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Naturally, when a person is jealous there are many reactions to that.

A common one is insecurity. If you see the person you like with someone else, your mind is likely to relate that action as a negative response to your feelings, causing deep insecurity (depending on the level of affection and love you feel for that person).

Another reaction is aggressiveness. Yes, something strong. Probably not common for some, but it has happened. Viktor is aware of these reactions, because he has seen them in Zaun. For the Zaunites, aggressiveness is a common response to any inconvenience; jealousy and possessiveness for what is theirs (food, clothes) is one example, but most importantly: their partners or people they were attracted to.

But he does not want to generalize the reactions of Zaunites. It is simple to assume that such a reaction also exists at Piltover. Many times he selflessly observed students at the Academy when he was assistant to the Dean, and it was easy to notice the rich and spoiled people who wanted to get everything just by wishing for it, and their romantic interests were not spared.

Regarding his reaction with jealousy, Viktor believed he would not get a strong reaction, at least.

In Zaun he was possessive and jealous of what was his, which were objects, food and clothes. He did not own many important things, but without a doubt his parents were at the top of everything. Outside of them, what followed from them was his cane and the projects he made with effort and dedication, such as his boat. Viktor always made sure not to attract the attention of other bullies or adults who took advantage of young children.

And through it all, he never felt jealous of any love interest. Sure, there were the one-night stands he had with some Academy students, but no one attracted him enough to be jealous.

So, yes, before, Viktor didn't know his reaction to romantic jealousy. And it wasn't something he was interested in finding out either, after all, he devoted his life to Hextech, the larger project he created together with his partner, Jayce.

And here comes the reason for the "before".

When he began to feel interested in an unprofessional manner toward his lab partner and now best friend, Viktor thought that interest would go away quickly. It would be fleeting, he thought firmly the night he realized. But oh, how naive he was despite his intelligence.

His feelings for Jayce Talis did not go away, and Viktor did not realize the depth of them until it was too late, when Jayce joined the Council and, later, was seeing Councilor Medarda.

So, back to the main topic, Viktor didn't think he had a strong reaction to jealousy, but from the moment he met Jayce, Viktor's life changed. It shouldn't have surprised him what the boy could do to his heart and reasoning.

When Jayce started to leave the lab early, Viktor started to feel that famous knot in his stomach after realizing that Jayce would be seeing Medarda. He immediately noticed his reaction and disguised it to avoid Jayce seeing him, but when he was alone, Viktor was embarrassed to feel that feeling of jealousy for someone who was his best friend and current romantic interest.

It was unethical and unprofessional, wasn't it? Despite being best friends and being close to each other, they were still lab partners. He understood that he couldn't help but be attracted to him, after all he can't force his heart to feel or not feel certain feelings, but jealousy? Puff, what a disgrace.

His first action was to secure that jealousy deep inside him. If he wanted to avoid problems, such as destroying their working relationship and friendship, then he had to hide it. Viktor struggled for quite a few hours, days and weeks to make jealousy not interfere with his facial reactions, even though he was used to showing feelings such as disgust and displeasure.

Who knew jealousy could make his face form a grimace on his lips and his eyebrows furrow. Jayce had asked him if something was up when he let out those reactions one of the nights he would be leaving to meet Medarda.

What a shame.

However, the next action to his jealousy was altogether more drastic than the first. Perhaps some would say that the second action would be somewhat milder, but Viktor took this further and it was the beginning of what triggered the uncomfortable atmosphere in the lab.

It all started with remembering Jayce everywhere. Anything he saw or did in the workplace pitifully reminded him of his partner, like a longing, homesick idiot. Even in his dreams he appeared! That, for Viktor, had already been stooping low.

So he made the terrible decision to leave the lab earlier and find someone to distract him from thinking about his best friend.

The first time he left the lab early, at seven o'clock at night (when they normally closed the lab at ten, or stayed up late), Jayce did not question him deeply. His main reaction was concern.

"Is everything all right, V?" He had asked with hesitation in his words, not wanting to intrude on his partner's life.

Viktor had replied that it was all right, while his heart was pounding rapidly at the recent nickname he had been given and at having lied to Jayce, to whom he almost never lied so deliberately.

After walking out the doors of the lab and leaving a distraught Jayce, he went and slept with the first guy who looked at him for more than five minutes in the bar.

Somehow, ever since he dragged the guy and walked through the door of his apartment, Viktor felt worse than he did at the beginning.

The next day Viktor didn't feel interested in continuing to meet others, but his chest tightened with intensity as Jayce kept leaving the lab and leaving him alone.

Sleeping with that guy at the bar was the start of a few other encounters, though he made sure not to do it often. Hextech was still important to him more than anything else, even his feelings. But he didn't avoid going to the bar at least once every week.

He kept them hidden from Jayce and made sure they occurred when his partner was away with Medarda or kept busy enough with the Council not to stop by the lab.

Within days, Jayce obviously noticed the regularity with which he began leaving the lab earlier each week. At first he didn't question it, mostly out of respect, but by the fourth week after Viktor left, Jayce's face was bathed in curiosity and concern.

"If there's something going on...you can tell me, V" Jayce whispered as Viktor turned his back to put on his coat.

Viktor had taken a few seconds to answer him, more out of surprise at his words than looking for something to reply.

