#when I saw how much space Jayce’s hand took up on Viktor’s back something in me sat up and barked

[beefharlot]

Jayce Viktor size difference….lots to think about

[jaggedamethyst]

tandem

alternate timeline jayce talis x f!reader

content: after an explosion, jayce is sure he’s somehow rewinded time and saved you. instead, he’s been transported to a new timeline—one where he’s dead.

warnings: 18+ minors dni, smut, unprotected p in v, soft sex, edging if you squint, oral (f!receiving bc jayce is a munch in my head), a single spank lmao, angst, canon typical hextech danger, mentions of death, mental health, character death, jayvik is real so if you think im implying something…im not…they loved each other your honor. thats a fact. not proofread im too lazy.

word count: 6.2k

notes: omg…my longest one shot so far (I think) enjoy!! i’ll be back soon (maybe) with more but this is a one shot don’t ask me for anymore i can’t be extending everything into multiple parts bc yall are GREEDY!!! (with love of course)

- amethyst 💟

main masterlist

⭑･ﾟﾟ･*:༅｡.｡༅:*ﾟ:*:✼✿　　✿✼:*ﾟ:༅｡.｡༅:*･ﾟﾟ･⭑

You refused to say or acknowledge that Jayce was dead. That couldn’t be true. The man that you’d grown to love wouldn’t be so careless as to step into a battle field and sacrifice himself to stop his lab partner. No, you thought, the Man of Progress would never. The accomplished scientist wouldn’t have—knowing the variables of such an action—leave you. Not deliberately.

Time was insanely delicate and Jayce always said as much. There was never a second to spare, a minute to waste. Yet, it felt that since he’d made such an inconsiderate choice—you were forced to watch yourself drain entirely.

You were never good at telling time. Sure, you could glance at an analog clock and decipher the hour and minute hands’s significance. The passage of time, however, was a struggle.

“Okay, I should be back in about an hour. Is that okay?” You would always assure Jayce, despite both of you knowing it would take you longer.

He’d humor you every time. “That’s perfect. I’ll be here when you get back.” Always with a warm smile, before turning to his work—always his work.

You weren't good at telling time, but you knew it’d been a long time since you last saw him. Even longer since you held him, felt his scent whip past you in a persistent breeze. You’d recounted the last time you saw him so vividly in your mind—physically kneeled over in distress at a mountaintop. The thought of running to him, saving him, had crossed your mind and left it just as quickly as it appeared. You figured that of all people he’d be safe with Viktor; Jayce loved him. How shocked you'd been to realize that maybe it wasn’t reciprocated—that maybe Viktor had hated Jayce. So much so that he’d take him away. In fact, maybe it was you that he despised. That he smiled at the thought of ripping Jayce from your grasp. Every thought swelled in your mind, the only way to make sense of the inexplicable.

At the end of the day, you weren't there. Standing at the base of all of the destruction meant you weren’t there, but a distance away from them. Perhaps this was the only way they could commit themselves to each other as partners, them and only them.

So, you’d been left out, and every day you craved being loved so intensely as to die together.

You shrugged the thought off, cleaning up Jayce’s forge for him. Wiping the dust and sweeping away the mess was your own way of maintaining it for him—since he’d have to return at some point. Busying yourself with organizing his workbooks took the most time. He was so sporadic; he would doodle and scribble with no rhyme or reason. He would leave tools just out of his grasp, but littering the floors that had now become impossible to walk on.

I have to make this perfect, you’d think. For him.

So you did. Every week you would commit to tidying his space. What started as an intense job seemingly dwindled in necessity. Eventually, there wasn’t much left to do. The realization that there was truly not much reason to be here hurt so bad. The only part of Jayce left had again been taken from you—and it was your own fault.

Without thinking, a few months passed. So much had occurred that you let the thought of Jayce come less frequently despite the pain in your chest lingering consistently. He’d still appear, though, fluttering through your brain in flurries that left you sobbing.

That’s how he found you—crying in his noticeably changed workspace.

Jayce scrambled to you, ignoring your hunched over form. The awkward positioning of you sitting down, leaning on your knees and into your hands didn’t matter to him. He let his arms yank you toward his chest before you could even register his presence.

“My god,” he spoke into your neck. A hand rubbed up and down your back. You froze at the contact. Not only did you not hear anyone come in, you were sure this was a dream. In spite of your adamance to never indulge in shimmer—there was no other explanation that found you. Surely this pressure was your imagination. There was no way the familiar smell of Jayce swelled around you. Not after all this time.

He noticed your stiffened body and pulled back. His eyes looked between your own; there was a familiarity that instantly broke him.

You spoke through his tears, clawing at his shirt now. “I don’t understand—how?”

“I made a mistake. Like I always do.”

“No,” you shook your head. “Not a mistake.” You attempted to correct him. How could something that bought Jayce back to you be a mistake?

“One minute I was…I’d been helping Heimerdinger.” He nodded, assuring himself. “The next I’m here.” He paused before whispering. “God, I thought I lost you.”

You shook your head, mind immediately rushing to a similar thought. “I thought you were gone for good. That Viktor-“

“Viktor? What happened to Viktor?”

You froze, taken aback by his question. An event that was so tormenting for you hadn’t even been of significance to him? Had he not remembered his own death? More importantly, did he not recall the inherent pain of it being at the hands of his partner?

Examining him left you to pick up on details you didn’t at first. The last time you’d seen Jayce, you thought, he wasn’t himself. In the fleeting moments of imagery in your mind, his hair had grown—facial hair as well. His crooked smile had been riddled with cracks of dryness. The shoulders you once loved, that would stand tall, now slumped in determination. All of these things weren’t like the Jayce in front of you.

Wrinkles and dark rimmed eyes were nowhere to be found as you looked back at the man. Slowly, you reached up to cup his face.

“You’re not him, are you?”

Jayce’s face twisted. You watched his eyes flicker down and light up in recognition, or rather lack thereof. Your clothes weren’t the same as they were just a moment ago.

Your question echoed in his mind, and he realized that no… he wasn’t him. He was Jayce, of course, but not yours.

Your fingers pulled back, relinquishing the relief you’d felt. Moving to stand was a battle of its own. Somehow you tricked yourself into thinking the man you loved had returned to you. It was foolish, really.

“No, please-“ Jayce reached out. He looked down at you, confusion riddling your gaze. “Please don’t leave.”

“This is just like you.” You deliberately avoided eye contact, a sincere smile creeping up on your face. “You’ve always been so smart. The smartest man I know.” Wringling your hands, you continued. “Makes sense Jayce Talis of all people would find a way to clone himself.” You paused briefly, finally looking at him, “And I’m guessing this is because of Hextech?”

A nod. You knew it.

“Do you hate it as much as she did? My work?”

She. You figured that there would be another you out there—hoped she’d been important to him.

“I don’t hate your work.” You spoke quickly. “Odds are, neither does she. But look at you,” a hand panned up and down his body quickly. “Look where you are. I think we have a right to be cautious of what it can do. What you can do.”

It was him who sat then, letting his knees buckle. “You should be--cautious, I mean. Hell…you should be scared.” An image of the last thing he saw flashed in his mind—you lying still on the floor. Blood seemed to drip from your head and seeped into your clothes. It was his fault. He hadn’t kept you safe. He hadn’t done a proper job at telling you the risks, he thought. So when you arrived with a warm smile, and was met with an explosion—Jayce could only blame himself. His version of you had been so eager to check on him, as she always did. If only she’d known how volatile Hextech could be.

You watched tears appear in his eyes. Even now, knowing that this wasn’t your Jayce Talis, you couldn’t see him in pain. More importantly, you couldn’t separate the love you had for him.

“I’m not scared.” You kneeled down and reached your hand out again. This time you didn’t marvel at the man, but comforted him. Letting the pad of your thumb fall just under his eye—you wiped away the single falling tear that had appeared. “I couldn’t ever be afraid of you.”

You’d always been so in synch and the same was true now. The rise and fall of your chests mimicked one another. His hands snaked up, too, gripping your forearms as they brushed against him. Slowly, he made his way up to fold his hands into yours and squeezed. Both of you knew, without saying, that there was an undeniable magnetism.

Your eyes flickered between his facial features—all so independently beautiful despite them working together to make his perfect face. He watched your stares in admiration. Even with his version of you, he would let your eyes trail over him. You knew that he was aware and yet the two of you let it go unspoken. The similarity of your action made the distinction slip away; there was no other Jayce or other you…only both of you here, right now.

You spoke softly first, “I missed you…so damn much.”

He held onto your hands still, “I only lost you for a second and even that was too long.”

Both of you moved slowly, savoring the moment. After all, it could be gone in an instant.

The brush of his lips over yours caused your breath to leave you entirely. A warm breath flew into you as Jayce parted his mouth, working on a lip of yours at a time. You returned the soft pressure with a similar vigor—gasping at him sucking on your lips.

Allowing yourself this pleasure felt wrong. Sure, he was Jayce—but you knew that he’d never be yours entirely. The thought caused you to break, pushing Jayce away.

A hand covered your mouth, a gasp escaping you. “We shouldn’t.”

“But-“

“I can’t. I’m sorry.”

He licked over his lips in embarrassment and lowered his head. He nodded, silently running his hands up and down his pant legs.

You continued, breaking the silence. “We should get you home. That should be our focus.”

“Focus,” he repeated plainly. “Right—home it is.”

But for him, home was pain. To be home was to acknowledge the euphoria he felt levitating in his office to only have you be lifeless the second later. Returning to his timeline meant jumping back into his pursuit of progress—upholding an image he wasn’t quite sure he could fulfill. Being back there meant he had to face you, the remains of you.

You went to stand, wiping your face clear of the daze simultaneously. “This is everything you—that he left here. Feel free to use it.” You circled a nearby table, adjusting a book that wasn’t quite in place. “It was a mess before…figured I should tidy it up a bit. Sorry if it’s not exactly how you’d like it.”

Jayce followed you, examining the oddly neat assortment of writing, sketches, and tools. He looked down at you and held your gaze on him, “It’s perfect.”

You nodded silently—a fulfillment in you at the thought that you’d done this right. “I’m gonna go.” You quickly broke the eye contact and stepped out toward the door. “You know where to find me if you need anything?”

“Yeah.”

You quickly left without another word. Jayce and you would interact like that often in the weeks that followed. It wasn’t uncomfortable, not really. There was little room left for full conversation, rather longing stares and stolen glances from each of you when the other was trying to not pay attention.

Jayce was as he’d always been—consumed by his work. As much as Jaycee tried, you would always be second place to Hextech, possibly even third most after Viktor—but he made sure you were a close runner up.

Reluctance was the only feeling you knew these days. Inherently, you felt Jayce should go home—go back. It meant the presence of him would cease to exist again, though. As much as you wanted to do the right thing the yearn to have Jayce back was even stronger. You needed him here.

So you stuck with reluctance. A smile would stay plastered on your face, but inside you were aching every time you were asked for help. Jayce, Ekko, and Heimerdinger had somehow reunited here as well and insisted on working together to get to their respective timeline. On the outside you were the picture of a friend; you simply seemed willing to help with whatever they needed. Jayce could tell, though, that you weren’t okay. He knew you better than anyone—it proved to be a burden sometimes.

You busied yourself as you always did, finding something to clean around Jayce’s work area after they’d departed for the day. It went unsaid, but the knowledge that the disarray would be nonexistent by the next day fueled Jayce, Ekko, and Heimerdinger. The trio would work tirelessly for hours daily; the fatigue was apparent on each of them. The least you could do was straighten up the mess of the past few work days.

The sound of the door behind you creaking open and closing softly caught your attention. It didn’t stop your sweeping. You didn’t have to look to know it was Jayce—there was a certain rhythm about him. In instances where a drawer would open and slide shut in your peripheral, you could decipher whether it was him or not. The constant tapping of a pencil signified his concentration. A well timed shuffle always made his presence known. Even though he wasn’t the man you’d grown to know, the echoes of him lingered.

You weren’t sure if that made it hurt more or less.

“Please,” Jayce stepped closer to your turned back. “You don’t have to clean up after us.”

You shook your head, keeping your back facing him, “It’s okay. I want to help-“

“You’ve already done enough.” Jayce softly tugged on your arm, stopping your sweeping motions. “You do so much around here.”

Wiping a hand over your forehead, you nodded up at him. “Okay,” you sat the broom aside, “Okay—I’ll stop.”

“Good,” Jayce smiled at that, allowing his hands to drop from his hold on your arm. “You need the rest as much as any of us.”

“Well, you have been hard at work—and I’ve been the designated housekeeper.” You chuckled dryly, pinching in the sarcasm. Sitting in a nearby chair—you avoided eye contact—intentionally probing for information. “Speaking of—how’s it going? How much longer until you guys can get home?”

