Chapter Text
Piltover is as busy as ever despite the late hour. People are singing in the streets, drinking mass amounts of alcoholic liquid, and making memories with their friends. The one person who isn't partaking in the festivities is the one person desperate to find his other half.
Jayce has never felt so alive and terrified before. Even as people bump into him in the street he can only think of Viktor, alone, somewhere in the city.
He's been so stupid for so long. His mind replays every moment, every word, and every touch exchanged over the past two years.
It's been so obvious to everyone but him.
– TWO YEARS AGO –
“Am I interrupting?”
The voice, coming from behind, nearly scared him shitless.
Jayce's eyes snapped open as he startled away from the ledge. It took a second for him to collect himself under the weight of what he was about to do. He clutched his chest, trying to settle the racing fear in his pulse. Who the hell would be here at this hour? And why would they talk to him?
All too soon his sad state of accepting the end shifted to anger as he whipped his head around. His visitor stood among the shadows as a thinly man with a terrible hunch. He held a book Jayce recognized, one that had spent every night on his bedside table since he bought it.
And one that was supposedly confiscated. Yet here it was, open in this guy's gnarled hands.
Jayce looked up at the man. He could just make out his face in the moonlight: high cheekbones poking out of hollowed skin, deep eye bags, and a prominent nose. His wide eyes were focused on Jayce and he seemed…hopeful?
He spoke with an accent Jayce couldn’t quite recognize, and every word he said seemed to belittle Jayce and his notes. It was such an absurd scenario that Jayce could hardly believe it. The humiliation was so severe he nearly jumped then and there just to get it over with.
But then a proposal was made – the two of them, working as partners.
It was a decision that would change their lives forever.
---
It was a surprisingly easy transition from working alone to working with Viktor. For the most part, they kept to their respective sides. Jayce already had a table set aside for all his notes and research, and he ordered a separate one for Viktor once they decided to work together (and after they broke into Heimendinger’s office, a feat he still couldn’t believe they accomplished). Moments after the new table arrived it was equally covered in its own collection of papers.
At the beginning of their partnership, the one thing they shared was the chalkboard, but even that was nicely divided into sections of Viktor and Jayce's ramblings.
They learned to move around each other, adding on here and there when needed, but they hadn't found that connection yet. So far the only thing holding them together was their mutual interest in this dream – in Hex Tech.
Jayce wasn't sure how to go about working in a lab with this near-complete stranger. He'd seen Viktor in passing around the Academy, but Jayce was always too focused on his own work to truly take notice. Granted, he never took notice of anyone unless they were forced to work together on a project. Then when he was old enough to start his own projects no one believed in his ideas enough to stay. But that never dampened his spirits. He always believed in Hex Tech, even if no one else would.
His hope wavered only once during his meeting with the council, but with someone finally – finally – in his corner, he was as passionate as ever.
Viktor was brilliant in all senses of the word. It was a twisted luck of the draw that he'd choose Jayce, of all people, to work with. He had no former connection to him, no reason to follow him, but he here he was.
Jayce scanned the shared chalkboard from his table. He'd been scribbling in his notebook to no avail. Every equation was a dead end.
While they proved to be on the path to greatness, they needed a solid plan, one they could run by a potential investor at the end of the week.
While they were partners, their communication was rightfully shit. Viktor was the silent genius type while Jayce was the loud creative kind.
Jayce approached the board, reading over every one of their notes. It was just his luck they thought faster than their hands could keep up. Most of the words were decorative scribbles. Thankfully, some of them had a diagram to assist their nonsense.
He grabbed a piece of chalk and twisted it between his pointer and thumb. The white dust smudged across his fingertips.
Then something caught his eye.
“You inverted my theory,” he noted out loud.
Viktor's pen stopped. “It's a great idea, but it's missing something. I thought inverting might fix it, but that was a fleeting dream.” He looked at Jayce from over his shoulder. “Was that alright?”
“Yes, of course. I'm just surprised I hadn't thought of it. It's genius, but you're right it's not helping.” He hovered the chalk over the curves in the diagram. “Inverting it would polarize the charge. That would certainly give it more power…” He looked back at his original diagram.
“Not enough to get us anywhere,” Viktor added, grabbing his crutch and pushing to his feet.
“No. Or at least, not yet.” His eyes darted between the two opposing diagrams. Jayce's original idea was solid, but Viktor's was two steps ahead. He drew them one on top of the other to see better. “What if…” He rested his jaw on his fist. “No, that wouldn't work. Could it?”
