Work Text:
The lab had always been a second home for Jayce. Its hum of machinery, the soft glow of the workbench lamps, and the faint whiff of solder and oil were oddly comforting - familiar, even. But no matter how much he enjoyed spending his time here, the lab wasn't really designed for comfort. Night's spent hunched over his desk, dozing on his folded arms, drool ruining pieces of his written work, left him sore and grouchy when he woke up.
When he tried going back to his room instead, the frustration only grew. He would drag himself through the darkened halls of the academy to his quarters, collapsing into bed, only to wake a few hours later with the irresistible pull to return to the lab. The commute was short but pointless; he was losing precious time and energy for nothing.
The tipping point came during one of their late-night brainstorming sessions, when he caught himself dozing off mid-sentence. Viktor, barely looking up from his work, offered a dry remark about Jayce's "astounding stamina" before continuing on with his calculations. It surprised Jayce, just how dedicated Viktor was to his projects, to making the world a better place and leaving his mark. Of course, he was too, they were inventing the future of Piltover, but with him being spread so thin, being at the lab while dealing with the council and their antics, or being dragged off to parties late into the evening, he simply couldn't keep up with Viktor, who seemed to be impervious to exhaustion.
Something had to change, Jayce needed a solution - a way to stay in the lab without wrecking himself in the process. And that's when the idea struck him: a sofa.
It was a modest addition to the lab, nothing flashy or overly expensive, but it was exactly what Jayce needed. He dragged it into a corner near the large, wall-mounted board they used for sketches and equations of such, positioning it perfectly between these workspaces.
Jayce took to it immediately. The first time he sprawled out on it, arms behind his head, he declared it the best idea he'd had in months. From that moment, it became his haven - a place to recharge during the late nights and early mornings.
Viktor, however, ignored it entirely. Despite Jayce's repeated encouragement, Viktor refused to sit, let alone rest, on the sofa. He continued to work himself to the point of near collapse, always choosing the hard, unyielding surface of his chair over the comfort so readily available.
Jayce tried to play it casual at first, tossing out light-hearted remarks. "You know, Viktor, this thing isn't just decorative. You could try sitting on it sometime." Viktor would glance at him briefly, offer a noncommittal hum, and return to his work.
It wasn't until weeks later that Jayce decided to get creative. He started leaving his notes and books scattered on the sofa - a mix of convenience and a 'subtle' invitation. If Viktor ever needed to look through something, he'd have no choice but to sit down.
And deep down, Jayce couldn't deny it: he wanted Viktor to rest. To see him take even a small break from his relentless drive.
At first, Jayce told himself it wasn't a big deal. Viktor had always been intense, driven by the kind of focus that bordered on obsession. Jayce admired that about him - it was part of what made Viktor such a brilliant inventor. But lately, something felt off.
It started with the small things: the faint shadow under Viktor's eyes that never seemed to fade, the way his movements had grown slower, more deliberate, as if forcing himself to behave proper, and avoid acting sloppy when he was working. Then there were the moments Viktor would pause mid-sentence, his gaze lingering in the distance like he'd lost his train of thought, brows constantly knitted together as he tried to scramble what remnants of thought he had left - a rarity for him.
One evening, as they were reviewing their latest Hextech prototype, Jayce glanced over and caught Viktor stifling a yawn behind his hand. "You're gonna get burnt out if you keep this up," Jayce said lightly, leaning back in his chair.
Viktor didn't look up from his notes. "Burnout is a myth," he replied, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. His accent was considerably thick as he spoke.
Jayce couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that. "Sure it is. You look like you've been up for days."
"I have been productive for days," Viktor corrected, his tone teasing but firm. "There is a difference."
Jayce folded his arms, his voice softening. "Viktor, when's the last time you actually slept? Like... properly, comfortably?"
The question made his partner pause, though only briefly. "I do not recall," he said, with a touch of wry amusement, as if he found his own answer comical. "But I assure you, I am perfectly capable of continuing on, there is still much to be done."
