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They’d had a breakthrough that day… well, two days ago, to be precise. It was the rune matrix that had been giving them trouble. They knew generally which runes to use, but the order had been giving them hell. And given they were working with sixteen different runes, there were hundreds of potential combinations to work through, each with unique capabilities and functions. They’d worked methodically, Viktor running the numbers on his chalk board, Jayce putting them into practice. For a while they had hit a maddening brick wall—they only had the first rune figured, its bright shining blue glow screaming its confirmation, and the other fifteen were staring back at them, mocking the pair with their dull, lifeless stone surfaces.
It had been Viktor who posited they were going about it wrong; that instead of trying to figure out the full, sixteen-line rune sequence, they should instead break them down into eight pairs of two, and try to figure the chronology that way—then, once pairs had been matched and begun to glow, move on to the next… and the next… and the next. Until, after fifty-three straight hours of work, they had the first eight runes lined up and glowing like a sunrise.
Jayce was brimming with excitement; his whole body vibrating with the knowledge that, perhaps within a day or two, they would have the entire sequence figured, and could move on to trials. Fatigue seemed something far off—something not designed for this level of innovation. It was as if his body was running purely on scientific wonderment.
As he laid down the eighth pair into the rune lineup, the glow joining with the others to brighten the large room even further, Jayce pumped a fist in the air, muttering a breathy “yes!” of affirmation. He turned to Viktor, his excitement begging to be shared…
While Viktor was practically beaming from ear to ear, he was leaning heavily on his crutch—his shoulder very nearly touching his ear with the weight he was leaning on it. The hand he used to grip the crutch was white-knuckled and trembling slightly, and his eyes were heavy and marred with dark circles.
Jayce deflated a bit, his eyes darting to the gilded silver clock high on the wall to his right—9pm. He’d already seen a 9pm once at some point… or had he seen it twice? With a bit of shock, he realized he had no clue how many days they’d been at this without sleep, with hardly a pause to nibble whatever snacks his mother brought to them.
“Oh, uh… I think… I think we should pause there,” Jayce said, trying to sound as authentic as possible to not give away the guilt or pity (or both) that was surely in his voice.
“What?! Why?! We’re so close, we can…” Viktor began to argue, his stubbornness forcing him to stand up straighter and wave his free hand about wildly. Jayce didn’t miss the minute wince when Viktor straightened, his shoulder evening out and likely paining him.
“Well, it’s… we’re… we’re halfway there, you know,” Jayce said with a shrug, nonchalantly moving away from the stones. “And… and this is as good a stopping point as any. I think… I think if we come at it rested tomorrow, with… with fresh eyes and minds, we can…”
“Do I really look that bad?” Viktor interrupted, and for a moment Jayce was worried he’d offended him in some way, until he saw the mischievous, lopsided grin on his face.
Jayce sighed, allowing his hands to fall and slap to his sides. He smiled, shaking his head at Viktor’s constant attentiveness, even when he hadn’t slept in two days.
“To be fair, I don’t look great either,” Jayce said, looking down and finding his necktie loosened to nearly falling off, his waistcoat unbuttoned and flapping, and his shirt sleeves wrinkled beyond belief from being consistently pushed up his arms. “Maybe I had ulterior motives, but I really believe that; coming at a problem with fresh eyes will help us tackle it quicker. What do you say? Break for the night?”
One of Viktor’s brows rose almost comically as he gave Jayce a slightly remanding look, but eventually he nodded, turning to close up his notebook and replace his chalk on the board.
“Very well,” Viktor said, removing his hand from his crutch to wipe the chalk off his other, and when he did, he wavered dangerously, barely managing to return his hand to the crutch in time to regain his balance in a cloud of chalk dust.
Jayce leapt forward, prepared to catch him if he fell, but then felt silly standing so close, obviously worrying.
“Why don’t… why don’t I walk you home?” he said, anxious that the offer would be taken as pity, but too concerned to let him walk alone.
“Perhaps you could carry me, solve both our problems,” Viktor said, that mischievous grin returned and making Jayce laugh.
“Yeah, don’t push your luck. I’m not above building you wheels for that thing,” he joked back, and the slight tension that had arisen dissipated as they both laughed emphatically.
“Yes, I…” Viktor replied, his free hand rising to run through his hair, and, not for the first time, Jayce was caught by how handsome he was, even tired and a hairsbreadth from collapse. “I would be glad for the company. Thank you.”
“Of course,” Jayce said with a smile. “Let me grab our coats.”
***
The walk had been pleasant enough, with the jovial and elated presence of Jayce at his side, but the more time spent away from the lab, from the excitement and adrenaline of their work, the more Viktor was glaringly aware of the pain in his leg, his spine, his shoulder. By the time they were walking in his front door, every step was agony, and Viktor was beginning to see the black and white spots in his vision that predated a migraine.
Usually he would have commenced with the pleasantries—would you like to come inside for a drink, let’s discuss what we’ll work on tomorrow, etc.—but instead Viktor left Jayce in the open doorway, going straight for his kitchen counter, where his medications were strewn haphazardly. With a pained huff, he dropped his crutch to lean his hips against the counter, his hands shaking as he pulled a vial of liquid from his pouch.
“That’s… that’s not…” Jayce asked, and Viktor barely glanced up at him as he wandered slowly inside, closing the door behind him.