“I’m not in any rush.” Jayce glanced over at you, sitting across the table. He secretly had been pleading that you’d look at him. Somehow of everything, denying him the sight of you hurt him most. He continued with a whisper, “There’s nothing for me back there.”

Your head shook again, this time toward the floor. “I’m sure that’s not true.” He shrugged, without looking you knew he did. “And don’t give me any of that sad shit…you’re great at what you do and that’s why people look for you.” You squeezed your hands together before looking at him. He’d already been staring at you, holding a breath at you finally speaking more than a few words to him. “You have a lot to get back to, even if it’s not me.”

He stiffened at that, immediately remembering your body sprawled on the floor. He urged forward then. “Why don’t you understand how meaningless this all is without you there to see it?”

“Because I have seen it—beyond this.” A hand tapped the table without thought, “I’ve seen you…and I’ve seen Viktor…I saw this at the worst it could possibly be.” You paused and blinked frantically. “Despite all of that—regardless of how awful it feels to lose you…I know it’s worse for a timeline to not have you at all.”

Jayce shook his head, “I’m not that important—that significant.”

“You are and you have to know that.”

“How can you be so sure of that, of me?”

“Because everything good about the Jayce I knew exists in you.” Looking at him through this was a lifeline, a tether to the man you’d lost. He would never hear you uplift him again, so you could only make sure this Jayce knew. “I’ve never known a better person.”

Jayce’s eyes flickered down as they had before, tempting him with a sensation sweet enough to spur him on for days. The sweetness of your touch had been motivation enough to keep working. He thought, hoped, that somehow he could feel that again one day. His mind begged him to cross that line but he couldn’t.

“You’re like her, too, you know?”

“Stop-“ you smirked a bit.

“I’m serious. She’d probably say exactly what you said in this moment—I like the thought of you being the same in all timelines.” He looked away and spoke much quieter. “Makes me hopeful that we’ll always find our way to each other.”

Your body tingled, lit up by his words. There was an inherent need for him you couldn’t deny. The lack of difference made it hard for you to fight off the desire for him—to be held by him at the very least.

Unsure of which hand moved first, the two of yours somehow became interlocked. Jayce pulled you by your hand, allowing your chair to glide over to him. You watched as he lifted your hand and faintly kissed over your knuckles, then fingers. A second hand followed, holding your hand with a persistence that showed he’d never let you go. He nuzzled your ball of hands into his cheek, allowing his eyes to close at the feeling. Hesitating, you slowly let your other hand reach up to his face and wipe the strand of hair from his temple. You then mirrored his actions, pulling his hands toward you and softly pecking over them.

You let your hands fall between you—still interlocked. That familiar feeling of reluctance stabbed at you again, this time at the prospect of letting go of him, even if only for a second. He watched you, chest slowly rising and falling in time with yours.

He couldn’t bite his tongue any longer—not when he finally had the chance to say what he wanted to since he saw you.

Jayce whispered your name, “I’m so in love with everything about you.”

“Jayce-“

“I know,” he interrupted what he knew you would say. “I know you’re not her…that I’m not yours.” He inhaled with apprehension, scared by your eyes on him. “But could we forget…just for a while?”

You understood his perspective—the inability to see the person in front of you as different from who you knew. To be honest, you didn’t want to, not now. Biting the inside of your cheek, you nodded slowly.

“Yeah?” Jayce was stunned by your response, but refused to waste anymore time.

He pulled you in again, letting your chair glide closer to him as he slid off of his own. The softness with which Jayce let his hands run across your thighs, over your hips, and up your torso was nothing short of electric. He pleaded with you silently, a look that said he wanted to do everything—coax whatever he could from you. You’d never deny him.

Jayce rested his hands, stilling them in your lap. Him bowing his head surprised you—the sudden lack of eye contact specifically.

“I love you, you know?”

“You mentioned that-“

“I just wanted you to hear it again…understand,” you noticed the way his voice had dropped and slowed with every word. “Because you might forget in a few minutes…days…but I do.” He looked up at you again while simultaneously moving to take your shoes off, then to undo your pants. “I’ll never stop.”

He didn’t leave time for you to reply, swiping his fingers over the outside of your underwear. He blinked, enticed by the hisses you let out at the soft contact.

“Take these off.”

You stood and swiped the pile of your clothes further away. Looking down at him was a sight you hadn’t been blessed with in a while, it made you suppress the very adamant pulsing of your lower stomach. He maintained that eye contact, letting you slowly remove the last barrier between you.

“Sit down.” He tapped the chair—urging you to move faster.

Jayce hardly let you fully sit before grabbing your legs and lifting them on his shoulders. The sudden motion had you grasping at the table for stability—the urgency of his tongue knocking the wind out of you.

The sound of his name dripping from your lips could've made him cry, but he settled for you instead—his goal to have you completely unwound.

One of your hands landed on his head and clawed at his hair, searching for relief while he let his entire mouth open over you. The sensation bordered on painful but the twinge of sweetness kept you teetering on the edge of wanting more. The feel of your nails scratching over his scalp had Jayce right with you, a constant pain feeling comfortable for him but making him need you even more.

You looked down, not at all phased by the wrinkle in Jayce’s brows. He took everything seriously, needing to be the best at it. You’d never told him but he was. The way Jayce would mold his fingers into your skin and leave every inch of it burning was unlike anything you’d ever experienced. The finesse with which he’d drop an inch or so down, torturing you with his constant sucking as his nose brushed over your clit at just the right tempo…it was as if he studied. There wasn’t a single person who could tell Jayce Talis that he wasn’t the best—truly golden—and he made sure of it.

“Jayce,” your voice dragged, fearful of the sounds he could elicit if you spoke any faster than this. “More…please.”

He considered slipping in his fingers, knowing you’d be throbbing around nothing about now, but decided against it. He was truly greedy in that way; he wanted to savor every drop of you for him fully.

“I will sweetheart,” he spoke into you, letting the vibration work you up. “I will…just be patient okay?”

You nodded with your eyes screwed shut, attempting to convince yourself that you could take a sensation so good but not exactly the release you needed.

He wanted to be softer with you, show how much he adored you, but simply couldn’t. Jayce was truly starved, kissing and licking over every crevice and inch of skin in front of him. The pressure had you shaking and sliding more off of the chair—the lack of handles not at all helping. You noticed your hands paling at your finger tips, grasping so hard on the table and him for stability.

“I’m-“ you hissed at the constant rubbing of Jayce’s nose over your clit. “I’m gonna fall.”

“Hm?” Jayce breathed into you, not paying attention to your body slowly finding less of the cushion of the seat underneath you.

“The chair…fuck…I can’t-“

He stopped abruptly, kissing at your shaking thighs before pulling away. He slid back on his knees and quickly searched around the room. He sucked on his teeth, not having found exactly what he was looking for…but he genuinely couldn’t care less. You watched him intently, craving the heat of him on you again. The feeling of yourself dripping, mixing with the cool air, allowed you a sort of reprieve. You missed the feeling of him, though, and he knew it.

Jayce shrugged, moving to undo his top few buttons on his shirt. He slid down, letting his back hit the floor. The movement was unashamed—without any hesitation.

He waved his hand, gesturing for you to get down from the chair. “Come here.”

You paused, so many questions and ideas hindering you from moving to him.

“I don’t care,” He knew what you’d say, try to get out of this. “Sit on me right now.”

You wanted to be conscious of him—how uncomfortable this could be. But when he was so adamant and looking at you the way he was…and when you remembered how your Jayce had made you feel…

“Fuck it.”

You slid down from the chair, at first settling comfortably over his clothed groin. He was begging to be free of the confines of his pants, and you would allow him the relief soon. How excited you would be to finally have him in you. The man was owed as much.

Using his shoulders for leverage, you trailed up him, letting the mix of him and his work glide over his chest. The distinction in his pecs made you hitch and pause, sensitivity catching up to you. Until now, Jayce had kept his hands away—fighting the urge to ignite you again. Physically he was strong but mentally he could be so weak. He couldn’t wait. Not anymore.

You didn’t bruise easily, but the strength with which he grasped you surely would leave marks on you for the coming days. He yanked you to him, nuzzling himself just between your thighs and left no space for you to move. He immediately started in on you, his groans muffled but you surrounding him.

He loved the warmth of you—in whatever way he could find it. This undoubtedly was his favorite, completely drowning in you. He would be okay if this was the last thing he ever did, it’d be okay to satisfy you with his very last breath.

You began to writhe on him, finding the apex of nose and letting that pierce into you. He felt you, moving his face up and circled to match you motion. You began to stutter your motions, overwhelmed by him hitting every spot in just the right way. He noticed you slowing, and instinctively swatted at your ass to keep you going.

He spoke, his voice stifled by the weight of you. “Don’t stop.”

You wouldn’t, couldn’t if you tried—the feeling was too good. Your fingers fidgeted, shockwaves running through you but the idleness becoming too much. A single hand reached over, the chair Jayce had been on becoming a lifeline. The other slid on your own thigh and peeled Jayce’s grip away. He let you guide him, sliding his had underneath your shirt and pushing your bra to an awkward angle but relieving some of the tension in your aching nipples.

“Should I-“ you interrupted yourself, overwhelmed by every sensation happening. “Can I?”

Your Jayce could be greedy, not wanting you to finish around anything but him. Not sure if the one beneath you was the same, you had to ask—you were on the precipice of eruption.

“Not yet…please?”

He sounded so sweet, so different from the feeling of him ravishing over you with every inch of his tongue and mouth.

“But I’m almost- I’m not gonna last.”

He slowed his motions, sucking and kissing over you as he pulled away and relaxed his neck. He tapped you, signaling for you to move back. You fumbled, shaking over the man. Jayce held you firmly, guiding you just beside him. He watched you lean on the leg of the table, your back finally resting.

Jayce sighed, the work area truly was quite desolate save for a few chairs and that wouldn’t do. He quickly undid the remaining buttons of his shirt before gingerly laying it out on the floor. His pants were next, finding their way into a ball and placed in a pile with your clothes. Inhaling, he looked at you and found you staring into space.

“You alright?” He was wary of your dazed look.

You didn’t let an extra second pass, immediately locking in at the sound of his voice. “I’m good…you?”

“The best.” He smiled, sliding his hand into yours. He kissed your hand again, ushering you toward the makeshift blanket and pillow he made for you.

Looking up at him made you feel the tether the two of you had. You smiled to yourself, realizing how true it had been, that you found each other in every universe. If you had any say you’d never let him go.

“I love you, you know?”

Jayce smiled at the recollection of his statement. Holding himself in his hand felt sickening, opposing how sweetly you sat beneath him. He huffed—unadulterated yearning shining at the tip as he began to leak for you.

He didn’t reply, not needing to. He did slide into you though, allowing you time to adjust to each additional inch he pressed into you. He could feel the tip of him hitting the spongey spot already. He lowered his head to your shoulder, overwhelmed by the heat emanating from your body.

You reached around, cradling his head and resting another hand on his back. The tension in his muscles persisted, flexing even more so as he began to pull in and out of you. He refused to move from you, loving the feeling of your skin on him from top to bottom. Jayce was slow…sweet in the way he pumped into you and held you simultaneously. Settling into your touch let him kiss all over your neck, ear, and shoulder. He’d even made a note to peck you over your temple and ease the creases the feel of him made on your forehead.

You were caught up in the moment, thoughts filling your mind of all the loss you’d experienced. This was enough for you now…but what about later? What happened when this was over?

Jayce continued his movements, writhing forward and back. You fought to let that be the only feeling that pierced your body but it was hard. You clutched him harder which made him only snap into you with a certain insistence.

Him hitting inside of you in repetition had you shaking, limbs locking at the overwhelming agitation. He kneaded at your legs again, squeezing you and sucking into your shoulder as he froze with you. Jayce would always finish alongside you, even forcing himself if he could. The traits of the sweet man you knew inherently found its way to your intimacy—him wanting to stand beside you through anything.

Despite how much quicker they’d been now, your chests still moved together. You gasped in between struggled inhales, trying to level your breathing.

Jayce pulled out of you, making both of you whine. He collapsed beside you, not at all caring that his bare body was splayed on the floor.

Without thinking you spoke quietly, looking toward the ceiling. “Please don’t leave me again.” A deep inhale from you resounded in the room, “Please.”

Jayce glanced to the side of him and looked at you, grimacing at your words.

The air between you shifted as Jayce turned his head. He looked away, shaking away a thought he clearly had.

You called out the indecision on his face, it boiling anxiety in you. “What?”

He sighed and turned his head to the distance, “The machine’s almost ready.” His hands found their way to his stomach, folding over it in apprehension. “Ekko says it should be a few days, if not sooner.”

