Chapter Text
Earlier:
Gun: “... I do want to move on, but I don't want to… let them go. Not only because I need reminders of what I'm capable of, but because… I dunno. Like I said, I miss them — all of them, even Mylo… at least the one who isn't my shoulder monkey demon — and I don't want to forget the good times we had or how much they meant to me.”
Viktor: “I think I understand.”
Gun: “Doubt it,” she half-laughed. “It's so fucking complicated with Vi now…”
He nodded sympathetically.
Viktor: “I'm sorry. I wish I knew of solutions.”
Gun: “Hey, I said don't pity me.”
Viktor: “Ah— Right, sorry.”
Gun rolled her eyes with a sad smile.
Gun: “It's not your problem, anyway. None of this ever was. Seriously, you need a life.”
Viktor: “Jayce's is plenty,” he quipped. She made a face like she touched wet food in a sink.
Gun: “Ok, listen, love is love or whatever, but you guys make it really difficult to not be homophobic against you specifically. Do you just not understand the concept of TMI???”
He snorted.
Gun: “No, really, though; between you two and Vi's Enforcemance, I need to meet some reasonable boy and girlkissers respectively to balance it out.”
Viktor: “You have a point,” he shrugged. “Although in all honesty, I can't tell whether the latter has been established yet, and, again, I've seen their minds. I am unsure whether even they know what they are. When you encountered them, they were mere acquaintances with a mutual, mild infatuation, and they're still… figuring things out at the present.”
……
Gun: “That's hilarious,” she cackled. “So they weren't even a thing??? She was just… trying to rizz up an Enforcer right then and there? Dear Janna, what a mess…”
Viktor: “I can't refute that… but they mean well.”
Gun: “I don't even care; this is the funniest fucking thing. Thanks for making my year.”
Viktor: “... Should I seek more levity, or do you want to return to the topic at hand?”
…
Gun: “Man, you sure do say things. How am I supposed to respond? — Don't answer; that was rhetorical,” she clarified as he began searching for words. “What else is there to talk about? Wasn't getting me to admit I want… to ~be better~ enough? Or are you hellbent on playing therapist like you're trying to take apart a bomb blindfolded?”
Viktor: “Gods no— I am not approaching other people's issues with a rabies pole; it's tedious enough contending with my own.”
Gun: “See, you keep saying those things too, but you also keep doing it. I'm starting to think you're in denial.”
Viktor: “Let's talk about something else, then. Did you know I defused one of your bombs?”
…
Gun: “You gotta knock it off, sticks. You're not subtle.”
Viktor: “... I don't follow.”
Gun: “Ugh… For someone who claims to be apathetic, you care waaay too much about my opinion of you… It's honestly just sad; I already know you're a little freak, and you know how deranged I am, so let it go. Stop trying to impress me.”
……
Viktor: “Ok,” he sighed. “I will… try.”
Gun: “Works for me,” she lilted. “Try to lighten up while you're at it. Not everything's life or death!”
Viktor: “I am weightless,” he lilted. “... But I suppose you have a point. These behaviors eluded my self-awareness.”
…
Gun: “I get it now. It's so much easier to focus on other people's shit! And so… fun to feel like you have them figured out. Ooh, you should traumadump so I can decide I know you better than you know yourself!”
…
Viktor: “Ordinarily, I wouldn't refuse the opportunity— it's funny to see people's reactions. But with us, it would inevitably end in some sort of catastrophe.”
Gun: “Boooooo… Bet you told her,” she huffed playfully.
Viktor: “I… I've lost track of what I've told them, eheh… It may have gotten out of hand. I will confess that I never had any close friendships in life aside from Jayce. This is… all new to me.”
Gun: “Awww,” she gushed with sincerity. “Your fwirst fwiends! Adorable little freak… — Wait, you think we're friends? …… HAH! Kidding, kidding… I'm biased towards people who I can't permanently kill, anyway.”
…
Viktor: “These… changes do vex me a bit when I notice them. I was always lonely, yes, but I prioritized my work and didn't care about most individuals’ opinions of me. Now it's as if I am desperate for acceptance. I don't understand how that happened,” he admitted, running a hand through his hair.