“Shimmer?” Viktor finished for him, popping the stopper from the vial and throwing it back as quickly as he could. He swallowed, willing it to kick in faster than it usually did. “No,” he went on, tossing the vial into his container of empties. “But to be frank, the chemical components are quite similar. And let’s be honest, the only difference between that which dulls my pain and that which dulls theirs is the prescription.”
Jayce let out a breath through his nose, the intonation of ‘damn, you’re right’ clear. He inched closer, clearly wishing to say something but instead opening and closing his mouth repeatedly, not unlike a fish.
Viktor smiled, reaching up and laying a hand on Jayce’s shoulder, and Jayce immediately relaxed, offering up a slightly bashful smile.
“I’m sorry,” he said finally, both his voice and countenance reserved and quiet. “We shouldn’t have gone so long.”
Viktor shook his head, allowing his hand to slide from Jayce’s shoulder and back to the countertop, where he used it to brace his weight and take even more off of his leg.
“No need to apologize, my friend,” he said, eyeing the medication and remembering with chagrin the doctor’s explicit orders—no more than one, under any circumstances. “Believe me, when I need to stop, I will speak up. I know my limits.”
Jayce smiled, rolling his eyes. “With all due respect, Viktor, bullshit. You get those blinders on, you get on a roll, and you go just as hard as I do. And you wouldn’t have eaten anything if my mother hadn’t practically force-fed you.”
“Fair point,” Viktor laughed, spinning slowly on his good leg to turn the opposite way and lean his backside on the counter. Even that minimal movement to his leg had a spike of white-hot pain shooting up his ribs and spine. He tried to camouflage the wince, but he was certain Jayce saw it.
Jayce settled in beside him, leaning against the counter as well. “How… how long does that take to start working?” he asked, motioning to the empties.
“To tell you the truth, it never really does. They call them painkillers, but they’re more like very-slight-pain-dullers,” he replied, to which Jayce laughed and nodded. “But if I can convince myself that it’s helping… twenty minutes or so?”
Jayce nodded, his head craning a bit as he looked down, likely at Viktor’s bad leg. “How bad is it?” he asked quietly.
Viktor sighed—he couldn’t very well say ‘it’s as if someone’s shoved molten knives into my lower back and leg, and then twisted them for an hour.’ That would make Jayce feel guilty, and there wasn’t anything for him to be guilty of. They’d worked as long as they had because they wanted to, they both wanted to, and Viktor wasn’t about to let this thing he’d lived with all his life slow him down. So really he had only himself to blame. But… he couldn’t express all that, at least not without considerable liquid courage, so he settled for “not too bad—bearable, at any rate.”
Which really was bordering on untrue.
Jayce simply stood beside him for a moment, and for some reason the cadence of his measured breaths helped Viktor to slow his own pained, manic breathing and actually begin to relax.
After a time, Jayce spoke up again, “Is there… is there anything I can do to help you? Do you have something for dinner?”
Viktor smiled wide at the tone, which was suspiciously mother-like.
“I’m fine,” he said, really not in any mood to eat anything; the pain typically slaughtered even a hint of an appetite. “But I would kill for a drink.”
Jayce laughed, the sound loud and boisterous and just the sort of thing that could break any melancholy.
“Are you supposed to?” Jayce asked. “With that, I mean?” he finished, motioning once again to the empty medicine vial.
Viktor shrugged. “Who cares.”
Jayce laughed again, pushing away from the counter. “Alright, where do you keep your shit?”
With a snort, Viktor pointed to a cabinet, then another, saying “glasses are in there.”
Jayce pulled the bottle of dark amber liquid from the cupboard, and retrieved two glasses to begin filling. Viktor wasn’t sure why, but the fact that Jayce was going to stay, at least for a little while as he had a drink, made him slightly giddy. Most people shied away from Viktor’s disability, didn’t like the guilt it made them feel, and typically avoided spending any lengthy amount of time with him.
But not Jayce. He was never condescending, never crass, and he certainly never implied that anything could slow Viktor down. He treated Viktor as an equal, in every way, and it was… refreshing.
Jayce turned to hand a now-filled glass to Viktor, but Viktor waved him away momentarily.
“Let’s go sit,” he said, motioning to his drawing room. “If we stand here any longer, you may end up getting to catch me after all.”
There was something in the way Jayce laughed at that—something nervous and reserved—and Viktor made a mental note to parse it out later. For now, he retrieved his crutch and gingerly made his way to the couch, every step sending lightning-jolts of pain up his leg. Jayce followed closely, carrying the drinks, and dare Viktor say hovering worriedly, and he couldn’t help but grin with fondness.
Viktor groaned in relief as he plopped onto the plush sofa, the weight and fatigue finally coming off. Jayce handed him his drink before sinking into the opposing chair.
“So…” Jayce began, sipping his drink and making a face that said he was impressed with how good it was. “No pets? You strike me as a pets kinda guy.”
Viktor snorted, sipping his own drink and appreciating the burn that distracted from the burn in his leg.
“And what, exactly, makes you think so?” he asked, watching as Jayce moved his glass in a circular motion, creating a tiny cyclone in the center.
