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aerynwrites · 2 years ago

Text

An Ocean Apart

Merman!Jayce x Viktor AU

A/N: here it is - my final submission for @jayvikaugust! This weeks prompt was fantasy/modern and I guess I kind of hit both? Hope you all enjoy, and as always comments/reblogs are greatly appreciated! I love to see what y’all think ❤️

Word Count: 10.3k

Not beta read, apologize for any grammatical errors!

The water is clearer today. Not so clear one could see to the bottom, but clear enough that Viktor can see the silhouette of small fish as they feed on the crumbs that fall from his sandwich.

It’s peaceful here, on the dock. That’s why Viktor loves it so much.

It’s calm and quiet and gives him a much needed break from the hustle and bustle of the university.

He also likes to study the fish - has even learned them enough by sight that they have names now.

Viktor smiles as the larger of the group nudges the toe of his shoe from where it barely brushes the surface of the water.

“Yes, yes, you can have a little more,” he says, softly to himself, pinching off a small piece of bread to toss in the water.

The fish in question immediately gobbles it up before continuing to swim circles below Viktor’s feet. The scientist smiles, finishing off the last bit of his sandwich as he returns his attention to the notebook in his lap.

The slight breeze rustles the thin pages as he flips through them, searching for a blank space. Finding one among haphazard sketches of fish and other marine life local to the area, he quickly jots down today's weather conditions, the time he glances from his watch, and activity of the fish.

It’s silly. Unimportant in the grand scheme of things, but Heimerdinger always told him even the seemingly insignificant details can lead to a great discovery. Especially in Marine Biology.

There’s millions of miles of undiscovered territory my boy! Nothing is insignificant.

The old man’s voice plays in his head like a reminder as he jots down notes, and he can’t help but smile. He is right. Who knows what he may discover one day-

A rather harsh nudge against the bottom of his shoe makes Viktor look up, eyes narrowing when he sees the familiar form of Rio, the larger fish from earlier.

“I don’t have anything else,” he says, as if rationalizing with a child. “You will simply have to fend for yourself -!”

Viktor doesn’t see what latches onto his foot, all he sees is fish scattering into the depths as his shoe dips dangerously below the surface. On instinct he yanks his leg upwards, his notebook sliding from his lap and towards the sea green water.

He fumbles, fingers brushing leather and grasping onto the edge of a delicate page. He has it - but only for a second before the page rips and his work disappears with a pathetic splash. He jerks, almost diving in after it but stops himself.

The pages would be ruined anyways, the water washing away ink and creating a soggy mess impossible to save.

Viktor fumbles for his cane beside him, struggling to his feet as the panic of whatever grabbed him is still at the forefront of his mind. Scanning the water he sees…

Nothing. At first.

Quickly his eyes scan the water until he sees the tip of a tail-fin much too large for any of the fish he’s ever seen in these waters as it disappears below the surface a few yards away from the dock.

The wind feels frigid now as he stands on the dock looking out into the bay. It was comforting, a relief from the harsh sun shining down onto him in the cloudless sky. But now…with his shoe uncomfortably wet and too many thoughts running through his mind, he just feels exposed.

He’s never been more ready to return to the university, still unsure of what to make of his experience.

─────── ·𖥸· ─────── ·

He knows what it was. Having spent all night coming up with an answer.

The next day is the same as the last at the end of the dock. Bright yellow sun shining with not a cloud in the sky as the wind tousles his hair and his face stings with salt.

This time however, he’s without a notebook and feeling silly for the reason he lost it. He spent all night thinking about what he saw, the tail-fin and the tugging at his shoe. His mind - the creative side at least - the little piece of childlike imagination that still clung to the back of brain immediately said mermaid. But the scientific part - the correct part - knows that can’t be true.

A dolphin or a large tuna must have gotten tangled in a fishing line - a common occurrence in this day and age - and the line must have snagged his shoe. The other fish scattering was just a response to the larger creature and he simply let his panic get the better of him.

And he lost his notebook because of it. Months of work, data, notes Heimerdinger needed - gone. He can still remember the insufferable way the professor remained kind yet encouraged him not to let such foolishness create accidents in the future.

Always an optimist.

Viktor sighs, crumpling up the wrapper from his lunch as he stares down into the strikingly lifeless water. His fish friends are nowhere to be seen today, something that strikes him as odd, and stokes the apprehension sitting low in his belly.

Something isn’t right.

It’s a feeling he hasn’t been able to shake since yesterday, his gut not fully believing the rational solution his mind conjured up. But what else could it have been?

He scoffs to himself at his original thought. A mermaid. Creatures of myth - beautiful creatures that live beneath the sea unbeknownst to mankind above them.

Despite the fact that more than eighty percent of the oceans have never been explored, if mer-people existed in this very bay, he would know about it surely-

A wet thunk interrupts the scientist's thoughts, and he can’t stop the gasp that slips past his lips as a familiar object practically flies from the water to land unceremoniously on the dock beside him.

He grabs his cane again, ready to leave if he has to, or at the very least chastise whoever finds this charade funny. However, before he can speak, a shock of dark hair emerges from the water, a pair of hazel eyes following as a man bobs to the surface. His eyes are bright, smile wide as he treads water, nodding to the object beside Viktor.

“You dropped that.” he says simply, voice deep and rich as he speaks.

Viktor has to stop himself from jumping at the sudden appearance, eyes darting to the object in question instead and widening at what they see.

His notebook.

Destroyed, as predicted. Covered in sand and even pieces of seaweed sticking out from between the pages. He frowns, picking up the sodden object before looking back to the man in the water.

“It was you?” He accuses, eyes narrowed as he thrusts his ruined work towards the stranger, uncaring of the confused look on his face. “You think that was funny, scaring me like that? This is months of work - important work - wasted. Ruined-”

“I’m sorry,” the man says, seemingly genuine as he swims a few paces away from the dock now. “I didn’t mean to scare you I -” He pauses, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “I’ve just seen you around. Noticed you always talk to the fish and figured you might like some actual company for once.”

Viktor doesn’t say anything for a long while, completely baffled by the man before him. He has too many questions. Why is he swimming in the bay, this far from any accessible beaches or swimming areas? Why would he think grabbing some strangers' shoes is a good way to greet them, and why on earth would he hide afterwards.

When he still doesn't say anything, the other man decides to fill the silence, a hesitant smile on his face.

“I’m Jayce.” He offers, slowly creeping towards the dock once more.

Viktor looks from Jayce to his ruined notebook and back again, his curiosity getting the better of him.

“Our introduction probably would have gone more smoothly if you had introduced yourself on land.” He holds up his notebook. “Then this could have been avoided.”

Jayce cocks his head to the side, brows drawing together pensively. “Yeah uh…can’t really do that.”

Viktor scoffs. “And why is that?”

“Moving around on land is a little…complicated.”

Viktor moves to speak again, frustrated with this man’s sarcasm and cryptic words. Yet, before he can so much as utter a word, all the air is sucked from his lungs as Jayce leans back into the water, revealing - not legs as he had expected - but a magnificent tail.

Before he realizes it, he’s on his feet, his knuckles starch white due to the grip he has on his cane. His heart quickens in his chest, his breath leaving him in harsh gasps as he tries to form words.

But he has none.

The dark burgundy color of the scales glisten in the sunlight as it arches above the water, spraying water droplets into the air and down onto Viktor’s head and shoulders. His mind is running faster than he can process what’s happening - so many questions running through his mind that he doesn’t know if he’ll ever get the answers too.

And before Viktor can stop himself, he’s leaving.

The faint splashing of water pushes past the ringing in his ears, and he has to force himself to walk away as fast as he can. The urge to run back and ask a million questions rages in his mind but he can’t do it, because…

He’s seeing things. He has to be.

This isn’t real. This isn’t real….

─────── ·𖥸· ─────── ·

It’s his day off today, a day he typically doesn't come to the docks, but he can’t stay away. Not after what he saw yesterday.

He’s standing this time. Not ready to be caught off guard again, and able to run away once more if needed.

He doesn’t want to, though. This time he wants to stay, ask all the questions that lay heavy in the new notebook in his hand. There’s pages of them, pages and pages of words that spilled from his mind onto paper well into the early hours of the morning as sleep evaded him.

How could he sleep when he’s possibly been given one of the largest discoveries in history practically on a silver platter. Jayce, if he actually is a mermaid - or would it be merman?

Viktor shakes his head, swallowing thickly as he looks out into the water again, silently hoping Jayce will show up again. Or maybe he won’t - and he really was seeing things. Maybe talking to fish for months on end will do that to a person. Make them go crazy.

“You’re back!”

The voice startles Viktor, once again causing him to stumble and send a glare off the side of the dock where Jayce has appeared.

“Will you stop doing that?” he asks, notebook held close to his chest.

Jayce laughs - a pretty sound Viktor thinks - and nods. “Sorry - I forget how quiet we are in water.”

Viktor can’t help but roll his eyes as he approaches the edge of the dock, finally settling into his familiar position with his legs dangling off the sides.

“It’s…alright.” he says softly, eyes following Jayce as he comes to the front of the dock now, wrapping an arm around one of the posts. “My name is Viktor, by the way. I failed to introduce myself yesterday.”

Jayce smiles, and Viktor notes his teeth seem to be the same as his own. An observation he takes mental note of for later.

“It’s nice to meet you, Viktor,” he says simply, offering his hand out.

Viktor doesn’t take it at first, one because Jayce is still a tad far away, and two because he’s stunned by the gesture.

Jayce cocks his head the same way he did yesterday. “Is that not the right thing to do?” he asks, looking at his hand. “I thought…I’ve seen you guys do this before. Is that not right?”

Viktor shakes his head, silently assuring his companion with an outstretched hand. “No that is…correct.” He smiles when Jayce places his hand on his own. “It’s nice to meet you as well, Jayce.”

It’s silent for a moment as Viktor takes his hand back and thumbs hesitantly at the pages of his notebook. He has so many questions, things he wants to see and have explanations for, but he is worried about scaring Jayce off.

What if all his questions and his documenting of them make him feel that Viktor is going to harm him or exploit him in some way? They don’t know each other, and Viktor wouldn’t blame him if he doesn’t trust him. He decides to start off slow.

“Is it…would it be alright if I asked you a few questions?” He begins slowly, studying Jayce’s reaction to his curiosity.

He’s pleasantly surprised when the other man lights up, eyes bright as he nods.

“Of course, ask away. But only if I can ask questions too.”

