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Chapter Text

 Jayce blinked blearily awake, head lifting sleepily up from the table he had presumably passed out on halfway through page 447 and 448 of the report now sporting a patch of his drool.

Normally, falling asleep in the lab wouldn't be a problem, he would either double back down and keep working, or decide that enough was enough for the day and pack it up. But something about today had been different, he'd wanted to finish the report early so he could get home and-

Shit.

Jayce looked out the window, the muted tones of the dying summer sun leaving its last lingering traces across the sky, Jayce felt his stomach drop like a rock.

Jayce had always been superb at keeping track of the full moon, of knowing just how to orchestrate these nights to keep everyone out of harm's way. He was the prized student of the academy after all, and after his fairly recent almost-expulsion and subsequent world changing discovery, he desperately could not afford to slip up.

Which is precisely why panic flooded ice cold through his veins, the moonlight was close, too close. He didn't have enough time to get out of the academy and away from the people in it. And where was-

"Jayce?" A distracted voice called from the other side of the lab.

Viktor.

Jayce stood abruptly, chair clattering to the ground behind him and the blanket that he did not remember fetching slipping off of his shoulders.

"Viktor you need to leave." He urged with no small amount of desperation.

Viktor's hands stilled against his tools, his head whipping around to face his partner. "Jayce? What’s wrong?" Viktor questioned, voice sharpening.

"Viktor you need to get out of this room." 

"Talis, if something is about to explode I would apricate more clarity on the subject." Viktor fumbled blindly for his cane, eyes not leaving Jayce for a second.

"Viktor go. Now." Jayce all but begged.

"If I am to run, then why on earth have you not?" Viktor interrogated, an accusatory squint to his eyes.

"Please-" But his next words constricted in his throat, choked off as he doubled over in pain, hand bracing in a white-knuckled grip against the desk.

He was out of time.

"Jayce!" Viktor exclaimed, worry twisting the word. Much to Jayce's displeasure, Viktor had already been inching closer to other man, but at Jayce's cry dropped all apprehension and rushed towards him now, cane clacking swiftly against the floor.

Viktor reached out a hand to support Jayce's back, who was having none of it, trying to slip out of his hold and away from him entirely.

It was highly unusual of Jayce, who almost never avoided Viktor's touch, and only made his concern grow. Jayce's eyes wildly flittered around between Viktor and the rest of the lab, akin to a caged animal. He shook his head from side to side to try and break free from the painful grip of moonlight. He breathed a huff of air as if to steel himself, something in his gaze hardening on a decision.

With a pained grunt he lurched away from the desk, closing the gap between him and Viktor in order to reach his arms around the other man and pick him up.

"Wha- Jayce!" Viktor admonished, appalled. "Put me down this instant or I swear to god I will tear out your larynx in your sleep!"

"Sorry V." Jayce bit out, struggling against the pain wracking his body (and righteously ignoring the string of foreign curses coming from the man in his arms). "Your fault- your fault for being s-so damn stubborn" He knocked the door open with his shoulder and all but pushed Viktor out the door.

Viktor barely had the time to react before the door slammed in his face, the telltale sound of the lock clicking into place coming muffled through the wood.

The prideful beast rearing in him and the indignity of his removal was quickly smothered by another of concern. Jayce is aware of how much Viktor won't stand for the unprompted manhandling, and has always respected that, yet he did it anyways. Why?

What on earth would prompt Jayce to get Viktor out of the lab yet not himself? His mind wildly circled through a few possibilities, but it all felt like grasping at straws, leaving Viktor thoroughly stumped and rather distressed.

His thoughts were interrupted by a heavy thud from the other side of the door, followed by the clattering of various implements presumably getting knocked off of their table.

Fuck this.

He didn’t grow up in the undercity for nothing. Viktor knocked open the compartment of his cane that contained his lockpicks and made swift work of the lock on the door (although it probably could've been a little quicker if he wasn’t distracted by the sounds of a rumbling growl coming through the door. What in the seven hells was going on Jayce?).

Finally, the lock clicks into place, and Viktor throws his bodyweight into the door, stumbling back into the room.

In total honestly, he didn’t know what he had been expecting to find. But it sure as hell wasn’t the tank-sized wolf he found snarling and snapping before him.

The thing was truly hulking, black and brown coat gleaming against the moonlight cast through the window. Vicktor could see the pure muscle flex through wiry fur, its form an impressive display that easily towered over him. That was, if it wasn’t busy with its head dipped low, ears pinned back in an exhibit that made Viktor sure he was about to bear witness to the end to his life.

Jayce had been right, Viktor reflected, he probably should've run. Alas, the factor that held him captive to this room before persisted, because if there was nothing but this beast in front of him, it begged the rather alarming question of his lab partner's current whereabouts.

Viktors gaze whipped around in a panic, his head unmoving lest he prompt the high-strung predator in front of him. The wolf's tail lashed in agitation behind it, eyes locked onto Viktor.

"Jayce?" Viktor called out as loud as he dared, sounding about as scared as he was feeling.

Viktor winced as the wolf seemed to react to the sound, something unreadable changing in its eyes. Suddenly certain it was about to pounce; Viktor broke the standstill. He scrambled a few steps back, and as per his outstanding string of luck that he carried for most his life, manages to step right on the handle of a rouge screwdriver the wolf had presumably sent to the floor earlier.

It was the last straw for his already uneven footing, and he was sent sprawling backwards, the last fleeting image across his vison was that of the monster bounding forwards, pouncing on him in his moment of self-induced weakness to tear him to a pile of bloody shreds.

Viktor's eyes were squeezed tight, entire body tensed against the pain he was surely about to feel.

A beat.

Then another.

No pain… How peculiar.

Not only that, something soft and warm was supporting his back, lowering him gently to the floor. He had reached his hands behind on instinct, yet instead of being met with tile, his fingers were grasping a much softer, furrier surface. Viktor had his theories, yet couldn’t quite bring himself to entertain them until he opened his eyes and looked down in disbelief. The wolf had not only refrained from eating him but had actively interrupted his fall by diving between him and the floor.

Viktor flung his hands away from the contact and leaned as far forwards as he could from his spot on the cold lab floor. The werewolf seemed unbothered as it got back on its feet, padding back around to stand over him. A new wave of icy fear flooded his system as he made eye contact with the beast’s cold gaze, he swallowed down a small whimper at the way the thing was now caging him in, the sound of its tail lashing cutting through the icy silence. This was pathetic, Viktor thought, he would die here, on the floor of his own lab, wishing he'd the foresight to hide a blade in his work boots as well.

Why he wasn't already dead was honestly beyond him, was it enjoying toying with him before its meal? He knew wolves were smart creatures, but this was just cruel.

As if to prove him wrong, the wolf simply laid down on the floor with a soft (but heavy) thud, situated in a manner that their heads were at the same height. Before Viktor could even think of how to react, it dipped its head forward and gave a small, almost comforting lick to the side of his cheek.

Viktor slowly lowered his arms from where they had flinched up in defence and tried to process the scene in front of him.

