#g!jayce

It had been at least two days since Viktor had last slept properly. Occasionally, he’d nod off, only to snap up again when his head thunked against the desk, but that was only ever for a few minutes at a time. At this point, his hands were starting to shake, and every time he blinked his eyes stayed closed for just a second too long, like his body was trying to force him to bed, but still, he resisted. They had work to do. He had work to do.

And Jayce was gone again, which meant Viktor had to pick up the slack somehow. Even with his body giving out more and more everyday, he had to complete his work. There was no time for rest.

Viktor hummed thoughtfully, fighting back a yawn as he spun through the runes attached to the Hexcore. His vision was starting to get hazy and as he glanced over his notes of the combinations he had tried already, he found it was hard to decipher anything. It felt like he was looking through perpetually dirty glasses that he couldn’t clean off no matter how hard he tried.

With a sigh, he haphazardly plugged in a new set of runes. Probably haven’t don’t these yet, he thought, or at least, he hoped.

Pulling his goggles down, he leaned back into his chair, his pencil twirling between his fingers as he got ready to write down another failure. With a quivering hand he reached out to activate the core, but this time, unlike the past hundred from his previous trials that day, the Hexcore didn’t fizzle out.

Viktor’s eyes widened as a bright bolt of blue-purple light arched out at him, searing hot and blinding. He gasped, heart racing as its power raced through his bones, electrifying the blood in his veins into a fiery molasses. He tried to pull away, jerking back from the light, but its tendrils of glowing heat pulled him back to it.

He was fairly sure that he screamed before he collapsed, the pain too unbearable for the few seconds he was still awake to feel it.

Hours later, when he woke back up his heart was still racing. He half-expected to find himself in a hospital room once again, his partner looking at him with that sad kicked-dog expression. But he was still in the lab…or what looked like the lab.

“Shit,” Viktor groaned as he gripped his head, trying to stop the pounding against his skull.

At least it wasn’t a failure, he supposed, it must have done something to have that much backlash. Instinctively, he went to grab his pencil to jot down notes of the occurrence, but when he finally got a good look at his surroundings his excitement dulled to a dim horror.

He was several feet below his desk. And not only that, while sitting, he was shorter than his chair. With quickened breaths he looked around for his crutch. He wrapped his arms around the leg of his chair to pull himself up, and when he readjusted, he spotted it. Just where he left it.

The crutch was leaned against the desk where it was easily accessible for him… and now it towered over him.

“What…” Viktor groaned as he stared up at it, “This can’t…”

He felt fine, or as fine as he could given his deteriorating state, but as he looked around the lab he was met by a similar sight. Everything towered over him. He couldn’t even see the top of the couch he’d fallen asleep on more times than he could count or the blackboard he and Jayce had used to scribble down new theories. And to his horror, he could see a screw, long forgotten under the desk, that looked to be roughly the same size as himself.

The scientist part of his brain raced through the possibilities- what this could mean for Hextech, what they could do knowing the Hexcore could not only shrink matter but seemingly leave it fully functional. But the much larger, more animal part of his brain was terrified.

He had to fix this.

But the first step would be getting back to the Hexcore, and staring up at the top of his desk, now towering above him like a mountain peak he could never hope to climb, he knew that would be a Herculean effort. Not even to mention the fact that his whole body was still shaking from the effort of staying awake.

“Alright, okay,” Viktor said under his breath, trying to steady himself as he came to terms with the situation. With a deep breath, he reached his arms up the chair leg as far as he could. The adrenaline coursing through him helped as he pulled with all his might, trying to climb it, but even with the mounting panic inside him, he only could get a few inches up before falling back down to the ground. His leg exploded with pain as he collided with the floor, and he doubled over at the new flaring heat in his joints.

“Shit,” Viktor groaned as he reached down to hold his shaking leg, “Shit shit shit.”

He’d just have to wait then, he supposed. He knew the lab like the back of his hand, and he could find somewhere to rest before he had to try again, even though he hated the idea of staying like that any longer.

His head whipped around as he studied his surroundings. He was fairly sure he wouldn’t be able to pull himself far with his leg flaring with pain and his crutch one hundred times his size, so he settled on the space underneath one of their tool drawers. His leg cried out with pain as he shuffled over to it, and once he was fully hidden he leaned back against the wall, his face tight as he grimaced though the sharp heat in his leg.

He’d have to sleep there. He had no choice if he wanted enough strength to even attempt to climb the desk again.

It was difficult to find the will to sleep, with the adrenaline still coursing through him, but his body was so exhausted from several sleepless days, that when he shut his eyes he was out within moments.

When he woke up next he would be able to try again, and everything would be fine. No one had to know.

The only problem was that in his exhausted state he forgot about the one hinge in this plan.

“Viktor?”

Viktor had never woken up faster in his life. His head shot up, smacking against the wall behind him painfully, but luckily the sound didn’t seem to draw Jayce’s attention. The only problem was that his partner was only a few steps away from the drawer he was hiding under. He could feel the vibrations from the man’s now gigantic shoes every time they hit the ground, like small earthquakes against the tile floor.

“You in here?” Jayce called out again, as his feet stopped close to Viktor’s desk.

Meanwhile, Viktor sat frozen. Eyes wide at the sight of Jayce’s boots. He recognized them of course, he’d been there when Jayce had purchased them for a meeting with some potential investors. Then, he had offered them to Jayce, a soft smile at how happy his partner was to dress up.

Now, even the wooden heel of Jayce’s boots was taller than him. His breathing stuttered at the thought.

“Hey, Viktor?” Jayce asked again, his voice pitching up at the last syllable of his name.

Viktor knew that tone, of course he did. Jayce was worried, as he was more often than not nowadays. His voice tightened and raised in barely hidden concern. Ever since the day in the hospital Viktor had come to hate that tone.

Viktor’s brain worked through options of what to do. Best case: Jayce would leave, and he could fix the problem on his own. But as he watched Jayce’s boots from under the drawer he started to fear that wouldn’t be the case. After all, Jayce had gotten into the habit of meeting Viktor late at the lab every night.

Guilt burrowed deep in his chest at the sound of Jayce’s concerned voice as he looked around the lab. He could tell him, he thought for only a second before he shut down that train of thinking. That was dangerous. It didn’t matter if he trusted Jayce, if he’d be careful; he was too small and it was too risky. And he still couldn’t quite calm down his rapidly beating heart at the sight of someone several hundred times his size.

So he waited, barely breathing as to not give his partner any clues to his presence as Jayce leaned over his desk nearby. A few minutes passed with only the sound of ruffling papers above him before Jayce made an odd sound, a small questioning murmur as he reached out to grab something beyond Viktor’s sight- his crutch.

And right as Jayce shifted, something toppled to the ground from the desk above with a loud thunderous crash.

Immediately, Viktor jumped up. His leg ached at the movement as adrenaline roared in his blood. His heart pounded and his whole body tensed up, ready to flee if needed. It took him a moment to even process what had fallen with how loud it had sounded in his ears- a screwdriver, his screwdriver, now easily three times his size.

He didn’t even realize he had made a sound until the boots stopped right in front of the drawers he was under. Jayce mumbled something to himself that Viktor couldn’t quite make out, but he didn’t have any time to think about it before Jayce’s knees hit the ground.

The moment Viktor realized what was happening he froze. Jayce had heard him.

He could try to run, but without his crutch he couldn’t get far, and he’d likely hurt himself even more. Desperately, he shuffled back into the corner, pressed between the wall and the leg of the cabinet, hoping and praying Jayce just wouldn’t notice.

But Jayce was a scientist after all, he didn’t get far without being perceptive.

Viktor held his breath and squeezed his eyes shut as Jayce’s face finally came into view, brows furrowed as he looked under the cabinet. His large hazel eyes glanced around as he grumbled again something about mice, and for a brief moment Viktor thought he was safe before-

“Viktor?”

Viktor’s mouth went dry, his eyes flying open to meet Jayce’s own, now staring intently at him. For a moment the world around him froze. His heart beat so fast he thought it would jump right out of his chest.

Gods, Jayce was massive.

Before he could do anything Jayce’s hand was under the cabinet, reaching for him, and suddenly Viktor couldn’t breath.

“Stop, wait,” Viktor gasped as he held his hands out in front of him, “I…I’m fine.”

Immediately, the gigantic hand in front of him froze. Jayce’s fingers still twitched like he wanted to reach out, but they didn’t move any closer.

“Viktor, what?” Jayce shook his head in confusion, “I…apologies, but you don’t look fine. What happened to you?”

Viktor took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart, “The Hexcore…I just… it did something.”

Jayce tilted his head in thought, his lips tightening as they always did when he was presented with a difficult problem. His eyes narrowed like he wanted to ask something before he sighed, the expression dropping from his face completely.

“Well I can see that…How long have you been like this?” Jayce asked, voice much softer than it had been moments before.

Viktor stilled himself, wrapping his arms around his aching leg as he met Jayce’s eyes, “I eh…I’m not sure. I tried to get back up to the Hexcore, but couldn’t make it…so I decided it was likely best for me to uh…stay here for a bit.”

Jayce’s eyes flashed with something again that Viktor couldn’t quite put a name too before he sighed. His hand retracted and before Viktor could stop him or say anything, Jayce was standing again.

“You know you don’t have to hide from me,” Jayce said, his voice booming from somewhere far above, “I can help you.”

Viktor sighed, and shrugged his shoulders even though he knew Jayce couldn’t see him anymore. He knew he was referring to something else…to the rift between them that was growing larger and larger each day, but that argument was the last thing he wanted at the moment. And he was too far away from Jayce to even warrant giving him a response…it wasn’t like he would hear it.

“I’m going to move this okay,” Jayce said, after a few moments, the drawers above Viktor shaking a bit, “Make it a little easier to talk.”

Viktor braced himself against the wall as the world around him shifted. Again, he found himself wishing he could run, to get as far away as he could from Jayce’s gigantic form that could reduce him to nothing with no effort at all. But he couldn’t. So all he could do was sit as the ground underneath him vibrated, and the cabinet was shifted away from Viktor, until he was completely out in the open.

“There you are,” Jayce said with a tilted brow and a small careful smile, “Now do you want help or no?”

Viktor scowled as he looked down at the floor, anything to avoid the dizzying sight of his partner looming above him that was starting to make him feel sick, “I don’t need your help, councillor.”

