Archive of Our Own ^beta

Viktor hurts.

Not the regular aches and pains he’s grown accustomed to in his leg and back that carry him through most days, but something deeper. A pain so far out of reach that he can’t calm it with heat or balms or pressure. It’s a gnawing sting that seizes his lungs and makes it hard to breathe.

It’s exhausting.

Having to deal with his existing conditions is hard enough, but adding on something new, something that drags on month-to-month with no end in sight puts him in a dark headspace. His body still hasn’t fully healed from the rods put in his spine the previous year. The doctors said it would be a slow process, but due to his frail body, it’s been like wading through molasses.

His body hasn’t felt the same since the surgery. It no longer feels like his own. How is he supposed to process his baseline changing even further when he’s still grieving the loss of how his body was before?

Viktor drags himself to the lab. His body slumps over his crutch with every step, the weight of the throbbing in his leg, the pulsing in his spine, and the sharp sting of deep inhalations taking a toll on him. It’s only the start of the day and he can already feel the short fuse settling under his skin.

When he arrives, he finds a note from Jayce on his side of their shared desk:

Getting ready for the Gala tonight.

Not sure what time I’ll be back.

JT

It’s just as well. Viktor isn’t sure how he would fare with having to interact with another person in his current condition. And while he’d prefer Jayce over anyone else, even Jayce has proven to be a thorn at times.

Viktor throws himself into work, feeling the spasms radiating up his braced leg, the brace under his trousers pressing into his skin uncomfortably. He grits his teeth as he pores over schematics and calculations, forcing himself to focus on things of real importance: helping people, saving lives, and bettering the conditions of his people in the Undercity. His pain is negligible in comparison.

Viktor spends the entire day in the lab until the sun goes down and the gas lamps flicker on for the night. He tinkers with a new prototype, jotting down notes for Jayce to check over later. His body feels even worse than in the morning, the pain crushing. It’s not the latest he’s worked, but as he tries to push himself to continue, his leg twinges in a burning sensation. It makes its way up the entirety of his thigh, impossible to ignore.

Viktor presses his thumb into the skin, the contact only worsening the sensation. He curses with a hiss, the soul-deep exhaustion washing over him in nauseating waves of despair.

He needs something to take the edge off. He needs a drink to quiet his mind. He needs more pain meds to soften the blow to his body. He needs a massage to loosen the tightness in his limbs.

What he really needs is to get off.

Under normal circumstances, before allowing himself to get to this point, Viktor had made it a habit to go to an Undercity brothel run by a short Madame named Babette. It was clean, the workers well-cared for, and they all treated him well in turn.

It wasn’t as if Viktor couldn’t procure lovers from the University grounds (or elsewhere), but his previous trials resulted in failures. They either treated him like a porcelain doll, took their pleasure with no regard for his, or lost their erections at the sight of his sickly frame.

Unlike Piltover, Zaunites are accustomed to seeing and touching disabled bodies of all kinds. It is the unjust reality that on every street, at least one person’s lungs are plagued by the Grey, or someone has lost a limb in the mines. It is the brutal reality they all live with as Piltover’s personal dump for undesirables.

In the brothel, he’s treated like any other person, the workers mindful of his ailments, but not afraid to touch or break him. Between his recovery and all the work he’s still catching up on, paying the brothel a visit hasn’t been a priority in several months. He should have gone at the first sign of a flare up, but with what time? There’s too much work to do.

As he wonders if he should attempt the trek down to Zaun, the door creaks open.

It’s Jayce, dressed in well-fitted formal wear that makes him look even more handsome. He’s wearing his family colors, the House Talis symbol adorning his shoulders. It catches Viktor by surprise. Not that he hasn’t seen Jayce in such attire before, but he hadn’t expected to see him tonight, much less while his mind was focused on carnal pleasures to help dull the pain in his body.

It’s no secret that Jayce is desirable. Viktor would be lying if he said he’d never thought about what it would be like to feel Jayce’s hands on him, to be allowed even a night in any way Jayce would have him.

It’s highly inappropriate to think of his lab partner, his business partner in such a way, but Viktor is only human.

If he’s being honest, he’s had an interest in Jayce Talis since the first night they stabilized the hex crystals together. He’s never dwelled on it, never entertained the possibility of it. He’s grateful to have Jayce in his life in such a capacity.

“Jayce.” Viktor grabs his crutch and makes his way to stand in greeting. His leg buckles, white-hot sparks of electricity trailing from the middle of his spine down throughout the entirety of his leg. His vision doubles as he gasps in pain, a brusque cough escaping him in the process.

