#lee!jayce

God, this was annoying. Jayce held his face in his hands, he could feel the heat radiating from his cheeks. It’d been forever since he had a mood this bad, why did he have to struggle so much with it now? He blamed the hexclaw. Ever since Viktor came up with the idea for it Jayce had been put in a mood. Not that he wanted it used on him, and not that he didn’t want that either, but its invention made his mind wander about a Vikclaw, if you will.

He also blamed the fact that he had a dream about Viktor wrecking him the night before;

~

“You really think you can take this?” Viktor taunted, already dragging his nails over Jayce’s bare chest. His body jumped as he choked back a laugh. He’d found himself spread across a bed, Viktor’s bed to be specific. His arms were cuffed above his head and each ankle secured with rope, pulling his legs in separate directions.

Jayce chewed on his lip, giving Viktor a sly nod. “And you’re ready?” His fingers swirled down his sides, already producing a titter from him. Jayce nodded more eagerly, a terrified yet ecstatic glint in his eyes. “I’m ready.” His voice quivered but that didn’t deter Viktor’s vicious hands. He slowly spidered his nails over his chest, taking his sweet-ass-time tormenting his sensitive skin. Jayce inhaled sharply before dissolving into a fit of giggles.

“That was fast.” Viktor mumbled just loud enough for him to catch. “Fuck off!” Jayce barked but his protest only earned him ten digits vibrating into his ribs. “I’m sorry? That’s not how you speak to me, now is it?” He made him regret his refute, relentlessly attacking his ribs till he made Jayce cackle.

“Nohoho! I’m sohohorry!” He cried but only got a chuckle from Viktor. “Nuh-uh, it’s too late for that now.” He scribbled down his sides, making Jayce arch his back against the bed and yowl. “You should’ve been sorry before you decided to talk back to me.” He shook his head, his head tossed back in ticklish mirth as he practically cackled his soul away. Viktor’s fingers crept closer to his stomach, making his laughter spike an octave. “Nohot thehehere!” He pulled desperately on his binds but he didn’t budge. His stomach filled with both thrill and dread, mostly the latter.

“Oho, yeah? I thought you said you could take it?” He swirled his nails around his tummy, causing Jayce to kick fruitlessly in his bondage. “Can’t handle a little tummy tickles?” He emphasized by scribbling on his stomach. Jayce was already laughing too hard to respond, all he could do was throw his head side to side and wail. His gentle pressure combined with fast pace was unbearably hellish for poor Jayce. Viktor’s fingers wandered south, stopping in the divots of his hip bones. He meticulously skittered his fingers, effectively breaking Jayce. Tears were already threatening to fall down his cheeks. He couldn’t even open his eyes anymore, his body was completely overcome with the sensations.

“Aww, what good boy.”

~

That was enough to jolt him awake. He woke up warm, tingly, and with a dumb smile on his face.

Of course it was hard for Jayce to even look at him in the lab after his brain made him endure that.

There was no casual way to tell someone you’re ticklish, let alone that you liked it. Liked was an understatement, he craved it. He literally dreamed about being reduced to a hysteric mess. If there was a way to send telepathic messages they needed to discover that soon because there was no way he could ever actually ask for something like that.

They were sitting at the desk, both working on their own respective tasks. Well, Jayce wasn’t getting much done, he was too busy fantasizing about Viktor nibbling his neck or tickling his tummy or squeezing his sides or anything else that wasn’t sitting in silence and working. It was hard to get it off of his mind, especially when it was much more enjoyable to think about than equations or formulas.

“Your mind is occupied.” Viktor hummed, not even bothering to look at Jayce while we spoke to him. The other snapped out of his trance, whipping his head towards his partner. “I- uhm-” He started to fumble over his words but was quickly cut off.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing!” He was much too fast to defend himself.

“Only someone with something to hide responds that quickly. Plus, you bite your lip when you are deep in thought and to me it doesn’t look like you’ve got a lot of work to contemplate.” He gestured to the space on the desk in front of Jayce which only had his notebook flipped open to an empty page. He flipped the book shut as if Viktor didn’t already see his blank notes. He placed his forehead on the desk, letting out a frustrated sigh and running his fingers through his hair.

“I’m just thinking.”

“About what?”

“God, do you have to know everything?” He whipped back to look at his partner who was staring at him with a shifty smirk. “What’s so funny?”

“Something’s bothering you, I just can’t figure out what.” He leaned forwards, elbows on his knees, and studied Jayce’s face with a squint. The careful attention to his expression made Jayce even more nervous, his cheeks tinging pink as he looked away from his partner.

“You’re bothering me.”

“Is that so?”

Fuck. Why did Viktor have to be so goddamn teasy?

“I’ll let it go if you promise to stop being distracted.”

No, don’t let it go. Keep pushing. Find out what was driving him insane and break him with it.

“Promise.” God, he was an idiot. Luckily Viktor knew to keep an eye on him after they ‘returned to work’. Jayce spent the next five minutes sulking with his empty notebook again, occasionally jotting down a doodle or letting out a disappointed huff. Viktor couldn’t say he was any more productive though, he spent those five minutes watching Jayce lose himself in his dream-state. He couldn’t bear to watch him pout, besides, investigating this could potentially be more productive than work.

“Jayce.” Viktor sang, seeing Jayce’s blush go all the way to his ears.

“Leave me alone.”

“So moody.” Viktor scoffed. “You’re not getting any work done.”

“Neither are you.” Jayce retorted, keeping his head turned away from the other.

“Touché,” Viktor rolled over to his side, “but you also promised me you’d focus.” He scooted all the way up beside him, trying to peek over at his face. Jayce stubbornly turned himself away from Viktor, making him groan. “Seriously, what has you so worked up?”

Jayce’s eyes flicked around, desperately scrambling to come up with an answer.

“I just…had a dream that bothered me.”

“A nightmare?”

Jayce’s hesitance gave him all the indication he needed.

“Ah, an arousing dream then?”

Jayce scoffed, finally turning to glare at his partner. “No.”

“So then what was it?”

Jayce groaned, getting frustrated with his own inability to speak. They really needed to start working on telepathy.

“Did you write about it in your notes?”

Viktor reached around Jayce for his notebook, making him jump in the process. They both froze, Jayce’s face turning a delicious shade of red.

“What was that?” Viktor inquired as he sat back.

“Nothing!” Jayce waved Viktor off but he wasn’t going to back down. He reached up and grabbed Jayce’s chin, forcing their eyes to meet. Viktor smirked at the flush that enveloped his partners face. He gave him a glare that said, ‘oh, really?’

“I just…got scared, s’all.”

“Scared?” Viktor chuckled.

“Yes! I thought you were gonna…” He couldn’t find anything to say. He wasn’t about to admit what he was actually thinking but he still couldn’t come up with any backup lies.

“What? Do this?” Viktor reached out and squeezed his side. He didn’t give it much thought, he figured he could use a more playful gesture to ease his partner up.

Jayce went into shock. This was actually happening. His limbs fumbled around for a moment as he tried to figure out what the hell to do. He settled on an awkward arm defense that left him so obviously vulnerable.

“H-hey! Ha- stop!”

Take the bait.

Viktor could see how Jayce was blatantly leaving himself exposed and tilted his head, why would he defend himself so poorly? He knew he was capable of a lot more than that. That was when it clicked for him. He was trying to get Viktor to tickle him. Holy shit.

