Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

At the Edge of the Night

—

Mount Targon was the very image of everything the myths and legends invoked.

To attempt to properly describe its scale and magnitude was a fool's errand. What was visible to the naked eye below the crest of the heavens above was only a minuscule, insignificant fragment of what lingered far above them; that much was clear without much thought given to it. And yet, it was nearly impossible to attempt to fully comprehend, so grand was its magnitude.

The Hexgates had been the tallest thing that either of them had ever fathomed they’d see in their finite lifespans. Now they realized they’d never truly comprehended the concept of height at all.

The base of the mountain was all that could be seen for miles upon miles in almost any given direction, all but for the gradually sloping grassy plains that melded into distant Shurima. Beyond that, nothing else could be perceived. They were truly at the ends of the known world.

The night that the Acceleration Rune deemed fit to spit them out atop Mount Targon had been frigid and merciless, battering them with all the primal, unwarranted ferocity of the tides sinking a ship as they did battle against the elements in utter futility. They’d stumbled down from a great height, snow blind, disheartened, and sorely undressed for the weather. But now, everything was quiet. Serene, even. Silent but for the breeze that couldn’t quite be called wind in good faith, but was still strong all the same.

In the weeks that melded into months that followed, they’d taken refuge in a Solari settlement and then the lodgings that they now occupied. They were at the base of the mountain, but that somehow meant very little in the grand scheme of things. They’d simply migrated to another settlement at the edge of the plains, rolling hills gradually flattening into gentle plateaus for as far as the eye could see. At times, the world still felt as though it lingered far beneath them from their place against the base of the mountain, nothing more than a distant memory. And yet, not a somber, mournful one. It was difficult to quantify what either of them truly felt about their place in the grand scheme of things now, but that was partially because they largely refused to, opting instead to take things one day at a time and give themselves over to the monumental effort that recuperating so often proved to be.

Convalescing indoors as often as they could had proven to be an optimal use of their mental and physical energy the vast majority of the time. Anything that spared them the vague disquietment that so often assailed them in random intervals if they dared attempt to comprehend everything that had happened was a worthwhile endeavor. But as time passed, the pain dulled slightly, and with it came a simple truth. The past was set in stone. The future, much less so. They could shape their own destinies now. Fate no longer had designs for them. They had a future.

Or they would if Viktor didn’t cause them to freeze to death first.

He’d been on the second-story private loggia that connected their lodgings to the outside world for the better part of thirty minutes now, arms resting over the railing as he looked off into the distance. Content to feel the cold air trail across his face as it rustled his hair and clothing. He wasn’t underdressed per se, but what scant heat the room contained seemed to vacate the longer Jayce beheld him through the small window that separated Viktor from his place in their shared bed. 

With a soft sigh, Jayce rose to stoke the embers of the small fire that smoldered a few meters from their place of slumber. He shuddered, a chill shooting up his body as his bare feet made contact with the stone floor below. The building was chiseled out of the mountain itself just as the majority of the structures in the village were, so the soft woven rug that covered the floor below in the hopes of providing some semblance of warmth did little more than prove to be a product of wishful thinking.

With his singular objective now complete, Jayce turned his attention elsewhere. He had a task in mind. He grasped the wooden double doors that led outside, going rigid as he was met with the unmistakable chill of the outside world. He barely crossed the threshold, unwilling to sacrifice any more of the precious heat that they’d cultivated to the whims of the mountain. Unlike Viktor, he was underdressed for the weather.

But that was only because Viktor had stolen his coat, of course.

“It was my understanding that you hated the cold,” Came a familiar voice in dry jest. Viktor didn’t turn to regard him, but he didn’t need to. It was just the two of them, after all. Who else could his mystery visitor be?

Jayce smiled softly, coming to a stop just behind him. The sight of Viktor in his coat, his lithe frame dwarfed by its large proportions so that it hung off of him like a loose bathrobe more than a fitted winter garment, had an effect on Jayce that he didn’t fully comprehend. His mouth went dry instantly. He longed to grasp him and carry him back to the bed. To swaddle him in his warmth and steal the cold from his bones. To hold him so close that he complained about the heat of him before eventually admitting defeat and surrendering, going slack in his arms. 

He wanted to…

Jayce didn’t even bother to acknowledge where his mind had wandered, the way his body had just betrayed him, or the effect seeing the scantest hint of Viktor’s exposed back, neck, and shoulder had on him. He was more surprised that his body had even managed to do that, given the current temperature. That had been… fast.

“The bed is cold without you in it, anyway,” Jayce responded nonchalantly as he stepped closer and wrapped his arms around his partner, grasping him around the lower chest and stomach as he pressed his chest against his back. It did nothing to make either of them warmer. In fact, it made Jayce colder to have his arms away from the center mass of his own body and against the cold fabric of Viktor’s clothing. But he insisted. He just wanted to touch him. To feel him beneath his grasp. His heartbeat against his skin and his breath in his ear. Against his body. It anchored him despite everything. Or more accurately, because of everything.

Viktor let out a contented hum and let his head fall against Jayce’s right shoulder, raising his left hand to absent-mindedly stroke Jayce’s forearm. The gesture had become second nature to him as of late, his inhibitions slowly dissolving in the face of their newfound mutual understanding. Slowly. Deliberately. Much the same as his caresses and other acts of affirmation. He settled against the crook of his armpit against his chest, his breathing slowing in increments as he half closed his eyes. Fulfilled.

They had grown close in the past handful of months. It had been slow going at first, but once the walls that they had both insulated themselves within slowly began to crumble away, the floodgates had been unleashed. 

Jayce had discovered rather quickly that while the two of them enjoyed and craved intimacy, their preferences were divergent. His desires for their trysts were more frequent; sporadic in nature, but never fleeting. And then there was Viktor. His desire was an infrequent thing, seemingly tempered by factors unknown to Jayce. Viktor was not reluctant to express his affections by any means. He did so without regard or hesitation. He was simply less inclined for them to branch out into more intimate avenues, instead preferring to bask in his company and enjoy the comfort of his embrace. The brushing of his lips against his own and the warmth of his smile. To be held and cherished much as he was now. Jayce’s presence alone was more than enough the majority of the time. It soothed him like a balm against irritated skin.

But should the rare occasion present itself well… that was another matter entirely.

“Just this morning you said my feet were colder than the ice on the slopes, Jayce,” Viktor said with a disbelieving scoff, playfully rolling his eyes at the statement. Two contradicting truths could coexist. They were living evidence of that immutable fact. But it was still fun to tease him from time to time. It kept things lively. Unpredictable.

 “I did, didn’t I?” Jayce chuckled softly, resting his chin against the top of Viktor’s head. He adored him, but it was the truth. No matter what they did, his extremities remained ice cold, almost as though they had been chiseled from the very ice the caverns above them were built upon. There was no escape. He would simply spend the rest of his life being accidentally awoken in the night by the brush of his toes against his leg. Why fight it?

Viktor scoffed again, falling silent as he shifted his head back a bit, looking up. Jayce didn’t need to ask what Viktor was doing out on the balcony at this hour. The stars overhead were awe-inspiring, a nebula of glittering stardust that trickled across the cosmos like an abstract smattering of paint across a dark canvas. What a sight to behold. Why would one ever choose to miss this? And yet, the sight before him was more enticing all the same. The stars could stay where they were for now. Jayce had intentions.

He squeezed him just that little bit tighter, leaning in and allowing his garments to press against the small of his back. Pulling him between his parted legs as he slid his chin from the top of his head to the crux of his neck. Jayce settled there and did not dare speak a word. Regardless of what Viktor’s response to his silent inquiry was, he was not incapable of receiving a hint. Of feeling the way he protruded against his back.

They lingered in silence together for several minutes, taking in the majesty of the night until Viktor finally deemed fit to humor him with a response.

“... Jayce Tais, you are insatiable.” He was correct. And yet despite the way he sighed in mock defeat, it was not a judgment or a statement of dissatisfaction. It was one of his best qualities by Viktor’s personal estimations. He was almost impressed in a way. Where had Jayce’s mind wandered off to that allowed him to even manage to become aroused at such abominable temperatures? It was frankly inhuman. Fascinating…

“And you like that about me, don’t you?” He whispered into his neck, smiling against his skin. Another false inquiry. It wasn’t up for debate.

Despite his efforts to feign displeasure, Viktor simply couldn’t help the fond look that made its way onto his face, softening his handsome features. He closed his eyes, slumping into his embrace as Jayce pressed a lingering kiss against his wind-chilled skin. He’d been stronger once. “Indeed.”

Without another word shared between them, Viktor went slack and unfolded his arms. It was an invitation. One that Jayce would be a fool to ignore. Without so much as a word, Jayce slipped his arms into a more secure position around him and hoisted him up into his grasp, ignoring the way his back protested. The bed wasn’t far. He could manage that long.

For Viktor’s part, he was fully willing to humor him so long as he didn’t have to feel the cold bite of early spring against his bare flesh. Nothing was going to get him to disrobe. Not in this weather.

—

It had been a fun diversion, if not brief and laced with the omnipresent reality of bone-deep fatigue.

The moment their chilled bodies had settled under the warm blankets that covered their bed, the will to do anything at all had rapidly abandoned them. It was as if the mattress itself had leeched the very essence of arousal from their bodies as soon as they’d touched it. They made a decent attempt at doing something meaningful, but failed utterly within minutes. And they were fine with that. Or at least they had been as they’d drifted off into blissful slumber, wrapped in one another's embrace.

As if summoned from his restful slumber by some entity unseen, Jayce stirred. He blinked away the dregs of sleep from his eyes, trapped in a hazy state of semi-sleep that did him no favors. When his vision returned to him, the first thing his eyes fell upon was the smouldering remnants of the fire that made their room habitable. Little had changed. He’d only been asleep for a few short hours at most, and the specialized fuel contained within was designed to last for far longer than that.

The night stretched on. Morning would be upon them in a few hours' time, but not yet. They could still rest.

Exhaling deeply as he lay face down against the covers, Jayce noticed the presence at his back for the first time since he’d awoken. The pleasant sound of deep, meaningful breath being drawn and released as warm air stirred the hair at the base of the back of his neck. Just enough weight against him to anchor him in place, but not enough to restrict his movements. The gentle warmth was as familiar as it was welcome. A product of his lovers' embrace. They’d gone to sleep facing the loggia to the far side of their small quarters, but at some point during the night, Viktor had settled against the middle of his back, his thin arms wrapping around Jayce’s waist and his face buried in the space between his broad shoulders. Sound asleep.

Jayce resisted the urge to chuckle to himself. He wished he had eyes in the back of his head. He imagined that the sight was rather endearing.

He closed his eyes and settled back into the blankets, burrowing his arms into the covers. The room was pleasantly warm now. There was still a chill to the air, but that was something he’d grown used to as a fact of life here. There had to be ventilation for the smoke, and ventilation required an exit. There wasn’t a draft, but where there was a gap, there was air. With a soft sigh, he shifted slightly, careful not to move much. But despite his efforts, Viktor moved against his back. And when he did, Jayce’s head perked up.

The garments they wore were deceptively thin for how well they held heat, a product of ingenuity, necessity, and generations of fiber weaving techniques designed to make them softer, easier to move in, and reduce overall bulk. But an unintended byproduct of these efforts was the undeniable fact that they had a tendency to conform to the skin and muscles beneath them rather fittingly. Especially at times like this.

The logical part of Jayce’s mind told him that it was a product of friction and shared warmth. The considerate part of him insisted that if he was still asleep, then it wasn’t worth disturbing him over. But the instant Viktor shifted against him a second time in an attempt to chase his fleeting warmth and he felt that , the small lustful, inconsiderate part of his brain that he didn’t like to acknowledge the power of halted any further thought. 

They could sleep in. They had nothing but time.

In one smooth motion, Jayce turned over and gently pulled Viktor up against his chest, holding him as he pressed him against his heart. His lips brushed against his ear as he leaned in to whisper into it, hoping to rouse him gently. He slipped a hand under the wrap-like garment that clothed him, rubbing his hand soothingly along the length of his back. Tracing the length of his spine where his brace had once been secured with screws and locking mechanisms. The design had since been altered to accommodate his current needs, and the transformations that his body had endured had displaced them, but he remembered well where they had once been. Jayce beckoned him to awaken, and he wordlessly obliged.

Viktor’s eyes fluttered open, filled with fatigue and then intrigue. Intrigue that was quickly replaced with confusion. He looked at Jayce blankly, his eyes taking the better part of a minute to focus. But once they finally managed the task, he instantly registered the unspoken intent in Jayce’s gaze, his eyes lingering on his face as the taller of the two brushed a stray lock of hair out of his lover’s face.

“... Would you like some help with that?” He seemed almost too amused by the turn of events unfolding before him. He was under no illusions that this was the first time that this had occurred during the night, but it was the first time that he’d noticed. And if the look of tired confusion on Viktor’s face was anything to go by, he hadn’t registered it in its entirety just yet.

Viktor’s eyes traveled downward, a quizzical expression appearing on his face. The sleep-addled gears in his head gradually began to turn, permitting him to form something akin to intelligent thought. For a moment, he didn’t speak, looking up at Jayce with an almost accusatory look on his face as though he suspected that this might be partially his doing before he visibly disavowed the notion. His face flushed and he wordlessly pulled away, turning over to face the door in the opposite direction. It was a gentle, almost passive act, but one laced with a perceptible tinge of irascibility that Jayce almost dared snicker at, but for the halfhearted kick in the shin that it would no doubt earn him. It seemed Jayce wasn’t the only one who was becoming habituated to the frigid air.

Yawning as he rubbed his face with his palms, Jayce settled back down beside Viktor, pulling his back against his chest as he gently settled back into their embrace. Viktor returned the gesture, relaxing as the pair attempted to drift back into peaceful slumber.

A minute passed. Then a second. Then five. Then ten. 

And then, as if suddenly possessed, Viktor sat straight up in the bed and let out a full-body sigh, his shoulders slumping. He brought his face to rest against his open palm as he acknowledged defeat in utter futility.

“I am awake now.”

Jayce couldn’t help himself as he lay next to him with his eyes closed. A small chuckle slipped past his lips, heedless of the consequences it might invoke. “Well, I sure hope so since you’re still talking to me.”

Viktor gave him an incredulous look, a glimmer of something dark in his honey colored eyes. Something desperate. Silence settled over the two of them, unbearable in its weight until Jayce could endure it no longer and opened his eyes to meet his gaze. 

He could feel Viktor’s eyes on him before he even opened his own, burrowing into his very soul. There was a heat behind them that he recognized aspects of, but even with that taken into account, he knew that something was different this time. They flickered up and down the length of his body, assessing. Determining. Dismantling. The gears in his head were turning, and Jayce was suddenly as intrigued as he was wary.

Leaning over him with all the deliberateness of a great fanged predator stalking its prey, Viktor placed one arm on either side of him, looking down from above as he lowered his face until it was hovering just a few inches above Jayce’s, his eyes unavoidable. The intent behind them was clearer than ever before as he lowered his voice to little more than a whisper, his tone unambiguous and unwavering. There was a certainty to every aspect of him. It was arresting to behold, if not slightly intimidating. Jayce couldn’t deny the way his chest clenched at the display, the tightness below the blankets that they shared becoming more noticeable than ever.

“Yes… “ Viktor gingerly ran the back of his hand against the collar of Jayce’s wrap, visibly savoring the way he raised slightly to meet his touch. His eagerness was enticing, but he would not indulge. Not yet. His eyes fell lower, his face betraying how deep in thought he remained. But Jayce could only make vague guesses as to what he might have in store for him. “We should do something about that.”

Pulling his hand away slowly, Viktor watched as Jayce seemed to shudder at the loss of his touch. There was an air of mischief to him that Jayce recognized, but he’d never experienced it in this context before. And that truth only intensified his desire to peer into his beloved’s mind and catch a glimpse of the storm that was brewing there. His heart thrummed in his chest. Viktor looked far too casual for a man who had longed for sleep mere minutes ago, little more than a slight quirk of the corner of his lips to indicate his state of mind. And even that raised more questions than answers. He could glean very little about his state of mind, as things stood.

“Are you saying you’d like to reconsider my offer?” Jayce retorted lightheartedly, attempting to regain some of the footing that he’d clearly lost in this exchange. He reached up slowly to run his fingers up Viktor’s side, only to find his gesture repelled as Viktor gently brushed his hand away with his own, his eyes never leaving his own. Jayce swallowed thickly. And then Viktor leaned in close, his warm breath ghosting across his ear as he teased him with the prospect of a kiss that he would not grant.

“No.” It was all he said.

Jayce trembled. There was something about the way that those two simple letters left his mouth that made the tightness in his loins almost unbearable. Viktor was calm. So utterly calm and unknowable. His breath was even and measured in contrast to the rapidly hastening tempo of his own as he yearned for the sanctity of his touch. Viktor allowed his lips to brush against Jayce’s neck, but he did not part them. Did not press. He made no meaningful contact of any kind, his touch so scant that it was barely detectable. And then he withdrew again, hovering just above him. Just close enough to make it clear that his actions were intentional. He clearly understood the effect his stare had on Jayce as he unhurriedly dragged his eyes over every inch of his body, undressing him without so much as a single touch. There was no questioning that.

There was nothing to satiate him. Nothing to grant him sweet release from the situation he now found himself in. Nothing that could afford him the touch he so desperately longed for, save for the will of his partner. And he wasn’t getting the impression that Viktor was feeling particularly merciful at present. Instead, Viktor slowly dragged the covers back, centimeter by centimeter, inch by inch, as more of the outline of his form was revealed, exposing him to the temperature difference in the room. It was enough to draw another shudder from Jayce as he remained on his back, his companion’s eyes falling low before flickering back up to his face knowingly. Jayce gave him a tender, almost pleading look, chastising himself internally for his inability to conceal his growing desperation. But he simply could not help it. He’d longed for Viktor earlier that night. He desired him even more now. And he would devour him evermore if he were simply afforded the opportunity to indulge his passions.

He felt like a starved hound slavering over the prospect of a fresh kill. He needed him. Carnally.

Viktor slipped his fingertips into the front of Jayce’s garment, pulling the fabric away from his taunt skin just enough to ensure that his fingers did not brush against him as he traced the hem of the fabric down to where it was tied at the waist. And then he stopped, holding his hand there but doing nothing. Savoring the undeniable warmth at the base of his stomach that would not relent. It was a sentiment he understood well. He was in no better condition himself. But that reality would do nothing to save Jayce from what he had in store for him. Oh yes. He had designs.

Slipping his hand lower into the garment, Viktor stopped just shy of actually touching Jayce in the way he knew that he most wanted. It was enough to drive him utterly feral.

He watched as his lover’s breath deepened, becoming more erratic than ever at the prospect of any kind of contact. Jayce jerked upward, raising the source of his desire to seek his hand, but he found nothing. Instead, Viktor withdrew his hand and used it to press down on the side of his hip, anchoring him in place. Restraining him with little to no effort. Jayce huffed. And then Viktor met his eyes again, that same mischievous darkness that they’d held since they’d started more prominent in his golden eyes than ever. Jayce was beginning to understand now. There would be no salvation.

Viktor reached for the tie at Jayce’s waistband, slipping his fingers delicately into the loop of fabric and pulling it until it unraveled. The fabric loosened, resettling slightly as he then grasped the edges of it, tracing them back up to Jayce’s chest as he peeled back the article of clothing one side at a time, fully exposing his partner to the open air. Jayce’s breath hitched as Viktor leaned back, propping himself up on his right elbow next to his head as he ran his fingertips through the edges of Jayce’s hair. The gesture was scant, more surface-level than Jayce would have liked. He preferred to feel Viktor’s fingers against his scalp, gripping gently as he often did. But he knew better than to hope for such a thing now.

To no surprise, he withdrew his hand again, simply taking a moment to savor the sight of him. Viktor didn’t speak. He simply regarded him peacefully, the mechanisms in his head shifting at full force as he undid the waistband of his own clothing, pulling it apart just enough to entice Jayce with a glimpse of something truly tantalizing. A sample of greater treasures to come. It earned him a cautious look from his partner as he shifted onto his side, the want in his eyes unmistakable as he visibly longed to touch him. His hand trembled against the fabric of the sheets. Jayce so desperately wanted to slip his hands into the inside of the silken fabric that clung to Viktor’s body. To touch him. To take the heat of him into the welcoming warmth of his mouth. His eyes spoke volumes as they lingered in unbroken silence. “Just let me have you.” He seemed to beg wordlessly, his jaw clenching as he tried to stifle the base whimper that tried to escape his lips. Tried to suppress the ache between his thighs.

Shockingly, Viktor obliged.

He parted the garment just a bit more, shifting into a more comfortable position as Jayce wasted no mental energy considering anything. He shuffled lower, curling his fingers around Viktor’s hip as he slipped them into the underside of the fabric, leaning in close to savor the scent of his flushed, blood-darkened skin. He pressed his lips lovingly against his navel, kissing the soft skin as he trailed lower, sucking at the soft flesh at the base of his greatest source of desire. He kissed the tip of him before slipping his tongue from between his lips, tracing the vein that ran up the length of him a single time before dipping down in earnest and engulfing him in warmth.

And yet, as he continued, there was no hand at the back of his head as there normally was. No gentle caresses of his face and neck to reward him for a job well done. No barely controlled hitching of his hips as he tried in futility to resist the gentle lull of Jayce’s now thoroughly experienced mouth. There was next to no recognition of his efforts at all. Little more than his breathing changed, and even that was subtle. But as Jayce shifted his gaze upward to behold him, eager to attempt to comprehend his silence, he nearly choked on the expression on Viktor’s face.

If a gaze alone were capable of cutting diamonds, Viktor’s would have. His eyes were half lidded, pupils fully dilated in the dim light of the fireplace. The corner of his mouth opened just enough to provide a glimpse of his tongue wetting his lips before settling against the back of his teeth. Viktor slowly withdrew from him and placed his hand on his shoulder, tracing it down the length of his side until it reached his lower back, ushering Jayce towards him with a gentle if not firm tug. Beckoning him to turn over fully onto his stomach as he locked him in place with torturous eye contact.

Jayce felt his pulse deepen, his own heartbeat deepening until it was all he could hear. His skin prickled with goosebumps. Viktor had only humored him like this once before in the few months that they’d shared a bed together. It was a matter of preference, according to him. He liked the heat of Jayce against the length of the front of his body, the embrace of his arms at his back as he pressed deeper, caging him in lustful reverence. But given the shift in behavior Jayce had thus far witnessed tonight, the prospect of what he had in store for him was so tantalizing that it nearly made him twitch, his ears ringing just enough to make his head tingle.

He followed Viktor’s lead, turning over onto his stomach. The smaller of the two leaned over him, the warmth of his body ghosting over Jayce’s back as he rustled with the bedside drawer, securing something unseen before withdrawing. Jayce was willing to make a few guesses as to what, but before his mind could wander, he felt Viktor’s fingers at his hip, tugging at him in a manner that made it clear that he wanted him to lift up just a bit. His grasp was gentle yet tantalizing, applying just the right amount of pressure to his touch-starved flesh to cause him to take a deeper intake of breath. Jayce throbbed at the prospect of Viktor’s touch, obliging instantly. He wanted to feel his long digits wrap around him. To indulge in the pleasure it would provide. But instead, his partner slipped one of the pillows from the head of their bed under his thighs, elevating him slightly. A sound somewhere between a gasp and a whimper slipped past his lips despite his best efforts to contain it as he lost the blissful warmth and pressure that the mattress provided, his arousal now suspended just out of reach as he settled into place on the pillow. He went untouched again. It was a terrible shame.

A small hand pressed against the middle of his back, stilling him as Viktor positioned himself behind him, allowing his weaker leg to rest on a pillow of his own, allowing it to act as a buffer of sorts to avoid discomfort from pressure. Jayce felt his breath trail up the length of his spine at an almost agonizingly slow pace, hot and tantalizingly warm as he leaned in and pressed a lingering kiss against the back of Jayce’s neck. It was a scant thing, but he sighed in blessed relief when he received it anyway. Any contact with Viktor was worth treasuring. He needed him. Badly . So badly, in fact, that it was starting to become unbearable, the throb of unsatiated eros rendering him sensitive and ever more desperate to receive. To give.

Perhaps sensing his growing discontent, Viktor pressed a soft kiss against each of his shoulder blades in turn, each more tender than the last. It seemed that there was a limit to his cruelty after all. Jayce hazarded a soft smile, his breath shuddering as he clung to the pillow beneath his chest, Viktor’s hands dipping low and urging him to part his legs just a bit more. Gripping the middle of his back and kneading the muscles there soothingly, he pressed a single slicked finger against him. He didn’t push in. Not immediately. But the sharp intake of breath Jayce involuntarily took spoke volumes to his growing sensitivity. He barely withstood the urge to rise up, chasing what he so desperately needed. He was starting to realize that doing so would earn him the exact opposite result. That was the game they were playing tonight.

They lingered for a moment, unmoving as Viktor continued to work the muscles in his back underneath his fingers. But just as Jayce began to turn his head to look back at him questioningly, Viktor pressed in slowly, pulling a gasp from him as Jayce shoved his face into the pillow instead, the hair on his face brushing against the plush cushioning. Despite his previous torments, this was one area where Viktor was unwilling to undersell him, adding an additional digit a minute later. He was met with no resistance as he delved deeper, searching. His mouth watered at the stifled sounds that Jayce made, though his love was unable to see it. And with a slow curl of his fingers, he located precisely what he was looking for. He grinned knowingly.

With a deep groan, the entirety of Jayce’s body lurched as lightning shot through him, the sensation nearly too much to bear. Viktor quirked his fingers against the spot again. And then a third time, each somehow more unhurried than the last. And then with an abruptness that made Jayce want to choke, he withdrew, pressing another kiss against the spot on his back where his hand had just been.

It was as if he’d suddenly slipped and fallen headlong into hell.

The sensitivity was nightmarish, the ache where his fingers had been moments ago akin to the dull throb of a toothache that knew no relief. Not quite painful, but utterly unpleasant. Jayce whimpered softly, the flushed skin between his thighs trembling from a lack of contact that he could abide no longer. Reaching down with his right hand, he attempted to remedy the situation himself, only to be met with the sensation of Viktor’s fingers trailing up his arm before it was gingerly brushed away, Jayce huffing in defeat as he burrowed his face deeper into the pillows. He felt Viktor’s breath at the back of his neck again, but this time there was no kiss.

“Jayce Talis… What exactly do you think you’re doing?” Came the soft syllables that spelled his undoing. There was something so knowing in his tone. It was taunting but delicate, slow-acting venom laced with sugar and humor. It would’ve been punishing if not for the way it enriched every aspect of Jayce’s arousal, making his loins do cartwheels as he lingered in a purgatory of his own making. Or perhaps that was the same thing at this juncture. He wasn’t sure which of them was more invested in this little game of theirs, but he certainly hoped Viktor had less stamina than he did.

It was unlikely.

“... Do you want me to beg ?” Jayce said, an air of desperation to his voice. He sounded almost defeated; whittled down and ready to do his bidding. It earned him a scoff and a playful pat on his back. And then he craned over his shoulder, his lips grazing Jayce’s earlobe as his voice fell a few octaves. His words were hushed and deliberate, even more so than they’d been a moment ago. And Jayce hung on every vowel.

“That would be unconscionable of me, wouldn’t you say?” Jayce suddenly felt something warm against the length of his opening, rubbing lengthwise up and down the skin that made up the ring of fire that now encompassed his overly tender entrance, to the engorged throbbing mess that was his painfully over engorged arousal. Each slow drag lubricated him, but there was no indication that Viktor planned to indulge him any further. He raised up slightly, brushing the tip of his wanton flesh against the throbbing, delicate flesh of Jayce’s opening, pressing just enough to leave the faintest traces of pressure before pulling away and continuing to run up the length of his backside. Viktor took Jayce’s earlobe into his mouth, sucking it tenderly before releasing it as his shoulder length hair tickled his lover’s back. And then he chuckled to himself, the vibration reverberating through Jayce’s entire upper body as his legs trembled in futility. “What do you take me for? I am many things, Jayce, but have you ever known me to be cruel?”

Oh yes. He certainly had. Right now, in fact.

“... I would never accuse you of something so untrue.” Jayce wondered if his words sounded as sarcastic out loud as they did in his head. It earned him an amused scoff. Viktor then slid down just a bit further, clasping Jayce’s quaking things together as he slipped his length between them, applying pressure to it. He exhaled deeply, clearly enjoying the pleasant warmth that surrounded his throbbing flesh and the disbelieving sound of utter betrayal that came from somewhere deep within Jayce as he tried and failed to gain purchase against him. The sensation of his length sliding back and forth between his thighs, so tantalizingly close to where he wanted him to be but not quite there, was maddening. Viktor smiled softly, patting his behind lovingly.

“Yes, you would.” He suppressed a chuckle, but his voice still carried the same air of dry humor that Jayce was so very fond of. There it was. That signature Viktor wit. The biting yet never unkind sarcasm reserved specifically for him that brought him such joy. “You're thinking it right now.”

Why lie when Viktor was right and knew himself to be? There was no deceiving him, especially when Jayce was already struggling just to form a coherent string of thought. “I thought you said you wouldn’t read my mind.”

Viktor released his legs and pulled away, leaving him with no sensation at all. Jayce huffed. Somehow, this was worse .

