Work Text:
“Viktor?” Jayce called out, without looking up from his work. “Hey, Viktor, come and see this!”
When there was no response, he risked a brief look over his shoulder at Viktor’s desk-- but he didn’t see his partner anywhere. An insistent humming sound drew him back to his work: an intricate mesh of live wires spanning between different energy points placed across the surface of the table, meticulously arranged to form one of the runes he and Viktor had recently been studying.
The sound picked up in volume. “Shit,” Jayce muttered, gently prodding one of the spanners with a tool. “Viktor! Quick!”
The humming cut off abruptly, and then a visible current ran through the wires before all the contained energy fizzled and dispersed, knocking over a few of the spanners in its wake.
Jayce sighed. He had known deep down this experiment wouldn’t yield any results worthy of excitement, but he had still hoped Viktor would witness the failure in real time. His fellow scientist had a fascinating mind-- sometimes, experiments which only frustrated Jayce and made him feel farther from the solution than ever would give Viktor the inspiration needed to advance towards their next big breakthrough.
Still, it was fine. He could just set the spanners upright again, tighten the wires, activate the mechanism, and observe the mistake a second time-- this time with Viktor by his side.
“Where is he, anyway?” Jayce asked, addressing the notes on his desk. He stood up straighter, rolled his shoulders, and looked around. To his surprise, he spotted Viktor easily-- he hadn’t left to gather supplies or research materials, after all. The only reason he hadn’t noticed his partner a moment earlier was that rather than sitting at his desk, Viktor was curled up close to the window, through which the late afternoon sun was streaming.
As for the reason he hadn’t responded to Jayce’s call… Now that Jayce looked closer, Viktor seemed to be fast asleep.
Jayce blinked, surprised. He knew Viktor occasionally stayed overnight at the lab, but he had never actually seen him sleep, let alone take a nap in the middle of the day. Jayce figured he had to be pretty tired, and made sure to move around quietly so as to not wake him up.
Despite his vow to not wake Viktor, he couldn’t help but feel curious. He took a few steps across the room, and before he knew it, he was standing only a few feet away from his sleeping partner.
All this while, Viktor didn’t stir. He was sitting on a wooden chair with a cushioned seat and back, head resting on his arms which lay folded on the table in front of him. He was facing Jayce, but his expression was still only half-visible, the rest being concealed behind his arm.
On impulse, Jayce grabbed the nearest paper and pen and stood at the larger table in the center of the room, from where he began to sketch Viktor as he slept.
Jayce began with the silhouette: the way Viktor’s shoulders hunched and his back gently sloped in order for his head to reach the table, the way his arms wrapped around tightly beneath his head, the way half of his pale face peered out from between them.
Then he drew Viktor’s dark curls, glowing a warmer brown than usual in the light of the window, stray strands falling over his forehead; next came the visible parts of his expression, haggard as always, yet smooth and relaxed in a way Jayce had never quite seen his features before.
After completing this sketch, he looked up with a frown; something wasn’t quite right. He prided himself on being able to capture the nature of any view in front of him, even if it was stylized in some way, but something about the Viktor on the page looked different than the one he was watching. He observed his partner’s rest a little more closely, finding all the things he couldn’t draw: the way Viktor’s small frame visibly shifted with each deep breath he took, the golden rays illuminating his hair which weren’t possible to represent with just a single blue pen, and the absolute peace of the entire scene.
Viktor’s sitting position was reminding Jayce of something , though. It was almost like he’d seen this image before, even though rationally he was sure he hadn’t.
Then it hit him: Viktor looked exactly like a cat taking a nap in the sun! Jayce often saw the creatures on his walks home from the laboratory: curled up on balconies or window sills, always napping when the sun was at its brightest.
Fighting back a snicker at this revelation, Jayce thought for a moment before adding a few quick details to his sketch. A pointed ear poking out from Viktor’s mass of curls, a whisker or two on his exposed cheek, and a tail hanging down loosely from the chair.
There. Jayce held up his drawing, satisfied. Even though the sketch was less accurate to reality than before, he swore that it did a better job of capturing how the moment felt. He bit back a laugh, still determined not to wake Viktor. He turned around: for a moment he considered leaving the sketch on Viktor’s desk just to be able to see him scowl, but ended up simply sticking it into his own notebook instead.
With one last glance at his sleeping partner, Jayce went back to work. He was sure Viktor would wake up soon. And even if he didn’t-- well, Jayce figured, as much as he tended to be critical of people slacking on the job, he knew by now that Viktor was the type to overwork himself more than anything. He could probably use a good cat nap by the window.
***
“Viktor.”
