Chapter Text
—Monday, August 4th, 2025—
Jayce knew he was fucked, royally fucked, the moment he first locked eyes with his new executive assistant. Never had he seen such a person with such beautiful, complex eyes.
The color of molten gold, his eyes melted Jayce down, turning him into a pool of liquid metal, not unlike the vats found burning at his family's forge. And so warm and inviting, drawing him in, reminding him of the honey drizzled on the delicious sopapillas his mama made as a 'sweet treat' when he'd done well on his report card when he was in grade school.
Yet, at the same time, his eyes were so incredibly intense and calculating, chilling Jayce to his core, sending goosebumps over his skin, the hairs on his arms and legs standing on end as he was taken apart, piece by piece, before being put back together after he'd been figured out. This young man was…
Breathtaking. In every way possible.
He could feel his blood rising, flooding his collar with heat and searing his cheeks and the tips of his ears. Distantly, he could hear the muffled words of the hiring manager, saying…something important, probably. Jayce hoped it was more for the new hire than him, as he wasn't taking in a single word right now. He was far too distracted by this young man's merciless allure that did not stop at his eyes.
When he did manage to tear his eyes away, they did not wander far, spotting a mole that sat just below his right eye on top of his impossibly high cheekbones. It sat just close enough that his lashes kissed it with every blink. Jayce felt a faint stir of envy in his stomach, wishing he could be the one to kiss that mole instead of his lashes.
And then a bit lower, another mole caught his eye. This one sat just above his lips on his left side. While not as tempting as the one on his cheek, this one brought Jayce's eyes to his lips that were pulled back in a polite smile. While his lips weren't full, they were still a pretty color and covered in something sheer; Not a gloss, but certainly something, perhaps a lip balm, that piqued Jayce's interest enough to lead his thoughts further from this plane, wondering what he might taste like if he were to kiss him. Mint? Cherry? Vanilla?
Jayce's attention was pulled from the young man's mouth as he lifted a hand to delicately tuck a lock of his wavy, chocolate brown hair that had fallen into his eyes behind his ear before extending it toward Jayce. Was that a little blond? Was the underside of his hair bleached?
"I look forward to working with you, Mr. Talis."
No, that accent! Jayce didn't know what region an accent like that originated from, nor what his native tongue might be, but he did know one thing: he loved the way he sounded, and he could listen to him speak for hours, if given the opportunity.
"Mr. Talis?" The young man quirked a manicured eyebrow at him, a smirk beginning to tease the corner of his lips.
Jayce's eyes widened as he inhaled deeply, as his train of thought was derailed and he returned to his body. The sudden return had him feeling a bit disoriented, and he shook his head, as if he were attempting to shake the blood from his head and urge it to go back where it belonged.
"I'm…sorry, I'm afraid I didn't—" Jayce chuckled nervously. "What, uh, what's your name again?"
The smirk that had previously teased his lips spread into an impish half-smile. "It's Viktor."
"Viktor…" Jayce repeated, playing with the name on his tongue after finally extending his hand out to take Viktor's, where it had been awkwardly hanging in the air between them.
Oh.
He hadn't been expecting Viktor's hands to be so much smaller compared to his own. Lithe and slender, soft fingers contrasted starkly with Jayce's thick and rough fingers, calloused from his work in the forge and lab. And they felt like icicles, so cold that before Jayce realized what he was doing, he took Viktor's hand in both of his to warm them on reflex.
"It's nice to meet you, Viktor." Jayce nodded to him politely and with a warm smile, rubbing his hand for a few more moments before he finally released him.
What was that? Why had he just done that? Jayce winced, biting his lip, silently hoping that Viktor didn't take the gesture the wrong way. But what other way was there TO take it?
Luckily for Jayce, it seemed that all was well. Though Viktor was regarding him with an indiscernible look in his eyes, the corner of his mouth was slightly upturned. And if he wasn't mistaken, he could've sworn that Viktor had more color to his cheeks than he had before they shook hands…but he decided to chalk that up to wishful thinking.
"Likewise," Viktor muttered, his attention being drawn by the hiring manager now that introductions were over.