Jayce shrugged nonchalantly, looking around Viktor’s apartment with scrutiny. “Dunno, just… seem like the kind of person who needs something to focus on all the time…like if you’re not buried in a book or project, you’ll go mad. Pets provide that—something to focus on that isn’t draining. Something to take up our time so we don’t… I dunno, self-destruct.”
Viktor was taken aback by his answer—the careful analysis of exactly the kind of person Viktor was: his ticks, his weaknesses (if ambition and drive can be called weaknesses). It wasn’t that he didn’t expect such an answer from Jayce, no, Jayce was by far one of the smartest people in all of Piltover. He just… hadn’t expected him to say it out loud.
“Hm,” Viktor hummed, sipping at his drink again. “An accurate analysis. But no, no pets. I prefer to get lost in my work, in my books, as you say, and if that makes me mad, then… so be it. The best ones are.”
They sat in silence for a time, just drinking and thinking on all they had accomplished in the last few days, on all they would accomplish if things kept on as they were. It was exciting and terrifying all at once, considering the kind of world they could build together, the kind of change they could inspire—a world free from class, free from separation, free from pain.
Out of habit, Viktor realized he had unbuckled the leather strap which kept his brace firmly attached to his thigh, and was absently rubbing the tightness, the tension from his leg.
“D-do you mind if I…” Jayce said suddenly, startling Viktor from his reverie.
“Hm?” Viktor asked, wondering if he’d missed more, whole sentences perhaps, in his zoned-out state.
“Your brace, do you mind if I… take a look at it?” he asked, setting his drink on the coffee table between them.
Viktor smiled—oh Jayce, always on, always ready to learn, to improve. “Of course,” he said, setting down his own drink and leaning forward to stand so he could fully remove the brace.
“No, no!” Jayce said, leaping to his feet and hurrying over. “Don’t get up. Let me.”
As he knelt before Viktor, inspecting the joints and straps of the brace, Viktor felt a flash of heat that definitely had nothing to do with the drink… or the pain.
No, no, absolutely not. He’s your partner. You work together. Nothing stifles progress like bringing emotions into things. Off-limits. Definitely… definitely… off…
He tensed as Jayce reached for the leather strap around his calf, his hands gently unbuckling it.
“How do I…” Jayce said, tilting his head like a curious pup, and Viktor couldn’t help but grin.
“There’s a metal release behind the knee, if you…”
He didn’t even have to continue, as Jayce had already located the tiny lever and pulled it, and the metal rings on his thigh and shin popped open. Viktor jerked, as the mixed sensations of relief at being free of it and pain from lack of support both accosted him.
Jayce pulled his hands away as if he’d been burned, worry clear on his features.
“Shit! I didn’t hurt you, did I?!” he gasped, looking up at Viktor and meeting his eyes.
Viktor shook his head, rubbing his thigh again and attempting to work the blood flow out more evenly around the indentation the brace had left.
“No, you didn’t, don’t worry,” he said, wrapping a hand beneath his thigh for support as he lifted his leg so Jayce could pull the brace free (which he did painstakingly carefully).
Jayce stayed where he was, knelt on the floor in front of Viktor, as he evaluated every mechanism and moving part of the brace, his face twisted in thought and contemplation.
“If we could somehow… reverse the effect of gravity inside the brace, you could… you could walk normally… without the crutch. The problem would be customizing it to your body, to your specific areas of pain. Plus, there’s the fact of it being uncomfortable to wear… where do you have the most pain?” Jayce asked, his eyes taking on that glaze they did when he was lost in thought, in ideas and schematics.
Viktor decided to humor him—even though his doctors had already tried all of this, asked all of these questions—because if anyone could improve the design, it would be Jayce.
“Well, my knee is weak, but that’s only because of the muscle definition… well, lack thereof. The pain is a little higher, between the kneecap and femur.”
Viktor did not expect what came next—Jayce’s fingers, gentle as the flutter of butterfly wings, following the shape and curvature of Viktor’s knee, then just as delicately following up his thigh. Viktor’s damned human body reacted; a tingle flaring up the back of his neck, the hairs standing up on his arms, and his ears running hot.
Panic flooded Viktor’s entire body—I may be a man who understands the boundary of work/life separation, but… I am still a man.
“Jayce!” he gasped, grabbing Jayce’s hand almost violently to still him.
Jayce jumped, looking up at Viktor in shock before dawning realization fell over his features.
“Oh! Oh, I’m… God, I’m sorry, what was I…” he paused, shaking his head and dropping the brace to clatter on the floor. He pulled away, yanking his hand back and rocketing to his feet. “I’m sorry, that was… that was wildly inappropriate, I… I should… I should go…”
With that, he was hurriedly rounding the couch and heading for the door.
“Jayce!” Viktor yelled, cursing as he pushed to his feet, not bothering to waste time with the crutch or the brace. Instead he did his best to limp after him.
“Jayce, wait, stop, please… please stop,” Viktor begged, frustration creeping into his voice when he wasn’t nearly fast enough to catch Jayce’s natural stride.
It was a relief, then, when Jayce paused at the door and turned, his expression of frustration quickly morphing to worry as he saw that Viktor had followed without the aid of his crutch.
Abandoning his humiliation entirely, Jayce took one giant step back toward Viktor, reaching out and offering a hand, which Viktor immediately took, if only to avoid plummeting to the floor in front of Jayce.
