Work Text:
“... and if you head towards here would be the Council Room…”
Jayce led Ambessa past the doors and inside the Council Room. He was showing her around because, as the newest councilor, he wanted to ensure Ambessa saw him for his position and not just as another scientist of Piltover.
Not that there was anything wrong with being a scientist in the City of Progress, but he was aware that he needed to prove himself capable of being a councilor to those who didn’t see him fit for the role.
“Jayce…”
A frown appeared on his face, as he heard Viktor’s voice coming from the other side of the corridor. Jayce stepped out of the Council Room, his partner standing there rather awkwardly.
“Viktor?” He sounded confused, “please, excuse me for one moment.”
Leaving Ambessa, he rushed to Viktor at the sight of the concern on his pale face. A hand on his partner’s arm, and he looked down at him, worried as well. Jayce had thought Viktor would be getting some rest, as it had been quite stressful in the lab lately.
“Is everything all right?” He whispered, as Viktor glanced up at him, just to redirect his gaze back down to the polished floor.
“Yes, yes,” Viktor nodded, even though he was avoiding Jayce’s eyes like he did every time he was unsure or nervous about something, “there is something I would like to speak with you about, and I was just wondering if you… had the time.”
“Oh,” Jayce blinked repeatedly; he was trying to understand Viktor by watching him, but his partner was rather difficult to read, “oh, I—I’m showing Mrs. Medarda around, but we could talk right afterwards.”
All he got from Viktor was a quiet nod, which only made Jayce’s concerned frown grow.
“Is everything okay, Viktor?” He repeated, squeezing his shoulder gently.
However, right before Viktor could even open his mouth to reply, a voice came from behind Jayce.
“Forgive me for intruding,” Ambessa stepped forward, standing next to Jayce but with her eyes on Viktor; said man had looked up at her for a couple of seconds, but he had redirected his gaze back down. “This man must be the rumored assistant to the Man of Progress.”
Viktor couldn’t help the small scrunch of his nose at the word assistant . Yes, he had once been Heimerdinger’s assistant, but he was now Jayce’s lab partner. Not many seemed to acknowledge that, though.
“Quite an unexpected development, considering his roots…” she continued, stepping slightly closer to Viktor and completely ignoring Jayce’s presence, by now, “but your assistant seems to have piqued my particular appetite.”
Her hand moved up to Viktor’s face, and she took his chin, stroking his cheek with her thumb. Wide-eyed, the man froze on the spot. What was he supposed to do? His cheeks turned pink but he didn’t move. What was she doing?
“Why don’t you come to my room tonight and provide me with some company?”
Taken aback, Viktor tried to step away, but he couldn’t with the way she was nearly gripping his chin. He was forced to look up at her and it only made him more uncomfortable.
“I can reward you quite handsomely,” she added, “you can name the price if you’d like—”
A slap broke off the contact of Ambessa’s hand on Viktor’s face, as Jayce stepped in between them. Viktor brought his hand up to his chin, where Ambessa’s hand had just been, and gave a small wince. Breathing hard, Jayce glared at the Noxian in front of him.
“Viktor is my partner .” Jayce hissed, “and I won’t allow even the slightest disrespect. I assure you,” he stepped forward, pointing at Ambessa, “display one more offensive behavior towards my partner and I swear you will face regrettable consequences.”
His stern tone made Ambessa seemingly back off. On the other hand, Viktor, still standing behind Jayce, almost hidden by him, dropped his hand from his chin. The color in his cheeks still hadn’t disappeared, as he couldn’t believe Ambessa’s words, but also Jayce’s behavior towards them.
Jayce was such a lovely person; warm and fuzzy. Or, at least, that was the side Viktor saw in the lab. He had been significantly stressed ever since he had become a councilor of Piltover.
It was quite obvious just by seeing how exhausted he was when he went to bed.
He didn’t have time for the lab anymore, so Viktor found himself sitting there, with their calculations and notes, on his own. That was one of the reasons why he had come to talk to Jayce.
Not only was there something he needed to talk to him about, there was also something Viktor didn’t really want to admit. He was feeling lonely in the lab, without Jayce. While it was nice to be by himself with nobody bothering him, he had found comfort in having his lab partner around.
Someone to share his thoughts with, someone who understood him on every level, both inside and outside the lab. It had become comforting to have Jayce around, as he was a match for Viktor’s thinking and intelligence.
It was rather lonely to be in there, every single day, by himself with only their notes and their experiments to keep him company.
Not that Viktor would admit it out loud in front of Ambessa, but he wanted Jayce back in the lab. He was truly grateful for Jayce’s position in the council, because it meant changes for Piltover and Zaun.