And with his ability to lie learned in Zaun, he answered matter-of-factly, ignoring that his heart was squeezing as if a hand had gripped it so tightly, wanting it to stop pumping blood until it killed him.

"It's all good."

And then came the third and most reckless action he has taken during all this time.

He didn't know at the time what exactly he was thinking that night, because all he remembered were the words he had heard in the hallways this afternoon on his way to the lab, after his trip to Zaun for some things he needed.

"Councilors Talis and Medarda look so cute together, do you think they'll get married?"

Viktor could have run to the lab and distracted himself with the projects he hadn't finished yet, or he could have fled to his apartment to compose himself from the hard blow to his heart, and pretended he had an emergency when Jayce asked him why he hadn't arrived at the lab. Though he doubted Jayce would be there, again.

Even the option of confessing his feelings to Jayce might have been a more reasonable option than this, but Viktor had been blinded by jealousy so great that he could not believe the greatness of the feeling.

Here was a third reaction to jealousy: the action he had been committing by distracting himself from his thoughts and feelings for Jayce, but in a much more reckless way.

Any attempt to keep his meetings separate from his business in the lab (and from Jayce), went out the window when he fled that hallway and went to the bar instead of the lab.

He found the same guy from the first time this started. He faintly recognized the tall, dark, brown-haired man, and in his hands he held a half-empty bottle of alcohol. If Viktor wasn't mistaken, it was the drink that very few people bought in this bar, a little bitter and 30% of alcohol.

The man identified him immediately, and must have noticed that Viktor was looking for him because he approached the second he made eye contact.

"Hey, pretty boy. Were you looking for me?" he asked with a tone that tried to be sexy and seductive, but Viktor could only notice the foul smell of alcohol.

Viktor raised an eyebrow. "Probably. Busy?"

He wanted to forget all these feelings. He wanted to forget what they were doing to his heart. He wanted to forget Jayce, even if only for a few moments.

The brunette smiled broadly and looked him up and down, his closeness growing from one moment to the next. "No, not right now, and certainly not for you."

It was the only answer Viktor needed at that moment, because the next he was already grabbing the taller man's muscular arm with his free hand and dragging him out of the bar.

The guy, Dylan (maybe), chuckled before keeping up with him. Viktor wasn't listening to him carefully, but he could catch a few words like "handsome," "fuck you," and "now."

The bar wasn't that far from his apartment, after all he knew from experience that it wasn't pleasant to walk far with his bad leg and a man cuddling up behind him.

But... if he turned down a different street, the lab would be an equal distance from the bar.

And Viktor wasn't reasoning, he just longed for something (or someone) to distract him from this bitter, painful feeling. He hated feeling that knot in his now familiar stomach and the squeeze in his heart that hurt more and more.

Maybe if Dante bent him over his desk, if he pressed him against the blackboard, or if he put him on his knees in the center of the room, then Viktor could forget those painful sensations and feelings in his body, mind, and heart, and he could pretend that everything was fine at work. If Jayce mentioned Medarda or left with her, Viktor could distract himself with remembering Dimitri by fucking him right there.

With that thought alone, Viktor dragged the man down the path that led them to the lab.

David didn't notice the sudden detour, he was more occupied with grabbing Viktor's waist and drinking what was left of a bottle he took from the bar counter before leaving. And even if he wasn't distracted now, Viktor didn't think he remembered the way to his apartment. It had been almost two months since their first meeting.

They arrived at the lab in less than ten minutes. Viktor didn't know what to feel when he noticed that the place was alone.

It was six o'clock in the evening, a time when Jayce was normally there. Jayce had been in the lab since seven in the morning, and had never left at any time. When Viktor left at noon to go to Zaun, Jayce only dismissed him with a distracted smile.

The last time his partner had left the lab at an early hour was a week ago, when the Council organized an unplanned meeting. In the midst of his lucidity, Viktor remembered that Jayce had not commented that he was going out with Medarda for days.

A body pressed him against the door and teeth pressed against his neck. Viktor felt a shiver.

"What's taking you so long, precious? Don't you want to start already?" he asked before his tongue licked a stripe across his pale skin. "Right now I don't want any foreplay, frankly."

Viktor tried to keep his ragged breathing at bay. "And I, at this moment, I'd rather you not be an idiot."

Daniel did not show a negative reaction to the insult, rather, his pupils dilated impressively quickly.

A second later, Viktor stifled a cry of surprise and let go of his cane as he was carried by the thighs, across the lab to a table, where he was roughly placed. His insides churned as the brunette's arms imprisoned him against the desk.

Sometimes he had dreamed of brunette arms holding him down and imprisoning him against a surface, but these brunette arms were not the ones he had dreamed of.

Dylan smiled slyly at him and brought his face close to his. He reeked of alcohol. "You look so beautiful in my arms." His chapped lips came to rest on his jaw and lingered there, but his hands moved to place possessively on his hips, preventing any movement from Viktor.

Viktor took a deep breath and then exhaled. His heart would not stop beating desperately and his body tensed cruelly. He felt that, at this moment, he had willingly walked into the wolf's arms. Maybe that was so. Maybe he was thinking too much, when at first he didn't want to and couldn't think.