“I’m sensitive, Viktor!”

Take the bait.

“Oh?” He retracted his hand, a smirk still plastered on his face. The tone of his voice made Jayce wince, please, take the fucking bait. Unfortunately Viktor knew it was much more fun, and brutal, to play dumb. “My apologies, I didn’t know.” He sat back, prolonging eye contact as he turned back to the desk. He picked up a pen and pretended to go back to work.

Jayce felt his stomach drop. No, this wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Of course Viktor was too nice to provoke him further. He panicked knowing that he was losing his opportunity. An involuntary groan escaped him, making Viktor turn his attention to him once more.

“Can I help you, Jayce?” He hated the way Viktor gave him his full attention. One more groan came from Jayce before he turned to look at his partner. He’d have to get it out somehow.

“I, eh, had a dream about…you.” This was humiliating. He couldn’t even focus his eyes, his face nearly felt like it’d burst from all the blood rushing to it. “Oh? Do tell.” His damn mocking was making Jayce even more lightheaded. Somehow Viktor knew that ignoring Jayce would get him to spill his own beans, he was just too impatient and needy to be taken advantage of.

“We uhm…” He mumbled off.

“We? Did we do something together, Jayce?” He brought his hand up to his upper back, knowing how his nonchalant touches drove Jayce crazy.

“You’re making this so much worse.” He covered his face with his palms, grimacing at the laugh that came from the other.

“How so?”

“By talking to me like that.”

“Ah, sorry, too sensitive?” He emphasized that word, making Jayce’s mind stutter immediately. “I- you-” He fumbled. Viktor chuckled at him again, rubbing his hand in small circles over Jayce’s back. “Yes?”

“You’re messing with me.” Jayce groused.

“Yeah? How so?” He was about ready to strangle Viktor for his stupid taunting tone. The hand that massaged him began to move down, causing Jayce to arch instinctively. It didn’t tickle but god he fucking wanted it to.

“Just-” Jayce cut himself off, fighting his own willpower to speak his truth.

“Yes?” He ever-so-subtly curled his fingers into the side of his waist, making Jayce huff in desperation. That eliminated any doubt in his mind, yeah, he definitely wanted this.

“Fuck- just tickle me already!” The words came out unwillingly but there was no chance of recovery now.

“Pardon?” Viktor’s voice was laced with the mischievous smirk he wore.

“I’m not repeating that.” He was able to bring his eyes back to Viktor’s to give him a scornful stare, but that was a mistake on his part. It only made him thrice as embarrassed as before once he saw how much Viktor was loving this. He wasn’t even trying to hide how thoroughly entertained he was by Jayce’s despair.

“No, no, I heard you. I just think you have a little explaining to do.” He let his hand slyly continue to scratch his side, it wasn’t enough to make him laugh but it was definitely enough to make him feel threatened.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, where did this come from? Is this what your dream was about?” The question struck fear in Jayce’s heart. “Yes?” He looked away again, shrinking into himself.

“So you want me to tickle you because you had a dream about it?” Viktor’s casual use of the word made Jayce cringe.

“No- yes- I mean-” It was nearly impossible for him to get a sentence out when he was so flustered like this.

“Ah, so you wanted it before the dream?” His fingers crept forwards on his torso, tickling the spot where his side and stomach met. Jayce’s breath hitched, both from the question and the touch. It was also more of an observation than a question so Jayce literally could not refute it.

“I…guess so?”

“You guess so?”

“Viktor.” He snapped. “You’re being so mean.”

“What, I’m just trying to gather information!” He applied a little more pressure on Jayce’s tummy, drawing out a choked yelp.

“I’ve kinda…always liked it. And I’ve just been thinking about it more recently because of you and the hexclaw and that stupid dream-”

“Hexclaw?” He asked connivingly.

Shit. He didn’t mean to let that thought slip.

“What is it about the hexclaw?” He mocked, using his fingers to make a claw shape and wriggle against him.

“Stop that.” Jayce warned, his tummy flinching at the touch but his distress did nothing to slow Viktor down. “You’re not even fighting against me. And don’t go changing the subject now. The hexclaw?”

Jayce got clocked. He squeezed his eyes, trying to process the gentle tickles alongside his tease-overstimulated-brain. “I don’t know. It just made me…think.” His voice was strained.

“About?”

“You know what.” He growled, giving him a nasty glare. Viktor wasn’t having any of that though, he pinched Jayce’s side, making him shriek.

“Hey! That wasn’t fair!”

“You’re acting like you didn’t just ask for this.” He brought his other hand into the mix, clawing at both sides now. Jayce slapped a hand over his mouth and balled the other into a fist, slamming it against the desk.

“Aww, c’mon, don’t hide from me, Jayce.” He chirped, taking advantage of Jayce’s conveniently unprotected position by slipping his hands under his arms. That was already too much for him to handle. He slammed his arms to his sides but Viktor’s fingers were already where he wanted them. He wiggled into the skin, making Jayce topple over on the desk in cackles. “There you go.” He let Jayce giggle himself mad while he dug his fingers into his armpits.

“Ohohout!” He howled, kicking his legs underneath the desk. To his surprise, Viktor’s hands retreated. He looked back at him, expecting him to say their little jaunt was over. Instead, Viktor looked at him with a hunger he had never seen before. Jayce’s eyes went wide, his tummy felt like it was doing back flips. What? Why was he looking at him like he was his prey?

“How can we keep your arms out of the way?” He brought a finger up to his chin in thought, eyeing their surroundings for something he could restrain him with.

“Oh-” Jayce stopped himself, he should not be helping Viktor in a position like this.

“Yes, Jayce?” A hand returned to his side, meticulously toying with his skin. “Do you have a suggestion?”

“I- uhh…” He stuttered, eventually taking a deep breath, he didn’t have anything else to lose now, right? Other than his sanity. “The…hexclaw…” It was pitiful how he couldn’t even use his words properly. The smile on Viktor’s face was plain evil. “That’s a great idea!” He gave Jayce’s hip a pinch before standing up and patting his back. “Come on.” He was already making his way over towards the hexclaw which was stationed on a desk against the back wall.

Jayce found it impossible to walk himself over to his imminent death. He hung his head, still sat at the desk. This was happening for real this time. He could feel his blush spreading down his neck and his skin grew littered with goosebumps. Was he dreaming again?

“Are you going to come over here? Or do I have to get you myself?”

“Ah- coming!” Jayce shot up and rushed over, sheepishly walking up to the other. Viktor could see how his face flushed and body trembled already. “Nervous?” He teased, Jayce shooting him a blank glare. “No shit.”

“What, I thought you were dreaming about this.” He laughed, adoring how Jayce panicked. “You actually suck.”

“You really shouldn’t be saying things like that to someone who’s about to tickle you.”

Jayce couldn’t help how his body shuddered at the word. Before he could retort with his own witty remark, Viktor grabbed one of his wrists and pulled it above his head. He reached over and grabbed the remote to the hexclaw. A press of a button made the claw menacingly close itself around his hand, effectively trapping his extended arm. Jayce immediately began to tug on his arm but there was zero give. That’s when the panic really set in.

“Wahait, we can talk about his.” He giggled nervously, his unrestrained hand held out in front of him defensively.

“Laughing already? I haven’t even started!” Viktor took position in front of him, taking one last look in his dread filled eyes before he made him regret ever asking for this. Whose dream come true was this? Because it was starting to feel like both of theirs.

