Work Text:
The lab hummed with the soft, steady whir of Hextech machinery, the glow of the core casting long shadows against the walls.
Viktor sat hunched over his workbench, a screwdriver twirling deftly between his fingers as he examined the delicate mechanisms of their latest prototype. Across from him, Jayce leaned back in his chair, watching Viktor work with an amused smile.
“You know, for someone who always tells me to ‘be patient,’ you really don’t follow your own advice,” Jayce teased, resting his chin on his hand.
Viktor barely glanced up. “Patience is important when one is waiting for results, not when one is actively achieving them.” He gestured toward the contraption before him. “Besides, this is delicate work. Unlike your hammer, which only requires brute force.”
Jayce gasped. “I’ll have you know, there’s an art to wielding the hammer.”
“Ah, yes. Smash things hard and hope they break in the right way.”
"You wound me.”
Viktor smirked, but before he could fire back, the device in his hands gave a sharp, electric crackle. His brow furrowed, fingers tightening around it. “Hmm. That is... not ideal.”
Jayce sat up straighter. “What’s wrong?”
Viktor turned the mechanism over, frowning. “There may be an issue with the stabilizing array. If it is misaligned, the energy flow-”
Another sharp spark flared, this time with a jolt of force. The device pulsed violently, and before Viktor could react, it sent a sudden shock through his fingers, making him jerk back. His knee hit the underside of the table hard, and his injured leg buckled beneath him.
One second, he was sitting upright; the next, he was crumpling to the floor, his cane slipping from his grasp. A sharp, strangled sound escaped him as his leg twisted awkwardly under his weight.
Jayce was already moving, pushing his chair back with a scrape as he rushed to his side.
Viktor exhaled sharply through gritted teeth, his fingers digging into the floor as he tried to push himself upright. His leg throbbed with a deep, familiar - no, worse than familiar - ache. This wasn’t the usual discomfort; this was a sharp and unforgiving pulsing.
Jayce was kneeling beside him in an instant, a hand hovering over his shoulder as if afraid to touch him too roughly. “Viktor, what the hell- are you okay?”
Viktor let out a breath that was probably supposed to sound dismissive but came out strained. “I am fine.”
“You’re literally on the floor.”
Viktor shot him a look, bracing his arms to push himself up. The second he put weight on his bad leg, pain shot through it like fire, and he hissed, collapsing back with a sharp inhale.
Jayce grabbed his arm instinctively, steadying him. “Yeah, that looks real fine to me.”
Viktor exhaled through his nose, frustration flickering across his face. “It will pass,” he insisted, shifting again. His leg remained stubbornly useless beneath him.
Jayce, still holding onto Viktors arm, gave him an exasperated look. “You dumbass. You literally cannot move.”
Viktor scowled. “That is a temporary inconvenience.”
Jayce let out a disbelieving laugh. “Right. Temporary. Sure. How about you let me help before you make it worse?”
Viktor opened his mouth to argue - because of course he did - but the moment he so much as adjusted his weight, a fresh jolt of pain cut him off. He sucked in a breath, hands tightening into fists.
Jayces grip on him firmed, but his voice softened. “Vik.” The sarcasm was gone now, replaced by genuine concern. “Just let me help.”
Viktor hesitated, jaw clenched, but the reality was undeniable. His leg wasn’t going to cooperate anytime soon, and Jayce, stubborn as he was, wasn’t going to back down.
After a long pause, Viktor exhaled, letting some of the tension drain from his shoulders. “Fine,” he muttered, almost begrudgingly.
"See? That wasn’t so hard.” Jayce smirked.
Viktor shot him a glare. “Say another word and I will reconsider.”
Jayce chuckled but shifted closer, looping one arm around Viktors back and the other under his legs. “Alright, let’s get you off this floor.”
Viktor barely had time to protest before Jayce lifted him effortlessly, as if he weighed nothing at all.
And oh, that was going to be another argument entirely.
He stiffened the moment his feet left the floor, his hands instinctively grabbing at his partners shoulders. “Jayce, put me down.”
Jayce huffed out a laugh, effortlessly adjusting his hold as he stood up. “Yeah, not happening.”
Viktors scowl deepened. “I am not a sack of potatoes for you to haul around.”
“Could’ve fooled me.”
