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Of course. I'll see you then.
[ and he does: he's in casual clothes when he shows up, the type given by this place to the adopted. he also has his gear with him to facilitate the needed testing for grip and usability.
erwin inclines his head in greeting when he sees jayce, setting the whole shebang aside for now. ]
Good to see you again. I hope you're doing well.
[ he's still not a small talk guy, but at least the greeting part rarely goes amiss. ]
[ and he does: he's in casual clothes when he shows up, the type given by this place to the adopted. he also has his gear with him to facilitate the needed testing for grip and usability.
erwin inclines his head in greeting when he sees jayce, setting the whole shebang aside for now. ]
Good to see you again. I hope you're doing well.
[ he's still not a small talk guy, but at least the greeting part rarely goes amiss. ]
[ Small talk is still not really Jayce's thing either, but he smiles at the greeting. ]
Pretty good. You too, I hope.
[ Jayce sets aside what he'd been tinkering with and unwrapping the arm, and also the padded elastic covering for his arm that he'd sewn (with help from Viktor). ]
We can see how this fits first, [ he says, handing over the latter as he runs one more diagnostic on the arm proper. ]
Pretty good. You too, I hope.
[ Jayce sets aside what he'd been tinkering with and unwrapping the arm, and also the padded elastic covering for his arm that he'd sewn (with help from Viktor). ]
We can see how this fits first, [ he says, handing over the latter as he runs one more diagnostic on the arm proper. ]
It's about the same for me, yes.
[ the arm is beautiful, and the fact that erwin thinks so is open in his expression. he looks at it for a long moment before even taking the padded arm covering, but when he does he nods in agreement and shifts his stance slightly to allow him to work out how it goes on and apply it properly since he's got that short sleeve pinned right up to the shoulder seam already. levi's bound to want to help with anything he might need, but erwin also wants to know exactly how everything works so he can do it himself and also impart the information later.
this part at least is the most self-explanatory and easy to fiddle with. ]
It feels how I think it would, [ he offers, ] Snug but not too snug. It doesn't feel as though it's going to slip, either.
[ the arm is beautiful, and the fact that erwin thinks so is open in his expression. he looks at it for a long moment before even taking the padded arm covering, but when he does he nods in agreement and shifts his stance slightly to allow him to work out how it goes on and apply it properly since he's got that short sleeve pinned right up to the shoulder seam already. levi's bound to want to help with anything he might need, but erwin also wants to know exactly how everything works so he can do it himself and also impart the information later.
this part at least is the most self-explanatory and easy to fiddle with. ]
It feels how I think it would, [ he offers, ] Snug but not too snug. It doesn't feel as though it's going to slip, either.
Good.
[ Pushing his glasses up, Jayce isn't immune to the swell of pride at someone admiring his work. It feels good after everything that's happened to be able to create something like this, something he could be proud of. He lets Erwin get that first part on, standing by in case he asked for assistance. Otherwise, Jayce's attention is on the arm itself, carefully testing the mechanisms to make sure there aren't any issues. ]
That's good. If it starts to feel too loose, we can stitch another one. It should last a few months of regular use before the band starts to wear down. [ Jayce had written out some care instructions for it, which he handed over. ] There's some things for that, and the arm, on this in case you run into some problems, but I'll always be around if something happens.
[ Now for the important part: said arm. Lifting it up, Jayce walked it over to Erwin. ] How did you want to do this? I can help you, or I can walk you through it.
[ Pushing his glasses up, Jayce isn't immune to the swell of pride at someone admiring his work. It feels good after everything that's happened to be able to create something like this, something he could be proud of. He lets Erwin get that first part on, standing by in case he asked for assistance. Otherwise, Jayce's attention is on the arm itself, carefully testing the mechanisms to make sure there aren't any issues. ]
That's good. If it starts to feel too loose, we can stitch another one. It should last a few months of regular use before the band starts to wear down. [ Jayce had written out some care instructions for it, which he handed over. ] There's some things for that, and the arm, on this in case you run into some problems, but I'll always be around if something happens.
