Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Hey. The library closed five minutes ago.”

“Hm..?”

Viktor removed an earbud from his ear, and glanced at the tall figure standing over him. He hadn’t realized how loud he had been listening to his music until he took it out, the heavy instruments filling the quiet space.

What he also didn’t realize, is that nobody else was in the library. A quick glance around confirmed the man’s words. It was just the two of them.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize the University library had a closing hour.” Viktor tapped the screen of his phone that was laying on the table amongst the scattered mess of paper, pens, folders, and an extra large coffee he’d been sipping at for the past few hours. It was still half full, but surely it had run cold by now. The clock on his lock screen read 10:05 pm.

“Yeah, it’s kind of silly, I suppose. The labs stay open until midnight, though. If you need somewhere quiet to keep working you can always sneak into an empty one.” The man offered him a friendly smile. Viktor’s eyes moved downwards, falling to the large stack of papers he was carrying. Another student, perhaps? Someone like Viktor, it seemed, who liked to stay up late working until they passed out or felt like their eyes were going to fall out their sockets and roll onto the table.

Viktor quickly cleared his head of that image.

“Thanks. I’ll take your word for it. Although, I suppose I should head back to the dorms before it gets too late.” Viktor stretched out his arms in front of him and groaned a bit. He’d been working on this assignment for about.. Four hours? Five? He’d lost count. When his last class of the day ended, he wandered around until he found somewhere out of the way to plop down and get to work. Which happened to be the most isolated corner in the library, facing a wall with his back turned to the rest of the room.

The man stood there as Viktor began to gather his things. Viktor side eyed him a few times as he seemed to loom over. He tucked his pens away into their case, slid his papers into their respective folders, fumbled with some paper clips. The man watched. Maybe he wasn’t a student. A strangely young librarian? Making sure this hooligan of a student didn’t overstay his welcome?

Viktor took another sip of his ice cold coffee before slinging his messenger bag across his chest. He then gripped his cane which had been leaning against the table, and he rose to his feet. His knees popped as he stood, indicating he’d been sitting for quite a while. The man’s eyes followed the sound.

“Well, thank you for telling me about the library’s hours. I will.. be sure not to stay past closing next time-”

“I haven’t seen you around the school before. Are you a September start?” The man spoke again, breaking that awkward silence. Viktor gripped his cane in one hand to steady himself, and was reaching for his coffee with the other as he was questioned.

Viktor’s eyebrows furrowed a bit. It was only the first week of the semester, and he had hoped to lay low until he was forced into a group presentation, or something of similar nature. It’s not as if he was against socialization, it was just… No, it was exactly that.

With a noticeable huff, Viktor turned to the stranger. “Yes, I just started this week.” That was all he gave him, and he hoped that it was satisfactory enough. Just to his luck, it didn’t seem as though he’d be heading back to his dorm room so easily.

“Oh, cool! Most students tend to enroll in January, so they can study through the summer and go home during the winter months. We don’t get a lot of autumn registration so it’s always a bit of a surprise to see someone new.” This man was a bit too chipper for Viktor’s personal liking, especially at 10 o’clock at night. He especially didn’t appreciate the way he looked to Viktor so expectantly, as if waiting for a response to.. whatever that was.

“... I see.” Viktor nodded. The two stood there for a moment. Silently. Awkwardly… Fuck, it was awkward. Viktor cleared his throat and finally thought of something of substance to respond with, and perhaps a getaway method.

“I suppose I will see you around the University, then. I have to assume you’re a student, yes? What course are you in?” Viktor immediately punched himself in the gut for asking that question, extending the conversation. Although, seeing the way the man lit up at his words took that edge off ever so slightly.

“No, no. I’m a TA, actually. I took Mechanical Engineering a few years ago, and I was immediately brought back in as a teaching assistant. I know the place pretty well, so.. If you ever need a guide, or, you know, anything..” The man shrugged. Viktor nodded.

Silence. Awkwardness. Viktor cleared his throat again.

“I’m Jayce, by the way.” The stranger smiled.

Jayce… Viktor nodded once more. Was he nodding too much? Was it an appropriate response?

Fuck, why was this encounter so weird? And why was it going on for this long?

“I see.” Viktor swallowed. Damn, he had already said that just a minute ago. “It was.. Nice to meet you, Jayce. Thank you again for telling me about the library’s hours, and for.. offering your guidance of the school. I will keep that in mind.” Viktor took a sip of his coffee, moved to walk past the man, who he now knew as Jayce, and set his sights on the exit.

“Wait- what’s your name?” Jayce quickly turned and called out. Viktor huffed.

“It’s Viktor.” He turned to look over his shoulder in response, and followed up with a quick, “see you.” He made a small waving motion with the end of his cane before finally managing his escape. Viktor shook his head once he figured he was finally out of Jayce’s sightline. So much for laying low. He had hoped coming to this school would mean silently studying for four years, having access to all the labs and equipment he could desire, and very simply achieve what he had set out to do in the first place. Making friends and chit chatting in the library at 10 o’clock at night offered no extra enjoyment in this mission.

Right now, though, his mission was to lock himself in his dorm room and get in a few extra hours of work. It was only his first week, but he wanted to get ahead of the flow. That was the only reason he was able to get into the top University in Piltover in the first place, after all. Something that someone from a place like Zaun had never achieved before.

_____

Jayce sat in the lab with his hands in his hair. What the fuck was that? His leg was anxiously bouncing up and down, the vibrations rattling some of the tools that sat on top of the table, as well as some assignments he had been helping grade. He groaned, and slowly slid his hands down his face.

“Come on… what the fuck was that?” He muttered to himself, grabbing an assignment from the top of the stack, and scribbling down some comments in the margins with a red pen. This poor, poor student’s paper was feeling the wrath of Jayce’s blundered ego.

All he had wanted was to talk to the mysterious, handsome man that sat all alone in the corner of the library. He quickly came to realize that real life wasn’t like his slow-burn romance novels he secretly indulged in. Maybe it was because it was late, but Jayce felt completely off his game. Usually, he had no trouble in the field of flirting. In fact, it helped him multiple times in gaining funding for his silly experiments, or getting extensions on assignments.

A superpower, he considered his charm. So why the fuck did that all get thrown out the window when talking to.. Viktor. That was his name, if he recalled.

“I sounded like a goddamn tour guide.” Jayce grumbled, scribbling a frowny face next to the big “53%” he had circled at the top of this student’s page. Poor, poor student indeed.

Maybe it wasn’t all Jayce’s fault. He didn’t have much experience when it came to men, really. Jayce had much in the way of luck when it came to charming women. It was easy for him. His gentle smile, broad shoulders, his quick banter and jokes. It all came so naturally to him. Why was this so different? And why was he beating himself up so badly?

Viktor had clearly shown no interest in him. They exchanged a couple sentences, Viktor snuffed him out, and they parted ways. Jayce figured he should move on and let bygones be bygones. But his mind kept drifting back to a phrase he caught himself up in. “Don’t be so awkward next time.” Next time. As if the other wouldn’t disregard him even more bluntly than the first time around. If he was that desperate to get away from him tonight, then surely he didn’t want to see him for a second time. It made sense. Jayce wouldn’t bother him again. The last thing he would want to do is come across as a persistent asshole to a student.

So… why did he end up in the library again? This time, at 9 pm the following day. Staring at Viktor’s back from across the room. Holy shit, he felt like a stalker when he finally collected his thoughts. How long had he been standing there? Jayce felt frozen in place. Even he wasn’t too sure what he was trying to do right now.

A few students milled about the library, most of them starting to pack up for the night, but a few of them hanging back and burying into their phones or chatting quietly on some of the lounge chairs. Viktor, however, seemed rather engrossed in what he was working on.

Jayce’s feet finally began to move, and he silently swore to himself as he headed over to that tiny table in the corner of the ridiculously large room. Piltover University was the very definition of “go big or go home”.

‘What the fuck am I doing?’ Jayce thought to himself as he got closer to the table, and in turn, to Viktor. He clutched the binder of paper close to himself with one hand, a steeped tea in the other. If he were still as spry as he was when he was a fresh-out-of-high-school University student, it would have been coffee. But, this late at night? Those days were in the past. Even if he was only in his late twenties.

“..Hi again.” Jayce approached the table. Part of him almost wanted Viktor not to hear him. Or, to tell him to fuck off, that he was busy working. But sure enough, those golden eyes broke contact with the mess of papers before him, and turned to look up at him. Viktor took an earbud out, and Jayce’s eyes flickered to it for a brief moment, before meeting the seated man’s once again.

“Um.. I was wondering if I could sit at this table with you? It really is the best spot in the library, you have good taste.” ‘Too much. Absolutely too much, Jayce’. He was already beating himself up, bracing himself for the rejection that was to follow. Maybe this was a bad idea. Viktor really looked like he didn’t want to be bothered, perhaps it’d be best if he turned around and-

“Sure. That’s fine.” Viktor seemed to shrug rather nonchalantly, before placing his earbud back in, and immediately continuing to work as if Jayce wasn’t standing right beside him.

Jayce beamed. A moment passed. “...Thanks.” Viktor probably couldn’t hear him, but he felt the need to thank him anyway. Jayce took a seat about a metre away from the other. Enough room to give him his space, although Jayce could hear the blaring music from Viktor’s earbuds from where he sat.

A gentle smile rested on Jayce’s face as he opened up his binder and took out some notes of a stupid invention he’d been working on for the past few months. It was rather difficult to focus, though, as he couldn’t help but steal small glances at the gorgeous man sitting beside him.

_____

Viktor played his music just a little bit louder that evening. Because, no matter how hard he stared at the papers before him, a question kept playing through his head. ‘Will I run into Jayce again?’

It was stupid. And it was distracting. It went against everything Viktor had worked this hard for. Some random man, a stranger, wasn’t going to riddle his mind. He had a goal he needed to achieve. And some TA who he shared a five minute conversation with wasn’t going to throw him off track of the one thing that-

“Sure. That’s fine.”

…

…

Hmm.. That’s odd.

That very stranger, that TA, had just sat down beside him.

Why?

Oh…

Viktor had just agreed to let Jayce work alongside him.

His cheeks flushed and suddenly his ears felt hot at the realization. Too hot, actually. Was it normal for ears to feel like that? Maybe if he turned up his music just a few more clicks…

No, no. The strange part wasn’t his burning cheeks or ears. It was the fact he had absentmindedly spoken without even realizing he had done so. Perhaps he stayed up too late last night, or rather, drank too much coffee today.

Viktor quickly turned away and tried to resume his studies. It was hard, though, when he could practically feel Jayce’s eyes glancing at him every now and then.

And maybe… Viktor’s eyes did just the same.

Chapter Text

Jayce and Viktor sat in silence as they chipped away at their respective projects. Viktor only stopping to take a sip from his coffee cup, and Jayce’s eyes following the man’s hand every time he did so.

It felt only slightly less awkward than their first encounter the night prior. Perhaps it was because they weren’t actually speaking. It seemed that the only time tension grew between the two of them was when someone opened their mouth.

The comfortable silence they fell into though was soon broken. Viktor let out a soft groan as he raised his arms above his head and stretched. His shoulders cracked, wrists popped slightly, and as he brought his arms back down, he rubbed his eyes and yawned. Maybe it was time for a break.

Viktor checked his phone for the time. It was only 9:35 pm. They’d been working peacefully alongside one another for just over a half hour.

Jayce watched carefully as Viktor took both of his earbuds out and placed them neatly inside of a tiny case resting on the table. He could never quite make out any words from the songs Viktor seemed to be blaring. All he could focus on was the sheer volume that he was sure would hurt his own ears.

Viktor huffed a bit and leaned back in his chair. God, everything hurt. Whenever he sat for long periods of time without taking a small stretch break, sharp jolts of pain would shoot up his right leg and spine. His aids, a leg and back brace, only really offered help when he was up on his feet.

He decided against standing, though. Instead, his eyes fell to Jayce’s notes. His head fell to the side ever so slightly in curiosity, catching what looked to be some very well drawn diagrams.

“What are you working on?”

Jayce’s head perked up hearing Viktor’s voice. He was all too happy about his sudden interest in his work. If he were being honest, he would have told Viktor all he was really doing was doodling. It had been a long time since he managed to muster up any kind of groundbreaking work.

“Oh, it’s.. Not much. I don’t have any big projects in the works at the moment, so if anything, my notes are just a big cluster of anything my brain decides is worthy of writing down.” Jayce chuckled a bit and shrugged, fiddling with the pencil he was holding.

Viktor hummed at his response, and gave a small nod. Even if it was nothing, like Jayce just told him, the page seemed loaded with diagrams, drawings, and theories.

“Can I have a look? I’m sure you’re not giving yourself enough credit.” Viktor smiled. Just a small smile, as if doing so would help him get his way.

And it worked so, so easily. Jayce immediately smiled back, and was handing over his binder full of notes only a second later. “Yeah.. sure. Like I said though, it’s nothing fancy. Not like the work it seems you’re doing.”

Jayce gestured to the papers sprawled across the table. He just now realized he never asked Viktor what course he was enrolled in. All he could make out on the stacks of pages were countless strings of equations and chemical formulas. Something he himself was not well versed in.

“Nonsense, what I’m working on is fairly entry level. This, however..” Viktor hummed again, skimming over the pages. It was almost too much to take in. There was no real rhythm to Jayce’s note taking, it seemed. He couldn’t blame him though, he was the same way.

“These are some very profound ideas. I’m surprised you haven’t pursued them further.” Outlined along the pages were ideas for, as Jayce had written down, ‘quality of life enhancements’. Car batteries that ran off solar energy, farming equipment that could make harvesting automatic, there were even ideas that expanded into the medical field.

Something about this, though, all seemed rather… familiar, to Viktor. The well drawn prototypes, how Jayce’s handwriting combined cursive with traditional printing. Viktor scoffed a bit when he noticed Jayce had signatured the bottom right corner of every page. A large “JT” with a circle around it.

“I see you like to sign your notes. Every single one of them, might I add.” He smirked.

Jayce’s face heated up slightly at the remark. “Yeah, well.. It’s just out of habit, I guess.” And it was. It was something he had done since he was a teenager.

Viktor continued to scan page after page, the two falling into yet another silence. His thumb tapped the corner of the binder as he skimmed. It all looked so similar to something he swore he had researched before..

Jayce could practically see the gears in Viktor’s mind turning. He wondered what was going through his head. These notes in particular weren’t ones that Jayce was especially proud of or anything. Viktor’s gaze did seem to linger a bit longer on specific pages, but he was confused as to why he looked so deep in thought.

Until suddenly, Viktor’s head perked up. His eyes seemed brighter.

“Is your last name Talis?”

Jayce’s eyes met Viktor’s, and he let a beat pass to simply stare into them for a moment.

Then he smiled, and gave a quick nod.

“Yes, it is.”

Viktor’s eyebrows raised and his eyes widened so slightly. Oh… now he felt like an idiot for not realizing it sooner. In fact, when he thought about it, he believed there was a photo of the man hanging in the foyer of the main entryway of the school.

“Oh, my goodness. I apologize I didn’t recognize you sooner. I thought your notes looked familiar.” Viktor swallowed awkwardly, suddenly feeling like he was carrying a twenty pound weight in his hands.

This, however, caused Jayce’s face to flush a bit. “Oh my God, no, please don’t apologize, seriously. It’s not a big deal. It’s not a deal at all, actually. I’m actually kind of surprised that you even knew my last name-”

“Not a big deal? You literally drew the blueprints for Piltover’s hydroelectric generator. You’re the whole reason the city runs on hydroelectricity. You made living affordable for so many who have always wanted to live here but never had the means to. Not to mention the jobs that were created because of it..”

Viktor felt a little starstruck. Perhaps Jayce Talis wasn’t a household name to many, but to those in his field of research, he was very well known.

Jayce felt a small pit growing in his stomach. It made him happy to know that Viktor appreciated his research, but he really hated being put on the spot like this.

“Well, I appreciate that you find my invention so enthralling. Piltover is coastal, so it just made sense to switch to hydropower. It was frustrating to me that it wasn’t done sooner. However, I was so young back then that it was kind of taken out of my hands.”

Viktor’s eyebrows furrowed at that notion.

“Oh? I’ve heard they’ve been making advancements on it. You’re not a part of the research team?”

At that, Jayce shook his head. “No, not anymore. I was only 19 when I brought the idea to the council. I did have lots of support, though. Endless funding, many sponsors, even the dean of the University had my back. But I was only in my freshman year of my program, so they bought me out. I had hoped to work on the physical generator itself, but I was told it wouldn’t be possible since I was so inexperienced.”

Viktor’s shoulders sank. In a strange way, he could relate to what Jayce was telling him. He closed the binder he was holding, and placed it back on the table and slid it over to Jayce.

“I’m sorry, Jayce. That’s awful. Is there anything you can do to get back on the project?”

Jayce shook his head again. “No. They bought all the rights and patents. I could have fought for it, but my advisor told me it would be smarter to take their offer and sell since I was so young. That it’d be in better hands with the council.”

Viktor frowned. “I’m sorry, again.” He glanced over to the now closed binder. “You have many good ideas, though. I’m certain that whatever project you have in store next will be another life changing one.” Viktor was never one for motivational talk, but he figured giving Jayce a small bout of encouragement was fitting.

Jayce smiled at that. “Thanks, Viktor. That means a lot. Sorry for rambling, I didn’t mean to distract you from your work.”

“No don’t be ridiculous, I was the one to steal your notes in the first place.”

A laugh fell from Jayce’s lips, and his eyes settled back onto the man’s makeshift workstation. “I never asked… What program are you in?”

“Biomedical Science.” Viktor answered matter-of-factly. “I’d like to try and find cures for.. rare diseases.”

“Oh, wow! That’s impressive. I took a couple chemistry courses during my second year of University, but barely passed them. It was hard for me to wrap my head around all those different chemical formulas.” He motioned to Viktor’s papers, which were a big mess of numbers, letters, and symbols that wouldn’t make any sense to someone not in his field of study.

“It’s really not too complicated. I find what you’re doing to be much more impressive. I especially liked the idea of that robotic surgical arm you designed.”

Jayce beamed at the praise. Especially from someone like Viktor, who had mostly given him the cold shoulder up until now.

The design was fairly simple. A robotic arm to assist in simple surgeries that could be remotely operated by a single surgeon. It would cut costs tremendously on the manpower needed to run an operation, and could be used from virtually anywhere.

“It would make healthcare much more accessible to underprivileged communities as well. Places like Zaun. There are no hospitals back home, if someone needs medical care they need to cross the border into Piltover. And not to mention how expensive care is here, let alone a full operation. If you were able to bring such a device into small clinics, and have it be remotely operated by a surgeon in Piltover-”

“Wait, ‘back home?’” Jayce cut him off.

Viktor immediately paused. Did he say that? He honestly didn’t realize it. Jayce’s idea was too enthralling to him. And to be discussing it with an inventor he already admired…it seems as though he let his guard down.

His eyes flicked up to Jayce’s, who was staring at him through ruffled brows. He didn’t seem mad, or upset. Just… confused.

“Oh, um.. Yes, I grew up in Zaun.”

Now, it was Jayce’s turn to beam. A few months back, he was having a discussion with the dean of the University about accepting a highly skilled medical student from Zaun. It would be a full-ride scholarship for the young man. His academic record was one the dean had never seen before.

Every year, Piltover University brings in a handful of students on scholarship programs to help keep the grade-point average of the school high. Higher than any neighbouring Universities. It kept their name well known, as being one of the top institutes not only in the country, but in the world.

Never had they looked to Zaun when it came to passing out scholarships. Usually, all the talent they needed was right at their doorstep. Viktor, however, demanded himself to be considered.

There was a single post-secondary institution in Zaun. There, he studied for a whole eight years after high school. Four years in medical sciences, two years in biochemistry, and two years in medicinal chemistry. It was rare for someone to stick around for that long. But, tuition in Zaun was cheap, and Viktor had spent almost his entire adolescence saving. Nobody was going out of their way to study there.

And it wasn’t even a tad bit comparable to the facilities at Piltover University. Viktor knew that if he didn’t want his years of studying to be for nothing, he had to throw his hat into the ring himself.

Piltover would never search Zaun for their next top medical researcher. A city with an overwhelming drug and homelessness crisis. One known for its thick smog and heavy pollution. The water wasn’t even drinkable.

Viktor wrote letter after letter to the dean himself. Maybe it seemed rather pathetic, sponsoring himself to be considered for a scholarship. However, after those eight years of writing, he was shocked when he finally received a single letter back. One asking for his personal appearance at the University to vouch why he should be accepted.

The whole process was a blur, now. Viktor brought his whole life’s worth of research with him. He felt like a bit of a showpony. Never one to show off his research or boast about himself. But this one meeting decided the fate of his future.

And it landed him in the seat he was currently in. Face to face with Jayce Talis, a man who couldn’t possibly have understood the hurdles he jumped to get here.

“I’ve heard about you, Viktor. I remember dean Heimerdinger discussing the idea of opening up the scholarship program to Zaunites. I also remember him boasting about your presentation, saying how he’d never seen anyone so passionate about their work before.” Jayce smiled.

And that caused Viktor to smile, too. He had expected Jayce to perhaps shut him out. Piltover and Zaun did not have a good reputation as allies. Most of the time the two cities were in some kind of dispute.

That was just politics, though. Some took it rather seriously. Others, Viktor supposed, like Jayce, didn’t mind too much.