However, he wanted his partner back.
“My apologies,” Ambessa’s voice brought Viktor back to the present, where tension was thick in the air, “seems like I’ve overstepped my bounds.”
The two men stayed silent, one of them fuming, the other puzzled.
“Shall we continue with the tour then, Councilor Talis?” she finally broke the silence, after a few seconds of seeing none of the two in front of her would say anything. “We have a busy schedule ahead…” and, turning around, she walked away, back inside the Council Room.
“Jayce…?”
That was when Jayce almost snapped his neck from his body, as he turned to Viktor, almost with tears in his eyes as the worry took over him.
“Are you okay, Viktor?” He asked, rushing to his side, making Viktor frown and look at him, confused, “Did I hit you? Did I hurt you?”
“No, I am fine—”
“Are you sure?” Jayce sounded desperate, which made Viktor’s frown grow, “you can be honest!”
The pink on his cheeks that had slightly washed away by now came back. Why was Jayce so worried? He wasn’t the one who had said all that to him. If anything, it was Viktor that should be saying something to him, such as thank you for getting him out of that uncomfortable situation with the Noxian.
“I—I’m so sorry, I’m not sure what happened…” Jayce suddenly mumbled, visibly embarrassed, “the moment she laid her hand on you… I just lost it.” He admitted, his tanned skin showing a hint of redness on his cheeks.
His hand came to rest once more on Viktor’s shoulder, and it made said man slightly tense up; he missed Jayce’s casual touches. He always did that in the lab. Whenever they had a breakthrough, even if it was a tiny one, he engulfed Viktor in a hug, or something as simple as a high five.
It made Jayce happy and, in all honesty, Viktor had grown so accustomed to it he had realized he even enjoyed it. Not from anyone else, though. People’s touch, such as Ambessa’s hand on his chin, made him deeply uncomfortable.
With Jayce, though, it was different. They were lab partners, after all.
“But, Viktor…” Jayce continued, his tone softening after the hard one he had used for Ambessa, “I know things have been a bit rough between us lately.”
Pressing his lips together, Viktor nodded. They had been rough indeed. After all, Jayce’s new role as a councilor in Piltover had meant so many new responsibilities for him. That was why he had been gone from the lab; he didn’t have the time for that anymore.
Jayce felt terribly guilty about leaving Viktor by himself so much. He knew Viktor enjoyed his time alone, but he missed his lab partner and, while he did enjoy his position as a councilor, he also missed being in the lab with Viktor and having fun together; whether that was while calculating, writing down thoughts and notes, or something else, he didn’t know.
Jayce missed being a scientist.
“Once this storm passes, hopefully we can make things go back to the way it was.”
Viktor understood the storm as all of Jayce’s new responsibilities and duties. Hopefully, once they were used to it and Jayce learned how to manage it all, he would have time to drop by the lab and give Viktor a hand.
Only a smile was exchanged between the two, before a voice interrupted them, once more.
“Chop, chop, Councilor. We don’t have all day.”
Scowling, Jayce gave a light squeeze on Viktor’s shoulder. Then, he turned and followed Ambessa inside the Council Room, leaving Viktor behind.
As the door to the Council Room closed, Viktor turned around and went back to the lab. He was too embarrassed to even think about it, but he had felt chills just by hearing how angry Jayce had been.
He had never heard him like that before. The way he had snapped at Ambessa was kind of unheard of, in Jayce’s case, being the calm and jolly man that he was.
Viktor supposed he had forgotten about Jayce’s other “side”, the stern and serious part of him. In the lab, that usually wasn’t the mood, unless they were deep in calculations or notes about Hextech or others.
With the help of his cane, Viktor made his way back to the lab. He spent the rest of the day there, following some old notes of his that might indicate they —he— would have a breakthrough soon.
—
It was rather late when Jayce finally freed himself from Ambessa. He watched her leave, until she disappeared behind the door and Jayce felt himself breathe more easily. Without bothering to check the time, he rushed to the lab, hoping to find Viktor still there.
And there he was.
Asleep, sitting on his stool and with the cane resting against the table his upper body was lying on. He looked quite peaceful and it made Jayce smile.
The councilor knew Viktor’s pain had been worsening as of lately. Despite not being in the lab that much anymore, he had his eye on Viktor and he spent as much time as he could with him once his day as a councilor was over.
Viktor might not talk about his pain, but Jayce wasn’t stupid.
