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Jayce liked to let Viktor sleep in, and during those quiet, lazy mornings he simply held him close in his arms, listened to his steady breaths and pushed his nose into the crown of his hair to breathe in his scent, something warm like fresh laundry. During the week, they were committed to their professor positions in the Academy, but the weekends were their time, where they could be as free and lazy as they wanted to be. Viktor grunted and groaned in protest when he felt Jayce shifting in bed, clinging to him tighter when Jayce attempted to disentangle their limbs. “Vik, I’m just going to make us some coffee. I’ll be right back!”
“I do not need coffee, I just need you.” Viktor complained, one of his golden eyes creaking open just enough to take Jayce in, the other squinting and shying away from the sunlight intruding through their curtains.
“Well, I need coffee, and to go for a quick refresh in the bathroom. Keep the bed warm for me.” He still planned on making Viktor a cup anyway, since he knew the second he returned with just a cup for himself, Viktor’s mood would turn even more sour, dramatically claiming Jayce didn’t care about him at all, and was nothing but neglectful. He’d learned his lesson early on, that often, Viktor would say one thing and mean another thing entirely, and Viktor had trained him well in the art of deciphering his contradictions.
With a sigh, Jayce peeled himself away from Viktor’s grabby arms and finally got up off the bed, rummaging around until he found a usable pair of sweatpants, and then fitted his brace over it, clasping the metal buckles around his thigh and his calf until it fit tight and snug to give him some support and to compensate for his instability.
It was a bit of a stumble as he made his way to the bathroom, his muscles sore just as they had been quite often lately, perhaps a sign that his body wasn’t as young and nimble as it used to be (or a sign that their lovemaking had been a bit rougher and more intense than Jayce thought, since he’d really let Viktor have it last night. He hoped Viktor wasn’t also a jumbled up mess, or at least, was slightly less of a mess).
Once he got into the bathroom, he held the sink basin as he looked in the mirror, and felt his fingers up and down the dark beard that had sprouted all over his chin and cheeks. It was a marvel how fast his hair grew, though he’d been leaving it alone and allowing it to grow on its own save for some maintenance trimming here and there. Viktor had apparently grown fond of it, even if it scratched his own face when they kissed and left his chin and cheeks rubbed raw and red from the chaffing.
Shave it, and I will kill you. Viktor had said in a rather pointed fashion one day once he’d had some time to develop a preference for how rugged it made Jayce look, and Jayce didn’t really care either way; if Viktor liked it and wanted it to stay, he’d keep it. He was certain it was getting some attention from his students, too, given how many new faces he’d noticed popping up in his lecture halls and laboratory sessions, and to that, Viktor had simply stated that it made him look hot, followed by a naughty grab at Jayce’s ass and a kiss to his neck in the privacy of Jayce’s office when Jayce had first brought up the peculiar observation. If Viktor thought it was hot, and it was going to guarantee him that sort of attention from his partner, well, who was he to shave it?
Though he could certainly do without the death threats, but that was just the sort of person Viktor was, so passionate to the point of obsession (as was he when it came to Viktor’s long hair; Jayce would rather stab his own heart with a pair of scissors before he would allow Viktor to chop significant inches of his beautiful, silky hair).
He washed his face and brushed his teeth, and just as he spit out his toothpaste, he heard a knock on the bathroom door, and Viktor’s gentle voice as it creaked open. “Am I interrupting?” He asked, though he didn’t seem to really care for an answer as he hobbled into the bathroom with his crutch tucked under his arm, wearing nothing but a lounge robe and some comfortable shorts underneath it, leaving his legs bare and his naked chest partially open and unobscured from Jayce’s vision - and with it, love bites Jayce had left behind from last night, prominent and purpling on his pale flesh.
“You need to pay the kiss toll before you can enter.” It was a dorky, maybe little cringeworthy thing to say, but that was just the kind of person Jayce was deep down, someone with a habit of saying silly things. Jayce took Viktor’s chin in his hand without warning and kissed him on the mouth, to which Viktor scrunched up his face, one of his palms planted against Jayce’s chest.
“Ack, I have not brushed my teeth yet…”
“When have I ever cared about that?” Jayce chuckled, as he removed himself from Viktor’s way and allowed him the space in front of the sink now that he was finished, and he simply took the opportunity to admire him, the side profile of his sharp jawline and his cheekbone, the moles and beauty marks freckling his cheek and his neck, the cute way he’d plopped his hair into a messy little bun on top of his head to keep it out of his face as best he could.
He could see Viktor’s golden gaze side-eyeing him, and as Viktor spit his own toothpaste into the sink, he mumbled under his breath, “All this time spent watching me, and I still do not smell a whiff of coffee in the air… I will just make it myself at this rate.” Another indication that Viktor was not a morning person in the slightest, a night owl at his core, his sass reflecting how unfortunate he felt it was that he needed to get up and become reacquainted with the real world rather than the dream world.