Before Jayce had the chance to say another word, Viktor was whisked off, out of Jayce's office, and to his desk to begin his onboarding paperwork. And, dammit, Jayce's self-control must've been thrown out with this morning's pot of coffee, his eyes falling to Viktor's backside. While his rear wasn't particularly plump, his waist was so snatched. He figured that he could likely get both hands around it and his fingers would touch on either side…
Jayce needed to get himself together. Fast. Because this behavior was far from acceptable for the CEO of Talis Inc., he was fumbling over his words, breaking business interaction etiquette, and ogling the new hire in ways that were an HR and PR nightmare waiting to happen!
He could act professional, though. He would. He would make sure of it. Right?
Well, unfortunately, intentions and actions don't always align. He thought he could, because he was far too old to give in to any, ah, inappropriate workplace temptations. Two decades in the business and not one slip into inappropriate behavior! Not a single instance of HR needing to step in for so much as issuing a verbal warning! Jayce had taken pride in his professional conduct.
Try as he might, though, he was finding it increasingly difficult not to pay attention to his new executive assistant. It's not as if any budding feelings could or would go away within the span of a few hours. Still, the number of times that Jayce had caught himself notably not staring at his computer monitor, but at Viktor, was becoming ridiculous!
The orientation of their desks probably wasn't helping anything.
Jayce's office was quite large. His crystal clear glass desk sat close to the floor-to-ceiling glass window that faced the gorgeous city skyline. On his left and right were regular walls that displayed his numerous awards, certificates, and degrees, all neatly arranged and framed, with corresponding photos for some of them.
The wall in front of him, though, was glass, too. Viktor's desk was just outside the glass double doors to Jayce's office. All Jayce had to do was look up, around his monitor, and slightly to his right to see the man at his desk pressing the tip of a pen to his pretty lips in thought, dragging his bottom lip down before letting it go and repeating the simple motion.
Before he realized what he was doing, Jayce began imagining what it would look like if it were the tip of something else pressed to and dragged down his bottom lip. And then he immediately turned beet red at catching himself having such lewd thoughts! What was the matter with him? They had just met!
It was far too soon to be imagining those types of things. Or how the man might look, naked and spread out on his California King, tangled in the sheets below Jayce's body. Or how it would feel to touch him, to kiss him after getting a taste of him, to see if there were more moles hidden beneath his clothes that Jayce could count with his lips.
The sound of a snort followed by hardly suppressed laughter pulled Jayce from his thoughts and brought him back to his body, where he realized that he had been staring right at Viktor again. And, if he had to guess, he probably had the stupidest looking, goofy ass smile since he'd fallen deep into his daydreams about the man. He could only assume, given how red Viktor was, presumably from laughter, that he was trying to cover with his hands.
Jayce turned an even darker shade of red, but this time in shame, as heat flooded beneath his collar in complete and utter embarrassment from being caught. Viktor wiggled his fingers at him in an almost shy wave while offering a surprisingly sweet smile that made Jayce's heart feel gooey in his chest. He laughed quietly and dropped his head to break their eye contact, narrowly missing the hard surface of his glass desk by mere centimeters as his shoulders shook.
It wasn't long before he lifted his head slightly, stupidly chancing another glance at Viktor. The man immediately met Jayce's eyes and smirked, flicking his eyes up and down Jayce's face before turning back to his computer with a deeper, almost satisfied smirk. In turn, Jayce lowered his head to his hand, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head.
"Come on, Jayce…get it together, old man…" He whispered to himself because someone needed to scold him for acting like a hormonal teenager, about to practically pounce on the new and attractive student who transferred in halfway through the school year.
Since Mel wasn't here to do it, he'd do it for her. Though he's probably lucky that she isn't here because she would likely do more than scold him. She would've smacked him upside the head for drooling over such a young man, especially a new hire, while being in his mid-forties.
After regaining his composure and taking a few sips of cold water from his metal company water bottle, Jayce made a decision. Since it was entirely inappropriate for several reasons for him to harbor any feelings towards his executive assistant, perhaps shattering the illusion would help him rid himself of these feelings.
Sometimes, physical attraction can be squashed by getting to know someone. Which isn't to say that Jayce thinks or hopes Viktor will have an unattractive personality, especially since they will be working together closely. However, it's possible that the young man doesn't have a personality that is compatible with Jayce's in a romantic sense.
