Chapter Text
Just as a bead of sweat begins trickling down the back of Viktor’s neck, the battery cell in his Hexclaw prototype shorts out. His various sketches and charcoal sticks go flying when he slams the desk in frustration. That was his last battery.
He glances over his shoulder toward Jayce’s desk where the gemstones are kept in a small case. The gemstones are still being tested, and Jayce made him promise not to use any of them until they both felt confident the lab wouldn’t be blown to pieces. So, for the time being, Viktor has been forced to power his prototypes with basic batteries. If only his Hexclaw didn’t absolutely burn through them.
At this point in the early evening, there’s no way he could make it in time to the Piltover shop that supplies their batteries. Not that he’d even bother trying—every time he’s gone with Jayce, the shop owner doesn’t even look at Viktor, much less address him. Probably because he’s from the undercity. Or because he’s an omega. Or both, most likely.
But there’s a shop in the undercity that sells batteries. He and Jayce went there once when the Piltover shop was out of stock. And they’re usually open late.
With a weary sigh, he begins mentally planning his next step. There’s still a little sunlight streaming in through the lab’s large windows. If he leaves now, he could make it to the undercity and back before dark. Possibly. He doesn’t exactly have speed on his side.
And with his heat coming on sometime in the next day or two, he needs to get home as soon as possible, lest he attract unwanted attention with his scent. Viktor wipes some of the sweat starting to bead at his hairline. He grumbles a little. He rarely had heats before moving to Piltover, but as it turns out, introducing a balanced diet, proper sunlight, and less dire living conditions to his life seems to have convinced his body that he is now healthy enough to be fertile. Infuriating.
He quickly scrawls out a note for Jayce. His partner is at a fundraiser gala or party or soiree or whatever label the Piltover elite tend to give these insufferable functions. Jayce probably won’t come back to the lab at all tonight, but Viktor still leaves a note before leaving the lab, just in case. He certainly is under no obligation to do so, he thinks a little bitterly, but Jayce has whined enough times about Viktor disappearing without a trace that now he writes the notes purely to save himself the hassle of dealing with the aftermath.
It’s winter, so it’s freezing outside, and Viktor realizes too late that he’d left his coat draped over the back of his desk chair. At least the brisk winter air alleviates a little of the heat building underneath his skin.
Today hasn’t been too bad of a pain day, but his leg is slightly achy from sitting at his desk for so long. So try as he might to be quick, his leg prevents him from getting across the bridge before sunset.
The shop with the batteries is still open, at least. He finds a handful of batteries, some new, and some old that he can easily charge. Perhaps he and Jayce could explore that idea they’d been discussing of charging old batteries using the gemstones. Viktor can’t help but spend too much time browsing all the spare parts, pieces, bits, and bobs of the secondhand store. He and Jayce found all sorts of useful things the last time they were here.
The shop owner clears his throat. “Gonna close up shop soon.”
“Oh, all right.” Viktor brings his purchases up to the front counter. As usual when he spends money, a voice in the back of his head screams at him that he can’t afford it. He shakes the thought away. He makes a comfortable salary now, he reminds himself.
Truthfully, it’s thanks to Jayce, because without him, there would be no Hextech to work on. Viktor would probably have been forced to move back to the undercity after graduating from the Academy. But when he’d expressed this sentiment to Jayce once before, he’d been met with a distraught expression from his partner.
“Viktor, it’s the complete opposite,” Jayce had said. “The only reason Hextech exists is because of you. I…I wouldn’t even be here without you. You saved me. You don’t give yourself enough credit.”
Perhaps, Viktor thinks to himself, they both saved each other that night.
His transaction finalized, Viktor walks out of the shop with two heavy bags hanging from one arm, his cane clutched in the other.
Only to stop dead in his tracks when the overwhelming scent of unmated alpha floods his nostrils. He cringes, and quickly takes in his surroundings. About a block away—in the same direction as his path back across the bridge—is a group of three alphas. They’re not doing anything in particular, just leaning on a nearby building and chatting. One of them notices Viktor standing in front of the shop and points at him, causing the rest of the group to turn their heads. Viktor feels a cold chill travel down his spine.