Jayce glanced over at his partner. As expected, he was deep in concentration, poring over some obscure tome on runes. Jayce grinned. After Viktor had been caught napping two days earlier, he’d thrown himself into his work with even more focus than usual. While it could often take several attempts at calling his name to get him to look up, Jayce figured that it would probably take more than that in his current state.
“V…”
He walked over to Viktor’s desk, and promptly planted a hand on his shoulder.
The reaction was immediate: Viktor stiffened and he whipped his head around, eyes wide.
Slightly taken aback, Jayce didn’t immediately remove his hand: he stood frozen in place, vaguely aware of how small and bony Viktor’s shoulder was and how easy it was for his hand to enclose it entirely in its grasp.
“Excuse me , ” Viktor said, irritation thick in his voice.
Jayce finally let go, throwing his hands up in the air. “I didn’t mean to startle you!” he said. “You were so deep in thought, I couldn’t figure out how to get your attention…”
“And
what,
” demanded Viktor, “Could possibly be so important that you’d tear me away from my research?”
“Hey!” Jayce protested. “We’re partners! Is it really that inconceivable that I’d have something interesting to show you?”
“Hmph.” Viktor relaxed slightly, smoothing his clothes. Jayce watched, amused: he realized now that Viktor had practically bristled when he was touched.
“What’s so funny?” Viktor asked, sharp eyes darting up to meet his.
“Nothing,” Jayce said, still smirking. He hadn’t shown Viktor the sketch from the other day yet, and figured now wasn’t the best time, but now that the idea of associating Viktor with a cat had crossed his mind once, he couldn’t get it out of his head. “Um, well, I really did have something I wanted to show you. I found an entry on that rune you were telling me about.”
“What?” Viktor shot upright at the news, irritation forgotten. “Where did you find it? I’m the one with the Runic Dictionary which, might I remind you, we had an awful time convincing Heimerdinger to allow us to even take a look at.”
“It was just in that ‘Magical Legends’ book…?” Jayce said hesitatingly.
Viktor stared at him for a moment. “You are lying.”
Jayce grabbed the book and held it out to him. “Right there.”
Viktor read the page for a few seconds, then frowned deeply. “I don’t know whether I want to dance because it’s good to have found the information, or scream because after all of that effort we went through to get that obscure book, it was in this amateur guide all along.”
Jayce nodded slowly.
“What, don’t you agree?”
“Oh no, you’re right!” Jayce was just a little distracted. Thanks to Viktor’s spiked-up hair and irritated amber eyes, he was currently finding it far too easy to imagine a tail swishing back and forth behind him.
Viktor eyed him suspiciously for a moment more, before shrugging and standing up. “Since we’ve found our rune, I’m going to go work on the matrix,” he said. “Coming?”
“You bet,” Jayce smiled.
***
Thanks to Jayce’s earlier discovery, it didn’t take them too long to tackle their current experiment. Once the matrix was activated successfully, Jayce beamed widely and Viktor actually made a sound of celebration.
“That’s what I’m talking about!” Jayce said. He turned to his partner. “V… Good work.”
He hesitated for a moment, but then he grasped Viktor’s shoulder with one hand, drawing him a little closer, and patted him on the back with his other hand. He could feel Viktor stiffen beneath the touch just like earlier, and prepared to pull himself away. But then Viktor actually shifted a little closer, and looked him directly in the eye before reaching out a hand as well.
“I couldn’t have done it without you,” he said.
“That’s why we’re a team,” Jayce replied. “But really, I wanted to thank you in particular. I know you’ve been tired recently, and working harder than ever, so…”
Unconsciously, his grip tightened a little as he spoke with sincerity. But Viktor still didn’t draw away. He wasn’t exactly reciprocating the gesture, but it was almost as if he were… arching into it.
Jayce shook his head, wondering why he couldn’t see Viktor do anything recently without associating it with the way a cat would act. But before he could decide whether to pursue or ignore the thought, Viktor shifted underneath his grip.
“I am hungry,” he said. “And no doubt you are as well. We should go eat.”
“You’re right,” Jayce said, watching as Viktor left his touch-- but not merely by shrugging his hand away. He actually seemed to turn around in such a way that Jayce’s hand dragged up the entirety of his arm and shoulder before falling back down; almost like a caress. All Jayce could do for a second was watch, and then before he knew it Viktor was halfway across the room from him.
“Well? What are you waiting for?”
“Nothing at all,” Jayce said. “I’m starving.”
They made their way to the kitchen attached to the laboratory, exchanging odd comments about the things they had accomplished that day and the possibilities which were now opening themselves up to them. Jayce looked inside the cupboards-- fortunately, there were leftovers. He served himself and Viktor each a hearty potion, and they sat down at the small corner table.
