Viktor woke up the next morning, feeling like he’s had the best sleep of his life. He still felt so warm and fuzzy and he didn’t know why. Well, that was before he tried to move. He quickly looked down to see a giant hand pinning him down. Panic quickly took over as he tried to desperately get loose from the grip but the hand was so heavy. His struggles ceased when he heard a low grunt form above and he looked up to see his new partner sleeping. Viktor’s cheeks immediately went red. Jayce was holding him in his sleep against his chest.
Viktor looked back down at the large hand holding him down and tried to slow his breathing. It’s ok. It is only Jayce. Jayce who is giant and who he only just met. No problem. No problem at all.
Nope. Viktor was not used to this type of touch. He tried to get out from under Jayce’s strong hand again. Wiggling to push himself up. Only to hear Jayce mumble something in his sleep and turn onto his side. Viktor couldn’t help but yelp as he was now suspended on his side, against Jayce’s warm chest. It was like Jayce was treating him as a stuffed bear!
”Jayce!” Viktor yelled up to his partner in annoyance. “Jayce! Either wake up or let me go right now!” Viktor knew that Jayce probably won’t hear his ultimatum due to him being sound asleep but he was getting a bit desperate. “Please let me go you giant moron!” It must have worked because before Viktor knew it, the grip Jayce had on him disappeared and he fell onto the mattress under him with an “oof”.
Viktor lifted his head a bit and shook it to get the dizziness away. Definitely an interesting way to wake up. He heard Jayce mumble a bit more and decided the bed was probably not the safest place to be with a sleeping giant. He got himself up with the assistance of Jayce’s pillow and arm and looked around for his cane. His cane. Where is his cane?
“Jayce..” Viktor sighed and used the pillow to slowly walk to the edge of the bed. He’s not used to walking without his cane, at least not like this. “If I was Jayce Talis where would I put a toothpick sized cane..?” He looked around the room and saw all of Jayce’s belongings. Some crystals and minerals on his windowsill, posters of magic and adventures, shelves lined with countless books and then he saw Jayce’s vest hanging on his chair. Viktor took a closer look and saw his small cane caught in one of the top button holes. He had to groan. “Great, my cane is stuck in his vest all the way over there..” Viktor couldn’t help but look down the cliff-like ledge the bed was and quickly step back against the soft pillow behind him. That’s definitely a long drop. One he does not wish to experience and test his durability at this size.
The young man sighed and took a seat on the edge of the bed. Being outside the lab, it really puts into perspective just how small he is now. He took it all in. He was so small, so insignificant in this size, he couldn’t do anything by himself. He said he’d help Jayce with his hex-tech dream but could he really do that? He was only around 8cm tall when Jayce measured him meaning he cannot pick up much if anything. His weak body didn’t help his struggles of picking up equipment and moving around this now giant world. It did make him feel scared. Reminding him of how small he felt as a child. Being all alone and struggling through life.
He jumped when a giant hand rested just next to him after Jayce moved. That’s right. He has Jayce. They may have only just met but he felt this man was somehow meant to be his friend. His partner. He also felt Jayce’s stubbornness wouldn’t allow him to go through this weird shrinking experience alone and that he’d go along with him the whole way. He was so used to doing things on his own, maybe it would be good to have someone there with him. That thought brought a small smile to his face and he slowly reached for Jayce’s hand and gently rubbed his finger. With his back to Jayce, he failed to notice the smile appear on the giant’s sleeping face.
About fifteen minutes passed with Viktor sitting there thinking about his situation, Jayce’s room and Jayce himself when a knock at the door startled both him and Jayce. Jayce groaned at suddenly being awoken from his slumber, shifting the hand that was next to Viktor into the small man instead. The tiny man tried pushing it away with fear of being dragged with it, which he was and was brought slightly closer to the waking giant.
”Jayce dear, breakfast is ready.” His mother warmly called from behind the door. “I know you have the day off but I don’t want you wasting it by sleeping. It’s going to be a beautiful day.” Ximena tried opening the door only to find it locked. Strange, Jayce has never locked his doors before like this.