It was a low blow and Viktor knew it, but staring up at Jayce, the frightened animal-like part of him wanted nothing more than to snap- to prove he wasn’t weak. And thankfully Jayce didn’t seem too hurt. The man sighed and offered Viktor a sad smile as he oh so slowly bent down to sit on the ground next to Viktor.

“I’m not going to do anything you don’t want,” Jayce said slowly, “But I also can’t leave you here like this. You know that right?”

Viktor prickled at the man’s tone, “I don’t need your pity or your help, Jayce.”

“Then how exactly did you plan to get back up to the Hexcore?”

Viktor met his words with a scowl, “I would’ve found a way.”

“And how long would that have taken?” Jayce asked, voice firm.

And to that, Viktor had no response.

The adrenaline that had been rushing through him was starting to die off, and he truly didn’t want to argue anymore. The instinctual need to make sure people knew he was able to do things on his own warred against his own logical reasoning. This was different. He really couldn’t do this on his own. This wasn’t Jayce treating him like he was broken like he was so used to from everyone else.

Jayce never did that.

After a few moments of strained silence, Jayce cleared his throat and tilted his head towards Viktor, “Really Vik… just let me help you, it’s no problem. And I don’t want you to get hurt like this.”

A million different emotions warred in Viktor’s head before he finally gave in. His shoulders slumped forward as he let out a sigh and tilted his head up at Jayce, “Fine. Just… get me up to the desk.”

Like a dog, Jayce immediately and visibly perked up. His eyes softened as he bent down closer, his hand slowly reaching out again.

This time Viktor didn’t stop him, although his heart still jackhammered in his chest in fear at just how large Jayce was.

“Can I pick you up?” Jayce asked cautiously, his fingers hovering a mere breath away from Viktor.

Viktor stood frozen as he stared at Jayce’s hand. His eyes widened as he fully took in the size difference. He was maybe the same height as Jayce’s pointer finger, if even. The vast different was enough to make his head spin.

“Yeah, yes. That is fine Jayce.”

A soft approving sound was the only warning Viktor got before the fingers reached forward and gently wrapped around him. Viktor had to hold his breath to not jump at the contact, but after a few moments he relaxed. Jayce always had run warm, and his palm seemed to be the same. It was almost nice in a way Viktor would never admit.

After a moment, the fingers wrapped around him more securely, Jayce’s grip tight but not painful as he lifted Viktor up to his face to get a closer look.

“You’re so small,” Jayce laughed softly as he tilted his partner around in his hands like he was another experiment.

“Jayce!” Viktor grumbled as he hit one of Jayce’s ridiculously massive fingers, “Stop twisting me around like I’m a Hexgem.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Jayce apologized quickly, “It’s just so odd. And everything feels okay?”

Viktor shrugged, silently cataloguing his body, “Aside from the usual, yes.”

A nod from Jayce, “Okay…okay. We can work with that. That’s good. We just need to figure out how to reverse the runes and you’ll be fine until that.”

“What do you mean until that,” Viktor frowned, responding a little harsher than he really intended, “We flip the runes and fix it now.”

Jayce swallowed nervously and shook his head like he was thinking, “This isn’t…Viktor…we can’t just wing it. This is your life! We have to try to recreate this first. What if we flip the runes and something worse happens. I- we can’t.”

With his last words, Jayce’s expression hardened as the familiar look of worry filled his eyes. However, as much as Viktor hated it, Jayce was right. They already knew the arcane worked in strange ways, and there wasn’t even a guarantee the same runes would work to change Viktor back.

“Jayce,” Viktor sighed, his head leaning to rest on Jayce’s thumb which was wrapped firmly around his chest, “I can’t walk. I can’t work. I can’t even go home like this.”

Viktor waited for Jayce to understand what he meant- for him to realize just how big of a problem this was- but Jayce’s expression just softened in response.

“You stay with me then.”

“What?” Viktor asked, eyes wide with shock, “Absolutely not. I will not burden you for some mistake I made. And I can’t just…I can’t just sit in your apartment all day until you decide it’s time to come to the lab.”

Jayce’s lips tightened in response, and subconsciously his fingers moved to rub gently across Viktor’s back, “It’s not a burden to have my friend around more often, Viktor. And you won’t. You’ll come with me, I wouldn’t feel right leaving you anywhere like this anyways.”

Meanwhile, Viktor felt like he’d been slapped in the face. Jayce’s expression was earnest, but it made no sense to Viktor no matter how hard he tried to comprehend it.

“You’re my partner Viktor,” Jayce nodded, brows raised at his tiny friend, “I’m not making you go through this in your own. Hextech is both of ours, so its mistakes are too. Besides, it’ll be nice having you around, maybe I can actually make sure you sleep for once.”

At that, Viktor flushed red in embarrassment, wanting nothing more than to hide away from Jayce, but it was nearly impossible when he was firmly stuck in the man’s hand.

Jayce laughed softly at Viktor’s clear embarrassment and brought his other hand on top of Viktor, covering him completely. “I’ll have to hide you while we go to my apartment, but I’ll get something set up for you there. We can rest tonight at least, and start looking into the runes tomorrow.”

It was hard for Viktor to fight the urge to argue that they should start now, but the all-encompassing warmth of Jayce’s hands was making a nap sound really really good.

Before Jayce even got out of the academy building Viktor was asleep. He was worried about his partner, he always was, but the sight of him so small in his hands made something soft bloom in Jayce’s chest. As they reached the cold streets of Piltover, Jayce gently dropped Viktor’s sleeping form into his breast pocket.

The night of the gala changed something between Jayce and Viktor. Viktor couldn’t quite put a name to it, but it was like something in Jayce had snapped— a thread pulled taught until it finally broke.

He was still touchy, Viktor didn’t think anything could change that, but Viktor couldn’t help but notice that he seemed less comforted by it. He’d hold Viktor like he was afraid he’d disappear more than anything. Furthermore, the gentle teasing he would give Viktor over his stature had all but disappeared.

It was even worse when they were in the lab. Jayce seemed almost single mindedly determined to stay silent— his lips stayed firmly shut as he doggedly tried more and more ruin combinations. Every failed attempt only seemed to drag him further into his hardened determination.

It was three days after the gala when Viktor had finally had enough of the silent treatment. He was sitting at the edge of Jayce’s work desk where piles of withered leaves had been swept to the side from failed experiments, and Jayce looked like he was a second away from a break down. His gigantic hands trembled with every twist of a rune.

“Jayce,” Viktor called out to him. His eyes wandered to the open window at the other side of the lab, soft orange hues signalled that the sun had already started to set. “Maybe we should call it a day, yes?”

He didn’t really want to—not really. He’d much rather keep working, but he felt like he was going to explode if he had to sit through even a few more minutes of uncomfortable silence while Jayce tried and failed over and over again to come up with something that would work.

It felt uncanny to see Jayce so unnervingly quiet, and at least going back to Jayce’s apartment would mean he’d get to have some closeness back; Jayce still slept with him on his chest. Unfortunately, all he got in response was a small hum of acknowledgement—Jayce didn’t even look away from the Hexcore; his fingers stiffened around it.

Viktor gave him a few seconds before his lack of response started to hurt. Annoyance prickled under his skin as he stood up, leaning into the crutch Jayce had made him, so he could walk closer to Jayce’s hands.

“I know you heard me,” Viktor frowned.

Jayce stilled, his hands freezing around the Hexcore. His lips tensed like he wanted to say something before he let out a sigh.

“You seem unwell,” Viktor continued, trying to pry a response out of Jayce.

Jayce swallowed visibly, and his brows furrowed together as he finally spoke, “I’m just worried I—it’s almost been a month and we still don’t have a solution.”

Viktor had to stop himself from wincing at the reminder. Jayce seemed worried—more scared than Viktor had seen him before—and it felt unsettling. Jayce had always been the more optimistic of the two of them.

“It’s just like you said before, if the core can change me once surely it can change me back,” Viktor said, trying to sound more confident than he really felt.

Unfortunately, all his words managed to do was make Jayce’s lips tighten into a frown.

“What if I can’t do it though?” Jayce swallowed, his eyes falling on Viktor’s form like a heavy blanket, “I mean…I’ve already tried so many combinations.”

“You’re the smartest man I know, Jayce,” Viktor hummed in thought, “I trust that if there’s a way you can find it.”

The room fell silent as Jayce deflated in on himself—his shoulders hunched as he leaned over the desk, letting his head fall to rest on his folded arms. The angle brought him much closer to Viktor, and from only a few steps away Viktor could really tell how exhausted Jayce looked. His eyes seemed unfocused as they stared down at him and his stubble had started to grow out more than he’d usually let it. Usually, he kept himself well-groomed, one of the reasons so many people were fond of him—one of the reasons he was perfect for the council and…

“Wait, weren’t you supposed to have a council meeting today?” Viktor asked.

Jayce at least had half the mind to look sheepish as his lips twisted into an embarrassed frown, “Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you go?” Viktor scolded, walking closer until he was only an arm’s length away from where Jayce’s head was resting on his hands. He didn’t miss how Jayce seemed to lean closer to where he stood.

Jayce seemed to think on it for a moment, his lids heavy and exhausted from overworking himself, before he spoke. “I wanted to work on this some more.”

“While I appreciate it, I’ve told you before I can work on it without you as well,” Viktor’s lips tightened into a thin line, “At the end of the day this is my mistake.”

He didn’t like how Jayce’s eyes saddened at his words, like a dog left out in the rain. It was strange, only a few months ago Viktor would have been ecstatic to have Jayce back in the lab, but now it felt hollow. More than anything it seemed like Jayce felt like he had to be there, and Viktor couldn’t help but resent him just a bit for that.

“I know you can,” Jayce’s hushed words pulled Viktor out of his thoughts, “It’s just…the other night really scared me.”

Viktor stilled, looking up at Jayce curiously. “The gala?”

Jayce’s face twisted into a frown at even the mention of the party. “I thought—I thought something really bad happened to you. Something really bad could have happened to you.”

Viktor sighed as he finally walked close enough that he could lean against the meat of Jayce’s forearm. The touch seemed to pull Jayce out of his head just a bit. Jayce looked at him with such a gentle expression Viktor thought he might burn up on the spot.

“What happened at the gala wasn’t your fault,” Viktor reminded him softly. Jayce hummed in response— Viktor could feel the vibrations rumble through his whole body.

“I don’t blame you,” Viktor continued slowly, “You don’t have to overwork yourself to fix this.”