Viktor was going to take his sweet time, knowing the longer he taunted Jayce the worse he would break his mind. His nails barely grazed his wrist yet it had immediate effect on him. Jayce gasped, his eyes following every movement of Viktor’s hands. As soon as his touch started descending, a string of nervous titters escaped his lips. “Nohohoho….” His protest was quiet, knowing it fell on deaf ears anyway. Viktor used both hands to claw down his bicep, making Jayce yelp with ticklish anticipation.

“This is already doing it for you?”

“Oho my gohod, shut up!” He whined. Viktor shrugged, if he had to shut up then someone else had to start laughing. He used both hands to claw at his armpit, he let out a hearty bark before crumbling into giggles. His free hand held onto Viktor’s shoulder but he made no attempt to shove him away. Cute.

“So easy…” Viktor muttered to himself, conveniently loud enough for it to have an affect on Jayce. He whimpered through his laughter, his face somehow getting even redder than before. Viktor decided it was time to change spots, quickly switching his attention over to his tummy and pouncing on him. He prodded and scribbled on his tummy, leaving no space neglected. Jayce screamed, his entire body convulsing at the touch. His laughter became increasingly more frantic, panicked shrieks slipping in between his cackles. Viktor chuckled at how deranged he had become already, and all over a little tickling? Pathetic.

Viktor bounced back and forth between scratching all of his fingers on his stomach and drilling into his armpit. His laughter was grating and inconsistent; getting loud, then squeaky, then silent, and then full of hiccups and squeals.

“Is this what happened in your dream?”

“Ohoh shuhut up!”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” He dug his thumbs into Jayce’s hip bones, making him buck. Viktor laughed at him. “That was good wasn’t it?” He have gave him a few more squeezes before going back to his underarm. He used one hand to tickle his armpit and the other to prod his hip, watching how it made Jayce throw his head back and howl. Jayce’s hand finally migrated off of his shoulder and gripped tightly onto one of Viktor’s wrists. He fought the urge to push him off, but fuck was it difficult.

“Jehesus, Viktor!”

“What? What’s the matter?” He replied smugly, his fingers never once slowing.

“Yohou’re tihihickling me!” Jayce squealed, desperately tugging on his arm but the claw held it firmly in place. Fuck, he really was at the mercy of Viktor who, so far, wasn’t being very merciful.

“I am doing no such thing!” He sounded offended but he didn’t make any effort to stop tickling him. If anything, he started getting more intense the more Jayce mouthed off. “Now stay still, you’re making this very difficult.” He used both hands to vibrate his fingers into each side of his rib cage, sending him into a helpless fit of laughter. His mind and body were both on the brink of breaking. It was unbearable yet exactly what he’d craved. Viktor tried to pinch at his hip but Jayce’s hold on his wrist stopped him.

“Ack- difficult?! Yohohou have mehehe rehestraihihined!” How could he be difficult while he was immobile? Viktor shook his head. “Yet you’re still proving to be difficult.” He clasped onto Jayce’s defending hand. “Perhaps we need to get this other arm out of the way?” He stopped tickling for a moment and attempted to lift his free arm up but Jayce clamped it down as hard as he could.

“I’m sorry, aren’t you the one who wanted this?” Viktor teased, letting his other hand slowly claw at his ribs again, he loved the way his words made Jayce cringe and go red. He let out a pathetic, giggly whine. “Fuhuck, V, it’s too muhuch!” His plea made Viktor laugh.

“Is it really?” He tilted his head. “You said yourself you’d been dreaming about this, no?”

“Stohop bringing thahat uhuhup!”

He leaned in close, getting right up in his ear. “This is exactly what you wanted, isn’t it?” Phew, that made Jayce’s head spin, they both knew the answer yet Viktor still had the audacity to ask. He couldn’t say anything, he let his answer reside in the exhausted laughter that poured out of him. Fortunately for Viktor, his teases distracted Jayce just enough to bring his guard down.

Jayce whimpered out a cry when he felt Viktor grab his other wrist and raise it above his head. He could hear the mechanical fingers uncurling as his hand was brought to meet the other one. Just like that, he was restrained by the hexclaw once again but this time he had zero freedom.

“V-Vik…” He panted, hardly able to open his eyes to even look at him. “Fuck…please…” He was breathless and so visibly distraught. Viktor loved how distraught his ruthlessness made Jayce get. He didn’t want to give him any longer of a break than he already got, he was ready to put him back in misery.

Viktor pulled the hem of his shirt up and slipped his fingers underneath. Jayce gasped at the skin contact, suddenly becoming dizzy again, this was about to get so much worse. Viktor gripped both sides of his waist and squeezed wildly. Jayce was thrown back into his desperate cackling, but this time he couldn’t hunch over, the way his arms were held taut made any wiggles or struggling nearly impossible.

“I cahahan’t!”

“You can’t what? Stop it? Oh, I know.” Viktor’s fingers danced over the middle of his stomach. Jayce thought it was over for him. His body was so pleasantly overwhelmed but it was hard for him to enjoy the sensations while he was also fighting tears. Viktor crawled his nails up his tummy, stopping at his ribs and digging in between his bones. Jayce’s body writhed and his laughter became nonsensical.

“Am I correct to assume the more you panic the worse it tickles?”

“Nohoho!” He kicked his legs but it got him nowhere. His hands were clenched as tightly as they could and he squeezed his eyes shut, succumbing to his fate. Rib tickles turned back into tummy scratches which turned into hip squeezing and then a combination of everything. Jayce’s mind was on its brink, he truly believed this could send him into mania.

As soon as he opened his eyes they were blurry with tears. Fuck, he wouldn’t break like this.

Viktor focused on his stomach again, flipping through a variety of ticklish tactics. He noted what evoked the strongest reactions and used it to his advantage. He skittered above his waistband, making his tummy twitch rapidly. He noticed the slower he teased his skin, the more cries Jayce produced. He tickled him unethically slow, effectively turning his mind and body into slush.

Jayce hiccuped out a sob as a tear finally rolled down his cheek. No, this couldn’t be happening. He wasn’t that weak, he could take a little tickling, couldn’t he? Another tear followed and he let out a genuine sob. He couldn’t believe he was actually crying, it was humiliating in most provocative way. He continued bawling as all of his spots were exploited. This was it for him. Jayce Talis; dead by tickles.

“Aww, what a good boy.” Viktor cooed, caressing his cheek and wiping away some tears as he did. Jayce got a flash of his dream from the night before, did he manifest this into reality? Or maybe his dream was a forewarning of the day to come. Either way he hardly had the effort to process Viktor’s words with the way his mind was scrambled. His other hand continued to violate his tummy, following its bouncing as he laughed.

Jayce panted, dropping his head forward as he sobbed. He was pleading incomprehensibly, shivering while Viktor’s nails grazed his skin.

It was addicting for both of them. Jayce had an itch to get destroyed like this for years and as overwhelming as it was he couldn’t get enough of it. As for Viktor, he was obsessed with a lot of this; the way Jayce’s face scrunched up, how his body recoiled at the slightest touch, his variants of laughter, and how needy he was for it. It’d be hard to get both of them to stop craving this.

Jayce looked up at him depleted, distressed, and desperate. His laughter was silent, tears flowing down his face. He was beautiful like this, all flushed and breathless. They would have to ‘experiment’ with this some more. As cute as he was, they both knew he was far beyond his breaking point.