Jayce reaches out for him, grabbing hold of his arm to steady him. “Whoa. Viktor, are you okay?”

Everything hurts and Jayce is too close. He’s holding Viktor with one hand around his upper arm and the other around his hip. He smells of the expensive cologne he only wears for special events that reminds Viktor of a shirtless Jayce at the forge. His body is warm, broad enough for Viktor to curl himself into to take comfort in. It’s a cruel temptation. He hates how weak he feels. He hates how badly he wants.

He doesn’t want anyone to see him like this, least of all Jayce.

Viktor lightly pushes against Jayce’s chest with the hand not holding his crutch. “I’m fine.”

Jayce hesitates. It’s obvious to anyone with eyes that Viktor isn’t fine, but as respectful as ever, he slips his hands away from Viktor and Viktor laments the warmth of his touch immediately. His traitorous body shamefully trembles, forcing him to sit back down.

“I think we should get you a doctor.” Jayce’s brows pinch up in concern.

Viktor scowls at the mention of doctor. For what? So they can prescribe more medication that doesn’t do enough? At this point, Viktor is far more qualified regarding the ailments of his body. He had no choice but to become well-read in all the latest research after he learned the damning truth that doctors don’t care to do the same.

“Why are you here, Jayce?” The short fuse under the prickling of his skin gets shorter.

“The gala was… a lot, so I left early and… I wanted to see if you were still here.” Jayce’s sheepishness causes Viktor to inspect him properly, a red tinge to the top of cheeks, the nervous tick of a hand rubbing at the back of his neck.

“Did you want to look over what I worked on today?”

“Um not necessarily. I just… I just wanted to see you.” His lips turn down into a frown. “But I really am worried about you, Vik. You don’t look well. I could get someone for you. We have access to a personal doct—”

Viktor’s short fuse bursts, his words coming out clipped, “Enough. It is none of your business, Jayce. I can take care of myself.”

Viktor regrets it as soon as he says it. Jayce flinches, looking stricken and hurt, as if Viktor had slapped him. His shoulders tense up as if trying to make himself smaller.

Viktor lets out a frustrated exhale. “I—I’m sorry.” He pinches the bridge of his nose.

Jayce takes a breath before replying, “No, you’re right. I’m sorry. It’s not my place, but I… just wanted to help somehow.”

Viktor sighs again, the guilt and aching in his body blending together into the perfect cocktail of overwhelm. Jayce could have gone to be with anyone else. He could have flirted his way into a certain council woman’s bed (or anyone else’s, for that matter). Instead, he chose to sneak out early for the mere chance that Viktor would still be in the lab.  

It deflates him. He’s too tired to fight or argue or lie.

“I’m in a lot of pain today,” he admits into the silence. “This is just how it is sometimes with my—eh —condition.”

Viktor tilts his head up to look at Jayce, feeling the exhaustion settle over him. Jayce must see it too.

“Can I help? Is there anything I can do?”

Yes. No. You don’t know what you’re offering. Viktor instead settles on, “You really want to help?”

“Of course. Anything.”

Anything. What a dangerous, loaded word.

Viktor briefly wonders what would happen if he invited Jayce home with the prospect of something far more intimate than what lab partners do. It’s tempting. Jayce said anything, but Viktor is cautious to cross that line outright.

He explores the option in a different way.

“There’s a service I use for times like these, but I fear I’m unable to make it on my own.”

“Oh, like an apothecary? I could go fo—,” Jayce starts, lighting up before Viktor interrupts him with a hand up to stop him.

“Eh, not quite. It is… a business I frequent to receive a service. Perhaps you could accompany me?”

Jayce squints at him like he does when he’s in the middle of solving a particularly complicated equation. “I mean, sure, but Vik, it’s late. What kind of business is open at this hour? What kind of service is it exactly?”

Viktor steels himself before responding. While he’s used to playing the Piltie etiquette game, he can’t be bothered to keep up appearances at the moment.

“It is a brothel, Jayce. In Zaun.”

Jayce sputters, face going beet red. It’s the most flustered Viktor has ever seen him and it makes the corner of his lip twitch in amusement. Were he not as drained as he is, he may have even laughed.

“A brothel? In Zaun? Even ignoring the first part, there’s no way you’d make it into Zaun and back in your current condition, even with me helping you.”

Viktor of course knows this, but he was simply testing the waters.

He nods in acquiescence, pretending to think about it for a moment. “Mm. You do have a point… but there are no brothels here in Piltover. At least, none that I know of,” he pointedly stares at Jayce, “Unless you know of one?”

Jayce’s pupils widen, a complicated expression on his face that Viktor can’t decipher.