Viktor blinked around at the undeniably empty lab, then to the wolf in front of him. The muscular wolf with warm hazel eyes and small scars cutting through the fur of its right browbone and cheek. Viktor’s eyes widened, his gaze suddenly whipping to the window, through which the slivery glow of a perfectly full moon was beginning to cut its way through the twilight.

Oh.

Oh.

Jayce was a werewolf. The absolutely massive creature before him with killer claws and razor-sharp teeth was the same man who brought him sweets from the bakery every other day and told him off when he didn’t get enough sleep.

Suddenly Jayce's irrefutably effective puppy eyes made a whole lot more sense.

Alas, Viktor didn’t have time to reflect on his revelation. The soft hissing of machinery disengaging filled the room, and Viktor winced, knowing what was likely about to ensue. As expected, a jarring rapid beeping suddenly rang out and instantly, the wolf was back on his feet.

He stood defensive, rumbling threats to the empty, but admittedly loud room. It was scarily similar to his disposition before, but this time Viktor noticed the way his tail had tucked itself between two hind legs. How his eyes were darting around to the shadows of the room, the subtle way he was backing himself into the corner, padding one paw behind the other in a search for safety.

Viktor had heard stories, read books about werewolves. Hell, he was sure he had even seen one when he was a boy, a wolf too massive, too aggressive, eyes too sharp to be natural. He had listened to tales of how these poor souls would lose all semblance of the human mind once the transformation happened and become reduced to a mindless, ravenous creatures.

But this one, Jayce, he reminded himself, just looked scared.

Well, Viktor figured, if he hadn't been killed yet, then the chances of it happening at all were slim enough.

"Jayce," he called softly, although it didn’t even earn him so much as a glance, as if he didn’t process Viktor was there at all. "Jayce, you are safe, we are in our lab, it is just you and me. Nothing in here wants to hurt you." He comforted, feeling a small victory when the wolf finally looked over at him from where he was backed into the corner.

Viktor was almost certain that the beast across from him understood none of what he was saying, yet still, the sound of Viktor's voice seemed to calm him. His rumbling growling tapering off slightly and his worried fidgeting slowing, if only a little.

Taking this as a good sign, Viktor slowly, ever so slowly reached behind him for his cane and started making his way up from the floor. Jayce's eyes followed him warily from his defensive position low to the ground, but as soon as Viktor reached over to flick off the alarm and quiet permeated the room again, the growling disappeared entirely.

Viktor continued talking as he slowly walked back, "See? It's all okay, it’s just you and me here in our lab, no?" Slowly, Jayce's entire demeanour relaxed, sharp eyes focused on Viktor and his placating hand.

"Why don’t you come join me on the floor again hmm?" Viktor was entirely unsure if Jayce understood English to any extent, instead hoping he would get the idea as he moved to situate himself on the floor once more, right leg stretched out in front of him. "We will just relax for a bit. No more loud noises, I promise." Viktor pat at the floor in front of him hopefully (and did a mental check that they in fact hadn't left any more alarms set to go off any time soon).

After a beat, Jayce seemed to deem his offer acceptable and lowered himself down until he was once again level with Viktor. "There we go, good boy." Viktor encouraged, hoping to high heaven that Jayce wasn’t lucid right now and wouldn’t remember any of Viktor's embarrassing puppy talk come morning.

Now that they were both sat back down, Viktor considered the wolf before him for a minute, wondering if he could…

Deciding that if Jayce was really a danger, well, better him be the end of Viktor than anything else. He hesitantly lifted his hand in offer, leaving his palm open to the giant canine before him. To his pleasant surprise, Jayce gently pushed his head into Viktor hand, which Viktor took as invitation to scratch at the wiry fur of his face. This seemed to do the trick as Jayce finally relaxed fully into the touch, eyes fluttering closed and a low rumble emitting from the back of his throat.

"You enjoy that huh?" Viktor muses with a small smile, noting the way his tail had started to sweep side to side behind him. He brought his other hand up and reached to the much softer fluff at the base of his ears, gently toying with it.

The two stayed that way for a while, until the dying sun had long given way to the inky black of night and the pale silver of the shining moon. Viktor soon found himself with a werewolf peacefully asleep in his lap, smiling down at the furry head pressed into his stomach and the paw draped over his leg. His doggy drool leaving a wet patch that he was sure would a pain to wash out (although in all truth, he couldn't quite bring himself to mind).

With Jayce asleep, it gave Viktor plenty of time to mull over all the latest information presented to him. If Jayce's behaviour from just before the transformation was anything to go by, Viktor thought, his condition was not new to him. Jayce had been dealing with this for some time, but it was apparent that he had little to no ability to control it.

Although, while it was clear that Jayce wasn’t in his right mind, he simply seemed reduced to that of a dog, with no additional thirst for blood or aggressive drive as the stories would make it seem. Nothing that Jayce's earlier panic would have justified, so it was safe to assume Jayce retains no memories for the entire duration of his transformation.

"I must admit, I now find it odd that people like to tell tall tales about the ferocity of werewolves, but you are just an oversized puppy dog. I wonder, an exception to the rule? Or have people been wrong about werewolves for decades?" He knew Jayce was asleep, and even if he wasn't he wouldn't be able to understand him anyways, yet he was content to continue running his fingers through thick tufts of fur as he pondered.

"Perhaps they are all just a little lost." Viktor mused, "it must be incredibly stressful, no wonder werewolves have a reputation for lashing out, it is in human nature to dramatize stories, with so little known about the nature of werewolves, misinformation must have spread like wildfire."

Viktor, unable to quench the reeling of his scientific mind, wanted nothing more than to gain as much information as he could. So, he gently removed himself out from underneath Jayce, slipping his bundled-up jacket under his furred head instead.

Viktor stood to go retrieve his journal and a pen, flipping past pages of Hextech calculations to find a blank page with which to document as much as he could about his friend.

𐂯

At some point in the night, in between Viktor noting the fur patterns of his coat and measuring the length of his claws, Jayce awoke. Sleepy eyes blinking up at him in mild curiosity, Viktor felt a little guilty, seeing as he was technically running experiments without any form of verbal consent, a form of scientific sacrilege. Thankfully, Jayce didn’t seem to mind as he opened his maw in a jaw-cracking yawn and rolled over, closing his eyes once more, content to let Viktor poke and prod at him.

After a few more lines of notes on Jayce's anterior teeth arrangement, Viktor moved to stand up, only to be halted as the sudden movement sent a burning spike of pain ricochetting up his spine. In hindsight, perhaps sitting on the tile floor for hours had been poor judgement on his part. Viktor shut his eyes against the pain, willing for it to pass, and when he opened them again Jayce's wolfish eyes were on him.

Now fully awake, Jayce leaned up on his forepaws and started snuffling around Viktor's midsection, a low growl emitting from his throat as he seemingly was not happy with whatever he had found.

Viktor's confusion only amplified as Jayce clamped his teeth on the fabric of Viktors vest and began to tug at it. Not enough to actually move him at all, or even to damage the material, but certainly enough to convey a message. Obligingly, Viktor grit his teeth, placing one hand on the sturdy from in front of him to haul himself up and situate his cane properly with no remorse (If he was going to make him stand up, he deserved to be used as a crutch).

