Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

If Yugo had to imagine what suffocating felt like, he thinks it would feel like this. He’s been locked in the room that Qilby gave him when he first arrived, “it’s for your own good.” He had said.

The blank white walls had given the room a stifulling and heavy feel. The empty whites of the room remind him of the white dimension.

He quickly casts the thought away, he doesn’t want to think about it. The room is mostly barren, and he desperately wants something more interesting to look at.

He hasn’t been allowed to see any visitors or leave the room without someone with him in quite some time. A little too much time in his opinion. He doesn't know how long he’s been left alone for, the sensation of lost time is a bit too close for comfort. Just the thought of it makes him feel that familiar pit of dread and horror in his stomach.

He tries not to think about that too hard as well, he can’t have an episode in here. That would just prove Qilby right. He stares blankly at the dead plant sitting upon the only table in the room.

The plant has lost all of its color, as dead things tend to do, but the dry brown feels more appealing to look at than the empty white walls that keep him trapped in here.

The plant is with his filled canvases and empty water color pallets. He would ask for new ones but he doesn’t want to stoop so low as to ask Qilby for something. He fears he may lose the only thing that he has left that’s his.

He desperately wishes that some of his siblings would visit him again, he misses the times when they were allowed to talk to each other. However, Qilby had long banned them from interacting. After all, the things he had said about him weren’t exactly nice, and he just can’t have all the horrible things he did get out to his precious little siblings.

He turns to look up at the glowing lights at the threshold between the walls and ceiling. Yugo faintly remembers being told how the artificial lighting works, something about Wakfu usage, he thinks. In the back of his mind he wonders about how many planets needed to be destroyed so they would be able to use them. Then the lights go out for a short moment, the momentary darkness was almost welcomed, he just wishes the lights would turn off from time to time. Instead of being constantly on; it makes it difficult to sleep.

For a king that claims his people’s innovation and technological advancements so great, it just makes the things that bother him feel bigger. It angers him, the things that they have done, what his people have become

He misses home. He misses his dad, he misses his brother, his friends, the traveling they all used to do together, the people they met along the way, the stars they would all sleep under, the food, the grass, he misses everything about his home.

He feels the back of his throat start to burn and close for the familiar sensation of tears. His eyes start to sting and his nose gets stuffy. He can’t cry now though, what would that do? There’s nothing he can do about his home now, it’s gone, there’s no use crying over spilt milk, as the saying goes.

There's a knock at the door and Yugo immediately wipes his face of the almost tears right before the door opens. As soon as Yugo can see the face knocked on his door his mood immediately sours. “Ah, hello there Yugo.” Qilby states calmly, as he walks through the now opened door to Yugo’s room. “I hope I wasn’t disturbing anything?” Qilby smiles at him. Yugo hates his smile.

Qilby sighs before saying, “still giving me the silent treatment, are we?” Yugo doesn’t even look in his direction. He doesn’t want to. He’s almost scared of what he’ll find. Qilby sighs once again and walks over to the table in the corner of the room. “Looks like this poor plant has been left without water for a prolonged amount of time… You should really learn to take care of your things, Yugo.” He hates being told what to do.

Qilby then takes notice of his notebook and pen, and picks them up to look. “it seems like you have unfortunately run out of any canvases,” Qilby states, then after observing for a short moment he continues “seems you need more as well.” He pauses once again before continuing, “You only need to behave accordingly and ask for new ones. This is simple, no?” Qilby questioned, as he turns his head to look at him. He looks disappointed.

Yugo looks away from him again. “Come on Yugo, I have a new area that you will be allowed access to.” It seems that Qilby quickly changed the subject after Yugo’s persistence of not speaking.

And as much as Yugo hates to admit it, the idea of a new space to look at and be allowed to explore sounds much more interesting than just sitting around. Qilby takes Yugo finally looking at him as acceptance of leaving the room.

Yugo slowly stands on unsteady feet and grabs onto the bed behind him to keep his balance. His legs still hurt, some of the worst pain in his body at the moment. It’s even worse than when his body was constantly achingly sore from his exercise with dally, he misses that. when he constantly insisted he join him in his training. Qilby must see his struggle to keep on his feet, Yugo makes a disgruntled face at the thought.

They both made their way out of the room shortly after. The long hallways always make Yugo feel anxious, not that he’d ever say anything about it though, and especially not to him.

The hallways look nearly identical to each other. When Yugo had first been allowed to leave his room by himself, he remembers getting lost and unable to find the way back. He also remembers falling a lot and Qilby needing to help him get back. How embarrassing. Qilby stops shortly in front of another door. Oh, Yugo wasn’t paying attention again.

Qilby quickly opened the door to the other room after a moment of stifling silence. The room was big, no, huge. The room's ceilings were massive, but not in the way that felt oppressive, more comforting if anything else.

There was a wonder of colors, pink, blue, green, orange, yellow, all of them vibrant shades. This room had an assortment of other items as well. There were some strange, almost pillow looking objects placed on the floor near a low wooden table. The same table was filled with food, the food looked nearly identical to what some of the delicacy’s back home had been.

There were some sort of entertainment objects as well like pens and such, and an odd pile of stuff in the corner. In short, the room was not like anything else on the spaceship that his people now occupied. “I figured you might need a space to better relax in, I would understand better than anyone what that sort of place can do to the mind.”

Yugo almost lost track of what they were doing again, he was much too busy taking in the new space. He took a minute to observe his new surroundings and Qilby just seemed content to let him look around. Yugo hesitantly walked slowly around the room, lifting some things, observing the texture of others.

He stopped right behind the odd pillow and contemplated asking what it was. He decided he was far too curious about what it was and determined it was worth it. He took a breath before finally saying his first words to Qilby in what was probably ages, not that he’d know even if it was.

“What’s this?” Yugo, again, wasn't looking at him when he said it. Qilby answered anyway. “That’s what’s called a bean bag, we discovered them on a planet we once visited.” With his curiosity satiated he cautiously sat in the ‘bean bag.’ It was surprisingly comfortable, it took some of the pressure of walking off of Yugo’s legs. Yugo tried not to think of the people of the planet that created it.

Yugo looked over to the odd corner of objects, from the looks of it there seemed to be several things. Most were shiny, but not necessarily anything that was expensive. There were pearls, iridescent fabrics and shells, wooden dolls, swords, and books. There was a beautiful detailed carpet underneath them. Again Yugo contemplated the benefits of asking, then decided for just starring.

Qilby seemed to recognize that Yugo speaking for today was over, at least anything conscious, and quickly explained their use. “It’s for you,” he said “you tend to carry more of our fathers attributes than our mothers, and in each of your lifetimes you create a collection of sorts. I figured I’d help you start this one.” Yugo wasn’t exactly surprised, he knew that he’s always had some odd habits. He’s somewhat happy to know the reason now. He doesn’t want to think about his oddness anymore either.

He looked again towards the food placed on the table. It looked absolutely delicious. “You may have some if you’d like too, I had this prepared for you earlier. We both know how horrible at cooking I am,”

He said with a grimace, then continued with “I don’t fully trust you to walk around on your own yet. However, if you behave, I may let you get here without someone to escort you.” Qilby smiled at him like letting him get here was such an accomplishment.

