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Somehow, Jayce naming Viktor his partner is more of a scandal than getting expelled in the first place was.
In some ways, this is not a surprise. Jayce was, in Caitlyn's words, a minor celebrity even before his study was ransacked and effectively detonated. Viktor was precisely the opposite. Jayce, favored though he was by Heimerdinger, had never even heard of Viktor until the pieces of his life had begun unsticking around him.
Jayce is not so naïve as to think that that is not purposeful on Viktor's part. Viktor doesn't do anything without intent.
Caitlyn thinks the situation regarding his position as a lightning rod of gossip is one of outright hilarity, but she has always enjoyed the tempest of interpersonal drama that other students create at the Academy. In general, Caitlyn acts far older than fifteen. In this singular respect, she has always acted exactly her age.
In the past, Jayce has always skated through the gossip, both unscathed and apathetic. The only reason that he thinks about it today is because Caitlyn has left an envelope on his chair in the lab that the Council has afforded for his and Viktor's efforts.
It's early and Jayce is alone. He opens the note.
It is with great regret that I relinquish The Definitive List of Every Time an Academy Student Spreads Rumors About Jayce Talis to you, Jayce Talis. The burden of carrying on this tradition now falls to you, because my mother found this in my room, grounded me for two weeks, and told me that if I didn't stop engaging in 'such trite nonsense' that I would be grounded for a month.
But I could not bear to destroy it, so I leave my magnum opus to you. Treat it with respect, and perhaps it will deem you worthy in return.
When I am permitted to emerge from my tower, you will be the first to know.
Cait
Jayce snorts. Though she doesn't look it, Caitlyn has a flair for the dramatic that he has never seen anyone else rival. A second piece of paper holds an itemized list, impeccably penned, of every time that Caitlyn has heard someone say Jayce's name either preceded or followed by a statement that may or may not be true. Jayce has seen this list before, but he's never really looked at it.
His brain shrinks just thinking about reading it, but he gives it a cursory glance anyway.
That anyone entertains the idea that he’s spent the night with Penartha is absurd. People think that, but his two-day tryst with Qizhen is nowhere to be seen.
Jayce has always liked Qizhen. He has a nice smile and he’s easy to work with, even if most of his research is unremarkable.
“What are you reading?” Viktor startles him. Jayce doesn’t jump, at least.
Jayce shakes his head. “It’s something Caitlyn left for me.”
Viktor is shorter than Jayce; if Jayce wanted, he could easily keep the paper from view, but that only makes Caitlyn’s list more interesting, if Viktor is curious.
“The Definitive List of Every Time an Academy Student Spreads Rumors About Jayce Talis,” Viktor recites, the header large enough for him to see without getting too close. Jayce still hasn’t quite figured him out. It’s been a week since they’d gone rogue for a night, breaking and entering for the good of hextech. Jayce has seen Viktor every day since, but even though they’ve agreed to be partners, Viktor keeps him at arm’s length. Viktor raises an eyebrow at Jayce. “I don’t know about definitive.”
This is juvenile, and Jayce is surprised that Viktor is entertaining the conversation, as no-nonsense as he usually is. “It’s quite exhaustive, given the deficiencies of the author.”
“Deficiencies?” Viktor questions, eyes still scanning the list.
“Caitlyn is fifteen and not interested in attending the Academy whatsoever.”
Viktor exhales a short laugh. “A harsh definition of deficiency, but I concede the point. She missed the rumor that you spent a weekend with Qizhen.”
Jayce very nearly chokes. “I had thought you’d be too busy for gossip.”
“Just because I go out of my way not to be noticed doesn’t mean that I don’t have ears,” Viktor says dryly.
The Viktor that Jayce sees in private is very different from the Viktor that Jayce sees in public.
It’s not that Viktor isn’t around. Now that Jayce knows who he is, it’s easy enough to find Viktor lurking at the edges of any conversation that has reasonable scientific merit, and he even teaches a few classes, if Jayce's understanding is correct. Jayce wonders at his discipline, because Viktor is almost never in earshot when a discussion dissolves into nonsense.
In this respect, Jayce envies him.
Jayce knows his own reputation: a dreamer with his head in the clouds, a bit of a playboy, and brilliant to boot. People have boiled him down to these three things, and they aren’t wrong about any of them.
