frowned. "Otherwise they wouldn't give it to you, Vicky , these are the kids you've known practically since first year. You should go there.”

Viktor let out a long breath, knowing that he didn't really have a choice. "I guess you're going to keep bugging me until I agree to go there…" he trailed off, and Sky and Jayce nodded in agreement.

The computer scientist sagged his shoulders in defeat and looked up at his partner. "Do you want to come with me?"

“Of course I do!” Jayce grinned and Sky drummed her fingers on the back of Viktor's hand.

"Why do you think he was so insistent?"

"It's clear to me..." Viktor grinned back. "Well, the prom is in January."

"Ah, after the Christmas holidays, so that's enough time to mentally prepare, try on a suit, buy new dance shoes, and so on," Jayce smiled widely, his arms folded across his chest.

"Dancing shoes? I hope you are aware that I can’t dance!" Viktor mused.

"You don’t know how to dance?" Sky looked up.

"I do!" he retorted. "It's a tradition in the Czech Republic, almost everyone used to go to dance school there... But it's been a long time and my leg is not use for dance right now"

He watched as Jayce leaned across the table and squeezed Viktor's hand in his. "Don't worry, we can figure out something"

“I'm still going to regret this, am I not?” grumbled Viktor and Sky nodded with a wide mischievous smile.

***

And with that, Christmas turned into the New Year, holidays passed and cold Januar was already settled down. The night of prom was getting near, held in the town hall, in the ballroom that both classes had rented. It was teeming with parents and family members, graduates in elegant suits or long glittering dresses. Everything was polished, decorated and elegant in pink and blue.

Viktor stood leaning on cane at the edge of it all, beside one of the cocktail tables set up along the walls of the dance floor. He was wearing a dark red shirt with a cream waistcoat, a white tie and dark trousers. Two strands of hair were carefully pulled back into a ponytail on top of his head, the rest flowing gracefully over his shoulders. To everyone's surprise, Viktor was not wearing glasses today, but he had put on contact lenses and was holding champagne in his other hand. His chin was adorned with visible stubble, which he had grown because of one particular person, who approached him with his own champagne in hand, like it.

"Careful, Mr. Talis," Viktor spoke to him with a glass of sparkling liquid. "We both know that alcohol is not your thing."

Jayce chuckled. "Don't worry, this one is courtesy, otherwise you won't even touch any alcohol again."

"Strong words."

"I'm going to keep them," Jayce casually wrapped his arm around Viktor's shoulders. "It suits you..."

Viktor just rolled his eyes. "If you think, but you, my dear Jayce, you look like the king of the prom..."

The gym teacher chuckled in amusement, looking around at all the strange faces and excited students dancing on the dance floor. "I think I'm fine the way I am… I hope you're having at least a little fun…"

"Pretty much, it could have been worse," he admitted. "The fourth graders put on quite a show this year, and I'm surprised they let Violet graduate."

"I interceded for her a bit," Jayce admitted with a quick glance into the champagne. "It would be a shame, she’s a bright girl."

"You fool," Viktor rolled his eyes and looked in the direction where Vi was sitting at the table with her father and younger sister Powder, who was also expecting all of this in a few years. The blue braids, wearing a casual white dress and a leather jacket, Powder was almost the youngest person here. Viktor saw Powder look in their direction and then quickly whisper something to Vi. Suddenly a thought came to his mind.

"So you figured out who's writing the fanfic?" Viktor spoke and Jayce gave him a confused look before answering.

"No, but I'm close. I've heard Caitlyn talk about it, but her writing style doesn't fit."

"What if we're looking in the wrong direction all the time," remarked Viktor by the way.

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it, a lot of things from our classes appear in that story, primarily from fourth graders, yes. But did you notice that there are a lot of chapters focused on your art classes?"

"Wait, you read that?" Jayce looked at him in surprise and a mysterious shadow flashed across Viktor's face.

“For scientific purposes,” he smirked. "Jayce, don't go off topic. Whoever wrote this likes you as an artist."

"I never thought about it like that," Jayce admitted with a chuckle after a moment.

"Caitlyn? I don't know how she draws, she's certainly trying her best, but I can imagine she isn’t much of an artist. Vi? Totally left-handed… There must be another player in this game."

"Wait, you are considering…?" Jayce's gaze turned to the table where a blue haired girl was having a passionate debate with her father.

“Yeah, come on,” Viktor used his cane to walk along the dance floor towards the table where Vi was standing and had just pulled her younger sister into an awkward sibling hug.

"Violet, Powder, I'm glad to see you're having fun," Viktor greeted them with a fleeting smile, Jayce following closely behind.

"Mr. Herald! Mr. Talis," cried Vi. "We thought you weren't going to show up. Everyone was saying you are not going to these events."