“Alright, alright, I think you’ve had enough.”

Viktor truly only stopped because he could see Jayce’s face start to turn purple, which didn’t seem like a good sign. If he didn’t put an end to it though they both might’ve gone on forever. He quickly grabbed the remote to release his arms and as soon as he was released Jayce crumpled to the floor.

“Jayce!” Viktor cried in worry but the giggles coming from his partner proved to him that he was more than okay. Still, it didn’t hurt to ask.

“Are you alright?” He knelt down to the other and placed a hand on his shoulder which shook from the residual laughter.

“Mmh soho mehean…never agahain…” Jayce heaved, wiping the tears off of his cheeks.

“You don’t mean that.” Viktor combed his fingers through Jayce’s hair, feeling him relax into the touch. That was insane, for both parties. They had reached a new level of intimacy they had yet to cross before but now that the door was open they knew the lab was about to get a little more interesting. He smiled admiringly at the man in his hands as he melted into his scratches. Viktor chuckled,

His peace was interrupted when the door was flung open by an appropriately disgruntled and cold Viktor, shopping bag in one hand and crutch in the other.

“It is fucking shitty out there.” He stated, chucking the bag on the counter and shutting the door before starting to take off a multitude of layers. “My crutch was slipping all over the ground and frankly I’m offended that I left the house at all.”

“Vik, you insisted you’d be fine to pick up the groceries.” Jayce said, coming down off the ladder with a grin. Viktor glared at him.

“Well Viktor from an hour ago was an imbecile and should not have been trusted.”

“You threatened to smack me with your cane if I went instead.” 

“As I said. Imbecile. Now why are you hanging fabric from the roof?” Viktor asked, head tilted.

Jayce shrugged. “It’s Snowdown. Bunting is nice!”

“Ah, yes. Consumerism central masked as a fun holiday.” 

That earned Viktor a long enduring sigh from Jayce. “Vik, you’ve gotta make fun for yourself somehow.”

Viktor hummed and started putting away the groceries, examining the apartment as he did so. “It certainly looks… festive.” 

“That’s the point! Oh, I’ve actually got something for you.” Jayce ran out into the bedroom and came out with a maroon sweater with white snowflakes embroidered on.

“This is for you!” 

Viktor took it from his hands, feeling the fabric over. “This is a holiday sweater, no?”

Jayce nodded, a proud smile on his face. Viktor couldn’t say no to him like that - and from what he could tell the sweater was very well made. 

Viktor took off his cardigan and pulled on the sweater to find it offensively soft and warm. He opened his mouth to speak and then closed it before starting again. 

“I was going to say something witty and perhaps a little insulting, but this is… comfortable. Thank you, Jayce.”

“My mother made it. You should have seen the ones she made when she was starting out - they were as wonky as they come. She’s gotten quite good at it though.” 

“Tell her I appreciate it.” Viktor said with a smile, and then pulled out a thick tome filled with taped in notes. He opened it on the table, brought out a pencil, and started puzzling over an equation. 

Jayce huffed. “Seriously, Vik? We’re like 4 days out from the holidays, surely you can stand not to bring work home with you.”

“Progress waits for no one. Least of all a man-made excuse for avarice.” 

“Viktoooor, come ooooon!” Jayce wheedled. “We’ve both been working since the sun rose. We can go back tomorrow.” 

Viktor kept writing, lost in his own head. Jayce sighed and cracked his knuckles. “Well if you’re not going to get into the Snowdown spirit yourself, I’m gonna have to make you.”

It took a minute for Viktor to process the sentence and by the time he realised and tried to scramble out of his chair Jayce was almost on top of him. He braced himself for the awful feeling of fingers on his sides but when the attack came all he felt was the movement of fabric. Viktor stood in shock for a minute before looking at Jayce’s face and barking out a laugh.

“Ha! The sweater is too thick for you! Suck on thahahAT FUHUCK OFF!” 

Jayce had sent his hands under Viktor’s jumper in the middle of his sentence and that crawling feeling Viktor had been anticipating was now directly over his sides. 

“By Janna, how many layers are you wearing, Vik? I’m surprised you’re feeling this at all!” Jayce teased, genuinely amused at how much Viktor was twitching at him tickling through what felt like six layers of fabric. 

“Yohou are a cruel and unjuhust pahartner!” 

“Eh, no I’m not. If you’re that resistant about getting into the holiday spirit, then I think you need more convincing.” Jayce pulled his hands down from Viktor’s sides and found the top layer of fabric, slipping back under it and scuttling up to spider under his arms now. Viktor’s arms pinned to his sides and he hunched his shoulders up, leaning into Jayce’s chest as he laughed. 

“Coal! Coahal and beetles are all you are getting thihis year!”

 “That doesn’t sound all that cheerful to me. Do you need another layer?” Jayce cocked his head and smiled when Viktor buried his face in his neck. 

“Nohoho! Let me go!”

Instead of answering Jayce pulled his hands out again and stuck them under another layer, this time scribbling all over his stomach. He could feel that there weren’t many layers left, and by the looks of Viktor immediately trying to pull his hands away he could feel it too. 

“Jahahayce! You’re a fuhucking fiend and I am going to put snohow in your pajamas-”

“That’s it.” 

Jayce pulled out all the stops and slid his hands under the final layer of fabric, squeezing Viktor’s hips before scrabbling towards his upper ribs, completely unprotected by his brace. In one motion Viktor threw his head back and cackled while losing his footing and dropping to the floor. Jayce took a second to break his fall before going right back to drawing spirals over his ribs. This kind of tickling wasn’t as intense, but Viktor was still squirming around like a fish out of water under him. 

All Viktor did in response to Jayce’s raised, questioning eyebrows was stick out his tongue, so Jayce kneaded and wiggled his fingers between the bones of his ribs. Viktor shrieked and started swearing in Czech, hurling out several that Jayce recognised. As punishment he pulled one hand off his ribs and set it on his tummy, squeezing and spidering over the skin. 

“Are you cheered up now? In the Snowdown spirit?” Jayce asked. Viktor glared through his giggles and Jayce shrugged.

“Guess I’m pulling out the raspberries. Come on, let me at your belly.” 

“NO!” Viktor yelled and in a burst of energy rolled to the side and away from Jayce, ending up face down and protecting himself. “Keep your evil beard away from my fucking stomach!” 

Jayce laughed and sat back, giving up the game. “The beard tickles that badly, does it?” 

Viktor flushed and sat up with his arms firmly around his middle. “What the hell do you think?” 

“I’ll be sure to keep it then.”

Viktor sputtered through some words before standing with the help of the couch. Jayce handed his crutch back to him which he accepted before moving to the kitchen. 

“Get your round ass in here and cook.” 

…

A few hours later Jayce was snug on the couch with a book while Viktor was in the shower. All was well until a high pitched yelp rang out and Jayce jumped to his feet, sprinting to the door.

“Viktor, are you alright?” 

The shower cut off and was followed with some select insults at the plumbing before a reply was heard. 

“The water turned fucking ice cold! Again!” 

Jayce winced. “The wind must have blown the boiler. I’ll fix it.”

It only took five minutes for Jayce to reset the boiler and by the time it was done Viktor was dressed in warm pajamas. Despite the heavy fabric, he was shivering. Jayce stood and closed the closet door, gesturing over to the couch so they could sit down. The two of them curled up together, Viktor leaning into Jayce’s side with his eyes closed. They sat like that, content for a while, until Viktor grumbled and started pulling at Jayce’s sweater. 