“Please, allow me to explain,” Viktor said, panting a bit from the exertion of following so rapidly. He refused to meet Jayce’s eyes, as he knew he couldn’t say any of this if he did, but he continued to grasp his wrist tightly, even if he no longer needed it.
“I… I told myself long ago that we are partners, and that even though I…” he paused, terror at the consequences within these words making his heartbeat quicken and his hands tremble. “Even though I did… want… you… like that. I wasn’t sure, if you… that you… and I knew that our work was too important, that our potential was much greater without bringing pesky emotions into it. I just didn’t want to jeopardize… what we’ve built, what we will build. But I… I don’t want you to think that I… wouldn’t…”
He was rambling, and hardly completing any of his thoughts, and he knew it, so he stilled with a sigh—he wouldn’t blame Jayce for turning and walking out, wouldn’t blame him for seeking a new partner.
Jayce’s hand squeezed gently once where it was still supporting him, and he dared to look up at him… and found only a fond grin.
“I, uh… I appreciate the thought you’ve put into this,” he said, and they both laughed, the tension once again melting into thin air. “But… and don’t take this the wrong way…”
Jayce paused, moving closer, until they were mere inches apart, until Jayce’s hand was no longer on Viktor’s forearm but snaking behind his waist. Viktor knew Jayce’s scent like the pages of a familiar book, and of course they’d been this close before (leaning past one another in the library to excitedly retrieve a book, standing side by side at Viktor’s chalk board, bumping shoulders at the lab table, running this experiment or that), but now, with the air charged with chemistry, it was… different, intoxicating. Even though they’d been working in the lab for days, Jayce still smelled of mild soap, crisp aftershave. There was a fine hint of sweat, but it only added to the allure of him, gave it that last little kick it needed to make Viktor’s head spin.
“Who says pesky emotion has anything to do with it?” he asked in a whisper, his eyes roving down to where his other hand was beginning to push the buttons of Viktor’s waistcoat through the eyelets one… by one. “You’re a scientist, you know how tension works. Keep adding pressure, and eventually…”
He paused, popping the final button through and pushing the waistcoat open to splay his whole hand out on Viktor’s chest, a single finger finding its way through his shirt to touch bare skin—his palm was warm and strong, even through the fabric, and Viktor swallowed hard.
“Something breaks,” Jayce continued, his hand migrating lower and lower still, until a finger was inching past the waistband of his trousers and making him shudder. “I’m just trying to relieve a bit of the pressure… before that happens. It’s just science, really.”
Viktor chuckled briefly, but his breath caught as Jayce’s hand retreated from his waistband, and instead ran down his thigh, his bad one, cupping behind it and supporting him.
Viktor dared to look back up at Jayce’s eyes, and knew he was a goner, even then, but he asked anyway. “Are you sure about this?”
Jayce grinned, his amber eyes glistening with mischief of his own.
“No,” he said, his thumb beginning to easily rub back and forth on Viktor’s thigh, and Viktor had to close his eyes and take a deep breath to wrangle his thoughts again. “But I’m willing to take it to trials.”
Viktor barked a somewhat nervous laugh at the scientific banter, still heavily distracted by how good Jayce’s touch felt, how the pain had seemed to melt away to be replaced with heady arousal.
Viktor gave himself one last try, one last attempt at a leveler head—we really shouldn’t, this will complicate everything, we can’t, we’re colleagues, just imagine trying to…
But when Jayce leaned in and delivered a suckling kiss to Viktor’s neck, he was done for.
With a growl, Viktor was wrapping a hand around Jayce’s throat and pushing him hard against the nearest wall with a slam. Viktor took a bad step as he followed, his entire body falling into Jayce’s, but that had been the plan anyway, so he simply used the momentum to roll his hips against Jayce’s as he crushed their lips together.
Jayce’s kiss was a facsimile of him—forceful and firm, unbending in its resolution… and yet there were notes of doubt mingling with the taste of the alcohol still on his tongue, a tentativeness that rarely showed itself, even to his partner. He was feverish in responding though; deepening the kiss and gripping Viktor’s thigh just a little tighter as he pulled it up slightly.
Viktor allowed it, actually glad to have the weight off of it, to have the support as he frantically went for the buttons of Jayce’s waistcoat. Already he could feel Jayce growing hard against him, could feel himself stirring with interest as well.
“Mm… mm” Jayce protested into the kiss, and Viktor pulled back, if only to get a better view and remove the waistcoat faster.
“Bed…” Jayce croaked, watching Viktor’s shaking hands like a hawk. “Bedroom.”
“Down the hall, to the left,” Viktor replied, now through the waistcoat and moving on to yank the shirt from where it was tucked and going for those buttons as well.
Jayce giggled, the hand that wasn’t on Viktor’s thigh coming up to wrap around Viktor’s hands as they worked, stilling them. “No, us, bedroom, now.”
“Right,” Viktor said, pausing and looking back over to the couch, where his crutch was; he was loathe to leave Jayce’s touch, to break away from him for any reason. “Let me just…”
Before he could go on, he was being bodily lifted by his thighs until he had no choice but to wrap an arm around Jayce’s neck to avoid toppling over backwards. Jayce’s grip hurt his bad leg, just a little, but it was a welcome ache—something about it only exciting him.
With lengthy, purposeful strides, Jayce started toward the bedroom, and Viktor couldn’t help but laugh.
