#act 1 viktor

“I could have walked, you know?” he chuckled as Jayce gently laid him on their bed, letting the blanket slip among the sheets.

“I know,” Jayce murmured, pressing kisses to his neck. “I just thought your knee could use more rest.”

Viktor felt his heart looping in his chest – surely a very discouraged anatomical reaction. Could Jayce actually kill him from too much kindness? If it was possible, his days were counted…

Their lips met again, eager to learn and map each other like uncharted scientific territory. Their hands were roaming their still clothed frames, playing with the hem of their shirts, unsatisfied with fabric and hungry for bare skin.

Heat was building fast, doped by the thrill of a brand new body to explore – that electricity in the air that is proper to first times. Viktor felt his underwear becoming dangerously tight, his painfully tense arousal begging to be freed, seeking relief in the slightest pressure of rub of fabric.

He craved to tear his way to Jayce’s gorgeous muscles, to feast on that perfect body he could only catch glimpses on – to learn it with his eyes, his palms, his tongue… Viktor felt a rush of curiosity taking over his brain, that same deep need to discover, explore and understand as for science. And damn was Jayce Talis an exciting field of study!

Would he have his way, he would rush into a thousand experiments with him, each more delightful than the other. But he forced himself to slow down, regardless how difficult it was.

“This must be so new for him…” Viktor thought, taking a tough grip on himself. “Better not push him too far on the first night…”

Viktor braced a hand against Jayce’s shoulder and regretfully broke the kiss.

“W-Wait…” he panted, his whole body protesting when Jayce pulled back. “We’d better stop here… if we continue, it will become very hard for me to stop at pretty little kisses.”

A soft blush rose on Jayce’s cheeks. Oh how gorgeous he was, glowing in a silver beam of moonlight!

“Maybe… we could go a little further than kisses?” he asked shyly. “Or is that too fast? I mean… I’m sorry I don’t really know how I’m supposed to take things from here… Because, you know… You’re a man, but you’re also my best friend… even more than that now but it’s only been, like few minutes so…”

Viktor couldn’t resist raising a teasing eyebrow, enjoying his partner’s ramble before cutting him.

“Well, look at you… Are you trying to bed me before a single official date? How scandalous, Mister Talis!” he smirked mischievously.

But Jayce was genuinely worried about asking for too much too soon. He looked like a guilty puppy, torn between desire and duty. Viktor’s smile softened. He reached up, cupping his cheek in reassurance; Jayce leaned in his hand and pressed a kiss in his palm.

“I would love to do more than pretty kisses with you tonight, Jayce.” Viktor murmured. “I assume you’ve never been with a man before, have you?”

“N-No you’re… my first.” Jayce admitted, embarrassed by how shy and inexperienced his voice sounded. “Sorry I’m not usually that awkward. It’s just… I don’t really know the script here… you know, how things are supposed to go with a man. I mean, I know the theory of what to do in bed, but I don’t know the rules around it… like when to do what. With girls I kind of know these things – at what date I can kiss, when I ask if they want to go home with me, what’s acceptable to do for a first night with them… But here I… I just really don’t want to mess it up with you, Vik.”

Viktor chuckled fondly. Jayce Talis, rambling out of concern on how to treat him in bed… how endlessly endearing. That was quite exotic even – a far cry from the men who felt entitled to whatever they wanted, only because he had agreed to share warm skin for few hours with them.

His thumb traced soothing circles along Jayce’s jaw.

“There’s no script, Jayce” he whispered. “No rules but ours.”

He let his words sink a little in the padded silence of their lab, but they weren’t enough to soothe Jayce’s nervousness. He thought a little before speaking again.

“You know, sex and science aren’t so different. It’s all about experimenting, finding out what works and what doesn’t. All we have to do is to try and learn. Don’t be afraid to mess up – you can trust me to tell you when you do. I’ve always told you when your equations are wrong, have I not? If you are really worried, simply ask me. I was raised surrounded by prostitutes constantly talking about their work, trust me there is nothing I haven’t heard. And I can trust you to be just as honest with me, yes? To tell me if you don’t feel ready for something?”

Jayce relaxed a little and nodded, as if comparing sex to science suddenly made it all feel more familiar and safe. Like it was no longer another thing he needed to be good at, but simply a shared moment of intimacy. After all, it wasn’t about doing anything brand new together, just a different kind of experimentation… a research made of gentle caresses, passionate kisses, and as much pleasure they could offer to each other.

“Now, Jayce…” Viktor said with a low voice, guiding Jayce’s fingers to the buttons of his vest – a quiet invitation to get him undressed. “Do you feel like experimenting with me tonight?”

Desire flared brightly in Jayce’s eyes. He nodded frantically, but this wasn’t enough for Viktor.

“Words, Jayce.” he insisted. “I need you to tell me what you want.”

“I… I want you Vik. Gods, I want you so much.”

Jayce’s breathless voice was rasped with want and need. His eyes had their pupils blown almost entirely. It hit Viktor right in his guts. Was Jayce Talis – the pretty golden boy of Piltover, the man every Academy girl swooned over – really looking at him like that? Thinking that merely few minutes ago he was mourning what he thought were one-sided feelings… That was insane.

“Go on then.” Viktor smirked teasingly, lying back and offering himself on the messy sheets. “Explore me.”

Jayce’s trembling hands worked his vest and shirt open, unbuttoning it with that impossible balance of burning hunger and restrained carefulness that was sending Viktor’s mind reeling.

He had never been touched like this before, like he was beautiful and unique. Jayce’s fingers were precise and strong, calloused from years at the forge, yet infinitely tender and loving. It made Viktor feel safe in a way he hadn’t thought possible.

Jayce buried his face in the crook of his neck, pressing reverent kisses to every inch of skin he could reach. Each lingered like butterfly wings, tickling even after his lips moved on. He trailed slowly downward: Viktor’s neck, his clavicle, his chest… only stopping when he met the hard metal and leather of his corset.

Jayce set aside Viktor’s shirt and vest, but got puzzled on what to do next.

“I’m not sure how to remove it…” he said, looking at the complex entanglement of straps. “I’ve only helped you put it on before… never off.”

“Ah, yes. Let me show you. You have to loosen these straps here, see? Then pull here to unlock the clasp.”

“I don’t want to hurt you…”

“You won’t.” Viktor soothed. “Have a try.”

Jayce obeyed with careful hands, undoing the straps and glancing at his partner at each step. The clasp gave him more trouble: he was too afraid to force the old mechanism open.

“I’ll never complain about girls’ bras again,” Jayce muttered under his breath, chuckling awkwardly.

“I’m afraid undressing me is a little more complicated. But I’ll make sure to be worth the effort” Viktor mused, gently brushing Jayce’s hands away before giving the final push to crack his corset open.

Relief washed over him as the familiar pressure on his ribs eased. He couldn’t stop a deep sigh: that daily freedom after hours of compression always felt exquisite.