Yugo frowns at him. He doesn’t need people to walk him everywhere, just because he’s not an adult yet doesn’t make him a baby. Almost as if reading his mind (though he might as well have learned too by now) he quickly said, “It’s not that I see you as a child, Yugo, it’s that I don’t trust you not to run off.” That’s almost worse than thinking of him as a baby. Yugo doesn’t think before he says it.

“Don’t trust me not to run off? I’m not the one imprisoning people when they think differently than you.” Qilby looked taken aback at his words, he looked angry. Though he was quick to hide his expression, Yugo could tell, he was absolutely furious.

Qilby took a shuddering breath before saying, “Clearly you haven’t even learned the simplest of lessons. Did no one teach you not to speak that way to your elders? Did your mortal ‘father’ fail even that? It’s a wonder you’ve made it this far. In all of your past lives you’ve never disrespected me so. Clearly that planet’s demise was for the better, and your imprisonment even more so. You’ll learn that soon enough. Maybe you just need more time in confinement in order to realize this.”

Yugo stilled, his eyes widened in terror at the implications. He didn’t want to go back. He quickly looked around before deciding that he’d take his chances running, even if in the end there would be nowhere to go. He would rather die than get sent back. He dashed for the door and snapped to escape.

His legs were in agonizing pain but he kept running. He could barely hear anything besides the wind rushing through his ears and the rapid beating of his heart. The hallways all looked nearly identical to each other, for all he knew he was running in circles.

Running and running, the hallways and entrances swirling and blending into each other. The Adrenalin might be the only thing keeping him going right now. He can’t go back to that place. That same thought repeating over and over, like a mantra in his head, giving him more motivation to keep moving.

His heart was beating faster and faster, breathing quicker and quicker. He feels his eyes sting, he can’t remember the last time he blinked. They start to water and his vision is slightly blurred. He keeps running. His throat burns as the cold, sterile air quickly passes through.

He feels sharp pains in his chest with every step, he wants to believe the sensation is caused more by running than his emotional distress. His legs are burning and straining against the effort of the pace. His face is wet, he realized distantly. His sides are cramping, the pain bringing a grimace to his face. His chest is heaving faster than ever, he thinks this is the fastest he’s ever run in his life.

He’s practically stumbling through every step, he’s slowing down gradually, he doesn’t even notice until he’s practically stopped, tears streaming down his face and obscuring his vision further, he tries to blink to clear the tears but more just keep coming. He places his hands on his legs as he catches his breath, his leg spasming.

He looks over to his right to notice an open and beautifully arched entryway to what seemed to be a kitchen. His breath is still uneven, and his body feels as if it had the temperature of the sun, but he slowly makes his way inside. He’s never been to any type of kitchen in this place where he’s been held captive. He “didn’t trust him” enough to ever let him in here.

He can tell just from a glance the quality of the materials, probably one of the most expensive kitchen supplies he’s ever looked at. The pots and plans are so clean they are almost glowing in the reflection of the fake lights above. They were a beautiful silver, it almost reminds him of what royalty would have.

The distant memories of his time in the Sadida kingdom rushing through his mind. He doesn’t think they had this specific material though. He wishes he could go back. He knows he’s going to be caught eventually, he can’t exactly leave the space ship unless they happen to have landed without him noticing.

He knows that when he’s caught he’ll be brought back to the white dimension, he can’t do that again. He won’t make it if he goes back. If he spends any more time there, as he is, with his current memories. He shudders at the thought, shivers crawling down his spine, body tensing, shoulder hunching.

He stares down at the clean black stove, eyes distant. He’s made a decision, he knows what he needs to do. He relaxes at the idea, all of the previous tension leaking out of his body, like a pool being popped to the sides, all of the water leaking out the thin walls that used to hold it together.

When he comes back he knows he won’t be the same person, not really. He won’t remember anything, won’t know how horrible Qilby truly is. He’ll be just like anyone else on this damned ship. Ignorant to the truth. He’ll likely be put into the white dimension anyway, but at least he won’t remember the previous time.

Won’t be as broken when he comes back out. With a conviction and determination even the gods would admire, he stalks over to the rich, elaborate and lavish knife rack. He lightly grazes the expensive beauty, oddly calm despite the recent events.

He takes one of the larger knives, just longer than the tips of his fingers to his wrist. He takes a moment to think over his life, his precious memories, flowing like a cool yet turbulent river, full of uncertainty and indecision. This wasn’t exactly how he imagined his death, in the very space that he seemed to flourish the most, but he guessed fate wanted to laugh at the irony.

As if they hadn’t already done so at his misfortune. He gently placed the tip of the knife against his throat. Just one push. Just one. Once he plunges the knife into his throat he knows that it will only be a matter of minutes. His suffering would end, though only to begin once again in another life. His breaths were slightly unsteady.

You would’ve figured that after all that he’d been through that death would have been nothing but a blessing. Still he struggles to commit. His hands shake. This should have been as easy as the smooth flow of a stream, he doesn’t often find himself unable to commit to his goals.

Even with his decision made he’s still scared. Curse his body’s last self preservation. He can’t bring the knife any closer. He knows this needs to be done, there’s nothing else, he needs to. There is no other option. The thought repeating over and over, blindingly, overpowering, oppressive in the depths of his mind.

‘Best to get this over with quickly’ he thinks, and with his ever shaking hands, quacking legs, and stuttering breaths, he pauses, like a snake before they strike. Brown eyes squeezed shut before the final blow. It hurts, it's like a thousand suns are burning through his flesh, cutting like blades of glass. Like fierce winds that carve into his face. Like the sting of fish scales, biting into the meat of his skin. It was mind numbing painful.

There’s blood gushing down his throat and staining his clothes. The blood feels like sludge, the texture worse than he remembers. It’s warm, and somehow even worse than the horribly metallic smell that usually comes with it. He can tell there’s blood in his mouth, the taste making him want to puke. There were tears running down his face again, he’s wheezing even more than before, though only half breaths.

Every time he tries to take in some air the closing of his throat swells, and he chokes on his own blood. He can hardly open his eyes, he only sees the distant white of the kitchen, his vision too blurred to see much else besides the base colors.

He needs to take it out, the knife is keeping some of the blood inside. He hesitates again before he sharply yanks the knife back out of his throat, not being able to keep his eyes open from the pain. The blood bursts out, the red staining the counter in front of him.

The flow of red just keeps coming, quickly too. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen so much of it. His balance feels unstable, he falls into the counter in front of him, staining it further. He can barely hold his weight up with his arms, his eyes are hazed over. His arms wobble from the exertion of holding his body weight.

His knees crumble from underneath him and he falls to the floor, he tries to cry out in pain but he can’t even breathe without choking on the blood in his throat. His head is dizzy from the blood loss, he can’t conceptualize much else besides the agony he feels. He shivers and shakes on the floor. He feels cold. His blood is warm against his skin, it’s comforting, in a way. He’s tired.

‘At least I’ll have the chance to try again, most don’t get that.’ he thinks, exhausted. There’s darkness creeping in on his vision, he knows it won’t be much longer until he succumbs to the temptation of death. Despite the pain, Yugo smiles at the thought. He can start again, he’ll do better next time.

It’s almost like he’s sleeping on a soft mattress, being surrounded by soft pillows and blankets. His eyes feel heavy, and he sees no reason not to close them. His last breaths leave him comforted. The darkness is comforting, and he can only hope that when he’s reborn, his next life will be better.