The man's lips moved to his neck and licked further, while his hands went about unbuckling Viktor's belt in a hurry. There was nothing romantic or passionate about their actions, there was simply a desire to commit the objective that led them to be at the bar.

Despite his burning chest, Viktor tilted his head to expose more of his neck to be licked and sucked.

Keeping his eyes closed in his casual encounters is a normal thing, just like asking not to be marked, but this time his eyes opened unconsciously, and the first thing he saw was the Progress Man mug placed on his desk.

It felt like a mockery, as if the cup itself had broken into a thousand pieces and each one of them had flown up to stab him in the chest.

He wondered, not for the first time, if this was right.

Until it dawned on him that the desk he saw in the distance was his, and that meant that where he was sitting with David between his legs was Jayce's desk.

He shifted slightly and Dante interpreted his sudden movement as an opportunity to remove his tie, but Viktor just looked for a way to move to better visualize his lab partner's desk.

There were notes scattered all over the place, as well as small coffee stains on some. There was also a wrench and a hammer on the edge of all the clutter, as if Jayce had left them there to do something quick but then forgot to go back and remove them from there. Jayce did that regularly, but that mess was no worse than the mess Viktor made on his own desk.

The pencils were placed together in a corner, but there was one lying between the pages of an open notebook. After letting out a hiss when Dmitri bit him on the collarbone, Viktor forgot to scold him when he noticed what was drawn on the white sheets.

Viktor could perfectly recognize the structure of a crutch and a corset, even when he was in the middle of being fucked and the design was half finished. The strokes were hurried yet delicate, as if Jayce had wanted to plant the same dedication he puts into any project he does, but with tenderness and delicacy seeping into the curves of the drawings.

He let out a sigh unconsciously, filled with a feeling he tried to keep hidden ever since he realized his interest in his best friend. With his limbs loosened, Viktor let himself be handled by Dylan. His arms wrapped around the man's neck, but his mind didn't register any of this as his eyes were fixed on every detail of the designs in the notebook.

Viktor knew of several designs and drafts of projects that Jayce came up with. Most of them were hastily drawn and with pencil charcoal very marked. There was dedication and talent, no doubt. But no drawing, sketch or design compared to the ones Jayce did on the assistive devices Viktor occupied. Only once had he seen the design Jayce had made for his cane years before, and at the time he paid no attention to the smooth strokes on the blade.

This time, with his head spinning and his heart on the verge of overflowing, Viktor noticed the warmth with which Jayce had drawn the devices lying on the desk.

He didn't allow himself to feel hope. He didn't want to hurt himself even more, but he kept staring at Jayce's notebook. It felt bitter sweet. Painful.

As he was laid back on the desk, Viktor placed a hand on the man's chest, stopping him from doing anything else.

David averted his eyes from his body to his face, surprise and disbelief filling him. "What...?"

Viktor froze for a second, his heart in his throat at the sudden action he took. He was stunned just like the man in front of him.

At the beginning of all this he hadn't thought when he made the decision to sleep with this man out of jealousy, let alone thought rationally when he decided to take him to fuck at the workplace Jayce also occupied. His jealousy had blinded him, blindfolded him cruelly, and it all led him to end up like this.

This was not right. No. It had to... it had to end.

What the hell was Viktor doing.

"What the fuck was I thinking?," he wondered in bewilderment. Without realizing it, his hands were shaking.

Daniel looked at him with poorly disguised impatience. He looked incredibly and surprisingly annoyed. "What the fuck?" he blurted out bitterly.

Viktor swallowed the lump in his throat. "I... Uh, I thought better of it, sorry..." he apologized awkwardly.

He felt like an idiot.

And the man thought so too.

"Oh? Did I hear wrong?" he whispered in a slurred voice.

A shiver ran through Viktor's entire body.

This would not go well.

The man, in disbelief, broke away long enough for Viktor to take the opportunity to get up and get down from the desk.

"You heard right," he couldn't help but reply sharply, but quickly tried to control himself. If he sounded hostile, this would go even worse. "Excuse me, but I thought better of it and I want to... I don't want to go on. I didn't mean for you to waste your time, really."

He got no response, so Viktor tried to avoid getting even more nervous. He didn't want this to go wrong, but he himself was the one who walked into the lion's den.

He would understand perfectly if the man was upset, after all Viktor dragged him along with him, all so that nothing would happen in the end.

And yet...

"I'll walk you out, okay?" he continued speaking, trying to sound calm.

Viktor tried to take a step forward, but then a hand grabbed his arm. Not gently, not with restraint... but with a rudeness that instantly paralyzed him.

He looked up, and the air froze in his lungs. He felt himself breaking out in a cold sweat, a reaction his body had when it grasped the situation long before his brain did.

The man in front of him was completely enraged. A vein was marked on his forehead, and his blue eyes burned with a dry, dangerous fury, like a compressed gas about to rupture its container. The grip on his arm increased, digging his nails into his skin, to the point of making him let out an involuntary gasp instead of the protest his lips wanted to shout.

He tried to retreat, but his legs would not react. A ringing filled his ears, his heart pounding in his chest as if it wanted to escape before he did.

He had no opportunity to do anything else.

The taller one pushed him against the desk with more force than before. The impact knocked the air out of his lungs. For an instant, he only heard the sound of his own shortness of breath and the trembling of his body, no longer under control.