"There, I'm standing. Are you happy?" Viktor questioned teasingly. Evidentially not as Jayce didn’t release his grip on Viktor's vest, instead beginning to tug him over to the other side of the room. "No? Okay, let's go this way then." He humoured.

Jayce stopped in front of the couch that he in his human form had recently put in (along with a small kitchenette, so they could far more reasonably pull overnight shifts in a crunch). Jayce finally released his grip and stood staring Viktor down. Not quite knowing what was wanted from him, he remained still.

With an annoyed huff, Jayce went around behind Viktor and gently nosed him down onto the couch. A frankly alarming wave of affection crashed into Viktor as he realised that Jayce had simply known his pain on the floor and had wanted him to be more comfortable, even with his currently limited dog brain.

Viktor smiled softly and reached up to scratch behind his fluffy ears. "I guess I can't in good faith reprimand you for being overbearing when you can't understand me you bastard." And whilst his actions were well intentioned, it was no less annoying, because now he needed to stand up again to retrieve what he had needed in the first place.

But before he could even put weight back onto his leg, Jayce shoved him back down with a wet nose and laid his throat over Viktors shoulder, growling lowly.

"Okay! Okay, I will not go anywhere." He conceded, but Jayce didn’t seem all that convinced as he pulled back slowly, eyes still full of playful threat. "See? Not moving" Viktor placated, hands raised in surrender.

Jayce, tail wagging again now that he deemed his message clear, turned around to dig through the clutter on the floor. Viktor watched on with both amusement and interest as he padded back over with a familiar red and blue blanket clamped between his teeth, dropping it onto Viktors chest.

"The blanket." Viktor stated plainly, confused once more. When he got nothing but a blank stare in return, Viktor ran the fabric through his fingers, trying to parse what Jayce wanted him to do with it.

Upon getting no response from Viktor, Jayce seemed fed up all over again. He impatiently knocked his thick skull into Viktors chest, who could do little to stop the kilos of fur and muscle from forcing him into a more horizontal position on the couch. He then gripped the blanket within his teeth and crudely managed to spread out the fabric, enough that it was serving its intended function of 'blanket.' Finally, Jayce laid his head down on top on Viktors chest, head heavy and immovable as a light rumbling began to resonate from his throat.

"Oh Janna you are trying to get me to go to sleep," Viktor realised, indignation seeping through his tone. Really, he shouldn’t be surprised, the reason many late nights up in the lab didn’t turn to early morning was due to Jayce's nagging insistence that Viktor look after himself. Something about 'recharging the brain and body for a new day' or whatever. Although, until now Jayce had never resorted quite so far as holding him down on the couch and smothering him with a blanket. Although, in all fairness to the man he supposed that downgrading to a dog did limit some of his more refined communication abilities.

Viktor sighed, and made an effort to remove some of the usual irritation from his tone, knowing that Jayce couldn’t really understand his words at current, "While I thank you for all your efforts, I do not need sleep right now. Besides, I would loathe to leave you in such a state unattended." He said, lightly pushing at his head to convey his message physically.

Jayce's literal puppy eyes stared back up at him. Fuck.

He guessed he was maybe sort of tired… he would simply close his eyes for a short while, just enough to make Jayce happy and nothing more.

He sighed deeply, and then lifted a hand to flick lightly between the two hazel eyes staring back at him. "You, are one annoying lab partner. However… You win," Viktor relented, settling in as best he could to the couch and threading a hand through the scruff of fur residing atop his torso.

He would deny it until the day died, but the deep pressure and warmth atop his chest rendered Viktor asleep almost immediately. The feeling of Jayce's rumbling purrs lulling him into a sleep deeper than he had felt in weeks.

Comforted by the knowledge that Viktor was resting, safe and protected under him, allowed Jayce the same courtesy.

Chapter Text

Jayce was cruelly torn from slumber by muscles spasming under his skin, the ricocheting pains of his flesh tearing itself apart and sewing back together whisking away sleep in an instant. He could do nothing to supress the whine in the back of his throat as he felt bones shift and crunch, breaking and reforming under the force of the transformation.

He tried to lift his head, to move away from… something. There was something he needed to get away from. But his efforts proved futile as he felt the pain envelop him once more, his body giving out from under him, falling limp to the cold floor.

Perhaps a few seconds- maybe a few hours, he wasn’t in a state to tell- had passed when Jayce felt a warm, thin hand threading through his hair, urging him awake once more. He could feel a figure crouched next to his prone body and despite the exhaustion lingering from the strain of transformation, felt every muscle lock up with an unplaceable panic. A familiar voice called to him softly, the tone threaded with concern, "Jayce?"

Shit.

Adrenaline hauled Jayce awake, eyes snapping open to look up at the figure above him and confirm his worst fears. He forced himself to wrench away from Viktor's grasp, determined to get as far away from the man in front of him as possible. Mind reeling as he scrambled to pull together what had gone wrong last night. How was Viktor here? He hadn't even left the lab, had he? But Viktor was… no. Viktor had been there, persistent against his efforts to get him away. But it hadn't worked. Of course it hadn't worked.

Oh god, what had he done, what had Viktor seen of him? Why wasn’t looking at the bars of Stillwater right now? Why had he woken up at all?

Jayce couldn't bring himself to look at the man across from him, images of his partner broken and bleeding flashing across his mind. Torn to shreds by sharp claws and even sharper teeth. His eyes screwed tight, shaky, panicked breaths beginning to teeter through his chest, terrified of what he would find.

The sound of Viktor's cane tapping the floor broke through the mounting static and Jayce flinched back, pushing himself further into the corner underneath the workbench. He was saying something, but the words were muffled by the thundering roar in Jayce's ears. A hand ghosted next to his head, not quite touching, but enough to make Jayce aware of the way the other man had knelt in front of him, closing him in.

The voice was getting louder, more urgent. But Jayce couldn’t bring himself to move. He couldn’t bring himself to face the conversation in front of him. Or the execution, his mind supplied grimly.

Finally, he felt the hand, Viktors hand, come to rest lightly on his cheek, something about the gentleness of the action managed to stagger Jayce's spiralling train of thought. His voice was saying something about looking at him, a thumb trailing against the hollow of his eye, clearing the tears there. He managed to look up at Viktor, fear still sending crashing waves of adrenaline through his taut muscles as he met those golden eyes.

This time, when Viktor spoke, the words broke though the cacophony of dread, "Jayce, you are safe." Viktor assured, "Nothing here will hurt you." He seemed conflicted for a minute as his eyes roamed over Jayce's features, his gaze hardening with a sense of determination. "I will not hurt you," his voice tight as if it pained him to say it.

"Wh-at" The word cracked as Jayce bit it out, voice hoarse from disuse and throat constricted with panic.

Viktor's face looked achingly heartbroken at the distrust and confusion in Jayce voice.

Viktors feather-light touch drew his head up from where it was half-hidden behind his arms, chasing the warmth on his skin. "Were in the lab, you are safe." He reassured, voice painfully soft. Jayce almost had half a mind to believe him.