Chapter Text

The soft and warm-colored wooden planks were beneath Jayce’s feet. He was seated in the chair that he had crafted himself. After the end of the world, miraculously, he and Viktor were given another chance. They were done with anything related to people, now all that they wanted was to live a calm, peaceful life with each other.

Though they may have come embarrassingly late to that conclusion, and made many silly stumbles along the way, they’re both just happy to have finally come to that conclusion. They didn’t exactly have a name to their relationship, but when has that ever mattered?

Sure, maybe they fell into the romantic category, but lovers never felt like the correct term for them. They were partners, equals, companions, had a likeness in intellect like no other. They matched each other in nearly everything. Jayce sees it like their very souls are tied to one another. There can’t be any universe where Viktor and Jayce haven’t met before, at least once.

Jayce glanced over to their storage of burning wood, they were running low. Not low enough to be that concerning, but low enough that he still felt the need to restock. It was around noon, so he had just enough time to quickly gather wood and still have a few hours of the day to cook dinner. It was his turn tonight, and he certainly doesn’t intend to waste the opportunity.

He stood from his chair and gathered the proper protective clothing (aka some nice gloves) as well as the ax hanging off of the hand made coat rack by the door. He hollered to Viktor from the entryway of their house. “I’ll be heading out now! We're running a bit low on the wood, I’ll be sure to be back soon! Have fun while I’m gone V!” After receiving a short hum back, he left out of their custom made door. Again, made by none other than Jayce Talis himself.

It was a beautiful, cloudless day. The sky was an almost hypnotizing blue, vivid in a wonderful way. The sun's warmth was like the soft comfort of the heat of the forge against his skin. It wasn’t really at the cold point of fall yet, but he could tell it was just around the corner.

The sound of leaves crunching beneath his feet will always bring a sense of relaxation to him. Despite knowing that bitter cold will soon come after. At times like this he finds himself wondering about his mother. How she’s holding up, whether or not she’s mourned him like he has her. If the winters are worse now that he’s not there to share them with her.

The journey abruptly ends as he reaches his usual spot for chopping wood. The unfortunate thing is that it had rained recently, which means no dry wood. The wood nearby can’t be properly used, but maybe if he looks for spots that might not have gotten as wet, he can find something suitable for storage. At least for now, anyway.

He walks further into the forest, and finally past several trees and branches he finds an area that may have gotten less rain during the storm the day before. In front of him is a washed-out grey cave. The peculiar thing about this specific cave is that there seems to be trees growing on the inside. The trees are vibrant with life despite growing in the dark. Well, it wasn’t complete darkness, there were some bioluminescent vines. That may have been the most peculiar.

It wasn’t only the cave that was odd, the surrounding area was drenched in plant life. So much so, that it felt unnatural. The coloring was odd as well. Not in a way that could be explained, but in a way that was silent in its change. It didn’t beg to be noticed, and it wasn’t trying not to be either. However, it was noticed despite it making no effort too.

The shade was both too rich and too dim. It’s like the mind can’t conceptualize the color, so it mixes until it’s nearly indistinguishable from what he can remember it looking like. Maybe it was more of a feeling rather than a physical difference. There was an instinctive feeling of not quite fear, something else.

It was like standing in the presence of a being that had an immense amount of magic. Like when he had first interacted with magic, it felt overwhelming, though not tinged with the same relief. He can’t remember ever seeing it, in the time he’s lived here. Maybe this is a sign to explore the area better. Despite the odd circumstances he decides to use this to his advantage, at least the wood on the inside would be mostly dry.

Once actually inside the cave it wasn’t all that impressive. The vines have only a slight blue glow, and from the looks of it, it went back for some amount before becoming a sharp corner. Jayce would rather not try to push his luck, and he made a quick choice not to explore any further.

And from chopping wood, walking back, getting the small cart that he forgot, saying a quick hello to Viktor, walking, and even more walking, he’s finally finished what he had set out to do. Turns out that he was correct in his assumption that he would have the last few hours in the day to make dinner. The sharp glow of the sun fading into a beautiful sunset, full of soft warmth, and an almost oppressive glare.

He wants to try making something new tonight, he feels it in his very bones. The want to create something. He’s been restless with these sudden bouts of creativity since they got back, and he’s still never quite sure what to do with them.

He doesn’t know what his body will make, but he’s sure that Viktor will like what he cooks. Viktor is reading at the moment, some cheesy romance novel that he bought at the small town not too far from here. The evening light almost giving him an ethereal glow.

Jayce adores the way that Viktors face changes depending on what’s happening in the book, the small scrunches of his nose, the twitch of his lips. He could watch him forever if it were possible. Jayce leans over the counter to get a better look at him, a dopey smile on his face.

He feels like a blushing school boy with his first crush. He doesn’t think that that will ever go away, and he doesn’t really want it to either. And almost as if Viktor’s sixth sense spotted him, he lowered the book to look at him. “I believe that you were supposed to cook dinner, no?” He chuckled.

“Well, maybe I just wanted to look at you before I start.” Jayce replied, giving him a gushing smile. They both had a laugh, quietly sharing the same space for the few moments after. Just taking in the peaceful life that they now live in. Jayce then got to cooking after having his fill of their shared silence and moment of understanding. One that goes beyond the physical world.

The food his body wanted to make was going to take some time. He needed total concentration, and all of his attention on the process. The sizzling of the pan, bubbling of the pot, crackling of the fire, the chopping of vegetables, all of it was carefully thought out. Each moment and action carefully decided, both using gentle and rough pressure of his hands to mold the food to its desired effect.

The sounds of cooking were echoing throughout the small cottage. Even if it was just the right size for the two of them, the space still felt too big for them. Even if neither of them admitted so.

And before he knew it, time was slipping away and the sun had finally shut its eyes. The food was complete, and the cooking supplies were placed in the sink. They had both settled at the table next to each other, as they always do.

They didn’t quite eat in silence, no, they were making conversation. But not the kind that demanded attention, nor the kind that was easily ignored. The flow of conversation was like petals in the wind, not loud, but not quiet either.

Jayce rather adored nights like this, where they could both lose themselves to the casualness of normal life. The atmosphere was calming, like a mothers embrace. Giving both of their minds time to wind down from the excitement of the day. And just like sudden lightning from a storm, Jayce remembered the odd occurrence during his outing.

“I almost forgot to tell you, honestly, can’t even imagine how this slipped my mind. I mean, how does that even happen? Anyway, while I was out I was obviously looking for dryer wood, right?” Jayce exclaimed, with an excited look on his face.

Viktor hummed in response. “So while I was looking for the wood, I found this weird sort of area. I mean, really weird. There were so many plants, I swear I’ve never even seen so many. And we live in a forest!” Jayce exclaimed.

“Well I do believe that’s how forests work.” Viktor responded with a laugh, eyes crinkled at the corners.

“No, no this was different!” He insisted, almost offended at his lack of belief in his story.

“Yes, yes I’m sure that’s true.” He teased, eyes rolling.

Jayce sighed before continuing with his story. “The plants were almost hard to look at, I can’t exactly remember what they looked like now that I think about it,” he pondered on the memory, eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

“There was this cave too, there were trees growing in it, and just from what I could tell. The cave was probably part of a system of them as well. It seemed to lead somewhere, though I didn’t venture that far in.” He explained, his face being a dead giveaway to his emotions. Excitement, Viktor soon realized.