“What if what?” Viktor, without Jayce realizing it, had approached him. His sudden closeness surprised him, making him jump.
“What if we combine them?” Jayce started to draw again. “If we have the two opposing forces creating polarized charges it might create enough of a boost to get us moving.”
Viktor watched as he worked in silent contemplation. “That's not bad.” He grabbed another piece of chalk. “But we'd need to find a way to stabilize the power so as not to explode the lab.” He started contributing to the diagram, adding the appropriate lines and curves. “Something like this?”
Jayce hummed. “I like that direction. It would help control the magnetization, but we need this to be foolproof. What if…”
They spend hours going back and forth, scribbling new lines of thought across the board. When they filled up the available space they transcribed the existing notes into a journal and then wiped it clean to start at the top. Chalk coated their faces and fingers as they wrote and rewrote ideas, each one leading them down a rabbit hole of possibilities. Some of their ideas turned out to be nothing more than hope, but others showed potential. They followed the ideas, chasing them until everything made sense.
Eventually, one idea stood out among the rest.
After checking and double-checking their notes and designs, they finally decided that it was solid enough to move forward with.
Jayce smiled, proud of their work. “I can begin crafting in the forge tonight. We might need to grab some additional materials before we have a solid prototype, but we can go to the market and–”
A knock came to their door. They both turned.
A guard popped their head in. “I saw the light on, and wanted to make sure it wasn't a thief.” She stared at the men coated in chalk and dripping in exhaustion. “You two should go home. It's past midnight.”
Both their eyes snapped to the clock. Nothing would be open right now even if they were to start working.
“Shit,” Jayce mumbled.
“Yes. Shit,” Viktor agreed.
“Go home you two. Your work will be here by tomorrow.” The guard shut the door.
Jayce rubbed at his eyes, smudging the existing chalk dust and adding more to it. “She's right though, we should go and sleep. We'll work better with a clear head. We did some great work tonight. I think we've got this in the bag.” He raised his hand to him, palm out. Viktor stared at it.
“What are you doing?”
Jayce blinked. “High-five?” He shook his extended hand.
After a few more seconds of staring, Viktor cautiously pressed his hand to Jayce's.
“Have you…have you never high-fived someone before?”
Viktor let his hand fall to his side and pouted. “Physical affection is rare for me.”
“Oh. Does it make you uncomfortable?”
Viktor shook his head. “No, no. It's just…strange.”
Jayce stared at his new partner for a moment, then he cleared his throat. “Well, regardless, we did well tonight. I'm excited to see what we'll accomplish.” He smiled, widely and genuinely at Viktor who, awkwardly, smiled back.
---
“I did it.”
Jayce was startled awake by the voice of his partner. He had fallen asleep at his table thinking of solutions for their newest prototype. They got the funding, thank fuck, but now they had to make good use of their investors' money.
He slowly sat up to stretch his now aching back and made a mental note not to fall asleep at his desk again. “Did what?”
He turned to look at Viktor and his eyes widened.
His front was covered in soot except for his eyes which were perfectly clean due to the goggles now sitting on his head.
“Viktor, are you alright–”
“I got it to work.” In his hands was a small trinket they'd been tampering with for days. While it may have been tiny, it was the first robot they'd built together – and the beginning of Hex Tech. “Look at this.” He placed it on the table and flipped a switch in the back. In an instant, it sputtered to life and wobbled across the table.
“Holy shit.” Jayce pushed to his feet to watch. The robot waddled to the edge of the table and then stopped. Viktor retrieved it.
Small as their progress may have seemed, it was a giant leap for them. They were able to use the energy they created for functional purposes. While they could only do small amounts now, who knew what the future would look like?
“Viktor, you're a genius!” Jayce exclaimed.
“Yes, I know,” his partner replied with a smug smirk.
Jayce lifted his hand to reach for the robot only to be interrupted halfway when Viktor smacked their palms together.
He must have looked confused because Viktor pouted. “Is that not how you high-five?”
“Oh, uh, yes. Yes, it is. I just wasn't expecting it from you.” He pulled his hand back to his side and clenched it. It felt warm.
“It's a celebratory action, no?” Viktor shrugged.
Jayce smiled like an idiot. “That's certainly right. But for this kind of achievement, I think we should go for dinner. My treat.”