Viktor muttered something in Zaunite that Jayce was pretty sure was not a compliment.
“I can walk,” Viktor insisted, though the way his leg remained motionless in Jayces arms strongly suggested otherwise.
Jayce gave him a pointed look. “Oh? Go on, then. Be my guest.”
Viktor pursed his lips, glaring at him in what was probably supposed to be defiance but was undercut by the way he was quite literally being carried. “That is not the point.”
Jayce snorted. “Oh, it absolutely is the point. You’re hurt, you can’t walk, and you’re too damn stubborn to admit it.”
Viktor huffed, weighing the indignity of arguing further versus simply accepting his fate. Jayce felt his grip shift slightly, fingers pressing a little tighter into his shoulder.
“You enjoy this far too much,” Viktor grumbled at last.
Jayce smirked as he carried him toward the couch. “What, taking care of my partner who refuses to take care of himself? Yeah, kinda.”
Viktor let out a sharp exhale. “You are insufferable.”
“And yet, here we are.” Jayce knelt down and carefully eased Viktor onto the couch, keeping one arm around his back for support as he helped him settle. “Now, are you going to let me actually check your leg, or do I need to wrestle you for that too?”
Viktor shot him a glare but said nothing, which Jayce counted as a victory. “That’s what I thought.”
Jayce worked carefully as he reached for Viktors leg. His hands hesitated over the brace, fingers brushing against the worn metal.
“I need to take this off,” Jayce said, his voice quieter now.
Viktor shifted, discomfort flickering across his face - not from pain; hesitation, vulnerability. He exhaled sharply through his nose. “Fine. Just be careful.”
Jayce nodded, his fingers working at the clasps with practiced ease. He’d seen Viktor adjust it plenty of times before, but he’d never done it himself. The brace was a part of Viktor, as familiar as his cane, and somehow, undoing it felt oddly personal.
The moment it came loose, Viktor sucked in a sharp breath, his muscles tensing. Jayce carefully set the brace aside, then rolled up his pant leg.
His stomach twisted at the sight. The area around Viktors knee was already bruising, dark purple blooming against pale skin. Worse, the swelling was obvious. There were indents in his skin from where the brace had knocked against bone.
Jayce swore under his breath. “Shit, Viktor...” His hands hovered for a moment before he reached out again, slow and deliberate. “You really did a number on yourself.”
Viktor let out a quiet breath, his fingers twitching against his vest. “It looks worse than it is.”
Jayce shot him a skeptical glance. “Oh? And what part of ‘I literally collapsed because I couldn’t stand’ is supposed to be reassuring?”
“It will heal.” Viktor exhaled sharply, tilting his head back against the couch.
Jayce frowned, but he didn’t call Viktor out on the obvious lie. Instead, he leaned back slightly, eyeing him critically. “We should get a doctor to look at this.”
Viktor scoffed. “A doctor? Do not be ridiculous.”
"I’m being ridiculous? Vik, you can’t even put weight on your leg.”
“Yes, I noticed.” Viktor shot him a flat look. “No need to bring in an overpaid medical professional to tell me what I already know.”
Jayce ran a hand down his face, exasperated. “Viktor-”
“No.” Viktors tone left little room for argument. “I know my own body, Jayce.”
Jayce opened his mouth, ready to argue, but the words caught in his throat. Because - damn it - Viktor did know his body best. He knew exactly how much pain he was in, exactly how much he could push himself, exactly how much he was willing to admit out loud.
And that was the problem, wasn’t it? Viktor had lived with this pain for years, he was used to ignoring it. But Jayce wasn’t. Jayce couldn’t just sit back and pretend this wasn’t a big deal when Viktor was barely holding himself together.
He sighed, rubbing at the back of his neck. “At least let me help.”
Viktor let out a quiet breath, his gaze flickering to Jayces, something unreadable in his expression. After a long pause, he relented, murmuring, “If it will stop you from hovering, then fine.”
“No promises.” Jayce pressed his lips together, thinking. “Alright, first things first, we need to get the swelling down.”
Viktor sighed, shifting against the couch. “Yes, yes. Ice, elevation. I do know basic medicine.”
“Oh, so now you care about medical advice?” He stood up before Viktor could respond. “Stay put.”
“I was not planning on sprinting away.”
