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It’s late at night when Mel enters the lab.
Of course, this doesn’t deter her. By now, she’s well familiar with Jayce and Viktor’s tendency to work far beyond sunset, sometimes until the dawn of the next day peeks over the horizon. She’d tell them off for it, but she’s not much better.
As she predicts, they’re both there. Viktor is crouched over a schematic in the back corner, safety goggles on, mumbling to himself. Mel is not sure as to why he needs the goggles when all he’s doing is reading over a piece of paper. Perhaps he forgot to take them off.
Jayce, on the other hand, is hunched over the lab workbench to her right, painstakingly soldering two small pieces of metal together. Both men look entirely engrossed in their work, oblivious to the world around them.
Mel almost feels bad about breaking their concentration. She clears her throat.
“Boys?”
They jump, almost in perfect unison.
“AH! What- oh, Mel,” Jayce gasps out, regaining control of the soldering iron that nearly slipped out of his grasp. “It’s just you.” He quickly puts down the iron, pulls off his glasses and strides over to encase her in a hug.
As much as Mel cares for Jayce, she does not care for the metal fumes exuding off of the man at the moment. She rapidly pulls away from his embrace. Thankfully, Jayce doesn’t seem to notice her discomfort, practically skipping back to his project with the exuberance of a toddler in a candy store.
She turns her gaze towards Viktor, who is also watching Jayce but still hasn’t moved from his perch. Sensing her eyes on him, he turns to look at her, then smiles softly.
From Viktor, that’s as good as a full-blown toothy grin. Mel smiles back, eyes crinkling.
“Did you need something, Mel?” Viktor asks.
Jayce startles, looking up from where he’s gone back to soldering. “Oh yeah! Sorry, Mel, I got so excited to see you that I forgot to ask why you came in here.”
Mel laughs. “Is it so hard to imagine that I came in here just to check in on you two?”
Jayce blushes slightly. “Oh- that’s nice of you!” he stammers.
Viktor raises an eyebrow.
“I don’t buy it. You’ve got that look on your face again.”
“What look?” Jayce questions. “She doesn’t have any particular look. Well- unless you want to have a look on your face, Mel. Then of course you can have a look!”
Mel makes exasperated eye contact with Viktor.
“I’m not trying to tell you you can’t have a look! I assumed ‘the look’ was bad but of course ‘the look’ could be good. I think your looks are always-”
Mel cuts Jayce off before the dork can dig himself any deeper.
“Appreciated, Jayce,” she says, chuckling.
A quick glance at Viktor makes it clear that he’s just as amused by Jayce’s rambling. Hopefully, that will soothe the sting of what Mel must say next.
“Jayce, I need to talk to you. Alone.”
Jayce blinks at her. He stares for a full two seconds before he remembers himself and jumps up from his seat.
“Oh- yeah, of course! About what?”
Mel gives him a hard look. “Come into the hallway with me.”
Jayce glances over at Viktor, who is giving them both an odd look. His gaze flits between them, until he eventually shrugs and turns back to his work.
“Please do not burn the lab down while I am in here. I am quite fond of this blueprint.”
Before Jayce can respond, Mel seizes his arm and pulls him into the corridor just beyond the lab.
“Wha- Mel- what’s going on?”
“We have a problem,” Mel hisses, keeping her voice low to thwart eavesdroppers.
She waits.
After a few seconds of awkward silence, Jayce, predictably, caves. “What’s the problem?”
Mel grimaced. “My mother is planning a visit to Piltover. To see me, apparently.”
“Oh,” Jayce mumbles. “That must be annoying for you, I know she’s a hardass.”
‘Hardass’ is certainly one way to describe Ambessa Medarda.
“Why’d you wanna discuss this without Viktor, though…?” Jayce muses.
Suddenly, realization dawns on him. “Oh! Is this a ‘meet the mother-in-law’ situation? Viktor hasn’t met her yet, right? I was super nervous too when he first met my mom!”
Mel resists the urge to facepalm.
“No, Jayce. Viktor can NEVER meet my mother.”
Jayce’s face falls, drawing a striking resemblance to a kicked puppy. “Aww, why?”
Mel sighs, pulling a hand down her face.
“Have you met my mother’s consort?”