“Oh no. I couldn't possibly–”
“ Viktor.” Jayce kept smiling. “Let's get some nice food and drinks. We'll make a toast to the official beginning of Hex Tech. What do you say?”
Viktor fidgeted with the robot in his hands, spinning it this way and that. “That does sound nice…”
Jayce clapped his hands together. “Then it's settled! Dinner and drinks. Let's get you cleaned up first though.”
Viktor frowned again. “What's wrong with what I'm wearing?”
Jayce looked at him for a long moment, studying the evident mess of soot left from working on this robot all night, and bursted out laughing.
---
Viktor meandered slowly to the board, shifting more weight onto his crutch than usual. Once at his destination, he scribbled a few notes in continuation of Jayce's previous ones. Then he hobbled back to his seat.
Half an hour passed of them silently scribbling on loose paper as they worked through their ideas. They had been talking through it earlier, but it got to the point where silence and note-taking became the only solution. Eventually, Viktor went back to the board to write something new, still limping heavily, then returned to his seat.
Jayce couldn’t take it anymore. He stood and approached Viktor.
“Let me see your leg.”
Viktor turned to him, his eyes widening in surprise. “Excuse me?”
Jayce motioned to his leg. “You've been limping since I met you. It's obvious your current brace isn't working. Let me see it.”
“Do you normally harass your assistants into showing their appendages?”
He scoffed. “You're not my assistant, you're my partner .”
Viktor rolled his eyes. “Regardless, my question stands.”
He crossed his arms. “I only harass people who are in need of help but too stubborn to ask for it. Let me see your leg. I'm an inventor, I'll make you something better.” Jayce got down on one knee, waiting for Viktor to follow suit which, after a long sigh, he did.
He extended his leg for Jayce to see and took hold of it, forcing it to lay still. Jayce studied the brace, tapping it here and there to see how it reacted.
“Can you bend your leg?”
Viktor complied. The brace squeaked.
After a few more minor tests, Jayce rested Viktor's leg on his knee and pulled a tiny notebook from his pocket to note his observations. He was, much to all his past professor's chagrin, a messy thinker. He wrote passing thoughts on any paper he could get his hands on, as evident in his overflowing notebook composed of loose papers and a few stray napkins.
Viktor had quickly adapted to this, as he quickly adapted to most of Jayce's unusual habits, and went as far as to organize his ramblings as he read them. It was thanks to him there was a sense of order in the lab.
“Would you mind taking this off so I can look at it better?” Jayce asked, pen in hand and eager to solve the problem he gave himself.
“...Sure.” Viktor leaned forward to remove it. He unclipped something on the underside, opening the contraption and freeing his leg.
Jayce took it from Viktor like it was a newborn baby, like any sudden movement might break it. He carefully turned it in his hands, running his fingers over the carvings and screws.
Viktor leaned his head on his fist to watch. Jayce in action was always a thrilling experience.
He continued to scribble in his notebook with one hand while the brace with the other. When he had a sufficient collection of data, he whipped out a measuring tape to gather its dimensions.
“Might be easier to just measure my leg,” Viktor said. He later admitted he meant it as a joke, but as Jayce's eyes lit up he realized it was not taken as one.
“Could I?”
Viktor swallowed. “I suppose so.”
Jayce carefully set the brace on the table, then he grabbed Viktor's ankle. “I'll be gentle.”
Viktor looked away. “Just…do what you must.”
Slowly, Jayce lifted the ankle to rest on his shoulder. Using his tape, he made quick work of getting Viktor's dimensions. His fingers never lingered in one place long. They skimmed across the fabric of his pants and tickled his skin.
At one point, Viktor flinched. Jayce stopped completely. “Is this still alright?”
Viktor didn’t look at him as he nodded. “Yes. Still fine.”
Jayce worked faster after that.
When all his measurements were done, he helped Viktor set down his leg and put his brace back on. “I think this should be good for now. Thank you.”
Viktor hummed in reply.
Jayce got back to work shortly after that, and Viktor did not look at him for the rest of the night.
---
“You're so busy these days. Even in your free time, you're working,” Caitlyn complained from her seat across from him. It was his idea to get coffee, yet he'd been scribbling in that notebook of his all morning. He'd barely touched his coffee.
He finished his thought and closed the book. “Sorry, I didn’t want to lose that idea.”
Caitlyn hummed while she stirred her iced coffee. Her dark blue hair hung loosely around her face, cascading down her shoulder and over her uniform. She too had been busy as of late. As soon as she joined the Enforcers she'd been training and patrolling non-stop. It saddened him not to see her as often, she was like a sister to him.