It’s only then that he realizes just how late it is now. And with his path back to the bridge blocked, the only other way to go is deeper into the undercity.
And though he’d been temporarily distracted while shopping, he feels his pre-heat building within him, and he knows the alphas can smell it.
If he was topside right now, he wouldn’t think twice about walking past a group of alphas at night. Well, maybe he’d think about it a little. But alphas in Piltover know better than to mess with omegas on the street with Enforcers patrolling everywhere.
But here? In the undercity? Where Viktor used to have to bolt his door with four different locks every night? It’s not worth the risk. Especially when his heat is coming. And the alphas in question have clearly noticed him already. His heart is in his stomach right now.
He quickly steps back into the shop. The shop owner raises a brow at him. Viktor doesn’t smell anything from the man. He must be a beta.
“Eh, would you mind if I browsed a little more?”
“I told you I gotta close up soon,” the man says plainly.
He tenses up. Perhaps if he just…told the shop owner about his predicament, the man would have some sympathy for him? But Viktor abhors having to discuss his omega nature even with close friends, much less strangers—this dreadful biology that’s nothing but an inconvenience.
The man waits for Viktor’s response with unfeeling eyes.
“Yes. Sorry. I’ll…be going.”
Reluctantly, he steps outside again. The alphas are still there, and they are still looking at him. But the shop owner is just inside the lit shop, and can see him through the window. Viktor will just…wait here for a bit.
He curses himself. Jayce has worried over Viktor coming to the undercity by himself before, to which Viktor has always assured Jayce that he can handle himself. And he can, normally. One has to when growing up in these streets. But when he’s in pre-heat, the circumstances change.
He can hear the alphas speaking, because this particular stretch of the Entresol level just happens to be deserted right now. And dark. The light of the store behind him is a lone beacon in the night.
He glances to his right, which would take him further into the undercity. If he cut through some alleyways, he could possibly go around and avoid the alphas. But the thought of wandering through the dark right now forms a pit of dread in his stomach. He blames it on his infuriating omega nature making him feel weak and vulnerable right now. Viktor shivers when a chilling breeze blows through him.
To his horror, the light behind him flicks off, and the shop owner emerges from inside and locks the door. He glares at Viktor.
“You planning on hanging out here all night?”
“Just until I get my bearings,” Viktor says.
The shop owner turns around and makes eye contact with the three alphas, and for a brief moment, Viktor thinks the man will finally see his plight and take pity on him. But he does nothing, only crosses over to the other side of the street and disappears into one of the dark alleyways.
Leaving Viktor alone on a dark street with three unfamiliar alphas.
He should just walk past them with his head held high. What does it say about him, if he assumes every alpha on the street has ill intentions? Alphas from the undercity, no less? How many self-righteous, judgemental topsiders label everyone from the undercity as criminals, murderers, whores? The very thing Viktor himself has had to fight every single day since he moved to Piltover. He could probably have been home by now if he’d just walked past them in the first place, not let some dangerous mindset cloud his judgement. These alphas will not hurt him.
So despite every fiber of his being screaming out in fear, he begins walking.
And all three alphas turn toward him. And then they start walking, too.
And suddenly, his body is frozen to the spot.
What an idiot he’d been. He knew it was too late and too close to his heat to take a trip to the undercity right now. And yes, while he is well aware that there are plenty of good, kind-hearted souls in the place where he grew up, he also knows more than anyone just how many rotten souls there are, too.
The three alphas are just a few paces away, all making direct eye contact with him. He’s contemplating how sharp the end of his cane is, when a vision of white emerges from the shadows behind the alphas. An angel in the night!
It’s not an angel. It’s Jayce in his white coat.
He feels the relief pour out of his soul, and the feeling is so intense that his scent must change, because the three alphas stop. Jayce catches up to them, barreling past them toward Viktor and breathing hard.