“I do not require the use of the Arcane to know what is going on inside your mind, Jayce. Your eyes betray you. Your wandering hands.” He lined himself up with Jayce’s entrance with calculated lethargy, slipping his free hand under the front of Jayce’s body and resting it against the space between his navel and his engorged flesh. Pressing lightly to solicit a simpering gasp from him. Savoring the way the muscles in Jayce’s stomach tensed in anguished anticipation. “Betray the extent of your longing. Your desire. ”

When he finally indulged Jayce, the sensation was like nothing he’d ever felt. Like flames being doused with cold water, and yet still continuing to rise and billow in vehemence all the same. Viktor sank in with consummate ease and criminal slowness, millimeter by millimeter as Jayce grasped the last vestiges of his sanity and the bed sheets in turn, his eyes seeing nothing as all traces of intelligent thought evicted themselves from his once brilliant mind. He was a wreck, a shell of his former self, devolved to nothing more than a floundering mess, the sweet heat of his beloved within him all he would ever need for the short time that life remained in him.

After what felt like a lifetime, Viktor was fully seated within him. He could conceal the look of abject pleasure on his face, but not the deep purr of rapture that vibrated through every muscle in his body. Jayce’s eager body encompassed every atom of him perfectly, almost as though his muscles had been molded specifically to his preferences, his passage sculpted by design for this very purpose. It was utter ecstasy. Euphoric. Everything he needed it to be, even if he hadn’t realized it until that very instant.

And then Viktor stopped moving.

For the first minute, Jayce assumed that Viktor was allowing him a grace period to adjust to his frankly unanticipated size before proceeding. Jayce remembered being genuinely taken aback by that particular revelation the first time he’d seen him engorged, staring in a way that had earned him a deep red blush from his, at the time, anxious new partner as he loomed over him in their new bedroom, admiring every inch of his body. But then the second and third minutes came and went, and Jayce realized in abject horror that Viktor had no intention of doing anything. He suddenly thought he might snap, his fragile sanity finally reaching the point of no return as he white knuckled the sheets as if his life depended on it.

He was starting to get the impression that Viktor was enjoying this just a little bit too much.

Jayce sighed, turning his head to face his partner. The smug, knowing look on his face was the stuff of nightmares. Jayce wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Viktor grin before, but he wasn’t sure if he found it adorable or genuinely disquieting to witness. His eyes were half lidded, and his face, neck, and ears were flushed a flattering shade of dark pink. He took deep but deceptively erratic breaths, tilting his head to the side as if to wordlessly inquire if he wanted something. He looked like he was barely resisting the urge to drool. The sight of Jayce like this was so very intoxicating.

“... Viktor…” He spoke his name as though it were a curse and a blessing all at once. Something to be revered and feared in the same breath. It earned him deepened eye contact and a hand on his chest as Viktor used his now free left hand to brace himself against Jayce’s body, running his fingers over his sensitive skin in idle praise.

“Yes, Jayce?” He spoke as if he were unaware of any potential issues, nonchalant and utterly, playfully apathetic towards the concept of what his actions had caused and the way Jayce was rapidly unraveling before him. 

Sighing deeply, Jayce’s gaze softened, something in his eyes so tender and pleading that it made Viktor’s mask slip for a brief moment as he seemed to contemplate whether Jayce was truly suffering as a direct result of his actions. He didn’t want that. “I should’ve just let you sleep. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. This is fun. The most fun I’ve had in ages, in fact.” He pulled backwards, guiding Jayce to kneel in front of him as he discreetly assessed his comfort level. This wasn’t a position that was likely to aggravate Jayce’s leg or back, but it would always be a consideration for Viktor regardless. Toy with him as he might, he took his suffering very seriously. “Ask nicely.”

“I thought you said you didn’t want me to beg,” Jayce said almost definitely, scoffing at the sheer audacity of his imposition. He was incredulous.

Another chuckle, this one accompanied by the gentle massaging of Jayce’s chest as Viktor leaned in and pressed his body against his, kissing his exposed neck with all the tenderness of a kitten. His beloved trembled at his touch, his thoroughly exposed length begging for attention. Viktor lowered his hand, willing to oblige if he’d simply return the favor first. “There is a difference between begging and saying please, Jayce. Use your words.”

Jayce allowed his shoulders to slump to an almost sarcastic degree as he gnawed on the inside of his bottom lip. Viktor affectionately peppered comforting kisses along his neck and shoulders, pressing lightly at the source of his suffering with his hand. That was all he had to do? Truly? It wasn’t another playful deception? He only had one means of answering that question. He would take him at his word. “... Please?”

He felt Viktor smile against his skin as he nuzzled him, pausing his ministrations entirely.

“ Good boy.”

In one smooth, calculated motion, he withdrew fully and then plunged back into the depths of this being, hitting every nerve ending along the path. Jayce’s breath hitched as he groaned headily, hoping with everything in him that the stone walls of the establishment were thick. For a moment, he saw stars. Stars just as real and vivid as the glittering nebula they’d witnessed together that very night. Viktor slowly withdrew again, this time stopping just shy of exiting entirely, spreading the sensitive muscles at his entrance with the thickest portion of himself as he watched the capacity to think or breathe leave Jayce permanently.

Viktor had his own preferences in regards to tempo, but he knew Jayce’s well enough to know that this was precisely what he wanted. What he needed. And he was nothing if not accommodating.

He snuggled up against him, continuing at a steady yet unrelenting rhythm as he shushed him gently. It wouldn’t be long. He’d known that much for a while now, such was the nature of his taunting. One could not be expected in good faith to withstand such a thing and then last much longer afterward. Leaning over as far as he could, he took in the sight of Jayce’s disheveled face from over his shoulder, caressing him gently as he pressed as far into him as he possibly could. He held himself there as he savored the distinct sensation of Jayce practically convulsing around him, his nearly overstimulated muscles spasming sporadically as he brushed against that heavenly place deep within him. Viktor wished he could bottle and distill the sensation. But perhaps not. Why diminish its significance?

Jayce blinked away unspent tears, but he felt nothing remotely resembling pain. There was only satisfaction, deep and carnal in a way that was uniquely satiating. And despite the torment he had inflicted upon him, Jayce hoped that it was a sentiment Viktor shared. There were no hard feelings between them. There never would be. Jayce knew that he could trust Viktor to respect him and not take things too far. To call off his little game should he truly wish it. Viktor was incapable of hurting him, even if he wanted to. And he didn’t. He was diligent. Steadfast. And intensely loving.

He just enjoyed tormenting him a little bit from time to time. And luckily for them both, Jayce was into that.

“Tell me where,” Viktor gasped as he spoke, resting his chin on Jayce’s right shoulder as he trembled from a flood of sensation, lust coating every word that came out of his mouth as his sanity threatened to abandon him for good. He was the very image of a man driven mad with passion; the sound of his voice alone was a force of torment too strong to withstand. “Please.”

For the first time that night, the blood in Jayce’s body went somewhere other than his loins.

He felt Viktor shudder behind him, both of his arms rising from underneath Jayce’s to encompass the width of his chest as his breathing became ragged and unfulfilling. He grasped his shoulders from overtop his chest with his open palms, his fingers digging into the taunt flesh but not scratching or bruising. Merely holding on for dear life. Jayce wasn’t in a much better state himself, but it was still enthralling to be a part of. To hear the sound of Viktor so close to release. It never failed to make his blood ignite. Jayce felt Viktor’s face fall against the center of his shoulder blades as he struggled to hold himself back, his hair blinding him as it stuck to his face from a combination of their sweat. His eyes were closed as he lavished Jayce with a combination of barely comprehensible complimentary gibberish and feted kisses along the length of the scar on his back, his heart pounding against his spine. For the first time that night, he was asking Jayce to lead him, and that realization alone was enough to topple Jayce over the edge. He barely managed to answer before giving in, no longer able to withstand the intensity of their devotion. How could he?

“You know where.” Was all Jayce managed to wheeze out before he slumped forward, grasping the head of the bedframe with his outstretched hands. He almost choked on the air leaving his lungs, his mouth opening, but his body producing no sound aside from a deep, guttural groan that barely qualified as human speech. Whatever sound Viktor managed to make was muffled by his fluttering gasps and Jayce’s back as the pitch of his voice keened ever higher in chorus until he exhaled shakily and slumped over, his soul barely clinging to what remained of his body. His arms fell slack as Jayce bore the full, if not meager, weight of his body. 

For all of about ten seconds.

Unable to withstand the quivering of his arms and shoulders any longer, Jayce released the headboard and tumbled forward, heaving as he drew breath. It was only after several minutes that he looked back over his shoulder at the simpering mess that had once been his partner. Jayce’s hands throbbed from how hard he’d clenched his fingers, and his eyes were blurry, but he could still see Viktor as he rose up on weak arms to behold him, his face streaked with freshly spent tears but no less full of love. It appeared that Jayce hadn’t been the only one who had been overstimulated…

That had truly been… something.

With a huff, Viktor collapsed against his back in much the same position as he had been in when Jayce had first awoken. The only sound was the pleasant crackle of the waning fire and the sound of their breathing as they both gradually began to catch their breath. Viktor didn’t move to withdraw himself, content to enjoy the warmth Jayce’s body provided for just a little bit longer. To bask in his heat as he rubbed soothing circles into his pectoral muscles from behind. They were both beyond content.

But they would have to change the sheets come morning.

“... Remind me to have a more… sensible reaction the next time you wake me up in the middle of the night?” Viktor requested softly as Jayce shifted below him, unteathering them. Viktor whispered at the loss of contact but did not protest, allowing Jayce to pull him to rest against his chest, his arms wrapping around him and anchoring him in place. The smaller of the two almost seemed bewildered by the gravity of it all, blinking slowly as his brain attempted to regain functionality, his muscles now fully relaxed and his body utterly limp. Post copulation clarity was a force of nature.

Jayce chuckled beneath him, his eyes slowly closing as he basked in the pleasant warmth of his company. Now that he knew that this side of his benevolent lover existed, he couldn’t think of anything he’d like to avoid less. “Absolutely not.”

—

Chapter Text

An Ending to Pursue

—

It always seemed to be raining as of late.

The Arcane’s corruption clung to every surface like a colorful oil slick, its glittering, otherworldly hues glistening as the moisture from above dampened it. It would’ve been beautiful if not for everything it was; everything it represented. But it would never wash away, much like the affairs of the past that had reduced the twin cities to such an otherworldly state. The world was stained, broken from the foundation up under the strain of trying to cling to some semblance of what it had once been.

It reminded him of someone.

He felt like he hadn’t seen the sky in days. The cloud cover was so dense that it smothered nearly every ounce of light the sun supplied, reducing the sky to nothing more than a roiling blanket of sullen blackness. Truthfully, he didn’t know what had compelled him to come down from the top of the Hexgate that day. Maybe it was apathy or sheer maddening boredom. A sense of bottomless loneliness that compelled him to do something, anything aside from lingering beside the husk of the man he’d wronged so dreadfully. Perhaps his subconscious was warning him that his muscles would atrophy if he stayed still any longer. He couldn’t say, but here he was, wandering near the remnants of the old industrial building that he’d once tested his little boat in front of as a child.

The geography of the area was truly tragic. The very terrain of Zaun had been decimated by the combined efforts of erosion and Arcane corruption. What had once been a multilayered rocky water flow was now a vast, ever-expanding wetland consisting mostly of knee-high rainbow-hued water and what felt like an endless supply of golden flowers, the only thing capable of naturally thriving in such a hostile environment. But then, they’d been engineered to do just that by a brilliant mind, so that was no surprise.

The Mage lingered there amongst the blooms, simply existing. The place was almost beautiful. Almost. A dazzling array of clusters of gold amongst oil-like streaks of stained water under a storm-blackened sky. It would make for a beautiful painting if there were anyone left to create such a thing at the end of the world.

Sometimes he pondered the probability of anyone having escaped that day. If they’d fled so far afield that they’d been spared the influence of the Arcane’s pollution and his knowledge of them. Maybe there was a settlement so far away across the seas on some remote island, undiscovered by the world at large, that housed the last remnants of what had once been Runeterra. But that was wishful thinking. And if it wasn’t, he should stay as far from it as possible, for the betterment of everyone there.

The rain picked up slightly, but he didn’t move. He was already standing in the water. What harm could a bit more do him?

There was a splash at his back, the water rippling around his bare feet as a handful of Waveriders scurried past in the water. Their soft bodies were just as affected by the corruption of their environment as everything else, but it seemed to benefit them rather than harm them. Their vibrant skin would make excellent camouflage against predators if any existed. The only thing that had deemed fit to devour them had been-

“HELLO?!”

Viktor’s head lurched in the direction of the sound so rapidly that it nearly made him dizzy. Nothing in this forsaken place made any sound, let alone spoke. He’d gone so long without conversation that at times he feared that he would lose the capacity for language. It seemed that he’d finally lost his mind amidst the longing and loneliness.

And then something came into focus.

The figure stumbled into view, haggard and utterly spent as they dragged themselves inch by inch through the shimmering water. Their progress was slow going as they hobbled laboriously under the strain of an injured left leg and what appeared to be a damaged makeshift brace. For reasons that were beyond him, the Mage stayed anchored in place, observing with silent disbelief as they approached and then stopped a dozen or so yards away before catching sight of him and rushing towards him as best as they could manage, given their current condition. They stumbled, falling face down in the water before groaning and hauling themselves back to their feet, limping the remainder of the distance before slowly stopping about ten feet away, chest heaving. He’d seen less sympathetic wet dogs. 

Viktor felt his mouth go completely dry as a lump formed in his throat.

Dear gods. How long had he been here… 

When had he arrived? How had he not noticed…

“Wait… Please just- wait.” They drew ragged, unfulfilling breaths, bracing their palms against their upper thighs as they hunched over, facing the water. Their soiled clothing adhered to them from a combination of the damp and months of wear and tear, wet hair clinging to their face for dear life. The rain was probably good for them from a hygiene standpoint, but nothing else. It was chilly out, and they appeared to be shivering.

Viktor had always been talented when it came to numbers. Exlimpery, in fact. It was one of the few things he’d prided himself on once upon a time. But it seemed that even he, omnipotent as he sometimes now believed himself to be, missed a variable every now and then.

If he were being generous, he would declare this to be the most miserable iteration of Jayce that he’d ever borne witness to. If he wasn’t, well…

“I-I didn’t know there was anyone left. Please, I-” The variant quivered noticeably as he stretched his hand out towards him, suddenly recoiling as he seemed to think better of himself. His eyes were the very image of confusion and suffering, despair billowing off of him like smoke. “I’m sorry.”

Something in Viktor’s chest clenched at the broken sadness inherent in those words. In the way he beheld the hooded figure in front of him like he was the most glorious sight he’d ever borne witness to. As if he would prove to be his salvation if only he could successfully convince him to stay. 

Jayce looked terrified, tormented by fathomless horrors the likes of which Viktor could only vaguely imagine. He blinked rapidly as his eyes flickered sporadically towards unknown destinations in the middle distance, his demeanor that of a cornered rabbit amidst a pack of hounds. Utterly wounded and painfully vulnerable. As if a swift breeze would be his undoing. His eyes pleaded with Viktor for something, anything, but Viktor remained rooted to the spot, assessing him silently. His body felt as though it were comprised entirely of cement. The Mage attempted to grasp a coherent string of thought amidst the ever-growing stupification that threatened to overtake his normally steady mind. This simply couldn’t be.

And yet here he was.

“This… this is Piltover, isn’t it?” It was a question they both knew the answer to, but he asked anyway, the desperation to be told that he was wrong so strong that it was unbearable. Jayce shuddered, his chest rising and falling in panic as the reality of it all battered his beleaguered mind again and again. He raised a hand to his forehead, pressing hard enough to keep himself from blinking properly as his eyes welled. “But it’s not my Piltover? So, where am I? Did that thing bring me here? Did you bring me here?”

Viktor turned away from him, taking a breath as he started to walk away, unsure as to what else he could do. He couldn’t speak to Jayce. Not this Jayce. Not when he was like this. The sound of his voice alone, the recognition of it, would destroy him. He was already too overwhelmed. Perhaps if he allowed him time to recover…

But then came an anguished cry of horror and a loud splash from behind him. “Wait, please, I- I wasn’t trying to- I’m begging you, please don’t go…”

Viktor stopped dead in his tracks, his legs unwilling to obey. He didn’t need to look at Jayce to know he was sobbing. It was evident in every aspect of his tone. Slowly, he turned back to him, closing his eyes as he braced himself for a sight he didn’t wish to see. And sure enough, he was correct.

Jayce had slumped over into the water, landing harshly on his knees as the majority of his body found itself submerged below the cold water. But Jayce hardly seemed to notice. Instead, he was looking up at him with beseeching, hopeless eyes, imploring him with every fiber of his being to stay with him. He couldn’t be left all alone. Not again. He couldn’t bear it. Viktor flinched internally, turning away. Memories of a similar experience upon realizing the gravity of what he’d done to his own Jayce resurfaced before he hastily repackaged them and stored them away for later.

Viktor understood.

The Mage did not turn to face him again, but as a compromise, he held out his right hand slowly, gesturing for him to remain where he was. Assuring him silently that he did not intend to abandon him to his fate. A subtle glance over his shoulder at Jayce told him everything he needed to know. He was no less panicked, but as the broken man looked up at him with a trembling lip and welling eyes, the muscles in his chest sputtering as they failed to grasp air, he nodded hesitantly. Eagerly. He was choosing to trust him. To believe the word of someone he considered a stranger. Putting his life in his hands. Giving him the benefit of the doubt was all he could do.

Composing himself, Viktor continued away from him with no intended destination in mind. He needed to be far from this place. Far from this variation of Jayce that made his heart ache in a way that reminded him far too much of how he felt whenever he imagined what good his Jayce could’ve accomplished if his vibrant flame hadn’t been extinguished for good. Far from the idea that this was a problem he could solve.

He was going to need time to process this.

—

It was nightfall when he returned to the delta.

In truth, Viktor hadn’t intended to return that night, but he couldn’t stay away. His presence served no purpose there, but he needed to see him again. Needed to know what fate had befallen him as what little light there was started to fade from the sky.

It had started to storm. Something told him that Jayce hadn’t managed to find shelter. Or at least not an adequate alternative. Very little resembling that existed on the far side of the river, and what little there was required one to venture into the structurally unsound buildings that dotted the landscape. He would get himself killed seeking out safety. He couldn’t allow that to happen. He refused. Not that he had any better ideas himself. 

“I will come up with something workable,” he assured himself. “Anything is better than being out in the open.”

Panic rapidly set in as the Mage reached the place where he’d left him and did not find him there. A thousand different negative possible outcomes circulated through his mind in numbing, dread-inducing cascades as his color-shifting eyes scanned the general area with barely concealed concern, frantically looking for any indication of life. Jayce didn’t possess the power of transposition like he did. He couldn’t simply disappear. There had to be some trace of him somewhere. Some indication as to where he had stumbled off to. There simply had to be.

For a moment, the tiny little voice in the deepest recesses of his brain inquired as to why the fate of this particular variant was of such concern to him. He’d seen unfortunate, oftentimes even grisly fates befall so many before him. Why should one more make any difference? Be of any significance. Viktor had always hated that voice.

But as he slowed his pace and searched more thoroughly, he allowed himself to idly entertain the question in earnest. There was no one to answer to but himself. If soul searching were capable of killing a man, then he would be long dead. If he was willing to be candid with himself, what was his answer?

A faint flicker of light caught his attention from a few dozen yards away. This line of questioning would have to wait.

His intuition proved to be correct. He followed the scant trail of light until it led to the remains of a building that had fallen against another, the two structures melded together by the corruption that had weakened their foundations in the first place. Beneath them was a makeshift fire flickering in the darkness. And next to it, Jayce. Asleep. Shivering in the darkness.

The temperature had dropped when the storm had arrived, bringing with it a biting chill that hung on the air like dew on morning grass. Another form of torment for someone as soaked to the bone as Jayce was.

Viktor approached soundlessly, examining him with as much detachment as he could force himself to muster. It wasn’t much, in truth. Despite everything that he’d seen, if he was committed to being even slightly honest with himself, seeing any iteration of Jayce suffer the perils and trials of this place never got easier. Never became less agonizing. Never tested the limits of his resolve and his commitment to remain uninvolved for the sake of everything at stake any less miserable. He so desperately wanted to ease his pain. To no longer be the source of it. But all the pain that existence could bring would never make him long for the days when he felt nothing at all again. That would spell the end of the weight of Jayce’s loss upon his heart, and as unbearable as it was, it was a reminder of his love. The one thing he would never willingly sacrifice. Not for anything.

But there was nothing at stake anymore, was there? The cycle of torment had been broken, shattered like crystal against unyielding stone. This Jayce wasn’t supposed to be here . He had stumbled in unbidden, drawn to his wretched fate there like a moth to the flickering flame that would singe its wings for good. Like a firefly trapped in the confines of a mason jar. He understood now. That was why the state of him wounded Viktor so.

This was the first Jayce that he could save.

He settled down beside him under the remnants of the structures above, close enough to touch him, but far enough not to intrude. He was trembling in his sleep, but something told the Mage it wasn’t entirely from the cold. Gripped by a fit of hysteria amidst a nightmare conjured by his weary, tormented mind, even the sweet embrace of slumber would not grant him blessed release. There was nothing to be done about that, but…

In the time he’d spent in his self-made purgatory, he’d become well accustomed to the biting winds and ceaseless damp. By his estimations and assumptions gleaned from seemingly infinite past experience, this version of Jayce had undoubtedly spent the last while in a cave, sheltered from the elements, even if only just. He’d experienced the cold, but being soaked to the bone in addition to that? Viktor was scarcely willing to believe he’d survive the night as things stood.

Without so much as a word, he slipped the hood off of his head and shrugged out of the cloak that concealed him, obscuring him from sight. It was rare that he removed it for any reason, but this would have to be an exception. He draped it over his body, quietly hoping with everything in him that Jayce would not awaken and see him. He would manage fine without it.

In the meantime, he would set to work. He was a child of Zaun. He knew well the misery of hunger pangs. He would not allow him to suffer any longer than what was strictly necessary.

They would talk in the morning.

—

Jayce genuinely seemed shocked to see that he had returned.

The ethereal being that lingered before him was unlike anything he’d ever seen, even as he currently was, leaning against the wall with his back turned away from him in the direction of the delta with his head and shoulders obscured by his long wavy brown hair. The very concept of him was tantalizing, as was the gift he’d no doubt left him. Jayce didn’t possess the foggiest idea as to what kind of fruits these were, and the mixture of vibrant bright blue hues contained within the flesh of its crunchy outer skin was admittedly off-putting, but anything was better than eating another Waverider. The thought alone made his stomach churn.

… Jayce hoped he wasn’t going hungry for his sake…

He appeared to be sleeping, no doubt tired from the ordeal that had been finding anything remotely edible in this hellish landscape. Jayce couldn’t declare it completely barren by virtue of the fact that he could clearly see the flowers that still blossomed mere yards from them, but it still felt that way. As if everything around him was decaying or slowly withering away into nothingness. Barely anything could claim to be alive, and certainly nothing capable of intelligent thought. Save for this one solitary Mage.

Jayce shuffled over towards him, shaking off the cloak that he had found draped gently over himself when he’d awoken. Something about it felt almost familiar. Like the scent of a place he couldn’t return to but had once loved dearly. He carefully placed it over his shoulders, not daring to touch him as he hoped it would stay put. Jayce didn’t notice that he was awake.

“You're the mage who saved my mother and I when I was a child. You always seem to find me when I need you.” He sounded so tired as he flopped back down on the ground, but there was still a note of disbelieving humor to his voice, tepid as it might be. Jayce couldn’t so much as muster a chuckle, but the core of who he’d always been was still in there, buried deep beneath a mountain of bitter, needless suffering. “I can’t ever thank you enough.”

“You wouldn’t thank me at all if you knew the depths of my crimes against you,” He thought to himself as he remained still. Silent. Unresponsive. Contemplative of the reality at hand. Was it worth the comprehensive risk of shattering Jayce’s fragile mind that revealing his identity represented? Was any of this, whatever this was, worth the risk, or were they both better off alone? Could Jayce even survive the return trip in the state he was in?

The Mage’s ruminations were interrupted by an abrupt sigh.

“Can I ask you a question?”

Viktor knew that tone in his voice, strained as it might be. Jayce was looking for someone to confide in, longing to make a connection with him. With this stranger whom he thought he knew nothing of, but knew so much about. To abate the loneliness that no doubt gnawed at him like feasting flies upon carrion. The Mage nodded in response, his back still turned to him as he pulled the damp, sunbleached cloak around himself, grasping it just that bit tighter as he listened intently.

Jayce didn’t speak immediately. He fell silent, earning him a tentative peek from his companion who caught a glimpse of him searching the recesses of his mind for something remotely close to what he wanted to express. But he found nothing adequate and sighed instead, rubbing his face with his hands. He looked so very tired…

“... Have you ever lost the chance to be with someone who meant the world to you, only to realize after the fact that you squandered every chance you had to do something meaningful with them?” The anguish in his voice was palpable. The Mage could feel the way he trembled, even with his back to him. He didn’t think for even a moment. He simply answered.

“... Yes… “

The silence that followed cut like glass. Viktor slumped over and let out an exasperated full-body sigh, his face falling into his open palms as he cupped his face. For the first time in countless years, he felt his composure slip, threatening to shatter entirely. He’d known better than to speak. Why had he spoken to him? Why?

Gods… How long had it been since someone had called him by his name?

“... Viktor?” Jayce said his name like all the air had just been sucked from his lungs leaving him utterly bewildered and breathless. Viktor could feel his eyes against his back, burrowing into his very soul. Those beautiful eyes that he so adored. That plagued him like Virgil’s longing for Beatrice as he descended into abject madness .

There was a shuffle at his back followed by the sound of stumbling footsteps. And then Jayce appeared in front of him.

His eyes were wide, pupils fully dilated as his lips parted ever so slightly. Almost as though he might say something. But he didn’t. Instead, Jayce fell to his knees in front of him in a way that made Viktor flinch internally, their eyes meeting as the Mage lowered his hands fully, wordlessly observing him. Waiting with bated breath to see what he might do.

Jayce examined every inch of his face, his eyes darting around in no particular rhythm as he seemed to memorize every inch of Viktor for posterity. Jayce blinked rapidly, swallowing thickly as a look of something resembling heartache bloomed in his golden eyes. And then Jayce lurched forward without warning, grasping the sides of Viktor’s face in his hands and pulling him into a searing, scorching kiss.

Viktor knew that he shouldn’t be surprised, but there was always some part of him that was taken aback by the endless depths of Jayce’s tenderness. The gravitational force that was his unconditional love. This was no exception.

The Mage felt his back press into the remnants of the structure behind him as Jayce shifted forward to straddle him, his right hand sliding down the side of his face so that he could hook his thumb behind his ear and gently stroke the underside of his jaw. The kiss deepened until it stole the very air from Viktor’s lungs as Jayce raised his left hand and carefully wove his fingers into the back of his hair, gently caressing the top of the back of his neck before slowly rubbing comforting circles into his scalp.

Shuddering, Viktor found himself instinctually leaning into the warmth of Jayce’s touch, surrendering to the blissful sensation of his lips against his own as Jayce pulled him towards him before craining him backwards, his head drooping to one side as Jayce broke away and pressed his lips against the exposed skin at the front of his neck. He kissed him again, the feeling of his lips so frantic and yet so endearingly gentle that it made Viktor’s pulse race, blood rocketing through his body at a speed his heart nearly failed to quantify. There were no thoughts left. No doubts. Only the two of them and the shelter they’d found in one another.

“How long have you been here all alone?” Sorrow dripped from every syllable that escaped Jayce’s lips as he whispered those words, his eyes welling as unspent tears threatened to spill forth and stream down his face. He trailed his lips lower, pressing a lingering kiss against his Adam's apple as he continued to stroke his fingers through his hair soothingly. Reassuringly. Savoring the feeling of how very real he felt in his arms.

As if he’d suddenly been doused with ice water, Viktor’s eyes flew open and he jolted upright, pulling away as a rush of emotions collided with him like a tidal wave ripping the wood from a pier. Jayce’s golden eyes went wide, perplexed, but he did not attempt to stop or restrain him. He released his grasp tentatively and watched with a fleeting look of disbelief as the Mage made space between them, utterly disheartened. Jayce looked as though he’d just been punched in the gut, his chest clenching as he panted and reached towards him slowly with all the compassion one might extend to a frightened, wounded animal; his eyes pleaded with him as he realized with clenched teeth that he’d clearly overstepped. He’s said something wrong. He could see it in the way that his eyes danced between alarmed shades of golden pinks and glittering browns, unable to process the reality of everything that had just occurred between them. It was too much too soon.

“I didn’t mean to-” Jayce pleaded softly as he watched him slowly rise to his feet, taking a few steps back. Viktor shook his head, his eyes refusing to meet his as he turned, took a few steps, and halted at the edge of the water, wrapping his arms around himself. He no longer looked startled, his heart rate slowing gradually as he exhaled slowly and stumbled into the shallow water at the edge of the delta. He needed a moment. He needed…

Gods. How long had it been since someone had touched him?

Jayce pursued him frantically, stumbling over himself as his leg twisted and the damaged makeshift brace attached to his injured leg sprang loose. With a pained cry, he tumbled forward, falling face-first into the shallow water and soaking himself for a second time. But despite the pain, he pulled himself onto his knees and reached towards him, his face the very picture of desperation and defenselessness. “Viktor! Wait, please! Don’t leave me. I can’t lose you. Not again.”

Viktor turned towards him at a speed that nearly caused him to stumble as he beheld the sight of him, his eyes returning to a familiar shade of brown. Again, he didn’t think. He simply approached, lowering himself into the water in front of him. He had no desire to leave him. Had no desire to harm him, especially not like this.

He couldn’t bear the sight of his pain. He would not abide this.

