Chapter Text
The apartment was modest, something Viktor had guessed Jayce's apartment would be like.Though he was Piltover's most yearned for among nobles, he was from humble beginnings. It was one of the things that drew the Zaunite to him in the first place. The drive to do good, even when everything is against him. He smiles at the memory when they floated through the air the first time. How brilliant the energy shone around them, how it felt to just be suspended with no weight, and how Jayce looked in the blue light.
An awkward cough interrupts his thoughts and Viktor realizes he's still in the doorway. He steps across the threshold and tries to take in more details. Details that only he and a select few would be privy to.
"So uh, yeah. Here it is." Jayce sweeps his arm to the living room. "Councillor Kiramman was kind enough to try and replicate the floor plan. Down the hallway is the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. Make yourself a home, I'm going grab us something to drink." He then ducks down the hallway, leaving Viktor to his own devices.
Jayce had mentioned that having a lab for Hextech freed up space around his home, which helped him disengage from work when he needed to. Viktor never did ask what Jayce does outside of work, despite how much time they've spent together. He looks around the room for any insight and finds a small eight-stringed instrument propped up next to the balcony. The inventor walks to the instrument and picks it up by the neck. With some effort, he manages to bring it to a chaise near the door and lays with it propped up. Lightly, Viktor strums across the strings, curious as it sings a soft scale.
"I picked it up when I was younger, music is pretty similar to mathematics and inventing." Jayce says as he comes into view with a tray of steaming mugs. The taller man sets it down and with one mug in hand, he stretches the other out towards the instrument. "If I may?" Viktor nods, trading items and he wafts the contents. Sweetmilk is the the first thing he smells, with some notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and a hint of whiskey. He takes a long and slow sip, watching fingers move deftly across the board as Jayce plays a simple melody. It's nothing like the performances Heimerdinger used to take him along for, but in some way the inventor found that he enjoyed it more. The music was something only he got to hear, no one else.
Perhaps I have been pushing too hard. He muses, if working without rest prevents him from precious moments like these. Moments just between him and Jayce, where the world outside doesn't exist, like when they had floated in the air. It was just the founders of Hextech against the world. The ambiance of the room is calming, more than he can remember feeling in a long time. It feels like there is no consequence, that everything in this moment will stay only in this room. His cheeks are warm as he watches Jayce fumble over a slightly trickier part. The way he screws his eyebrows together and bites his lower lip is enticing and somewhere in the back of his mind, Viktor prides that Councillor Medarda will never see what he sees right now.
Jayce is staring at him, he notes a bit late. The Piltovian’s expression is difficult to discern and suddenly Viktor feels self-conscious of his gaze. Viktor quickly stands up, a bit too fast and stumbles forward. He sees his partner’s expression change to panic as he also leaps up to steady him, and the Zaunite nods curtly. They need to start talking about something, anything to break this charged atmosphere. Viktor swallows down his embarrassment and smirks at Jayce.
“So, this is what you do in your free time. It’s quite relaxing. But you know, you still haven’t challenged my idea that you have novels under your bed. Time for an investigation.” The inventor turns with crutch in tow and heads down the hallway briskly.
“Ugh, I was hoping you’d forget about that.” The Piltovian grabs the mug out of Viktor’s hand when he catches up and down its contents. “What are you going to do when you have your answer? Blackmail?”
“So you do!” Viktor cackles and opens the door to Jayce’s bedroom. He can picture the other’s face as a sigh lets out behind him.
“There’s no stopping you when you have your mind set on something. It’s one of the things I learned the moment we met.” Pushing ahead, the taller man walks to a fairly plain bed and shoves his hand under for something. The Zaunite strolls in and looks around the room. Various crystals and textbooks adorn the room. A large bookshelf, small dresser, and desk are the only other pieces of furniture; all of which look just as modest. Fingers trail across the desk as he nears the bed and the other man pops up, book in hand.
“Here.” He thrusts the book into Viktor’s hand and the Zaunite examines the table of contents. The book is relatively short, and just from flipping through a few pages, he’s already bored. He sets it on the desk and with some effort, kneels under the bed. “W-what? I already gave you evidence. You really don’t need to look more. Viktor, come on, can’t I have some privacy?” Using his crutch, he makes a large sweep under the bed, ensuring anything and everything would be pushed out. A couple more books come out, some with pages dog-eared or pictures sticking out between pages. One book looks a bit more risque with a thin paper cover and Viktor picks it up to flip through.
