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This must be Heaven.
Jayce wasn’t a religious man by any means, no. Going to church on Sundays was more a social endeavor pushed by his mother than a spiritual effort. One of which he stopped doing entirely upon moving to Piltover to focus on his career. Pursuing a path of science only further augmented his idea of an evangelical afterlife, replacing faith with fact. Yet as he stood in the quiet serenity of his and Viktor’s bedroom, the idea of something existing beyond even life and death itself felt almost tangible.
It was still dark out, although the bedroom was now cast in a wash of milky blue that signaled dawn was right around the corner. The morning’s silence would soon be lost to a bird’s chirp or the occasional rumble of a car engine. The world was slowly waking up and Jayce was among the many who rose with it, despite every inclination that told him to crawl back underneath the covers and stay there. Some earlier version of himself would’ve laughed at the mere thought of lying in. Preferably one that was younger and ignorant to the fact that his lab partner, later husband, got grumpy when he woke up alone. Change really is such a fascinating concept.
At least the sunrises were nice back then, although Jayce had much prettier things to wake up to these days.
As if on cue, the bundle in his arms shifted. Jayce paused in his trek across the bedroom, a forward and back motion from door to window he’d picked up since Anna first began to fuss inside her crib. He immediately looked down, noting the emptiness of the bottle in his hand and the way his daughter’s features seemed to scrunch with disappointment now that her meal was finished. It was a look Viktor said was all him. Jayce knew better than to deny it. He had to practically pry the bottle from her gummy mouth after every feeding. Who knew they could create such a ravenous little thing?
“So greedy,” Jayce murmured softly, fighting a smile as he set the empty bottle aside on the dresser; searching for a burp cloth instead.
Anna Viktoria Talis came into their lives a mere ten days prior. Born ( extracted as his husband would like to say) on December third, she was scheduled a whole three weeks early for Viktor’s sake but took it as a major personal offense. From the moment she was born, to when she was draped over the surgical covering for them to see, she let her displeasure be known. Howling in the doctor’s hands, she was nothing but a six-pound ball of rosy pink skin and flailing limbs for them to love and nurture. Only when she was laid across Viktor’s chest, clean and swaddled, did she settle. Silent and serene and oh-so-perfect. Jayce nearly cried himself sick at the sight.
Now nearly two weeks later, he could still hardly believe it. Every time he held Anna, every time he watched Viktor cradle her in his arms with a quiet reverence, the magnitude of it hit Jayce all over again. She was real. She was theirs. And somehow, despite all the chaos that had brought them here, everything felt…right.
Carefully, Jayce adjusted Anna in his arms as he produced a cloth from a basket beside her crib. He settled it over his shoulder and shifted her again, patting her back gently as she let out a sleepy little grunt. Her fingers curled against his chest, finding purchase in the fabric of his shirt.
Like clockwork Jayce swayed while he patted, having boiled down the routine to an absolute science. He would even dare to call himself a pro now, but Viktor would never allow his head to grow too big, and rightfully so. However, Anna did a great job of keeping him humble. He’d lost a significant amount of clothing to the ongoing war that was spit-up and he didn’t intend to lose another soldier this morning.
He gave Anna’s back one final pat, feeling the tiniest, warmest weight settle against his chest. She made a noise, something halfway between a sigh and a squeak, that had his heart folding in on itself. So polite, Jayce thought to himself, just like your father.
He kept up the swaying motion, hoping to lull her back to sleep. It seemed to work as he watched her face ease into a peaceful pout, cheek smooshed against him. Jayce quickly stole the moment to study her: the faint, downy curls on her head, the way she crinkled her nose, the faintest trace of Viktor in her features. Every time he looked at her, it stunned him all over again. How was it possible to love something so much?
A soft rustle behind him drew his attention towards the bed. Viktor had shifted, one hand now stretched out across the sheets where Jayce had been lying moments ago. Jayce couldn’t help but smile. Even in sleep, Viktor looked for him. It was a small, quiet reminder of just how tethered their lives had become over the years. From sleepless nights in the lab to sleepless nights spent rocking their daughter, they were still here—together.