“Is it for this Hex Tech idea of yours?”
He finally sipped his drink. What was supposed to be hot coffee was revealed to be lukewarm. “In a sense.”
She raised a brow.
He sighed. “It's for my partner. His leg is busted and he needs a brace to walk. Or rather he needs a new brace to walk. The one he has is shit.”
“I didn't know we're so invested in the medical side of technology.”
“I'm not, but sometimes we have to do what we must.”
Caitlyn scoffed in disbelief. “Is this guy forcing you to make him a brace?”
“Well, no–”
“Then it sounds like you're not doing it because you must, but because you can .”
Jayce frowned at his drink. “Well, he won't do it himself.”
“How noble of you, Jayce Talis.”
“Cait–”
“So have you done it? Have you made the brace?”
Jayce tapped his fingers against his cup. “I think I have a design, but I need to make it to see if it works. I'm worried I got some of the measurements wrong because I rushed them. He just seemed so awkward and I felt bad–”
“You measured his leg?” She grinned at him. He didn't like it when she did that. It meant she was up to something. “I didn't know you Academy people were so intimate when it came to your research.”
Jayce rubbed a hand down his face. “I had to measure it for the brace .”
Caitlyn pointed her straw at him. “The brace no one is making you build. ”
His brow furrowed. “What are you getting at?”
“Nothing. I'm just making some observations.”
“You're infuriating.”
She shrugged. “So other than this man and his measured legs, your research is going well?”
“It's fine. Have you found any cute girls in your unit yet?” He asked to turn the tables.
Caitlyn looked away. “The weather is quite nice today, isn't it?”
---
“Try this on.”
The sun had begun to set outside their small lab window. Viktor had been laboring over papers and notes all day. Meanwhile, Jayce was out and about at the forge.
Viktor turned to him, his jaw-dropping almost instantly. “Where the hell is your shirt?”
Jayce blinked, then looked down at himself. “Oh. I forgot it.”
“Forgot it where ?”
“At the forge. It gets hot in there so I usually take it off. Then I…then I forgot it.”
Viktor pinched the bridge of his nose. “How far away is the forge?”
Jayce frowned. The walk there was definitely too long to not wear a shirt, but he had been so excited to try out his prototype that he didn't care. “Not important. Just try this on, would you? I need to see if it works.”
Viktor sighed, took off his current brace, then extended his leg for the new one. Jayce slowly slipped it on over his pants and tightened it accordingly. “How does it feel?”
Viktor tried to bend his knee. The brace squeaks but doesn’t move. He let out a strained huff of air. “There's too much resistance.”
Jayce nodded, fully immersed in his inventing mode now. “Okay, okay, um.” He searched around for something to write on and with. He flipped a paper with a diagram over it and took one of Viktor's unused pens. “Too…much…resistance,” he mumbled as he wrote. “Is that just in the knee? Does the rest of it feel too heavy?”
Viktor raised his leg with some difficulty. “Yes. It's definitely heavier than my current one.”
“Too…heavy… alright. And how does it feel in general?”
Viktor turned his leg from side to side. “The fit is nice. It doesn't poke me or dig into my skin. Though I worry it might wear on the existing muscle.”
Jayce dutifully wrote everything down and even added some additional notes for himself. Viktor watched him. “You don't have to do this, Jayce.”
Jayce kept writing. He was already working on a new design. “I know.”
“Then why?”
He stopped to look up at Viktor. “Because you're my partner.”
They stared at each other for a long while, then Viktor scoffed. “You are something else. Now go put a shirt on. You look like you took a shower in melted butter.”
---
Hex Tech gained more momentum each day. Politicians were whispering among themselves about the promise of two young investors until, eventually, they got enough funding and recognition to move to a bigger, better lab.
They were eager to move into the new space. While they liked the previous lab, it quickly became too small for the work they were inventing and producing. This new lab had everything. The location was great -- close to the Academy and downtown -- there was room for a chalkboard and a corkboard, and they finally had a spot to store past and future documents. As soon as they got the go-ahead to move they packed everything in sight. Jayce wouldn’t let Viktor carry too much on account that one hand was always holding a crutch, so he roped Caitlyn into helping. Even with the cart they rented, it took hours to get the last of it to the new location, and even longer to carry it inside.
“You're a real hotshot now, huh?” Caitlyn teased as she set the last box on the table.