[ Now for the important part: said arm. Lifting it up, Jayce walked it over to Erwin. ] How did you want to do this? I can help you, or I can walk you through it.
[ it's moving, honestly: erwin had never even considered the potential of having a replacement for his lost arm in any capacity, instead leading with practicality and resource conservation by simply learning how to do everything with one arm. so that in itself is a lot, and to have so much effort clearly put into the result is...
well, let's just say it's a lot. he takes the care instructions with a nod, giving them a quick read before tucking them away. he'll give another read later, more lengthy, once this part is settled. ]
Of course. [ he considers the question, then settles on: ] I think my best bet for retention is to watch while you help with it once, then watch a removal, then replicate both myself in case I need to be corrected for in future.
well, let's just say it's a lot. he takes the care instructions with a nod, giving them a quick read before tucking them away. he'll give another read later, more lengthy, once this part is settled. ]
Of course. [ he considers the question, then settles on: ] I think my best bet for retention is to watch while you help with it once, then watch a removal, then replicate both myself in case I need to be corrected for in future.
That works for me.
[ Stepping around to the side, Jayce kept the focus on the actual arm as he helped. ] It's sturdy, so don't worry about using the table for support or anything when you go to put it on. It might scratch the table, [ and Jayce chuckled, ] but it'll take a lot to do any damage to the arm itself. I made this from the same alloy I used for a lot of my projects back home.
[ It cost a lot of hours in late night labor to get his hands on the base materials, but it was worth it. Fitting it into place, Jayce made sure it was snug. ]
Once it's in place, it should sort of... [ Jayce gestures, and watches as the mechanisms in the arm come to life. ] Like that. You'll always know it's in place because it should do that on its own.
Did you want to see how it feels before I show you how to take it off?
[ Stepping around to the side, Jayce kept the focus on the actual arm as he helped. ] It's sturdy, so don't worry about using the table for support or anything when you go to put it on. It might scratch the table, [ and Jayce chuckled, ] but it'll take a lot to do any damage to the arm itself. I made this from the same alloy I used for a lot of my projects back home.
[ It cost a lot of hours in late night labor to get his hands on the base materials, but it was worth it. Fitting it into place, Jayce made sure it was snug. ]
Once it's in place, it should sort of... [ Jayce gestures, and watches as the mechanisms in the arm come to life. ] Like that. You'll always know it's in place because it should do that on its own.
Did you want to see how it feels before I show you how to take it off?
[ erwin watches each movement with his full attention, taking in every detail of how the arm goes on, how it feels when it's properly attached, how each little mechanism 'wakes up' as jayce sets it to rights.
he is, pointedly, extremely normal about this, by which i mean his attention gets even more intense for a moment, in part because to be frank, there really isn't anything like this where he's from and every time he sees anything like this he's going to be a strange mixture of overwhelmed and fascinated.
at the suggestion erwin nods; it makes sense. he takes a moment to get used to the feel of it, the weight, how the joints work, how to make said joints and bits work. he can tell it's going to have a learning curve, but being able to, say, flex fingers (have fingers to flex in the first place) is, well, a good start. ]
I'll get used to the heft of it pretty quickly too, I think. It'll just be about re-learning my original center of balance from before I lost the limb in the first place.
he is, pointedly, extremely normal about this, by which i mean his attention gets even more intense for a moment, in part because to be frank, there really isn't anything like this where he's from and every time he sees anything like this he's going to be a strange mixture of overwhelmed and fascinated.
at the suggestion erwin nods; it makes sense. he takes a moment to get used to the feel of it, the weight, how the joints work, how to make said joints and bits work. he can tell it's going to have a learning curve, but being able to, say, flex fingers (have fingers to flex in the first place) is, well, a good start. ]
I'll get used to the heft of it pretty quickly too, I think. It'll just be about re-learning my original center of balance from before I lost the limb in the first place.
[ Jayce gives him all the time he needs to adjust to the arm, because he's never experienced this himself, exactly, but he's watched the way the braces he'd built Viktor affected him, the prosthetics for his mother, and it seemed overwhelming, getting just a little bit more of that normalcy back.