“Well what do you know… you got to carry me after all.”
Jayce giggled as he turned the corner into the dark bedroom. “Bastard,” he said playfully, bending and depositing, not dropping, Viktor onto his back on the bed.
Looking up at Jayce as he shrugged from his waistcoat and shirt was one of the most erotic things Viktor had ever seen—Jayce was chiseled and perfect in ways he didn’t even know a man could be. It made him thankful the lights were low in his bedroom; he’d never been a self-conscious person, at least not where vanity was concerned. He’d never been that preoccupied with his looks, with how others perceived him. He always knew where he stood, what people thought of him. But now, as he watched Jayce whip his belt off and begin unbuttoning his pants, he found himself wildly sheepish—oh god, I’m thin, I’m too thin, and my leg! Oh shit, that’ll kill the mood, what’ll he think when…
“Hey,” Jayce said quietly, and suddenly he was leaning down and bracing himself just past Viktor’s shoulders, caging him in with his incredibly muscled arms. “I can hear you thinking, what’s wrong?”
“No! I mean, nothing! Nothing’s wrong, everything is… very right. I just… I’m… and you’re…” Viktor stuttered, a hand awkwardly motioning to Jayce’s impressive chest.
Jayce grinned, and Viktor jumped as Jayce’s toned thigh was pressing between his legs, pressing against him.
“Only difference is the prescription,” Jayce said, and this time Viktor laughed out loud, always humbled by how Jayce knew just what to say to make him laugh, to make him feel better.
“Relax,” Jayce went on, going for the buttons of Viktor’s shirt with a single hand as he continued to hold himself up with the other. “I wouldn’t be in this position if I didn’t find you attractive. Now hush, and let me work.”
Viktor had a rebuttal ready to go, but language in general took to the skies as Jayce threw open Viktor’s shirt and crouched down to begin kissing, sucking, and biting at his chest—his hand beginning to rhythmically rub at Viktor’s pants. His mouth was hot and perfect as it followed Viktor’s clavicle down until it found a nipple, barely sucking at it and making Viktor spasm with sensation.
“Uhn, fuck,” Viktor cursed, the tease of it making him rock up into Jayce’s hand, already desperate for more. “J-Jayce, it’s… it’s been a while… a long while. D-don’t tease…” he stuttered, hoping I won’t last was implied.
Jayce did pause, but only to give Viktor an impish grin.
“I have faith in you,” Jayce said, motioning with his head up the bed. “Move up.”
Viktor did as he was asked; using the opportunity to toss away his shirt and waistcoat, but his throat went dry as it gave Jayce the chance to remove the rest of his clothes.
He was an Adonis, that much was already clear, but his cock was equally as impressive—not overly large, but proportionate to the rest of him. Though he wasn’t fully hard yet, so perhaps he had more to show.
Viktor couldn’t admire for long though, because Jayce was quickly prowling on top of him, unbuttoning his pants and slowly pulling them off.
While he was slightly ravenous—a wild sort of look in his eye—he was delicate and careful not to hurt Viktor’s bad leg; slowing when he got there and making sure to slide a hand beneath his knee to support him as he lifted to allow the pants to be removed.
Jayce tossed them away, almost comically, and Viktor might have laughed if it wasn’t for what Jayce did next—he leaned in, placing delicate kisses around Viktor’s knee, all the while tracing aimless shapes and massaging slightly on Viktor’s thigh with attentive fingers.
Viktor groaned, laying his head back on the pillow and closing his eyes as he simply reveled in Jayce’s attentions. That is, until Jayce began migrating—working his way extremely slowly up his thigh until he was laying kisses on Viktor’s protruding hip and sliding his fingers into the waistband of Viktor’s underthings.
Viktor shivered with excitement and anxiety—this is it, the point of no return… are we really doing this? What happens to us after this? Even if it turns out alright, and we can still work together, how am I going to even LOOK AT HIM without thinking about… this…
“I really gotta get you out of that head of yours,” Jayce’s voice startled him, and he opened his eyes to find Jayce hovering over him again, their lips mere centimeters apart.
“I knew this going in, but… you think too much,” Jayce said, and Viktor suddenly felt Jayce’s fingers playing at the waistband of his underwear.
“Stop worrying,” Jayce whispered, leaning in to place a short, barely-there kiss to Viktor’s lips. “We’ll talk about the repercussions later, but… nothing’s changing, nothing’s ending. In fact…”
Jayce’s hand slid into Viktor’s underwear, and Viktor gasped and tensed as Jayce palmed him, skin-to-skin.
“I like to think of it as a breakthrough,” Jayce continued, his voice gone husky and deep, and Viktor had to anchor himself by wrapping a hand behind Jayce’s neck to hold him, hold them together. “Something we were meant to discover, and just… hadn’t yet.”
With that, Jayce fully wrapped a hand around him, and began ever-so-gently tugging.
Viktor spasmed with sensation again, gripping Jayce’s neck hard and letting out a breathy “fuck.”
Before he could say anything else, Jayce’s lips were pressed to his, his tongue barely playing at Viktor’s, and that was it for reason and thought—Viktor knew nothing but Jayce’s touch, magnetic and powerful, Jayce’s kiss, slow yet demanding.