“Well, you certainly have very good… recalling abilities.” He commented. Jayce sighed, he had a ‘are you being serious’ look on his face.

“That’s so nice of you to say.”

By the end of the not entirely peaceful conversation, the food had been eaten. The aroma was still in the air, it made the small house feel just a little filled, a little more lived in. Since Jayce was the one who cooked, Viktor would be doing the dishes. The night soon fell into a harmonious beat, with the sound of running water and the creatures of the night being the instruments. And before they knew it, it was time for bed. There was only the sound of soft crickets as they whispered sweet nothings to each other, drifting off to sleep to the sounds of the others' voices.

—•••—

The next morning was not quite cold, but certainly enough to notice the chill. Jayce reached over only to find nothing. Viktor must have gotten up before him. He frowned, and with his eyes still squeezed shut, he tumbled out of the bed with the comfortable and warm blankets still wrapped around him.

He was too tired to fully open his eyes at the moment, so he opted to make his way around the house blind. There was a distant smell of food, and the sounds of fire crackling in the stove.

He allowed his nose and ears to direct him towards where he assumed Viktor was at the moment, only bumping into a few things along the way. Only once he could tell he was in the general area of the kitchen did he finally open his eyes.

He was indeed there, and it seemed that his senses were not in the mood to deceive. ‘He’s beautiful,’ were his first somewhat lucid thoughts today. He smiled, and committed himself to any impulsive thoughts as of this morning. Like the one right now, with his arms wrapped around Viktor’s front, and with his head leaning on his shoulder.

They both took in the morning with loving smiles and eyes that sparkled with the affection only they could recognize. Their breakfast consisted of eggs, toast and some leftover sausage that had been made the other day.

Jayce distantly noticed that, once again, they had far less wood than they normally would have. He’d go get some more later, he wants to enjoy this slow morning. It was cloudy today, with some light fog dusting the ground, making the grass below collect small water droplets. A contrast to the day before, though not overwhelmingly surprising. During this time of year they tend to get unpredictable weather.

The sounds for their utensils against the ceramic plates was nothing more than background noise. A good kind of background noise. It was distracting, but not in a way that annoyed the ears, it was attention seeking but not in a way that grabbed a lot of attention. It didn’t exactly make sense to Jayce, but maybe that’s just because he hasn’t fully woken up yet.

Jayce was always the heavy sleeper between the two of them, he was nearly impossible to wake up once he was out. But that can only be said for when it’s night time, during the day however, he was very easy to wake up, so much so that even the smallest of noises would wake him.

He’s not sure why, maybe it’s more of a subconscious thing, to be more aware during the day and collect as much sleep as possible at night. For Viktor, the opposite could be said. Viktor was a light sleeper at night, but would sleep through anything during the day. Jayce was happy here, much more happy than he had been before.

He had his and Viktors whole life ahead of them, they could do whatever they wanted, and they had decided to spend it here. As the morning fog slowly faded away, so did the fog surrounding Jayces mind. And in a few hours he was up and running again, ready to take on the day. It was still gloomy outside, so Jayce made sure that both him and Viktor were practically buried in all of their blankets.

He wanted to have a slow day and spend some quality time with Viktor before he left. They decided to read a book together on the couch, the same one that Viktor had happened to read the day before. Jayce assumed that the decision of this particular book was some psychological trick to convince him to read books like that on his own. He guesses he still can’t believe that he just doesn’t like the genre.

And so they sit together reading and reading, he’s pretty sure that he’s nodded off a few times, but he makes sure to check how much time has passed. He makes sure to spend at least most of the day together before he alerts Viktor that he will be leaving for more wood again.

Viktor’s not exactly surprised at the reason for him leaving, as he was the last one to use the wood and realized just how little they would have left after today. He’s always been the one to think ahead out of the two of them after all. It’s something that Jayce has always admired about him, the way that he was able to analyze the situation and find the best course of action.

“Be careful, okay? There are some dark clouds rolling in, and I don’t want to have to go fetch you because you were being stupid.” Viktor makes sure to let him know that there will be repercussions for him if he’s not more attentive of his surroundings while he’s out. Like not being able to sleep in the bed. And Jayce, as much as he likes their couch, does not want to sleep on it. The last time was rough enough, and he’d rather not repeat that awful experience, thank you very much.

The chill of fall slaps him right in the face as soon as he steps outside. He shivers violently just from the cold as he’s frozen in place for a moment. The sky’s ashen color hasn’t given up yet. He knows that he will have to finish this quickly if they want any chance of getting fire to warm themselves with, and not just pile blanket after blanket to keep warm. He also doesn’t want to be stuck in the dark.

He shakes himself back to awareness as he realizes that the door is still wide open. He doesn’t want to waste any warmth that’s collected inside. He makes sure to grab himself a flashlight, just in case. And brings the small cart that he had forgotten about yesterday. He keeps his head high, eyes alert, while he walks.

By the time he’s made it to his usual spot, barely any time has passed at all. He’s made a lot of ground in the short time that he’s been out, this gives him hope that this will be a quick trip. He makes hasty movements, as to hopefully speed up the process of him returning home.

Then the first drop hits his face. Then another. And another. And then it’s a downpour of rain, each splash of water hitting him with a vengeance. Slicing and biting into his skin. It’s darker now, its been so for a while actually. The rain is only making it harder to see, the flash light is nearly blinding, as it reflects off of the torrential rain.

He can’t figure out which direction is which. He can’t find his way back. He can’t find his way back. His face is contorted, with one of his hands trying to block out the rain. This is not good. He’s running now. He needs to find his way back. He needs to.

He’s been running for what feels like forever, his chest heaving, throat dry even when being surrounded by water. He has to keep going. He sees a glint in the distance, but he doesn’t think that it looks quite like the house he shares with Viktor. The color’s much too cool toned for that.

But it might be his only chance of shelter, maybe it’s a nice family that will let him stay with them until morning, when he can properly make his way back to Viktor. The closer he gets, the more that he realizes that it’s not any house at all. In fact it’s the odd cave that he had discovered the previous day.

He figures that he can take his chances, after all, he didn’t encounter any bears who had decided to make it their home. He rushes into the cave, soaking wet and creating mud with each step. He silently argues with himself about what to do now that he’s here.

He may as well explore his new home for the night. One states, and the other says that it’d be safer if he were to stay near the entrance. The answer of who wins was hardly even a debate in the first place. The farther that he walks into the odd cave system, the more of those blue glowing vines appear. Through the twists and turns he makes sure to keep track of where he’s going, adding tally marks to the walls in case he forgets.

The plants get thicker and thicker, and there seems to be some sort of room where they are simply overflowing out of. He can tell there’s some sort of cut off to them in the center. And well, curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back, as they say. He made his way through and in the very center of the room, on an elevated piece of the floor, there was an odd large rock. However, upon closer inspection, he came to the conclusion that it was no rock at all. It was an egg.

Chapter Text

It wasn’t just any kind of egg, from the looks of it. The visual appearance was far from what would be considered normal. It was colored the very same blue that was on the vines, with intricate designs and patterns.

The feeling of intense magic returned. The egg was practically glowing, radiating magic through a constant flow. Jayce was perplexed at the situation that he had found himself in.

He didn’t know what compelled him to take it, maybe it was the scientist in him that he thought he’d left behind a long time ago. The Egg was warm beneath his hands. There was almost this tugging sensation, pulling at the veins beneath his skin.