He traced his hand upwards from where it had been resting on Jayce's cheek and moved to card his fingers through his mused hair. Jayce untensed at the contact, arms dropping slightly and head tilting into the touch, although his eyes were still filled with nothing but a pained sort of disbelief.

Like he had been expecting to wake up today with Viktor nowhere to be found. Perhaps worse.

Viktor sighed and shuffled closer to Jayce. "Come here," He softly encouraged, offering his arms out to the other man, giving him space and time to reject the contact if he so wished. Jayce appeared shocked, but regardless he slowly tipped forward into the embrace, tentatively, like he was afraid it was a lie, a trick, that Viktor would rip this from him the instant his guard was down. When no such thing happened, Viktor heard the man choke on a sob, his arms coming to wrap up tight around Viktor like he would never let go.

The two remained holding on to each other, Viktor scratching soothingly at the base of his hairline, disturbed only by the occasional shake of the near-silent sobs wracking Jayce's body.

After some time (neither of them would be able to tell you how long exactly), Jayce's crying died into a shaky sort of breathing, and a weary voice broke the silence. "You… saw me?" He asked trepidatiously, as if broaching the topic would shatter whatever precious safety he had managed to find.

"I did." Viktor confirmed simply.

"Didn’t I hurt you?" Jayce breathed, his grip around the other man tightening.

"Look at me Jayce, do I look hurt?" Viktor coaxes.

At this, Jayce slowly pulls back in order to search over Viktor, checking for any signs of injury or pain (other than the usual amount, of course).

Viktor allowed him enough time to realise that nothing was out of the ordinary, listening as his breathing calmed a little, then brought his hand back to rest on Jayce's cheek again, trapping the other man's gaze in his own. He levelled him with a flat look, "Jayce, you were nothing more than an oversized puppy dog."

"But I know that I- I lose my mind when I'm… like that" He shook his head, voice disbelieving.

Viktor scoffed, "Well you certainly weren't running at your brain's full capacity. But… you remembered the things that were important to you…" Viktor trailed off, before adding, "You remembered me."

"I… I didn't know that could happen." He admitted, Viktor could see him slowly coming back into himself, the full-blown panic teetering over into flat-out bewilderment. "As soon as the full moon rises, I feel my mind slip and then… nothing. I can almost remember feelings… not very well, like trying to recall dreams the morning after, and not much more than that."

"Well, how did last night feel?" Viktor encouraged.

He waited patiently while Jayce contemplated this, until his gaze softened with something akin to recognition, "Warm, and… safe." Jayce admitted quietly.

"Then it would stand to reason that it was much the same for me, no?" Viktor smiled, knowing he had won as Jayce nodded slowly. After all, it did make sense, Viktor was here, in front of him, alive with not so much as a scratch upon him. And whilst he was inclined to disbelief, he knew deep down that Viktor would never deceive him, not like this.

Suddenly the last of the panic melted away, leaving Jayce worn out and tired, red-eyed and crammed underneath the workbench of their lab.

"Come on, you dramatic bastard.” Viktor cajoled, dropping his hand to reach for his cane, “Let us go have a proper conversation about this on the couch, because while I can't speak for you, I am certainly sick of the floor."

"Oh! Yes of course, I didn’t mean for you to- Sorry" Jayce cut himself off sheepishly, bumping his head on the underside of the desk in his clamour to get up. He offered his hand to Viktor, who took it, long safe in the knowledge that it was out of genuine care and not some form of misguided pity.

𐂯

"How long?" Viktor asked once the two were settled back on the couch together. A glass of water in Jayce's hands and a mug of warm sweetmilk nestled in Viktor's.

Jayce breathed out heavily, "I was seventeen, just in the wrong place at the wrong time I guess," he said with a dry chuckle, focused on the wall behind Viktor.

It didn’t take much to sense that Jayce didn't want to be pressed any further on the matter of how, so he veered to the other thought that had been plaguing him all night, "Where do you usually go?"

Jayce looked down at the miniscule air bubbles trapped under the water in his glass, "I figured out pretty quickly that I have no control over myself when I'm like that." He took a sip, if only just to do something with his hands, "Ever since then I've just holed myself up in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town, as far away from people as I can get."

Viktor mulled this over for a minute, the image of a transformed Jayce trapped and all alone striking something frightfully spiteful within him, "Well no need for that, from now on I am content to watch over you come the next full moon, although… maybe not here again. You don’t want to accidentally chew through any of our experiments." Viktor chided, jokingly.

"What?!" Jayce yelled, appalled at the idea, "Absolutely not, you could get hurt Viktor! It doesn’t matter to me what happened last night, I won’t stand to have in that situation every again."

"Jayce, I saw for myself last night that I am perfectly safe with you." Viktor assured, "Even though you were confused and scared, as soon as you recognised me you calmed. Have you considered that perhaps you only think you are aggressive and dangerous because you have never let yourself relax in that state?" Viktor broached, taking a sip and leveling Jayce with a look over the mug to gauge his reaction.

Jayce opened his mouth to reply, but evidently had nothing to say save for closing it again with a frustrated glare, so Viktor continued. "I promise you Jayce, you did nothing to cause me harm, quite the opposite actually. And nor I you, for that matter. Particularly once I figured out that it was you and not a stray wolf that had mistaken my dear lab partner for a snack." He noted, trying to cheer Jayce up with his silly joke.

Viktor knew he was starting to win at the soft smile that broke out over Jayce's face over it, giving him a small grin back in return.

"In fact, last night I began developing many theories regarding the consistent spread of misinformation about werewolves, assuming you are not just an outlier to the status quo, werewolves are not nearly the aggressive beings they are made out to be." Viktor spieled, setting down his mug in order to replace it with the notebook he had begun his research in last night.

"However, in order to develop a uniform ruleset as no one yet has seemed want to do, I would like to run some experiments. So, you see, me looking after your wolf form has practical application as well." He encouraged. Sure, maybe it was a little mischievous playing into the scientist within him, but he was willing to pull out all the stops on this matter.

He could see Jayce considering his point, but the hesitant uncertainty was yet to leave his features, "There are still so many things that could go wrong, there's just too many unknown variables Viktor."

"Yes, that is why we must work off what we do know. You seemed to maintain the bonds of your day life, and certainty no drive for senseless bloodlust, that is enough information for me." He pressed, a flippant tone colouring the end of his sentence as he amended a length of writing in the book.

"Viktor! Please stop this, under no circumstances can I ever let this incident repeat itself." Jayce begged, pressing Viktor's notebook down to get the other man to look him in the eye.

"What, and I'm just supposed sit by whilst you go run off alone to who knows where every full moon?" Viktor bit sarcastically, "What, do you chain yourself down as well I suppose?"

Jayce looked down to the floor abashed, and Viktor kicked him in the ankle. "Jayce! You go out of Piltover, alone, and leave yourself defenceless for hours throughout the night?"  

"I'm not defenceless," Jayce emphasised, drawing his legs up on the couch. "Plus, I'm not sure that many people are attracted to loud crashing and howling coming from an old creaky warehouse in the dead of night!"