“Viktor!” Jayce puts himself directly between Viktor’s body and the alphas, and then pulls Viktor into a hug, of all things. “I’m so glad I found you.”
Jayce’s smoky alpha scent floods his senses, and his frightened inner omega can’t help but melt into the man’s muscular arms. Jayce must notice, because he squeezes Viktor a little too tight after inhaling his scent.
When he pulls back, he places a hand on Viktor’s cheek. “V, I’m sorry if it’s inappropriate to say so, but I think you’re going into heat.”
“Not quite,” Viktor says quietly. “But soon.”
“I got your note,” Jayce says. “And I think I ran the entire way. Why in the world would you come down to the undercity now?"
“Because I needed batteries,” Viktor says, regretting it as soon as it’s out of his mouth.
“Batteries?” Jayce says, incredulous. “You could have just asked me to get them for you tomorrow!”
Viktor’s emotions are going haywire due to his pre-heat, the terrifying situation leading up to this moment, and also Jayce’s scent enveloping him. He is in no mood to be chastised right now, despite the fact that he feels like chastising himself.
“Well, you were gone,” Viktor says with a pout. No doubt flirting with Mel Medarda all night, too, he thinks with bitterness poisoning his blood. “And I can take care of myself.”
Jayce sighs and runs a hand down his face. “Okay, we can argue about this later. It’s freezing and you need to get home as soon as possible.” He starts shrugging off his white coat.
“No, Jayce,” Viktor says. “Then you’ll be cold.”
“You tell me all the time that I’m a human furnace,” Jayce says with a smirk. “It’s fine. You’re more important.”
He relents and lets Jayce take his bags and cane so he can put his arms through the coat. It smells overwhelmingly of Jayce. Of an alpha. One with whom Viktor has always felt safe. Who just showed up in the nick of time and saved Viktor like he’s some damsel.
He pulls the oversized coat around himself tighter, breathing in its scent. It swallows him whole. The sleeves fall over his fingertips. He watches as Jayce’s eyes roam down the sight of Viktor in his white coat, and suppresses a shiver. Ugh, his stupid omega hormones.
Then, Jayce seems to finally register the three alphas behind them. They’d simply leaned against the wall again and started chatting. Viktor’s eyes open wide when he detects Jayce’s scent spiking.
Jayce moves to stand at his side. He puts an arm around Viktor’s waist, his fingers slightly digging into Viktor’s hip. “I’ll walk you home.”
As they walk past the alphas, Viktor hears a low growl coming from Jayce’s throat, and he instinctively tucks himself a little closer into Jayce’s side. The three alphas say nothing, other than giving offended scoffs.
“I didn’t want to walk past them,” Viktor says quietly once they’re safely out of range. “So I was just waiting at the shop for the longest time, until you showed up.” He purposely leaves out the part about his rash decision to walk by the alphas.
“I’m just glad you left a note and I got here in time,” Jayce says, holding Viktor a little tighter.
Part of Viktor can’t help but swoon. His inner omega is disgustingly delighted at the thought of this strong, handsome alpha coming to his defense. But another part of him feels terrible. For putting himself in the situation to begin with, and causing Jayce to worry and run all the way to the undercity on a freezing cold night. And that’s even if there was a situation at all. It’s still possible those alphas would have done nothing to him.
He hates that he judged them. And yet, he’s glad he did. That’s the part that eats away at him.
“You shouldn’t have worried,” Viktor says in a small voice. He feels Jayce tense.
“Viktor, I found you on a dark street, your heat permeating the air, with three alphas making a beeline for you. I think I was right to be a little worried.”
It pleases and displeases Viktor at the same time. The frustration burns in his stomach and starts to crawl out his throat. He turns his head away so Jayce won't see the tears forming in his eyes.
Jayce notices immediately, of course. He stops walking and steps in front of Viktor to place both hands on his shoulders.
“What's wrong?”
“Nothing,” Viktor snaps.
“It's not nothing. I can see your eyes watering.”