Jayce snorted and disappeared into the labs small breakroom, rummaging through the freezer until he found a half used bag of frozen peas. Good enough. He wrapped it in a clean cloth before heading back.
“Alright,” Jayce said, kneeling beside the couch again. “Let’s get you comfortable.”
Viktor raised an eyebrow. “I am comfortable.”
Jayce shot him a look. “You’re sitting stiff as a board, clenching your jaw like you’re pretending you’re not in pain.”
“That is just my face.”
Jayce rolled his eyes but didn’t argue. Instead, he reached for Viktors uninjured leg first, guiding him gently. “Here, just- lean back a little. I need to prop this one up.”
Viktor tensed slightly at the touch but let the other maneuver him, begrudgingly shifting as Jayce grabbed a spare pillow and slid it under his injured leg. He was careful, making sure the angle was right before pressing the makeshift ice pack against the swelling.
Viktor flinched at the cold but didn’t pull away. “Tch. You could have warned me.”
“And miss the chance to see you make that face? No way.” Jayce grinned.
Viktor shot him a glare but said nothing, his head pressing back against the couch with a quiet exhale. The tension in his shoulders hadn’t fully eased, though.
Jayce hesitated, watching him. “You should lie down.”
Viktor made a face. “That is unnecessary.”
“You’re already halfway there, and you’ll be more comfortable. Just- c’mon.”
Viktor opened his mouth to complain, but before he could, Jayces warm hands were already at his shoulders, guiding him back with surprising gentleness.
Viktor tensed at first, but Jayce didn’t push, just supported, steady and patient. After a moment, Viktor let himself be eased down, exhaling slowly as he sank into the cushions.
Jayce adjusted the pillow under Viktors leg again, making sure it was properly elevated. “Better?”
Viktor sighed, rubbing at his temple. “Marginally.”
Jayce smirked but didn’t press him on it. Instead, he grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch, shaking it out.
Viktor eyed him warily. “What are you doing now?”
Jayce draped the blanket over him without ceremony. “Making sure you don’t freeze to death. Your circulation’s already bad enough.”
Viktor scoffed. “I am not that fragile.”
Jayce just gave him a knowing look and tucked the blanket around him anyway.
“You are ridiculous.” Viktor sighed again but didn’t fight it this time.
Jayce grinned, settling into a chair beside the couch. “And yet, here we are.”
Viktor hummed, the fight finally draining out of him. He shifted slightly, adjusting against the cushions, and closed his eyes.
Jayce leaned back, arms crossed. “Told you I knew what I was doing.”
Viktor cracked one eye open. “If you say ‘I told you so,’ I will throw this ice pack at you.”
“Yeah, yeah. Just rest, Vik.”
And, to his surprise, Viktor actually did.
For exactly a minute.
“You know,” Viktor murmured. “If we recalibrate the hex array to account for the harmonic oscillation-”
Jayce groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “Vik.”
Viktor ignored him. “The error earlier was not just instability in the core - it was a misalignment in the secondary conductor. If we reinforce the outer casing and adjust the dampening field, we could-”
“Viktor,” Jayce interrupted, exasperated.
Viktor blinked at him, completely unfazed. “Yes?”
Jayce gave him a flat look. “You are literally lying on the couch, leg iced and elevated because you fell trying to mess with that machine. And you’re already thinking about how to break it again?”
Viktor frowned. “Not break. Improve.”
“No. No work talk. You’re supposed to be resting.”
Viktor sighed, looking utterly put upon. “Jayce, my mind does not require rest. My leg does.”
“Oh my God, you are impossible.” Jayce pinched the bridge of his nose.
“I prefer efficient.”
“Efficient at what? Ignoring medical advice?”
Viktor smirked, but Jayce cut him off before he could get another word in. “Nope. No more. I’m banning all science talk for the next hour.”
Viktor scoffed. “You cannot ‘ban’ science talk.”
“Watch me.” Jayce crossed his arms.
Viktor huffed, shifting slightly against the couch, but Jayce could see the way the tension in his shoulders was fading, how his eyes were slipping closed again despite himself.
“Fine,” Viktor muttered after a pause, voice quieter now. “No work talk.”
Jayce smirked, victorious. “Good.”
Silence settled between them again, and this time, it lasted longer than a minute.