"Listen, you fucking idiot," he blurted out just as harshly as his grip. Viktor tried to let go, but his other hand immediately settled on his hip, preventing him from leaving. "I didn't waste my precious minutes following you to this ridiculous lab and trying to fuck you, only to have you say no to me in the end, bitch."

He stifled a gasp of pain as the edge of the desk violently embedded itself in his hip. The impact stunned him for a brief moment, but he had no time to recover. He raised his hands to the man's chest to try to pull him away from him, but no matter how much strength he put into it, he felt he was trying to struggle in vain. He couldn't push him away. The man didn't even flinch.

"Get away" he asked in a voice a little quieter than planned. The man ignored him, instead, he removed his hand from his hip and now roamed Viktor's body with desperation leaving his body. His breathing was heavy and hot compared to Viktor's shaky, frantic breathing.

This would not go well, Viktor knew.

It was his stupid recklessness and his damn jealousy that made him make these decisions that would not end very well. It's all his fault.

He tried to look for something that might help him, but his head shot up as the idiot moved to his neck and started nibbling.

"Stop, let go of me now!" he commanded, inwardly grateful that his voice came out steady.

The man looked into his eyes for a moment, a mocking glint in them. "So what if I don't want to, will you stop me?" he said with a small laugh at the end.

Viktor glared at him, but neither his words, nor the trembling force with which he tried to push him away, nor even his attempt to appear intimidating did any good. The other was still there, unperturbed.

Refusing to give up, Viktor brought his hands to the man's neck and pressed hard on his collarbones. His nails dug into the skin clumsily, desperately, seeking to hurt or at least make him lose his balance, if only for a second.

It worked briefly. The man broke away from Viktor's neck and grabbed his hands furiously, pulling them away from his nail-injured neck. The man's blue eyes glowed amidst the darkness of the lab, for they hadn't even turned on the lights when they entered just a few minutes ago.

"I said stop, asshole," Viktor said angrily, trying to wriggle out of his grip on his hands.

The slap caught him completely off guard. He was so focused on freeing himself that he didn't notice how a hand was raised until the blow jolted him, forcing his head to turn violently to the side.

The buzz on his cheek had barely settled when he felt the other's fingers clutch his chin tightly. He forced him to look up, to look him straight in the eye, as if he wanted to break him from the inside.

"You won't get out of this." And he proceeded to lift him back up onto the desk and lay him down, one hand trapping his hands on top of his head. All this he did without seeming affected by Viktor's futile struggling.

He was miserably trapped and his cane lay abandoned on the ground near the door, too far away to reach it and draw his blade to defend himself.

Viktor was startled when the man's free hand went about unbuttoning his pants.

Shit.

Shit, shit, shit.

There must have been something here. Something, anything.

He searched desperately for some object he could defend himself with, anything damn thing. Jayce had to have something on his desk. Something. Something. Even a damn pencil would work.

Until his eyes focused on the hammer on the table.

Oh, thanks to Janna. A small chance to defend himself, but it was enough after all.

Now he had to find a way to get the man to release his hands.

The brunet was already starting to move his hand up his vest right after unbuttoning his pants, and his mouth was concentrating on licking any trace of skin he saw in his path.

He tried to shake himself to look for a way out, but the man pressed him tighter to the table.

However, he noticed that he could move his legs.

Preparing to strike, Viktor raised one of his knees to strike right at the man's crotch, who groaned in pain from the sudden action. From the surprise of the attack, his hand loosened from the grip he had on his hands, causing Viktor to be able to release them.

He grabbed Jayce's hammer as quickly as he could. Not caring about anything but getting away from this man, he hit him in the side of the head causing his voice to crack in an involuntary scream. His hands pulled away from his body and away from the desk slightly, and Viktor was able to free himself quickly. He moved into a defensive stance, with the hammer in a better grip to strike.

The man was touching the area where he was hit, and Viktor could notice a small trail of blood as the brown fingers separated from his head. Viktor was a little shocked at the force he put into the blow, but he pulled himself together, ready to hit him when he saw the man look at him again, this time with rage flooding his entire body and his eyes exclaiming a growing anger.

"You'll pay for this, you fucking cripple," he shouted before lunging towards Viktor.

Viktor slid between the desk and the man's body, gripping the handle of the hammer with white knuckles of tension. He raised it firmly and plunged it into the man's abdomen. The impact was dry, but his leg gave way for an instant, the exact moment the other took advantage of to return a direct blow to his cheekbone.

The pain was a flash of lightning. He stumbled backwards and leaned back against the desk, causing a small amount of metal objects to fall to the floor with a clatter. He brought his hand to his face with a choked groan, noting the latent swelling under the skin. His gaze, burning with anger, rose to the man in front of him.

He was still there, staring at him with defiance. Arms marked by tense muscle, ready to lunge again.

Viktor took a deep breath. Despite the trembling in his legs and the buzzing in his head, he pulled himself upright again. He took the hammer in both hands and raised it decisively, as if clinging to it was the only thing he had left.

He was fine. He could still defend himself.

Many times he defended himself in Zaun. He can do it now, can't he? He can do it now.

Let's go, let's go, let's go.