“Let me in.” Viktor said, quite literally trying to crawl into the jumper with Jayce. Jayce would have been fine with this if Viktor’s hands weren’t the same temperature as an ice cube. He jumped at the contact, squirming away with half a yelp. 

Viktor was of brilliant, sharp mind, and it didn’t take long for him to connect the dots. He slid his hands further up Jayce’s deliciously warm sides and grinned at the resulting laugh. 

“My hands are cold. I think you can help with this.” Viktor said, and that was all the warning Jayce got before freezing cold, nimble fingers were crawling all over his torso. He pressed into the back of the couch, snickering and trying to take it but all it took was Viktor kneading his belly for him to break into full laughter. Viktor perked up at the sound and a dangerous glint caught his eyes.

“I wonder if you can take raspberries as well as you dish them out?” 

JAYCE

lee!

ohhh boy. jayce my bbaby. okay. so as a decently muscular man, hes gotta be at least a little ticklish.

i think his worst spots are probably the spots you can just latch onto and squeeze- thighs, ribs, knees, even shoulders.

my boy cannot take a massage. he has tried so hard but every single time he’s just a hiccuping snorty mess

speaking of hiccuping snorty mess. i think he has a lot of different laughs. when you get him really going it’s his usual deep belly laughter, loud and proud and so bright you’re gonna need sunglasses

but also i think if you have him for long enough his laugh changes pitch a lot. like it’ll go from low to super high, and he’s all like “hahahAHAHAHHHSGH OHGOD OH GOD OH GOHOHOD” and oough. bbg

if it’s less intense, he’s not really one to giggle, but he definitely hiccups. he scrunches his face all up and jerks around and flinches and snorts and covers his mouth with the back of his hand and.. ghrhrgh.. im going insane guys

i think he’s the kind of guy who doesn’t squirm too much but arches his back a lot. he doesn’t squirm back and forth, but he’s always folding like a lawn chair, forwards and backwards

with his hiccupy/snorty laughter, he’ll go silent for a few seconds, and his shoulders just bounce as his whole body shakes, face absolutely BURNING red

oh yeah and he’s a blusher. bigtime. he gets a little flustered at the fact he can get plucked apart so easily by something as silly as tickling. he doesn’t think its childish, per se, but certainly not something a grown man should be This weak to.

..and yeah, he likes it. he’s embarrassed about it, but won’t necessarily deny it. he kind of has a thing for going all dumb and happy and brainless. just made into a smiley little puddle of jayce

oh and his smile. i know these hcs are already so freaking long but his smilee he is always grinning. even just a poke and he’s already got a big dumb smile. he is literally the sun when being tickled, it’s absurd

i didnt even get into soft tickles yet what

okay so we all know his abs are sensitive. i think he might just die at some gentle fluttery fingers. same with his sides and back

hear me out. behind the knees. oh and biceps. and the underside of his arms in general. and his forearms. none of them are too bad, but he’ll still squirm a little if you just slowly trace your fingers over them

post-season-2(SPOILERS KINDA??) his wrist his mad sensitive from the crystal embedded in there.

all of his scars are sensitive too. i don’t think he has too many, but the ones he does have are Big and also very ticklish <3

all in all i think he’s very sensitive. he’s the type to be flinching and squirming at things that aren’t even supposed to be ticklish, like god this man cannot take a tummy rub. if someone’s hands are on him in a sensual manner he can’t hold back tiny little giggle-huffs.

whenever anyone’s hands are on his bare skin in any soft manner, he’s. he can’t. he is too ticklish to survive on this earth

okay im gonna stop myself there or im gonna be ranting for seven more paragraphs

ler!

this little shit oh my god

okay no i take that back. i feel like he would be a smug cocky little shit, but not always.

im sorry, i have to say it, engineer hands

i have less ler hcs than i do lee hcs for him but i do think he would be absurdly switchy. he’s the type of guy to just poke people at random whenever he’s bored or to prove a point

has a habit of digging. he’ll find a nice meaty spot and just squeeze it lighting fast for about a second and then give you a teensy little break before doing the exact same thing again

he can be a little merciless though. he doesn’t realize just how good he is at tickling, he just thinks everyone who he tickles is mad sensitive

its hilarious though. he’ll be like “How did I never know you were this ticklish?!” and the lee will be like I DIDN’T KNOW EITHER HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS-

his hands are going all over the place, too. if he has a really handsy/squirmy lee, he’ll just keep switching spots every time they go to defend something. arms glue to their sides? okay, he’ll switch to their knees. legs pull up? okay, neck now. shoulders scrunch? ooh, armpits are fun!

he is such a menace and doesn’t even realize it

he’s crazy playful. mostly back in academy days, but if you can get close enough to him as the man of progress, and he has some free time, he’s so freaking playful its wonderful

he thinks its fun, and he likes seeing people’s stress just melt away. he will get a little worried if you tell him to stop, though, and pulls back a little if you do. he doesn’t wanna hurt you or make you uncomfortable.

definitely pokes people a lot but doesn’t actually engage in full attacks all that often. usually he has to be pretty close friends with someone to do that.

he’s very gentle with viktor when he tickles him, sometimes a little too gentle. it’s agony

VIKTOR

lee!

okay im gonna say it now before the thought leaves my brain. ticklish ears

he’s a lot more keen to light tickles as rougher stuff just kinda hurts a lot of the time or gets him really overwhelmed

tbh if you wanna get him bad, tools are probably best bet. rough tickles with hands are a little too much, but get a feather or a pen or a brush and Hoo boy you’ve killed Viktor.

i don’t actually think he’s all that ticklish. like he is but he isn’t? he’s sensitive but not hypersensitive, i guess.

except for his bad spots. i think its more of a thing where he’s not too ticklish in most places but his bad spots get him writhing.

of course i’m obliged to say neck, ears, jaw, back.. the works. i think his stomach has the potential to be sensitive but he’s a little too skin and bones for it to really impact him.

he has a lot of vaguely unusual spots. his wrists and palms are sensitive, i think his scalp is even a little sensitive. he doesn’t like people playing with his hair for that reason

if not for his brace i’d say his back and spine especially would be real bad. without his brace, just tracing a line all the way up his spine has him jerking forward so hard sometimes he falls over. and absolutely spits out any drink he may be drinking. i mean it feels like stars bursting all the way up his back, okay?? so tingly

he’s the type to hold his stomach when laughing really hard, just in general

he’s also a big snorter, but he uhm.. he has a very maniacal laugh. it’s literally just like- a whole villain laugh. absolutely terrifying.

i think he’s a lot less sensitive than jayce in theory, but in practice he’s a lot less used to it and very squirmy

so squirmy. very slippery. i wouldn’t quite say nimble, because of his leg, but- at the very least very good at escaping.

definitely the type to go straight for his ler’s sides to get them off him. he panics and just squeezes. usually it works but sometimes it doesn’t

i think he has the potential to be a giggler. idk though. he wouldn’t have bubbly giggles as much as he would have really breathy, huffy giggles. silent giggles are another big thing

i think he’s very neutral on the whole concept. he has to be in the right mood and it has to be with someone he trusts with his life.

feather-ticklish bastard. trust me on this

ler!

idk about you guys but viktor talking like he’s documenting an experiment while tickling someone? oughhrgrh.

im usually not one for teases but aaugrgghgrgr.

his hands are absurdly nimble, so while he can commonly be overpowered by his lee, he’s still a slippery bastard and somehow manages to slip into all of someone’s worst spots

i’m kinda stealing this hc from someone else, but i think he is very good at predicting/guessing someone’s weak spots. “HOHOW DID YOU KNOW I-“ “oh, i just guessed. not very hard, you know.” gggggraagg

i really can’t explain just how evil he is. those nimble hands of his are all over someone in seconds, spidering and digging into every single spot and switching at lighting speeds.

very good at tickling people, i think. him and jayce are on a pretty even playing field for that

i have such a distinct idea of what ler!viktor would be but for some reason i just cant explain it with words.