“You and your coffee addiction. I’m going, I promise. Is it such a crime to admire my partner who looks so pretty first thing in the morning?” He leaned in to kiss the graceful curve of Viktor’s neck, lips landing on a particularly prominent mole, and he knew he had found success in his desire to fluster Viktor and throw him off his attitude when he saw the tips of his ears turn pink.
“Ah, hrmph!” Viktor swatted at Jayce with his bony elbow, and Jayce simply caught it in his hand and used it for leverage to tug Viktor closer for another kiss, this one to his cheek. “You are coming dangerously close to getting a smack with my crutch.”
“And that’s my cue to leave, for real this time.” Jayce brushed his fingertips on the back of Viktor’s neck as he made his exit, and he couldn’t help but laugh at the string of unintelligible curses that were flung at him through the door as he closed it to allow Viktor his privacy. He heard the sound of their shower running, and it was so tempting to run back in there to see Viktor nude, to wrap his arms around him and kiss him until he could do nothing but melt into Jayce’s arms, but coffee was a priority at this point, and he knew if he pushed Viktor any further without giving him what he wanted, he was probably actually at risk of being smacked with his crutch. It certainly wouldn’t have been the first time.
Jayce hummed a nonsensical tune to himself as he prepared the coffee brewer and pushed Viktor’s favorite mug underneath the dispenser, a little square of decadent chocolate placed inside the mug that would melt from the cascade of boiling coffee. He knew how Viktor liked to sneak a little chocolate into his coffee in the mornings, an extra dash of sweetness to cut the bitter edge of the drink. Even after being together for so long, Jayce loved getting to know all of the little quirks and preferences of Viktor, commuting them to memory and showing Viktor just how much he paid attention and cared in simple gestures like this, preparing his coffee just the way he liked and cooking his eggs to perfection on the stove, toasting his bread to just the right shade of golden brown and slathering it with the fruity jams they'd picked together at the local market some days ago.
By the time Viktor emerged from the shower, Jayce had a whole meal set out for him on the dining table, and Viktor seemed to smile with satisfaction, coming up to Jayce to give him a pat on the cheek and a sweet kiss to his lips that gave Jayce a delightful tingle up his spine. “What a good boy, doing all of this for me. Your irritating behavior from earlier is almost forgiven. Almost. ”
“Hopefully it’ll be totally forgiven once you get some food in your stomach.” Jayce took his time by the kitchen sink, drying his hands after he gave them a good wash, watching Viktor as he moved to pull out the chair to sit, leaning his crutch against the table. He looked so fluffy now that he was clean, and his shampoo made him smell sweet, sweet enough that it made him like a sticky honey trap the way Jayce was so drawn to him, swooping in close to lean down and kiss his head at just the right moment that Viktor’s mouth was too occupied with a forkful of his meal to protest. He didn’t seem to want to protest anyway, this time simply leaning into Jayce’s touches with a hum of appreciation of how good it felt as Jayce rubbed his upper back and continued to kiss the crown of his hair, breathing in deeply.
“Even though we have the day off, it is not an excuse to be lazy, Jayce.” Viktor’s voice trailed off in the slightest lilting huff of breath, a moan when Jayce tipped his head to the side with a gentle hand so that he could gain access to his neck, the pale skin still blooming with faded hickies underneath the surface that hadn’t had proper time to heal. Jayce’s shenanigans in the bedroom had made it so Viktor was forced to wear scarves to all his classes and appointments, though it was a small price to pay, since Jayce knew Viktor was addicted to staring at the pretty marks just as much as Jayce was.
“Come on, you’re such a workaholic. Let’s just cuddle up back in bed and enjoy ourselves.” Jayce’s hands were wandering as they so often did when he let his mind get ahead of himself, thoughts racing with desire, and Viktor allowed him the privilege of a few passionate kisses where Jayce could taste the chocolate from Viktor’s coffee lingering on his palate, until his mouth was stopped by a fluffy piece of egg being pressed to his lips, courtesy of Viktor’s fork.
“I’d love to,” Viktor said, not outright denying Jayce’s invitation, though he couldn’t help but to pout as Viktor spoke with a sly grin, knowing he was keeping Jayce on edge and relishing in the moment of it.“ After my breakfast, which you’ve so lovingly prepared for me.”
Jayce huffed, pressing one last lingering kiss to Viktor’s temple as he relented, and he chewed the portion of egg Viktor had offered to him in exchange for a kiss as he rummaged through the fridge for something of his own to eat, even though he hungered for nothing more than the love of his life who sat mere feet away from him, taking his sweet time enjoying his meal and his sweetened coffee. “I’m prepared to wait as long as it takes. We have all day.” Jayce said definitively.
Viktor just shrugged, taking another greedy sip of his coffee, a speck of chocolate left behind on the corner of his lips that could have been misconstrued for one of his moles as he replied with a soft laugh that could have killed Jayce with how much he yearned to throw him down and have his way with him on the kitchen table, “Mm, keep waiting, then, like the good boy you are. You’ll get a nice reward for your patience.”
If Jayce had a tail poking through his pants, it would have been wagging at full speed.