“Yes… it took me a while to get here, but… I’m just happy to have been given a chance.”

Viktor gazed up at Jayce, who was still smiling.

This felt so easy, talking to one another.

They fell into a conversation about how Viktor was adjusting to life in Piltover, as well as how the University compared to the schools back in Zaun.

At some point, their conversation diverted back to Jayce’s robotic surgical arm.

“I would love to discuss that idea further with you. If you’d like to, that is. I think it could be your next hydroelectric generator.”

A wide smile spread across Jayce’s face. “Yeah absolutely! Sorry…” He declared his answer rather loudly. The library was just about to close, but one or two students who hung around glared over.

“Yeah, um.. I would really like that. I always appreciate an outside perspective.”

Viktor hummed in response and began to gather his things together. He checked his phone once more to see it was just a minute before 10:00 pm.

“Are you.. Busy tomorrow?” Viktor made the suggestion with his face turned away from the other. It was a Friday night, and most of the University’s facilities would be closed for the weekend. “Perhaps we could meet somewhere for coffee in the afternoon?”

Jayce began to pack as well, but at Viktor’s question, he paused. His fingers squeezed his binder, and he tried to hold back the eager smile that was overtaking his face.

“No, I’m not busy tomorrow at all. Coffee sounds great. I know a nice cafe downtown, maybe I could… pick you up outside of the dorms? Maybe around noon?” The pads of Jayce’s fingers quietly tapped at the cover of his notes.

Viktor pushed back out of his chair and stood up, slinging his bag across his chest. He held his empty coffee cup in one hand, and his cane with the other. He could see Jayce’s eyes fall downwards as Viktor’s knees popped again, but he pretended not to notice.

“Yes, that sounds good to me. Hand me your phone, I’ll type in my phone number.” Viktor tucked his cup under his left arm and reached out his right hand. He was trying to act casual about this, but the idea of giving Jayce Talis his phone number made his stomach do a funny little flip.

Jayce’s stomach flipped, too. His phone was quickly handed over without a single protest.

Viktor added himself as a new contact, typing in the digits of his number before placing the phone back into Jayce’s hands.

“I’m… looking forward to tomorrow’s discussion, then.” He smiled at Jayce, who was now standing as well.

“Me too! Thanks, Viktor.” He honestly wasn’t even quite sure what he was thanking him for. “I’m going to stick around in the lab for a little while longer. Are you headed back to your dorm?”

“Yes, I think I should try and get a good night’s sleep tonight. Need some room in my brain for fresh ideas.”

Jayce laughed a bit at that, before starting to take his leave. “Have a good night, then. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, Jayce. See you tomorrow.”

Chapter Text

Jayce found himself pacing that morning. The clock on the wall read 10:25 am, and he was already showered, dressed, and ready to head out the door.

The sound of some stupid reality show played from his television and filled his apartment. It mixed with the tapping noise of Jayce’s footsteps as he circled around his living room.

There was really no need to be so nervous. It wasn’t a date, it was more like a meeting with a colleague. Him and Viktor were meeting for coffee to discuss details about one of Jayce’s ideas.

So why was he so nervous?

Jayce took a seat on the edge of his couch and ran a hand over his face. It was only then that he realized how much he had let his beard grow out. He combed his fingers through the thick, dark stubble, before his hand moved up to his hair. Damn, he really needed a haircut, too. Some strands were almost long enough to fall over his eyes.

“Maybe I should shave…” He mumbled to himself, feeling over his facial hair once again. He stood from the couch, stared at the TV for a moment, then sat back down.

No, that was silly. This wasn’t a date. There was no need to try to impress Viktor.

However, he would probably need to shave in the coming days, anyway. And he still had about an hour to kill.

He stood again. Stared for a moment, then sat down once more.

No, he couldn’t. What if Viktor noticed he had shaved, and he took it in a way that made him believe Jayce thought this was a date?

This truly shouldn’t be such a dilemma in his mind. Jayce however, had a bad tendency at overthinking the small things.

He battled the idea of shaving while adjusting his clothes in the mirror that was hanging beside the television.

‘Something simple for today’, he figured. Some khaki pants with a black v-neck t-shirt tucked neatly into his waistband. A brown belt and comfy dark sneakers completed his outfit. He wasn’t one for flashy accessories, but he never left home without the leather bracelet he wore on his left wrist.

What was Viktor going to wear, he wondered.

The two times Jayce had seen him, he always seemed to dress pretty scholarly. Both times they met, Viktor had worn a button up with a sweater vest over top, and thinking about it made Jayce smile. Nothing wrong with sticking to a style that suits you.

His mind continued to wander as he stared at himself in the mirror.

As well as being an overthinker, Jayce had a bad habit of overanalyzing potential future complications. What if Viktor stood him up? He hadn’t received a text back from the man, even after Jayce had sent him a friendly ‘Hey, it’s Jayce!’ so the other would have his phone number as well.

What if they disagreed on certain theories, or what if Viktor didn’t like any of Jayce’s ideas?

Hell, what if he spilled his coffee over the whole table and ruined all of their notes?

Jayce sucked in a sharp breath and gave his head a small shake. A lame attempt at trying to silence the thoughts coursing through his mind.

He then stood up and headed for the bathroom, flicking on the light and opening up the cabinet under the sink.

He decided to shave.

_____

Viktor was having a pretty rough morning himself.

One of the straps on his back brace had snapped while he had been getting dressed, leaving it far more loose than usual. Typically, he had to tighten it as much as possible to get any kind of relief, and the extreme tension in the band finally gave way. It was a long time coming, though. Viktor had it since he was a teenager. For him, it was expensive and unnecessary to get a new one until this one kicked the bucket.

Small curses left his lips knowing he’d have to tap into some of his grant money in order to afford a new one.

Viktor tried not to let this inconvenience sully his day, though. Today was supposed to be fun. When parting ways with Jayce last evening, he promised to get a good night’s sleep.

This however, proceeded to be rather difficult for him.

Viktor had never exactly been on a date before, he realized last night.

Or… was this a date?

Did he ask Jayce Talis out on a date?

The question ran through his mind all night and he hadn’t managed to fall asleep until almost 6 am.

He told himself that this was a meeting between colleagues.Two people who were interested in the same thing, and discussing ideas on how to perhaps bring it into reality.

…Was Jayce even interested in men?

That question made Viktor’s hands falter as he buttoned up his shirt. He cleared his throat and tried to push the question from his mind, because that wasn’t something someone needed to think about when discussing a project with an acquaintance.

Viktor slid on a brown argyle sweater vest over top of the white collared shirt.

…It was an interesting thought, though.

In Zaun, sexuality wasn’t a niche topic like it was in Piltover. In fact, nothing was a niche topic in Zaun. Everything was on the table, so not much had to be questioned.

Viktor was fairly open about being gay. Although, in a strange way, he didn’t think anyone but his foster parents knew. Since sexuality wasn’t something to be gawked at back at home, it was never a topic point in conversation.

Despite not being shy about who he was, Viktor had never been taken out on a proper date before. He was either too engrossed into his studies, or he just didn’t bother. Most men in Zaun didn't exactly meet Viktor’s unwritten criteria, anyways. Now that he was on the topic of it, even he wasn’t exactly sure what that criteria was.

He quickly realized that he was still letting his mind wander to places it shouldn’t while he slipped on his leg brace over his pants.

After that came his shoes.

It was five minutes to noon, and he had to get his head out of the gutter. Viktor felt rather guilty for trying to picture Jayce Talis hand in hand with another man.

With anyone, for that matter.

Grabbing his bag, cane, and slipping his wallet and dorm room key into his pocket, Viktor finally took his leave.

He tried to calm his nerves on the way down, but little did much to slow his racing heart.

And, when he stepped outside, Jayce was already there waiting.

It was a rather gloomy day out, but the temperature was nice. Since it was only the second week of September, heat from the summer stuck in the air. However, a cool breeze of the promising fall blew by.

Jayce smiled as he saw Viktor.

He was leaning against his vehicle that was still running, pulled up to the curb outside the building. His hand fidgeted with his phone that was tucked into his front pocket, and when Viktor approached, he cleared some of the dryness from his throat.

Viktor hadn’t stood him up. Jayce decided he was just a bad texter.

“Hey! How are you?” He greeted him rather cheerily.

Viktor looked up at Jayce, and couldn’t hold back the small smirk that made its way onto his face. Of course, Jayce drove a pickup truck. How… fitting.

Instead of answering his question, he tilted his head to the side and hummed through his smirk.

“You shaved.”

Jayce’s eyebrows raised and he let out a small, but awkward laugh. He ran his hand over his now clean shaven jaw.

“Oh, yeah, I did. I’m surprised you noticed.”

“Hmm.. too bad, I thought the beard suited you. Trying to tap into the mind of a younger Jayce Talis for our meeting today?”

On top of being a bad texter, Jayce quickly came to the conclusion that Viktor was a bit of a bully, too. He did, however, take note of the complement. Even if it was a bit backhanded.

“You could say that.” Jayce laughed it off, then opened up the passenger door of his truck. “Should we head out, then? Sorry, there’s a bit of a step up to get in.” Jayce’s eyes fell to Viktor’s leg. He wasn’t one to stare or ask questions, but he found himself doing so quite often.

Viktor took notice whenever Jayce’s eyes wandered. It was rare for someone living in Piltover to have such a condition. While it annoyed him a bit more when he felt the eyes of strangers questioning what they were seeing, he didn’t mind so much when it came to Jayce.

And, when he saw Jayce reach his hand out in assistance, he surely wasn’t going to deny the help.

“Such a gentleman, thank you.” He thanked him, a teasing tone in his voice. He placed his hand into Jayce’s before climbing in. It wasn’t too elegant, the way he clambered up into the seat, but Jayce held onto his hand until he had settled in.

The remark of being called a gentleman from Viktor caused Jayce’s ego to skyrocket. Whether either of them considered this a date was suddenly irrelevant in Jayce’s eyes. All he wanted was for Viktor to have a good time.

Viktor tucked his cane at his feet while Jayce closed his door for him and stepped around the vehicle to get to the driver’s seat.

He settled in with a sigh after clicking on his seatbelt, and turned to Jayce who was doing the same.

“Why on earth do you require such a large vehicle?”

Jayce laughed as he started to drive off. “Sometimes I like to bring equipment home to work on projects when the University closes for more than a few days at a time. Over holidays, long weekends, even sometimes if I’m sick and know I’m going to miss work. It just makes it a lot easier to bring everything from point A to point B.”

Viktor hummed and nodded at that response. “That makes sense.. So this is something you do quite often?”

The two fell into easy conversation once again, something that Jayce quite enjoyed. All the fussing and worrying from this morning seemed to become completely pointless as he told Viktor the story of how he once got pulled over with thousands of dollars of lab equipment in the bed of his truck.

It took a whole lot of interrogating and every form of ID he had to prove he hadn’t stolen it all.

Viktor laughed and listened comfortably to Jayce’s stories. The man seemed to be a bit of a talker, but he didn’t mind. He was much more content simply listening along to what he had to say.

Only about 15 minutes passed by until they reached the cafe. It was a tiny building in the heart of downtown Piltover. Jayce pulled into a parking spot, and reached a hand over to stop Viktor when he noticed him reaching for the handle of the car door.

“Wait, I’ll come around.” Jayce knew it was harder getting out of his truck than it was getting in, but if he was being honest, he kind of wanted to hear Viktor call him a gentleman again.

Viktor stayed put in his seat while he watched Jayce hop out and race to open his door for him. Usually he wasn’t a fan of being fussed over like this, but today, he found himself not minding so much.

“Thank you again.” Viktor smiled, grabbing Jayce’s hand as he took the step down from the vehicle.

Jayce even held the door of the cafe open for him.

As he entered through the door, the first thing that caught Viktor’s eye was the wall-spanning gallery of baked goods to choose from. The smell hit him next, sweet coffee mixed with pastries lingered in the air.

Jayce smiled down at him. “Are you a sweet treat type of guy? They make the best desserts here. I come at least once a week to get my fix.”

And Viktor was. Sugar was a scarcity back home. Viktor only ever found himself eating sweets around his birthday.

“Um.. oh, yeah. I suppose so. What would you recommend?”

They approached the glass showcase of treats and had a lengthy chat about what to try. Jayce picked something out fairly quickly, but Viktor wasn’t so easily convinced. His brows were furrowed and he focused on the selection of cakes and pastries as if he was trying to find the answer to an impossible equation.

Jayce noticed this, and placed a hand on the other’s shoulder.

“Hey, no need to think so hard. We can always come back.”

This, however, did quite the opposite of Jayce’s intention.

Viktor tensed up, feeling Jayce’s hand on his shoulder. Viktor’s eyes flickered between two options he had been juggling in his mind, but he was suddenly acutely focused on the other’s hand.

It was warm, he could feel the heat radiating through his vest and his shirt. It was strong, too. Jayce was only gripping him lightly, but through the small touch alone he was able to tell the strength he held.

The phrase ‘we can always come back’ raced through his mind as well.

Jayce noticed the shift in Viktor’s demeanor. He cleared his throat and removed his hand.

After another few moments, Viktor finally made his decision.

They ordered some simple lattes to pair with their baked goods, and despite Viktor’s protests, Jayce quickly took out his wallet and paid for them both.

“I’m the one who suggested we meet for coffee, it’s only fair I pay.” Viktor thought it was a perfectly logical reason, but Jayce had simply shook his head.

“Why don’t you go find us a table, and I’ll wait for our order?”

Viktor huffed a bit. He understood Jayce was being nice, but maybe now he was starting to feel guilty about being treated so kindly.

Viktor complied with Jayce’s request though, and found them a nice table in the corner of the cafe away from everyone else. There was a small window next to the table as well, which provided ample light should they need to write anything down.

When Jayce turned around from the counter with their goodies in hand, a small smile crept onto his lips.

“You really enjoy sitting at the most isolated tables possible, huh?” He teased, approaching the table and setting down Viktor’s coffee and pastry in front of him.

Viktor had been reaching into his messenger bag to take out some notebooks and pens, but paused, and looked up at Jayce with a ‘tsk’.

“I simply would rather not have other patrons listen in on our conversation.”

Jayce sat down across from him and took a sip of his drink. “Sure. I believe you.” The way the tips of Viktor’s ears had turned a subtle shade of pink told a different story, though.

Viktor shook it off. “Why don’t we begin, then?”

_____

A mess of papers soon scattered across their table. The two very quickly came to realize they held a very similar wavelength when it came to the topic of innovation.

Jayce explained his entire thought process behind his idea for the surgical arm. Viktor had cracked out a new notebook to write down every single word that left Jayce’s lips.

The hours of the afternoon ticked by, coffees were sipped, treats were enjoyed, and Viktor’s wrist began to cramp.

They spoke strategy, the physical attributes that would need to be considered in the design. Jayce took on most of that topic, while Viktor chimed in with his own snippets and comments on the matter.

What Viktor also came to quickly realize was that Jayce was kind of… a genius. He was far more well versed in scientific formulas than he gave himself credit for. Viktor thought he’d be taking on most of that work, but Jayce seemed to hit the nail on the head every time.

Jayce had to stop himself and apologize every now and then whenever he found himself rambling on about something particular for too long. Viktor however would wave off his apology and urge him to continue.

This felt nice, talking to someone as passionate as he was about creating something that could better the future.

Once they realized several hours had passed, they decided to take a small break.

Also because Viktor really needed to get up and stretch. With his half broken brace, his back was killing him after being seated for so long.

“I’m going to take a quick restroom break. Excuse me.” Viktor gripped onto his cane tightly as he stood, needing to use more strength than usual to haul himself up.

“Sure, take your time.” Jayce hummed, watching as Viktor stumbled up onto his feet. He had half a mind to reach out and help, but he didn’t want to overstep any boundaries.

It was tempting, in Jayce’s overly curious mind, to ask Viktor why he needed a cane. One that looked like it had been through hell and back, as well. He didn’t know much about medical aids, but it also seemed a tad too short, maybe it was something Viktor has kept for a long time? But, why hasn’t he gotten a new one?

He supposed it had something to do with the leg brace Viktor wore as well. When reading about Zaun, he knew that physical conditions like Viktor’s were quite common. How this surgical arm would help hundreds of Zaunites came up in their discussion fairly often. Jayce found it endearing, Viktor’s desire to help others.

When he returned, Viktor sat back down into his seat with a quiet groan. “Sorry about that. I took the time to stretch, as well.” Although, when he shifted to turn to Jayce once again, he felt a sharp pain shoot up his spine that made him wince.

“Is… everything okay?” Jayce asked carefully, tapping the side of his coffee cup with his finger.

Viktor sighed, and paused for a moment. His eyes fell to the table, to all of their notes splayed out across the two of them, before glancing back up to Jayce.

“It’s… fine. I um, wear a brace for my back, as well. I’m sure you’ve noticed the one I wear on my leg. One of the straps broke this morning, so it’s just aching more than usual.” Viktor shrugged it off casually, but Jayce suddenly looked very concerned.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” He continued to fiddle with his cup. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Viktor laughed at that notion and shook his head, taking the final sip from his latte. “Not unless you have some miracle drug that stops my body from actively trying to destroy itself. But thank you, I’ll probably just take some pain medication.”

Worry was suddenly plastered across Jayce’s face, and his hands stopped fidgeting. “That sounds really serious. You’re joking, right?”

Viktor shrugged again. “To be honest I don’t really know what you’d like me to say, Jayce. Whatever I have, I don’t exactly understand it myself.” He retrieved a small orange bottle from his messenger bag, and took out two white pills. When realizing he would need to dry swallow them, he regretted having finished his latte already.

“I’ve been to various doctors in Zaun and even one in Piltover, but I’m only ever prescribed pain medication. So far, nobody has been able to figure it out, but it’s far too expensive to do any in-depth testing that isn’t simply surface level. I guess that’s why, I, um..” He shook his head, brushing it off and taking the pills.

Viktor figured Jayce probably didn’t want to hear all of this. He suddenly felt guilty for running on about this sob story of his.

However, Jayce listened intently, and finished the sentence Viktor seemed to pause on.

“...That’s why you’ve studied so hard all your life. That’s why you came to Piltover.”

Now it was Viktor’s turn to fidget with his empty cup, and he nodded.

“That is.. Part of the reason, yes.”

And without missing a beat, Jayce spoke up again.

“You’re trying to find the cure yourself, aren’t you?”

At that, Viktor sighed. His and Jayce’s eyes met, and he nodded again. It was astonishing how fast the man seemed to figure him out. Maybe Jayce Talis truly was a genius, even when it came to reading people.

They were silent for a few moments. Jayce could tell Viktor was lost in his own thoughts.

“I think I have to apologize to you, Jayce.”

That caused Jayce’s head to tilt in curiosity, but he let Viktor speak.

“I am very excited about this surgical arm idea of yours. And… I would truly be honoured to work alongside you, if that’s… something you would like, of course.”

Viktor paused, and Jayce smiled gently.

“Of course I would like that, Viktor. But, what are you apologizing for?”

Viktor looked up to meet Jayce’s concerned gaze.

“I need you to understand that I cannot place this project as my top priority. I came to Piltover to find a cure for my illness, and that is what I intend to do above all else. You can take every single credit, every dollar, write your name on every idea, note, theory, anything. I’m.. I’m sorry I can’t shift my full attention towards this, but I will still do everything I can to help you. This truly is something that I think will be beneficial, and I’d love to see every single detail through, but-”

Viktor stopped, and looked down to his hand. Which, Jayce was now holding.

“Viktor…” Jayce’s gaze had softened, shifting from worry, to something eerily similar to admiration.

It caused Viktor to shift in his seat.

“I completely understand, there’s no need to explain yourself. You have your own dreams to follow, and I have mine. I would never ask you to pour yourself into this so deeply that it takes you away from your own goals.”

Jayce smiled, but Viktor still felt somewhat uneasy. He didn’t say anything, just nodded.

Jayce picked up on this, and gave his hand a small squeeze, before letting go and completely shifting the subject.

“If we’d like to make this project official, we do need to discuss funding and sponsors. I’ll have a chat on Monday with Heimerdinger about when our next sponsorship event will be. The best way to secure funding is chatting up investors over drinks in a far too crowded auditorium, ironically enough…”

Jayce trailed on, but Viktor’s mind still raced. Did he truly deserve such kindness in this way? Viktor had jumped hurdles all on his own his whole life. Nobody was there to have his back, so he pushed his way through life with the idea he’d have to face everything alone.

But, Jayce Talis sat across from him. Casually making notes of how much funding he believed they needed to kickstart their project.

Their project.

Jayce wanted to work with him, even if his top priorities lay elsewhere.

_____

The afternoon sun quickly turned into evening rays, and the two decided it would be best to call it a day.

Viktor packed up his personal belongings, as did Jayce, and they both stood.

“Oh, I do have to admit, that was probably the best cherry danish I have ever tasted. You were right.” Viktor hummed as they exited the shop, Jayce following right behind him.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it! Maybe… we can come back together sometime. If you’d like, that is.” Jayce helped Viktor into the truck once again, and he settled with a smile.

“Yes, I would love that.”

Jayce beamed when Viktor accepted his offer.

The ride back to the University dorms was filled with idle chit chat. They had spent all day talking science, so it was nice to chat casually.

At some point in the conversation, Viktor found out that Jayce was a dog person.

“I can’t explain it, but that makes so much sense. You would be a dog person, wouldn’t you?”