TOGETHER

oh these two. these two. i’m.

they are so switchy it’s scary. tickle fights with these two are not tickle fights, they are strategic tickle wars.

viktor tickles jayce out of stress a lot. jayce is definitely the type to get overwhelmed with stress and not tell anyone, literal king of masking, but ofc viktor sees through it in seconds and wrecks him until he admits what’s wrong. and then viktor wrecks him some more so he can forget about it for a little while

they’re always teasing eachother. on energetic days they’re both so playful with eachother, and they’ll be poking eachother around the lab all day until one of them cracks and launches an attack

they wreck eachother just to prove a point sometimes.

jayce has a habit of getting viktor when he’s being too cocky or sassy. viktor has a habit of getting jayce just because he feels like it.

jayce tickles viktor when he’s bored, he’ll pick up a quill and flutter it against the back of viktor’s neck while he’s ranting about something.

they get revenge a lot, but then they get revenge on the revenge, so it’s kind of.. a cycle

they know eachother’s boundaries like the back of their hands, since they’ve known eachother so long they’re very good at knowing exactly when to stop and exactly what to do

they also pick up on eachother’s lee moods.. and ler moods sometimes. let’s just say jayce knows when to run when viktor gets a certain look in his eyes

aftercare with them is sickeningly soft. brushing hair out of faces, gently caressing skin, massaging eachother to get rid of some of the lingering tingles, all of it. they hold hands and press up next to eachother and ghhgh. even if its in a scenario where they aren’t dating, they still do all of this, and if someone questions it they just shrug. just two bros bein dudes, nothing to see here

i feel like these together hcs are so bad im sorry. it’s so early rn and im suffering Hunger. ill probably make more of these in the future if anyone is interested

It's easier to scold someone else's lack of self-care than it is to work on your own.

When Viktor neglects his sleep, Jayce knows exactly what to say every time. "You can't keep overworking your body like this. Sooner or later, you're going to shut down."

But when Jayce neglects his sleep, he finds new ways to rationalize his decision thanks to his sleep-deprived daze. He pretends like he can't see Viktor staring ironically at him from down the table.

Okay, so maybe he was being a bit of a hypocrite. But these were special circumstances! They were expected to present a new Hextech device to the council in a few days, and they were running behind schedule. Jayce had tried to speed things along by putting in a few more hours at his station, but what was supposed to be "a few hours" turned into the entire night.

Viktor, as Jayce expected, was none too pleased. He insisted that they had already done more than was even necessary, and that any more modifications could have been dealt with in the morning. He even had the nerve to parrot Jayce's own lecture back to him.

"If you keep this up, sooner or later your body will shut down."

"Why does that sound so familiar?" Jayce groaned sarcastically. Regardless of his ill-advised choices, this machine still needed finishing, and that was what he was going to do.

He couldn't quite remember getting up out of his chair and making his way over to the toolbox, as the world seemed to blur around him, but a curmudgeonly voice brought him back to the present.

"Jayce, please, what you've done is good enough. Go home and get some sleep."

"Viktor, I'm fine, I'm really fine. I can still work."

"What is it you're reaching for right now?"

Jayce blinked down at where his hand was grabbing... thin air. Dazed, he spun around until he found the tool box on complete opposite end of the table.

Viktor gestured emphatically at the box. "You see? You're not thinking clearly," His voice changed suddenly into a compassionate, almost pleading tone. "You've gone too long without sleep. I'll handle the preparations today, you can go home."

"Vik, I can't just drop this now okay? I'm so close now. I mean, think about it, what's more important right now: the amount of sleep I get, or proving our value to the council?"

"I cannot believe you're asking me this" said Viktor, sounding more exhausted than his partner in that moment.

Ignoring him, Jayce staggered to where the toolbox actually was, and grabbed a wrench.

Unfortunately for him, Viktor was not willing to let this go. He gripped Jayce by the arm clutching the wrench.

"Jayce, put it down. I don't want to need to use force." Although it was certainly a threat, they both knew implicitly that Viktor wasn't very cross with Jayce at all. But dammit, he would go to bed.

Jayce chuckled. "Not happening, Vik."

"Ehhhh fine. If that's the way it has to be" Viktor said, with something akin to a smirk in his voice. A smirk that usually meant trouble for Jayce.

A hand suddenly began squeezing up Jayce's side, making the scientist bark in a choke of laughter. It wasn't often that Viktor opted to play dirty like this; only when the situation desperately called for it. He was nothing if not a determined man.

Laughing freely, Jayce remained where he stood. At a new ninety-degree angle, sure, but still standing. If Viktor wanted to take this up a notch, then so would he. He'll laugh until his sides split open, but he is not losing this fight.

"Viktor, whahat the hehehell!" He giggled.

"I have asked you several times to take a break, but if you want to go about this like a child, then I will treat you like one," Viktor teased.

Jayce could hear the smugness in his voice.

"I'm noHOt givihing IN!"

"How unfortunate for you."

The hand at Jayce's side was now climbing it's way up to his arm. Jayce twisted around every which way he could to try and stall its arrival, but to little success. He would rather die than admit it, but he truly couldn't help giggling even if it wasn't involuntary. The sensation, sparkling its way through his nerves like lightning through tree branches, was just so funny. It was pleasant, in the most unbearable way. He couldn't fully wrap his head around it, and he didn't have time to, because Viktor was still clawing into his armpit.

Jayce wasn't going to take this lying down. He started to pull away from his partner, hoping that Viktor wouldn't persist that much. Maybe moving away would be all it took for this tickly spell to be broken.

But to no such luck. Viktor could see his plan to move before he enacted it. Quick as a flash, he gripped Jayce's arm with his free hand, now effectively pinning him to his side.

"And where do you think you're going?" Viktor asked.

"Lehet mehehe gohoho!"

"You know what it is I want Jayce. I'll keep tickling until you go to bed."

"You cahan't brihihibe me into being healthyhyhyhy!"

"Bribe?"

Oh, fuck.

"Is this a bribe then?" came the voice above him. His voice was like a warm spotlight, exposing him with the softest touch. It was the same tone he got when something truly fascinated him; when his object of study surprised him and heightened his sense of curiosity even more.

Jayce's eyes had shut tight as soon as he realized what he had said, too mortified to dare a look. The tickling had stopped. Of course it did. Why would Viktor keep going after hearing him say something that stupid? He didn't even think it, it just slipped out! But he couldn't say that he was mistaken. Because he was having fun. Goofing off, having Viktor be close to him, playing with him-

Viktor had been quiet for a total of three whole seconds, but to Jayce, it may as well have been twenty. Then came Viktor's voice.

"Well, in that case-" he said, a little too giddy for Jayce's liking.