"There are more people out there that like to look for trouble than you seem to think." The other man growled, snapping the notebook closed, "There are hunters Jayce! Surely you must know." Viktor watched with a morbid satisfaction as a shiver ran through Jayce at the thought.

"Look, it's never been a problem for me before." Jayce told him, "I'm doing this alone, as I always have. I just can't bear the thought of waking up and finding-." Jayce cut himself short, drawing his arms in as his gaze angled to the floor, "Viktor I wouldn’t be able to live with myself after, I already felt that fear once today, I- I just don’t know if I can do it again."

Viktor gently wrapped his hand around the curve of Jayce's neck, comforting, drawing his attention back. "Jayce, I am asking you to trust me. Trust me that you will never have to feel like that again, you've done this alone for so long now. But you shouldn’t have to. Not anymore, okay?"

Jayce tilted his head to the side as he breathed in, closing his eyes tight in a display of reluctant acceptance, "You're really not going to let this go, are you?"

Viktor chuckled, "Not on your life Jayce Tails."

"If I… let you do this. You have to promise me one thing." Jayce brought up his hand to wrap around Viktor's arm.

"And what would that be?"

"If you ever get even an inkling that you are in danger, promise me that you will do everything in your power to keep yourself safe." Jayce pressed, knowing that he would rather wake up battered and bleeding- rather not wake up at all- over the alternative.

"That won't be necessary Jayce." Viktor dismissed.

"I don’t care, promise me anyways." His eyes hard-set with unwavering determination.

Viktor sighed, rubbing his thumb across the fuzz of hair on the base of Jayce's head, "I promise" He vowed, knowing that he was lying though his teeth, that if it really came down to it, there's nothing he would do to hurt him.

He could tell that Jayce didn’t quite believe him, but he must know that that was the best he was going to get out of Viktor today, because he didn’t press any further. "Not that I regret it, but I am sorry for throwing you out of the lab earlier."

"You do realise that negates the whole point of an apology, no?" Viktor smiled.

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Jayce concedes. "How did you get back in anyways? I know for a fact that your keys were still on the table."

"You are a crazy man if you think I'm going to tell you where I keep my lockpicks" Viktor declares with a scathing glance at the other man.

"Secret compartment in the cane?" Jayce ventured.

"Fuck off" Viktor snarks, resentful that he guessed correctly on the first damn shot. Pulling back from the loose embrace to make a show out turning away, eyes closed and arms crossed like a petulant child.

Jayce only laughed at him in response, but despite Viktors growing annoyance, hearing Jayce finally laugh something genuine and bright filled him with an unruly sense of pride.

Viktor cracked open one eye to steal a glance it, his cross facade collapsing entirely as his expression lit up with revelation, "Ah!" He exclaimed, "The reason behind your ridiculously sharp canines!"

Jayce looked at him, trickles of laugher still dying down as he brought a thumb up to feel at his teeth, considering it, "Yeah I guess it is." If he was honest, he hadn't really thought about it all that much before.

"Do you know if there any other byproducts of your condition that transfer similarly to your human form?" Viktor interrogated, eyes lit up with wonder as he blindly reached for his pen once more.

"Uh… I dunno, I guess I've had better hearing ever since." Jayce offered flippantly.

"That time I walked in after sundown, and you were reading notes in the near pitch black!" Pen pointed accusingly at the other. He couldn’t help the way his whole body tilted forwards, not wanting to miss even a second of this conversation.

Jayce laughed at the awkward memory that resurfaced, the feeling of internally sweating bullets as Viktor had been questioning the lack of light that he hadn’t even noticed was gone. "Yeah, I was terrified you were going to find me out over that."

"Eh, I eventually figured that you had just managed to fall asleep sitting up and didn't want to admit it." Viktor lightly prodded him with the pen, emphasising his remark.

"Oh, that… makes sense too" Jayce supposed.

"Fascinating," Viktor breaths, letting Jayce off the hook for his terrible lying capability, just how he had managed to keep this under wraps for so long truly mystified him. "I do hope you don’t mind if we run a few tests on the extent of carried over traits, with reference against both human and vastayan abilities of course. I will need to pull up anything we can find in our library related to lycanthropy, though I know there’s next to nothing because the academy holds one of the biggest collections Runeterra and I’ve combed every inch of the place. And of course, ill need to-"

"Of course I wouldn't mind" Jayce interrupts, knowing that if he didn’t it Viktors unrestrained train of thought may carry on for hours, "But shouldn't we be getting back to our actual work sooner or later?"

"Yes yes, very soon." The other man promises in a rush, "However there's just so little documented on the nature of werewolves…" Viktor trailed off, an unspoken question in his eyes.

Jayce still couldn’t quite believe it. The man in front of him was genuinely fascinated and intrigued over a part of himself he had kept hidden for years, ashamed of who- and what- he was. And here was his partner in science, notebook open between them, spilling pages filled with rigorous notes and beautifully detailed sketches of his usually dreaded wolf form.

"You really just can't help yourself, can you?" Jayce chides through a creeping smile, knowing the feeling of scientific thirst for himself through and through. "Fine… I'll give you the next two hours to do whatever you want and then we get back to work for the day." He offered, leaning back against the couch and extending his hand. "Deal?"

Viktor couldn't help the (only slightly maniacal) grin that broke across his face, "Deal."

Any other man would've (and should've) run at the first sight of that look, but Jayce made no move to recoil his hand, a feeling of warmth spreading through him as their hands clasped together. Seeing as it was the same smile that first saved Jayce from his own untimely death those years ago.

Chapter Text

The closer the next full moon got; the more Jayce was kicking himself for agreeing to Viktor's proposal in the first place. By the time the day itself arrived, a whirlwind of what-ifs proved him no further ahead on the work schedule by the end of the day than he had been that morning.

A rustle of movement broke Jayce’s blank stare into space as he looked over to where his partner was seated at the lab table across from him. Viktor had unburied his head from where it was bent down low over his notes, lifting it to steal a glance through the window, assumedly gauging the distance of the sun to the horizon. It wasn't too close just yet, but it seemed that Viktor would rather play it safe than sorry, because he turned to Jayce with a twinkle of excitement to his eyes, "Shall we?"

Jayce looked to window and breathed a long-suffering sigh, he had been dreading this moment all day, but he supposed there was no help in putting it off any longer. "For the record I still think this is an awful idea," he reminded the other, reaching behind the hex-gauntlet prototype to remove its power source and store it away for the night.

"You say that about everything I propose," Viktor remarked, he walked over to where he had stored his notes about Jayce’s lycanthropy from a month ago, obviously intent on continuing them tonight.

"And I'm sure that someone as smart as yourself can figure out why," Jayce teased.

"Oh, shut it," Viktor bit back, lightly knocking him in the ankle with his cane as the two locked the lab doors behind them and made their way out into the evening sun together.

𐂯

They had agreed that Jayce's apartment would be the best option, seeing as it was a space already familiar to him, and Jayce wouldn’t have to worry about accidentally smashing any of Viktor's possessions.

Jayce held the door open for Viktor as he walked into the apartment, already a thousand reasons why this was a terrible idea creating a storm in his mind. Viktor made his way over to the couch and practically fell into it, getting comfortable in the patch of dying sunlight seeping through Jayce’s windows. Casual as ever, as if he was entirely unbothered that the man before him was about to turn into a textbook definition of a monster.