You froze at that. You’d been so stupid.

“I’m sorry.” Jayce sat up to get a better look at you. “I didn’t mean...gosh, this is just awful timing.”

“No, it’s okay.” You nodded, “You deserve to get back home.”

The truth was that you’d been used to it—the feeling of being left behind. You prepared for this. So while it hurt for the days to pass by with an incomparable speed—you didn’t let it show, couldn’t.

The sight of Jayce working alongside Ekko and the professor was the hardest to endure. It seemed your mind tricked you into thinking every small action was him acting on a desire to leave you. An adjustment here, a calculation there—he was ready to make his escape. It was because of this you missed the way he looked at you. A somber aura surrounded the man and only worsened when you deliberately avoided him. Busying yourself hurt the both of you, and yet everything still went unaddressed.

Heimerdinger made work of some cables to the side of you before speaking up. “We should be good to go as soon as you all are ready.”

Ekko nodded, looking over at Jayce with a knowing look. With a flick of his head, he motioned to you. “Go ahead, talk to her.”

Without a word, Jayce nodded and stepped down to make his way to you.

“So, I guess…this is it?”

You nodded as you did often, “I guess it is.”

“I’m sorry…for how this happened.” He watched you turn your head away from him, hands coming up across your chest. “I want you to know that I meant everything.”

Your tongue pushed into the inside of your cheek, “I know.”

Jayce swallowed, not sure of what more to say. He settled for taking your hand in his, kissing over the back of your palm. The recollection of the gesture allowed you to smile, finally.

Heimerdinger interrupted the moment, “We should be going as soon as possible. This technology is fragile and we have one shot at it.”

You let your hand fall, pulling back from Jayce and turning toward Heimerdinger in a swift motion. Jayce turned, then, moving to stand beside Ekko on the platform.

You stood entranced by the sight of Jayce, and him by you. The two of you held eye contact, savoring what would surely be the last time you would see each other. Time was sweet now, passing in such slow progression that Jayce was awarded the view of you for just a bit longer. His brows furrowed suddenly, causing your head to snap to Heimerdinger.

Ekko called out in front of you, slowly lifting from the floor and levitating on the platform. “Heimerdinger, what are you doing?”

The sight of the scientist plugging in the machine gave you pause. He yelled over the whirring sound of the machine, “It has been a pleasure…to help you both get home.”

“Wait!”

Without a moment more, Heimerdinger swiftly pushed the plugs together—a ripple sending through the air. A blinding light flashed as the figure of the short scientist in front of you fizzled into thin air. The gust of wind and power knocked you off of your feet and across the room. The sound of the room dimmed, all feeling in your body hard to process. You head throbbed, rang. Trying to decipher how the explosion had occurred so fast left you weak. You physically couldn’t move. Yet, the room continued to swirl around you.

Jayce watched the orb forming around him, the web of the Hextech pulling him and Ekko further into the air. He was frantic, triggered by the sight of you hurt. There was blood. Her head, he thought. Gosh, her clothes. Not again.

He fought the technology, pulling himself toward you as hard as he could. Jayce ignored the calls of Ekko, who urged him to be careful. None of it mattered—only you.

Your hand shook, then, finally showing Jayce a sign of life. With every ounce of energy you had, you moved to lean up, a hand urging Jayce to stop. He watched you, hurt but alive, with tears brimming at his eyes. He could tell you were fighting, mustering what was left of you to crawl toward him.

He couldn’t hear you, but watched your head bob and your lips mouth to him.

“It’s okay.”

The webbed ball that floated above the room continued its movement and in a sudden whip, left the room completely black.

The prospect of Jayce, or the lack thereof finally became realized to you. Not once, but twice, he’d so quickly came and went. The pain was impossible to endure. You were thankful, though, that the ringing in your head came—even more so that it seemed to dissipate now. The end was coming—finally a resolution to the internal battle you’d waged alone. A conclusion was on its way, and you smiled at that…letting it consume you.

In their original timeline, Jayce and Ekko had been spit out in the exact moment they were plucked from—left to face the reality of the explosion. Jayce was first to acclimate himself, searching the room for the familiar body on the floor. He ran, with every remaining urge in him he rushed to you in spite of his fear.

He grabbed and shook you softly, his silent pleas for you to wake up transferred to his searching over you. Jayce grabbed your head, turning it to observe the injury—it looked bad. He searched the room, looking for anything to help.

A small vibration below him paused his movement, his eyes looking down immediately. You coughed, pushing out the smoke that had filled your lungs. The sudden pressure of Jayce falling over your chest made it impossible to move an inch.

You let your head fall back, relieving the pressure of the impact your skull had made to the rogue piece of concrete. Jayce shook into you, sobbing over your body.

“What happened?”

“There was an accident,” he gasped into you and fought for air. “An explosion.”

You sighed, the sudden collision of your body making more sense now. You let your hand rub over Jayce’s hair, softly comforting him.

“It’s okay.”

main master list

(note: someone asked me for clarification…yes…reader died 😭 HOWEVER—the version of you that was in the explosion in jayces timeline survived. he only saw her briefly and believed she didn't live at first. when he and ekko get transported back, we see the parallel of the explosion/you saying its okay. i added a few more words in there so I hope it makes sense!! ty for reading)

[hivemuthur]

What was that? - Ch. 7.

viktorxfemale!OFC mature! (for now, I will mark later chapters as explicit when the time comes

friends to lovers, co-workers, sexual tension up to the wazoo, pinning and banter that got me frustrated when I was writing it, attempt at humour, some angst and a slow burn with a happy ending and a classic Viktor for once

Ch.1. | Ch.2. | Ch.3. | Ch.4. | Ch.5. | Ch.6. | Ch.8. | Ch.9. | Ch.10. | Ch.11. | Ch.12. | Ch.13. | Ch.14. | Ch.15.

word count: 4,6K

tag: #what was that

summary: They go on a date! Sort of. Some exposition of Zaun, and of course, tension, tension, tension.

author’s note: Beta reader: @rennethen + I am slowly inching toward some conclusions here :) This was the most sweaty chapter to write for me, for reasons of Zaun dialogue sequences.

Cross-posted on AO3

—

Renly sighed, stepping out of the shower. The bathroom was thick with steam, and wet footprints followed her across the tiled floor. She wiped the mirror with her palm, leaning closer to study the reflection staring back at her. Her face betrayed her lack of sleep—she’d barely gotten two hours. The crease between her eyebrows was more pronounced, and her eyes were puffy from hours spent staring into the harsh light of the microscope. It didn’t matter. Her body was tired, but her mind was alight. She’d had a breakthrough.

Humming to herself, she took her time drying off and getting dressed, too consumed by her thoughts to notice the faint click of the lab’s main door unlocking or the rhythmic tapping of Viktor’s cane on the floor.

“Renly?”

His voice startled her as he caught her in the corridor. She froze mid-step, completely off guard. The circumstances had given her secret away.

Shit.

“Viktor… hi?” she greeted him, waving awkwardly before continuing toward the kitchen as though there was nothing unusual to see. “Coffee?” she called over her shoulder nonchalantly, half to him, half to the space between them. She tried to shrug off the weight of yesterday—another misunderstanding, or disagreement rather, that they’d had. She already knew the question that was coming.

“Did you sleep here…?” Viktor asked. He tried to keep his tone neutral, but it came out more reproachful than he’d intended.

“Eh, spare me, please. It was worth it.”

“Care to enlighten me on how sleeping with the lab rats is worth more than a proper rest in the comfort of one’s own home?” He raised an eyebrow, following her to the kitchen, still wearing his coat. Traces of his exhaustion from last night still there.

“Well…” she teased, pulling out the coffee pot, milk, and sugar. “I think I’ve got something, Viktor. It’s not much yet, but it looks… promising.”

Viktor inhaled sharply, his mind racing. Could it be?

“I’m all ears,” he said, shrugging off his coat and tossing it over the back of a nearby chair.

“The cure technically worked, just a little bit… too well,” she began, her hands busy as she spoke. She explained how, during the initial tests, ‘Angus’ was far too aggressive to use the treatment safely on anything more severe than, well, a cold. “You understand, it was too nuclear to give to anyone with stronger symptoms. But I spoke to Jayce, and he gave me an idea.”

She started pacing the kitchen as she talked, describing how she’d studied the differences between healthy and corrupted cells. With some adjustments, she managed to ‘tag’ corrupted tissue, ensuring the medicine would only target what was diseased.

“Bear with me for a few moments before you say anything,” she added quickly, seeing Viktor’s expression shift as he prepared to ask a question. He nodded and braced himself, motioning for her to continue. There was a certain comfort in it—in the way all three of them were still able to sit down and talk ideas, even if some disagreement from before lingered unattended.

“In short, I’ve made it work only on corrupted tissue, thanks to Jayce,” she said, excitement creeping into her voice. “I saw it work last night—more than once,” she added, tracing her finger absently around the rim of a coffee mug. “I can show you—it’s amazing.”

He was silent, his gaze fixed on the floor as she continued.

“I’ll need more samples, though, from different people. So that means a trip to the Undercity for me. You could come with?” Her voice faltered as she ran out of things to say, the silence between them stretching.

Viktor exhaled slowly, adjusting his stance. She had no idea what this meant to him. Or perhaps she did and refused to entertain the thought. Either way, the weight of it pressed on his chest.

Tentatively, he stepped forward, closing the distance between them. His hand rose, and he placed it gently on the curve where her shoulder met her neck. Before she could react, he pulled her into an embrace, his eyes closing.

Renly stiffened in surprise, her mind racing, but she didn’t pull away.

“Viktor…?” she murmured, a quiet question hanging in the small space between them.

He didn’t answer. Slowly, she relaxed, her arms wrapping around him tightly. Her hand travelled to the nape of his neck, her fingers brushing through his hair. He inhaled deeply, overwhelmed by her—the scent of her soap, the warmth of her body, the quiet affection in her touch.

Unwanted heat began pooling low in his stomach, and he broke the hug slightly, his face still close to hers.

“I am… so proud of you,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. His lips brushed against her temple as he spoke, lingering for a moment before he pulled back a little, leaving a tiny space between them.

Renly remained under Viktor’s touch, still thrown slightly off guard by the embrace but unwilling to let the moment pass. She could feel the weight of his thoughts, the tension in his posture gradually dissolving as though surrendering to her presence.

"You’ve been carrying this alone, haven’t you?" she murmured against his shoulder, her voice soft but probing.

Viktor didn’t reply at first. Instead, his hand shifted slightly, his thumb brushing her shoulder as though grounding himself in the contact. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, measured, but threaded with something raw.

“I suppose… I have grown used to certain burdens,” he admitted. “But this… what you’ve done… it is remarkable.” His words held none of the guardedness she was used to; they felt unfiltered, vulnerable. “You amaze me, Renly.”

Her breath caught at the honesty in his tone, and she instinctively tightened her hold on him, her fingers curling lightly into his shirt. “You don’t have to bear everything on your own,” she said softly. “I hope you know that.”

Viktor pulled back just enough to meet her gaze. His amber eyes were softer now, touched with something she couldn’t quite name but felt down to her bones. “You make it… difficult not to hope,” he said quietly, his lips quirking in a fleeting, almost self-deprecating smile.

Renly felt her heart stutter, the weight of his words hanging between them. Without thinking, her hand drifted up, her fingertips brushing lightly against his temple before tracing down the line of his cheekbone. The same gesture she performed yesterday, today was more intentional. She let out a shaky laugh, trying to mask the way her pulse had quickened.

“Do you have any idea how unfair it is to be so brilliant and so…” she trailed off, catching herself.

Viktor’s brow lifted faintly, a hint of amusement breaking through his expression. “So… what?” he pressed, his voice softer now, tinged with curiosity.

Renly flushed slightly, her lips curving into a reluctant grin. “So—annoyingly good at throwing me off my game,” she deflected, though the warmth in her gaze betrayed her true meaning.

He chuckled lightly, the sound soft and low, before his expression turned contemplative again. “Perhaps,” he mused, “we are equally guilty of that crime.”

Her laughter bubbled up unexpectedly, a light and genuine sound that seemed to ease the last of the tension between them. She shook her head, stepping back slightly to give them both room to breathe, though the warmth of his presence lingered.

“Well,” she said, attempting to compose herself, “you’d better start getting used to sharing your burdens. Because I’m not going anywhere.”

Viktor studied her for a moment, his gaze lingering as though trying to memorize every detail of the moment. Finally, he gave a small, almost imperceptible nod.

“I’ll… try,” he said, the words as much for himself as for her.

The moment hung in the air, delicate and unspoken, before Renly turned back toward the coffee pot, her movements more deliberate now, her mind still reeling from the unexpected intimacy of the exchange.