But when Viktor lunged forward, arm raised and hammer poised to smash into the other man's face, it was all over in a second. The man intercepted his movement, caught his wrist in mid-air and snapped it with a single sharp twist.

The hammer fell at his feet with a hollow thud.

Viktor's scream bounced off the walls of the lab, raw and ragged.

He had no time to cradle his wounded hand; the other did not let go. On the contrary, his grip became even more cruel, preventing him from even breathing clearly.

"What the..." he tried to speak in pain, but was collapsed to the ground from one second to the next.

Now the man was on top of him and between his legs, with nothing less than an unhinged and disgustingly lewd grin on his face. With Viktor lying on the floor, he positioned himself in a way that now imprisoned him.

The man brought his mouth close to Viktor's ear, who felt his heavy breathing. "Did you think you could run away? How pathetic," he said hoarsely, licking his earlobe when he got no response.

The hammer was far out of his reach. His wrist was broken.

He was trapped, and the heel strike to his lower back didn't make things any better, because after the man cursed loudly, he imprisoned his leg. He didn't even care about his other leg, after all, it was obvious that the struggle and the blow had made it so that he couldn't move it without feeling a sharp pain throughout the limb.

"You're a sneaky fucker, you know that? But you can't fight me," he said with choking in his voice, due to the fact that his lips were immediately glued to his abdomen. Viktor hadn't even noticed that his vest was already lying next to him on the floor and his shirt was crumpled across his chest, exposing the extensive pale skin of his stomach.

"And you're a fucking idiot who doesn't understand a negative," he spat harshly. "Stop right now," he tried again. "Stop..."

There were no Executors nearby, it was the time when they changed shifts and it took them at least ten minutes to return to watch. In addition, the laboratory was soundproofed because of the constant explosions and noises they made for some experiments. It would be impossible for anyone to hear.

This day Sky had not come because it was her day off. She could not come to make her usual run to the lab every few hours. She would always come to remind them to eat and take a break.

And Jayce... Jayce wasn't there. Probably some unplanned Council meeting had occurred. Or maybe Jayce had left him some note that Viktor didn't notice. Jayce always made sure to let Viktor know when he was leaving and for what.

Oh, Jayce...

"What have I been doing? Sleeping with others while pretending it's you kissing me..."

Viktor did not process his choked gasp, nor his trembling body. His brain locked itself away, trying to ignore the touches on his body and chapped lips on his skin.

Still, even with pain coursing through his body, he struggled to try to escape. He had to escape.

He must... he must fight. Must fight.

Please, Janna. Please, please, please, please.

A little more strength, please, please, please....

"Stop..."

Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on. Stop.

Fight a little more, more, more-....

When he felt the man's body suddenly separate from his, Viktor just prayed to try to get more strength.

It was probably Janna who made him feel a sudden breeze of air when it was released. His lungs were no longer crushed. His hands were no longer restrained.

It was probably the universe taking pity on him at this moment, giving him a moment to recover and keep fighting.

It was probably a hallucination giving him a few last seconds of peace, before plunging him into the nightmare.

But when he heard a thud next to him, it was nothing like he imagined.

The man lay on the ground, like Viktor seconds before. Beside him, Jayce Talis stood with the hammer in his left hand, his eyes alight with rage.

Viktor didn't quite register the moment when the assailant fell to the ground and was stunned from shock, but he did witness in every way as Jayce climbed on top of him, set his hammer down beside him and began to beat him with a bare fist.

First came a blow that landed right on his nose, causing him to crunch and release blood instantly. The floor was stained with droplets of the reddish liquid. Some landed on Jayce's white shirt. It would be quite difficult to wipe them off.

The second and third blows were to his left eye, sinking heartbreakingly into its socket, and the fourth blow was to his mouth, accompanied by the muffled sound and a whimper from the subject, whose face was beginning to be tinged red with Jayce's knuckles, which were also being painted red.

Jayce didn't say a word. Nothing. No insults, warnings or threats, as he always did whenever someone was too rude or disrespectful to Viktor. Jayce was always calmer when it came to defending himself, but when it came to Viktor, the words flowed out of his mouth without processing them in his brain first.

Only once had Viktor feared that Jayce would pounce on some idiot who had blurted out a rather rude remark. It had only been enough for Jayce to hear "Viktor" and "invalid" to tense his fist, about to punch him.

Right now, in the lab, all that could be heard was heavy breathing and hoarse grunts from the force implemented between each blow. The abuser's moans of pain were making a very loud sound in the lab, but neither scientist paid any attention to it.

A bone breaking came to Viktor's ear. It was low, short and quick, but terribly painful, even if Viktor was not the one who received that blow that broke the body's nose on the ground.

Viktor was not able to move. Only watch. The sound of flesh being beaten became constant, taking on an unhinged rhythm.

The fifth blow shattered some of the guy's teeth. One of them rolled on the floor which was covered even more with blood. Viktor distinguished a "stop" and "please" between each sound of the blows.

Jayce was beside himself. Despite being out of his sight, he knew his best friend's eyes would be unfocused. Jayce had a habit of going somewhere else when he rambled on about a formula or an interesting topic, or when he was thinking of some nostalgic memory that Viktor couldn't see in his eyes.

A part of Viktor (a toxic and completely unconscious part) made him compare this side of Jayce to the time he saw him working in the forge. Jayce had tensed his muscles so that his strength held him in position, with his hammer pounding tremendously on the anvil.