Jayce frowned. "That's not really reassuring."
Viktor finally looked up, meeting Jayce's gaze. "I appreciate your concern," He said sincerely, his expression softening. "But I am fine, Jayce. Truly."
Jayce hesitated, unsure whether to press further. Viktor wasn't brushing him off - not entirely, anyway - but the quiet determination in his voice made it clear that the conversation was over.
"Alright," jayce said, lifting his hands in mock surrender. "But don't expect me to carry you back to your room when you pass out at your desk."
Viktor chuckled at that, shaking his head. "You are too dramatic, my friend."
Jayce forced a smile, though the tenson in his chest didn't ease. He started watching Viktor more closely after that, noticing the way he rubbed his temples when he thought no one was looking, or the faint tremor in his hands when he reached for his tools. At some point, he would notice Viktor's head dip forward, his body jolting him awake at the last second. It wasn't just exhaustion that clung to Viktor, it was the kind of bone-deep fatigue that worried Jayce more than he cared to admit.
The sofa, meanwhile, remained untouched by the man - a frustrating symbol of Viktor's refusal to take proper care of himself. Of course, some nights, Viktor would leave the lab and Jayce could only assume that he was retiring for the night, a feeling of relief washing over him, but when Viktor would appear back in the lab after only a few hours - certainly not enough hours for a healthy night's sleep - Jayce's worry would begin to eat away at him again.
One night, after Viktor had, surprisingly, left the lab, Jayce stood in front of the sofa, running a hand through his hair. He'd added a few things to the sofa over the weeks, new cushions, a light blanket that draped over the back. "What's it gonna take to get through to you?" he muttered, as if the empty room could offer an answer.
He sighed and tossed a stack of notes onto the cushions before heading to his quarters. He would be back in the late-morning, though with the way his head throbbed, Jayce felt it better to sleep in the comfort of his room.
--
The lab was quiet that morning. The steady hum of equiptment blended with the soft rustle of papers, creating a subdued rhythm that mirrored Viktor's own sluggish movements. Jayce had left early, summoned to a meeting with the council, leaving Viktor alone with their work in a silence that felt heavier than usual.
He preffered the quiet, usually. It allowed him to think, to untangle the threads of inspiration and precision that wove through their designs. But today, it left too much space for thoughts he'd rather not entertain.
Viktor sighed, glancing down at the workbench in front of him. The paper's he needed right now weren't here, and after looking through the mess Jayce had left behind, he realised they weren't there either. His eyes rolled, head shaking slightly before he placed his hand on the table, steadily rising to his feet before grabbing his cane that sat propped up against the workbench.
Jayce scattered things everywhere, how the man knew where anything was Viktor wouldn't know, but what he did know was Jayce seemed to have a current favourite spot in this room, where he spent most of his time relaxing.
The gentle clack of his cane filled the lab every time it hit the floor. His fingers twitched slightly as he stopped walking, reaching out for a blueprint Jayce had carelessly left on the soda. That goddamn sofa. It was such a simple addition, yet Jayce had been insistent, as though the very act of placing it there was a declaration of rebellion against their grueling schedules.
Viktor's hand hesitated over the blueprints, his mind drifting back to their conversation a few nights prior.
"You're going to get burnt out if you keep this up," Jayce had said, his voice hovering somewhere between teasing and serious.
"I am fine, Jayce," Viktor had replied, deflecting as usual. Yet the concern in Jayce's eyes had lingered, much longer than Viktor was comfortable with. He hated that look. Not because it wasn't genuine, but because it chipped away at the fragile balance Viktor worked so hard to maintain.
Jayce saw him as an equal, a partner in their work. Viktor had spent years ensuring that nothing - not his condition, not his prosthetics, not the creeping inevitability of his illness - would tarnish that perception.