”Mmm.. Y-Yeah..” Jayce yawned loudly as he sat up. Not realising how badly he was moving the bed for Viktor who ended up rolling on his back closer to the shift in weight on the mattress. A small yelp escaped his lips which went unheard. “I’m.. I’m up.. and I’m coming now..” Ximena walked away after hearing her son get out of bed. He sat on the side of his bed, still trying to wake up, not realising that the movement completely threw Viktor off balance again. The weight of Jayce had Viktor tumbling over and causing him to get closer to the source of the weight. He fell backwards and his back landed on Jayce’s thigh.
”W-Wait! Jayce stop!” Viktor shouted as he caught himself on Jayce’s thigh and blushed when he felt how warm it was from being under the blankets. Still, Viktor expected the impact to be hard but Jayce’s leg was soft. He felt a jolt go through the giant man and immediately felt eyes on him.
”Viktor? Oh! I’m sorry!” Jayce went to grab Viktor but his hands froze a few centimetres away from him. He shouldn’t grab him without asking and the look of fear on Viktor’s face made him stop too. “I hope I didn’t hurt you! I forgot that I had you on me.” Jayce’s face went red. That’s right, he left Viktor on his chest last night. Cuddling him.. “Crap, I didn’t roll around last night did I?”
Viktor sighed as Jayce went on a worried induced rant. He tried to stand up, using Jayce’s leg as leverage. He struggled, still a bit dizzy after all that tumbling and gave up. “No you didn’t. You only moved when I woke up this morning and I tried getting out of your grip.” He looked up at Jayce with a slight blush across his face. “I, however, slept quite well. Thank you.”
Jayce couldn’t help but offer Viktor his finger for support when he saw him struggling to stand. But ultimately Viktor swatted his finger away as he felt it was better to remain seated when he realised Jayce will stand up soon. Jayce’s smile also grew when he heard that Viktor slept well, he knew his new partner was having some rough nights. “Well, at least you slept well last night!” Being careful, Jayce stood up, leaving Viktor sitting more in the middle of his bed than the edge as he was before. He looked so small compared to the single person bed. Jayce’s blush only grew.
Viktor looked Jayce up and down and frowned. “Did you sleep in your uniform last night?” Viktor felt guilty. He out of anyone right now knew how uncomfortable it was to be in the same clothes night and day. Especially the intricate uniform the academy provided.
“Oh, uh yeah. I didn’t want to wake you. You were out like a light and I knew you have been struggling with sleep due to the bags growing under your eyes.” Jayce nervously chuckled as he ranted a bit. Surely it wasn’t weird that he was noticing all these small things in his new partner? He was just looking out for him. He looked at Viktor and saw a very unimpressed face. “H-Hey, don’t look at me like that! I was trying to be nice and thoughtful!” Jayce had the biggest sad-dog face.
Viktor’s exterior cracked and he let out a quiet chuckle at seeing such a face. Unusual for him. “I see. Well, thank you Jayce but you really should have woken me. I wouldn’t have minded if you did. I know how uncomfortable these uniforms can be when you sleep in them.” He looked down at himself again. His uniform was looking more dishevelled by the day.
”Oh yeah! After breakfast I’ll work on making you some clothes!” He had a bright gleam in his eyes. “Oh and while I do you can have a bath!” Both men blushed at the idea. “W-Well, if you want that is.” Jayce nervously scratched the back of his neck again.
”As.. embarrassing as it will be at this size, I could use one..” Viktor didn’t really want to admit how gross he felt. “But how will I have a bath? A bath is like a huge pond to me now.”
“Oh, leave it to me!” Jayce looked down to Viktor with a confident smile. “I have the perfect thing in mind. But first, breakfast. I’ll be back.” Jayce was about to leave before Viktor stopped him with a call of his name. Why did it sound so nice in his accented voice? “Yes Viktor?”