“I don’t,” he clears his throat after a solitary cough into his fist, “Why a… a brothel? I didn’t know you were…”  

Jayce doesn’t finish his thought, but Viktor can imagine what he’s thinking. I didn’t know you were interested in sex. He stares at Jayce and wonders if he now sees Viktor in a different light. His pupils are still blown wide, the tips of his ears red.

“Jayce, we’re both men, so I will speak plainly.” Viktor watches as Jayce’s throat bobs in a swallow. “My body requires release just as yours does, but when I am like this,” he gestures to his body, “it is difficult to do myself. Being touched in such a way provides necessary distraction from pain.”

Jayce fiddles with the rune bracelet on his wrist, noticeably uncomfortable with the topic, but not running away or shutting down the conversation.

Viktor wonders what would happen if he pushed even further. His tongue darts out to wet his lips and Jayce’s eyes follow.

“So… you go for pain relief?,” Jayce croaks out, having to clear his throat in the process.

Viktor hums with a small nod.

“And it helps?” Jayce sounds more inquisitive now, like he’s preparing to solve an equation. The pang of possibility thumps in Viktor’s chest.

“It does, to a point. They start with a massage to alleviate immediate discomfort, and they finish with an orgasm to relax my body further. The neurochemical reaction acts like a pseudo drug of sorts; a natural analgesic for a few blissful minutes.”

Jayce nods in understanding, “Yeah. I can see how that could help…” He sounds like he wants to say something more, mouth parted with unspoken words on the tip of his tongue.

Viktor lets out a hiss at a particularly sharp throb at the side of his knee, hand pressing down onto it. His voice comes out more vulnerable than he wants it to as he looks directly at Jayce while he asks, “Do you still want to help?”

It’s too forward, a loaded question, and he knows it.

Anything, Jayce had said, but with this, Viktor would be calling his bluff.

Jayce swallows again, this time an audible click between them. His brows pinch up as he takes in Viktor’s form, eyes darting down from his face to his body, and back up again. There’s a too-quick moment Viktor thinks Jayce looks down at his lips, but he may have imagined it.

“I—," Jayce starts.

“You can say no, Jayce,” Viktor cuts in softly. He’s giving Jayce an out, but he feels himself holding his breath.

“No, I—I want to help.” He looks at Viktor with those big, doe eyes, almost pleading.

Viktor lets out the breath he was holding, relief and arousal rushing through him. Jayce Talis, his partner, just agreed to help him get off.

“Jayce, take me home.”

Jayce lets out a shaky okay and all but trips over himself as he goes to help Viktor up.

***

Viktor turns the key of his apartment door and makes his way inside. The walk was mostly uneventful. They barely spoke, clear tension between them, but Jayce never shied away from touching Viktor. Even as every step they took brought them closer towards crossing a line, Jayce never wavered.

As Viktor stands inside his apartment, Jayce stands just outside the entrance.

Viktor looks back at him, a question hanging in the air between them. Perhaps it was Jayce giving Viktor an out this time.

“Come in, Jayce. And close the door behind you.”

Jayce nods, stepping inside and crossing both the physical and metaphorical threshold keeping them as simple partners.

“Make yourself at home,” Viktor says as he heads towards the small kitchen over to the right of the entrance.

Jayce heads off in the opposite direction towards the living room. Viktor can hear him taking off his overcoat as he rummages around his cupboards for painkillers and gin. The strong kind from Zaun, not the watered-down rubbish they serve in Piltover.

While he tends to prefer sweeter drinks, straight gin provides the easy buzz he craves on days like today.

He sets two glasses down, pouring the liquor a little over halfway for both him and Jayce. He pops two pills into his mouth and takes a sip to swallow them down, relishing in the burn that accompanies it.

Viktor leans against the counter as he turns around to find Jayce examining a framed picture on the wall.

“Is this from the Distinguished Innovator’s competition?” Jayce asks, the tension bleeding out of him. “I’ve never seen this one before. We look so out of it,” he huffs out a laugh. When he turns to look at Viktor, he’s wearing that lopsided smile Viktor loves.

Viktor hooks his crutch under his arm and grabs a glass as he heads over to hand it to Jayce. He takes it with a Thanks.

“I don’t remember much of that day, but I remember you notching gears in the carriage over.”

Jayce smiles ruefully. “I was such a nervous wreck. I don’t think I would have made it without you there with me.”

Viktor hums in agreement as he watches Jayce take a sip, a small smile of his own settling in place as he looks at the picture.  