The thought of appearing weak, of becoming someone Jayce pitied, gnawed at him. It wasn't a concept Viktor entertained often. His work was too important, too urgent, to allow for such frivolities. Yet even he couldn't ignore the growing heaviness in his limbs, the faint ache in his chest that seemed to worsen with every sleepless night.
With a deliberate slowness, Viktor moved the cane from under his arm, propping it up now againt the arm of the sofa, before beginning to scan the notes Jayce had left scattered across the cushions. Typical. Jayce could never keep his workspace tidy for long, no matter how many times Viktor pointed it out.
Viktor was soon sat on the edge of the sofa, leaning forward as his fingers brushed over the papers. He would have gotten up immediately, but the notes and diagrames Viktor required were all here, and he couldn't help himself as he read through them. Jayce had added a few things to these that Viktor wanted to review. He traced the diagrams almost absently, his focus flickering between the equations on the page and the faint pull of fatigue in his body.
The cushions beneath him were soft. He shifted slightly, leaning back without realising it, his body sinking deeper into the sofa's embrace.
"You are too dramatic, my friend," he murmured to the absent Jayce, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
His fingers stilled over the notes, his head tipping back against the cushions. It wasn't surrender, he told himself. Just a brief pause. Just enough to gather his thoughts before returning to the work that awaited him.
But the heaviness was relentless, pulling at him, wrapping around his limbs like a tide. Viktor closed his eyes, just for a moment.
The equations blurred into the darkness behind his eyelids, the hum of the lab fading into a distant murmur. He didn't notice when his breathing slowed, evening out as his body finally gave into the exhaustion it had fought so hard to ignore.
--
The door to the lab slid open with a quiet hiss, and Jayce stepped inside, stretching his arms above his head. The meeting had dragged on far longer than he'd anticipated, he'd only wanted to be there an hour, and instead had remained for several. Negotiating with the council always left him drained, but today, that weight felt heavier than usual.
He dropped his bag at the door, rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced at the workbench, taking a few steps towards it. It looked as it always did: clean where Viktor worked, cluttered where jayce had left it. But something was different, something was missing.
His eyes scanned the room, landing on the sofa near the back corner. He blinked, his mouth slightly agape as he stared.
Viktor was sprawled across the cushions, one arm dangling off the edge of the sofa, his bad leg stretched outward while his other leg was slightly bent at the knee. His head rested awkwardly against the crevice of the sofa, half of the back of it, half on the armrest. His chest would rise and fall with the slow rhythm of deep sleep.
Jayce continued to stare, unsure if he should feel relieved or concerned. Viktor never slept - not here, not like this. He was almost always the last to leave the lab, and almost always the first to arrive, tirelessly focused on their work.
"Viktor?" Jayce spoke softly, stepping towards the sofa.
No response. Viktor's face was slack, devoid of the sharp lines of concentration or faint irritation that usually coloured his expression. He looked peaceful in a way that Jayce had never seen, his features soft, almost vulnerable.
Jayce crouched beside the sofa, his brows furrowing. How long had Viktor been asleep? He had been gone for hours, Viktor could've been here since the moment he left - or he could have just fallen asleep, Jayce had no idea.
He looked over Viktor, and the sofa, and realised the sofa itself was a mess. Notes and blueprints were strewn across the cushions, half crumpled and teetering on the edge, some even lay in Viktor's lap or beside his hip. A small smile appeared on Jayce's face. "Of course you fell asleep reading," he reached for the papers on the sofa carefully, gathering the scattered pages into a neat pile, before reaching for the ones that lay in Viktor's lap, pinned by one of his hands. Jayce pulled at them slowly, though Viktor shifted, curling more into the sofa as his head tilted to the side, facing Jayce. His arm still dangled off the edge, fingers loose and twitching faintly, as if caught in the remnants of a dream.