Viktor smiles, excitement coursing through his veins at this opportunity. “Of course. Yes, absolutely.”

Jayce nods, then gestures to him before running a hand through his still wet hair. “You can go first. I’m sure you have way more than I do.”

Leafing through the pages of his notes, Viktor stops when he finds the question he’s looking for, drawing a pen from his pocket. He casts a quick glance at Jayce.

“Is it alright if I document your answers?”

Jayce shrugs, nodding. “Sure.”

Viktor shakes his head. “How can you be so trusting? How do you know that I won’t take these answers and tell the world that you exist?”

Jayce is silent for a moment, hazel eyes searching his own before he finally speaks.

“I don’t,” he says simply. “But…I’ve seen you come to the docks for months and talk to fish. You don’t exactly strike me as the type to do something that could destroy someone else. Oh-” He smiles now. “And more than likely no one would believe you anyways.”

Viktor laughs, a loud laugh that carries itself across the water. He can’t stop smiling as he nods.

“You are probably correct.” He looks back down to his notes. “Now…my first question - how can you speak the same language as us?”

Jayce, apparently getting restless from clinging to the post, pushes away from it, swimming a few feet away from Viktor as he answers. “Exposure. We have our own language of course, but a lot of us learned the topsider’s language simply because we hear it all the time.”

Viktor’s eyes widen as he records the answer. “Us? There’s more of you?”

Jayce is silent at that, his rhythmic circles stopping as he seemingly ponders his answer.

“There were,” he says softly, eyes cast down towards the water. “Now it’s just me. Here, at least.”

Viktor softens at this, the thought of being completely alone making his heart constrict within his chest. “Oh, I’m…I’m sorry, Jayce.”

He shrugs, bringing his eyes back up to Viktor and giving a firm smile. “It’s alright. What’s the next question?”

On and on it goes like this. Viktor asking questions, Jayce giving an answer or sometimes interjecting with questions of his own. Viktor sits on the dock so long with Jayce that his hand starts to cramp up from all the writing he’s done.

He’s added at least a dozen more pages of questions and their respective answers as he builds off other things and it feels like his head is about to burst with all the knowledge he’s gained in the past several hours. The only reason he even stops is because the sun has slipped below the horizon and makes seeing his pages harder and harder the further it sinks.

His note book closes with the soft fluttering of pages and Jayce approaches the dock, once again latching onto the post. “Will you be back tomorrow?”

The question is a simple one, but Viktor detects the slight hopefulness that laces his words. He smiles.

“Of course. I still have many more questions, and I'm sure you do as well.”

Jayce returns the gesture. “I do. Would it be okay if we met somewhere else instead of the dock though?”

Viktor quirks a brow, tapping the bottom of his lips with his pen. “I don’t see why not.”

Jayce grins. “I have this…hideout, I guess you could call it. Further down the bay towards the ocean. It’s a little alcove beneath the cliff.”

Viktor furrows his brow. “Near the ‘city of progress’ sign?”

Jayce nods, pushing off the post and out towards the water. “Yeah. I’ll watch for you in case you can’t find it.”

Nodding Viktor moves to stand, leaning onto his cane as he does so. “I will see you tomorrow then.”

A large overhead wave and a fantastical tail splash is all he gets in return before Jayce is gone, slipping beneath the water like a shadow with the setting sun.

Viktor stays where he is for a moment, eyes slipping closed as he takes a second to just breathe and calm his senses. Around him seagulls call in the distance and water laps gently around the dock as the wind wraps around him.

He can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

─────── ·𖥸· ─────── ·

The rain almost deters him, the dark gray clouds hanging ominously in the sky as they open up and thick droplets litter the air.

But Viktor is never one to give up, especially not because of something so inconsequential compared to what awaits him.

Droplets pelt against his raincoat, the familiar ‘pitter-patter’ against the material soothing as he makes his way slowly along the beach. The sand has never been very agreeable with his cane, so he must take his time, the granules shifting with each footstep he takes and making the journey just that much longer.

The cliff face looms before him now, the sign on top pristine and glowing brightly in the darkened sky because of the spotlights below it.

Piltover - The City of Progress!

If only they knew.

If only they knew of the absolute treasure he’s found here in this bay, the scientific miracle that only he’s been blessed to know.

A city of progress indeed.

Viktor looks down from the sign, eyes searching for anything that may indicate the place Jayce was talking about yesterday. But the beach just…ends. The cliff cutting it off and leaving just sea water if one wishes to go further.

“Viktor!”

A soft call of his name pulls him from his exploration, and the smile that comes to his face is unintentional. A natural reaction to the familiar face just a few yards off shore.

Jayce waves enthusiastically to Viktor from the water, swimming just a little closer as Viktor approaches the edge of the beach, water lapping dangerously at his shoes.

“It’s just around the edge of the cliff.” Jayce explains, pointing in that same direction. “Usually there’s enough land for you to walk to it if you stay close to the cliff side but…”

“The rain…” Viktor supplies, eyeing the water that now kisses the cliff side. He sighs, lowering himself slowly down onto the sand. “I’m already wet. What is a little more?”

Jayce waits patiently as Viktor unties his shoes and removes his socks, tucking them under his arm as he moves to stand once more.

Cane in hand and shoes tucked safely away, he gestures for Jayce to lead the way.

The man obliges, smiling as he swims towards this mysterious hideout, conscious to not get out of Viktor’s sight.

The water is cold, not overly so, but it makes Viktor pause as he steps into the ankle deep liquid to edge his way around the cliff. Tucking his cane beneath his arm, he uses the cliff face to help him along as the water gets slightly deeper, soaking his pants as it comes up to his shins.

“Eh…Jayce?” He calls out, his paces slowing considerably. “There’s no swimming required to get to this…hideout, is there?”

Jayce laughs. “No, we’re almost there, I promise.”

Viktor pauses, weighing his options. The rain is getting harder now, falling at a much more concerning pace than earlier, the wind picking up with it. The possibility of a storm, a bad one, trapping him wherever Jayce is taking him concerns him more than anything.

But he trusts Jayce. He hopes he won’t take him somewhere unsafe.

Viktor nods, showing Jayce he understands and continues to follow the other man’s lead.

Jayce’s words turn out to be truthful, the cliff face turns sharply, revealing a small opening in the rock hidden by hanging foliage. One side of the entrance looks to be much shallower than the other side, allowing for Viktor to push the foliage aside and walk into the cave while Jayce can swim.

The opening is narrow to begin, six feet wide at most before it eventually opens up into a large cavernous room. The white rock of the cliff is illuminated by the water below, beautiful reflections cast on the ceiling and walls from the light that trickles in from the entrance.

But that isn’t what holds Viktor’s attention. Instead, his eyes fall to the hundreds of various rocks, gems and other little trinkets laid out in makeshift boxes or displayed along the floor closest to the water.

It looks like a thrown together museum.

“Well, this is it,” Jayce says, entering the cave behind Viktor and gesturing around the room.

Viktor turns and sees that the cave is formed in such a way that there’s a shallow shelf below the water that allows Jayce to sit. There’s more than enough room for Viktor to walk around, the ground solid and mostly flat, but he has to watch his step closer to the pool, not wanting to step on the impressive collection.

“Jayce this is…amazing. There has to be hundreds of various rock types in here. Gems as well…” His words are whispered in awe as he kneels, eyes trailing over a geode closest to him.

Jayce shrugs, turning as much as he’s able to face Viktor. “Yeah…I’ve been collecting for a while. I’ve always found this stuff…interesting. Rocks and stuff.”

Viktor smiles. “They have names you know, scientific ones with different classifications. Sometimes you can even tell how old they are depending on different characteristics.” He perks up as a thought crosses his mind.

“I could bring a book on geological classifications. Maybe we can label some of the things you have here.”

Jayce looks at him, scarred brow raised up. “Geologi…what?”

Viktor huffs, of course he wouldn't know that term. He shifts to sit at the edge of the pool, tugging his pants up so his legs can dip down into the water beside Jayce.

“Geological Classification. Geology is the study of rocks, to put it simply. You have an impressive collection, it would be a shame to leave it uncatalogued.”

Understanding smooths Jayce’s features and he lights up. “You’d help me do that?”

Viktor’s chest warms, the unadulterated excitement on Jayce’s face enough to light up the cave itself.

“Of course.” He nods, and gestures to his friend. “Now, I believe it’s your turn to ask me questions. It’s only fair since I practically interrogated you yesterday.”

Shrugging, Jayce rubs the back of his neck. “It’s fine, I…I just like having someone to talk to. It’s been…a while.”

The implication behind his words make Viktor soften. He can sympathize with being alone, even if surrounded by others, Viktor has always felt somewhat alone as well.

Hesitantly, he places a hand on Jayce’s shoulder, noting how warm the still damp skin is beneath his palm. When Jayce doesn’t move away, he persists.

“Well, I thank you for sharing these things with me. I am…I don’t have words in truth - for how much this means to me. I’ve…” he stops himself, feeling foolish for the words he was about to say.

But Jayce encourages him, looking over at him from beneath thick brows.

“Yeah?”

Viktor smiles, shaking his head. “It’s childish, but…I’ve always held out hope that mermaids exist. How could I eliminate the possibility when so much of the ocean lies undiscovered. I just never expected the discovery to come from my very own home.”

A testing smirk tugs at Jayce's lips. “It’s merman, thank you.”

Huffing in faux shame Viktor raises his hand in mock surrender. “Ah, right. My apologies.”

Jayce chuckles and looks away, reaching over to dig through what looks like an old crate, filled with various random items. Viktor watches as he searches for a few moments, before finally procuring a thin rectangular device.

A cell phone.

“What are these?” Jayce asks, brows furrowed as he looks down at the metal electronic, fingers toying with the buttons but getting no result. “I see you topsiders carrying these around all the time but…it doesn’t do anything.”

Nodding Viktor pats the pocket of his jacket, reaching inside to procure his own cell phone.

“It’s a cell phone. When they were first created you could only use them to communicate with people from long distances. But now they do…everything.” He clicks the power button and the screen illuminates, casting delicate shadows over Jayce’s features as he shows him.

“The reason that one doesn’t work is because it fell into the water. Water and electronic equipment…eh, they don’t mix well.”

Jayce nods, face serious. “Can you show me?”

Viktor blinks. “Show you…?”

“How it communicates. And…the other stuff.”

Viktor bites back his sigh. He is going to humor the man, but he already knows this particular line of questioning will become a rabbit hole.