The feeling is mutual. Had it been up to him, he wouldn’t have presented anything were it not for Jayce’s encouragement. They could accomplish the seemingly impossible together, even if it scared them. Perhaps tonight was another one of those things.

Jayce seems to read his mind as a look passes between them. They’re close enough to bump shoulders, close enough to close the space between them. Similarly to the Innovator’s Competition, Viktor feels the buzzing of nerves under his skin.

He walks back towards the kitchen as Jayce watches him. Without turning around, he throws his drink back and swallows it down in one go. He needs to calm the storm raging in his body.

He also needs a little liquid courage.

“Have you ever been with a man, Jayce?”

Viktor turns around to face him when he hears Jayce choke on his drink. It’s answer enough, but Jayce still responds with a weak No through a few coughs.

“Mm. I don’t want you to feel obligated to anything you’re uncomfortable with. Everyone has a preference. If yours is women, I understand.”

Jayce gives him an incredulous look. “I’m not doing this out of obligation, V. Yeah, I’ve only been with women, but this isn’t some random hookup— it’s you—, and I want to help you feel better. I— I want to make you feel good, if I can.”

He downs the remainder of his drink and walks over to place his glass in the sink, right beside where Viktor is still pressed against the counter.

“Why?”

It’s a simple question, but Viktor hangs on to it like a lifeline, heartbeat loud in his ears as he turns to look at Jayce.

“Because you’re my partner.”

“But you don’t like men. Why do this for me? As close as we may be, partners don’t do this.”

Jayce stares off to the side for a moment, brows drawing up in thought.

“I might be into men,” he admits quietly.

Viktor watches him, a swooping sensation in his stomach, like falling. “You might be?”

Jayce shakes his head. “I don’t know,” he sighs, rubbing a hand down his face, “but I’m—  there’s one man I’ve been… interested in.”

Jayce faces him wearing his heart on his sleeve and it’s obvious who he’s talking about.

Jayce isn’t into men, or maybe he is, but more importantly, Jayce is into Viktor.

Oh.

Jayce is into Viktor.

Viktor can feel his face burning, and it’s not from the alcohol. He wets his lips, mouth feeling dry. Jayce is close enough that Viktor can place his weight against the counter as he takes the two steps forward needed to crowd into his space.

Jayce releases a shaky breath, “Vik?”

He doesn’t run. He doesn’t move to press Viktor away. He stays there as Viktor plants a hand against Jayce’s chest and leans in to close the space between them.

It’s a chaste kiss, just a press of his lips against Jayce’s. It’s a question, a declaration, feelings he doesn’t want to vocalize until he’s sure that his deduction is correct.

Jayce stiffens upon the contact, but slowly melts into it, kissing him back. His hands go to Viktor’s waist to stabilize him while Viktor’s own slide up to the back of Jayce’s neck and into his hair.

It feels like a dam breaking.

Their mouths move in tandem, open-mouthed kisses turning filthy as their tongues slot together. Jayce glides his tongue against Viktor’s in a way that makes his insides go molten, his cock stirring in interest. He presses his body closer and feels the hardness of Jayce’s own cock against his hip. Knowing that he is the subject of Jayce’s arousal is intoxicating.

Their kiss becomes messy as Viktor pushes against Jayce’s hardness with his own now fully hardened cock. It earns him a breathy groan, a deep timbre he’s never heard before.

Jayce’s hands wander down to grip his ass and rock their clothed erections together again. His hands are so big that they engulf the entirety of Viktor’s ass cheeks.

It’s ludicrous. Their heights aren’t so different and yet Jayce is so…large.

Viktor lets out an aroused whimper at the realization and Jayce seems to have his own epiphany at the same time, pulling Viktor into him even harder.

The movement causes a shot of raw electricity to shoot down his hip all the way to his knee. He breaks the kiss with a hiss, hands gripping at Jayce’s shoulders in pain.

“Shit, did I hurt you?” Jayce loosens his grip.

Viktor clicks his teeth in annoyance. “No, but we should head to my bedroom, lest I collapse where I stand.”

“Yeah, of course.” Jayce nods and hands Viktor his crutch, a guiding hand on his lower back.

Viktor’s room is only a few feet away, a perfunctory bedroom with accessibility in mind aside from tomes, blueprints, and notes loaded up on the desk next to his bed. His mattress is the one thing he splurged on once they started receiving consistent funding. It’s a marvel in orthopedic design.

“How do you want to do this?” Jayce asks as Viktor sets his crutch against the wall and sits at the edge of the bed. He lifts his vest off, and undoes his cravat, moving on to the buttons of his dress shirt.

“There is oil in the top drawer beside my bed. I would like to undress fully, if that’s alright with you.”