“No, not that I can recall,” Jayce answers. “Is this like a stepfather thing? Because he-”
“Jayce, listen,” Mel barks. Jayce immediately snaps to attention.
“Sorry!”
“It’s alright. Talking about my mother… it can be frustrating for me at times.”
Jayce places a soothing hand on her shoulder, and she leans into it.
“That’s no matter. Listen, Jayce, my mother has a very specific… type. She likes men…”
“Okay, so do I,” Jayce responds matter-of-factly.
“Yes, but a specific kind of… she…”
Mel, suffering as she is, promptly decides to give up on all sense of propriety.
“Twinks, Jayce. She likes twinks. She practically collects them.”
Jayce stares.
“Wait, what? Why… for God's sake, she propositioned me last time I met her!”
“Yes, and you aren’t even her type. Imagine how much stronger she’d come on to someone who fit her preferences.”
“Twinks,” Jayce repeats under his breath.
Then he gasps.
“Ohhh! Like Viktor!”
“Yes,” Mel confirms. “Like Viktor.”
She can practically see the dots connect in Jayce’s head.
“Oh my god,” Jayce says incredulously. “Viktor can NEVER meet your mother.”
It’s been approximately a week since Mel invaded the Hextech lab and pulled Jayce into the hallway for a conversation, one that Viktor wasn’t afforded the privilege of being privy to.
When they reentered the lab, their faces had given away nothing. Even Jayce, who normally wears his heart on his sleeve, had sported an expression of abject stoicism.
Well, forced stoicism. Viktor knew Jayce had been absolutely itching to make some sort of facial expression, but he miraculously refrained. He could see his restraint wearing down, though.
Deciding to put Jayce out of his misery, Viktor immediately started a conversation with Mel about recent updates to the Hexclaw. Gratefully, Jayce bit the conversation bait and started chiming in as well.
All in all, Viktor isn't nearly as bothered by the secrecy as one would expect from someone whose two romantic partners were deliberately excluding him from clandestine discussions. After all, he trusted Jayce and Mel, and he knew they would do right by him, no matter what.
The most likely explanation is that he’s forgotten about some birthday or anniversary or other important date of his coming up - it’s far from the first time that’s happened - and, consequently, Jayce and Mel had decided to ‘surprise’ him with a ‘party’ to ‘celebrate him’. None of which sounded particularly appealing, but if it made them happy, he would go along with it all.
Viktor shakes his head slightly, resuming his work on the half-finished Hexclaw prototype sitting on his desk. Normally, Jayce is responsible for the electrical engineering-related aspects of their projects, but he’s off doing god knows what with the Council, so Viktor is stuck suffering through connecting the finicky wires on his own.
“Viktor!”
Speak of the devil.
The door to their lab violently clatters into the wall as Jayce rushes into the room, exhibiting a level of frenzy that is unusual even for him.
“You are back early, Jayce.”
“Yeah, I was just- it doesn’t matter,” Jayce pants, leaning over and putting his disproportionately large hands onto his knees to catch his breath. He seems to have run all the way from the Council building to the lab.
Viktor stares at him for a couple seconds, then, figuring he wouldn’t be catching his breath anytime soon, turns his attention back to the tangle of wires on his desk.
“Viktor, wait! I- uh- have a- project. Yes, that’s right. I have a project that I desperately need your help on!”
Viktor slowly swivels around in his chair, sending Jayce the most skeptical glance he could muster. “Jayce. We’re partners. We work together practically sixteen hours every day, collaborate on everything. What project could you possibly have that I don’t know about?”
Jayce looks nervous. “Uhh… it’s… complicated.”
“I’ve been known to understand complicated things on occasion. Try me.”
“Of course!” Jayce stammers. “I don’t mean to insult your intelligence or anything, it's just really… ugh, Viktor, it’s hard to explain. Just- please- just come look at it, okay?”
Viktor absolutely does not have time for this. He tells Jayce as much. “I need to finish this prototype. We have deadlines . Or did you forget, busy frolicking with Mel and all those other self-important Pilties?”
Jayce’s thoughts seem to be doing somersaults in his own head. “Well, Mel’s not so bad- of course I didn’t forget!- agh, Viktor, please just come!”
Viktor is about to say no when Jayce makes eye contact with him. He’s broken out the puppy eyes again. Jayce knows Viktor can’t say no to the puppy eyes.