So he doesn't say anything, just observes, checks the mechanics of the arm as they come to life and move, and he waits. ]
Yeah, though I tried to make sure it weighs about the same as your other arm. It might be a little more but it's close.
So he doesn't say anything, just observes, checks the mechanics of the arm as they come to life and move, and he waits. ]
Yeah, though I tried to make sure it weighs about the same as your other arm. It might be a little more but it's close.
It's very close, [ easy confirmation, ] so it should be simple enough to train myself back into it.
[ which he's already working on by shifting his weight slightly once, twice, to get really settled, then focusing on the arm itself. maybe it's interesting to watch, the intensity and determination. finally, after a long moment, he's satisfied enough to move on. ]
Alright, I'm ready for the removal and then to try putting it on again myself.
[ which he's already working on by shifting his weight slightly once, twice, to get really settled, then focusing on the arm itself. maybe it's interesting to watch, the intensity and determination. finally, after a long moment, he's satisfied enough to move on. ]
Alright, I'm ready for the removal and then to try putting it on again myself.
I'm glad. It was a fun challenge, trying to get it right. [ Jayce lives for this sort of thing honestly. ] If something feels off while you're training with it, let me know.
[ And it is interesting to watch and Jayce takes notes mentally as he does, filing things away to note down later in his log for the project. And he admires the guy, the same way he's always admired Viktor, but Jayce doesn't say anything to that effect, he just nods when Erwin says he's ready for the next part of the demonstration. ]
Okay, so always make sure you deactivate this part first, [ and Jayce indicates a little panel that disengages all the power from the arm. ] It just makes it easier. And then you just, [ he doesn't really complete the sentence though, carefully going through the process of removing it instead of using words, resting the arm on the table behind him. ] And that's it. So, when you're ready, I'll let you give it a try and I'll jump in if you need me to.
[ And it is interesting to watch and Jayce takes notes mentally as he does, filing things away to note down later in his log for the project. And he admires the guy, the same way he's always admired Viktor, but Jayce doesn't say anything to that effect, he just nods when Erwin says he's ready for the next part of the demonstration. ]
Okay, so always make sure you deactivate this part first, [ and Jayce indicates a little panel that disengages all the power from the arm. ] It just makes it easier. And then you just, [ he doesn't really complete the sentence though, carefully going through the process of removing it instead of using words, resting the arm on the table behind him. ] And that's it. So, when you're ready, I'll let you give it a try and I'll jump in if you need me to.
[ his roommate disappeared not too long ago.
it chills him when someone goes home without warning. will he be next? are they running out of time? he can't live with that mindset, though. he can't waste the time they do have preoccupied with when it might end. he'd never forgive himself if it did.
easier said than done, but he's doing his best not to think about it.
as fate would have it, it's around the same time that apartments are made available to adopted—somewhere they can live with whoever they want. really, it was the one thing he could have wished for: the only thing that would be better than having Erwin back is having Erwin back and being able to live with him.
the idea alone of falling asleep every night and waking up every morning next to him makes him deliriously happy.
their new home is small, cramped even, but he doesn't notice and wouldn't care even if he did. it has basic furnishings, though, which is still more than he expected as someone who has always had nothing.
in fact, he has to comment in surprise the first time he sees their new bed: ]
Wow. It's so big.
[ it literally isn't. it's like a full bed at most, maybe even a double. sad! ]
it chills him when someone goes home without warning. will he be next? are they running out of time? he can't live with that mindset, though. he can't waste the time they do have preoccupied with when it might end. he'd never forgive himself if it did.
easier said than done, but he's doing his best not to think about it.
as fate would have it, it's around the same time that apartments are made available to adopted—somewhere they can live with whoever they want. really, it was the one thing he could have wished for: the only thing that would be better than having Erwin back is having Erwin back and being able to live with him.
the idea alone of falling asleep every night and waking up every morning next to him makes him deliriously happy.
their new home is small, cramped even, but he doesn't notice and wouldn't care even if he did. it has basic furnishings, though, which is still more than he expected as someone who has always had nothing.
in fact, he has to comment in surprise the first time he sees their new bed: ]
Wow. It's so big.