It fled completely with the loud thud of the main door—Jayce wasn’t nearly as subtle coming in as Viktor had been.

“Hello, lab family!” Jayce exclaimed, half-yawning and stretching in the doorway like he’d just woken up. His eyes fell on Renly, narrowing slightly in mock scrutiny. “Wait… Did you sleep here again?!”

“Oh, save it, Mama Jayce. Mama Viktor already gave me a hard time,” Renly groaned, flopping into her usual seat at the table.

“I can’t help myself. You children grow up so fast,” Jayce said dramatically, placing a hand over his chest and pretending to dab at imaginary tears.

Renly burst out laughing, while Viktor let out a low sigh, shaking his head.

“Renly, don’t you want to tell Jayce about your progress?” Viktor interjected; his voice laced with pride that he tried to keep understated. He wanted to shout her discovery from the rooftops of Piltover.

They all took their familiar places around the small table, each seat long since claimed and unofficially assigned. Renly launched into the story of her breakthrough once again, this time with even more enthusiasm, her hands gesturing wildly to illustrate her points. Viktor nodded along, interjecting here and there with sharp questions or clarifications, while Jayce leaned back, grinning at her energy.

Her momentum only faltered when, distracted by her explanation, she grabbed the wrong mug. She took one sip, and immediately froze. Then, almost choking, she sputtered, “What is this atrocity?!”

Jayce’s laughter erupted like thunder, his whole body shaking, as Viktor lifted his head, a faint flush creeping up his neck.

“Oh… that must be mine,” Viktor said with an apologetic shrug, trying to disguise his embarrassment with a sheepish grin.

Renly blinked at him, incredulous, before breaking into a disbelieving smile. “How… how much sugar is in this?!”

Viktor’s lips twitched, the corner of his mouth quirking up in subtle amusement. “Well, that… is my best-kept secret,” he replied with mock seriousness.

Renly’s grin widened as she held the mug up like evidence in a trial. “This? This is a crime, Viktor.” She shook her head, setting the offending beverage down firmly. “It’s like drinking syrup with a side of coffee.”

“Some of us require a little more sweetness to survive the day,” Viktor retorted, his tone light but the hint of a smirk tugging at his lips.

“You’re lucky I’ve already had real coffee today, or we might have to renegotiate our entire working relationship,” Renly teased, her laughter infectious enough to even make Jayce laugh harder.

“I admit, I am feeling quite lucky today, indeed,” he said, picking up his cup and placing his lips exactly where Renly’s had touched it.

***

Viktor kept his promise and readily agreed to accompany Renly on the trip to the Undercity for sample collection.

“It’s a date!” Her words from earlier lingered in his mind, unbidden yet insistent.

The journey was familiar to Renly, yet today it felt different. Walking beside Viktor as they navigated the steep, winding streets toward Zaun's entrance, she found herself acutely aware of his quiet presence. The air carried the distinct tang of saltwater, its sharpness growing stronger the deeper they descended. The heavy mist that curled around them was a constant in these parts, but now it seemed to amplify the strange weight in the space between them.

Ekko had arranged to meet them at the docks.

The transition into the Undercity came gradually—its unique symphony of sounds filling the air. The hum of machinery blended with the metallic clatter of tools, street vendors shouted over each other to peddle scraps or gadgets, and somewhere distant, a child’s laughter cut through the haze. To most, it might seem chaotic, but to Renly, it was familiar—equal parts ingenuity and ruin.

“Renly! Viktor!” Ekko’s voice broke through the din, carrying an easy confidence. He emerged from the shadows, perched casually on the edge of a battered crate, fiddling with a small device that pulsed with soft blue light.

“Ekko,” Renly greeted warmly, stepping forward to give him a quick hug. “You’re looking well.”

“And you’re still dragging newcomers down here, huh?” Ekko teased, his sharp eyes darting toward Viktor.

Renly hesitated as Viktor shifted beside her, his posture slightly more rigid than usual. She caught the flicker of discomfort in his expression, though he said nothing.

“No,” she answered quickly, perhaps too quickly. “He’s—”

“From Piltover?” Ekko cut in, his tone suddenly sharper, his easy demeanour giving way to suspicion. “That it, Renly? You brought a Piltie down here?”

Renly winced, throwing Viktor an apologetic glance before turning back to Ekko. “No, Ekko,” she said firmly, her voice steady this time. “He’s from Zaun.”

Ekko blinked, visibly caught off guard. A beat of silence passed as he processed the new information, his sharp features softening slightly. Then, a sly grin spread across his face. “Oh, okay. That’s different. Should’ve guessed—Renly wouldn’t bring another Piltie around after that last hotshot.”

Renly frowned, but Viktor’s lips twitched in what might’ve been a faint smile. He chose not to comment, though Ekko’s earlier wariness seemed to dissipate, replaced by a measure of respect.

“Anyway,” Ekko said, clapping his hands together, his energy back in full force. “I’ve got the route planned out. We’ll hit a few docks and some streets in the Lanes to grab what you need. Hope you’re ready to get your hands dirty.”

Renly nodded, a flicker of excitement lighting her features. The goal of their trip was clear, but she couldn’t ignore the reminders all around her—of how survival in Zaun bred wariness and distrust.

Ekko led them through the twisting paths of the Undercity, weaving past narrow alleys and rusted barrels stacked high with scraps. The air grew heavier with the mingling scents of oil, metal, and decay.

“Things are still the same down here,” Ekko said, glancing over his shoulder as they walked. “A few new faces here and there, but you can’t change the Undercity that easy. People still fighting, still surviving. Ain’t much different from the last time you were here, Renly.”

Renly smiled faintly. “I’m down here enough to know that’s true.”

They reached a narrow dock near the water’s edge, where the brine and rust of the sea mixed into an almost overpowering scent. A man stepped out from the shadows; his posture stiff but deliberate. He carried a small container in his hands, his eyes flicking briefly to Viktor before settling on Renly.

“They’re with me,” Ekko said easily, stepping forward. “I told you—Renly’s working on that cure for the Gray.”

The man’s expression softened slightly. “That true? You’re onto something, young lady?” he asked, his voice gravelly but tinged with hope. As he stepped closer, the light revealed a face weathered with scars and marked by tattoos. Despite his rough exterior, his silver-toothed grin carried surprising gentleness.

“I am,” Renly replied, smiling as she reached out for the container. “Zaun will be the first to see it.”

His grin widened as he handed over the box. “It’s tough down here, but we managed to keep these clean. There’s an ice pack in there, too. Samples should still be good for what you need.”

Renly hesitated before asking, “Were they collected in… a safe area?” She tried to keep her tone neutral, hoping the question wouldn’t offend him.

“As clean as we could make it,” the man said with a small shrug, dusting off his pants. “Should do the job.”

Renly exhaled in relief, nodding her thanks. “This means a lot. Really.”

“Thanks, Ambrose. Come by later—we’ve got some supplies for your people,” Ekko turned to Ambrose with a quick nod. With goodbyes exchanged, they moved on.

“There’s been some shifts in the docks lately,” Ekko began, breaking the silence. “More traffickers pushing goods through. Nothing shocking, but... there’s talk of new alliances in the works.”

Renly glanced over; curiosity piqued. “Anything we should be worried about?”

Ekko shrugged; his expression carefully neutral. “Hard to say. Just means it’s tougher for people trying to stay off the radar. Same old song, really.”

Viktor adjusted the container he was carrying and let out a quiet hum of disapproval. “I would argue that ‘same old’ is becoming increasingly untenable. Every shift disrupts the fragile balance. Even here.”

Ekko smirked, though not unkindly. “Don’t start spiralling into one of your philosophical tangents, Viktor. The Undercity’s got its own rhythm. We keep moving forward. That’s how we survive.”

Viktor tilted his head slightly, his tone almost amused. “Philosophy is not spiralling—it is what allows us to endure, to make sense of chaos. Even here.” His words carried more weight than defiance, his voice soft but firm, as if speaking both to Ekko and himself.

Renly watched the interplay, intrigued by how seamlessly Viktor and Ekko navigated each other’s edges. It wasn’t camaraderie yet, but there was a quiet understanding forming between them.

As they wound their way through the docks, they approached a familiar landmark: the entrance to a cave, partially hidden behind creeping overgrowth. Its darkened maw was unmistakable, tugging at memories Viktor had long since tucked away.

“This is it,” Renly said, her voice low and thoughtful. She turned to Viktor, studying his face. “Do you think he’s still in there?”

Viktor hesitated; his expression unreadable. “Singed?” he asked, though he already knew. He let out a faint exhale before replying. “I would hope not. No one should remain in a cave unsupervised for... decades.” His attempt at humour was brittle, the weariness behind it betraying his unease.

The moment hung heavy in the air, the weight of shared history pressing against them. Ekko broke the tension with a sharp clap of his hands. “Alright, enough with the wistful staring contest. We’ve got a schedule to keep, Renly.”

Renly gave him a mock glare but followed as he led them forward. The streets of The Lanes were dark, the glow of neon signs casting eerie shadows. They met Ekko’s second contact near a cluttered workshop, and Renly’s heart skipped when she recognized the woman: Babette.

“Renly, darling!” Babette exclaimed, pulling her into a warm embrace. “And who’s this?” Her sharp eyes flicked to Viktor, and a knowing grin spread across her face. “Oh, you’ve done well, haven’t you? Handsome and clever, I bet.”

Renly flushed crimson. “Babette, stop. He’s just a friend.” Her voice was tight with embarrassment, but Babette only laughed, taking a long drag of her cigarette.

“Mm-hmm. Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart. And him too, while you’re at it.” Babette’s gaze flicked to Viktor again. “Not that he looks like he’s fooled.”

Renly mumbled a rushed goodbye as Ekko emerged with the sample container, expertly avoiding eye contact with Viktor. If he had overheard anything, he gave no indication.

By the time they reached The Last Drop, the weight of the day had begun to settle in. The warm, golden glow of the tavern welcomed them, a striking contrast to the damp, cold streets outside.

Vander was at the bar, wiping down a mug with his broad, scarred hands. He glanced up, his deep voice resonating across the room. “Well, well. If it isn’t Renly. Back from the surface, I see. What’ll it be?”

Renly grinned as she slid into her usual spot at the bar. “Just a drink for now, Vander. Long day.”

Viktor hesitated for a moment before joining her, settling onto the stool beside hers. His sharp eyes scanned the room, taking in the lively hum of conversations, the clink of glasses, and the faint strains of music in the background.

The two sat in easy silence, their proximity speaking louder than words. Renly reached for her drink when it arrived, glancing sideways at Viktor. There was a quiet comfort in the shared space, a sense of connection that needed no explanation.

“So,” Ekko began, sliding onto the barstool beside Renly with a sly grin, “are you and Viktor a couple yet, or are we still in the ‘let’s pretend we’re not’ phase?”

Renly froze mid-sip, narrowly avoiding choking on her drink. “Excuse me?” she spluttered, her cheeks flushing as she set the glass down.

“You heard me,” Ekko said, leaning back casually with a knowing look. “You’re telling me you can’t get the guy you want? C’mon, Ren. What’s the holdup?”

Renly blinked, caught completely off guard by his audacity. “We’re not—” she began, but her voice faltered. She glanced at Viktor out of instinct, as if searching for backup. He was still, his fingers lightly curled around his glass, his golden eyes watching her with a gaze she couldn’t quite decipher.

Ekko smirked, shaking his head. “Uh-huh. Sure. Keep telling yourself that.”

Renly exhaled sharply, finding her footing again. A teasing smile tugged at her lips. “Maybe I just enjoy keeping you guessing, Ekko.”

“Yeah, alright.” Ekko laughed and hopped off the stool with his usual ease. “But don’t keep him guessing for too long, yeah?” He nodded toward Viktor before giving Renly a light tap on the shoulder. “I’ll see you two around. You know the way to the back, don’t you?”

Renly shot him a look that was half-annoyed, half-amused. “We’ll manage.”

Ekko grinned one last time before heading toward the door. This wasn’t his territory, after all, and he had little interest in lingering.

As the door swung shut behind him, the silence between Renly and Viktor felt heavier. She risked a glance in his direction, but Viktor seemed entirely unbothered, taking a measured sip of his drink. If he had any thoughts about Ekko’s remarks, he wasn’t letting on.

Viktor’s gaze flicked toward the far side of the room, where a small sofa tucked into a quiet corner had just been vacated. He set down his glass, clearing his throat lightly. “There is a more comfortable spot,” he said, gesturing subtly with his chin. “We have had... quite the long day.”

Renly followed his glance and nodded, grateful for the suggestion. “Good idea. My feet will thank you.” She slid off the barstool, trailing behind Viktor as he weaved between the tables, his stride slightly uneven but confident as ever.