Viktor extended his right hand to steady himself, allowing Jayce to slump over onto him as he wrapped his arm around his back. He pulled him into a gentle, reverent embrace as the trembling man buried his face into his shoulder, trying and failing to calm himself. The prospect of losing him again, of being alone again, it was all too much for Jayce to take. Viktor allowed his left arm to rest along the crest of his back, rubbing his shoulder soothingly as he pulled back to look at him again. He pressed their foreheads together, eyes filled with a knowing sympathy. If there was one thing that he could comprehend, it was this. The hopelessness of perceived wrongdoing towards someone beloved. Of knowing that he would do anything to keep the other with him, even if only for just a moment longer. The soul-deep desire to wash the pain from him in a way that only he could.

Gods. How long had it been since he’d held Jayce in his arms and he’d held him back?

“Please…” Jayce repeated repetitiously under his breath as though it were a solemn prayer for forgiveness, his voice barely more than a whisper as Viktor held him close, gently rocking him. Despite the barely three-inch deep water at their side, Viktor eased Jayce down onto his side, holding him astride him as he extended his legs to the side, allowing Jayce’s head to rest against the center of his chest. He would hold him for as long as it took for him to understand that he had no intention of abandoning him. Until his wounds were healed and the hole his departure had left in his heart closed. And forever more beyond that.

Viktor pressed his lips against Jayce’s hair, his hand falling against his chest where his heartbeat was strongest as though to still him. To anchor him against the waves of despair that sought to consume him. He would take this pain from him and replace it with what he rightfully deserved.

He hushed him gently, lowering his left hand to rest against his stomach. He’d stilled, his breathing sporadic but far calmer than it had been. His heart no longer threatened to burst forth from his chest. His eyes were half closed, a wave of fatigue overtaking him as Jayce clung to his right arm desperately. As though to let him go would be to lose him forever.

“It is alright. Be still.” He clutched him to his chest with his right arm, using his left hand to gingerly trail his fingers from his stomach to his heart and back again, taking note of the way Jayce’s breath slowed to follow the pace of his fingers, his eyes easing closed as he savored the sound of his voice; his heartbeat against the back of his head. For the first time since he’d awoken that day, Jayce looked genuinely at peace. It was a start.

“Do not beg. You will never be alone again. Not unless you wish to be.”

“I don’t,” he said softly, his breath hitching as Viktor applied a bit more pressure, subconsciously taking note of the way the muscles in his abdomen spasmed in response. With a gentle tug, he slipped his hand under the tattered remnants of Jayce’s shirt, seeking direct contact with his skin. Jayce trembled, exhaling a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding for quite some time as relief washed over him. “I really don’t.”

Again, Viktor pressed a kiss against the top of his head, using the back of the fingers on his right hand to gently grasp the underside of Jayce’s chin, tilting his head back so that he could look down at him. Viktor met his eyes, his own filled with nothing but adoration and affection. He would ponder the situation no longer. Nothing in Jayce’s demeanor spoke of anything more than a longing for whatever he was willing to give him. And Viktor was willing to give him anything; he would give him the world if he would stay just as he was for a while longer. Safe in his embrace.

Viktor leaned in and pressed a kiss to his forehead and then abated, seizing his mouth as he kissed him with all the tenderness he had never been able to express in his own time. Deeply. Slowly and softly with all the impassioned tenderness that overflowed from the depths of his being.

Gods. How long had he yearned for Jayce’s sweet embrace?

Grasping the underside of Jayce’s shredded shirt, he pulled the worn garment up towards his neck until it covered as little of the front of his body as possible. He reoriented Jayce slightly, releasing his chin with a gentle brushing of the back of his right hand against his cheek before slipping his left hand lower, his fingertips resting against the sensitive skin just under the hem of his pants. Jayce gasped into his mouth, shuddering as he reached up to gently grasp the back of Viktor’s neck, raising his hips to meet his touch eagerly. He didn’t dare tug, unwilling to risk hurting his back. Instead, he held him gently, deepening their embrace, wordlessly seeking permission to explore his mouth further. And Viktor obliged, his breathing slowed as he pressed his right hand against Jayce’s chest, relishing in the sheer heat of him. In his responsiveness.

He’d always worn his heart on his sleeve.

“Then be still. Stay here.” Viktor whispered with all the adoration in his heart, breaking their kiss for just a moment so that he could gaze lovingly into his eyes. They were just as beautiful as he remembered. Just as honest as they ever had been as they gleamed in the low light of the morning sun.

"You've been alone for so long. Let me take care of you." He asked, his tone low and his voice barely more than a whisper as he half closed his eyes. There was a glint of something primal in his gaze, but it wasn’t predatory or dangerous. It was unknowable as the depths of the cosmos, his desire for Jayce a bottomless ocean. An insatiable hunger.

Jayce could only manage a single slow blink in response, his mouth suddenly too dry to be serviceable.

Viktor reached up and grasped the side of Jayce’s neck, squeezing lightly as a satisfied chill crawled up Jayce’s spine. The sensation of Viktor’s touch shot straight down to his rapidly hardening length, the fabric suddenly tighter than he could recall it being for a very long time. Jayce felt Viktor’s hair tickling the side of his face as it formed a curtain around him, his right hand gently stroking his chest before seizing one of the sensitive buds that now protruded from his chest. He kissed the side of his neck with a slow, deliberate sensuality that made Jayce’s heart lurch before pulling away and clasping his lips around the nub on the opposite side of his chest.

Jerking his hips as a not-so-subtle moan escaped his lips, Jayce closed his eyes, his chest heaving from the abundance of sensation he was suddenly subject to. And then he felt something he was certain he’d never felt before. A sensation so abrupt and foreign that it sent a spark through him. It was energy, pure and radiant at the base of his arousal. And he craved more of it. To see what he felt. To understand where it came from.

With little thought, he used his free hand to undo his belt and the clasp of his pants before Viktor gently brushed his hand aside and pulled his underwear out of the way, allowing him to spring to life in the open air. It was enough to steal what little breath he’d somehow managed to cling to thus far. 

What he saw astonished him.

A subtle Arcane glow emanated from the tips of Viktor’s fingers, warm and soothing. Prickling the skin around their circumference in a way that set his blood alight. He felt himself twitch at the sight of it, anticipating what such a thing would feel like when it was wrapped around him. He wanted to know.

“Do you feel that? The sweet lull of your heart in my hands?” Viktor asked as he pulled his mouth away from his place of worship, locking eyes with him again. Jayce watched the way his eyelashes fluttered as the color of his eyes flickered through a litany of shades before returning to the warm honey brown he so adored, the faintest hint of a smile playing at the corners of his lips. His eyes bore such sadness, but amidst it was a love that made his heart flutter, his face flushing slightly. Jayce reached over and tucked a few stray locks of his blond-tipped hair behind his ear before stroking the side of his face and neck adoringly, kissing his brow. His eyes almost seemed to glow in response to his touch as Viktor trailed his fingertip up the vein that traveled up the length of his engorged heat, earning him a soft moan of anticipation. He pulled his hand away, placing it back where it had previously rested.

And then Viktor pressed down.

Jayce felt his breath hitch as it caught in his throat and he almost choked, his eyes instantly breaking from Viktor’s and shooting down to witness what he had just done. His eyes opened fully, pupils dilating to their limits as his golden irises took in the sight of Viktor’s fingers somehow sinking beneath his skin, no harm done. Arcane light emanated from the space around where his fingers had made their way into his flesh. And with it, the most intense sensation he’d ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

Viktor watched with apparent satisfaction as Jayce trembled violently, blinking but seeing very little as he continued to press in further, searching. Jayce bucked against him, his legs trembling as he tried to and failed to process this delicious new sensation. And the instant Viktor’s fingertips brushed against the object of his desire, Jayce let out a cry so debauched that it caused the Mage’s ears to flush red on his behalf. Ah. There it was.

He sank two more fingers into his skin. And then the upper half of his thumb until he was able to grasp the source of Jayce’s desire, watching as he nearly hyperventilated from his touch, his eyes clenching shut and his darkened length weeping from the strain of his refusal to break. Viktor grasped the muscle between the pad of his thumb and his pointer finger, rolling it against his grasp as gently as he could manage while his remaining fingers brushed against the underside of it, slipping into the walls of the muscles in his lower back. Jayce wimpred, his eyes welling with unshed tears as his mouth went slack and he, honest to goodness, began to drool as his chest heaved from the effort it took to keep breathing. It was enough to drive him feral. And the sight alone did unspeakable things to Viktor. But he would not act upon them. Not this time. There would be time enough to indulge his own fantasies later. No. He had set his mind to a task. And he would see it through to completion.

“Let me bring you sweet release,” Viktor whispered into his ear before pressing the fingers of his right hand into the base of Jayce’s neck, sending a tingle down his spine as Jayce’s eyes began to roll back in his head. He wanted to answer him. Wanted to express in some way what the sight of him like this did to him. What the feeling of their union was like to experience. But the moment those words passed Viktor’s lips and his hot breath ghosted across his chest as he took the oversensitive bud that stood at attention on his chest into his mouth again and sucked it, Jayce nearly perished. A cry of nothing short of ecstasy shot from his body, his face streaked with tears as he experienced the most indescribable sensation he’d ever dared imagine. If he died in that very instant, he would’ve done so in a state of euphoria so unimaginably powerful that it would’ve passed into legend. He looked as though he’d been gutted, his entire body spasming as his nerve endings nearly overloaded, sending him over the edge.

Viktor watched him come apart at the seams, gently stroking his hair as he held his head in his lap. Jayce sobbed, nearing the brink of utter madness as he slowly rode out wave after wave of pleasure. Viktor peppered kisses against his chest and neck, gently rubbing circles into the tender muscle within him as he was claimed wholly and utterly by the power of his touch. And after what felt like a lifetime, Viktor finally withdrew his fingers, slowly, so as not to overwhelm him. Cradling him gently. Shushing him as he came back down to the world of the living, his brief brush with the divine over.

Jayce fell silent as he slowly pulled himself back from the brink, the feeling of Viktor’s fingers gently wiping the moisture that had accumulated under his eyes from his face anchoring him. His bones were non-existent, his body weightless and cast adrift amidst the vast, indifferent cosmos. But then Viktor was there, throwing him a lifeline and slowly hauling him to shore. Jayce opened his eyes laboriously, gazing up at him as he silently wished that his arms were not too weighty to lift all of a sudden. He wanted nothing more than to touch him. To return the favor. To hold him close and never let him go. Never again.

“W-what about you?” He barely managed the strength to force the words from his mouth, the blissful, warm lull of afterglow fatigue rapidly claiming him as the sun rose over them across the horizon and blanked them with rare sunlight. Viktor massaged his scalp, rubbing the side of his neck and shoulder as he shook his head. There was a time and a place, but now wasn’t ideal. Jayce was in no condition to sit up, let alone perform sexual favors. And for the first time, a small, sad smile made its way onto his face. He hoped that his refusal wouldn’t harm Jayce’s pride. But a part of him knew it would. He was far from a selfish lover.

He would let him make it up to him. One day. They had plenty of time.

Gods. When was the last time Jayce had experienced something other than pain?

“Not now, Jayce. Rest.” It was the first time he could remember speaking his beloved’s name out loud in an immeasurably long time. It felt right this time. It was right.

“Will you be here when I wake up?” Jayce asked weakly, fighting with everything he had left in him to keep his eyes open. To take in every detail of his face from the placement of his moles to the shape of his eyes. To worship the image of his new god. To feel the sun shine on his face.

“Do you want me to be?” His demeanor was concealing, revealing nothing. A practiced skill developed from a lifetime alone. Composed and repressed. But his eyes betrayed him. The way they flickered from silver to golden honey brown. The soft tremble in his voice that longed for an answer some part of him dared not think he deserved. But still he hoped. For the first time since he’d lost his Jayce, his reason for being, he dared hope. Was there anything so undoing as his affection for Jayce Talis?

“I never want to leave your side again.” Jayce managed, fatigue finally claiming him as his eyes shuttered. The last thing he caught a glimpse of was Viktor’s smile, fond and warmer than the sun. “Not for anything.”

Pressing a delicate kiss to his lips, Viktor pulled his cloak from around his shoulders again, draping it over Jayce again as his fingers flicked through his hair. He would catch his death in the water. They could not stay here. But he would take every moment left that he could to savor what they had.

Viktor held his hand, smiling. “Then sleep. So I can see you again sooner.”

—

Chapter Text

A Fathomless Depth

—

Fireworks lit up the warm colored skies above the colorful city, spreading a menagerie of vibrant colors across what was already a stunning variety of oranges, reds, and purples. What little light that remained would soon fade, but in some respects, that was something to look forward to. The festivities would continue long into the night. Things were only just getting started.

Jayce sat beneath the shade of a tropical palm, bracing himself with his outstretched arms as he leaned back against the freshly shorn grass. The air was warm but not too humid, and a cool breeze jostled his loose clothing as he relaxed amidst the greenery. They were in the green lawn area of a public plaza, enjoying the night’s festivities. After all, the view of the fireworks was better here than at their current lodgings.

He stole a glance at Viktor and smiled fondly, chuckling to himself at the sight of him. He’d passed out against the base of the tree beside him with his legs spread out in front of him and his arms dangling at his sides like he’d been haphazardly tossed there. It seemed that all the festival food had finally caught up to him. It was bound to happen eventually.

But as he considered this, an especially loud pop from the next volley of fireworks echoed through the skies above, drawing Jayce’s attention upward and causing Viktor to abruptly jerk, clearly startled. He awoke sluggish, blinking lethargically as his blurry eyes failed to take in his surroundings. And then a look of confusion followed shortly after, the apparent lack of familiarity in his surroundings clearly throwing him for a loop. But then he realized where the sound had come from and visibly relaxed a degree, taking a deep breath and steadying himself as he scooted forward to reduce the distance between himself and Jayce.

His companion didn’t comment on the reaction, instead offering his shoulder for Viktor to grasp as he carefully pulled himself onto his knees behind him. His elbows came to rest on his broad shoulders, his chin sliding into his cupped hands just above Jayce’s head as he took in the sight of the sky above. They’d been spoiled for spectacular sights since they’d arrived, but this was still something special.

“I was starting to wonder if I was going to have to carry you back,” Jayce said nonchalantly as he chuckled to himself. He’d seen Viktor’s little food crash coming a mile off, waiting eagerly for the opportunity to tease him about it. He’d attempted to eat a little bit of everything over the course of the last few hours, so enamored by the flavors and smells of the local street cuisine that he’d thought little of the consequences. 

It had truly been a sight to behold. Viktor was typically the sort of person you had to beg to eat real food, but ever since they’d arrived, that problem had vanished. It was as if someone had flipped a switch, and suddenly Viktor had developed an appetite. Perhaps his newfound power caused him to burn through his energy stores faster. Maybe it was the food. The decadent, ingredient-rich dishes popular in Piltover had simply never been to Viktor’s liking, and he’d probably developed a subconscious aversion to much of the cuisine that was slowly coming undone now that he’d been introduced to something he actually enjoyed. It was hard to say. 

But it was fun to watch.

“You warned me this would happen. I should’ve listened.” Viktor admitted, pressing a kiss into the top of Jayce’s head, his eyes never leaving the stars above. “It’s strange. I’ve seen fireworks before, but this time it feels… different somehow.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” Jayce retorted, barely resisting the urge to double down on the statement. Poking fun at Viktor had always been one of his favorite pastimes, a trait that they both shared. But he found now more than ever that it had to be a measured thing. Viktor was skilled at concealing offenses and insecurities. At hiding physical and emotional pain for what he assumed to be both of their sakes. After everything they’d been through together, he didn’t wish to accidentally hurt him again. Healing was a slow, careful process, and while Jayce liked to think that he knew his partner’s limits, he was willing to admit that he’d once thought he knew a lot of things about him that he simply didn’t. But they were slowly rediscovering one another, relearning and adapting. It was fulfilling.

Several minutes passed in silence as the two of them took in the sights. But as the fireworks died down, Viktor leaned Jayce’s head back to press another chaste kiss onto his head, this time against his forehead. He smiled softly, soft lips brushing against his skin as he chuckled deeply.

“Do you think the hot spring is finally unoccupied?” Viktor asked the question casually, but his tone of voice gave away everything it needed to.

Jayce felt his face flush red instantly at the prospect, no ambiguity present in what the inquiry insinuated. He’d been asking Viktor about checking out the fabled hot spring attached to the grounds of their lodging ever since they’d arrived. If there was ever a chance that they might find time along there, well… tonight would be the night.

He didn’t answer. He simply smirked, stood, and offered Viktor his hand. After all, there was only one way to find out.

—

A brief trip back to their shared room to borrow towels had proven to be the only pitstop along the way. As it turned out, the entire place was a ghost town at present, everyone else opting to attend the festivities instead of strolling the grounds’ garden paths. Perfect.

The inn where the pair were staying resided against the backside of a mountain. Sprawling gardens intertwined like grasped fingers, thick with foliage and the sweet scent of exotic flowers. But at the furthest end of the acreage that encompassed what was once an old estate now turned inn, far from the line of sight in the ticket of the jungle, was a place that they’d heard many a tale about, but had never experienced firsthand until now.

The hot spring.

Enwreathed by a vast stone retaining wall and high, thick, leafy foliage, the glittering pools gave off a soft aquamarine underglow. Surrounding the stone walkways that snaked between them were knee-high stalks adorned with delicate, almost translucent blooms that seemed to faintly gleam in the soft light. And at their center were the rock pools. Formed organically via volcanic activity, they were as ancient as they were spectacular to behold, their rough stone edges polished to a mirror shine by salt and erosion over many decades. Plumes of warm, inviting steam billowed off the surface of the water in the dim evening light, beckoning them to a place of comfortable warmth and tranquility. And debauchery.

At the looming prospect of submerging their bodies in hot water while wearing metal leg braces, the pair regarded one another silently and committed themselves to the task of disrobing, opting to remove their braces in favor of risking potential burns. There were slopes and shelves inside the spring. It would be far less hazardous to simply sit and rest should the need arise.

Jayce sat along the edge of the spring, taking off the remaining clothing that clung to the lower half of his body. With caution, he lowered a foot into the water, testing its temperature. It was noticeably warm, no illusions as to its temperature present. But in a comforting, swaddling sort of way. Like a cozy drink in front of a fire on a frigid winter’s day, instead of the scalding heat of the Shurima sands. Like the embrace of a lover.

Of the two of them, Viktor was the one partial to extremely warm water. He could fill a cast iron tub with hot water until it steamed like a kitchen pot with a freshly removed lid and then simply relax in it, utterly unbothered. Evidently, he found it soothing to his sore muscles and aching joints. But contrastingly, he despised outdoor heat and humidity, the feeling of sweating making him miserable. He didn’t mind the cold, but he didn’t actively chase it, either. Especially after their near-death experience on the slopes of Mount Targon. Chilly was fine by him. Jayce was the inverse. He didn’t mind the heat of the air, a lifetime of smithing rendering it a virtual non-issue by his standards, but he preferred cool baths after. And the cold was… well, it was not his first choice. As a result, they seldom bathed together despite a shared desire to. This was a rare treat.

Glancing over at Viktor as he lowered himself down beside him, he took silent note of the way he untied his silken robe, both of them having undressed aside from their undergarments back at their room. The satin fabric shone under the fading moonlight, a soft yellow thing that brought out the natural blond highlights streaked throughout Viktor’s walnut hair. It was long now. Longer than Jayce had ever seen it. He liked the way it framed Viktor’s face when it wasn’t up in a loose, lopsided bun like it was now. The way it accentuated his asymmetrical cheekbones and brought out the honeyed gold of his eyes. The way his eyelashes fluttered when his partner gazed at him with nothing but fervent, bottomless affection.

They’d taken notice of the fact that his hair color was gradually changing the more he dabbled with his arcane gifts. It was something that made Viktor vaguely apprehensive, but something that Jayce didn’t mind in the slightest. It was a good color on him. Everything was a good color on him.

Jayce shook his head at himself, scoffing softly at the heat that began to bloom in the lowest region of his belly as he considered it. Sometimes it felt like they were on an eternal honeymoon in the wake of their cosmic marriage, their vows cemented in everything they had given to be with one another. But Jayce wouldn’t have it any other way. He wanted to take things slowly, be lackadaisical for a change. It was good for them, even if he’d had to convince Viktor to slow his naturally frantic pace little by little.

As Jayce slipped another leg into the water, he watched the fabric that covered Viktor fall against the wooden platform that cantilevered ever so slightly over the edge of the spring, the robe pooling around him like molten gold. He couldn’t resist the silent invitation that was Viktor’s soft skin under pale moonlight, his back halfway to him. The lure of the way the fabric fell against his naked body, only barely concealing what he wanted to see. He leaned over and pressed a tender kiss to an exposed mole. And then a second, sucking gently. And then a third before sliding all the way into the water and allowing his body to sink into the inviting warmth of the spring. Jayce stood up and beckoned for Viktor to accompany him, a smile spreading across his face when Viktor humored him and allowed him to lift him under the knees and shoulder, lowering him down into the water beside him, Viktor’s eyes filled with a knowing warmth and an amused, adoring smirk. It made Jayce’s heart flutter.

Viktor adjusted his footing, using Jayce’s shoulders for leverage as he acclimated to the warm water. His face flushed as he let out a hushed sigh, content. Yes. They should’ve come their ages ago.

Reaching up with his right hand to gently cup Jayce’s chin and cheek, he curled his fingers against his earlobe, enjoying the feeling of his facial hair against his open palm. It was a good look on him, one that he was quietly glad that Jayce hadn’t expressed a desire to change. He loved every version of him, but there was something so compelling about the way it framed his face. Complemented his slightly longer hair. Brought out the wildness in his eyes.

He would have Jayce any way that he wanted to be, but if he could pick, well…

Jayce stayed still, gazing at him deeply as he brought his hand up to brush a stray lock of blond hair out of Viktor’s face, allowing his fingertips to graze the side of his cheek. He leaned in and pressed a soft, chaste kiss against the tip of his nose and then his cheek and the space just below the back of his ear, earning him a soft giggle and a scrunching of Viktor’s shoulder as he pulled Jayce’s face closer into the crook of his neck, resting his face against his broad chest as he allowed the taller man to partake.

When they finally pulled away, they both blinked in surprise. The sun had fully fallen across the horizon, far beyond the mountains. The sky had faded from a deep royal blue to a solid black, stars glittering above. They could no longer see the fireworks; save for their distant booms, there was no evidence that they existed. Instead, there was the soft rustling of the leaves that shielded them from view as they held one another. The gentle trickle of warm, cascading water as the current flowed from the upper pools into theirs.

And then they came.

As darkness settled over the little enclave they’d carved out for themselves, the faintest sparkles of light returned in the form of tiny glowing insects that let off a faint green glow. Firelights. The translucent flowers from before began to softly glow. Be it from the insects or something more, neither of them could say, but the soft violet-blue was a sight to behold. A dazzling display of bioluminescence, unlike anything they’d ever seen. It was as if the depths of the sea had pulled them in as they found themselves silently enraptured by the sight. The stars above them almost seemed to grow closer, stardust trickling down to them from the nebulae above as the spring shimmered around them. It was hard to tell where the dim pool of water ended and the night sky began.

Jayce looked down at Viktor as he held him against himself. Viktor gazed up at him, crooking his head to one side like a barn owl regarding prey. And something stirred in him at the sight, his thighs growing noticeably warm, even when the hot spring’s balmy water was taken into account. 

A knowing smile slowly spread across Viktor’s face, something heady in his eyes as he pressed his left hand against Jayce’s chest and allowed it to trail lower, slowly. Deliberately. Flicking the delicate bud that rose in response to his touch. His eyes never left Jayce’s as his partner attempted to sustain his composure. Tried to seem unaffected by the aching gentleness of his idle touch. But he couldn’t still the telltale pounding of his heart, or the tick in the side of his neck that only seemed to occur when he gritted his teeth just a bit too hard. Viktor rested his hand against the side of Jayce's hip, raising up just a bit to curl the fingers of his right hand around his chin and press a torturous, searing kiss to his partner’s waiting mouth, eyelashes dusting across his cheeks as he took what he wanted at an agonizingly slow pace. Jayce indulged before exhaling a shaky breath, smirking in wordless defeat as they parted, Viktor’s lithe fingers tickling the underside of his chin as they left him, his right hand falling against his stomach. Viktor’s eyes slowly trailed lower, examining every molecule he was comprised of. And then they darted back up towards his face, asking for permission that he already knew he had.

He’d gotten better at this game, but Jayce still lost every time.

Surely they couldn’t be the only ones who had ever ventured here and done this ? And they wouldn’t be the last. There was simply no chance that someone hadn’t beaten them to the punch already. Not unless the water temperature had proven to be an obstacle, but neither of them could imagine a situation where that could be the case. Not for them, at least.

Surely… 

Jayce drew heavy, measured breaths as he regarded Viktor lovingly, trying to conceal the abundance of lust that he felt coursing through his veins. He felt his lover's finger brush against him, teasing him with the prospect of more to come. It trailed up the base of his arousal, tracing the thick vein that aided in the theft of blood from his brain for a better cause. His eyes fell to where he knew Viktor’s hand would be, but he didn’t dare tilt his head. He knew better. But Viktor caught him anyway, tenderly grasping his chin and redirecting his eyes back to his as he stroked again. And again. And again. Each time slower than the previous touch, and just that little bit firmer. The final time he flicked the tip, pressing gently into the slit as he watched Jayce try and fail to contain the full body tremble that shot up his rapidly weakening spine. Viktor smiled, and Jayce let out a hushed chuckle, shaking his head as he leaned in to kiss and suck the side of his neck with all the tenderness and passion his cloudy mind could muster.

“Always something new with you, isn't there?” It wasn't a question so much as it was a declaration. An exclamation of his fondness for his love and the way he enacted it. The way Viktor committed himself wholeheartedly to a task. The task of loving him, wholly and utterly.

Viktor closed his eyes and sighed softly, his breath tickling his ear as he turned his head just enough to whisper in his beloved’s ear. Kissing it. Gripping it between his teeth. Jayce ran a firm hand up and down his back, cupping his backside and squeezing it gently, relishing the way it fit into his grasp. His breath grew deeper still, relishing the scent of Viktor’s skin. The intoxicating rhythm of his heartbeat. The softness of his hair against the side of his face as Jayce trailed downward and took his earlobe into his mouth, eliciting a groan from his partner as he leaned in.

Pulling away abruptly, Viktor kissed Jayce again, entangling his fingers with Jayce’s as he guided his hand up to the back of his head. He released him, using his own, smaller hand to cover his, wordlessly instructing Jayce to grasp his hair, a moan escaping from the depths of his chest as his partner did as desired and gripped him firmly. Coiling his thick fingers into his long strands. Not enough to pull, but more than enough to feel .

“I suppose I've taunted you enough.” Viktor mused mischievously; the gears in his mind were obviously turning, but for what purpose, Jayce could scarcely guess. And the prospect thrilled him. “For now, at least.”

Jayce broke away just long enough to make eye contact with Viktor again, both of them slightly breathless as he leaned back and kissed Viktor’s chest just above where his heart lay. He regarded Viktor affectionately as he guided him lower, extending a hand to offer him leverage as he positioned himself on his knees, his hand resting on the space just above the back of Jayce’s hip as Viktor’s left hand gently stroked down his side, coming to a rest against the inside of his thigh. Squeezing.

The depth of the water was just high enough to present an issue, but it would not be nearly enough to stop Viktor.

Caressing the inside of Jayce's thigh, Viktor took a breath and dipped just below the surface of the water, nothing more than his eyes and the top of his head visible as he let the warm water wash over his face. He pressed a series of tender, lingering kisses around the base of his heat, rising up to take a breath and kiss Jayce's navil before descending again, running his tongue down the length of him before pausing just before the spot where he knew Jayce most wanted him to be.

Looking down at him, Jayce curled an eyebrow as if to ask if they were really going to play this particular game tonight, clearly amused by his never-ending audacity as he coiled his fingers in Viktor’s hair just a bit tighter. He hadn’t been guiding him thus far, content to simply hold on and enjoy the ride. But as Jayce teased the possibility of taking the reins, he felt a small burst of arousal shoot through him and a glimmer of that same enthrallment in Viktor's golden eyes. The prospect was mutually enticing.

As if detecting his growing restlessness at his merciless teasing and his prolonged state of impotence, Viktor playfully rolled his eyes and set to work. He lowered the bottom half of his head under the water again, looking up at Jayce with undisguised desire. With a long drag of his tongue, he slowly traced the protruding vein from the base of his arousal back to the head, running his tongue along the sensitive slit at his opening. He placed a kiss there, applying suction as he sucked and eyed Jayce mischievously. A shudder crawled up Jayce’s spine as heat blossomed low in his belly, snaking out like oak roots with every heartbeat. With every pulse of blood that shot through his engorged member.

The sight alone was almost enough to undo him. But the sensation…

And then all at once, Viktor took him into his mouth.

Jayce saw stars, blinking rapidly as he attempted to regain the ability to clearly make out his surroundings, to no avail. Viktor pulled up out of the water using him for leverage, just enough so that his nose was above the water. Just enough to enjoy the illusion of being able to draw breath. And then he plunged lower, slower. Trailing the tip of his tongue along the length of him as he raised and lowered his head at a steady, lustful pace.

He hardly noticed the way Jayce's grip tightened in his hair, his hand clenching around his rapidly unraveling bun. He didn't notice the way it began to fall against his shoulders and float in the water as Jayce's hand began to shake as his knees trembled. And he hardly registered the gentle way that Jayce began to guide his rhythm, directing him to tilt his head just a bit more to the side, well aware of his limits. But he did notice when he lowered his other hand and carefully grasped his throat from the front, squeezing in just the way that he knew he liked, using the fingers that grasped his hair to massage his scalp as he held him firmly in place.