Still, the brain often attempts to fill the blanks with fantasy, and the best way to dash fantasy is to throw a cold bucket of reality on something that is wafer-thin to begin with. The sooner he attempted to shatter his unrealistic expectations, the sooner he could shake these inappropriate feelings.
This is how Jayce found himself standing in front of Viktor's desk. But, mierda, as soon as Jayce opened his mouth to speak, Viktor's warm, honey colored eyes and charming half-smile stole the breath from his lungs and the words from his mouth. The young man's smile grew, and Jayce's heart squeezed tight in his chest.
Viktor wasn't making this easy, and what was worse was that he probably didn't even know what he was doing to Jayce by just existing.
"Yes, Mr. Talis? Is there something I can do for you?" He asked, eying Jayce with a curious glint in his eyes, tilting his head to the side, in such an adorable way that a bit of his hair fell into his eyes. Jayce's heart skipped a beat.
"Oh, uh, yes, actually. Well, if you want to, that is." Jayce chuckled as he brought a hand up to the back of his neck, his other hand sliding into his trouser pocket. Oh, ew, why was the back of his neck damp with sweat? Why was he sweating nervously right now?
After a beat of silence, Viktor spoke. "Eh, want to what, sir? You haven't told me what it is that I may or may not want to do yet."
"Right. Sorry. Would you like to have lunch with me? I was about to head down to the cafeteria that we have in the building, and thought…it might be nice to invite you to go with me."
The young man's expression shifted to something that Jayce was having a difficult time deciphering. He was at a loss for what to say or do, frozen by Viktor's intense gaze.
"Eh, it's quite bold of you to assume that I would want to have lunch with you, the CEO of this company, on my first day, isn't it?"
"Oh, I didn't think of… I'm sorry, I just thought that, maybe, you might like—"
"Are you always this articulate?" Viktor's gaze remained intense, but his lips began to slip into a smirk. "You were like this when we spoke earlier, too."
"I—"
Viktor finally broke out into laughter, waving Jayce off before turning to grab his cane, which was propped up against the side of his desk, so that he could stand.
"I am messing with you! I hope you do not mind. You seem the type that is…easy to poke fun at, but won't get too mad about it either." He giggled, stepping around the side of his desk to eliminate the barrier between them. "Am I correct in my assumption?"
Oh, Jayce was fucked.
"You…would be correct." Jayce nodded, swallowing hard while willing his cheeks to cool off. Honestly, it was more like he didn't mind that Viktor messed with him like that because he found it hot, but that information could not be waterboarded out of him.
"Perfect. Well, shall we go then, sir?" Viktor smirked, turning from Jayce to begin their walk to the elevator. This is when Jayce finally noticed that Viktor walked with a cane and a visible limp.
Jayce hadn't noticed his cane before. He was far too busy, uh, looking elsewhere. However, he found it somewhat surprising.
Viktor was so young, not near the age when people typically need a cane. Not that disabilities were limited to older people or the elderly, but still. Jayce made a mental note to ask about his disability later, specifically in case there were any accommodations that he could provide to Viktor to help him feel more comfortable in the office.
"Mr. Talis? Are you alright? You're spacing out again." Viktor chuckled, having already made it to the elevator to press the down button, only to find that Jayce was still down the hallway. Jayce flushed and quickly joined Viktor by the elevators, quietly apologizing after he caught up.
After a moment of staring at Jayce, something Jayce caught in his peripheral vision, Viktor stepped closer, speaking softly. "Are you like this with everyone, or is it just me?"
Jayce bit his lip and shook his head. "I…no. I'm sorry. I seem to be a little out of it today."
"Mm…I see." The tone of his voice made Jayce think that he probably didn't believe him one bit. Which was fair because Jayce was not only lying, but lying poorly. He has never acted like this around any other employees. Only Viktor.
Ding!
The elevator doors opened, and Jayce thought he was safe, but as soon as they stepped in and the doors closed, Viktor spoke up again.
"And this? Taking me to lunch, is this something that you do with all new employees?"
Jayce's Adam's apple bobbed heavily in his throat before he slowly turned his head toward Viktor, who was so casually leaning back against the wall of the elevator with his cane planted firmly between his feet. His nostrils flared at the sight of the smug, almost knowing smirk on his lips, his half-lidded eyes only making his expression heat Jayce's collar more.
