Jayce making his way back to Viktor's worktable is heartening, and his shoulders relax when he realizes that he hasn't yet pushed too hard. Perhaps, one day, when things get bad, he might--but they're not there yet. He watches him for a moment, and then lets out another sigh.
"It's impossible not to like you, Jayce." There's a touch of warmth in his voice now, a sincerity that bubbles to the surface in spite of everything. Jayce is overly-concerned with what other people think of him in a way that Viktor absolutely is not, so the sentiment isn't exactly surprising, and he manages an exasperated laugh, shaking his head a little that Jayce could even be worrying about such a thing. And it feels a little strange, to hear new friends--but he supposes that's what they are. Back home, nobody ever comes to the lab looking for him, so this must be an adjustment. It must feel backwards, and it occurs to him that perhaps the concern betrays a deeper anxiety, one that comes from Viktor having established himself here, in the absence of anything and everything he knows, including Jayce. "I would not be able to replace you even if I wanted to."
And that might be all he's going to say about that. Viktor finally removes his left knee from its bent position and puts both feet on the ground, leaning back on the stool to admire his handiwork. It's remarkably similar to what he used back home, and he appears satisfied with the end product. With little fanfare, he bends to pull his shirt over his head (not a difficult feat, given the loose-fitting cut and the fact that he's always been somewhat insubstantial, physically speaking) and holds up the brace, straightening his back and gesturing for Jayce to move closer. This is going to be intimate in a way he's not sure he's ready for, so he decides that the best course of action is to be as clinical about it as possible.
"We should only need to do this once. I can do everything in the front, but this piece--" he pauses, making sure Jayce is watching as he points out the longer shingles of metal on the brace, meant to follow the line of his spine, "--anchors to the implant--" another gesture, reaching his arm behind him to indicate the series of bolts between his shoulder blades, "--here. Third one down. Then, it's just a matter of tightening the mechanisms that I can't reach, until it's fitted properly. I'll walk you through it."
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"It's impossible not to like you, Jayce." There's a touch of warmth in his voice now, a sincerity that bubbles to the surface in spite of everything. Jayce is overly-concerned with what other people think of him in a way that Viktor absolutely is not, so the sentiment isn't exactly surprising, and he manages an exasperated laugh, shaking his head a little that Jayce could even be worrying about such a thing. And it feels a little strange, to hear new friends--but he supposes that's what they are. Back home, nobody ever comes to the lab looking for him, so this must be an adjustment. It must feel backwards, and it occurs to him that perhaps the concern betrays a deeper anxiety, one that comes from Viktor having established himself here, in the absence of anything and everything he knows, including Jayce. "I would not be able to replace you even if I wanted to."
And that might be all he's going to say about that. Viktor finally removes his left knee from its bent position and puts both feet on the ground, leaning back on the stool to admire his handiwork. It's remarkably similar to what he used back home, and he appears satisfied with the end product. With little fanfare, he bends to pull his shirt over his head (not a difficult feat, given the loose-fitting cut and the fact that he's always been somewhat insubstantial, physically speaking) and holds up the brace, straightening his back and gesturing for Jayce to move closer. This is going to be intimate in a way he's not sure he's ready for, so he decides that the best course of action is to be as clinical about it as possible.
"We should only need to do this once. I can do everything in the front, but this piece--" he pauses, making sure Jayce is watching as he points out the longer shingles of metal on the brace, meant to follow the line of his spine, "--anchors to the implant--" another gesture, reaching his arm behind him to indicate the series of bolts between his shoulder blades, "--here. Third one down. Then, it's just a matter of tightening the mechanisms that I can't reach, until it's fitted properly. I'll walk you through it."