Work Text:
Viktoria turns off the soldering iron just in time as the lab door slams shut. She flinches at the surprise a little, turns wearily in her chair, and absently rubs her left side with the back of her hand.
Jayce takes off her jacket and strides angrily back to her seat, and Victoria silently watches her.
Finally, she sits down, carelessly throws her jacket on the table covered with papers, and grabs the head.
“Should I ask what happened?”
“This council is made up of people, who are willing to walk on other people's heads instead of investing in things that really matter! They're delaying funding for the air filter.”
Jayce waves her hands in the air, gets up from her chair, and starts pacing the room.
Viktoria expected this to happen. The issue of funding was still considered more in the future, because the prototype was not yet perfect, but close to it. Nevertheless, deep down she was offended, just like Jayce.
“I would choke Salo with my own hands. Insufferable man,” Jayce bites the knuckle of her index finger.
Viktoria gets up, her back really starting to feel the pinch, after an uncomfortable nap in the middle of the day. She walks slowly over to Jayce, when another woman sits down in her seat, her hands clasped together, her gaze fixed on the window, which could use a cleaning. It’s night outside.
And Viktoria thinks, so untimely, about how beautiful Jayce is. Her thick eyebrows are furrowed, her hair a little out of its carefully arranged state, her jawline tense, her legs slightly apart and her pants pulling tight at her hips. Victoria would like to make her feel better. She steps closer to Jayce, staying one step away from standing between her legs.
“Jayce, look at me,” Jayce’s brown eyes tear from the window, sadness and anger mixed in them, “the sooner we finish, the sooner we can convince those upstarts that our work is worth it.”
Jayce's shoulders relax a little and she exhales noisily through her nose.
“But, I’m sure you did everything you could,” Viktoria holds onto her cane with both hands, so she doesn’t do anything stupid, “and I understand your frustration.”
“Thank you, I... they really don't understand anything," Viktoria just nods, "I can't possibly work today, sorry. But when was the last time we slept in normal beds?”
“That's… um…”
“Then, let's go,” Jayce gets up to grab her jacket and turns off the small desk lamp. Viktoria doesn’t even have time to respond, when the woman puts her hand on her shoulder and gently pushes her toward the door. Viktoria decides not to resist.
They walk down the empty hallway, and Viktoria feels like she really wants to sleep. Jayce's warmth beside her makes her more and more relaxed.
“You look pretty when you’re angry,” Viktoria says, almost without thinking (although it should have been a simple “goodnight”), as they turn around and go their separate ways down the hallways.
Jayce blinks, blushing, before removing her hand from Victoria's shoulders, and then Viktoria sees her slightly embarrassed smile.
“Good night, Viktoria.”
“Sleep well, Jayce.”
2.
Maybe little celebration, because of the breakthrough with the Hextech wasn't supposed to be so wild. Viktoria just happened to mention that she had a bottle of some really good wine, and Jayce agreed.
In truth, it would be hard for her to refuse. First of all, it was Viktoria. She would be willing to spend years with her, in their cluttered lab and not regret a thing. Her warm presence, sharp mind... this list could be very long. Secondly, look at the first reason. Jayce is not particularly fond of alcohol, she drinks it in moderation at some parties that Mel invites her to, but usually it's a couple of glasses of champagne, which she simply skillfully stretches out throughout the evening.
That's probably why the wine hits her so hard. They're in Viktoria's room, sitting on the couch sideways, facing each other. They're eating almond candies, drinking bittersweet wine, and Jayce's gaze follows as, after a few sips, Viktoria leans over to put her glass on the table, licks her lips, and her usually pale cheeks turn pink. They laugh, discuss all sorts of little things, Jayce recalls all the embarrassing stories that men have told her, who have unsuccessfully and foolishly flirted with her. Viktoria tucks her hair behind her ear, runs the side of her index finger along her lower lip. Jayce gets lost in the story and tries to remember if grapes really played a role in this story, and Viktoria tilts her head.
That's all Jayce remembers, when she wakes up. Not in her bed. She blinks to the other side of the bed, shifts a little, feels the tightness of her t-shirt. It's probably something from Viktoria's wardrobe and she smiles into her pillow, inhaling the scent of some nice-smelling shampoo.
But she does get up, smooths her hair with broad strokes of her palm through the tangled strands, and goes to the kitchen.
Viktoria sits there, the window open. The morning sun falls on the table, making her look almost... divine. Jayce wants to kiss the moles on her face. She sees one closer to her chest, a couple on her arm.
“Oh, you’re awake,” Jayce snaps out of her thoughts, walking through the doorway to sit across from her at the table.
“It's not fair to look so pretty after last night,” Jayce wants to wave her fists in the air in triumph, when he sees Viktoria blushing.
“Well, um... I've never been a huge fan of alcohol, but I have some experience," Viktoria changes her tone slightly, emphasizing the word "some" and Jayce smiles at her in surprise.
“There's so much I still need to learn about you, huh.”
“I think it works both ways. So what about coffee, tea?”
3.
Viktoria doesn't bother knocking when she enters Jayce's forge.
She immediately smells the aroma of metal, coal, and sweat starting to stand out from under the collar of her formal shirt.
Jayce at work. Viktoria sees her silhouette against the burning furnace, as the hand with the heavy hammer rises to strike again with precision.
Viktoria hardly wants to distract her. Jayce has come here today to rest, not to work, but some letter has arrived from the council, and she has decided to come to Jayce herself. However, she still don't interrupt. Instead, she watches the movement of the muscles, the way she tosses the hammer slightly, to change its position and grab it better. She makes a couple of blows before throwing the hammer aside, leaning her hands on the table. Jayce lowers her head, her shoulders outlined, and Viktoria slips a finger between the skin and the fabric of her collar, for... she herself does not know why she is doing it, really. But finally she raises her voice.