At that Jayce shook his head, nearly causing Viktor to topple over before a large hand reached out to offer him support. Viktor felt his chest warm at how easy the motion was for Jayce—it seemed like second nature.

“If I don’t fix this soon though something bad could actually happen to you,” Jayce’s grimaced, “I—I keep dreaming about it. The longer you’re like this the more I worry I—”

“Jayce, working yourself to death won’t fix anything,” Viktor sighed, as he tilted his head up, “I believe it was you who told me that before.”

“It’s not safe for you to be like this though,” Jayce frowned.

“Eh, just don’t take me to another gala and I’d say we’re relatively fine,” Viktor was almost shocked how easily the words came to him—how much truth was in them. He truly didn’t mind being small around Jayce…in a way it felt nice. And getting to have Jayce around more was certainly a nice bonus.

Viktor watched as Jayce’s face flitted between emotions like a radio flickering between signals. Even with Viktor’s reassurances he seemed conflicted—something heavy and sad laid hidden behind his eyes.

“Come on,” Viktor said, patting Jayce’s arm with his hand, “Let’s go back to the apartment yes? You look like you’re about to pass out, and if you’re out of commission you’ll be no help at all.”

Jayce looked like he wanted to argue, but as his eyes fell on Viktor the fight visibly left his body. His gaze softened as he let out a soft weak laugh.

“Alright.”

————————————

Even after getting back to the apartment Jayce seemed tense. He made them food in near silence, and Viktor had to pry conversation out of him whenever it got too uncomfortable. He was thankful when he finally was given his portion—at least with food in his mouth the lack of conversation felt more normal.

It was slightly better than it had been before they left though, Viktor noted. While Jayce was still quiet, stuck in his thoughts where Viktor couldn’t follow, he didn’t seem as sad. He almost looked apologetic whenever Viktor tried to drag a response out of him.

Needless to say, Viktor was thankful when Jayce asked if he wanted to go to bed. Even though he’d done relatively little that day, the tension and heavy silence between them had felt exhausting to manage. With a nod he let Jayce scoop him up into his hands, his fingers curled protectively around him, as he walked them both to his bedroom.

Their setup was familiar now, and even though it still made something warm flutter in Viktor’s chest, Viktor was starting to get used to it. The comforting up-and-down rhythm of Jayce’s chest was comforting beneath him, and the soothing warmth and weight of Jayce’s hand above him helped let his mind shut off.

“I’m sorry,” Jayce’s voice came out hushed and weak, pulling Viktor away from the edge of sleep.

Viktor blinked a few times, trying to process whether or not Jayce talking at all had been a product of his sleep-addled brain when he felt it. Jayce was shaking—just enough that Viktor could feel it throughout his body.

“Jayce?” Viktor looked up, tilting his head back to try to see Jayce’s face through the darkness. With the little light from the outside he could just barely make out a wetness around Jayce’s eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Jayce’s whispered, his voice wavering “I—I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

Now Viktor was really awake. Softly, he pushed his hands against Jayce’s palm, a silent ask to be let go, and when Jayce reluctantly freed him Viktor stood up as best he could on Jayce’s shaking chest.

“What’s wrong?” Viktor asked, voice quiet—too worried he’d do something to accidentally startle Jayce even more.

Jayce answered with a pained sound. His other hand, the one not being used to help Viktor stay upright, went to wipe at his face.

“Nothing, nothing. I’m alright.”

Viktor frowned leaning against Jayce’s hand so he could get a more clear look at him. “You’re crying.”

Jayce just whimpered in response. Internally, Viktor berated himself—he’d never been good at comforting people.

“Do you want to talk?” He asked after a few awful seconds of silence only broken by the sounds of Jayce’s soft broken breaths.

“It’s okay. I—I’m fine.”

“Are you?” Viktor frowned. He hated the way Jayce recoiled from him as he spoke—his head bumped into the bed frame behind him.

Viktor softened his voice as if he was talking to a scared animal rather than a grown man. Jayce had always been emotional, it wasn’t a bad thing, but Viktor should have expected this would happen after their talk at the lab. “Is it about the gala still?”

Jayce’s face twisted into a pained expression as he looked away, “No…yes? Maybe.”

“Mhm,” Viktor nodded, urging him to continue with a hand gently rubbing against one of his giant fingers.

“I just… I feel like I should already have figured this out. You shouldn’t have to be relying on me and I—” Jayce’s voice broke off with a distressed gasp.

“And you what?”

Jayce swallowed nervously as the hand behind Viktor moved to rub against his back, “I feel guilty.”

“I already told you, what happened wasn’t your fault Jayce, I—”

“No, it’s…it’s not that,” Jayce’s winced.

Viktor studied his expression as best as he could in the dim light. He’d never seen Jayce look so distraught, his face was scrunched up and red with tear marks.

“What is it then?” Viktor asked, voice careful and calculating.

Jayce tilted his head, his fingers still rubbing absentmindedly against Viktor’s back as he spoke, “Everything. The gala, the council, you, all of it.”

Viktor’s brows knitted together in confusion, “What do you mean me?”

Viktor hated the broken laugh that tore its way from Jayce’s throat. “I feel so awful I…fuck. You almost got hurt because I still can’t figure out how to fix you and I still…I’m still—” Jayce’s voice trailed off.

Viktor watched him for a moment before he decided to make his move. Carefully, trying his best not to fall, Viktor walked his way up Jayce’s chest until he was standing right in front of his face. Jayce’s eyes squeezed shut as he quivered, new tears beading up in the corners of his eyes.

“You’re still what Jayce?” Viktor asked.

Jayce’s breathing stuttered as his face twisted into a grimace. Almost a whole minute passed before he opened his mouth to speak, his voice was so quiet Viktor was sure he wouldn’t have heard it if he wasn’t so close to his face. “I’m still selfish.”

Viktor stilled, staring intently up at Jayce like he could see into his thoughts if he just tried hard enough. “What do you mean by that?”

Jayce swallowed, the movement nearly sending Viktor toppling over. “Even after the gala, even knowing how awful this all must be…” Jayce took a shaky breath, “I’ve missed you.”

Viktor’s brows furrowed as he tilted his head up at Jayce.

“I know it was my fault that we drifted apart in the first place but… I’ve missed this—missed being with you,” Jayce’s voice faltered, “I—I worry once I fix it, it won’t be like this anymore.”

Viktor’s face fell as he looked up at Jayce’s distressed face. His usually warm golden eyes were wet and red around the rims as he wiped his tears away with the back of his fist.

“I’m sorry, I know this is hard for you I shouldn’t be—”

“Jayce,” Viktor interrupted him, laying his hand on his chin. The contact caused Jayce to jolt. “I eh, I understand…I’ve worried the same.”

“What?” Jayce whispered. Even the small motion of his lips nearly caused Viktor to topple over due to how close he was to his face.

Viktor swallowed down his nerves and anger from so many months alone in the lab. He might not be the most forward person, but he could try, at least to stop Jayce from crying the whole night. “I’ve missed you as well.”

At that Jayce looked like was about to fully burst into tears, and Viktor barely had time to react before a massive hand grabbed him from behind, smushing him against Jayce’s collarbone. Jayce’s whole body shook under him and while Viktor’s immediate thought was to push the gigantic hand away he decided against it. Jayce seemed like he needed it and Viktor was nothing if not a selfish man—he’d take what he could get of Jayce’s touch.

He let Jayce hold him until his breathing finally evened out. While a deep part of Viktor still prickled, angry that it took so long for Jayce to come back, a much larger part of him felt so relieved that Jayce wouldn’t vanish again. He had been getting tired of the hours upon end alone in what once was their shared lab.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cry so much,” Jayce’s voice wavered as he lifted his hand up from Viktor. His eyes were still red and irritated but otherwise he seemed better.

“It’s fine,” Viktor reassured gently, “You don’t need to apologize.”

“I’ve just…” Jayce sighed, “I’ve felt bad that I’ve been enjoyed this—having you around, being close again.”

“You know I don’t have to be dependent on you for me to want to see you, yes?”

“I know but…it just got to a point where I didn’t think you’d want to see me at all,” Jayce shrugged.

Viktor tensed, his eyes focusing on Jayce’s face through the darkness. As he spoke he squared his shoulders, hoping that Jayce could hear the deeper truth in his words. “I was angry sometimes, yes. I was mad at you for a while—for joining the council, for not showing up to the lab…But I never would have turned you away.”

Jayce frowned and slowly his hand moved to rest in front of Viktor palm-up, a silent invitation. Viktor didn’t think twice before taking it. He stepped between Jayce’s towering fingers to stand in the center of his palm, the warmth of blood and life under his skin was comforting in a way Viktor didn’t think he’d ever be able to replicate once he was back to his normal stature.

Slowly, Jayce’s hand moved, bringing Viktor up to the pillow his head was resting on, and Viktor had to grab onto his pointer finger to not fall over. When he was deposited securely on the pillow right next to Jayce’s face he allowed himself to relax, lying down next to him. Meanwhile, Jayce’s giant eyes seemed to stare right through him, searching for something, and Viktor felt himself flush as a warm wave of breath passed over his body. Even so small, Jayce looked at him as if he held the secret to the world, and Viktor was weak to it.

“I can’t wait till we fix this,” Jayce said in a hushed tone as he brought his hand to Viktor’s back, pulling him closer to his face. His eyes had started to flutter shut, hovering between open and closed as he let himself relax. The domestic sight of Jayce falling asleep made Viktor’s stomach grow warm with something he refused to acknowledge. It took all his power not to scramble away—to put some space between them.

“Why? So you don’t have to carry me around anymore?” Viktor teased, hoping desperately that Jayce couldn’t see how red his face surely was.

“No,” Jayce smiled, the action so soft and gentle Viktor wanted to scream, “So I can do this properly.”

And then, before Viktor’s brain could catch up, soft lips, the size of his whole body, had pressed him back into the pillow. The overwhelming warmth made Viktor’s skin feel like it was on fire, and the butterflies in his stomach seemed to migrate throughout his whole nervous system. Jayce was kissing him. The man he’d fantasized about for years—who’d never shown any signs that he felt even close to the amount of affection Viktor held for him—had him pressed back into the softness of the pillow, trapped by his lips.

It felt like it had barely even started before Jayce pulled away, eyes wide and panicked as he stared at Viktor.

“Fuck, I’m sorry. I thought—”

And Viktor couldn’t have that. He couldn’t have Jayce, the most caring and beautiful man he’d ever seen, think even for a second that he didn’t want the same thing.

