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Jayce hissed as Viktor lowered the two of them into the scalding hot bath, the reaction a blend of distress and relief in equal measure. He tensed up as he was slowly submerged, raw instinct telling him to fight to keep his head above water, but his body was so spent from overexertion that it was sluggish to respond—his arms weakly flying out to scramble for the edge of the tub.
“Easy, Jayce,” Viktor cooed, rearranging them so that he was leaning against the edge with Jayce settled between his legs, his back to Viktor’s chest. “I’ve got you, I won’t let you slip. Relax… relax, lásko.”
Jayce obeyed near-instantly; a wheeze-like groan spilling from his lips as he went completely boneless in Viktor’s arms—his weight coming down like a heavy blanket against Viktor’s chest, his head rolling back to rest with finality against Viktor’s shoulder. He was still shaking quite badly, the shock of it sending out ripples over the bath water, and Viktor tutted with worry-weighted sympathy.
“There you go,” Viktor spoke softly, wrapping his arms beneath Jayce’s, settling one in the center of his chest and the other at his belly. “Feel good? Not too hot?”
It took a moment for the words to weasel their way through the contented haze Jayce had quickly fallen into, but eventually he gave a meek shake of his head and uttered a hushed,
“Mm-mm. S’perfect…”
“Good,” Viktor replied, using the Hexclaw to reach for the bar of soap and hand it to himself. He began soothing it back and forth over Jayce’s sternum and chest, letting a light lather form before moving on to a new line of skin.
“You did so well for me, Jayce,” he continued, whispering softly against Jayce’s ear and admiring the goosebumps that flared down his arms in response. “Three hours and…” he paused to peer up at the clock on the wall, “twenty-three minutes.”
“Seven days,” Jayce barked back, surprisingly quick for one so lost to comfort. His head turned in then, bright eyes pointedly fluttering open to dance over the features of Viktor’s face—eyebrows, eyes, steel-plated cheeks… lips. And they stayed there as Jayce continued, his tone devastatingly sultry, “seven days, three hours, and twenty three minutes.”
Viktor chuckled, bringing the Hexclaw down in front of Jayce and using it to lightly caress down his jaw before tipping his chin up at the perfect angle.
“Yes, you’re right. Forgive me this egregious oversight. Seven days…”
He paused to press a long, sensual kiss to Jayce’s waiting lips, reveling in their velvet soft heat before pulling back.
“Three hours…”
He kissed him again, harder and more breathless this time.
“…and twenty-three minutes.”
This kiss was much more heated, tongues dancing and teeth biting lips, soft moans and hot breath mingling in the steam that rose from the bath. Viktor continued soothing the soap over Jayce’s chest, meandering lower beneath the waterline and cleaning the places where cum had been smeared over his stomach.
“Mmph,” Jayce grunted, pulling back slightly to give Viktor a wide, dopey smile. “As long as you keep doing that… you’re forgiven.”
Viktor responded by going lower, rubbing the soap back and forth over Jayce’s abdomen, the action subtly suggestive. Jayce whined, and Viktor was so attuned to his lover’s every sound, he could easily decipher what it meant—‘that feels good… too good, and I can’t… I can’t right now, I’m so tired, please…’
“Alright,” Viktor acquiesced, placing a chaste kiss to Jayce’s temple and running the soap back up Jayce’s body to his arms.
After a moment of simply wallowing in the attention, Jayce made a small mewling noise, his gaze turning down to watch the soap as Viktor slid it down his forearm.
“That tingles, what… what is that?” he asked, having to pause in the middle to swallow convulsively against the paralyzing pleasure.
“Mm,” Viktor responded, ever appreciative of Jayce’s boyish curiosity and soothing the soap over his sensitive inner arm. “It’s a liniment oil soap of my own alchemical design, for relief of minor aches and pains. Also useful in preventing muscle strain…”
Viktor punctuated the claim by lowering the soap back beneath the water and pressing it to Jayce’s still mildly-quivering abdominal muscles, which would likely be burning tomorrow, no matter how much liniment he applied.
“Seems like a waste of time,” Jayce mused, sliding down into the tub a little as he relaxed into Viktor’s attentions even further. “You’ve replaced most of your muscles with machinery…”
Viktor nodded, turning his head in and inhaling of that familiar scent, Jayce’s skin even more intoxicating when warm—like laundered fleece, hot tea, and boiled spices. He sighed, letting his breath tease over Jayce’s ear and neck before speaking,
“I didn’t make it for me.”
Jayce responded with a good-natured scoff, resting his own head on Viktor’s shoulder once more and angling so that he could nuzzle his nose against Viktor’s neck.
“Very thoughtful, tesoro. Thank you,” he whispered, every syllable so tinged with sweetness that they may as well have been spun sugar.