“It's just my stupid hormones making me emotional.”
“Your emotions aren’t stupid.”
Viktor resists the urge to stamp his foot like a child. “Well, in this case, they are!”
Jayce frowns, but doesn't push. “I won't make you talk about it if you don't want to, but you know you can tell me anything, right?”
After a moment of glaring, Viktor nods and starts walking again. Jayce quickly falls into step beside him so he can place his hand at the small of his back.
As promised, Jayce walks him all the way to his apartment. They pause at his front door. Viktor watches as Jayce’s nervous breath materializes in front of his face in the cold night air.
“Um, I don't want to overstep,” Jayce says, rubbing the back of his neck. “But do you have everything you need for your heat? I could…get anything you need first thing tomorrow morning and bring it by.”
Viktor's gut reaction is to say no, he's fine. He's never needed anyone's help during a heat and he certainly doesn't now. But the unguarded expression on Jayce’s sweet face combined with his currently overwhelming emotions prompt him to say something else. He blames what comes out of his mouth next on his weepy inner omega.
“Could you stay?”
Jayce's eyes go wide. “You…want me to stay?”
Viktor realizes the implication of an omega in pre-heat asking an alpha to stay and his face heats up a bit. “Eh, as in, I'd like to talk to you about it. About what was bothering me just now, if that's all right. When you said I could talk to you about anything.”
“Oh.” Viktor tries not to let Jayce’s visible disappointment go to his head. Jayce recovers quickly, though, and he smiles with his teeth. Viktor’s heart skips at the sight of Jayce’s tooth gap. “Yes, of course. Whatever you need.”
As they step inside and Viktor shrugs off Jayce’s white coat, Viktor can't help but feel pleasantly warm inside. How many unmated omegas can confidently say they could invite an unmated alpha into their home at night purely to talk—while in pre-heat, no less—and feel perfectly safe?
“I'll make us some tea,” Viktor says.
As Jayce makes himself comfortable on Viktor’s couch, Viktor realizes with a fluttery feeling in his gut that this is technically a courting ritual—an omega serving tea to an alpha they have invited in their home. But it’s not actually a courting ritual because such social dances only occur when an omega asks an alpha to spend their heat with them. The omega serves tea to the alpha who will be taking good care of them later. And that’s not…what this is.
His nicest teacups are a set collecting dust in the back of his cupboard. They were a gift from Mel Medarda that he’d received not long after he and Jayce began working on Hextech together. They are teacups specifically meant for serving in courting rituals.
He’s aware of what he’s doing, yet he brings the piping hot tea to Jayce in the white and gold teacups anyway.
“Thank you.” Jayce accepts the tea with a shy smile. If he notices anything about the cup, he doesn’t mention it.
Viktor blows on his tea before taking a slow sip, then he sets it down with a soft clink. “I wanted to explain why I was upset earlier.”
Jayce regards him with an earnest expression. “I hope I didn’t pressure you into it.”
“Have you ever pressured me into anything before?” Viktor says with a smirk.
Jayce laughs. “Good point. You’re the one who pressures me.”
Viktor stares at Jayce’s clasped hands as he gathers his thoughts. If there is anyone with whom he feels comfortable expressing his feelings, it’s Jayce. He takes a deep breath. “I was upset over several conflicting things earlier. Let me explain.”
Jayce’s mouth opens to respond, and Viktor holds up a hand. “And just let me finish before you say anything, please.”
Jayce shuts his mouth and leans back on the couch.
“It is hard for me to accept help from others, especially alphas,” Viktor says. “Not only because I am from the undercity, and stubborn, but also because I am an omega. It bothers me when others assume I am vulnerable and helpless.
“When you ask me to let you know where I’m going, I feel like you’re trying to control me. You’re not my alpha.” Jayce frowns at that, but says nothing. “But I did so tonight because I knew it would make things easier. And it certainly did.