He lets out a big, aggrieved sigh before acquiescing. “Fine. I will see your project.”
Jayce grins, looking oddly relieved. It’s uncharacteristic of him to be so stressed about a simple project…
“Great! Come with me!”
Without another word, Jayce rushes away, leaving Viktor to frantically grab for his cane and lever himself up to follow. Yes, this is decidedly unlike the considerate Jayce he knows, who would always pass him his cane and stand nearby to help at the slightest sign Viktor might need it.
Viktor scowls, striding through the room to catch up. “Jayce, who lit a fire under your heels? Slow down.”
Jayce jolts, then freezes, as if he had been startled by Viktor’s presence.
“Gah! Oh shit, Viktor, I’m so sorry. I’ll slow down.”
To Viktor’s relief, they reach their destination quite quickly. It’s an unassuming door right next to Heimerdinger’s office.
Viktor can’t help but wonder why Jayce has been doing his work here. They were given a perfectly functional, aesthetically pleasing lab after the success of Hextech. Why would Jayce see the need to conduct a whole project from…
Jayce opens the door.
… a broom closet?
“It’s just in here, Viktor! Go in!”
Viktor stares at Jayce. The whole situation just keeps getting weirder and weirder, and he has no idea what to make of any of it.
He sighs. “Whatever this is, it better be worth my time, Jayce. I have to continue my work on the prototype.”
Taking a deep breath, he steps into the - surprisingly spacious - closet, only to see… absolutely nothing but cleaning supplies.
“Jayce? Where is the-”
The door shuts behind Viktor, plunging him into darkness.
“Jayce. What a… pleasure,” Ambessa says with a cold smile.
“Likewise,” Jayce grits out.
Mommy Medarda is just as intimidating as she’s always been. With her lip ring, fitted outfit and slightly (who is he kidding, extremely ) terrifying glare, she’d make a lesser man pee his pants.
Thankfully, Jayce is not a lesser man.
At least, that’s what he hopes.
In his slightly (extremely) terrified haze, Jayce somehow notices that something about Ambessa is just a bit… off. She’s acting differently from when they first met, but Jayce can’t quite put his finger on just what is causing him to believe that.
That is, until he accidentally makes eye contact with Ambessa, and she gives him nothing more than a passing glance before turning her attention towards Mel.
After how she had acted the first time Jayce met her, he had expected Ambessa to do more than just glance at him. For fuck’s sake, she had practically jumped him that time!
Especially with Mel standing right next to him. The Ambessa Jayce knows from Mel’s descriptions would never pass up an opportunity to intimidate her daughter by trying to steal something Mel cared about.
Jayce tunes back into the tense conversation the women have been having, hoping it’ll help him gauge what’s going on with Ambessa.
“...relax, child. My warmongering days are long gone.” Hah. Jayce doesn’t believe that for a second.
“Rather, I’ve come intending to partake in… other activities. Pleasures of the flesh, so to speak.”
Mel, entirely unsubtly, moves slightly in front of Jayce, as if to protect him. Jayce feels his heart swell at her efforts, and he can’t help but shoot her a small grin.
Ambessa notices, because of course she does. She chuckles slightly.
“My tastes have evolved significantly since we last met. You,” she points at Jayce, “are… not exactly my type, so to speak.”
Well, that does not soothe any of Jayce’s worries at all . He shoots Mel a wide-eyed, terrified look.
“Let me show you to your temporary chambers, Mother,” Mel blurts out quickly, grabbing Ambessa’s attention once more. She spins around and grabs Jayce’s arm, flouncing down the hallway with him in tow and leaving her mother in their wake.
‘Viktor?’ she mouths at him, angled so Ambessa can’t see.
‘Safe,” he mouths back.
Right on cue, because of course the universe only exists to fuck Jayce Talis over, Viktor appears at the end of the hallway, with a look that can only be described as pissed gracing his chiseled face.
“Fuck,” Jayce and Mel groan in unison.
Jayce picks up his hot tea, taking far too large of a sip. He jolts in his seat as his mouth scalds, frantically shaking his head to try to cool it down before eventually giving up.
He sighs. He certainly deserves a burned tongue for his most recent fumble.