"Wait, Viktor, I didn't mean it like-"

A hand latched onto his other side, simultaneously pulling him in like an awkward side-hug. The other hand had surrendered the grip on his arm in favor of scratching at his belly. The frantic giggles that left his mouth were not helping to ease the embarrassment of the situation.

"How about this for a deal?" Viktor smiled, a gentle and adoring look in his eyes that Jayce could not appreciate, as his eyes were still clamped shut. "We go home, get relaxed, and I tickle you senseless until you're worn out. Sound fair?"

What didn't sound fair was how flirty he sounded. Jayce's face burned red, and he knew he couldn't hide it. He buried his face into Viktor's chest.

"I'll take that as a yes."

And with that, the tickling stopped. Only for this moment. Viktor's hands now cradled his husband's face, pulling it out from his chest and against his forehead.

"You make me so stupidly weak" he said, pressing a kiss to his nose.

"Which one of us has been laughing themselves stupid for the past five minutes?"

That got a giggle out of Viktor. With a final poke in the side, he grabbed his cane and turned toward the door, with Jayce grabbing their coats behind them.

"You don't think anyone heard us, do you?" Jayce asked nervously.

"Don't worry, Sky's not here today."

From behind the closed door, Sky took that as a sign to leave quickly, and she did so without a sound.

---

Jayce sighed, staring out at the endless fields of…well, he wasn’t sure what the place was called. The Fields of Pretty Isolation? Flowers without Civilization?

The creation of their anomaly sent them barreling through the arcane, spitting them out in the new dimension. Or, at least, they believed it was a new dimension. The pair hadn’t been able to find any other humans—only livestock, strange edible plants and fruits, and bright stars at night. It was beautiful, but confusing.

Jayce was so tired of being confused.

As a scientist, confusion was the basis for many of his favorite discoveries. Being confused about something fuels the mind to explore that thing, to dissect it and break it down until it can be understood. Then, of course, his mind would build it back up into something helpful, something meaningful.

Only, with Hextech, he’d broken himself in the process. There was no true way to rebuild his mind, especially not in a way where it would be helpful. He’d done enough horrible damage in the pursuit of being helpful.

As he pondered his life choices, his partner approached from behind.

“Jayce.” Viktor’s voice was soft and understanding as he placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. He still had some small connection to the arcane; Viktor could still tune in to emotions and feelings, though the status of his healing ability was still a mystery.

“I know. I just… We hurt people, Vik. And for what? I mean, are they even still alive? Did our…whatever that was actually even work, or was it for nothing? And where are we?” Jayce let himself spiral, allowing Viktor to truly feel the scope of his distress. It was hardly the first time since they’d arrived, but it didn’t feel any less intense.

“I don’t know, Jayce. I truly do not know.” 

As the slender man sat down, Jayce leaned on him for comfort. They’d worked out the glaring issues between them; afterall, they had nothing but time and each other’s company in the new place. It wasn’t pretty, but they had each other.

Viktor petted his hair, running his fingers through the longer strands. Neither one of them had cut their hair since arriving; they hadn’t seen a point. Jayce sighed and tilted his head, allowing the gentle touch to soothe him.

The ex-herald sensed how Jayce responded to the touch. It brought a smile to his face; as touchy as ever…

An idea formed with that thought, his hand slowly creeping down to the back of Jayce’s neck. It was a bit of a silly question, but Viktor figured the possible comfort was worth any weird looks he might receive.

“Remember how I used to cheer you up in the lab?” Viktor softly asked, his nails trailing over the softer areas of Jayce’s tan skin. 

Jayce’s shoulders hiked up as a familiar buzzing lit up his nerves, mirroring the one growing in his stomach. Jana, how long had it been since he’d felt like that? It truly couldn’t have been more than a few months, but after everything they’d faced, the small gap felt like a decade.

“V-Viktor, c’mon,” Jayce grumbled, trying to stay stoic. He knew a dopey smile was tugging at the corners of his mouth; it took everything he had to force it down into a line. “Haven’t we outgrown this?”

“I don’t see it as something to outgrow, Jayce. Anyone can enjoy a laugh.” His tone was light, much like the one he used when they had planted the small garden outside their cabin. It meant something playful was imminent, though no dirt would be getting dumped on anyone in that moment. “You most of all. I miss hearing yours.”

Jayce would’ve come back with a decent argument, but those nimble fingers slid down to the top of his ribcage. He yelped, jolting away from the touch. “Vihik!”

“Hmm. Just as I thought,” Viktor grinned, wrapping his legs around Jayce’s waist from behind for support. “You’re far too ticklish to ever outgrow it, Jayce.”

While the anomaly had seemingly cured all their physical ailments aside from their limps, Jayce didn’t want to be too rough with Viktor. He pushed at the thinnier man’s legs, but he was trapped. “Kn-knohock it off!”

“I don’t think I will. You’ve been very mopey today,” Viktor hummed, slowly inching his wiggling fingers toward Jayce’s underarms. “You need to unwind.” 

“Noho! No, Viktor plehehease!” Jayce wriggled and tried to shove at his partner’s hands, but he wasn’t exactly putting all his effort into the escape attempts.

It really had been a while since he’d been able to truly laugh, even before the problems with the arcane. There was always another equation to work out, another meeting to attend, another budget to plan, another piece to work on in the forge. While the men had managed to slip in little moments of fun between projects, they didn’t have time to rest and goof off. In the new place, however, time was all they had.

Viktor picked up on his restraint almost immediately.

“Jayce,” he prompted, trailing his nails up and down the man’s ribcage. “Do you want me to tickle you?”

Oh, that bastard.

Viktor could’ve just kept tickling him, but no: he had to be a teasing prick. Asking for consent was one thing, but cooing and gently tickling him like while asking? And obviously knowing the answer? Diabolical. 

Jayce groaned and buried his face in his hands, softly giggling as he questioned all his life choices. A swift poke to the armpit made him squeal, pulling an answer from him. “Ohokay, okay! Yes! I-I wahant you to!”

Feeling his heart melt a bit, Viktor placed a kiss on his partner’s cheek. “Alright, I won’t make you beg. Yet.”

Before Jayce could ask what he meant by that, two sets of nimble fingers dug into his pits. It was hard to do much thinking after that.

“VIHIHIKTOHOR!” Jayce cackled, thrashing in his partner’s hold. He’d always been annoyingly sensitive beneath his arms. His mother would always go for that spot when he was in a grumpy mood or pouting over a missed dessert, and he crumbled every time. One would think that time and exposure would dull that, but no. Viktor had more than proved that wrong.

Viktor could practically feel his teeth rotting from the sweetness of the moment. The giddy excitement radiating off of Jayce was intoxicating, and his laughter had to be one of the loveliest sounds he had encountered. 

Needing to direct some of his affection outwards, Viktor began nuzzling his face into Jayce’s neck. His hair brushed against the bigger man’s ears, pulling an interesting noise from him.

“*snort* NOHOHO! C-COHOME OHOHON!” Jayce practically whined through his laughter, hunching up his shoulders. His ears were always a “snort-spot,” as his mother called them. He could feel his face burning from both embarrassment and fluster.

It didn’t take long for Viktor to realize what was happening. With a smirk, he purposefully brushed his hair over Jayce’s ears, moving his wiggling fingers down to the man’s sides.