Jayce tried to steel himself against his worry, if Viktor trusted him, then maybe he should just have a little more faith in himself…. Right? He took a little longer than strictly necessary to lock the door behind himself, then moved to sit down next to Viktor. Trying to join him in simply relaxing for a minute, however, tried was the key word here. He lasted about five seconds before the unease churning his gut drove him to shatter the quiet, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I am sure about everything I do," Viktor asserted, folding one leg over another and sending a cheeky glance to the man next to him. Jayce huffed a laugh through his nose, feeling Viktor’s gaze, but not quite finding it within himself to return it. His eyes were stuck on the metallic light reflecting off the door keys as he twirled them betwixt his fingers.

Viktor clued in on just how much the nerves were eating at him due to the lack of a scathing quip to accompany his arrogant remark. "Jayce," Viktor tried, leaning forward to get his full attention. He got only slightly annoyed when Jayce seemed to ignore him, continuing his staring match with the keys.

“Jayce," Viktor coaxed once more, smiling ever so slightly when he finally caught the others gaze, "It will be okay," he comforted.

Jayce looked unsure for a minute, then he reached for Viktor's hand, pressing the keys into his palm, "If things go astray-" Viktor opened his mouth to interrupt but Jayce simply increased his volume, cutting him off before he could get a word out, "If they do, get out- please just get out- lock the door behind you, and for the love of god do not look back."

 ­

"Fine," Viktor conceded with only a slight roll of his eyes, but pocketed the keys anyways, if only to keep Jayce placated. The man in question looked nervously out of the glass panes making up his west wall, then to the time on his wrist, then up at the clock, before glancing out of the windows again.

He turned back around to Viktor, “Uhm…" Jayce shifted nervously.

"Yes Jayce?" Viktor encouraged.

"I know that documenting this stuff is important to you, why, I still don't quite understand, but-" He took a breath, "I think I would rather you just wait in my bedroom 'till the actual transformation is over. It's not an… elegant process."

Viktor's gaze softened, "Of course Jayce, I just want to be able to help you, if that is what you want, then it is what I shall do."

"Thanks Vik-" Jayce started to smile back, unfortunately the sentiment was interrupted by a violent spasm, his hand pressing against the couch for support as he folded forward in pain.

Instantly Viktor’s relaxed demeanour was gone, his body gone tense at the sight of his partner in pain. Viktor worried at his bottom lip as reached his fingers out, hovering over Jayce's doubled form, "Are you sure there's nothing I can do to assist-"

"Theres nothing." He interrupted, grim faced. Jayce gritted his teeth and breathed out harshly against the hurt. “Please, just- go.”

"Then, by your word…" Viktor reluctantly retracted his hand, bringing himself up from the couch, "When shall I know to come back?"

Viktor couldn’t see Jayce's face, now shadowed away from him in his hunched over position “I trust you Vik, you'll know."

 Viktor grimaced as he heard his words hitch at the end, familiar with the way pain twists the throat, but he steeled himself regardless and walked over to the bedroom door. Despite himself, he looked back regretfully, hesitating only for a second before sweeping through and closing it behind him with a soft click.

The next few minutes were almost unbearable. Pained groans and heavy breathing combining in gruesome symphony with the canine whining of Jayce's wolf form, he very nearly went back on his word a few times because by Janna surely there was something he could do.

But the last thing he wanted was to betray Jayce's trust in such a blatant manner. And so, he waited.

Waited until the weak emittance of the dusk-washed moon transmuted into a powerful glow against the inky night sky. It’s light cast through the window, painting pearlescent streaks across Jayce's bedcovers.

Finally, finally the noises faltered off, the unnerving sounds coming through the door giving way to eerie silence. Viktor waited an extra minute with his ear near pressed to the door, just to be safe. Eventually, the sound of a confused dog-like whine broke through the permeating quiet. The small, sad noise had his hand on the doorknob without another moment’s hesitance.

He tried to open the door as slowly as he could, as not to startle him. Although despite his best efforts, the creak in Jayce's neglected door hinges elected a low growl from the beast standing in the living room.

The warning threat did nothing to make Viktor retreat, or even pause, as he continued into the room. He made eye contact with Jayce in his defensive position, teeth bared, and head dipped low.

None of it scared Viktor in the way it had the first night, if it even did at all. "Well hello to you too," Viktor greeted, only a hint of sarcasm in his words. At the sound of his voice, the growl teetered off into a smaller rumbling, the wolf raising his head slightly to sniff at the air before him. Then between one second and the next, the rumbling was gone entirely, and an excited yip was assaulting Viktors hearing instead.

Viktor had barely closed the door behind him before Jayce was on him. The wolf near bowling him over with his enthusiasm, the door at his back his only saviour from being knocked square on his ass.

In no time flat the side Viktor's face was besieged by a rough tongue, the culprit rumbling purrs and leaning his furred body into Viktor. The man allowed the pseudo-hug for a minute, before his lungs started protesting, "Jayce," Viktor wheezed out, only half-complaining through a smile, "Please, you are crushing me." 

Jayce quickly backed off when he felt Viktor's hand lightly pushing against his chest, apologising with a small mewl and opting instead to sit down in front of him. Even with his hindlegs folded beneath him, Jayce was still more than tall enough continue licking at Viktors face. Truth be told, it took all Viktor had in him to not demean himself with a fit of giggles at the sensation.

"Okay, okay!" Viktor eased. He turned his head as far away from the offending animal as he could, reaching a hand up to defend against the assault on his face. Although, he couldn’t help but admit he was secretly touched that Jayce's wolf form was so happy to see him.

Viktor gently pushed his head away, then ran his hand up to meet the top of it, scratching lightly. "It is nice to see you again too," Jayce's eyes closed against the feeling of Viktors fingers running through his fur.

"Now, after all that, I'm sure you are hungry." Viktor ruminates, giving his fur one final tussle before removing his hand, "Luckily, this time around I was able to prepare."

Jayce tilts his head, curious in Viktors movements as he walks over to his satchel on the kitchen bench, pulling a thin box out from it, his head tilts even further as he catches the scent of the semi-thawed contents.

"Seeing as all previous data has informed me you have the base biological makeup of a typical wolf, I think I am safe in assuming that this will appeal to you," Viktor ventured, holding out a rather large cut of red meat.

Jayce padded up to him, snout snuffling hesitantly at the offering. He must have deemed it appropriate because in the next two seconds flat he had snatched it out of Viktors hand, bringing it down to the floor of the kitchen and digging in with razor-sharp teeth.

Viktor smiled to himself, satisfied in the accuracy of his guess. In the meantime, while Jayce was eating, Viktor begun work on his notes once more, filling in his hypothesis on the dietary habits of werewolves (the next step, of course, was finding out if human meat appealed to them at all, or if that was just another tall tale born of fear mongers).

But an odd stretch of silence made Viktors pen still against the page, surely, he had not finished already, he thought, looking up to see if Jayce was done. He was not, oddly enough, about halfway through he had stopped. Viktor watched with interest as Jayce picked up the other half of the meal in his maw and padded over to him, dropping it on the floor at Viktor's feet.