[ it literally isn't. it's like a full bed at most, maybe even a double. sad! ]
[ it's something erwin worries about too. to not have control over that kind of thing makes him all the more determined to figure out a way to get them 'home' — to someone else's home, where they can make a new home without worrying about the things they left behind or erwin's death.
it'd be ideal, wouldn't it? more than this, even.
for now though, the apartments come at a good time. it lets them not have to worry about being apart for longer than necessary, or appeasing roommates while spending time with each other, or, frankly, despite never saying it aloud, having points where they're not able to tell if the other is still around or not.
maybe it's clingy, maybe it's codependent. that doesn't matter, nor does what anyone else would cause it. what matters, really, truly, is making sure they stay together (and that erwin can make levi happy, but at least he's not second-guessing himself on that one too badly lately).
so yeah, the apartment is great. beyond great, really, and erwin's just as happy as levi is. a small shared space is fine. it's self-contained, furnished, and all theirs.
erwin, too, is pleased by the bed. it's very tragic that them sharing a full bed is a cause for that much happiness. better than the twin they'd been sharing, sure, but still.
either way: ]
I think this place suits us.
[ small, simple, but theirs. homey in a way barracks or the dorms couldn't ever be. things erwin never expected to get. ]
it'd be ideal, wouldn't it? more than this, even.
for now though, the apartments come at a good time. it lets them not have to worry about being apart for longer than necessary, or appeasing roommates while spending time with each other, or, frankly, despite never saying it aloud, having points where they're not able to tell if the other is still around or not.
maybe it's clingy, maybe it's codependent. that doesn't matter, nor does what anyone else would cause it. what matters, really, truly, is making sure they stay together (and that erwin can make levi happy, but at least he's not second-guessing himself on that one too badly lately).
so yeah, the apartment is great. beyond great, really, and erwin's just as happy as levi is. a small shared space is fine. it's self-contained, furnished, and all theirs.
erwin, too, is pleased by the bed. it's very tragic that them sharing a full bed is a cause for that much happiness. better than the twin they'd been sharing, sure, but still.
either way: ]
I think this place suits us.
[ small, simple, but theirs. homey in a way barracks or the dorms couldn't ever be. things erwin never expected to get. ]
[ frankly, he's going to be as clingy and codependent as he fucking wants. if Erwin gets tired of it he'll back off, of course, but he spent far too long pining and then grieving not to take full advantage of every moment they have together.
and now, they finally have their own private space. it's going to be so much easier like this.
so no, their bed is not large by normal people standards, but they don't really have normal people standards. Levi in particular slept sitting up in a fucking chair until after Erwin died, so this looks positively heavenly.
he smiles to himself, leaning to rest his head against Erwin's shoulder. ]
I'll try not to take up too much room.
[ this is a joke.
probably. ]
and now, they finally have their own private space. it's going to be so much easier like this.
so no, their bed is not large by normal people standards, but they don't really have normal people standards. Levi in particular slept sitting up in a fucking chair until after Erwin died, so this looks positively heavenly.
he smiles to himself, leaning to rest his head against Erwin's shoulder. ]
I'll try not to take up too much room.
[ this is a joke.
probably. ]
[ the reality is erwin is never going to get sick of it. he's going to be exactly as bad (good?) about it as levi, and he doesn't even have the excuse of being a widower for years. he's just intense because that's who he is.
but levi knows that. levi knows erwin better than anyone else ever has and sometimes erwin's chest tightens when he thinks about it not in a bad way but because he's never felt so grounded and at peace and he knows levi can tell.
it's nice. overwhelming, but nice.
the maybe-a-joke-maybe-not-a-joke just makes erwin smile as he looks down at the top of levi's head, more content than he's ever been. ]
Somehow I think we'll manage to balance how we share the space. [ see: all up in each other's business constantly. ] We always make do.