But the hopeful look on Jayces face, puts all his hesitancy to rest.

He smiles. “Of course, let me try to call someone.”

The next several hours are filled with gasps and energetic questions from Jayce. So many new concepts are introduced to him, yet he continues to want to learn more.

Eventually Viktor has to encourage other questions that don’t involve his phone because the battery starts to get dangerously low. And Jayce respects that, moving onto other things he wants to know.

Viktor covers everything from cultural topics to geography to airplanes to religion. Nothing is off the table and Viktor finds himself enamored with the man beside him as conversation shifts back to Jayce's hobbies and interests.

Currently, Jayce is resting on his forearms on the upper floors of the cave, explaining where he found one of the larger geodes. His lower half rests mostly in the water, but he is exposed enough to reveal the upper part of his tail, the burgundy scales shimmering in the ever dimming light of the cave.

Jayce, acutely aware of Viktors drifting focus, stops his story and turns slightly to look at him, eyes watching him for a moment before he speaks.

“You can touch, if you want,” he says, as if it’s the simplest thing in the world.

Viktor flusters, cheeks tinging pink at being caught staring. “No, no. That was rude of me, I should have been paying attention-“

“Viktor.” Jayce interrupts. “It’s okay. I know you’re curious. It’s fine, I don’t mind.”

Viktor nods but doesn’t move from his spot, insecurity tugging at his mind.

Sensing his hesitancy, Jayce rolls his eyes and turns around before hosting himself up onto the main floor of the cave. The resulting splash rings out in the otherwise silent cave, and startles Viktor from his thoughts.

Water runs off Jayce’s tail and back down into the pool as he settles into this new position, leaning back slightly on his hands.

Not wanting to make Jayce say anything else, Viktor hesitantly reaches out to run two fingers over the dark red scales. He’s surprised to find they aren’t slimy or slippery like he expected. Just smooth. They don’t feel like the scales of a fish, but rather very thin glass.

The scales shimmer beautifully in the reflecting light of the cave, and Viktor notices they seem to shift in color slightly at any slight movement from Jayce, an iridescent undertone making itself known.

Viktor is very aware of the hazel gaze burning into him from above, but he can’t bring himself to care. He’s absolutely captivated.

His fingers trail upwards, approaching the area where Jayce’s tale meshes with deep brown skin. It’s odd how seamless the transition is. The scales get smaller and thinner the closer towards his hips they go until red dissolves to brown. His tail is just as warm as his skin, but the skin is smoother and feels no different from his own.

In fact, on the outside, Jayce’s upper body appears almost identical to a humans. His arms, chest, neck, head, face - even his teeth as he noticed earlier are all the same. Almost identical anatomy on the surface.

Viktor sits up, his hand leaving Jayce, and he pretends to not notice the shiver that results from it.

“How do you breathe?” he asks, feeling silly for not asking that sooner.

Jayce startles at the sudden question, eyes prying themselves away from where Viktor’s hand rested moments ago to the man sitting before him.

“Oh uh - it depends on what’s needed.” He begins, pointing to his nose. “If I'm above water I breathe like you do, at least…how I think you do. And then if I’m below water for an extended period of time I use these-”

Viktor can’t stop the gasp that leaves his lips as Jayce points to his neck. Viktor has never looked close enough to notice, but with Jayce pointing them out, he feels blind for not seeing them before. Almost imperceptible slits run along each side of Jayce’s neck, three of them stacked one above the other until they stop just a few inches below his jaw.

“Gills. Yes…that would make sense…” Instinctively, Viktor reaches up, his curiosity getting the better of him. But a quick, light swat from Jayce’s hand stops him.

“I’d rather you not.” Jayce says, eyes hesitant.

Viktor stumbles, cheeks burning as he pulls away from him, slight shame welling up in his chest. Jayce isn’t some science experiment.

“Yes, of course - I apologize.”

Jayce shrugs, avoiding Viktor’s searching gaze as a slight blush of his own colors his cheeks. “It’s okay, you didn’t do anything wrong just - they’re…sensitive, is all.”

Viktor takes a moment to dissect the meaning of his words, and decides to take them at face value rather than explore the other possibilities that make his blush darken. “I understand,” he says, moving to backpedal and save the conversation. “So you can breathe below water? Stay there, for extended periods of time?”

Jayce nods, seemingly thankful for the change of topic. “Yeah, it would be hard if we couldn’t.”

Viktor hums low in his throat, index finger curled and pressed against his chin. “I just assumed you were like aquatic mammals, dolphins and such. That you could hold your breath for an extended period of time before eventually having to surface for air.”

“No.” Jayce shakes his head. “We can breathe underwater. Most of us actually prefer to stay away from the surface, some have never even been up here but…” He laughs, but not a humorous one. “Not me. My parents always warned me against the surface, and topsiders but there’s just…something about it. I can’t stay away.”

Viktor chuckles, the sound echoing around the cave. “You sound like a scientist.” He teases. “Always searching for answers no matter what. I’m the same way I suppose, studying marine biology. Some see it as a fruitless endeavor, discovering something so vast that we don’t fully understand it, but…I also can’t stay away.”

Silence follows Viktor’s words, and he is silently happy for it - the lull in conversation giving him a moment to collect his thoughts.

“Well, I’m glad we didn’t listen to them,” Jayce says after a while, looking pensively into the water.

“And why is that?” Viktor asks.

The other man shrugs before turning to smile at him. “Then I wouldn’t have met you.”

─────── ·𖥸· ─────── ·

It takes Viktor longer to get back down to the dock than he would have liked. But his adventure to Jayce’s hideaway was more than he was used to and he ended up having to call out of work at the university because of it, his leg giving him more of a fit than usual. Then, when he was able to go back to work he was behind and had to work through lunch and well into the night.

He saw Jayce on Sunday. It’s Wednesday now, and he hopes Jayce doesn’t think he’s left for good.

All he can think about while walking down to the dock for his break is the fear of making Jayce think he left. Making him think he actually did just want him around for scientific study and information.

Perhaps at first that was his goal but now…he likes Jayce. He seems kind and genuine and eager. That’s saying more than most of the people he sees day to day.

He sighs as he finally reaches the dock, the old boards creaking beneath his weight as he walks the familiar path to the end. Once there, he carefully sits on the edge, careful to not spill his drink or accidentally lose his cane in the water. Both of which have happened before.

Setting his coffee aside he reaches into his satchel to procure his lunch, a simple sandwich wrapped in deli paper.

Taking a bite he scans the water hopefully, waiting for the familiar shock of dark hair to make an appearance.

This time, Jayce makes a little noise when he approaches, clearly not wanting to scare Viktor like last time. He smiles at the thought that he remembered.

He appears from beneath the water like an apparition, in a blink his whole upper body is above water, award winning smile on his face.

“You’re back!” He says, swimming closer to the dock until he’s right next to Viktors legs, careful not to get his shoes wet. “I thought…” He trails off slightly before correcting himself. “I hadn’t seen you as often as usual.”

Swallowing his food Viktor lets out a quiet sigh, eyes falling to his lap. “I’m sorry if I worried you, Jayce. It was not my intention to be gone so long I just…ran into some complications is all.”

Jayce seems to relax at his words, his shoulders falling just enough to let Viktor know there was any apprehension at all. He nods.

“I get it. You can’t be here all the time, you have a life.”

Viktor laughs at that, head bobbing with the movement. “No I…I actually don’t really,” he says. “My life is my work, so this…” He gestures between him and Jayce. “I look forward to this, to talking to you and learning. It’s…it makes life more exciting, gives me something to look forward to.”

Jayce is silent for a moment, seemingly taking in Viktors words before he gives a soft smile in return.

“Me too. I like this too.”

Silence follows, and Viktor takes another bite of his sandwich just as Jayce points to the disposable cup next to him.

“What’s that?”

Taking a moment to swallow, Viktor then picks up the cup, looking from it to Jayce.

“This? It’s coffee. It’s typically bitter, but I add a lot of milk and sugar to make it taste better.” Viktor smiles. “Would you like to try?”

Jayce ponders for a moment before nodding, grabbing the edge of the dock with one hand while the other reaches up to take the cup.

“Be careful.” He warns quickly as he sees Jayce move to take a large drink. “It’s hot, take small sips.”

Taking his advice, Jayce takes a small, tentative dip of the drink. His brows pull together and for a moment Viktor thinks he dislikes the taste. That is until Jayce’s eyes widen and he takes another sip, looking up at Jayce.

“This is good!” He says, reluctantly handing the drink back. “It tastes…good.”

Viktor chuckles, slightly amused at the lack of descriptors, but not surprised. Jayce’s pallet for food is surely limited, and he can’t think of anything that might taste like coffee in the ocean.

“I can bring you some next time, if you’d like.” He suggests.

“I’d like that.”

“Perfect.” Viktor says, returning to his lunch as a comfortable silence falls over them.

Only when he’s finishing off the last of his sandwich does Viktor speak, capturing Jayce’s attention from where he was looking out across the bay.

“Would it be alright if we went back to the cave later this evening? I can come straight after I get off work.”

Jayce nods enthusiastically, moving a few feet away to swim about.

“Of course. Do you need me to lead you there again?”

Crumpling up the paper in his hand, Viktor shakes his head. “I remember how to get there. I have a few things I want to show you.”

Jayce lights up, eyes sparkling and wide as he slows down just a bit.

“What do you want to show me?”

A mischievous smile tugs at Viktors lips as he slowly starts to stand. “It’s a surprise.”

Viktor has to bite back the chuckle that bubbles up in his chest at the annoyed look on Jayce’s face.

“I promise it will be worth it. Trust me.”

Jayce is silent for a moment before releasing a sigh. “Fine, I trust you.” He then starts to push back out into the water. “It better be good though or I’m going to be disappointed!”

With a final wave, Jayce disappears beneath the water and Viktor starts back towards the university, keen on gathering what he needs for later today.

─────── ·𖥸· ─────── ·

The cave is just as he remembers from a few days ago, except this time slightly more illuminated due to the small fire burning off to the side of the cave. Viktor decided after last time, to bring a lighter some old newspaper and collect stray driftwood on his way in, that way as night rolls in he won’t be forced to leave because of the receding day light.

He is just getting the flames going, feeding smaller pieces of wood onto it when the faint sound of splashing makes his ears perk up.

Glancing over his shoulder, he sees Jayce perched at the edge of the pool, water running down his torso from where he just emerged from the sea.