Viktor sank into a haze as they continued kissing languidly, as Jayce continued to work him at a pace that had him growing harder by the second but going nowhere.
So when Jayce pulled away, leaving Viktor’s lips puffy and used, Viktor whined shamelessly, and Jayce giggled.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said, maneuvering himself down Viktor’s body and settling between his legs. “Nowhere you don’t want me, anyway…”
A flash of heat went through Viktor as he figured out what Jayce was getting at, pulling Viktor’s underwear down and off and leaning back in.
Viktor nearly howled as Jayce’s lips closed around the head of his cock, their pressure warm and wet, and he had to grip the bedsheets hard as Jayce began to bob his head. In fact Jayce had only managed a few good movements before Viktor could feel it brimming—heat blooming low in his gut and his whole body beginning to seize up.
Both hands migrating to dig into Jayce’s hair, fingernails scratching at his scalp, Viktor attempted a semblance of control, trying to think of something, anything that could bring him back from the brink, but Jayce’s perfect mouth made it impossible—and when Jayce’s fingers started rolling Viktor’s balls, barely squeezing as he felt the weight of them, Viktor broke.
“Jayce… Jayce… JAYCE!” he cried, gripping Jayce’s hair and not pulling exactly, but making his intent known.
Blessedly, Jayce pulled off, and not a moment too soon, as Viktor slammed his eyes shut, his hips giving aborted thrusts as a small stream of precum leaked from him.
“T-too close, and I…” Viktor’s voice caught in his throat, and he swallowed hard, licking his dry lips to wet them as he continued, “I don’t want to be done yet.”
Viktor would rate the look of unfiltered gloating that flashed across Jayce’s handsome face among the sexiest things he’d ever laid eyes on. It was mischievous, yet with a hint of pride and refined, intimate knowledge.
“Alright,” Jayce said, prowling back up Viktor’s body and leaning in to kiss him soundly, and Viktor warmed at the taste of himself on Jayce’s lips. “What else did you have in mind?”
Viktor was certain he blushed, damned bloody tell, but he did his best to disguise it as he reached for his bedside table, pulling the drawer and retrieving the small vial within.
“You know damn well,” Viktor said, glad to hear a bit more composure returned to his voice as he turned back to face Jayce, shoving the vial into his hand.
Now it was Jayce’s turn to be overcome—a look of shock and dawning worry adorning his rich honey-wine eyes.
Viktor threw the impish grin right back at him, leaning up to prop himself on an elbow as he kissed Jayce’s slightly-open lips. He reached for Jayce’s cock as he did, feeling its weight in his hand for the first time and trembling at the thought of it inside him.
“You won’t break me, Jayce,” he whispered, trailing kisses to the corner of Jayce’s mouth, his cheek, his jawline; until he was nibbling at Jayce’s earlobe and feeling the shudder it wrought. “I can take a lot more than you think.”
Viktor began to move his hand, giving Jayce little twists at the end, and Jayce closed his eyes for a moment, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he convulsively swallowed.
“N-never doubted for a second, Viktor,” Jayce whimpered, his hips jumping and beginning to follow the movement of Viktor’s hand. “I know you’re stronger than they all give you credit for.”
Viktor smiled at the compliment, following the line of Jayce’s carotid with his mouth until he was sinking his teeth into the meat of Jayce’s shoulder.
“Prove it,” Viktor growled against the spit-wet bite mark, and Jayce actually moaned.
Jayce turned frantic then, leaning back on his haunches to begin ripping the stopper from the vial, and Viktor was provided the full view; Jayce’s chest heaving with excited pants, and his impressively hard length, definitely thicker now, waning to the side with its own hefty weight. Jayce’s hands were shaking so badly that when he went to pour the lubricant on his fingers, he overpoured, spilling a good amount onto the bedsheets.
“Shit, sorry,” Jayce murmured, looking around bashfully as if for something to clean it up with. Viktor simply shook his head fondly, leaned up, wrapped a hand around Jayce’s neck, and pulled him back down on top of him.
“It’s fine, really,” Viktor said between kisses, simply moving his lips against Jayce’s as he spoke. “I expect you to make much more of a mess of me than that.”
Jayce chuckled, returning the kiss tenfold as his hand disappeared from view.
Viktor’s breath stuttered as Jayce wasted no time—a single finger massaging at Viktor’s rim. Viktor weighed the benefits of closing his eyes for this part; simply enjoying Jayce’s touch, his easy movements. But Jayce’s eyes… so bright and on fire with adoration and lust… Viktor couldn’t look away.
So when Jayce’s finger breached him, he was somewhat surprised, his hand gripping Jayce’s neck hard as his lungs emptied with a punched-out breath.
Jayce stilled, ever the worrier, and Viktor picked up the slack to wordlessly communicate that he was fine—rocking his hips and pushing Jayce’s finger further inside.
Jayce grinned at that, and they devolved into a series of wet, drawn-out kisses as Jayce worked his way to two, three fingers. He was effective, yet painfully gentle—pushing all the way in to the knuckle, scissoring his fingers a bit to ghost over Viktor’s prostate in a touch that was exciting but nowhere near enough, and then slowly pulling out again. Viktor was just about to speak up, to remind Jayce that he wasn’t made of glass, though perhaps he may look it, when…
“You’re… you’re sure about this?” Jayce croaked, his fingers sliding all the way out.