“Jayce,” he interrupted. Jayce stared at him like he’d just been shot. The fear clear in his eyes was sweet in a way. The fact that he thought for even a moment that Viktor didn’t want him back was a ridiculous thought.

Viktor laughed at Jayce’s wide-eyed expression as he leaned forward. It felt wrong, like it was all a dream. But as he pressed his much smaller lips into Jayce’s bottom lip it felt warm—real. He didn’t think he’d ever get tired of it, and once he was the correct size again he knew he’d take any chance he had to kiss his stupidly handsome partner who somehow liked him back.

After a few moments Jayce pressed his lips back against him, slow and careful like he was still afraid somehow Viktor didn’t want this. And as he pulled away and tilted his head up to get a better view of Jayce’s awe-struck expression he laughed. The man looked like he was about to combust.

—————————————

After the day of the apology, the one Viktor had thought would never come, Jayce had gotten far more touchy with Viktor. It had started with that afternoon, Viktor asleep against his chest with a large warm hand pressing into him like a weighted blanket, not moving until Jayce had to get up to cook. It was nice while it lasted, the touch Viktor had always craved but could never ask for, but he knew it was likely a one time thing…

But then it continued on into the next day…and the next day, until the moments where Jayce wasn’t touching him in one way or another started to become few and far between.

When they were together it was almost like Jayce was a magnet, constantly drawn to Viktor’s presence, the Earth in constant orbit of the Sun, his hands itching to touch him whenever he was close, like it hurt to not be in contact. He’d always been a touchy person, Viktor knew that- it was impossible to avoid when they had spent so many years in the lab together. But this was new…and Viktor was sure it was going to kill him.

They had been working for a few hours already, Viktor nestled against the side of Jayce’s neck so he could better see the work desk. They had tried so many rune combinations by that point, entire pages in Jayce’s notebook filled with possibilities that never came to fruition.

Jayce huffed, brows furrowed in equal parts curiosity and frustration as another plant turned to dust on the table in front of them with a shock of blue light.

“Alright, so not that one,” Jayce sighed, as he crossed out the rune combination in their notes, his hand pressing with just enough force to smudge the ink at the end.

“At this rate I’ll be stuck like this forever,” Viktor scoffed, raising his brows at Jayce even though he knew the man couldn’t actually see him.

“We’ll figure it out,” Jayce responded, voice gruff and harsh, “If it can shrink you it has to be able to change you back, right?”

Viktor couldn’t help the frown that tugged at his lips, “I surely hope so.”

“It will.”

And really, who was Viktor to argue when he wanted it just as much…even if the consistent failures were starting to weigh down on him.

Before he could reply with some snarky comment, Jayce’s hand was on him, fingers wrapping around his body carefully, in a way that was becoming too practiced for Viktor’s liking. His whole world shifted as Jayce picked him up like he was nothing more than a tool, and it took everything in Viktor to not snap at the man for not giving him a warning first. But at the same time, the all-encompassing warmth of his forge-worn fingers felt nice, like a sweater on a cold day- although he’d never tell him that.

When he was finally placed down onto the desk, Jayce at least had half the mind to look apologetic.

“What?” Viktor snapped, face red as his head tilted up as far as it could to get a better look at Jayce.

“I…sorry,” Jayce’s eyes widened, “It’s almost six.”

At that, Viktor paused, he had almost forgotten about what Jayce had said that morning.

“There’s a gala tonight that I can’t get out of,” Jayce had said, head tilted back against the pillows with his thumb idly rubbing up and down against Viktor’s back, his tiny form resting snuggly on his chest.

Viktor had been half-asleep, body fighting to stay conscious under the warm weight of Jayce’s hand. The only response he could manage was a small tilt of his head.

“I was hoping maybe you’d come with me,” Jayce had said, voice tilting up hopefully.

And Viktor could remember his amusement- he knew Jayce wanted to keep him nearby while he was so small. He had asked before about coming to meetings, but Viktor’s response had always been a resounding no. It was almost endearing how Jayce kept asking, regardless of Viktor’s consistent and firm refusals.

The only problem was that Viktor couldn't remember saying no this time. Maybe it was the gentle warmth of Jayce’s touch or the promise that he’d get to spend more time close to the man he was weak for, but he was sure in the early hours of morning he hadn’t told Jayce no.

“Oh yes,” Viktor said, mouth running dry, “The gala.”

“Yeah. They wouldn’t believe I was sick again,” Jayce laughed, a soft deep sound that Viktor could practically feel in his chest, “But the new suit I got has a few pockets you should be okay in.”

And how could Viktor argue when Jayce looked at him with so much hope, his eyes wide and pleading for Viktor to stay with him.

“That should be fine,” Viktor shrugged, ignoring the way his heart pounded at the idea of being so close to Jayce for so long, “Just don’t intend to stay too long. I can’t promise I won’t start biting after an hour.”

“Only an hour?” Jayce laughed.

“Perhaps I can make it longer if we get to the lab early tomorrow,” Viktor sighed.

The grin he got from Jayce, wide and crooked and showing off the gap in his teeth, almost made the whole thing worth it.

“Deal.”

And that was how Viktor had gotten himself dragged to a gala- something he had never wanted to do even before the accident. The extravagant parties Piltover’s elite held were never his thing. He hated all the schmoozing and pointless talk that came of them, and while he knew they needed money, he was more than happy to let Jayce go alone. He always was the more charming of the two of them anyways.

Viktor was tucked securely in one of the side pockets of Jayce’s suit. The silky maroon fabric was warmed by Jayce’s body heat, making the small space feel nice and comforting, and like a cat, Viktor leaned into it. He couldn’t help how he instinctively pressed himself against the sturdy warmth of his partner. It was amusing to Viktor how even in the winter Jayce still ran hot, just like the forges his family was known for. And with how cold it was outside, Viktor was more than grateful for it.

While he couldn’t see out from his spot in Jayce’s pocket, he knew they had arrived at the gala when the silence of night in Piltover morphed into a loud cacophony of sound- voices and instruments and the shuffling of people- all overwhelmingly loud to his now extra sensitive ears.

Within seconds a heavy weight pressed against him almost like Jayce knew what he was thinking, and while he couldn’t respond (and he knew Jayce would push him back if he tried to look out) he was grateful for the touch. It grounded him, stopping his thoughts from wandering too far.

It didn’t take long at all before Jayce was swept away by possible investors; Viktor could feel his deep charming voice vibrating throughout his whole body. He could tell Jayce had had a few too many glasses of champagne when his steps became more uneven, jostling Viktor around in his pocket. Still, every few minutes a hand would press into him- a gentle reminder that Jayce still remembered he was there as he chatted with Piltover’s most elite.

“Jayce, it is very good to see you in attendance again,” Counselor Medarda’s voice boomed above him- the soft lilt of her voice all too familiar.

Even the soft touches did not help with the jealousy growing in Viktor’s gut, curling and venomous like a snake about to snap its jaws.

Viktor could practically feel his skin prickle.

“Mel,” Jayce said, voice soft and happier than he had heard it in a while, “It’s good to be back. I’m sorry I haven’t been feeling well lately.”

“Well I’m sure I speak for everybody when I say we’re glad to have you back in the spotlight,” Mel replied, and Viktor could practically feel how Jayce preened at her words. “It’s far less fun at these events without the golden boy.”

Jayce chuckled, small and tight, and that made the jealous part of Viktor beam. At least he could get real laughter out of Jayce.

“I’m sure,” Jayce replied, and Viktor could imagine the tight smile on his face, “Although I can’t say I miss watching Salo falling over himself after three drinks.”

In return, Mel laughed, the sound soft like bells, and Viktor retreated into the corner of Jayce’s pocket. Maybe if he could fall asleep he could ignore their conversation and in turn stop the bubbling jealousy in his chest. As petty as it was, he wanted nothing more than to pull Jayce away. He’d gotten so used to being the center of his attention that he had almost forgotten why they had drifted apart in the first place. He didn’t realize that Jayce hadn’t laid a hand on him in a while until someone came crashing into them.

Viktor huffed, body squishing against Jayce’s side as he heard a yelp and a muttered apology from someone likely a little too drunk. Over the sounds of the orchestra picking up, Viktor could just barely make out the conversation between Jayce and whoever had bumbled into him. Ever the gentleman, he heard Jayce asking if the man needed any help finding a seat.

Viktor didn’t have any more time to ponder the situation though before he realized that something was wrong- he felt cold.

Jayce had made sure Viktor would be comfortable in his pocket beforehand, and the silk fabric combined with the man’s body heat had been more than enough for Viktor to feel alright while at the gala. But then, right across from Viktor, he saw a gap where the threads of Jayce’s suit had been torn apart- likely ripped during the ordeal with the drunkard. The cool air from the gala blew in, making Viktor curl up further into the far side of the pocket, trying his best to stay far away from the ripped seam.

Above him Jayce’s voice boomed, and with every step Viktor was shook closer and closer to the hole. Frantically, Viktor tapped at Jayce’s side, hoping to get the man’s attention, but he received no response. All he could hear was the sound of laughter and the hushed conversation between Jayce and Mel. For the first time since the incident he truly felt small.

A moment later Jayce turned, just a bit too fast, and Viktor felt himself slip, the satin hard for him to get a good grip on. For a moment he was sure he was going to throw up.

“Jayce!” He yelled, hoping more than anything that Jayce would notice, but still there was no response- his pleas drowned out by the thrum of the gala.

Viktor barely processed Mel asking for a dance, his mind completely focused on holding on tight to the smooth fabric around him. But one more quick shift from Jayce as he took Mel’s hand was all it took.

Viktor yelped, arms covering his head as he slipped through the gap in the seams. Time seemed to freeze for a moment as his body met the cool air. Like a scared child he curled in on himself, but nothing could stop the quickly approaching tile of the gala hall. Seconds before hitting the ground he squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that anyone, anything, would help him, but it was to no avail.

He hit the ground with nothing more than a soft thud to anyone listening. Pain shot through his leg, but the fire in his joints was nothing compared to the pure terror coursing through his veins. Adrenaline pumped through him as he stared up at the hundreds of people around him- all towering over him like mountain peaks- their voices loud and mangled together sounding like thunder to Viktor’s ears.

At the very least he could still see Jayce, although as one of his massive boots came down within steps of Viktor he felt his blood run cold. With each footstep, the massive people around him sent tremors into the ground making it difficult for Viktor to stay upright. Internally, he battled between wanting to stay close to Jayce- wanting nothing more than for the man to notice, pick him up, and take him back to his apartment where it was safe- and wanting to find somewhere hidden where no one would ever find him again.