”I believe your mother will question why you are in your uniform, no?” Viktor had a slight smirk as Jayce quickly looked down to himself again. Why did it make him smile like this to see the man act like that?
”Oh crap! You’re right. Um..” He went to his wardrobe and grabbed the clothes he’ll wear for the day. He looked back at Viktor with a nervous expression. “Could you.. um.. look away for a moment?”
Viktor was confused at first until his face went as red as a tomato. He quickly nodded. “O-Of course. Uh.. Excuse me.” He turned his body around and tried not to think about how Jayce was currently getting undressed and redressed behind him. He tried everything to not think about it, looking at the dishevelled bedding in front of him and at the posters on the wall. Nothing stopped the sound of rustling as clothes were moved around. Viktor truly didn’t understand why it was affecting him so much. It was just a man getting changed. Nothing weird. They’re both grown men.
“Ok Vik, you are free to turn around now.” Jayce wore a casual looking red vest with subtle gold lines and a loose white undershirt accompanied by black pants. He looked good. “While I am out I’ll look around for some fabric for you. Oh, and I promise to bring you some food.” He grabbed the cold bowl of stew from the night before. “I shouldn’t be long.”
“Wait, Jayce, before you go, may I eh.. have my cane?” He gestured to Jayce’s academy vest on his chair. Still the tiny cane stuck out from the top button hole.
”Oh! Yes, of course.” As if it were a delicate flower, he picked it from his vest and moved over to Viktor. So much like a toothpick.. Slowly bringing the cane to the small man’s hands. “Sorry about that Viktor.”
Viktor stared in disbelief at the size difference again. He thought after a few days of Jayce handing him things he’d be used to it but his very own cane hit different. “..Thank you.” He grabbed his cane and felt somewhat normal again but they both gently touched each other's hands and both flinched from the soft touch, blushing lightly.
“N-No problem. Well, I’ll be back soon.” Jayce resisted the urge to pet Viktor’s soft looking head. He walked to the door and gave one final look to his small partner before leaving and closing the door. He did not lock it thinking he wouldn’t be long at all.
Viktor was now able to walk around a bit on Jayce’s bed due to possessing his cane. He felt a small stroll would be good for him after sitting all morning. He wasn’t too shocked when Jayce didn’t tidy his bed. He didn’t seem to be the type to do so due to his mind usually being somewhere else. Viktor grabbed the edge of the blanket and tried to move it to make the bed look nicer but didn’t get far. His small stature was no chance against the mass of the blanket. Feeling defeated he strolled back to the edge of the bed.
Again, Viktor sat there lost in thought for a few minutes. Trying to go through potential theories on how to grow back. The hextech that they were fiddling with had some promising results but still lacked something. They have been able to shrink things but it led to their plant specimens being burned or shriveling up and dying. If they could just figure out how to shrink things successfully then growing should be an easy next step.
He sighed. He wished he could get to the desk. He should have asked Jayce before he left. He wanted to go over their notes again. Viktor looked to the clock and notice that nearly twenty minutes have passed. He groaned, he was lost in thought that long? Well, surely Jayce would be back soon. That was when he heard the door knob start to turn. He was about to ask Jayce to move him to the desk when he froze. That wasn’t Jayce. A woman, dressed in a simple outfit opened the door and Viktor quickly crawled under the covers of the bed.
Viktor assumed this to be a housekeeper and stayed silent. Was it normal for housekeepers to enter bedrooms without permission? He assumed so and just begged her not to come to the bed. He was still near the edge, his left hand was gripping the corner of the mattress anxiously. He prayed that Jayce would come back to his room at any moment.surely he finished breakfast and got whatever he needed to make him some clothes. To his dismay the blanket above him was grabbed and thrown up as the housekeeper started to make the bed. The force of her doing so sent the man over the edge. He caught himself but dropped his cane to the floor. He started to panic.