The sofa was worn but inviting, the upholstery faded from years of use but still soft enough to sink into. Renly sat first, stretching her legs out a little, while Viktor settled beside her, leaving just enough space to avoid crowding her but close enough that their knees almost brushed.

The change in seating seemed to shift the mood. The noise of the bar softened around them, muffled by the corner’s relative seclusion. Renly leaned back, exhaling slowly, and couldn’t help but glance sideways at Viktor. His shoulders, usually tense with focus or restraint, seemed more relaxed, his body at ease in a way she didn’t often see.

“Better?” he asked, turning to meet her eyes.

She smiled faintly. “Much better.”

For a moment, neither of them spoke, letting the ambient buzz of The Last Drop fill the space between them. Renly caught herself noticing small details: the way Viktor’s hair caught the low light, the way his fingers tapped lightly against his knee, the way his eyes lingered on her when he thought she wasn’t looking.

Her lips twitched into a smile. If it weren’t for the grim sample collection earlier, this could almost feel like a... She cut off the thought before it could fully form, but the idea lingered stubbornly.

Their hands brushed briefly as she adjusted her position, and though it was accidental, she felt his fingers hesitate before pulling away. The warmth of the contact sent a spark up her arm, and her pulse quickened. She risked a glance at him, only to find his gaze already on her. His eyes—softened, thoughtful—held hers for a beat longer than usual, enough to make her stomach twist.

“Maybe it’s this place,” she said, breaking the silence with a quiet laugh, “or the fact that we’re so far from our usual routine, but this feels... different.”

Viktor tilted his head, curious. “Different?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted, glancing down at her hands. “It’s like... like I’m seeing you in a new light.” She immediately regretted how vulnerable it sounded and tried to backtrack. “Not that I— I mean—”

“I understand,” Viktor interrupted gently, saving her from spiralling further. His lips curved into a small, knowing smile. “The unfamiliar surroundings can have that effect.”

Renly was about to respond when her head dipped slightly, the weight of the day finally catching up to her. Her voice softened as she admitted, “I just feel it so much now. The pressure. All those people in Zaun... counting on us to make this cure happen. What if I can’t—”

“You will,” Viktor said firmly, cutting through her doubt. His tone was calm but resolute, like an anchor in the storm.

She lifted her eyes to his, and he leaned in slightly, his voice quieter but no less certain. “You are capable of more than you think, Renly. You have already proven that.”

The sincerity in his words struck something deep within her. Before she could stop herself, she whispered, “How can you be so sure?”

Viktor’s expression softened further, and without a word, he reached out, his hand cupping her cheek with a gentleness that made her heart stutter. His thumb brushed her skin lightly, his touch grounding and deliberate.

“I have seen it,” he said simply, his voice low and steady. “In the way you approach every challenge. In the way you care so deeply for others. You are stronger than you realize.”

The air between them grew heavy, the world around them fading into a distant hum. Renly’s breath hitched as she leaned slightly into his hand, her eyes searching his. Viktor’s face was closer now, his gaze flicking briefly to her lips before darting back up.

For a moment, Viktor’s thoughts were quiet, his focus entirely on her—the curve of her cheek under his palm, the way her breath hitched at his touch, the faint tremor in her lips as they parted. She was so close, so achingly close.

And yet, his mind wasn’t quiet at all.

A thousand thoughts spiralled at once, clashing with the tender pull of the moment. The what-ifs were relentless, sharp, and unforgiving. What if he misread this? What if he ruined everything—her trust, their fragile, growing connection—by overstepping?

But it was more than that. It was the weight of everything he carried, everything he hadn’t said. The scars of the past, etched deeper than flesh, whispered insidiously. He had spent his life building walls to shield himself from rejection, from the possibility of anyone looking too closely and deciding he wasn’t enough—not whole enough, not stable enough, not human enough.

And here was Renly, beautiful and brilliant and brave, letting her guard down, trusting him with her vulnerability. How could he justify risking that? How could he allow himself to be selfish enough to take this moment for what he wanted—what he desperately wanted—but might not deserve?

His thumb brushed her cheek again, a reflexive, lingering touch, before he let his hand drop. His chest ached with the effort it took to pull away.

“It is... getting late,” he murmured, his voice betraying the tension he tried to conceal. “We should get home.”

Her eyes opened, searching his face, and he saw the faint flicker of confusion there, the almost imperceptible hurt she tried to mask. Guilt twisted in his chest, and he hated himself for faltering. But better this, he thought, than risking something he wasn’t sure he could give her—not yet.

[cyanide-mustard]

Chapter 10 ~ I don't have the words to describe (how much you mean to me)

On Ao3:

Chapter 10: Plant a Seed

Summary:

James talks to Mel and realizes something

Notes:

Translations are in the end notes A=𝜩, B=𝜣, C=𝝃, D=𝛴, E=𝜓, F=𝝇, G=𝝋, H=𝝺, I=𝛃, J=𝝣, K=𝝥, L=𝟄, M=𝟇, N=𝞖, O=𝝠, P=𝝮, Q=𝞈, R=𝞀, S=𝞏, T=𝞔, U=𝞒, V=𝞃, W=𝝸, X=𝞹, Y=𝞾, Z=𝞙

James decides that she needs a day away from Viktor and Jayce. Not because they were getting on her nerves or becoming too much, at least not in a negative sense; no it was because every time Viktor placed his hand on her shoulder, a habit he’d recently picked up, she wanted to scream out her love. Jayce had been quieter than usual, she tried to talk to him but she thought the second he started talking, she’d only stare at his lips, making her attraction even more obvious. If she spent one more day with them in that lab she would end up destroying everything, either literally (all their equipment) or metaphorically (their friendship). She just needs a day of distraction. All her emotions are too much, she just needs a day to get it under control. 

That is how she found herself in front of the door to Mel’s office, knocking lightly on the wood.

“Come in,”

James entered her office, seeing the other woman at her tidy desk, flipping through a small pile of paperwork. Her room was a level of meticulously clean which she herself could never dream to achieve. 

When Mel looked up there was a look of relief on her face. 

“Ah James, what a pleasant surprise” 

“I hope I am not interrupting your work”

“No this is just paperwork from the last meeting, but for you, I will always have time. What brings you to my office?” 

“Oh nothing, I just wanted to get out of the lab, it was starting to get…stuffy, and I think I have fallen in love with your office; I wish we had this amount of sunlight in the lab”

“Yes that lab is rather dark even on the brightest of days,” she shuffled some pages around before standing up “However, I know somewhere that is the exact opposite and I think you’ll like it a lot” 

“But what about your work?” 

“Don’t worry, it will take two minutes to finish later”

“Where are we going?” James asked, anticipation dripping from every word.

“The Conservatory” 

At her response, James reached for her hand and practically broke off into a sprint, Mel laughing affectionately at her spirit. Several people saw the two running down the halls, almost not believing the sight. Their laughter bounced off the walls as they made it closer to the conservatory. 

They slowed as James saw the large glass building, the gold accents made it shine just like the rest of Piltover did. The flora inside took over every space it could, some plants she recognized while many she did not. Vines crawled up along walls, flowers of all different colours, and shapes of leaves she didn't know existed. She thought of her plants back in her universe and felt slightly guilty that they were all probably dead by now. 

Mel guided her over to a plant, it’s a knobby little thing with very little green on it, its leaves more of a natural soft orange and James’ eyes are wide taking in all it has to show. 

“This is from Noxus, where I am from, it is small but resilient, it can grow even under the toughest of conditions”

“It’s beautiful”

Mel laughs a little.

“You are one of the very few who would describe it as such”

“In my house, I had many different plants, some that sprouted gorgeous flowers and others with vines that sprawled over my living room”

Mel, seeing how fondly James admired the plant, grabbed a pair of clippers and cut off one of the leaves.

“What are you doing?”

“Giving a piece to you. Replant it like you would a vine and it will grow soon enough”

"Thank you,” she said softly, “what is Noxus like?”

“It is very different from here, to say the least. Piltover still has the opportunity to decide what it wants to be, whereas Noxus seems to be very firm on who they are. Also, there is more magic there but they still haven’t managed to utilize it the way your two scientists have” 

“Those runes aren’t easy to understand,” that was a slight understatement. Neither of the two men fully understood the runes and arcane language and getting anywhere with hextech was a large part of decoding and pattern work. Nobody really understood them, rather they understood what they could do. James laughed before exclaiming “𝝺𝝠𝟄𝞾 𝞏𝝺𝛃𝞔”

“What?”

“Oh sorry, I think I just figured something out and I can’t believe it took me this long to realize. Could we walk back?”

“Of course,” she turned to the exit, “it is quite funny though”

“What?”

“You had that look in your eye, you looked like them,” she didn’t need to elaborate on who ‘them’ was, “I understand why you fit in so well with them”

Mel and James walk back this time, though James’ feet itch to run the whole time.

“Vik! Jayce! Look at what Mel gave to me!” James walked back into the lab, trying very hard to control her excitement from accidentally crushing the plant.

“What exactly am I looking at lásko?”

“It’s a leaf from a Noxus plant, I’m going to replant it and it’ll grow at home!”

“I have a packet of seeds somewhere in a drawer at home if you want to plant those too?”

“Oh yes, please! What kind of plant?”

“Ehh I do not know, some merchant in Zaun passed them along to me”

“Well, I’ll plant them and we’ll know soon enough” She placed the plant in a moist towel for the time being, “Oh wait that wasn’t the most important thing. I think I might be able to understand the Arcane”

“Really?!” This was the first time Jayce had spoken since she’d entered the room. 

“Well maybe, it was just a theory I had but runes are just like any other language, of course, it’s one that I’ve never encountered before and is completely different from any language known to any of us but it might still be understandable, or at least understandable to a point and then I can figure it out from there. I know it’s a leap but I think I should try”

Jayce went quiet again, so Viktor spoke up for him.

“Well I think it is a great idea, Jayce is better with the runes than I am so he can help you from here more than I can”

He pushed the two of them to Jayce’s workbench and then went back to his work.

James looked at him with bright eyes, Jayce always admired the keen interest she got when talking about languages. He reached for her arm to pull her closer before stopping midway, reminding himself to keep his distance. He instead passed his notebook along to her, watching her eyes take in all he knew about runes so far. 

“I think I’ll be able to get a basic understanding from this. If I’m able to get the basics, I’ll see if I can figure out how to create new runes,” she places her hand on his upper bicep almost subconsciously, “Is there anything else I should read?”

Jayce moves his arm away so her hand isn’t touching him anymore and he can see her eyes dim a bit.

“Yeah, I’ll bring it over to you” James tried hard not to flinch at his neutral, almost cold tone, devoid of the warmth it usually held. 

“oh...ok,” She said moving back over to her space, trying not to let the rejection seep into her voice. She made herself comfortable, practically hiding herself in the corner. She had grown so used to Jayce being naturally touchy and now that the absence of his touch felt holy wrong.

James tried not to over-catastrophize like she normally did. Everyone can have off days, but that didn’t mean Jayce was upset with her. But it still didn’t mean her mood wasn’t soured for the rest of the day. 

Jayce was like that for the rest of the day, quiet and physically distant, and James hoped that the next days would be better.

Translations:

“Holy shit”=“𝝺𝝠𝟄𝞾 𝞏𝝺𝛃𝞔” Lásko = love Viktor uses it for James

Taglist: @im-just-a-simp-le-whore

[mxchineherald]

 Viktor drew back when she spoke, a look of shock coming across his face. “(You…you what?)” There was retroactive offense biting at his throat, ready to scold her for invading his privacy in such a dangerous way. It left him feeling utterly and deeply exposed. “(Sky!! You should have left it alone…!)” he said with a stunned bite to his voice, teeth bared in a grimace. Embarrassment left space for anger, which he tripped into clumsily, glowering at his lap. “(Why on earth would you–)”

 Jayce watched the air between the two turn to emotion charged lightning, and took Viktor by the shoulder. “(Let her talk,)” he said with a firm tone.

 Viktor tensed his shoulders up, then released them in a tight sigh, suspecting Jayce of having taken her side, already.

 However, both of them were taken completely off guard by how she shouted the word ‘idiot’, Jayce looking at her with wide, worried eyes, while Viktor frowned with hurt and looked away from her.

 With every word, Jayce felt more aligned toward Sky’s thinking, feeling the sting of Viktor’s forced distance, despite the (in retrospect obvious) signs of love between all three of them. His brow fell into a furrow as he nodded in agreement with her. He had made the choice for them, and he was wrong to do so.