It was a rare sight to see his husband so deeply asleep, his brow unfurrowed and his mouth slack with the kind of peace Viktor rarely allowed himself. Normally, Viktor would stir awake at the faintest sound, his sharp mind always on edge, even when he was supposed to rest. But now, after nearly a fortnight of Anna disrupting every semblance of a schedule they’d built, exhaustion had finally caught up with him. Jayce felt a pang of guilt for letting him take on so much in the past days, but Viktor had insisted. “You need your strength for the day,” he’d whispered last night when Jayce offered to take the midnight feeding, his lips brushing against his forehead.
It was Viktor’s way of being protective, stubbornly so, but Jayce would give anything to let his husband sleep in just a little longer. Anna seemed to have other plans.
His daughter suddenly stirred, a tiny whimper rising in her throat despite having a full belly and warm surface to nap on. Jayce instinctively adjusted his hold, shushing her softly as he rubbed her back.
Hey, hey,” he murmured, now rocking from side to side. “What’s wrong? You usually like this spot.” She was perched over his heart, a personal favorite, but refused to settle. Her whines only grew louder, more insistent, before morphing into full-blown cries.
The noise startled Jayce as it cut through the quiet morning air. He quickly tried everything to soothe her. He bounced gently, swayed, and even hummed a low, tuneless melody. Nothing worked.
Finally, he sighed, muttering under his breath, “You’re too picky for someone so small.”
Anna’s cries only continued, punctuated by her tiny fists grabbing at the fabric of his shirt. Jayce froze, glancing down as his daughter pawed at the material, scrunching her tiny face in frustration.
“Oh,” Jayce realized aloud. He shifted her higher onto his shoulder. “You don’t like the shirt, huh?”
From the bed, Viktor let out a soft snort.
Jayce glanced over his shoulder to see him shifting again, this time lifting his head slightly. His curls were mussed, his cheeks pink from sleep, and his eyes half-lidded as he blinked at him and Anna.
“That doesn’t sound like sleeping, V.”
“And that doesn’t sound like a baby being soothed, Jayce.” Viktor’s voice was rough with sleep, his thick accent more pronounced in his drowsy state. He rubbed at his eyes before letting his hand fall back to the mattress. “Why are you even up?”
“She was hungry,” he said, voice low. “I was trying not to wake you.”
“Well,” Viktor huffed, his lips quirking into a faint smile, “I’m awake now.” He sat up, the covers pooling around his waist as he indulged in a long, languid stretch. His husband always joked that Rio was his first first-born, but maybe there was some truth behind his words.
“Take the shirt off. It’s obvious she wants skin-to-skin.”
“I know ,” Jayce replied, his tone defensive. “I was getting there.”
He carefully laid Anna down on the bed for a moment, peeling off his sleep shirt and tossing it toward a chair in the corner of their bedroom. His chest, broad and warm, easily caught the first scraps of sunlight that snuck through the blinds. When he picked Anna back up, the change was immediate. Her cries quieted as she pressed her cheek against Jayce’s warm chest, her tiny fingers splaying out across the tanned surface.
“There we go,” Jayce murmured, his voice softening. “That’s better, huh, sweet girl?”
Viktor flopped back onto his pillow, eyes closing again. “You’re hopeless,” he mumbled, sounding terribly fond.
Jayce grinned as he climbed back into bed, lying on his back with Anna still snuggled close. “Hopelessly in love, maybe.”
Viktor groaned, his hand covering his face as if to shield himself from the sheer cheesiness radiating off of him. “Spare me, Jayce. It’s too early for your… what is the phrase? ‘Corny lines.’”
“Not corny if it’s true.” He shifted slightly, pressing a kiss to Anna’s soft curls. “Besides, look at her. I’ve got proof she loves me best already.”
Viktor snorted, “Please. She only loves you for your ridiculous chest.” He gestured vaguely at the broad expanse of Jayce’s torso. “It’s like a pillow. She probably thinks you’re some oversized crib.”