He looked up and saw the blanket coming back down and it engulfed him from behind. He noticed that the blanket nearly made it to the floor and before the housekeeper could tuck the blankets in he let go of the edge. The blanket was dense enough that he slid down it like a slide but it cut short of the floor and he landed on his back as he came tumbling out. He let out a groan of pain and panted. There was a lot of physical turmoil today it seems. He looked to the underside of the bed and saw his cane had rolled to a stack of books. He quickly started to crawl over to them as the housekeeper finished making the bed.
Viktor sighed in relief that he was hidden but he noticed that the housekeeper wasn’t leaving, if anything she was starting to sweep and do some dusting around the room. “Jayce.. Please come back.” Viktor sat there and massaged his sore leg.
Jayce went to the forge after breakfast realising that he had some scrap material there. His mother had also told him where the sewing kit was and he quickly grabbed all he needed to make Viktor some clothes. He looked down at the handful of scrap fabric. “This should be enough for at least two or three sets of clothes for now, I’ll have to buy him more fabric soon.” He had to measure Viktor to be sure to get the right length and width. Something too big could affect his walking. He also looked into his pocket, the snacks he got for Viktor was still tightly wrapped up in a napkin for him. He hoped he liked what he grabbed for him.
As Jayce approached his family home he looked up to his room’s window and he froze. There in his window was the housekeeper. In his room. With Viktor. Viktor. Jayce pocketed the fabric and ran into his house and up the stairs past his mother who looked quite shocked. He burst the door open which made the housekeeper jump. She was actively sweeping near his bed. The bed Jayce left Viktor on. “Ah.. S-Sorry. Please leave my room.” Jayce panted from the run up the flight of stairs.
The housekeeper quickly nodded as she grabbed her things and left the room. Jayce quickly closed the door behind her and locked it. Definitely locking it every time he leaves now. “Viktor..?” Jayce slowly walked to the made bed. It didn’t look like any life was on it. Jayce’s heartbeat increased. “Where are you?”
Viktor was nervous as the housekeeper was sweeping by the bed. Some of the excess dust was being swept towards him under the bed and he tried extremely hard not to cough. He covered his mouth so he did not breathe in any of the dust filled air. He then heard what sounded like footsteps running up the stairs and when he looked he saw the door swing open and showing Jayce’s boots. He was finally back.
Once the housekeeper left the room he watched as Jayce slowly walked closer to the bed. Viktor noted how careful each step was taken. Clearly Jayce was worried he ended up on the floor. When he heard Jayce quietly call out to him he slowly walked out from under the bed. Viktor took a moment to stare at the full towering height of the man again. He hasn’t seen it since the day Jayce found him. It was certainly scary but also astonishing. “I am here Jayce.”
Jayce quickly looked down and made eye contact with the tiny man. Viktor felt a jolt of fear go through him and before he could say anything else, Jayce bent down and scooped him up. Just like the night he found him this miniature size. However this time he was pressed right against the other man’s chest in a sort of hug. “Oh thank the gods you’re safe!” Jayce was gently rubbing his fingers against Viktor’s back. “When I saw her in the room I freaked out. I wasn’t sure if you were found or not..”
Viktor’s face was red. He knew Jayce was a touchy guy but this was a bit much. Especially the gentle, relaxing rubs to his sore back. “Eh..ah.. It is fine Jayce. I am ok.” He gently tried to push away from that warm chest of his. “Just.. a bit of a close call is all.”
“Close call? Viktor.” Jayce raised Viktor to his face. The quick movement making Viktor a bit nauseous. “She could have seen you. Mistaken you for something else. Could have hurt you. And it's my fault. I should have locked the door.” Jayce looked down and slowly lowered Viktor back to his chest. “You could have easily been hurt and I would not have known until it was too late…”
Viktor looked up to Jayce, shocked to see some tears in his eyes. He wasn’t used to these emotions at all and they only met a few days ago. These emations were definitely out of the norm Viktor felt. “H-Hey, Jayce.” He pet his finger to get Jayce’s attention. “Nothing did happen. I am ok. A little shaken but ok. No need to fuss this much.” Viktor decided it was probably best not to mention the ache in his back from the tumble he had in the blankets. Figuring that the large man needed a change in topic, Viktor smiled awkwardly. “Did you get any food? I am quite hungry.”