Jayce couldn't get over how nice the new lab was. The ceilings were higher, the tables longer, the chalkboard bigger. It would be easier to think when they weren’t confined to that small space.
“We still have a long way to go,” Jayce told her as he placed his own box.
Viktor, who was frustrated that he couldn't help as much as he wanted, took it upon himself to organize the contents of what they brought and sort it accordingly. “We still need a functional product, or at least a stable power supply. All we have so far are prototypes.”
“It's always business around here. Do you ever have fun?”
Jayce opened the box in front of him. “Inventing is fun for us, Cait. Just like shooting people is fun for you.”
She propped herself up on the table and crossed her legs. “It's not fun for me, it's necessary,” she reminded him. Then she looked at Viktor. “I'm Caitlyn, by the way. Long time friend of this idiot.”
Jayce’s jaw dropped. “Hey – ”
She extended her hand to Viktor. “I've heard a lot about you, Mr. Brace.”
Viktor glared at her. He'd never been one to warm up to strangers easily, she was no exception. Ever since she showed up earlier that morning he'd been staying out of her range. “Are you making fun of me?”
Caitlyn smiled, ignoring his evidently introverted nature. “No, I'm making fun of someone else.” She poked Jayce with her foot. He swatted it away.
“My name is Viktor.” Surprisingly, he shook her hand. It was one, curt shake, then they let go.
“I know.” She hopped off the table. “It's a pleasure to finally meet you, and I apologize you're stuck with this one all day.”
“ Hey– ”
“And while this has been fun I must get going now. I have my own life to look after.” She patted Jayce's shoulder. “Don't blow anything up.”
He flicked her head. “No promises.”
She smiled at him as she made her leave. Viktor watched as he went, his eyes trained on her every movement. “Is that your girlfriend?”
Jayce, much to Viktor's shock and surprise, burst out laughing. The idea was so preposterous to him that he had to wipe tears from his eyes. “No, not at all, and never in a million years. She's my childhood friend, and a lesbian at that.”
“Ah.” Viktor’s expression tightened. “She is…interesting.”
Jayce nudged his arm. “I tend to attract interesting people.”
His partner only scoffed. “Get back to work, Talis.”
---
The first party they were ever invited to was enough to make Viktor decide he never wanted to go to one again.
“There are too many people,” he complained as they meandered through the late-night streets of Piltover. The sun had set hours ago, and the streetlights illuminated the path before them. Viktor marched at a steady pace, his crutch continuously thumping against the ground in displeasure at the night he just had. “And you get dressed up in these ridiculous outfits” –he tugged at the collar of his shirt– “only to realize it's not fancy enough. There will always be someone who out-dresses you. The whole thing is just an excuse to brag and make yourself look important.”
Jayce's coat was folded over one arm while the other hovered above Viktor's back should he need the support. “It's called networking.”
“It's called being a pompous ass.”
Jayce laughed. His partner was in no way inebriated, but he was definitely tipsy. It was odd for him to talk so at large. “You don't have to come to the next one.”
Viktor clicked his tongue. “I don't understand why you like it so much.”
Jayce hummed. “I wouldn't say I like it, but more that I'm used to it. I grew up in this environment. It's a game you have to learn to play.”
“I hate games.”
“I know, Vik.”
“I need to know what I'm doing and not worry about how someone will try to undermine me.”
“I know.”
“Cause and effort. Not me then you.”
“So you’ve said.” Viktor stumbled again and Jayce pressed his hand against his back until he was upright again. “How much farther is this apartment of yours?” They'd been walking for so long already, and Viktor's coordination was worsening by the second.
His partner sighed. “Another block.”
The street looked hauntingly long, and they were moving at a snail's pace. Jayce thought over their options. “I could carry you, if you'd like.”
That got Viktor moving again. “Absolutely not. It's just a little farther.” Yet he stumbled as he said it.
“Viktor.”
“Fine! Fine. Do what you must.” He lifted his arms like he was about to go down a slide.
Jayce chuckled to himself as he positioned one arm under Viktor's legs and another across his back. He was gentle as he lifted him, and even more so as he shifted him into a better position.
Viktor, still very tipsy, leaned his head against Jayce’s. “I'm heavy," he complained. His breath smelled of booze and mint.
“No, you're not.”
Viktor tightened his grip on his crutch to keep it from tripping Jayce. “I am, you're just strong.”
The compliment made Jayce feel warm in a way he couldn’t explain. Viktor wasn’t one to flatter, it felt like a dream when he did.