Jayce’s face had a slight anxious lilt to it, and Viktor gave him what he hoped was a relaxed, reassuring smile.
“I’m never truly certain of anything, Jayce, you know this,” he said, noting that the hint of anxiety turned to full-blown concern, so he hurried to continue. “It’s why I’m a scientist. That’s why I run experiments, do tests—to find out if my hunch was right. And Jayce…”
He leaned up, reaching around to fist a handful of Jayce’s pert ass in a sure, tight grip, to which Jayce yelped.
“I want to know what you feel like inside me,” he whispered, following it with a single nibble to the shell of Jayce’s ear.
Jayce physically reacted, his shoulders jerking and his abdominal muscles spasming.
“Shit, yeah, that… okay, yeah…” Jayce stuttered, and Viktor made a mental note of just what it took to derail Jayce’s mind.
Without any more delay, Jayce was positioning himself between Viktor’s legs, propping himself up with one arm just over Viktor’s shoulder, and using the other hand to guide his hard cock to Viktor’s entrance.
He barely began to push inside, and the stretch had Viktor arching off the bed slightly and reaching up to grip Jayce’s forearm (he wasn’t sure about reaching for his hand, wasn’t sure he… they were at that point).
There was just a hint of pain, as Jayce was thicker than his three fingers had been, but Viktor was accustomed to pain; that, and Jayce had proven himself to be a bit of a worry-wart, at least where Viktor was concerned, so Viktor pushed through it, slamming his eyes shut and gripping Jayce hard for purchase.
Jayce stilled as he bottomed out, and Viktor gave himself the opportunity to get accustomed to the feel of Jayce inside him—hot and hard and stretching him open in the best way.
“You okay?” Jayce whispered, and Viktor opened his eyes to find a hauntingly doting expression meeting him, Jayce’s hand coming up to sweep Viktor’s hair back from his temple and cup beneath his head.
Viktor nodded, leaning in for a short peck to Jayce’s parted mouth, and whispered back, “better if you move.”
Jayce nodded, but before he did, he ran his hand lightly down Viktor’s side, tracing his ribs and making him shiver, before looping his hand beneath Viktor’s right thigh, pulling it up slightly against Jayce’s hip and holding it for support.
It was an explosion of sensation as Jayce began to move—the drag of his thick cock, the hefty reassurance of his weight, the strong, unwavering grasp of Viktor’s leg, supporting him and ensuring he felt nothing but ecstasy.
And ecstasy it was, as Viktor reached for his own cock, gripping it tightly and jerking to the rhythm of Jayce’s slow but forceful thrusts, and the thrill built back up quickly.
“J-Jayce…” Viktor groaned, heat building low in his gut, but needing more. “Harder, I won’t break.”
Jayce hesitated, his movements stuttering. “Are you s-“
Viktor growled, his free hand flying up to grasp Jayce’s jaw firmly.
“Stop asking if I’m sure. I’m sure. Fuck me,” Viktor said harshly, recalling with delight what this kind of talk had done to Jayce earlier.
Jayce let out a pitiful, animalistic sound, pulling Viktor’s leg up higher as he sped up and drove even deeper, the bed beginning to slam into the wall with the force of it.
The air left Viktor’s lungs with each and every thrust, Jayce’s cock beginning to drag over his prostate and make him see red. The adrenaline and endorphins had completely overshadowed Viktor’s pain, so he dared to wrap both legs around Jayce, using them to pull him in even closer.
When he did, Jayce’s hand left his leg, and Viktor briefly lamented the loss, but not for long—Jayce’s hand nudged away Viktor’s from his cock, taking him in a sure grip and working him perfectly—his thumb positioned to rub over the sensitive head with every pull.
The red in Viktor’s vision spilled in even further, and he knew he had only seconds, his entire lower body seizing with pleasure.
“Jay… Jayce… fuck, I’m so close, don’t you dare stop, I… I need…”
He didn’t get to finish the sentence, as starbursts erupted in his bloodstream, and he cried out, gripping whatever was in reach as he convulsed with the sheer power of his orgasm—cum striping all the way up to his neck as Jayce’s fist slowed but didn’t stop.
Viktor came down slowly, his vision returning and his fingertips tingling with numbness. With a bit of shock, he realized his entire body was shivering noticeably, his jaw quivering like he’d been left out in the cold. His body really hadn’t been in any sort of shape to handle this, especially not a full-body orgasm, but… the endorphins flooding his brain and making him feel almost high with pleasure… yeah, that made it worth the soreness he was most definitely going to endure tomorrow.
His hips jerked with aftershocks, and Jayce continued to thrust in measured fashion, though it was clear the effort of holding back was momentous. Though fatigue and post-coital bliss was making Viktor feel sluggish, he pushed at Jayce’s chest, intending to swap their positions and finish Jayce off.
“Wait,” Jayce said, releasing Viktor’s cock and slowly pulling out, grimacing with want as he did. “I… y-your hands… I…”
Jayce seemed suddenly bashful, asking for what he wanted, so Viktor wrapped a hand around the back of his neck once more and rubbed his thumb reassuringly back and forth just behind his ear.