“I knew I shouldn’t have gone out so close to my heat, but I did it anyway. I thought I could take care of myself. I’d be fine. But when I saw those three alphas blocking my path, I had a horrible realization of just how vulnerable I actually am. I was terrified. And then you showed up and saved the day. A big, strong alpha.” His voice drips with bitterness at the last sentence.
“I was so relieved when you showed up, but then I felt incredibly guilty, too. For all I knew, those alphas wouldn’t have done anything to me. Maybe they wanted to make sure I was okay. I don’t know. I felt like I was just as bad as all the topsiders who misjudge fissure folk.”
He stares at Jayce’s muscular arms, too nervous to meet his eyes. “And…I felt guilty for assuming strange alphas would hurt me. Because I know there are alphas who would never do such a thing. Alphas like you.”
Jayce straightens his posture. “That means a lot, Viktor.”
Viktor smiles at him. “Well, there you have it. I feel embarrassed that I put myself in that position, indignant that I can’t even go out without risk of harm from alphas, hypocritical for judging fellow Zaunites, and guilty that a part of me feels I was right to judge them. On top of all that, I feel terrible for having inconvenienced you tonight, and I feel weak that an alpha had to save me.”
Jayce moves closer to Viktor on the couch and takes his hand. “Viktor…”
Viktor sniffs and tries to blink away the stinging in his eyes. “I am not usually this emotional. It’s my hormones. I will be back to normal after my heat.”
“Can I respond to everything you just said?” Jayce asks.
“Of course.”
Jayce turns to face him fully. “First of all, I don’t ask you to let me know where you’re going because I want to control you, or because you’re an omega. I do that because you’re my best friend and partner, and I care about you. I’m like that with all the people in my life. My mom, Caitlyn, you. I feel…protective of you all—and yeah, I know that’s a condescending alpha thing—but I think it’s just how I was raised. My dad was a super protective guy, too. My mom is protective of people within minutes of meeting them. It’s just…a Talis thing, I guess?”
Viktor recalls meeting Ximena Talis for the first time and how he’d nearly been reduced to tears at the overwhelming motherly love he’d instantly felt from her—love that he’d never experienced before.
“And as far as those alphas earlier,” Jayce continues, his grip on Viktor’s hand tightening. “There’s nothing wrong with being cautious. I don’t think it’s somehow assuming all alphas are dangerous just because you’re wary of three strange alphas in the middle of the night. And they were headed directly for you when I showed up.” Jayce’s expression darkens. “Trust me, V, they did not have good intentions.”
Then Jayce places a warm hand on Viktor’s cheek.
“And lastly, you are never an inconvenience, Viktor. I’d run to the undercity for you if you were an alpha, a beta, it doesn’t matter. You’re important to me. That’s why I did it.”
Oh, this sweet man really cares for him, doesn’t he? Such devotion is foreign to him, but sits in Viktor's heart pleasantly, like it was always meant to be housed there.
Viktor moves to wipe a tear from his eye, but Jayce beats him to it with a gentle swipe of his thumb. “Thank you,” Viktor says.
Jayce’s eyes crinkle when he smiles back. Then he removes his hand from Viktor’s face and his expression becomes serious. “But…I’d also be lying if I said there wasn’t a small part of me, deep down, that felt a little…more protective of you than others because you’re an omega. I’m sorry, I know you don’t want to hear that. But I am an alpha, and well—” He rubs the back of his neck and looks away. “I’m just hard-wired that way, I guess. I was raised to be a gentleman, a-and to always make sure omegas in my life—whether I was courting them or not—felt…safe.”
Viktor doesn’t respond immediately, and Jayce glances back up at him nervously.
“I just felt I should be honest with you, since you were honest with me,” Jayce says. “I’m sorry if I sound like some chauvinistic asshole right now.”
Viktor regards the sweet, vulnerable look on Jayce’s face, and puts a hand on Jayce’s thigh, which earns him a sharp intake of breath. “I don’t find it chauvinistic. If any other alpha said such things to me, I’d roll my eyes and scoff. But you’re not any other alpha. You’re Jayce.”