Viktor closed his eyes and hummed in pleasure, the sound cascading forward from deep in his chest as he slowly pressed a finger into Jayce and curled it. Jayce gasped, his breath hitching as he searched for that spot he knew would yield the desired effect. As his body quaked from the sensation of the vibration that Viktor’s warm mouth and throat provided. And then he found it, carefully adding a second finger a moment later as he continued to search. And a minute or so later, as he tentatively tested the waters and added a third finger, rubbing comforting circles inside of him, he found it, a discovery announced with fanfare as Jayce gasped and clenched his thighs, his knees buckling involuntarily for just long enough to dunk Viktor fully under the water with him. 

Resurfacing, Viktor dragged back up his length with the full suction of his lips and mouth, swirling his tongue against his tip as he slid off of him with a low, wet pop. Jayce quivered, panting like a starved hound as he braced himself against the wall of the hot spring. Viktor panted lightly as Jayce released his head, but aside from his now fully loosened hair and a touch of breathlessness, he was unaffected by their little impromptu diving expedition. Jayce reached down to pull him upward into a heated kiss, his eyes glazing over with desire as he realized that Viktor hadn't withdrawn from him. It appeared that he wasn't finished with him just yet.

“Not this time, Jayce. I have designs for you.” Viktor purred in his ear softly as he used his free hand to clasp him around the front of the neck, pressing him back against the low wall of the spring. Jayce stared at him lecherously, hardly registering his words as he reached down and grasped Viktor's member in his hand, seizing his own along with it. He firmly pressed them together along the length of their stomachs, massaging them slowly. Tenderly. With almost malicious intent. It was an action that earned him a shudder from Viktor and a wicked look, one laced with murderous intent and debauched fervour in equal measure.

Viktor had always been good at saying so much with just a single glance.

“When you say things like that, I start to get a little afraid.” Jayce forced out with a low chortle, only partially kidding as his eyes fell half closed. He ran his hand down Viktor's back and then up his chest before carefully clutching his hair and pulling back on it firmly, guiding him back into a tilt so that Jayce could lean in to press a kiss to his Adam's apple. He brushed his lips against his forehead, kissing his brow as Viktor’s breath hitched from the feeling of Jayce's thumb running over his swollen tip just right. “Not that you could ever truly frighten me, my love.”

Viktor allowed his face to rest against Jayce's chest for a moment, his breathing slowing as he attempted to concentrate on regaining control. On not faltering prematurely under the pleasure of Jayce’s touch. What Jayce had said to him only registered a moment later when he was graced with a scant instance of blessed clarity. He almost seemed to perk up at the notion. Was Jayce issuing a challenge? “Oh, couldn't I?”

Catching on instantly, Jayce did nothing to dissuade the notion despite it not being his intention. He pressed another kiss against the top of Viktor’s forehead, rubbing his cheek against the top of his scalp. Enjoying the scent of whatever he’d washed his hair with. It was always so soft. So tempting to run his fingers through. “I doubt it. I love you too much.”

“Love has little to do with it, Jayce,” Viktor said almost somberly as he stroked his face, peppering tender kisses against the most sensitive parts of his chest. He withdrew his fingers, pressing into that spot just right one final time before bidding him farewell. Jayce only just resisted the urge to whimper, taking mental note of the shift in the atmosphere around them.

At the risk of ruining the moment, there was something he needed to say.

“I didn’t love you any less when you were at your worst, Viktor. I know who you are deep down. I never truly was, even then.” He spoke in hushed tones, releasing his grip on their erections so that he could wrap his arms around him and pull him close. He stroked a wet hand through Viktor’s damp hair, brushing it aside so that he could better see his face. Better look him in his eyes as he spoke. He could see the trepidation; the desire to turn away that Viktor fought off. The distaste for what had happened was still evident in the sadness that lingered in his warm eyes as Jayce reassured him, kissing the mole under his eye with a softness that made Viktor melt. Viktor sighed. “Besides, I helped put you there. Who would I be to run from it?”

The faintest glimmer of something indescribable played across Viktor’s face as he leaned back to regard him. He looked almost perplexed, as if he were considering something deeply personal. Viktor looked down at the water in front of them momentarily, reaching up to stroke the side of Jayce’s neck lovingly. Squeezing him just a bit tighter.

“You… wouldn’t want to run?” 

“Not for a second.” From what, Jayce didn’t know. But he knew with absolute, unwavering certainty that whatever he was describing was a part of him, and he would never back down. That, more than anything right now, Viktor desired affirmation. Acceptance. They had faced the absolute worst things imaginable together. They were better as a pair. Two perfect cogs in a gleaming, polished machine. It didn’t matter how many knicks, dents, and scratches the exterior might display. It was the inner workings that mattered. How they fit and functioned together. And they were immaculate.

“Are you sure?” This time, Viktor dared to hazard a small, slightly stifled chuckle. The notion was evidently outrageous to him. Or perhaps he was genuinely taken aback once again by the sheer depths of Jayce’s devotion to him. To their love. To their new shared dream. To them.

“Completely,” Jayce answered without hesitation. Why would he ever stop and think about loving Viktor?

A tiny, wry smile spread across Viktor’s face as some of the light returned to his eyes, and his cheeks and ears flushed a dark pink. Jayce felt his mouth go dry. He throbbed against him, something that Viktor seemed to take note of as he stared at the water before finally looking back up.

His eyes never left Jayce’s as he slid down his body, allowing his hands to drag down his chest and sides, his fingertips ghosting his skin in a way that made him yearn for his touch. Jayce couldn’t make out the details of what he said as he lowered the entirety of his body below the simmering water, but it almost sounded like he said “we’ll see,” his tone carrying a darkness to it that sent a chill through his body.

The air dripped with the scent of ozone as darkness settled over them. Jayce felt the hairs on his arms tingle as they reacted so… something. Despite the relative shallowness of the pool, Jayce could not make out where Viktor had gone, the water now far too dark and reflective to see anything at all. And then, all at once, the air around him changed; it grew heavy with static electricity. With plasma. With the presence of the Arcane.

Reflecting the night sky above, the dark pool almost seemed to spread into perpetuity, grasping at the fringes of infinity as the cosmos above blanketed them in starlight. The firelights dissipated as though disturbed by something unseen, and all fell silent. The subtle violet-blue glow of the moon lily-like flowers grew tenfold, proving the only source of ambient light as the pool turned a familiar shade of dark, ethereal purple, and a chill clung to the air around them. A thin mist enveloped them. Jayce’s eyes remained fixed on the spot where he had last seen Viktor, his heart suddenly slamming in his chest from something other than arousal.

From the seemingly bottomless depths of the water below him first rose a head, pointed on the top and adorned with a fringe of golden metallic protrusions that swept back over the back of his head like a crown. Then a set of shoulders. A torso interwoven with gold and deep purple, reminiscent of tendons layered under supple flesh. Like Kintsugi. The figure rose straight up out of the water as though it were somehow deep enough to facilitate that, towering over Jayce as he leaned back and gripped the edge of the mantle of the hot spring. Oh yes, this sight was familiar. Far too familiar. Like the scent of kindling bringing back repressed memories of the firestorm that had once claimed everything.

“... Viktor…” It was all he could manage to say, breathless and utterly taken aback. The only difference between this version of the Herald and the one he’d previously known was that the hair that adorned his head was now far longer, and it contained an equal mixture of auburn brown and pale blond locks, the gold quite literally glowing in the dim light. It seemed to float around the sides of Viktor’s head as he beheld him with eyes that glowed intimidatingly in the pitch black of the night. Like the eyes of a nocturnal creature caught under lamplight. Savouring him. Salivating despite his distinct lack of a mouth.

Oh, and of course, the addition of a very noticeable new sexual organ…

“Have you reconsidered, Jayce?” Viktor purred quietly, that familiar chorus of vaguely metallic voices echoing through what little space remained between them. Domineering yet gentle. Viktor was assessing him, that much he could tell with little deduction. Attempting to discern if he was frightening him. He seemed to vibrate, his body glowing faintly as pulses of purple energy surged through him. Surged lower. Tempting his gaze.

Jayce stared as Viktor’s eyes followed his gaze downward, the focus of his attention crystal clear. Jayce’s breath deepened and sped up as though he were strangling under the weight of the very sight of it. Where had it come from? When last he’d checked, and he certainly had, Viktor had been… deprived of that piece of his anatomy when he’d been fused with the Hexcore. When he’d been the Herald. That had changed since, yes, but… It seemed that this was a new addition, likely one born of Viktor’s own machinations. Something purpose-crafted for the occasion.

How long had he been able to do that?

And yet, here it was. Just as reminiscent of the fusion of machine and mortality as the rest of him. Just as interwoven with gold and purple energy, but undeniably longer. Larger in a way that was distinctly arousing and repelling. Would it even fit?! Curved and noticeably bulbose at the tip, Jayce felt his loins clench and his heart flutter at the prospect of what it had the potential to do to him. How it could unmake him from the inside out. Of the way that the almost scalloped texture along the top and the two thick veins that flanked the upper portions of the sides would feel spreading him open, sliding deep into his-

“What is wrong with you.” Viktor’s ethereal voice cut through the growing tidal wave of lecherous debauchery that clouded his mind like a cutting edge, sending him reeling even if his face didn’t show it. Jayce could feel Viktor’s eyebrows raise questioningly, even if he couldn’t see them. His mind had been rendered to filth by the very sight, and he was doing precisely nothing to hide how bad he wanted to feel Viktor’s new length inside of him.

Naturally, Jayce hadn’t noticed the heat burning behind his own eyes. The way they glazed over as his eyelids hung heavy with salacious, scandalous, otherworldly lust. The slack-jawed expression on his face as his lips parted and his tongue played at the inside of his bottom lip. How his pupils dilated further the longer he beheld the object of his desire.

He wanted that in every orifice he had.

Jayce diverted his attention back to Viktor’s “face”, his rapidly cooking brain struggling to settle on an answer that didn’t raise any uncomfortable questions about his sexual preferences. He failed utterly, sighing in defeat.

“I…” And then Jayce stopped talking, looking anywhere but at Viktor.

Sensing his growing disillusionment, Viktor tilted his head to the side slowly, reaching out to trail his hands up his chest with the kind of carefulness one might extend to a newborn lamb. Jayce wore his vulnerability and uncertainty on his sleeve. It seemed that his undeniable arousal was as sudden a revelation to him as it had been to Viktor. Either that, or the illusion of blissful denial that he’d been laboring under up until that point had just shattered rather unceremoniously.

“Do not fret. It does not bother me, even a little.” It was Viktor’s turn to comfort Jayce. He leaned in, slipping his hand behind Jayce’s shoulder blades, caressing him reassuringly as his hand fell low, tracing the curve of his shoulders, the barely perceptible ridges of his spine through the firm muscles in his back. Grasping affectingly at the base of his spine before releasing him and leaning him back, letting his long, nimble fingers slide into place. Parting him. Resting his fingers precisely where they needed to be. “In fact, I believe it suits you nicely. Befits us .”

Jayce couldn’t think. Wouldn’t think as his head swam and his vision blurred. The Herald slipped between his legs, parting them as he used his right hand to massage Jayce’s left leg affectionately. Despite the metallic texture of his flesh, his fingers were warm as they squeezed his flesh; as they prodded his entrance, pressing quizzically. Requesting permission. Jayce nodded despite himself; despite the flurry of excitement, anxiety, and uncertainty that gripped him like a vice, holding him captive under the allure of Viktor’s eldridge radiance.

Viktor leaned in slightly and pressed in slowly. 

His fingers were bigger. Longer. Jayce wasn’t daft; he’d certainly noticed before he’d submitted himself to him. But they felt like they went on forever, curving into his body like a chisel chipping away, tap by precise tap, at his throbbing insides as they carved a path forward. Once he was nearly fully inside of him, he added a second, pushing in to just past his second knuckle. Jayce felt his heart pound, nothing but the sound of blood rushing through his body evident to him as Viktor spread his fingers apart at a leisurely pace, studying him for any semblance of pain. But despite how visibly overwhelmed Jayce was by the sensation, Viktor found none.

So he added a third finger.

Jayce gasped, his eyelashes fluttering as he looked up at him. He could feel everything . Even the slightest quirk of Viktor’s fingers set shockwaves of unbearable sensation rocketing through him. He leaned in, looming over Jayce like a great spire casting a long shadow. Jayce felt a pulse of energy cascade off of him into his skin. And then Viktor rotated his fingers and dug them into precisely the right spot and watched him dissolve.

“Perhaps you-” Viktor was not allowed to finish. Instead, Jayce reached down and clung to his arm, practically vibrating from the force of his ever-growing arousal. He did not care about the consequences. About the uptake in pace. He cared only for the bottomless well inside of him that made his insides clench, demanding to be satiated in the only way that he could be. Clawing at salvation, he gasped through gritted teeth. “ Yes.”

Viktor managed an astonished schoff before withdrawing and removing his hand from his leg. Jayce whimpered at the lack of friction, his chest heaving as he looked up at him. But it would not last. In one swift motion, Viktor seized him by his right leg, hefting his leg up over his shoulder as he caressed his thigh and allowed his grip to come to a rest against the underside of his knee. Prodding his entrance while angling slightly down into him from above with the shaft of his newfound member, he reached down and pressed his right hand against Jayce’s chest, twisting his torso so that the bottom half of his body lay nearly horizontal, splayed out in front of him like a willing offering upon an altar to a deity. An offering he would accept. Viktor stroked his hand down his chest to his belly, pressing against the base of his stomach, and then he pressed the very tip into him at a pace so torturous that Jayce could only hiss as the tender muscles of his sphincter parted and allowed him entry. And then he pressed in.

Ecstasy. It was the only adjective that came to mind. The only thought his beleaguered mind could conjure as he was plunged into the depths of insanity. As every muscle within him parted to allow him entry, peeling back against his protruding heat like water quenching molten steel. Every nerve ending in his body felt like it had been electrified, pulsing like a magnetic field in a steady rhythm with each tentative thrust as he pressed into him with firm, shallow thrusts, easing himself in. Jayce couldn’t breathe as his muscles tried and failed to expel him despite his fervent desires to the contrary, every centimeter pushing him beyond his limits. Oh yes, he could feel it. The stretch of him. Every ridge and crevice, every throbbing vein and pulse of arcane ichor that brought warmth to his supple metallic flesh.

Perhaps the Glorious Evolution wouldn’t have been so bad after all…

And then suddenly he felt pressure somewhere he’d never felt before. Against muscles he didn’t realize could be reached. Tender and deliciously sensitive, Viktor made a sound somewhere between a purr and a metallic whirl as the tip of his shaft brushed against the deepest place within his partner that he could conceivably reach, stretching him to his very limit as he somehow managed to fully seat himself within him. He allowed Jayce a moment to adjust. A blessed reprieve from so much sensation. And then he withdrew until the very base of the tip of his head teased his opening and plunged back in to the hilt, bottoming out again.

Every muscle in Jayce’s body clenched as the combined nerve endings of his sphincter and prostate roared to life, igniting like sparks of flame from a pine tree struck by a bolt of lightning. Jayce let out a choked sound, gasping as he reached forward and clung to Viktor’s arms. He could only hold on, his face dispelling the question on his lover’s metaphorical lips as he curled his toes and his eyes watered. Viktor purred again, soothingly, his otherworldly body glowing as he repeated the thrust, this time faster, again and again as he carved a path through him, ruining him completely.

Jayce tried to gargle something out. Tried to conjure some semblance of intelligent thought. But he could only lean back and close his eyes as Viktor pressed his face against his chest and grasped his wrists, pulling them up over his head in a single motion. The feeling of his large hands around his, the inverse of the norm between them; something that would normally be impossible, made his heart hammer harder in his chest as Jayce gasped and opened his eyes to look up at where Viktor held him, a trail of drool running out of the corner of his mouth as he nearly choked on his own spittle. As Viktor thrusted the air from his lungs and back up his throat as his punishing pace increased.

He would never recover from this. And he was fine with that.

They typically held the opposite preferences regarding pace. Jayce enjoyed the slow, doting, sensual way that Viktor attended to him. The way he tended to command him wordlessly as he caressed his chest and back, dragging slow, fulfilling strokes in and out of his body. In antithesis to that, Viktor preferred the opposite. He enjoyed a faster pace, the feeling of Jayce buried deep within him as he pulled out to a medium depth and then slammed back into him, all the while losing breath to Jayce’s fervent, worshiping kisses, and his large hands clasped tightly around his hip and throat. Jayce was insatiable, ever feasting. And Viktor was indomitable. Like trying to win a fist fight with a hurricane. Their mutual insanity suited them.

So it was rare that Viktor did something like this to him. Took him in such a raw, bestial manner. They would need to change that. Expediently .

Viktor continued to take as much as he gave, raising up to look down at Jayce as steady pulses of purple energy flowed through him, building in speed. His hair seemed to shimmer in the dim light, growing brighter and lighter as more strands of dark brown faded into golden blond, threatening to blind him with their brilliance should Jayce still be capable of seeing. His eyes never left Jayce's as he took in his breathless, flushed face, the sheen of sweat that coated his body, and the never-ending fountain of precum that dribbled down his erection. The way the muscles in his abdomen spasmed and twitched as he purred and released his grip on his hands in favor of stroking a hand gingerly up his body to grasp his neck firmly, tilting his head so that Jayce was looking at him. He wanted to see it. Wanted to feel the soul-stifling shockwave that overtook Jayce as his end came and his release washed over him with the force of a seismic collapse. Wanted to feel every muscle in his body grasp onto him from the inside out as he permanently embedded the shape of himself inside of his body, molding the walls of his tight, velvety heat. Claimed him in a way that nothing else in existence could.

“Look into my eyes, Jayce. Don’t you dare close them.”

“Viktor I-” Jayce wasn’t afforded the opportunity to finish his statement. Instead, a wave of vibration traveled through his body, bringing with it a pleasure so indescribably overwhelming that he could only yield to its power as his overstimulated body erupted into wave after wave of euphoria. Viktor released his neck and brought his fingertips to the front of his forehead, gently placing them against the spot where he had once marked him as he waited for permission. Jayce huffed in response, gasping as his back arched from the sensation of Viktor infiltrating the depths of his mind, filling him with another wave of ungodly arousal. Sharing with him the sensation of what it felt like to be buried so deeply within him. The way his clenching walls brought him to the brink of release. Extending what was already a spine-shattering orgasm. And then, Viktor leaned his head back to behold the cosmos above, straightened his back, and released with a force so great that his entire body began to glow faintly, his hair tumbling down his back and shoulders like the tentacles of a cephalopod. Spending himself within the deepest recesses of Jayce’s body. Coating every crevice of his insides in unmistakable heat and shades of iridescent purple.

Trembling weakly, Jayce felt the connection between their minds began to fray as the capacity for coherent thought vacated Viktor’s subconscious. But as the last vestiges of it parted ways with him, he felt the last twitch of Viktor’s climax pass over him as he dragged his length out of his body, and, with one final deep breath, he pressed back in, slumping over onto him as a second, admittedly weaker if only by a small margin, mutual orgasim shot through his body. The fourth in only a few minutes that Viktor had seen fit to bestow him with via their cognitive link. It made his knees quake as Viktor slowly began to come to a stop within him, spending the remainder of his energy on the task of extending Jayce’s orgasm as he thrusted into him in time with his quivering muscles. 

The mental link between them faded, and Viktor slowly began to devolve back into a more familiar form. Arcane energy pulsed through his body as his skin tingled from the sensation of reverting to its original state, his withering erection faltering inside of Jayce as Viktor slid down him, slumped backward, and full body collapsed backward into the warm waters of the hot spring. Jayce was pulling himself upright in an instant, slumping exhaustedly down on his knees to search the water for any signs of life. Had Viktor just passed out? Had the combination of pleasure and power gotten the better of him? The surface of the water was utterly still.

But just as he was starting to panic internally, his breath racing, Viktor sat up in the water in front of him, the warm liquid just deep enough to cover the top of his chest. His eyes lacked clarity, and he took deep breaths as he cleared his breath, but he was unharmed. Jayce sighed. What a relief.

“Now you know how I feel,” Viktor said tiredly as he was pulled into Jayce’s waiting arms by his hip, bringing his right hand to rest against Jayce’s chest. Jayce cradled him between his legs as he sat facing him and regarding him with a concoction of emotions so complex that Jayce could only smile drunkenly. Viktor pressed softly, relishing the sensation of Jayce’s warm skin, a comfort no hot spring could ever hope to measure up to, even if it was like sleeping cozied up to a forge at times.

“Hehe… Ehhhh…” An exhausted chuckle that devolved into a heavy sigh was all he could manage; the capacity for intelligent thought thoroughly pounded out of him by thoroughly skilled loins. Viktor leaned his face against Jayce’s shoulder, listening to the steady rhythm of his pulse as the warm water gradually soothed his sore, oversensitive nether regions. He was quietly shocked that Jayce could even sit after such an ordeal as he absentmindedly kneaded the muscles in his partner’s thigh. Jayce craned his head back to kiss the top of Viktor’s scalp, abruptly doing a massive double-take as he took a closer look at him. “Wait. Viktor, your hair.”

Reaching up to run his fingers through it under the assumption that it was simply tangled, Viktor stared blankly at the tangle of long, coiling platinum blonde hair that clung to his wet forearm, opening his mouth to speak before closing it again and reaching back to grasp more of it. Everything he could see was the same. He looked to Jayce, expecting to be dissuaded, but instead he nodded in confirmation, and a wave of instantaneous disillusionment slammed him right in the chest. Yes. He had just expended quite a lot of Arcane energy, hadn’t he…

“Oh. Does it look terrible?” Asked as he reached up to worry the back of his head in futility. Jayce leaned back and made enough space between them to get a better look at him, reaching up to place a hand on his shoulder.

“Eh,” Jayce responded, shrugging nonchalantly in a clear imitation of a similar gesture that Viktor was oh so fond of making. He’d made it the very first time they’d tested Hextech together, in fact. All those years ago.

Viktor stared at him blankly, seemingly surprised by his mimicry. Unsure of what else to say or do, Jayce doubled down.

“Public sex with the physical manifestation of the Arcane’s vision for its Herald is one thing,” Jayce said as he moved his hand from Viktor’s shoulder to his chin with all the delicateness of a butterfly taking to the sky, gently grasping his chin between his thumb and his index finger as he tilted his head up. He brushed the pad of his thumb over the beauty mark next to Viktor’s lip, stroking it softly and watching as his face turned a pretty shade of light pink. Jayce pressed a chaste kiss to his lips before drawing back to regard him with unrestrained adoration, nothing but fondness in Jayce’s large brown doe eyes. “But I draw the line at blond hair.”

For a moment, Viktor just stared at him blankly. And then he smiled brightly, creasing his lips as his eyes watered slightly and he tried in vain to bat away the unspent tears clinging to his eyelashes with rapid blinks. He raised his hand to rest against his face, his open palm cradling his jaw and covering his lips as he attempted to discreetly conceal the growing grin he couldn’t suppress. His entire face, ears, and neck were flushed.

“Jayce Talis… Never change.” Viktor said, wrapping his arms around his neck as he guided him down into a tender kiss. “Stay just as you are.”

Jayce smiled against Viktor’s lips as their kiss deepened, slow and intimate. Just the way that he liked. He could do that. He would be more than happy to. As he was now, he was a version of himself that he’d come to respect, to feel comfortable with after everything he’d endured. There had never been a doubt in his mind that Viktor cared for him, but to hear him say it, to speak so transparently of how he adored him, made his heart soar.

They would stay a little while longer, their arms around one another, basking in the gravity of their cosmic love amongst the twinkling stars and the iridescent blooms. The cool breeze kissing their skin as the Firelights returned. Cradled in one another’s embrace. Tranquil. Their legs reduced to little more than jelly, but their hearts were full.

It was going to be a slow, limp trudge back to their bedroom.

—

Chapter Text

A Very Special Occasion

—

Viktor dragged himself listlessly towards the apartment, drenched beyond comprehension as the storm raged on around him.

It was supposed to be a quick detour while he was out. A simple task. Head to the lab, check in with Sky about a status update the council had requested from them, and then grab what he’d originally left their home to get that day. Simple. Uncomplicated.

Until the heavens opened up above him and unleashed a torrent of freezing rain so unrelenting that Viktor was starting to think that Piltover slipped off the isthmus and straight into the bottom of the sea.

He was convinced that he’d never been more soggy and miserable in his entire life. Sitting in a bathtub full of water would be drier than this. He’d seen the warning signs before he’d left. Taken the precaution of bringing an umbrella along with him just in case. But it had done little once the sky had turned black, the storm had rolled in, and the winds picked up. Well, aside from acting as a makeshift sail, propelling him backward into the cobbled streets, and straight onto his backside in a deep puddle of water. 

At least he hadn’t been in the Undercity at the time. The puddle probably would’ve been contaminated with the remnants of a chemical spill…

Viktor was sore, freezing, and almost certain that he’d have a cold tomorrow, but it hardly mattered to him, despite everything. He glanced down at the medium-sized cube-shaped cardboard box that he’d half tucked into the front of his coat and smiled. Jayce was going to love this…

It was slow going and exhausting, but eventually he rounded a corner and was greeted with a familiar sight. Every building on the street was similar, aside from a few with different colored metal roofs. A collection of single-floor residential units decorated with that signature Piltover style of striking masonry and metal embellishments. But that hardly mattered to him as he opened the door to the ground floor lobby and into the gate-fold elevator. The inside of their residence had more than enough personality to make up for it.

As soon as he reached the front door, he hung the umbrella on the door handle to drip dry, hastily unlocked it, and stepped inside. All at once, he was enveloped in the cozy warmth of their apartment and the unmistakable scent of… no, that couldn’t be. He’d noticed that Jayce had been trying to keep him out of the kitchen before he’d left a few hours ago, and had rightfully assumed that he was trying to conceal a surprise from him. But he hadn’t expected him to go through the labor-intensive nightmare of baking his favorite dessert. Or cook his favorite meal. Especially after he’d insisted that Viktor didn’t need to get him anything for the occasion and that his company and the bottle of fancy wine he’d gifted him were more than enough.

He was going to strangle him.

Shrugging out of his soaked coat, he shook his head and stepped in the direction of the bathroom, mumbling curses under his breath in regards to how his soaked clothing clung to him. The second he appeared in the hallway, Jayce choked.

“Viktor, you’re soaked ,” Jayce called to him from the sitting room off to his right, an air of amusement and horror clear in his voice. He sounded like he wanted to snicker and ruffle his hair, but could tell by the fatigued look on his face that it wasn’t a very good idea at present.

Pausing, Viktor glanced absentmindedly in Jayce’s general direction, noting that the lights were out in the sitting area, and the curtains were drawn, making it unusually dark for this time of day. Strange.

“Unfortunately, the umbrella broke,” Viktor replied with a tired sigh. And it was going to stay broken for the time being. He would fiddle with it on their off day tomorrow. He knew that he could simply travel to a general goods stall and obtain another one at little to no expense, but he’d never been one to discard something he was confident that he could reuse or repair. He had to at least try to fix the useless thing first. Old habits died hard.

Jayce hummed knowingly in response from parts unseen as Viktor proceeded into the bathroom and took another look at just how wet he was as he passed the mirror before peeling the garments off and discarding them over the top of the shower curtain rod to dry. He briefly considered taking a second shower that day simply to warm himself up before deciding that he was plenty wet enough as it was and opting to have a cup of sweetmilk instead. The scents wafting from the kitchen called to him, tempting Viktor like a siren’s song. He grabbed a towel, dried himself off, and then exchanged it for one of Jayce’s robes when he couldn’t find his in their bedroom closet for some strange reason.

Now it was time for that cup of sweetmilk. And maybe a peek in the oven.

The first thing he noticed when he returned to the hallway was the welcoming scent of warm amber and cedar that clung to Jayce’s robe. He rubbed his face against it, savoring the titillating scent his skin had left on the fuzzy garment. There was something more to the bouquet of scents, something sweet, but he couldn’t distinguish it from the rest. Regardless, it smelled heavenly. Warm and comforting, just like their home. Just like his partner and everything that word meant to them now. Viktor smiled absentmindedly. Had it truly been a year already?

The second thing he noticed was a distant crack of lightning followed shortly by the crashing boom of thunder from beyond the walls of their residence, jolting him out of his peaceful reverie as the air around him trembled. The storm was getting worse, then. Of course it was.

The third thing he noticed was that the sheer curtains that led into the sitting room were pulled shut, and a faint flickering light was visible from just beyond them. Odd. He hadn’t heard Jayce get up to shut them. Who knew someone of such a towering stature was capable of tiptoeing…

But as Viktor parted the curtains and stepped down into their living space, his eyes adjusting to the difference in lighting, he was greeted by a final, unexpected sight. The spectacle that was Jayce Talis sitting across from him on the upholstered alcove bench built into their bay window, his right arm astride a cushion and his left elbow resting against his thigh, fingers curled up into a loose resting position off to the side of his head, almost as though he’d been resting his head against it before Viktor had entered the room. Wearing nothing but a loose, lacy, negligee that was barely sufficient to cover anything on anyone, least of all him.

The delicate lace hung from him like curtains, soft and almost dainty in comparison to the fierce look in his eyes. His shoulders and chest were almost entirely exposed, the garment held together around the back of his neck and undone across the front, peeled back in a way that offered a tantalizing view of his chest and abdomen, but fastened again just above his shaft, only just shielding it from view. The bottom was open, his left leg propped up slightly as if offering him a peek, the lace cascading down from his knee on the backside and creating a tantalizing gap in the front that somehow managed to not give anything away. A secondary section of the sleeves were open down to the cuff, which fell in a long bell along the edge of the pillow. Every edge and seam of the garment was adorned with more delicate, intricate lace, making the sheer, single-color garment a sight to behold. And Jayce somehow more seductive than he’d ever been.