They walked the rest of the way in near silence. Viktor started humming to himself at some point and Jayce didn’t mind one bit, though he didn’t recognize the song. It was a pleasant journey, the two of them against the world. Viktor stayed curled up in his arms, his forehead pressed against Jayce's cheek. The only obstacle they faced was when his hair would poke Jayce's eyes.
Viktor’s apartment building was, as it turned out, a quaint, six-story building on the edge of Piltover. Some of the paint was cracked, but overall it was a nice place. Viktor shuffled in his arms to grab his keys and unlock the door for them. The entryway was a thin hallway with a staircase and a single elevator. They took the latter and, for a moment, Jayce wondered if it might have been a death trap with the way it rattled under them.
“I've never seen your apartment before,” Jayce mused out loud as they waited for their floor. At that point, they’d been working together for almost a year, and yet there was still so much he didn’t know about Viktor.
“Don't take it personally. I don't make a habit of bringing people here.”
Jayce smiled smugly. "So I'm special then?"
Viktor groaned. "Of course, that's your answer, not the fact you're carrying me home."
The doors to the elevator opened and Jayce scanned each door for the apartment number Viktor gave him.
“402…403…404…405!” Viktor used his keys once again to unlock the door. Jayce pushed the door open with his shoulder and moved them inside. “Would you like to lay on the couch or your bed?”
“Bed,” Viktor groaned. “And I want this suit jacket off .”
“Your wish is my command.”
It was a modest apartment, and very Viktor in its decoration. The furniture was all standard issue, but there were books, notebooks, and trinkets everywhere .
Carefully, Jayce steps around the loose papers lying around. He held back his chuckle at how familiar they looked to his own with the multiple diagrams and notes about Hex tech.
The bedroom is the smallest room in the apartment with a single bed, nightstand, and window. There were no pictures or personal decorations, it was purely functional. He set Viktor down on the bed and helped him slide out of his jacket. As Viktor kicked off his shoes, Jayce folded the jacket nicely onto his bedside table.
“We can take tomorrow off so you can recover from your hangover,” Jayce told him. “Get as much rest as you need.”
Viktor shook his head. “I'll be fine. I'll see you in the lab.”
Jayce exhaled deeply. “ Viktor– ”
“I know how to work through pain. I'll be fine.”
“Just because you can doesn't mean you should. Take tomorrow off. Rest.”
Viktor grumbled in reply, but it didn’t seem like an outright refusal. He decided to take it as a win. “Good. I'll see you later then, yeah?”
Before he could leave, however, Viktor turned to his side, facing Jayce. “I don't like that councilwoman," he said, seemingly out of nowhere. He made no mention of this throughout the entirety of the party, nor the walk there. While he clearly didn't enjoy himself, he also showed no signs of outright distaste for any one person.
Jayce blinked, suddenly confused. “Which one?”
“That one that kept smiling at you.”
Jayce thought back on that night. A lot of women smiled at him. He tried to separate them in his mind. Which ones were on the council? “Do you mean Mel?”
Viktor nodded, his eyes closed. “That one.”
“Why don't you like her?”
He pouted. “I don't know. I just don't.”
Jayce shook his head. “She's interested in our work. She could be a future investor if we play our cards right. We might need someone of her power in our corner.”
“She seems interested in a lot more than just our work,” Viktor mumbled.
A smile spread across Jayce's lips. “Oh my, are you jealous?”
Viktor said nothing.
“You are,” Jayce laughed. “If you want I can put in a good word for you–”
“No, it's fine, whatever.” He turned away from Jayce. “Do what you want. I don't care.”
Jayce's teasing smile fell. “If it bothers you that much–”
“It doesn't.”
“It seems like it does, Vik.”
“No, it doesn't. If you like her and she likes you then I'm happy for you both. I'd like to rest now though.” He pulled his pillow close and held it with both arms. “Goodnight, Jayce. Thanks for bringing me back.”
“Yeah, anytime." He paused for a moment should Viktor wish to say anything else. Much to his disappointment, he didn't. So Jayce continued, "Goodnight, Viktor.”
Looking back on it now, he probably should have stayed, and he definitely should have listened to his partner. But alas, he was young and naive.
Jayce made to leave for the night, stopping briefly in the doorway with his hand hovering above the light switch. He cast one last glance at Viktor, noticing the way his ribs expanded and deflated with each breath, then he turned off the lights and left.