"I started today," he smirked. "Besides, I couldn't deny myself the opportunity to say goodbye to my most favorite class."

Viktor watched Violet smile proudly. "See? I told you." she looked at Powder.

"Well, we won't disturb you ladies, it's your night after all, but before we go, there's one thing I have to ask you…Powder?"

The blue haired girl looked up. "Yes, Mr. Herald?"

“I must say that you are a young, gifted writer, but for your information, my favorite color is navy blue, not yellow,” he winked at her.

Powder's eyes widened in recognition and she opened her mouth. “Oh, Mr. Herald, I’m sorry! It was just a… stupid joke.”

"Calm down kid, I know," Viktor chuckled. "And honestly, we're glad you see us like that. In such a good light."

"Are you kidding me? The whole school absolutely adores you two!" Violet interjected.

Viktor looked at her with a calm expression on his face, but the corners of his mouth involuntarily curled upwards. "I'm glad to hear that, really. Well, enjoy your evening, ladies…"

"You too, Mr. Herald," Powder waved after him, turning back to her sister.

Jayce stood aside the entire time, listening, leaning against the cocktail table. When Viktor limped over to him, he took a long sip of his champagne. "How did you know?"

"I didn't," Viktor admitted. "But it was the only logical choice..."

"You never cease to amaze me, Vicky .”

The computer scientist laughed sincerely, turned his gaze to the dance floor and suddenly a strange feeling of sadness filled his chest for a moment. He looked back at Jayce. "If you want to go dance with someone, go ahead, I won't be angry."

"No. I'm here with you, that would be rude…" Jayce defended, but Viktor only smirked.

"Jayce, I can't dance with you and I know you want to dance, so go ask someone out. I can't make you stand here like a pillar for the rest of the evening."

"You really don't mind?" he asked Jayce cautiously, scanning him with his eyes.

"No, go," Viktor smiled, took a sip of champagne and let Jayce plant a grateful kiss on his cheek. He watched as the PE teacher walked off into the crowd and got out of sight.

The IT guy was alone at the cocktail table, but he didn't mind. People and students walked around, each excited in a different way, each in a different mood. The children enjoyed an evening that belonged only to them. They danced on the dance floor, took photos on the stairs, sat at the tables with their families and debated passionately. Viktor was smiling, sipping his champagne and watching it all with satisfaction.

"Viktor, I didn't expect you here," a loud voice interrupted him. The computer scientist turned his attention after the voice and saw Mel Medard walking towards him through the crowd of prom guests.

"Mel," he greeted her with a nod, "I wouldn't miss saying goodbye to my children."

The sociologist looked at him inquisitively and then laughed loudly. "Talis forced you, didn’t he?"

"Eh, kinda..." Viktor admitted with a fleeting smile on his lips. "He wanted to go and I was the only one invited... So I went and took him with me as my company."

"How selfless and generous... From a partner." Viktor did not miss the strange undertone in her voice. Mel paused for a moment, swirling the wine in her glass and scanning it with her eyes. “You look good.”

“Um, thank you… And you always look stunning,” he tried to be polite. 

Viktor watched her thoughtfully… He had never been on friendly terms with Mel. They were simply two colleagues who had known each other for four years. He knew from the children and from his own experience that it was not a good idea to upset Miss Medard. If there was a teacher at school who was really strict, it was her. However, there were students who were satisfied with her way of teaching. Viktor had to leave her one thing, and that her classes were always calm, ordered and very well behaved. At the school, Mel also held the position of representative of the teaching staff and was generally involved in all events, whether school or company, head of school parliament, she attended the final exams and was generally the organizer of school life. She had enough on her plate, she tried to appear measured, that she had everything under control. But there seemed to be one thing Mel had no control over as she let out a long sigh.

He suddenly had the opportunity to see her in a slightly different light. She was standing next to him, wine in hand and with a look that could perhaps be sad as well as thoughtful. She watched the ballroom. Watched parents dancing with their children and wives. Watched Jayce unmistakably ask Ms. Kiramman to dance. Viktor looked at her.

"Do you dance?" he suddenly asked.

Mel raised her eyes in surprise and looked at him. "Why? Will you ask me to dance?" she smirked.

"No, I won’t..." Viktor looked into his champagne and then at the floor. "But Jayce… He wants to dance with someone, but unfortunately I can't dance with him…"

Mel studied him in silence for a moment, then turned back to the floor. "You know, Viktor, when I heard about you and Jayce, I was very jealous," she admitted with a sigh, and Viktor looked at her curiously. "Talis is a great, excellent match, he's strong, handsome, classy… And he chose you. At first I didn't understand what was so amazing about you that you caught the eye of someone like Jayce…"

Viktor was listening to her and didn't know if he should say something or rather remain silent. But when Mel looked into his eyes, he saw a spark of joy and humility in them. "Now I know. You are a good partner, Viktor."