They didn’t talk much over dinner-- they were too busy eating. This silence, however, left Jayce room to pursue what was rapidly becoming a new interest of his: observing Viktor. This time, he found himself watching the motions Viktor made as he ate: the way he delicately lifted his fork, angling his wrist a little differently than most children in Piltover were taught, but not at all vulgar by any less arbitrary standards. The way he only put small mouthfuls of food on his fork at a time, even though he was doubtlessly extremely hungry after working in the lab all day. The way he chewed each mouthful gingerly several times before swallowing, especially with harder or crunchy foods-- despite himself, Jayce was reminded of the way a cat struggles to chew food with its sharp little carnivore teeth.
When they were finished eating, they quickly returned to the lab to clean up and jot down the day’s findings. Although part of Jayce wanted to keep experimenting with the new matrix, he knew that he would work more efficiently the next day if he just went to sleep now.
“V, I’m heading home. Do you want to walk with me?”
“Oh, you go ahead. I’m not quite finished yet.”
“Really?” Jayce asked. “You know, it’s fine to take an evening off here and there, especially when you’ve made a lot of progress earlier in the day. You could always come in early tomorrow, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Something flashed through Viktor’s eyes, and for a second it almost appeared as though he was going to retort. But instead he gave Jayce a small smile, and said: “It’s alright. I work better at night, anyway.”
Jayce nodded. Part of him wanted to protest, but by now he knew that Viktor could be fairly stubborn about these things, and he saw no reason to push back. “That’s fine, then. I’ll see you tomorrow!”
“Good night, Jayce,” Viktor said, his head tilting almost imperceptibly, a little as though he were observing a research specimen. Jayce wondered what he was trying to discover.
“Night, V,” he said, turning around before they could stare at each other for too long. He grabbed his bag and left the lab, giving one last glance at Viktor before exiting. Viktor seemed to already be approaching full concentration mode: his body was tense, and only his eyes were moving as he looked closely at that day’s notes.
Jayce shook his head. “Something else,” he murmured to himself.
***
When Jayce arrived at dawn the next morning, he was once again surprised to find a sleeping Viktor in their lab. “I should have known…” he sighed to himself. If Viktor was left in the lab alone, it was very common for him to stay the night. Although, seeing as they had made a major breakthrough the day before, Jayce had to admit he hadn’t expected Viktor to be here.
He was curled up on a sofa this time, rather than a chair, and Jayce was relieved to see that he had at least had the foresight to drape a blanket over himself. A cold and stiff Viktor was not a happy one, and although Jayce wouldn’t mind caring for him, he doubted Viktor would let him just yet.
Jayce turned to the table, trying to see what had had Viktor so engaged the night before. He didn’t see anything in particular: mostly just a few more trial concepts to be attempted after further runic integration. However, something besides the research caught his eye. Viktor had been looking through Jayce’s notes-- this wasn’t altogether uncommon, especially on the rare occasions when they were working separately. But he had actually taken out a particular page, and pinned it to the corkboard behind his desk… Jayce could recognize his own handwriting. Curious, he took a closer look, and recognition flooded him as the paper came into focus.
It was the drawing he had made a few days ago of Viktor napping, complete with the cat ears and tail!
Jayce was mildly embarrassed that Viktor had found his silly drawing without context; he would have preferred to be able to introduce it himself. But on the other hand, he was now dying to know what Viktor’s reaction had been. And he had actually pinned it to his desk… Viktor had never hung anything up there before!
His thoughts were interrupted by a small sound coming from behind him. It sounded like a rumble, or perhaps a quiet growl… he turned to find the source of the noise, only to see Viktor stirring underneath his blanket. Jayce smiled and approached the couch.
“Viktor?” he called softly.
“Nrr,” came the eloquent reply.
“Are you awake?”
“Mgh.”
Jayce held back a smile; he hadn’t realized Viktor would be so slow to wake up. He caught sight of his partner’s yellow eyes cracking open, reflecting the pale early morning light.
“What time?”
His accent was more noticeable than usual, all heavy consonants and flat vowels. Jayce smiled. “It’s seven.”
Underneath the blanket, Viktor stretched. Then he sat up and moved to the edge of the couch, his feet softly descending to the floor. Something about the sight of his messy hair and forlorn expression, and the sound of his soft yet raspy voice made Jayce laugh: not to make fun of him, but with genuine delight.
“What is it?” Viktor glared suspiciously up at him. “It is much too early to be laughing so much, yes?”
“Sorry,” Jayce grinned. “You’re just reminding me of a cat again.”
“Again? Again?” Viktor murmured to himself in disbelief. “So this drawing…” -- he pointed vaguely towards his desk-- “It is how you see me?”
“Well!--” Jayce shrugged. “I mean… Sometimes, you know?”
“Hmm…” Viktor observed him closely. “What makes you think this?”
