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It had been a year since Jayce and Viktor had first met each other, the latter of which poking fun at the former for his insistence on signing every page of his notes.
Viktor was never one to pay too much attention to the passage of time. No, even before his body grew sicker, he knew his life expectancy couldn't be that long. No one from the Undercity lived forever, not with how conditions were there. That wasn't something that immigrating topside could fix.
Because he knew his time was more limited than most, he'd always made sure not to pay too much attention to it. Sure, he was vaguely aware of when seasons would pass, and he knew the difference between night and day- Sometimes he even took note of the specific date, when he needed to for whatever reason- But he didn't think about it too much beyond that.
So, he was very confused when Jayce greeted him one morning with a mug of coffee, his favorite type of muffin, and a card.
"What did you do?" Viktor teased, assuming this must've been an apology for some sort of oversight in their latest research. Sure, sometimes Jayce would give him coffee or something to eat, but this was excessive for him.
"One year ago, today, you walked into my life" Jayce explained, setting the mug and the muffin on Viktor's workspace and handing him the card directly. "Meeting you is the best thing that ever happened to me, and I wanted to give you something nice to mark our anniversary as lab partners"
"My apologies, I didn't realize a year had passed" Viktor muttered, feeling a bit guilty over having not gotten anything in return. Jayce shook his head.
"I didn't expect you to, don't worry" he reassured. "It's not like we talked about it. I just want you to know how much I appreciate you" he explained, nervously scratching at the back of his neck as he saw Viktor open the card.
Dear Viktor,
I've never been as proficient with words as I am with numbers and formulas, but I'll try my best.
While the circumstances surrounding the time were obviously not ideal, I am eternally grateful that things lined up the way they did for us to meet each other, because being your lab partner has been the honor of a lifetime, far above being accepted into the Academy or anything else.
Thank you for everything.
- Jayce
(P.S - Sorry if the muffin is bad, I made it myself)
Viktor set down the card and looked up at Jayce incredulously.
"You are so nice to me"
"Sorry, was the card too much?" Jayce asked, suddenly nervous. Viktor shook his head.
"No" he reassured. "It is, eh, very kind. I appreciate it. I appreciate you"
"Okay" Jayce breathed, anxiety slowly going away. "Anyway, do you want to focus on runes or robotics today?"
"Be serious, Jayce" Viktor deadpanned. "You know I'll pick robotics"
"Robotics it is, then"
"Wonderful!" Viktor smiled. "Best anniversary ever"