She slowly straightened up and placed the glass of wine on the table beside her, taking the opportunity to plant a polite kiss on his cheek. Viktor gave her a confused look when she spoke. "Alright then, I'm going to dance with Jayce, but I have a feeling he won't be satisfied and you won't get away without a dance anyway."

The computer scientist stared at her exposed back in confusion, thinking about what she had said. He lowered his eyes. A familiar anxiety crept into his chest, exactly what he feared. Jayce was a guy that all women could leave an eye on. Everyone wanted him; he was handsome, sweet, kind, and as Mel said, he had a level, and Viktor never believed he could reach that level himself. He felt just like some immigrant, someone running away from his own country trying to be different. But Jayce, through all the doubts and through all the offers and options chose him. Viktor. And it had never occurred to him before.

A smile appeared on his face that he couldn't hide. The corners of his mouth turned up and the anxiety in his chest was replaced by a warm feeling of something new, unfamiliar, but too good. Heat spread all over his insides. Jayce chose him.

He looked up. He watched Mel whisper something in Jayce's ear as they both looked in his direction and Viktor could only guess what they were talking about. Just a moment ago it would have scared him, just a few minutes ago he wouldn't have felt like he could compete with Mel for Jayce. But it was never about that. Viktor wasn't the one who seduced Jayce, he realized. It was the other way around the whole time. The signals were there , the voice in his head reminded him, accompanying him from start to finish. He watched as Mel took Jayce to the floor. How he dances a waltz in graceful movements, which Viktor with a sore leg would never be able to dance. Jayce was a good dancer, maybe a little stiff, but he was trying his best, smiling and enjoying himself, yet every time he looked up, his eyes found Viktor and made sure he was looking, made sure Viktor was okay with this.

He chose you, a voice in Viktor's head reminded him. He chose you, among all the millions of stars... He chose you.

The song ended, replaced by a slow, swinging beat. Jayce released Mel, thanked her for the dance, and walked across the floor to Viktor. The computer scientist knew the song very well, quiet, melodious, supple, with lyrics that managed to dig the deepest into all human hearts.

I heard there was a secret chord…

"Viktor!" Jayce appeared right in front of him with a big smile.

That David played and it pleased the Lord…

Jayce adjusted the collar of his dark turquoise shirt and reached out to him. "Will you dance with me?"

But you don’t really care for music, do you?

"Jayce, you know I can't…"

Well it goes like this… The fourth, the fifth

Jayce smiled, the dim lights of the room glinting in his eyes. There was a whole universe in them. "Trust me..."

The minor fall and the major lift

And so Viktor accepted his hand. Jayce carefully pulled him close, resting his hands on his waist, firm but gentle. He held him, supported him, as he always did. They swayed from side to side, swaying slightly to the rhythm of the equally swinging song. Viktor knew he had nothing to fear.

The baffled King composing "Hallelujah"...

He looked up, eyes wide. "I would like to offer you more..."

"Everything you do, Viktor, it's enough. I can dance with anyone, but only with you it means something to me, even if it's just swaying. And if I want to pick up the pace, well," Jayce tightened his grip on his waist, picking him up and spinning with him. "I can do this."

"Don't ever do that again!" growled Viktor, clutching his shoulders convulsively.

Jayce laughed loudly, far too loudly for Viktor's liking. Perhaps they attracted the gaze of others, perhaps the whole hall was watching them right now, damn it . At this moment, only the two of them and their little microcosmos existed here. Jayce lowered his head, leaning his forehead against Viktor's and closing his eyes.

“I still can't believe I was so lucky…” Jayce whispered.

"Lucky? Jayce, I'm just a cripple from the Czech Republic... I was the lucky one..."

Viktor lifted his hands from the teacher’s shoulders and gently touched his neck. "You could have had anyone, anyone in the world... And you chose me out of all the endless possibilities..."

"And I'd do it again," Jayce whispered, closing his eyes tighter. “Every time I had the chance, in every universe and every dimension, every time… I would choose you…”

In all timelines…

"We both could have been someone else... I could have been a physicist, but I'm just a PE teacher. I could have competed in sports, but I'm a cripple just like you. You ran away from your country hoping to find a better life, but it only brought you more pain... But everything that happened is why we're here now."

In all possibilities…

"You're talking a little sentimentally now," Viktor smiled quietly.

Only you…

"Yeah, that's because I believe the universe wanted it this way," Jayce opened his eyes, slowly pulling away from Viktor, just enough to kiss him in front of everyone.

Can show me this…