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Chapter Text

Jayce is used to hearing rumors about himself.

Ever since Hextech became public knowledge, publicity has followed him in ebbs and flows, whether it’s a reporter reaching out to cover a technological breakthrough he and Viktor have made or spotting his own name credited in scientific periodicals. It was strange at first, becoming a public figure. But over the years, he has gotten used to it, and it no longer makes him screech to an uncomfortable halt when he sees his face plastered over a banner or when “Man of Progress” is tacked onto the headlines of newspaper articles about his inventions.

So, while on the hunt for lab supplies in Piltover’s bustling mercantile district, Jayce isn’t too surprised when Caitlyn points out a magazine in a streetside bookstore with his image gracing the cover.

What does surprise him, however, is how Caitlyn – his very serious, very composed-in-public friend – doubles over in undignified laughter because of it.

He raises an eyebrow, signaling for her to explain herself, but her unceasing laughter makes the attempt at getting an answer futile. Jayce follows her line of vision instead to find out what’s so funny.

When he sees it, he almost trips over himself.

There, on the magazine rack, is the newest edition of The Piltover Profile, a magazine known for publishing false gossip. A smiling photo of himself takes up one side of the cover – typical. Beside it, the most conspicuous text written in an array of large, garish letters spells out a main headline that is unequivocally not typical:

Piltover’s Most Eligible Bachelor…TAKEN??? An EXCLUSIVE look at the private life of hottie Jayce Talis and his secret flame!

Jayce does a double take. The biggest double take he’s ever done.

“What…” is the only sound he can produce.

Caitlyn stops her peal of laughter just long enough to remark, “I believe the title ‘Most Eligible’ is a bit overblown."

Jayce shakes his head in hopes he can shake the headline right out of existence.

“This isn’t funny, Caitlyn.”

“I’m inclined to disagree.”

“My mother reads this magazine!”

That results in Caitlyn laughing even harder. “Well then, Ximena is in for quite a surprise.”

Jayce stomps closer to the stall and stares at his face reflected back at him on the magazine cover. His gaze in the photo looks so warm and soft. Relaxed, even. When was this picture taken? Who was on the other side of the camera?

His eyes meander back once more to the headline next to it, but he tears them away a second later in absolute embarrassment. Eligible bachelor? Private life? Secret flame? He’s not even in a relationship. To what – or to whom – could they possibly be referring?

“This is mortifying!” he tells Caitlyn. “Listen. Someone designed a coffee mug with my portrait on it, and I didn’t complain. Didn’t say a word. A toymaker released an action figure with my exact features called “The Golden Boy.” Fine. Never voiced my objection, even though the shoulders on it were disproportionately broad. But this?” He gestures dramatically at the cover. “This…is too invasive.”

His show of frustration catches the attention of the bookstore's vendor. The man stops his conversation with a customer and turns in their direction, peering at Jayce over his spectacles. “Oh, Mr. Talis! Greetings! Congratulations are in order, though I must say I’ve seen a lot of disappointed citizens come by my stall today to peruse that article. It appears they were hoping they had a chance with you instead.”

“They’ve dodged a bullet, if you ask me,” Caitlyn quips, playfully elbowing Jayce in the ribs. “We’ll take one copy, please.” She rummages through her satchel and hands a few coins to the merchant before Jayce can stop her.

“You have got to be kidding me, Cait.”

She waves a hand to brush him off. “Oh, hush. Are you not curious about the identity of your ‘secret flame’?”

Jayce’s stomach lurches at a sudden thought. He rarely hopes his theories are wrong, but there’s a first time for everything.

“Caitlyn Kiramman,” he begins, “you come from a prominent family. You’re a relatively public figure, too. Please tell me these rumors are not about the two of us.”

That wipes the smirk right off her face. Her nose and mouth scrunch up like she just bit into the sourest fruit in Runeterra. “I didn’t even think that as a possibility." She makes a noise of disgust. "If the publisher has any sense, this better not be about me.”