Jayce’s chest rose and fell softly in anticipation, a certain confidence to him as he lounged almost lazily in their sitting room, surrounded by lit candles and flower petals that he’d haphazardly scattered across the floor in a trail leading to him. The garment might conceal just enough from view to leave some things to the imagination, but not the desire that bloomed within Jayce’s gaze. The anticipation. The hunger.

Oh. Oh.

Viktor stared at him in blatant disbelief, a soft pink tint coating his face as he paused by the doorway, leaning heavily on his cane. His face was unreadable, his breath slow and shallow as all the blood seemingly vacated his brain. Never in a million years had the thought that Jayce might do something like this crossed his mind. While it was true that he was open to experimentation in the bedroom on most accounts, this had taken some degree of forethought and planning to execute. Of fantasizing. How had the idea even taken root in that brilliant brain of his? What had been the spark that set their house aflame?

Hopefully not anything from the kitchen. No one was paying attention to the oven, after all…

“You look miserable. We should do something about that.” Jayce said smoothly, waving one finger at a time with a curl of his left hand, gesticulating for him to join him on their favorite lounging spot. He spoke with unrushed assurance, an easy confidence oozing off him like the tides lapping at the shoreline. Exuding a steady pull as he beckoned his beloved to join him. When Viktor didn’t budge, Jayce raised an eyebrow in bemusement, smirking salaciously as he looked him up and down with his gaze alone. Undressing him with his eyes.

Viktor was almost certain that he felt a blood vessel burst in his brain.

Snapping out of his stupor, Viktor took notice of the lump forming in his throat and the knots building in his stomach. He willed himself to move forward, still feeling like he was in a drunken fever dream, but more than willing to reciprocate. But as he sauntered closer to Jayce, coming to a stop in the dim candlelight, Jayce smiled warmly. Seductively. And then he looked him up and down and let out a soft huff. “I see you’ve been on my side of the closet again. Was the selection to your liking?”

It was Viktor’s turn to huff in amusement as he slowly reached over to stroke the right side of Jayce’s chest. He let his finger leisurely trail along the silky fabric, enjoying the embroidery. He lightly captured the fringe between two fingers as he traced it up to Jayce’s shoulder and then up the side of his neck, brushing the underside of his jaw before allowing the back of his hand to come to rest against Jayce’s cheek. Viktor smiled fondly, his eyes filled with a warmth that the cozy candlelight only multiplied.

“Yes. As a matter of fact, it was.” He leaned in and gently pressed his lips to Jayce’s, stealing his breath as he bestowed a lovingly gentle kiss. When they parted, slow and deliberate, the hunger in Jayce’s eyes had multiplied tenfold. But still, his composure held. Viktor was silently impressed. Jayce was normally the first to fold.

He watched as Jayce lowered his left hand to his lap, slipping it under the underside of the front of the garment. His eyelashes fluttered for a moment before he looked back up at him as though it wasn’t abundantly clear what he was up to. Viktor pretended not to see him. The fabric offered quite a bit of coverage for something so sheer, but it couldn’t cover up the motion of Jayce’s hand. The way his fingers curled around himself, stroking upward in a steady rhythm before falling again, taunt skin sliding along with it. The way his breath picked up in a manner so slight that it would’ve proven imperceptible to anyone else besides him. Besides his love.

Before he realized what he was doing, Viktor had been staring for a solid minute.

Their eyes met in unison, holding one another captive as Jayce continued to stimulate himself, reaching forward with his free hand to hook his fingers underneath the loop of the robe’s belt, carefully pulling Viktor forward with an effortless grace. He gingerly undid the belt and watched as the robe parted around either side of Viktor’s lithe body like a set of double doors swinging open just enough to grant entry. Viktor remained still, quietly observing. Eager to see what was next, but not as keen to show just how aroused he was by the unlikely scenario he now found himself in.

“Red suits you, Viktor. Too bad you won’t be in it for long.” Jayce said as he grasped the front of Viktor’s underwear, pulling them down just enough to apply pressure and make his pulse race. He twitched against the fabric, eager for the sweet familiarity of Jayce’s hand. It was instantly too much to withstand. With as much patience and as little desperation as he could manage, he reached up and gently brushed his partner’s hand aside, putting as much weight on his good leg as he could as he shuffled out of the undergarments and let them tumble down around his feet. He stepped out of them and just that little bit closer to Jayce, taking his hand and gently pressing it against his lower abdomen as warmth spread from where Jayce touched him, making his heart flutter and his ears warm.

Smirking knowingly as the tip of Viktor’s engorged heat brushed against his wrist, Jayce leaned in and pressed a warm, wet kiss to Viktor’s stomach, savoring the way his breath hitched under his mouth. It was a slight, fleeting thing, but a sound that Jayce never tired of. He pressed again, sucking. Then, licking a trail down lower as he reached his left hand behind his lover, pulling him inescapably close. Grasping him and massaging the muscles in his lower back reassuringly as he slipped him into his mouth and began to suck fervently.

Closing his eyes as Jayce dragged a long, satiated sigh out of him, Viktor relished the sensation of his tongue working around him in circles like a serpent, the resplendent warmth of his lips and mouth a balm against formerly frigid skin. Warmer still than the rest of his body had been until moments ago. Jayce drew the chill from his body and the marrow from his bones as he indulged him dotingly, relaxing the muscles in his throat as he allowed him to press just a bit deeper, working the tip of his shaft with practiced precision. Pressing his fingers against Viktor’s soft entrance teasingly before slipping just the tip in enough to heighten the sensation. Warm, lustful eyes stared up at him like a subject worshiping from an altar below as he partook of him. Watched him unravel. Feeling his pulse race.

With a wet pop and a chaste kiss, Jayce withdrew his fingers and released him from his mouth, taking note of the way Viktor’s legs trembled. He uncoiled his fingers from his own length and extended a hand to Viktor, an offer that was hastily accepted as Viktor allowed Jayce to pull him into his lap. And then, without warning, Jayce placed his hands around the middle of Viktor’s back and his weak leg supportively and shifted his weight, putting Viktor below him lengthwise as he straddled him. Stroking from his knee to his thigh with comforting, grounding pressure as he positioned himself just right on his knees, leaning over Viktor like the clouds overhead, illuminated by a flash of lightning through the torrent of rainy wind.

Viktor looked almost bewildered by the sight. The ease with which Jayce had managed the task. The silken lace draping around him like a soft curtain as his beloved leaned in and kissed his throat almost possessively. Feverishly worshiping his body as though the taste of his skin was his only salvation. As if the only way he could be closer to him was to devour him wholesale. He cradled Viktor in his arms gently, holding him against his chest for an extended period of time, indulging in the scent of his rain-drenched skin. The scent of petrichor and autumn wind. Of his love.

Reaching back to grasp Viktor’s length in his hand, he stroked him gently before bracing himself with one hand and lining him up to his entrance, smiling at the way that Viktor trembled under the intensity of his warmth and affection; under the tenderness of his touch. Jayce pressed in slowly, a deep sigh pulling from his chest as anticipation reached its zenith. And then, a spark of clarity amongst the storm. Amid the maelstrom that shook the walls of the building around them as Viktor slowly began to anchor himself inside of him. “Jayce, Wait. We haven’t-”

Leaning down, Jayce seized his jaw with his hand, pressing his mouth to his. He leaned back to look at him before resting his chin on his shoulder, bringing them close together again. A chuckle vibrated in his chest as he felt Viktor tremble from desire. From wanting. He spoke slowly, his voice little more than the notion of a whisper as his breath tickled the short hair at the edge of Viktor's ear. Methodically. As he firmly caressed Viktor’s thigh with his left hand and the middle of his back with his right, his legs holding him steady. “I took care of it. Now let me take care of you.”

The soft red robe pooled around Viktor’s back as he withdrew his arms from it and wrapped them around Jayce’s back, gripping gently but firmly. Not guiding but waiting with breathless anticipation for Jayce to indulge him. Nuzzling his chest as he basked in the warmth that radiated off of him when he rose up off of him just enough to facilitate it. Of the scent of cider, cedar, and amber as Viktor pressed a kiss to the most sensitive part of his chest and gasped as Jayce sank lower and lower, his muscles slowly engulfing him in the way that only he could. Conforming to the shape of him as Jayce accepted Viktor with all the tenderness of a lover, and all the consideration of something more. With no hesitation and heady eagerness. Another flash of lightning, followed by a boom of thunder sent a tremble down Jayce’s spine as Viktor bottomed out inside of him, causing the smaller of the two to tremble like a leaf in a storm as he groaned deeply, shuddering. Jayce gasped, struggling to pull air into his lungs as a sensation only Viktor could put in him swam in his gut and filled his insides with warmth, legs clenching and flexing in lustful dilation. He couldn’t remember the last time it had felt like this. Neither of them could.

Jayce sat back, careful not to apply too much pressure. Viktor hadn’t said anything until it was too late the first time they'd attempted this position; he'd been too caught up in the intimacy and the euphoria of it all. It had been their wedding night after all. They hadn’t been thinking, only acting.

There would be no repeats of that unfortunate bend in the learning curve. Not if Jayce had anything to say about it.

He reached down to stroke Viktor's cheekbones, his face flushed a dark pink as he beheld the utterly enraptured look on Viktor's face. His head was against the pillows, his back partially propped up as he intertwined his fingers with Jayce's at his side and stroked down his chest to his navel with his spare hand in adoration. A weary, blissful smile spread across Viktor’s face as his glassy, lust-hazed eyes worshipped the sight of him wordlessly. His jaw went slack the moment Jayce began to move, heat pooling in his gut at the sight, sound, and sensation of his beloved slowly rising and lowering down the length of his erection with deliberate slowness. It was perfect . Wholly and utterly. The way Jayce clenched around his shaft, sending pulses of pleasure coursing through his veins like the blood that sustained him. With every rise and fall of his hips and his breath, Viktor swore he sank deeper, warm breath ruffling his short walnut hair as Jayce pressed a kiss to it, his eyes closed and his breath coming in steady waves.

Raising up slightly to meet him, Viktor’s thrusts chased Jayce’s heat as he sank and rose onto his length at a steadily building pace. He met him halfway as Jayce came back down, pulling out slowly as he rose again, drawing a groan from them both as they searched for the right rhythm.

“Please… just like that,” Viktor said as he reached up and grasped Jayce by the chin, pulling him into a searing kiss, his honeyed eyes darkened by debauchery. Viktor explored every crevice and corner of his mouth with his tongue while he plunged the depths of Jayce's body with fervor, wrenching a sudden gasp and a shudder from him as they simultaneously pressed against one another in just the right way. Hitting just the right spot inside of Jayce that made his thighs tremble and his stomach tumble into a spasmic fit. His breath slowed, coming in cascades; eyes watering.

Viktor lowered his hand, brushing it down his cheek to his neck, grasping gently but firmly as he readied himself. He squeezed lightly at the sides of Jayce’s throat; more to anchor himself than anything, but it still had the desired effect. Jayce's eyes practically rolled back in his head as his chest heaved, his breath hitching with each thrust as Viktor pitched up to him with plunging, punishing accuracy. They were close. So deliciously close.

“Viktor…” Jayce warned softly, speaking his name as though it were a verse of prose from his favorite work of poetry as his beloved continued to ravish him. Pushing in unyieldingly but tenderly, working the muscles apart in precisely the way that he knew Jayce loved best. Intimately. Knowingly. In a way that only Viktor could. An undeniable ache was making its way into his thighs, but Jayce hardly acknowledged it. It would vanish like dust in the wind soon enough. Such a trifling amount of discomfort was nothing when compared to the sheer ecstasy their lovemaking brought to them. Jayce’s chest heaved, and his abdomen was tighter than he could ever recall it being before, something about this position driving the nerve endings around his opening and his prostate utterly mad. Oh, how he needed this.

Viktor tisked playfully, licking a trail up his chest before taking the pert bud into his mouth, sucking with benevolent softness as he watched him nearly come undone. Felt the muscles in his stomach flutter and beheld the loving warmth in Jayce’s eyes as they gazed at one another. The way Jayce gripped him like a vice in response was heavenly, the combination of sensations nearly too much for him to withstand. Oh, how he needed him.

He’d never know how badly his body longed for this until he’d felt it.

“Jayce, I…” Viktor fought with what little control he had remaining to compose himself. To conjure consonants and vowels, syllables and verbs together in an order vaguely resembling a coherent statement. He closed his eyes and took a breath, falling back against the pillows as he struggled against every force in his body to keep his eyes at least halfway open, his body trembling like the railing on their balcony as it braved the storm outside their walls while Jayce braved the storm within him.

Every inch was like a kiss. A kiss Jayce returned in kind as he slipped his arm behind Viktor and pulled him into his arms, holding him tightly; the only sound the melding of their breath and the friction of sweet release. Viktor’s heady moans a symphony as Jayce felt him go limp from the inability to breathe as he dragged him over the precipice into nirvana. 

“Then don’t you dare move,” Jayce said with a deep, lustful chuckle and a lecherous leer as he released Viktor, laying him back against the pillows. He angled himself just right, sitting almost vertically atop Viktor as he dug in deep and picked up the pace just enough to render them both beyond the point of intelligible human speech, their brilliant minds wiped clean of anything resembling thought. There was only sensation. Memory. Love and adoration as they toppled over the precipice of pleasure in unison, Jayce grasping Viktor’s hand as he cried out Jayce’s name like a call to the heavens for relief as a flood of rapturous heat and ecstasy overtook him and sent him spiraling headlong into oblivion. The sensation alone would’ve ended Jayce if he weren’t already leaning back staring at the ceiling, his spurting shaft dousing Viktor’s chest and stomach like a firehose trying to put out the heat surging within them as he gasped and sputtered in an attempt to say something, anything. Nothing came.

Jayce muttered something vaguely, deeply affectionate, but it all slurred together in an indistinguishable haze of curses and phrases as he finally stopped twitching, completely empty and rapidly going flaccid.

With a gasp that sounded like he’d been flayed and gutted, Viktor went totally boneless, utterly spent and nearly overstimulated from the heavenly sensation of their shared release as Jayce slumped over across him, propping himself up on a pillow to watch him come back down to terra firma. He felt Viktor slowly sliding out of him, trembling at the emptiness but grateful for the relief it brought. Now his legs could stop shaking.

Slowly, light returned to their minds. Sight trickled back in, and darkness settled around them. They were back on their bay window bed, surrounded by pillows and warmth and the faint light of candles. By each other as lighting brightened the dark sky just beyond where they roosted. Basking in the unspeakable weight of everything they meant to each other.

“I’m glad you didn’t try to remove it, Jayce,” Viktor said with an impish look in his golden eyes as he smiled at him, running his fingers lackadaisically down the edge of the luxurious lace that swaddled him. It truly was a fetching color on Jayce. Viktor needed an excuse to get him to wear shades of pale pink more often. Though admitting his fondness for the shade on him would no doubt be enough. “I would’ve had to stop you.”

“Oh, I’m sure that wouldn’t have been pretty,” Jayce said without the faintest hint of fear. He smiled at the way Viktor blinked languidly and playfully swatted him as though he were a bothersome fly, scoffing.

A peaceful silence settled over them, blanketing them like fresh dew on shorn grass as they gazed at one another, enraptured by the simple joy of being in one another’s company. The comfort of being one. Being known.

“Thank you, Jayce. This was… wonderful.” Viktor played with that piece of stray hair that always seemed to plague Jayce as he smiled up at him adoringly. “I hope this was…”

Jayce kissed him before he could even ask, slow and delicate as he cherished him. Pulling away breathlessly, Jayce couldn’t help but laugh. “I would sure hope so. After all, I was doing all the steering.”

It was Viktor’s turn to laugh. “Pfft. Most of it.”

Shrugging sarcastically, Jayce shook his head from side to side. “Oh, way to steal credit for all my hard work.”

“Of course. What else am I here for? Decoration?” Viktor quipped, barely containing his laughter as Jayce reached over to tickle him and pepper kisses against his collarbone, earning himself a gentle swatting and a snort as Viktor tried and failed to worm his way out of his grasp, giggling.

And then it occurred to him.

Clarity hit Jayce like a wrecking ball as he attempted to sprint into the kitchen, his legs failing him as they buckled like jelly and he stumbled, cursed under his breath, and then recovered, playing it off as though it were no big deal. He opened the oven, nearly forgot to use the proper protective gear before thinking better of himself, and let out a relieved sigh. Nothing had burned. They still had thirty minutes at the least.

Returning to the sitting room, Jayce paused. Viktor had done it again. He’d vanished down the hall without so much as a sound. Perhaps he’d simply subconsciously tuned the sound of his cane during the time they’d been together, or maybe Viktor was just that good at being sneaky. He couldn’t say. He wasn’t sure. But the subtle shadow cast by something approaching from down the hall was enough to draw his attention.

“Good thing you lit candles, Jayce.” Viktor placed the candle he’d been carrying down that he was carrying on the small table by the front door, an almost sheepish look on his face. “The power went out, but…”

Viktor paused, noticing the fact that Jayce hadn’t put on a robe or anything more… convenient than the lace negligee. He’d seen him sprint into the kitchen… “Jayce… did you just check the oven in that? ”

“How else am I going to know if it’s warm?” He fired back all too seriously. And then he grinned like a buffoon. It was a hazard, to say the least, and for the one normally grilling his partner about the virtues of lab safety, it was hilariously hypocritical. But then again, Jayce had never been one to pay attention to safety around heat if his forging habits were anything to go off of. At least he hadn’t been harmed.

Viktor just stared at him before rolling his eyes and slipped something from under his arm inside the robe. His face darkened slightly from the soft pink tint that spread across it as he extended a bundle of something soft to him. “I know you told me that it was unnecessary, but I brought you something to mark the occasion. Two things, actually. But this one first.”

Jayce received the bundle with curiosity and a pleasantly surprised smile. He was hard to buy gifts for. After all, what could you buy a man who already had the only thing he could ever want? He hadn’t wanted Viktor to lose sleep worrying that he’d be disappointed over a subpar gift, so he’d assured him that it wasn’t necessary. But as he unwound the paper and the little bow that covered the box and opened it, he was met with something that he could hardly believe.  

Another lingerie set, noticeably smaller than Jayce’s with cascading silken trails interspersed by pockets of embroidered lace that no doubt stopped just below the butt. Shoulderless with an almost corset-like central garment that flattered the long, lacy sleeves effortlessly. It was frilly and indulgent with flair and spectacle while managing to remain flattering and just as delicate and compromising. Only this one was red with little golden bows. And it had garters and the addition of a set of underwear that would serve to cover absolutely nothing.

“So. How long until dinner is ready?” Viktor said with a flirtatious smirk, raising a brow as he watched Jayce examine the garment in disbelief. Suddenly, the blush on Viktor’s face was all but gone at the sight of the look of enjoyment and anticipation on Jayce’s face. Of his shock. In an instant, he knew what Jayce was thinking, and it emboldened him. Sent a surge of assurance through him that could not easily be tamed. He liked it .

Jayce stared at the garment, his mouth going dry as he envisioned what Viktor would look like in it. How it would cling to the curves of his lithe body. How the color would make his honey colored eyes pop. How it would look when he parted his thighs like a prize waiting to be claimed. Jayce’s gaze shifted over towards Viktor, his eyes filled with a renewed heat, his erection returning with a vengeance. And then he grinned wolfishly. Without hesitation, Jayce scooped Viktor up off his feet as he relinquished his grip on his cane, allowing Jayce to carry him down the hall. They both giggled in anticipation, not even bothering to close the door behind them as they entered their bedroom. On yes. Viktor was going to try that on right now.

Jayce had always been so full of good ideas. And so had Viktor.

—

Chapter Text

All In The Name of Science

—

The explosion at the Capitol building had silenced Piltover, but the lab had grown cold long before then.

His sudden lack of interest in his life’s work had been an unwelcome development, at least as far as the council was concerned. He was the golden child of Piltover, the Man of Progress, and an irrefutable symbol of the city's greatness. But as things stood, he was little more than a fixture, rooted in place in his lab as the even sun faded around him.

No one had seen Viktor in weeks. Jayce feared the worst.

Again and again, he combed over their last conversation together in his mind, his words gnawing at him like a festering wound that refused to stop bleeding. “I need to think,” he’d said. But when he’d returned to the lab, he’d found nothing. He’d failed to take notice at first, but now all he could do was grit his teeth and chastise himself for how long it had taken him to realize that something was amiss. That Viktor hadn’t been there in days.

Jayce had rushed to their lab in a frenzy of excitement and frayed nerves to present the blueprint for a lasting peace between Zaun and Piltover to Viktor. To invite him to the council meeting. But he’d simply vanished. He hadn’t been at the pump station. He hadn’t been at his apartment. He hadn’t been seen anywhere. And in the wake of a bomb tearing through Piltover, he remained unseen. Silent. As untraceable as smoke over water.

It wasn’t like him.

Jayce’s city needed him, but all he could think about was Viktor. When he closed his eyes, images of magic and mechanisms faded away as Viktor’s visage replaced them. The golden glow of his eyes haunted Jayce’s guilt-addled mind like a specter looming over dark water. The timbre of Viktor’s laugh, his accent, and the rare warmth of his smile.

The double doors to the lab opened, and he knew without looking up that it wasn’t who he wanted it to be.

“Oh, there you are. I was hoping you’d be here.” Came a familiar voice. It was enough to draw his attention from the object he held in his hands as he leaned against his desk, even if only for a moment.

“Sky?” Jayce lifted his head to regard her properly. Or, at least something akin to it. He could barely fake the small, tired smile that he gave her as she approached, holding something tightly between her intertwined hands.

Her presence wasn’t unwelcome. Far from it. But in truth, he’d simply forgotten about her role in their lab, so engrossed he’d been in the depths of his quasi-mourning. Jayce had spent the last while going through the motions and in and out of a sort of fugue state, unable to cope with the sudden disappearance of his partner. Worrying about him. Wondering if they still had time left. He realized now that he had taken their time together for granted amidst the thousand other things that demanded his attention, and a part of himself was wholly unwilling to grant himself even a sliver of forgiveness, even if it had been an unintended misstep.

“It’s urgent.” She said as she extended her hand to him, handing him a slightly crumpled envelope that had been visibly smoothed flat by worried hands. The seal was broken, but the paper inside didn’t show evidence of being unfolded, at least not fully. She wore a grim look upon her face as she watched him hesitantly take it. 

Sky’s eyes drifted to the object in his off hand. A picture frame cradling a photograph of the two of them together at the Distinguished Innovator’s Competition, winning their first award together. A knowing sadness filled her eyes as she extended her hand and placed it on Jayce’s shoulder, looking away. Unwilling to meet his gaze as her hand dropped back to her side. “Look at the handwriting…”

Hesitantly, he sighed and gently set the picture down as though it would shatter at the slightest touch. He opened the envelope and retrieved the paper inside, unfolding it almost absentmindedly. And then his eyes widened. A palpable wave of anxiety and bewilderment overcame him the moment he beheld his own name, scribbled in a woefully familiar flowing, if not slightly messy and hastily scribbled, script.

He felt his heart catch in his throat, as excited as he was genuinely terrified. Gripping it tightly as his heart clenched and fell into his stomach.

Dear Jayce,

I wished to be in contact with you sooner, but there were complications. Word has reached me in the Undercity of the attack on the capital and the subsequent memorial, and of your miraculous survival. I am grateful that you were unharmed. It appears that you remain as indestructible as ever. Please do not test this theory further.

Jayce rolled his shoulder and adjusted his neck, suddenly all too aware of the dull throb that traveled diagonally across his back as he hunched over to read. Something akin to an amused smirk spread across his face, the light returning to his eyes as he beheld the writing with reverence as though it were sacred script. It was really him.

It was not my intention to abandon you so suddenly and without explanation. There was ample cause, I assure you. The circumstances I now find myself embroiled in are as unexpected as they are potentially hazardous, and I do not expect that to change anytime soon. I did not wish to endanger you. I intend to be in contact again in the future, but I cannot say when. I am sorry I cannot delineate, and for the worry I have no doubt caused you. Unfortunately, that is all I can say for now. Something must be taken care of. Urgently. Please give my regards to Mrs. Young.

Do not look for me.

Your Partner, Viktor.

Jayce clasped the piece of paper as though it would vanish should he relinquish it, and take all the hope it had restored to him with it. His brow furrowed as he considered the unsettling implications of its latter half, worry settling into his heart as he contemplated what dire situation Viktor now could’ve found himself in. This was both like him and very much unlike him all at once, and that diversion from the norm cut him to the quick.

Jayce glanced up at Sky, taking note of the way she almost seemed to bounce in place from anticipation, clutching her notebook to her chest as if it would shield her from her own worry. He gave her a questioning look, glancing between the letter and her anxiety-riddled eyes. “Did you read it?”

“I read enough.” She rubbed her neck in discomfort before adjusting her glasses. “The header. Just enough to see that it’s addressed to you, so…”

Jayce handed it to her, standing to grab his coat with a soft smile. Sometimes, Sky was too sweet and well-meaning for her own good. He wasn’t blind to the fact that she cared for Viktor, even if he didn’t know to what extent. She needed answers. Closure. Hopefully, this would provide something close to that. He left the document in her care with a few pats on the shoulder as he shrugged into his jacket and strided towards the door to the lab, pushing it open as he vacated the premises.

There was somewhere he needed to be.

—

The Undercity was always dark, but something about tonight felt especially bleak and oppressive.

Jayce shuffeled along in the darkness, his feet practically dragging against the ground beneath him as he stumbled along. He was no stranger to the concept of fatigue. His current state was one that he’d been in numerous times before, and would undeniably find himself in again, but as he descended into the depths of the Undercity, it almost felt as though a weight was pressing down on him. Like he was trapped in a vice.

He had no concept of how long he’d been walking. How far into the depths of the city he’d gone. If it was even nighttime anymore. What few residents of the underground had been willing to be forthcoming with potential leads hadn’t been able to give him anything concrete other than a general idea of where to look. The good news was that they all pointed conclusively to the same region of Zaun. The bad news was that it was The Sump. Where everything that was lost found itself.

The city had been in utter turmoil around him as he descended. Infighting amongst the Chembarrons in the wake of the disappearance and presumed death of Silco had opened up a power vacuum, and they were all eager to fill it. To take a larger portion than the miserly scraps they’d been allowed. It made for hectic travel and uneasy streets, but what was new? Sadly, this was not something unfamiliar to the lanes, as much as he wanted things to be different. As much as Viktor had hoped to change things before he’d gotten sick. Jayce shook his head as if to dislodge the concept from his mind. He had to find him. Before something else did.

As he continued down the darkened streets, he couldn’t help but notice that the state of the area was somehow worse than he’d ever seen in the Undercity. Numerous unfortunate victims of Shimmer addiction scurried about on all fours, more akin to the scuttling insects that seemed to cover every surface than the people they’d once been. Ramshackle accommodations did little to keep warmth in and the thick, barely tolerable air out. Several people were scavenging through the dumpsters while others lay nearby, visibly starving and succumbing to the elements. It was desperate, harrowing, and utterly heartbreaking to witness. They were supposed to be helping people like this. Hextech was supposed to be for the people. But somewhere along the way, they’d strayed from the path.

Barely resisting the urge to wring his fingers, Jayce let his mind wander to darker places. Places fraught with anxious thoughts and worst-case scenarios. What had Viktor gotten himself into? He’d never been one to fear risks, always ready to dive in head first, but this…

A scenario wholly unwanted and unwarranted barged into his stream of consciousness unannounced. The notion that he would arrive just late enough for it to be too late. That some unknown individual had harmed him or taken him captive, and his letter had been a gentle goodbye in the hopes of sparing him the truth. That he would find a version of Viktor that was beyond his help. That his health would be too fragile and he would succumb to his fate here in the depths of the Undercity. Unknown. Unappreciated by the public at large. Jayce felt his blood run ice cold.

He never wanted to imagine what it would be like to lose him ever again.

Freezing in place from the sheer weight of the chill that crawled up his spine at the very concept, he closed his eyes, grounding himself. He would find Viktor, they would both leave this place, and they would go back to the lab together. To safety. The council would continue to do just fine without him. He’d had plenty of time to settle on his priorities in the wake of Viktor’s absence. Promised himself that if he ever had the privilege of seeing him again, that nothing would go unsaid, no matter how difficult.

They would work on a cure for Viktor’s disease, he would be fine, and they would get through this. Together as partners should.

“I wouldn’t go down there, topsider.”

He hadn’t meant to jump, but the sound of someone speaking to him had genuinely startled him. His eyes darted to his left, only to land on an elderly woman peering at him from inside a dilapidated building as she stood in the doorway. Half inside, her body was obscured, little more than her head and shoulder visible in the dim light of the alleyway.

“I beg your pardon?” Jayce asked almost hesitantly as he took a breath and sighed, attempting to shake off his nerves with moderate success.

She pointed in the general direction of the way he was headed. Into the mountainside and the remnants of the mines and the structures beyond. There was a tunnel, and beyond it, darkness. Nothing but the vague outline of derelict buildings and thick, barely breathable air.

“Into those caves. Nothing but monsters posing as humans, and humans posing as monsters.” She cackled madly, but despite the questionable state of her mind, Jayce found himself swallowing thickly and steadying himself. She leaned in a bit and gestured in the vague direction of some sort of ventilation shaft. “Something lurks in there. Most nights it comes out, stalks around, and then disappears. Couldn’t tell you what it is but…”

His eyes followed her shaky hand. The vent cover was bolted in place, flimsy pieces of wood leaned up against it in some vague attempt at keeping it closed. Someone had set a bowl of something red and some wilted flowers in front of it, along with a single lit candle as if to make a peace offering towards whatever unknown thing lurked just outside of the bounds of their perception. That watched them as they dreamed.

