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Before his face appeared on cups and posters and merchandise, when Jayce was still a regular no one, a brilliant student at the academy but not a person of importance yet, he thought that parties like this were fascinating. The glitz, the lights, the people: everything seemed so effortlessly glamorous to him, an outsider looking in and dreaming of being allowed to participate.
He's learned a lot since then and he's realized now how wrong he was. Mostly, he's learned how to disguise his boredom and hide his yawns in the endless flutes of delicate wine.
"And where is your more attractive half tonight, Mr. Talis?" asks the tall man in front of him. They've been talking about politics the entire time they'd been together, three and a half minutes. Too short of a time for Jayce to extricate himself and go on mingling with other possible investors. Thankfully, it seems that this boring conversation is finally going somewhere and Jayce seizes the opportunity to do a little self-promotion.
"He's in the lab,"he replies with a fond smile, thinking about the last image he saw when he closed the door: Viktor with his back bent over a microscope, the straps of his goggles barely visible through his messy hair. Jayce is a bit jealous of how he gets to have fun and do science, the thing they're supposed to do, while he is here, kissing hands and kissing asses hoping to obtain money to finance their projects. "We're getting closer to a break through and he's focusing all of his energy on a new prototype we're building..."
Before he can build more steam, the man in front of him laughs, a ringed hand moving to his belly as if Jayce said something hilarious. Jayce has no idea why the man is laughing so he smiles Smile #12. It's the one he practiced in the mirror specifically so it wouldn't look as awkward as it feels, but just open and winning like most of his other practiced facial expressions. He makes a little "Oh?" sound, like he's heard Cassandra Kiramman do when she wants other people to expand on a topic, hoping that this man will share the joke with him.
"My dear boy, I was referring to Councilor Medarda, of course! She is not here yet and you're usually inseparable at these events. She's always a sight for sore eyes," he adds with a condescending little smile. Then, with a little frown that seems to move the least amount of facial muscles, probably to avoid the horrid danger of wrinkles: "I would never joke about Mr. Viktor like that, you have to believe me."
He says it so earnestly, or as earnest as someone for Piltover's elite can be, that Jayce can almost feel seven veins in his brain explode from pure unadulterated rage. He doesn't reply, just smiles pleasantly and waits for the man to go on and hang himself with his own assholishness.
"We all know the amount of work he has added to your research, as you keep reminding us. It's very kind of you to allow him to contribute to what you do. I would never be so crass as to discuss his physical attractiveness or lack thereof."
"Are implying that Viktor is unattractive?" he asks, his grin stuck to his face with spite and pure willpower.
"Well, I imagine he might be considered attractive where he comes from? Come on Mr. Talis, we all know who is the real brain and the face of the Hexgates, don't we?" the man brazenly continues, obviously unaware of the mental images flashing through Jayce's mind, of himself inserting half the tools of his forge inside this man's mouth.
"If--" Jayce starts, a fully formed 45 minute rant ready to pour out of him, only to be interrupted.
"Only one of the brains but certainly the face, Mr. Ferros," Mel says, her small arm sliding in around Jayce's elbow and squeezing hard enough to stop any protests. "I'm sorry, but I have to steal dear Jayce for a minute if that's alright with you."
The man, Mr. Ferros, blinks dazedly at her as he agrees and lets Mel waltz the two of them towards the refreshment table.
"Smile," Mel advises him through her teeth, "and tell me why you were about to ruin the relationship with one of the oldest clans in Piltover." Her tone implies that Jayce better have a good excuse and he does. It's not even an excuse, it's a reason, and a perfectly valid one.
"He was insulting Viktor!" he hisses, half turned towards her so no one will notice his frown, hopefully.
"How is that different from usual?" Mel asks, grabbing a plate and giving it to Jayce to hold.
"It was some of the usual stuff, how I allow Viktor to work with me as if he's nothing but a secretary instead of my partner, but then! He said that Viktor is not attractive!" he huffs as Mel piles food on the plate in his hand. The canapés look delicious but Jayce is too angry to eat them now.
"And...?" Mel asks again, one of he eyebrows rising.
"What do you mean, 'and'? The man is obviously stupid and also blind, calling Viktor ugly. To my face, even!" he relents his hold on the dish as Mel takes it from him, their eyes meeting.
"Jayce," starts Mel, as if she's talking to a small, stupid child. Her tone is nice and polite but something in the shape of her lips and the tilt to her head remind him of when his mother scolded him for his dicier experiments. She bites her lip before sighing: "I need wine if we're gonna have this conversation. Get me a glass and meet me on the balcony."