Viktor did not respond—instead silently accepting the gratitude by continuing to soothe the soap over every inch of Jayce’s body that he could reach. And slowly, like metal melting down in the forge, those brutal shivers petered out, and the tension sapped from every muscle. Jayce sank into a nearly comatose state; his breaths even and slow, his body totally limp, and his eyes fluttering closed. The bath would stay hot for as long as Jayce wanted to luxuriate in it—Viktor had built it himself long ago, when he was less machine and more flesh, flesh that ached for relief. He’d built in a continuous flow pump which would filter the water through a series of jets, keeping it at the desired temperature until switched off. They also served as high-pressure massaging jets, which explained why Jayce went from relaxed and comfortable to teetering on the edge of a deep, snoring sleep within minutes.
Viktor grinned to himself as he set the soap aside on the tray, then slowly slid his augmented hand down Jayce’s body—down his ribs and over his abs, past that lovely and biteable hip bone to dance over his upper thigh before dipping between his legs. Jayce yelped at the first hint of a touch to his well-used hole, his hand slapping down into the water and grasping Viktor’s wrist hard to still him.
“I know,” Viktor said, intimately aware of the words he knew Jayce was too proud to speak aloud—‘I can’t, I know it’s necessary, but I’m so sore and overstimulated, please…’
“Do you trust me?”
It was a delicate and precarious question, given the answer changed on a day to day basis; it was predicated on a number of factors, like how recently they’d fought, and how badly they’d hurt each other. Trust between them was a wildly swinging pendulum which occasionally hit the extremes on either end, but usually hovered somewhere in the vague and esoteric middle. But like the heated steel he forged, Jayce was typically much more pliant and moldable in the afterglow of their lovemaking… and tonight was no exception.
Jayce released a heavy, burdened sigh, his grip on Viktor’s wrist loosening immediately.
“With my life,” he said, eyes sharp with piercing honesty, and Viktor had to look away to avoid being cut.
“Then relax,” he said, barely beginning to soothe the pad of his middle finger back and forth over that sensitive ring of muscle. “Close your eyes. Listen to my voice. Breathe in…”
He paused, waiting as Jayce succumbed to the softness within his words and within his fingertips—his legs falling slightly more open and his hips tipping up to give Viktor a better angle.
“…and breathe out.”
Jayce obeyed, evenly pushing out a breath through his kiss-bitten lips and sinking back in against Viktor’s chest.
“Good.” Viktor whispered the praise as a minor distraction, gingerly sliding a single finger inside as he did. Jayce whimpered, but he followed Viktor’s instructions; keeping his eyes closed and his body relaxed.
“Focus on what you feel,” Viktor continued, developing a gentle pump of his finger to clean Jayce out. “The warmth, the shape of the metal. How solid it is inside of you…”
He whispered the last part against Jayce’s temple, following it with a soft kiss in his hairline, and Jayce leaned into it everywhere—tilting his head in against Viktor’s lips and angling his hips up even more. His hands came up out of the water to grip at the edges of the tub, hold on for dear life as Viktor gently began to curl his fingers on each stroke, and Viktor was tempted to take things further—to locate Jayce’s prostate and stimulate him to untouched hardness. But he’d had his fun this evening, three hours of it. If Jayce were younger, still possessed the stamina of his twenty-five year old self, perhaps they could go again, over and over until neither of them could move. But he wasn’t, and now Jayce needed comfort, he needed relaxation and a chance to come down from the sustained highs and lows he’d been through. He was no machine.
“Yes, just like that,” Viktor murmured, pumping his finger nice and slow to ensure Jayce stayed pliant and serene.
And he did—going uncharacteristically quiet as Viktor tenderly and thoroughly ensured that no more lube or artificial ejaculate remained. And when he was satisfied, he gently pulled his finger free, dragging his palm upward until Jayce’s pert balls settled into it. He kept his motions slow and arhythmic, soothing as opposed to sensual; rolling Jayce’s balls in his fingers before moving on to his cock and stroking slowly from root to tip to ensure he was clean.
Jayce’s responding moan crescendoed into a whine at the end, his body going tense and his back arching as if he was preparing to pull away, and Viktor stilled his hand—simply holding that soft length as he nuzzled his nose into Jayce’s hair.
“Shhh, I know. I know how sensitive you are. Relax, pet. I’m almost finished,” he cooed, stroking Jayce’s soft length one more time before moving on to his upper thigh and rubbing at the likely sore muscle here.
And after a few moments of this, Jayce’s hand came down into the water again, grabbing Viktor’s and pulling the metal digits up to his lips.
“I… I’m sorry,” he said, his eyes taking on a deep, solemn darkness as they closed, and he placed a long kiss at the base of Viktor’s steel-jointed thumb.
And while both of them could fill whole tomes with the things they needed to be sorry for, things they regretted and wished they could take back… right here, now… Jayce had nothing to be sorry for. He’d surrendered himself entirely—body, mind, and soul—something that had been increasingly difficult for him these days. But he’d done it. Served himself up on a silver platter with a side helping of unflinching trust.
“For what?” Viktor asked, light but incredulous, curling his hand into a loose fist and holding onto Jayce’s fingers.