But Viktor didn’t have much time to think before Mel’s shoe stamped down right next to him. The elegant wooden heel towered above him, and as she moved again he had to throw himself out of the way, rolling onto his side and causing more pain to shoot through his joints. Within moments, where he had been was covered by her shoe, and the thought of turning up on the bottom of it- nothing more than a smudge- made him feel sick.

He had to get away.

His blood pounded beneath his skin like a drum, the thump thump of his heart even louder than the musicians who were still playing regardless of the nightmare he was stuck in. It hurt, his leg felt like it was on fire from the fall, but he was alive and he planned on keeping it that way.

The familiar prick of tears stung his eyes as he took one last look up at Jayce, slightly wobbly from the alcohol and smiling wide as he talked with Mel. He wouldn’t cry though, he refused. Realistically, he knew this was happening whenever Jayce went to the galas, of course he did. He saw how the man looked at Mel. He knew he couldn’t compare even if the closeness of the past few weeks had started to convince him otherwise.

He had to go.

Viktor’s face scrunched up in pain as he trudged his way to the nearest sign of safety- the large gilded dining table near the center of the room. His eyes moved constantly darting back and forth between every single person in the room- calculating his chances of getting stomped on at any given moment. Luckily, he’d fallen where most people had decided to dance, meaning their movements were slow, predictable.

Even so, there were quite a few near misses, with him having to throw himself out of the way before finely polished boots smashed down on top of him like he was nothing more than a pest. By the time he got to the table, he was out of breath, his heart jackhammering in his chest. Even though he had really only covered what would have been a few steps at his normal size, his muscles seized like he had ran a marathon.

With a shaky breath he settled down against the leg of the table. From where he was he could still feel the tremors of every step as people passed by. The sight in and of itself was horrifying. He had gotten so used to being around Jayce that he had almost started to forget how terrifying it was to be so insignificantly small. In the first few moments, when Jayce had first found him after the incident, he’d felt horrified, and at that moment, sitting still under the table, praying that no one would notice him, he felt that same all-encompassing terror.

——————————————————————— Jayce was sure he was going to throw up, and he told Mel as such right before darting to the edge of the room. His hands checked his pockets for the tenth - hundredth - thousandth time, hoping that maybe he’d just missed him somehow, that maybe Viktor was still there. But it was to no avail, and to his own growing horror he only found a small gap in his pocket, the seams ripped apart.

Frantically, he checked his shoes to make sure nothing (or more correctly, no one) was stuck to the bottom, and even though he was sure he was getting some odd looks from the other attendees his mind could only think of one thing. He had to find Viktor.

He’d realized something was wrong after agreeing to dance with Mel. He’d felt awful for not attending a gala in so long since he knew she looked forward to him being there. Really, a dance was the least he could offer. But afterwards, when he’d reached down again to reassure Viktor that he still remembered he was there, he felt nothing, no bump in the fabric, no movement, nothing.

The horror must have been clear on his face considering how Mel immediately asked if he was alright, her concern clear from the softening of her face. But how could he be when his partner was somewhere in the gala hall on his own, small enough to be squished by one wrong step. Gods, Jayce was going to be sick.

He was sure he looked crazed to anyone passing by, eyes wide and panicked as they scanned the floor, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. He could make it up to any possible investors once he was sure Viktor was safe, which he was, he had to be.

Once he was absolutely sure nothing on his shoes was his partner he took a deep breath. He had to stay calm. He recalled one night years prior when he and Viktor were working on their initial proposal for the Hexgates, only a few days before their deadline. At the time Jayce had been panicking, and the calculations he was working on were filled with mistakes. He remembered how Viktor took one look at the scrawled numbers before forcing him to sit and talk it through with him. He had told him then that nothing good came of such stress; that Jayce always worked better with a clear mind.

He struggled to keep a clear mind now.

But still, Jayce persisted. With his one goal in mind he marched back out into the thrall of people, his eyes glued to the floor for any sign of his partner. A few of the partygoers tried to stop him, to talk about Hextech or whatever new policies they wanted from the council, but with dry lips and weak words, Jayce excused himself every time. He didn’t miss how their eyes would flash with disappointment, but he could worry about that later. When he arrived back at the center of the room his search truly started. He was sure that he was around there when he’d last checked on Viktor.

“Jayce, are you sure you’re alright?”

His head whipped towards the source of the question, only to be met by Mel, her face scrutinizing and worried.

“Yes I…” Jayce struggled to find his words through his panic- his mouth felt like it was filled with cotton, “I dropped something.”

“Oh,” Mel tilted her head, amusement clear in her eyes, “Well, do you want help looking for it?”

The response he wanted to give was a yes; his immediate knee-jerk reaction was to spill everything to her. He trusted her- she could help. But the thought of what Viktor’s reaction would be to finding out someone else knew…Jayce couldn’t do it. He knew he’d been walking a thin line with Viktor for months, maybe even years, and they’d only just started to grow close again. He couldn’t risk his trust.

And that wasn’t even to mention the trouble they’d get into if anyone found out about what the Hexcore was capable of. Hextech was his connection to Viktor, he couldn’t risk that.

“No, I…I can find it,” Jayce muttered, his mouth a tight line as he waved off her offer, “Thank you.”

Mel’s brows furrowed, her eyes studying Jayce for a few moments before she gave in. He could tell she wanted to say more, to pry further, but within seconds she was being pulled away by another partygoer off into some other conversation.

Yet, as minutes passed and there was still no sign of Viktor, Jayce started to regret not taking her offer, even if Viktor would never forgive him for telling someone else about his situation. Every second without Viktor made his heart sink in his chest like lead. Time felt like a blur as he searched, frantic as he scanned the ground.

It wasn’t long before another feeling, heavy and all consuming filled his chest- guilt. Viktor hadn’t even wanted to join him at the gala; he knew that. He’d given Viktor the choice, but still, he knew Viktor only came because of him. And now Viktor was in danger…or worse…because of it.

His thoughts muddled together until they only consisted of one thing- find Viktor, find Viktor, please find Viktor.

Most attendees had already left before he finally spotted him, and the moment he did, he swore his heart stopped beating, his blood frozen in his veins. His partner’s tiny form was curled up against one of the legs of the dining table. He was still- too still for Jayce’s liking- but he was thankfully whole.

He didn’t think twice before leaning down and snatching him up in his hands. Immediately, Viktor thrashed against his hold; he’d likely been asleep, but Jayce couldn’t bring himself to feel bad when he was so simply overjoyed that Viktor was alive.

Jayce didn’t say his goodbyes before rushing to the building’s exit. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Mel watching him like a hawk, but he would worry about that later. The cold winter air hit him like a brick the moment he got outside, but the discomfort of it was barely a whisper in the back of his mind. His eyes darted around to make sure no one was nearby before he opened up his hands to really look at Viktor for the first time since he found him.

“Vik, shit, are you okay?”

In his hands, Viktor looked stunned, eyes wide and body stiff as he stared up at Jayce. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly like a fish out of water before his whole face tightened- his expression guarded.

“I… I just want to go home Jayce,” Viktor exhaled shakily, voice so quiet Jayce could barely hear it over the distant sounds of the city.

“Are you hurt? I’m so sorry I didn’t notice sooner,” Jayce panicked, voice wobbling with emotion, “I was trying to find you I promise I-”

“Jayce,” Viktor stopped him, his tone firm, “Please just…I just want to sleep.”

Jayce’s mouth flew shut as his thoughts raced. Thousands of apologies simmered behind his closed lips, but the look of defeat on Viktor’s face stopped them from boiling over.

“Yeah…yeah,” Jayce frowned, “We can go back to the apartment.”

Viktor nodded, still curled in on himself like he had been when Jayce had spotted him, and the uncomfortable silence and haunted look on his partner’s face was almost enough to finally break Jayce.

The walk back to his apartment was quiet and tense. Jayce held Viktor to his chest the entire way, uncaring of how odd it looked to anyone who could see him; he needed to feel that Viktor was okay. Unlocking his door was a challenge since his hands still shook from adrenaline, and as soon as he was inside he beelined for the bed. It frightened him how still Viktor was in his hands.

He couldn’t even bring himself to change out of his clothes as he laid down on the plush sheets, opening up his cupped hands to let Viktor out.

“I’m so so sorry,” Jayce muttered, not able to look Viktor in the eyes as he spoke, voice wet and thick with emotion.

He barely expected Viktor to respond.

“It’s not your fault,” Viktor sighed after a few awfully quiet moments, “I…thank you…for finding me.”

“I shouldn’t have lost you in the first place,” Jayce grimaced.

Viktor’s face flashed between emotions as he looked up at Jayce. He didn’t miss how Viktor leaned against his thumb, putting as little weight as possible onto his bad leg, and the thought of Viktor falling to the floor and having to navigate through all those people made Jayce feel sick.

“Don’t blame yourself,” Viktor frowned, tilting his head up to better see Jayce’s pained expression, “I don’t blame you.”

“I should’ve noticed sooner I-”

“Jayce,” Viktor practically snapped, brows furrowed in frustration, “Please, just… I am tired.”

Jayce made an expression much akin to a kicked puppy as he stared at Viktor, his eyes flickered between emotions, before he pulled his hands close to his face, Viktor along with them. He wasn’t even sure what he was doing, but the need to have Viktor close was nearly overwhelming. Gently, he pressed his nose against Viktor, allowing the warmth of his breath to ghost over the smaller man. He could feel how Viktor tensed up for a moment before relaxing against his touch.

“I’m sorry I just…I was so worried,” Jayce exhaled shakily, his lips just barely brushing against Viktor as he spoke, the action small but intimate. Viktor fell quiet in his hands, and as soon as Jayce processed how close they were he flushed with embarrassment.

Quickly, he pulled Viktor away, staring wide-eyed down at him, “I’m sorry I-”

“It’s okay,” Viktor stopped him, eyes wide and face unmistakably red.

Jayce stayed frozen still until Viktor waved to be brought close again, and Jayce couldn’t bring himself to fight it when all he wanted was to hold Viktor close after the whole gala ordeal. When Viktor was close enough again he leaned himself against the bridge of Jayce’s nose, as close to a hug as he could get. The action was slightly awkward, but before he could pull away Jayce pressed his nose back against him, pushing him even closer with his hands. His eyes scrunched tight as he let his shoulders sag and his worries be washed away by the small but comforting weight against his skin.