Viktor swallows, forcing himself to look away and focus back on the task at hand, trying in vain to ignore the way his cheeks burn.

“What’s that?” Jayce asks, voice echoing in the cave.

Feeding one last piece of wood to the flames Viktor turns to face Jayce as he begins to roll his pants up.

“It’s fire. It’s quite useful actually, although not used as much in everyday life as it used to be.” He shrugs, shuffling the small distance to the pool so he’s beside Jayce and slips his legs into the cool water. “I can stay longer if we do not have to rely on sunlight.”

Jayce nods, eyes still trained on the flickering flames. “It’s…pretty.”

Humming quietly, Viktor nods, reaching for the small backpack he brought along with him.

“It is, in an odd way isn’t it?”

Jayce doesn’t say anything else, and Viktor takes his silence as intrigue in the new object so doesn’t think much of it.

Sifting through his bag he takes out the geology book he got from the library as well as several sheets of paper and pens. Just as he starts sifting through the book's pages a sharp cry fills the otherwise silent space of the cave.

Instantly, Viktor turns to face Jayce, eyes widening as he sees him drawing a hand away from the flames, clutching it to his chest. Setting the supplies aside, his attention is entirely on Jayce now, moving close enough their shoulders brush.

“What happened?” Viktor asks, words laced with worry as he reaches for Jayce’s hand.

The other man flinches away from his touch at first, but eventually relents. A sharp intake of breath is all Viktor can manage when he sees the angry red skin along Jayce’s palm and fingers.

“I just…I didn’t think it would hurt.” He says softly, hand shaking in Viktors own.

Viktor sighs, frustrated at himself for his negligence.

“I’m sorry.” Jayce’s voice is a mere whisper, and Viktor thinks he can hear a hint of shame in his words.

Viktor shakes his head, taking a deep breath before he speaks.

“You have not thing to apologize for. It’s my fault, I should have…” He huffs, eyes scanning over Jayce’s hand again. “I should have told you to be careful, not to touch. You’ve never seen it before but…to me it’s such common knowledge-“

He cuts himself off, lips falling into a thin line as he tries to assuage his anger at himself.

“I’m sorry, Jayce. I never meant to hurt you.”

It’s silent, neither of them saying anything as Viktor continues to examine Jayce’s injury. Only a soft sigh from Viktor after a few moments breaks the tension.

“It seems to be superficial. You pulled your hand away fast enough to prevent any severe damage,” he says, finally looking up to Jayce, only to find hazel eyes already on him.

Jayce still says nothing, eyes searching Viktors features and making the scientist's face flush under the attention. He looks as if he wants to say something, brows pulling together and lips twitching, but Viktor beats him to it.

“I brought you something. Well, a few things, actually.” Viktor turns back to his supplies from earlier, Jayce’s hand slipping from his grasp as he tries not to think too hard on why he misses the simple contact.

Supplies in hand, he faces his companion with a smile on his face. “I got that book I was telling you about, and brought some supplies so we can label each of the things you’ve collected. Rocks and gems alike. Oh, And-!”

Viktor sets the book and paper down to grab something else from his bag, a smile never leaving his face as he presents the thermos and mugs to Jayce.

“Coffee, made just the way we like it.”

Viktor waits for a response, the typical enthusiastic smile and bright eyes that he usually gets, but Jayce is still silent, eyes traveling over the book and the thermos that Viktor starts to open.

Does he not like it? Is it too much?

He tried to silence these thoughts instead focusing on pouring the coffee into the two mugs he packed. They’re both simple white mugs, each emblazoned with the university's logo. He’s had his for years, but the other one he bought just yesterday, that way Jayce won’t have to worry about the water messing with a disposable cup.

Plus, Viktor thought it could just be added to Jayce’s collection if nothing else.

Finally, just as Viktor closes the thermos, Jayce speaks - voice softer than he’s heard before.

“Thank you,” he says, eyes drifting from the book to the coffee and finally landing on Viktor. “Really, I…this is more than I ever expected when I approached you at the dock. So…thank you.”

Viktor smiles, nudging one of the mugs closer to Jayce. “It’s my pleasure. I really do enjoy our time together, Jayce. You’ve given me…so much knowledge I…this is the least I can do.”

All Jayce does is nod, not sure what else to say as he slowly picks up his drink taking a tentative sip, humming in satisfaction.

Viktor takes this as his cue to begin with his idea.

“So, I figured we could use this book to try and identify as many of the samples you’ve collected.” He begins, flipping the book open to the start. “Then once we’ve identified it we can write the classification on paper and set the rocks and other gems on top of it. So each one is labeled -” He holds up a finger suddenly, remembering something. “I even brought supplies to protect the paper from water damage. That way you don’t have to worry if they get wet.”

Viktor continues to ramble on, flipping through pages and explaining the identification process, completely unaware of the awe filled gaze that never leaves him as he does all this.

The cave is filled with voices as they both work to dutifully identify and label each rock, gem, and even some pearls that Jayce has collected over the years. Viktor does most of the labeling while Jayce picks up rather quickly on identification and soon almost half of the collection has been cataloged, both of the men smiling proudly at their work.

Only when Viktor glances at his watch does he realize how much time has passed, a soft curse slipping past his lips.

“What’s wrong?” Jayce asks, concern tugging at his brows.

Viktor shakes his head, giving him a reassuring smile. “Eh, nothing is wrong perse, but it’s much later than I thought and I still have to work in the morning.”

Slowly, almost hesitantly, Viktor starts to gather his supplies, but stops short when an idea comes to him.

“Why don’t I leave these here? That way, until I can come back, you can maybe continue where we left off?”

Jayce looks at him quizzically. “But I…I can’t read.”

Viktor shrugs. “This is true, but look-“ He opens the book to a page they used earlier, “you can mostly go off the pictures. And if the rock you’re looking at matches the pictures you can just copy the corresponding name.”

Jayce still looks unsure, so Viktor continues. “I can help check them when I get back.”

Finally, Jayce nods, looking a bit more optimistic about the challenge, his eyes roaming over the already labeled collection.

“Thank you, Viktor. This is…” he trails off, truly at a loss for words. “Thank you.”

Viktor is already putting his shoes back on, tying the laces and slowly standing to his feet.

“Of course, I…I did mean it the other day when I said I enjoy our time together.” He stoops down to grab the backpack, pulling it on before taking his cane in hand. “I’ll be back tomorrow, at the dock.”

Nodding Jayce smiles, “I’ll see you tomorrow. Oh-!” He takes his now empty coffee mug and holds it out to Viktor, only for him to shake his head.

“It’s yours,” he says gently.

Jayce doesn’t say anything, eyes falling reverently down to the gift in his hands. It’s small, nothing compared to what most people would consider a gift.

But to Jayce…it means more than Viktor could know.

─────── ·𖥸· ─────── ·

If someone had told Viktor months ago that he would meet a merman, form a friendship and possibly even more, he would have had them committed to a psych ward.

He never thought his little breaks at the dock could have led him to where he is now.

It's been months since Jayce approached him on the dock, and his life has irrevocably changed. Not only has he discovered a new species, but Jayce has given him so much knowledge about marine life and biology that his career has changed as well.

Slowly he introduced the things Jayce had told him about marine animals and plants and anything else to Heimerdinger, testing them and his theories only to have them proven true time and time again.

Healing properties of aquatic plants, intelligence of fish and other aquatic mammals…it’s more than Viktor ever hoped for when Jayce unexpectedly came into his life.

And on top of all this success in his career, he’s gained an important presence in it as well. A presence that, over the past several months, has brought great joy and slight confliction.

Jayce started as a stranger, became a friend and now…Viktor doesn’t know how to label the feelings that have planted themselves in his chest.

So he settles for what he does know. Familiarity. His daily visits to the docks and even more frequent visits to the cave. Now their conversations revolve less about discovery and curiosity and more about their everyday lives.

They evolved to questions about each other. Their favorite colors, food, things to do, and now it feels as if they’ve known each other for years. Asking how each other's day is, what’s new, funny stories from childhood.

It’s…intimate. This relationship they've built together, and the longer they’ve seen each other the more comfortable they’ve become.

Until today.

It’s just like all the other days they’ve spent together, since today is a weekend, they meet at the cave, talking about anything and everything under the sun. Except Viktor notices that Jayce seems more…on edge than usual.

He keeps swimming small laps in the pool, unable to sit still for too long. His eyes shift all around the rocky cavern, never staying on Viktor for too long. One word answers or not answering at all until prompted by Viktor for a second or even third time.

It worries Viktor.

And when he had to ask Jayce another question for the second time he finally points it out, afraid that he’s done something to upset him.

“Jayce, is everything…alright?” Viktor asks, voice soft.

This finally gets Jayce’s attention. He stops his incessant swimming, hazel eyes meeting amber ones as he pulls his gaze away from the roof of the cave.

“What? Yeah, everything…fine. I’m good.” He says, voice tight and eyes drifting once again.

Furrowing his brow, Viktor leans forward from his perch on the edge of the pool. “It doesn’t seem fine. You’ve…you’re acting strange today. Did I something to upset you?”

At this accusation Jayce’s eyes snap back to Viktors, brows raised in concern. “What? No, no - of course you didn’t do anything. I just…”

He trails off, floating in the water as he tries to gather his words. Viktor waits, not wanting to push his companion, giving him time to say what he wants to say. Finally, after a long stint of silence, Jayce sighs, swimming over to the far edge of the pool where several various boxes and old crates lie, filled to the brim with trinkets. Viktor watches in intrigued silence as Jayce pulls out a small wooden box, etched with intricate details. Slowly he opens the lid, takes something out and closes the box again, sliding it back into place.

It feels like an eternity as Jayce slowly approaches where Viktor sits, sliding hesitantly on the shelf below the water so he is sitting close to him. Despite being sat a few inches lower than Viktor, Jayce is still almost eye level with him, and their eyes meet as Jayce hesitantly holds his hand out towards him.

Fingers unfurl slowly, and Viktor tears his eyes away from Jacye’s hazel ones to see what rests in Jayce’s palm.

It’s a stunning piece of ocean jasper. The vibrant blue colors swirled organically with wisps of white and almost imperceptible flecks of yellow.

Viktor has seen this before, it’s Jayce’s favorite piece in his collection, one of the first rocks he found and decided to keep. He furrows his brow, confusion settling in his chest.

“Jayce I…I’m afraid I don’t understand. You’ve shown me this piece before.”