Jayce nods, unbuttoning the cuffs on his sleeves and rolling them up to his elbows. The movement shows off the muscles in his forearms, strength crafted with hammers and flames.

Arousal burns in Viktor’s gut again.

“In the brothel, I have them start with my legs, followed by my back. I can wear a towel over my, eh, nether region, if you would prefer.”

“This is about you. I want to do what’s most comfortable for you.”

“Very well. Then I will forego the towel, but we should get one for cleaning purposes.”

“Sure. I can get it. Where…?”

“In the closet across from the bathroom.”

While Jayce leaves the room to acquire a towel, Viktor finishes with the buttons on his shirt and removes it, discarding the shirt onto the side of the bed to deal with later.

When Jayce walks back into the bedroom with towel in hand, Viktor is acutely aware of Jayce looking at him, eyes roaming over his braced chest, his stomach. Viktor lacks the beauty and health of Jayce’s previous paramours, he’s certain of that, and yet, Jayce looks at him like he wants to devour him.

“Would you like to help me remove my braces?”

Jayce nods, dropping down to one knee to take Viktor’s braced leg in his hands. “This okay?”

Viktor makes a sound of approval as he watches Jayce loosen the straps, the buckles, and remove the extra padding Viktor added on today. He carefully finishes by unlocking the knee, ankle, and foot joints, sliding it off once he’s done.

Viktor lets out a breath. There’s still the second brace to deal with, but having the top one off makes him feel lighter already. He makes quick work of his trousers as Jayce takes the opportunity to place his brace on the chair by the bed.

Down to his undergarments and the second brace, Jayce returns to him, bending back down to repeat the process as the first brace.

This brace hurts the most with the way it digs into his skin, regardless of the amount of padding he adds. It leaves him with permanent, reddened, sometimes bruised, marks, but it’s not like he has a choice.

When Jayce lifts the second brace off, Viktor feels the throbbing ache under where the metal pressed the worst into his skin. He’s acutely aware of his brokenness then. How could Jayce be attracted to him? To this?

His hands work on unfastening the clasps on his chest brace.

“Let me do the back for you?”

While he wants to refuse, the fatigue starts to really settle into his body. Compounded pain marks its way deep in his bones and he wishes he didn’t have to experience the curse of living in a vessel of flesh.

He turns his body so that Jayce can finish the job of unclasping all the notches at the back of his brace where it connects to the screws in his spine. He designed it himself and normally trusts no one else to remove it for him, but Jayce had helped him engineer it. He’s just as well-acquainted with the intricacies of the design.

Once removed, Viktor lets out a sigh of relief. Jayce’s hand lingers on his back, fingers trailing down his spine and leaving goosebumps in their wake. “You okay?”

“Yes. Thank you, Jayce. For the assistance, and for… helping me with this.”

It feels wrong to ask this of Jayce, even if Jayce is the one who offered— even after their entanglement in the kitchen. He knows he should bid Jayce a good night and deal with it on his own. He knows his body is a burden no one else should have to bear, but he wants this.

He wants.   

Viktor is a weak man.

“Of course. I told you I want to help, and I still want to. We’ll go at your pace, okay?” Jayce shifts to move both hands onto Viktor’s thighs, the size of them against him once again obscene.

“Do you want help with…?” His eyes drift down to Viktor’s last remaining article of clothing, the only thing that stands between him and nudity.

A fresh wave of arousal washes over him at the thought.

He doesn’t need Jayce’s help, but his body is still thrumming with aches, the pills not yet kicking in.

“Yes,” he says, voice coming out a little shaky.

Jayce looks nervous as his fingers slip into the waistband of Viktor’s underwear, pulling them down. He’s careful not to jostle Viktor too much as Viktor lifts his hips up to help him.

He discards the briefs in the pile of Viktor’s other clothing.

There’s a boyish quality to Jayce’s expression, full of inexperience and marvel, as his eyes  trail over Viktor’s naked form. Viktor isn’t shy about nudity, especially not when he has undressed in front of others so many times, but after what transpired between them, this intimacy takes on new meaning. He feels raw and vulnerable, a specimen under display. In his nakedness, he fears that Jayce will be disappointed with what he sees, that perhaps he will see right through him and know how Viktor wants to cling to him and never let go.

But Viktor finds no revulsion when he looks at Jayce. The recognition tightens in his chest.

He wants to kiss him. He wants to cry.

“I was thinking I could start with you on your stomach first?”

“That would be most efficient, yes,” Viktor manages through the ball of emotion in his throat.

