Chapter Text
Jayce hadn’t meant to follow Viktor home.
But after the wedding, after the chaos of cleanup, after the emotional rollercoaster that had been confessing and then getting kissed , his feet had carried him here anyway, like he had no choice in the matter. And, well. Viktor hadn’t exactly stopped him.
Now, they were pressed together in Viktor’s apartment, barely inside the doorway, Jayce’s back against the closed door as Viktor kissed him like he had been waiting years to do so. Maybe he had. Maybe they both had.
Jayce felt like he was going to short-circuit. Viktor’s hands were in his hair, his cane clattering to the floor as he pulled Jayce impossibly closer. Jayce gripped his waist like letting go would be the worst mistake of his life. He might have moaned into Viktor’s mouth. He wasn’t proud of it, but also, Viktor hadn’t stopped kissing him , so clearly, it was fine.
Eventually—too soon, way too soon—Viktor pulled back just enough to breathe, his forehead resting against Jayce’s. He was grinning. That lazy, lopsided smirk that had always driven Jayce insane.
“I take it this means you are no longer panicking,” Viktor murmured, thumb brushing over Jayce’s cheek.
Jayce let out a breathless laugh, pressing his forehead even harder against Viktor’s. “Oh, I’m still panicking. Just, you know. In a different way.”
Viktor chuckled, hands smoothing over Jayce’s shoulders before finally stepping back, just enough to actually look at him properly. “Well, in that case, perhaps we should ensure you do not have a heart attack. Sit. Breathe.”
Jayce rolled his eyes but let himself be guided to Viktor’s couch, flopping onto it dramatically. “You did just kiss me stupid, so that’s fair.”
“Mm. I did, didn’t I?” Viktor mused, smirking as he sat beside him.
Jayce groaned and buried his face in his hands. “I am never going to recover from this.”
Viktor just laughed, leaning against him. “Good.”
-💍💍💍-
The next morning, Jayce woke up in Viktor’s bed, (unfortunately for him) still fully clothed, still reeling .
It was unfair, how beautiful Viktor looked in the soft morning light, how peaceful. Jayce wasn’t sure what to do with himself. His brain was still trying to catch up with the fact that, oh yeah, they were probably a thing now .
Viktor stirred, blinking up at Jayce with a sleepy, knowing smirk. “Jayce.” Jayce hummed. “You are staring.”
He flopped back onto the pillow beside him. “Yeah. Get used to it.”
Viktor hummed, clearly pleased, and reached out to tangle their fingers together. Jayce squeezed his hand, feeling his heart do that ridiculous thing again. The thing it had been doing since the moment Viktor had walked into his life.
Yeah. He could get used to this.
-💍💍💍-
They spent the next week in a daze. Viktor had officially stolen all of Jayce’s hoodies. Jayce had stopped pretending to mind. They still worked together, still bickered over projects, but now Jayce could kiss Viktor when he got too smug, and that? That was a win .
Of course, their friends had opinions .
Caitlyn and Vi, when informed, had just exchanged a long glance before nodding like they had known this was coming. “Took you long enough,” Caitlyn had said dryly, while Vi grinned and clapped Jayce on the back hard enough to nearly send him flying.
Mel had simply sighed, looked at Viktor, and muttered, “You poor thing.” Viktor had grinned and said, “I know.” Jayce had squawked in protest.
Ximena, however, had cried . She had sobbed into her hands, whispering about how her baby had finally grown up, and Jayce had been forced to hold her and promise that yes, she was still his number one woman, and yes, he would bring Viktor over for dinner.
Everything felt like it had fallen into place.
And Jayce? Jayce was so in love.
-💍💍💍-
The brunch had been lovely. It really had. Even if Vi had been smirking at him the whole time and Caitlyn had spent half of it giving him the most inquisitive eyebrow raises known to man. Even if Ximena had been practically glowing with smugness, clearly waiting for Jayce to say something—anything—about Viktor, and even if Mel had offhandedly remarked, "So, was it the bad advice that did it, or did you figure it out on your own?"
Jayce had choked on his drink.
Viktor, of course, had been calm and unbothered the entire time, sipping his tea with an expression of pure neutrality, like he hadn't just turned Jayce's entire world upside down in a single week.
And so, once the plates were cleared and Vi started getting a particular look in her eye that meant Jayce was about to be interrogated within an inch of his life, he panicked.
"Viktor," Jayce said suddenly, standing so quickly that his chair nearly tipped over. "Walk with me."
Viktor raised an eyebrow but obligingly set down his cup. "Alright."
They made their escape before Vi could demand an itemized list of everything that had transpired. Jayce could hear her laughing behind him, but he ignored it. Instead, he just focused on walking, taking deep, measured breaths, feeling Viktor’s presence beside him like a gravitational pull.
They strolled through the city streets, side by side, the air crisp and cool. Occasionally, their shoulders bumped, and Jayce was certain Viktor wasn’t doing it on purpose—but he also wasn’t moving away. The entire world felt different now, brighter, like every tiny moment had been sharpened into something impossibly important.
Jayce swallowed hard. He had to say something. He had to know.
"So… what now?" he finally blurted, cringing at how awkward he sounded.
Viktor hummed, glancing at him. "What do you mean?"
Jayce rubbed the back of his neck. "Like… us? Do we—I mean, do you want to—??"
Viktor watched him flounder, eyes glinting with subtle amusement. "I assumed we were already together. Unless you require some grand confession?"
Jayce nearly tripped over his own feet. "I—NO—I mean, YES—but also WHAT."
Viktor let out a laugh, like Jayce wasn’t currently experiencing total system failure. "Jayce. You followed me home like a lost dog. You are my idiot now."
Jayce stopped dead in his tracks.
Viktor, the absolute menace that he was, just kept walking a few steps before pausing, turning back with a slight smirk. But then, without teasing, without hesitation, he reached out—and took Jayce’s hand in his.
Just held it.
No fanfare. No dramatics. Just warmth. Just certainty.
Jayce wanted to cry again, but he was officially out of tears.
So instead, he squeezed Viktor’s hand, grinning like an absolute fool, and let himself be pulled along—because, really, there was nowhere else he’d rather be.