Even with his cane, his partner’s limp had worsened and he couldn’t really be up for too long before his leg complained about it. It had become obvious to those close to Viktor; aka, Jayce.
With that in mind, he noticed Viktor’s eyelids were moving. Jayce hoped he wasn’t having a nightmare, as those had been frequent those days, for no apparent reason.
Viktor had reassured him he was all right. Jayce didn’t buy it, though. He knew Viktor and, while he knew his partner could fend for himself completely, he also couldn’t help but worry about him.
Walking to the table, his hand came to rest on Viktor’s shoulder. The sleeping man didn’t wake up, though.
Jayce could very well pick up Viktor and carry him to bed. However, he knew it would make Viktor feel helpless, and he knew just how much his partner hated being treated like a child.
“Viktor,” he whispered, rubbing his shoulder in order to try and get him to wake up, “Viktor…”
A quiet groan escaped from Viktor’s lips, as he felt someone touching his shoulder. He didn’t want to open his eyes, he was tired. He didn’t even remember falling asleep.
“Viktor, come on, you can’t possibly be comfortable here…”
Jayce’s voice woke Viktor up a little bit more, as he realized it wasn’t just someone .
It was Jayce. He was back in the lab.
“Jayce…” he mumbled, still half asleep. He felt Jayce’s hand on his shoulder give him a gentle squeeze and he groaned again. “Jayce, what time is it?”
“It’s time to go to bed.” Was all that Jayce said, watching as Viktor finally sat up properly on the stool.
The councilor didn’t miss the way Viktor winced right after rubbing his eyes tiredly, his face distorted in pain when he got off the stool and reached for his cane. Handing it to him at the sight of it being closer to him than to Viktor, Jayce frowned.
“Viktor—”
“I’m fine, Jayce.”
“No, you’re not.” He stated, “you worry me.”
“You don’t have to worry about me.” Viktor replied, shrugging, “the pain is always there, you can’t do anything about it.”
“Because you won’t let me.” Jayce sounded exasperated, almost desperate; it made Viktor turn to him, as he had turned around to leave the lab and finally go to bed. “Let me help you, Viktor—”
“I’m fine, Jayce.” He cut him off, repeating himself as he shook his head, “I am taking care of myself, why are you worrying so much?”
“It’s hard not to worry about you; Viktor, you’re my partner.”
“It doesn’t feel that way, lately.” The man said, standing in the middle of the room with his cane helping him up.
There was silence. Jayce looked down, half embarrassed, half still worried. Viktor felt slightly guilty for what had just come out of his mouth, but he was also glad he had finally told Jayce.
A quiet sigh came from Jayce, a minute later, and he spoke after pondering silently.
“I—I know.” He started, “I’m truly, very sorry about this… this new situation.” He continued honestly, “I just— a lot has been going on and with Mrs. Medarda and Mel and everything, I didn’t think, I didn’t know that maybe you would end up feeling lonely, maybe, and—and, well, I’m sorry, I didn’t—”
Viktor’s cane just happened to have more uses than that of walking. While Jayce rambled, Viktor stepped closer to him, until he was near enough to hook the cane around Jayce’s back and pull the councilor to him.
“Jayce.”
“Y—Yes?”
“I understand.” He muttered, his hand resting on the crook of Jayce’s neck. “I just wish you would stop by more frequently.”
“I’m sorry.” He repeated, still embarrassed.
Viktor shrugged, his hand falling back to his side, as he held onto the cane once more to keep himself up.
“I should be the one apologizing, for my wants shouldn’t overstep your duties. You are a councilor now, and that is something to be quite proud of.” Viktor said, sitting back on his stool; his back ached. “I do understand the lab isn’t where your responsibilities lie anymore, but I also hope you will stop by some other time aside from our nightly meetings.”
“There is nothing more I’d like for than to come back here; with you.” Jayce confessed, “I enjoy being a councilor, because I know that I can make a big change if I’m there and… help this city of Piltover and Zaun. Especially Zaun.”
He sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly.
“However, being in the lab is what fulfills me. In here, I have a purpose and goals. In the Council Room it’s more debating and deciding for others,” he continued, “I feel like I’m wasting my time when I’m not here.”
Viktor nodded, understanding, but he didn’t say a thing.
“And I also miss having my partner around all day.”
Viktor raising his eyebrows was all the response Jayce got from him, at first. A bit embarrassed because of what he had just said, Jayce looked away from Viktor’s golden eyes, unsure of what to say now.
He was saved from having to say anything more, when the cane once more hooked around his lower back and pulled him closer to Viktor, still sitting.
