#jegulus as jayvik

[staroflupin]

happy birthday @calamitoustide ! i was going to write something sad but but i think this crossover will make up for it. No, I didn't edit it, I just had inspiration at 1 am and wrote this. I wanted to write something like this for you because of how much you like both ships, but didn't know how to execute it for a long time. But here it is.

apologies for formatting, i'm still trying to figure out how this app works lol.

taking things steady

jegulus x jayvik

A low, mechanical drone rang like white noise through the laboratory. The setting sun casted a hue of orange through the only window of the room, lighting it up with a natural glow.

Two men sat at opposite ends of the room; one tinkering with metal plates for the machine adjacent to himself, and the other scribbling notes and equations into a leather-bound notebook.

There was distant chatter in the hallway outside the laboratory door and scraping of feet along tiled floors as students shuffled through, but both men were too engrossed in their work to notice.

The laboratory lights were dim, and there was one fixture that seemed to flicker constantly towards the back right corner of the room. It would be annoying for someone who could pay attention to the world around them, but neither of the men held much focus outside of metalwork and notetaking.

The machine’s drone halted as it was abruptly turned off, and the man writing in the journal paused to look up towards the opposite side of the room.

“James?” He called softly towards the other man, who just stood there with his eyes closed, and fingers massaging the bridge of his nose. His other hand, the one holding onto his crutch, was turning white with how tight he was gripping into it.

James let out a frustrated groan.

“Regulus, we’ve gotten nothing done all day,” James says, now looking towards the latter, “In fact, we’ve gotten nothing done all week. Dumbledore is getting impatient with us, and he went through so many loopholes to convince the council to let us continue our research into the Hexcore, but we have found absolutely nothing for months now, and it’s driving me fucking crazy—”

“James…” Regulus tries to cut in, but James continued on with a slight panic to his voice.

“The guys have been on my ass too, and I don't know how many more excuses I can give them every time I miss out or forget about something we planned, and I feel like a failure—”

“James—” Regulus tries again, a little louder this time.

“I feel like a bad friend, a terrible student, a horrible partner. I keep feeling like I’m dragging you down with me, and that one day you’ll see that all this time, and energy, and cost was never worth it in the end and—”

“James,” Regulus had now crossed over the room, and his sharp tone snapped the other out of his rant.

James looked down towards Regulus, and Regulus’ heart broke at the redness in the other’s eyes, and the silent tears running down his cheeks.

Regulus slowly reached out, hesitant hands cupping the other man’s cheeks. His thumb brushed under the thick lenses of James’ glasses to wipe away his tears with a fond gentleness.

James’ eyes were wide as he stared at the other, lips slightly parted. So many emotions crossed his face, but the self-loathing evident in his expression made something twist in Regulus’ stomach.

Over the past year and a half of working together on Hextech and studying the Hexcore, the two scientists had grown quite close with one another. The closeness that they formed had slowly grown into affection.

The two never disclosed their relationship with anyone else, as it was hard to describe in words how they felt. Labels were nonexistent in their bond with one another. Though if needed, they referred to themselves as ‘partners’. Whatever that meant to anyone else didn't matter, because what it meant to them was the connection.

There were nights where silence was the only sound between them, and other nights where they talked about anything and everything. Sometimes, they divulged into the deepest, darkest parts of themselves in some twisted self-preservation in order to scare the other off. It never worked; they had only gotten closer at the end of it all.

Regulus knew all about how James could get into his own head, about how much he truly hated himself. James had grown up in Zaun, and later moved to Piltover as a child with his parents when they got enough money to do so. Regulus knew how much James felt like an outsider, and knew his roots made him doubt himself.

When James was 7, he had fallen ill. Despite his family’s best efforts in Zaun, the city was not equipped with the resources to treat his illness. Even if they could get the best doctor in Zaun, they had no access to the type of medicine that was readily available in Piltover.

Over time, his sickness got bad to the point where he had to use a crutch to walk. By the time the family had moved to Piltover and could see a doctor in the city, it was already too late to do much about his illness other than treatment to slow it down.

James sometimes felt embarrassed about it, as the unwanted attention from it made him feel more like an outsider than before. Despite how his best friends tried to not treat him any differently, they were all Piltovan and were quite ignorant to how much James struggled to fit in as both a Zaunite and as someone who was disabled.

When Regulus had first met James, he had his own inherent biases about the Undercity and ignorances about those with disabilities. Although he knew his ignorance about growing up in Zaun and being disabled would never truly go away, he felt his previously held stigmas fade away the more time he spent with the other man. He still had more to learn and more stigmas and previously held contentions to work on, but he was willing to do it for James.

So, holding James’s face in his hands like he was holding the entire world, Regulus stepped impossibly closer, his thumbs rubbing away the remainder of his tears.

“Jamie,” Regulus breathed, and James exhaled at the nickname, “You are not a terrible person. You aren't a bad friend, and you are quite an exceptional student if your straight A’s have anything to say about it.”

James let out a small chuckle at that. It was a start.

“And most of all, you aren't a horrible partner. Jamie, I work with you because I want to. Because I see potential in your work. If I didn't, I wouldn't be here spending god knows how long in this lab each day,”

“But you—”

“But nothing, Jamie… Two years ago, I made a promise to you. I promised I would do anything to help achieve your dream. Our dream. Hextech is our gift to the world, to help them. You told the council that it was your dream to help those in need, that magic saved your life, and that it could potentially save hundreds, if not thousands of others,” Regulus gently leaned forward, closed his eyes, and rested his forehead against James’. He heard the other let out a shaky breath.

“I believed in that dream,” Regulus whispered, hands lowering slightly to cradle James’ jaw. “I still believe in that dream. Because it’s our dream.”