Jayce gripped the lapels of his coat, brushing his fingers over them as he adjusted the garment in a bid to appear less nervous than he was. It did the very opposite. The old woman cackled, and Jayce was suddenly painfully aware of how naked he felt without his Mercury Hammer. He’d left it behind for fear that it would be too conspicuous at a time like this, but…

Jayce had never been superstitious or paranoid, but if magic existed, then who knew what else did. He wouldn’t dispel the notion, at least not entirely. He would let it linger on the fringes of his subconscious where all the other nightmares dwelled, festering and feeding on his insecurities until it took hold when he least needed it to. Until it was time to be known again.

“Has it done anything?” It was a fair question, but one he wasn’t sure he wanted the answer to. He didn’t want to believe any of this was real.

“Nothing yet, and we intend to keep it that way.” She shook her head almost nervously, clenching her jaw as she continued to gawk from the open doorway. “Let’s hope it doesn’t have a taste for topside flesh.”

Jayce attempted to wave off her remark nonchalantly, feigning a lack of fear. He just about managed to convince her, but it was harder to convince himself. He reached into his pocket and produced a photo of Viktor, stepping closer so that she could take a better look at it.

“Have you seen-” He didn’t get the chance to finish before she nodded.

“Oh, I’ve got some bad news for you, deary. He went to see the one who lives down there quite some time ago. Haven’t seen him come back since.”

Jayce sighed deeply. Of course he had.

“Do you know anything about who he went to see?” It was a long shot, but perhaps he’d been with an acquaintance in the Undercity this entire time. Sure, he’d never heard Viktor speak of having anyone else in his life, let alone a friend or a relative, but surely he wasn’t so alone in the world. Surely… Jayce suddenly felt his heart clench. He was. He knew that. It was false hope for the sake of it, his optimistic mind trying to find something to cling to in such a disparaging place. Jayce was all Viktor had. He’d told him as much himself, once upon a time.

As soon as the words vacated his mouth, he wished they hadn’t. The look on her face spoke volumes about what she’d seen in her lifetime, and she had nothing hopeful to contribute to his endeavor. She nodded.

“Enough to know that he must have been awfully desperate.” She shook her head, her tone as grim as her eyes were dark. All humor had vacated her. “Everyone down here knows better than to meddle in the affairs of Singed.”

Jayce sighed, resigned. “Thank you for your time.” He had heard enough. There was nothing for it, then. He was going down there. 

—

If the populated side of the tunnel was bad, then the far side was immeasurably worse.

A thick haze blanketed the area, snuffing out virtually any light as he proceeded into the depths of the abandoned structures. The area wasn’t vast, but the low visibility made it difficult to navigate with any efficiency. He stumbled around a corner, looking side to side as the sudden realization that he didn’t quite know where he was in relation to the way he’d come in hit him like a tidal wave.

He turned in a bid to reorient himself, stumbled back against a building, and then suddenly became painfully aware of something that he hadn’t noticed before. He was no longer sure he was alone. Something at the edges of his perception called to him, alerting him to the possibility that something might truly lurk in the darkness. It felt like eyes. Like breath on the back of his neck, but he told himself it was simple paranoia nibbling at the edges of his nerves. And if it wasn’t, well, that was even more reason to find Viktor and leave. Exigently.

Suddenly, there was a low metallic creaking sound from behind him as though something were putting weight on something flimsy just out of sight. Jayce didn’t think. He acted, dashing forward and around the corner into an adjacent alleyway. His foot caught on something; some sort of metal grate by the feel of it, and the hatch gave way, sending him careening downward into some sort of ventilation shaft. A soft yelp escaped him, followed by the distinct sound of metal clanking as he was tossed from side to side against the unyielding metallic confines of whatever he was now ensnared by. But he wasn’t allotted much time to process the direction he was going in, much less his destination. With just as much subtlety as his entrance, he made his exit, falling through the opposite end of the vent and, after an anxious few seconds that felt like an eternity, making impact with the unforgiving concrete below, rendering him little more than a winded, dazed facsimile of himself. But a cursory assessment brought with it the relief that at least nothing was broken.

A sharp intake of air through gritted teeth followed by a groan as he attempted to muster the mental energy required to sit up was instantly waylaid by the realization that he appeared to be in a factory building of some sort. A former manufacturing plant of some unknown purpose, by the look of it. Maybe a printing press? Nothing extraordinary or worth delving into further, but just noteworthy enough to catch his attention. And with it the realization that despite the cavernous nature of the semi-subterranean space, it was still light enough to see in. At least where he lay facing the far side of the factory. Dim light bounced off the wall behind him. It flickered, interrupted by something. And then came the distinct, familiar sound of metal making contact with concrete.

“... Jayce?!”

The man in question practically leaped to his feet, his heart set alight by a voice he’d almost been sure he’d never hear again. He spun to face its source and, despite his disbelief, there he stood. Viktor. Holding a dim lantern in his right hand as he stood in front of him, leaning on his crutch with an incredulous look plastered across his face. Golden eyes darker than he remembered, but gleaming in the dark nonetheless. Filled with equal parts wonder and abject horror. “It really is you…”

The sound of his voice was like a balm against charred skin. His hair was just a bit longer than Jayce remembered, tucked behind his ears on either side and swept back just enough to keep it out of the way. Strangely enough, he didn’t appear to be wearing his external leg brace. But stranger still was the apparent state of his health. He looked… better. The polar opposite of what Jayce had envisioned when he’d mentally prepared himself for what he might find. He was noticeably less gaunt, and although it was apparent that his habits in regards to maintaining a proper sleep schedule were still an issue that needed remedying, the bags under his eyes were less prominent and far lighter. He looked as though he’d taken a few years off the clock. Probably right back to just before his health had taken a turn. But what stood out most were his eyes. Golden as ever, but they almost seemed to glow in the dim light. Radiant. Enchanting.

Jayce gawked.

“Did something in the tone of my letter indicate that it was a good idea to ignore my explicit request that you not come here, or do you simply possess no regard for your safety?” Viktor was half bewildered and half enraged, and it showed. He didn’t raise his voice, but he almost seemed to speak through gritted teeth as though it took a great amount of willpower to restrain himself. He looked away, tilting his head to the side as he seemed to check something in the middle distance. And for a brief moment, Jayce caught a glimmer of something else in his expression as he peeked at him out of the corner of his eye. He seemed almost… concerned .

“Viktor…” Jayce felt his face turn warm as he rubbed his chin and jaw with an open palm, his eyes darting away towards nothing in particular. Truthfully, he hadn’t thought this through. His singular thought had been to find Viktor. In his haste to locate him and bring him back to safety, he’d, um, disregarded that part of the missive. And the potential peril that might come with it, despite the clear indication from Viktor that he might be in danger, and Jayce, too, by extension of being in the same locale. He was developing an unintentional knack for wearing Viktor’s patience down to bare metal, despite his best intentions. And yet, despite everything, the only thing he felt was joy and relief to see him again, an overwhelming sense of fondness flooding his senses and taking all coherent thought with it. Viktor was alive. More than that, he almost seemed to be doing better in some respects than when he’d last seen him.

It was almost too good to be true.

“... Are you alright, Jayce?” Viktor softened as he spoke, turning almost cautiously to look him up and down. His brow furrowing just enough to indicate that he was thinking deeply, assessing him. He took in every inch of Jayce’s form from the soles of his shoes, to the hairs atop the crown of his head as Viktor attempted to ascertain for himself if there were any signs of injury. Jayce nodded his head, smiling gently. Words failed him. He was fine. More than fine. Better than he’d been in a very long time.

Viktor regarded him silently for a moment, his eyes drifting downward as he seemed to think. As if some great unseen weight had suddenly settled onto his beleaguered shoulders. The dark haze of the warehouse blanketed them like starlight, the lantern flickering as its oil ran low.

“You must go, Jayce. It isn’t safe here.” He pleaded softly. Almost too softly as though he genuinely meant what he said, but despised every syllable that passed his thin lips and lamented their usage. Sought vengeance against the honesty of their purpose.

“Yeah, I gathered that. That’s why I came here. To help you.” Jayce said with a warm look, his head tilted ever so slightly to the side as he nursed the new wound in his chest right where his heart no doubt resided. Was Viktor still upset about their last conversation? About everything that hadn’t happened between them? “I… want to make it up to you. Everything. I know I wasn’t there when you needed me, but… We’ve made a few breakthroughs back at the lab on ways we might be able to help you.”

Jayce didn’t have to say it. Didn’t have to address the unspoken weight that settled between them as Viktor lingered on his every word, taking them in. dissecting them into digestible pieces as he realized that Jayce was still chasing the fantasy that he could be cured. That they still had time.

“Oh… Jayce… You misunderstand.” There was such grief in his voice that it nearly stilled Jayce’s heart. Jayce took a step and reached towards him, only to halt as he saw Viktor’s body pull away despite his ever-honest eyes betraying his earnest desire to the contrary. He was worried. “ I am the risk .”

Truthfully, Jayce couldn’t fathom a single circumstance in this universe or any other where that could be the case. Or where it would be enough to stop him. He smiled, extending his hand. Wordlessly asking Viktor to join him. Beckoning him to abandon his solitude before something they couldn’t undo happened. “Okay, I’ll admit, I trip over your crutch from time to time, and sometimes you make me think you’re about to blow up the lab, but we can talk about your casual attitude towards lab safety later. Let’s-”

Viktor didn’t answer. Instead, he sighed softly, coming to an understanding that Jayce knew nothing of. He reached up towards his vest and undid it, allowing it to fall open and hang loosely against his body as he undid the button beneath to reveal that he wasn’t wearing his brace. 

Ah, so that was why his clothes seemed to fit differently.

That would’ve proven to be a revelation in of itself if not for the additional detail of the almost spider web-like network of veins that snaked across his torso, glowing a dark red in the dim lantern light. He averted his eyes as he held the garment open just enough so that Jayce could witness it. Just enough to intrigue him and bring an end to his machinations. Just enough to worry him into coming closer as he stared despite not meaning to.

“Viktor, what happened?” He tried to conceal the genuine sense of horror and dismay at the prospect of Viktor’s suffering, but couldn’t. His heart raced at the thought that Viktor had endured this without his comfort and company to reassure him. Jayce blinked rapidly, chasing away tears. And as he looked up to meet his eyes, Viktor looked away. And Jayce realized all too late the conclusion Viktor had come to. He reached over and took his wrist into his hand, stroking the back of his hand with his thumb in reassuring circles. “Wait, please… That’s not what I meant. Are you in pain?”

Shaking his head, Viktor risked a glance at him, bringing his left hand up to rest on his own right shoulder as he seemed to contemplate retreating into the darkness he’d sprung from. Yet despite this, he did not move. Instead, his gaze traveled down to where Jayce grasped him, eyes lingering on the way that Jayce rubbed the back of his hand. The gentle solace it brought. The tension slowly abated, but it did not depart entirely. Still, it was enough to reaffirm his decision to stay, even if only for a little while longer.

Something in Jayce didn’t believe that Viktor hadn’t suffered. That he wasn’t still. But he wouldn’t press the issue for now. Baby steps.

Yet strangely enough, there was a part of Jayce that flustered at the sight of Viktor standing in front of him, buttons undone just enough to grant him a tantalizing glimpse at the warm skin beneath. Just enough to tempt him into wanting to touch what he knew he couldn’t. Just enough to…

“As strange as it is to say, I doubt you would believe me if I told you.” Viktor finally spoke. He sounded nervous, certain in the truth of his words but unsure as to where to go from here. Jayce could work with that.

“When has that ever been the case?” He said with a knowing, sympathetic smile, his irises full of warmth and affection. For a moment, he was almost willing to swear that he’d seen Viktor’s face flush, but it was probably little more than a trick of the light and a product of wishful thinking. “Try me.”

Viktor didn’t respond. Instead, he slipped his hand from Jayce’s grasp, clasped his fingers almost tentatively around his own, and pulled him into the inky blackness that was the back of the warehouse.

—

As it turned out, Viktor had been hiding out in the warehouse for some time now. He’d stumbled upon the location as the effects of the compound in his blood had started to take root. As the specialized strain of Shimmer had begun to settle into his bones and his blood. A gift, courtesy of Singed.

He’d thought it wise to set up shop in an attempt to run a few tests before returning to Piltover, but days had turned into weeks, and weeks into months as his condition spiraled sporadically from passable, to deathly at the whims of seemingly nothing. Most nights, he was capable and fully functional, but others… others he’d been willing to believe would be his last. So more tests were in order. And a new notebook to record his findings in.

Jayce had been largely silent for the better part of an hour, pursuing the pages of the leather-bound tome as though it held the secrets to immortality. Perhaps it did, if Viktor wasn’t exaggerating his findings. And that wasn’t something he was typically want to do. But between diligent study of his partner’s notes and the rare stolen glance at Viktor’s still partially bare chest, Jayce had little time to ponder the ramifications.

“To my great relief, I have confirmed that I am not contagious,” Viktor added as if sensing what part of the notebook Jayce had just stumbled into. His partner nodded in consideration, enraptured by what he read. Fascinated.

The symptoms were intriguing. Sensitivity to light that seemed to grow with time to the point of being excruciating. Dizziness and daytime drowsiness. A constant lack of appetite. But with those downsides came better muscle rigidity, enhanced hearing and eyesight, and regeneration of damaged tissue. If the symptoms could be mitigated and this mutation could be tolerated and stabilized, then…

And then Jayce got to the next page. “... Episodes of bloodthirst…”

“They are sporadic in nature, and barely controllable. An inherent part of the nature of whatever creature this specific strain of Shimmer was derived from. A bat of some variety, from what I now understand.” He gestured broadly before allowing his arm to flop back against his abdomen as he leaned his back against a makeshift worktable. A grim look crossed his face. “Hence the reason I told you not to come here.”

Realization hit Jayce like a bolt from the blue.

“You think you’ll hurt me ?” Jayce scoffed at the notion, quirking an eyebrow as he continued to read Viktor’s notes. They were hastily scribbled in parts, perhaps in a bid to record what it was like to experience such a thing in the moment. Unfortunately, that did not make for coherent data. “That’s why you want me to leave. You're afraid that I’ll be here if it happens again.”

“Is that so ridiculous?” Viktor sounded almost offended by the notion that Jayce didn’t think he was capable of such a thing. That he couldn’t pose a risk to someone, regardless of his desire to. Jayce had to resist the urge to smile at the way he glared, his lips pursed as he gave him the most serious look he could muster. It was adorable, if not genuinely effective. But he didn’t want to come off as patronizing. He knew Viktor too well.

“Yes,” Jayce said in a manner so matter-of-fact that it almost came off as unserious. “You wouldn’t even kill the last spider that got into our lab.”

“Arachnids are fascinating creatures. Even if I admittedly cannot stand the sight of them.” Viktor conceded, huffing. He folded his arms, not quite pouting but most certainly rolling his eyes. “But that was then, and this is now. We are both different people than we once were. As you well know.”

Jayce nodded begrudgingly. He was willing to admit that. They undoubtedly were. He’d come to some conclusions of his own in recent months. Experienced an epiphany or two in his solitude at the lab they’d once shared with one another. Conclusions he had battled against before realizing that there was little point in it. He knew the truth.

“Does it come with any other upsides?” Jayce enquired, laser-focused.

“Eh. It depends on what you consider to be an upside.” Viktor shrugged nonchalantly. Too nonchalantly, in fact. Jayce smirked from behind the pages of the journal. Viktor had always been a poor liar. It was one of his most endearing qualities, as far as Jayce was concerned. But it was rare that he caught him red-handed like this. His golden eyes betrayed him.

“Okay, you’ve piqued my curiosity. What is it?” Jayce gave him a lopsided look, his brows raising just enough to purposefully call his bluff.

Viktor blanched. He could hear Jayce’s smile.

To Jayce’s visible shock, Viktor’s face turned a few shades pinker as he opened his mouth to speak before closing it again, contemplating. Measuring the weight of what he truly wanted to reveal, and what he wanted to keep to himself. “It’s easier to demonstrate than explain...”

Without hesitation, Jayce gently closed the book and strolled over to him, laying it down on the table next to him. He leaned over, resting his chin in his hand as he met Viktor’s gaze, irises sparkling with words unspoken.

“Show me,” Jayce said softly without a hint of fear, but more than a hint of something else. “I’m not afraid.”

Viktor gave him a contemplative look, almost as though he were trying to gauge something. His gaze deepened, eyes darkening as Jayce swore they shimmered in the dim light as he felt his own pulse race in anticipation. Viktor reached forward unhurriedly, tucking his fingertips into the edge of his collar and grazing them against the skin there with deliberate precision. The moment his fingertips touched his skin, Jayce shuddered and his breath hitched to a halt, pupils dilating as an involuntary thrill shot through his body, accompanied by the unmistakable sensation of his pants tightening. Jayce swallowed audibly, his face darkening as he flushed a pretty shade of deep red. It suited him.

Viktor’s gaze swept down him acusatorily, pulling Jayce’s attention along with it as the taller of the two half closed his eyes under the intensity of his watchful eye. Viktor could feel the palpitations of his partner’s heart against his fingertips. The warmth of the blood that lingered just below his skin. The path it took through his body. Where his blood pooled .

“I… did not mean to do that.” Viktor began to elaborate, but Jayce’s smile commanded him to stop without the utterance of a single syllable.

“You didn’t,” Jayce admitted almost sheepishly, leaning in ever so slightly to test the waters. Unsure if he was misreading and overstepping, but ever willing to hope beyond hope that he wasn’t. “I’ve missed you, Viktor. Terribly.”

“Yes.” It was more a response born of mutual sentimentality than anything else. He, too, had hungered for him. In more ways than one. “ I can see that. ”

Jayce pressed his head against Viktor’s forehead, closing his eyes as he savored the scent of him. The soft strands of hair that tickled his face. The noticeable lack of heat that radiated off of his skin. Viktor was always so cold to the touch despite the warmth that radiated from his very soul like the guiding light of an eternal flame. He was beautiful. Precious. Something to covet by those who held no claim over him and were undeserving of his company. Unlike him. He would never be that again, if he’d ever been.

He was pulled from his revelry by the sensation of Viktor slipping his fingers out of his collar and taking hold of his neck tie, pulling the delicate fabric from its rightful place tucked securely in the front of his vest. He used it to guide him forward into the soft warmth of his embrace. Into the comfort of his arms as a hand came to rest on his shoulder.

Jayce rested his head on Viktor’s shoulder, inhaling deeply as he brought a hand to rest against Viktor’s upper back. Cradling him as he nuzzled his neck and the valley of his shoulder with his cheek. The past few months had been filled with idle daydreams of moments like this. Fleeting, beauteous things that always ended far too soon for the solace they brought. He was in no rush. No hurry to end the splendor of the sensation of being close to Viktor again. This was no flight of fancy. It was splendor incarnate. Rapturous in the magnitude of the worship he sought to bestow.

Tempting fate, he placed a single, chaste kiss against the mole on the back of Viktor’s neck and watched as the man in his arms melted like supple wax.

He held his lips there, pressing a second and then a third as he felt Viktor’s hand release his tie and snake up into the back of his hair. Drawing him forward. Inviting him in. Their breath slowed in measures, soft as the feeling of Viktor’s skin against Jayce’s lips. He was perfect. So dearly perfect as nothing else had ever come close to being. Jayce would be content to stay as he was forever, lingering in one perfect, unbroken moment.

Viktor could’ve allowed it. But instead, he leaned back to look Jayce in the eyes, trusting that he would hold his meager weight. That he would not let him fall. The thought that Jayce would falter never so much as forming in his subconscious. Viktor beheld him with reverence and fervor, a famished look taking up residence upon the features of his face as starvation took root in his gut. Desire in his core. His breath deepened as he leaned forward, eyes glimmering as they met in the middle, well aware of what the other wanted. What their bodies required. Their lips pressed together softly before parting as they both earnestly attempted to inhale the other under the scorching heat of their shared kiss. Their very first.

As they were with all things, they were scientific. Careful, but curious all the same. Exploratory as Jayce hungrily delved deeper into the confines of a place so unknown to him in reality, but thoroughly conceived in his mind's eye. His imagination had sold him short, for no fantasy could compare to the feeling of Viktor’s lips against his own, his tongue intertwined with his like the roots of a great deepwood old groth. The way Viktor grasped his bottom lip between his teeth, razor sharp canines digging in just enough to be felt, but nowhere near enough to hurt as he sucked tenderly on it.

Jayce groaned deep in his chest, his free hand searching hungrily for the buttons at the front of Viktor’s shirt. He undid them with just enough restraint not to tear them asunder under the heat of his passionate anticipation. The garment parted beneath his grasp, and he seized what he now knew to be his, freely given and guided to by a careful tug of his hair. He took the soft nub into his mouth, diligently servicing it as he barely resisted the urge to growl from satisfaction at the sound of Viktor’s choked gasp. Viktor opened his mouth, his head falling back and his eyes closing as he labored under the sensation of Jayce’s mouth against him, trailing ever lower with a clear goal in mind. Kissing the dark veins on his abdomen.

Jayce was undoing the buttons at his fly when he felt Viktor’s fingers cup the underside of his jaw, beckoning him to look up. To bask in the radiance of his otherworldly stare as he gazed down at him. As Jayce slipped his fingers eagerly into the front of Viktor’s pants, greedily stroking him in firm, steady pumps and watching as Viktor’s honeyed gold irises nearly rolled back in his head. His breath labored and his hands clutching the worn old wood of the desk at his back so hard that Jayce swore he saw it splinter.

But when their eye contact broke and Jayce stood to pull them close together again, he was met with something he did not expect. Viktor’s arms coiled around his back, anchoring him in place as Jayce hefted him into a sitting position on the table so that their bodies could better align. Viktor stared almost vacantly as he undid the front of Jayce’s vest and the tie at his neckband, letting it hang limply around his neck as he parted his collar. Eyes glassy. As he kissed the warm skin that fabric had once vainly sought to conceal. Pulling Viktor’s chest against his own as his worship deepened. As their mutual desire crested to untold new heights. As Viktor trailed his tongue up the side of his throat hungrily, tasting the salt of his flesh.

Jayce was hot. Both figuratively and literally, as Viktor grasped him tightly. As desire overtook his senses and thirst and ungodly desire flooded the logical part of his mind that knew better than to act upon his rising appetite, but cared little to indulge his common sense. His desire not to .

Viktor pressed a kiss to him, parted his lips, and pressed his incisors into his flesh.

Gasping in genuine shock at the sensation, Jayce almost pulled away. Almost jerked back to ask what had gotten into Viktor. Almost deprived himself of the wave of warm, heady pleasure that flooded his body from the top down like molten glass being poured into a mold. His eyelids fluttered as the sensation took hold, and a sound somewhere between a sigh and a moan slipped past his lips. He felt Viktor’s kiss deepen. Felt the momentary pang of discomfort before euphoria set in. And as it did, he decided to stay as he was, anchored to the spot from pure pleasure. Willing to question very little as he allowed Viktor to indulge in his newfound appetite.

He remembered a segment of Viktor’s notes at that moment. A paragraph about the subconscious desire to do this very thing that he had yet to act upon, despite the way his throat burned and his stomach clenched in need at the thought of it. How he’d been utterly appalled by the notion of such a beastly instinct. How he’d fought not to succumb to his baser instincts for so very long and become the beast he knew himself not to be. But something about Jayce, about his scent, and his bearing, and the mutual eros in his heart that was so much deeper than even his own hunger, that had finally broken him. Had finally set the cracks in the dam loose and the floodgates bursting. Be it the knowledge that he need not hide himself from Jayce, be it his longing for Jayce rendering him too desirable for him to withstand, be it simply a matter of time until the inevitable occurred, neither of them knew. And in that moment, neither of them cared.

Jayce wanted to satiate him. To be satisfied. And so he would.

All at once, he could sense Viktor in his head. Beckoning him to unwind. To let him in. To allow him to indulge in the act of delighting him as he became almost painfully rigid from the act of being subconsciously coaxed alone. He felt Viktor’s hands on his body and his words echoing throughout the confines of his mind as Viktor praised and commended him, a haze settling over his lust addled mind as Viktor reached ever deeper still, caressing the folds of his brain and sending his loins into quaking spasms unlike anything he’d ever felt. He felt something deep within him stir. Felt the otherworldly pleasure that radiated from his prostate as Viktor did something to it with well-practiced fingers from within him without so much as a hint of external stimulation. He felt Viktor’s approval. Felt him purr against his shoulder as his nails dug into the flesh of his back, his hands snaking under his shirt to pull him ever closer still as Jayce stroked him. His adoration as Jayce surrendered himself to him, trembling from near overstimulation at the crossroads of pain and pleasure as they melded into one uniform sensation. There was no need for glamor or convincing. No need for the power of persuasion. He would willingly give himself to Viktor without even being asked, such was the depths of his desire. His love.

He could hear the sound of Viktor’s breath against his ear as he settled into a rhythm. As his consumption petered off and became a series of small sips instead of drunken gulps. As they went limp in another’s arms and his lips finally parted from his neck with a pop and nary a drop spilled, shuddering as they reached mutual climax. Viktor, with the aid of Jayce’s fingers as he idly fondled him through his own orgasm, and Jayce from the sheer intimacy of being so very wanted. The inherent pleasure of their little experiment sent him over the edge, leaving him clinging helplessly to the last vestiges of his sanity as his orgasm dragged him under with the strength of an industrial vice, his undergarments now rendered little more than an unsalvageable mess. Jayce beheld Viktor with astonishment and wonder as their lips met again, and his head suddenly swam with fatigue before he closed his eyes. His legs convulsed before failing him, allowing him to slump against Viktor as little more than dead weight. Utterly spent.

If he’d been more cognizant, he would’ve been pleasantly surprised by the way Viktor managed to save him from crashing into the floor and table in a blood-deprived heap. He would’ve smiled warmly against him as Viktor cradled him in his arms on the floor, looking him up and down with a mixture of trepidation and disbelief as the reality of what had just transpired came rushing back all at once. But instead, all Jayce could manage to do was huff softly and settle in against him, the subtle warmth of Viktor’s arm around his back grounding him like an anchor cast adrift against the rolling tides. Insulating him like wires against rubber.

The two of them would stay as they were, huddled together half under the table on the floor with only the sound of their breath between them. With Viktor’s fingers tangled in Jayce’s sweat-dampened hair, and his head clutched gently to his chest against his heart until the morning came. Until change was necessary. But for now, there was no need for anything. For apologies for old and new wounds alike. For faux pas and missteps in the name of progress. For now, there was only their affection and the way it anchored them. The way is sustained them.

For now, there was only their love, and the boundless depths of it.

—

Chapter Text

A First Time For Everything

—

In truth, he’d underestimated just how challenging it would be.

Moving to the Undercity hadn’t been his first choice, but at the time, it had seemed like just as good a choice as any. What was important was that it got him out of Piltover. Out from underneath the prying eyes of those who dug too deeply and asked too many questions.

The trial a few years back had been… messy. It had turned his entire world upside down at the drop of a hat and had left him with little recourse but to relocate to a place where more clandestine activities went largely unnoticed. To where his research could continue. To the Undercity. To Zaun.
He knew his mother probably still worried about him. Cait still wrote him letters in secret and had them sequestered away for him to read. He needed to visit them. He missed them both terribly. He didn’t have a friend to speak of in Zaun. If he did, maybe they would’ve talked him out of walking around town in the dead of night alone in an ill-fated attempt to get back to his dwelling without being gutted and having his pockets turned out.

Alas, no one quite fit the bill.

But as Jayce yawned and stumbled lamely down the neon-lit streets of the lanes towards the ramshackle structure he dared call home, he found his eyes drifting towards something through the haze of steam and industrial smog that rose from the road below. Something had caught his eye.

The shape of a figure standing with their back to him in a doorway, hallowed by the faint light that shone from inside the establishment they lingered near. Their golden hair came to just past their shoulders, hanging loosely against the back of the sheer, robe-like garment they wore. He could see the outline of their lithe body through the fabric. Every slight curve and delicate flex of fabric as it wafted gently in the breeze. The way the sheer material clung to their body and the negligee that they wore, accentuating their body in a way that was uniquely arresting to him. He paused briefly, breath catching in his chest.

They were eye-catching. Enchanting. Enticing.

He was staring.

As if they could feel his eyes upon them, the individual stiffened slightly and turned their head just enough to regard him from over their shoulder. Just enough to perhaps catch a glimpse of his visage as he passed by on the opposite side of the street. He wouldn’t know. He didn’t intend to find out.

Jayce averted his eyes and hurried along.

So far as he had fallen in life, he liked to think that he still possessed common courtesy. Still clung to the manners and basic decency required to not stare at an attractive stranger on the street like they were something delicious he intended to sample from a street cart. Jayce would hurry along to his quarters and think no more of this chance encounter, just as he imagined the attractive stranger would do. It would be a transient thing, forgotten in a week's time. No more, no less.

—

Or so he liked to believe.

In truth, he’d tried to stay away. Tried to assure himself that the brief glances he stole as he passed by the establishment on the way home each night meant nothing. That the lingering stare he’d shared with a stranger over their shoulder that night and never again wasn’t meant to mean anything. It wasn’t an invitation for more. But something about their bearing bewitched him, ensnaring him like the call of a siren to the rocks. And he would abide willingly, if only to shake the curiosity from his mind. 

He thought of little else these days. Not his research, nor his mounting loneliness. He couldn’t focus. His curiosity, once one of his most endearing features, had turned on him and become a plague that haunted him every waking hour, and stole sleep from him for good measure. Perhaps a brief diversion was just what the doctor ordered. Something to clear his mind.