Jayce stood, his gaze soft. Whatever had finally pushed Viktor to rest, Jayce wasn't about to disturb it, not now. He crossed the room, placing the pile of paper on the workbench before walking over to the cabinets in the room, pulling out a small but quite fluffy blanket that they kept. He internally pat himself on the back for having brought blankets in here in case he ever decided to spend the night.
Returning to the sofa, Jayce unfolded the blanket and draped it gently over Viktor, tucking the edges around him. Viktor shifted again, his face scrunching into a brief frown before settling back into serene stillness.
Jayce allowed himself another smile.
Stepping back, he took one last glance at the sofa before heading to his workstation. He kept his movements quiet, not wanting to break the fragile calm that had settled over the room. For once, the silence didn't feel so heavy, and the tiredness and slight annoyance from this morning seemed to have seeped away.
--
The lab had fallen into a gentle rhythm of quiet activity, the sound of Jayce's pen scratching against paper and the occasional clink of tools filled the space. He tried his best not to make too much noise during the next few hours, but still wanted to make some progress in their discoveries, Viktor would have been pissed if he decided not to do any work for the sake of allowing the man to sleep. Plus, Viktor seemed to be absolutely out of it.
The sofa remained undisturbed during this time - until a soft groan broke the stillness.
Jayce looked up from his work, his eyes darting to the sofa. Viktor shifted beneath the blanket, his brows knitting together as he mumbled something unintelligible. Slowly, his eyes cracked open, blinking against the overhead lights.
It took a moment for recognition to settle - or rather, the lack of it. Viktor's gaze roamed the room sluggishly, his frown deepening as if the very act of being awake was an offense to him.
Jayce stifled a laugh as Viktor pushed himself up slightly, the blanket slipping from his shoulders. His hair was a tousled mess, and his usual sharp, calculating demeanor had been replaced by something far more... disoriented.
"Morning, sunshine," Jayce couldn't help but tease, still watching Viktor.
Viktor shot him a glare - or at least, what would've been a glare if he hadn't been blinking blearily like a disgruntled cat. He sank back into the sofa with a groan, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand.
"What time is it?" Viktor muttered, his voice thick with sleep.
Jayce glanced at the clock. "A little past four."
Viktor froze, his head snapping up. "Four?"
"Relax," Jayce said quickly, holding his hands up. "You've been out for a while, but that's probably a good thing. You needed it."
"I did not-" Viktor started, but his words were cut off by a jaw-cracking yawn. He slumped back against the sofa, his indignation melting into groggy resignation.
Jayce bit back another laugh. He'd seen Viktor in countless states - focused, frustrated, even smug - but this sleepy, almost petulant version of him was pretty new.
"You are impossible to wake up," jayce suddenly remarked, crossing his arms. "I tried earlier, you didn't even flinch." While Jayce didn't know how long Viktor had slept for before he reached the lab, he knew that Viktor had at least gotten a good 4 hours, and felt that would have been enough of a nap, plus, he needed Viktor's opinion on something he was working through, though, his attempt at waking the other was entirely fruitless he came to realise, and had set aside that work until Viktor woke up himself.
Viktor's eyes narrowed, though the effect wasn't intimidating whatsoever, more cute than anything. "You are exaggerating."
"I'm not," Jayce replied with a grin, "You were dead to the world. I thought I'd have to call for help."
Viktor groaned again, pulling the blanket up to cover his face. "Go away."
"No can do." Jayce was too cheerful, now standing and leaning against the workbench. "You're awake now, and you need to eat something. When's the last time you had a proper meal anyway?"
A muffled grumble came from beneath the blanket, and Jayce couldn't help but laugh this time, unable to keep it in. "Thought so."
After a moment, Viktor peeked his head out from under the fabric, his hair sticking up in every direction. He looked every bit as unimpressed as Jayce expected, but there was a faint hint of warmth in his gaze. "Do not think this means you are forgiven for... whatever this is," Viktor muttered, gesturing vaguely to the blanket.