"I, uh— well, no, but…"
Viktor bit his bottom lip, shoulders shaking with suppressed, silent laughter.
"Well, it's just— not all new employees are my new executive assistant, either! We'll be working together, closely, so it makes sense that we get to know each other better and more than…than employees from other departments and whatnot." Jayce chuckled nervously.
That was a flimsy excuse, at best. And since he was cursed to face the worst-case scenario today, it is evident that Viktor saw right through it. Already, Jayce could tell that Viktor was clearly too smart for bullshit like that.
"Oh, yes, of course. That makes perfect sense." Viktor nodded safely, but without an ounce of sincerity, making him come across as sarcastic, which was more than likely his intent. Jayce snorted, but tried to cover it with a cough and a hand to his mouth.
To tack on another fuck-up for the day, he didn't mask that snort well, to Viktor's amusement, apparently. The young man dared to snicker right in his face! He could barely contain his laughter behind a balled-up fist, his shoulders shaking again. Jayce sighed deeply, hand falling from his face as he reflexively reached behind him to lean against the bar along the wall of the elevator with Viktor, eyes locked onto him in mock disappointment.
Dammit! He was supposed to be working on shaking off these inappropriate feelings for this man, but already, he found him quite charming, witty, and humorous, in a dry and deadpan sort of way that worked for him. Jayce was only seeing him more and more endearing by the moment.
Plus, his smile was surprisingly warm and…
He had such beautiful eyes.
"Oh, eh, thank you," Viktor whispered, going rigid at his side. The faint pink to his cheeks from laughing was growing darker. "I can't say that many have expressed the same sentiment."
Oh, he had said that out loud, hadn't he? Shit. Jayce bit his lip, feeling his cheeks warm in embarrassment. "Really?"
"Really."
"Well, I find that hard to believe." Jayce chuckled, choosing to ride out his slip-up rather than wallow in it.
"Eh, believe it or not, but that doesn't change the reality." Viktor shrugged, letting out a soft sigh. He leaned his head against the wall of the elevator, head tilted toward Jayce. "You have beautiful eyes, too. They appear to change color. I swore they looked a tinge green earlier, but now they are such a warm amber."
"Oh, thank you. I don't get that a lot either."
Viktor smirked. "Really?"
"Really," Jayce chuckled.
"That's…surprising. I can't imagine that I'm the only person who has ever met your gaze."
Jayce shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? Maybe others find me too intimidating or something."
Apparently, Viktor thought that was something to laugh at. "You? Intimidating? Seriously? I barely know you, and I already find you no more intimidating than an enormous stuffed teddy bear."
"A teddy bear?" Jayce guffawed at such a ludicrous comparison.
Viktor nodded in confirmation, giggling. "Yes. A teddy bear. You're not at all as intimidating as you seem to think you are. To me, I see a warm, kind, and inviting gentleman."
Jayce found himself smiling a little at that. "There's no need for such flattery, Viktor. You already have the job."
"Eh, but it doesn't hurt anything, either." He flashed a mischievous smirk.
Ding!
After what felt like the longest elevator ride, they finally made it to the cafeteria floor, and Jayce motioned for Viktor to step out first. The young man's smirk didn't fade as he pushed off the elevator wall and followed Jayce's lead.
"See? What a gentleman." He cooed over his shoulder.
"Mierda…" Jayce whispered to himself before following Viktor, as he was the one who was supposed to be showing Viktor around, after all.
In a few long and quick strides, Jayce caught up to the other man easily, reaching for the middle of Viktor's back to help guide him toward the bustling cafeteria. He'd like to tell himself that this gesture meant nothing, his hand politely hovering just over the soft fabric of Viktor's well-worn sweater, but he would be lying to himself. Maybe he wanted an excuse to touch Viktor, to see if he could get the urge to touch him out of his system, in some way.
Either way, at some point, whether it was due to his curiosity or Viktor leaning into the warmth of his hand, his hand found itself flush against his spine. Jayce had to hold back the embarrassing noise that threatened to leave his throat when his suspicions from earlier were confirmed: his hand spanned the width of Viktor's waist from side to side. Having that information would surely do him more harm than good…
Regardless, Jayce managed to offer Viktor a polite smile as he directed him a bit closer.