Not that any doctor worth their salt would advise him to go to a brothel…

He hadn’t noticed it at the time, but that was indeed what the prominent old building was. He’d assumed it to be one of Zaun’s many speakeasies or clubs at a glance, unfamiliar with the telltale signs that he was overlooking. And why wouldn’t he? He hadn’t exactly frequented such establishments back during his time in Piltover. But when a man had been tossed from the doorway with little more than his boxers on by a half-dressed young woman, Jayce had finally managed to put two and two together.

So here he stood against his better judgement, the door to the brothel looming like a great iron weight despite the fact that it was average-sized at best.

Jayce swallowed thickly as though he were being held at gunpoint, running his hand down his face as he cupped his chin and bottom lip with his open palm. He could think of several people who would kill him if they knew what he was up to. He had half a mind to do it for them. It wasn’t so much the prospect of what the establishment was known for. He didn’t look down on the trade as many were he hailed from pretended to do before indulging their desires regardless. He hardly thought about it, in fact. He had no reason to. No, it was the inherent patheticness of going to such a place to try and find a date. That was precisely the opposite of what an establishment like this was for.

Did he even look presentable in his current attire? Dark green seemed to be a popular color in Zaun. Should he have made an effort to do something about the slight stubble that plagued him? It was too late now. If he returned home to sort it out, he would lose his nerve.

With a sigh, he reached out toward the door to knock, only to find it being snatched open, and a patron flung out towards him. He side-stepped the individual and the door reflexively, his eyes darting over towards the bouncer who held the door open with a suspicious look. Jayce froze. Had he come to the wrong door?

As if sensing the growing unease that had settled over the back of the establishment, a figure emerged from the shadow cast by the long, dark hallway. An older female Yordle, much to his surprise. She casually waved off the security guard and turned her attention to Jayce, giving him a pleasant, almost endearing smile. “Oh my, don’t you look lost, dear. Is there anything I can help you with? Anyone in particular I can help you find?”

It was a simple question, but one that still made him blush regardless. For some reason, he just hadn’t expected her to ask him that.

“Yes, I umm…” Jayce’s tongue suddenly stopped functioning properly. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, rolling his shoulders before exhaling heavily as if to physically shake the nerves from his body. “I’ve been past here a few times before searching for a particular woman who I believe works here, but I haven’t seen her since. A blonde?”

She folded her arms, smirking slightly as she raised an eyebrow. “Let me guess: tiny little string bean of a thing with a teensy little huggable waistline and shoulder-length, slightly wavy platinum blonde hair? Probably weighs one hundred pounds sopping wet? That sound about right?”

Jayce rubbed the back of his neck. His blush deepened. He simply nodded in response. Yep, that sounded spot on, actually.

The madam grinned. “You're in luck, dear. I believe their schedule is nice and clear for the evening.”

Before Jayce could ask her to elaborate, a figure joined her at the door, and Jayce felt his eyes go wide and his mouth fall slack as he beheld the individual in question. They were just as described, wearing a lacey gold and brown basque corset with matching underwear attached to the upper garment via little suspenders. They wore long black sheer socks held aloft by garters that accentuated the length of their long, thin legs, snaking up to just above the knee. A sage green wrap adorned their slim shoulders, falling over them like water parting against stone. Their right leg was encased in a golden brace, seemingly to help with their movement as they stood leaning against the doorway of the establishment to take the weight off it. Their platinum blond hair, which Jayce now realized was a very good dye job, was pinned back in a messy bun with a golden butterfly clip, loose strands of hair hanging like curtains around their high, sharp cheekbones and soft lilac eyes. He recognized that purple glow. Shimmer exposure, no doubt partially due to residual amounts of it that clung to the air of the brothel. They were stunning, otherworldly in their beauty. It was akin to beholding a sculpture carved from fine marble by a skilled artisan.

Only, as it turned out, she wasn’t actually, well...

Oh.

Oh.

Well. Making assumptions based on attire was one habit he now realized he should’ve left behind in Piltover. Such conventions and rigid laws of conformity to a standard of gendered dress were nonexistent in Zaun. It was something he’d noticed rather quickly after moving there. A habit that he needed to discard at his earliest convenience, as it no longer served him any purpose.

And yet, his curiosity persisted. More than that, it deepened in ways that Jayce never would’ve expected, giving him pause for a moment as he contemplated the implications of it all. Nothing about this discovery changed anything about how he felt. In fact, if anything, it only deepened his sense of intrigue, something that he wholly didn’t expect. This young man, this stranger, was still easily the most attractive person he’d ever had the pleasure of meeting. And it wasn’t even entirely down to their appearance. They were gorgeous, to be sure, but something about their bearing; there was a keen intelligence behind that shimmer-hazed gaze.

The blond man looked him up and down, his head never moving as he regarded him neutrally. Jayce rubbed the back of his neck bashfully as he felt those eyes trail up his body, lingering just below his eyeline. And then they flickered up towards him, eyelashes batting at just the right angle. A slight quirk of the corner of his lip followed suit. 

“Babyette tells me you are… curious?”

Gods, that voice…

Jayce felt his mouth go bone dry as he stared blankly, all intelligent thought vacating his mind like a burning building. The sound of his voice, the timbre of it in conjunction with the soft, lilted quality of his accent, was entirely too much for him. All he could do was smile earnestly and nod as his blush deepened, hoping beyond hope that he didn’t look like as much of a mindless sycophant as he felt like he did.

“Are you going to come inside, or are you content to continue peeping from outside?” He said with a soft smile. He seemed almost amused. Oh gods.

“Peeping?!” Jayce blanched, genuinely horrified by the accusation. Sure, he was at a brothel propositioning one of its most tenured courtesans, but peeping was entirely beneath his dignity. The irony was not lost on him, nor was the mental image of the opinion he must be forming about his lack of character. Jayce couldn’t abide it. “No, no, you've got it all wrong. I'm-”

“Peeping. Through the side door, and the window once or twice throughout the week for the last week or two. Yes, I've noticed.” The blond folded his arms across his chest, raising an eyebrow aloft as a look of sardonic satisfaction crossed his face.

Jayce shook his head in certitude, biting his bottom lip. He felt his heart pound as if it were trying to escape his chest. “I was NOT peeping… “

“Leering, then?” He said flatly, a small chuckle rising from within his chest. It would’ve been adorable if Jayce weren’t already so flustered.

“No, no!” He huffed in frustration, looking down towards the ground as his shoulders slumped. The blond couldn’t see his face from where he stood above him on the building’s slight stoop, but he was pouting ever so slightly. Jayce sighed, sure that he couldn’t convince him, but unwilling to let the indictment stand either way. “I was… looking for you.”

Something softened as they beheld him, a look of something he couldn’t quite place in their eyes. They curled their thin fingers inward, beckoning him closer. And then they spoke softly. “I jest. Come in. It's going to rain.”

Jayce raised his head, his mouth parting in one corner as he huffed.

“How do you know it's going to-” A loud crash of thunder shook the sky behind him, startling Jayce as he practically sprinted through the doorway in response in a manner that was as profoundly unflattering as it was unintentional. The sound had genuinely startled him, high-strung as he was at present. The smaller of the two reached over and nonchalantly closed the door, earning him a strange, almost suspicious look from Jayce.

“Call it a hunch. Call it the intuition in my bones when the weather becomes damp.” His eyes swept slowly up and down his body again as he watched Jayce stand up straight, smirking in amusement in what dim light the dark hallway provided. Something scintillated behind his lavender irises. His bottom lip trembled ever so slightly as his gaze rose to meet Jayce’s. “Or perhaps I just happen to have two perfectly functional eyes that comprehend that light travels faster than sound. Your pick.”

Jayce’s brow rose in amusement. His sense of humor was utterly precious. He could only shake his head in disbelief at how smitten he was. “Ha ha…”

“Come. I have just the place in mind.” The blond said in a sultry tone, motioning for him to follow along behind him. Deeper into the bowels of the establishment. Into the belly of the beast.

Jayce nodded and followed him a ways. Past open and closed doors and curtains pulled shut. Beyond the wafting scent of Shimmer and tobacco smoke and the gentle melody of ambient music. Down the darkened hallway, lit only by distant flashes of lightning from beyond the walls of the establishment that made the stained glass windows glow like crystal. Jayce paused, earning him a somewhat nonplussed look from his companion.

“Wait, I… what do I call you?” Jayce inquired gently, folding his hands together in front of himself. For some reason, he was struggling to even make eye contact with him. He wasn’t afraid. And yet, something about the suddenness of it all unnerved him. He wanted to know who this beautiful stranger was, even if only a little. “Will you tell me your name? Please?”

He seemed to linger on the request, mouthing the words to themself faintly for a moment as though the syllables were foreign beyond comprehension. As though it had been a passing long time since anyone had asked him such a question. Jayce watched him physically weigh the pros and cons of divulging this information to him. And then unexpectedly, gently, a diminutive, almost tired smile spread across his face.

“It’s Viktor.”

—

The room was nicer than he imagined it would be.

A single, stained glass window adorned the back wall, providing light to a large shrub of some variety that sat in front of it on a table. Or it would be if the sheer curtains weren’t closed, and the dark of night had not settled over Zaun. There was a dark green chaise lounge to one side of it, flanked by another tall fern with lush leaves. The back wall was adorned with dark forest green wallpaper depicting some sort of woodland setting, and warm sage and cedar scented candles adorned the bedside tables and dresser in the far corner of the room. He was starting to detect a theme.

Viktor guided him almost lazily towards the large bed at the center of the room. A large, round thing nestled into a concavity in the wall. Adorned with velvet pillows and a silken curtain that wrapped around the entire piece of furniture from the ceiling above. Likewise, the sheets and their pillows were different shades of complementary golden browns, greens, and golds in a silky material that Jayce couldn’t help but run his fingers over.

He could only imagine that this particular room was meant to satiate the desires of more affluent clientele. So what was he doing here?

Jayce was many things. Caring. Curious. Capricious, if the right stressors were put into place. But affluent had never been one of them.

And yet, Viktor guided him in front of the bed and turned to face him, pressing his fingertips into his collarbone with his outstretched hand before gingerly guiding him back into the plush covers with a flick of his wrist. Jayce landed with an almost comical thud, huffing as the air evacuated his lungs in a small gust of air. He pulled himself up onto a semi-sitting position, leaning back on his arms as he regarded Viktor quizzically. Whatever nerves he’d entered the room with were fading away.

“So tell me.” Viktor mused pleasantly, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “You know my name. Now, what exactly should I call you?”

He put his meager weight on the foot of the bed, coming to a stop with an arm on either side of Jayce as he methodically crawled up Jayce’s body and straddled him like a powerful feline stalking its prey. He hovered just above Jayce’s chest, close enough to look him in the eyes and hold him captive with his gaze alone, but not so close that Jayce might feel inclined to lean in further. To make contact. No. Not yet.

Jayce let out a sound somewhere between a nervous chuckle and a scoff of amusement before taking a breath and settling himself. He regarded Viktor with a sense of quiet awe. Truly, he was stunning. Captivating in a way that no one he’d ever met was. The way his high cheekbones framed his face. The angel and depth of his eyes. The way his asymmetrical face was ever so atypical. Gorgeous . It was almost as if this meeting was destined. That they’d been drawn together by some unimaginable force that he dared not contemplate. Jayce couldn’t quite place what this was, but he wanted it to stretch on into perpetuity. To linger in the enormity of it evermore.

“Jayce.” He whispered the words on hushed lips, eyes half lidded. He didn’t know why. He didn’t care. He was transfixed, watching the rise and fall of every breath that vacated him as he inclined over him and leaned in just a bit closer. He wanted to brush the back of his hand against his cheek. To pull him into a gentle, adoration-filled kiss. Would he let him? Was that too much for two people who had only just met?

Viktor mouthed the syllables to himself, not a sound escaping his lips. And then he peered up at him again, a tiny smile spreading across his lips. “Ah. As I suspected, you are not from around here. Fascinating.”

He leaned in closer, the fabric of his sheer wrap brushing against Jayce’s chest as Viktor leaned in to whisper in his ear. “Now tell me, Jayce . What brings you here tonight?”

Jayce felt the blood in his body surge at the inquiry. Gods . Somehow, the sound of his voice was even more intoxicating when he whispered like that. Embarrassingly enough, there had been an occasion that had prompted his visit, though he was remiss to admit as much. It just seemed very… lame.

“Um, well… You’re not going to believe this, but… It’s my birthday.” Jayce confessed as he allowed himself to slowly slump back into the covers, his head rolling onto one of the pillows behind him. His arms were tired.

Viktor peered down at him, quirking his brow in visible surprise. He scoffed, almost as though he didn’t believe him. And then, just as suddenly as it had come, the expression dissipated, and Jayce found himself looking straight up at him as Viktor appeared to contemplate something sincerely.

“A rather unconventional way to celebrate, don’t you think?” Viktor mused, running a finger up his chest. He undid a single clasp at the base of his collar, pausing to see if Jayce objected. He did not. Instead, he leaned into the scant contact, breathing steadily. He was eager to see this through.

“I can’t exactly spend it with anyone else.” Jayce wasn’t quite sure why he felt so at ease with him. Where the willingness to divulge such an uncomfortable truth came from. But he did so regardless. “I don’t exactly have friends, and the only family I have is, well, somewhere else.”

“You're alone?” There was a tinge of something genuine to his question. He almost sounded bereaved to hear it. A flicker of something gentle came across his face, even if only for a moment, as the mask fractured. Just a bit.

Jayce nodded.

“So you came to me?” Viktor undid a second clasp. And then a third, running his fingers down the border between his warm, taut muscles, and the soft, almost luxurious fabric of his shirt. “For company.”

Jayce exhaled softly and then nodded. Maybe he could risk being forward. Just a bit. He reached up and brushed the back of his hand against Viktor’s cheek, smiling at him warmly. “It’s just… I saw you that night a few weeks back. I was walking home alone, you were standing out front, and I was instantly drawn to you. I couldn’t look away. I couldn’t tell you why, but something about you just… made me want to know you. Can I?”

Viktor blinked unhurriedly, the faintest tinge of dark pink tinting his ears and cheeks as he gazed down at him. He leaned in and brushed a lock of stubborn hair out of Jayce’s face. Aside from that, he was miraculously clean-cut. He’d clearly had it trimmed for the occasion. Viktor pressed a single delicate, lingering kiss against his lips, trailing his fingers up the side of his neck to grasp his cheek and the underside of his jaw. After a moment, he pulled away and watched the way his chest and shoulders rose and fell with his breath. The way Jayce stared at him in quiet, resplendent awe.

And he smiled. “You can.”

Jayce did nothing to hide his delight. A bright smile spread across his face as he grasped him by the chin and carefully pulled him in for another kiss, this one deeper than the last. Searing. Searching. Plundering as he delved into the confines of his mouth. He felt Viktor’s hand at his stomach, undoing the final clasps and exposing his skin to the warm air of the room. He felt the fabric fall away, and his fingertips slip into the fabric at the hem of his pants, pulling slightly as he undid the front of them. And then, carefully, almost painfully so, he felt Viktor’s fingers curl around him as he gasped and looked up at him, only to find one hand at his throat, and the other wrapped around his length. He sighed, leaning into his hold.

Viktor applied a bit of pressure. Just enough to stifle the flow of blood to his brain a bit, but not enough to disorient him. Not yet, at least. It was best to ease him in slowly. To test the waters on someone who was no doubt unfamiliar with the concept. Not if the puzzled, but no doubt aroused, look on his face was anything to go by.

“May I…” Jayce reached up and placed a hand on Viktor’s hip as he used the other to trace the seam of his corset. The prospect of what lay beneath was enticing. He just wanted to see. Wanted a little glimpse at the silky skin that no doubt lingered below.

But to his surprise, Viktor seemed hesitant. He didn't pause his ministrations, but a subtle air of quiet alarm overtook his handsome features, even if only momentarily. “Oh, it’s… A medical device, I’m afraid…”

That piqued Jayce’s interest. He tilted his head from side to side, just enough to get a better look at it.

“Oh?” He asked as he ran his fingertips carefully down his coiled leg as far as he could before running them back up his thigh to his hip. “And the one on your leg?”

Viktor simply nodded, his eyes drifting away slightly. He felt him tense under his gentle grip. Jayce couldn’t imagine that he enjoyed divulging his medical history to a stranger. It was probably a delicate topic. One that intrigued him, but one that he knew he wasn’t entitled to the details of. Maybe one day he’d grant him a closer look. One day. But not today.

“It’s alright. Really.” Jayce smiled comfortingly. Suddenly, he recalled a poster that had adorned his childhood bedroom wall. One that looked remarkably like the view he had now. Oh no. He had a type. At least Viktor didn’t have brown hair, too… “I actually think it’s… fetching. You look nice.”

Viktor paused, allowing his grip on his throat to linger for half a minute or so before finally releasing him and tilting his head to the side to regard him in silence. His face held something subtle. Something Jayce couldn’t quite place, but by his estimations, he almost looked… flattered. Viktor leaned in for another chaste kiss, resuming the gentle strokes that he’d indulged him with up until that moment. Coaxing a soft moan from Jayce’s parted lips.

Pulling away, Viktor released him and gestured with a push of his fingers for him to scoot backward. He almost looked as though he were shooing him away, but Jayce knew better. Jayce obliged, making himself comfortable against the mountain of pillows at his back. Viktor then reached up and undid something at the base of his own neck before the audible sound of a zipper resounded through the air. Before Jayce could protest, the corset slowly peeled away. And his breath caught in his chest.

“I imagine the view is not very flattering, is it?” Viktor said almost sarcastically, gesturing towards himself broadly. But instead of shying away from him the way he’d clearly expected him to, Jayce reached towards him and carefully trailed his fingertips down the marks the brace had left along his skin. It seemed that the padding on the inside wasn’t up to the job. He could see where the staves had pressed into his flesh, threatening to bruise it in some places, and already making good on that promise in others. Jayce adjusted Viktor in his lap and gently pressed a kiss to one of the marks, using his free hand to tenderly massage his back and bruises.

Viktor shuddered. He closed his eyes. His shoulders gradually slumped. And then he practically melted into Jayce’s touch. Jayce smiled against him, wondering vacantly when the last time was that someone had done this for him, if ever. He seemed to genuinely enjoy the sensation…

Jayce exhaled heavily as Viktor’s hand found its way back into the front of his pants, pushing him down with his hand as he carefully dismounted him. He then pulled the garment down, smirking at the way that Jayce hurriedly kicked them off and away before his eyes fell low and his brow raised a bit at the sight of him. His lips parted just enough for Jayce to see his tongue. Jayce flushed a dark red. He didn’t need to ask. Viktor was impressed.

He watched as Viktor positioned himself above him, his breath tickling the sensitive skin of his shaft as Viktor pressed a kiss against the inside of his thigh, sucking gently on the tender flesh there. Jayce jerked, genuinely taken aback at his own reaction. He’d never realized he was that sensitive there. Viktor then continued downward, carefully placing tentative kisses in a path towards the pillar of heat that awaited him. He pressed a hand against Jayce’s thigh, and the other against the base of his stomach, massaging him with his lissom fingers as he half lay between his legs, eyelashes fluttering as he gazed up at him. The eye contact was searing.

He exhaled faintly across Jayce’s groin and watched him tremble.

“You don’t have to…” Jayce said breathlessly as he watched Viktor lower his head towards his intended target. He was close now. So torturously close, and yet… What if it was too much for him? The last thing Jayce wanted to do was cause him harm for the sake of his own pleasure.

Viktor smiled knowingly, seemingly reading his mind. He pressed a teasing, almost pleading kiss against his tip, watching as it stood at attention and then flopped back against his stomach with a soft slap. Jayce moaned.

“But would you like me to?” Viktor inquired, his voice low and sultry. Eyes smouldering like the evening sky.

“... Yes.” How could Jayce ever be expected to say no to something like that?

Chuckling softly from deep in his chest, Viktor cooed. “Very well, then. Lie back. I’d like to try something. If you're up for a bit of experimentation.”

Jayce shrugged, shuddering as if his entire body had just been plunged into frigid water. “I used to be a scientist, so I certainly hope so.”

Something distant made itself apparent in Viktor’s eyes as he paused momentarily. As if he were recalling something from a lifetime ago. He didn’t elaborate. Instead, he reached over and dipped his fingers into a small jar of something nondescript on the bedside table, tilting his head to look at Jayce again. He rubbed his leg comfortingly, pressing another kiss against the inside of his thigh. The opposite one, this time. He needed him to be calm. Malleable. “Breathe, Jayce. Relax. I wouldn’t want you to faint.”

Before Jayce could inquire as to the nature of what he had in mind, Viktor took him into his mouth, and he saw stars.

All at once, everything around him fell away. It was as if his subconscious departed the rest of his body and left him floating in a sort of impotent fugue state. There was only the sensation of Viktor’s tongue trailing from his perineum up the base of his shaft as he gently ran the tip of his tongue across the sensitive slit of his member. Only the wet sound of his mouth around his head, and the ungodly sensation of his throat around him as he somehow managed to take the majority of him in one go, the muscles of his esophagus spasming slightly in reaction to the intrusion. And then he pulled back and did it again. And again. And again. Leisurely with deliberate care, his eyes never once leaving Jayce’s as he squeezed his thigh and moaned, the vibration traveling through his entire lower body.

Jayce threw his head back and tried to draw oxygen into his faltering lungs. He failed unequivocally.

Then, just as Jayce was attempting to adjust to the sensation, he felt something slick and warm pressing at the delicate skin of his entrance, the puckered muscles flexing in response to Viktor’s touch. Through the heady haze that saturated his mind, he vaguely recalled Viktor’s previous instructions. The preemptive guidance he’d offered him.

Relax. Breathe. He could do that.

With a shaking, whimpering groan, Jayce felt the first finger penetrate him. It was a foreign sensation, utterly unlike anything he’d ever felt. Agonizingly slow and prodding, but not unwelcome. Not unpleasant. In fact…

And then the second finger joined the first, both slowly pressing in deeper until they could go no further. Jayce exhaled like he’d just breached water after being dragged below into the depths. Viktor paused his movements for a minute or so, long enough to allow Jayce to come up for air, but not the motion of his mouth, or the sweet embrace of his lips around his engorged member, dangerously close to unraveling him entirely.

Then unexpectedly, Viktor curled his fingers inside of him, and Jayce cried out as though he’d been impaled. He threw his head back and gasped, panting as his entire body trembled almost uncontrollably. When the ability to process his surroundings gradually began to return to him, he glanced down at Viktor and beheld the way that the blond-haired man gazed up at him, lips slowly parting and sucking at the swollen heat of his member. Slowly curling his fingers inside of him and dragging them over that damnable spot yet again. Jayce blinked away tears as the sensation threatened to overwhelm him, thighs trembling like a newborn calf.

He reached down and clasped the butterfly clip in Viktor’s hair, careful not to pull as he opened it and watched Viktor’s blond strands fall free around his face. Jayce felt the muscles in his stomach clench as he beheld the sight of Viktor taking him in earnest, his golden strands framing his face like curtains of fine silk. He stroked his cheek with the back of his hand tenderly, praising him wordlessly as he gazed upon him with adoration. Playing with the strands of his hair idly. He wondered absent-mindedly through his thoroughly debauched stupor what color Viktor’s eyes used to be before they were clouded by the telltale purple haze of Shimmer. What color his hair truly was. He was sure that he was magnificent either way.

Viktor pressed this time, tiny fingertips sending electric sparks directly into the tender muscles of his prostate gland. Jayce choked. It was too much.

“V-Viktor I- Ahh…” Jayce managed to choke out, his breath failing him as he tried in futility to warn him of what was to come. He could no longer hold back the floodwaters. The dam would burst any second now.

But to his surprise, Viktor simply slid his length out of his mouth with a wet pop, placed a kiss to his perineum, and then delved lower, lavishing affection and attention on his sensitive opening. He trailed his tongue along the outer perimeter before carefully spreading his fingers, stretching the muscles within. Jayce trembled at the sensation. And then Viktor pressed a soft kiss against his opening before delving inside.

The warmth of his tongue was truly maddening. The gentle flicking motion of it inside of him sent tremors through his body, and his breath set every hair on his body standing bolt upright. But the feeling of it all, in conjunction with the curl of his fingers over that spot, fried every synapse remaining in his fragile brain. After lavishing him thoroughly, he pulled away and turned his attention back to the shivering, twitching shaft that stood at attention in front of him, begging for stimulation. Viktor could feel his end coming. Could feel the way the muscles in his thighs and stomach spasmed uncontrollably. Could feel the way Jayce’s walls clenched around his fingers as he white knuckled the bed sheets, his hair plastered to his face messily. He was no longer the prim and proper Piltoveran who had stepped through those doors only a short while ago. 

And he was about to make him unravel like cheap yarn.

“Good boy. Very good.” In one slick motion, Viktor plunged his tongue deep into him and then withdrew it, licking a hot trail from his entrance, over his perineum, up the protruding vein that pulsed just beneath the skin of his aching shaft all the way to his slit with the flat of his tongue, curling his fingers inside of him in one slow, deep press. Viktor clamped his mouth around him like an iron vice. And Jayce screamed.

He came in deep, thick ribbons down the back of Viktor’s throat, fingers clenching in Viktor’s hair but not pulling. Simply holding him in place as the light left his eyes and the breath abandoned his body. Not that he needed to. Viktor didn’t budge. He didn’t intend to go anywhere. Tears streamed down his face as he attempted to blink away the moisture in a bid to see again, but he did not succeed. Agonizingly, Viktor continued the motion of his fingers in rhythm with his internal muscle contractions, elongating the orgasm until Jayce was certain that he’d never felt any other sensation before in his life, and never would again.

Jayce clinched around Viktor’s fingers as he felt his tongue trail up his shaft to the very tip before sucking in one long firm swallow, taking in every wayward drop. He swallowed rhythmically in deep, audible gulps as Jayce choked out a gasp that sounded as though he’d been gutted, wilting like a drooping blossom against the pillows lifelessly. He resembled a marionette who’d just had its strings cut. His toes curled and his thighs clenched almost painfully around Viktor’s head and neck as he exhaled heavily and deflated like a ruptured blimp, sliding down the pillow and slumping over against the mattress. His eyes had rolled back in his head so far that he genuinely couldn’t see anything, the tendons burning from overextension.

Gods. Dear gods . What the fuck was that?

He didn’t see Viktor shift, but he felt it. The subtle press of the mattress along his side as he crawled past him to sit beside his head. Jayce felt his fingers trail up the side of his face as Viktor stroked the back of his hand against his cheek comfortingly, watching the rise and fall of his breath.

Eventually, cognition slowly returned to him like a tide receding under the sway of the moon. Jayce lazily pressed his face against the outside of his thigh, pressing a kiss to the brace there before raising his head to rest experimentally in his lap. When he opened his eyes, Viktor was gazing down at him, nothing short of a fond smile upon his lips. There was such warmth in his expression. Such affection. It made Jayce’s heart flutter.

“That was…” Jayce coughed briefly, clearing his throat. What was he supposed to say after experiencing something like that? He had no clue.

“Good,” Viktor said, leaning over to press a kiss to his forehead. He flicked that strand of hair out of his face again. “Your feedback is, ah, duly noted.”

Jayce scoffed. And then he realized something.

He turned his head, pressing a tender kiss against the skin on the inside of Viktor’s thigh, trailing up towards his concealed heat. Jayce watched as Viktor blinked rapidly in surprise, withdrawing ever so slightly as Jayce grasped the hem of the top of his underwear, his intentions crystal clear.

“Ah… Jayce. You are under no obligation to reciprocate…” He said softly, glancing towards something nonspecific on the other side of the room. His entire face flushed a soft, flattering pink as he cupped the back side of his cheek and jaw with his palm, trying and failing to camouflage how flustered he suddenly was. Golden hair half-obscuring his face.

Jayce gaped at the sight. And the very notion that he’d just suggested. It was adorable, if not unanticipated. But that was one request that he wasn’t sure he was willing to fulfill. He slipped his hand up to Viktor’s hip, trailing it around until he had it firmly pressed against his lower back. Jayce sat up and grasped him gently under the right arm, gazing into his eyes adoringly. He carefully pulled Viktor towards him, leading him towards the pile of pillows at the head of the bed. Then, he slowly lowered him back against them, dipping low to press a kiss against his neck. Then his chest over his thrumming heart, and then his stomach. Trailing lower in a steady, deliberate line towards the only part of him that was still clothed. With a careful grasp, he tentatively coiled his fingers around Viktor’s leg, pressing a kiss to it before lifting it and hooking it over his shoulder. And then he leaned in, smiling faintly as they locked eyes. He slipped his fingers into the top hem of his underwear, teasing Viktor with the prospect of his touch.

“But would you like me to?” He parroted breathily, jostling the hair that hung in front of his eyes as he watched the subtle rise and fall of his breath. Viktor’s blush deepened to a profoundly unsubtle dark pink, spreading to his ears as Jayce dipped in and kissed the mole on the side of his neck. He giggled despite himself. It was adorable. Viktor opened his mouth to speak and then stopped. Instead, he closed his lips and bobbed his head, a bashful smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Jayce melted.

When was the last time that someone had cared enough to pleasure him? Had returned the effort he’d put in to bring them sweet release? Had desired to satiate him? He could only wonder. But the streak ended here.

Jayce carefully peeled his underwear down, mindful of the delicate lace. He didn’t want to snag it. He could feel the way Viktor trembled beneath his grasp, shuddering ever so softly as his fingers brushed against the heat that bloomed just below his waistband. As soon as Jayce peeled the insubstantial garment down, he slipped it down his legs and discarded it at the end of the bed, pressing another kiss to Viktor’s thigh. He smiled up at Viktor. And then he looked down and his eyes went wide as he cocked his head to one side and did a massive doubletake.