This is also why he has always had such a soft spot for Caitlyn, who has spent her whole life rebelling against her birthright and who is just as likely to slap him and tell him he’s an idiot as she is to grin and go along with whatever he’s asked of her. She’s only fifteen, and she’s also probably the only real friend that Jayce has.
He’s unwilling to unpack why his only friend is a teenager, but Jayce also isn’t interested in engaging with Penartha about getting a drink later. If he’s lucky, Caitlyn will skid around the corner and bail him out, but she’s on house arrest, so Jayce is on his own.
Penartha smiles sweetly at him. She’s beautiful; it’s an objective fact. Jayce also doesn’t know another way to say to her that he isn’t interested. He has exhausted every way that he knows how.
“Come on, don’t tell me you don’t have an hour free after Advanced Electromagnetic Theory,” she says, smiling, teeth perfectly straight and white.
Technically, Jayce does have an hour free after class. He runs a hand through his hair, looking for a graceful way to let Penartha down for the umpteenth time, but a clicking sound interrupts him. It stops as Viktor steps up next to him, a thick book in his hand. "Have you read Borland's A Theory on Compression? She's from the undercity, and much of her research is unrefined, but I think it could be applicable to the algorithms that we haven't quite worked out."
Maybe Caitlyn isn't his only friend. Viktor has just thrown him a lifeline.
"Who are you?" Penartha asks, an eyebrow raised. Viktor matches her expression.
"My research partner," Jayce says in relief, "And the reason that I won't have time for much in the extracurricular sense for the foreseeable future."
Penartha looks Viktor up and down, skeptical. "You're Viktor? I thought you'd be taller."
Viktor shrugs. "Alas."
Jayce snorts despite himself, an expression that does not escape Penartha, who excuses herself. “I owe you one,” Jayce says once Penartha takes her leave. Viktor leans hard on his cane; they haven’t known each other that long yet, but Viktor apparently knows Jayce well enough to see that he wanted out of the situation.
“It was only half for your benefit. I do think Borland is onto something.” Viktor holds the book out, and Jayce takes it.
If the Academy was alight with the news that Jayce and Viktor were a team before, Penartha pours kerosene on the flame. It doesn’t help matters that Jayce and Viktor spend hours locked away in a lab together.
Not too long ago, the idea of working so closely with someone would have made Jayce’s stomach turn, but his and Viktor’s relationship has been expedited.
Viktor saved his life before he even knew Jayce.
It makes most other relationships seem vapid, somehow, though he has never been one to pursue much outside the superficial in most instances. It’s different with Viktor, who met Jayce at rock-bottom, pulled him back from a not-even-metaphorical ledge, and dragged him into glory.
He has no desire to be in the spotlight, so Jayce doesn’t force him, but neither of them has a say in how news travels the Academy. Jayce doesn’t put much stock in it; it’s hard to, with Caitlyn’s list putting the absurdity into perspective.
But Jayce has never had a partner this long before. He's never had a partner that he thought of as an equal at all. That makes it hard to fault people for speculating on his and Viktor's relationship.
Jayce has never had a problem finding beauty. It's what makes him such a remarkable inventor. He isn't just brilliant; he has always been able to look and see more than the average person.
That's why he isn't alarmed that first time that, when he and Viktor first succeed, when their hextech dream suspends them in the air, Viktor is stunning. Viktor is so pale that the blue light should wash him out, but instead he's illuminated, alive in the runes that he has helped Jayce bring to life. How couldn't Viktor be beautiful when they created this together? When he caught the gear that Jayce had pushed through the core, Viktor's smile was wide, unreserved.
Yes. Viktor is beautiful. If he hadn't been, that actually would have been more of a surprise. The difference is that Jayce doesn't bore of Viktor's particular brand of beauty.
"You're staring," Viktor says, and he's right. Viktor's always right.
It's not the beginning. The beginning is don't ask for permission, and wait, this isn't my bedroom, and crank it.
No, this is the moment that Jayce wants to reach out and touch his face, wants to see if his skin is as delicate as it looks.
Viktor is waiting for an answer patiently, one hand on the desk for support, cane nearby.
"I'm just thinking," Jayce says, and swallows the urge.