Tugging and tugging, yanking at his very soul. Digging its claws into his very being. The sensation had been with him since the moment he had entered the cave, only now strong enough to be noticed. Something in him had changed.

He felt that if he didn’t take it, then it would be the biggest mistake in his life. He needed to keep it safe, watch it hatch, and continue caring for it. He cautiously took hold of the precious egg. His eyes were glossy, unfocused, almost glazed over, as he carefully made his way back to the entrance of the cave, making sure that he didn’t drop the egg held tightly to his chest.

The rain hit the ground harder now. The wind is whipping the rain around wildly.

There was mud everywhere, he’s not even sure that it would completely dry by morning, even if the rain were to stop now. Not that that would matter much. He’d still stride through it anyway. The state of the outside won't matter once he gets back. He needs to show Viktor the egg.

He keeps the egg close to his chest and never sets it down. Even while getting ready to settle for the night. He goes through the motions, almost unthinkingly, hands steady, movements sure and confident.

He doesn’t have much for a bed or blankets, nothing besides the clothes that he has on. He knows that he can’t use them if they’re wet, he needs to be dry. He gathers some of the wood that he had left behind (he guesses that they had just slipped his mind the day before) and makes a small and contained fire to keep himself warm.

It also doubles to dry both himself and his clothes. He lays on the dirt, waiting for his clothes to dry, almost nodding off to sleep. His awareness is close to nothing, his mind mostly empty, and he doesn’t know how to feel about it. He sits there, listening to the crackling and popping of the fire, keeping his arms folded over his chest.

He holds the strange egg like someone would a baby, cradling it. It’s an odd thing to do, is what he would have thought if he wasn’t so exhausted, however, at the moment he feels absolutely drained. Running all the way here and the demanding work from earlier have taken all of his energy.

He can hardly find it in himself to put his clothes back on, even once they’re dry. But he does so nonetheless, with only some minor complaints. He keeps the fire steady until he can’t, it’s getting too difficult to look at.

He covers himself the most that he can and has his back to the wall as he sleeps, it may not be the most comfortable, but it gets the job done. And this is much more preferred than if he was still stuck outside. Besides, he can sleep with the egg in close proximity, right on his chest, close to his heart.

—•••—

When he awakes, it happens slowly. Maybe it was to the sound of the bird's early chirping, and the first rays of sun hitting him in the face. Or maybe it was instinct, waking him up so he didn’t get killed due to his heavy sleeping. Maybe it was his circadian rhythm softly telling his body that he’s had enough sleep. Maybe it was the presence of the egg, he doesn’t know.

When he opens his eyes he almost wants to go back to sleep. He’s never been that much of a morning person, he much prefers to sleep as much as he possibly can. The bright sun is illuminating the cave with its morning cheer, as if its absence hadn’t prevented him from reuniting with Viktor, bringing the gifts of wood.

He thinks that he sees some blue jays scurrying around on the ground. ‘This scene would be more fitting for the spring months than autumn,’ he thinks. He’s surprised they haven’t migrated for the winter yet, though, he supposes that he can’t have all of the secrets to nature. He’s only a man after all.

The intricately patterned egg is still in his grasp, the thought of it being safe brings him immense comfort, in ways that he can’t ever possibly explain in words. In a way that digs deep into his soul, in a way that washes over him like the waves of the ocean. Like the sharp points of ice, that puncture his heart and mind in relief.

Like how the night falls into the first signs of dawn, or when the stars guide your way when lost at sea. The first blooms of flowers after a harsh winter, knowing that those were only the first of many to come.

To him the feeling is nearly indescribable, only being able to express through flowery words and poem-like descriptions. But even those don’t come close to how he feels.

He makes sure to clean the area well before leaving, he feels that this place needs to be kept tidy. Like the very ground he walks on is sacred.

His walk back is shorter than he had expected, he had thought that he had been a lot farther than he actually was. He’s sure that Viktor will be angry with him, but that will (hopefully) be after he’s welcomed back. Or maybe he’ll forget about being angry at him in the first place once he sees the egg.

He waits outside their door, slightly nervous, no matter how much he wants to show Viktor what he had brought, that doesn’t calm his nerves. It’s like his very existence would crumple if he doesn’t accept the egg.

He takes a deep breath to help wash over the worries and almost instinctual fear before making his move of bravely opening the door. “Viktor, I'm back!” He yells, making sure that he’s heard. He walks through the entryway, taking off his boots.

“Sorry that I didn’t come back last night, the rain made it too hard to see and I had to camp out somewhere!” He only has a moment's notice before Viktor engulfs his frame.

“And that is no excuse,” he reprimands, “you should have known that ahead of time, I had even warned you about this before you even left!” He removes himself from the short embrace to check over Jayce, eyes never staying in one place, quickly looking him over.

It wasn’t very long until his eyes are caught on the object that Jayce is holding. He’s frowning, the look makes Jayce even more nervous than before. He needs this to work.

“Jayce.”

“…yes?” He responds, voice cracking a little.

“What. Is. That.”

“…”

“Why on earth do you have some colorful rock.”

“It’s not a colorful rock!” Jayce exclaims, appalled at the idea, as if he hadn’t thought the very same thing at first. “It’s an egg, just a little odd looking. But it is not a rock!” His voice is slightly tense when he answers.

“Right.” His voice is tinged with sarcasm when he responds, the corners on his mouth tilted in a smile. This is important. He needs to understand. Without warning Jayce shoves the egg to his chest, he has no doubt that he’ll catch it before it falls. The moment he makes contact, understanding hits him like the suddenness of a rogue wave. It’s a strange sort of understanding, one that digs and burrows into his chest.

It’s like something had clicked inside his mind. A deep understanding that nothing else could compare too. It washes over him, spreading through his mind entirely, his very soul. The tug and pull is impossible not to follow.

It overrides all else.

The egg is important. He feels as if the very fabric of the universe would not exist without it. He stood there for only a matter of seconds, though it felt like an eternity. His hand slightly shakes, an overwhelming emotion fills him.

He could understand why Jayce had brought him the blue egg. It was undeniable. They needed to care for it. He could not part from it now. They could not part from it. He can see Jayce’s nervous posture, his jaw clenched, hands shaking, eyes shifting. He understands why, now.

He’s anxious about whether Viktor will let them keep it. That’s a ridiculous fear, but he understands. He holds onto the egg and grabs onto one of Jayce’s hands to hold it with him to absolve his worries. They both share a look, understanding passing between them.

Jayce’s shoulders relax with relief and he breathes out deeply, like he was holding his breath in anticipation. He probably was, knowing him. Again, some silent understanding passes through them, right before Viktor cuts it in half, “you're still sleeping on the couch.”

It’s so sudden that Jayce barks out a laugh, still releasing stress, he’s sure, before joining him with chuckles of his own. They both laugh off the tension, smiling and acting like children. He decides that Jayce will be the one to get the supplies, sort of as a part of his punishment for making him worry.

Though he loathes to part from him, he knows that this will need to be done eventually, and he’d rather have it finished sooner rather than later. He ignores the way his chest hurts. “You figure out what to get for it. Since you decided to bring it here in the first place.”

“Okay, okay,” he sighs, a little disappointed that he needs to figure it out by himself, he was hoping they could figure it out together. He’s only just gotten back after all, he was hoping they could spend some time together before he has to leave again.