 Viktor wanted to argue for himself, but found little ground to do so. He instead let her expel the feelings, which turned from anger to hurt and anguish. His chest ached for how much emotion had been thrust into his body. He wanted to run and hide, but he knew that would only make it worse. So instead he let her see him crack under the pressure, barely able to hold back his heavy breathing as he closed his eyes. “(I know. I-I am sorry…)”

 Jayce was prepared to back Sky up further, until he saw the signs of concession coming from Viktor. He put his other hand on Sky’s shoulder to hopefully translate between the two of them. “(Sky, he only just learned to love himself,)” he reasoned, then shifted his gaze onto Viktor, “(That being said… It was a really cruel lie, Viktor. To both of us. We were both in love with you, regardless of your disease. And…if you did die, did you really think we wouldn’t have mourned you, anyway? You were my best friend!)”

 “(Do not, Jayce.)” Viktor growled out, yanking his shoulder away. “(Do not try to tell me I should have said something after I saw how you looked at her!)”

 Jayce knew immediately that he was talking about Mel, and shut his mouth for a second to think. “(… And you think it took me eight years to sleep with her because I was…what? Waiting for the right time? Who did you really think I was waiting for?)”

 Viktor’s jaw quivered with pent up emotion, and he slammed his hands hard against his head a couple times before gripping at his hair, pulling his knees up to his chest. “(You expected me to guess!? You never said a word!)”

 Pushing up to a half-stand, Jayce finally snapped out, “(NONE OF US DID!)” while swiping his hand in the air. He stopped himself, steadying his breath and sitting back down. “(… If we had all be honest, and just said something instead of wordless looks and cups of tea… But we can’t turn back time. We can’t go back. We have right now, and I’m not going to spend right now angry at either of you. I can’t… I love you two too much.)”

Sky listened mutely, caught in her own misery over having ruined the mood with her words but... But if they were going to do this then she had to know. She had to know why it had taken her literally dying for Viktor to notice let alone return her feelings.

His explanation? It left her feeling bitter. Yes, it was sweet that he didn't want to hurt others with his death but at the same time he had completely negated her agency and ability to make her own decisions about what and who she wanted.

"(I knew. Within the first year of being your assistant I had figured out where you went for medical treatments and snuck in to look at your medical records. I didn't want to invade your privacy too much so I didn't look at everything, but your prognosis and expected lifespan.)" She admitted softly, not looking at him yet since she knew if she did then she would either glare at him or start crying again.

"(You're such a brilliant idiot. All those years of making you medicinal herbal teas and you never realized I knew. I knew and I had accepted that you would die before me.)" She said, her tone turning bitter as she opened her eyes to glare at him. "(I accepted it and decided that I still wanted you. And you... You IDIOT! You completely invalidated that choice with that stupid thinking of yours. Did it ever occur to that genius brain to talk to me! Rather than just assuming you knew what was best for me and what I wanted?"

She was breathing hard and practically growling by the time she finished speaking. For years she had thought he didn't see her as more than a friend. For years she had done everything in her power to show him that she loved and accepted him and this?! This utter bullshit! Had been what was going on in his head the entire fucking time?

"(You took away my choice. You took away my agency. You treated me like I couldn't possibly love you. That I couldn't possibly choose you without ever even talking to me.)" She continued, her tone changing to sad and bitter. "(And the most fucked up part? I can forgive all that. I can forgive all the bullshit, all the hurt, all the years of being invisible. Because I love you. I love you so much and this past year has been a dream come true in so many ways. I had given up hope of you ever returning my feelings. That night I died for you, I did so thinking you would never love me. But I still rushed to your side without hesitation. I died because I loved you too much not to do everything in my power to try to save you.)"

[mysticmousecat]

Hi! 💖 I love your work and think your Viktor is fucking amazing 🥰 I have a little NSFW request/thing I thought of:

Reader and Viktor in a small space or somewhere where people can hear them if they’re not too quiet. Maybe Viktor has his hand over Reader’s mouth while he’s grinding on them or using his fingers or they’re even fucking and Reader keeps making noises like moans or whimpers and Viktor like shushes them in their ear but it’s a hot shush like with a growl or something. Idk, I’ve had this thought in my head for a couple days and it’s giving me brainrot.

Anyways, I love you and your work and you’re an amazing writer. The testing a hypothesis one was the first one I read from you and it got me 💫hooked💫, but the just one touch one is my all time favorite 🥺 Hope you have a lovely day/night! 💖

Thank you so much for enjoying my work!!! I really like this prompt; secret sex is the best type of sex.

Obviously NSFW under the cut

Also forgive if this doesn't quite measure up to my other writing, I'd taken a break from writing over the last few days, and this is the first thing I've written in that time.

In all honesty this was 100% your own fault. Viktor had just gotten back from an extended say in Zaun working in his private workshop, an extended stay which you did not join him in, you had a lot to do here in Piltover so you couldn't just drop everything and disappear for 4 weeks, as much as you wanted to. It had been a hellish 4 weeks without Viktor, your bed was cold and lonely, and you felt so out of place not having Viktor here to bring tea to late at night or drag him to bed so he could actually sleep.

You were in the Hextech lab when he returned, sitting at his desk actually, and when he walked through those doors, and you saw him, you lost your breath, you hadn't quite realized how much you missed him until he was standing right there. You wasted no time in jumping up and wrapping your arms around him, pressing your lips to his in a sweet kiss... well a kiss that started out as sweet, but here's the thing, you've spent 4 weeks without Viktor, 4 weeks without having him in your bed, 4 weeks without feeling his touch late at night, letting him draw all those noises he loved so much from your lips, so it should have been no surprise that you were more than a little starved for his touch. He reacted in kind when you pushed your tongue into his mouth, your fingers tangling into his hair and tugging roughly, just the way you knew he liked. His hands had a death grip on your hips, and you knew he was just as desperate as you were. Currently you two were alone in the lab, Jayce had gone to get coffee and left you there, but he'd be back any minute and you doubted he would appreciate seeing his best friend and his girlfriend fucking on the table, however you couldn't find it within yourself to do anything about that.

Your lips found his pulse point, nipping lightly before flattening your tongue over his skin, preening when you heard the sigh from his lips, his fingertips had adventured under your shirt to trail a searing path over your skin. All of this build up is what lead to your current predicament, pressed flush against the door of a storage closet in the lab, your back against the cool wood, fingers tangled in Viktor's hair as he trailed burning kisses down your throat, one hand bracing himself on the door, the other under your skirt and between your legs, drawing tight circles over your clothed cunt in just the perfect way to drive you insane. You were struggling to keep your voice in check, Jayce had no doubt returned by now and if you were too loud, you'd be heard, and Viktor's sinful fingers weren't helping.

"Quiet dove," He whispered into your ear as he pushed your underwear to the side to access more of you, pushing two of those dexterous fingers inside of you, forcing a gasp from your lips. "Wouldn't want anyone else to hear those sweet sounds, hm?" He was so cocky, he took so much pride in being able to so thoroughly unravel you, take you apart with just a single touch. His lips found yours again just as he curled his fingers into that perfect spot inside you, swallowing what would have been your squeal. He abused that spot, his thumb finding your clit as he drove you to pleasure induced madness. His other hand came to cover your mouth as his lips found your neck again, the hand between your legs picking up its pace and fucking into you harder. You were thankful for the hand over your mouth, because without it you were sure you would have screamed. Viktor had always been good with his hands, it made sense since he worked with them so much.

You were approaching the edge fast, the combination of your desire for his touch and the amazing things he was doing to you under your skirt working to unravel you. Your fingers gripped onto his shoulders, nails dragging over his shirt, a shirt you were determined to rip off of him the second you two were once again alone in a room with a bed. Quickly Viktor changed his angled, the way he knew would have you keening, a keen thankfully kept quiet by the hand over your mouth, a hand that was quickly replaced with his lips when your orgasm finally ripped through you, his tongue forcing its way into your mouth as he swallowed your whines and gasps, working you through it so thoroughly, like he always did.

Your knees were week when he finally pulled his fingers from you, sucking them clean when he pulled his lips from yours, the sight pulling one last muffled moan from your lips. You pulled him to you once more, crashing your lips together, god you've missed him.

"I think Jayce stepped out again." Viktor mumbled against your lips. "We can make it to the bedroom if we leave now." You wasted no time in flinging the door open, finding an empty lab once again. You reached your bedroom in record time, and you made sure to keep Viktor there for as long as he let you, which ended up being until the next morning, until Viktor walked back into the lab this morning and was greeted by a very amused and knowing Jayce.

[darkicedragon]

Fanfic: Purr

Fandom: Arcane: League of Legends Summary: Jayce was curious to know if Viktor could purr after his transformation. Contains: Jayce/Viktor, catboy!Viktor, sad ending Notes: Set after S1, but ignoring the ending. Rating: G Genre: Horror Word count: 4,478 Status: Complete "I think we need to slow down," Jayce said, watching Viktor eat as they had dinner in the lab, hunched around the one small table that wasn't covered in blueprints, calculations or prototypes. The tip of Viktor's right new triangular ear flicked, mirrored by his raised eyebrow. "Oh?"

