june catch-all

[mehanizovati]

Who: viktor and others, open to all with some closed prompts in comments
What: june catch-all, some tdm prompts
When: june
Where: various

content warning; terminal illness, arcane season 1 spoilers



misc lab stuff and various fruits.

[viktor's lab in the willful machine is usually left unlocked when he's working inside. friends or acquaintances have likely been told they're welcome to stop by if they like, either to say hello or to get help with whatever a vaguely sketchy lab could handle. of course someone he doesn't know can just walk in too or knock. maybe there's a sudden downpour and that ajar door is tempting? go for it.

the lab has been slowly filling with all sorts of nonsense on the various tables- lasers! tasers! some weird machine hooked up to a blood gem? it is not unlikely to be walking by and hear some minor booming noise and either a curse in czech or a satisfied 'a-ha!' feel free to investigate.

this month there's something else too, a bowl full of fruit. all the fruits mentioned in the tdm in fact, there to be tested on though it looks more like they're just for guests if people are unaware there's some weird shit going on.]

Just a moment, make yourself at home. [he might say to guest. that would include eating some fruit, right? enjoy. probably not the raw lemon though, that's weird.]

[ooc; if you want to memshare i am game, my only hard limit on memories is no suicide stuff please. self sacrifice is fine! feel free to ask to make sure one is okay. if you'd like a viktor memory let me know any hard limits and what sort of memory you might prefer!]


gaze and time loops.

[having lungs mostly working for the moment is pretty great, in viktor's humble opinion. it means walking around the trench doesn't come with the risk of coughing up blood and attracting beasts and generally having a bad time, along with added perks like not getting so easily winded and going for longer. it also means he finds himself out longer than he usually would, which maybe isn't the best, as it turns out.

for example, making his way home through gaze and hearing the chilling cry of a beast, sighing and trying to make his way around what turns out to be the wrong corner. maybe that's where he sees your character before the snarling of a too close beast starts in earnest.

and then snap! they're both back about an hour, where they passed on the street. the look viktor gives is somewhere between resigned and 'fuck this, actually.'] There is a term for this. 'One of those days,' I think.



[ooc; if you'd like to wildcard or do something else you can pm me here or find me at dichotomy]

Comments

[likethelight]

[ It is entirely not fair to have the tables turned, you know. But that answer gets a surprised sort of look from Allen, before he laughs weakly at it. ]

I don't know... [ A rare honest answer. His kneejerk would be to say because of Shouto, being concerned at how his death had impacted him and that even if he didn't complain, he shouldn't leave him alone. But... ] Both of us, I think. It can be hard to tell with him sometimes, with how much he keeps to himself and doesn't express things very strongly most of the time, but... he was starting to seem happier. He smiled more, and yet could become sad so easily too. And I can't help but feel it was a bad idea to leave him there alone after everything that happened. [ His... death. And while Allen doesn't know Shouto had cremated his body with his brother and Viktor does, what Allen knows and Viktor doesn't is that technically... technically... Shouto had been the one to inadvertently kill him faster with his misfired ice than the wounds from Dabi's beast form. ]

So I had thought about doing that, actually... [ Saying he could come stay with Allen sometimes too, but his tone is still uncertain as that doesn't feel fully right either. He'd spent almost a year working on that house and there was something special about it; something peaceful and content. The short time Allen had spent there with him was honestly the happiest he'd been in as long as he could remember, even with the shadow of his death and recovery hanging over it. Something about it being quiet and removed from everything else, the rest of Trench, that made it easier to let go of his problems. ]

But I don't know. That doesn't feel quite fair either.

[mehanizovati]

[viktor nods along, a soft frown as he remembers shouto at the beach. peaceful but rigid, struggling, quiet. doing his best to move relentlessly forward, even if that was only the effort to wait for allen's return.

he can see it. he still doesn't know exactly what happened, a matter he'll ask allen one day but certainly not today. after a quiet moment to consider it all he says,] You do not feel right asking him to leave his home?

His home will still be there, just as Sanctuary will still be here for you. I think you should consider instead the very basics- if you are both happier being close rather than far then that is a fact you can work with. It means you should remain close, and then it becomes a matter of finding a solution that works towards that goal.

[he offers a one shouldered shrug.] It is okay to be selfish in these matters too, you realize. Well, I doubt you do, you are selfless to a fault.

[likethelight]

[ That... that one incredibly simple way you just put it has Allen's head snapping up almost comically dumbfounded. Eyes wide, mouth lightly parted as even his jaw has gone slack. If you are both happier being close rather than far...