His heart beating fast in his chest, he scoots closer into Jayce’s side and leans down to rest his head on Jayce’s shoulder. His eyes slide closed.
“And I’ve always felt safe with you, Jayce.”
He feels more than hears the way Jayce’s breath catches. He almost purrs when Jayce wraps an arm around his waist and pulls him close.
Jayce murmurs into his hair. “That’s the highest praise I could ever ask for, Viktor.”
They sit in comfortable silence for a few moments, just enjoying each other’s presence, when Viktor opens his eyes and looks at the white and gold teacups.
He could ask. It would be entirely appropriate in this moment. He’s pretty sure Jayce would say yes in a heartbeat.
But it would forever change their professional relationship and their friendship, and Viktor’s relationship with Jayce is important to him. How many omegas can claim they have such a healthy relationship with an alpha they aren’t mated with?
And his inner voice is always so lacking in self-confidence. Would Jayce say yes? Viktor isn’t exactly a catch, and the Man of Progress could have just about anyone he wanted in Piltover. Like Mel Medarda, for example.
Or worse…what if Jayce only says yes out of some sense of obligation to Viktor? He just got through professing how he felt it was his job to be protective of omegas.
Viktor knows some people—alphas, betas, and omegas alike—prefer for their first time being intimate with another person to be outside of heat for that very reason. He supposes it would be nice. To know that the alpha he chooses to be with wants him for reasons other than their biology. He’s not certain, but Jayce seems like the type to care about those sorts of things. So maybe Jayce wouldn’t feel an obligation at all. Maybe he’d want something deeper, and say no for that reason.
Viktor has never spent his heats with anyone before, much less an alpha. He’s never been with anyone outside of heat, either. It’s just never been a priority for him. It does make his heats pretty lonely, though, suffering through them as he always has. But he’s always told himself he didn’t need to rely on an alpha.
As he snuggles into the warmth of Jayce’s muscular shoulder, he thinks it would be nice to rely on someone for once.
“Jayce,” he says quietly, and he feels Jayce’s fingers twitch in their hold on his hip. As nice as it is to rest his head on his shoulder, he should probably look the man in the eye for this question. He sits up slowly and turns to look into Jayce’s pretty hazel eyes.
Oh, this makes it so much harder, he thinks. How can he ask such a bold question with this handsome man looking at him like that? Like he’s ready to do anything if Viktor would just say the word?
Gathering his courage, Viktor takes a deep breath and speaks. “Would you be willing to spend my heat with me?”
“Absolutely,” Jayce says immediately. And loudly. He winces at his own delivery, and Viktor can’t help but laugh. It relieves the tension immensely. “I…would be honored, Viktor.”
Honored? Ugh, so embarrassing. “But, eh, can I ask you something first?”
“Anything.”
“Are you saying yes purely out of obligation? Because—”
“Viktor, no!” Jayce takes him by the hand. “I’ve wanted this since we met. I—"
Viktor feels the blush rising in his face, and he imagines Jayce must be feeling something similar. “Since we met?”
Jayce looks away and laughs, sheepish. “Yeah. You’ve…always had my attention, Viktor.”
“Why didn’t you ever say anything?”
“I didn’t want to jeopardize our relationship,” Jayce answers easily. “You’re one of the most important people in my life, my best friend, and my partner. I was happy to stay friends and colleagues. And, well…”
“What?”
“You never seemed all that interested.”
Viktor frowns, and tries to quickly parse through his interactions with Jayce over the last few years.
“I know I’m kind of a…touchy-feely person, as Caitlyn puts it,” Jayce provides. “But you never seemed to respond to casual touches. And I tried to invite you to come to a few galas or fundraisers with me multiple times, but you never accepted.”
“I—” Viktor opens his mouth, closes it again. “I thought you were with Mel Medarda.”
“Mel?” Jayce asks incredulously. “No. I mean, Mel’s beautiful and all, but she’s an alpha.”
“Alphas can be with other alphas.”
“Not me,” Jayce says. “I’m only into omegas.”
