Archive of Our Own ^beta

Viktor hated parties. That's why as people gathered and spoke about the future and their selfish plans for progress with drinks in hand, Viktor was tucked off in a darkened alcove away from the lights, unnoticeable to the distracted guests. As if they'd care even if they did notice; Viktor was not their quarry.

It was just a bunch of rich people putting on airs; cunning smiles and disarming strokes to the arm designed to seduce and bend other, less rich people to their selfish needs with the promise of making them richer — like them. In the case of Jayce Talis, however, this party was for rich people to bend a promising, but unfortunately easily swayed, young man to their desires. Perhaps even seduce him as well.

Viktor's eyes widened when the Man of Progress himself came into his field of vision. For a moment he felt a sense of relief rise in his chest — finally a familiar and friendly sight after who knows how long he'd been sitting alone. His eyes lit up, hands gripped the pole of his crutch to prepare to stand and greet his partner.

Then, Jayce turned and all the light drained from Viktor's eyes, narrowing into a sharp, covetous scowl, his lips tightened into a moue. A woman was hanging off Jayce's arm, cozying up to him. 

She was tall and regal. Bright teeth as straight as could be as she laughed at whatever Jayce had said. Her hair was done up nicely, she wore an open-back dress that had a slit in the fabric to show off her legs and plump thighs. The shapely curves of her bosom were barely contained in the low-cut top and were shamelessly pressed against Jayce's arm as she clung to him.

Viktor scoffed, biting down on the inside of his lip until he felt the membrane shift under his teeth, threatening to draw blood. 

'I can't compete with that,' was the first irrational thought that he had. 

Of course he couldn't. And Jayce... Jayce would never look at him like that; why would he? Then he wondered why he had these thoughts; perhaps a product of the champagne he'd been nursing for the past half hour? 

Why did he need to be something more to Jayce? Why did he need him to look at him with that dazzlingly handsome smile; the one that created dimples in his cheeks and made the corners of his eyes wrinkle?

With a sigh, he conceded to the truth. He simply wanted it — wanted Jayce.

Using his crutch, Viktor carefully lifted himself to stand. He gave a final glance to Jayce who was being led to a large table with an obscene amount of drinks placed on it. This was Jayce's element — the showman, the golden boy. Piltover's beloved Man of Progress.

It was not Viktor's element. Not in the least. But he wanted to be there to support Jayce, as his partner.

/

Jayce was across the open plaza stood under a string of fairy lights and lanterns set adrift for the event. Jayce played his role well; he was able to smile and nod, let the fancy people talk, and tell him all about their ideas, even if he did get a bit lost in their often long-winded explanations of why he should support them. Even with that skill, between the excessive banter and honeyed words he was forced to listen to, it drained his energy.

The woman that Viktor had seen him with was stuck to his side like glue regardless of how many times Jayce politely declined her proposal. She was another rich person wanting Hextech for herself, but Jayce knew he had to keep up appearances, as much as he craved to be somewhere quiet and with someone who wasn't just after something for their gain. Eventually, Jayce managed to shake the woman's trail in the crowd.

The music calmed, an announcer came on a loudspeaker and told everyone to 'grab a partner for this next dance' and made some coy comment about how 'you don't even have to know them,' before the music picked up with a faster-paced tune. The center of the plaza quickly became a whirlwind of people dancing with each other, all smiles and elation across the faces of happy couples, strangers, and even children.

The party had gone on for an hour or so. By that point, Jayce had downed enough champagne to have a light buzz and lose track of the time. He felt hot and anxious, and his only thought was of Viktor. Where was he, how was he dealing with this crowd, wanting to cling to him like he always did when he was nervous. He knew Viktor was less resistant to social events and tended to skulk in the shadows until he was needed for something, but this event was simply for appearances, to make acquaintances, so Viktor wasn't expected to be there.

Finally, Jayce caught a glimpse of Viktor's familiar chestnut hair. He'd been so busy with the affluent of Piltover that he hadn't had a moment to greet him yet and oh was he incredibly eager to do so. He halted, tightened his red silk tie that accented his white and gold suit. Weaving his way through more people, glancing over them to keep his eyes trained on Viktor, he finally pushed through and extended his hand.