Viktor lifts himself higher up on the bed so that no part of him hangs off, turning over to lie on his stomach. He feels the dip of weight at the foot of the bed as Jayce joins him.

Viktor’s head is turned, but he closes his eyes at the feeling of Jayce’s oiled up hands starting at his feet. It’s a place often overlooked even at regular massage parlors he’s been to.

The body is like a machine, and an engineer of Jayce’s caliber would understand the mechanics of the feet connecting to the ankle, to the calf, to the knee, to the thigh, to the hip, all the way up the spine. All parts necessary to the functionality of the machine that is Viktor.

Jayce works on Viktor’s bad leg first, taking his time to press his thumb in circular motions into each individual toe, gliding up to work out the tightness in the ball of his foot, followed by the heel.

He moves his way up to Viktor’s calf, using his knuckles to apply pressure to the sides. The oil makes it easy, Jayce’s movements unhurried as he focuses on any tension he finds in the muscle.

Viktor feels his body melting into the mattress as Jayce moves up higher to the back of his thigh, the only sound between them the slip of oil on his skin.

While Jayce never mentioned having prior experience in this capacity, it’s clear that he has at least some inkling as to what he’s doing. He easily switches between using thumbs, his knuckles, and the heel of his palms.

As Jayce moves even further up to work out the uncomfortable tightness of his glute muscle, Viktor groans. It hurts just enough, but as Jayce works it more, the pain dulls into relief.

“Where did you learn how to do this?”

He doesn’t get an answer right away as Jayce focuses his attention upwards to Viktor’s lower back, pressing some of his weight down to get into the knots concentrated there. Viktor exhales slowly through his nose, breathing through it.

“To be honest, this is my first time.”

Viktor scoffs, the sound punching out of him as Jayce’s knuckles trail upwards, avoiding the screws in Viktor’s back, but working around them where the soreness is most pronounced.

“Sorry, was that too hard?”

“Mm. No, this is good.” Viktor lets out a breath, the painkillers finally working some of their magic, the gin warming him up, and the touch of Jayce’s hands wringing out the worst of the lingering pain.

Jayce gives him a gentle squeeze against his sides and presses a kiss right under his neck. It sends a shiver down his spine, a resounding thump beating in his chest. Jayce’s forehead drops down against Viktor’s shoulder.  

“I have a confession to make. Promise you won’t judge me?”

As if Viktor ever could. He hums in agreement.

Jayce lifts himself back up, resuming the oiled glide of palms against Viktor’s upper back.

“After your surgery, while you were still in recovery, I did some research on your condition. I learned about muscle groups corresponding with overcompensation, biomechanical strain— it led me to reading about massage techniques,” he lets out a little huff of a laugh. “I thought I could convince you to let me try it on you after you were a few months post-op, but... I never got the chance to practice until now.”

Viktor swallows, heart in his throat. After the surgery, he hadn’t wanted to be seen, choosing to hide away his weaknesses. If it hadn’t been necessary to have an aide for the first month, he would have foregone one altogether.

He’s always had to be self-reliant, had to drag himself by his bloodied nails if he had to. He never expected Jayce to want to help, never allowed himself to think he would, regardless of how close they were. He figured he shouldn’t mix his personal problems with his professional life.

“…I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“For shutting you out.” He feels himself crack open, emotions welling up. Jayce has given him his career, a sense of belonging, and now this… caring. This affection. It’s almost too much to bear.

Before Jayce can respond, Viktor lifts himself up and over onto his back. He takes one look up at Jayce’s expression, full of openness and devotion, and lifts a hand up to the back of his neck, pulling him down.

“What about the rest of the massage?” Jayce says softly into the small space between them.

Viktor tilts his head up to press their lips together in response, attempting to convey what he can’t express in words. Jayce moans into it this time, mouth and body going pliant under Viktor’s touch.

His lips are plush and soft, tongue swiping against Viktor’s bottom lip until their tongues meld together in a heated embrace. Viktor pulls at him, bringing him closer until Jayce is hovering on top of him, between his legs. The feeling of fabric against his bare skin causes his brows to furrow, disappointed at the lack of skin-on-skin contact between them.

It’s easy to formulate his next course of action: his hands trail down to undo Jayce’s cravat, unbuttoning his shirt in between kisses that Jayce breaks away from first. Viktor watches him as he pulls the shirt off completely and discards it on the floor. He admires the broadness of his chest, pecs thick enough to squeeze, the clear-cut definition of his abdomen from building his core in the forge. If he wasn’t as drained as he is, he would take his time touching and marking him with his teeth.

Perhaps another time.

