Chapter Text
Jayce Talis has always been someone who thought his work to be outside of human comprehension. During school, he often tried to keep to himself, not out of rudeness, but because they didn’t get it. And when Jayce only thought, dreamt, and calculated magic, there wasn’t much room for people who would not appreciate or recognize the proposition.
That was until the explosion that flipped his life upside down, inviting hosts of fear and stress and… Viktor. Viktor, with his amber eyes and charming gravelly accent, understood. He understood what Piltover could be, what the undercity could be, and how Jayce’s research could change everything.
And Viktor was incredibly clever too. He partnered with Jayce to research his theory, which, later, after a blue epiphany of light, became Hextech — their baby, he and Viktor’s creation that is becoming something bigger than the both of them.
And they have a great work partnership, a good friendship, and are an amazing team. But Jayce can’t help but wonder, looking up at the guest room ceiling, if his other, definitely not friendly, feelings will ever be reciprocated.
He is now coming to realize what a tangled mess he’s made of himself. He wants to preserve their friendship, yet when he falls asleep, he imagines Viktor next to him, his warm breath fanning on his cheek. He wants to remain partners, but when they work late in the office and Viktor is sleeping at his desk, lightly sighing, Jayce has to stop himself from reaching over and carding his hands through his beautiful, soft brown hair.
So, he invites him over for Jubilee.
How was this supposed to help with his star-crossed crisis? What if Viktor hates him for inviting him?
Hextech will fail without Viktor—
Jayce tries to reason with himself to stop spiraling, but comes to the realization that this was the only decision he could have made because the thought of Viktor alone on Jubilee, silently working to himself in a staff-empty, desolate lab, could definitely bring tears to Jayce’s eyes.
He cared about him in a way that went deeper than desire. He cared about Viktor’s well-being, the way he pushed himself to exhaustion for the sake of their work, the way he buried his own needs beneath the weight of ambition. Jayce could see the toll it took on him — the late nights, the quiet sighs when Viktor thought he was alone. Viktor’s stoic nature often hid the fragility Jayce knew was beneath it, and Jayce hated the thought of him suffering in silence. He wanted to protect him, to pull him from the edge of burnout, to tell him it was okay to lean on someone else. Jayce wanted to be the one who could ease his burden, who could show Viktor that he didn’t have to carry the weight of the world alone.
Every time he saw Viktor’s weary eyes or heard the subtle cracks in his voice, Jayce’s heart tightened with an unfamiliar feeling — one that wasn’t just about admiration, but about a profound need to make sure Viktor was safe, cared for, and never alone. It was an ache Jayce could never fully explain, a longing he couldn’t deny, no matter how hard he tried to push it away. In the end, it wasn’t just Hextech that Jayce feared losing. It was Viktor.
And Jayce tried to let go of this, but Viktor was so beautiful in a way that Jayce couldn’t quite shake from his mind. It wasn’t just the way his amber eyes seemed to flicker with an intensity of purpose, nor was it the charming quirk of his lips when he smiled. There was a quiet strength to him, a rugged elegance that Jayce couldn’t ignore. Viktor’s figure, lean yet strong, filled Jayce’s thoughts more than he’d like to admit. His hands — those hands that crafted the delicate mechanisms of Hextech — looked so capable, yet so gentle. Jayce would sometimes catch himself staring at them, imagining the warmth of those hands against his own, on his body, the feel of Viktor’s presence so close that it was overwhelming. Even the thought of Viktor, in the simplest way, made Jayce’s heart race in a way he couldn’t control, made him flustered and nervous so much that he had to remind himself, every day, that they were partners, friends, creators… but that didn’t stop the rest of his mind from dreaming of something more.
Snapping Jayce away from his own yearning, his phone dinged and he was notified:
Caitbin:
Starting the road-trip, can’t wait to see your boyfriend…
Jayce:
I told you that in secret! Viktor isn’t my boyfriend, Cait.
Caitbin:
Yet… 😉😉
Jayce heaved a deep sigh, putting his phone on charge and stepping to get some water for his parched throat.
Viktor was in the kitchen, reaching for a glass when Jayce opened the door. Viktor was bathed in the refrigerator light and clothed in Jayce’s old band shirt that reached down to his blue-and-white striped briefs.
“I see you forgot night clothes again, V.”
Viktor was slightly startled by Jayce’s presence and nearly dropped the glass in his hand.
“No, I didn’t,” Viktor rebuked assertively, going back to fill up his glass with sweet-milk, before peering down at his outfit, seemingly shocked and stumbling.
“Oh, um, yes, it seems I did! Oh… haha?”
Viktor laughed, combing through his hair, turning to leave. Jayce stood there, stunned by Viktor’s rambling, as Viktor walked out the threshold and up the stairs, muttering something Jayce couldn’t hear.
Jayce realized Viktor had forgotten his sweet-milk. After filling up his own full glass of water, he plucked it up and hurriedly followed Viktor upstairs, attempting to remain quiet so as not to wake his mother.
Reaching his old room, Jayce lightly rapped on the door.
“V, are you good? Also, you forgot your sweet—” Jayce whispered into the timber wood as the door swung open to reveal a now emotionally put-together Viktor, who took the sweet-milk.
“Did you need pyjamas, Jayce? You forgot to wear a top.”
Viktor warmly muttered, opening the crack of his door to seemingly allow Jayce inside.
“No, no. You rest. I usually sleep like this, so—”
“Oh, yeah, off-night, Jayce.”
And then Viktor’s door was shut in Jayce’s face.
“Sleep tight, V.”