Jayce removed the corset with more care than necessary, as if scared to damage it. A relic from the morning he stumbled on it, maybe.

“Anything I should know about your back?” he asked.

“Nothing special, except that I’m not very flexible.” Viktor answered, a soft flush on his cheeks. “Just don’t pull hard on the screws.”

Jayce nodded, pressing more kisses on his lover’s chest, seeking safer ground to explore for now. His fingers caressed the freshly exposed skin, brushing on his sharp and sensitive ribs. He marveled at the constellations of beauty marks on Viktor’s chest, down to the limits of his trousers.

“You have so many…” Jayce marveled with a sun-bright smile, his fingers mapping dots he never had the chance to see before. “I want to kiss them all…”

“By all mean,” Viktor smiled, reclining into the moonlight. “Help yourself.”

Desire sparked in Jayce’s eyes as he bent to press reverent kisses down his chest, fingers tracing every curve and freckle, seeking spots that made Viktor sigh. His touch lingered tenderly over Viktor’s pecs, as if they were some woman’s delicate breasts.

Viktor threaded his fingers through Jayce’s hair, sighing encouragement and giving him gentle strokes. It felt so good to be touched this way – not claimed, not used, but cherished. It was very new to him.

It made him feel important, more than he had in anyone’s bed before. But it also felt almost… too much.

Viktor never felt not enough in foreign sheets, quite the opposite. His few experiences with sex often felt like a revenge. After all these years being the crippled kid, the pain he went through to straighten his spine, and despite the limitations of his body, he still could be desirable.

He wouldn’t always find pleasure with his one-night stands, but that never truly mattered. More often than he would admit, he was hunting for pride more than physical relief. His reflection in these men’s eyes made him feel prettier than the cold glare of his own mirror. He didn’t case for their egoistic touches. Afterall, they were nothing more to each other than single-use bodies discarded before dawn. Viktor took what he wanted, so did they – that was the deal.

But Jayce’s eyes were doing to him something very different. They glowed with such desire and adoration not only for his body, but also to his heart and soul. He saw him truly, deeply, and that felt intimidating.

“You’re nervous?” Jayce asked softly, sensing the tension in his muscles.

“You… You’re the first man with who I share more than… you know… basic physical need.” Viktor articulated, struggling to translate his feelings into words. “It feels… new.”

Jayce smiled against his soft belly, pressing more gentle kisses.

“To be honest, I’m kind of glad I’m not the only one having a first time right now. Hope I’m not messing up too badly so far?”

His sincerity pierced Viktor’s heart like an arrow. Such a sweet, tender man… If Jayce could be so vulnerable with him, so could he. He relaxed a little, stroking Jayce’s hair.

“No, you’re doing wonderfully.”

Emboldened by the praise, Jayce let his kisses move lower. He slowed down a little as he reached the messy brown hair trailing down from Viktor’s belly button to the edge of his trousers. His fingers fidgeted for a moment on the belt, hesitant.

“You don’t have to go further if you don’t feel like it.” Viktor murmured.

But Jayce shook his head and gave his partner a daring smile.

“I’m not scared, Vik.”

“Last time you said that, you ended up with a knife at your throat.” Viktor smirked playfully.

“What? Are you hiding a knife in your pants? Or do you plan to threaten me with your cock?” Jayce laughed.

“Don’t tempt me.” Viktor laughed before dropping the joke. “More seriously, I just want you to know there’s a thousand ways to make us feel good. You don’t have to do anything you don’t feel ready for.”

But Jayce’s mind was set. His fingers lingered for a moment on at the limit of his pubic hair, discovering a half-hidden beauty mark he kissed gently.

“It’s alright. I want to see you whole.”

The clink of his belt being opened made Viktor’s arousal twitch in his underwear. Jayce gently slid his trousers off his legs, mindful of his bad knee, pressing more kisses on every inch of newly revealed pale skin. He paused only briefly at the sight of coarse hair on his thighs.

“Ah, yes… no silk-smooth legs here…” Viktor thought half-apologetically, suddenly aware of how different he was from Jayce’s past lovers.

His flat chest, his hairy legs, his sharp angles… he certainly was nothing like the Piltover beauty queens Jayce must have held before him. No voluptuous curves, no long flowy hair… And yet Jayce’s hand didn’t feel any less eager or loving on his skin.

“Gods, you’re so pretty Vik… so, so pretty…” he was whispering between kisses.

Viktor smiled, tension fading a little. He only hoped that his… well, his main difference wouldn’t be too much to handle for someone who barely discovered they weren’t as straight as they thought.

Jayce slipped his fingers under the waistband of Viktor’s underwear, where his painfully tense erection was pulsing, desperate for touch. His eyes flicked up, silently asking if Viktor was okay with this.

Viktor nodded. A pleased sigh escaped his lips as the last piece of fabric slid away, cool air brushing over his freshly freed arousal.

Jayce’s face turned beet-red.

“Are you scared now?” Viktor teased, one eyebrow arched.

“No. No it’s just…” Jayce stammered, too shy to play along with the bantering. “Okay, I’ve never seen another man hard before. I’m… facing something new.”

Viktor’s lips curved with amusement, but his laugh broke into a gasp when Jayce pressed tentative kisses along his hips. Each brush of lips over sensitive skin made Viktor’s breath hitch, heat rising as Jayce edged closer to his erection. When he finally grew bold enough to wrap a hand around Viktor’s length, a low moan spilled from Viktor’s throat in sheer relief. It took all his strength not to beg Jayce to move.

Tentatively, Jayce gave him few strokes. It felt like relief at first, but past the first friction it all suddenly feels… off. The pressure was too light, the pace too fast.

“Wait… Not like that.” Viktor stopped him, holding gently on his hand.

Jayce froze. His worried eyes looked as though Viktor had just made him question everything he’d done since puberty.

“Am I doing something wrong?”

“Every man is different.” Viktor soothed in a reassuring voice. “Let me show you how I like it.”

He wrapped his hand around Jayce’s, adjusting the pressure, shaping the rhythm to match the motions that used to carry him to oblivion.

“There… Just like that…” he sighed.

Jayce focused on the hand guiding his, printing the move in his mind and his muscles. When Viktor finally let go, Jayce’s strokes stayed steady and precise.

“Yes, that’s it…” Viktor groaned, chest rising and falling with pleasure.

Jayce’s confidence was growing. He pressed tender kisses against Viktor’s thigh while keeping the rhythm perfect, eyes never leaving his partner’s face.

Oh Janna… What a sight he was offering to Viktor! Strong hand pleasing him, big kind eyes locked in his, soft lips drawing trails of adoration… The pleasure was building fast… too fast.

He regretfully had to catch Jayce’s hand to stop him, a frustrated groan escaping his throat when the delightful friction stopped.

“Did I mess up again?” Jayce asked, his voice laced with concern.

