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When Viktor opens his eyes, his senses are overwhelmed with stimuli. Firstly, it's bright. And not the glowing, iridescent bright of the corrupted arcane that had enveloped his consciousness. As Viktor slowly blinks away the burning sensation in his eyelids, the clear blue sky stretching across the horizon reveals that this is a soft, natural brightness. Pale light dances with the wind through treetops and long grass, carrying a pleasant warmth with it.
Warm ?
Viktor blinks, eyebrows twitching. No, he thinks . That can't be right . How can he feel that?
Pale skin catches his eye, and he lifts his arms level with his gaze. Skin . His arms have been restored to their normal, fleshy state. More than that, it seems, as Viktor's attention trails over his entire body. His shoulders, chest, stomach, and legs are all warm skin. His elevated heart rate confirms the presence of blood in his veins.
He's human again.
And completely naked.
"Viktor?"
God.
Viktor's breath stutters, and it's an uncomfortable reminder that he isn't used to regulating breath anymore. He turns to follow the voice, knowing in his heart what he'll find.
Jayce. Laying no more than two feet away from him, eyes squinting in the sun just as Viktor's had been a moment ago. Also naked , Viktor realizes with an awkward heat in his ears. A hand moves to block the offending rays, and his eyes settle on Viktor. He smiles, and it is tired. It's a smile weighted with more than its limit. A horrible, cheap imitation of his true gleeful beam.
But-
It doesn't stop Viktor's heart from swelling, almost expanding right out of his ribs. It aches, and he wants it to stop. But also to keep it nestled there, tight against his chest so he knows he's still feeling it. He smiles back.
"Ha..."
A chuckle rolls out of Viktor, surprising even him, and it breaks the dam between them. They burst into a fit of weightless, relieved laughter. It's manic, and their stomachs turn in protest by the time they finally settle down, doubling over closer to each other while they catch their breath.
Jayce gasps, "Your hair-!"
"What?"
Viktor's hand shoots up to his shoulder to feel for his hair, but falters when he doesn't find it that low. It's shorter now, like it was back in the arcane's consciousness. Like it was before Jayce fused him with the hexcore.
Oh .
Viktor's fingers clench inside the short locks that he can't see. What does he look like now? He has normal skin again, sure. But after such an invasive transformation of his face, he'd feel unreasonably lucky if there was no permanent proof of damage.
"What does it...?"
"It's blonde!" Jayce's hands reach out to overlap where Viktor's land in his own hair. Viktor blinks, wide-eyed. The gesture carries a slow tenderness that fills his skin with warmth. His eyes catch on Jayce's forehead, where five fingerprints sparkle in the light of their own glimmering pattern. But just beyond those, into his hairline there's...
"Wait- Jayce, your hair!"
Jayce blinks, and Viktor considers him for a moment longer, "It's... streaky?"
"Oh man, am I greying??" Jayce beams at the laugh this earns him.
"No it- it's like a blonde pearlescent? But only in a few spots. Where I- um, here..." Viktor drops his hands from beneath Jayce's. He creeps one in between them to press his fingers into Jayce's hairline, mimicking the placement of the markings on his forehead where- it appears- the streaks of color start. Jayce's eyes flutter closed, and Viktor retracts his hand back into his lap. His voice wavers.
"Is that what mine looks like?"
"Ah, no. You're fully blonde. Strawberry blonde, I guess? It's a bit pink."
"Fully blonde? Why would it..?"
"I'm not sure..." Jayce's eyes watch his own hands interlaced with- supposedly- blonde locks.
Viktor swallows, voice shriveling in his throat.
"Does it- look bad...?"
He finally catches Jayce's gaze, and it is horribly genuine.
"It's beautiful. Like, hah- like stardust.."
Viktor huffs and prepares to tease Jayce for his abundant sentimentality, a habit he's never second-guessed until now. Now, when the look in Jayce's eyes is so solemn and unguarded. He starts leaning closer, inch by inch, and a whirlwhind of synopses confuse Viktor's thoughts. Its all too much. Theres panic and guilt, fear. Jayce's breath is warm in the space between their mouths and there's desire, relief, dread- no , this can't be right.