Jayce’s face scrunched up. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Viktor just laughed and turned to look out the window. “I told you, I can’t explain it.”

Jayce sulked for the rest of the ride, and when they returned to the University dorms, it was almost dark out. Jayce walked Viktor to the entryway of the building. Since he was a staff member, he wasn’t allowed inside.

So, he’d have to say his goodnights here.

“Thanks for a really great day today, Viktor. I think we did some really amazing work.” Jayce smiled, and Viktor did as well.

“Of course. Thank you as well, for… everything.” He glanced off to the side. Suddenly the trees to Jayce’s right were extremely interesting to look at. “I’m… looking forward to seeing you again. To discuss our project, of course.”

The added comment at the end caused Jayce to chuckle to himself. They stood there in silence for a few moments, neither really wanting to finish off with the last word of the night.

Finally, Viktor decided he couldn’t take any more silent moments between the two of them. “Drive home safe, okay? I’m sure I’ll see you around on Monday.” Hesitantly, Viktor held out his hand, going in for a casual handshake. It felt awkward, but… he wasn’t exactly sure what the proper protocol was here.

Jayce’s gaze fell down to the hand that Viktor was offering him. Jayce was about to reach out to take his hand, but paused for a moment. He sucked in a sharp breath, which Viktor took notice of, before carefully leaning down and pulling in Viktor for a gentle, casual hug. That was what he was trying to do, at least.

The hug took Viktor by surprise, but not in a bad way. It was starting to get cold outside, and Jayce was so warm. Even if he was just wearing a t-shirt. His arms slowly wrapped around the man’s torso, and Viktor realized his face rested lightly against Jayce’s shoulder. He could smell his cologne from this close, and fuck it smelled good.

Viktor could feel his cheeks heating up and he wanted to pull away, but he also didn’t want Jayce to see how flustered he had gotten.

Jayce didn’t really know what came over him. Their few second hug left his heart racing and stomach flipping. Maybe he was overstepping, but a handshake just… didn’t feel right after the day they had together.

When he started to pull away, he noticed the flush on Viktor’s cheeks. Seeing that caused him to smile.

“Um…” Jayce started to speak, and Viktor’s hands gripped the strap on his messenger bag.

“Have a good Sunday, yeah? Take a day off, you worked hard today. You deserve some rest.”

Viktor nodded at that, the scent of Jayce’s cologne still lingering.

“Oh, uh, ya, of course. You too. I’ll see you on Monday.” He repeated his previous statement, and mustered a small smile.

Viktor waved to Jayce as he headed back to his truck, and he entered the dorms with a shaky hand.

Jayce and Viktor both knew they would be having a restless night.

Chapter Text

Jayce and Viktor saw each other nearly everyday. Whether it was meeting up for lunch in the cafeteria between Viktor’s classes, or heading into town for coffee, it started to feel strange if more than a few hours passed by without speaking to one another.

After their first meeting that Saturday, it started to become a regular weekend activity of theirs. Even if chatting over lunch or lattes didn’t involve banter about their project, it felt nice to get to know one another better.

Jayce quite enjoyed how close they were becoming, and especially learning all the little details about Viktor. What he liked in his coffee, how much he despised the colder months, even down to his favourite type of pen to write with.

Despite this, he still felt like he was missing a big piece in the puzzle that was Viktor. He quickly learned that he didn’t enjoy speaking about his past. Whenever Jayce would talk about his own friends, family, and childhood, Viktor would simply nod, go quiet for a few moments, then change the subject.

Viktor, in their time spent together, learned that Jayce was quite the “over-texter”.

“Nice outfit ;P” Jayce texted him one day. Viktor read the message, looked up from his phone, and peered around the empty courtyard. It was sunny outside, and Viktor wanted some alone time to flip through his textbook.

No other students were sitting outside, and Jayce was nowhere to be seen either.

Viktor texted back with furrowed brows. “Resorting to stalking now, Jayce? Where are you? How can you see me?”

A brief ten seconds passed by, and Viktor was soon sent a picture of himself sitting in the courtyard. From an insanely high angle. Out of a window. Jayce was stalking him from the third floor of the building.

It was times like these where Viktor regretted giving Jayce his phone number.

Other times, the quick communication between the two was quite useful.

Like the time Jayce texted him the good news about an upcoming event to meet potential investors for their project. They had been meeting up quite often with the sole purpose to discuss their surgical arm, but they couldn’t get the ball officially rolling until they had the money for it.

The suggested event would be taking place at the end of October.

A ‘stupid Halloween party’, as Jayce had called it.

When Viktor looked further into it, it actually seemed rather extravagant. A ‘gala’ type of party held in the University’s event hall. Sponsors from inside and outside Piltover’s borders would be attending in search of prospective students.

Viktor wasn’t one for big gatherings like this. He would have been more than happy with one-on-one meetings over a drink in the school’s lounge. At first, he protested against the idea of attending. Jayce was much more of a… ‘people person’, than he was. The decision on whether or not he would go was made even more difficult when Jayce suggested the idea of dressing up in costumes. It was a Halloween party, after all.

An ultimatum finally settled their argument. Viktor would attend, but not in costume.

Though slightly disappointed, Jayce could live with that.

_____

“So, when are you and Viktor gonna fuck?”

Jayce nearly choked on the first bite of his lunch, eyes widening and dropping his fork to the table.

“What the hell Cait?! You can’t just ask me that!”

Caitlyn, one of Jayce’s closest friends, sat across the cafeteria table from him with a sinister smirk on her face. She shrugged, and took a sip of water.

“I think your intentions are pretty damn obvious, Jayce. Every time I see you look at him you’re practically undressing him with your eyes. It’s disgusting how you don’t even hide it. Literally, I’m not kidding. You start at his feet, and your eyes, like, sloowwwly move up, all while you have this cheeky little grin-”

“Cait if you don’t shut the fuck up right now I’m actually going to pour my coffee all over you.” Jayce’s cheeks were as red as they could possibly be. He.. had no idea he was being so obvious.

Jayce loved Caitlyn, the two were like brother and sister. Their parents were business partners so they had known each other from an extremely young age.

When she decided to move out on her own and search for a full time job, Jayce had helped her secure a position as a campus security guard at the University.

They were as close as two people could be, but that didn’t stop Jayce from wanting to smack her sometimes. Though, he was somewhat jealous of her ability to be so blunt.

“Look, you’ve known Viktor for.. What, almost two months now? It’s clear that he likes you, or else he would have run off by now. Just ask him out on a date, it can’t hurt.”

“It could hurt, though, Cait. We’re about to start this big project together, and if I go and make it all weird he could, I don’t know.. Quit? Or, if he doesn’t, then he’ll constantly be thinking about how I asked him out. Then there’ll be this strange tension, and…” Jayce sighed, and leaned his head against his hand. “I just don’t want to ruin anything. What we have right now is nice. Besides, I don’t even know if he likes men.”

At that statement, Caitlyn laughed. “Jayce, you can’t be serious. Look, I know you’ve never actually dated a man before, but Viktor is absolutely not straight. Just try to picture him even holding hands with a woman.”

Jayce tried picturing it for a brief moment, then grumbled. He didn’t want to think about Viktor holding hands with anyone at all.

“Has Viktor ever mentioned any past relationships he's had?” Caitlyn filled the silence after witnessing Jayce’s failed attempt at conjuring up a picture of Viktor with someone else.

“No… he goes kinda quiet whenever I mention anything about the past. Like he doesn’t want to talk about it.”

Caitlyn shrugged. “Crazy ex maybe?”

Jayce shrugged as well. “No idea. I’m not gonna push it, though. If he doesn’t want to tell me, then he doesn’t have to.”

The idea of asking Viktor out on an actual date had his stomach flipping in circles. He wasn’t so sure why, though. It was so easy to send him a text asking to meet up for a drink, or suggesting they have lunch together on a day off.

Or perhaps, Viktor already thought of their time spent together as dates? It would make it a lot easier to ask him out, he supposed. Or maybe it would be worse? What if he asked him out and Viktor assumed that’s what they had already been doing? Surely he’d be pissed at Jayce, then.

“You’re doing it again.”

Jayce perked up hearing Caitlyn’s voice. “Huh?”

“You’re thinking about him.” She cooed teasingly.

“...You don’t know that.”

“Yes, I absolutely know that. Because I know you, Jayce. And I also know you haven’t stopped talking about this man for the past 2 months. Same goes for how often you think about him. You get this stupid look on your face and you stare off at nothing. I swear to God if you don’t ask him out soon I’m going to do it for you.”

“Please don’t do that…” Jayce mumbled, running a hand over his face stressfully. He decided to grow back his beard, since… Viktor said he liked it that way.

“That big investors party is tomorrow night, isn’t it? That would be the perfect time to ask him out. Get a couple drinks in ya’, have some fun, loosen up, dance a bit. Aww wouldn’t it be so romantic if you two danced together?”

Jayce couldn’t hold back a small laugh at that notion. “I don’t think Viktor is the ‘dancing’ type, but…” It might be a good idea. If they were able to land some funding for their project their spirits would be high. It would do well for Jayce’s confidence, and perhaps Viktor would be more at ease.

“Im… not going to make any promises, so for now I’ll say maybe.” Jayce decided.

Caitlyn beamed at that. “Perfect! Now maybe I can try to convince someone to switch their shift with me for tomorrow night…” She took out her phone and hummed, then noticed Jayce rolling his eyes. “What? Sorry I wanna be there to support you!”

“Mhm, I totally believe you. I’m sure it’s not because you wanna see if I’ll make an ass of myself”, Jayce replied in a sarcastic tone.

“Whaat, nooo, never. I’m sure it’ll all work out perfectly…” She smirked, and sent off the request.

_____

‘Tomorrow night’ came rather quickly. Viktor and Jayce decided to meet up outside of the student dorms so they could both walk into the event hall together.

And Viktor found himself feeling the same way he felt the first time he and Jayce went out for coffee together.

Maybe it was because this would be a big night for the potential future of their project. Even if they found an investor interested in funding them, it would still be several months before they would get to work. If they weren’t able to make any deals tonight, it would push their starting date several months back. And Viktor wanted as much time as possible to work with Jayce.

His social battery was already pre-drained at the idea of how many people he’d be talking to. Thankfully, Jayce had agreed to most of the chatting. All he had to do was contribute facts about their project, and Jayce would take care of the rest.

Despite not being in costume, he was informed he should probably still dress to impress. Viktor didn’t have much in the way of luxury clothing, so he settled on something he hoped would be presentable enough.

A white collared shirt and a burgundy blazer fit his torso, and he wore dark burgundy slacks to match. He decided to wear his leg brace underneath his pants for tonight. It was a bit more uncomfortable, having the rough material of the brace directly against his skin, but his pants were a looser fit and it looked awkward having them bunched under the brace.

Around his neck was a long black tie. It was patterned with a swarm of tiny orange jack o'lanterns. Jayce had let him borrow it. The man told him if they weren’t going to dress up, he’d still like them to be festive. Having heard this, he couldn’t help but wonder what Jayce was going to wear in order to ‘be festive’.

Viktor soon made his way downstairs to the doors of the dorms. This was a common routine now with how often he and Jayce were meeting up. In fact, Jayce was already waiting there for him, as he always was.

“Hey! You look great!” The taller man beamed, eyes moving up and down Viktor’s outfit.

Viktor gave Jayce a gentle smile. “Thank you, as do you.” Then his eyes fell to his tie. It was the same tie as the one he wore. “Ah, I see we’ll be matching tonight.”

Jayce laughed at that as they walked side by side to the main building. Jayce wore a similar outfit to Viktor’s, except his whole attire was completely black, even the button up under his blazer.

It was a Friday, one of Viktor’s busiest days schedule-wise, so they chatted about his day as they made their way to the main entrance of the University.

Upon entering, they noticed the hallways were bustling with people. Students made up the majority of the crowds, grouping around a singular individual, trying to get their attention. Jayce hadn’t anticipated it being this busy.

Especially right in the entryway.

“Let’s find our way to the event hall.” Jayce glanced down at Viktor, noticing the disgruntlement plastered onto his face. He had promised there wouldn’t be an overwhelming number of people. Usually these things only attracted freshmen wanting to grab an early sponsor, but this year, that didn’t seem to be the case.

Jayce placed his hand on the small of Viktor’s back as they pushed their way down the corridor. An action that caused him to tense slightly. Though, he was thankful for it, as the crowds just got thicker the closer they got to their destination.

The event hall, ironically enough, was less crowded than the corridors. The two paused in the doorway and took a glance around. The space was decorated tastefully, more so for autumn than Halloween. A live band played music from the stage at the far end of the large room, and a table full of food and drinks lined the left wall.

There was something else that Viktor noticed too…

“Jayce, absolutely nobody is in costume!” He scolded him with a smack on the arm. “What if we had come in costume like you suggested? We would have looked absolutely foolish!”

“Ow! No, we wouldn’t have looked ‘foolish’, we would have stood out! Which is very important for tonight!” He protested as they made their way inside.

Viktor, though, was still thankful they didn’t come in costume. Even after Jayce rambled on for the next five minutes about what they could have worn. What he was most thankful for, was seeing Jayce in such stylish attire.

Jayce always tended to dress well, but Viktor had never seen him in such clothing. When he first saw him standing at the doors of the dormitories, he had half a mind to take a picture with his phone.

He’d be lying if he said Jayce wasn’t a handsome man. Quite often, when passing by each other in the hallways, Jayce had a circle of students around him. Something that Viktor never saw when observing other TA’s at the University.

Tonight already seemed to prove no different. Viktor found himself at the confectionary table sipping a glass of red wine. The wine in Piltover was far better than anything in Zaun. If he was honest, he wasn’t even a huge fan of wine. But Piltovian wine was something special to indulge in.

Finding a seat at one of the many tables scattered through the room, Viktor watched as Jayce was pulled from group to group of people vying for his attention. It wasn’t clear whether or not any investors were in those crowds, or if they were full of students simply gawking at how good Jayce looked tonight.

Either way, Viktor was happy to sit back and sip his drink while Jayce did some recon. Something else they had both agreed to.

It was going to be a long night, and Viktor was honest with Jayce about how difficult it would be for him to be on his feet for extended periods of time. Thankfully, Jayce was extremely accommodating, as he always was. “Don’t worry, just enjoy yourself and I’ll come find you”, he had told him the previous evening.

Viktor sometimes felt guilty for how well Jayce looked after him. Kindness in Zaun was something that had to be earned. Usually through a ‘favour for a favour’ system. Over the past few weeks though, Viktor discovered that Jayce simply oozes kindness. Not just for him, but for everyone around him.

Some might have considered him a people pleaser, but that term has a negative connotation attached to it. Jayce seemed to genuinely enjoy pleasing others. Like it was something written deeply into his DNA.

Sometimes he wondered why Jayce didn’t have a girlfriend.

He’d be the perfect partner. Considerate, affectionate, touchy as hell… But always knowing where boundaries lay. Not to mention how outgoing and purely likeable Jayce was. If he had even a single enemy in the world, Viktor would be shocked.

The two had talked for all but maybe 3 minutes about past relationships. And three minutes was probably pushing it. An ex-girlfriend of Jayce’s had come into the coffee shop they frequented, which caused him to quickly duck his head and turn away.

When Viktor questioned his strange action, Jayce had briefly filled him in on the details of a rather messy breakup. They left on bad terms, and hadn’t seen each other since.

And she was a beautiful woman, Viktor had noted. Probably even out of Jayce’s league.

Their conversation kept him up that night. Staring at the ceiling, wanting to know more details for God knows why.

How long had they been together? Why exactly did they break up? How long ago did they separate? Who broke up with who? Did one of them still have feelings?

The questions ate him alive and he didn’t know why. Viktor refused to feel jealous over a woman he didn’t even know the name of.

Swirling the red liquid of his now second drink around in his glass, Viktor almost didn’t notice when Jayce returned to the table.

“Viktor! I’d like to introduce you to someone.”

Viktor looked up from where he was seated, and smiled seeing Jayce. The man looked ecstatic. If he had a tail it’d be wagging a mile a minute.

“This is Mel Medarda. She’s a member of Piltover’s council.” Jayce introduced her, and Viktor quickly stood to his feet to greet her, reaching out and shaking her hand.

“It’s an honour to meet you. My name is Viktor.” He introduced himself casually, the three of them then sitting down together.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well. Jayce has been discussing your project with me. I have to say, it has definitely piqued my interest.” She smiled to him.

Jayce excused himself for a moment to get Mel, himself, and Viktor some fresh drinks. When he returned, he was happy to hear the two of them chatting idly.

“Mel’s family were the first to invest in my research for Piltover’s hydroelectric generator.” Jayce noted when he found a break in their conversation, eyeing Viktor across the table.

Viktor immediately understood. She was most likely going to be their best chance at securing funding.

“Let me show you the prints for some prototypes we’ve been working on.” Viktor took out a small notepad from the inside of his blazer, and slid it across the table.

Mel listened intently to every word the two had to say.

_____

Nearly two hours passed by. Chatting about their project soon turned into casual banter.

Some of that banter included what Jayce was like when he was 19.

It turns out, Mel and Jayce had actually grown quite close during his freshman year of University. Mel would tag along with her parents to check in on Jayce and his research. She saw him through right up until the generator had been built.

Over the years though, and after the council had bought him out, they hadn’t seen much of each other.

Viktor also found that Mel had quite the sense of humour.

“Guys… come on, lighten up a little bit…” Jayce complained, sinking down into his seat.

“But Jayce, you were so cute when you were 19! It’s been so long since I last saw you, you’re a grown man now!” Mel teased, and Jayce just pouted more.

“You’re only a few years older than me! You can’t talk like I was just a kid to you back then..”

Viktor chimed in on the teasing as well. “Mel, I would love to see some pictures of this ‘horrendous moustache phase’ you mentioned Jayce had gone through.”

Jayce shook his head before she could answer. “No, no. Please don’t show him anything, he’ll just use it against me later.” He was practically begging at this point for the two of them to ease up on him.

Mel simply laughed, took a final sip from her wine glass, then stood from the table.

“It’s alright Jayce, I promise I won’t.” Her gaze softened slightly, and she picked up her purse from the table. “It is getting late, though, so I believe I should be heading out.”

Viktor and Jayce both rose from the table as well. They shared glances with one another as she checked the time on her phone, then placed it back into her purse.

She tucked in her seat, and with a small smile, turned to them both. “I’m looking forward to seeing how this project of yours will turn out. I’ll be in contact with Heimerdinger in the coming weeks.”

Jayce’s eyebrows rose, and Viktor looked to him, trying to study what his facial expression meant.

“So.. You’d like to invest, then?” Jayce questioned tentatively.

Mel nodded. “Yes, absolutely. I think this is a wonderful idea the two of you have created. And, I would be rather silly not to hop on board another Talis project.”

Jayce and Viktor simultaneously grinned ear to ear, and each took a turn shaking Mel’s hand. They spoke for another few minutes about their excitement to be working with her, and once she took her leave, Viktor couldn’t even process his thoughts before Jayce was barrelling into him.

He pulled him into a tight hug, one that would have knocked him off his feet if he didn’t throw his arms around Jayce’s shoulders just as tightly.

The two laughed happily as they embraced, Viktor pressing his forehead against Jayce’s shoulder. They hadn’t hugged like this since that first Saturday meeting. However, this one felt much more intimate.

Whether it be because of the alcohol coursing through his veins, or the excitement of having secured funding for their project, Viktor heard his heart pounding loudly in his ears. It was louder than the sound of the chatter in the room, and even the music from the band.

The only thing that brought him back to his senses was that familiar smell of Jayce’s cologne. He closed his eyes for a few moments, and let himself get lost in it.

It brought him back to that night, after Jayce had dropped him off at his dorm. The man was just as warm, too. Except now, he felt so much closer to the one whose arms he was wrapped in. For this moment, Viktor felt completely at ease.

Jayce slowly pulled back from the hug, a large smile still plastered across his face. His hands settled on Viktor’s shoulders so he could read his expression. And sure enough, he was also grinning widely.

“We need to celebrate.” Jayce decided, patting Viktor’s shoulders. “I have a nice bottle of champagne back at my place. I’ve been waiting for my next big discovery to open it. But, I think this classifies as something important enough to pop it open.”

Viktor’s brows raised and his cheeks held a faint tinge of pink. Hopefully Jayce recognized his flushed expression as tipsiness, and not surprise.

Jayce had just invited him over to his apartment.

Viktor was probably thinking about his answer too hard, and for too long, because he started to notice the smile on Jayce’s face fading ever so slightly.

Quickly, he decided he would be an idiot not to accept such an offer.

“Yes, of course. I would love that.”

Jayce beamed. He reached down to grab Viktor’s hand, and gave it a small squeeze. “Let's go, then.”

Viktor swallowed nervously, but smiled and nodded, following Jayce into the corridor.

He held tightly to his hand as the band’s music faded away behind him.

Chapter Text

Jayce could feel his heartbeat pounding harshly against his chest. Did he really just ask Viktor to come back to his apartment? The night started in a bout of nervousness about potentially asking the man out on a proper date, and now he had asked him to come back to his place to celebrate their accomplishment.

It was only for a few glasses of champagne, he supposed, as he helped Viktor into the passenger side of his truck.

Still, too many thoughts were scrambling through his head. It was almost a challenge to keep an eye on the road as he drove off.