“No, you’re doing great…maybe a little too great”. Viktor panted. “Come here, I want to explore you too.”

He patted the mattress beside him, watching in amusement as Jayce obeyed eagerly. He pressed a loving kiss on Jayce’s pretty lips, then another one on his calloused palm.

“You made me feel incredible” he praised, watching how his compliments were making Jayce’s eyes shine. This man really was big on praises – that certainly was something to play with for future nights.

His fingers drifted to the buttons of Jayce’s nightshirt.

“Can I?”

Jayce nodded with a shaky, impatient breath.

Viktor took his sweet time to remove the buttons, one by one, revealing more and more golden skin, and pushing on the waistband of Jayce’s pajama pants.

When the fabric finally slipped onto the mattress, Viktor drank greedily the sight in front of him: Jayce, wearing nothing but his underwear, broad shoulders and powerful muscles contrasting with the infinite kindness in his eyes, looking at him in pure trust and awe.

The image branded itself onto Viktor’s retina, like a radiant sun watched for too long. For all he cared, Jayce’s beauty could blind him, ghost over his vision everywhere his eyes would land for hours after he looked away.

“Ever been told you’re shaped like a dream?” He whispered, his voice betraying his adoration.

“Ah… really?” Jayce flushed, gaze darting away.

Viktor shook his head with a quiet smile. As if Jayce Talis didn’t know how gorgeous he was… or maybe he actually didn’t?

Judging by his shy look and flattered eyes, maybe he wasn’t as aware of his beauty as he should be – just like these tall dogs still thinking themselves puppies, unaware of how big they became. All his life, Viktor had assumed people like Jayce had no complex, and knew all too well how handsome they were. But seeing his lover so vulnerable in his hands, so needy for validation… Perhaps it didn’t matter how you were born, everyone longed to be told they were beautiful.

And Viktor would be more than happy to show Jayce exactly just how gorgeous he was.

He captured his lips in a heated kiss, hands roaming eagerly across that body he had refused to watch mere hours ago. Now it was freely offered, he could savor every detail: the steady shoulders, the firm chest, the sculpted arms. His fingers traced the ridges of abs with adoration, like they would a sculpture carved in rare marble – except that they were make of an infinitely more precious material. What a masterpiece of human architecture he was! So strong, so perfect in every way…

Against his lips, he felt Jayce becoming more and more eager, getting lost in the kiss, shivering under his touch. Viktor felt his strong arms closing on his back, careful not to touch the screws of his spine, but clutching him tighter with every passing second, until a thrill of pleasure struck both of their bodies, breaking their kiss in a shared moan.

Their erections brushed through the thin fabric of Jayce’s underwear.

Viktor searched in Jayce’s eyes, making sure there was no discomfort.

“Is this okay?”

“Yeah… yeah it’s… Gods that felt amazing!” Jayce blurted between short breaths, eyes shining with the thrill of discovery, like he was standing at the edge of a scientific breakthrough. “Fuck, please Vik, do that again!”

The polite, desperate “please” made Viktor smirk. Slowly, he lowered himself over his lover, their chests pressing together with every breath, and rolled his hips, grinding their erections together once more.

The surge of pleasure jolted through his spine, and a low growl rumbled from his throat. The friction was sharper now, blunt and purposeful.

Jayce’s desire throbbed hot and hard against his own, his underwear staining with precum. He closed his eyes and let a long moan spill from his golden lips.

“Ooooh… Vik…”

His voice was raw and unguarded: the sound of a man surrendering himself to new pleasures in complete trust. It hit Viktor straight in his gut, spreading a wildfire through his veins. And Janna the way he was saying his name!

He needed to hear it again. Now.

Viktor rolled his hips again. And again. And again. Long, deliberate movements, a primal dance pulling more breathless moans of his name from Jayce’s throat. Each rub of their bodies was fueling his hunger, filling him with need. His thoughts were becoming scarce, handing the wheel of his brain to instincts rather than reason. Strands of sweat were dripping on his skin, sticking his hair to his forehead, and his breathless mouth was spilling no other coherent words than Jayce’s name lost in groans and moans.

Jayce began moving with him, hips rolling in time, eyes heavy-lidded, sinking deeper into the haze of fresh, overwhelming bliss. Soon, his rhythm grew more frantic and needy. His hands clutched Viktor’s waist as though holding on to a dream, fingers trembling with every shuddering press of their bodies. Pretty broken words were dropping from his lips: pleasure-shattered sentences, shy half-muffled moans. Sometimes Viktor would eat them with kisses, sometimes he’d rather savor their song while nuzzling in Jayce’s neck, tasting and biting the soft skin.

“Vik… oh gods… fuck, so good…”

Viktor could feel his own mind slipping out, his own hips growing erratic in their moves. But he could feel he was driving his lover too close to the edge. He refused to let this stop so soon.

Gritting his teeth, Viktor pulled back, out of reach. Jayce let a needy groan pass his lips, his hips chasing the lost pressure. For a second Viktor thought that sight would be enough to throw him over the edge. Jayce was already so undone… so easily…

“Vik…? W-Why’d you stop?” Jayce’s breath was ragged.

Viktor leaned close, his lips brushing Jayce’s ear, savoring the shiver that ran through him at each word.

“Let’s not wear out too soon, hm? There’s so much I’ve dreamed of… experimenting with you.”

“Ah… Really? Like… Like what?”

Viktor’s grin widened. Oh he had one or two ideas… or maybe a thousand.

“How far do you feel like going tonight?”

“I… I’m not sure,” Jayce stammered, raw and honest. “Maybe… maybe not the whole thing. Or maybe yes. I… I don’t know.”

“It’s alright. Let’s go slow then, step by step. I trust you to tell me if anything feels too much. How does that sound?”

“Yeah… Yeah ok that sounds great.” Jayce smiled, relaxing against the pillows.

Viktor’s lips drifted from Jayce’s face, drawing a trail of kisses on his square jaw, then following the line of his clavicle. His hands spread wide across golden skin, caressing the strength of his chest, tracing down over his ribs. He drank in every sigh, every shiver, every subtle hitch in Jayce’s breath, feeling them beneath his fingers.

His lips curved over the swell of Jayce’s chest, pausing at his nipple. The hardened bud of flesh stood on the strong muscle like a cherry on a cake.

Viktor locked his eyes with Jayce’s, and closed his lips around it with a soft hum. A long lick earned him a sigh, a gentle bite a sharp breath… Sucking on Jayce’s nipple, experimenting with brushes of teeth and swirls of tongues, he slowly discovered how to make him shiver.

When Jayce’s hand lifted, Viktor stopped for an instant, cautious it could be a signal to slow down. But the fingers only threaded into his hair, petting. Jayce’s lidded eyes glimmered with pleasure.

“Don’t stop,” he sighed.

Viktor smiled, shifting his mouth to Jayce’s other nipple, teasing the first with his fingers.