Caitlyn flips with haste to the center spread, and her entire expression blanches. She doesn’t say a word.

That can’t be good.

“What?” Jayce asks, curiosity getting the better of him. “What is it?”

After some hesitation, she answers, slowly. “It’s not about the two of us, Jayce. It’s about…”

Jayce wonders why Caitlyn’s voice has gone so quiet and why she’s acting so furtive all of the sudden. She turns the spread around to show only him, careful not to let other passersby see, and Jayce immediately understands why she’s acting strangely.

He looks at what’s in front of him. His eyes frantically travel over images and text, unable to focus on one thing in particular but seeing multiple elements in rapid succession:

- A quote attributed to him in big block letters, bolded and underlined for effect: “My partner and I are very happy together.”

- A photo of himself and Viktor in their lab smiling at the camera.

- A smaller box in the corner with a photo of him and Viktor looking at each other. Under the box, a caption: Viktor, the taciturn genius who stole the Man of Progress’s heart!

- Some text from the article: A source close to the two who wished to remain anonymous shared with us, “I once overheard Jayce telling Viktor – quite breathlessly, I might add – to ‘crank it’. I suppose Hextech wasn’t the only kind of ‘magic’ they were creating in that lab.”

Jayce feels like an endless pit has just opened beneath him. He thinks he’s going to be ill. His mind races as he pieces all of the elements together.

One concern ends up lodging itself at the forefront of his thoughts.

“Viktor doesn’t deserve this,” he says aloud. “He doesn’t enjoy being front and center like this. It makes him uncomfortable.” He feels his words coming out faster and more biting. “They can write inane articles about me, they can speculate whatever they want about my life, but how dare they bring Viktor into this!”

Caitlyn snaps the magazine shut and holds a hand up. “Jayce, take a breath. You’re getting worked up.”

“It’s not fair to force him into the spotlight with this…this…lie!” He can’t stop himself.

Caitlyn drags him by the arm to a less populated area behind the merchant stalls. He hardly feels himself getting pulled away. His body is on autopilot while all of his brain space is taken up by the magazine article.

“Jayce, calm down,” Caitlyn urges once they’re away from the crowds. “You’re making a scene.”

Through gritted teeth and building fury, Jayce tries to take her advice and cool off, one deep breath at a time. It’s easier said than done. He never really expected to become this well known in such a public way, but he has shouldered the responsibility without complaint. To drag Viktor into the public eye and force him to shoulder the burden of it against his wishes and without thinking of the repercussions, though, is reprehensible.

Once his agitated thought spiral is over, he returns more to his senses. He asks Caitlyn as calmly as he can manage to hand him the magazine. He opens it to the center spread and, with a clearer head this time, notices the finer details.

The word “partner” is written in fancy script with gold ink. It stands out from everything else. He has called Viktor his partner a million times in public and in private. They’re partners in science, in work, in inventions. Why would the magazine twist his words and take them out of context like that?  

The central photo is just a typical photo of them in the lab, Jayce smiling brightly at the camera while Viktor smiles more bashfully beside him. If Jayce remembers correctly, it was taken after they invented a Hextech-powered weather predictor. There’s nothing unusual about the picture. Why would they use it for the spread? He eyes it more closely hoping to find an answer. His hand is on Viktor’s shoulder – that’s normal. Viktor is leaning into him slightly. Also normal. Typical for lab partners. Right?  

Jayce moves on to the smaller corner photo, a candid one, where the two of them are simply looking at each other rather than the camera. Jayce scrutinizes his expression in the photo. His eyes are soft. He's leaning into Viktor's space. His smile is genuine.

Has he always looked at Viktor with so much…unbridled adoration?

Of course. He adores Viktor. That’s nothing new.

It seems our highly coveted inventor is in love, another piece of text reads. Jayce’s eyes are fixated on the sentence.

…Is he?

Is he in love?

