#alltimelines

"Let me try to fill the cracks that litter your floor."

emery  hums  in  acknowledgement,  not  looking  up  from  the  bowl  in  her  hands.  her  attention  remains  on  the  way  the  way  the  noodles  maneuver  along  and  off  her  spoon  in  the  bowl  as  she  stirs,  allowing  herself  to  take  the  time  to  actually  consider  the  ask.  for  once,  she  felt  as  though  she  could  actually  consider.  she'd  grown  use  to  the  expecation  that  she'd  just  do  anything  she  was  asked.  it  had  been  her  norm  for  a  long  time,  but  it  had  become  a  necessity  after  she  lost  her  parents.  her  siblings  had  relied  on  her,  and  she'd  officially  become  the  head  of  the  household  in  the  eyes  of  their  community.  that  came  with  increased  responsibilities,  sure,  which  she  didn't  mind.  what  had  begun  to  wear  her  down  was  her  lack  of  opportunity  to  choose.

she  had  to  pick  up  the  slack  where  her  siblings  couldn't,  she  had  to  make  the  sacrifices  they  shouldn't  have  to  (  even  if  she  shouldn't  have  to  either  ).  and  for  the  most  part  she  didn't  mind.  not  while  they  were  all  there,  and  safe.  but  now  as  they  were  getting  older,  and  the  responsibilities  weren't  strictly  on  her  and  carmen  ...  she  had  more  time.  maybe  time  she  could  be  using  to  do  something  to  build  their  future,  not  just  keep  them  alive.  which  had  lead  her  to  this  moment.

“  do  you  really  think  there's  any  left  ?  ”  emery  finally  asks,  looking  up  from  the  bowl  to  meet  the  man's  eyes.  the  duo  sits  at  her  kitchen  table,  the  room  dimming  with  the  setting  sun.

jayce's smile is soft, he drops his hand from the handle of door and returns to the depths of the room. their shared space was dimly lit, the combination of the small lamp an the gap in the curtains did little to b r i g h t e n the room, but it didn't seem to bother viktor. there was something comforting about the darkness. likely the fact he wasn't alone in it.

it had been several weeks since the incident ( as it had been dubbed in jayce's apartment ), and they hadn't gone out much. viktor at all, and jayce very minimally. primarily to get updates, to see caitlyn ... but for viktor had stayed in. presumed dead by both piltover and the undercity, it made the most sense to keep a lower profile. but jayce had voiced, that it's p o s s i b l e people wouldn't recognize him. most people never met him, and the general public wasn't there for the attack to begin with. he'd likely be s a f e . but there was still reluctance, and jayce understood. it's part of why he'd offered his home. while he had his ulterior motives ... his focus was viktor's safety. and happiness. the idea of leaving him alone was never something he entertained, and he knew his own apartment was a welcoming space. and more importantly, not a target for those he did know the truth of the machine herald.

“ hey hey hey, i get it, ” jayce soothes, his smile still soft as he returns to the couch. he takes a seat on the center cushion, pulling one leg onto the couch so he can turn and face his partner. his partner. a phrase that felt very different now, yet somehow the same. he reaches out and takes viktor's hand in both of his, tilting his head slightly, “ you want me to stay? i won't go today. it's easy as that. ”

today is no different than the rest, save for one of their groups coming back from a run with quite a few injured. raiders, she's been told. not looking for jackson, but unknowingly getting close, and after being offered to be taken back to the settlement...things got bad. of course, all raiders are idiots, though. at least in gail's mind. before they attacked, they failed to get directions back to jackson. see? idiots. thinking about it just made gail pinch the bridge of her nose as she waited outside viktor's hospital room.

viktor. she looks over his medical chart and goes over what she's been told. he came back from the run with an injured leg. he almost lost it, but thankfully they were able to save it from being amputated. although now, he needs a brace and won't ever walk the same again. the group he was with lost someone that day as well. what was her name? ...sky? poor girl. they had lost one of their smartest minds. she and viktor were close, it seems. how close, she wasn't sure. just another mental note to go over with viktor.

by the time the doctor invited her in, she had everything she needed for their session. and so she walks into the door post, clipboard in hand. " hello, viktor. how are you doing? " it seems a stupid question to ask, but the way someone answers it tells her a lot.

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