"So, this is the company cafeteria. We offer a variety of healthy—" Jayce used the closed distance to his advantage, leaning down to Viktor's ear to speak in a low but playful tone, "and unhealthy options."
Jayce noted the shade of red that dusted Viktor's cheeks, but he chose to ignore it for both of their sakes. "As a token of gratitude to my employees, everything is complimentary. With the exception of a few luxury offerings, such as our filet mignon, caviar, and lobster."
"Oh, how generous," Viktor said flatly.
"Viktor, are you being sarcastic with me right now?"
"What? Me? No, I'd never." He gasped in mock exasperation.
Cute. Shit, that was so cute. He was too cute. Jayce playfully rolled his eyes and scoffed as he led Viktor further through the cafeteria to show him all of the various stations.
"Anyway, we have a 'create your own' pizza station as well as a chef's choice. There's a self-serve soup and salad bar, a 'fast food' station where you can get hamburgers, French fries, and chicken tenders, a vegetarian and vegan station with rotating offerings inspired by various cuisines, and a crepe station."
"You certainly don't skimp here, hm?" Viktor chuckled.
"Nope! We try to keep plenty of options and a diverse, rotating menu."
Viktor nodded, clearly taking in his options as he slowly turned on the spot, looking all around him. Right as Jayce was about to introduce Viktor to their variety of other cuisine options that weren't just mediocre American food, Viktor stopped, half turned back around.
"Does the crepe station have any savory options?" He asked idly, eyeing the station in question.
"Of course. I personally recommend the chicken florintine crepe. It's my favorite of the savory options. I'm such a sucker for the strawberry Nutella crepe, though."
Viktor looked up at him with this adorable, soft half-smile that Jayce couldn't quite fully decipher. "Those both sound delicious. I think I'll take one of each."
"Of course!" Jayce beamed and walked with Viktor over to the crepe station.
After the two of them had ordered and received their crepes of choice, Jayce decided that a crepe sampling for lunch sounded terrific. He scooped up both of their plates to find a place for them to dig in.
"Oh, Mr. Talis, that's not—"
"Hm?"
"It's unnecessary for you to carry my plate for me. I am more than capable of carrying it on my own."
Jayce was not having that, though, shifting from Viktor slightly to keep him from taking his plate. "I know. But I want to. I'm a gentleman, remember?" He winked at Viktor, and Jayce swore he spotted a flush on his cheeks.
"Oh, yes, of course, my mistake, sir." He snorted, rolling his eyes as they made their way to a small two-person table in a somewhat secluded part of the seating area. He quickly set both of their plates down so he could pull Viktor's chair out for him. The faintest of smirks touched the corner of Viktor's lips. Jayce didn't miss the way that he flicked his eyes over him before rolling them.
"Are you always this annoyingly chivalrous, or is this something special that you're doing just for me?" Viktor snickered, taking his seat and placing his cane to rest against the table. "Because I can assure you, despite being physically disabled at the ripe age of 23, I am more than capable of completing basic tasks for myself."
Jayce's eyes widened slightly, his expression becoming serious. "Oh, no, I can assure you that I am always this, ah, 'annoyingly chivalrous,' as you put it." He chuckled, pushing Viktor's chair in before taking his own.
"My ma practically beat manners into me," Jayce explained, beginning to unroll his silverware. "I can assure you that it has nothing to do with your…" Jayce paused, eyes locking with the cane propped up against the side of their table. "I hope I haven't come across in a way that is belittling. I sincerely apologize if I have."
Viktor unrolled his silverware to take his napkin and placed it into his lap. All while looking straight at Jayce, wearing that adorable smirk of his that Jayce was growing too fond of already.
"You haven't. Luckily for you, I am rather skilled at figuring out whether people are treating me with the respect that I deserve out of kindness, and when they are inadvertently disrespecting me by treating me like a helpless child."
Jayce cut into his savory crepe with his fork and knife, flashing Viktor a smirk. "I assume I'm the latter?"
"Oh, he has jokes!"
Jayce shrugged while taking a bite, using his fist to cover up the fact that he was laughing a little. "Mm, sometimes."