[ erwin doesn't notice it, but on the wall behind them his shadow has tilted its head further to rest on top of the shadow of levi's, somehow even more codependent than its owner.
weird! magic is weird. ]
but levi knows that. levi knows erwin better than anyone else ever has and sometimes erwin's chest tightens when he thinks about it not in a bad way but because he's never felt so grounded and at peace and he knows levi can tell.
it's nice. overwhelming, but nice.
the maybe-a-joke-maybe-not-a-joke just makes erwin smile as he looks down at the top of levi's head, more content than he's ever been. ]
Somehow I think we'll manage to balance how we share the space. [ see: all up in each other's business constantly. ] We always make do.
[ erwin doesn't notice it, but on the wall behind them his shadow has tilted its head further to rest on top of the shadow of levi's, somehow even more codependent than its owner.
weird! magic is weird. ]
[ he doesn't notice it either... for now. only because it's behind him and he's too busy gazing blissfully at the bed he gets to share with his... uh, partner? he's not quite sure what to call Erwin these days. 'boyfriend' sounds stupid and juvenile, but 'partner' somehow doesn't seem like it's sufficient to describe their relationship. they aren't married, though, so 'partner' wins for now. ]
I don't even know what to do with so much space, to be honest. I never had—
[ how was he planning on finishing this sentence when he started talking? there's no good way. furniture? decorations? worldly possessions in general?
he never had anything. he just leaves it and moves on. ]
—Well, whatever. I'm sure you'll just naturally come up with the most strategically sound way to arrange everything, anyway.
[ he slips his hand into Erwin's, like he's preemptively proud of him for how perfectly he will undoubtedly arrange the contents of their apartment. ridiculous. ]
I don't even know what to do with so much space, to be honest. I never had—
[ how was he planning on finishing this sentence when he started talking? there's no good way. furniture? decorations? worldly possessions in general?
he never had anything. he just leaves it and moves on. ]
—Well, whatever. I'm sure you'll just naturally come up with the most strategically sound way to arrange everything, anyway.
[ he slips his hand into Erwin's, like he's preemptively proud of him for how perfectly he will undoubtedly arrange the contents of their apartment. ridiculous. ]
[ yeah, neither of them are gonna notice it for a minute here probably because they're too busy having a moment over getting nice things while being together and all the other overwhelming things you feel when you've lived in a shithole your entire life and now you don't. levi more so than erwin even, which is saying something, but levi doesn't need to finish the sentence anyway.
erwin knocks their hips together after that last bit, then shifts to sit on the edge of the bed like he owns the place. which they technically do. crazy.
he holds out his hand, the organic one, and smiles. ]
The most comfortable arrangement, you mean.
[ because they get to be comfortable. crazy, but he's all for it. like, sure, it'll still be strategically sound, but it'll be a homey strategically sound. ]
erwin knocks their hips together after that last bit, then shifts to sit on the edge of the bed like he owns the place. which they technically do. crazy.
he holds out his hand, the organic one, and smiles. ]
The most comfortable arrangement, you mean.
[ because they get to be comfortable. crazy, but he's all for it. like, sure, it'll still be strategically sound, but it'll be a homey strategically sound. ]
Oh, are you good at that, too? Figures.
[ as adept as he is at talking shit, it's very difficult for him to do it to Erwin—believably, at least. there's just a little too much fondness in his voice covering the edge; a little too much pulling at the edges of his mouth threatening a smile.
why pretend he's not actually obscenely happy, though? why hold himself back from truly celebrating the fact that he gets to live with the man he loves indefinitely? it's a waste of their time, and he's not going to be doing any of that.
so when Erwin offers him his hand he takes it, lifts a knee onto the bed, and then uses all of his weight to ease Erwin down onto his back so he can just lie there on top of him.
just for a minute or two. probably. ]
[ as adept as he is at talking shit, it's very difficult for him to do it to Erwin—believably, at least. there's just a little too much fondness in his voice covering the edge; a little too much pulling at the edges of his mouth threatening a smile.
why pretend he's not actually obscenely happy, though? why hold himself back from truly celebrating the fact that he gets to live with the man he loves indefinitely? it's a waste of their time, and he's not going to be doing any of that.
so when Erwin offers him his hand he takes it, lifts a knee onto the bed, and then uses all of his weight to ease Erwin down onto his back so he can just lie there on top of him.
just for a minute or two. probably. ]
I definitely will, but it feels close to how I remember it so far.