Viktor stared at the bloody slab slowly staining the grout between the tiles, then back to the wolf, who was looking at him expectantly.

Right.

Wolves, pack animals, Jayce, overbearing lab partner.

Viktor brought his hand to his forehead, dramatically sliding it down his face in disbelief (a bad habit he would not admit he’d picked up from Jayce). Of course. Of course, this bastard wouldn’t finish his meal before he knew that Viktor had eaten.

With a melodramatic sigh that fell deaf upon wolfish ears, Viktor peeled himself off the kitchen bench and dug around in Jayce's pantry for something substantial. He came across a small collection of mediocre-looking nutrition bars, grabbing one and turning around, making a show out of taking a bite.

Jayce walked over, claws tacking against the tile of the kitchen, and sniffed at the food in Viktors hand, after deeming it was, in fact, food, he trotted back. He snapped up the rest of the meat, tilted his head back, and swallowed it in three bites.

Viktor, satisfied with his work, went back to his notebook to continue his research, munching absent-mindedly on the food still in his hand.

𐂯

Jayce had taken to laying down in between the couch and the coffee table of the living room. Viktor took advantage of this, clearing a couple stray mugs and loose paper of the low table to make room for himself, his new vantage point allowing him to get a good view of the fur patterns lining the others flank, copying the markings onto paper. The only problem with the arrangement being that he didn’t have a third arm to help him hold his cane and draw at the same time, and his leg was beginning to protest the abuse. He should really get around to that project sooner rather than later.

He had almost finished his page when a particularly mean twinge caught him off guard, he hissed lightly through his teeth at the sensation.

After the pain had passed, Viktor attempted to go back to his notes, but unluckily for him, Jayce’s attention was caught. Jayce himself up onto his forepaws, giving him the range needed to lean his head forward and snuffle around Viktor’s knee, before emitting a displeased growl. Ah, Viktor thought, this again. The food had been one thing, but Viktor had forgotten about Jayce's now improved capability to be overbearing in a different sense. To make matters worse, he couldn’t even do anything about it because this version of him didn’t understand complex language and the other won't remember by the time the next full moon comes around. Just his luck, Viktor thought bitterly.

But when Jayce looked back up to Viktor with a shockingly human look of understanding and sorrow in his wolfish eyes, all pretence of bitterness towards the man melted away, simmering down to the gentle affection that remained a constant underneath. Watching him now, with hazel eyes blinking in concern up at him, makes Viktor wonder just how much Jayce worries for him outside of the full moon, perhaps just when he knows Viktor isn't looking. Although the thought doesn’t make him as upset as it perhaps should. After all, who is he to complain if the coffee Jayce hands to him always seems extra sweet on the days that hurt the most.

He dipped a hand to run his fingertips across the others furred forehead, "I am okay, Jayce, I have delt with this my entire life, I'm not going to drop in the next five minutes," he reassured the other.

Jayce ceased the growling, placated for now. By either Viktors words or the comforting touch he didn’t know, maybe it didn’t matter. Jayce turns his head to lick at Viktor's hand before letting his head drop back onto his forepaws in a soft whumpf.

𐂯

Viktor, done with measuring Jayce’ claw length for now, but not one to make unnecessary work for himself in the area of standing up, threw his tool over to the couch with his others to pick up later. He missed by a mile, the tool bouncing off the couch cushion and clattering to the floor on the other side. Jayce's head followed the motion curiously, before he looked back at Viktor with a tilt to his head, tail beginning to slowly wag behind him.

Jayce then got up, padded over to the couch, gently grasped the ruler between his teeth, and promptly brings it back over to drop it in Viktors lap. Sitting down with a now enthusiastically wagging tail and looking at Viktor eagerly. Viktor blinks. He can't be serious.

He reached an arm behind him to the small desk where Jayce keeps Hextech work and other personal projects, fingers landing on a small trinket that doesn’t seem all the important. He held it up to Jayce, and the dog’s attention is immediately rapt onto the object, muscles tensed, ready to pounce. By Janna he is.

 Viktor's face is slowly overcome by what he is sure would appear to be the smile of an absolute maniac to any onlookers. Viktor grasped the metallic object tightly and swiftly launched it across the room. He watched on in absolute delight as Jayce bolted, diving to the floor to catch it just before it hit the ground, but sorely misjudging his own speed and colliding with the wall as he scrambles to stop.

And Viktor, who was already thoroughly amused, loses any and all semblance of composure. His laughter rings out across the room as Jayce wobbles to standing, shaking his head to clear it of the stars that undoubtedly grace his vision.

But ever diligent, Jayce did not lose grip of his prize throughout the mishap, bounding back over proudly as if nothing had gone wrong with the process and dropping the toy back into Viktor's lap, lowering himself into a teasing bow.

Mirthful tears in his eyes, Viktor picked up the slobbery piece of metal, and played.

𐂯

Sometime later, far into the night, Jayce had taken to napping in the silver rays of light. Viktor sat by him, etching a portrait onto the pages of his book. The only sounds permeating the night was Jayce's soft purrs and the faint scratching of charcoal on paper.

It was peaceful, relaxing.

That was, until Viktor was overcome by a jaw-cracking yawn, and foolishly, he was unable to stifle it in time, the sound causing Jayce’s ear to flick towards him. Attention caught, he lazily cracked open a watchful eye, intent as he studied Viktor. Before Jayce leant his head forward and softly nipped at Viktors vest, evidently trying to drag him downwards.

Viktor knew the game he was playing by now, and tried to stop him before he could start, "Go back to sleep Jayce, I will join you in a minute." He gave a calming scratch to the fur at the base of his neck. His words, of course, had no effect on the other, but Viktor was more hoping the soothing feeling of being pet would simply put him back to sleep before he noticed.

Which almost worked.

Almost.

Jayce's eyes snapped back open, a yip coming from his throat as he snapped a play-bite at Viktors hand to remove it. Admonishing him for his attempt at betrayal, Jayce sat up, far taller than Viktor when they were both sitting, and growled down the man.

(Most people would most likely feel something akin to fear with a wolf the size of a refrigerator snarling threats over them. However, Viktor, who had spent years working day in and day out with the man and had recently learnt how his thoughts manifest in wolf form, knows that he is simply being hounded to go to sleep by a drama queen.)

Jayce, apparently all too fed up, ended his ineffective growling with an annoyed huff and wound around the back of him. Before Viktor had time to wonder what he was doing, he had gripped his teeth into the fabric of Viktors vest and promptly picked him up by the scruff.

"Jayce!" Viktor reprimanded, trying his best to break free of the grip, abhorrent to the idea of getting scruffed like a kitten. Jayce remained uncaring, padding over to the bedroom with Viktor in tow, wilfully ignorant of the man's complaints.

Viktor eventually gave up as Jayce shouldered through the doorframe, hanging limp in his grip. Although, not missing the way the bastard’s tail started wagging when he eventually gave in. Jayce proudly treaded over to the bed with his prize in tow and gently lowered him onto the mattress.