Gun: “... You wanted to prove yourself, huh? Show them you're capable?”
…
Viktor: “I suppose so. I was more focused on leaving a lasting, positive legacy in itself. I've always despised attention, but I wanted meaningful contributions that would outlive me.”
…
Gun: “Nerd,” she elbowed him affectionately, phasing past him but surprising him all the same. “You really are a goody two-shoes.”
The telltale light patter of footsteps approached, and they lowered their voices, Viktor returning to his chosen spot.
Viktor: “Oh, on that note, Jayce asked me to ask for an update on the Chembaron situation.”
Gun: “They're super dead,” she stated, nonchalant. “It was easy-peasy; all we had to do was lure them into a “meeting” with the shit Runny Noseless and Smeech held as bait. Vivi has a monopoly on the market now.”
…
Viktor: “I thought the agreement was to end Shimmer production.”
Gun: “Ask her,” she shrugged. “Y'know, she used to use it herself.”
Viktor: “Before you pimped out her prosthesis, yes. Which, I might add, is a marvel of mechanics.”
Gun: “D'aww. That was just for shit's ‘n giggles! Kiddie stuff. Cake work! Even easy-peasier.”
Viktor: “... Imagine what your best work could accomplish,” he dared.
Gun: “Usually blowing up a building,” she replied without missing a beat.
…
Viktor: “It doesn't have to be that way.”
Gun: “Ughhh, we are not having this conversation again.”
Viktor: “Just as well; I can't think of anything particularly persuasive that hasn't already been said.”
She sighed in bemusement and continued to tinker with her miniature automaton prototype made out of junk, keeping impeccable balance.
Viktor: “... In a purely hypothetical scenario, would you want to reunite with Vander if he was “brought back wrong?” Say, as a patchwork of tormented creatures burying his psyche?”
……
Gun: “Ok, seriously, stop doing whatever that is. It's creeping me out and helping fuckall.”
Viktor: “Sorry.”
Gun: “Suuure ya are…”
Isha made a little triumphant sound at finding her laying on the wide beam above. Viktor was still hidden up to his face in the ceiling behind them.
Gun: “You really aren't cheating?” she complained once she hopped down, enunciation exaggerated. Isha just gave a toothy grin in response and examined her creation.
Viktor: “If she was, wouldn't she have found both of us?” he argued with a raised brow. “She would need to be a very good actor to feign an impairment for this long.”
Gun: “You're definitely cheating.”
Viktor: “What makes you think that?”
She picked up a ball to thwack at his face, to no effect. Isha finally spotted him and folded her arms in annoyance.
Gun: “Stop being lazy and hide like a regular person with dimensions.”
Viktor: “Laziness and resourcefulness are so often conflated… Can you blame me for becoming inventive? We've long run out of unused hiding spots in the vicinity.”
Gun scowled but then turned to consult Isha for a moment. He was reluctant to leave the ceiling at their unamused expressions.
Gun: “You wanna kick it up a notch? Try the whole building, but with five of you. Isha and I will tag team.”
Isha smirked deviously, wiggling all the fingers of her hand for emphasis and pointing at it with the opposite one.
Viktor: “... Is phasing permitted?” he gestured with a demonstration.
Isha contemplated it, then raised both hands. Gun nodded at her.
Gun: “Fine, but make it ten. Oh! And another of you goes with us so we can watch you pretend you don't know where the rest are.”
…
He turned away to curse but divided accordingly. Isha clasped her hands together in excitement.
Currently:
They did try to teleport after Vander, but he was, as predicted, too fast. They only caught up with him once they found that he'd stopped in the dead end of an alley. A bloodbath awaited them, so Viktor commandeered Jayce's senses so that Jayce could retreat from them until it was bearable. A Shimmer-enhanced goon was crawling away from the scene frantically. They exchanged a glance in silent questioning of why he survived, but as they drew near, they found their answer.