Again when he exhaled his lips just barely pressed against Viktor, and he couldn’t help how he wanted to stay like that forever. He could feel how Viktor tensed up from the proximity, but the smaller man didn’t tell him to stop, and Jayce was weak so he didn’t ask- too afraid bringing attention to their closeness would cause Viktor to pull away. He reasoned with himself that it was simply the comfort of his friend being close that he wanted. He just had to ignore the nagging want to press his lips fully against the man so carefully nestled in his palms.

—————————————

It was a week before Jayce couldn’t make any more excuses to get out of council duty. Surprisingly, Viktor had almost forgotten that that was still something Jayce had to do. The two had been so focused on figuring out how to solve Viktor’s problem that it almost felt like when they were young- when they’d spend hours together bouncing ideas off each other and dreaming of what they could create. The rift that had opened up between them after Jayce had taken up his spot on the council- usually gaping and hungry, too difficult to cross at best and impossible to see the other side of at worst- had closed to something almost ignorable. Almost.

“Do you think they’d believe it if I said I had another doctor’s appointment?” Jayce groaned, running his hand through his neatly groomed hair as he stared at himself in the mirror. Viktor watched from Jayce’s pillow, where he’d taken to sitting whenever Jayce wasn’t in bed, with mildly hidden amusement as Jayce picked and preened at his appearance, much like the birds that took up residence in the campus gardens, although he knew the man would argue about the comparison.

“Not unless you want them to think you’re dying,” Viktor scoffed.

Jayce groaned again, eyes falling from the mirror to Viktor apologetically, “I know. But I…I’m still sorry I have to do this.”

“It’s fine, Jayce,” Viktor shrugged, trying his hardest not to let his disdain for his partner’s position show through, “Like you said, we can go to the lab later. And what’s another late night?”

Jayce nodded halfheartedly- and the small jealous part of Viktor beamed at the knowledge that at least for once he took priority over the council. The brilliant man that all of Piltover adored would rather be with him. Viktor chose to stop that train of thought immediately.

He watched raptly as Jayce continued to get ready. The warmth of the pillow enveloping him and the smell of Jayce’s cologne still sticking to the fabric was almost enough to put him back to sleep. But sleeping would mean even more time still stuck being powerless, and that wasn’t something Viktor could afford, even if the momentary comfort of having Jayce to himself for once was rather nice.

From across the room, Jayce huffed as he brushed his hair back into something more neat, more fitting of his position, and in the mirror Viktor could see his lips quirking up into a half-smile, “You really should be sleeping more though, V.”

“Once I’m the right size again we can have that conversation,” Viktor laughed softly, “Hm?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jayce agreed, still visibly exasperated as he got ready, pulling on his large white jacket, the House Talis emblems on the arms shining under the soft morning light like liquid gold.

“I won’t be long,” Jayce said as he walked over to his bed, his shadow falling over Viktor.

At the mention of the time spent away, at the reminder of all the times before Jayce had chosen the council over him, Viktor felt a familiar fire burn in his chest. For a moment, the ever-closing fissure between them seemed to crack wide open again. If the meetings truly weren’t long, why hadn’t Jayce come to see him more?

“We both know that’s not true,” he frowned.

It was quiet for a moment, but a pained sigh and a quiet apology from above him followed by the soft press of a thumb against his back was all he got in response. Viktor wasn’t sure what he expected. He wanted Jayce to fight, to yell, to tell him the council was more important than him anyway- anything to make the anger that had built up inside him for months feel valid... But he also wanted something else. He wanted Jayce to touch him again, to hold him in his hands, to not leave again once this whole debacle was over, to choose him not because he had to but because he wanted to.

Yet Jayce gave him nothing but a brief warm touch. The feeling lingered in his skin long after Jayce had walked off, and Viktor swore he could feel the vibration of every step of his boots across the wood floors even from so high up.

They had argued about this, for hours almost. Jayce had to go back to his council duties, and while Viktor was keen on continuing their work while Jayce was gone, Jayce had had other ideas.

“Come with me?” he remembered Jayce asking, eyes wide and hopeful, with the same passion that had won them over so many sponsors. He had asked as if it was ever something Viktor could agree to.

Viktor had tried to end the conversation kindly, telling him he doubted the council wanted him to hear what they were saying, but Jayce persisted, as he always did. And while Jayce had been helpful throughout Viktor’s struggle, the independent nature ingrained deep into his bones from years of being looked down on caused him to snap. He hated the thought of being carted around as if he couldn’t take care of himself.

Perhaps he was being unfair to Jayce, but truly he didn’t know what the man was so worried would happen in the few hours Viktor was alone.

Viktor raised a brow as Jayce took one last look at him, eyes unfairly sad, as he left, the door locking behind him. The moment the sound of Jayce’s footsteps faded away, Viktor sunk back into the plush satin of Jayce’s pillow. He groaned, rubbing his hand over his eyes, trying to combat his body’s desire to curl up in Jayce’s bed and never leave. He had work to do still, and thankfully Jayce had left the notebook out and open on the bed so Viktor could review their calculations.

However, even though Jayce insisted he worked like a machine, Viktor was just a man; a man who couldn’t help but pretend for just a few more seconds that he was laying in Jayce Talis’ bed for different reasons.

After a few minutes, Viktor begrudgingly pushed himself up, the plush feathery mass of the pillow sinking down under his weight. It was too difficult to actually stand on it, so instead he opted for sliding down onto the bed. Jayce had moved the blankets to the bottom already, so Viktor wouldn’t have to navigate them, making the trek to the notebook much easier.

He had rolled his eyes when Jayce had sheepishly adjusted everything in the morning to be easier for him, but he was thankful now that he hadn’t told Jayce to stop… even if the acts of undue kindness made Viktor’s stomach flutter and cheeks grow warm.

It took a bit of effort but finally Viktor managed to pull himself up onto the notebook’s open pages. It was hard to read the words from that angle, and absentmindedly he found himself wishing Jayce was there to hold him up. The man’s fingers were always gentle with him, and as much as he had initially hated being manhandled, the longer he was stuck small the more he found that he didn’t really mind…as long as it was Jayce.

Viktor wasn’t sure how much time had passed with him looking over the same equations until his mind spun. He had tried to flip the page at one point but ended up falling over and giving up. Mostly, he spent the time thinking- about his predicament, about Hextech, about Jayce.

He barely noticed when a soft click came from the door’s lock. Careful yet quick footsteps came from behind him, and he didn’t have to turn to know who it was. The dip of the bed beside him as Jayce sat down, back straight against the backboard, almost sent him toppling off of the book. Before he could fall a hand reached out to steady him- giant fingers there for him to grab onto.

“How was it?” Viktor asked, cautious as he raised a brow at his partner.

Jayce groaned, bringing the hand that Viktor wasn’t using for stabilization up to his face and wiping his eyes, “Bad. Long. I don’t know.”

Viktor’s lips shaped into a small concerned pout as he watched Jayce, studying him like he was an equation to be solved. He hadn’t seen him so stressed in a long time, although he supposed the two of them hadn’t spent much time together in a long time either.

“Sorry,” Jayce sighed after a few moments of uncomfortable silence, “It was just pointless. They don’t want to listen to me, and all I could think about was coming back.”

At that Viktor’s face flushed undeniably red. He coughed awkwardly, and leaned a little more of his weight into Jayce’s steady fingers, needing the support but hoping the other wouldn’t notice.

“I eh…I’m sorry to hear that,” Viktor choked out, exceedingly grateful that Jayce still had his hand pressed to his eyes.

“It’s okay,” Jayce said, his voice tight, “I signed up for it didn’t I?”

And truly how could Viktor argue that when he’d said the same thing countless times before when Jayce had complained about his extra duties. When he would come to the lab after days of absence only to tell Viktor about whatever new disagreeable policy the council was pushing. He did sign up for it, and in the process made Viktor a side character in their own dream’s story.

“You can say you were right, you know?” The heavy blanket of silence in the room shattered.

Viktor’s brows drew tight, his lungs still as if any sound was too much, “What?”

“You were right- about the council,” Jayce continued, still not looking down at his partner, his eyes wide as he looked up at the ceiling, “About everything really.”

“I…I don’t know what you mean,” Viktor grimaced.

“I’m just a scientist, Vik,” Jayce said, voice monotone and resigned, “I shouldn’t be there.”

“The people look up to you, you’re a symbol, Jayce,” Viktor retorted. How funny, he thought. Only weeks ago he had been dying to hear those words from Jayce.

“I didn’t ask to be.”

The expression on Jayce’s face cut right through Viktor like a blade, twisting deep in his chest. He didn’t think he’d ever heard Jayce sound so defeated. If he had been feeling like this all along, why hadn’t he stopped? ‘Why hadn’t he come back?’ the poisonous nagging voice in Viktor’s head growled.

Viktor ignored it for the moment, instead, pulling himself up as best as he could so he could lean his weight against Jayce’s hand, more for comfort than anything else. “What brought this up?”

“Hextech is both of ours. But while I’m out there you’re stuck here until we can fix you,” Jayce’s eyes fell on Viktor, and gently, he wrapped his hand around him, picking him up to bring him closer, his hand resting palm-open on his lap with Viktor carefully cupped between his fingers like he was something precious. “It’s not fair, and it’s not what I should be doing.”

“Well…we’ll fix this soon,” Viktor offered him a small sad smile, barely a quirk of lips, “Then you can go back to the council guilt-free, hm?”

Apparently, it was the wrong response, given how Jayce’s face scrunched up like he’d been hit, “I do miss you, you know. I have missed you.”

“Jayce,” Viktor warned, his expression guarded.

“It’s true Viktor. I really have,” Jayce continued, words leaving his mouth quickly like he was afraid if he didn’t get them all out they would escape him somehow, “I know I’ve done a bad job of showing it, but… this has been nice at least. And I don’t want to leave you to deal with this alone.”

Viktor sighed, uselessly rubbing his hand against Jayce’s shaking fingers, “You haven’t, Jayce.”

“But haven’t I?” Jayce scoffed, his tone venomous- aimed at himself but still burning Viktor in the process, “Not just with this, but with everything?”

“I…” Viktor’s head was spinning to come up with the proper response.

Jayce’s head fell back against the headboard, but even so far away Viktor could hear the shaky breath he exhaled, “I’m really sorry, Viktor.”