Had he cleaned up before he left? Maybe he left some clothes on the floor before he head out for the evening. But those would be strewn about the bedroom, and it’s not like they’d have any reason to put that room to use…

Jayce shook the thought as soon as it popped up. No, no. This was a simple invitation to indulge in some overpriced booze that probably didn’t taste much different than the cheap stuff.

So why did Jayce grip the steering wheel just a little bit harder? And why did he accidentally turn down a side road he didn’t mean to turn down?

Soon he was brought back to reality by the sound of his phone ringing. His phone was tucked away in his blazer, though, the bluetooth was automatically connected to the touch screen of his vehicle.

The ringing made Viktor perk up as well.

“Ah, shit. Viktor could you.. Uh, answer that please? It’s Caitlyn.”

Viktor simply hummed in response, and reached across the console to accept the call. In doing so, he noticed how flustered Jayce had suddenly looked. Had he looked like this all night? The event hall was dark, but he surely would have noticed the shade of red Jayce had turned far earlier into the night.

“Jayce! Where the hell are you?!” Viktor couldn’t afford to think of it much longer, because Caitlyn’s voice was suddenly booming loudly over the truck’s speakers.

He had met Caitlyn a couple of times. It was mainly in passing, but she always seemed rather put together. When she was on her own, that is. Whenever Viktor saw Caitlyn and Jayce together it was a different story.

At first he felt a strange jealousy for what the two had. Growing up in Zaun, it was hard to make close friends. Especially for someone like Viktor, who, through his youth, preferred to run off and create fun of his own.

Alone.

Caitlyn and Jayce seemed even closer than brother and sister, but were nowhere near compatible as lovers. It was amusing to him, to observe this strange bond they shared. Even more so, hearing her scream at Jayce through the phone made him chuckle.

“I’ve been looking for you all night! You know I took this shift just to spy on you and Viktor, right? It’s been two hours and I haven’t been able to find you anywhere!”

Despite feeling like his face couldn’t get any redder, it somehow did, and Jayce groaned. “I already left Cait, sorry to make you wait around all night… But I do have some really good news-”

“You already left?! What the hell Jayce? Where’s Viktor? Why did you leave?” Her voice boomed, and when Jayce found a moment, he reached over and turned down the volume on the speakers.

“Cait, just - hold on, let me tell you -”

“Have you even asked out Viktor yet? You said you were going to! Well, I guess it was a maybe - ”

That made Viktor raise a brow and glance over to Jayce, as the man quickly turned the volume of the call all the way down. He nearly swerved into the opposite lane. Thankfully there weren’t many cars on the road tonight.

“Caitlyn shut the fuck up!” Jayce huffed loudly, swallowing thickly and keeping the volume knob turned down. He regained some of his composure before slowly turning it back up. This time though, he made sure she wasn’t talking.

“I’m driving right now… I have Viktor in the car with me.”

There was silence on the other end. Though, you could hear faint chatter from those who milled about the event hall.

Viktor, who fidgeted a bit in his seat, finally spoke up.

“Hello, Caitlyn.”

There were a few more moments of silence before she finally responded.

“...Uh - hi Viktor! Sorry about that, I’m just, you know.. Joking around!” A forced laugh was heard from the other line.Jayce ran a stressed hand down his face.

He suddenly couldn’t take much more of this, regretting having Viktor answer the phone in the first place.

“Listen Cait, I’m gonna let you go, we’re pulling up to my apartment building. I’ll call you later okay? Or - “ he thought about it for a moment, “actually I’ll text you. How does that sound?”

“Your apartment?”

Jayce pulled into his designated spot, shifting his truck into park.

“But if you haven’t asked him out yet why are you at your apartment - “

“Bye Cait talk later!” Jayce yelled so fast his farewell sounded like one word all jumbled together . He ended the call before his forehead immediately dropped to rest on the steering wheel in complete embarrassment.

Viktor knew he should probably be feeling the same way right now. The way Jayce looked completely deflated seemed to confirm his curiosity about whether or not Caitlyn was actually joking. But instead of feeling embarrassed, he actually felt… amused? Flattered? He wasn’t sure exactly what he was feeling right now, but whatever it was, it willed him to reach over and place a hand on Jayce’s upper arm.

The feeling of Viktor’s hand on his arm caused Jayce to peek up from his wallow, taking a deep breath before sitting up properly.

Caitlyn did say she was going to take matters into her own hands if he didn’t hurry up.

“Viktor, I’m sorry.” Jayce sighed, leaning back in his seat and gazing over at the man apologetically.

“What for?”

That actually caused Jayce to chuckle, and he ran his hand down his face again before dropping his eyes to the floor of the vehicle.

“Just - what she said about, you know.. Um -”

He paused. Viktor’s hand stayed on his arm.

It was… quite strong, Viktor confirmed, never having placed his hand here before.

If Jayce’s heart was beating fast earlier, now it felt like it wanted to tear through his ribcage.

“I guess I’ve just.. Well, we’ve been - friends - for a while, and - I don’t know. I know we go out to get coffee and.. Sometimes I just… It’s okay if you say no, I don’t want to, like, you know, put you… on the spot or anything, I - ”

There was movement beside him, then he felt Viktor lean closer.

Jayce gained enough courage to pry his eyes from the floor and actually meet his eyes.

“Hey. Stop. It’s alright.” Viktor paused him before he could go any further. The poor man looked like he was going to faint.

He could easily sense Jayce’s nerves. So, he played dumb. Gave his upper arm a gentle squeeze to try and bring him back down to earth, and offered a small smile.

“Why don’t we… just head inside, and have a few drinks, yeah? Maybe then, you can say what you would like to say. If you still want to, that is.”

God, Jayce could just melt. The way Viktor was looking at him, he felt like he could sit here all night and just stare at him. Get lost in those eyes that were offering an overwhelming amount of sympathy.

It felt pathetic, almost. Never in his life had he felt so small under someone else’s gaze. What Viktor did to him was indescribable, and all they were doing was sitting in a parking lot after getting screamed at by Caitlyn.

Jayce took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah… yeah, that’s a good idea.” He agreed, offering a small smile back.

The trip upstairs was awkward.

The two men had just secured funding for the project they’ve been discussing nonstop for the last two months, but the only thing that was on their minds was whatever the hell just happened.

Even Viktor found himself fidgeting with the handle of his cane, something he only ever did when he was nervous.

And it was a long trip up.

There were 12 floors in his building, and Jayce lived on the 11th one. Of course, the elevator stopped a few times to let other residents of the building on and off.

Once they finally reached his door, Jayce tried his best to step into “host mode”. He was having a guest over for the first time, and despite the air between the two of them being as tense as could possibly be, he still wanted to be presentable.

Though, this persona of his was immediately shattered when he dropped his keys.

“Shit, sorry…” He grumbled, and only then did he notice that his hands were shaking.

Viktor noticed, too. But he chose not to say anything.

The door swung open, and Jayce stepped in first, then held it open for Viktor to follow.

He hesitated for a brief moment, taking a look inside before stepping in.

Jayce kept a modest apartment. Though, it looked far too big for only one person to be living there. You could see the entirety of the connected living room and kitchen from the entryway, though both rooms were overly spacious.

It wasn’t decorated too heavily. Viktor supposed that made sense for Jayce. He was a busy man, and most likely didn’t have much time for things of that sort.

Viktor watched Jayce kick his shoes off at the door and followed suit. There was a small bench by the front door where he took a quick seat to take off his shoes.

“Make yourself comfortable anywhere, I’ll get us some glasses.” Jayce finally spoke up, the first words spoken between the two of them since getting out of the truck.

“Sure, thank you.” Viktor hummed and stood once his shoes tucked away neatly. His eyes followed as Jayce made his way into the kitchen and started rummaging through some cupboards.

He stepped further into the living room.

Despite the rather ‘modern’ appearance of the space, Viktor’s eyes very quickly landed on a large sectional sitting against the far end of the room. He didn’t know that couches could ever come in such massive sizes. And, why Jayce needed such a big furniture item was beyond him.

Viktor did as instructed and made himself comfortable on the middle of the couch, leaning his cane against the coffee table and resting his tired leg atop an ottoman that was sitting nearby.

While Jayce searched the back of his liquor cabinet for their celebratory drink, Viktor’s gaze landed on a full-length mirror that was hung on the wall beside the television.

It was almost as though he hadn’t fully grasped the situation he was in until he looked at himself eye-to-eye. Tonight had felt surreal, in a way. The far too tight clothing, the large crowds, blasting music, joking and bantering with a council member, and now… holy fuck, he was lounging back in Jayce Talis’ apartment while he brought them some Piltovian champagne…

…to celebrate the funding of a project they’ve been working on together.

What the fuck was he doing here? Why the fuck did someone like him deserve to be here, of all places?

Viktor was broken out of his trance when he saw movement in front of the mirror. That movement was Jayce, carrying a large bottle of champagne with two chilled glasses in hand.

“Sorry, I blame ‘past Jayce’ for pushing this right to the back of the cabinet. I almost couldn’t find it.” The man joked, seeming to have calmed down a bit, and Viktor watched as he set everything down on the coffee table.

“...Are you sure you want to open this bottle tonight, Jayce?” Viktor suddenly retorted through furrowed brows. Jayce made the same expression, but for an entirely different reason.

He took a careful seat next to Viktor on the couch.

“What…do you mean? If you don’t want to drink any more tonight, we don’t have to, I just thought - “

“No, no, it’s not that, just… You mentioned that you were saving this bottle for your next greatest discovery. Are you sure, that… that this project is the one deemed worthy enough to open it?”

Jayce studied Viktor’s expression for a moment. Although, he couldn’t quite describe what he was seeing. It seemed like… a strange mixture of worry, nervousness, and… fear?

It took another moment or two, but Jayce felt confident in gathering what Viktor was feeling.

He had felt the same way too, once. When he was a freshman at the University. Everything had felt so new to him. Even the physical walls of the school felt big and overpowering, as if they themselves were telling him he was far too in over his head.

So, Jayce smiled, and nodded. His hand, as if instinctively and unknowing where it would end up, gently fell to the leg Viktor had resting on the ottoman.

Viktor’s expression, however, was unchanging. Until Jayce spoke.

“Yes, of course I’m sure. Viktor, what we’ve done together is incredible. You are incredible. I never thought anything out of that notebook would actually turn into anything other than just a doodle. When I saw how passionate you were about this project, I just knew we had to see it through.”

Viktor’s eyes softened slightly. His eyes fell to the hand that was now resting on his leg.

Why did Jayce have to be so gentle with him?

It sent goosebumps along his skin, but… in a good kind of way.

“But… what if - “

Viktor wavered for a moment, but was cut off by the sound of the champagne bottle being uncorked.

His eyes went wide, watching as Jayce poured the sparkling liquid into their glasses.

“No buts.” Jayce set the bottle back down before handing Viktor a glass, and taking one for himself.

Viktor was hesitant, but sat up when offered a glass. With a small nod of ‘thanks’, he gently cradled the glass.

It was cool against his fingertips, the bubbles of the champagne fizzing and popping up to touch the edge.

“To an extremely successful night of kissing ass.” Jayce smirked to lighten the mood. It worked easily enough, actually causing Viktor to laugh in return.

Viktor cleared his throat, and gave his head a gentle shake.

Maybe…he was being a little ridiculous.

“Yes… though it was nice teasing you about your youth, I believe our overwhelming charm is what made this possible.”

Jayce smiled at that. “To us, then. Above all else.”

“To us.” Viktor agreed.

The two clinked glasses and each took a large sip.

Almost immediately, Viktor’s face scrunched up as he swallowed.

He coughed a bit and pulled the glass away from his lips. “Oh, wow, um…” His eyes flickered up to Jayce, who was currently wearing a fairly similar expression.

“It’s… not very good, huh?” Jayce laughed, reaching over to inspect some of the writing on the bottle.

Though, Viktor smiled. “No. It’s not good at all.”

_____

Somehow, they still managed to drain half that bottle in a little over an hour.

They sat on Jayce’s oversized couch and drank shitty champagne while chatting about all those little details about each other’s lives that they usually talked about over lunch or coffee.

At some point, Jayce had turned on the TV to some stupid documentary just to give the two of them some background noise.

And, as Jayce continued to refill their glasses, the tension of the night started to fade away.

This was how Jayce liked it. How Viktor did, too.

If he had to give a name to what they had, Viktor would consider Jayce his closest friend. That term had always felt so foreign to him. As if, it was a phrase he’d never have the pleasure to use in a sentence.

And yet, Jayce sat beside him, talking and laughing about God knows what, simply because this was how he chose to spend his night.

Jayce had chosen to spend this time with him.

He had chosen to invite Viktor over. Open his doors to him, drink his champagne, and lounge on his couch.

Is this what it felt like to have a close friend? It was a strange feeling.

Especially because Viktor never thought a friend of Jayce’s would carefully study the way his fingers curled to loosen his tie as the night progressed, or how gently he pressed his lips to the edge of his glass.

A close friend surely wouldn’t watch intently as he shrugged off his blazer and tossed it to the side of the couch, or eye his button up as it untucked from the hem of his pants when he lifted his arms to stretch.

Unless… these were normal things for a friend to take notice of?

Viktor wouldn’t know. But he was content either way.

Jayce continued to fill their glasses. The bottle emptied at an alarming rate.

Jayce knew it wasn’t the best idea to drink so much so fast. The warmth of the liquor coursing through his veins caused him to relax so easily into the couch, though. And listening to Viktor idly chat with him with the gentle commentary of the documentary in the background… he truly didn’t want this night to end.

So, he poured another glass.

Then another, and another… before he suddenly realized he felt far too tipsy to drive Viktor home tonight.

Jayce handled his alcohol well. Usually he could get by driving short distances with a few drinks in his system, but considering he now wasn’t sure how many times he filled up his glass, he decided it wasn’t a good idea.

He considered offering Viktor a spot to sleep on his couch tonight. The sectional could be rearranged to turn into a bed, and he had some extra blankets in the closet. Though, he didn’t want to bring it up just yet. He feared that if he mentioned it now, Viktor would take that as a sign that the night was over.

“Jayce, are you okay?”

Jayce blinked a few times before realizing Viktor was speaking to him.

“Huh?”

Viktor huffed, then shook his head and laughed a bit. “You were in the middle of a story, and then you just kind of trailed off and stopped talking.” Viktor was definitely feeling quite tipsy as well. He too, had removed his blazer and loosened his stupid jack o'lantern tie.

“Oh, I’m sorry. This… champagne is pretty strong, even for me.”

Viktor simply smiled at that. Seemingly, they had both forgotten what Jayce had been rambling on about anyway.

The conversation Viktor truly wanted to continue, was the one that got cut short in the parking lot.

“Jayce?” He asked again.

“Hm, yes?”

Viktor set his glass down on the coffee table and readjusted a bit. His eyes moved along Jayce’s torso, side to side to each one his shoulders, then up to his face.

Despite his spinning head, Jayce felt like he knew what was coming next. He set his glass down as well.

In all the boldness he could muster, Viktor trailed his hand along the couch cushion, before settling it gently on Jayce’s forearm. A subliminal message in a way, asking him not to run off. That he could talk to him about anything. Ask him anything.

Their eyes met.

“...I would like to know what you were going to ask me.”

Jayce hadn’t realized he was holding his breath until he heard Viktor utter those words. He almost didn’t even notice that the man across from him had leaned in to hold his arm. Secretly, he wished he had grabbed his hand.

“I, um…”

Jayce felt hot. His skin burned, and he was suddenly hyper aware of the cushioned seat under him.

The room around him spun, as well.

But… fuck, Viktor looked so good.

The sight of him alone managed to steady him.

His eyes wandered along the man’s body. Lingering in certain areas - like where the top three buttons of his shirt had come undone. Jayce noticed some freckles trailing down his neck and disappearing underneath. He suddenly really hated that garment.

“It’s okay, you can tell me.” Viktor urged softly, giving his arm another squeeze.

However, that wasn’t enough to snap Jayce out of his haze.

His eyes continued their trail. Down his chest, stomach, thighs, then paused to Viktor’s leg. Jayce had noticed Viktor wore his leg brace underneath his pants tonight. If it wasn’t for the tight elastic that looped around his foot and hugged his ankle, it wouldn’t be noticeable at all.

Viktor sometimes mentioned his back brace. Jayce wondered what it looked like.

He has also wondered, if Viktor had any past lovers, how they would have treated him.

Did they help him secure his aids to his body? Hold the door for him, keep him steady when he feels unbalanced, offer an arm when he needs a little extra assistance?

Jayce would treat him with such kindness. He tried to, as much as he possibly could, now.

“Jayce? Hey.” Viktor continued to push, a bit more persistent this time. “What did you want to ask me?”

“I.. I want to.. Um..”

Jayce’s hand moved over top of Viktor’s, the one that was resting on his arm. His long, slender fingers practically disappeared underneath his own hand. Maybe it was because Jayce’s blood was running hot, but his skin felt so cold to the touch.

He picked it up, and ran his thumb over the knuckles. Each one jutted out, almost concerningly.

“Can I…”

On their first proper date, he’d take them to a stupidly fancy restaurant right by the coastline. They’d sit at a small table on the patio under glowing string lights and watch seabirds fly across the evening sky.

He’d buy him flowers, too, as corny as it was. Jayce liked corny. He wanted it. Craved it.

They’d share an overpriced bottle of wine, or sample some cocktails with silly names, if that was what Viktor desired.

Then, after a nice meal, Jayce would take him for a drive to watch the sunset against the ocean. Viktor still had yet to explore the city, and Jayce wanted to be the one to show him.

“Can I…” He repeated. All he had to do was ask.

“Can you what, Jayce?” Viktor all but whispered, his fingers carefully curling in Jayce’s hand, intertwining them together.

Jayce squeezed his hand tighter than he intended, as he slowly parted his lips to ask Viktor for what he truly wanted. More than anything.

“...Kiss you?”

The two men stared at one another in silence.

That dreaded, awful silence.

The same silence that overcame them the first day they met.

Jayce could feel his chest sink. His whole body tightened. The bitter taste of the champagne they’d been drinking suddenly made him feel like he could never stomach a glass ever again.

And he probably would never be able to. Not after this. The look on Viktor’s face alone made him want to lock himself in his bedroom and never leave.

“Viktor - I, I’m sorry - “

Jayce began his desperate attempt at apologizing, but, how do you apologize away something like this?

“...Jayce.” Viktor whispered. He sounded like he was out of breath. Though, they’d been sitting all night.

It was only then, Jayce could feel Viktor’s hand shaking. He almost forgot he’d been holding it. It sobered him up just enough to suddenly realize how close Viktor was to him.

“I… that wasn't what I meant, I’m sorry… I - “

“Yes.” It was barely audible, but loud enough to cause Jayce’s breath to hitch.

“...Yes, what?”

Viktor’s breathing faltered as well. His hands shook, and his leg slowly fell off of the ottoman as he inched closer, and closer to the man seated beside him. He could feel the heat radiating off of him. Jayce always felt so, so warm.

“Yes, you may kiss me.”

That dreaded silence fell between the two of them once more.

Although, it didn’t feel so awful this time.

Jayce let go of Viktor’s hand. Viktor chased the warmth for just a moment, before leaning into a new one. Jayce placed his hand on this side of his cheek.

Viktor’s cheek was soft, Jayce confirmed. Though, his cheekbone jutted out in a similar manner to his knuckles. They’d have dessert after their dinner, too.

Slowly, and carefully leaning in, Jayce let instinct take over.

Viktor closed his eyes, his hand finding its way to the front of Jayce’s shirt. A finger hooked into the collar, and pulled him closer.

Their lips met.

Jayce felt any impairment from the liquor leaving his body, while Viktor suddenly felt twice as drunk.

And they stayed like that for a moment. The kiss was chaste, sweet, innocent.

Jayce’s hand stayed on Viktor’s cheek, while Viktor’s hand moved from the collar of his shirt to the top of Jayce’s chest.

After those few moments, Jayce was the first to pull back. Though, he kept their foreheads gently pressed together.

Viktor’s face was flushed.

Their hands didn’t move.

And, Jayce kissed him again.

Deeper, this time. And noticeably so. A small sound left Viktor’s lips that echoed against Jayce’s. Hearing this, Jayce slowly placed his free hand against Viktor’s waist.

Viktor’s hand at the top of Jayce’s chest started to carefully wander. His fingertips brushed along the base of Jayce’s neck as they kissed. He could feel some rough stubble that trailed down his neck from his beard. Fuck, Viktor loved his beard. It was a stupid thing, really, but Viktor wanted to bury his fingers into it.

He gasped quietly feeling Jayce’s hold tighten around him. The hand on his waist snaked around his back and pulled him closer, while his other hand moved up from his cheek and found its way into his hair.

Their lips moved in unison, and Jayce swore he’d never be this happy again in his entire life. Viktor fit so perfectly against him, he had pulled him almost impossibly close. His hair was soft under his fingertips. And hearing those quiet gasps against his lips caused him to shiver.

Viktor noticed this. He pulled back for a moment. Now, his fingers rested against Jayce’s cheek. He supposed they found their way up into his beard after all.

“Jayce…” Viktor breathed out. He wasn’t even entirely sure why he pulled away. Jayce’s eyes looked… different. Not in a bad way. In an overwhelmingly good way. In a way that sent chills down his spine and heat rush up to his face.

“Mm.. you okay?” Jayce’s voice was low and quiet, though it held concern. His fingers combed through Viktor’s hair, and he gave a gentle nod in a return.