It makes his throat close and seize up in the unfortunately familiar hurt. Viktor puts a hand on his shoulder, giving him a look, “I’ll be staying here and seeing what it even is in the first place.”

“But if I don’t know what it is, then how am I supposed to get the correct things?” He questions.

“You use your common sense, and if nothing that your common sense gives you is what we need, I’ll tell you.” He answers.

They both share a hug before leaving to do their respective tasks. Both experiencing the slight pain of having to separate from each other.

—•••—

Jayce had decided that the market was the perfect place to get any materials that they may need. The small market had just about everything that a person could ever want. It was one of their favorite things about living here. The town had no name, yet had an abundance of resources.

The locals were kind as well, they were exactly the kind of people that didn’t care where you came from or what you did, you were welcomed either way. The town was so small that everybody knew everybody, all of the names memorized, and places of residence remembered.

Even the children knew all of the adults and would be able to point out where they all lived. They hardly ever saw anyone who wasn’t from here, so when they got visitors they were more than happy to make conversation.

Jayce remembers when he had first come here, a young woman was selling the recently ripe plums. She was kind to him, even giving him a discount on her products, even though he didn’t buy any. She was just happy to be making conversation with someone from out of town.

“Bored of talking to the same ol’ people.” As she had put it. The market was filled to the brim with its residents today. The stalls shouting from the sidelines, people making conversation, the not quiet footsteps, the freshly made bread and the wonderful smell of cooked food.

The place was overflowing with sensation, so entirely real and constant. The place was always like this, everybody here liked the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Out of the corner of his eye he could see a small puppet performance for the children.. They were beautifully detailed, it was no wonder it was a fascination of many.

The town was known to host small plays for the entertainment of children, they considered children to be the building blocks of society, and so they hosted many events for them.

Though they were not only limited to children, many groups of both teens and adults also partook in these events. In fact it was one of his and Viktor’s dates one time, they had both been fascinated by their creativity and determination to make it. He remembers that they had both asked several questions to the people who had helped make it after.

It seemed that the show they were performing today was the story about the failed child, the very same one that he and Viktor had seen. The story consisted of a young boy who had fought in a battle against evil and had lost.

It was supposed to be a tragedy, the towns folk had said something about how children need to learn that things won’t always have a happy ending. To be cautious because you only have one life to live.

The first shop he goes to is a small one. It’s not too large and the interior maximises the space used. The store clerk is a very kind young man, Josh, if he remembers correctly. He helped him pick out exactly what Jayce had in mind and then he was on his way. From one store to the next.

By the end of his trip he’s exhausted, dragging his feet back home, the ends of his bags nearly touching the floor with how he’s hunched over. The day's light was almost gone by the time he got to the door.

—•••—

From the moment that Jayce leaves Viktor makes sure to scour the house for all of the books that they have pertaining to eggs and creatures that are more magically gifted. He had a feeling that he would not find much information about whatever creature was inside the egg.

The oddness of the situation has not left his mind, it was more muffled if anything. That wasn’t exactly what he needed to focus on anyway, so he simply filed it away for later and continued searching.

The plethora of books had been stained through various methods throughout the years that they had lived here. Some were works of fiction, while others were more information heavy.

He remembers many of them being gifts, the people nearby were happy that at least there was someone who appreciated reading. Apparently many simply didn’t read at all, they thought that it was rather boring, and they would rather spend their time doing something else.

He grabbed another three books off of the shelf before dedicating his time to actually reading them. He looks and looks for hours, scouring the contents, but he just can’t seem to find anything. There’s nothing about what it could possibly be.

Nothing. From mystical fakes and real documented creatures, there’s nothing that fits the description. No mystic eggs, no odd colors, no magic affinities that match. There’s just nothing. It almost irritates him. Almost. He naturally assumes that they simply did not have enough informational books on the subject.

He’ll ask Jayce to come with him to get more information later, but for today he’d like to spend the rest of it with him, when he gets back. The setting sun illuminates the house in its wonderful glow, much better than yesterday's gloom.

This time, Vikor isn’t worried about whether Jayce will be able to get back. The door opening is what alerts him of his return, Viktor can see him, from where he’s sitting. After Jayce puts all of his numerous bags on the counter, he settles down on the couch with him. He doesn’t say anything, they just sit together.

After a while Jayce lays his head on his lap. They sit like that for some time, basking in the comfort of the others' presence. Viktor’s hands are running through his hair, it’s nice. To sit like this. No matter how much they do this it’s always appealing, and they could never get bored.

There’s a constant stream of bliss and contentment that seeps through their veins. Burrows underneath the skin, engulfs their entire beings in a joy so different that what would be considered normal, but no less than what would be expected.

They spend the hours like this, just content to be with each other. It’s like the rest of the world had been lulled into a quiet so defending, but unable to be noticed. Finally Viktor asks, “How was the trip?”

“It went as well as it could have, not really knowing what to get in the first place.” He answers without missing a beat, his voice is slightly slurred, he assumes that Jayce was close to falling asleep. It was a pity, seeing as they have things to do. He would have to sleep later.

“Did you ever figure out what they are?” He asks, “I might be able to return some of the stuff if we don’t end up needing it.”

“Unfortunately, no. We’ll need to make another trip to the bookstore to get more information.”

“I see.” Jayce answers. They end up sitting in silence for a few more moments, taking in the day. But, alas they had things to do.

“Well, let’s go set up the things that you bought.” Viktor was absolutely sure that they should get this done by the end of the day, he didn’t want to hold this project off for any longer. It was simply too important for that. This was also a good opportunity to see exactly the things that Jayce had bought.

He had several bags upon bags of objects that Jayce had deemed useful. The unpacking was slow, not much slower than he expected, but slow nonetheless. Jayce had bought a variety of items, from straw beds to pillows and blankets. Some clothes and a crib as well, believe it or not.

He’s not exactly sure why Jayce would buy those, but he supposes Jayce’s thoughts on the matter were “better to be safe than sorry.” There was more than Viktor had expected him to buy, to him, this seemed like a waste of money. Especially the crib, what kind of animal that hatches from an egg would need a baby crib?

He almost refused to put it together in the first place, and forced Jayce to return it. Almost. He did have a point in not knowing exactly what would hatch, and made enough of a solid argument to persuade Viktor into keeping it.

The assembling of parts was time consuming. Some kind of idiot made the instructions not actually match the assembly of the object. Whoever they are, he hopes that they choke on legos. The rest of the things were easy to prepare, almost comically in comparison to the stupid baby crib.

They figured that the best place to keep the egg would be their very own room, as they would be able to keep them close and protected. They had both made sure that the egg would be as comfortable as possible, using the pillows and blankets like a small and comfortable nest.

They both were of one mind at the moment, going through the motions with absolute focus, like they could not afford to let anything distract them. Like the determination of an animal to survive. Or as the first flowers of spring, peeking out from the harsh snow.

When the day was over they had succeeded in their task and they were more than ready to sleep for at least a hundred years. And so, Viktor slept with the feeling of accomplishment and waves of comfort.

Jayce was unable to do the same as he had been exiled to the couch for the night. The thoughts of not being able to bring back the wood that he had painstakingly cut for them to use keeping him awake.