He was… actually shockingly well endowed for someone so petite…

“I, um… have no idea what I’m doing,” Jayce confessed awkwardly. He, um, hadn’t thought that far ahead. He never thought he’d get this far.

The smile Viktor gave him was utterly arresting. 

“It’s okay. I know.” He reached up and clasped his long fingers along the underside of Jayce’s chin, rubbing his thumb across it. Guiding him up so that he could place a kiss against his forehead before letting him get to the task at hand. “Just don’t bite me, and I think you’ll do just fine.”

“I would never.” Jayce quipped in response, faking a slightly sinister smirk that the warmth and affection in his eyes massively downplayed. “Show me.”

Jayce leaned in and kissed his stomach again, licking a line up to his navel and then back down towards the base of his erection. It was flushed a dark red, already dripping with precum. It wouldn’t take much more to push him over the edge. He thought back to what Viktor had done only a short while ago, pondering the best approach. He’d felt more of it than he’d seen.

Almost tentatively, Jayce pressed a line of feather-light kisses up his shaft from the base to the tip before licking along the protruding vein and stopping just shy of the tip. Viktor exhaled faintly, his eyes filled with wanton, fervent desire. His thin, soft lips parted as he began to ask, but Jayce beat him to it. He didn’t need to ask. Jayce already understood.

With slightly clumsy eagerness, Jayce took him into his mouth. He swirled his tongue along the tip, his throbbing erection twitching in response as he ran his tongue up and down the engorged shaft. He could taste the slight saltiness that dripped from him. Feel his pulse in his erection as his blood raced. But what gave him the deepest sense of fulfillment was the way Viktor moaned . Deep and heady from as low in his chest as he could coax air from, Viktor choked, his chest heaving as he reached down to coil his fingers into Jayce’s short, dark hair, his head slumping backward against the pillows as he took in the sensation of his ministrations.

“Like that. Just like that. Perfect. ” He cooed, guiding him into a steadier rhythm. He didn’t push. Didn’t apply force of any kind. Instead, he massaged his scalp amorously, bracing himself on one arm as best as he could so that he could look at him. Could watch as Jayce indulged him, heedless of his own pleasure. Newly shed tears ran trails down his face as he looked at him in mild disbelief, his eyes filled with adoration; his mouth half open and jaw slightly slack at the sight of him. “Oh, Jayce…”

Jayce sped up just a smidge, kneading the muscles in Viktor’s right thigh and calf soothingly as he reached up with his right hand and took Viktor’s. He interlaced their fingers, gazing up at him as he swiped his tongue up the length of him, swirling it around the head. Viktor’s moans keened higher in pitch, climbing upward in time with the pulses of his shaft. He was close. So very close. Jayce smirked internally as he delved just a little further down, swallowing as much of him as he could. 

Viktor shrieked and cried out his name, clenching his fingers in Jayce’s hair and the pillow next to him, the pitch of his voice rising as high as it could.

Jayce moaned deeply in response and, in turn, witnessed the precise moment that Viktor toppled over the edge.

Clasping his hand over his own mouth to stifle his cries, Viktor released Jayce’s head, giving him the opportunity to move should he so desire. He didn’t budge. Instead, he rode out the waves of pleasure as they cascaded over Viktor, savoring the salty flavor of his release as he swallowed him down, holding his hip as he continued to massage his leg comfortingly. He fit in his hands perfectly, almost as though he was meant to. Something about the sight of his slight waistline held securely within his grasp made something in his chest flutter. Jayce never wanted to let him go.

But he knew he had to. At least for now.

He leaned back on one arm, regarding Viktor fondly as he watched the last dregs of his climax fade away. Viktor extended a hand to him, placing it on his shoulder as he beckoned Jayce to join him. He nestled in against the side of his chest as best as he could, sighing heavily as exhaustion overcame him. This had been a lot. So very much that he hadn’t expected.

But it had also been wonderful .

They lingered in silence for a while, nothing but the sound of the mutual rise and fall of their breath to serve as communication between them. But after what felt like a lifetime, Jayce hesitantly broke the silence between the two of them. “That was… incredible.”

Viktor chuckled softly, reaching over to grasp a cigarette holder on the side of the bedside table. He offered it to Jayce, who politely shook his head to indicate that he was not interested. Viktor nodded, giving him a vague look of approval as he set it aside for the time being. Evidently, that was an offer that was scarcely refused. But they were both glad that he did.

“So, um…” Jayce sighed heavily. He wasn’t quite sure how to ask. It just felt wrong to. He knew that was how this sort of thing worked, but…

“What do you owe me?” Viktor chided softly, giving him an almost sympathetic look. Almost as though he’d read his mind. He reached over and stroked from his shoulder blade up to his neck, pressing a chaste kiss to his forehead as Jayce blinked languidly.

“I don’t feel right asking you that,” Jayce divulged, his shoulders stiffening as his head lingered against Viktor’s shoulder. It sounded so transactional. So detached and emotionless. Like the words of someone who cared nothing for the person they’d just been intimate with. Nothing like Jayce. Nothing at all. And yet, something Viktor had clearly heard so many times that the words no longer affected him. Jayce felt his heart clench.

“A return trip,” Viktor answered as if it were the most natural and obvious thing in the world. “I have much to show you, Jayce. Return soon. Please.”

Jayce looked up at him, his brow knotting in perplexity. “I don’t owe you?”

Viktor shook his head, stroking his fingers through Jayce’s hair. “Nothing but your company. Your first time’s free. It’s, eh, a personal policy of mine.”

Jayce beamed, his eyes gleaming. “That can’t be good for business.”

Again, Viktor chuckled, reaching down to pull the loose, silken fabric at their feet up over them. The room had grown chilly, and it was quite apparent that Jayce had nowhere pressing to be at this hour. He could stay a little while longer. If he wanted. “I wouldn’t know. I just came up with it.”

Jayce parted his lips, intent on saying something, anything. But the words didn’t come. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Viktor and pressed a tender kiss to his ribcage as he snuggled up against Viktor’s small chest. How did one grip someone so prone to slipping through his fingers?

“I… Thank you, Viktor. This was- this is nice. It’s special. At least I think so.” Jayce said as he closed his eyes. He narrowly missed the fond look that Viktor gave him as he brushed his now messy hair out of his eyes so that he could get a better look at him. Viktor wrapped his arm around his shoulder, rubbing it gently. He sighed deeply. Oh, what a fool he was. You weren’t supposed to fall for the customers. But how could he not?

Jayce was special, after all.

It was too late for him now.

“Happy birthday, Jayce.” He cooed as he hushed him gently. “I’m glad you decided not to spend it alone.”

—

Chapter Text

At the Edge of the Sea

—

Jayce had asked himself many times where he would be in a few years' time. The sea had never been an answer.

It had all happened so fast. One moment, he’d been standing outside of the front door to his apartment with Caitlyn, returning from the Undercity with supplies to build his next prototype with. The next, he’d awoken to an Enforcer standing over him, everything around him either damaged or destroyed. Someone had broken into his apartment, and things had gone wrong. Within a day, he’d been expelled from the academy.

Everything after that was a blur. He vaguely recalled returning to his destroyed apartment, fully intent on taking his life with nothing worthwhile to show for it. He’d left a letter that he knew would prove to be cold comfort to the only two people in the world daft enough to care for him. He’d stepped up to the edge of what had once been the wall to his living room. And then he stopped.

Maybe I just need time to think. There has to be a way to salvage this. There just has to be.

And there had been, at least in theory. As if struck by a bolt from the blue, Jayce had an epiphany. If Piltover would not permit him to continue his research, then he would leave Piltover. It was as simple as that.

He spent several sleepless nights alone in his room, combing through listings for far-fetched and exotic jobs abroad. Everything from becoming part of the crew of a mercantile vessel, to joining a scavenging crew that skirted the border between Shurima and Ixtal came under his consideration, but nothing fit. And then he found it: Krexor. A small coastal city five days east of Piltover by trade ship, if the waters were amicable. Sure, it was under the stewardship of the Noxian Empire, but the listing was advantageous. And its current leader, Lisabetya, was looking for a new lighthouse keeper, someone keen to spend months at a time stationed on a remote island only accessible by boat. The perfect place to work discreetly.

And so, here he was.

Jayce had spent the majority of the early morning hours hauling what little he’d been able to scavenge from his ruined apartment up from the dock to the main house. It hadn’t exactly been grueling work, but it had been slow going. A layer of slippery algae had washed up along the shore, which had made traversal a nightmare until he’d thought to take a moment to find a broom in the disused storehouse and clear it away. But once that had been taken care of, everything had continued without any further hiccups.

The main house, tucked against the side of the cliff face behind it, was a comfortable two-story building covered in white render and topped with a charming carmine shingled roof. It was detached from the lighthouse that sat a few dozen yards to the east, towering over it like a monolith. A spiraling staircase led up to the lens from within, something that he offhandedly imagined would come in handy, given the region’s penchant for suffering from inclement weather.

But for now, that wasn't his concern. For now, he was content with the task of offloading, unpacking, and tidying up. He had work to do.

Carrying the final box from the dock up towards the main house, Jayce paused to catch his breath. He set the wooden crate down, panting; palms resting against his thighs as he looked down at the sandy ground below. And then he felt it. Jerking his head up to his left, he saw nothing. Precisely the opposite of what he’d thought he might find. But no. There was nothing. Only the softness of the surf as it lapped against the sandy shoreline. And only the disquieting, lingering assurance that surely something had been there mere moments ago.

That had been… Strange. For a moment there, he’d sworn he felt a set of eyes on him.

Sighing, he straightened, lifting the box. It was too early to go mad from self-imposed isolation. He hadn’t even moved in yet.

—

It was undeniable now. He wasn’t alone on the island.

He’d ventured out early in the morning, just before the crack of dawn when the moon still hung low to check on one of the lighthouse’s many delicate apparatuses, only to find himself inexplicably drawn to the sea. To the sight of the waves crashing against the sandy shore below. To the full moon as it loomed overhead, pushing and pulling the tides from far above. It had been utterly silent. A cool, starless night. And then they’d come.

A pod of finned creatures skimmed past his field of view further out in the water, the droplets rippling around them as their dorsal fins parted the waves. They called out, making a sound somewhere between bestial and beautiful, entrancing him for all but a second. And then they disappeared.

Something much closer responded, and he’d nearly jumped out of his skin.

The next thing he’d known, the door to the house had slammed shut behind him, and he’d locked the top latch with shaky hands, breath caught in his lungs. Heart hammering in his chest as he realized no mere beast could produce a vocalization such as the one he’d just heard.

So what was he doing out there again?

Frightened as he’d initially been, he couldn’t help but be curious. It was the scientist in him, ever venturing out into the unknown. Always searching for a plausible explanation. He wanted to hear it again. Wanted to see whatever those creatures that had skimmed across his field of vision were again. Wanted to fall under the trance of the waves as the sun rose high into the sky, far across the horizon.

And so, here he sat. Feet dangling over the edge of the rocks and sketchbook in hand, the misty spray of the water below tickling his feet. If nothing else, he could enjoy the sight of the passing ships. The cove was replete with them today. The bare walls of the main house could use decorating. A personal touch. Something to liven them up just a bit.

Jayce continued to sketch, glancing up to double-check the pattern on the sails of one of the passing ships. Red with a vaguely familiar insignia. Definitively Noxian; perhaps a trading vessel. His gaze fell again, peering over the top of the tilted sketch book towards the water's edge below.

Something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. He paused, setting the leatherbound sketchbook aside. His fingers grasped the slippery stone at the edge of the spot he occupied as he leaned forward.

A set of shimming brown eyes gleaming in every shade of amber and honeyed gold they could produce stared back up at him, brown hair floating atop at surface of the water like a makeshift halo as they lingered in the cool water below, nothing more than their head visible above the water’s edge. Nothing more than a head floating in the water. They blinked.

Jayce felt his blood run ice cold.

“Oh my god!” He shouted, nearly stumbling and tumbling into the drink as he jumped to his feet in abject horror. “What are you doing in the water?!”

The individual in question stared at him silently, seemingly unbothered by the outburst or the frigid temperature of the water. Instead, they tilted their head to one side and offered a small smirk.

“You don’t seem to have the best sense of spatial awareness.” They retorted, voice even as it carried a palpable note of amusement. The soft trill of their voice was noticeable, pleasant even. Warm and knowing.

“You must be cold!” Jayce declared, not noticing what his new conversation partner had said in the slightest. He was still attempting to wrap his head around how he had gotten here, of all places. Perhaps a rowboat had capsized and he’d simply swum to the next available piece of land? That was the only immediate explanation that came to mind.

“Eh. Not really.” They said, seemingly shrugging. They reached up and placed a hand on the edge of the rock, seemingly to anchor themselves against the increasing strength of the tide. It was a wonder that they hadn’t been bashed against the rocky shoreline yet. “I’ve been watching you for some time now. I apologize for our introduction the other night. My intention had not been to startle you.”

Jayce stared blankly, unsure as to what they were talking about. And then realization hit him like a face full of salt water. “That sound. That was you?”

He nodded in conformation. And then he glanced over his shoulder, off towards something unknowable in the distance. Their eyes lingered. And then they spoke. “That is all for now. We will see one another again.”

Before Jayce could respond, his head slipped back under the waves, and he disappeared into the depths below.

—

For the next few days, Jayce wondered to himself if the encounter had been a fantasy, a hallucination concocted by a mind thoroughly starved of human interaction. He’d spent every free moment that he could scrape together between menial repairs and other idle busywork down by the sea, gazing out across the water. Hoping on hope for another chance encounter with the mysterious man he’d met by the rocks. Had he perished on the way back to dry land? Had he drowned, carried away by the merciless current? It gnawed at him like a tick in summer.

He should’ve offered to help him out of the water. What had he been thinking? He hadn’t. That was the problem. He’d been so taken aback by the circumstances that he’d failed to think. And an innocent had more than likely paid the price for it. He was never going to forgive himself.

Jayce sighed heavily. He needed to clear his head.

Stepping out through the door and making his way down the front steps of the porch, he navigated the well-worn path back down to the sea. Perhaps some fresh air would do him a monocone of good. Would clear a bit of the guilt that clung to him like barnacles against the underside of one of the harbor’s ships.

Making his way down to the water’s edge, the sight of something that hadn’t been there a few hours ago caught his eye. A pile of brownish-green kelp, entangling something covered in shimmering bronze scales. It appeared to be the tail fin of an oversized fish, more than likely tangled up in one of the fishing nets if the look of it was anything to go by. Nestled against the edge of the point where the rocks met the low, sandy tide, the mishmash of scales and plantlife had seemingly washed up out of the water while he was away checking on the generators.

He shrugged. Something to clean up, then. What was new?

Slipping out of his boots, he made his way over to the pile of refuse, intent on snagging it and dragging it ashore. This wasn’t the first time that something like this had happened. Every now and then, something interesting washed ashore in one of these discarded old fishing nets. Why not take inventory before discarding what wasn’t of use? But as he grabbed ahold of what remained of the worn old net, he paused. His hand went still as a tidal wave of abject horror consumed him.

Walnut brown hair.

He didn’t think. Didn’t pause for breath despite the way that his stomach churned with nausea. He simply pulled the rope loose. He had to know if it was him. If his worst fears had come true. He should’ve pulled him from the tide that day. He knew it.

Bile rose high in his throat as he forced himself to swallow; to keep calm just long enough to confirm beyond any lingering suspicion that he was indeed lost. He wrenched the last fibers of the rope free, and the pile of kelp flopped open, revealing its contents. He took a deep breath, barely resisting the urge to evacuate the contents of his stomach, faint, or both.

Jayce anticipated the stale scent of watery decay; the slimy, noxious film that coated rotting sea life. The murky dankness of festering kelp and seaweed. What he didn’t expect was for the body ensnared within to move.

Pulling himself groggily into a semi-sitting position with his almost exaggeratedly elongated tail, the walnut-haired man straightened, raising his arms up over his head and stretching out to dwarf Jayce in length by at least double, his tail making up the majority of his body length. A long dorsal fin reminiscent of kelp trailed down the center of his back, ending just above where the scales on the lower half of his body began. Everything from the waistline down bore those signature bronze scales, the tail ending with a wide, vaguely crescent-shaped tail fin that shimmered in the same signature shape and color as the rest of the kelp that surrounded him. As it turned out, the majority of the kelp was a part of him, serving as a natural camouflage of sorts. From the waist up, he was decidedly human, save for his flowing dorsal fin. He had arms and a torso, no different from Jayce. Well, aside from his much more diminutive and petite build. His hair just barely touched his shoulders, clinging to the skin of his neck and upper back like a slick curtain. His damp skin glistened under the sun.

“You… thank you.” He choked out faintly, shuddering as he beheld Jayce with eyes that shone with gratitude and affection. “I’m grateful. Truly.”

Jayce didn’t speak. Didn’t respond. He simply stared, utterly mystified.

He’d skimmed his biology textbooks disinterestedly back during his academy days, yes, but even still, he was absolutely certain that he hadn’t seen anything about this during his lessons. Was he a Vastaya of some sort? He’d seen partially aquatic Vastaya in Piltover once, but they were nothing like this. They were bipedal. He… Wasn’t. Not by a long shot.

“My god… You’re beautiful.” He blurted out, utterly flabbergasted.

The brown haired creature’s eyes went wide. His cheeks flushed a bright red as his eyelashes fluttered. Without another word, he abruptly retreated, scurrying into the water and plunging himself into the inky depths below.

—

He had offended him. He just knew it.

Jayce had been nervously pacing back and forth across the sands for the better part of an hour, horrified by the depths of the blunder he’d made. He’d been gone for hours. He’d overstepped. He wasn’t coming back. Not after that. And he’d never even had the opportunity to learn his name.

Groaning in annoyance at himself, he shook his head, cupping his face in his open palms. “I can’t believe I said that out loud. What’s wrong with me?”

He turned to walk back towards the house. There was nothing for it, then. Best to head to bed and attempt to get some sleep. Pacing back and forth across the beach until his feet blistered wasn’t going to change anything.

“My nameless suitor has returned, I see.”

Jayce stumbled as he nearly failed to catch himself, eyes darting towards the sound of his voice. He let out a slightly manic huff, followed by a half-hearted, disbelieving laugh, eyes filling with relief as he beheld the sight of him. He was perched atop the rocks where Jayce normally sat, head resting on his folded arms as he looked down at him from above, his tail hanging lazily against the surface of the slick stone. It batted back and forth rhythmically, swishing gracefully as his scales shimmered under the dying evening sun. He looked amused. But there was something else.

“You came back! I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to overstep, I- “ Jayce started. But the finned creatures held up his hand, gently halting his rambling.

“... Are you finished?” He inquired softly, clearly somewhat concerned on his behalf. His tone was hushed and sincere, almost affectionate. As though he were addressing someone he’d known for a lifetime and not someone who was ostensibly a stranger. A stranger who had rescued him, but still.

“Yes. Sorry.” Jayce’s gaze fell as he watched his bare feet gouge the silky sand below. He genuinely hoped that the dim light hid the growing redness of his face. “I, um... Didn’t catch your name?”

“Neither did I,” Responded the creature, a soft chuckle escaping his chest.

Jayce scoffed, folding his arms. That was fair enough. “Jayce. Jayce Talis.”

The creature seemed to contemplate his next words for a moment before meeting his gaze. He held it, looking deeply into his eyes in a manner that almost made Jayce shiver. From what, he did not know. But the power behind those eyes was mystifying. Enthralling. “It’s Viktor.”

A long silence fell over them, interspersed by little more than the cries of sea birds and the sound of lapping water against sand and stone. Jayce mouthed the word to himself but did not utter it out loud, almost as though he were testing the way it felt on his lips. And then he smiled welcomingly up at his new companion. Viktor. Something about the name just felt right. It suited him beautifully.

Finally, Viktor broke their reprieve. “What you said before. Did you mean it?”

“Yes.” Jayce didn’t hesitate. What point was there in deceiving him? What purpose would it serve to tell him anything less than the truth?

Viktor sat up fully, looking him up and down with the keen eye of someone who was searching for something. He seemed to examine every inch of his body, his eyes flickering from point to point with the precision of a finely tuned machine. He jerked sideways, flinging himself headlong into the depths below, disappearing under the waves. But before Jayce could lament his departure, he reappeared by the water’s edge, this time far closer to Jayce than he had been previously.

Raising a hand, he curled his fingers inward towards himself, beckoning Jayce towards him. Away from the shore and into the glimmering waters.

“Come. Join me.” He entreatied softly as he opened his arms, beckoning him into his embrace affectionately. His voice was laced with unspoken intent, his eyes glistening with warmth and desire. Jayce couldn’t help but ponder the implications; couldn’t help but desire to indulge the unspoken part of himself that was curious and unafraid to delve into the unknown. Despite his unknowable nature, Viktor didn’t frighten him. Far from it. He inthralled him. Everything from his appearance and his voice, to his biology utterly fascinated him. He wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to get in close.

Wading into the chilly water, Jayce felt a tremor pass through his body as the chill set in. He was dressed lightly in nothing more than a linen shirt and pants. He wasn’t sure how long he could stay in open water, but he would tolerate it for as long as he could if it meant that he might get the chance to finally touch him. The chance to satiate his boundless curiosity.

Viktor offered him his hand as he sank up to his neck in the chilly water, an offer that he accepted without hesitation. 

His hands were surprisingly warm in contrast to the water. Viktor waited for him to steady himself in the tide as they drifted away from the shoreline. Inch by inch, he guided him closer until he was holding most of his weight. But it was of no consequence. The water mitigated the majority of it.

Gesturing in a manner that indicated that he wanted permission to wrap his arms around him, Viktor gazed at him affectionately as Jayce nodded in agreement. And then, he leaned in close, his voice barely more than a whisper. “Hold your breath and close your eyes.”

Jayce obliged, taking a breath before holding it.

Water rushed around him as he was suddenly submerged below the dark coastal waters, a force pulling him definitively in some unseen direction. He barely suppressed the urge to panic or try to explain that he could not hold his breath for long as they continued onward for what felt like an eternity. His lungs began to burn, and his stomach muscles clenched as he kept his eyes shut tight, trying his very best not to lose his nerve. Weakness started to settle in, his head throbbing faintly as his ears popped. He felt his limbs go heavy and his heart slow in his chest as consciousness slowly slipped through his fingers. This was it.

They broke the surface seconds later, but Jayce didn’t gasp for breath. He was barely conscious, hanging on by a thread, too frayed to register the presence of fresh air. Something warm and soft pressed against his lips, flooding his spasming chest with air, forcing the muscles in his lungs to expand. And all at once, his eyes shot open and he gasped, coughing.

His eyes saw nothing, save for the vague outline of light. But he did feel something.

He felt Viktor’s tail wrapped around him, fingertips ghosting against his cheek so faintly that he barely detected them. He opened his eyes, blinking away the excess water that clung to his eyelashes as what was once blurry came back into focus. Viktor was looking at him, golden eyes smoldering like dying embers as the last remnants of daylight faded over the horizon. The red and purple sky reflected brilliantly in the blue waters below them. Warm waters that didn’t chill him to his bones. He vaguely recognized this place. They were on the far side of the island in a Cenote, flanked on all sides by stone, moss, and lush clinging vegetation. He’d looked down into this hole once before from the top of the lighthouse, but he hadn’t bothered to go and investigate it further. Until now.

“Land dwellers are strange. They react with fear when they see me. Disgust. Even violence.” Viktor cooed softly as he watched Jayce take in breath after breath, slowly replenishing his oxygen stores. He held him steady. Aside from blurry vision and a slightly achy head, he wasn’t worse for wear. Good. “But you are the first to ever compliment me.”

Jayce didn’t respond. He was too busy taking in the sight of him. Too busy staring at the way his scales shimmered in the overhead light. He tentatively raised a hand, watching Viktor carefully to gauge his reaction as he pressed his hand to where his hip presumably was, tracing the scales along his waistline. They were smooth. Surprisingly soft and supple. His fingers glided across them undisturbed until the precise moment that he brushed against something, and Viktor’s entire facial expression changed. It was subtle, but the way his eyes fell spoke volumes.

“What are these fins for?” Jayce said, brushing his fingers against them again. A pair of tiny, delicate pelvic fins, crisscrossed over one another at the front of his body. They were smaller than his hands, but every time he touched anywhere near them, Viktor flicked his tail fin and shuddered.

He glanced up at Jayce, gaze heady. And suddenly, all at once, Jayce understood. His face flushed as their eyes met, Viktor reaching up to hook his fingers under his chin, tilting it so that their faces were nearly touching.

“... Let me show you.”

—

Jayce could blame his current predicament on many things. On loneliness. On his boundless curiosity. On his absolute refusal to back down from a challenge until he proved to himself that he couldn’t handle it.

But what he couldn’t do was claim that he didn’t like it.

If not for the water, he was almost certain that they wouldn’t fit. The first shaft pressed in gently, prodding with uncertainty as he clung onto a combination of Viktor’s tail and a stalagmite that jutted out of the center of the cave for dear life. He felt Viktor’s hand on his back, rubbing soothing circles into his skin as he bottomed out inside of him. It didn’t feel like anything he’d ever felt before. The way his body conformed to the sensation of him within him, the way his walls parted and allowed him entry. It was rapturous the way it stole the breath from his lungs. The way he ached and his legs trembled despite his best efforts to steady himself.

The pelvic fins, as it turned out, safeguarded the most delicate part of Viktor’s body. And although his reproductive system was a mystery that he was actively unraveling, one thing had become unambiguously clear the instant he’d allowed Jayce to slip his fingers into the thin, lubricated slit his fins concealed. He had two members. Not one.

He had no idea why, but something told him was about to find out.

Viktor purred against his back, snaking a hand up Jayce’s chest from behind as he pressed into him and withdrew again, pulling almost all the way out before fully reseating himself within him. He repeated the motion again and again, gradually pressing deeper as his pace steadily climbed. Jayce let out a deep groan, shuddering as Viktor grazed that spot deep within him, causing the head of his shaft to throb almost painfully. He felt Viktor’s fingers curl around him, tracing a line up his engorged shaft as his fingertip pressed against the slit at the tip, flicking it. He worked him in time with his thrusts, coaxing a second deeper moan from deep within him as Jayce dipped his head, trying his very best not to tumble over the edge just yet. But despite his best efforts, he did so regardless. With a whimper, Jayce cried out, spilling every last drop that he could muster into Viktor’s cupped fingers.

As everything within his field of vision faded to white, he vaguely registered the sensation of Viktor pulling his hand away and pressing it between the two of them as he continued to press into him. He felt him pause, his tail fin flicking through the water as his breathing deepened. He stayed still for a minute or so, his head resting against Jayce’s back as he huffed, almost seemingly from slight discomfort. 

And then he felt them both press against his entrance.

Jayce raised his head, suddenly far more alert than he had been moments ago. Surely they wouldn’t both fit. Not at once. One already hardly did. But just as he suspected, he felt Viktor begin to press in at a pace so gentle and slow that it was almost torturous. Jayce whimpered, considering objecting. And then he felt Viktor purr, the muscles in his abdomen clenching as both heads somehow managed to slide inside.

“Stay still for me.” Viktor pleaded softly, nipping at the backside of his neck.

Jayce stilled, exhaling slowly and deeply as Viktor continued to press in. Centimeter by centimeter, he stretched him open, pulled his muscles apart; the tips of both of his shafts brushing against Jayce’s throbbing prostate as they slid against one another. It took a lifetime, but he finally managed to press into Jayce all the way.

Jayce couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. All he could feel was the sensation of Viktor inside of him, the throbbing of both of his shafts against his overly sensitive walls nearly pushing him over the edge again as he slowly slipped back out and pushed back in again, a combination of precum and water slicking him.

Gradually, he gained pace, massaging Jayce’s chest and stomach. They were both so close now. So maddening, close to mutual climax.

“Let me make you mine.” Viktor cooed in his ear, nudging against just the right spot inside of him. Jayce simply nodded, his insides throbbing from the sensation of him as he continued at a merciless pace, nearly forcing the air out of Jayce’s lungs. How could Jayce ever hope to say no?

“Anything you want. Anything for you.” He said, gasping for breath.

Suddenly, Jayce felt his insides spread wider. Felt something push into him, slick and soft but still firm. Warm. Round. And then another. And another. And another. He felt them nestle into him, seemingly sticking to the muscles within him and clinging to him. Filling him fully and utterly.

Jayce hung his head low, gaping and panting as Viktor continued, flicking his tail fin in a steady, almost melodious rhythm as he gradually slipped out of him in increments to make more room. His own breathing picked up noticeably as his head rested against his back and his soothing caresses deepened. He was nearly finished. Still, it was a laborious process for the both of them. But Viktor clearly harbored no doubts as to Jayce’s capabilities. After all, he was entrusting him with something extraordinary.

If they were genetically compatible, that was. But he was hopeful.

“Viktor… “Jayce whimpered as he came again, now limp, empty, now and so very full. He wasn’t sure how many more he could fit. How much more his body could take. But he was willing to try. Oh, so very willing. Viktor didn’t need to explain. The look in his eyes told Jayce everything he needed to know. And he was strangely honored to be chosen for the privilege, even if it was never something he would’ve considered remotely possible.

Viktor continued to soothe him, shushing him gently. “I know, Jayce. I know.”

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, Viktor fully withdrew. He trembled noticeably as Jayce slowly released the piece of stone he’d been clinging to for dear life, allowing Viktor to carefully rotate him around to face him using his tail. His honeyed gold eyes were dim, filled with fatigue. But as Jayce reached up and stroked Viktor’s cheek, pulling him in and pressing a tender kiss to his lips, their mutual fatigue slowly melted away into excitement under the rising light of the full moon. A new moon.

Now they could only wait and see.

—