“Oh, really?” Viktor’s lips slide into a mischievous grin. He ignores the euphoric voice in his head howling over this information. “Then I must smell very good right now, no?”
“Yes.” Jayce turns serious all of a sudden. He leans into Viktor’s neck and boldly presses his nose into the scent glands. “You smell so good, and it’s been driving me crazy all night. I want to kill those three alphas for even thinking of coming near you when you smell like this.”
Viktor’s pulse races under the press of flesh where Jayce tucks his head into Viktor’s throat. It’s incredibly intimate.
“Pretty bold of a self-proclaimed gentleman to shove his face into my throat without asking,” Viktor teases.
Jayce nearly leaps backward on the couch. “I’m sorry! I don’t know what came over me, I—”
Viktor places his palm over Jayce’s mouth. “It’s okay. I liked it.”
“You did?” Jayce asks in a muffled voice from behind his palm.
"Yes?" Viktor says with a shrug. “I did just ask you to spend my heat with me.”
Jayce takes the hand over his mouth and holds it gently between his fingers. His calloused hands completely dwarf Viktor’s. “About that. Before we go any further, I want to ask you something.”
“What?” He hopes Jayce hasn’t changed his mind.
“Well, you asked me before if I was doing this because I felt I was under an obligation, and I’m not. At all.” He looks at Viktor with serious eyes. “So I want to ask you—are you only asking me to spend your heat with you because it’s convenient?” Jayce winces as soon as the words are out of his mouth. “Sorry. Maybe convenient isn't the right word. That sounded too harsh.”
“No, I understand what you mean,” Viktor says. “And the answer is no. I have never spent my heat with an alpha before, and had no intention of ever asking one, really. So you are not merely a convenience. You are…the exception.”
Jayce’s mouth falls open, and he looks so endearingly sweet. Viktor wants to kiss him.
“I have never felt close enough to anyone to ask such a thing. To even want such a thing,” Viktor explains. “But I want it with you, Jayce.”
Jayce is still staring at him, and Viktor still wants to kiss him. So he does.
It’s Viktor’s first kiss, and the chaste press of lips against Jayce’s feels very nice. But Jayce still isn’t moving. Viktor frowns and pulls back.
“Was that the wrong thing to say?” he asks. “I hope you know you are important to me, Jayce. I’d never use you like that.”
Jayce seems to come out of his stupor then. “No! That’s not it. It’s just…”
“Just what?”
“You’ve never spent your heat with anyone before?”
Viktor shakes his head. “No. Is that a problem?”
“Not at all,” Jayce says quickly. “But I know heats can be intense for omegas, and spending them alone is near torture. How have you managed?”
Viktor shrugs. “I haven’t had many heats, to tell you the truth. I was too malnourished for a healthy cycle before I moved to Piltover. But now, it seems I’m healthy enough. I just suffer through them. I have been through far worse, trust me.”
Jayce frowns. “I just want to make sure you are prepared. Spending a heat with an alpha for the first time can be a little intense, too. A lot more intense than being with an alpha outside of heat. I don’t want to hurt you, Viktor.”
Viktor resists the urge to roll his eyes at the unprompted biology lesson. “I’m aware, Jayce. Although, I’ve never been with an alpha at all, so who knows? Maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about for once. This is a rare moment. You should revel in it.”
He expects Jayce to laugh at his quip, but the man’s grip on his knee tightens and Viktor glances up at his face. Jayce’s pupils are slightly dilated, and did his scent just spike?
“You’ve never been with an alpha at all?"
Viktor not-so-subtly inhales the scent of steel and smoke. “No? I just told you I’ve—”
Oh, he knows what this is. It’s unsurprising, really. Jayce seems like the possessive type. And the type to care about this sort of thing.
“Never,” Viktor replies, pitching his voice soft and low. “Not anyone. Never been with another omega or a beta, either.”
Jayce blinks a few times and clears his throat. Viktor can just see the inner turmoil in Jayce’s mind willing him to be normal about this. Oh, this is so much fun. How has Viktor deprived himself of flirting with this man for so long?