“Yes.. more than okay.” With a small smile, his hand fell from Jayce’s cheek.

“Although… My, um…” Viktor took a moment to glance down. “My leg… it’s - just a little cramped in this position. Perhaps we could -”

Without more than a second to pass, Jayce’s arms were suddenly around him once again. It was… embarrassing, how easy the man was able to suddenly pull him into his lap.

Jayce leaned back on the couch, eye to eye with the man who now straddled his hips.

His hands nestled on Viktor’s waist. He hummed contently, as if he was proud. “Better?”

If Viktor’s face wasn’t already flushed, it was bright red now. Jayce seemed so at ease. Just a few minutes ago, he was a sputtering mess, unable to form even a single sentence. Now, he was reaching to pull to their lips together once again, but not before Viktor could answer.

“...Yes, better.” And Viktor melted into his touch once again. His hands rested against the man’s chest as they kissed passionately.

Jayce’s hands explored wherever they could, unable to rest. Viktor was right here. Right in front of him. Right in his lap. And they were kissing. Though a little drunk, Jayce was sure to stash this memory away for the rest of his life.

Viktor soon felt Jayce’s tongue gently easing its way into their kiss. His hands gripped at the man’s shirt for stability, and what sounded like a moan left his lips.

He felt so vulnerable, like jelly in Jayce’s arms.

Their kissing soon turned heated. At least, to Viktor’s standard. He shifted in Jayce’s lap, trying to ground himself. He felt like he was floating, and if he didn’t grip on tightly to the man beneath him, surely he’d float away.

That’s when he felt Jayce’s hands move lower. The two paused for a moment. Jayce’s fingertips grazed just underneath Viktor's shirt. His fingers tugged at the hem gently, as if asking a silent question. Viktor pulled back, breathless, and met the man’s eyes.

They looked… hungry. Wanting. Focused.

But, when Jayce spoke, his voice oozed like honey. “Can I, Viktor? Please?” He whispered, as if this was a secret only the two of them shared.

Viktor hesitated for only a moment. Jayce’s hands stilled. He leaned in to place a soft kiss against his lips before nodding. “Yes, you may.”

And Jayce wasted no time. Buttons be damned, he pulled that shirt off of Viktor’s body and over his head in record time. It almost made Viktor laugh, but he was pulled in for another heated kiss before he could even think about being amused.

His hands were eager. And Jayce left no stone unturned.

The bottom half of Viktor’s torso was covered by his back brace. The thick mesh fabric was velcroed tightly around his waist, and Jayce’s fingertips carefully grazed along all the ridges.

Then, his hands moved higher. They traced his ribs, up his spine, around his pecks, his fingers smoothing over his collarbones.

Viktor all but moaned into their kiss, which earned a considerable groan from Jayce as well. He could feel Jayce gently rolling his hips upwards in time with this rhythm they’ve created.

Viktor opened his eyes just for a moment to look down at where their hips met. His hands tightened where they had been resting against Jayce’s shoulders. He was very noticeably hard.

“Ah-!” Viktor’s head suddenly dipped back.

Seizing this opportunity, Jayce leaned forward to start mouthing at his neck.

“Jayce-” he moaned out, eyes falling to see Jayce’s hand teasing at one of his nipples.

It wasn’t a bad sensation, but it had taken him by surprise. Along with the feeling of Jayce’s lips against his neck, and the grinding of their hips, Viktor felt his breathing pick up, and he nearly ripped Jayce’s shirt right off with how tight he was gripping it.

Suddenly, Jayce pulled back from his neck, and his hands stilled.

“Viktor - wait, are you okay?”

Viktor was panting, struggling to meet Jayce’s eyes, but finally finding them. Only for a moment though, then his eyes closed.

He felt the man’s hands move from his chest and come up to cup his cheeks.

“Fuck… oh, God I’m sorry, did .. I go too far?” The concern in Jayce’s voice caused Viktor to open his eyes again, just to see worry plastered over the man’s face.

He was quick to give him some assurance.

“No, please don’t apologize Jayce… This is - wonderful, I promise. I’m alright.” Viktor offered him a smile, and noticed him visibly ease.

Viktor leaned in to give him another gentle kiss, before leaning back with a sigh.

“I.. I just..” He looked down again. Jayce was still hard. He felt the blush from his cheeks move into his chest when he noticed he was hard too.

“I.. don’t have much experience with.. This.”

Jayce relaxed.

The worst of all the concerns he mustered up in his head left as quickly as they had entered. Viktor wasn’t hurt, and he didn’t hate his guts for taking it so far.

He leaned in, and peppered a couple of kisses under Viktor’s jaw.

“That’s okay. I’ve… never done anything like this with a man either. So, I suppose it's new for both of us.”

Viktor smiled weakly, eyes closing again as Jayce kissed and gently nipped at his neck.

So, he was right, Jayce has never had sex with another man before.

Though, his own situation was a little different.

“Thank you for telling me.” Viktor thanked him quietly, gently stroking the back of Jayce’s hair as he continued his trail of pecks.

“But, um… Jayce?”

“Hmm?” He hummed against his neck.

“What I mean, is that… I don’t have any experience... at all. With anything. Or anyone.”

Jayce stopped. He carefully pulled back and met Viktor’s eyes. “...Oh. Really? So you’re like…” He paused, careful.

Viktor simply nodded. “Yes. A complete and utter virgin.” A smirk played at his lips, teasingly.

“Hey! I was trying really hard not to say that!” Jayce blurted, now feeling rather embarrassed. He sunk down into the couch with a small sigh, simply eyeing the man still seated in his lap, admiring. His hands stayed nestled on his waist.

“Next thing you’re going to tell me is that you’ve never kissed anyone before either…” Jayce pressed in a joking manner.

Viktor didn’t say anything, a guilty look forming over his face as he fidgeted with his hands.

Jayce’s face turned red all over again.

“No.. oh my God.. I’m such a horrible person!” He let go of Viktor’s waist and quickly scrambled to find his shirt that he nearly tore off.

Viktor couldn’t help but laugh as he watched Jayce unravel underneath him, struggling to reach the shirt he tossed so far down the couch.

“I can’t believe I stole your first kiss like that, I’m so awful.. Drunk on my couch? Who does that? I’m such an asshole…” He muttered quietly. Finally, he was able to stretch far enough to grab Viktor’s shirt.

“Jayce.” Viktor watched as he worked at getting the shirt unbuttoned, presumably so he could put it back on him.

“Jayce, relax. Please.” When he held out the shirt, Viktor just grabbed it, and tossed it aside again. Farther this time. Jayce’s brows ruffled. “Viktor, I - “

Still straddling his lap, Viktor leaned in and quieted him with a deep kiss. Thankfully, the man beneath him did seem to relax. At least, a little bit.

Viktor pulled back, and ran his fingers through Jayce’s hair endearingly, before kissing his forehead.

“You… should have told me. I would have made your first kiss a lot more special than this.” Jayce grumbled. His pouty-self was a lot different from his sex-crazed self.

“This night was already special as is, whether you kissed me or not. I could not have asked for a better first kiss, Jayce. Thank you.” Viktor hummed and kissed him again, though Jayce didn’t seem as content. He was still sulking.

“I’ll make it up to you.” Jayce insisted, as if he didn’t hear what was just said.

“Hmm… I suppose I can allow that.” Viktor leaned forward a bit further, gently lowering himself to lay against Jayce’s chest. Jayce did seem to relax at that, carefully wrapping his arms around him and hugging him tightly.

“...You know, we can still continue.” Viktor whispered into his ear, gently pushing down his hips against him.

At that, Jayce immediately shook his head. “No, not tonight. Um… I’d.. like to take you out on a proper date first, actually.” Somehow, he still had the audacity to feel embarrassed. “That’s… what I was going to ask you originally, and then.. This happened.”

Viktor let out a quiet laugh into Jayce’s shoulder, pressing his face into his neck and closing his eyes.”Aww, my sweet Jayce, you’re such a romantic.”

The pet name caused his grip around Viktor to tighten. He pretended to ignore the remark.

“I… think I may be too drunk to drive you home.” Jayce muttered after a few moments.

“Mm.. that’s alright. Is it okay if I stay here tonight?”

Jayce quickly nodded. He pulled Viktor from his chest to press their foreheads together once again. “Yeah, of course. I’d like that.”

Viktor smiled.

Jayce brushed some of Viktor’s hair from his eyes, and placed one last gentle kiss to his lips.

“Let’s get ready for bed, then.”

Chapter Text

Viktor woke up with a groan, and a pounding in his head. Rising from the sofa wearing nothing but his boxers and an oversized t-shirt, he needed a moment to collect himself and remember where he was.

That’s right. He spent the night at Jayce’s.

What he also did was insist on sleeping on the couch. If he remembered correctly, after Jayce offered him a comfortable shirt to sleep in, he practically pleaded Viktor to come sleep in his bed with him.

“No.” Viktor had refused bluntly.

Jayce then pouted the whole time they got ready for bed.

Instead of providing any solid evidence as to why he wouldn’t sleep in the same bed as Jayce, he simply shrugged and gave a half-assed excuse.

“I… snore really loud. And I take up a lot of space in the bed. I need lots of room to stretch out. You’d probably kick me out after 10 minutes.”

They continued this dance of pleading and refusal, right up until Viktor was clicking off the lamp in the living room so he could finally get some sleep.

And now here he was, sitting up on Jayce’s stupidly huge couch, with his hair pointed in wild directions. Something else he did when he slept was toss and turn through the night, causing him to always wake up with his hair in a mess.

The sun streaming through the windows hurt his eyes. Since Jayce lived high up, he only had sheer curtains on his windows. The bright sun made the pain in his head worsen.

Viktor groaned again and pulled the blanket over his head with a plan to rest for just a few minutes longer.
Though, his quick snooze was interrupted not even a minute later by the sound of footsteps coming down the hallway.

He wasn’t sure why, but his stomach suddenly tightened in a mix of what felt like nervousness and embarrassment. Images of last night flooded his thoughts and caused him to pull the blanket tighter around his head.

There was no need to be nervous, really. Jayce had very clearly enjoyed last night just as much as he had. If he hadn’t, surely he would have called him an Uber back to the dorms, rather than insisting they fall asleep together.

Still, this was new territory Viktor was exploring. It was very rare he ever woke up anywhere other than his own bed. And something new altogether to wake up hungover after a heated makeout session with someone you considered to be your best friend.

“Viktor?” He heard his name called out in a gentle, testing voice.

Coming down the hallway from the bathroom, Jayce noticed movement coming from the couch. It caused him to smile, seeing the small lump that was Viktor rustling around under the fluffy blanket.

“Are you awake?” He called over again, to which he was met by an insanely groggy, “yes…”

Viktor pulled down the blanket just enough so he could meet eyes with Jayce. Though, it was hard to maintain that eye contact. His gaze immediately darted downwards, and he rustled under the blanket a bit more.

Jayce was wearing nothing but a pair of soft looking grey sweatpants and some socks.

His cheeks turned pink, and he kept the blanket tucked up just under his eyes.

In the time they’ve known each other, Viktor had never seen Jayce shirtless before. There was never a reason to. He always figured Jayce would be a fit looking man. Over the past few months as they got to know each other’s daily routines, he found out just how often Jayce visited the gym. Although he never would have thought he would be as… sculpted, as he was.

He wasn’t sure whether to be envious, or aroused. Perhaps a mix of both would suffice.

Jayce strode across the living room and joined Viktor on the couch, sitting on the further end to give him some space to wake up. His hair was wet, too, implying he had just gotten out of the shower.

Fuck, a shower sounded amazing to Viktor right now. His joints ached from being curled up on the couch all night. As well, the blanket could only do so much to keep him warm when he literally wasn’t wearing any pants.

“Good morning.” Jayce greeted him with a smile. “How did you sleep last night? I got up around 3am to get some water and check on you, and you looked absolutely zonked.”

Ah, Jayce had come to check on him. That seemed rather typical, Viktor supposed. Thinking back to last night, he tried to count the number of times the man had apologized for ‘stealing his first kiss’. The thought almost made him laugh, but he settled on a small smile instead. Perhaps Jayce had already begun his promise of ‘making it up’ to him.

“I slept rather well, actually. I usually don’t sleep through the whole night, but I don’t believe I woke up once.” Viktor combed his fingers through his hair as he fully sat up. He yawned, then rubbed his eyes with his hands.

Jayce’s eyes wandered as Viktor sat up.

As they were getting ready for bed, Viktor had insisted he look away while he changed, only allowing him to look back again once he was settled under the blanket. It was a silly thing, really. Considering the fact, he’d been leaving trails of kisses down his neck and chest just an hour prior.

So don’t blame him for eyeing the man over when he finally pulled back the blanket and lifted his arms over his head to stretch. He looked so cute in his t-shirt, Jayce thought. It easily ate up his entire body. Soft fabric pooling at his thighs, the collar sitting crookedly on his shoulders to reveal the top of his right collarbone.

It took everything in his own willpower not to reach over and pick up where they had left off.

He also looked so, so sleepy. Viktor told him he had slept well, but the dark circles under his eyes told another story. It looked as though he’d pass out almost immediately if he laid his head back down on the pillow.

“Oh, what time is it?” Viktor grumbled. He searched around for his phone but couldn’t find it. If memory served him, it was still in his pants pocket. …Which were folded neatly over the back of the armchair across the room along with his other clothes and braces. Groaning, he reached for his cane and pushed himself off the couch.

Jayce watched as Viktor stood. What mainly caught his eye was the brief glimpse of his boxers before the large shirt fell to cover them. Perhaps Viktor was still a little groggy from sleep, as last night he had gone out of his way to cover himself up. God, he felt like a pervert for getting so worked up over something like this.

What he also noticed was the way Viktor leaned entirely on his left leg, and cane for support as he stumbled across the living room. It seemed, without his leg brace, it was almost impossible for him to put any kind of pressure on it. The sight caused a small frown to tug at his lips, but hearing his question brought him back.

Jayce reached into the pocket of his sweatpants to take out his own phone, clicking it on for a moment to glance at the lock screen. “It’s just a few minutes past noon”, he hummed.

Viktor paused. His brows rose, and eyes blinked a few times. He suddenly abandoned his quest of rummaging through his clothing, instead, turning to Jayce with a concerned look on his face.

“Noon?” His voice rose, which caused Jayce to sit up straighter. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

Viktor was never one for sleeping in. Of course, he always did what he could to get a good night’s rest, but usually his research took priority. To him, it was a waste to overindulge on something that he could survive just fine on the minimum amount required.

Jayce sulked a bit at the sudden scolding.

He had woken up around 10am. When he staggered out into the living room, Viktor had looked so peaceful that he didn’t dare disturb him. Instead, he went out for a jog in the crisp November air to try and rid himself of the pounding hangover he woke with.

When he returned about an hour later, he was surprised to see Viktor still asleep. Jayce had even hovered by the couch for a few moments just to make sure he was still breathing.

He didn’t blame him, though. It was an extremely… eventful night, for more than a few reasons. And if he was honest, part of Jayce’s ego soared knowing that Viktor felt safe enough to be sleeping so deeply right on his sofa.

“I’m sorry, you never mentioned a specific time you wanted to be woken up. You looked really tired, so… I just let you sleep.”

Viktor’s demeanour softened a bit. There again was that kindness that seemed to drip off of every fibre of Jayce’s being.

He hadn’t meant to suddenly snap. It was simply entirely out of the ordinary for him to sleep in so late. And his head was still pounding.

“I see...” Viktor sighed, returning to the couch after he finally found his phone. “You’re right, I was tired. Thanks again for letting me sleep here.”

Sitting back down, he moved close to Jayce. Closing his eyes, he leaned to the side until his head was gently resting on the man’s shoulder.

Almost instinctively, Jayce wrapped an arm around Viktor and pulled him in close. “Of course. You’re welcome to stay here any time, you know.” He offered gently, leaning down to place an experimental kiss to his temple.

That caused Viktor to smile gently and hum contently. Seeing this, Jayce placed another one. And another, and then another. He pecked at his face until Viktor was laughing, begging him to stop and practically pushing him away.

But when they met face to face, Viktor leaned up to press a soft kiss to Jayce’s lips. The first one since last night.

Was this going to be their new normal? God, Jayce hoped so.

He had a bad habit of digging himself deep when it came to relationships. Jayce was passionately romantic in every regard when it came to dating. He wasn’t one for hookup culture or one-night stands. The word ‘situationship’ wasn’t even in his vocabulary.

Not many women passed through Jayce’s love life, but to those who did, he tried with everything he had to ensure they were cared for.

Whether it was planning dates, buying gifts and flowers, small helpful tasks, Jayce was a hopeless romantic.

This, though, came at a price. That price being it was far too easy for him to get hurt. As well as getting taken advantage of more than just a couple of times.

With Viktor, everything felt so easy. The two of them were different in so many ways, and yet sometimes Jayce felt like Viktor was somehow a part of him, now. They had only known each other for a short amount of time, and knowing each other intimately, very short.

But simply watching Viktor make his way down the hall to the bathroom so he could take a shower made him smile.

He wondered what this would mean for them both. Wondered where Viktor’s head was at, but too nervous to ask. Most would argue that sharing a kiss didn’t mean much when it came to the connection between two people. To Jayce though, it meant everything.

Viktor had trusted him with his first kiss. He still felt guilty about the circumstances surrounding it, but he’d forever wear it as a badge of honour.

Viktor spent the whole day at Jayce’s place. The two had fallen into a routine of seeing each other every Saturday anyway, and it had started raining outside, so it made sense to stay in for the day.

What they surprisingly didn’t do though, was talk about last night. Maybe it was because they forgot the finer details of the night, or simply because they felt like there was nothing more to discuss.

This comfortability they fell into with one another felt so natural. Like, this was something they were used to by now.

Jayce cooked for them both. Nothing fancy, just a quick recipe he had learned from his mom. Viktor, however, devoured every bite like it was the last meal he would ever have.

Over their meal, Jayce brought up the date he was planning for the two of them.

“I don’t want to give any specifics, but I do have to ask if you enjoy seafood.”

Viktor had to think about it for a few moments.

The closest thing he had ever really had to seafood were some greasy fish and chips he had gotten at a local diner in Zaun. That was probably… around ten years ago, so he supposed it didn’t count anyway.

“To be honest, I don’t think I have ever tried a proper seafood dish before.”

Along with his scholarship came a meal card that granted Viktor three free meals a day at the University’s cafeteria. This card went to waste most days. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy what the cafeteria served, but sometimes he did miss his previous college days when he lived off nothing but cup noodles and instant microwave meals. In a strange way, Viktor was a sucker for the nostalgia of it.

He never had much time for a proper meal every day anyways. The only times he ate what the school served was when his and Jayce’s break hours lined up.

Jayce didn’t go into much detail about their date, only that he’d be taking them to one of the best seafood restaurants in Piltover. He planned to make reservations for Friday night.

Viktor looked forward to it, of course, but Jayce seemed over the moon.

It was all he could talk about the entire week.

They decided together not to tell anyone about this… situation they had gotten themselves into. Jayce had felt bad about what he described as them ‘working backwards’. Meaning, he had ripped Viktor’s shirt off before asking him on an actual date.

Caitlyn congratulated the two of them on receiving funding for their project. She had also apologized for Friday night’s phone call. Viktor almost couldn’t stand the two of them constantly apologizing so much.

Despite not giving her every detail of their night together, Jayce did tell Caitlyn about their upcoming date. She seemed ecstatic, like a big sister proud that her little brother finally asked his crush to prom.

That week passed by agonizingly slow.

Now that they had opened a new door in their relationship, Jayce did everything he could to reel himself in when it came to getting handsy with Viktor in public.

Viktor already knew Jayce to be a handsy person, but now, it was more apparent than ever.

“Jayce, stop!” Viktor had scolded him in a whisper after he was followed into the bathroom one day.

It was only them, and Jayce had taken it upon himself to wrap his arms around Viktor’s waist from behind while the smaller man washed his hands. He pressed kisses down the back of his neck while his hands traveled along his torso.

“I know I have joked about you being a stalker before, but this is taking it to a whole new level.” Viktor huffed, though, he had to try and hide the bashfulness that spread across his cheeks.

“I’ve just missed you.” Jayce had rebutted. And it was true. Viktor, the overachiever he was, always seemed to be busy during the weekdays with extra classes and electives he was picking up. Not to mention staying after hours to work on his personal research in one of the school’s chemistry labs.

Viktor admitted he missed Jayce too. And in the following days, he took it upon himself to purposefully cross paths with him more often. Allowing their hands to brush against one another or even sneaking a small kiss from time to time when nobody else was around.

Friday finally rolled around.

Viktor found himself in the passenger seat of Jayce’s car, tightly clutching the bouquet of flowers he brought him. He really didn’t expect such a gesture, but knowing Jayce, it checked out.

It was a bouquet of white chrysanthemums and sunflowers. Flowers that Jayce explained were representative of the season. The first week of November was coming to an end, and autumn would be ending soon. The weather was already reflecting this. There was a cool nip in the air tonight, so Viktor had gone with an outfit to battle the cold breeze.

He wore black fitted slacks, a grey turtleneck, and a black blazer over top. Jayce had told him to dress up nicely for the restaurant they were headed to, so he did his best with what he had.

Jayce wore dark slacks as well, but looser, and with a dark red button up. Viktor told him many times that red was ‘his’ colour, so he found himself wearing it quite often.