"Ah, here we are." He smiles and thumbs across the pages. A woman bound by some brooding lover seems to be the plot. I suppose for a honest person like him, this would be enough for a reaction. Curious, he sits against the bed and starts at the beginning.
If Viktor was honest, which with Jayce it depends on the Zaunite's mood, he would admit that the plot was actually good. The story was well written, characters were appealing for investing one's time, and the plot twists were alarming. Once he finishes, he closes the book and sets it aside and looks around. His partner was nowhere to be found. Did I really take that long? Viktor gets up and wanders to the living room. On the chaise with a half empty bottle of wine was Jayce, scowling into a mug.
"All I wanted was an evening to relax with you." He grumbles as Viktor comes closer. "But no, I had to be the joke of the night. Jayce Tallis, Most Eligible Bachelor of Piltover doesn't have a damn idea how to get a date." The Zaunite shifts where he stands, a twinge of guilt in his chest.
"Jayce. I suppose that, perhaps I got carried away tonight. My apologies." The Piltovian snorts and gulps a large portion of his drink.
"You absolutely did. I was so worried about you today, and you don't even care. You just throw it back in my face and make fun of me." Viktor's grip tightens on his crutch. It was true that he hadn't been the most respectful today, but if only Jayce knew how distracting he's been and the emotional turmoil that came with it. "I already told you I didn't want a future without you in it and you never…..you never even said anything about that."
"I wasn't aware that I was supposed to bring it up again?" Jayce's scowl deepens and he mutters in his mug.
"And you criticize me for my inexperience, you're just obtuse." Viktor can feel his face grow hot.
"I am obtuse? Over what? You--"
Jayce now stands over Viktor and he grabs the Zaunite by his tie. Upon examination, he sees that his partner's eyes are red and puffy. He's about to resume his complaint and open his mouth, but instead of words coming out, chapped lips meet his.
It sends electricity to all his extremities and the inventor's heart is thumping in his chest. The grip on his tie loosens, but Viktor brings a hand to Jayce's cheek, holding him in place as he deepens the kiss. The reciprocation earns him a soft groan from the taller man and as they part, Viktor makes sure to lightly bite Jayce's lips.
They're staring, both breathing erratically from the surprise and flushed. Jayce is the first to break the silence.
"You have no idea how long I have been waiting to do that."
"You've been waiting? I thought that you only had eyes for the Councillor." Jayce looks away and fiddles with his collar.
"I mean, she's pretty incredible and attractive in a lot of ways." Viktor can't deny that either, but that doesn't stop a small scowl from forming. "A-and persuasive." The Zaunite starts to back away, and a hand flies up to the small of his back to keep him in place. "But! She isn't the one that believed in me, in our dream to be and do good. Or the person who stays with me late into the night and early in the morning and chooses to still support me at my worst." Viktor hazards to look at his coworker's face and sees him red, but absolutely sincere. "I have been caught up in someone else's world too much and it's changing me into someone I don't like, someone I don't recognize. I don't want to be Jayce Talis, Councillor of Piltover, I want to be Jayce Talis, co-founder of Hextech." He takes a pause and purses his lips together, waiting for a response.
Viktor for once, is dumbfounded. I was reciprocated? All this time and he felt the same? Both anger and relief spun in his mind. He had worked so hard as a young adult to fight his insecurities, and when Jayce came into the picture, so too did the anxiety that he finally had someone to lose. Viktor actually cared about another's opinion, and it was a frustrating relief that he had wasted time fretting over this.
"You say you have been waiting, but I was sure that I would die before anything would happen like this." Jayce frowns at the idea, causing the Zaunite to chuckle. "I am the one dying, I am allowed to make fun of my mortality." He pecks a kiss on a corner of the frown. "But I suppose I could live a little longer for our future."
The embrace Jayce gives him is tight as the Piltovian buries his face into the other man’s shoulder. Viktor starts to feel giddy as the relief washes over all of him and he presses his face into dark hair.
“Please, stay tonight.” The words are barely above a whisper, but Viktor smiles into the hair.
“You’ll be hard pressed to get me to go anywhere else.”