Jayce swallows thickly as Viktor looks up at him, and the scientist can see the slight tinge of fear on his face. Or maybe it’s nervousness…but what on earth is he so worried about?

Another beat of silence follows Viktor’s words, and Jayce closes his eyes tight, building up the courage to say whatever has been on his mind all day today. Eventually he opens them again, letting out a shaky exhale as he slowly reaches out to take one of Viktor’s hands in his own. Turning his palm upwards, Jayce places the stone into Viktor’s hand.

“I’m not very good at things like this, but…” Jayce takes a deep breath. “You’ve given me more than I could ever ask for in these last few months and I - I never expected much to come from this when I approached you on the dock all those months ago. But so much more came of it than I expected and I just knew you were different than the people my parents and the others warned me about and-” A weak chuckle slips past his lips, eyes avoided Viktor’s own.

“I don’t know if it would work. If you would even want it to work but I…I like you, Viktor. I find myself looking forward to seeing you or meeting here and at the docks more than anything else…”

Finally, Jayce manages to look at Viktor now, eyes hopeful as he squeezes his hand, and realization dawns on Viktor - like a bucket of ice water being poured all over him.

He feels foolish for not recognizing the signs the moment Jayce showed him the ocean jasper. His most prized possession. In their culture, Jayce’s people choose partners similarly to the way humans do. Attraction, feelings, love…and also similarly to humans they show their intentions through gifts, but in a much more symbolic way.

His heart beats frantically in his chest, the stone feeling like it weighs a millions pounds in his hand. His first thought is that he wants this. He wants to be with Jayce, and has enjoyed being with him every second since they first met. His immediate response is to say ‘yes, of course Jayce!’ but…the doubt follows soon after.

Is it even feasible? There's no way for either of them to survive in the other’s world, and even if there was…how could either of them sacrifice that? He couldn’t ask that of Jayce, and he knows Jayce wouldn’t ask it of him.

So he does the only thing his mind allows him to do at that moment.

He retreats.

“Jayce I…” His voice is weak, emotion clogging his throat. “I don’t…I may need some time to think…”

He chances a glance at the man across from him, and he knows the moment his eyes capture hazel ones the mistake he’s made. Jayce looks utterly defeated, even if he does try to hide it. His scarred brow is pulled inwards, furrowed in concentration.

Without a word Viktor turns Jayce’s hand over, placing the stone back into his warm palm, but Jayce shakes his head. Pushing the gift back into his hand, Jayce closes Viktor’s fingers around the jasper, giving him a pleading look.

“It’s yours. Just…keep it until you think about it, yeah?”

Viktor tries not to dwell on the way Jayce’s voice cracks slightly. He wants to say something, to assure Jayce that he’ll be back tomorrow and even if he doesn’t accept, nothing has to change.

But before he can even blink, Jayce is gone, and Viktor has never regretted his words more.

─────── ·𖥸· ─────── ·

He’s a fool.

That’s the only thing that runs through his mind as he hastily pulls on clothes in the middle of the night, grabbing his cane as he rushes out the door into the storm that had started raging just hours earlier.

The rain is frigid against his skin as he hails a cab outside his apartment, the driver giving him a questioning look in the rear view mirror as he tells him his destination.

“Did you not hear the news, pal? There’s a tropical storm blowing in, supposed to be real bad.”

“I don’t care.” Viktor says, slamming the door closed. “I need to get there.”

Grumbling faintly, the driver relents, putting the car into gear and heading to the bay. Viktor’s gaze never leaves the window on the journey there, eyeing the way lighting streaks across the sky, thunder rattling the taxi as it makes its way to their destination.

Yet, Viktor doesn’t care, his only goal being to get to Jayce and apologize.

The ride seems to take twice as long as usual, but perhaps that is only because Viktor is restless in the backseat. When they arrive, he haphazardly tosses several bills at the driver, more than enough to cover the cost and practically jumps from the vehicle.

The rain is worse here. The wind whips the droplets through the sky and stings Viktor’s skin as he makes his way down to the beach. By the time his feet hit the sand, he is soaked through, his clothes clinging to his body since he forgot to grab a raincoat in his haste.

While the weather works against him, the sand, completely wet from the rain actually makes his journey just a tad bit easier. The surface is just a little more firm, and his footsteps don’t sink nearly as far into the ground as usual. However, with the rain falling so hard he can hardly see a few feet in front of him, relying on mostly muscle memory to carry him towards the cave.

Thunder roars, lighting cracks, and waves crash dangerously against the cliff as Viktor finally approaches the edge of the beach that leads to their hideout. The water is much deeper than usual, the tide rising high and waves pushing violently against the rock face.

Viktor pauses. Glancing out into the treacherous surf out of habit, seeking out the familiar burgundy tail.

“Jayce!” he calls out, hoping in vain he will be heard.

But his voice is lost to the wind, and he pushes on.

His shoes and pants are soaked as he makes his way into the water, hugging the cliff while trying to steady himself with his cane. The water is up to his thighs now, and he’s forced to tuck his cane under his arm and use the cliff face for support for the rest of the journey.

After what seems like hours, but is only mere minutes he sees the entrance, the foliage curtain waving wildly in the wind. Practically shoving his way inside, he sighs at the cover the cave gives him, thankful to be out of the storm.

Shivers wrack his body as he slowly makes his way deeper, eyes adjusting to the dark room just enough so he can see a small pile of driftwood at the back of the cave, right next to a pile of ashes and older logs.

Fire. he needs to build a fire.

Thank goodness he had enough hindsight to leave a lighter and wood here from previous visits. With shaking hands Viktor manages to get a small flame going and immediately pulls off his soaking shirt and shoes, laying them on the ground to dry out.

He can feel the way his hair plasters to his forehead and the sides of his face, water dripping down over him in steady streams. He sighs, looking around the cave in naive hope that Jayce would be near.

But he knows he isn’t, he would have seen or heard him when he walked in.

“Stupid.” Viktor mutters to himself, still shivering as he moves to rest against the wall, stretching his leg out.

What was he hoping to accomplish? To find Jayce in the middle of a storm and confess his feelings?

Resting his head back against the wall he takes a deep breath. He can’t seem to do anything right today. For now, he will have to wait out the storm, and hopefully come back another day to find Jayce.

Or…that was the plan until a familiar voice echoes throughout the cave.

“Viktor?”

The scientist’s eyes snap open at the sound of his name, head coming off the wall to see Jayce in the pool across the room, eyes wide as they take him in.

“Jayce…”

Viktor is up, cane tapping rhythmically on the stone as he makes his way closer to the pool to finally sit uncerimosniously at the edge, eyes never leaving Jayce.

“What are you doing here?” Jayce asks, voice laced with concern as he swims closer, coming to sit on the ledge. “It’s dangerous to come here with a storm like this, you could have gotten hurt! Or worse -” He runs a worried hand through his hair as his eyes dart frantically over Viktor. “What were you thinking?”

Viktor has so many things he wants to say, all of them rehearsed as he laid in bed or on the cab ride over here. But they all go flying out of his mind the moment Jayce looks at him. So he does the one thing he’s wanted to do for months now.

Jayce’s skin is just as warm as he remembers as he reaches out to cup his face in his hands - and his lips are even warmer as they mold against his own. Jayce hesitates at first, shocked by the sudden action, but the moment he registers what is happening, he responds in kind.

His hands feel like molten lava against Viktor’s chilled skin, but he welcomes it as they find purchase on waist. Viktor pulls himself closer to Jayce, lips parting in a quiet gasp as solid arms wrap around him. He wants nothing more than to drown in Jayce’s embrace, but he is the first to pull away, dipping down to press their foreheads together.

“I accept.” He whispers, smiling as Jayce reaches up to brush soaking strands of hair off his face.

“You do?” Jayce asks, lips brushing against his own as he speaks.

Viktor nods, fumbling at his pants pocket until he produces the ocean jasper, pulling away from Jayce to hold it between them, thumb rubbing over the smooth surface.

“I’m sorry I left,” Viktor says, eyes rising up to meet Jayce’s once more. “I was a fool.”

Jayce shakes his head, his lips lifting up into a smile. “You’re here now.”

Stone wrapped tight in his hand, Viktor nods before wrapping his arms around Jayce’s neck. “And forever, if you’ll have me.”

There are still many unknowns. Questions they will have to figure out. But right now? In the silence of their cave and with one another…

Viktor knows it will all be worth it.

#jayce x viktor #Jayce Talis x Viktor #jayvik #jayvikaugust #arcane #arcane jayce #arcane viktor

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aerynwrites · 2 years ago

Text

Gotta Believe it’s Gonna be Alright || Part 1

Jayce Talis x Viktor

A/N: Written for the “occult/Supernatural” prompt for @jayvikaugust This idea was heavily fleshed out by my friend @thedreamlessnights and they helped me SO much with this idea and basically helped me co-write it. So this has been our baby for the past week or so and the weeks to come as we finish it up! it will be 3 main parts with 2 alternative endings you can choose from. Hope you all enjoy!

Synopsis: After a car crash upended Jayce’s life, he decides to try and start fresh with a new house in a new city. However, soon after he arrives, weird occurrences start to happen in his house and he finds that he may not be as alone as he thinks he is as he slowly starts to uncover the mystery behind the houses previous owner.

WC: 7k

You never know what tomorrow will bring.

The saying was something Jayce had heard his whole life, but had never truly taken to heart. That is, not until he learned it the hard way. It had all started with getting accepted into a prestigious university on a scholarship. What had begun as excitement, passion, and exhilaration, quickly became anything but. Days blurred into weeks and then into months, drowning in coursework, unable to keep up. Bad luck turned into daily occurrences - catching colds, which meant he missed work and classes, his car frequently breaking down, and, eventually, being laid off from his job due to budget cuts. So, no, he’d never known what tomorrow would bring. And, today, he definitely hadn’t known that the rust-red pickup truck would blow through a red light and come barreling into the intersection.

But here he is, mid-impact, breath caught in his lungs. And, all around him, everything seems to be frozen.

Metal screaming as it’s crushed beneath the weight of the other car. Tiny shards of glass that seem to float in slow-motion around him, like flakes of falling snow glinting in the afternoon sun. His stomach rolls with his car, and in a split-second surge of motion, he catches a glimpse of the concrete rushing up at him through his windshield. Then everything goes black.

The first thing he registers after that is voices. Too many voices, too close, and too loud - all at once, intensifying the throbbing in his skull as he struggles to comprehend his surroundings.