Chapter Text

The next day was filled with the cheer of the morning sun. It was shining brightly upon them, the clouds were nowhere to be seen. The green-blue of the early morning was beautiful. It was like the even weather did not dare to ruin the day. There was a certainty to their happiness, like fate itself had made sure it was guaranteed.

The dark coffee brown trees surrounding the cottage were magnificent in their brilliance, they were tall and all encompassing, but not suffocating. It was like a hug.

The dark green leaves gave the area an almost surreal look paired with the watercolor-like green grass. It was covered in water droplets from the frigid cold of the night, being warmed up to air of the day.

The vegetation closest to the cottage was thriving the most, seemingly having grown at an irregularly fast rate overnight. The air outside smelled fresh and clean. Like how one might feel after taking a cold shower in the summer.

The egg was safe, and the world was perfect.

It was still tucked away in the makeshift nest of blankets and pillows, made sure to be kept as warm and comfortable as possible. It was glowing its normal wonderful shade of blue. It was a beautiful sight to behold, anyone would be jealous of not being able to see it for themselves.

There were two figures that could be seen from the windows. They were quite cheery, despite the cooler temperatures. The delicious smell of their breakfast was prominent throughout the small cottage, wonderfully exquisite in every way possible.

They had both moved to set the table, nearly bumping into each other on the way. They had both erupted into a fit of giggles at the action.

There was a glow of beautiful brilliance every which way you looked. The egg was safe, and the world was perfect.

The two had both selectively agreed that they would make their way into town to look for more research on the intricately patterned egg. They should know as much as possible about what was going to hatch, they wanted to be able to care for them properly, and not just stumble around not knowing what to do.

The smell of the food was almost as good as its taste, it was divine in its texture. It was simply dazzling in appearance as well, something that even the toughest of critics would applaud the creativity and ingenuity of the dish.

There was a near constant stream of delighted cackles as they ate, both of them feeding off of the others energy. The clacking of their forks against the plates were nothing but a background noise in comparison to their loud conversation.

The air was practically buzzing with their joy. Spending the morning together like this was a gift, not in the sense that it was rare, but in the sense that it was something that they both deeply enjoyed. From the very beginning of their relationship, moments like this were treasured, and kept in a special place in their hearts.

This was nice. The day’s good fortune was simply inescapable, penetrating everything that it touched. They had a good feeling about the informational texts they were going to get later today. Their good mood never waned through the entirety of their breakfast.

There were some plants that were peeking just above the window, vibrant and lovely in color. The appearance was surprising to Jayce, who had only spotted them just now. When he tries to think about it, he can’t remember the last time he had tended to them.

Maybe they should do something about that after they eat their breakfast. The town is not going anywhere, they could always go a bit later in the day. After the thought occurred to him, he told Viktor about the suggestion, to which, after a quick look outside the window, had agreed.

The rest of breakfast went smooth and clear, still buzzing with their smiles. From the moment they had left the house, they had made a straight beeline for the overgrown plants, most of which had grown by their very own room.

There were vines crawling up the sides, flowers blooming in the middle of fall, and several stubborn weeds that had clawed their way out of the ground. Purely just to bother them. He was shocked at the flowers, but the shock was almost immediately wiped from his mind.

The vines were crossing over each other, each of them on their own path up the house, almost as if it was already decided where they would go. The flowers were glazed in several different colors, all of them bright, seemingly emanating the same morning joy that the entire world had seemed to be doused in today.

Jayce and Viktor had immediately put the pieces together on the sudden growth in vegetation. Recalling the details of the cave that Jayce had brought the egg from.

After that short revelation, they got to work, as they didn’t see it as overwhelmingly important. Like it was shoved from their thoughts.

They actually wanted to keep a few of the plants that had grown, like the flowers. The rest were cut and pulled out from their roots, making the area look relatively clean. The cleanliness was more than welcomed, it made the air feel lighter. Like when there’s a room that’s covered in dust, and you didn't realize how much better it would feel without it.

There was a change to their space, not a noticeable one, not one that drew attention, but one that quietly commanded it. It did not ask, it took. Tore out from the palms of your hands, made sure that you knew. It was contradictory to itself, effortlessly taking and painstakingly leaving. So much work, and none at all. It was confusing, but only to those who had noticed the change. They were still as they took in the difference, committing it to memory.

The sun was nearly at its midday point, they needed to get going. The ground was slightly wet, moist, but not overwhelming. It wasn’t enough to be bothering, it had quite the opposite effect actually. It gave the air the smell of petrichor, drifting in the wind. The smell was delightful, it made things feel light, like a weight had been lifted.

Some of the leaves were sucked to the ground due to the moisture, they made no crunch when stepped on by either of them. They were lovely even when they were dead. The gorgeous brown tree trunks and green leaves were filtering the sunlight, only letting bits and pieces peek through.

They were filled with the beautiful chirping birds, each one carrying sound. Their wings looked soft and sleek, flying through the air. The sound of their wings against the air makes the peaceful moment feel like a lifetime.

They could both tell the intrusion of the town, their calm walk through the forest becoming louder and louder with the sounds of people bustling about. The birds were growing fainter and fainter as they got closer, tragic really. Jayce was starting to hope for the journey there to never end.

The entryway was in sight. It was a beautiful gate, pure white brick that was crumbling at the edges, hardly much fencing aside from the main entrance. They may not get that many travelers and guests, but that certainly doesn’t mean that they can’t have an extravagant and pleasant looking entryway. The people have worked hard to be recognized in tourist spots but they can never seem to be seen despite their efforts.

The hustle and bustle of the crowd draws his attention back to himself, they had places to be too. The place that they wanted to visit first was not too far from the entrance, it was not as popular as the other shops in town, it was like a nice tucked away corner. A place of relaxation that felt as if only a rare few people knew about it.

The store owners were a very nice couple, they had helped Viktor and Jayce with the process of finding a place to stay and then moving in. They’ve owned the store for their entire lives, having it be passed down through one of their family’s through several generations. Their spouse had been more than willing to carry on the tradition.

A soft ringing of the bell altered the two at the seat that they have customers. They smiled brightly at them, joy practically radiating off of them as they welcomed them inside. “It’s so nice to see you two again! How have you two been?” The blond had said, giving them both a pat on the shoulder as a greeting.

The other was still behind the counter giving the pair a smile and nodding in agreement. “We’ve been a bit busy as of late, sorry we didn’t drop by sooner, Kai, April.” Jayce said with a guilty look on his face.

“No worries, I know you two can’t drop by every day, you're still customers after all!” Kai excitedly exclaimed, their eyes lit with a spark of joy.

They were all catching up with each other, giving stories of recent events that they’ve missed out on. The warm glow of the sun was peeking through the windows, staying bright and strong throughout the encounter. The room was filled with laughter, bright smiles, and an overjoyed atmosphere.

They did come here for a reason though, and that reason wasn’t to catch up with friends, though it was an added plus to the location. This specific book store was known to have some of the best books in town. If they were going to find anything written about the egg, then it was going to be here.

They finished the conversation off and got to looking. The bookshelves were made of dark mahogany wood. Imported from practically across the world is what they were told, when they asked. They both needed basically all of their life savings in order to get their hands on it.

The shelves were littered with a variety of books, from fiction, non-fiction, along with every single genre possible. They came in many shapes and sizes, the colors were dazzling to look at. There was a book about aliens fighting goblins who ate trolls? He was still very confused on who the target audience was for that.