"Oh, only a part-time comedian, I see?" Viktor teased while cutting into his…was that a strawberry Nutella crepe with chocolate chips, chocolate drizzle, chocolate shavings, powdered sugar, and whipped cream? Holy shit. He must have one hell of a sweet tooth!
"So, Viktor, how did you end up here?" Jayce asked, popping another bite of crepe into his mouth.
Viktor raised an eyebrow. "How do you mean? I have a car and a license. I drove here."
"No, I— how did you end up applying to be my executive assistant? With a wit as quick as yours, surely you would be better suited elsewhere." Jayce clarified, and Viktor blushed. Aw, did he embarrass him a bit? He hadn't meant to, but if it meant seeing more color fill his cheeks, well, Jayce wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth.
"Oh, of course…I knew that's what you meant." Viktor chuckled and took a contemplative bite. "Honestly, it was Talis Inc. itself. The technological and biomedical innovations and advancements drew me in. The work that has been released for the public eye has been fascinating and inspiring."
Jayce could tell that he wasn't bluffing; Viktor was genuinely interested in the company's work and had done his research, which was something he found puzzling, as someone who was now working as his executive assistant.
"Is that so?"
"Of course. Considering my medical condition and the potential help that Talis Inc. could offer me and others like me, I couldn't help but be interested. I knew that I wanted to be a part of Talis Inc. as soon as possible. I saw that there were positions open, so I decided to apply for all I could."
"Wait, so you applied for more than the executive assistant position?"
"Mhm." Viktor's tongue flicked out to swipe a small amount of whipped cream from his lips in a way that, for some reason, had Jayce blushing, though it shouldn't have. Not at all. Was it hot in here?
Jayce cleared his throat as if to remind himself that he needed to keep his mind out of the gutter. "What were some of the other positions that you applied for?"
"Oh, there were many. But I recall there being a lab technician assistant position that piqued my interest the most."
That information was shocking enough to raise Jayce's eyebrows. The job duties and responsibilities of a lab tech assistant could not be more different than those of an executive assistant to the CEO.
"And you accepted the executive assistant position because…?"
Viktor shrugged, licking a bit of chocolate sauce off the tip of his finger. "I was declined for the lab technician assistant position, of course. I assume it is because I lack the required experience or education, but nothing was going to stop me from trying anyway. It isn't a 'no' until you hear it for certain. I understand that interest can only take one so far, though."
This intrigued Jayce. He was once a 23— or 24-year-old with no experience and little education, but a dream to create amazing, world-changing inventions that would benefit lower-income and disabled citizens all over Runeterra. Looking at Viktor, he could see a younger version of himself.
"Tell me, Viktor, how much do you know about the founding of Talis Inc.?" Jayce asked, setting down his utensils as his interest in his food waned in favor of focusing entirely on Viktor.
Viktor chewed his bite slowly, eyes slightly wide, before he carefully swallowed. "Well, I know that you are the Founder, Owner, and CEO, specifically over the marketing, distribution, and sales divisions, who is affectionately known as the City of Progress's 'Golden Boy' due to the inventions that you revealed to the public shortly after your Distinguished Innovators Progress Day debut at the age of 24."
"Precisely. You've done your homework." Jayce smiled at Viktor and nodded. "And you mentioned that you're 23, right?"
"Yes, I believe I did." Viktor returned Jayce's smile with a nervous chuckle before he popped a strawberry slice into his mouth.
"A little quick math says that's only a year younger than I was when I started Talis Inc.. I was a broke college kid who hadn't even started his graduate degree before my Talis Inc. dreams took off! Talis Inc. was built by an inexperienced and barely educated young man, like yourself." Jayce picked up his fork to continue eating, moving to his beef stroganoff crepe.
"And you never know…expressing interest to the 'Golden Boy' himself," Jayce snickered, rolling his eyes at the more-than-outdated nickname that he detested but insisted on following him, even though Jayce was 44 years old and far from being a 'boy' anymore. "Perhaps I can look into it and see what programs we're currently offering for advancement so we can get you where you would prefer to be."
"Am I such a bad assistant that you wish to get rid of me already? On my first day?" Viktor teased, shoulders shaking with quiet laughter.