Vander's broad arms were occupied with clinging to three men— one stout and old, the other two young, all tattered and ragged. They were held firmly in his grasp but somehow unharmed, the old one being slobbered on. Vander stopped and growled as he noticed Jayce's approach, prompting Jayce to freeze.
???: “... Lad, would you kindly call your beast off before we succumb to its putrid stench?” the old man wheezed, hair slick with drool.
Jayce: “I- I'm sorry; I… don't know how— Wait…… Benzo?”
Benzo: “In the flesh,” he struggled. “What's it to you?”
……
Jayce: “You- You died.”
…
Benzo: “News to me.”
Jayce kept a wide girth but walked around them slowly to see better while Vander watched him like a hawk, still bristling.
Jayce: “And you're- you're… Vi's brothers! God, you're all grown up…”
???: “This day can't get any weirder,” the scrawny one muttered.
???: “Don't,” the big one sighed in warning.
Viktor: “Mylo and Claggor,” he supplied from his memory bank despite being stupefied.
Mylo: “Ugh, that better not jinx it… I'm at my fucking limit.”
Claggor: “Did you know Powder, too?” he hazarded before Mylo could complain more. Jayce nodded.
Jayce: “... Why the past tense?”
Mylo: “None of your business. Just get your freak of a dog off of us already!”
Jayce: “He's… not.”
…
Mylo: “The hell does that mean?!”
Claggor: “Mylo, shut up for a minute so I can think.”
Mylo: “(Great! We got through all of that just to get suffocated by some fucking gorilla wolfman…)”
…
Jayce: “Claggor, could you please tell me what happened?”
Mylo: “(Oh, gods, he knows your name too…)”
Viktor turned invisible to Vander and approached hesitantly from behind, concerned that they were going to suffocate or fracture something in the embrace. He reached for Vander's back to teleport him, but Vander sensed it and snarled, glaring over his shoulder directly at him.
Vander: “DON'T… TOUCH… MY… SONS.”
Viktor's hands flew up in surrender as he withdrew, and the hairs on Vander's back lowered a little.
Viktor: “(I… can't disappear from him…)”
Benzo: “... What am I, chopped liver?! They're my sons!” he piped up bravely. “You'll abduct them over my dead body.”
Viktor: “Should we just extract Benzo before he gets himself killed?” he tried to say inaudibly.
Vander: “DON'T… TOUCH… MY… BENZO.”
Everyone's expression turned surprised. Benzo's cheeks tinted.
Claggor: “(... Something you wanna tell us, old man?)” he hazarded.
Viktor: “Al- Alright, we won't! We're here to help, Vander—”
Mylo: “Please put me down; it hurts,” he finally squeaked. Vander reacted to his tone but took a moment to process the words, then gently lowered them. They caught their breath and looked up at him, curiosity gradually budding under the fear. Benzo snapped out of his shock enough to usher the boys behind him in vain. Vander was laser-focused on the gash Mylo had gotten from the goon, which had been the actual source of his pain. Jayce and Viktor prepared to lunge at Vander, but his paternal instincts overshadowed his curse. He examined it in concern, wincing over his conflicted feelings and trying not to lick it like a mother wolf, his underlying human sensibility aware that it could give him an infection. Mylo trembled at the loud sniffs and how near he'd drawn, but he remained frozen in place, breaths rapid. There was a familiarity in the expression on the beast's face, the same one used when he was told to take a breath while panicking.
Mylo: “... Vander?” he finally whispered.
…
Benzo: “Vander???” he gaped. “Old boy, is that you?”
Vander grunted in acknowledgement after a delay, looking aside with what might've resembled shame now that he was sure Mylo wasn't seriously injured. Mylo hesitated, then clung to him.
…
Claggor: “Dad,” his voice cracked under his breath as he followed, joined gingerly by Benzo after a moment, who'd become overwhelmed with emotion but wasn't used to expressing much affection. The hug lasted long enough for Jayce to need to sit, but his motions at that distance no longer concerned Vander. When they eventually parted, they fell into an unsure silence interspersed with snivels, still struggling to ignore the stench. Viktor continued to cry with them empathetically from afar.
…………
Jayce: “... Do you gentlemen drink tea?”