Jayce’s gaze catches on Viktor’s erection. He glances down to see a bead of precum at the tip, glistening as it catches the light of the lamps. Warmth and arousal reverberate through his body, making his cock twitch.

“Fuck, V…you’re so hard. Can I…?”

Viktor nods, watching as Jayce envelops his cock in that big hand of his. Viktor is by no means small. He knows from previous experiences that his cock is on the longer side, and yet, Jayce’s hand makes it disappear so easily.

Jayce strokes him from tip to base, using the leftover oil on his palm to ease into a slow rhythm. It’s curious, experimental even.

Knowing that this is the first cock he’s touched like this, other than his own elicits a primal feeling of ego in Viktor. He feels an unfamiliar possessiveness.

He did this. He turned Jayce from a normally straight man into this.

“Am I doing it right? Does it feel good?” Jayce sounds breathless, awestruck even, like Viktor’s cock is everything he’s ever wanted.

Viktor can’t help but let out a breathy moan, his hips canting up to seek out more of that delicious slide. It causes Jayce to speed up his motions, hand focusing more on the head and the middle of his cock, thumb sliding against the frenulum.

“Ah— Jayce— just like that.” Viktor’s flops down onto the mattress, no longer able to hold himself up on his elbows. His head lifts slightly, just enough for his half-lidded eyes to flit between Jayce’s hand and the intensity of Jayce’s gaze. There’s a fierceness to the hunger in Jayce’s eyes. It sends a jolt of pleasure straight through him, pushing a whimper out of him he’d normally be embarrassed about.

“Fuck. You’re so hot,” Jayce rumbles.

Viktor watches him as he shifts his body so that his hips press against Viktor’s good leg, lifting it up against his chest for better leverage. He immediately feels the unmistakable hardness against the back of his thigh as Jayce grinds against him, hand still stroking him exactly how he told Jayce he liked it.

Jayce starts making unabashed moaning sounds as he presses his clothed cock against Viktor. It’s indecent. By all means, Jayce should be embarrassed, but he keeps his gaze fixed on Viktor, all-consuming.

It burns through Viktor, like Jayce wants to own him. It shouldn’t be as arousing as it is that they’re a mirror image of fucked up desire, that they’re sharing a moment of mutual possessiveness.

He imagines the feel of Jayce’s unclothed cock against his skin instead, if he wasn’t having such a horrible flare up.

It would be so easy for Jayce to work Viktor open on his fingers, to allow him to line his cock up and push his way inside until he was balls deep. Viktor would beg him for his cock if he had to, but he knows Jayce would just as easily beg to fuck Viktor senseless.

Viktor’s orgasm arcs through him all at once, high, breathy moans punching out of him as his eyes shut. Jayce works him through it, ropes of cum making a mess of both his hand and Viktor’s stomach. He lets out a disbelieving Viktor, hoarse and whispered as his hips stutter against Viktor’s thigh.

Viktor’s eyes crack open as Jayce lifts his hand off of his now softening cock. He watches as Jayce ruts once, twice against the back of his thigh before he shudders with a deep rumble of a groan.

Jayce presses his cheek against the side of Viktor’s knee while he catches his breath, and Viktor can’t help but watch him in disbelief.

“Jayce…did you just…?”

Viktor gets a hum in confirmation before Jayce responds.

“Yeah,” Jayce croaks out. “You don’t know what you do to me, V. I’ve never felt like this before.”

Viktor gets the urge to lock Jayce up so no one can ever see him like this. “Come here.”

Jayce lowers Viktor’s leg down as Viktor extends his arms out to pull him in for a slow kiss, allowing himself the pleasure of the post-orgasmic looseness in his limbs, the softness of Jayce’s lips against his, and the overflowing warmth in the pulsing staccato between his ribs.

Jayce pulls away to press their foreheads together, nose brushing against Viktor’s. “How are you feeling?”

“Mm. Better than earlier. Although…I always took you for a man of your word. You never did finish the full massage you promised me,” Viktor teases.

“Will you let me make it up to you?” A lingering kiss at the corner of his mouth.

“Only if you clean us up first.”  

“Deal.” Another kiss, on the tip of his nose. Another, right under his eye. Two more, one on his forehead and on his cheek that make him laugh and swat Jayce away playfully.

As Jayce makes to sit up, he smiles at him with unbearable fondness. It squeezes in Viktor’s chest and steals the breath from him.

He realizes then that he loves him.

He wonders if Jayce sees it reflected in his eyes. He cups Viktor’s cheek and dips down for another tender, lingering kiss against his lips.