By now, Jayce was feeling himself falling into a rhythm with Viktor's teasing and jabs, and shit, he was enjoying their banter. He started laughing again and shook his head at Viktor.
"You're something else, you know that?"
"You don't seem to mind it," Viktor hummed.
"No, I don't. Not at all."
Well, so much for hoping that getting to know Viktor would free him from his budding feelings. Instead, Jayce was convinced that their lunch together watered the buds and fed them fertilizer to encourage them to grow and blossom into something far more troubled and dangerous than if he'd just cut off the buds and let the stems dry out and die.
What a fool he was. An old fool who should know himself better by now. He should've known that getting to know Viktor would only make his heart grow fonder. Since when has getting to know anyone ever made his feelings not deepen? For better or for worse. Now he was struggling to keep his focus on his sales reports and not on Viktor, who had continued his onboarding paperwork.
But he was so captivating…Jayce should not be looking at Viktor enough to start picking up on his innocuous mannerisms and habits, such as the way Viktor twirled his hair around his finger when he was reading, and how he pulled his bottom lip into his mouth to bite at the skin when he was lost in thought.
And before he knew it, it was 5 o'clock and time to head home. Hours lost and wasted, time spent not doing much of anything because Viktor was only a few steps and a glass door away. Oh well. It was probably wishful thinking, but maybe by tomorrow, his little crush will have faded, if only minutely. Perhaps he just needed to sleep on it, and all of his inappropriate feelings would go away, just like that!
That was definitely wishful thinking.
Jayce busied himself with shutting down his computer and monitor before gathering his things and heading out of his office to check on Viktor, who was already going through similar motions. By the time Jayce reached Viktor, he was standing and holding his belongings.
Their eyes met, and Jayce smiled warmly. Unable to resist the urge, Jayce reached out and set a hand on Viktor's shoulder, squeezing him gently.
"I hope you had a good first day here, Viktor." Jayce thumbed over Viktor's bony shoulder, and he swore he saw the corner of Viktor's mouth twitch.
"I don't think I've had a better day anywhere else, honestly. Thank you for such a warm welcome, Mr. Talis." Viktor hummed, lowering his voice along with his eyelids, which sent Jayce's blood in both directions at a dizzying speed.
"Oh, uh, you don't—you don't have to call me that. Jayce is fine." He bit his lip, hoping and praying, scared to look down at himself to check how evident the problem in his trousers was. It…felt like an obvious problem, though, considering how much heavier it felt like he was sitting in his underwear now.
Whether he had picked up on the effect he had on Jayce or not, Viktor licked his lips and smirked, interest piqued. "Oh, of course. Jayce. I wasn't sure if we were—"
Please don't look down, don't— Ah. Viktor looked down. Shit. Uh.
Their eyes met again, and Viktor didn't even try to hide his shit-eating grin. He definitely noticed the tent in his trousers and dared to look like the cat that got the cream about his discovery!
"I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Talis," Viktor practically cooed.
"Yep! See you tomorrow!" Jayce answered too quickly before making a beeline to the elevator, evidently forgetting that Viktor was on his way out, too, and there was only one set of elevators for them to use. He was soon reminded by the faint 'click, click, click' of Viktor's cane on the tile floor before he felt his presence beside him.
Jayce swallowed hard and chanced a look at Viktor out of the corner of his eyes. And of course, Viktor was staring right at him, laughing behind his hand.
"Don't— let's pretend that didn't just happen, please." Jayce groaned in embarrassment, holding the bridge of his nose so he could have the excuse of doing literally anything besides looking at Viktor.
Viktor waved him off while still laughing. "You are the one who brought it up! I wasn't going to say anything," He began, sinking his teeth into his bottom lip as his eyelids sank halfway. "But I am flattered, regardless."
"Viktor. Do me a favor. Please kill me."
The young man snorted before he started cackling. "I know that I am your executive assistant, but I don't think I can do that for you, sir!"
"Mierda…"
"Eh, I can't blame you for asking. It was worth a try, no?" Viktor shrugged before leaning into Jayce, resting his head on his shoulder for a moment, successfully lightening the mood and relieving Jayce of some of his embarrassment.
"Always."
Ding!
Written by a human in Ellipsus.