“You like that?”

“Yeah… feels good. It’s… softer.”

His voice was nothing but whispers and sighs, as though afraid the walls might hear how much he was enjoying himself.

Oh, how sweet it was to learn the music of this beautiful body! Even in his wildest dreams, he’d never imagined Jayce so sensitive, so beautifully expressive. It made something deep in Viktor growl with burning desire. He wanted to find out more: how to make him moan and scream with pleasure all night long.

When Viktor’s lips left his nipple, Jayce groaned in protest, only to melt again when kisses moved lower down his torso. Viktor forced himself to slow down, each lick and kiss drawn out, even as hunger gnawed at him.

Never had touching someone felt like that: like Jayce’s pleasure was his.

Jayce’s eyes burned with anticipation as Viktor moved past his belly. He gave soft kisses to the enticing trail of black hair above his underwear, enjoying how his lover was shivering and squirming in anticipation beneath his mouth.

He slowed down even more, just for the pleasure of playing with Jayce’s frustration. And Janna did that work well! Pleased sighs got soon replaced by groans of quiet protestation. The fingers in Viktor’s hair tugged a little with restraint, forcing themselves not to press.

Viktor’s lips reached the waistband of Jayce’s underwear, his fingers curling around the elastic. Only then did Jayce allow a soft prayer to drop from his mouth.

“Vik… Please…”

He looked utterly undone, eyes shining with such desperate need it seemed he might cry from it. Viktor’s entire body shuddered, knowing he was the one turning Jayce into such a lusty, beautiful mess.

Finally giving in to his desire, Viktor slipped his fingers beneath the elastic waistband and tugged down the last barrier between them. Jayce sighed in relief as his cock sprang free, no longer straining against fabric.

“Kurva, he must have been painfully tight in there…”

Of course, Jayce Talis had to be perfect everywhere.

Janna had blessed him with a long, proud length curving slightly upward, already slick at the tip. The dark hair at its base was neatly trimmed.

“Did he actually prepare for tonight?” Viktor wondered with an amused smirk. “Or does he always keep himself so cleanly shaved?”

Both options sounded very much like Jayce, though he would tend to go for the second one.

His thoughts were cut when he felt Jayce squirm a little anxiously. In his eyes, Viktor could read worry – to be judged? To be seen so intimately by another man? Or simply not to know what Viktor was thinking of him in his birthday suit?

Viktor leaned in and pressed a kiss to the tender crease where thigh met hip.

“You look gorgeous, Jayce” he whispered against the hot and sensitive skin.

“Ah… T-Thanks…”

Jayce relaxed a little. Of course. Such a people pleaser – he needed reassurance, to know he was enough. And Viktor intended to show him he was so much more than that.

He let his hands wander over those powerful thighs, tracing muscles, marveling at their sheer size compared to his own. How could they be so large? They must have been at least twice the size of his, maybe even more!

Slowly, he mapped upward, caressing the sharp lines of Jayce’s hips, while his mouth painted a path of kisses along his inner thigh.

“So beautiful… so gorgeous…” he murmured between kisses.

Pleased sighs came from Jayce, his chest moving up and down more and more deeply. It wasn’t the joy of his ego being stroke – it was the relief of being seen and loved, of not being judged and not having to hide.

“So little confidence for such a handsome man…” Viktor thought with a quiet chuckle. If only Jayce could see himself though his eyes…

He nuzzled into the dark trail of hair leading from Jayce’s navel. It smelled like skin and sweat and need, a more primal and untamed scent than the rest of Jayce’s body. A single breath got him dizzy, knowing he was the only man to know that detail about Jayce.

He craved to discover more than how he smelled – he wanted to know how he tasted.

Viktor pressed a kiss on the base of Jayce’s arousal, making his lover squirm with anticipation. He smirked and slowly dragged his tongue up to the tip of the head, experimenting with how his lover would react to such touch. Jayce gasped, his body trembling, lips caught between his teeth to keep from begging – a very satisfying outcome.

Viktor’s hand closed around the base of Jayce’s arousal, firm and steady.

“Let’s start with something you know, hm?” he teased, lips so close from the head that Jayce shivered under his breath.

“A-actually… I-I don’t…” Jayce stammered, cheeks flushed.

“Never?” Viktor blinked, surprised.

Blowjobs were, to his knowledge, quite a common practice, at least in the Undercity – not to mention the Red Lantern. He had assumed it was the same in Piltover, even though rumor had it that Topside practices were more prudish. That was why so many Pilties would come to Zaun for a taste of wilder pleasures. A more “exotic experience”, as they called it.

For all the odd looks and defiance his origins had earnt him in Piltover, it had happened to Viktor to be flirted with by one or two Academy student curious to test Zaunites reputation as wild lovers. Viktor always refused – he had no intention of being someone’s exotic little adventure, their funny anecdote to laugh about with drunk friends. He’d preferred to keep his rare one-night encounters to the Undercity, where he may be the play of the night, but nothing more.

But tonight was nothing like the others. Maybe a blowjob would be a little too Zaunite for Jayce’s taste?

He pressed a soft kiss on Jayce’s groin.

“Want to try?” he asked gently.

Jayce nodded breathlessly, with no second thought.

“Y-Yeah… I mean, only if you want to…”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Viktor murmured, his lips ghosting over the head until his breath made Jayce twitch. “I do.”

Keeping his eyes locked in Jayce’s, as much to enjoy how the devastating effect of his ministrations as to make sure there was no discomfort in them, he pressed his tongue on the head and licked the drop of slick precum. He savored the low moan the rolled ragged from Jayce’s throat, as the salty taste spread on his own tongue.

Oh, this was going to be fun.

Viktor opened his mouth and slowly took him in. Jayce was too big to fit all of him, but his hand covered the rest, ready to stroke in rhythm with every slow slide of his lips.

“Oh gods… Vik…” Jayce gasped, eyes fluttering shut, as if the view was making him tip too close from the edge already.

Viktor stayed still for a moment, not resisting a little more teasing, before slowly starting to move, pressing his lips against the shaft, hollowing his cheeks, swirling his tongue on the head. A long grunt of wild pleasure escaped Jayce’s throat, his head throwing back, his thigh tensing and shaking against Viktor’s shoulders.

Viktor tested different paces, different pressures. He carefully adjusted each parameter until he found the exact right thing that was sending Jayce’s mind to wreck. Soon, his lover was nothing but a litany of broken moans, Viktor’s name spilling from Jayce’s lips like a prayer.

Each hearing of his name, each breathless moan was setting Viktor aflame, his own pleasure making his cock painfully tense. His hips were starting to buckle, seeking the friction of the mattress.

He wanted to make Jayce come – to see what he would look like when he would reach his peak, what sound he would make, how his beautiful body would bend under orgasm. And he craved to learn how to achieve that. He took Jayce’s hand and guided it to his hair.