Jayce’s attention quickly went to the wrapped food in his pocket. “Oh, yes.” He moved over to the desk and gently put Viktor down. He reached into his pockets and pulled out a wrapped napkin and in the other hand a handful of fabric. “I got some pastry bits for you and was able to find these scrap pieces of fabric at the forge. I will need to measure you to get the right size.” He gave Viktor the wrapped pastry and the tiny man started to eat gleefully.
”Did you not measure me the day after we met?” Viktor tilted his head as he was confused why Jayce didn’t just use that measurement. He tried to hide a moan from the wonderful taste of the pastry. It tasted so fresh and was still a little warm from the oven. Been days since he ate something as nice as this. If only he could have some sweet milk with it.
”Yeah I did but it was only your height. I need to measure your waist and hips for the clothes. I don’t want anything too baggy if i can help it.” Viktor shrugged and nodded in agreement. “I’ll let you finish your breakfast then I’ll measure you. Oh, and while I make your clothes you can have a bath.” Jayce still needed to get that ready but he’ll do it after getting Viktor’s measurements.
“Right. Ok Jayce.” He was still unsure how Jayce would set up a bath for him. As Viktor ate Jayce laid each bit of fabric flat. There wasn’t much, they both hoped that it was enough. They hope they don’t screw up too many times.
Once Viktor was done he stood in front of Jayce who held his measuring equipment. Viktor already stood as tall as he could for Jayce who quickly measured his height again and the height of his legs as well as his torso. He scribbled down each measurement and put the pen in his mouth while measuring.
“Can you stretch out your arms?” Jayce said through the pen in his mouth. Viktor nodded and did so while Jayce measured his arm span and width. Then he wrapped the measuring tape around Viktor’s waist and was shocked how skinny he was. Not just because he’s tiny but he can imagine just how slim the man must have been when normal sized. He jotted it down before doing his hips. Viktor was so slim compared to Jayce and he was blown away by it. Jayce got the last of the measurements and sat back up. “Ok. I think I can work with this. I should be able to get it done while you have a bath.”
”How are we going to do that Jayce?” Viktor looked up at the man confused. “You still haven’t answered me on how I’ll have a bath.” Jayce only smiled in confidence and started to move things around his room. He made space in the top shelf of his bedside table and grabbed a small towel from his wardrobe. Viktor was watching, trying to figure out what he was doing. That’s when Jayce quickly left his room without saying a word. Viktor by instinct at this point hid near the books on Jayce’s desk. He peaked out when the man came back with a tea cup that was slightly steaming. “Wait.. a cup!?”
”Yeah! I knew this one would be the perfect size for you!” Jayce placed the cup in his empty bedside table. Viktor now realised that he did this for his privacy. “I have filled it with soap so you should be able to have a nice relaxing soak and to wash your hair. Please let me know if you want me getting anything else for you.” Jayce walked back over to Viktor and put his hand down in front of him for him to get on. With some hesitation the tiny man crawled onto the rough hands and was carried over to the bedside table. He was lowered into the draw and Jayce’s hand retreated.
“Thank you Jayce.” Viktor looked away slightly from the embarrassment of having a bath be made for him.
“No problem, V! As I said, just call out if you need anything at all.” Jayce flashed his charming smile before he disappeared from Viktor’s view.
When Viktor felt it was clear, he slowly undressed and slowly lowered himself into the ‘bath’ that Jayce got for him. It was indeed the perfect size. most of his body was covered by the steaming water. Viktor’s body immediately relaxed and he melted into the soapy water. Their may have been a lot of soap in the water but he didn’t complain. He felt so dirty, especially after getting dust swept on him by the housekeeper. He sighed as he sunk more of his body in. The ache in his leg and back was quickly relieved. After a few minutes of taking the warm water in, he started to clean himself. Rubbing his limbs and then sinking his head under the water to give his hair a clean as well.