Then..
"Viktor... please, can I..?" A whisper away from contact and so, so inviting.
Yes .
"...Yes."
A thumb brushes across Viktor's cheek, and the tiny gasp he can't contain feels shatteringly loud before the wind carries it far away. His own hands reach to cup Jayce's cheeks with a certainty that startles both of them. The roughness of his beard beneath the soft pads of fingertips should be a grounding sensation, but it only serves only to remind Viktor of the time they lost. Desperation makes his vision shake and burn, tears swelling up and threatening to doom Viktor entirely. Jayce seems to understand, and he finally- finally kisses him.
Oh, he kisses Viktor. With painful, aching softness. Dream-like lips brushing against terrified, quivering ones. Jayce sighs, deep and heavy, like the weight of the world is now gone from his shoulders and tortured mind. Viktor plummets into it, having long been a lost man in the expanse of Jayce's heart. Tears spill out of his treacherous eyes and his brow pulls together tightly with the effort of not sobbing against Jayce's mouth. And- he is not the only one, it appears.
Wetness intermingles on their cheeks as they allow emotion to wash over them, and they hold their motionless kiss until they can't breathe through the tears anymore. Jayce pulls away first, but is quick to comfort with a press of his forehead. Oh , how so endearing. Viktor brushes their noses together, tentatively at first. But it is insatiable, the need he has to be close. He'd want to crawl into Jayce's skin, if it didn't remind him of the horrors they are so adamantly attempting to erase from memory.
Jayce pecks a kiss on the tip of Viktor's nose, then to the corners of his eyes to banish the tears. Soon Viktor's face is smothered with the relentless peppers of warm lips, dressed with that brilliant smile. Jayce's affections wander back to Viktor's hair, which he still hasn't really seen for himself. Lips and hands caress and worship what Jayce hasn't been able to in months, maybe ever. He draws in a deep breath with his nose pressed into Viktor's beautiful blonde hair, and oh - has he always smelled like magic? Jayce thinks so, that must be. Viktor has always been magic, to him. He curses himself for not seeing it years sooner, and nuzzles his cheek into Viktor's hair and chuckles, dreamy and distant. It rumbles against Viktor's forehead.
"You smell so good."
Viktor laughs- or, maybe sobs. It must not be an important distinction though, as his smile is stricken with heavy relief. His eyebrows twitch, and Jayce is faced with the coy research partner he's so missed.
"What, like 'stardust'?" He nuzzles Jayce's neck, something that sends bolts of high charge electricity through Jayce's veins. But also a warmth, spreading just beneath his skin and reminding him that this is real. They are here and they are real. There will never be enough kisses to communicate his ecstasy, but he will try. He'll start with one at the peak of Viktor's scalp, where he's nuzzling soft peachy locks.
"Exactly."
Down, to Viktor's hairline at the center of his forehead. Another, at the soft flesh of his temple. A sigh.
"So beautiful..."
A quick peck to the shell of his ear, another to the hair tucked behind it.
"Jayce-" Breathless, magical.
Jayce's hands steady Viktor as he follows the blessed golden hairline. His lips blaze a trail down Viktor's neck, and he gets a hand to the chest for it.
" Jayce that-" Viktor gasps, but not without a delight that Jayce determines to memorize, "-that tickles, you are smothering me!" Viktor's hand pushes against Jayce with no real effort, and Jayce's smile curls against pale skin. He draws a line with his nose back up into his beloved stardust breathes . In, out, in...
His eyes flutter closed with a shuddery exhale. Arms wrap tight around Viktor's torso, waist, never close enough while his nose devotes its existence to memorizing the scent of this new hair. He pulls their embrace back to the ground where they started, lying down within each other's arms. The shock draws a yelp from Viktor, and Jayce does feel a pang of guilt without knowing what the pains of this body are like after- well, everything. But he is comforted when pale, bony hands pull his face in for another kiss- a real one. Where before their kiss was delicate, fragile and terrifying- this one is assured and firm. Fueled by the longing locked tightly away for almost a decade now released, Viktor kisses Jayce passionately- adoring and possessively. No force, not even the arcane itself could rip them away from each other now.