And that… that was not something Viktor was ready to hear. He’d dreamed of this moment, of an apology, of Jayce coming back to him and begging at his knees for forgiveness- of going back to the way things were years ago, when they could finish each other’s thoughts without a word and work in tandem like they were both gears of the same machine. But he was finding that in reality it was much less satisfying. Especially if it meant the face of the man he adored would look so pained.

“I…I forgive you, Jayce,” and to Viktor’s surprise, his voice was steady. He never expected himself to forgive so easily, but he found it simple in the moment. What other choice did he have when he had been wanting Jayce back by his side more than anything, missing the warmth and comfortable partnership that came with it.

At that, Jayce looked at him like he was about to cry, his eyes squeezed shut, and Viktor’s face fell in sympathy as the fingers around him shook gently. The tremors ran through Viktor’s body as he tried to soothe his partner in any way he could, rubbing his hand up and down his shaking fingers, catching on every callous.

“I think you should rest, Jayce,” Viktor said gently, trying to mask his own turbulent emotions, with a softness he didn’t know he contained, “We can go to the lab tomorrow. You’re in no state to work right now.”

“No, no,” Jayce scoffed, more so at himself than anything else. “We can go. I won’t make you wait. I’ve done that enough.”

“What’s one more day?” Viktor found himself asking, surprising even himself at the honesty in the statement, “You deserve the rest. And the work will still be here.”

Jayce looked down at Viktor, and the softness on his face was almost unbearable. With a weak wet laugh he smiled, not the bright ones given to the press or possible investors, but a real one reserved for late nights at the lab when they were exhausted but so close to a discovery. “Okay, V. Yeah I…I can make lunch soon. We can still go over the notes here- talk about what you looked at-”

“Jayce,” Viktor sighed, amused at Jayce’s surprise at being cut off. He was sure the fondness in his tone wasn’t lost on Jayce, “You’re starting to sound like me. When I said rest I did mean it. You’re near tears, why don’t you just eh…take a nap?”

Jayce frowned, his nostrils flaring as he breathed out slowly, like he was trying to release the emotions so clearly welling up behind his eyes. When he spoke he sounded so desperate, so defeated, “I want to help you, Viktor.”

“And you will,” Viktor reassured, “I’ve never known you to back down from a challenge. It’s okay if it doesn't happen today.”

His words finally seemed to get through to Jayce who visibly relaxed, his body practically melting into the bed as he allowed himself to lie down fully. With a look of determination Viktor stepped off of Jayce’s hand, stumbling a bit before he could steady himself on the man’s chest. Behind him, Jayce’s hand tensed, like he was waiting to catch him if he fell, and in a way Viktor thought that that explained this whole situation quite well. Jayce was always there to catch his mistakes, and he had missed the ease at which he offered his assistance- never pitying and always kind.

“You know, it’s almost like we’ve switched places,” Jayce laughed softly, his lips tilted into a smile, “Usually I’m the one convincing you you don’t have to work.”

“Well, perhaps all this time with you is starting to affect me. Just another reason to get this solved, hm?” Viktor retorted slyly, tipping his head to Jayce and earning him another deep laugh that shook under Viktor’s feet. The possessive jealous part of Viktor warmed at Jayce’s reaction- a real laugh, something he prided himself in pulling out of his partner.

“Yeah, yeah,” Jayce smiled, his face still tired, “You should sleep too though. Maybe later if I feel better we can still go over to the lab?”

“If you wish,” Viktor hummed as he stretched his arms up above him. He didn’t miss how Jayce’s eyes carefully followed his movements.

Viktor tilted his head to the side table, expecting to be placed down on his makeshift bed which consisted simply of one of Jayce’s shirts, neatly folded up into a square, but Jayce made no effort to move. Under his gaze, Viktor felt even smaller than usual- like a specimen to be studied rather than a man.

“I…” Jayce started, looking away nervously, “Is this okay?”

Before Viktor could ask what he meant, Jayce’s hand, which had been resting behind him, moved to hover right above Viktor. Viktor watched, confused for a moment, before it slowly pressed down into him, forcing him to lie down and keeping him still against Jayce’s clothed chest. He would never admit it, but the silky fabric of Jayce’s jacket felt nice against his skin. His first reaction was to push Jayce away, to reject the attempt at touch that he didn’t know how to handle. But Jayce was watching him so nervously that he couldn’t bring himself to deny Jayce the comfort, even though he could feel the warmth blossoming in his cheeks.

“Yes, this is eh..this is fine Jayce,” Viktor stumbled over his words, the almost unbearable warmth from the man’s massive hand making it hard to think about anything but every point where they touched.

Jayce’s eyes widened a bit, his hand curling around Viktor just a bit to secure him, and there was something on his face Viktor couldn’t quite put a name to. The closest expression he could think of is when he had first shown Jayce a completed Hexgem, eyes soft and almost awe-struck. His gaze caused Viktor’s skin to prickle with embarrassment.

Some part of Viktor argued that he should stop this, that he should tell Jayce to put him on the side table, so he wouldn’t be able to keep pretending that somehow Jayce held affections similar to his own. But again, he was weak. And if Jayce was offering he would be remiss to deny it.

“It’s nice- lying like this with you,” Jayce mumbled, his voice rumbling throughout Viktor’s body, and even through his embarrassment Viktor couldn’t help but agree with a slow nod.

It didn’t take long for Viktor to fall asleep like that, completely covered by Jayce’s warm hand as he leaned his body into his chest. The rhythmic up-and-down pattern of his breaths and the thumping of his heart against his entire body was like a lullaby. He was sure Jayce was still awake as he felt his thoughts grow hazy, given that every few moments Jayce’s thumb gently rubbed against his back.

Jayce tilted his head at that, “Hm?”

“I…we have work to do,” Viktor’s head fell, “We can’t put Hextech on pause just to fix this.”

Jayce shook his head and wiped his hand over his eyes sleepily, “Why not? You know we’re more efficient when we’re both at our best. It’s always worse without you.”

“Yes Jayce but I…” Viktor swallowed and let out a heavy shaking breath, “I can’t help. I can’t do anything. I can’t pick up a pen or move the runes or even get to the desk on my own. My crutch is several hundred times my size and I can’t even get to my own apartment. Jayce, I can’t even eat on my own without you getting the food for me.”

At that Jayce’s expression twisted. Viktor hated to see it- the pity clear on his face.

“Vik, it’s really not that big of a deal-”

“You’re not the one stuck like this!”

Jayce sighed and shrugged his shoulders, expression sad like a dog left in the rain.

“I know. I know Vik, I’m sorry,” he sighed, “I didn’t mean it like that. I just don’t want you to feel like it’s a burden on me. I’m here for all of this, no matter what. It’s our problem, not just yours.”

Immediately, the soft tone brought a haze of comfort over Viktor. He hadn’t meant to snap, really, but the stress was starting to become overwhelming.

“I’m sorry…” Viktor sighed, turning to face Jayce better. He’d have to do some damage control seeing as Jayce was his only hope at getting anything fixed. “I didn’t mean to snap at you…it’s not your fault. I just…it’s hard being stuck like this. Everything feels so off.

“Then what about tomorrow we take the day off from the lab,” Jayce started, already holding his hand up in front of him to wave off the argument he knew Viktor had, “Hold on, just listen to me okay?”

Viktor’s mouth snapped close, cutting off the growing fire in his chest. As much as he wanted to fight, he knew better.

“Tomorrow we can go to the forge, I can make you a new crutch,” Jayce started, eyes focused intently on Viktor, “We can try to get you some new clothes, so you’re not stuck in the same ones until this is over. Maybe it’ll help a little, at least to make this feel more normal.”

Viktor only scowled at the words, his tone sharp like a blade, “Nothing will make this feel normal, Jayce.”

“Okay, not normal…but maybe it can at least be better.”

Viktor sighed in exasperation, running his hands through his hair, and tilting his head to his chest, a small move of much-needed comfort, “Fine. Yes, we can do that. But once it’s done we go back to the lab.”

Jayce’s tight expression softened just a bit, a minute twitch to his lips, unrecognizable to anyone who hadn’t spent years in the same room as him, “Deal.”

The next day Jayce did exactly as he said. Viktor sat in Jayce’s breast pocket, which was starting to become more and more familiar, as they made their way from Jayce’s apartment to the House Talis forge. The hustle and bustle of Piltover’s streets was muffled by the thin layer of fabric encasing Viktor, and he found that he was rather thankful for it. The usual stress of walking through the crowded streets dulled to a mere inconvenience as he instead focused his thoughts on the steady rise and fall of Jayce’s chest and the rhythmic bouncing of his steps.

He had been worried at first about going anywhere that wasn’t their shared lab space, but Jayce had reassured him that he could get the forge alone. They had argued about whether or not Viktor should join due to the heat, but eventually Viktor won the argument, stating he wanted to be there, at least to get out of Jayce’s apartment for a small while.

Before he was even removed from Jayce’s pocket, Viktor knew that they had arrived at the forge from the blast of dry heat that hit him through the fabric. For the millionth time he found himself wondering how Jayce could find metalworking so relaxing when he already felt unbearably hot from just entering the room. Gently, a hand appeared over Viktor, blocking out the light from above, tentative as it prodded him from behind, a silent request for permission. Viktor stilled, allowing himself to be scooped up in Jayce’s fingers as he was brought out into the dark heated room.

“Alright, this shouldn’t take too long,” Jayce said, placing Viktor down onto a nearby work bench, “I’ll need to measure you first to make sure I get the right size. Just hold on.”

Viktor nodded in response as he stretched his legs out in front of him, already despising the stickiness of the heat enveloping him. Jayce wandered to the other side of the room, his footsteps booming in Viktor’s ears like the steady thrum of a hammer as he dug through a box. When he returned, a small clean metal ruler was held in his hands.

“Alright, stand up for me,” Jayce nodded, as he pulled up a chair next to the desk, his shadow falling over Viktor’s much smaller form.

Viktor grunted with the effort of pulling himself up, but thankfully Jayce ignored it, or at least opted not to mention it. With exceedingly careful movements the ruler was held next to Viktor’s body, the sight of it next to him almost enough to make him feel dizzy.

“About five and a half centimeters,” Jayce mumbled more to himself than to Viktor, before setting the measuring stick back down next to his partner, letting out a small half-teasing chuckle, “You’re really small Vik.”

Viktor scowled up at his partner whose face was alight with cautious amusement, “When we fix this I am never talking to you again.”