Jayce gasped dramatically, one hand flying up to his mock pearls in offense. “Are you saying she only loves me for my body?”
“Of course.” Viktor smirked before folding his arms and leaning back into his pillow. “What else do you have to offer?”
“Wow.” Jayce let out a low, disbelieving laugh. “I have so much to offer, thank you. Big brains, a big heart—”
“Chest, you mean?”
Jayce just rolled his eyes, biting back a laugh. “You’re just jealous because you know she’d rather snuggle me.” He tilted his head and gave his husband a playful wink. “Admit it. You’re missing out.”
“Missing out?” Viktor echoed, arching a brow as he fought the smirk tugging at his lips. He shook his head, exhaling a soft laugh. “Hardly. I’m too busy keeping our lives together while you parade around with your oversized…mattress.”
Jayce chuckled, low and warm, and leaned back further against the pillows, his hand resting on Anna’s back. “Call it whatever you want, but clearly, it works. She’s already out cold.”
Indeed, their daughter had fallen asleep, her tiny body rising and falling with the rhythm of his breathing. Her little face was peaceful, her cheek pressed against his skin as though she’d found the safest place in the world. Viktor’s teasing faltered, his sharp features softening as he watched her.
Jayce noticed the shift and smiled knowingly. “See? Even you’re getting quiet. She’s magic, huh?”
Viktor didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he settled in beside Jayce with his head resting on his shoulder. His fingers brushed lightly over Anna’s closed fist, hesitant yet reverent, as though he still couldn’t believe she was real.
“She is,” Viktor murmured at last, his voice quieter now.
For a while, neither of them spoke, letting the morning settle around them. Viktor eventually closed his eyes, his exhaustion gaining the upper hand. Jayce stayed still, the steady weight of his daughter and the comforting warmth of his husband lulling him into complete contentment.
“You know,” Viktor said after a while, his voice drowsy but tinged with amusement, “if we ever have another child, you’ll need to grow an even bigger chest to accommodate both of them.”
Jayce snorted, his laugh quiet enough not to disturb Anna. “V, I don’t think that’s how parenting works.”
“Well,” Viktor replied, a faint smirk on his lips as he tilted his head to look up at Jayce, “you’re the engineer. I’m sure you’ll find a way.”
Jayce shook his head, chuckling. “Ridiculous.”
“And yet, you married me.” Viktor’s smirk softened, his eyes fluttering shut again as he relaxed against him. “Poor, hopeless fool.”
“Hopelessly in love,” Jayce corrected once again, his voice softening as he adjusted Anna slightly, keeping her secure.
Viktor hummed faintly, already half-asleep again.
Jayce?” Viktor’s voice was barely a murmur now, low and soft, breaking through the quiet stillness of the room.
“Yeah?” Jayce tilted his head slightly, glancing down.
Viktor didn’t lift his head, instead nuzzling closer against his side, his curls brushing along his chin. His breath was warm, his voice even softer. “You’re a good father.”
The simple statement settled in the space between them, gentle yet heavy with meaning.
Jayce’s chest tightened, his heart stumbling over itself as he looked down at Viktor and then at Anna, still snuggled against him. A quiet, disbelieving laugh escaped him as he pressed a kiss to Viktor’s hair. “I have a great teacher.”
For a moment, Viktor didn’t reply, his breathing deepening as the weight of exhaustion pulled him further under. But even as his eyes drifted shut, a faint, tired smile curved at his lips.
So yeah, maybe Heaven did exist, so long as it was here, surrounded by the quiet rhythm of his husband’s breathing and the gentle rise and fall of his daughter’s tiny chest. It wasn’t some ethereal place or a lofty promise waiting at the end of a hard life. It was this. It was warm skin and soft sighs, whispered reassurances in the dead of night, and the kind of love that made all the chaos worth enduring.
Heaven, Jayce decided, wasn’t somewhere you found. It was something you built.