"Viktor!" he called out once he was close enough and jogged over to him.

Viktor stopped and turned his head at his name, shifting on his heels as he clutched the handles of his cane. He looked almost surprised to see Jayce. He'd seen the man wandering around the plaza, but as Jayce approached him, he truly got to admire how handsome he looked in his suit, and of course, his hair was done up similarly as always, perhaps more slicked back than usual.

Jayce's cheeks were flush with a bit of drink, evidence of the half-empty champagne flute that he swiftly placed on a tray carried by a passing caterer, smoothly spinning around in the process; Viktor was almost amused, the corner of his mouth curling up briefly. 

Jayce couldn't help but scan up and down Viktor's body, then whistled in appreciation.

"Wow~ You clean up nice! You look great!" Jayce complimented him with that big, goofy grin. It made Viktor's chest tight. "I've never seen you in such fancy clothes before, you're always in some academy getup," he explained and stepped in a circle around the other, marveling at him from all directions.

Viktor's lips pressed into a thin line; he felt very self-conscious with Jayce's eyes studying each part of him and was compelled to stay perfectly still as Jayce took him in.

He wore a black, unbuttoned tailcoat lined with gold stitching and accents, fitted to his body. Under it, he wore a shiny plum damask vest; double-breasted with a gold pocket watch inside the pocket. His legs were clad in sleek dark dress pants and had pointed, glossy shoes on his feet, his brace clasped up to his knee. Even his hair, which was typically wild and unkempt, was held in a small puff of a ponytail tied with a gold ribbon to match his accents, styled with some product, and some strands of his bangs dangled just over his right temple. It gave him a suave and captivating appearance. 

Jayce thought he was very dashing, his eyes unable to look away as they sparkled with admiration. He'd never seen Viktor with his hair styled, nor had he seen him wear such a fancy suit, and he even wondered where he got such attire.

"Uh... Jayce?" Viktor quizzed. His face was warm, feeling rather exposed under Jayce's silent gaze.

"Oh! Sorry!" Jayce laughed and put one hand on his hip, the other sheepishly rubbed at his neck. "I'm just not used to seeing you like, well," he gestured with his hand to Viktor's entire body.

Viktor's brows knit tight, his bottom lip pursing slightly in mild discomfort. The way Jayce spoke, how his cheeks were flushed — Viktor could tell he was tipsy. Of course, he assumed it was because he was getting cozy with the rich folk, not drinking just to get through the night.

"Don't you have guests to attend to, Mr. Talis?" Viktor hummed with disdain for his own words; Jayce had never been 'Mr. Talis' to him and it didn't sound right as it came out of his mouth.

Jayce let out an audible groan and palmed his forehead.

"Oh not you too, V! Don't call me that!" he whined and slumped his shoulders as he pouted, then brought his big brown eyes up at the other, pleading. "I...wanted to find you. Would you, hnm..." 

Jayce muttered off and worried his lip nervously, but in doing so brought more attention to himself. Viktor shifted on his feet to readjust his weight and lowered his head a little; an attempt to coax Jayce to speak.

"Would you like to dance, Viktor?" Jayce finally spat it out, his cheeks warming more as he stared at the surprised expression of the other.

"What?" Viktor asked reactively but then shook his head quickly and once again shifted his weight. "No, no. Not... Not in front of everyone," he said and glanced at the many people twirling around the plaza center. "Besides, I wouldn't be a good dance partner..." Viktor explained and sunk into himself, both hands gripped at his crutch tighter. He felt embarrassed and had a little bit of shame in his gut.

Jayce looked like a dejected puppy.

"V, that's fine, I— I wanted to—"

"Mr. Talis! There you are!" some high-pitched voice called over to them. The woman from earlier made her way over with a sway in her hips. Viktor slinked backward, scuttling his feet to give them more than enough space; he felt unwelcome — a third wheel. He didn't belong there at all.