“Come on, show me the rhythm you need.” He urged before sinking down again.

At first, Jayce didn’t dare to move. His pupils were so blown, and he looked so utterly lost in new sensations that Viktor wondered if he had understood him at all.

But then, Viktor felt Jayce’s fingers give small, almost shy impulsions, pressing just enough to show the pace without forcing it.

He adjusted to it, craving to make Jayce reach his peak. The result was immediate, Jayce’s moans soon becoming louder and more incoherent, his hardening cock spilling more salty cum on Viktor’s tongue. His hips were starting to rock instinctively, and Viktor had to splay a firm hand on his groin to keep him still.

“Vik… V-Vik… Oh gods this is so good… S-So good…”

In his mouth, Viktor could feel Jayce growing harder. His jaw was straining from the effort. His own cock was begging for attention, and the mattress pressure was barely enough. His hips rubbed unconsciously, seeking relief. A pleasured moan vibrated through his throat, making Jayce shiver uncontrollably.

“V-Vik… C-Close… So close…” Jayce panted, voice pitching higher.

The muscles of his large thighs were bending, his back was arching, all his abs contracting, and his chest moving up and down erratically. His golden skin was glimmering with sweat, dark strands of hair plastered to his forehead like ink strokes across a canvas. A living masterpiece, undone beneath Viktor’s fingers.

Viktor watched him with awe and disbelief, getting drunk on that sight: Jayce Talis, naked and offered to him like the prettiest gift of destiny, squirming under his fingers, all muscles clenching as his climax were approaching.

“Come for me, pretty boy…”

Viktor doubled the effort, a strand of precum and saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth down to his chin.

Jayce’s fingers curled in Viktor’s hair, his voice reduced to a breathless grunt. His thighs were starting to shake on Viktor’s shoulders, his toes curled. He was close, so close to fall apart, right there, under his hands, between his lips…

But then Viktor felt Jayce’s fingers tug gently at his hair, urging him to stop.

“N… N-Not like that… Please…” Jayce begged, hissing at the cold air and the sudden loss of Viktor’s warm mouth on his over-stimulated cock.

Viktor swiped a bead of precum and saliva from the corner of his lips with his thumb. The small, casual gesture made Jayce’s cock twitch, like it alone might have undone him.

“Not like that?” Viktor asked, soothing him with soft kisses along his belly.

“N-no… but… I- I don’t want to ask for too much…”

Viktor couldn’t resist a chuckle. He could hardly imagine his sweet Jayce wishing for anything that could shock a man raised in an Undercity brothel.

“Shhh, it’s okay,” Viktor murmured, his hands drawing calming circles on Jayce’s hips. “Tell me. What do you want?”

It took Jayce a moment to catch his breath. He looked as though he was about to confess some unspeakable fantasy.

“C-Can I…” His voice rasped low, trembling with want and love. His hand cradled Viktor’s cheek and caressed him reverently. “Can I make love to you, Vik?”

Viktor’s brain got fried on the spot.

Well, maybe Jayce Talis did actually want things that could shock a man raised in an Undercity brothel…

Viktor had been ready for everything, but not for that. His heart melted in his chest like ice under the brightest summer sun. Oh Janna, this man would be the death of him…

His silence made concern bloom in Jayce’s eyes.

“Is it… Is it too much? I-I’m sorry, I didn’t want to go too fast!”

“No, not at all” Viktor said softly, crawling onto Jayce to kiss the crook of his neck. “I want that too. But we can’t tonight.”

“Why?”

“We don’t have the… well, required material for this.” Viktor explained gently, yet sighing in frustration.

Jayce looked at him with puzzled eyes.

“R… required material?” he blinked.

“Lube, Jayce. We don’t have…” Viktor’s brain stopped. “… wait… actually…”

His hand shot out to his discarded vest. His fingers fumbled in the pocket until they found it.

Dorotha’s vial of sex oil.

Sweet Janna, he owed that woman a thousand fucking drinks.

Jayce looked at him like he’d just sprouted a second head.

“… do you always carry lube in your pocket?”

“No! Janna, no!” Viktor laughed, an embarrassed blush flashing on his cheeks. “Dorotha gave it to me tonight. It was kind of her way to wish me luck for… well, confessing to you. Seems you beat me to it.”

“… so she guessed we’d end up in bed?!” Jayce exclaimed in a mix of disbelief and embarrassment. Have the entire world known apart from them?!

“Eh, she’s an expert, you know?” Viktor shrugged, settling back next to Jayce on the mattress.

Viktor considered the vial in his hand, and the handsome man lying in the sheets with him. Lube was opening possibilities… Delightful possibilities.

With a conquering smile, Viktor climbed astride his strong thighs. He cradled Jayce’s flushed, vulnerable face in his hands like it was the world’s greatest treasure.

“Still want to get inside me, pretty boy?” he purred with a low, flirtatious voice.

Jayce’s brain broke. His face burned crimson, his mouth opened… nothing came out. Then awe filled his eyes, and a single, breathless word escaped:

“Yes…”

Viktor stroked his cheek, voice gentle now. “Are you sure? There are other ways. No rush.”

Jayce’s gaze softened into something pleading and desperate.

“I’m sure. I want to feel you. If… if you want me too.”

“Kurva…” Viktor sighed, smiling despite himself. “You’re too cute for your own good. Of course I want you. So, tell me, should I prepare myself or would you rather… learn?”

The insecurity vanished from Jayce’s gaze, replaced with unfaltering determination.

“Teach me.”

So eager. So perfect.

The vial opened with a soft pop, releasing a heady, flowery scent.

“A very… Dorotha choice.” Viktor noted dryly. “But for sex with Jayce Talis I can suffer that.”

Viktor took Jayce’s hand in his, generously coated his fingers with the thick golden oil. He spread his thighs, bringing Jayce’s hand to his entrance.

“I suppose it’s not so different from preparing a woman, though it may require more time and care.” He explained, his gaze softening to his lover’s worried gaze. “Don’t worry, I will guide you.”

Jayce pressed a long, firm kiss on his forehead, like a man going on a mission.

“I’ll be gentle.” He promised, as if Viktor was the worried one. “If I do anything wrong, tell me.”

Viktor smiled and caressed his lover’s cheek. He wasn’t sure when was the last time he saw him so serious… maybe it was the day they met, when he defended his Hextech theories to the Council.

With extra careful moves, Jayce pressed his finger on his partner’s entrance in small circles, easing him. The pressure was almost too gentle. Jayce’s hands felt surprisingly soft, but there was an undeniable strength in them; the hands of the kindest hammersmith in Piltover.

Viktor couldn’t stop a soft hum when Jayce’s finger started to push inside him, making accidentally Jayce freeze in concern.

“Keep going… Feels good…” he reassured in a sigh.