Jayce's brain is inundated with thoughts that are emphatically not rooted in science. He admires Viktor deeply. He enjoys spending time with him inside and outside the lab. They can talk for hours about theories. He likes when they sit close together and their shoulders touch. When he gets nervous on stage presenting a new invention to a crowd, he can spot Viktor in the audience smiling back at him, grounding him. He loves listening to the lilt of Viktor’s voice. He loves seeing Viktor’s eyes sparkle over a discovery or a compliment. 

He loves Viktor.

He loves Viktor.

HE LOVES VIKTOR.

The dawning realization knocks the wind out of him. How did it take him less time to figure out how to use magic than it did to figure out the feelings in his own heart?

Caitlyn’s voice brings him back to reality. “Jayce? Why does it look like you’ve just seen a ghost?”

Jayce’s legs suddenly feel unstable. He grabs the side of a wall for support.

“Cait, I need to sit down.”

Jayce slides down the wall and sits on the ground, away from the crowds and the prying eyes of whatever journalists may have written this piece. He is consumed with this oddly timed revelation.

Caitlyn goes from amused to concerned as she sits beside him, blocking the view of any townsfolk, and listens.

“I think I’m…in love with Viktor,” Jayce says in a hushed tone only she can hear. The words feel both heavy and light on his tongue. “I think I have been for a long time.”

This is a bigger breakthrough than any he has had in front of a chalkboard or tinkering with magic. It’s almost dizzying to say the words out loud. He expects this news to stun Caitlyn. Confound her. Instead, her concerned look goes right back to one of amusement.

“Yes, Jayce,” she says, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. “And the sky is blue, and I’m an excellent marksman. These are all facts. Are you really just now discerning that you’re in love with him?”

Jayce can’t believe what he’s hearing. “Yes!" he answers truthfully. "Are you saying you already knew?”

Caitlyn rolls her eyes. “Obviously, Jayce. That’s why I was worried when I first opened the spread. I thought your secret got out. Honestly, I’m more impressed a gossip writer figured the truth out before you did, whether they intended to or not.” She pretends to tap on his forehead with her knuckles. “For a man who is so talented in advanced science, you really are quite thick sometimes.”

Jayce tries to wrap his head around all of this. Caitlyn has always been perceptive, but… “Why didn’t you say anything about this to me before?” he asks. “About my feelings for Viktor?”

Caitlyn huffs out a laugh. “Are you seriously asking me why I didn’t tell you that you were in love with Viktor?” She playfully shoves his shoulder. “Are you not 30 years old by now? You’re old enough to figure that out on your own!”

Jayce realizes how incredibly ridiculous he must sound and folds his head in his hands, letting out a world-weary sigh.

“You’re right,” he says. “I guess I should talk to Viktor about this before he sees the article himself.”

Suddenly, a plethora of new worries invades his brain. What if Viktor doesn’t feel the same way? What if Jayce confessing his feelings completely dismantles their friendship? What if this causes Viktor to leave him forever?

As if she’s reading his mind, Caitlyn puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “You could always dismiss this article as paltry gossip,” she says. “It’s not like you gave the writer an interview. The Piltover Profile pulled quotes from other sources and distorted them to make a different kind of story that would garner attention and drive sales. You can move on without ever having to address the rumors.”

Jayce doesn’t say anything.

“Unless you want to address them with Viktor,” Caitlyn adds, though it sounds like a question.

Jayce has always been a man of reason, but he feels conflicted. He and Viktor didn’t just build Hextech together. They built a wonderful partnership, one that has spanned years of collaboration and companionship. One single love confession could destroy it all.

He maps out a mental chart of pros and cons full of ideas and percentages weighing whether or not to make his feelings known. It dissolves away a few moments later when he remembers that he has always been honest with Viktor. He’s not about to hide the truth from him now.

“I’ll tell him,” Jayce declares. “It would be wrong to keep this from him. It’ll be revealed one way or another, now or later.”