This time Jayce was not using his hammer or pounding some metal on top of the anvil. Right now, Jayce was using his fists to punch the face of the man who tried to abuse Viktor, who wanted to scream and stop his partner, but in turn wanted Jayce to never stop.

The next three blows to the man's face were probably the ones that caused the man to pass out. Or maybe it was the four more that Jayce gave him. Or the next one that completely shattered his eye.

But he knew that when Jayce grabbed the hammer to the side of him, much larger than the one Viktor had held earlier, and impacted it mercilessly in the center of his face, that man stopped moving forever.

When blood splattered all over the lab floor, that's when Viktor reacted.

He quickly crawled over to his best friend, not caring about the shocking scene he just witnessed or that his knees and palms were stained with blood. He also didn't mind cradling Jayce's face, making the blood on his palms and Jayce's face meet as a dangerous mixture.

"Jayce," he whispered in a soft voice, but got no response. "Jayce, hey..." He tried to get him to look him in the eye, and though he let Viktor manipulate his face, his eyes had darkened. He wasn't looking at him, but he wasn't looking at anything else either. "Jayce," he said more firmly.

This time Jayce did react.

He looked into his eyes in astonishment, as if he had never struck a man limp. Jayce cradled his face the same way he did his, and now Viktor knew his face would be just as bloodstained.

"Vik..." he said in a low, soft voice, then ran his fingers over the bruise on his cheekbone. "Oh, V," he gasped, and took him in his arms after letting out a teary, choked sound. "Vik, Vik, Vik..."

Automatically Viktor placed one of his hands on the back of the other's neck, something natural for him the moment he was caught by those brunette, warm arms. "Shh, shh... Take it easy, Jayce. It's okay, it's okay."

Jayce was tucked into his collar, and when he spoke, a shiver ran through his body. "I thought... God, Viktor," he suddenly broke away from the embrace and looked up at him with fear in his eyes.

About to ask him if something was wrong, Jayce ran his hands all over Viktor's face, while his gaze ran up and down him, probably looking for any wounds or bruises on his body.

"Are you...? Are you okay? For Janna, I'm sorry, I'm sure I squeezed you too hard, I... Are you in pain? Do you need anything? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, an ice. You need an ice for the bruise, and -oh, my God, your wrist..." he traced his fingers over Viktor's injured wrist, who hadn't even remembered it until now and tried to avoid hissing in pain. Jayce noticed, as always, and withdrew his touch immediately with a panicked look.

He then ran his thumb across Viktor's cheekbone, and it was so soft and gentle in the gesture that Viktor felt dizzy when he noticed the obvious anger in Jayce's fractions. Too stark a contrast. "That asshole did that to you, he… did this," he said with great, barely contained fury. "What a big motherfucker. I need to..."

Before he broke away from Viktor and began butchering the man's forgotten body, Viktor grabbed him by the shoulders and hugged him, an action that surprised Jayce for a second before he hugged him back with much desperation.

Jayce was so warm against his body. His large hands were placed naturally on his back, until he gently lowered one to his waist. When Jayce squeezed him without hurting him (because Viktor believed his best friend would be incapable of hurting him), Viktor returned the squeeze by adjusting his arms better around Jayce's neck. They stayed like that, without much movement. Their breaths evened out until they were steady and calm.

But Viktor's mind was full of so many things.

"I'm sorry, Jayce," he choked out in a choked voice. Jayce tried to speak, but Viktor wouldn't let him. "I'm so sorry. It was all my fault, I'm sorry." He sank his face deeper into the other's neck. "I brought him here, and I know it was really stupid, I'm sorry. It went wrong, it all went wrong because of me..."

"No, no, Viktor," Jayce suddenly interrupted him. "It's not your fault. That asshole was a fucking pervert and abuser. It wasn't your fault, V."

"You don't understand, Jayce. I let him into the lab, I wanted to, to be with him, but..."

"But you refused later, didn't you?" he finished the sentence, and Viktor fell silent. Jayce didn't need an answer, he already knew. "V, I heard you, I saw you trying to break away from him. And yet, he wanted to continue. That wasn't right of him, Viktor. It wasn't."

"Jayce..."

"The most important thing is that you're okay now, okay? You're safe from him." He pulled him even closer to him. "You're okay, you're here, with me. Nothing's going to happen to you."

And Viktor was so tired, he couldn't refuse to close his eyes for a moment and bury himself in Jayce's arms.

Getting rid of the body was easy for Jayce, considering he was a scientist and was in the lab where there were many deadly instruments and dangerous substances.

He took enough concentrated sulfuric acid to melt the body placed in a vat they had in the lab. Of course, he used the proper protective measures: a mask and gloves. The acid got rid of the soft tissues in a few seconds with the help of a small metal rod, leaving only the remains of dissolved bones, teeth and more fragments.

Jayce didn't even react to the horrible stench that was released. In the process, he found a change of clothes he had left in the lab some time ago. Many times they ended up with their clothes a mess after projects and experiments, so he and Viktor agreed to have emergency changes of clothes.

He took the opportunity to throw his clothes full of blood into the bathtub, along with what was left of the body.