The finger slid deeper, and Viktor inhaled sharply, relaxing his muscles. Janna, Jayce’s hands were huge… one finger alone and he already felt so full…

Jayce started to move his finger slowly, eyes fixed on Viktor like he was a piece of rare and fragile metal in the furnace of his forge. Viktor could feel it slide deep, brushing over that hidden sensitive spot, but not giving nearly enough pressure.

“Try this…” he whispered to Jayce, hooking his finger.

Jayce studied the motion intently, with the same focus as when Viktor was showing him a different way to solve complex equations. Then, carefully, he copied it, his gaze locked on his lover’s face to make sure he was doing things right at all times.

The first moves felt odd, pressing into the tensed flesh but missing the spot. Until the moment he reached it.

Viktor gasped, his back arching as pleasure lit up his spine. His moan spilled long and desperate from his lips.

“R-Right there… just like that…”

His reaction carved itself into Jayce’s brain like did all new wonderful discoveries. He repeated the exact same move again… and again… and again. His eyes were shining at each reaction he was tearing from his partner: his pleased sighs and moans, the delighted expression on his face, the gleam in his eyes.

“Fuck… Vik, what am I touching?” Jayce asked as he kept pressing on Viktor’s sensitive spot.

“N-Never tried it on yourself?” Viktor teased, voice trembling.

“Fuck, no… I had no idea this could even feel good!”

“Ah… then I’ll show you next time if you want… G-Give me a second finger.”

Jayce obeyed at once, eager to discover more of the unexpected pleasures he could offer his new lover.

Soon Viktor was nothing but a happy moaning mess. Pressed against his strong lover’s chest, his hands were holding for his sanity on the well-defined muscles of his back. Jayce may be new to this, but he sure was capable of handling things right!

Jayce was marveling at how his lover was reacting to his touch, hooking his two fingers and playing with Viktor’s pleasure. He kissed him, traced him with his free hand, worshipping every part of him: thin neck, flat chest, sharp shoulders, soft belly…

“Fuck, Jayce you’re good at this!” Viktor moaned with a breathless chuckle.

Jayce grinned, a little flustered by his lover’s words.

“Kurva, he really like praises.” Viktor noted before a new curl of Jayce’s fingers hit him just right, erasing his thoughts like a wave swallow drawings in the sand.

Viktor felt a third finger pressing on his entrance, and met the silent question in Jayce’s eyes. He nodded – yes, he was ready for more.

Three of Jayce’s thick and strong fingers felt a lot at first, but they slipped in so slowly and carefully that by the time they were fully in, Viktor had adapted to them. Jayce was stretching him, scissoring his walls. Viktor was squirming in anticipation. He was craving for more, so much he was dangerously close to begging. If only his body could get ready as fast as his mind!

Fortunately, Jayce’s gentle ministrations were getting results. Soon, the three thick fingers felt not enough, and Viktor knew he could finally take him whole.

“Jayce…” Viktor gasped between moans, “I’m ready…”

Jayce stopped. Viktor could see in his eyes he had no other desire than finally slipping inside him and let them both abandon their bodies and minds to pleasure. Yet there was still that deep, loving concern restraining him so beautifully. A man bound by love and care.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Yeah I’m certain. Come on, I can’t wait much longer…” Viktor urged him. Kurva, he had never wanted anyone that much in his entire life.

Jayce flushed, suddenly looking like he wasn’t entire sure what to do.

“Is there… a position you prefer? Something that won’t hurt your leg or back?”

Viktor cursed inwardly. He wished he could ride him: the simple idea of Jayce, splayed under him, getting undone under the merciless rolls of his hips nearly undid him. But his knee wouldn’t have it tonight. The next best thing should be fine as well…

Viktor wrapped his legs around Jayce’s back, and he hooked him close, until their bodies pressed together again. Jayce’s weight draped over him like a reassuring blanket.

“How about this? Quite simple, but good for a start, no?” he asked.

“Yeah… Yeah anything you want…Gods, I want you so much, Vik…”he breathed, capturing Viktor’s lips in a deep passionate kiss.

Jayce only broke the kiss to slide a pillow beneath Viktor’s hips, lifting him for comfort and ease. Then he adjusted his erection against Viktor’s entrance. His swollen head pressed bluntly against Viktor’s entrance, making a shrill of anticipation run through both their bodies.

They needed to feel each other. Now.

“Are you sure you’re ready?” Jayce asked, voice raspy and tight.

“Yes…” Viktor panted, breathless and burning with need, heels digging a little on Jayce’s back to encourage him. “Come on, don’t make me wait, I need you.”

As if the last three words were a signal, Jayce nodded very seriously, and adjusted his position. He was standing on one forearm, the hand lost in Viktor’s hair, while his other hand was resting on his lover’s hip, drawing appeasing circles with his thumb. Then slowly, agonizingly slowly, he began to press inside.

Viktor felt the head of Jayce’s erection stretching his rim and pushing through his walls. The stretch was sharp, but not painful. Just… overwhelming.

“Kurva… if feels even bigger than he looks…”

Viktor took deep breathes, relaxing all his muscles to open himself for his lover. Jayce’s care and slow pace was making it easier… maybe also a little frustrating. Viktor needed more. He wanted to be filled. His pressed his heels in Jayce’s back, urging him deeper.

Jayce groaned, torn between control and instinct.

“So tight… ah…” his voice was broken with need.

At last, Jayce’s hips pressed against his skin. Viktor let a deep sigh of pleasure and satisfaction pass his lips. This felt… so intense. Not like anything he ever had before. Their bodies were fitting so perfectly… Like they were meant for each other.

Their eyes shared the same amazed gaze, the same “How can it feel so fucking good just to be inside each other?”.

Viktor felt something tremble within him, something at each of the many points their bodies were touching. This… This felt like more than sex. More than bodies connecting in pursue of physical pleasure. But he wasn’t sure exactly what it was.

Jayce must have felt it too… but he was staying still.

Viktor squirmed to show him he was ready for more, and yet Jayce refused to move. He was panting, his sweat running from his forehead to Viktor’s, gaze heavily fogged with desire and need. A tentative rock of the hips from Viktor made him shut his eyes tightly, anchoring himself.

“Jayce?” Viktor whispered. “Are you alright?”

“Y-Yeah,” Jayce rasped. “Just… fuck, Vik, it feels too good. I need a moment. I don’t want to finish too fast.”

That was probably wiser… Viktor realized that himself wouldn’t last long if he wasn’t keeping a tight grip on his own pleasure.

Each second felt like an eternity. The feeling of the long, heavy erection inside him was equally delightful and not fucking enough. He wanted Jayce to move… he needed him to move. It took all of his thin-running patience and self-control to stay still. An ironic smile stretched his lips… In such situation, he usually was the one fighting his lovers’ egoistic impatience to have time to adjust.

Finally, Jayce took a deep breath and steadied his position, before tentatively moving his hips up, and giving a slow thrust.

