[ they loved him so much. jayce wishes he could have met them. ]

It was Years . . . [ jayce repeats, reminiscing the aftermath of it. he could still see the smug look on viktor's face when he'd told him for the first time, and how much it made him bounce his thighs on the edge of his seat. ] Heimerdinger made you the Dean's assistant to keep the Council off your back.

[ even though his voice was hoarse and weary, jayce makes for a terrible impression. maybe if heimerdinger were sleepily on steroids: "Punishing the lad for pursuing knowledge would be counterproductive for Progress."

he remembers, down to quoting viktor quoting heimerdinger. jayce rests his cheek against one of his knees, his arms beginning to coil around his legs to tighten the ball he's made of himself. ]

I'm glad he did. [ jayce was so obsessed with his studies at the time, he ended up completely isolating himself from his peers. his grades were abysmal, fucking dimitri pissing him off for existing — his hope had been the kiriman's backing until the hexcrystal explosion tore through his dorm. then, his hope had changed. ] Because then I met you.