Why was there even a question? When Viktor brought his fork up, Jayce's attention was drawn to his transformed hand, the brown short fur covering the back of his hand, his nails now curving down into sharp claws. "I just want to make sure you're all right first." What if the transformation had changed more than just his body? Viktor took a bite, and were his incisors longer than before? "What happened to forging ahead for the sake of progress?" Jayce ran a hand down his face as he sighed. "There's a difference between getting caught up in the moment and dealing with the aftermath." And currently? Viktor was doing both. "We have a result, so now we can recalibrate, find what-" "We can do that by using the hexcore again," Viktor said, his gaze steadily. "We don't know how much it's changed you, if it's affected you in other ways." Viktor huffed, tracing small signs in the air with his fork. "I feel fine," he said as he continued eating. Jayce watched him for a few  more seconds before he sagged, nodding. "I know. I'm just...worried." He started eating, his food a little cooler than it had been a few minutes ago. But Viktor still sounded like himself, was still talking. He would keep an eye on Viktor in the meantime though, just in case. * * * "No, no, no," Viktor said, shaking his head, the tips of his ears quivering. "That wouldn't work because..." Jayce had been listening, waiting to see if he could follow Viktor's thought process, and he saw Viktor's pupils constrict to slits, his ears going stiff. Without explaining, Viktor span around, his tail swishing and batting Jayce in the leg as he strode towards the blackboard. Viktor's tail flicked from side to side, like he was on the hunt and Jayce couldn't help himself smiling as he followed. They had been all this time, hadn't they? * * * "Do you think you can purr?" Jayce wondered out loud as he opened the door to their bedroom. "Very scientific," Viktor said, amusement clear. "There is a scientific reason for it!" He held the door open and Viktor headed in. "Which is?" Incessant curiosity. "Iiinnn case you've changed where we can't see or test. And it would be a good way to check if your instincts have been affected, since we don't purr." Obviously. Viktor leaned his weight on his cane some more, his tail swinging left and right in slow arcs. Jayce had started to recognise it as something it would do when Viktor was thinking hard about something. "And your proposal to make me purr?" There were a lot of things Jayce could think of that he was sure would make Viktor purr, and by Viktor's slowly growing smirk, he had the same idea as well. Jayce closed the space between them, tracing his fingers along Viktor's jaw before leaning in to kiss him. Viktor narrowed his eyes at him, his ears pinned on Jayce, when he pulled away. "You don't seem that invested in researching your hypothesis." "Just setting a baseline," Jayce said, reaching up to rub at the base of Viktor's cat ear, where he knew he was more sensitive. "So we have something to compare to." It made sense. "Then you'd best start comparing," Viktor said, leaning into his touch, his eyes going to half-mast. Grinning, Jayce leaned in again. * * * "I think that experiment yielded no results," Viktor said, as he pulled the blanket up to cover himself afterwards. "Hey! I think there was some bias going on," Jayce protested. He was still too far hot and he would wait until his heart rate had settled down first before crawling under to join Viktor. "Oh?" "You were trying not to purr." He had seen Viktor trying to keep quiet, biting his lip at times, which had made him push all that harder. Even then, there had been no purrs; there had been lots of other sounds though, which made up for it. Viktor smirked briefly before he yawned, his ears flipping back. "If you can't make me purr after trying, then we can confirm my hypothesis was correct and all changes are surface only." "Under one instance," Jayce countered as he moved back under the blanket. "We have to repeat it to make sure." Viktor's eyes were drooping, but he moved closer, Jayce wrapping an arm around him. "Under the same conditions or...more intense?" he murmured against Jayce's chest. "Both?" Both was a good idea. He got a snort as a reply. "Next time." Jayce grinned, drawing slow circles over Viktor's skin. "Of course." Then they could plan out what exactly they could try. Viktor didn't say anything else, his breathing evening out as he fell asleep. Jayce listened to him for a minute or so, before following him. * * * "Do you think catnip would work on you?" Jayce asked. The purring experiment hadn't shown anything, but testing how Viktor's body reacted to catnip could show something else. "Another test?" One of Viktor's ears turned towards Jayce, and that was one of the best indicators now to see how much Viktor was paying attention when he was working on a calculation or something else. "I wouldn't be a scientist if I didn't want to test everything." He was still worried about Viktor, but Viktor seemed to be settling into the new changes. "I seem to remember a few times when you didn't," Viktor said, still working on his calculation, but Jayce could just see his small smirk. "We were under time constraints then!" They hadn't been allowed to test as extensively as they wanted. It had worked out in the end with...only a few hiccups, and they'd learned more about what they needed to improve on. It still wasn't something Jayce wanted to do every time. He heard Viktor's low laugh, the final tap of chalk on the blackboard as he finished, before he turned around to face Jayce. "We can try it." "Really?" Viktor nodded, his gaze flicking over Jayce. "Where are you holding it?" Oh. "I haven't got any on me." He hadn't expected Viktor to agree straight away, so he hadn't bought any. Viktor shook his head, but Jayce could see the smile he was fighting back as he walked over. "I suppose it's near lunchtime. We can find some and then eat here." "Sure!" Jayce wanted to test Viktor's changes, but this was the only time he hoped his theory would be wrong. * * * Jayce watched Viktor roll the small bag of catnip they'd bought between his hands, used enough to his changes now to keep his claws away from the fabric. Viktor had gone through a few clothes near the start when his claws had caught and just tore holes through them. "You look more worried than I feel," Viktor said, lifting his gaze to look at Jayce. "Well, can you blame me? If you do react to it, what then?" Physical changes for the sake of progress, maybe. But the potential for losing himself, losing Viktor completely? It wasn't something Jayce wanted. "We would figure something out," Viktor said, fingers, going to the drawstrings. "We always do." They did. Jayce still couldn't help holding his breath as Viktor opened the bag. Viktor stopping himself from purring was one thing, but he couldn't stop how his body would react to drugs. The reaction was instantaneous. Viktor grimaced, jerking his head back as his ears flattened. Jayce breathed out. "No?" "No," Viktor confirmed, still grimacing. "It's too sharp, and I certainly feel no change in my mental facilities or have an urge to run or anything else." "Good." Jayce relaxed, watching Viktor tie the bag back up again, getting up to drop it into the filling bin in the corner. They should probably have that emptied soon, since they'd moved ahead enough that anything left in there wouldn't be relevant and they definitely wouldn't need it anymore, but for now, they would finish lunch first. Viktor may have physically changed, but mentally he was still the same. * * * It wasn't strange to wake up alone, Viktor getting up first to write down a new revelation before he forgot it, so Jayce got ready and headed for the lab, breakfast in hand in case Viktor had decided to skip it again. When he opened the door, Viktor wasn't working at the blackboard, pacing in front of it instead, his ears flat, his tail twitching. "What's wrong?" Jayce asked as he closed the door behind him, walking over. Viktor's jaw tensed, his tail lashing before it settled again. "Nothing. Why would you think there was something wrong?" "It's a little harder to hide your emotions now," Jayce said, lifting a hand  to stroke one of Viktor's ears. Viktor exhaled, his ears straightening for a second before folding again. "It's less hiding my emotions and more that there's something in the building now that sounds like it's trying to dig into my skull." He tried to lift his ears again, but he flattened them almost as soon as he did. He eyed Jayce. "You can't hear it?" Jayce turned his head, trying to pick out anything that seemed out of place, but he didn't hear anything new. "No." Was Viktor's hearing more sensitive now since he had larger ears? It would make sense. Viktor made a grumbling sound as Jayce handed him breakfast. "Come on," Jayce said, patting his shoulder and leading him back outside. Viktor looked up at him, an eyebrow raised. "What are you thinking?" "I want to see if we can find the source." He wouldn't be able to do that himself if he couldn't hear it. Viktor's ears flattened a little bit more. "It's fine," he muttered. "I'm used to ignoring annoyances." Jayce glanced back at the blackboard - the calculations were the same as the ones that had been on it the night before. "How much work did you do this morning?" Another grimace, Viktor relaxing a little as he sighed, leaning against Jayce. "Not as much as I would like." "Then the faster we sort this out, the faster we can get back to work." Viktor didn't say anything as they left the lab, but one ear pricked up, swivelling around before flattening again. "True. The source appears to be coming from the north." "Then that's where we'll start," Jayce said, moving in the direction Viktor had indicated. * * * They had visited a few places with no result. Either the walking or the sound was taking a toll on on Viktor, leaning more on Jayce and slowing down the longer they continued. "Have you made any changes or adjusted the machinery this morning?" Jayce asked the engineer manager, a short man with ginger hair that looked like it had been singed in a few places. They were on the edges of the building, almost the furthest point from the lab, but it seemed a likely place. Though he had thought that of the other places they'd investigated... Still, they were narrowing down where it wasn't. "The turbines were maintained this morning, like they are every year, sir," the manager said, jerking his head behind him. "Everything is to standard." "Could you check to make sure everything was put back properly? I just want to make sure everything is running as best as it can." It was easier putting it that way, than drawing their attention to Viktor. The manager opened his mouth and then closed it, nodding. "Of course, Counsellor." He span on his heel, barking instructions to the other workers. While he did that, Jayce went back to Viktor. Viktor had found a chair to sit on near the entrance, leaning on his cane in front of him. "They're not very happy about this," he murmured, making Jayce turn back to watch the workers. It looked like they were inspecting everything about the turbines without complaint. "It wasn't that much of an ask, was it?" And if something hadn't been put back right, doing this could prevent an accident. Viktor continued watching the workers. "Hmm, they had to delay working today due to the inspection, so they're already behind, and the turbines are large..." He closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. "You can't hear them?" How sensitive were Viktor's ears now, hearing all that when his ears were flat? "I can't." Even as the turbines wound down, he still couldn't hear much clearly. Jayce reached over, Viktor tensing when his fingers first caressed the top of his skull, but he relaxed a little as Jayce started massaging the base of an ear. Did it hurt to keep them down all the time, like continually using a muscle? Or was it still better than hearing whatever Viktor was? They stayed like that for a few minutes, Viktor leaning towards him. Viktor hummed, moving away from Jayce's touch, and when Jayce tried to follow, he was warned off with a look. "We've wasted a lot of time; this may be a new thing-" Viktor swayed, sucking in a breath. "Viktor?" Jayce gripped his shoulder, making sure he wouldn't fall if Viktor had suddenly lost his strength. Had they walked too much? He'd made sure Viktor had eaten breakfast, but maybe that wasn't enough. Or was it a new change they hadn't been aware of? "What is it?" "I think..." Viktor exhaled, and Jayce watched as one ear slowly flicked up, and then the other, both of them swivelling around. Staying up. "I think whatever it is has been fixed." Grinning, Jayce wrapped an arm around him in celebration before going off to find the manager. Once he told the manager, they could get back to the lab and start working again. * * * Viktor was swaying on his feet, leaning more weight on his cane, his hand dipping every so often as he wrote on the blackboard before rising again. Jayce came up behind him, knowing Viktor knew he was there with his ears pinned to him. "I think it's time to go to bed," he murmured into Viktor's ear, wrapping his hand around Viktor's. With deft fingers, he removed the chalk and set it down in one of the holders. "Hmmn," Viktor said, his tail curling around Jayce's leg. "I shhhould..." "Go to bed," Viktor repeated. "You won't be thinking straight right now anyway." There had been too many times where they thought they'd had a breakthrough one night, and then come the next morning, couldn't make any sense of their notes. "If it's that important, you'll remember tomorrow." Viktor didn't move, his focus still on the blackboard, as if he was trying to memorise everything that had been written there, before he sighed, leaning back against Jayce. "Yes, I think it's time for bed." Smiling, Jayce gave him a quick kiss on the temple, and they left the lab together. * * * Viktor was tinkering with something when Jayce entered the lab a few days later, the shape instantly recognisable.   "What are you doing?" Viktor's cane hadn't seemed so worn down to need an upgrade, and Viktor hadn't been complaining about it either. "Trying to design a new cane," Viktor muttered, nodding towards his old cane that was leaning on the table next to him. "My claws are stronger than I thought." Jayce sat down next to him studying his old cane. There were claw marks along the handle where he held it, and in the space between the arm and hand rest. "What are you thinking?" "Metal, for a start," Viktor said, turning the prototype in his hand. "Hollowed out to make it lighter." Jayce nodded. "And the design?" "Well, I was hoping for your input on that," Viktor said, giving him a small smile. He smiled in return, reaching for a sheet of paper with some space on it. * * * Viktor smirked down at Jayce, bracing his hands on Jayce's shoulders, pinning him to the bed, mindful to keep his claws away from Jayce's skin. "Still interested to see if you can make me purr?" Jayce grinned back, resting his hands on Viktor's hips.  "A little, to hear what you sound like." It was obvious now Viktor was fine; if his instincts or his mental capacity had changed, it would have been obvious by now. "Hmm, then you'd best try harder than last time." Chuckling, Jayce ran a hand down Viktor's thigh, Viktor gripping his shoulder. "I accept your challenge." He would be listening out for purrs, but that wasn't the main goal this time. * * * Jayce rubbed his neck as he entered the lab. The council meeting felt like it had gone on for hours but sunlight still st- He paused, seeing Viktor curled up on the windowsill. That wasn't like him, and as far as Jayce was aware, Viktor had slept well last night. Viktor was napping, wasn't he? Jayce kept an eye on his chest as he walked over. It rose and fell, Viktor's face relaxed, not grimacing. Sleeping. Not collapsed. He sat down next to Viktor, resting his hand on Viktor's shoulder, feeling his warmth. Good. He was okay. Viktor made a soft sound, one ear flicking towards his hand, his tail curling at the tip. He didn't wake up, but he moved closer until he was pressed against Jayce's thigh. That seemed to be what he wanted, sighing and then settling down again. Jayce leaned back against the window, moving his hand up so that he could run his hand through Viktor's hair. Yeah, a break seemed like a good idea for now. * * * Out of habit, Jayce scanned the hall, noting where everyone was, his eyes settling on Vik - oh boy. Over the years, he'd gotten more experienced at reading Viktor's body language and expressions, but sometimes it was hard to read him, especially when they were in formal events, and revealing a new invention and the socialising that followed after was one such event. Viktor's transformation made him a little easier to read across the room though, and right now, Viktor's ears were quivering, probably from Viktor trying to control them, and his tail was puffing up every so often as it lashed from side to side. Whatever they were talking about, Viktor wasn't happy. Jayce strode over, grinning widely as he placed a hand on Viktor's shoulder. "Ah, there you are, Viktor. You don't mind me borrowing my partner for now, do you, Sassan?" He didn't wait for a response. "There's just something I need his input on." Jayce directed them away, and Viktor exhaled, leaning into him slightly. "What's wrong?" "It's about the..." Ah, what could he say? There were ears listening on all side. Viktor's expression cleared. "Oh, that," he said, nodding. "Yeah, that," Jayce agreed. "We need to see to that immediately." "Of course." They exited the hall, Jayce nodding to the guards as they passed. "I can make it from here," Viktor murmured, relaxing the further they got from the hall. "They won't miss me if I disappear - you on the other hand, they'll wonder where the Councillor has gone." Jayce sighed, continuing to walk to their bedroom. Viktor was his partner, but he shied from the spotlight and people seemed just more willing to talk to Jayce. "Not immediately." At that, Viktor snorted. "Everyone saw you leave with me." ...There was that. "And they won't expect me back until later, while we sort out the 'thing'." It drew a small smile to Viktor's lips. "I didn't see you come up with much better." "No," Jayce admitted. "But it means I won't have to remember any particular details to make sure it all matches up later." And it was true, in a way. The problem had been Viktor being agitated, and he was dealing with it by getting Viktor out of there. "But, thank you," Viktor said. "No problem. Now, let's get you back." * * * Viktor wasn't eating. Jayce watched him ignore his food, eyes drifting around the lab. "Do I need to feed you?" Jayce said, Viktor's attention snapping back to him. "Mm?" "We still need to eat, Viktor," he said, scooping up a spoonful of food. "We can't do our best if we miss meals." It was something they sometimes did, when they were too caught up in their latest idea, but Jayce did try to keep regular meals, and Viktor usually ate once he had food in front of him. He held out the spoon, waving it from side to side, in case that somehow made it more enticing. Viktor tracked it, ears following the movement. "So do I need to feed-" Viktor leaned forward, taking the spoon in his mouth.  He pulled back, swallowing. "Hmm, maybe." Well, if it got Viktor eating... Jayce got another spoonful ready, Viktor already watching the spoon, his tail swishing from the corner of Jayce's eye. * * * Jayce approached Viktor in the lab, turning a new idea in his head. "Hey, what do you thi-" Viktor's ears flattened and he whirled on Jayce, grimacing. "...What?" Had he forgotten somet- "What are you wearing?" Viktor demanded, his nose wrinkling. Jayce looked down. It was his usual dress, and that couldn't be what Viktor was reacting to, since he already knew something was up before he turned around. Was it something he smelled of? Oh. "A gift from our new visitors," Jayce said, pulling at his top to sniff at the cologne again. "You don't like it?" It hadn't seemed that too strong when he'd put it on. "I'd rather not have my nose assaulted every time you come near me." That strong? Damn. "Do you want me to-" Viktor grabbed him by the lapels, jerking him forward a step. "Wha-?" Viktor closed the space, pressing up against Jayce, rubbing his face against Jayce's neck. Before Jayce could make sense of what he was doing, Viktor stepped back again, studying him as he sniffed the air. He nodded in satisfaction. "Much better." That done, Viktor turned his attention back to the blackboard. Uh, all right...? So Viktor's sense of smell was stronger too now? * * * "This should make the hexclaw less sensitive,"  Jayce said, watching Viktor slip on the controlling glove. But they'd thought that about their previous adjustments as well. "If not, I think I know what needs to be changed," Viktor said, flexing his hand, making sure the glove fit. They'd had to make a few changes so that Viktor's claws and fur didn't get caught, but the design was better, and they were able to think about how the glove would be used by different people of different sizes. "Hey, let's see if it works or not before we start thinking about what to do next," Jayce said with a small laugh. They couldn't get too ahead of themselves, or else they would lose sight of what was right in front of them. "Hmm." He quietened down as Viktor pointed, making sure neither of them were distracted. The beam was steady, the colour a little brighter. It appeared to cut through about the same, though they would have to measure the deepness once Vik... Jayce frowned. The beam wasn't moving, focused on one spot, cutting through the block. He glanced at Viktor, who was staring at the beam, his tail flicking at the tip. Viktor took a breath, and Jayce heard the beam move again. Except it wasn't a drawing or writing to show precision like Viktor normally did. It was just a bunch of short zigzagging lines with no order. The beam stopped a few seconds later with a crackle, and Viktor yanked the glove off. "I think...I need some sleep," Viktor said, setting the glove down. It was starting to get dark. "Let's go," Jayce said, watching Viktor. His shoulders were trembling, his ears flat. He must have been more tired than he realised. They left for their bedroom together. * * * Viktor had been missing for a few days. It...wasn't unusual, and something Jayce had gotten used to, but their last test with the hexclaw weighed on Jayce's mind. He'd tested it himself and their changes had helped, but... There was something about how Viktor had reacted afterwards. He turned his head at the sound of the door opening, relief flooding him as he saw- His grin fell. "Viktor?" he said as he rushed over. "What happened?" Viktor had entered without his cane, dragging his foot a little as he walked in. Had he been mugged? Viktor didn't reply, his ears pricked, and his tail at a relaxed curl. Focused on reaching Jayce. His expression seemed...a little blank. Jayce didn't like it; it wasn't like him.   Jayce reached him, placing his hands on Viktor's shoulders, trying to see if there were any injuries or bruises. Nothing that he could s- Viktor's eyes were slitted, Jayce realised, now that he was closer. They only used to do that when Viktor was excited about something, but there was nothing to be excited about here. Viktor hadn't been working on a calc- "Ow!" Jayce winced. Viktor had lifted his hands to rest them on Jayce's chest, flexing them so his claws dug into Jayce's skin. "What are you..." Viktor continued doing that. Like a cat trying to make a good spot for themselves. That wasn't what made Jayce's heart drop. It was the low droning in the air that hadn't been there before. It was a continuous sound, and when Viktor pressed up to him, the sound vibrated through Jayce's chest. A purr. "Viktor...?" Jayce whispered. Viktor lifted his head to look at him, and as he blinked slowly, Jayce saw a third eyelid sweep across his eyes. No... The sound was all Jayce could hear over the sound of his own thundering heartbeat. It didn't make sense. They'd checked and Viktor hadn't reacted! Viktor had been the same! Except, how much had his behaviour changed over the last couple weeks? It hadn't been anything too obvious or sudden, just a few small things that they had assumed was part of his new senses. Viktor still didn't say anything, the purr growing louder as he rested his head on Jayce's shoulder, rubbing his cheek there. Jayce had been curious to know if Viktor could purr, but now that he could hear it, he didn't want to hear it ever again.