Completely ignoring Viktor, the woman began to speak to Jayce about her investments again, but not without stroking over his lapel and fingering at his tie as if to fix it. Jayce's mind was hazy with alcohol and the lingering nerves of asking Viktor to dance and didn't react to the touch other than grimacing slightly. As the woman looped her arm with Jayce's and pulled him back to the party, Jayce glanced back and watched Viktor lumber into the shadows of the academy, his brows furrowed tight, faced with the missed opportunity. 

/

Viktor made his way back to the lab; it was where he belonged, after all. Stepping inside, he flicked the lights on and made his way over to his desk, then began to slip his tailcoat off.

'Dance? Don't be ridiculous...' Viktor pondered to himself as he folded his jacket over his arm and draped it over his chair. 'He really must have been drunk...' He sat heavily. With a sigh, he ran a hand through his hair, felt the texture of some product he'd used to style it, and then redirected his attention to his notes. 

At first, he managed to scribble some ideas down about more Hextech designs and how to power certain devices, but as the minutes passed, his focused thoughts wandered to that look that Jayce gave him. He seemed so sad, and what did he want to say to him before that woman showed up? Viktor knew he was likely over-analyzing it. Jayce was drunk, and Viktor knew how silly and even more affectionate he got when the man had alcohol in his system. 

Still, the sad, dejected expression on Jayce's face when he declined him, made Viktor feel a bit guilty. He didn't want to dance in front of everyone, not so publicly, not with his brace getting in the way. It would have been embarrassing and would draw attention to him — to them. 

"Maybe... I should have given him a few minutes..." he muttered to himself in the cold, empty lab room. The mental image of Jayce moving slowly with him, taking his hand and leading him somewhere quiet crept into his mind and made his cheeks warm. It was what he wanted, right? To be held and swayed by Jayce, feel his arms around him, his scent in his nose. To maybe confess how much he—

"Ridiculous—" 

"V!" Jayce's voice rang out from behind him. It startled him out of his thoughts and even made him drop his pencil. He spun in his chair and saw Jayce stride into the room with a device in his hands and a satchel over his shoulder.

"Jayce? What are—? Wait, is that... Is that a music player?" Viktor asked once Jayce had placed it on the desk beside him and he got a better look at it.

"Yes it is," Jayce replied and then paced over to the far end of the long desk in the lab. He retrieved some objects from his satchel, bundled them in his arms, and began to set them up all around the room.

"Jayce, what are you—?"

"Shush! Wait a minute," Jayce barked hastily. "I was gonna do this while you were out of the lab but you're never out of the lab so just— Close your eyes or something!" he hissed in playful irritation. 

With furrowed brows, Viktor turned back to his notes and sighed, closed his eyes, and listened to Jayce's shoes scurry across the stone floor. He heard Jayce close to him, place something down, then quickly leave again. He could smell sulfur. Unable to help himself, Viktor curiously opened one eye and peeked beside him. There was a trio of white candles on a saucer, flickering with soft flames. With a soft shake of his head, Viktor breathed out through his nose and closed his eye again, and allowed Jayce to continue to do...whatever it was he was doing.

"Alright, almost—!" Jayce said to himself and fiddled with something. 

He flipped a switch and the lights in the lab went out. Viktor heard the sound, the inside of his eyelids darkened.

"Jayce? Can I—"

"Not yet!" Jayce snapped with a laugh. 

Viktor was growing impatient with the silence mixed with all the strange sounds that he couldn't quite place without sight. Between all of that and Jayce's footsteps and panting as he ran back and forth in a hurry, Viktor began to tap his foot against the floor in anxiety and anticipation.

"Alright! You can open your eyes now," Jayce told him.

Finally, Viktor opened his eyes and looked around. There were strands of fairy lights twinkling, hanging from cabinets and even equipment like the prototype Hexclaw he'd been working on; which he'd scold Jayce about later. The curtains were drawn open wide to allow the moonlight to wash through and settle its cool hues over everything, and there were at least a dozen candles lit and scattered around the room. 

It was cozy — intimate even — and made Viktor's heart palpitate as he realized it was a mirror of the party.

"What... What is all this?" Viktor asked, his eyes shining under the fairy lights. 