Neither Viktor nor Mel look too pleased with him, which makes sense, given he locked Viktor in a closet and then lied to Mel about the effectiveness of the lock on said closet . In his defense, the lock had looked secure when he clicked it into place…
Jayce sighs. Now Ambessa’s going to proposition Viktor, and he’s going to go with her, and then who’s going to finish the Hexclaw with him?
Mel nudges him. “Stop catastrophizing,” she hisses.
“Am I that obvious?” Jayce whispers.
“Yes,” Mel whispers back.
“Why are we whispering?” Viktor whispers.
Ambessa clears her throat.
“... You heard everything we just said, didn’t you?” Jayce mumbles nervously.
She nods, sipping her tea placidly.
Ambessa is never placid. Something’s up.
“So, Jayce,” she starts. “You work with Viktor on this… ‘Hextech’ of yours?”
Jayce nods. He isn’t going to make the mistake of telling Ambessa anything more than she needs to know. As soon as his tea’s done and he’s sat here a respectful fifteen minutes or so, he’s leaving and taking Viktor with him.
Mel glares at her mom. “What do you want from us?”
Not pulling any punches, huh?
“I simply want to get to know your partners better, dear. That’s well within my right as a mother, no?”
“Generally, concerned mothers don’t banish their children to other nations,” Viktor mutters.
Ambessa’s eyes widen slightly, and she turns to look at Viktor as if she’s seeing him for the first time.
And then she looks him up and down, and her eyes widen even more.
“Such audacity,” she says, a strange note of almost- satisfaction in her voice. She looks like a goddamn cat that just got the cream.
Jayce does not like that.
“Well, you’re a pretty little thing, aren’t you?”
Oh, he really does not like that.
“Well, I wouldn’t describe myself as pretty , exactly,” Viktor hedges. Shit. Is he blushing? He’s blushing.
It seems like Mel’s noticed too, because she directs the most scathing glare Jayce has ever seen from her at Ambessa. “Hands. OFF,” she snarls.
Ambessa only smirks. “Viktor’s a big boy, hm? Let’s let him make his own decisions.” she responds, rolling the letters of his name in her mouth in a way that sends shivers down Jayce’s spine. And not the fun kind of shivers, either.
“I-”
Without a drop of hesitation, she cuts Mel off. “You seem like the type to spend long hours in the lab, kitten.”
Kitten? Kitten???
By Janna, Jayce can’t STAND Ambessa Medarda.
Viktor blinks. “Yes, I do spend most of my time in the lab. Progress waits for no one, after all. Although, I think it prudent to mention that I, eh, am not a cat.”
Of all things, this finally catches Ambessa off guard.
“I didn’t… think you were. It’s a pet name-”
“-that you’re using for MY PARTNER?!” Jayce blurts out, finally unable to control himself.
“Don’t get your stockings in a twist, Talis,” Ambessa snaps, slightly irritated for the first time since the conversation started. “A little harmless teasing, that’s all.”
Mel scoffs. “Nothing is ever harmless with you.”
“Mel, this is neither the time nor the place for your gripes with me. Spare these gentlemen from your sentimentality.”
“Ugh,” Mel practically growls. “I suppose this is the point in conversation when the true you starts bleeding out, Mother. Maybe that’s why none of your flings ever stick around.”
Mel pulling no punches is… wow, far hotter than it has a right to be. Jayce really is learning quite a lot about himself today.
Ambessa has visibly stiffened at Mel’s words. Jayce can practically sense the moment she decides to abandon all pretense of a civil discussion.
“Viktor,” she says, shifting her body to face him, “back in Noxus, we have some of the finest scientists in the world. Entire buildings dedicated just to science and lab work. Think tanks. Governmental committees.”
Jayce can’t deny it – all of that sounds good. The number one thing holding them back in Piltover is governmental bureaucracy; despite Mel’s efforts, no one on the Council really understands Hextech, so they dump all sorts of unnecessary safeguards on it. With a whole committee of scientists directing the government, that would be so different-
Jayce digresses.
“In Noxus,” Ambessa continues, “we do not have the… prejudices of those here. As long as you are useful, you are welcomed with open arms, no matter what you look like,” with a pointed glance at his leg, “or where you are from.”
Mel rolls her eyes to the ceiling.
“This could all be yours,” she says, “for, really, a very small price, considering the scope of your work.”
Viktor raises an eyebrow. “That price being?”