Jayce grabs her a glass. He also gets one for himself because he shouldn't get drunk in public but at least he can use the alcohol to hide his scowl.
When he gets on the balcony, he breaths in. The air is less stuffy here, both metaphorically but also literally. Having left the smell of perfume, food and wealth inside, Jayce's nose doesn't register any scents for a few moments. It's nice.
"What was that all about?" Mel asks without turning around. She's looking out on the city, picking at the food in front of her.
"Rich, entitled assholes, that's what this is about," he grumbles, feeling irritated still.
"You're part of the rich, entitled assholes too, now," Mel points out and he can hear the smirk in her voice.
"Don't remind me!" he grumbles. He ignores how precarious his position feels, even after all of these years. He knows he could lose it all in the blink of an eye and he's grateful that Mel stopped him before his bad temper took over him. "Thanks for the save," he mumbles to his feet, feeling some embarrassment creep in to warm his cheeks.
"You're welcome," Mel replies, half turning towards him. "Just remember that I might not be there next time someone makes you angry."
He groans, knowing fully well that his temper will flare up again next time someone belittles Viktor.
"It's just..." he starts, whining and fully aware of it. "They don't respect him! They don't understand him, the progress that we've made together, the discoveries and the advancement he's brought to the scientific community! They think that just because he's from the Undercity he's stupid, and now they're calling him ugly, too!"
"Leaving all of the usual complaints aside... You are aware that Viktor is not conventionally attractive, yes?"
Mel's question hits him like a hexcore explosion.
"Not you too!" he exclaims before he grits his teeth.
"I'm not saying he's ugly," Mel says, turning fully to face Jayce. "His facial features are symmetrical enough and he can pull off the sickly, delicate flower look when he wants to. If he doesn't open his mouth," she smiles, as Jayce responds with a smirk of his own. Yeah, Viktor only looks delicate until he starts with the sarcasm.
"So you think he is attractive!" Jayce isn't sure why he wants Mel to agree with him, he just wants people to see that he's right.
"He's not exactly my type. I prefer taller, stronger and more muscular men," she says inclining her head and letting her eyes roam over Jayce's body. "You're more similar to Noxians that he is, you're more familiar to me. He's more... Exotic, for lack, of a better term."
"Exotic?" he scoffs. Well, first Viktor is ugly and now he's only acceptable as an exotic beauty, Janna help him!
"He doesn't fit the expected norm in our current society," she explains, calmly. "Wouldn't you agree?"
"Of course I don't! He's as tall as I am, maybe just a bit shorter. He's one of, if not the most intelligent person in any room he finds himself him. He's thin, yes, but he does have muscles, he's just lithe. His skin is so pale you can see the veins in his wrists and he has moles all over. They're called beauty marks for a reason!"
Jayce takes a breath and he sees that Mel is smiling at him.
"Yes, they are," she murmurs, bringing a spicy hors d'oeuvre to her mouth. "Seems like you spent a lot of time considering Viktor's attractiveness."
Jayce blinks. "Not particularly," he shrugs. "It's plain to see for anyone who has eyes."
"But not everyone is looking," she tells him, a smile still on her lips. She comes closer and pecks him on the cheek. "You can think about that later, for now let's go back inside before our host wonders where we disappeared."
Jayce automatically offers her his arm, frowning a little. He wonders what she means when she says that not everyone is looking. He soon gets distracted though, and lets himself be reabsorbed in the machine of progress and money begging.
It's not until a few hours later that he thinks back to the conversation. Specifically, it's not until he's back at the lab.
He decided to make a quick detour after the party before going home, just in case Viktor was still working. He finds Viktor at the lab, of course, but he's not working. In fact, he's fallen asleep in his chair again. Jayce better wake him up to prevent further back aches.
He gently shakes one of Viktor's bony shoulders, always surprised by how he can cover most of it with his hand. Viktor makes a grumpy sound, burrowing his face between his crossed arms, and Jayce laughs a little. He can hear the smile in his own voice when he speaks: "Viktor, come on. You've fallen asleep in the lab again, let's go home."
Viktor makes another sound, less grumpy this time, and turns his head towards him. "Jayce?" he asks, barely opening his eyes before a yawn makes him squeeze them shut again.
"I should've talked about the eyes first," Jayce muses to himself, mind going back to the conversation on the balcony.
"Eyes? What eyes?" Viktor asks as he straightens, back and neck popping with every movement.
"Nothing, just something I was telling Mel earlier tonight. People can be really stupid, you know?"
"Councilor Medarda is far from stupid, Jayce," Viktor chides him, a half smile on his lips to indicate that he knows Jayce is perfectly aware of the fact.