"Oh, I'm terrified," Jayce shot back, his grin widening.
Despite Viktor's protests, he didn't move from the sofa, his body still slumped against the cushions. And Jayce, for all his teasing, couldn't help but feel a quiet sense of satisfaction.
For once, Viktor was letting himself rest - even if it was begrudgingly.
The minutes ticked by as Viktor's grogginess began to ebb. He shifted in his seat, straightening his posture and folding the blanket semi-neatly in his lap, his movements slow and deliberate.
Jayce couldn't help but marvel at how deeply Viktor had slept. It was like watching someone wake up after a hundred-year slumber, the weight of it lingering even now. He half-expected Viktor to turn over and drift back to sleep, and for a brief moment, it seemed like he might.
Instead, Viktor rubbed a hand over his face, his hair still sticking out at odd angles. Jayce grinned, crossing the room to stand near the sofa. "That's a good look for you, by the way. Bedhead really brings out your charm." He brought his hand to Viktor's head, twirling a bit of the messy mop of hair, moreso to emphasise that he was teasing his partner.
Viktor shot him a bleary glare, though it lacked any real heat. "I was unaware I employed a stylist in the lab."
"Hey, I'm just pointing out the obvious," Jayce quipped, hands settling on his hips where he stood. "How long were you asleep for, anyway? I was gone for a while and you were definitely asleep when I got back."
Viktor hesitated, his gaze wandering toward the large window. "I sat down shortly after you left for your meeting. That was... early, was it not?"
Jayce raised a brow. “That meeting started at the crack of dawn, hours ago, Viktor.”
Viktor gave a small shrug, as if to brush off the significance of it. He couldn’t change what had already happened. “It seems I needed the rest…” He spoke softly, almost echoing what Jayce had said before.
Jayce didn’t press this further, he was just happy his partner had actually slept a healthy, human, amount of hours. “Well, since you’re awake now and coherent,” he began, flashing a smile, “what do you say we grab something to eat now? I’m starving.”
“You seem to be under the impression I am your dining companion,” Viktor replied, though his words were softened by the faintest hint of amusement.
“Maybe you are,” Jayce shot back, reaching down to retrieve Viktor’s cane from where it was propped against the sofa. He held it out, waiting for Viktor to take it.
Viktor regarded him for a moment, then accepted the cane with a small nod. He rose to his feet, steadying himself with a practical ease.
Jayce watched for a moment, his eyes widening slightly as Viktor stretched his back, eyes closed and face scrunching up as his free arm raised up over his head, Viktor stretching as a chipper, almost squeaky, high-pitched sound left his throat.
He couldn’t help the smirk that etched onto his face. “You sure you don’t want to take another hour? You’re still looking a little wobbly.”
“Do not test my patience, Talis.” Viktor muttered, arm falling to his side.
Jayce laughed, placing a hand on Viktor’s shoulder. “Alright, alright. Let’s go, food’s on me.”
Viktor huffed but didn’t protest, falling into step beside Jayce as they left the lab. His messy hair caught the light as they stepped out into the hall, and Jayce couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of it.
As the door to the lab closed, Jayce bit the inside of his cheek, a smirk on his face. “You know,” he began, voice carrying that familiar blend of pride and teasing, “I’d say bringing that sofa into the lab was one of the best ideas I’ve ever had.”
Viktor staggered, glancing up at Jayce, raising an unimpressed brow. “Your best ideas are often self-serving.”
“Ah ah, not this one.” He countered, his grin growing. “It’s comfortable, isn’t it? Go on – admit it.” Jayce couldn’t help but lower himself slightly, face close to Viktor’s as he raised a brow.
Viktor huffed again, his grip on his cane tightening slightly. He shook his head, looking over at Jayce before quickening his pace slightly, “It is tolerable at best.”
Jayce laughed, standing straight and allowing himself to catch up to Viktor, walking in tandem with the other man. “You’ll admit it one day.”