Viktor felt his heavy arousal drag out of him, and fill him again, pressing deep inside him as their hips met. A loud sigh of pleasure and relief dropped from his lips, and his legs tightened their grip around his lover’s muscled back.

It seemed to make something click within Jayce. He pressed their mouths together in a desperate kiss, his finger tangling in Viktor’s hair, while the other took a firm grasp on his hip. He started to rock in a measured, reverent pace.

Each thrust was a testimonial to everything they had shared until now: trust, affection, care, and their immoderate passion for discovery. They were tearing sighs and groans from their throats, entangled and indissociable in their kiss.

Viktor clung to him, appreciating the voluptuous roll of his muscles. He reached down with one hand to cup the strong curve of Jayce’s ass, feeling the sensual dance of every thrust.

Then a bolt of pleasure struck, Viktor’s back arching, a scream ripping raw from his throat. His cock dragged hard against Jayce’s abdomen, sparks scattering his thoughts. Jayce’s cock had hit that sensitive spot inside him.

Both froze: Jayce out of fear of having hurt his lover, and Viktor out of stupefaction.

Never before had he ever screamed in bed, not genuinely at least. Kurva, he hadn’t even thought it was possible.

When Viktor spoke, he wouldn’t recognize his voice.

“Do that again.” He commanded.

As if it was his most sacred duty, Jayce obeyed instantly, thrusting with the same angle, the same force again. And again. And again.

Each roll of Jayce’s hips shattered Viktor’s mind a little bit more.

Janna… This wasn’t the first time he was having sex! How can this feel so different? So good?

Everything he had before was nothing. Pale copies. Grotesque mockeries. Mechanical back and forth of unfitting bodies.

This was the real thing.

Each move made his back arch, his eyes press shut, his mouth open spelling a river of moans and screams and Jayces. His hands were clenching on his lover’s back like a lifeline, his nails pressing in the golden skin – as if letting go would get him forever lost to their shared storm, drowned in a raging ocean of pleasure.

Above him, Jayce was a mess of sweat, lust, and love. His breathing was short, his forehead glimmering, and his hair that had barely dried was all wet and mussed again. In his eyes, Viktor saw the mirror of his own speechless amazement.

“This is insane…” Jayce’s gaze was saying.

“Completely insane…” Viktor’s answered, before his eyes pressed shut again, hit by another wave of overpowering pleasure.

This wasn’t just sex… This was making love. Like they meant in books. Like they said in songs. It wasn’t a legend… It was real.

Every move was saying more than any word ever could, painting a beautiful canvas of feelings, reflected in the shared beating of their hearts. Love was spreading through their whole bodies, birthing everywhere they touched and invading everything, shattering their minds and their reason.

Nothing mattered anymore – only their tight embrace, and the hurling storm of pleasure growing bigger and bigger at every thrust.

Jayce’s hips grew more frantic, instinct taking of wheel of his body, all the barriers of his restraints falling apart under the power of the shared sensations.

“Vik… Oh Gods… V-Vik I… I won’t last much longer…” he stuttered between moans and short breathes.

“Ah!... Me… Mmmmh! Me neither…” Viktor managed hardly, his own hips buckling against Jayce’s relentless thrusts.

His legs were shaking, clenched around Jayce’s strong torso, heels pushing in his back so hard he hoped the pretty skin wouldn’t bruise. The tide of pleasure was rising at an alarming pace.

A long shiver traveled through his spine. Peak was coming, but it was nothing like anything he had ever experienced. It was growing so strong, so powerful it was almost scary. It felt like being alone on a cliff, staring at an approaching hurricane. Janna… was that why they called orgasm the little death?

Jayce’s moans and groans became louder, almost primal. His arms were starting to tremble, and the pace of his hips was increasing, his cock relentlessly harassing Viktor’s sensitive spot.

Deep inside himself, Viktor felt the wave rise. His throat was torn with screams he couldn’t refrain. His hand found his painfully needy cock, stroking himself at the pace of Jayce’s relentless thrusts. With the other, he anchored himself securely to Jayce’s strong shoulder and braced for the impact.

Each time he thought he had reached his peak, the pleasure grew higher and higher, to the point it became scary. Could one actually die from sex being too good?

It was so intense he barely heard Jayce when he spoke.

“V-Vik… Please… Can I… Can Come inside? P-Please…” he begged with a tight voice.

He had no strength to answer with words. He nodded and clenched his legs as hard as he could around Jayce’s waist, forbidding him to pull out. That was the last thing he had the time to do.

Orgasm hit him with the violence of a hurricane.

His whole body arched wildly, his legs tensing so hard on Jayce’s back they lifted him from the mattress. His toes curled, and a primal scream tore through his throat as his came against his lover’s belly. His hole clenched so tightly on Jayce that he followed not even half a second after him.

They got swiped off into a storming sea of extasy.

Everything stopped. Their minds. Their bodies. Their hearts even maybe.

The tide of pleasure had swallowed them whole, torn their bodies in pieces, and drowned them in its depth.

Viktor was the first to come back to himself slowly, washed back onto the shore of consciousness.

His breathing was ragged but steadying, his limbs trembling, his heart hammering in his chest. And yet, beneath the exhaustion, a profound peace spread through him. The storm had passed, leaving serenity in its wake – a blue washed sky after chaos.

Something pressed on his forehead, warm and wet. He fought to open his eyes, his entire body and mind still sore.

Jayce’s forehead was pressed against his, dripping with sweat. His strong body had collapsed too, undone by the same violent wave. It felt as if their minds were trying to merge the way their bodies had. Jayce’s hands found his face, cradling him tenderly.

In that instant, everything else disappeared. There was no lab, no snowstorm, no world beyond their bed. Only them: the warmth of their skin, the rhythm of their breath, the frantic thunder of two hearts, and their foreheads pressed together. Time itself seemed to loosen its grip.

It felt as though something in the universe had clicked into place, like two cogs in the great machinery of existence finally locking where they belonged. Viktor had never believed in fate. Yet here, now, his certainty wavered.

They had no idea how long they stayed like that. Only the distant chime of Piltover’s clock tower brought them back with two solemn notes. At first they didn’t dare to move. The embrace was too unique, too perfect, too necessary to break.

Viktor smiled as he watched Jayce’s beautiful face, still peacefully pressed against his, and he couldn’t help but softly brush his cheeks with his thumb, waking him up gently from his pleasure-induced coma.

Jayce opened his eyes, and looked at him with pure adoration. He found his voice first, low and ragged, still unsteady with the emotions that had shaken them both.

“I… I love you, Vik.”

A far away thunder echoed in the room. Or was it his own heart? Viktor wasn’t sure anymore. He wasn’t sure of anything, expect for one.

He loved that man.

He loved him beyond measure, beyond words. More than he had ever loved anyone, and more than he ever would again.

That was terrifying, but that was an undeniable fact – like sun raising in the morning, force of gravity, or Paddidly theorem.