The very basics, the simple things are what Allen understands best. What are undeniable, simply because they are so simple and usually just rooted in plain fact. And that, despite everything else that's rather confusing and he's unsure about... that much is so very crystal clear he wouldn't even need to think about it. And he stares a little, because it's kind of ridiculous how obvious that seems when you put it like that. ]

Ah... [ He blinks for a moment, a touch owlishly. The gentle tease about being selfless to a fault barely even registers. ]

Viktor, you're... very wise sometimes, you know?

[mehanizovati]

[that has viktor blinking, a touch surprised before he snorts. who would have thought he could give good advice on these matters. probably another way allen is simply someone easy to get along with for him, who can look plain rationality in the face and find it helpful instead of cold.]

Not typically in these matters, but sometimes. [amused.] Regardless, why not speak with Shouto plainly about it all? He seems to prefer being upfront, from what I have seen.

[likethelight]

[ Allen, for all his idealism, is a realistic who just chooses to hold onto his ideals and hopes despite how terrible reality may be because it would be far worse to just despair. It's why he gets along well with Viktor too, and perhaps why he got past Allen's own fronts so quickly... he's practical and pragmatic, but in a way that's still warm and caring.

Something Allen finds inspiring, really. ]

Haha, he does... [ The observation gets a weak chuckle from Allen, who scratches at his cheek for a moment. Artfully skittish. ]

I'll... think on it. About when would be a good time to bring it up. [ and if. ...even if... Viktor feels undeniably right...

god, why does the idea make him feel shy? ]

[mehanizovati]

[viktor is pretty content to hear that, even if 'good time' could mean a lot. he picks up his half eaten vdolky, gesturing vaguely with it.]

Hm, a peaceful moment? Or during a meal? [he shrugs one shoulder.]

Regardless I hope you both can work something out. You are good for each other, yes? Some sort of eh... roommate situation would be good.

[likethelight]

Something like that. [ AKA he doesn't know but will hopefully recognize it when he sees it... Like while recovering after being stuck inside the realm of a nightmare demon he feels personally responsible for Shouto suffering. Ah, if only he knew...

But that comment gets a slight blink from Allen, pausing midway in reaching to snag a second vdolky. Viktor isn't one to say unsubstantiated things, after all. ]

You think so?

[mehanizovati]

I truly do. [even without his uh. suspicions this is more than roommates, if it was just roommates it seems it would be good for them, to have someone to turn to.

a pause and he offers something a little more personal.] I have usually lived alone and thought I preferred it. It has been an adjustment to live with another but it is... rewarding. So perhaps my own experience is coloring my opinion.

[likethelight]

[ Ha... that admission gets a soft smile from Allen, his expression casting over in nostalgia. ]

No, I think you're right. [ He considers that for a moment, before he finishes reaching for the (now pleasantly) hot pastry though he doesn't move to take a bit yet and merely holds it thoughtfully. ]

Even though there were a lot of problems, when I think about living with everyone at the Order I can't help but smile. It meant that even when things felt really dark, you could always try to look forward to just going home and seeing them again.

It was always more rewarding than being alone.

[mehanizovati]

[viktor huffs an amused breath- sentimental, look at them. allen is a terrible influence. (a very good one, thank god, that's another matter.)]

'Home.' It's an interesting concept. I suppose it isn't too odd that feeling a sense of belonging anywhere brings peace.

It is good you found that, even if the circumstances were less than desirable. [you know. dying.]

[likethelight]

[ He's like mold, he just grows on you like that. ✰ But oh, Viktor, that's...

Even though Allen literally just said the word, Viktor just made him string the whole of the conversation together in a way that just hammers that in all of a sudden. It makes him blink, mid-way to biting into the pastry, and stare at him for a moment.

Ah, that's right... the concept of 'home'... ]

I-- [ Ah, crap. Crap. Why does that have to make so much sense so suddenly; it makes his throat want to close. It's actually a little scary. ]

...Whenever I've closed my eyes and thought of "home"... it's always been people that I've seen. [ They're always his home, not some place. People. His bonds with them.

"I'll take you home. My home."

Shit. He's so stupid.

Viktor he's so very grateful, and he has a watery smile, but he also looks like he might cry into his not-a-donut at any moment. ]

It's... good that you found it too.

[mehanizovati]

[viktor nods- he supposes that is the point, a home is the memories and the memories are made with others. the bond, the feeling of it.

at the moment he is more concerned with allen's reaction, watching what feels like some revelation pass through allen's head. he thinks (hopes really) it is good, whatever happened, and offers a smile back to allen's watery one.]

I can tell you are being sentimental again. [gentle teasing, then god. well.] I owe a great deal of it to you, Allen. I hope you are aware. I did... not have much hope, before we met. I certainly did not think it wise to make connections.