A light was still on in the living room when Gremio got up to get a glass of water, although it was late. For a moment, he feared it might be Flik, and considered returning to the bedroom after all... but he couldn't continue to hide for the rest of his life, could he? And if it was anyone else, it wouldn't be so bad, he reasoned, slipping into the kitchen.

On his way back through the hall, he dared to take a look and see. It was a larger, heavier frame that was seated in the living room, shaggy dark hair showing, though his back was turned. Flik was nowhere in sight, Gremio noted, and he found that strange - if Flik had turned in, usually Viktor did as well, and he didn't tend to stay up late unless there was a reason.

Or unless he was drinking, Gremio reminded himself, seeing the bottle set beside Viktor's chair, and the glass in his hand. Though normally Viktor did his drinking with friends, and loudly - not by himself in an otherwise silent house.

Curious concern made Gremio feel something like his usual self, and he stepped into the living room. "Viktor? Is... is everything all right?"

Viktor turned to glance back at him, but then shrugged and settled back. His expression seemed unnaturally serious, which puzzled Gremio. "...Is something wrong? Flik...?" Yes, that was the obvious answer, Gremio thought as he sighed deeply. "...I can never apologize enough, Viktor. But I'm so very sorry for what happened... even though he said he understood, I can't so much as think of him without guilt, and so all I can do is apologize over and over. I really am sorry, really, truly sorry..."

"Yeah, I know."

There was no reassurance in Viktor's muttered response, or even understanding - just disgust, and Gremio lowered his head helplessly as he came to stand in front of Viktor, his hands clasped together, contrite. "...I will do anything, anything at all, to make it up. If only I can."

Viktor shook his head slowly. "Flik said he knows it wasn't your fault. So do I..." He took another drink, then settled back. "...But you know, I can't help it. Every time I think about it, I start hating you more."

Gremio's eyes widened; he hadn't expected such a statement from Viktor, everyone's friend, even though he'd felt in his heart he deserved it. "...I understand. I'm sorry," he repeated. It was all he could say.

Finishing off his drink, Viktor glared up at him. "It's not just the rune and what it makes you do, Gremio," he muttered. "Back when we met, I thought you were a really nice guy... nice to a fault. Yeah, so you were always really uptight, and sometimes that got on my nerves... but you know, I always respected you, because even when we disagreed, it was always you trying to do the right thing, usually in a more honorable way than I'd have done it. Even if you were prissy, I figured at least you had a good heart."

This wasn't exactly news to Gremio, after they'd spent so much time together in the last several months. He remained silent, not certain what Viktor was getting at.

"But now..." Viktor grumbled, shifting to pick up the bottle again, and taking his eyes from Gremio. "Now I'm seeing you in a different light. It's not just that when I look at you, I imagine you on top of Flik, holding him down and... touching him, and... all that. Because like he said, that really wasn't you. But I can't help seeing you there anyway. And I think about when you passed the Beast Rune to me - just for one night, you said, and that was a big fat lie. You never intended to take it back. You were just sticking me with it while you took the easy way out. Not even for Tir's sake - just your own. You know even if you thought you were doing it for him, he wouldn't have been happy. He probably would have followed you."