Viktor was asleep on the couch against one of the walls of the lab. It had been so hard the situation he had been through that he fell asleep as soon as his head touched the cushion. Though Jayce made sure to keep him awake to nurse his injuries and to put on another change of clothes. He threw away his clothes just like his own.

He then poured the remains into an airtight container and took them to the forge. It was a long way from the lab, but the distance didn't matter to him at the time. In less than two hours after he started to dispose of the body, the remains were already in a mixture of molten metal.

No one would miss an idiot like him. So he didn't worry about what the disappearance of a drunk, abusive, perverted person would cause.

And if anyone insisted, then Jayce would take over.

He walked back to the lab with traces of soot on his face. During the ride no one had stopped him, but a few people waved or smiled at him in passing, and Jayce tried with all his might to pretend that everything was fine, since the adrenaline was just now leaving his body.

He didn't want to think anymore about everything that happened in these last hours, as his mind was kept busy thinking and worrying about Viktor, who woke up as soon as Jayce closed the lab door.

"Jayce..." he whispered, and Jayce immediately went to his side.

Viktor settled himself so that Jayce could sit on the couch, and tried not to grin like a deranged man when Viktor placed his head in his lap. Jayce tangled his fingers through the strands of Viktor's hair, running his fingers over his scalp and massaging gently.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," he apologized after a few seconds of comfortable silence. It was true, he didn't want to wake Viktor. He had planned to make him sweet milk and get a cake at the coffee shop about two blocks away.

Viktor stirred a little in his lap. "It's okay, I was already awake." He rolled onto his back to get a better look at Jayce. "You left."

It was obvious that Viktor was saying this because of a few hours ago Jayce had left him to take care of the body.

However, Jayce knew he wasn't just referring to today.

He was referring to the other days. To the past weeks. It had taken Jayce a long time to realize how often he left Viktor alone in the lab.

He'd been so busy with the Council, with getting investors in the galas, with gaining the trust of the Councilors, even distracted by the times he'd gone off with Mel. All those times he had left Viktor for hours, alone in the lab and with projects that belonged to both of them, but that Jayce stupidly left to his partner.

He thought he was doing the right thing by gaining contacts and relationships with important people who could help them with Hextech, but belatedly realized that his place had always been with Viktor in the lab.

It was even later when he became aware of the feelings for his best friend that took hold of him little by little, like a snake slowly coiling around his heart until it choked him with these feelings.

But at this moment, he set aside his unbridled heart to focus on Viktor, who was looking at him with pain in his eyes and weariness in his features.

"Oh, Viktor. I was an idiot," he thought with disappointment for himself.

He ran his fingers across his forehead until he reached his cheek and caressed it gently. How he wished to take away any suffering from him, any pain. He wished to hold him in his arms forever, keeping the world from hurting him.

"I know," he acknowledged with hidden pain. "I'm sorry, V. I won't leave you alone again," he promised firmly.

And with those words, Viktor seemed to believe him. He smiled sideways and looked at him with sparkle in his golden eyes, which now seemed to glitter with intensity.

Jayce would make sure he believe him by his actions, not words that could be undone in the wind.

He didn't know how much time passed as they gazed adoringly into each other's eyes, but Jayce became concerned when a grimace began to appear on Viktor's lips as he furrowed his brow.

"Something wrong, V?" he asked cautiously. He would do his best to make Viktor never have to worry about things or others again, not while Jayce was alive.

Viktor let out a small sigh, then licked his lips. Jayce couldn't help but watch that action very carefully.

"I'm serious when I say it was my fault for bringing that man here, Jayce."

Soon, anger filled his body. He wanted to avoid thinking about that man as much as possible. He vented his anger on him the moment he hit him, but just remembering him and how Viktor got hurt.... Jayce wanted to revive him to beat him to death again. Maybe he would also use his imagination and the tools of the lab and the forge.

He was unable to speak before Viktor spoke first.

"I..." he began but his voice suddenly stopped. Jayce tried to convey reassurance with his touch, but it didn't work. Viktor got up from his lap being careful with his injured wrist and settled next to him, his gaze a little vacantly focused on his hands.

He immediately missed their closeness, but Jayce focused more on Viktor's condition. "It's okay, take your time." He put a hand on Viktor's knee. If he moved it higher, he could take Viktor's hand....

Viktor didn't take long, and seemed desperate to try to talk. "I've slept with that guy before."

Jayce did not want to know that information.

"I slept with others besides him, and.... And it wasn't out of pleasure-seeking or boredom, Jayce.... I..." He sighed deeply, then looked Jayce in the eye. "I slept with them because then I could avoid thinking about you being gone."

What?

Viktor did not stop looking him in the eyes, and Jayce was mesmerized in that second, both by what was previously said and by finishing analyzing the situation.

"What?, Viktor, what do you mean...?"

But he fell silent when Viktor took him by the hands gingerly, making sure first if his touch would be well received, and of course it was. When they held hands, Viktor looked a little calmer after dropping that bombshell.

"I wanted so badly to forget you were dating Miss Medarda. I wanted so badly to ignore your empty seat at the desk, the lack of the rambling you do when you find the answer to a problem, the dull sound when you fell off the chair after rocking, your hand on my shoulder when you stood behind me to see what I was doing.... By Janna, I just wanted to forget that you weren't with me, Jayce."