The infatuation will fade, Jayce thinks. If Viktor was anyone else, it wouldn't be a question; Jayce would just take him to bed. With Viktor, this is out of the question for a few reasons:
- If sex ruins the relationship they have now, Jayce doesn't want it. He has few friends as is.
- It's probably a bad idea to mix research this important with pleasure.
- Jayce doesn't even know if Viktor is interested.
Viktor's joke about taking Jayce to his bedroom aside, he hasn't shown the slightest inclination towards being attracted to Jayce. And really, that's for the best. Jayce engraves the thought firmly on the inside of his mind and pushes the door open to the lab.
Caitlyn's legs swing idly as she sits on the desk that Jayce usually has piled high with books. Viktor sits in a chair angled towards her. Alarm must show on Jayce's face, because Viktor says, "If the burglars that destroyed your study were as polite as her, we might never have met at all."
"I didn't break in," Caitlyn protests. "I had a key!"
"That you stole from your parents' office," Viktor says, amused.
"Aren't you grounded?" Jayce asks, and Caitlyn crosses her arms in defiance.
Viktor laughs as if the humor of the situation has broken through his usual veneer. "And you're also a runaway," he says, still smiling.
"Oh, come on." Caitlyn is very nearly whining, to Viktor and Jayce in turn. "I've barely left my room for a week. I can't take it anymore. You won't even know I'm here!"
Viktor looks at Jayce, but Jayce only shrugs. "She'll stay no matter what my opinion is. It's your call.
When Viktor scrutinizes Caitlyn, she fidgets, chewing on her lip. As she twitches under his gaze, Viktor reaches behind him and grabs a piece of paper that Jayce recognizes.
"Your list is no longer current. Your… sabbatical will affect future researchers."
Jayce drags a hand down his face as Caitlyn takes The Definitive List of Every Time an Academy Student Spreads Rumors About Jayce Talis from Viktor's outstretched hand, muttering, "Fuck's sake."
"So much can happen in a week," Caitlyn says mournfully. "Come on, Jayce, what are the new ones?"
Jayce shakes his head. "You're welcome to stay, but we have work to do."
In the same moment that Jayce tries to discourage her, Viktor says, "A first-year is telling anyone who will listen that Jayce washes his hair with rose petals.”
It takes everything in Jayce’s power not to let his jaw drop to the floor, but Caitlyn outright giggles with glee, scrambling to write down the new information that Viktor has offered up. Jayce, though, is more than a head taller than her, and when he decides that he wants to take the list from her, there is little that Caitlyn can do to stop him.
Caitlyn groans and repeats herself (“Come on!”), but Jayce isn’t really listening, because at the bottom of the page, something is written in handwriting that isn’t Caitlyn’s.
Jayce Talis and his new partner - more than just research partners?
Source - Very Nearly Every Student in Computational Fluid Dynamics
Jayce’s mouth goes dry, and he can feel Viktor’s eyes on him, even as Caitlyn jumps up and tears the list from Jayce’s hand.
They’ve shared enough notes for Jayce to recognize Viktor’s handwriting. Viktor’s too smart to think that he wouldn’t.
Being with Viktor is intoxicating. The feeling of having an intellectual equal is indescribable; no matter what theory Jayce offers up, Viktor has something of substance to say.
Jayce doesn’t have difficulty turning Penartha down anymore. “I’m working with Viktor,” he says, and it isn’t even a lie. He spends so much time in the lab that Viktor himself even mentions it.
“Not that I’m ungrateful for your dedication to the work,” Viktor says with that dry humor that Jayce has come to appreciate, “But do you spend time doing anything else?”
Jayce raises an eyebrow. “Do you?”
Viktor laughs, then. “Well, no. But I’m hardly the sought-after quantity that you are.”
“Incomprehensible,” Jayce says under his breath, because it is; Viktor’s mind is the most beautiful thing that Jayce has ever seen, never mind that the curve of his wrist and the angle of his cheekbones are a close second and third, respectively.
They work into the early morning, sometimes so long that Jayce doesn’t even have time to change clothes before classes, but it’s a pace that can't be self-sustained. Jayce drifts in and out of sleep as they work that night, but still he doesn’t notice how tired he is until Viktor’s posture changes, and he slips.
