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arkaniske · 7 days ago

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Say it like you Mean It.

AO3 link \\\ chapter one : daffodils.

1200 words \ SFW \ Jayvik

Beta read by @kitcatkim

Summary: Five times Jayce brought flowers for Viktor and one time Viktor brought flowers to Jayce.

“They’re daffodils,” the shopkeeper had said when she caught him staring. “Symbolises new beginnings, they’re perfect if you’re celebrating something.”

Jayce was not sure what had possessed him to walk into the little flower shop nestled between the bakery and the corner textile shop. The smell of freshly baked goods had almost stolen his attention had it not been for the cheerful yellow in the flower shop window. He didn’t even care for flowers much, but their bright petals had lit up like small suns and whatever thoughts he had of going by the bakery had been lost to him.

“They’re daffodils,” the shopkeeper had said when she caught him staring. “Symbolises new beginnings, they’re perfect if you’re celebrating something.”

Jayce felt a gentle hum of warmth over his cheekbones as he left the flower shop a few minutes later with vibrant yellow petals wrapped neatly in brown paper.

He was not sure how Viktor would react to the flowers, he had never taken his partner for one to splurge on unnecessary luxuries. Especially not ones that needed a vase and water. These past months had been brutal, with sleepless nights and endless hours in the lab turning the atmosphere tense and brittle. They had both been banging their heads against the wall trying to solve the project at hand. More than once he had found himself arguing for the sake of arguing, as if that could satisfy the frustrating itch underneath his skin.

Shit.

Had this been a dumb idea? Jayce considered throwing the flowers away for a split second. He looked down to them. The golden hue reminding him of the relief he had seen in Viktor’s eyes yesterday as the final piece of their current project fell into place. Viktor’s brilliance once again saving their dream of hextech and preparing them for the next step.

He had suggested they go out to celebrate together, Viktor had declined. Something about ‘I need to not see your face for 24 hours’. He would be lying if he said it didn’t hurt. He would be lying again if he said he hadn’t just gone straight to bed and slept for 17 hours.

Jayce weighed the flowers in his hand as if they could tell him if they were worth it or not. New beginnings.

It was worth it.

\\\

When he walked into the lab he found Viktor hunched over their work table, scribbling messy and angular notes into his book. He didn’t look up as Jayce entered.

“Good morning, V!” Jayce called out, voice raised a little louder than normal in attempt to gain his attention.

“Morning.” Viktor muttered with a wave of his pen in a greeting, eyes never raising from his book.

Jayce hesitated for a moment before taking a few steps closer to his partner, catching a glimpse of the notes over his shoulder. Viktor was already back to working on the next step, a twinge of guilt pulled on Jayce’s heart. How long had Viktor already been here working? Had he even gotten any rest yet? Jayce cleared his throat before speaking, attempting once more to catch his attention.

“I… Uh, got you something.”

That caught Viktor’s attention. He looked up, sharp honeyed eyes shining with curiosity while trying to read his partners expression. The gaze fell down to the brown paper in Jayce’s hands, and what they were holding. The gears slowly started to churn in Viktor’s mind, at first believing they had been a gift for Jayce from one of his many adoring fans. But no, he couldn’t see anything else the man could be carrying as a gift. It was the flowers.

“Flowers?” Viktor asked, voice coloured with soft surprise.

“Yeah.” His mouth felt dry all of a sudden and he found himself holding the flowers out for his partner to take. “I thought, you know, after yesterdays breakthrough, uh, its kind of like a fresh start. For the project, right? And, ah, I saw these and…” Jayce hesitated for a moment as his gaze flickered between golden daffodils and golden eyes. “They… Made me think of you.”

Viktor’s lip twitched, not quite a smile but something close. His full attention was now on the bouquet as he reached careful hands for them. A jolt of electricity shot through Jayce as cold fingers brushed against his, taking a second longer than needed to let go of the flowers.

“They made you think of me?” Viktor repeated with amusement weaving between his words, eyebrow arching slightly.

A nervous laugh fell from Jayce, scratching the back of his head. He suddenly became painfully aware of his hands and how they no longer had anything to hold. He stole a glimpse of Viktor’s hands before snapping back to his face. “Oh- well. Not like- just the, uh, symbolism! New beginnings, new project. That.”

“They are… cheerful.” Viktor admitted, his tone measured, as if he were testing the word on his tongue. His sharp features softened in a way that caught Jayce off guard. Viktor lifted the flowers closer, brushing the petals lightly before leaning in to give them a gentle sniff. Jayce couldn’t help but stare. The golden hues of the daffodils seemed to glow against his partners pale skin, casting him in a warm and radiant light. “Pleasant scent as well. A good choice.”

The vague praise made Jayce beam. Whatever anxieties bled away into a grin and he found himself standing confident once more. “Yeah! Exactly! I thought the lab could use some cheering up. And! The smell of ink and oil was getting a little too overpowering, yknow!”

Viktor’s amusement at Jayce’s sudden change of demeanour was lost to the taller man. He reached for an empty beaker on the desk, handing it over to his partner. “Fill this with water for me, will you?”

Without hesitation Jayce did as asked and walked over to the small sink in the lab with a pep to his step. He filled the beaker up half way before turning back to Viktor. His chest tightened at the sight of his partner’s soft and private smile. It was a rare sight, Viktor unburdened, even for just a fleeting moment, and it made Jayce’s chest ache in a way he couldn’t quite explain. Viktors fingers traced one of the petals like they were something precious to hold.

‘I could be something precious to him.’ The thought struck him out of nowhere, leaving his heart stumbling over itself. Calm down, Talis. It’s just a flower. You’re overthinking this. Again. That’s a bit too much, even for you. Jayce cleared his throat, whether to clear his mind or notify Viktor he was back- who knows. The dusting of crimson holding on to the tips of his ears told the truth.

Viktor took the beaker and placed the bouquet inside with surprising gentleness, setting it in the corner of the table where the sunlight from the window could reach the petals.

“Thank you, Jayce. It is a kind gesture.” Viktor glanced back to him, eyes glinting with something unreadable.

“It’s no problem, really, V.” Jayce replied, grin widening. He turned to grab his tools to start his day of work, however, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Viktor’s gaze might have lingered on him for a moment longer than necessary.

Even as the sun cast its last rays of warmth into the lab, Jayce couldn’t help but smile. New beginnings, he thought. Maybe this was one of them.

#jayvik #viktor arcane #jayce talis #jayce x viktor #vikjayce #ao3 #my fic #silymi #say lit like you mean it #I’m losing my mind I’m so anxious about this again lmao #my art too!#im exploding.

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yumenikkii · 4 months ago

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