“That would make working on Hextech pretty hard,” Jayce laughed softly in response, his eyes glinting happily.

Viktor grumbled, his lips tightening to a thin line, ready to argue but not wanting to egg Jayce on more. Carefully, he sat back down, sticking his bad leg out as he did to relieve the pressure slowly building in his joints, watching all the while as Jayce moved over to the heated central part of the forge.

He’d watched Jayce work before, when they were entered in the innovators contest they both had come to the forge to work on prototypes last minute when they realized they had all theories and no substance to their work. But watching Jayce work now felt so much different. Viktor averted his eyes as best he could as Jayce pulled his shirt over his head with one of his hands and pulled out a chunk of smooth metal from a side table along with a hammer. However, it didn’t stop the mounting embarrassment from growing in his chest; he was starting to understand why Jayce had become the face of Piltover. The man was magnetic.

He knew Jayce was strong, of course he did, he had worked with the man for years, but seeing him like this when he was barely the size of his finger was overwhelming to Viktor’s senses. Jayce’s broad shoulders and flexing muscles as he worked so carefully, made Viktor’s cheeks grow warm. Of course, he’d deny it if asked, the forge was hot after all, it wasn’t his fault for not being used to the heat…or the sight of Jayce shirtless.

After heating up the metal and slicing a piece of it off Jayce placed it down onto the forge to hammer it into shape, using a small detailing tool to shape it how he wanted. His face scrunched in concentration, and the way his eyes focused in on something so small almost made Viktor laugh.

He barely noticed when Jayce finished, too distracted by his own thoughts until suddenly Jayce was towering over him again, his body gleaming with sweat in a way that made Viktor want to either stare or never talk to him again.

“Try this. Sorry it’s not as good as the last one, but it was much harder to make it small,” Jayce said with an apologetic smile as he handed it over, the length of it almost fully concealed by his thumb and forefinger.

Carefully, Viktor reached up, still wide-eyed at the sight of his hand compared to Jayce’s fingers, before grabbing the top of it. The weight felt good in his hands, and although the metal was not as finely smoothed out as his last one was (which was also a gift from Jayce), it would do for the time being. Glancing up and down it, he nodded with approval before pushing its tip to the desk to help himself up. His leg still protested the movement, but the added support of the hinge under his arm stopped it from being too unbearable.

All the while, Jayce watched him, his stare almost overwhelming given how giant he was.

“This will do,” Viktor said after a moment, tilting his head in thought, “Thank you, really, Jayce.”

“Of course,” Jayce grinned in response, his smile shining even brighter than the heat of the forge, and Viktor found himself looking away to not get burned, “Oh! Now for clothes I was thinking, there’s a toy store pretty close. My mom used to take me there as a kid, and I know they have fancy dolls there. I’m sure we could find some clothes that would fit you.”

Immediately, the warmth that had been building in Viktor’s chest was doused like someone had poured a bucket of water on him, “I am not wearing doll clothes, Jayce.”

“It’ll just be for while we wash yours,” Jayce said quickly, holding his hands out in front of him apologetically, “Or for when you’re sleeping. Your work clothes can’t be that comfortable.”

Viktor’s lips curved into what could only be described as a pout as he hit Jayce with a sharp glare, “I will survive. And anyways if you are a man of your word, this should be fixed soon, yes?”

Jayce’s face fell, his mouth opening and closing again as his face flicked through emotions, “I want it to be over as much as you do. But you know how the arcane is…You know as well as I do that this could take longer than we want.”

The weight of Jayce’s words hung over Viktor like a guillotine blade, threatening to send him toppling into thoughts he’d much rather avoid. His shoulders almost sagged under the weight.

“Fine, Jayce,” Viktor sighed, his expression tight, “But don’t expect me to like it.”

“I don’t,” Jayce assured, face soft and apologetic in a way that made Viktor want to hiss, “It’s just for the time being, okay?”

Reluctantly, Viktor bowed his head, tilting it towards Jayce in barely concealed annoyance. To both his pleasure and dismay Jayce didn’t seem too upset; he knew him too well to be hurt by Viktor’s tendency to lash out. And they both knew that Viktor wasn’t actually mad at him, he was just the closest person around.

With raised brows Jayce offered his hand to Viktor, questioning but not forcing. And as much as Viktor wanted to seethe at Jayce, at the situation, at the world, he took the offer, slowly pulling himself into Jayce’s outstretched palm.

When he was secure, sitting in the center of Jayce’s warm hand, his fingers curled around Viktor, blocking out the light from the forge. In the moment, Viktor was thankful he had never been claustrophobic. Jayce’s fingers squeezed just a bit, never too tight, but enough for Viktor to not be jostled around. It almost felt nice in an odd way, like when he’d fall asleep as a kid and Rio would lay her head on his chest, an all-encompassing kind of safety he wasn’t sure he had ever felt.

It didn’t last too long though before he was gently placed in Jayce’s pocket again, his back pressed against the dull thud of Jayce’s heart. They’d joked earlier that Jayce should add some padding to his pockets if Viktor was going to be spending a lot of time there, but Viktor found that he didn’t mind it much how it was.

“Is this fine?” Jayce asked, pulling Viktor from his thoughts, as he talked his chest vibrated against Viktor’s back, “It’s not too far to the store I think. We can go to the lab after.”

Viktor felt himself flush red being surrounded by Jayce’s voice and he was exceedingly thankful that his partner couldn’t see him at the moment.

“Eh, yes that’s fine Jayce,” he replied, having to raise his voice to be heard as he patted a hand against Jayce’s chest.

Jayce laughed softly in response and Viktor felt it to his core like a heavy bass drum rattling his veins. It only took a few moments before Viktor felt the telltale thumps of Jayce’s steps.

Thankfully, Jayce was right, and the walk to the store wasn’t long. At the sound of a door chime and giggling children Viktor knew they had arrived. Part of him wanted to peek his head out, if only to see a part of Jayce’s childhood, but he refrained out of the fear of being seen. The last thing either of them wanted was to be caught, although he supposed the sight of the Man of Progress at a kid’s toy store alone would raise some questions anyways.

Through the fabric, Viktor picked up on muffled voices all around him and Jayce’s own speech rumbling against his body. He heard him ask about doll clothes, and he could almost picture the shocked expression of whoever Jayce was talking to. At some point when the conversation ended Viktor finally attempted to peek his head out. It was a struggle to pull himself up enough to get his head over, but he couldn’t let Jayce buy him something terrible.

However, Jayce seemed to catch on, and before he could peer out into the store, one massive finger pressed against his head, sending him back down. Viktor practically seethed in Jayce’s pocket, but before he could do anything else there was a firm pressure against his body from outside of the pocket- Jayce was resting his hand on him. Viktor assumed it was some sort of quiet apology- one he was extremely hesitant to accept.

After that Viktor sat still, slowly growing weary of being stuck in one space for so long without anything to do. The sounds of the outside world and the thud thud thud of Jayce’s footsteps dulled to a faint hum in the background of Viktor’s thoughts. So much so that is took Viktor by surprise when a careful finger prodded his back.

Viktor nearly jumped out of his skin at the touch, before realizing what Jayce wanted. In confirmation Viktor patted Jayce’s forefinger with his hand, and within seconds he was scooped up between giant fingers and brought back in the light of their lab.

“So sorry that took longer than expected,” Jayce said, exhaustion and frustration clear on his face, “The line was long and then the cashier wanted to talk about Hextech.”

Viktor rolled his eyes in exasperation as he was carefully placed down onto Jayce’s work desk along with a small red linen bag with bright blue drawstrings. Eagerly, Jayce opened up the bag and poured its contents out in front of Viktor who leaned over to observe them.

There were two new outfits, one looked more like pajamas with soft flowy grey fabric, and the other looked more like his own work clothes- although the stitching was not quite as precise.

“Sorry for not letting you see,” Jayce said sheepishly, hand running through his hair that was starting to fall out of place, “I didn’t want you to get noticed. They’d probably think I was trying to steal a doll.”

Viktor shot Jayce a sharp look earning an apologetic laugh from the giant man, “Wouldn’t want the Man of Progress getting caught stealing from children yes?”

Jayce blinked, eyes wide in shocked amusement before relaxing into something more familiar; he hadn’t been expecting Viktor to play along. Ever since being shrunk, more often than not Viktor had been quick to respond with venom rather than humor after all.

“That would look pretty bad,” Jayce laughed weakly in response as he leaned over to rip the tags off of the clothes. The small pieces of precisely designed fabric looked almost humorous in Jayce’s hands, “I hope these are fine. They were the best options; I thought you wouldn’t like the glittery ones.”

Viktor’s face scrunched up in disgust at the mention earning another laugh from Jayce, “No, I would not. These are fine, although the stitching leaves much to be desired.”

“Well I assume most people don’t look that close at them,” Jayce responded with a sly smile.

Viktor waved Jayce off dismissively as he picked up the softer looking shirt, the fabric was nice and silky if not a bit thin, but it would do. However when he held it up to his body he found a slight issue.

“This is going to be huge, Jayce,” Viktor said, brows furrowed as he looked down at how the shirt hung over his body, “I’ll look like a child.”

“If it helps, I’m the only one who’ll see you,” Jayce responded, expression sheepishly apologetic, “And I think the big shirt is the least of your problems right now.”

Viktor glared up at his partner who was staring down at him with an expression Viktor couldn’t quite name. It was soft but not pitying like Viktor was so used to, and he found that thinking any harder about it made him grow flustered. Although he reasoned that Jayce’s attention always tended to do that.

“I suppose,” Viktor sighed, carefully folding up the shirt and placing it back down on the desk, “I’d much rather wear my own clothes though.”

“I know,” Jayce replied soothingly, “It’s just for a little while though right? Just another reason for us to figure this out.”

Viktor nodded in response, his face falling a bit at the mention of how long it would take to fix this issue. As kind as Jayce was about it, it didn’t change the fact that Viktor hated being stuck so small. He hated the way everything felt unfamiliar and how little agency he had. But Jayce’s words did help-

“We can wash the clothes you’re wearing when we get back to my apartment,” Jayce said, delicate in his tone to not cause Viktor more distress, “Until then we work, yeah?”

With a soft sigh, Viktor nodded, allowing Jayce to pick him up and carry him over to the Hexcore. The rune combinations they had already tried stared down at him from where they were marked in chalk on the blackboard.

It was only when a soft thumb rubbed against his back that Viktor broke out of his thoughts- an odd comfort that was becoming more and more familiar.