[cyanide-mustard]

I Don’t Have the Words To Describe (How Much You Mean to Me) ~ Chapter 3

Also on Ao3

Summary:

James, Viktor and Jayce settle into routine and James makes a new friend.

AN: Guys I can’t for the life of me picture their stupid lab setup in my head so if there’s any discrepancies between what I write and what it actually looks like, no there isn’t lol. Also sorry if this chapter sucks, the next couple chapters will be (slightly) better.

A=𝜩, B=𝜣, C=𝝃, D=𝛴, E=𝜓, F=𝝇, G=𝝋, H=𝝺, I=𝛃, J=𝝣, K=𝝥, L=𝟄, M=𝟇, N=𝞖, O=𝝠, P=𝝮, Q=𝞈, R=𝞀, S=𝞏, T=𝞔, U=𝞒, V=𝞃, W=𝝸, X=𝞹, Y=𝞾, Z=𝞙

The next day Viktor and Jayce woke up early, before James did, so the taller man stayed to start on breakfast and clean the apartment, to be more welcoming to their guest, while the other left to buy groceries. When Viktor returned he put all the food away and worked beside Jayce, helping him make breakfast.

James emerged from her room, unaware of the two men in the kitchen who were also unaware of their own heavy staring. She was wearing a pair of light blue shorts and an even lighter blue camisole that sat high on her stomach and rose higher when she stretched her arms above her head. Thankfully the boys averted their eyes right before James jumped in shock at seeing the two of them in the kitchen. She ran back into her room and returned with a navy sweater on.

Jayce cleared his throat before speaking.

“Good morning James”

“G𝝠od 𝟇ornin𝝋 Jayce. Good morni𝝋 Viktor”

“Good morning”

When she saw the food they were making, she grabbed her notebook and wrote down the items in English and then Piltovian.

“E𝝋g, 𝜣ac𝝠n, t𝝠ast” she pointed to each, looking to the boys for confirmation. Jayce nodded and repeated each item.

James tried again “Egg, bacon, toast”

“And Coffee” Viktor

“And C𝝠ffee”

Viktor lifted the the labeled the sugar and milk container

“Sugar?” James lifted two fingers

“Two sugars?”

“Tw𝝠 sugars” she confirmed

“Milk?”

She lifted her fingers in a pinch this time

“A little bit of milk?”

“A little bit 𝝠f milk”

He passed the mug to her

“Thank you” she took her mug and sat down at the table. The boys joined her, bringing the plates with them. When they all sat down, Jayce rested his hand on top of Viktor’s which lay on his lower thigh.

“We are going to go to the lab today”

Jayce drew a picture of the lab after seeing her confused face.

“Ahh lab today” James says in understanding

After eating they made their way to the lab. Once there, James made herself comfortable on top of the large sprawling table, sitting right beside the window to take advantage of the natural light.

They all set out on doing their work. About an hour passed when Viktor felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see James holding her notebook

“What is your name?” She had the same look on her face that Jayce got when he was testing out a hypothesis.

“My name is Viktor?” His reply sent her face into a beaming smile.

“Who is he?”

“That is Jayce”

“What is this?”

“This is a book”

After about a million more questions, Viktor realized she was learning how to ask questions and verifying the subjects of each question word.

She would continue the day like this. Working in her newly claimed space before going up to Jayce or Viktor to test out a language point she learned or try and get clarity on something.

Jayce often asked her to pass him things, partly so he didn’t have to leave where he was sitting but also to help James work on her vocabulary. Although it took a little longer to get the tool, the smile on her face when she found the right one made it worthwhile.

They went on like this for the next four days. They had been making breakfast in the morning and eating more regularly; they felt bad after the first day when they got wrapped up in their work only realizing it was 5 o’clock and they had skipped lunch when they heard James’ stomach grumble from across the lab. Working throughout the day on their own projects at the lab, going home (somewhat) early, before getting a more socially acceptable level of sleep rather than their normal fuck we ball amount. James had learned some basic vocabulary but putting together full sentences was a struggle.

On the fifth day Jayce and Viktor left the lab in the afternoon to grab lunch and bring it back for them all to eat. Leaving James in the lab so as to not draw any unnecessary attention to her. This was unfortunately at the same time Caitlyn had decided to make an unannounced visit. She opened the door and was met with the sight of James looking for a purple-coloured pen in Jayce’s drawers, which to unknowing Caitlyn, the scene looked like a woman had broken into the lab of the top scientists of Piltover and was now stealing Hextech.

“HEY! STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING” Caitlyn yelled before bolting across the room.

James jumped nearly a foot in the air, scrambling back on top of the desk, reaching for the nearest tool, which so happened to be another screwdriver.

“𝝋𝜓𝞔 𝞔𝝺𝜓 𝝇𝞒𝝃𝝥 𝜩𝝸𝜩𝞾 𝝇𝞀𝝠𝟇 𝟇𝜓!!!” The woman barked out.

The teenage girl took big imposing steps forwards, which James responded to by backing away, slowly trapping herself further in the nook. Feeling the wall behind her, she lunged forward with a warning swipe of the screwdriver. The sound of Jayce yelling from the door, stopped both of them from injuring each other.

“CAIT STOP” Jayce yelled from the door.

At the sight of him and Viktor entering the room, James dropped the screwdriver, bypassing Caitlyn and sprinting towards them. She ran into Jayce’s right side, quickly seeking comfort before turning around to face the other woman. James stood behind the two, holding each of their jacket sleeves tightly in each hand, ready to pull them back at the sight of danger. When Jayce first started walking forward, she pulled him back.

“It’s okay, she’s a friend” She let go of his arm as he walked forward again.

Viktor put his arm behind her back, slowly guiding her forwards with him.

“Who is she? What was she doing in your lab?”

“I’m going to tell you only if you promise you will not tell a single soul”

“Alright”

“I’m serious, Cait, absolutely no one. Not even your mom or dad”

“I understand, absolutely no one”

He explained the best he could, given that much of the whole situation was unknown to him or Viktor, possibly known to James but she was currently unable to explain it to them. Once he finished she stood with her mouth hanging open for a couple seconds.

“Cait?”

“And this wasn’t your fault?”

Jayce rolled his eyes. Cait moved her gaze to James and looked at her with guilt. She moved forward taking her hands in hers.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to chase after you or try to attack you, well actually I did mean to but that was only because I thought you were stealing something, so I’m actually sorry for thinking you were a thief and not giving you a chance to expl-”

“Caitlyn slow down. She is not going to understand half of what you have said” At Viktor’s words she looked at the woman’s face again. She understood her sentiment but she was lost at every other word.

“Oh, sorry” Caitlyn looked sheepish. Seeing the girl’s embarrassment James stepped forward.

“Hello, My name is James. What is your name?”

“I’m Caitlyn, it’s nice to meet you”

“It is nice to meet you too. Would you like to be fri𝜓nds?”

“Yes, I’d like that very much”

Cait’s eyes focused “Is that my top?”

“Oh uh yes” Jayce replied

“You gave the poor girl my old clothes” , Cait shook her head in disbelief. “Her and I are going shopping and soon. But that does makes more sense than what you really said the clothes were for”

“What did you tell her you needed them for?” Viktor questioned.

Jayce turned his face back to his work away from the other three, which Viktor recognized as what Jayce did when he was trying to hide his face when it was a deep blush red.

“Jayce?”

“I might have said you wanted to try out a new style”

“You what!”

“I didn’t know what else to say!”

Caitlyn and James looked at each other, both needed to cover the mouths to quiet the giggles they let out because of the boys bickering.

“Literally anything else! Say that we needed them to blow up, I don’t know. Caitlyn thought I was asking my boyfriend for his younger sister’s clothes, that is weird Jayce. I love you but sometimes it is so embarrassing to be dating you”

Notes:

Translations:

𝝋𝜓𝞔 𝞔𝝺𝜓 𝝇𝞒𝝃𝝥 𝜩𝝸𝜩𝞾 𝝇𝞀𝝠𝟇 𝟇𝜓 = Get the fuck away from me

Please let me know what you think! Any love or feedback is always welcomed!

Taglist: @im-just-a-simp-le-whore