They were calmly strolling down the rows upon rows, skimming through the sections in complete silence. The smell of the pages was nostalgic, only giving good memories. Walking and walking he went, looking through the multitude of title covers. It was silent in a way that wasn’t oppressive, wasn’t commanding, it was just there. It was nice.

He came across a grey, nearly black book cover that piqued his interest. The title was “The Mysteries of Dragons” with a golden lined egg on the front. It was covered in dust, the pages a yellow that could only be obtained through years of age. The interesting thing about this book is that it was in the non-fiction section. Jayce has heard of dragons, yes, but only through passing stories and fairy tales.

Maybe the owners simply had accidently put it in the wrong place? They did that on some occasions when they were here, it had happened the visit before actually. He remembers them telling him and Viktor that if they see any misplaced books to let them know so they can correctly organize them.

He took it from the bookshelf, making sure that he handled it carefully, as to not ruin it further. He quietly made his way over to the front desk, where April was sitting, she was looking over some papers. He handed her over the book and had a hushed conversation about its proper placement in the book store.

“That’s supposed to be there.” She whispered. What she said was such a shock that he didn’t believe her at first. She must have seen the disbelief on his face and continued with, “Those are real, it’s just that aside from distant tales, information about the creatures isn’t all that popular.” He took the information in. If one of the store owners said that the book was in fact in the right place, then he supposes that it’s true.

He walked to a nearby corner to read it, rubbing off the dust. The fact that it had an egg in it was why he was even bothering with it, it most likely won’t have any information that would be useful. But he started looking through its contents anyway.

The book described the story of dragons, theories on how they first appeared, what they were, their appearances and habits. It did not have much information on many of the appearances and habits, but it was something.

It’s not like he’s particularly interested in that.

There seemed to be six distinct dragons that were mentioned, their names being repeated over and over again, the book had chapters that were dedicated to each one.

They had several designs on what they claimed to be the eggs that the six had hatched out of. One of which caught his attention, made him snap his eyes to it and stare at it in shock. It was the same pattern as the egg they had now. He had memorized the patterns practically right after he had first taken it from the cave.

All of it was the same, from its described color, to the most intricate and smallest of details. Jayce was confused, if this had belonged to a dragon that had already hatched (according to the book) then how could there be another with the same egg? Is that just what they all looked like? He filed away his questions for later and kept reading the passage.

The passage went on to explain several things about the dragon. The passage was rather small and didn’t have much information, but it was probably more than whatever else he managed to find. The passage was specific to one of the six dragons, Adami.

This one was male, tended to have horns (whatever that means) and had white and blue scales. It was rather interesting actually, Jayce didn’t totally mind reading about it. The dragons had a naturally long lifespan and also an affinity to control magic. The book also listed a variety of things that dragons tended to do.

The next passage was specifically about why this dragon was one of the dragons that they were writing about. This dragon was special because it was a part of the council of six, otherwise known as the Eliatrope council.

The dragon had played an important role in the existence of the Eliatropes. (He has no idea what Eliatropes are, he’s never heard of them before, maybe he can look into that later.) Each one of the dragons had also shared their egg with a twin.

He was so absorbed into what he was reading that he didn’t notice Viktor was there until he had hit him on the head. He snapped his hand to his head, acting offended at the action.

“Have you found anything useful and didn’t tell me, or did you just get distracted?” He deadpanned. The look on his face was enough of an explanation, he was excited to tell him about what he found. He was practically jumping out of his seat, eyes shining. He was joyfully explaining what he had found.

The love of his life was listening to what he was saying with rapt attention, eyes following his exaggerated moments. He nearly forgot that he was in a bookstore, a place usually dead silent aside from the occasional turning of pages or the distant breaths.

He was promptly reminded of that fact the moment he took a breath to continue explaining. He wasn’t too embarrassed, he didn’t prioritize what other people had thought of him now. When he was younger, he most definitely would have been embarrassed with the volume of his voice.

Worried that he might draw unnecessary attention to himself, or that people may think of him oddly. Even if he doesn’t care as much now, or that the store is empty aside from him, Viktor and the store owners, he still can feel a slight flush to his face from his embarrassment. He could never quite get rid of that.

It was one of his defining traits, that his emotions were so easily spotted through his facial expressions. It made him, him. He used to like the way that people could tell what he was feeling. It made him think that people thought of him as more genuine.

That he cared about what he said, and that he believed it too. Now though, it was something that he hated. It made him feel vulnerable, like they could see through his skin and seep into his bones. Like they were scrutinizing everything, down to the very molecules that he was composed of.

He may have disliked that about himself, but he had long come to terms with it. It was something that he would never be able to change about himself. It was what made him human in the first place. He continued with his explanation, though a bit quieter.

He had caught Viktor up with all of the information that he had collected, as well as some of the questions that he still didn’t know the answer to. Viktor, thankfully, had been able to answer his questions about Eliatropes.

Apparently, the book that he had come across and deemed useful was actually about them. From what he was told, the Eliatropes were a race of people who had first appeared about six-hundred years prior. The little that is known about them is from their short time interacting with the people of Runterra.

There had been several documentaries of their existence, but the Eliatrope people seemed to leave just as suddenly as their arrival. There had not been any seen in centuries. After a period of time, people began to not believe them, thinking of them as a fairy tale, and in some places, forgetting their existence entirely.

The reason that Viktor had seemed the book as important was for the certain Eliatropes that were mentioned. There were six Eliatropes that had hatched from eggs, not only that but they were the leaders of their race. Jayce was beginning to put the pieces together.

At first he had assumed that they were separate from each other entirely, the dragons and Eliatropes helping the other species. But then Viktor had said that each of the six Eliatropes had a twin, making the number of rulers into twelve.

Six dragons, six Eliatropes, and six eggs.

The Eliatropes and dragons weren’t just one species working closely together, no, they were related. They were both born from the same egg. Their fates were sealed together from the start.

After that startling realization, he came to notice just how much time they had spent in the bookstore. If they don’t leave soon they would have nothing to light their way home. The sun was at its setting point, the light slowly receding from the sky.

They had decided on buying both books, as they had not finished reading them yet. The walk back was surprisingly quicker than the walk there. Before they knew it, they were back home.

Jayce was starving, he was going to make sure that they had a good dinner tonight. To celebrate, of course. They had gotten a lot of information about what the egg may be. He was relieved that they managed to find anything at all.

It seemed that the day was in their favor after all.

Chapter Text

Hello! Worry not dear readers, for I am still working on this fic. I’m so sorry that it took me this long to leave some sort of notice 4 u guys I kinda just forgot to do it.

Unfortunately, one of my relatives has passed away sometime not too long ago. I’m still upset and got some major writers block when trying to make the next chapter. I also just started school again and I took a bunch of advanced classes so I won’t really have the time to write as much as I did before.

I have about 1/3 of the next chapter done. If u guys want me to post what I have that’s no problem, just know that I’m still working on the fic and that I’m not abandoning it! :)

I plan to work on some other fics in the meantime to help get rid of my writers block. I have several planned and have already started on a few of them. I’m making a temporary fic to get some help on deciding on more things to write about.

I’m posting that one not to long after this update so If u want you can check them out in my profile! I’m open to any suggestions(as long as it’s not smut) and I hope you all understand that updates may be slower. Fear not dear friends, I plan to finish every single fic that I start, no matter how long it takes!