Jayce steps forward, no longer drowsy as it seems like Viktor is losing his footing, and wraps a hand around Viktor’s forearm. The movement startles Viktor awake, and he rights himself before looking at Jayce. Rubbing at his temples with the hand that isn’t resting on his cane, Viktor says, “I apologize, but I think I might have to call it an evening.”
Jayce’s hand is still on Viktor’s forearm; this is physically the closest that they have ever been. Jayce can see Viktor’s chest rising and falling, can feel Viktor’s breath quicken.
“If Penartha could see us now,” Viktor says. It’s probably supposed to be a joke, but between their proximity and the drunken stupor that sleep deprivation provides, the words sound all too serious.
“Half the student body already thinks we’re sleeping together.” The words fall out of Jayce’s mouth with no regard for the damage they could do if this breaks bad.
Viktor exhales a laugh through his nose, but he still hasn’t moved away. “Half is a conservative estimate, from my observations. To think that a cripple from the undercity took Piltover’s most eligible bachelor off the market.”
That one Viktor manages to make sound like a joke, but the isolation of the lab and the lack of sleep make Jayce bold. “Do you really think I care that you need a cane and that you aren’t from Piltover?”
“No,” Viktor says, surprising Jayce a little. “I’m long past thinking you’re so shallow as that. I’m thinking more that the optics are… less than ideal, if you are going to be the new figurehead of Piltover that Councilor Medarda and everyone else would like you to be.”
“Piltover wouldn’t have hextech at all if it wasn’t for you,” Jayce says simply. Viktor’s lips part, the whir of machines the only sound in the room, and he blinks. He looks more nervous than unsure. “I don’t want to do this without you,” Jayce continues. “You saved my life, and then you proved everything that I thought about hextech right. You can imagine what that does to a man.”
Viktor rolls his eyes, a little more like himself, and Jayce takes another step forward, because if he’s going to do this, he might as well commit. “You would have gotten there eventually. You just needed a push.”
“Actually,” Jayce says darkly, “A push would have been the end, I think.”
They’ve spoken about that night many times, about “reclaiming” all of Jayce’s lab equipment, about how lucky they were that it was Councilor Medarda that found them, about how it felt to be weightless. To Viktor’s credit, he hasn’t tried to make Jayce talk about it. Now, though, in a matter-of-fact voice juxtaposed against the fact that he and Jayce are so close that their chests are almost touching, Viktor says, “I was furious with you, to be quite honest, and I didn’t even know you. I understood the impulse, but I had just gone through all your work. The idea that you were going to throw your brain away? Maddening.”
Jayce doesn’t know what to say to that. Laughing feels disingenuous; he’s mostly ashamed. Instead, he reaches his free hand up to Viktor’s cheek, stopping just short of touching him. Viktor raises an eyebrow. “Would you still feel this way if you’d had eight hours of sleep?” he asks skeptically.
Jayce doesn’t say it out loud, but he would, because he’s been wanting to do this for days. Jayce’s hand brushes against Viktor’s cheek then tangles in his hair. Viktor’s breath is short when Jayce finally closes what little gap remains between them.
It feels different than Jayce thought it would. Viktor’s lips are dry and thin, and for a brief moment as Viktor doesn’t return the kiss, Jayce thinks he’s made a terrible mistake. Softly, because he knows the ramifications of this impulsive and ill-thought-out series of actions, Jayce starts to pull away, but Viktor’s free hand finds his waist.
With a look all too serious for someone who has just been kissed by the man that Viktor himself has just referred to as Piltover’s most eligible bachelor, Viktor says, “If this doesn’t work out, are we still research partners?”
When Jayce laughs, Viktor wrinkles his nose like he thinks Jayce isn’t taking him seriously. “Sorry,” Jayce says. “I just don’t know who I could replace you with even if I wanted to.”
Viktor half-smiles then, and kisses Jayce back after all. Jayce’s hand roams up to Viktor’s chest, and into Viktor’s mouth, he says, “Tell me if I-”
“I’m not made of glass, Talis,” Viktor says, like Jayce doesn’t know that better than anyone in that moment with his tongue in Viktor’s mouth, like touching Viktor’s skin isn’t what Jayce has been thinking about since he saved Jayce’s life.
And if they end up in Jayce’s room, uniforms in a heap on the ground, who is the wiser? People are going to talk either way.