His mouth opened but the words didn’t fall out yet, as if they were too old and rusty, stored too far away for too long – in a chest he never opened for anyone before.

“You don’t have to answer…” Jayce said. “I just… I wanted you to know…”

But Viktor had no doubt. If he had to offer them to someone, it must be to that man, here and now.

“I love you too, Jayce.” Viktor cut him.

Jayce’s eyes widen in surprise and awe. He realized all too well the value these words carried. With a soft smile, he bent to taste them directly from Viktor’s lips. Their foreheads moved apart, but only to allow their mouths to meet in a long, loving kiss. Viktor’s hands let his fingers go of Jayce’s shoulders and move up to his hair, caressing them fondly.

They stayed silent for a while, even after their loving kiss, giving each other a little longer to recover – to gather the shattered pieces of their minds and make their thoughts coherent. The silence was so rich, filled with the concert of their calming breath, their limbs still entangled, their bodies still connected to each other.

Jayce’s erection started to soften, and slipped out of Viktor.

“Do you mind bringing us a towel?” Viktor asked.

“Yeah, sure!” Jayce pushed himself up, and the second his warmth left the bed Viktor longed for it again. A mental note: keep spare towels nearby from now on.

Jayce wandered naked through the lab, and returned with a clean towel. He handed it to Viktor while his own belly was still stained with his lover’s cum.

Viktor couldn’t spare a smile. With a gentle move, he cleaned the golden skin first, before cleaning himself and throwing the towel aside.

“Thanks” Jayce smiled. “Do you need anything else? A glass of water? Or another cup of sweet milk? Or maybe your nightshirt, so you don’t get cold?”

“No” Viktor answered, his hand reaching for Jayce’s arm. “Just you, Lásko.”

The word made Jayce’s eyes blaze with starlight. He looked more honoured than if he had been appointed to do the Progress Day speech.

They slipped beneath their blanket, finding the warmth of each other’s arms again, their naked bodies pressing together in a comforting embrace.

Jayce’s eyes flicked to the window. Snow was still piling silently outside. Viktor felt his strong arms wrapping around him protectively.

“You’re safe.” Jayce murmured, as much for Viktor as for himself, trying to keep the fear away from their little haven.

Jayce probably meant it for the snow outside, but to Viktor it meant something entirely different. Nestled in the gentle strength of his lover’s arms, wrapped in the covers of their little bed, in the familiar silence of their lab, he was safe in a way he never imagined before.

Safe from judgement. Safe from loneliness. Safe from the burdening silence.

“I know.” He said softly.

Jayce gave him a gentle smile, and pressed a kiss on his lips, sealing the beauty of this instant – sealing words that didn’t need to be said.

Thank you for reading ❤️

Want to read more? Read Loving is Caring on AO3:

Rolling his eyes, more out of amusement than annoyance, Viktor put down his crutch, and started to pull on the mattress, being as careful as he could with his leg.

“Maybe try to put it more like… no… if you push on this side a bit… yes… Ok, on the count of three. One… Two… Three… Aaah!”

Without warning, the mattress bumped into the room, and Viktor fell backward to the floor.

“Kurva…” he swore between his gritted teeth.

In front of him, having tripped on their just defeated enemy, Jayce Talis was lying face down on the soft fabric.

“I really didn’t expect it to be that hard!” he laughed while getting back on his feet.

When he saw his partner on the floor, he approached and offered a hand. Viktor took it, reached for his crutch, and helped himself up. The young zaunite observed the mattress with amused disbelief.

“What is this? Did you also make your mother’s house explode?” he teased. “You need to permanently move to our lab?”

Jayce patted his shoulder playfully.

“Not yet, though I have been considering it. I’m not sure how much longer I can stand my old teenage room.”

He disappeared again and came back with two bags of what appeared to be pillows, blankets, and bed sheets.

“So I thought this could be a good solution for interim.”

“Where did you get this? And how did you even drag all these things up here?” Viktor asked.

“We had that old mattress in the attic. After we broke our backs sleeping at our desk the other night, I thought it would be great to have a proper bed for next time.”

“That… That actually sounds like a good idea”, Viktor admitted.

“We should try to find one for you too, but in the meantime it’s definitely big enough for both of us. If you don’t mind of course.”

“Sleeping in the same bed as Jayce Talis?” he cocked a teasing eyebrow. “How could I pass? Some girls have waited many academic years to get such an opportunity.”

Jayce laughed, an embarrassed pink flushing over his cheeks. Viktor watched him drag the mattress in a corner of the room – the one further away from any explosive material – and throw the blankets and pillows over. He continued to rummage in the bags.

“Aaaaand I brought lunch!” he announced before his partner could worry on what other nonsense he decided to bring in their lab. “My mother cooked it for us, sometimes I wonder if she ever realizes that I’m 24. I think getting me back home makes her a bit nostalgic. Also, she assumes because we spend all day in the lab, we don’t take time to eat. To be fair she’s not entirely wrong. There, here’s your share.”

Ignoring the surprised expression on Viktor’s face, the young piltie shoved a box in his hands.

“My… my share?”

“Yes! You’ll see this is really good.”

Viktor looked back and forth at the box and his partner, eyes as round as microscope lenses. He was certain he had never met Jayce’s mother, he even struggled to remember her name since he only mentioned it a few times.

“But Jayce, I… I do not know your mother. How come she cooked for me?”

Jayce shrugged his shoulders casually.

“Well, obviously she knows I’m not working here alone. I may have slipped one too many good words about you. I hope you don’t mind.”

This idea of this unknown woman taking the time and effort to cook a meal for a perfect stranger was utmost absurd to Viktor. Looking closely at the box, he started to wonder if there was a hidden message in this gift – he had learnt the hard way that pilties tend to hide certain intentions under the cover of apparently harmless interactions. Yet, Jayce was acting as if handing him a meal cooked by his mother was a perfectly normal thing to do. Was it a Piltover custom he didn’t know about yet? If so, it was bit embarrassing. Such gestures were to be repaid for, and he knew all too well how far below any acceptable standards his own cooking skills were.

Viktor’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Jayce caught the expression on his face.

“Is there a problem?” he asked. “Do you… is there something you don’t eat?”

“No, no problem. That’s… very kind of her. I just… It’s just very much unexpected. I’m not sure how to thank her.”

“Ah don’t worry about that, I will let her know. To be fair, you may have the chance to thank her by yourself: she keeps scolding me like a teenager because I haven’t taken you home for dinner yet.”

The young zaunite blinked in disbelief, wondering if he heard right. Despite having managed to cross the bridge for few years now, an invitation into a piltovian house was something he never expected to receive – let alone one in a family as renowned as Talis. To the eyes of the pilties, you may leave Zaun, but Zaun never leaves you.

“Did you… did you tell your mother I am from the undercity?” Viktor asked.

Jayce shrugged his shoulder.

“What difference does that make?”

Read more on AO3 😊