Instinctively, he looked down at Viktor. All he saw were his hands pulling him closer, right before he felt his partner’s lips on his. In a careful manner, Jayce’s hands found their way to Viktor’s face.
Holding his face, he kissed him back. It was so beautiful to be able to come back to the lab, where his partner was waiting for him, just to kiss him and go back to bed with him.
Viktor’s fingers were reaching Jayce’s jaw, stroking it softly as he kissed Jayce. He had been yearning for this all day. Especially after seeing Jayce so well dressed to show Ambessa Medarda around, right before leaving his bedroom.
As they broke off the kiss, Jayce found Viktor staring at him with a small smile on his face.
“It’s okay. I miss you, too, Jayce.”
Nodding, Jayce mirrored Viktor’s smile. He stroked his cheek lovingly, staring down at his partner for a few seconds.
“I’m still worried about you, just so you know.” Jayce mumbled, just as Viktor stood up once more.
Viktor rolled his eyes as a response, but followed Jayce to his bedroom, downstairs. He noticed how Jayce, not for the first time (probably the umpteenth time), slowed down his pace so that he would be able to walk with Viktor.
It was something he appreciated.
Going down the stairs was a bit complicated, because it only added up more pain to what he was already feeling, but Viktor remained silent. Even when Jayce offered to help him downstairs, he refused.
By the time the door to Jayce’s bedroom closed, Viktor was trying to hide how he was breathing hard and the way his limp had simply worsened. Jayce didn’t have to worry more about him.
His back hurt from the usual pain, but also because of the way he had fallen asleep in the lab, sitting on his stool and with his upper body bent over the table.
Jayce disappeared in the bathroom and Viktor sat down on the edge of his bed. He set the cane aside. Looking down at his right leg, he rubbed his thigh distractedly. The leg braces always left marks behind and Viktor hated them and every time he took them off, he had to see those.
He knew it was a stupid hatred he had developed for something he couldn’t help. He had to wear those leg braces; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to walk half as properly as he could now. And that was something.
However, he simply wished he could walk better, without having to wear those leg braces all day, every day.
“Viktor?”
“Hm.”
“You okay?”
A small nod came from him, just as Jayce appeared in front of him. He was still wearing his formal clothes, which only made Viktor wonder, yet again, how could someone dress all day like that.
It seemed too restricting.
“Can I help you with these?”
A subtle shrug. Viktor was exhausted. He had spent the whole day in the lab. His brain was exhausted, but his body, too. From having slept for a while in such an uncomfortable position, for having walked down two corridors and then the stairs, and then yet another corridor to Jayce’s bedroom.
It wasn’t much and he knew Jayce was probably all right, despite having walked around with Ambessa all day. It was embarrassing for Viktor to get so tired after so little effort.
“I’ll get them off.” He heard Jayce mutter, just as Viktor let himself fall back on the soft bed.
Staring up at the ceiling, Viktor felt the councilor gently helping him with the leg braces. He was always so careful with him, sometimes it made Viktor wonder if Jayce thought he was made out of glass.
A soft sound came from Viktor’s mouth, as he felt the first restricting brace let go of his leg. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to breathe without having to focus on anything else. He was worn out.
Jayce carefully took off the multiple parts of the leg braces and then slid the whole thing off. Setting it aside next to the nightstand, he glanced at Viktor. The man seemed to be half asleep, already.
He decided not to bother him, this time.
As he opened the closet on the other side of the room, he got some nightwear from Viktor’s side. Jayce took off his multiple garments, before he was finally shirtless and free from them all. He, then, slid off his pants and went back to the bed.
Viktor, by now, was deeply asleep, quiet snores coming from him.
It wasn’t the first time this happened, so Jayce was quick to change Viktor out of his day-to-day clothes into something more comfortable to sleep in.
After that, Jayce dropped on his side of the bed and felt himself breathe more easily. Ambessa Medarda was not like Mel. She was stressful and watchful, which meant Jayce had been alert the whole time. He didn’t really want to have to see her again any time soon, but it seemed like he would.
Turning to the side and pulling the sleeping man to him, he felt his chest press against Viktor’s back. He missed Viktor more than he had admitted. To go from seeing each other all day, every single day of the week, to spending mornings and nights together was dragging him down a little.
Being a councilor was no joke. Now people depended on him, not just as a scientist, but as a councilor of Piltover.
A tired sigh escaped from Jayce’s lips. Spending the whole day away, debating with the council, listening to Salo’s complaints, getting headaches from all the duties and everything… it was exhausting, as much as he did think he was good at it.
Thankfully, though, he always had the lab and Viktor to come back to.