When he finished speaking, his breath coming in ragged gasps and his hands holding hers, Jayce froze in place.

His brain was going miles an hour, and he couldn't reach any thoughts. His mouth was ajar, and he knew that a mosquito could easily get in and out without worrying about getting trapped.

So long yearning to be reciprocated, even if he only recently realized...

All this time with Jayce unconsciously desiring Viktor's love, while Viktor longed and desired the same as he did....

"Are you in love with me?"

Viktor didn't even flinch at the question, simply nodded gently and cautiously.

It was the confirmation he needed to pull Viktor into his body and embrace him.

"God, Viktor," he sighed with the feeling of calm flooding his being. So that's how it felt like to be reciprocated. "V, are you serious?" he asked, but there was no doubt. Viktor had looked at him with such fondness in his eyes, hidden between doubt and fear.

Viktor, buried in his neck and hands squeezing his shoulders, nodded more firmly. "Yes, Jayce. I’m serious."

After saying it, Jayce separated a little from Viktor (he will never separate from him again) to look him in the face. Viktor was looking at him with his golden eyes shining, and his smile was now softer, more loving. Jayce wanted to keep seeing that expression on his face for much longer.

With his body on the verge of bursting with love, Jayce cradled Viktor's face with both hands. There was nothing but softness and affection in that action. Feeling enormously drunk with love, he thought no more before bringing their foreheads together.

Jayce knew that this was an intimate gesture between Zaunites. He had researched it some time ago and it was wonderful to know that there was a gesture like that that meant something big, intimate and above all loving.

Their breaths matched to follow the same rhythm, and there was probably no better place than here, cradling his crush's face in the lab where they've been working together for years, right after confessing their feelings.

Wait.

Jayce has not told him his feelings.

With panic replacing his other feelings, Jayce broke away again from Viktor, who was surprised by his partner's sudden movement.

"Wait, wait, V," he gasped, and Viktor for a moment looked startled.

"What? What's wrong?"

"You confessed your feelings to me but I still won't confess mine to you."

Answering him, Viktor relaxed his shoulders and smiled warmly at him. Jayce internally smacked himself for behaving like that. He scared Viktor.

"Well, then, go ahead?" said Viktor hesitantly in his last words. He seemed to want to laugh at Jayce's behavior, who blushed.

"I..." he tried to speak and failed miserably when he realized how much attention Viktor was paying him. He looked so beautiful. He cleared his throat. "V, I... Well, first I want to apologize for leaving you alone here.... I was so busy with the Council and getting investors that I neglected our work and neglected you." Viktor brought one of his hands to his cheek, and Jayce felt reassured by his touch. "And yes, I also used to meet Mel, but with her I never wanted anything more, Viktor. I didn't know it then, but it was always you. You were the person I always wanted. You're who I want now and forever."

> ”And I know it's intense on my part, but all these years working with you and sharing moments together are enough for me to know that I want you with me. I want to hold you every morning, afternoon and evening. I want to take care of you when the pains are too much for you. I want to keep making your sweet milk that I learned to make the moment I knew you liked it. I want us to keep finishing each other's sentences. I want us to argue to see who is right when it comes to some work. I want us to walk together to the lab and back to our house. I want to hold your hand. I want to kiss you to express my love. I want a life with you."

His body relaxed as he finished speaking, letting out a long sigh at the end.

For so long he wanted to release these feelings, though most of it was unconsciously.

He didn't think he would blurt out so many words, but his mouth just talked and talked, while Jayce was filled with completely honest love.

Jayce feared for a second that he had ruined everything, until he saw the color red tinge the pale skin of his gaping partner, and then he knew everything would be okay.

He gave Viktor a few seconds to digest all of Jayce's words, and when he finally seemed to come back from his thoughts, Viktor's golden eyes began to glaze over.

Viktor let out a small teary laugh that he quickly stifled. "I... I want all that with you too, Jayce." And at that, Viktor lunged at Jayce's body, causing the two of them to end up lying on the back of the couch.

Laughter flooded the lab, and Jayce felt incredibly full of life. He had the love of his life in his arms, and now he did, as the two finished confessing their long-awaited feelings to each other.

With the care it deserved, Jayce lovingly cupped Viktor's face and pulled him close to his own. They were both rebounding with eagerness to disappear any space between them.

"It's okay?" Jayce looked at his lips, which Viktor immediately half-opened.

"It's okay."

They waited no longer. Their lips met with the gentleness that filled them, but with a little desperation seeping little by little into the movement of their lips.

They had waited for a long time...

Jayce tilted his head for a better position, and it made the kiss even more wonderful. Viktor was wonderful. Their lips moved as if they knew each other, as if they had waited lifetimes to be able to touch each other again. The movement was natural and not at all inexperienced, and was somehow similar to the way they complemented each other at work.

Touching Viktor's lips with his own was something that needed no math, no complicated formula or precaution.

Everything with Viktor, everything he did or felt toward him, was not new. It was as if all the sensations and feelings that came out recently had been dug up from somewhere that Jayce was unaware of, but that didn't frighten or disconcert him.

Being with him felt like something he had been looking forward to for quite some time, and he dared to say it was many years.

And now, they felt complete.

Their lips matched perfectly, and there was nothing more important to them than this moment.