There’s a pleasant intimacy between them as Jayce grabs the towel to clean off his hand and Viktor’s stomach. It’s this moment that brings Viktor the comfort that whatever is happening between him and Jayce is different. There’s weight and meaning behind what they did.

Jayce breaks the silence first. “Is it okay if I take a quick shower? I kind of made a mess.”

Viktor nods. “I have some oversized clothing that may fit you.”

Jayce makes an attempt at levity, but there’s an edge to his tone that betrays him, “Oversized, huh? Do you bring guys home often?”

Viktor raises a brow in both amusement and confirmation of his earlier hypothesis. “Are you jealous, Jayce?”

“Maybe.” Jayce admits, a canine worrying his bottom lip.

There’s an unaccustomed giddiness buzzing under Viktor’s skin.

“In that case, yes. I have men lining up every weekend to get in my bed.”

“Wha— ?”  It’s worth it for the way Jayce’s brows shoot up in shock before catching on. “Viktor,” he laughs, “It sounds like I’ve got stiff competition.”

Viktor shrugs as he turns his head to look up at Jayce. “Eh, no need to worry. You were plenty stiff tonight.”

Jayce tries and fails to contain his laughter. His head leans forward as his shoulders shake with it.

“That was awful, Vik,” Jayce says after he’s recovered, shaking his head with a smile that shows off his teeth.

Viktor feels himself melt, a smile spreading across his own face.

“You know there is no one else, Jayce,” he says, reveling in the lightness of the moment.

Jayce softens. “Good.”

“Good?”

“Yeah.” Jayce takes one of Viktor’s hands in his, bringing it up to press his lips against the knuckles. “If I’m being honest, I want you all to myself.”

Viktor’s breath catches. “Jayce, are you… asking me for exclusivity?”

A squeeze around his hand. “Only if you want it too.”

Only if you want it too. How ridiculous.

“What about our work?”

Jayce presses a kiss to Viktor’s palm. “It wouldn’t change anything. Regardless of our relationship, we wouldn’t let anything jeopardize our work. It’s too important to both of us.”

“Hm. Yes, that’s true…”

There’s a moment of silence between them as Jayce searches his eyes for the answer. He’s all boyish charm, sweet and tender and a little naïve.

 “I can hear you thinking from here, V. I—um—it’s okay if you don’t feel the same. I didn’t mean to pressure you. I just— “

“I do feel the same,” Viktor interrupts.

“But?” Jayce frowns.

“You could have anyone, Jayce. I’m not exactly the pinnacle of health.”

Jayce scoffs. “When has that ever mattered to me?”

Viktor swallows at the earnestness boring through him. Jayce is right. His disabilities have never been an obstacle in their partnership. Jayce accepted him outright— continues to do so even as he’s acquired more health complications.

If tonight demonstrated anything, it’s that Jayce truly is willing to be by Viktor’s side, ailments and all.

Viktor squeezes back, granting Jayce a lopsided smile. “Alright.”

Jayce beams at him, gripping Viktor’s hand tighter. “Yeah? So, you’ll dump all your other boyfriends? I don’t think I can chase a whole line of them out the door, even with the mercury hammer.”

Viktor lets out an incredulous laugh. “You are ridiculous.”

He chuckles, still donning that bright smile, “Maybe, but I think you like it.”

Viktor hums in agreement. “Perhaps, but the term ‘boyfriend’ is, eh, a little juvenile, don’t you think?”

 “I guess so. What would you suggest?”

“Partners. It’s what we’ve always been.”

Jayce’s gaze softens at him like Viktor has hung the stars and Viktor realizes it’s the first time he’s called them partners aloud.

“Jayce…will you stay the night?”

“If you want me to.”

“I would like that.”

“Me too. Let me go shower and then I’ll finish massaging the front of your leg, okay?”

Viktor nods as Jayce gives him one final kiss to the back of his hand before heading out to the hall.

Viktor splays his arms out like a starfish on the bed, feeling the weight of his body come back to him, breathing out slowly as he sinks into the beating of his heart against his chest. The aches and pains of earlier remain, but have dulled in their existence. A pleasant tiredness sweeps through him, the orgasm having done its job.

As he listens to Jayce turn the shower on, he feels an uncontrollable smile tug at the corner of his lips.

Beyond work, beyond friendship, Jayce is his. His Jayce.

The thought settles in warm and welcome as he hears Jayce turn the water off and shuffle around.

There’s a novelty to it all, like diving headfirst into rune calculations with the potential to change the world. He holds on to that feeling, letting it wash over him. It feels a little like magic; floating up into a world of electric possibilities, wonder lighting up the room. It’s the beginning of everything.

And who better to go on that journey with him than the man that started it all in the first place?