#melvikjayce

Mel going to Viktor's commune after her magic is revealed to her. They bond through being bestowed powers they never asked for, powers they received because people who love them wanted to protect them, save them, because they thought they could, because they never stopped to think if they should... These people's greed and ambition dragged them into something they had no say in, no agency in... And now they feel like strangers in their own bodies, in their own existence, grasping with a completely new reality, the foundations of their worlds shaken to the core.

And missing Jayce still, wondering where he is, if he's okay, without any news, not hearing anything from other people, like he just disappeared...

''Do you... love him ?" Viktor asks, and Mel hears the vulnerability in his voice despite his calm demeanor.

They sit on the edge of the small fountain inside the verdoyant dome of plants and giant flowers, the calm splashing of water soothing their uncertainty.

She doesn't hesitate when she responds.

''I do.''

Viktor nods slowly, eyes on the cog he traces the edges of with his thumb, and Mel feels a pang of sadness from him but also, an understanding, a similar sentiment to the one she bears for Jayce.

''You know...'' she begins with a slight hesitation, watching Viktor's fingers running back and forth on a dent in the metallic object. ''He loved you, too.''

Watercolor irises meet hers, expecting more, waiting for more. Hoping for more.

''And I thought... I thought it was brotherly love, he called you that.'' she smiles tenderly, a soft laugh escaping her mouth. ''But in retrospect, I doubt it was just that.''

She feels Viktor's hope, and an ache too, one that doesn't bear asking the question.

But it's too late, isn't it ?

The air is still in the commune, yet the plants seem to shiver with an imaginary breeze.

Jayce's presence has always been unmistakable to them, a constant in their lives for many years now, and they're just as painfully aware of his absence.

''He'll come back to us.''