“I’m… not sure why I feel nervous.” Viktor admitted as they pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. The building sat on a tall hill that overlooked Piltover’s coast. Viktor could smell the salt from the ocean in the air, and as he stepped out of the truck, a breeze blew by carrying the scent of delicious food.

“Don’t be. You look wonderful, and I want you to just relax and have a nice time tonight. Don’t pay mind to anyone other than us.” Jayce assured him, reaching down to hold his hand as they strode across the lot.

Their table was situated outside on the heated patio. Typically, by now it would be too cold to be sitting outside, but the patio was mostly enclosed and had multiple fireplaces lining the tables.

“Oh, wow…” Viktor turned to gaze out at the incredible view. With the seasons changing, sunset came around much quicker. It was only 5pm, but the sky was already turning bright shades of orange, red, and purple. He knew that it’s physically impossible for Jayce to plan such a thing, but somehow, he felt like it was all tied into their date.

What also stunned him was the prices on the menu. Something that Jayce had already told him on the drive there not to worry about. However, Viktor never thought he’d be holding a menu in his hands that had numbers that went that high.

“Jayce…” He sighed, looking across the table to the man who was already smirking. “This is… seriously, is the food made out of gold?” He whispered, as to not get the attention of anyone else around them. There were very few people seated outside, but now that he thought about it, there weren’t many inside, either. Now, he could see why.

“I told you not to worry about it. Seriously, get whatever you like. It’s the very least I can do.”

Viktor had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Jayce very clearly was never going to let up on the whole ‘stealing his first kiss’ thing.

So, he ordered something that sounded good and was a more reasonably priced item on the menu. At least, compared to everything else.

And the food was incredible, he had to admit.

The two chatted the night away, ordering a few more drinks for the table, and sharing a dessert after they finished their meal.

Jayce would never tell him, but he let Viktor eat most of it. After getting to know him better, he discovered that he had quite the sweet tooth. The man took five sugars in his coffee, for God’s sake.

Throughout the night, he found himself getting lost in simply staring across the table.

Viktor really did look amazing tonight. He noticed that his hair had been getting longer lately, and tonight it seemed he had decided to pull half of it back loosely into a hair tie. Jayce smiled to himself thinking about him fussing with his hair in the mirror.

The sun set rather quickly that evening, and Viktor seemed to be getting cold. Jayce had planned for the two of them to watch the sunset on the beach down below after dinner, but he supposed he could save it for another day. Maybe on a warmer one, especially.

After paying the bill, Jayce couldn’t help but notice that Viktor had gotten a little antsy. Fidgeting in his seat, tapping his fingers on the table as he seemed to stare off into nothing.

“Hey.” Jayce spoke up, placing his wallet back into his pocket. “Are you okay?”

“Hm?” Viktor blinked, head turning to meet Jayce’s eyes. “Oh, yes, sorry. Just… zoning out a bit”, he offered a smile. “Thank you so much for dinner. This was truly an amazing night, I had a wonderful time, Jayce.”

That caused him to smile too. All he wanted from this date was for Viktor to have a good time and relax from his busy life. Jayce, however, wasn’t fully satisfied.

“I’m glad you enjoyed dinner.” Jayce leaned back in his chair, eyeing the man’s expression. “Although, it seems like you have something on your mind.”

Viktor learned that Jayce was quite good at reading him. Whenever he was feeling off, or lost in his own thoughts, Jayce was always able to pick up on it. This time seemed to prove no different.

He huffed, fingers continuing to gently tap on the table. “I just, um… I might have gotten a gift for you, too.”

Jayce raised a brow, and smiled, sitting up straight in his seat again. “Oh, really? You didn’t have to do that. What is it?”

“It’s, really, not a big deal. I would rather, um… give it to you back at your place, though.”

Now, Jayce was especially curious. He hadn’t planned on inviting Viktor back over to his place tonight, because he wanted to show him a good time without making him think he was just asking him out so they could fuck. Though, he surely wasn’t going to deny having him over if the man was asking.

Things moved fast once they arrived at Jayce’s apartment. They hadn’t shared many words when they closed and locked the door, just Viktor silently pulling him along to the couch.

And soon enough, he was back in Jayce’s lap.

They sat just like they did the previous Friday. Jayce was leaning back on the sofa while Viktor straddled his hips. They kissed passionately, fiercely. Viktor had shrugged off his blazer at some point, and Jayce’s hands were already finding their way under Viktor’s turtleneck.

Jayce kissed him like he was man starved. The week had been far too long. Since he wasn’t permitted in the student dorms, finding a moment of privacy between them was nearly impossible. Sure, he appreciated every bit of intimacy they were able to find, but he was craving so much more.

There was still uncertainty tonight, though. Now that Jayce knew Viktor was a virgin, he wasn’t sure how far to press. So, he’d let the man in his lap set the pace for now.

Viktor removed his sweater, as well. He remembered last week how desperate Jayce had seemed for him to take his shirt off, and tonight was no different. The moment he tossed it aside, Jayce’s hands were all over him.

The idea of another man finding his broken body so desirable would forever be a mystery to him. Especially for a man like Jayce Talis. Viktor wasn’t one to deny him though, and tilted his head back feeling his lips start to trail down his neck.

“Ah- wait.” Viktor gasped, which caused Jayce to immediately stop.

“You okay?” Jayce asked, breathlessness in his voice.

Viktor simply nodded, giving him a small smile, before pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Yes, I am. Before we… continue, I’d like to give you my gift.”

Jayce thought it was a rather strange time to be thinking about gifts, but Viktor seemed eager about this. So, he smiled as well and nodded. “Right, of course.”

With a deep breath, Viktor started to climb off the man’s lap. Jayce helped him up and went to reach down for his cane which had fallen to the floor.

It nearly took the breath out of him when he was suddenly pushed back against the sofa.

“Viktor?” Jayce furrowed his brows.

The look on his face soon turned from confusion, then to shock, then to something… he couldn’t really describe.

His cock twitched in his pants watching as Viktor carefully sunk down to his knees, sitting between Jayce’s legs, his hands settled on his thighs. He looked nervous but also determined.

“Viktor- what are you…”

Viktor simply looked up at him through long eyelashes, his cheeks flushed. His hands moved up along his thighs, then started to fumble with his belt buckled tightly around the hem of his pants.

“Giving you your gift.” He answered in a quiet voice, pulling his belt fully off. Next, he started to work at the button on his pants, as well as his fly.

Jayce almost couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He paused for a moment, before finally being able to form a coherent sentence.

‘Hey- wait, are you… wanting to give me a blowjob?”

Viktor huffed at his reaction, and his hands stopped. “When you question it like that, it sounds a lot less sexy.” He shifted on his knees, so he was a bit more comfortable. “But… yes. I would like to try, at least. If… that is something you would enjoy.”

“Yes, of course I’d enjoy that, yeah.” Jayce answered almost too quickly. It had been a long time since anyone had given him a blowjob. And now, seeing Viktor nestled on the floor between his thighs, it aroused him even more. Now, he thought maybe he wore his hair pulled back tonight for a whole different reason.

Humming contently in response, Viktor continued his attempt at getting Jayce’s pants opened. As he did this, he felt Jayce reach down and brush some hair away from his eyes. Jayce was already unbelievably hard in his pants. Though, he spoke up again.

“If… you want to stop at any point, you can. I won’t be upset if it’s too much for you.”

Viktor nodded gently. Jayce was always so attentive to him, even now, as he was carefully pulling his pants down just far enough to reveal his boxers underneath.

He took another couple of deep breaths seeing the bulge that formed beneath. Through the week, Viktor tried to decide on something… ‘nice’ to do for Jayce. The man was constantly apologizing for silly things, and Viktor wanted to show him that he didn’t need to worry so much all the time.

His fingers hooked into the waistband of Jayce’s underwear, and he tugged them down gently. His eyes immediately widened seeing Jayce’s cock free from its constraints. He paused for a moment, looking up at the man over him, who was staring down with a somewhat pleased expression.

“Jayce…” Was all that Viktor could manage.

Jayce felt a little bashful in that moment. He knew he was big. But, seeing how he was big enough to nearly spread across the entire span of Viktor’s face caused him to laugh a bit.

“Sorry.” He teased, which earned an eyeroll from Viktor. His fingers continued to dance around in his hair. A sadistic voice in his head told him to yank him forwards, grip his hair and watch him get to work, but he quickly shook the thought from his head. He would let him take as much time as he needed.

Hesitantly, Viktor reached forward and gently wrapped his fingers around him. His fingertips just barely touched around his girth. That alone caused his own pants to tighten.

The gentle touch of Viktor’s fingers made Jayce adjust his position on the sofa, and when he felt his hand begin to pump him at a slow pace, a quiet moan fell from his lips.

Hearing Jayce moan caused Viktor to look up for a moment. He didn’t know such a small touch could cause him to react that way. So, leaning forward, he began to place a few kisses along his shaft, his hand speeding up to a slightly quicker pace.

Viktor felt focus settling in. He had done some ‘research’ this past week and closed his eyes to recall back to what he had watched. Usually, he was never one for pornography. It seemed rather unnecessary, and something he really didn’t need to get off.

This was Jayce, though. And just like how the man wanted him to have a nice time on their date, he wanted him to enjoy his gift just as much.

So, Viktor carefully wrapped his lips around Jayce and took him into his mouth.

“Oh, fuck…” Jayce breathed. He wanted to tilt his head back, close his eyes, and savour this feeling. However, he couldn’t take his eyes from the man below him. He looked so beautiful like this. His cheeks were red, and hair tousled from Jayce’s fingers playing with it. Hell, he’d take a picture if he could. Though, something told him he’d never forget this sight.

Viktor took him in as far as he could, gagging only slightly when he pushed him to the back of his mouth. He opened his eyes for a moment to see he’d only been able to take about half of him.

Hearing him gag, Jayce gently cupped his cheek and ran his thumb along his cheekbone. “Hey, take it easy, Vik.”

Viktor took Jayce’s advice and wrapped his fingers around the base of his cock, what he couldn’t reach. Jayce tasted salty, hot and heavy in his mouth as he started to bob his head. His tongue trailed underneath his shaft, and his eyes fell closed once again.

Jayce’s fingers curled into his hair, carefully guiding him back and forth. It took everything in him not to buck his hips up into his mouth, because fuck, Viktor was insanely hot, and the little noises he was making around him sent shivers up his spine.

“Fuck, you’re doing so good, Viktor.”

Practically moaning at the praise, Viktor increased his pace. He was uncomfortably hard hearing Jayce moan like that. His other hand was resting on Jayce’s thigh, and he could feel the restraint in his muscles. So, as he continued, he tried taking him further and further, holding back another gag. His eyes watered feeling him touch the back of his throat.

Jayce’s grip in his hair tightened though, so he knew he was enjoying it.

Only a few minutes passed, and Jayce was probably enjoying this a little too much. He could already feel himself getting close.

“Viktor- hey- I’m getting close…” Jayce moved his fingers from his hair to his cheek, patting it gently to tell him he could pull away.

Hearing that Jayce was close only caused him to moan quietly around his cock, bobbing his head faster and trying to take him even deeper.

“Hey, Vik - wait-“ Jayce groaned out, but his head lolled back against the couch. He was losing resolve quickly, moaning and unable to stop his hips from rolling upwards. At first, he planned to pull away so he wouldn’t finish in Viktor’s mouth. It seemed… like the polite thing to do. Instead, he’d finish himself off in his hand, or maybe even on Viktor’s face, if he allowed it.

But he kept going. Eagerly, it seemed. His pace got sloppy, and Jayce’s boxers were wet with spit.

“Fuck, I’m gonna cum – “Jayce’s chest heaved, and his fingers found their way back into Viktor’s hair as he came.

Viktor flinched feeling Jayce starting to pour into his mouth. His face scrunched slightly at the bitter taste of his cum, but this was a present, so he swallowed everything. Once he was sure he was finished, he carefully pulled off his softening cock, looking up at Jayce with puffy lips and glossy eyes.

They were both breathing heavily, trying to catch their breath for different reasons.

Jayce looked at him with wide, almost horrified eyes. “Did… you just swallow?”

Nodding, Viktor wiped some saliva from his lips with the back of his hand. “Yeah”, he answered simply.

Jayce shook his head, watching as Viktor closed his eyes and rested his head on the inside of his thigh while he took some deep breaths. “You didn’t have to do that. You could have stopped, or I don’t know… spit it out into a tissue afterwards.”

Viktor just smiled softly. After taking a moment to gather his bearings, he slowly rose back up onto his feet, before falling into Jayce’s lap once again. “Did you enjoy your present?” He asked, ignoring his previous statement. Instead, just leaning in to kiss him.

His hands almost immediately found their way back to Viktor’s waist, sighing happily into the kiss. “Yes, it was an amazing present, Viktor. Thank you.” He wrapped his arms around him tightly, about to pull him in for a hug, but Viktor’s hands pushed against his chest again.

“Oh, sorry, I should have mentioned to you… This was just part one of your present.”

Jayce’s brows furrowed, but his curiosity spiked. Then, he felt Viktor take his hands into his own.

“I know you like to be handsy with me Jayce. There's not much I can ever do to keep you from putting your hands on me.” His words were slow and languid, gently guiding his hands down to hips. Then, moving them behind him to gently rest on his ass.

Jayce kept his hands still, but firm, swallowing thickly feeling Viktor’s ass under his fingertips. He could feel how hard he was too, their hips pressed closely together.

“Maybe, tonight… You would like to touch me where you have never touched me before. Where nobody has ever touched me before…”

His breath hitched, and hands tightened to grip Viktor’s ass, earning him a quiet moan.

Jayce hummed, leaning in to start kissing at the man’s neck, leaving some sharp nips and bites along the way.

“Mm… I would absolutely love that.” He whispered against his skin.

Viktor wrapped his arms around Jayce’s neck and shoulders and whispered in his ear. “Take me to the bedroom, then.”

In an instant, Jayce was up on his feet with Viktor in his arms, hurrying across the unit.

The bedroom door closed with a slam.

Chapter Text

Viktor would never have believed that someone would ever look at him the way Jayce does. A deathly skinny, diseased, crippled man from Zaun. His bones jutted out where they most certainly shouldn’t, the dark circles under his eyes looked grey against his pale complexion, and angry red lines from his braces scarred into his skin.

And yet, Jayce Talis was treating him as if he was a piece of art. Something to be admired. Something to be gawked at, something to be remembered.

His voice was quiet, and shaky as he instructed Jayce on how to remove his leg brace. The man’s fingers floated like feathers over the tight constraints, treating him with every ounce of kindness that Viktor sometimes felt he didn’t deserve.

To feel someone like Jayce touching and tracing and trailing his fingertips so softly against his skin, yet still feel the strength that his hands held, it sent shivers along Viktor’s spine.

Once his leg brace was off, next came his back brace. At first, Jayce was hesitant. He remembered Viktor referring to his back brace as ‘the glue that held his body together’. When the man beneath him insisted it was alright to remove, he did so with a heightened amount of caution.

“Are you sure?” Jayce breathed, towering over Viktor on the bed as his hands began to carefully remove the tight straps around his waist.

Viktor hummed, lifting his hips off the bed so Jayce had better leverage to remove the wretched thing. “Yes, I’m sure. Don’t worry Jayce, I won’t break.”

Those words seemed to light a fire in Jayce’s eyes that Viktor had never seen before. In only a few moments, the rest of his clothing, other than his boxers, was discarded and forgotten about on the floor.

Jayce, still fully clothed, took a moment to fully admire the man sprawled out on the mattress. His arms crowded Viktor on the bed, leg trailing up to rest his knee between his thighs. Viktor was impossibly hard in his underwear, and Jayce took advantage of this. He pressed his knee against his crotch, which earned him a quiet moan.

“Fuck, you’re so beautiful Vik.” Jayce all but growled, leaning down to start leaving rough, wanting kisses down the side of his neck. Viktor closed his eyes and tilted his head back, giving Jayce full access.

He could feel teeth pressing against his skin. It caused him to gasp and push his hips down on the knee that was still teasing him between his legs. Lips started to trail south. They moved down to the base of his neck, over his collarbones, then settled against his ribs.

Their eyes met for a moment. Viktor had to look away. Jayce looked… ravenous. He felt so small underneath him, almost entirely naked and exposed to the cool air of the bedroom.

Fingers found their way to his face, grabbing his chin and turning his head back again. Viktor’s breathing hitched. Jayce’s hand kept him there for a moment before slowly trailing back down his body. “I want you to watch me”, the man kissing his chest whispered. “Watch me while I show you how gorgeous you are.”

Jayce’s hands travelled lower, until they found their way to the waistband of his boxers. He began to tug them down, and it took everything Viktor had to not look away as his cock was finally freed. His own hands fisted at the sheets beneath him, bashful, watching Jayce toss his underwear into the pile of clothing on the floor.

The man above him rose to his knees. His hands settled on Viktor’s thighs and his eyes trailed along his bare body. He was quiet. Lost in thought. A small smirk tugged at his lips.

God, Viktor wanted to curl up and hide under Jayce’s gaze. His hands itched to reach down and cover himself up. Jayce’s eyes burned trails against his skin. Testing the waters, he turned away for a moment. All he was met with was a sudden squeeze of his thighs.

“Hey. Look at me.” The demand was harsh, but Jayce’s tone was gentle. Warm. Safe. Viktor’s eyes flicked back to meet him.

“Sorry…” His own voice wavered. It was unsteady. He felt like he couldn’t trust his own words, feeling even drunker than he did last Friday. Every ounce of confidence he had mustered in the living room was quickly fleeting. His own ego felt pinned under Jayce’s.

“Don’t be sorry. You’re doing amazing.” Jayce praised, which earned a small, but shy smile from Viktor. His hands slowly kneaded at his thighs, gripping whatever kind of muscle he could before slowly trailing them back up. “…Is it alright if I touch you?”

The question was quiet, but thoughtful. Jayce’s fingertips felt rough against his skin, but the gentle kneading felt nice. It had been a long day, and his legs were aching. Especially his right one. Viktor almost didn’t hear his request through the pleasure he felt just from the small circular motion of his hands.

But this was Jayce’s present. Of course, Viktor wanted to enjoy himself, and he knew he most definitely would, but his main goal for this evening was to give Jayce everything he desired.

“Yes.” Viktor’s voice dwindled. He didn’t trust himself to push out more than a few words at a time. What if he said something wrong? Something that would ruin the mood. Surely between the two of them, if someone were to say something stupid, it would be him.

However, what if being so reserved made Jayce uncomfortable? They both knew Viktor was a virgin. Maybe by not saying anything, Jayce would think he wasn’t enjoying himself. In the pornography he studied, they were quite vocal. Was that something Jayce liked? Would he even tell him?

“Ah -!” Viktor was suddenly pulled from his spiralling thoughts feeling Jayce carefully wrap a hand around his straining cock. His hips instinctively jutted upwards into the feeling. His hand was warm. Soft. Big. Almost too big. So embarrassingly big that his cock almost completely disappeared into it.

He broke eye contact. He had to. Because as Jayce slowly started to pump his cock at a rhythmic pace, Viktor had to cover his mouth to stop the obscene sounds that started pouring out. Through the mixture of Jayce’s name and a moan, Viktor tilted his head back and squeezed his eyes shut. Not once had he ever felt anything like this before.

Jayce watched closely as the man beneath him began to squirm. Could feel the way his thighs began to shake as he increased the speed of his hand. Despite getting off only moments ago on the sofa, he was even harder than before. His dick poked uncomfortably at the inside of his boxers at the sight before him.

“Fuck, you’re so hot. Getting all worked up over just my hand, hm?” Jayce teased, leaning down to start kissing at the smaller man’s neck. His kisses were rough, but his hands stayed gentle.

Completely flushed from his words, one of Viktor’s hands found its way to Jayce’s chest. It gripped at the shirt he was still wearing. Suddenly he felt like this damn shirt was his enemy. It was getting in the way of feeling Jayce’s chest pressed against his own. He tugged at it, trying to fumble with the buttons with only one hand. His other hand was occupied, now being held down by Jayce’s.

Breathing out a laugh against his neck, Jayce suddenly let go of Viktor’s now weeping cock. An obscene amount of precum pooled on his lower stomach. “You want me to take this off?”

Viktor whined at the loss of friction but nodded. His hips pushed upwards into nothing.

“Hmm… I don’t know. I think you need to tell me exactly what you want, sweetheart. Nobody has ever touched you this way before, right? How else will I know what you want?”

Viktor swallowed thickly. The nickname caused him to blush.

So, Jayce did want him to be more vocal with his desires. He was more content with being quiet, just letting Jayce do what he pleased.

He supposed he had quite the mental barrier to jump now.

“Just …Take this off.” The request, or rather, demand, came with another harsh tug at his shirt. If Viktor had tugged any harder, the buttons would have popped right off.

Jayce wasn’t quick to remove it, though. Instead, he started kissing his neck again. His hands trailed down to Viktor’s hips, and he held them down against the mattress. “Mm, good. See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Viktor could almost roll his eyes. Jayce was driving him mad in more ways than one.

When he tried to roll his hips up to regain some friction on his desperate cock, Jayce’s grip tightened, causing him to groan. It didn’t take much to hold him down. Just a gentle push of his palms kept him pinned against the mattress.

Kisses trailed up to his ear, where Jayce suggested in a whisper, “why don’t we try another one?” Viktor felt teeth against his earlobe, tugging. “Tell me what else you’d like me to do.”