Jayce didn't respond and instead pressed a button on the music player. Viktor's ears tickled with the sound of soft music and his wandering eyes went to Jayce, who wore a soft smile as he approached him.

"Do I really have to spell it out for you, V?" Jayce asked softly as he took Viktor's hands into his, then gently pulled him up from his chair. The way Viktor squeezed his hands as he kept balance made Jayce's heart race briefly. "It's alright since no one's around, right...?" he inquired hopefully, leaning down a bit and tilting his head to get a better look at his partner, who looked overwhelmed.

"Are you drunk?" Viktor scoffed softly and glanced around again, his eyes landing on the door that had been closed and clearly locked. Jayce had planned this, that much was obvious.

"I walked the buzz off," Jayce spoke casually and let go of one of Viktor's hands. "Well? May I have this dance?" Jayce asked as his other hand went to support Viktor, pressed against the small of his back.

A shock of timidness came over Viktor then as he realized what was happening, his eyes blinked rapidly and he looked away. Suddenly he was close to Jayce in a way that he'd secretly craved. Suddenly it was all within his grasp. But why? Jayce had never done anything this romantic before; he was always affectionate but this was different. It was deliberate and thought out — intentionally affectionate.

Viktor's nonplussed stare was beginning to dampen Jayce's confidence, but then he saw Viktor's lips part ever-so-slightly.

"I... I guess," Viktor finally gave the noncommittal answer.

"You guess?" Jayce repeated and looked as if someone had just hit him over the head. Though he recovered quickly with a chortle. "I'll take it. Just...follow my lead. I'll go slow," he said and led Viktor over to the center of the room.

Jayce held Viktor's hand and hip while Viktor placed his free hand on Jayce's shoulder, his fingers clutched his fancy white suit as Jayce slowly stepped to the side. He allowed Viktor a moment to match him, especially since he knew Viktor wasn't used to dancing, among other things. Every so often, Jayce would wince and hiss when he felt Viktor step on his foot; Viktor would whisper a tiny apology, but Jayce would smile and continue.

Within a few minutes, Viktor had gotten the hang of when and where Jayce would move his feet. His grip on Jayce's lapel loosened and his hand flattened to his chest in a more relaxed state, and the hand that held Jayce's stopped squeezing so tight. Jayce smiled when he saw Viktor get more comfortable; could enjoy himself now rather than think of how and when to move. Jayce wanted him to feel fluid and move with the music and himself. 

Jayce almost blamed the slight buzz he'd claimed to have walked off, but Viktor looked beautiful in his formal attire — the plum-colored vest hugged his body and showed off his narrow waist and long torso. The sleeves of the black silky shirt were held in place by sleeve garters on his upper arms, and the whole look was pulled together by the matching damask ascot around his neck. Jayce had to admit, as well, that he really liked Viktor's hair styled into a small ponytail.

Yeah, it wasn't the alcohol. Viktor was incredibly gorgeous.

"What are you thinking about?" Viktor asked after a few minutes.

"Hm? What do you mean?" Jayce inquired with a few eye blinks.

"You're looking at me with that dazed expression you get when you're deep in thought," Viktor explained. "You squint your left eye specifically."

"Hah... You really are perceptive, huh?" Jayce chuckled, his cheeks warm. The corner of Viktor's mouth tugged up a little with a sense of validation. "You're right, I was thinking," he paused then and kept Viktor in suspense as he rotated them to the music. His eyes closed as he inhaled, then sighed dramatically. "I was thinking... That of everyone at the party, all the investors I had to dance with to keep up relations... You're the one I wanted to dance with the most." Jayce's grip on Viktor's hip tightened, his fingers toying with the fabric of his vest.

Viktor's eyes widened with surprise and a bit of shyness. Jayce was still a little tipsy; he could tell even if he said he wasn't. After a second or two he scoffed in his throat and shook his head in disbelief.

"I'm not a good dancer," Viktor dismissed the sentiment. 

Jayce squeezed his hand and hip in a way that showed determination and all of Viktor's attention was on him.