“Jayce.”
The woman turns sharply, but breathes a sigh of relief when she sees Viktoria.
“Hey, Vik. How.. long have you been here?” Viktoria doesn't really know.
“Just a few minutes. I didn't mean to bother you, but…” Viktoria walks over and gets closer to Jayce. She sees her hair sticking to her forehead and her chest rising as she catches her breath.
Viktoria reaches into her inside vest pocket, pulls out a letter, and hands it to Jayce.
Jayce frowns in response.
“It’s council,” Viktoria explains briefly, Jayce opens it, reads something, and grimaces, “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, don't worry. Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. The view was worth it anyway.”
She turns to leave, catches a glimpse out of the corner of her eye, where Jayce is covering her mouth with her hand, smiling. Another small victory for Viktoria.
4.
Jayce scans the room again, looking for Viktoria. The fact that she agreed to come to one of the events is truly a miracle. But ,maybe, she only agreed out of mercy? Jayce could be a little, well, persistent sometimes. But she really wanted Viktoria by her side. She wouldn't have to put up with talking about anything, when they had each other.
But Viktoria has arrived. She steps through the crowd in some fancy blouse, and Jace wants to run up to her. But, she has to sweet-talk the man she was talking to go and check out the table with some fancy snacks, and then she quickly bridges the distance between her and her partner, gently grabbing her elbow.
“Vicky! You’re here,” and she looks incredible. Viktoria is wearing no makeup, just a light touch of lip gloss, but she still looks like she’s going to make Jayce’s legs give out. Jayce puts her hand on Viktoria’s lower back to pull them away from the bustling crowd.
“I had my doubts, but. Some gossip is worth hearing firsthand,” Viktoria shrugs, and Jayce can’t help but smile broadly.
Things aren't as perfect as Jayce would like. She knows she has to fill her role as a plaything for the amusement of those she doesn't even particularly like, so Viktoria has to be a part of the action. However, Jayce enjoys listening to Victoria's sharp comments, which Mel would probably not approve of. But the woman is busy with other high-ranking people, and Jayce takes things a little less seriously. The guests seem pretty amused, so that's a plus.
They cross paths with a couple of insufferable freaks, but Jayce shrugs them off in a mildly rude manner, remembering some of their ugly clothes to convey characterization to Mel. People like that shouldn't be a part of anything good anyway.
They are both tired as they hide in the shade of a column. Viktoria rests her head on it, just for a moment, before straightening up and Jayce wants to kiss her.
“With all this talking, I haven't had time to tell you how great you look,” Viktoria smiles at Jayce's words.
“And that's the first sincere compliment of the evening. We should get some champagne, right?”
Jayce puts her elbow out and Victoria grabs it.
+1
They walk through the garden, when the night is deep enough and people are starting to leave. Viktoria's blouse is made of thin fabric, so Jayce throws her jacket over it. Viktoria mumbles something but keeps walking, Jayce smiles.
The trees are in full bloom, and there is a lingering sweet aroma in the air.
Jayce thinks about how she has almost everything in life now. A certain stability, a job she loves... a person she loves. The puzzle is almost complete, but for now... she doesn't know if it's worth taking a step. So, they joke around, flirt? Jayce is afraid that she's reading too much into it. Maybe it's not that serious.
They reach the bench, Victoria sits down and puts down her cane. Jayce sits down so that there is almost no space between them. She rests her palms on the edge of the cold stone.
“Thank you for coming, really. It brightened up this evening.”
“Don't expect it to be frequent occasions.”
“Sometimes?” Jayce nudges Viktoria with her shoulder, and she rolls her eyes playfully.
“Going to depend on your behavior, Miss Talis.”
“Huh, and which one of us is behaving badly?” They both laugh and Jayce even forgets about a slight coolness.
“I don’t think I’ll stick around on the council anyway,” Jayce shrugs, and Viktoria looks at her carefully.
“It’s just… I liked having some bigger role at first, you know? Not a secondary house of the Talis that people turn a blind eye to. But in the end… I’m better off with you. In the lab, flipping through old textbooks and just… doing whatever it is we do. The council doesn’t bring me that joy that I get with you.”
Viktoria is silent, and Jayce begins to think she's said too much.
“Well…”
“I'm always glad to have your company, Jayce,” Viktoria's hand, with thin, cool fingers, rests on top of Jayce's and squeezes.
Jayce looks up from their hands to look at Viktoria's face. And, seemingly in the same nervous anticipation, Jayce licks her lips. They stare at each other for a few moments, Jayce doesn't even need enough light to see Viktoria's face clearly at this point. The woman starts to look away, Jayce starts to think she's missing a chance, so she grabs the side of Viktoria's face and pulls her in for a kiss.
At first, it's just the touch of Jayce's slightly moistened lips to Viktoria's dry lips, but then Jayce tilts her head slightly, they both part their lips and kiss. It's a pleasant pull, Jayce feels the movement of Viktoria cheek under her palm, and Viktoria slid her fingers through Jayce's. These kisses are long, sweet. Jayce pulls Viktoria’s upper lip, her lower lip, turns her head and gets lost in the touch.
When they part, their shoulders are still clenched.
“Let's have some rest, Jayce,” Viktoria gently touches Jayce’s swollen lips with a kiss.
“Yes, yes, of course, yes,” Viktoria smiles as she gets up from the bench, but they never separate their hands, going the long path. Together.