He makes his best attempt at a coy look and flutters his eyelashes at Jayce.
“So you’ll have to be gentle with me, alpha."
Jayce’s nostrils flare, and he scoots closer to Viktor.
“I will,” Jayce says in a gruff voice. He slides a hand up the side of Viktor’s neck. “I’ll take good care of you, Viktor. I promise.”
He’s so serious and intense and says such wonderfully cheesy, chivalrous, embarrassing things. Viktor wants to wrap his arms around the man’s neck and never let go. He also wants to crawl into his skin and never leave.
“You have to kiss me for real first,” Viktor says, and he blames his pre-heat for making him say humiliating things with a pout. “You didn’t kiss me back just now.”
Jayce’s eyes dart down to his lips. “Let me make it right?”
His hands rise to cup Viktor’s jaw as he leans down to press their lips together. Their mouths slot together perfectly, Viktor thinks. He’s never wanted to kiss anyone but Jayce before and he doesn’t want to kiss anyone but Jayce ever again, so it’s nice that they seem to be a perfect fit already.
They really do complement each other, don’t they? Viktor snakes his arms around Jayce’s neck and pulls him closer. Jayce leans over him on the couch, propping himself up with one hand on the arm of the sofa behind Viktor. Yes, Viktor thinks, Jayce is the perfect alpha for him. He’s strong, kind, smart. Incredibly smart. Viktor can’t imagine working with anyone else, really. How could anyone ever compare to Jayce? No one else’s tongue would taste so good in Viktor’s mouth.
Jayce moves the hand on Viktor’s jaw to wrap around his back. Viktor melts a little inside. It feels so nice to be held by Jayce. So warm. Jayce is always warm. He’s like a living furnace, and Viktor always runs cold, shivering in sweaters in the lab. But with Jayce, he’s warm.
Jayce really is perfect for him. The perfect partner. Perfect alpha. Perfect mate. Jayce would be such a kind, gentle father. Ugh, he’d do anything to give Jayce children. They’d have such smart babies. They could start now, Viktor thinks as his hands tangle in Jayce’s hair, earning him a groan from the man. Jayce presses his hips down, and Viktor feels the hard length against his thigh. He needs it in him now, and he needs Jayce to hurry up and fuck him knot him breed him—
Oh. It’s starting. He’s going off the deep end, isn’t he? The mental cacophony has never been this loud nor intense before. It’s never been this hungry before. He’s certainly never had thoughts about babies before, he thinks. He’d be mortified if his brain wasn’t in the process of turning to mush. It must be because it’s his first time with an alpha. He gasps and turns his head away from Jayce, who just starts kissing his neck instead.
“Jayce, my thoughts are…turning,” Viktor groans out. His vision is starting to swim with all the pheromones in the air. “I may be incoherent soon.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you. I got you, baby,” Jayce whispers into his neck. Viktor both cringes and delights at the pet name. Why must Jayce be so embarrassing?
He reluctantly pulls Jayce’s head back to look him in the eye. Jayce’s pupils are blown wide, and his hair—normally so perfect and meticulously styled—hangs over his forehead in dark, messy strands. He’s completely disheveled and never looked more handsome. Jayce’s intense hazel eyes gaze at Viktor desperately.
“I just want you to know—before my mind decides to abscond completely—that I want to spend my heat with you, and every other heat after this. And I want to be with you outside of heat, too. I almost wish I wasn’t in heat just so we could do that first.” His heart pounds in his chest, and with Jayce’s large torso pressed into him, their heartbeats collide with each other. “And I’m so, so grateful you came to my rescue tonight. You are the only alpha I trust with this, Jayce. You are the only alpha I feel safe with.”
Jayce’s eyes sparkle at him. Viktor expects a dramatic monologue, a profession of undying love and devotion, or a speech of some sort, because Jayce is the type for that.
Instead, Jayce’s answer is short and simple.
“I feel safe with you too, V.”