Viktor’s voice caught in his throat when he parted his lips to speak. His desperate need for his cock to be touched, even just a little bit, just couldn’t form itself into words. Jayce had him practically panting with ‘want’, something he never thought he’d be so taken over by.

“Please, Jayce…” He managed to groan out.

Hearing his name, Jayce groaned as well. His teeth dragged along the pale skin under them, resisting the urge clamp down and never let go.

Jayce, at this moment, was battling his own internal struggle.

The first time Viktor had removed his shirt in front of him, every fibre of his being itched to sink his teeth into his skin and leave a mosaic of marks across his collarbones. He truly did mean it when he told Viktor how beautiful he was. And perhaps it was his ego taking over his logical sense, but knowing he was the first to see Viktor writhing under him like this… He wanted to make sure anyone who passed by knew they’d never get a glimpse.

“Please- Please touch me…”

This was Viktor. His Viktor. Viktor trusted him enough to give him this kind of access to his body. This was something that he just simply couldn’t take advantage of. He wasn’t going to push his strange kinks onto the poor man under him.

The man who, Jayce now just realized, was pleading to be touched by him.

Abandoning his neck, Jayce quickly rose to his knees to yank his shirt off over his head. Wherever it went, he really didn’t care, and he tossed it off to the side.

Viktor gasped at the sudden change of pace, watching as Jayce rose to remove his shirt. Now that his hips were freed, he pushed them up again. It was tempting to reach down and touch himself. Especially when Jayce silently stepped away from the bed for a moment.

His eyes followed, flicking down to see that Jayce was hard again. It was impressive, honestly. They were about the same age, but usually after one orgasm Viktor was all out of stamina for the rest of the day. Maybe it was different when your only source of pleasure was from jerking yourself off.

He huffed, especially because he had just asked so nicely for Jayce to touch him. To suddenly be abandoned, naked on the bed, didn’t feel so polite. As the man rummaged through the bedside drawer, Viktor reached down to wrap his own fingers around his cock and start stroking himself at a heightened pace. Faster than Jayce had been touching him earlier.

His eyes fell closed and his head tipped back again. He ignored the way the bed dipped as Jayce climbed back on a minute later, and he pretended not to care as two strong hands rested on his knees.

“Well, that’s not very nice, is it? I thought touching you was my gift, not yours.”

A small, teasing smirk tugged at Viktor’s lips. His eyes opened for a moment just to see the disgruntled look on Jayce’s face. Although, he also couldn’t ignore the way the man’s eyes trailed down to watch as he tugged at his deprived cock.

“You’re the one who suddenly got up after I asked you to touch me.” Viktor spoke breathlessly. It was true. He wasn’t lying. His own eyes moved to stare at the sculpted body kneeling between his legs.

Jayce clicked his tongue and shook his head. Viktor hadn’t seemed to notice the item Jayce had retrieved from the bedside table. Because when he reached over to grab it and show him what it was, Viktor’s hand suddenly slowed.

“You’re right. You did ask me to touch you.” Jayce hummed.

Viktor swallowed, the arrogance suddenly leaving his body as he watched Jayce uncap the small bottle of lubricant.

“You didn’t say where, though.”

Following up to this night, the two of them had exactly one, very brief, very awkward conversation about what they liked to call… their ‘bedroom dynamics’. Viktor was the one to bring it up first. Jayce laughed a little too hard hearing what he called it. He told him he sounded like a ‘sex scientist’. Thankfully the library was empty that night, so Viktor could raise his voice and scold him sternly for making fun of him.

They talked about what exactly would ‘happen’ if they ended up in bed together. Viktor was a virgin, and Jayce never had sex with a man before. It actually wasn’t the worst discussion in the world. Both had figured having a whole conversation about who would fuck who would be a lot more awkward.

But they managed to talk about their likes and dislikes without sounding like stupid teenagers who had no idea what they were talking about. If anything, at the time, Jayce sounded more nervous than Viktor.

Their consensus though, was that Jayce was used to having sex with women, and Viktor has never exactly had sex with anyone before. So, for their first time, they both agreed to let Jayce take the reins. Even if their first time would just be fooling around.

Like tonight. During that conversation, Jayce told Viktor that he didn’t mind the two of them fooling around for now, but he wanted to make his ‘actual’ first time special. Viktor rolled his eyes. Jayce had a real desire to make all his first times ‘special’.

Viktor told him he didn’t see much difference between Jayce fingering him or fucking him anyway, so it didn’t matter to him if it was special. Either way, they’d be seeing one another without clothes on and touching each other. Jayce insisted there was a big difference. They fought about it for about two minutes before letting it go.

Viktor was brought back to that conversation while Jayce carefully lifted his good leg and pushed his thigh back against chest. His hips turned upwards, completely exposed to Jayce. The man then nudged his other leg open as far as it could go, stopping when he winced at the strain.

“Is this alright?”

“Hm?” Only then Viktor realized he had been letting his mind wander.

Jayce noticed this. Before going any further, he reached down and cupped the man’s cheek in his hand. His gaze softened seeing how flushed he was. Perhaps he’d been a little too ruthless. Despite the situation, Viktor looked rather… cute.

He leaned down for a moment and kissed his lips with care. His hand stayed on the back of Viktor’s thigh, keeping his leg half up in the air.

Viktor swore he was going to get whiplash from how quickly Jayce was changing their pace. One moment he was frantic, seeming like he wanted fuck him ravenously into the mattress, and others, he treated him as if he was going to snap in half.

The kiss was nice. It almost felt loving. But Jayce had riled him up. The nerves from the unknown were quickly turning into an anxious desire to continue being touched.

“Jayce,” Viktor breathed against his lips. When the man pulled back, Viktor hooked the leg he was holding up around his waist. Jayce groaned as he pulled him in, his clothed cock pushing against his ass. “Hurry up… please. Touch me.”

Jayce practically moaned at his pleading. His hips rolled against Viktors. Once, twice, three times before finally rising back up to his knees. “Mm, I can’t say no when you’re asking so nicely.” He finally took the lid of the lubricant fully off. Coating some of his fingers, he tossed it off to the side once he figured he poured out enough. “Have you fingered yourself before, Vik?”

Watching him prep his fingers, Viktor started to squirm again. Yeah, he had fingered himself many times. But his fingers were quite slim. And he couldn’t exactly reach very far with his messed up back.

Jayce’s fingers looked long, and thick. One of his were almost the size of two of his own. His hips jerked suddenly feeling the cold sensation of lube against his hole. A single finger prodded at his entrance but simply teased at the rim.

“Y-Yeah... I have, but…” Viktor trailed off. His eyes met with Jayce’s.

“But what, sweetheart?”

His face flushed bright red. Fuck, why the hell was that nickname giving him so much grief?

“I’m… never able to reach very far, I guess…”

The pad of Jayce’s finger pushed teasingly against his rim. Just enough for Viktor to feel some pressure, but not enough for it to slip inside.

“Ah, I see. That must be so frustrating.” Jayce hummed, now pushing two fingers against his entrance. Viktor had to stop himself from reaching down and touching himself again. Instead, he reached behind him and shoved his hands under the pillow his head was resting on.

“And how many fingers do you usually use when you’re fingering yourself?”

Viktor whined. He really, really didn’t want to be talking as much as he was. It was embarrassing, and all he really wanted right now was your Jayce to hurry up and stick his fingers inside of him.

Though, he supposed answering quickly was going to be the only way to get what he wanted.

“Three. I… use three.”

“Three? Hm, well I suppose three of my fingers will feel a little different than three of yours.”

Impatience started to settle in. Viktor pushed his hips down as Jayce began to grind his fingers against him. The man shook his head and huffed. He grabbed Viktor’s leg, stretching it up, then rested his ankle against his shoulder to free up his other hand.

“Oh- Jayce…” Viktor moaned. Finally, Jayce started stroking his cock again. He’d been craving the friction. His head rolled back into the pillows. “Fuck… please.” Still, he wanted more.

“What do you think about when you’re fingering yourself?”

“Huh?”

The question caught him off guard. Especially because he was already lost in the feeling of Jayce fisting his cock at a now near-brutal pace.

“Tell me, and I promise you’ll get what you want.”

Jayce turned his head and began to place some kisses up Viktor’s leg. All Viktor could do was lay back and watch what was unfolding before him. To him, rather. He could probably cum just from Jayce jacking him off, but fuck, he wanted to feel his fingers buried knuckles deep inside of him.

So, he answered truthfully. “You-… I- think about you, Jayce, fuck… Please.”

And almost immediately, he was met with the feeling of not one, but two of Jayce’s fingers suddenly pushing inside of him. His back arched off the mattress and a strangled moan fell from hips feeling as they went so deep, deep, deep, until they bottomed out.

“Fuck, Viktor, you’re so tight…” Jayce’s cock twitched in his boxers. He had to keep mouthing and nipping at his leg to distract himself from the desire of whipping his dick out and fucking him right then and there.

Viktor’s legs shook, overwhelmed with pleasure as Jayce worked him from both his cock and his ass. Soon his hands matched the same pace as one another. Jayce tugged at him quickly while his fingers jutted and curled their way in and out.

“Jayce, I- I can’t…” The shakiness in his voice matched the tremble of his body. His own hands tugged at the sheets beneath him to find any sort of grounding. Two of Jayce’s fingers already almost felt like too much, so when he pushed in a third, tears pricked at the corners of Viktor’s eyes.

The tears that clouded his vision weren’t ones of pain, though. Perhaps a little, from having three of Jayce fucking Talis’ fingers stretching him open, but from being so overwhelmed with pleasure. He couldn’t even think about how he knew how badly his back would be hurting tomorrow morning. His thoughts were simply flooded with how weightless he currently felt.

“You’re doing so good. So fucking good for me. You’re so fucking pretty Vik.”

And soon it became too much. Jayce’s raspy voice, the teeth biting at the inside of his calf, cock practically being abused, and the three fingers jabbing into that one sweet spot buried deep inside of him.

Viktor’s orgasm ripped through him without warning. His jaw fell slack, and heavy accented curses fell from his lips in a language that Jayce didn’t understand. His whole body tensed and shivered as thick ropes of cum painted his stomach and chest.

Jayce helped him ride out his orgasm, not giving him a break as he watched the man unfold underneath him. Fuck it was hot. Jayce could get drunk off this. Could probably cum in his pants too just from the sight. He hadn’t even realized he sucked a hickey into Viktor’s leg before it was too late.

Chest heaving and trying to catch his breath, Viktor started to whine from overstimulation. It was a wretched sound, he thought to himself. A sound he never thought he would hear himself make.

“Jayce – ah-!” His legs now began to twitch for much different reasons. The one leg Jayce had in the air began its attempt at trying to squirm free, trapped against his chest. “Too much- Jayce!”

This, however, was extremely amusing to Jayce. He did let go of Viktor’s softening cock, but his fingers continued to fuck him thoroughly. His arm wrapped around his leg, keeping it in the air.

“But look at you, Vik. Look at how cute you are. You were just begging for my fingers inside of you a few minutes ago.”

Viktor whined again, louder this time. Jayce’s fingers were abusing his prostate over and over and over. And with every prod to that little bundle of nerves, Viktor’s hips met his hand with a desperate push downwards.

“See? It feels good, yeah? Probably even better now that you came.”

And Viktor really couldn’t deny it. It did feel amazing. And now that the intensity of his climax had reached its peak, he could really focus on the feeling of how wide Jayce’s fingers stretched him open.

Now, his eyes could also settle on the sight above him. Jayce’s sculpted figure. Forehead sweaty. Eyes glazed. His dick pleading to be released from his underwear. Jayce Talis was truly a vision to be awed.

Viktor stared as Jayce started kissing his leg again. Only then did he notice the mark that he left behind. He had been so engrossed in the feeling of Jayce’s hands, that he couldn’t even tell he made it.

“Jayce- “ he called out again, finally finding the tiniest shred of stability in his voice.

“I- want to – fuck, I want to make you cum – again…”

Seeing how hard he was, he almost felt bad. He knew Jayce was a giver, and fuck, did he give and give and give… But Viktor’s hands ached to touch him. Honestly, he just kind of wanted an excuse to get his dick back in his mouth.

Jayce contemplated this for a moment, fingers idly thrusting back and forth. His relentless pace had slowed, and once he figured Viktor finally had enough, he pulled them out. And also, because he wanted to cum pretty fucking badly right now.

“Again, huh? You’re so good to me, sweetheart.” He shoved down the hem of his boxers just enough to free his cock. He wiped his fingers off on the bedsheets and gave himself a few generous tugs. “How would you like to make me cum? With your mouth again?”

Viktor let out one final whine feeling Jayce’s fingers slip out of him. Despite just having begged Jayce to stop, he suddenly felt far too empty. So, the notion of Jayce using his mouth the get himself off had him nodding quickly. “Yes- yeah, please. Use my mouth.”

The bed creaked as Jayce scooted his way up along Viktor’s body until his knees were resting on either side of him, just beside his upper arms. “Sit up a bit.”

At the instruction, Viktor pushed himself up until his back was resting against the headboard. He groaned quietly, already feeling some aches in his back and right leg. Hopefully Jayce would have some pain medication he could steal tomorrow morning.

He tried not to think about it now, though, opening his mouth eagerly as Jayce pushed the tip of his cock against his lips, seemingly quite eager as well.

“Ah, fuck Viktor…” Jayce groaned as he slowly pushed his hips forward. He could feel one of Viktor’s hands grip at his thigh, while the other went to snake around the base of his cock.

To save him some energy, Jayce rocked his hips carefully, slowly fucking into his mouth. His fingers found their way into Viktor’s hair, and the other one gripped the headboard. Viktor happily took whatever Jayce gave him, even toughing it out when he’d snap his hips just a little too sharply.

It didn’t take long at all for Jayce to feel himself teetering on the edge of his second orgasm that night. It suddenly didn’t seem very fair, how he got to cum twice while he only made Viktor cum once. The man seemed tired, though, and pretty blissed out. He wasn’t entirely sure if he’d actually stay awake long enough to orgasm again.

Suddenly, Jayce was pulling out when he started to feel his climax building. Viktor was confused at first, opening his eyes to look up to Jayce in confusion. Their gazes locked as Jayce started stroking his cock at a relentless pace.

“Close your eyes. Open your mouth.” He grunted. The fingers that were once tugging at his hair moving down to push his fringe up and off his forehead. The hair tie that he tied into his hair earlier this evening had been lost quite a while ago.

Viktor didn’t ask questions. He simply obliged, closing his eyes and parting his lips just like Jayce had told him to. A string of curses and groans filled the bedroom, and he suddenly felt a hot liquid pouring over his face. Some of it landed on his forehead, some running down his cheeks, and a few drops made their way onto his tongue.

Jayce rode out his orgasm panting, dragging the tip of his cock over Viktor’s face before leaning back to admire his work. He looked like pure sin with his face covered in his cum. “You can open your eyes.” A hand came down to cup under his jaw, tilting his head back just a little bit further to get a good look at him.

When his eyes opened, Viktor’s heart fluttered in his chest. Jayce was staring at him like he was the most gorgeous thing on the planet. His hand gently tilting his head this way and that, as cum slowly dripped off his face and onto his chest.

Then, he was being kissed so gently. Lovingly. The bitterness of Jayce’s spend on his tongue disappearing from a kiss so soft and sweet.

Jayce then left for a moment. It was only a minute or two. Not even. He returned with some warm, damp towels, and began to clean him up.

Viktor felt dizzy, but in a good way. Not the same dizziness he felt from coughing so hard he had to grip the wall just for stability. Instead, it felt… like he was in a dream. Nothing else had to make sense, except for the feeling of Jayce carefully laying him back down onto the bed.

“Hey, Viktor, are you okay?” Jayce’s voice was so soft as he laid down next to him, reaching a hand over to caress his cheek. “Sorry if I was a little too rough on you. How are you feeling? Do you hurt anywhere?”

And he felt so, so cared for. So desired. What was once an annoyance from those who pitied him, was now something he so desperately craved. From Jayce, that is. And Jayce alone.

He turned himself onto his side, curling into Jayce’s chest. How did he still smell so goddamn good? Viktor pressed his nose against his skin just to try and get more of the familiar scent. “I’m okay. I feel… pretty fucking good, actually.” He cursed through a small smile, which just made Jayce chuckle.

It wasn’t a lie. Sure, he ached in a few places. But that was nothing compared to the absolute cloud he felt like he was floating on.

Jayce wrapped an arm around Viktor and pulled him close, kissing the top of his head. “I’m glad you feel good. Thank you for the amazing gift.”

That made Viktor chuckle, too.

The two talked for hours into the night. Jayce brought them some clothes to sleep in. They turned off the lights, and clicked on a stupid television show, the screen of the TV lighting up the dark bedroom.

They fell asleep in each other’s arms.

In the morning, they showered, and Jayce made them chocolate chip pancakes. Viktor admired his bouquet of white chrysanthemums and sunflowers perched delicately in a tall vase of water on the table.

Jayce gave him extra chocolate chips.

Chapter Text

It took some time for Viktor to adjust to Jayce’s insatiability. If it was troublesome (to his standards) before, now it seemed like the man was physically incapable of keeping his hands off him for more than an hour at a time.

What started off as a few sneaky kisses hidden away in the back of the library soon turned into holding hands as they walked down the hallway, and even a peck on the cheek as Viktor headed off to class. Perhaps this didn’t seem like a big deal to most, but to Viktor, it was gathering him some much unwanted attention.

And not unwanted attention from Jayce. Despite swatting him away when he got too touchy in public, he secretly enjoyed these small antics. Many times, Viktor had wondered if Jayce truly cared about his own desires, or if he was just too obsessed with claiming him as his own for the sake of having someone around to fuck. These tiny gestures though, proving that he didn’t care about the looks they got from others, were appreciated.

If anything, Jayce seemed rather blind to the staring. The gawking, the whispers, the confused looks as they walked hand-in-hand around the school.

Viktor protested it at first.

“Jayce, please, what is this? We’re not teenagers, we don’t need to be touching at all moments of the day.” He had quickly pulled his hand from Jayce’s after the man reached to interlock their fingers. They just finished lunch, and he insisted on walking Viktor to his next lecture since he had some down time.

It hurt a bit, but Jayce understood. Viktor was the type of person that didn’t want to be shown off. And perhaps it was a little selfish on Jayce’s side, wanting to hold hands. He so badly wanted to pull Viktor out from his quiet shell. Show them that he was no longer on the market. That he was his.

Instead, it only drew undesired attention onto Viktor. And, as he very delicately explained to Jayce, in all technical terms, he was still on the market. Neither of them had talked to each other about forming a more… official bond.

“I have plans.” Jayce insisted, eyeing Viktor from across their usual table in the coffee shop. “Plans… on, you know… asking you properly.”

Viktor had simply shaken his head and took a sip from his drink. He didn’t know why Jayce was always so insistent on making every moment of this relationship they had formed as romantic as possible. In his own honest opinion, what they had was nice. Getting coffee and dinner, discussing their upcoming project, and fooling around in Jayce’s king-sized bed.

If anything, he believed there was no need to put a label on what they had. Maybe it was because of his own reasonings, but part of Viktor felt anxious at the idea of becoming an official couple. He enjoyed his time spent with Jayce. Enjoyed being cared for. Enjoyed caring for him.

But finding a boyfriend wasn’t a part of his plan. And how the hell could he ever possibly turn him down if he were to ask? There was no way he would be able to.

The guilt ate away at him for far too long, and far too often.

So, through the weeks of November, Viktor slowly opened himself to the idea of being seen more freely alongside Jayce in public. They kept the status of their relationship under wraps, until, well, they figured it out for themselves. Even Caitlyn interrogated them both for nearly an hour about why the hell she just saw Jayce casually wrapping an arm around Viktor’s waist in the middle of the cafeteria.

They didn’t have a solid answer for her. Jayce told her that he’d explain in private later.

November rolled into December, and Viktor got even busier. Exams were coming up, and he had just received permission from his professors to start some higher intensity experiments with some of his personal projects. His nights became longer, and half the time he found himself cooped up in one of the chemistry labs right until closing.

Some nights, Jayce would stick around for him and either walk him back to his dorm or drive them both back to his apartment. Visits to his apartment were starting to become less frequent, as Viktor would stay up hours into the night studying for tests or finishing final assignments.

Tonight, he found himself stowed away into the corner of the library again. He tapped his pencil stressfully against the table, not caring about the noise. There was hardly anyone in here, anyways.

Strings of formulas and calculations lined his worksheets. Now that his own research into a cure for his illness was officially in the works, it quickly became his top priority. He almost didn’t hear a voice chiming next to him.

Then, someone sat down in the chair to his left. A young guy. Looked fresh out of high school. Viktor didn’t recognize him, but he was clearly trying to say something to him.

He took his earbud out of his ear and turned down the music that had been blaring for the past several hours.

“Hm, sorry?”

“I said that the library is closing soon. In like, a minute actually”, the boy huffed, leaning back in the chair he had just welcomed himself into. His arms folded across his chest.

“Oh, you’re right. Thanks for letting me know.” Checking the time on his phone, Viktor realized that he was right. A bad habit of his, he supposed. Falling far too deeply into his own work to even realize what time it was.

Gathering his things to pack up, the boy who remained seated beside him, suddenly reached a hand over. It dropped on top of the stack of papers he was currently trying to paper clip together. Viktor ruffled his brows.