“This isn’t some surprise, we’ve kept up with his grades - his performance. He’s been trending downwards, slacking off, not completing assignments-”

Cassandra?

“Darling, you shouldn’t be so hard on him - a university like this requires time to adjust-”

Tobias.

“Adjustment is a luxury Jayce doesn’t have - not anymore.”

The words are scathing, full of disappointment and regret. Jayce wants to speak up - to defend himself and explain what’s been happening, but all that comes out is a pained groan as the much too bright lights meet his eyes.

“Jayce-”

His eyes focus when he hears that voice, squinting as he turns to see his mother standing at his bedside, the Kirramans behind her.

“Mom?”

A familiar hand slides into his own where it rests by his side, and he squeezes it weakly.

“I’m here, Jayce. I -”

Jayce tries to sit up, but a blinding pain shoots through his ribs, knocking the air from his lungs and forcing him back into the pillows.

“I can explain about school,” he mutters, teeth gritted. “Please-”

The words are barely past his lips before Cassandra is speaking up again, eyes void of their usual warmth as she looks at him. “There’s nothing to explain, Jayce. Your scholarship is gone, with the way that you’ve been…”

As the words hit him, Jayce’s ears ring. His scholarship…gone?

Cassandra’s lips are still moving, but he doesn’t hear a word she says. Instead, his eyes fall to the woman beside him. His mother. The one who’s always believed in him. Now, she looks as if she’s at a funeral, rather than her son’s bedside.

Disappointment - the emotion is clear as day in her eyes, and it makes his head pound even worse.

It feels like every sensation, every ounce of noise and emotion and pain, has been increased by tenfold.

Cassandra and Tobias arguing, his mother’s whispered questions in his ear - it feels like he’s suffocating. Like he’s drowning.

His voice shakes as he speaks, hands clammy as his heart beats erratically in his chest, sending the machine by his bed into a frenzied beeping.

“Can I just have a moment, just-”

No one's listening. No one even notices. His words are lost in the chaos of the room.

“Please, can you just listen?” he tries, but those are lost, too.

The machine grows louder, almost deafening despite the other voices in the room, and all at once, it’s like his lungs aren’t working.

Too much. Too loud.

He can’t stop himself as he rips his hand from his mother’s, eyes clenching shut as he tries to drown out the noise and then-

Silence.

Days bleed past where he isn’t himself, where his body seems to move of its own accord. Where life passes, but he’s left behind, trapped in that bed. Seeing everything, but not experiencing.

By the time he’s back to himself, it’s a week later. He blinks and he’s there, and it’s different. He’s moving out of the dorms. He’s finding a new house. He’s alone.

He tries to ignore that ache in his chest, but it won’t fade - and it’s not from the bruises on his ribs.

He’d fucked up.

He’d fucked up everything.

Even after he finally chooses a place to stay and moves in, the crowded boxes around him do nothing to block his reality. The memory of the hospital room fades in an instant, but the pain still lingers among the silence of this unfamiliar house, and he winces as he opens his eyes.

The floorboards creak beneath his weight as he shifts his feet, but that is the only sound in the room besides his breathing.

Silence. Unnerving silence that makes him feel more alone than ever before.

But maybe that’s for the best - being alone. He has no one left to disappoint. Well, maybe himself, but…that’s a feeling that’d settled in his chest a long time ago.

Jayce lets out a slow breath, focusing instead on the task currently at hand. Unpacking and trying to settle into this new house.

After the accident and everything that came with it, he hadn’t known what to do. So, what better way to figure out his next steps in life than trying to start fresh? A new city, a new job, a new house - well, new to him. The house itself is old but well-kept, the previous owner clearly taking pride in the house's history.

Jayce likes it as much as he can under the circumstances.

A soft ‘ping’ shakes him from his thoughts and fills the otherwise silent room as his phone vibrates in his pocket. Pulling it out, his heart clenches in his chest at what’s on the screen.

A text from Caitlyn - someone he hasn’t talked to in years, yet who’s just asked the three words that no one else had bothered to ask him since the accident.

Are you okay?

No. He’s not okay. He hasn’t been okay in months, let alone right now standing alone with no clue what the hell he’s going to do next.

What’s the point in doing anything anymore?

He stops that train of thought, pinching the bridge of his nose and taking a deep breath. Letting it out slowly, he shoves his phone back in his pocket - text unanswered - and finally takes a moment to figure out where to start with all this stuff crowding the living room.

Furniture that needs to be moved, boxes to unpack, clothes to put away…it’s all overwhelming. And the fact that this house is starting to creep him out doesn’t help.

He’s been trying to chalk the uneasy feeling to being alone for the first time in a long time. The house is much larger than he really needs and makes him hear things, or feel like he’s being watched.

But he can’t shake it.

He huffs, leaning down to pick up a random box, the thick black lettering on the side reading ‘bedroom’.

That’s as good a place to start as any.

Jayce walks down the short hallway to the bedroom, nudging the door open with his foot before setting the box down on the floor.

His bed is already in the room along with his nightstand, but the bigger things like the dresser and trunk are still out in the living room, unable to be moved without help.

Help he doesn’t have.

Shaking his head, he kneels down to sift through the box, mostly full of random pieces of clothing and the things that typically sit on top of his nightstand.

Pushing the box across the floor, he follows its trail until he’s close enough to start putting things back where they belong, on the piece of furniture. His alarm clock, one of those sunrise lights he’d seen an ad for on Instagram, and various other things he’d tossed in the drawer over the years.

Finally, his hand brushes one of the last items in the box, the contents of the familiar orange bottle rattling softly as he picks it up.

Sleeping pills.

Prescribed to him just after he’d started university and found it impossible to sleep or stay asleep. His mind constantly running with all the assignments he missed or needed to work on, upcoming projects and papers, his job requirements. He’d only used them when he couldn’t sleep or hadn’t slept well in days, but now…

He rolls the bottle over in his hand, the fine print of the black-box warning glaring up at him as he does so.

Take only as directed. Do not exceed the prescribed amount - misuse of medication may result in serious side-effects or even death.

He stills, mind falling blissfully blank as he rereads the label, his earlier thoughts echoing once again.

What’s the point in doing anything anymore?

He doesn’t even realize he’s opening the bottle until several pills lay piled in his hand. It’s hard to believe the little white capsules could make everything go away.

All his problems, gone. No more sleepless nights, or stress, or failure. No more disappointing the people he cares most about. No more of that gut-wrenching loneliness that’s been gnawing through his chest, eating him alive. No more pain.

Well, maybe a little more pain. But he can handle that. .

He takes in a shaky breath, presses the pills to his lips, and-

BANG!

The pills scatter across the floor as he jumps, heart thundering in his chest at the noise. It’s loud, concerningly so, and sounds like someone had just broken down his front door..

All else forgotten, he scrambles to his feet, slowly making his way down the hallway and into the main section of the house. The entire time, his eyes are scanning the entire way for the source of the sound.

Finally, as he enters the living room once more, he sees it - the collapsible stairs that lead to the attic sit wide open. The noise must have been them falling from the ceiling and hitting the floor.

But how had that happened?

There are only two options that Jayce’s frazzled mind can come up with - one being that there’s someone in his house and the other…

It’s haunted.

He settles on the former as being slightly more likely. Then he grabs a hammer from the toolbox on the living room floor and makes his way to the ladder-like stairs.

Part of him wants to shut them and pretend this never happened, but if there is someone up there, he’d rather know now than find out later.

The old wooden steps groan under his weight as he makes his way up into the attic, hammer ready as he breaches the opening in the ceiling. Once he’s made it in, he pulls out his phone, turning on the flashlight to illuminate the dark space.

He expects an empty room, but instead he’s surprised to see the small room filled with boxes, covered in layers of dust.

Hunching down into the space, he scans the area with his light and is thankful to see a string dangling from a single lightbulb in the ceiling. He tugs it gently and the bulb flickers to life, casting the attic in a dull yellow glow.

It’s strangely beautiful like this, filled with some remnants of life. It’s even better when he sees there’s no one else in the space with him - just old boxes and dust bunnies.

Sighing, he moves to sit on the floor - the uneasiness not quite leaving him even as he sets his hammer aside.

If there’s no one in the house…how did the attic access open? Typically, they take quite a bit of force to pull open and wouldn’t just fall-

His phone pings again. It’s another text from Caitlyn.

Are you going to ignore me forever?

Without thinking, Jayce pulls up the messenger app, fingers typing out the message and hitting send before he has time to stop himself.

I think my house is haunted. 😳

Cait has been his friend for most of his life, so the text comes naturally. One of the things he remembers most fondly from his childhood friendship with her is her obsession with the supernatural. He’d never quite believed in those things, but Cait did. Ouija boards, seances, souls that would never quite move on…it was always up her alley.

Which is why the immediate response from her made his lips quirk upwards.

We’re coming over. Send me your address.

Jayce frowns.

We?

Three dots pop up and disappear before the message comes through.

Me and Vi. You probably need help unpacking right?

He softens at the message. So much has happened since they stopped talking.

Cait had gotten engaged, moved here, and had been promoted to detective at the police department…and Jayce hadn’t been there for any of it. Yet, she’s talking to him as if no time has passed.

Thumbs tap across the screen once more.

1567 Emberflit Lane.

He sends his address and then another message a moment later.

Thanks, Cait.

Of course. Vi says we’re grabbing pizza on the way too. Hope you’re hungry.

As if on cue, his stomach grumbles, and he can’t help but chuckle at the impeccable timing.

Pizza sounds great. See you soon.

He sets his phone aside after receiving a thumbs up emoji from Cait, instead choosing to focus on the boxes in front of him.

He hadn’t thought much about anything when he bought the house, just saw that it was a foreclosure and therefore much more affordable than anything else.

But the things in front of him…it makes him question the history of the house. Because the history seems to be sitting right in front of him, the previous owner's life boxed up and shoved in this dusty attic and forgotten about.

Jayce opens the box closest to him, examining the contents, and is intrigued to find it full of a random assortment of tools and spare parts. More boxes reveal slowly the items these parts go with.

He isn’t sure what they are at first, but, after looking through several boxes, he starts to see a pattern. Prosthetics, braces - even a few modified and advanced prototypes of canes, crutches, and other assistive devices.

Some of the boxes even hold the blueprints and diagrams that go with each device, and Jayce can’t help but be impressed. The work is almost perfect, despite most of the pieces being unfinished.

He’s just opened another box when a soft shuffling meets his ears, like boxes being moved around further into the attic. Looking up, he peers deeper into the dim room, standing slowly to investigate.