"Don't matter," Jayce told him and brought him closer, their torso's just a fraction apart, gold eyes staring into deep brown ones. "I still wanted it to be you. I'm glad you said yes."

Viktor stumbled over Jayce's feet then. Up until that point he'd kept up with him and matched his movements, but the way Jayce talked was appealing to Viktor's unspoken desires and made him nervous in the best way. When he stumbled, Jayce stopped their dance and brought both hands to his shoulder blades to support him, holding him close.

"You okay?" Jayce worried. 

Viktor kept his forehead pressed to Jayce's clavicle. He felt stupidly lightheaded as his heart raced in his chest, the frustratingly pleasant scent of Jayce's cologne and natural scent under it filled his nose.

The mood shifted even more as Jayce held him. Viktor's body was warm, the ascot tight around his throat and made his breath even heavier. Jayce noticed how stiff he was and loosened his grip a bit, giving the other some space if he needed it.

"Viktor?" Jayce called out to him, his concern doubling when Viktor didn't respond to him. 

A hand came up to Viktor's chin and lifted his head so Jayce could see the shy expression painted across his lab partner's face; it was surprising and made Jayce realize with a blush that Viktor was feeling embarrassed by what he'd done — possibly even realizing that he felt something more for him. The pink tint of Viktor's cheeks glowed in the candlelight, his brows knit together, upturned in the center to express his anxiety, and his shimmering golden eyes were aimed across the room at anything that wasn't Jayce.

It was all very cute.

Jayce tilted Viktor's head up more and gazed down at him, his eyes scanning over the other's thin lips with a rather seductive glint in his eyes.

"May I?" Jayce began and leaned down just a bit, his thumb caressed over Viktor's bottom lip. "Kiss you, I mean." 

Viktor blinked a few times, stunned in place for a little too long. The fear and realization of what he'd just asked to do slammed into Jayce like a punch to the gut and he suddenly let go of the other, that dreamy look in his eye faded to the familiar puppy-dog expression Viktor was used to as he stumbled back a few steps.

"Sorry— That was out of nowhere— I didn't mean to be so forward. It just came out and I couldn't help it when you looked so—"

Viktor closed the distance. Two of his fingers pressed to Jayce's open lips, shushing him. Jayce pursed his lips up in mild embarrassment. 

"Stop talking," Viktor mumbled the command. His fingers grazed over Jayce's lips, down, and then gently pulled on Jayce's fancy tie. 

Jayce didn't resist as he was tugged down and found Viktor's lips against his. The initial shock lingered for a bit before the tension in his shoulders faded and he melted into the other's soft kiss. He was about to raise his arms and hug Viktor — his fingers itched to hold him, he wanted to deepen the kiss and pour the love in his heart out to him and stay like that forever — but Viktor cleared his throat quietly and looked away, a sense of uncertainty and worry wrinkling his forehead.

Jayce didn't want to stop yet, but he understood if it was overwhelming; even if Viktor was the one who kissed him first, he knew how anxious the other could get. Carefully, he lifted one of Viktor's hands and kissed his fingers.

"Thank you for the dance," he said politely. He'd spoken that rehearsed line many times that night, but it felt nice to actually mean it for the first time.

"We're done?" Viktor inquired. There was a look of disappointment creeping in at the corners of his eyes as his brow furrowed. Jayce was pleasantly stunned by how honest Viktor was, but that was a trait of his that he admired.

"We can keep going for as long as you want, or if you want to take a break, we can stop...?" Jayce offered, his hand going to Viktor's waist again. Viktor's fingers curled around Jayce's as he still held his hand.

"No... A little longer. It's— Ah... A nice change of pace..." Viktor stepped closer and wrapped his arm around Jayce's middle, planting his cheek against his chest. He could hear Jayce's heart pounding and felt comforted that it wasn't just him who was feeling like a foolish, love-sick young man.

"Alright. A little longer then."

Jayce coiled his arms around Viktor's waist, hands locked at the small of his back, and nuzzled his nose into Viktor's hair to smell that familiar scent of vanilla and spice. Viktor squeezed around Jayce's torso and followed the other's lead as they stepped in a slow, circle-like dance around the lab.