"I wasn't talking about her, just this guy from one of the oldest mercantile clans in the city."
"Did he try to insult her? I can't imagine it went well for him," Viktor snorts, looking around for his cane. Jayce nudges it closer to him as he replies.
"Actually, he tried to insult you, not her. And I would've defended your honour, but Mel saved him from my ire," he gives Viktor his best winning smile, even as his gut twists in indignation.
"Ah yes, I can imagine that you looked like the scariest and most threatening puppy. Did he coo at you?" Viktor mocks him and hey, that's unfair.
"I do not look like a puppy, thank you very much. More like a hound, a very scary one!" he adds, trying to defend himself. He starts putting the papers scattered over the table in order, just to have something to do with his hands.
"Yes yes, the scariest mastiff in Piltover, I'm sure. Is that where you mentioned the eyes?" Viktor asks, as he too starts to gather the objects on the table.
"Ah no, I didn't mention the eyes at all. I was complaining--"
"Whining you mean?"
"--Complaining to Mel about how rude Mr. Ferros was and I was pointing out to her that you're very attractive, no matter what that guy said. She mentioned that you're not her type but I should've mentioned your eyes, even she can't deny that you have gorgeous eyes. Or your eyelashes, women love long eyelashes, don't they?"
Jayce turns towards Viktor, only to find him staring at the papers in his hand. They're crumpled from the way Viktor is holding them but he's not looking at the notes, he's looking straight at Jayce.
"What?" Jayce asks, extending his arm to take the papers. Viktor moves them out of the way, the ass, and Jayce gets closer.
He doesn't realize how far he's stretched his hand until he stumbles forward, almost tripping over Viktor. He gets a hand around his waist to stabilize them both and when he looks up again he notices how close they are.
"Do you often think about my eyes, Jayce? Or my eyelashes?" Viktor asks, his gaze never leaving Jayce's.
"A normal amount, I guess? You do have very long eyelashes and they're very dark against your skin especially when you're sleeping," he explains, feeling off balance. He realizes he's still holding onto Viktor's waist and he lets it go, taking a tentative step back.
Viktor doesn't let him go far.
"Oh, for--!" Viktor huffs, exasperated. Jayce has no idea why he sounds like that but he quickly gets distracted by the fact that Viktor grabs his by the front of his shirt and smashes their lips together.
It's a kiss. Viktor is kissing him. Viktor! Is kissing! Him!!
Jayce thinks he can be forgiven if his brain turns off for a second.
It only turns on again when Viktor lets him go and moves back, panting open mouthed. Breathing is a terrible idea and Jayce goes to follow him with a sad noise, before Viktor raises a hand.
"A moment," he says, and his lips and red and shiny and they look so good. "Jayce, give me one moment." Viktor says, this time more forcefully, and Jayce realizes he was about to grab Viktor again to keep kissing him breathless.
Because Viktor just kissed Jayce. And Jayce kissed him back. Oh.
Viktor is a very good kisser and he's not the only one out of breath, Jayce notices and he tries to go back to a normal rhythm. That's hard to do, when his heart is pounding in his ears.
He looks around, grabs a couple of chairs and pushes one closer to Viktor while he falls in the other one. His knees are trembling, what the fuck.
"I take this not the result you expected when you shared that information with me," Viktor asks, halfway between a statement and a question.
"Not really," Jayce replies, absently touching his lips. They're tingling.
"Is this an undesired outcome?"
Jayce raises his head. Viktor is looking at him, eyes as sharp as usual. His hair is mussed, his cheeks are red and he looks like the single most beautiful human being Jayce has ever seen.
"No," Jayce replies, voice rough. He clears his throat, before trying again: "No, it's unexpected but... But maybe it shouldn't be. And it's not undesired. At all."
He holds his breath, waiting for Viktor's reply. Viktor's gaze is almost palpable, a physical thing roaming over his face before his piercing eyes lock onto Jayce's. He clears his throat, too.
"We should go home," is what Viktor says next and Jayce feels his heart shatter into a million pieces. "To my home," Viktor clarifies, as hope burns bright in Jayce's chest. "We wouldn't want to wake your mother, would we?"
Viktor's smile is tentative but Jayce can't help but beam at him. His mind is a chorus of "YES YES YES" and he can't stop himself from rising from his chair and closing the few steps towards where Viktor is sitting. He grasps his handsome face between his hands and kisses him until they're both breathless, until their necks hurt, until their mouths are red and tingly and their hair is a mess.
Jayce realizes that Mel was right: not everyone is looking. But the fact that Jayce is looking, that's significant. That means something. It means everything for them.