“In the lab, watching you work, I… I’ve been fascinated… no, obsessed with your hands. You have this… this mesmerizing mixture of delicate and strong, slow and methodical. I’ve… I’ve um… dreamed about…”
“Fantasized, more like?” Viktor asked, biting his lip for flare and reaching for Jayce’s lube-drenched cock. Jayce whimpered at first contact, a bead of precum rolling down over Viktor’s thumb.
Viktor worked him slow and tight, pausing on each stroke to rub his thumb back and forth over the slit, noting that with each and every movement, more precum followed. Jayce must have been so close, teetering on the edge of oblivion and never falling over because Viktor’s—what had Jayce called it?—methodical precision was keeping him there.
Jayce’s arms began to tremble where they were propped to either side of Viktor’s shoulders, and his breaths came in increasingly desperate pants. Viktor watched hungrily as his abs tensed, his hips jerked.
Viktor grabbed his jaw once more, feeling the tremble in it, the hammering pulse beneath his fingertips.
“Look at me,” he demanded, and Jayce’s eyes opened, frenzied lust brimming in them.
Viktor gave him that mischievous grin, working him minutely faster. “Are you going to come for me?” he asked in as sultry a voice as he could muster. “Paint these hands that you so adore with your cum?”
“Fuck!” Jayce gasped, his hips speeding up.
Just a little more, Viktor thought to himself, migrating his hand from Jayce’s jaw to the back of his head, where he took a handful of Jayce’s hair, pulled his head back, and leaned in to lick a stripe of hot saliva from Jayce’s collar bone to his stone-chiseled mandible.
“Ah, fuck!” Jayce practically screamed, his body seizing up and stilling as thick streaks of cum painted Viktor’s hips and chest, mingling with his own. Jayce just kept on coming, the initial explosion dying down to a stream that pooled in Viktor’s fist and dripped down his wrist.
Jayce panted hard as the aftershocks took him, whimpers escaping with every breath, and as Jayce rested their foreheads together, Viktor slowed and finally stilled his hand.
“Fuck,” Jayce grunted, pulling away and sidling over to spin and lie on his back next to Viktor.
“So you’ve said,” Viktor teased, and a very weak slap was delivered to his arm.
“That… that language you spoke… when… when you…” Jayce said between panting breaths.
Viktor hadn’t even realized he’d spoken his native tongue, but it didn’t surprise him.
“Hm?” he asked in a what about it tone, staring up at the ceiling to avoid looking over at Jayce.
“I didn’t know you… that English wasn’t…”
Viktor giggled, interrupting him as he finally turned his head to look at him.
“What, you thought I did the accent for clout?” he asked with a snort, and Jayce laughed, finally looking back.
“No, ass. I just… I suppose I knew, I just… never thought to ask. What was it? The language?” Jayce asked, his expression hazy and relaxed.
Viktor clicked his teeth, not really wishing to trudge down that particular path of memories.
“Doesn’t matter,” he said dismissively, “it just happens sometimes when I… forget myself.”
Jayce beamed with pride. “So you’re saying I made you forget yourself?”
Viktor rolled his eyes fondly, turning back to look up at the ceiling again.
“Perhaps,” he drawled.
“Okay then…” Jayce said, his voice going soft as a hand reached over to begin tracing light shapes on the inside of Viktor’s forearm, just below the elbow where he was slightly ticklish. “What did you say?”
Viktor smiled, but still didn’t look back at him. “The usual—don’t stop, things like that.”
“Hm,” Jayce hummed, his hand stilling on Viktor’s arm but remaining there. “Would you teach me sometime? Just a few words?”
Viktor sighed, endlessly endeared by Jayce’s hunger for knowledge.
“Sure,” he said, rearranging and groaning as the pain and fatigue began to sneak back in, as well as the better judgement. “Jayce, I…”
“I know,” Jayce interrupted, his voice gone somber and soft. “You don’t have to say it… we’re… what we’re doing, it’s… it’s too important to jeopardize. I know. I know. But just… don’t say it. If you never want to do this again, that’s fine, I’ll take a hint, and everything goes back to normal. Not that… things were ever normal, but… you know what I mean.”
Jayce’s hand started back up again, this time slightly wrapping around Viktor’s forearm, one might dare to say possessively.
“I can do that, I can,” Jayce went on with a jerky nod. “And I know you can too, I’ve seen you juggle enough calculations to know that. ‘Compartmentalize, organize,’ as Heimerdinger likes to say. But… don’t say it.”
He stilled, going silent.
Viktor sighed. If Jayce didn’t want to hear it, then… so be it. He was smart enough to know.
“Alright,” Viktor agreed, finally looking back in time to catch the genuine, warm smile as it lit up Jayce’s face. “I need a shower. Care to join me?”
Jayce’s whole head pulled back as he recoiled in surprise.
“But… I thought…”
He thought we were done, that this was a one-time thing. Cute.
Viktor shrugged, giving Jayce a playful ‘meh’ face, and Jayce laughed out loud as Viktor sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed.
“Well if you’re not going to join me, I left my crutch in the other room, so could you at least help me to the bathroom?” Viktor said, knowing full well he’d already hooked his prey.
Jayce leapt to his feet and hurried around the bed to offer a hand, his fully nude form, marked with bites and scratches Viktor didn’t even realize he’d put there, like artwork against the backsplash of the dark room.
Viktor took his hand, leaning their shoulders together as he hobbled to the bathroom, and Jayce closed the door behind them.