The question sounded like one he’d ask when interrogating Jayce on his Hextech hypotheses, a thought which almost made him laugh all over again. But instead, he took a few steps forward and returned Viktor’s gaze.
“It’s just little things you do,” he said. “Like when you’re eating, and you take small bites which you chew gently. And the way you prefer to stay up at night, but sometimes need to take naps during the day. The way you make little sounds in your throat when you’ve only just woken up. And…”
He leaned forward and tugged on a corner of Viktor’s blanket which had slid off of his shoulder. He pulled it back up and smoothed it gently. He felt Viktor tense and then relax beneath his touch, in what was now a familiar pattern.
“When I touch you, you tense a little at first. You need to acquaint yourself with the feeling. But then…”
Viktor leaned closer to him.
“You arch into the touch. Unless you’re focused, or annoyed.”
Viktor blinked, seemingly surprised that Jayce had noticed so much. “No one has described me this way before,” he said.
Carefully, without breaking eye contact, Jayce sat down beside him. “It’s just how I see you,” he said. He shifted backwards a little, then gently pulled Viktor closer to him.
Viktor followed, and then Jayce could suddenly feel his entire back pressed to his chest. A buzzing feeling filled his chest-- he had shared casual touches here and there with Viktor, but never anything quite like this. He had never before had the chance to hold Viktor close and watch the sun rise through the window together, to feel his small body breathing against his own larger frame, to watch as his muscles allowed themselves to relax for once.
“Good morning,” he murmured, an odd note in his soft voice.
“You said this already,” Viktor replied, just as quietly.
When he breathed in, Jayce could feel something hard press against his stomach-- Viktor’s back brace, he realized.
“You sleep in that?” he asked.
Viktor shrugged. “I’m not really supposed to,” he said. “But sometimes…”
A moment passed between them.
“Sorry for waking you up,” Jayce said. “I really didn’t mean to. Do you want to lie down?”
“I think…” Viktor hesitated. “Maybe.”
He moved away-- Jayce was beginning to regret putting the idea in his head, but then Viktor actually curled up beside him... and laid his head in his lap.
“Hello,” he said, yellow eyes blinking up at Jayce as if this was an everyday occurrence.
Jayce struggled to keep his heart rate even-- he knew Viktor would be able to hear it if he were to become nervous or excited. “Hi, V,” he said.
Then, because this morning had already proceeded so much differently than he had expected it would, he threaded his fingers gently through Viktor’s hair and began to comb through the strands.
“Hmm,” Viktor sighed, his eyes falling shut again.
That was all the encouragement Jayce needed, and he began to stroke his partner’s head in earnest. A few moments later, he began to gently massage his scalp.
“Ah,” Viktor said.
“You’re doing it again.”
“What?” His eyes flickered open for a second.
“You sound like a cat.”
Viktor rolled his eyes before closing them again.
“Come on, there’s no way I’m the only one to ever have noticed this. Hmm…” A thought occurred to him. “Hey, V.”
“What are you thinking?”
“Do you think you could be part Vastaya?”
This time, Viktor actually stared at him for several seconds in a row.
“What?” Jayce said. “You have enough cat-like traits to warrant a hypothesis!”
“Ridiculous,” Viktor said. “This is not science.”
“Says who? Heimerdinger? I thought we’d agreed some of his definitions are outdated.”
For the first time that morning, Viktor let out a small laugh. The corners of his lips curled up, and Jayce completely forgot to look at the sunrise for as long as that smile was in view. “I will agree with Heimerdinger this time.”
Jayce let out a mock-gasp. “I can’t believe you’d betray me like this! After everything we’ve been through!”
“Yes, you can never be too careful!” Viktor teased. “If you leave me here alone at night again, I may just steal the Hexcore for myself.”
Jayce gave him a few extra scritches, slightly rougher than the previous ones, enough for Viktor to grumble in protest. “You would never. Besides, if you did, I could always lure you back with some milk.”
“Your cat comparisons are going too far now, Jayce.”
“We won’t be sure until we try.”
Viktor swatted at him with a free hand, but relaxed further into his lap as Jayce continued to caress his head.
“Good morning,” Viktor said again, yawning.
“Have a nice nap,” Jayce replied.
He continued to watch the sun light up Viktor’s features as it climbed further into the sky, his hands never stopping their gentle motions. When he felt Viktor’s breathing slow and deepen, he smiled. He worried sometimes that he was overstepping his partner’s boundaries by seeking to deepen their connection, but it seemed now as though Viktor wasn’t opposed to the idea either. Happiness and hope fluttered inside his chest in tandem.
Briefly, the thought crossed his mind that he should probably start working soon, but it soon left again. After all, everyone knew that once a cat had fallen asleep on your lap, you were never allowed to move again.