“You’re Viktor, right?” There was knowing in the stranger’s voice, as if he wasn’t asking the question at all, rather, pointing out that he knew exactly who he was anyway.

It still took him by surprise though. He nodded.

“Yes, I am.” He gave a tug to the papers his hand was resting on, freeing them. “Is there something I can help you with?”

The boy flinched slightly when the papers were suddenly tugged from under his hand. Though, he cleared his throat and leaned slightly closer. “Yes, actually.”

Then, he was pointing across the room. Viktor’s eyes followed to where he was pointing. In one of the lounge chairs centred in the room sat another young student, around the same age as the one sat beside him. He looked nervous, looking away as soon as the two of them made eye contact.

“My friend over there wants to know how much.”

Viktor’s face twisted into something of confusion at what he was hearing. Maybe it was due to the lack of sleep, but he didn’t quite understand what was being said to him. “I’m sorry?”

The boy paused for a moment, eyes flickering back to Viktor. “You know… how much? How much do you charge?”

Still, Viktor’s brain wasn’t processing this information correctly. His eyes scanned the other’s face. He looked very serious. And as if he was starting to get annoyed.

“I still don’t understand what you’re asking me.”

Now, the other student huffed. His leg bounced anxiously, and he shook his head, looking over to his friend and giving a shrug. Then, he turned back to him.

“How much does Talis pay you? You know… to let him fuck you? My friend wants to know. He’s a dumbass I know, he didn’t even want to come over and ask you himself.”

And Viktor’s heart suddenly flipped inside of his chest. His lips parted, and he blinked a few times. He even had to take out his other earbud to ensure he was hearing him properly.

“…I’m sorry. What exactly are you implying?” Viktor’s voice caught in his throat. Sure, he had probably been asked more shocking things before, but this had caught him entirely off guard.

The boy remained casual, as if this was a completely normal thing to be asking another student this late at night in the back of a university library. He shrugged again. “We heard from a couple of students in one of Talis’ classes that he was paying some crippled Zaunite for sex. Someone caught him feeling you up outside the dorms at like midnight. Didn’t believe it at first, he doesn’t seem like the type to be gay. But I especially didn’t realize that the dude he’s fucking is actually a student here. He must pay you well if you can afford tuition here.”

A few seconds of silence passed. Viktor still couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Who told him this? How many people believed this rumour? Had Jayce said something that made someone believe this is what was happening between the two of them?

Viktor felt frozen in his seat, trying to muster up some form of retort that wasn’t just screaming at the kid and maybe even slapping him across the face for believing such a lie.

“I…” He started, fingers gripping the papers he was holding tightly. Nothing he could potentially say sounded right in his head. This was a lot of information to process all at once.

For a second, he felt that same guilt from a few weeks ago fester in his chest. Because for only a second, he regretted ever letting Jayce get so handsy with him in front of anyone else. That horrible thought, though, seemed to ground him from his barrage of all the terrible things he could say to this guy.

Finally, he was able to piece something together at least slightly coherent.

“I… believe you’re mistaken.” He continued to gather his things. Some papers he just shoved into his messenger bag, but that was the least of his worries right now. “Mine and Jayce’s relationship is none of your concern. I’m not… some Zaunite whore.”

It came out sharper than intended, and as he spoke, he could feel heat rushing to his face. Viktor was usually pretty good at keeping his temper in check, but right now, he felt more furious than anything.

“I don’t know where you heard this lie from, but Jayce doesn’t pay to fuck me, and I’m certainly not going to fuck your friend over there.” His hand gripped his cane tightly, standing to his feet. He stumbled a bit as he rose.

The other student suddenly got quite defensive, and he stood as well.

“Whoa, hey, calm down. Guess I didn’t realize Talis was so easy. Probably didn’t have to do too much to bag that, huh? Sorry that it seemed probable to me that some undercity slut spread his legs for ‘mister man of progress’.” His voice was teasing in a way that made Viktor question all his morals for a few brief moments.

He took a breath to calm down before he could convince himself it wouldn’t do any harm to his reputation to start whacking this pitiful 18-year-old with his cane. He simply stared daggers into the kid while he did everything he could to be the bigger person.

Every school had bullies, he supposed.

Almost too calmly, but with firmness in his voice, Viktor turned to leave before this progressed any further. “I would suggest you use some critical thinking skills the next time you decide to open your mouth. Now go fuck yourself and leave me alone.”

Viktor gave him one last glare, and one to the kid’s friend as well, before taking his leave. There was already far too much on his plate as it was, and now… he had to deal with the knowledge of a rumour going around that he was some personal whore to Jayce.

Stumbling down the corridor, Viktor didn’t realize how unsteady on his own feet he felt. Usually, his condition worsened in the wintertime, but combined with the stress of the evening, he was practically groaning by the time he reached the front doors. Tugging on the door handle, he realized that tonight, the cool December air actually felt good on his face.

His eyes though, stung ever so slightly. Fuck, some tears gathered at the outer corner of his eyes. It felt pathetic to be sorrowful over such a redundant encounter. Back in Zaun, he had to deal with far worse from far more awful people. And he typically handled those situations with grace. Perhaps living in Piltover for almost four months had turned him soft.

Because instead of feeling pity for himself, he felt pity for Jayce.

What a terrible rumour to be pinned on someone like Jayce. His own students were whispering around how he’d been seduced by some Zaunite trash trying to make some quick money for his tuition. Did they really think that lowly of their own TA?

Jayce didn’t deserve to be thought of in that light. He was a brilliant man who was highly respected for his inventions and research. And the only time he had been thought of differently was because of himself. All because he had, as the student in the library had said, spread his legs for Piltover’s ‘man of progress’.

It was especially embarrassing, because they hadn’t even properly fucked yet.

“Shit…” Viktor suddenly groaned, making it halfway across the courtyard before needing to sit down on a nearby bench. It was freezing against the back of his thighs, but his leg was cramping to the point where every step felt like shards of glass were shooting up his calf.

The dorms were only a five-minute walk away, but he needed to calm himself down before continuing the trek. His spiralling thoughts caused every muscle in his body to tense, and it really didn’t help his aching leg.

Rummaging around his messenger bag, Viktor searched for his long checkered scarf. Once he found the wool garment, he was quick to wrap it around his neck and over his mouth and nose. The cold air burned the inside of his throat and lungs with every unfiltered breath.

His eyes fell closed, and he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket in a last-ditch effort to warm himself up and calm himself down. His blood still boiled, especially with the thought of those two students finding him in the courtyard, but it did nothing chase away the cold air that pricked at his skin.

He’d have to get to his dorm soon. Even if his leg protested every step, he couldn’t sit here forever.

And after a few minutes, and a hefty push up onto his feet, he suddenly heard a distant, “Viktor?”

His whole body tensed, right leg immediately rejecting the sudden added stress. Had they found where he was? His ears were ringing loudly, he couldn’t hear the tone of whoever had called out his name.

With slightly glazed eyes, he scanned the concrete grounds for his caller. Thankfully though, when his eyes settled on a tall figure jogging his way, he realized it was Jayce.

“Viktor? What the hell are you doing out here?” Jayce panted as he hurried over. His hands almost immediately made their way around his waist, pulling him in close. “I was worried- you weren’t answering your texts. And then I... I searched the labs, and I poked my head into the library, but you weren’t there.”

Viktor’s eyes closed again, and he gently rested his head on Jayce’s shoulder. His one hand stayed in his pocket, though, doing everything he could to avoid the cold. What he couldn’t understand though, was Jayce’s sudden concern. It was fairly common for Viktor to be up late studying. Or sometimes he’d even pass out in his room from over exhaustion without texting goodnight.

“I’m sorry…” He mumbled against his shoulder, and when Jayce finally pulled back, he felt the man’s thumbs move up to his cheeks and cup his face in that oh-so-gentle ‘Jayce Talis’ way. “I… why were you searching for me, Jayce?”

Jayce’s thumbs carefully wiped over Viktor’s cheeks. Had he been… crying? His eyes were red and slightly puffy, and his voice sounded strained as he spoke. Though, he did just find him sitting outside in the cold. He had caught him doing stranger things before.

“It’s Friday, Vik.”

Viktor’s eyebrows scrunched downwards, and he was shaking his head at that notion. “No, it’s Thursday.” Clearly, Jayce has his days mixed up.

Like they had fallen into a rhythm of getting lunch or coffee every Saturday, it was now a very typical part of their routine for Viktor to spend the night at Jayce’s every Friday night. It was something they’ve only been doing for a few weeks now, but Viktor was quick to learn that Jayce was a man of routine.

And it worked out great for them both. Especially with how busy his schedule was now; it was nice for Viktor to take a night to clear his head and spend some private time with Jayce. To let himself be taken care of so intimately and let go of all his thoughts for a couple of hours. Fall asleep in Jayce’s arms and then wake up to a homemade breakfast and an overly sweet coffee. Surely, it wasn’t something he would enjoy if he was simply taking Jayce’s money in exchange for sex.

“No. It’s Friday. Look.” Jayce reached into his coat pocket and took out his phone. He clicked on his lock screen and turned it around to show Viktor. Oh. Right under the big bold letters displaying how late it was, was the date. It was in fact, a Friday.

Viktor’s eyes suddenly went wide, and his hand finally came out of his pocket. His fingers curled around the handle of his cane tightly, and he felt guilt rush through him for the millionth time tonight. “Oh… Jayce, I- I’m sorry…” His voice wavered as he apologized.

Jayce placed his phone back into his pocket before his hands moved back to gently resting on Viktor’s waist. His eyes scanned over his expression as he spoke. It looked like he was going to break down right there in his arms.

“I have just been… so busy, and so stressed, and I-… these stupid kids in the library showed up-“ he quickly paused. Perhaps he shouldn’t go too far into detail. He knew for a fact if he gave Jayce the whole story, he would storm in there and beat the shit out of them. That’s the last thing he needed right now.

What he truly just wanted more than anything, was to get out of the cold. “I suppose I just… mixed up my schedule today. I’ve been so focused and so busy with everything else I- couldn’t even respond to your texts. I’m sorry.”

Jayce sighed, rubbing gentle circles over Viktor’s hips. Despite being stressed out of his mind, worried that something had happened to him, he understood. Back when he was a student, he was the same way. Throwing himself way too far ahead of the curve and never being able to keep up with his own ambitions.

So, he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss to Viktor’s lips.

Viktor leaned into the kiss easily. Usually, he wouldn’t approve of something so intimate right in front of the university entryway, but nobody else was around. It was late, and he was cold. If anyone saw them, he supposed he already knew what they thought about them.

When Jayce pulled back, he gently rested their foreheads together. Something he had a keen habit of doing when Viktor seemed to work himself up. And it did absolute wonders at relaxing him.

“It’s okay. I’m not mad, you don’t have to apologize. I know how intimidating this time of year can be. I probably got too carried away with my worrying, anyway.” His voice was soft as could be, and Viktor took in a long, calming breath before nodding gently in understanding.

Still, a curiosity tugged at Jayce’s mind.

“You, um… mentioned some other students in the library? What happened?”

Viktor’s cheeks immediately turned red, and he pulled his forehead away from Jayce’s. “Oh, it’s um…”

This type of rumour wasn’t something he could withhold from him. Despite everything in his being telling him to keep it to himself, he knew that Jayce was sure to find out one way or another. And he certainly didn’t want him to find out in the way that he did tonight.

“Could… we head to your place, first? It’s so cold out here. I can’t feel my fingers.”

The drive was quiet, the two sharing small pleasantries about their day. Jayce definitely had a better one than he did. Viktor felt far more tired than usual tonight though, so he was quite content with hearing him go on about some prized students in his classes and the different ideas they’ve been coming up with. He wondered though, if those same ones had heard the rumour.

Small talk is usually cut pretty short when they reach Jayce’s living room. More often than not, they’re kicking off their shoes in wild directions before racing into the bedroom and slamming the door behind them.

Tonight though, they settled onto the couch. Jayce had made them some tea, but not before grabbing a throw blanket to quickly replace Viktor’s jacket after he had shrugged it off. His skin still stung from the cold outside.

The whole reason Viktor waited until now to tell him, and not outside the school doors, was because he wasn’t sure how Jayce would react. He had never seen the man angry before. Though, he was passionate. And Viktor could see that passion in his eyes as he told him every detail of what happened in the library.

His expression followed the same path that Viktor’s had as everything unfolded. First confusion, then anger, then just sheer disbelief that such a thing is true.

Jayce’s mind raced as he tried to wrap his head around the situation. Over the years as a TA, he had heard some pretty nasty rumours, but he never thought he’d find himself caught up in one. Especially one to this degree. But, what hurt him the most, was seeing the pain and guilt behind Viktor’s eyes.

“Vik… I’m sorry.” He apologized. And Viktor was taken aback for the second time that night.

“What… what on earth could you be apologizing for, Jayce?”

And suddenly, Viktor was being pulled into Jayce’s arms. He held him tightly against his chest, and his chin rested gently on top of his head.

Viktor could hear Jayce’s heartbeat and the pattern of his breathing. Usually these were things that helped calm him down. But hearing how his breathing shook as he took in a deep breath, unsettled him to his core. Maybe he shouldn’t have told him…

“It’s… definitely my fault. I just- fuck, you even told me, too… To keep my hands off you when other people are watching. If I could just control myself…”

These past few weeks had been stressful for Jayce, as well. It seemed like only recently he had been helping grade midterms, and now he was assigned endless tasks in prepping some first year students for final exams. Perhaps he had been using Viktor as an outlet to alleviate some of that stress throughout the school day. And it seems as though his actions managed to get them caught up in this lie.

“We have a meeting with Heimerdinger on Monday about our project funding. Maybe we could discuss this with him? I’m sure there’s something he could do to put an end to it.”

Viktor simply shook his head, and tilted his chin up slightly so he could place a couple of reassuring kisses along the base of Jayce’s neck. “It’s not your fault, Jayce. And… we shouldn’t bother bringing something petty like this to the dean. They’re just… some stupid kids. One day I’m sure they will say the wrong thing to the wrong person and actually get what they deserve in return.”

Plus, going to Heimerdinger would probably only bring more attention to the rumour. It’d be nearly impossible to silently track down every person who had heard it. There would have to be some form of announcement, which was the last thing Viktor wanted.

Jayce chuckled quietly. “Yeah… you’re right. I guess they’re lucky you’re such a sweetheart.”

Viktor immediately rolled his eyes and scoffed at the nickname that Jayce used far too often. “Oh, I definitely told them to fuck off, don’t worry. Though I suppose I did manage to resist every urge in my body telling me to whack them with my cane.”

Jayce pulled him tighter as he laughed. “Well, at least that lets me know you weren’t tempted to accept their offer. Some families are pretty rich in this area, I bet that poor kid would have given you any amount you asked for just to give him a sad hand job.”

Scoffing, Viktor suddenly sat up. He slapped Jayce on the chest and shook his head. “Excuse me, my hand jobs aren’t sad. I would’ve changed his whole life. Especially if he was paying me for it. I give you hand jobs for free, and I think I’m fantastic.”

Humming, and letting his hands slowly smooth down Viktor’s sides until they rested over the curve of his ass, Jayce leaned back on the couch. “Right, right, of course. Your hand jobs are fantastic, sweetheart”, he paused for a moment, the hummed again, tilting his head back as if he was in thought. “Although, I do have to at least try and argue that mine are better.”

Viktor’s hand rested on Jayce’s chest, then pushed him fully down against the couch. “That sounds like a challenge.”

Jayce’s hands gripped Viktor’s ass tightly and pulled his hips down flush against his own. “Maybe it is.”

Rolling his hips with a groan, Viktor gripped Jayce’s shoulders tightly, before leaning down to whisper in his ear, “well you should know that I’m very competitive, Talis.”

It was almost embarrassing how fast Viktor lost this bet.

Only thirty minutes later, he was sprawled out on his back, fully naked on Jayce’s bed. His head was thrown back into the pillows, back arching off the mattress, and hands tangled in Jayce’s hair.

Loud pants filled the room, and Viktor was crying out Jayce’s name like it was a call for help. All pride and all ego left his body, laying there willingly at the hands of the man beneath him.

His thighs trembled as Jayce held open his left leg with one hand and jerked him off with the other.

Viktor panted helplessly. Tears were streaming down his cheeks from overstimulation. Two orgasms worth of cum were quickly drying along his stomach and chest, and Jayce was trying with everything he had to get a third one out of him.

Jayce’s tongue worked quickly at the rim of Viktor’s hole. He was eating him out like a man starved, and Viktor greedily met every thrust of his tongue with a rough push downwards of his hips.

“J-Jayce stop- you win- I can’t…” Despite his pleas for him to stop, he was rolling and grinding his hips with desperation.

And instead of stopping, Jayce let go of Viktor’s left leg. At the sudden loss of pressure on his legs, Viktor’s thighs clamped tightly around Jayce’s head. The man moaned against Viktor’s hole feeling the tight squeeze and trembling around him.

Without warning, he suddenly pushed in two fingers alongside his tongue. His other hand didn’t falter for a second.

“Oh- Jayce, fuck!” One of Viktor’s hands let go of Jayce’s hair to instead cover his mouth, realizing now he was shouting far too loudly. But his whole body was shaking, and he didn’t have much control over the volume of his moans.

Viktor swore he could see white, his ears starting to ring feeling Jayce’s fingers jab against his prostate, and his sudden and quite pitiful third orgasm of the night ripped through him. His cock twitched in Jayce’s hand and his chest heaved. His hips bucked awkwardly, not knowing which sensation to chase after more.

All sense of speech was gone in that moment. Instead, Viktor’s hand pushed at Jayce’s head, and his hips twisted left and right in an attempt to escape.

Thankfully, Jayce got the message. Now fully satisfied he had won their bet, he let go of his leaking cock and finally came back up for air. Viktor looked like a work of art splayed out helplessly against the mattress. It did wonders for Jayce’s ego… seeing him spent beyond belief.

He left the bed only for a moment, something that became quite common after a night of fooling around. Usually, it was to clean himself up first and give Viktor some time to come back down to earth, and to get some fluffy warm towels to clean off the man’s chest. Jayce had also fallen into quite the habit of spilling his own cum over either his face, chest, or back. It seemed like a waste to not see this every time they hooked up.

After they were both cleaned up, Jayce crawled back into the bed. Viktor finally seemed coherent again as he rolled onto his side to press his forehead against Jayce’s chest.

“That wasn’t fair…” He grumbled. Jayce simply laughed as he pulled the warm blankets up over their bare bodies.

“Hmm, I don’t see why it wasn’t fair. You’re the one who decided to get me off first. And yeah, it was amazing, of course. But your biggest mistake was fingering yourself while jerking me off. You know how riled up I get when you do that.”

“Yeah, and that was my whole strategy! I… wanted to make you cum more than once too, but you got way too excited when I suggested… eating me out.” Viktor huffed, turning around to now lay facing away from Jayce. Though, all that made him do was wrap his strong arm around his waist and pull him in to cuddle him from behind.

“Sorry sweetheart, I am clearly the superior hand-job-giver.” Jayce smirked, trailing some kisses down the side of Viktor’s neck.

They laid there quietly for a while. Viktor continued to sulk but melted easily into Jayce’s arms. Although he was pouty about losing their stupid bet, it felt damn amazing to rid his mind of all the stressful thoughts of the day.

After a couple minutes of comfortable silence, Viktor finally spoke up again. “You know… you’re allowed to fuck me, right? You… don’t have to hold back just because I’ve never done this before…” His voice was hesitant but assuring. He toyed with Jayce’s fingers that were resting flat against his chest.

Jayce hummed, and pulled him even closer, if it was possible. “I know.” He whispered, gently kissing along the shell of his ear.

Viktor furrowed his brows in confusion, blinking down at the bed sheets beside him. “Then… why don’t you?”

“Because I don’t want to just ‘fuck’ you, Viktor...” Jayce’s voice was low and calm. His hand slowly moved from where it was resting on his chest down to his hip, where it began to trail gentle circles.

“I’d like to make love to you.”

Viktor’s stomach dropped. His lips parted as if he was about to say something, but he quickly closed them.

“I know it doesn’t mean much to you, but… it does to me. It may sound stupid, and cliché, but I don’t just make love to anyone. I’d… like to make love to my partner.”

Now Viktor’s breathing turned rigid. His hand clamped into a ball, and he could feel his cheeks turning a hot shade of red. Thank God he was facing away from Jayce right now. Was… Jayce essentially saying that he wanted them to become official? He wanted them to be partners?

Viktor fell quiet again, and Jayce let him. His hand simply continued its gentle massage against the bony terrain of his hip.

“I, um…” Viktor stuttered out, at a loss for words.

“Could we, maybe… talk about it in the morning?” His voice was terribly quiet, and soft. But he really needed a clear head right now, despite knowing he would now most likely be tossing and turning all night.

Jayce though, hummed and nodded, squeezing him tightly before leaning over to place a gentle, caring kiss to his cheek. “Of course we can. There’s no pressure, Vik. Either way, you know I… care deeply about you.”

Fuck, Jayce Talis was going to be the death of him. Viktor could almost laugh. But he was too busy trying to cool the heat that had pooled in his cheeks.

“I… yeah. Me too.” He managed to whisper out, taking in a deep breath before closing his eyes. “Goodnight, Jayce.”

Jayce smiled softly. For now, he’d be content with that response. Because every piece of his being truly did care about Viktor. And he would do absolutely anything if it made him happy.

“Goodnight, Viktor.”