[ as for the removal, he watches closely, noting the deactivation and unclasping and cataloging each step in his head carefully in order. then he nods, picking up the arm and weighing the balance and weight of it in how he holds it before anything else, adjusting as he feels necessary. ]
My partner will be around to assist most of the time, [ he explains as he starts to put the arm back on, meticulously following each step, ] so it's good that I'll be able to show him as well.
[ at length he gets it replaced and set up correctly, testing it again by flexing his fingers and bending the other joints. satisfied, he then does it in the opposite direction: carefully unpowering and removing it to set it back down on the table.
he does pretty well for a first try, there not being any big struggles, the worst of it being angling placement properly from the direction he's putting it on, but just lifting his shoulder a little more helped well enough with that. ]
It's intuitive enough that it's not hard to feel comfortable doing it, and the clasps and settings are easy to work with using one hand. Not that I'm surprised, I'm just glad for it.
[ as for the removal, he watches closely, noting the deactivation and unclasping and cataloging each step in his head carefully in order. then he nods, picking up the arm and weighing the balance and weight of it in how he holds it before anything else, adjusting as he feels necessary. ]
My partner will be around to assist most of the time, [ he explains as he starts to put the arm back on, meticulously following each step, ] so it's good that I'll be able to show him as well.
[ at length he gets it replaced and set up correctly, testing it again by flexing his fingers and bending the other joints. satisfied, he then does it in the opposite direction: carefully unpowering and removing it to set it back down on the table.
he does pretty well for a first try, there not being any big struggles, the worst of it being angling placement properly from the direction he's putting it on, but just lifting his shoulder a little more helped well enough with that. ]
It's intuitive enough that it's not hard to feel comfortable doing it, and the clasps and settings are easy to work with using one hand. Not that I'm surprised, I'm just glad for it.
I've never been comfortable in my life.
[ deadpan. now that they have time to just be People™ he's able to work a little more humor into regular conversations. it's nice. one of the plusses. but also it's kinda true. compared to levi he had a very cushy childhood (up to a certain point), but even that was, well, what it was.
he moves easily with levi's urging, dropping onto his back to look up at the other man with what can only be described as an overwhelming amount of fondness. he settles his hand at the small of levi's back afterward, head tilting.
happiness looks good on him. makes him look a little younger, even. ]
[ deadpan. now that they have time to just be People™ he's able to work a little more humor into regular conversations. it's nice. one of the plusses. but also it's kinda true. compared to levi he had a very cushy childhood (up to a certain point), but even that was, well, what it was.
he moves easily with levi's urging, dropping onto his back to look up at the other man with what can only be described as an overwhelming amount of fondness. he settles his hand at the small of levi's back afterward, head tilting.
happiness looks good on him. makes him look a little younger, even. ]
Really? So you're uncomfortable right now?
[ he's perfectly aware Erwin's being facetious, but he's going to play along anyway. in fact, he makes something of a show of making himself as comfortable as possible on top of him, though it's not as effective as it would be if he weren't so much smaller than Erwin. a large dog would probably cause more discomfort.
in any case, once he's satisfied, he settles down and tucks his head under Erwin's chin. ]
That's too bad.
[ he's perfectly aware Erwin's being facetious, but he's going to play along anyway. in fact, he makes something of a show of making himself as comfortable as possible on top of him, though it's not as effective as it would be if he weren't so much smaller than Erwin. a large dog would probably cause more discomfort.
in any case, once he's satisfied, he settles down and tucks his head under Erwin's chin. ]
That's too bad.
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