Viktor, now sitting on the edge of Jayce's bed and doing his best to appear entirely miffed about it, makes to get back up. As expected, the effort proved fruitless as Jayce's sturdy forehead pushed him back down with a playful bark. He tried to remove the head from is abdomen and, as expected, it doesn’t budge. Great.

 "Hloupé štěně," Viktor grumbled, closing his eyes in reluctant acceptance. Although, Jayce doesn’t seem to mind the human's foul attitude, as Viktor felt a dip in the mattress next to him, he looked to see Jayce curling around him and settling down against the soft duvet.

Despite his relaxed disposition, Jayce has one hazel eye intent upon him, apparently watchful in the event of Viktor trying to get up again. Lucky for Jayce, Viktor was weak to the man’s wants and remained put (and if he was being honest with himself, he knew it wasn’t up to him anyways).

However, that didn’t stop him from complaining about it, he thought as he huffed a dramatic sigh, "Jayce, I know you are worried about my aversion to rest, but this is entirely unnecessary."

Evidentially sick of Viktor speaking and not sleeping, Jayce simply reached his head forward and leveraged his weight to pull Viktor’s torso downwards. Dragging him into the soft fur of his own body, then rumbling happily when Viktor didn’t fight him on the motion.

Viktor absentmindedly began to twirl his fingers around the long threads of fur surrounding him, "I don’t want to sleep while you are in this state, I am here to watch over you, I can't very well do that if I am unconscious now can I?" He asked the wolf, well aware that his words have no real communicative effect, but he felt it better speak aloud regardless.

In leu of a reply, Jayce lifted his head and began to lick at the short hair at the base of Viktors neck, the sensation first sent a shiver through him, then a spike of fresh indignity.  Janna behold, the bastard was grooming him. As if he were a dirty newborn puppy.

Ridiculous. Viktor thought determinedly. But alas, he was trapped here, a whole life spent in academia only to be defeated by a creature with no opposable thumbs. Frankly this is embarrassing, he seethed as he relaxed back into the soft flank of his friend.

He supposed he was quite nice to lay on… and the gentle puppy dog affections were almost relaxing. Viktor cracked open his eye once more to look at the beast smothering him, well, he might as well get comfortable. Viktor grumbled a string of threats as he did so, "I swear on what’s left of my life I am going to hide gunpowder in your forge fire tomorrow, I’m telling you this now, so that you don’t remember and blow yourself up the next time you go down there."

Although it didn’t take a genius to see the threats as the empty husks that they were in the way Viktor drew his legs up onto the bed, situating himself next to Jayce. He laid his head into the soft pillow, close to the other, but not touching. That was, until, Jayce untucked a forepaw and draped it across Viktor's torso, drawing him into his flank, purrs rumbling through his chest. And who was Viktor to be the heartless bastard who pushed him away? At least, that’s what he told himself as leant back into the wolf, a soft smile on his face, hidden by the cover of night.

𐂯

Jayce twitched in his sleep, the unnatural jerk of the movement disrupting the fragile peace of the early dawn. Viktor blinked his eyes open, noting the soft amber light beginning to crawl its way through the windowpanes. He swivelled his head over to glance at the wolf next to him and felt his heart twist at the pained tenseness written on his face, even asleep.

Viktor carefully extracted himself from the covers, trying his best not to disturb the other. He reluctantly heaved himself off of the bed, making his way over to the door to give Jayce privacy during his transformation once more. Although, he barely has his hand on the door handle before he was halted in his tracks by a light tugging on his wrist.

Jayce is there, teeth gently gripped into the fabric of his sleeve and looking at him with a pair of pleading hazel eyes. Viktor didn’t have to be able to speak his language to know what he was asking; please, stay.

Viktor stood, conflicted. Stuck between respecting Jayce's more conscious wishes, and his drive to immediately cater to what was blatantly being asked of him now. Jayce gave another tug to his sleeve, a small mewl accompanying the action. Viktor knew the internal debate was fruitless, that he didn’t have the backbone (or the will) to leave Jayce while he was like this, pitiful and in pain, whining for him to stay.

So, he did.

His hand fell off of the door handle and he lowered himself to the floor. Back propped up against the closed door, he opened his arms to Jayce who didn't have to be asked twice. Jayce pushed his fluffy head into Viktors torso and folded his forelegs into his lap, greedily soaking up the contact as if it helped him to forget all the pain. Maybe it did.

Viktor sat with him through the pains that wracked his body, stroking his fur in a feeble attempt to soothe the whines and whimpers away. He absently paid attention to the path of the sun as it began to peak above the horizon, bathing the sky in tones of rich autumn leaves.

The wolf in front of him began to change, slowly, at first, giving Viktor enough time to realise and close his eyes against the sight of it. If he was truly honest with himself, he wanted nothing more than to watch and document the fascinating process, but he was already breaking enough of Jayce's trust just by being here. It was the least he could do to grant him this small courtesy.

Viktor couldn’t help himself from absently counting in his head, however, and about three and a half minutes later, the feeling of fur had washed into that of silkier, more human-like hair underneath his fingers, and Jayce's ragged voice blessed Viktor’s ears for the first time since sundown yesterday.

 "Viktor?"

𐂯

"I am here, Jayce."

His eyelids were heavy as lead, Jayce shivered as he felt long fingers carding through his hair, felt the warmth of body heat and sunlight from where he was half-curled into someone's lap. Seeing as that someone was probably the owner of the voice softly calling his name, he was rather content to keep his eyes closed and enjoy this moment for as long as he could.

Viktor's ministrations paused, a shame. Jayce was absently paying attention as he felt the other lean forward slightly over him. "Jayce?" Viktor questioned, a tone of concern now colouring his voice, "Are you alright?"

Despite his inclination to stay half asleep in Viktors lap forever, Jayce couldn’t help the soft smile that overtook his face at the other's concern for him. "I'm alright Viktor," He reassured. Now that his touch was no longer there to persuade him to stillness, he managed to roll himself over in Viktors lap. Now on his back, he was rewarded for his effort by the sight of molten gold irises, "More than that, actually." A sappy smile still on his face as he continued, still too exhausted to retain any form of propriety, "You’re here."

Jayce couldn’t miss the minute flash of shock that broke across Viktor's face, before he retaliated with a palm to Jayce's forehead, smothering him in mock-annoyance, but not before Jayce caught a glimpse of the smile gracing his features.

By all accounts the two should move somewhere more comfortable, they were curled up on the floor, exhausted from lack of sleep and werewolf transformation both. But moving may broach whatever flower-fragile situation the two had found themselves in right now, and neither seemed particularly inclined to shatter it.

Viktor simply manoeuvred his leg into a more comfortable position, and Jayce shifted on his lap to accommodate him before letting his eyes fall back closed. There, all problems accounted for, now neither of them had to move.

The two soaked up the warm rays of golden sunlight creeping across the carpeted bedroom floor, a soft sigh leaving Jayce as Viktor threaded his fingers through his hair again, not-so-subtly inclining his head towards the gentle touch with a smile on his face.

Now that he thought about it, maybe this whole werewolf thing wasn't so bad after all.