“Youhuhu’re— *snort* you’re ehehevil,” Jayce whined, squirming as the gentler tickles buzzed beneath his skin. Somehow, the less intense tickles were twice as flustering. His mind was a prison.

“And you’re adorable.” The compliment was second nature to him. Jayce truly was a masterpiece, and Viktor loved analyzing every brushstroke the man had to offer. “Do you want me to be nicer, Jayce?”

Despicable question. While Jayce was enjoying all of the attention, he knew that Viktor’s “nice tickles” would be a good way to end their silliness. “N-nihihicer plehease.”

“Good boy,” Viktor teased, knowing it would make his partner blush. His hands moved once again, gently tickling either side of Jayce’s lower back—a well-known melt spot for the muscled man.

“Youhuhu suhuhuck…”

The effects the spot change had on Jayce were instant: he melted against Viktor’s chest, his giggles grew softer, and his head went back to rest on Viktor’s shoulder. His light blush and dopey grin were quite possibly Viktor’s favorite reaction.

“I know, I know. You’re so tormented.” Viktor peppered his partner’s cheeks with little kisses, following the blush down to his chin. The whole purpose of the silly moment was to cheer Jayce up; he wanted it to end on a sweet, loving note.

“Mmhmhmph,” Jayce grumbled, letting his eyes slip closed. He was still giggling lightly, but he’d completely relaxed against his partner. When he tapped in, the only feelings Viktor could sense were love, adoration, and giddy glee. Mission thoroughly accomplished.

After a few minutes of gentle tickling, Viktor slowed to a stop, pressing a little kiss to the tip of Jayce’s nose. The man’s eyes slowly fluttered back open, a love-drunk smile plastered on his face. A smile Viktor couldn’t help but kiss.

As they parted, Jayce brought a hand up to cup the side of Viktor’s face. He ran his thumb over the little mole beneath his partner’s eye, unable to stop grinning.

“I love you.”

Viktor was working away - as usual, he practically lived here - his back turned to Jayce. As Jayce approached, he could see Viktor was messing with… some sort of new device at the workbench. 

The sound of Jayce’s footsteps alerted Viktor, resulting in him swivelling around in his chair, pushing his goggles up to his forehead. 

“Hello, stranger,” he commented, looking Jayce up and down. “I haven't seen you in a while - mm, how are things with the council?”

Jayce’s expression changed to something troubled. “It's a lot to take in. I'm not used to all of this. If I'm being honest, I'd rather be here.”

“Would you be comfortable talking about it?” Viktor enquired, using his cane to lift himself off his seat, and then lifting himself to sit up on the workbench, waving a hand to offer Jayce his seat. 

Jayce sat down, the chair bouncing a little as he lowered his weight on it. 

“I didn’t ask to be on the council. I know there’s a lot of benefits to it. For our research, for me, for you. This is all new to me, though.” Jayce leaned over, laying his head down on Viktor’s lap, the other placing a loving hand gently on his head. “I’m a symbol - an icon now. I’m the Man of Progress, making Piltover’s future brighter. But it’s a lot of responsibility I didn’t ask for.” Jayce let out a sigh as he finished speaking.

“It’s a lot to take on, that’s why I try to not be in the public eye,” Viktor spoke, carding his fingers through Jayce’s hair. Viktor knew it soothed him in times of heavy stress. “I apologise for that. Perhaps if I did, you wouldn’t be bearing this feeling all alone.”

“No, Vik, it’s fine. I wouldn’t want you to feel uncomfortable having so many eyes on you,” Jayce moved one of his hands to rest on Viktor’s knee. “I just have to bear it. For us, for our work. For our Hextech dream.”

“I’m always in the lab if you need someone to discuss this with, Jayce. All you need to do is ask, and I will always assist you when you need it.”

“I’m grateful you’re on my side, Viktor.” Letting out a relieved sigh, Jayce closed his eyes. “It’s good to get things off my chest. Though, it didn’t make me feel as good as I thought it would.”

“Mm, Is there anything I can do to make it better perhaps?” Asked Viktor, his fingers tangled in Jayce’s hair.

Jayce thought for a moment. Well, he noticed there was always something Viktor would do for Jayce whenever he was stressed out. He always struggled to find the words to ask, though… 

“Can you do… that thing?” Asked Jayce, craning his head so he could look up at Viktor.

Viktor raised a questioning eyebrow. “That ‘thing’?”

“Yeah, you know, that thing you always do whenever I'm stressed out of my mind… or when I’m annoying you too much.”

Viktor tilted his head in confusion at first. He had to flip through his memory for this one. 

Whenever Jayce was being stubborn or particularly irritable, mainly when Jayce was running low on sleep, Viktor had a few tricks up his sleeve to try to make Jayce relax. Sometimes, he had to pull out the big guns… ah, he remembered. 

Jayce wanted Viktor to tickle him. He realised Jayce had the most roundabout way of asking for it, though…

“Ehh, you can use your words, you know.” Viktor had to tease Jayce just a little with a chuckle. 

Jayce moved his hand to cover his eyes with the back of it, his cheeks a little red from the conversation. “It's embarrassing… it makes me feel weak. But I never seem to mind whenever you do it.”

Viktor’s hand trailed from Jayce’s head to the nape of his partner’s neck, scribbling his fingers against the skin. “Well, how could I decline?”

Jayce was already starting to crack up from the small simple touch alone. “Ahaha, can you just– hehehe, be gentle?”

Viktor scoffed at that. “Aren’t I always?”

“Yeheheah, but extra gentle thihihis time.” Was Jayce’s giggly request.

“Whatever you say.” Gently pushing Jayce’s head so Viktor could slide off the bench, he propped his cane off to the side so he could use both hands. He reached forward, gently wiggling his fingers against Jayce’s sides.

Jayce was already giggling, even more so now. He reached out and latched his hands on Viktor’s wrists, but made no attempt to move his hands away. In fact, it was to keep Viktor’s hands in place. Viktor’s hands moved up to gently squeeze at Jayce’s ribs, causing Jayce to throw his head back and laugh.

“You know… mhm, whenever you want this, you can just say the word. You don’t have to bug me while I’m trying to concentrate. And you don’t have to beat around the bush when you’re upset, you understand? Even without saying it directly, I can always tell when you’re in a mood… for this.” Viktor wanted to know Jayce was safe to tell him these things.

Jayce nodded his head in reply, scrunching up his nose when Viktor hit a particularly sensitive rib. Viktor always liked to watch his face change whenever he tickled him. He looked different with a carefree smile stretched across his face.

Viktor started to slow down, figuring that Jayce had had enough. He pulled his hands away, placing them on his hips instead. “How was that? Did it make you feel better?”

Jayce was slowly catching his breath, even gently tickling took his breath away. “Yehehes, thank you, V…” he gazed up at Viktor with a smile, getting up from the chair. 

“It’s definitely a strange thing to ask to make yourself feel better… but it makes sense when it’s you, somehow. Very odd, but endearing.” Viktor gently teased and gave a small smile.

Jayce’s heart nearly leapt out of his chest at Viktor’s comments, his face growing more beet red. “Ahem, anyway… before anyone starts looking for me, why don’t I help you out for a while? Knowing Mel, she’ll start wondering where I am.”

“Of course, I’d be pleased. You haven’t been in the lab for quite a while now. I appreciate the assistance, and the company.”

They both wandered over to the blackboard to discuss some new ideas for Hextech. They could be lab partners for a little while longer.