Caitlyn smiles at him. “I think you’re making the right choice.” She stands up and offers Jayce a hand. “Now get up, wipe the dirt off your pants, and go to him.”

Jayce takes her outstretched hand and pulls himself up, legs a little sturdier now. He lets out a deep breath and tries to will his nerves away. “Thank you, Cait. For listening. And for being a good friend.”

Caitlyn shrugs off the compliment. “Take this in case you need to reference it.” She presses the magazine to his chest. “Helping Jayce Talis with his love life. I should get a medal for this.”

He laughs. “Perhaps I can convince the Council to honor you with one.”

They make their way back towards the main street through the throngs of busy shoppers to quickly finish up Jayce’s almost-forgotten quest to replenish his lab supplies before he heads back to Viktor.

“I do have a serious question,” Caitlyn says after some time has passed, though the word ‘serious’ is contradicted by her wry smile. “Did you actually say the phrase ‘crank it’ to Viktor?”

Jayce’s face burns. He has known Caitlyn for enough years to know she will never let him live that word choice down.

“That was taken out of context, and this conversation is over.”

Chapter Text

Once he and Caitlyn part ways after their trip to the mercantile district, Jayce spends the entire walk back to the lab reasoning how he will break the news to Viktor. He rolls up and unfurls The Piltover Profile magazine restlessly on the way there, playing several different scenarios and conversations in his head, parsing together exactly how to tell his dear friend that he is in love with him. Has been in love with him for quite some time. Will Viktor still be in the lab, or will we have gone home already? Should he even bring the article up at all? He’s so used to telling Viktor everything. He has never had to had to ruminate on how to phrase something to him. He has always just been himself around Viktor and said what was on his mind.

Just be myself, Jayce thinks. That must be the best course of action.

When he reaches the lab’s hallway, he rolls his shoulders and exhales. Each step towards the entrance of the lab feels heavy. He wonders if he even felt this nervous when he was put on trial several years back for conducting those unsanctioned magical experiments.

Hand on the doorknob, he swings the lab door open so fast he worries the hinges might break off. Calm down, he tells himself. Just be yourself. Viktor will understand.

He doesn’t even look inside at first. He could be talking to an empty room for all he knows. “Hi, Viktor. Do you have a moment to talk?” He speaks quickly before his mettle wanes. The words bleed into one another, but at least his courage didn’t disintegrate as soon as the door whooshed open.

He swallows his nerves and looks inside the lab. Just like his instincts told him, Viktor is there standing near his desk, several feet away, the sole person in the room. He looks over at Jayce in the doorway.

A pit unfolds in Jayce’s stomach when he sees that Viktor has his cane in one hand, and in the other: that cursed magazine.

The speech he rehearsed in his mind on the way over evaporates completely.

“Ah, Jayce,” Viktor says pleasantly, if not with a tinge of reticence. “You’re back.”

“Where did you get that?” Jayce tumbles over the words gracelessly before he can catch himself.

Viktor awkwardly lifts the magazine up an inch. “This? Sky brought me a copy. She said there was a very interesting article about me in it.” He lowers his eyes to the floor, shyness creeping in. “You are mentioned in it as well.”

Jayce’s first thought is to blurt out an apology as he crosses the threshold into the lab. He waves the rolled-up magazine in his hand, not sure what to do with it, still standing close to the door and far from Viktor’s corner. The noise of the door shutting is jarring in the silent room.

“Viktor, I’m so sorry,” Jayce sputters. “I had no idea something like this was being published. I didn’t talk to any reporters about…what was written.”

“I know you did not.”

“I would never betray your trust or go behind your back with this kind of gossip.”

“I know you would not.”

Jayce feels uncharacteristically sheepish now, too. He finds himself having trouble making eye contact with Viktor – something that has always come easily.