All these noises, the stairs falling down, the unsettling feeling of being watched that just hasn’t gone away since he arrived…it’s putting him on edge. More so than he already is.

His search proves fruitless. Nothing seems out of place, and he doesn’t hear the noise again. He wants to look more - both for the source of the sound and at all the other unopened boxes - but the distant chime of the doorbell stops him.

He hurries down the static stairs, making sure to grab the discarded hammer to toss back into the toolbox. The doorbell rings again as he makes his way to the front door, and the sight that greets him when he opens it brings more comfort than he could’ve imagined possible.

Cait stands on the porch. Behind her is Vi, holding two pizzas and a six-pack of beer. Before he can even say anything, Cait is pulling him into a hug so tight he’s afraid she might crush him.

She always was a lot stronger than she looked.

“I missed you,” she says, voice muffled against his shirt.

He returns the gesture, hugging her just as tight. “I missed you too, Cait.”

“This is sweet and all,” Vi speaks up from behind Caitlyn, causing the two old friends to pull apart. “But I’m starving. So can we catch up inside, maybe?”

Jayce smiles at the woman’s teasing and nods, reaching out to take the food from her hands.

“Yeah, of course, come in.”

He stands aside to let the two of them in and kicks the door shut behind them as he leads them into the living room.

“Thanks for getting the pizza, by the way. I didn’t realize I don’t have any groceries until you said something.”

He watches as Vi and Cait stand in the living room, looking around for a place to settle down.

Which…there isn’t any.

Jayce switches into host mode almost immediately, setting the pizzas on a closed box while he tries to clear off any furniture they could use.

“Sorry, I wasn’t expecting guests…” He trails off, moving boxes off of an old coffee table and the couch, wiping any dust off as well before gesturing to the cushions. “Please, sit. I’ll get uh…I don’t have any plates either-“

Cait is quick to assure him, grabbing the pizza and placing it on the coffee table, Vi flipping the lids open.

“It’s okay, Jayce. We don’t care about this stuff.”

Jayce shrugs. “I know, I just…” Then he sighs, unsure of what he even wants to say.

Vi pats the cushion between her and Caitlyn, grabbing a piece of pizza with the other. “Just come sit down - I want to hear all about this ‘Golden Boy’ Cait always talks about.”

Jayce can’t stop the smile that tugs at his lips as he complies with Vi’s request. Taking a slice of pizza, he plops down on the couch, and starts to answer the list of questions the pink-haired woman throws at him.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Over the next few hours, the three of them make considerable progress in unpacking and organizing the small home. The living room slowly comes together before they move to the kitchen and then his bedroom. Vi makes herself scarce after helping move the larger furniture into the room, opting instead to start sweeping and do other general clean up in other areas of the house.

She tries to make an excuse for it, but Jayce has a feeling that Cait has wanted to get a moment alone with him -something he’s been dreading since they showed up to his house, but now has no way to avoid.

He tries to busy himself with putting clothes away in the dresser, but the tactic doesn’t work for long, and soon he hears his friend call out to him.

“Jayce…what’s this?”

Her voice is soft as she speaks, and the moment Jayce turns around he realizes what she’s seeing and feels his heart sink to his stomach.

He rushes over to where she stands next to his nightstand, the little white pills from earlier still scattered over the floor. He kneels, sweeping the tiny objects into a pile as he struggles to pick them up, hands shaking.

“I uh - I dropped them earlier, when I was unpacking. The lid snapped open when the uhm-” He pauses, the pills sitting heavily in his hand. “I dropped the bottle when I heard the attic stairs fall open.It spooked me, that's all.”

He avoids his friends' calculating gaze, dumping the pills back into their bottle before tossing the whole thing into the nightstand and shutting the drawer.

The slight creaking of his bed is followed by a soft sigh, and all he can bring himself to do is move to sit beside Caitlyn on the bed, eyes glued to the floor.

“What happened, Jayce?”

He sighs. “I just told you-”

“I’m not talking about the pills, Jayce! But maybe we need to, because I…” She sighs again, and this time Jayce looks over to her, guilt swelling in his chest at the frustrated look on her face.

“We used to be best friends. You were like a brother to me and then…nothing. For years.”

He leans forward, resting elbow on his knees as he worries his hands together. “We just…drifted apart, Cait-”

“No. No!” She cuts him off again. “You distanced yourself from me. Not the other way around. Do you know how many unanswered messages I have on my phone that I sent you? How every year I wished you a happy birthday or invited you to come and meet Vi when we got engaged?”

His heart aches in his chest at the way her voice breaks as she speaks, and he finally forces himself to look over and meet her eyes.

“I know, Cait, I know. And I’m so sorry.” He truly means that, with every fiber of his being. “I just - I wasn’t coping well with…anything and my solution was to just…push everyone away.”

“I gathered that,” she says, voice slightly bitter as silence befalls them.

Neither of them say anything for a while, and Jayce worries for a moment that he’s lost yet another person he loves.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know how I can make it up to you or-”

Jayce barely gets halfway into his apology before he’s wrapped up in another hug, arms looped tightly around him. He returns the gesture hesitantly, unable to understand why he deserves this. He goes to speak, but Cait pulls away before he can do so, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“For starters, you can make it up to me by telling me about your haunted house.”

Jayce grins, standing up to lead her back into the living room to tell both women the story.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Surprisingly, Cait doesn’t automatically jump on the ghost theory. She’s actually the one to look at the stairs and point out there’s a faulty suspension spring, which may have been why the attic access fell open.

The reasoning puts Jayce at ease, and they continue where they left off with cleaning and unpacking. There isn’t much more to go, and as Cait and Vi are finishing up in the living room, he does a final sweep of the kitchen.

He wipes down the counters, starts the dishwasher, and begins sweeping near the fridge. When the broom tugs something out from beneath, he freezes.

It’s a faded newspaper clipping, the fragile paper fluttering back to the ground from where he disturbed it. Leaning the broom against the counter, he stoops down to pick up the paper, eyes scanning over the newsprint as he stands upright again.

Stanwick Corp Releases Groundbreaking Medical Prototype.

The headline is an eye-catcher for sure, but what holds Jayce’s attention is the picture below it. A man stands on a large stage next to what looks to be a robotic prosthesis, his smile wide as he gestures grandly to the invention.

He can’t explain why, but Jayce finds something about the photo familiar. Like a tug in the back of his mind urging him to look further, read the rest of the article to get more information.

“Where’d you find that?”

Cait’s voice startles Jayce from his thoughts, the paper crinkling in his hand as he turns to face her.

“What?”

She gestures to the newspaper. “The Stanwick Corporation - That’s an old article. It came out around the time I was investigating Richard Stanwick.” She chuckles. “Did you know his legal name is Stanwick Pididly?”

Jayce can’t help smiling at the snort she lets out. But her expression solemns.

“That was the only interesting thing I found in that investigation, unfortunately,” she murmurs.

Jayce looks at her, brows furrowed. “You investigated him? Why?”

Cait shrugs. “Got some reports of fraud and tax evasion along with some other unsavory business dealings,” she says, gesturing to the article again. “In truth…I always thought he was shady, his company just barely managing to stay afloat until this sudden invention. But it doesn’t matter, all the reports were unfounded. Never found anything to hold against him. Which I suppose is good…his company has done a lot of good for people since then.”

Jayce nods slowly, eyes falling back to the article as that familiar uneasy feeling settles in his belly. “Hm…”

“Cait!” Vi’s loud voice pulls their attention as she appears in the doorway, eyes glancing between them. “Hey, uh, sorry to break this up but uh-” She glances at her fiancée. “I have that match, remember? I didn’t even realize what time it was.”

At the mention of the time, Caitlyn glances down at her phone and sighs, casting an apologetic look to Jayce. “I’m sorry. Vi has an MMA fight in under an hour, we have to go-”

Jayce waves her off, a small smile on his lips. “Don’t worry about it,” he assures her. “You guys helped out a ton today. Seriously, no worries.”

They both mutter a quiet thanks and gather their things to head towards the door. However ,before they can leave Jayce catches up to them.

“Vi!” The pink haired woman turns back to face him just as he holds out a closed fist. “Good luck at the match. Kick their ass.”

She grins, all teeth and a mischievous wink as she taps her knuckles to his. “You know it. See ya later, pretty boy!”

Cait gives him a smile of her own as her partner rushes down the porch steps and towards the car. She gives Jayce a quick hug before following in her footsteps.

“Text me if you need anything!” she calls over her shoulder before getting into the passenger seat of the car.

Jayce manages to give one last wave before they’re pulling away from the curb and down the street, tail lights disappearing around the corner.

With that, he turns and heads back into the house, shutting and locking the door before heading to his bedroom. Taking a quick look at the clock on his nightstand, he’s hit by how late it is, and suddenly the exhaustion from the day settles deep in his bones.

Glancing to his neatly-made bed, courtesy of Caitlyn, he decides to take a quick shower before going to sleep.

Maybe, for once, tomorrow will bring something good.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

The air in his bedroom is frigid when he wakes up, the thin layer of sweat on his skin raising chill bumps to the surface as he wearily sits up in bed.

The room is pitch dark - the only source of light is the clock on his bedside table, soft blue numbers reading three o’ six in the morning.

For a moment Jayce wonders why he woke up at this hour. Then the fragmented images of his dream flit across the forefront of his mind.

The attic.

The dim yellow glow accompanied by the smell of time past and dust motes circling in the air…

Why had he dreamt of the attic?

He doesn’t even remember what the dream was about but…he can’t help but feel an unnatural tug towards the space in the ceiling.

Without much thought, Jayce tosses the covers off himself, feet meeting the cool hardwood as he stands. Making his way to the living room, he feels that feeling again - the hairs on the back of his neck standing up as if danger is nearby. As if he’s not alone, someone watching his every move.

But the urge to climb the stairs doesn’t abate, so he pushes onwards, pulling down the attic access once he’s in the living room. With Jayce guiding them, the wooden ladder-like stairs hit the ground much softer this time, and he makes his way up as soon as they touch the floor.

The room is the same, the boxes he was sitting though sitting exactly where they were before. But this time he wants to look at the boxes in the very back of the room.

Once close enough for the boxes to be in reach, he sits on the floor, legs crossed as he opens one of the containers. He expects more mechanical parts or prototypes like the boxes before - but this time it’s different.