Regulus pulled his forehead back and opened his eyes. He watched as James processed his words, his eyes flicking towards the ground before hesitantly meeting Regulus’ again.

“I still feel like I’m letting everyone else down…” James confessed, his voice cracking. “Sirius and the others—”

“Sirius and the others believe in us too. They know that we get lost in our work. They know it’s stressful. If anyone knows, it's my stupid brother,” Regulus said, and James let out a short laugh.

“Dumbledore—” James tried again, but Regulus simply rolled his eyes.

“—gave us a decade for this project. He already knows it is going to be a long time before a major breakthrough. For now, let's take things steady, yeah?” Regulus asked, moving to wrap his arms around James’s neck. James instinctively grabbed onto his waist with his free hand.

James seemed to be fighting for words to say, his eyebrows furrowing in the way they did when he was thinking hard (honestly, Regulus found it rather adorable). His unfocused eyes lifted to meet Regulus’ gaze. Regulus almost let out a sigh of relief to see most of the tension gone on James’ face.

“I… Yeah, okay. Let’s take things steady,”

Regulus grinned.

“Good. Now let’s get out of here, yeah? We can get that takeout you like,”

“Bribing me with food, Reg? You know me too well.”

“Give it another eight years, I’ll practically know you more than you know yourself by then.”

James laughed fully at that, squeezing at Regulus’ hip fondly. Regulus’ heart pooled with affection at the sound of James’ joy. He wouldn't be able to bite down his smile even if he wanted to.

By the time the sun fully set, the lab was locked and empty, and two scientists were coddled back in an apartment bedroom eating takeout and talking the night away.

[thief-of-eggs]

nothing beats the ship dynamic of “hissy black cat and his loyal golden retriever bf”

I eat that shit up every. single. time.

[gender-thief2]

my life is a constant cycle of finding new little gay men to be obsessed with. it’s a charmed existence.

[dinlukeandothers]

The best fanfictions i ever read! slow burn by arahir - hob gadling / dream of the endles [ the sandman ]

who wants to live forever? by ranchdiip - hob gadling / dream of the endles [ the sandman ]

just lovers (like we were supposed to be) by bizarrestars - james potter / regulus black [harry potter]

how (not) to meet your son's boyfriend by fifteenminutesoffame - din djarin / luke skywalker [star wars]

unintended consequence by itsmylifekay - roronoa zoro / sanji vinsmoke [one piece]

the rorona fruit by stark_black - roronoa zoro / sanji vinsmoke [one piece]

who did what now? by dancing_homestuck - roronoa zoro / sanji vinsmoke [one piece]

k'diwa: a steamy novel of interspecies romance, by jim kirk by branwyn - james t. kirk / spock [star trek]

part timer by 8ball - roronoa zoro / sanji vinsmoke [one pice]

wrong number by dangit - roronoa zoro / sanji vinsmoke [one piece]

the curse of 100 kisses by fanfictionaddiction23 - roronoa zoro / sanji vinsmoke [one pice]

where there's a will there's a way by xiaq - din djarin / luke skywalker [star wars]

naberrie blooms by zombified419 - din djarin / luke skywalker [star wars]

where hope is persevering by shyowl - din djarin / luke skywalker [star wars]

a sequence that you never learned by annataylor - james t. kirk / spock [star trek]

what the star let in by shyowl - din djarin / luke skywalker [star wars]

facade by hazel_athena - roronoa zoro / sanji vinsmoke [one piece]

what matters by junimokarter - jayce / viktor [arcane]

vitya by applesharon - jayce / viktor [arcane]

mother tongue by nightlilly - jayce / viktor [arcane]

retrograde by hazel_athena - roronoa zoro / sanji vinsmoke [one pice]

so wise we grow by deaster - james t. kirk / spock

always got your back by sydneyxface - roronoa zoro / sanji vinsmoke

[wordsofwilderness]

Some amazing Jayvik fics I haven't seen anyone recommend yet

Evergreen Out The Window by inkingbrushes

51k - E - Fantasy AU - Domestic Fluff, Accidental Bonding, Slow Burn

for the love of gold by machineherald (y1bo)

11k - G - Canonverse - Hanahaki Disease, Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers

the ghost and the machine by York

15k - T - Post-Canon - Dimension Travel, Fix-it, Friends to Lovers

growing sideways by inkingbrushes

27k - T - Modern AU - Roommates, Domestic Fluff, Mutual Pining

the tortured scientists department by zonnie

39k - E - Modern AU - University Professors, Colleagues to Lovers, Trans Viktor

[eth4nmustd1e]

*sighs in doomed yaoi*

[sunnysaystuff]

have you considered that multishipping is the best choice for your own happiness? have you considered that instead of getting worked up over shipping discourse, you could just love All Of Them. have you considered that

[sweeterelease]

my recent top jegulus variant: jayvik

[beaverdrea]

oh no not a depressed, scrunkly, dark-haired twink who deserved a better upbringing and his taller, tan, lighter-haired, sunshine boyfriend who tries endlessly to protect them both until it’s too late and they both die tragically… (or do they?)

[viljily]

I'm so sick of u guys telling me nasty things in inbox

if u choose barely hinted m×m ship over well written/canon m×f you're just misogynistic

end of discussion

[child-of-icarus]

Rip Regulus Black you would’ve loved Arcane

[thief-of-eggs]

No, I don’t need therapy, I need my OTP to become canon

[theres-an-endless-starry-sky]

I fucking love this Hellsite

[aizawapilled]

wolfstar coded

jegulus coded

[passion-green-tea]

if i had a nickel for every time a ship between a dehydrated-looking, suicidal twink and his golden skinned genius himbo boyfriend consumed my very soul i’d have two nickels. which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice

[selmasdaydreams]

I’m yet to watch arcane but the amount of overlap between arcane fans and marauders fans makes me very interested