“Do not fret, Jayce,” Viktor assures. How is he so calm about this? “I know you did not intend for something to be published that reads, and I quote, ‘Who wouldn’t lust over the thought of Mr. Talis’s forge-strong hands on their cheek, their waist, or elsewhere? Genius scientist Viktor is a lucky man, indeed!’”

Jayce pinches the bridge of his nose and wants to dissolve into the arcane on the spot. This is not how their conversation was supposed to go.

“They shouldn’t have dragged you into this,” Jayce asserts. “You didn’t ask for this kind of attention.”

Surprisingly, Viktor smirks. “No, but I will take them referring to me as a ‘genius’ as a win.”

Jayce tosses his (well, Caitlyn’s) copy of The Piltover Profile and the lab supplies he purchased onto one of the desks a little more forcefully than he planned, like the words on the page will explode the longer he holds onto them. He shuts his eyes, takes one more deep breath, and wills himself to speak.

“The truth is,” he begins, trying to achieve what he set out to do in the first place, “there is…” – he searches for the right words – “…merit to what the journalist printed.”

Viktor’s brows knit together in confusion and curiosity. Jayce isn’t sure if he’s imagining it or not, but it sounds like Viktor’s breath hitches.

“Which part, exactly?” Viktor asks.

It’s only because they’ve known each other so long that Jayce hears the slight wobble in Viktor’s voice. He finally closes the gap between them and points at the most glaring pull-quote in the center of the magazine copy Viktor is holding: “My partner and I are very happy together.”

“Bolded and underlined for effect,” Viktor notes.

“That certainly was an editorial choice,” Jayce replies awkwardly.  

Viktor stares at the page in silence for a moment before looking up at Jayce with steady eyes. “I have known that to be the truth long before this article was published,” he states. He keeps his eyes locked on Jayce as if he’s waiting for Jayce to add more.

Jayce fills in the silence. “Oh. Well, sure.” He takes another deep breath and steels his nerves. “That said, the article interprets that phrase…romantically.” He honestly can’t believe the words coming out of his mouth, but he has to finish what he started.

“Yes,” Viktor responds, though he breaks his eye contact with Jayce and looks back down at the spread. “According to the journalist, I ‘stole the Man of Progress’s heart.’ How devious of me.”

A laugh escapes Jayce despite his nervousness. Here goes nothing, he thinks. “The writer clearly didn’t get their facts straight because, well…you didn’t steal my heart, Viktor. It was given willingly.” As gently as possible, he removes the magazine from Viktor’s grip and sets it aside. Viktor looks back up at him, eyes wide and almost shining, and Jayce keeps his eyes locked on him as well. “My heart has always belonged to you. I just didn’t realize it before I saw it plain as day in this article.”

A blush creeps from Viktor’s neck all the way up to his cheeks.

Damn, he looks beautiful, Jayce thinks, before once more internally freaking out that he just permanently destroyed their friendship. The silence unnerves him. He puts his hands up defensively without realizing he is moving his limbs. “You don’t have to feel the same way,” he says in a rush. “It’s okay. I thought about not even saying anything. I don’t want to ruin our partnership or work. I really don’t.” He bites his lip. “But you deserve to know the truth.”

Viktor doesn’t speak for a few seconds. It feels like hours go by. He shifts his cane from one hand to another, clearly nervous himself. Jayce can’t tell what he’s thinking.

Finally, Viktor goes over to the desk and points to something on the magazine spread.

“Did you notice anything particular about this photo?” he asks Jayce.

Jayce is a bit confused as to where the conversation is going, but he looks over Viktor’s shoulder to where Viktor is pointing. It’s the photo where Jayce is looking at Viktor with all the adoration in the world.

What he failed to realize the first time around is that Viktor is looking at him with the same kind of unfiltered adoration in his eyes.

Jayce doesn’t know what to do with this information. He stares at Viktor’s expression in the photo for seconds, maybe minutes, until he feels a pair of resolute eyes on him. He meets Viktor’s gaze.