This time it’s filled with what looks like notes. Notes and notebooks and even a few pictures, all tossed carelessly into the boxes, leaving the parchment wrinkles and bent. Immediately, he reaches into the pile of paper, trying to stack them together somewhat neatly as he sifts through them. Most of them seem to be notes about the prototypes and other projects, ideas and the creator’s thoughts.

An inventor. That must have been who owned the house before him - someone who had a penchant for creating.

He can relate to that. At least…before. Before everything fell apart.

The notes get more details as he digs deeper into the boxes, and also more frantic. Neat handwriting slowly switched to messy scrawl, as if the author had been running out of time.

The notebooks were more of the same - that is, until he got to a particularly thick leather-bound notebook, stuffed in the bottom of the box, one corner of it blackened and brittle. As if someone had tried to burn it.

Setting the other notes aside, Jayce unwinds the leather strings binding the notebook closed. The material is well-worn. The book has clearly been opened and closed dozens of times, and was held in loving hands.

The paper crinkles softly as he flips through the pages, until, towards the middle of the book, several newspaper clippings fall into his lap. He sets the open book on one knee while he shifts through the news articles, and he notices a pattern.

All of them are about the Stanwick Corporation, or about Richard Stanwick himself. Articles about their stocks falling, about their next project, their new heir…dozens of articles dating back years and leading up to the present.

However, the most recent article is dated at a little over six months ago.

Around the same time as the article he found in the kitchen.

It clicks then.

The picture on the article he found downstairs and why it seemed so familiar.

He looks around the attic, eyes landing on a blueprint he had left lying out - it’s the blueprint for the prototype being unveiled by Stanwick in that article.

But what does it all mean?

These notes, the prototypes, the news article…it all points to Stanwick in some way. Did someone associated with the company used to live here?

If so…then why is all this shoved up in the attic like it’s trying to be forgotten? If this stuff belonged to Stanwick or someone who worked for him, wouldn’t it have been claimed by the company?

Jayce glances back at the notebook on his lap, hoping maybe it has answers.

The notes in this book are much different than the others. This isn’t scientific research or prototype ideas…these pages are personal, someone’s internal thoughts spewed onto delicate pages. And they seem to get more devolved the further he flips through the journal until-

It ends. Messy calligraphy giving way to blank pages halfway through the notebook.

He flips back to the start of the last entry.

It’s dated at the same time as the article he found downstairs. Within days of when the article was published.

His brows furrowed, mind running faster than he can keep up with it.

What does it mean? If it means anything at all. Maybe he’s searching for something that isn’t there, his innate nature to fix things taking over.

But something doesn’t feel right. Nothing about this feels-

His ears perk at the sound behind him, the unmistakable sound of footsteps on old flooring.

Immediately, he looks behind him, eyes scanning the space. At first he doesn’t see anything, but as he sweeps the area again, he swears he sees the silhouette of a person at the edge of the attic.

“Who’s there?” he calls, turning to face the intruder only to be met with empty space and no answer to his question.

Fuck this.

He tosses everything back into the box before picking it up and making a beeline for the exit, stumbling down the steps before all but slamming them shut.

His heart races in his chest despite his attempts to rationalize his situation. It’s three a.m, he’s tired, he’s in a new place. His mind has to be playing tricks on him.

The box lands with a thump where he places it on the ground by the couch, and the cushions sag beneath his weight as he sits, a stuttered sigh slipping past his lips. Jayce leans forwards, elbows on his knees as he runs a hand through his hair, eyes glancing to the notebook that sits at the top of the box’s contents.

Part of him wants to take the box back up to the attic, shove it all to the very back and forget everything he's read. It’s probably for the best anyways, instead of him trying to make up a story that isn't there. The previous owner had left all this stuff behind for a reason.

He huffs, reaching out to pick up the notebook again, thumbing through the pages.

“It’s probably nothing,” he says to himself, trying to talk himself down. “It’s just a bunch of junk the old owner didn’t want.”

“It’s not junk.”

Fear shoots through Jayce like lightning at the unfamiliar voice right behind him. He’s on his feet before he even registers moving, spinning on his heel to face the source of the sound. His eyes go wide, heart stalling in his chest as he sees a man standing behind his couch, brows pulled together in frustration and lips turned downward.

“What the hell-”

His foot catches on the corner of the coffee table as he tries to back away from the stranger in his home, and he stumbles, barely catching himself before he falls.

The man speaks again, and this time Jayce notices a distinct accent to his words. “What are you doing in my home?”

Jayce scoffs, stance widening defensively as he squares his shoulders. “Your home? This is my house! You need to leave, right now-”

“I’m not leaving. This is my house, you are the one who does not belong-”

Jayce fumbles for his phone as the man steps closer, stopping only because of the couch that separates them. Holding out a hand in warning, Jayce powers on his device.

“Look, you need to leave right now or I’m calling the cops.”

The stranger scoffs. “This is ridiculous…”

Terrified out of his mind and confused by the stranger standing in his living room, Jayce can’t help but be frustrated. He should just call the cops, have them come arrest him so he can move on with his night but…something isn’t sitting quite right with him.

“Who are you?” Jayce asks.

His questions makes the other man pause, golden eyes watching him before they flick down to the box of notes. He gestures to them, then to the attic.

“You should know, considering you are snooping through my things.”

This answer makes Jayce pause now, the pieces slowly clicking into place. “You’re the previous owner of the house?”

The man rolls his eyes, shifting his weight. “Obviously. Which makes me ask you again, what are you doing here?”

Jayce scrambles for an answer that will pacify him. Obviously this man is confused and doesn’t understand that he no longer owns this house, but it doesn’t make sense. The man before him looks put together - well-dressed, chestnut hair styled neatly…he doesn’t look like the type of person to walk into someone else's home and threaten them.

“Look,” he begins. “I don’t know what to tell you. I bought this house in foreclosure - the realtor didn’t tell me anything about why it was foreclosed or the previous owner I just…I’m sorry, but you don’t own this house anymore.”

It’s silent for a moment as the stranger takes in the information, and Jayce can practically see the gears turning in his head. Without saying anything, the man takes a few steps closer and Jayce’s mouth dries up.

The man - he…he’d passed right through the couch. Like it wasn’t even there.

Immediately, Jayce backs away, and now he’s sure he’s still dreaming.

“Holy shit - Hey! Do not come any closer.” He doesn’t know what the fuck is going on, but he doesn’t want this guy anywhere near him right now.

Finally, the other man listens, stopping in the space between the couch and coffee table. Typically having the table between him and a possible threat would console Jayce a little, but considering he just saw this guy walk through solid matter - nothing makes him feel better right now.

“H-How did you do that? You just walked through a solid object!” The laugh that leaves him is one of panic, and he can’t help but close his eyes tight, willing himself to wake up. “This isn’t real - I’m going crazy, I have to be-”

“You are not crazy.”

The words pull him from his panicked state, and Jayce opens his eyes to see the man right where he was a moment ago, but this time he’s looking down at one of his hands, seemingly deep in thought.

“I do not…I don’t understand what's happening to me. I woke up a few days ago when you showed up with a moving truck.” He gestures to the room around him. “At first I was…confused. I didn’t remember how I got back here, why all of my things were gone. Then I noticed this.”

Jayce watches as the man bends down to touch the coffee table, but his hand goes right through the solid surface, just like the couch. He stands straight again, wiggling his fingers as he looks up at Jayce.

“I only started to get my memory back when I found my things in the attic. Then, by that point you’d started to settle in, I noticed that you could…sense my presence but not see me even though I was standing right before you.”

The more he talks, the more distraught he seems to get, as if he’s putting pieces of a puzzle together and not enjoying the picture it creates. He drops his hand, golden eyes locked onto Jayce.

“What is the date?” he asks, head tilting to the side just slightly.

Jayce fumbles, mind blanking on the answer until he glances down to his phone and reads the date off to him. The man’s shoulders slump, eyes falling to the ground.

Jayce takes a step forward, not as worried about him being a threat. “What is it? I don’t…I don’t understand. I can try to help you if I can but I-”

The man cuts him off again with a hand held up before him.

“The last thing I remember before waking up here is being taken,” he says, voice grave. “I was at the supermarket walking to my car when a van pulled up - three men jumped out and pulled me into the van and I…the last thing I remember is them knocking me out and then I was here.”

Jayce doesn’t say anything at first, confusion still consuming him. “I don’t…” he trails off, words failing him.

The man sighs. “If the date you told me is correct, then that incident happened over six months ago. And now I’m like this-” he gestures to himself, passing his hand through the table again before falling silent.

“Am I…dead?”

The question sounds deafening in the silent room, and Jayce doesn’t know what to say. His rational mind is telling him no, that this is still all just a dream that he’ll wake up from any moment. But it all feels too real. He can feel the chill of the floorboards beneath his feet, hear the faint chirping of crickets outside, and can clearly see the person standing before him.

Maybe Caitlyn was right to believe in this stuff.

After going over everything the man said, he can’t help but think the same. He was kidnapped for whatever reason, and maybe they held him for a long time before he passed or they…

Jayce shakes his head, unable to wrap his mind around the idea. But as he glances from this stranger back to the notebook and box of notes…Jayce can’t help but want to figure this out.

Maybe he was brought to this city, this house for a reason.

Maybe he can finally make up for all his failures.

With a look he hopes is determined, he stands up tall once more. “I can help you. Or try at least. If you really are a…ghost or a spirit trapped here, maybe if I find out who did this it can help you, move on or something…What’s your name?”

The man scoffs, a bitter sound that worries Jayce.

“My name is Viktor,” he says, gold eyes locking onto Jayce’s. “And I can already tell you what happened to me. Richard Stanwick wanted to silence me. To take credit for all the work he stole from me.” Viktor’s eyes fall to the article Jayce had found earlier where it sits at the edge of the table.

“And it looks like he succeeded.”

Silence befalls the room as the meaning of Viktor's words settle in, and for the first time in months, Jayce feels a steady resolve settle in his chest. He reaches over, taking the article in his hand before looking up and catching Viktor’s golden gaze once more as he gives him a small smile.

“Well then.” Jayce taps Stanwicks picture with his finger, the newsprint rustling softly. “It looks like we have some detective work to do.”

Viktor sends him a curious look, a frown on his face once more as Jayce continues.

“We’re gonna figure out what happened to you, Viktor.”

And Jayce means that. Whatever it takes…he’s gonna do this right.

#jayvik AUgust #Jayvik #jayce x viktor #viktor x jayce #Arcane Jayce #Arcane Viktor #arcane #jayvikaugust

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