Jayce sighed, chewing on his plush lower lip as he mulled over his words, and Viktor fought against the sudden and vicious urge to stop him with his own lips.
“For not being… what I used to be. Not being as strong as I once was, to handle what I once could. Every day, you get stronger—upgrade some part of yourself you find… inadequate. And I…”
His voice caught in his throat, whatever admission he was about to make clawing its way out through years of repression like scar tissue. He squeezed Viktor’s hand, the pressure meek and shaky.
“…grow weaker.”
It would be a lie to say Viktor didn’t understand what Jayce was getting at—his age was beginning to catch up to him in subtle but glaring ways. He was slower on the battlefield, stumbled easier and grunted from strain when he lifted the hammer. Of course he was still more fit and agile than most people half his age, but… he wasn’t keeping up with Viktor like he used to.
“Jayce…” Viktor started, stroking Jayce’s knuckle with his thumb and watching as a few glittering dots of water rolled down his wrist. “There are many things I would call you. Stubborn. Opinionated. Arrogant. Reckless. Ignorant. Proud and yet also deeply insecure…”
“Okay, okay! I get it!” Jayce barked playfully, dipping his fingers in the bath water and then flicking them back at Viktor’s face to sprinkle him with it.
Viktor chuckled, leaning back in to nuzzle into Jayce’s hair again.
“Point is…” he said, low and earnest now. “I’ve never considered you weak, sluníčko. Never.”
The resulting blush on Jayce’s face was as delicate as rose water, his smile as bright and warm as sunrise peeking through early morning fog. He scoffed, the sound almost bashful in its doubt, but he accepted the compliment regardless—curling back into Viktor’s embrace and pushing more of his body against Viktor’s.
“Even though I’m… flawed, emotional…human?” he asked, pulling Viktor’s arm down around him and settling Viktor’s palm against his chest, right over his heart.
Viktor sighed, aware that Jayce was verbally backing him into an argumentative corner. But… he made a good point, one Viktor had been thinking harder and harder on the closer he and Jayce grew… again.
“Do you remember how you felt about lavender in your tea?” Viktor asked, gently curling his fingers against Jayce’s pectoral muscle, the action vaguely possessive.
Jayce chuckled, nodding lazily and reaching up to lay a hand atop Viktor’s.
“If memory serves, you said lavender is a flower, not a flavor. Tastes like I’m eating grass.”
Jayce nodded again, then shook his head incredulously at the absurd but hard-held beliefs of his younger self. Viktor did too, recalling with fondness the way Jayce’s handsome twenty-five year old face had twisted in distaste as he reached for the sugar canister on Viktor’s desk.
“But then the barista at our go-to cafe got your order wrong one morning, made you a lavender white chocolate mocha instead of a raspberry white chocolate. And after a frankly impressive amount of complaining, you tried it… and found that you liked it. On its own, you hated lavender…”
“Still do,” Jayce interrupted, as if the addendum would salvage the pride Viktor was about to lovingly shatter.
“… but,” Viktor went on as if uninterrupted, idly soothing his thumb back and forth against Jayce’s warm, smooth skin. “In that certain combination, the way it was prepared… you made an exception.”
Jayce just smiled quietly, nodding and pursing his lips in thought. He then angled his upper body away slightly so that he could better meet Viktor’s augmented eyes, and said,
“What are you saying, exactly?”
It was prodding, playful; spoken like he knew already but wanted to hear Viktor say it. And he eyed Viktor’s lips as he awaited a response, his breaths gone stunted and shallow as if waiting on a knife’s edge.
Viktor made to respond, his mouth falling open in preparation, but he faltered—the years of fighting, of defending himself and his beliefs weighing on his tongue like lead. Jayce was doing better these days, they both were—making an effort to avoid using the things they said in moments of passion against each other in their inevitable moments of rage. It was an old wound, re-opened and scarred over so many times that it had turned necrotic… but Viktor had the tools to treat wounds like these, and if what he was about to say hurt him in the long run, well… he would simply carve it away and start anew, built it back better.
He reached up, taking Jayce’s jaw between his thumb and pointer finger, tipping his head up just so.
“You’re my lavender.”
It seemed for a moment that Jayce was trying to parse out what he’d just heard—staring back at Viktor like a startled fawn. His eyes sparkled and his lips trembled. Then he was surging in and crashing their mouths together, the angle doing nothing to stop how ravenously he bit and licked at Viktor’s lips. And Viktor could do nothing but chuckle into it, slightly shocked by the enthusiasm even though he really shouldn’t have been. Jayce had always been all or nothing, and his kiss was no exception. In fact, Viktor had to squeeze his jaw, physically push him back to get a word in.
“We should probably get you out of the bath before you turn into a prune. I don’t lavish explaining that to your council…”
Jayce grinned, doe-eyed and sated, and then closed his eyes and settled back against Viktor’s chest with his head on his shoulder.
“Five more minutes.”
Viktor barked a laugh, enveloping Jayce in his arms and holding him tight.
“Alright. Five more minutes.”