As Viktor bathed, Jayce was busy trying not to stab himself with a sewing needle as he swiftly made a shirt for Viktor. This was the fourth attempt at the shirt however. He either cut too much off or accidentally ripped a sleeve in two with his strong fingers. He cheered to himself as he finally made a shirt. It was a bit bigger than his measurements but if he had it any smaller he’d rip it by accident again. He slipped it onto his finger and smiled that it fit his finger so it’d definitley fir Viktor’s slim body. He then moved onto the pants. These were a lot easier to make. He only ripped the top of the pants near the hips and replaced it with some spare fabric from the shirt. He was so proud of himself and looked over his hard work. He’ll ask his mother if there was any other fabric in the house so he could make more. Now he just had to wait for Viktor to be done.
Viktor took a deep breath as he rose from the water. His hair was now washed and he was all clean. He felt so refreashed. He crawled out of the cup and wrapped himself in the small towel the best he could. It was still quite heavy like the blanket. He tried to dry his hair and wrapped his body up the best he could but there was so much fabric that he couldn’t move. “Jayce! I’m done now!” He heard the quick footsteps of the giant man and tried to cover himself more.
“Hey V! Did you have a good soak? You were in there a while.” Jayce looked at how Viktor was practically swallowed by the towel’s fabric. “Once you’re dry, try these on. I’ll work on cleaning your other clothes later.” Jayce placed the new clothes he made into the cabinet before stepping back to give Viktor privacy.
Viktor dried himself more and crawled over to the new clothes. He picked up the shirt to look it over. It reminded him of his old clothes in Zaun when he was younger. All patched together. He had a soft smile at the reminder and started to dress himself. He looked himself over with his new clothes on and found the length of the shirt was still a bit long. He tucked it into his pants a bit and sighed, feeling good to be in nice clean clothes. “I am ready Jayce.” Viktor called out and again, Jayce’s face came into view with a huge smile.
”It fits! I’m glad!.” Jayce placed Viktor back on the desk as he cleared the bedside of the cup and put his belongings back in the top draw. He couldn’t stop looking at Viktor in his new clothes. So used to him in a refined outfit but now he is wearing a mix match of fabric as clothes. And again he looked very cute, like a doll. “I’ll be sure to clean your other clothes soon. I’ll wait until my mother leaves for her daily walk.”
“Sounds good, Jayce. Again, I must thank you again for this.” Viktor looked at himself again. “Being in new clothes and having a warm bath really helped me. I was able to feel at least somewhat normal. Hopefully after today of resting we can get back into fixing this.”
”Yeah. We will sort this out and now are minds are clear we can do this quicker! I’m sure of it!” Jayce had a huge confident smile. Be fore he could speak again a knock was at his door.
“Jayce? Who are you speaking to?” The doorknob twisted and the door started to open. Both men froze and looked to each other. Jayce forgot to lock the door again.
Mel Medarda walked down the corridor of Heimerdinger’s academy and noticed a few missing person’s posters. She did recognise the man drawn on the poster as being the professor’s assistant. A quiet man, one she never really spoke to but who seemed to always be there. She knew the last place he was seen was the apartment of Jayce Talis, the one that blew up and was a bit suspicious of that.
She unlocked the door to Jayce Talis’s new lab and looked around. She noticed very quickly that some of the equipment that was confiscated was missing and smiled proudly as she saw it crudely hidden in the new lab. But she froze when something caught her eye. She walked up to the plant on the desk and stared at the one tiny leaf that stood out from the rest as it glowed in a dim blue light. As she went to touch it it shrivelled up and died and turned to dust. As if too much magic coursed through the poor plant.
Her curiosity rose and looked around the room again. What was this boy doing now? She decided that now she would keep a closer eye on that student. Maybe she’ll ask another student to help her do so. She quickly left the lab to try and find the best person to help.
Thank’s for reading this chapter! I didn’t want to stop writing. I’m starting the plot now and will be having more people interact with lil Viktor soon. I’m still not sure how many parts this will have. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Part two is also uploaded to Ao3 as well.