“Truth be told,” Viktor says, with a quiet but confident voice, “the feeling is mutual.”

Jayce, slack-jawed, looks from Viktor to the photo of them back to Viktor again.

“You – you feel the same way?”

Viktor actually chuckles. The smile on his face is precious. Jayce wants to burn it into his memory. “Yes, Jayce. I theorized that you may have held similar feelings for me.”

“You did? How?”

Viktor closes the magazine on the table and points to the cover. “I took this photo of you. When I noticed the tenderness with which you were looking at me through the camera lens, I had a hunch. However, I was much too afraid to test this theory for reasons similar to yours.” He touches his fingertips to the cover. “How this photo ended up in the hands of a gossip magazine, I know not.”

Hearing Viktor say all of this makes Jayce feel like he’s floating five feet in the air. Viktor feels the same way! Viktor loves him, too! How did it take two intelligent people so many years to confess they harbored romantic feelings for each other?

The fear still gnawing inside Jayce’s head brings him back down to earth.

“This partnership – this friendship – is deeply important to me,” Jayce says. “If we act on these feelings, I don’t want it to undermine what we have. What we’ve built together.”

Viktor shakes his head. “I believe our bond is too strong to be broken. Fate would have brought us together one way or another.”

“Okay. Good.” Jayce feels giddy again. Lightheaded. On another plane of existence. He’s not sure where the daring bravery comes from when he asks, “May I kiss you?”

Viktor inhales sharply. “Yes, Jayce,” he answers, a smile blooming across cherry-red cheeks. “You may.”

Jayce bridges the gap between them. He steadies Viktor with one hand on his waist and the other caressing his cheek. He leans in and presses his lips to Viktor’s, softly, carefully. This is new territory. This is something he has wanted to do for a long time without truly realizing it.

Apparently, the same is true for Viktor. He can feel Viktor’s smile.

Viktor practically melts into his touch. It’s better than Jayce could have ever imagined. Viktor’s lips fit with his perfectly, like the two of them were crafted by the hands of destiny to be soulmates.  

When they part, Jayce looks into Viktor’s lustrous, stunning eyes, still holding onto his face and waist.

“If only the magazine writers could see us now,” Jayce jokes.

“They could sell so many copies of The Piltover Profile,” Viktor adds, finishing Jayce’s sentence.

We really are in sync, Jayce thinks.

Before Jayce has time to get lost in his thoughts, Viktor leans up and initiates their second kiss. The first one was delicate and a little shy, testing the waters of the newfound information that they both have feelings for each other. The second is more eager, more spirited. Viktor wraps an arm around Jayce’s neck, leans forward even more, and erases any lingering fear Jayce had that his feelings may have been unreciprocated.

They are both a little breathless when it ends. Jayce is shocked this is real, not a fairytale, not something he dreamed up while accidentally falling asleep at his desk during research.

Viktor breaks the silence once he catches his breath. “Perhaps we should thank the writer of this article. They were the catalyst that propelled us to this moment.”

Jayce’s bright laugh fills the space. “That’s a solid conjecture, but don't give them too much credit. I think we could have gotten here on our own without the entire readership of The Piltover Profile finding out first.” 

Viktor smiles up at him, soft and sweet, and Jayce could melt right through the floorboards of the lab. He and Viktor nod at each other, a silent I love you they will one day say aloud when the time is right.

Viktor offers some levity after a few seconds. “I must admit, the unnamed source taking ‘crank it’ out of context was quite humorous.”

Jayce slaps a hand over his eyes, feeling his face go red once more. “I will never speak those words again,” he affirms.

In true fashion, they eventually get back to work on their research, sharing ideas and theories just like they have for years. Jayce is elated their partnership and friendship can stand strong after a confession of feelings, and he is enthusiastic about seeing how this unfolding relationship will blossom over time.

For now, he is happy to know that he loves Viktor and Viktor loves him back. Two sides of the same coin. Yin and yang. Together in harmony, he hopes, forever.