Ambessa grins, baring her teeth. Predatorial.
“ You. ”
Jayce barely holds himself back from lunging for Ambessa’s neck. Next to him, Mel is similarly incensed.
“There’s no fucking way-”
“It seems dear Mel here has no faith in her supposed ‘boyfriend,’ eh? If you have to fight to keep him with you, is the relationship worth anything at all?”
Jayce leans over to Mel. “She’s got… a bit of a point,” he whispers in her ear. When her eyes widen in shock, he quickly amends, “Not about the ‘carting Viktor off to Noxus’ thing! But- he’s told me how much he hates having his decisions made for him. We should… let him decide.”
Mel sighs, then nods. She sits back and bobs her chin at Viktor, who’s been watching the proceedings with a vaguely distant look on his face.
Ambessa grins. It looks more like a snarl.
“Well, Viktor? What do you say to a life free of judgment, one filled with science and meaningful discovery?”
…In what universe could Viktor even remotely think this was a good offer?
“Hmm,” Viktor muses.
Jayce goggles at him. “You can’t possibly be actually considering this! ”
“Let him think, Talis,” Ambessa responds dismissively.
“You’re saying- I’d get all of this. A lab-” Viktor stammers.
“A whole floor, all your own, for you to experiment in as you see fit. I can even throw in a couple of assistants to ‘sweeten the pot,’ so to speak.”
Viktor seems to regain a little confidence. “And how would you ensure my safety? I’m a poor cripple, after all. If one of your Noxians came after me, I’m not sure I’d exit unscathed.”
“Royal Guard, at your service,” Ambessa answers easily.
Viktor stares at the floor, considering.
“And all I have to do is… go… with… you?”
Jayce is abruptly hit with the realization that Viktor had not understood that Ambessa was propositioning him. Somehow, this is the most unsettling discovery of all.
“Come with me, and you will have,” and Ambessa pauses to lean in, her voice pitching to a low growl, “ everything you have ever wanted in your little life.”
Jayce feels more than sees the shiver pass through Viktor’s body where he’s pressed to his side on the couch.
What the fuck?
“So, what do you say, Viktor?” Ambessa purrs, leaning in so close there’s barely an inch between them.
“Everything I’ve ever wanted, you say,” Viktor repeats back.
“Yes,” Ambessa intones, practically whispering at this point. “ Everything. ”
“For the small price of my body, of course,” Viktor responds at full volume, leaning back to sit up straight.
His expression has changed now, gone from something in the vague zone of seductive to purely amused. There’s that dangerous, slightly-unhinged glint in his eye, the one that Jayce is oh-so familiar with.
“Lady Medarda, even if I believed your claims about Noxus’ scientific resources for a second, I would never in a million years accept your offer. My place is here, in the lab, with Jayce, and Mel when she deigns to grace us with her presence.”
Jayce’s heart can’t help but swell; he’s sure he’s grinning like a lunatic. He KNEW Viktor would never.
Viktor takes a deep breath, seemingly on a roll.
“But, of course, all of that pales in importance compared to the simple fact that you… are not exactly my type, so to speak.”
To Jayce’s side, Mel laughs out loud, bright and airy. He doesn’t blame her.
“Now, I will have to ask you to leave, before I contact the enforcers over claims of sexual harassment.” With that, Viktor leans back in his seat, satisfied.
Ambessa pales, desperately trying to regain her equilibrium. She’s lost all power in this room, and she can feel it.
“Your Piltie laws don’t work on me. I am the ruler of Noxus, fool!”
“Our land, our laws, Mother,” Mel throws back, barely stifling a smirk.
Ambessa’s mouth drops open for a second before she shuts it with a decisive click .
“I suppose there’s no more negotiation to be conducted with you three. I can see we’re done here.”
She promptly exits without another word, robe swishing behind her.
Jayce waits for approximately a second after she leaves before heaving a humongous sigh of relief and jumping Viktor with a bear hug. Mel’s not far behind, although her embrace is far more elegant.
“God, I love you, Viktor,” Jayce mumbles into his shoulder.
“I’ve never been more grateful that you are the smartass that you are,” Mel adds, laughing.
“I greatly appreciate both of your willingness to go to bat for me,” Viktor responds, muffled thanks to the hug, “although, next time, maybe communicate instead of locking me into a supply closet.”