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Jayce waited with anticipatory excitement outside of his mother’s living room, hidden behind the wall of one of the doorways as he listened in. He should have been in his old room, or somewhere else, instead of eavesdropping on Viktor’s conversation with his mother. He couldn’t help himself, it was all so cheesy and romantic, like in his mother’s stories that Jayce would read in secret. His favorite scenes were always the ones where the alpha would go to the omega’s parents, asking or telling them that the alpha wanted the omega’s hand in marriage, making some big dramatic speech about how they couldn’t live without them. So, no one could blame him for listening in when it was happening in real life.
“Thank you for having me over, Mrs. Talis.” Viktor’s tone hid the nerves in his voice. The entire way to his mother’s home, Viktor had been freaking out. He squeezed Jayce’s hand the entire time and looked like he was going to throw up. Jayce had teased him, patting him consolingly and reminding Viktor that his mother loved him. He didn’t mention that for the first two years of their partnership, Ximena asked Jayce over and over again if partners had a double meaning. Jayce knew asking for her blessing was a formality. They had their rough patches, but Ximena did trust her son and his decisions, and she wasn’t going to get in the way of his happiness.
“I’ve told you so many times, call me Ximena.” Jayce could see his mother’s soft smile from his hiding place. “What is it that you wanted to discuss with me?”
Viktor rubbed his hands on his pants, Jayce having to hold back his snicker at Viktor’s nervous tell. “Well, Mrs. Ximena,” He started, still unable to drop the formalities completely. “I am sure you know how close your son and I are…”
There was a small mischievous glint in Ximena’s eyes as she caught Jayce’s eye from where he was hiding. “You two have been working together for years now, yes. It’s not unusual for you to get close.”
“Yes, well… I uh, well simply put… I… Eh, you see that, well, Jayce is…” Viktor stumbled over his words, letting out a slightly frustrated groan. “I’m totally blowing this.” He muttered under his breath, the phrase stolen from spending time in the lab with Jinx.
Jayce covered his mouth to hide his glee. He wasn’t used to Viktor being so tongue-tied, especially when it came to something he had once wrinkled his nose at. Asking for parent’s permission to court wasn’t a tradition in Zaun, but it was in Piltover, and Jayce loved that Viktor was willing to put himself in an uncomfortable position because he knew it was important to the omega.
Ximena’s eyes softened at Viktor’s flustered comment, tilting her head slightly with a sweet grin. “No, you’re not. Please continue.” She encouraged.
“... Jayce is one of the most amazing beings I’ve had the privilege of meeting. I know that I’m probably not the alpha you expected for your son, but…” Viktor paused to take a deep breath and looked up to meet her eyes. “Mrs. Ximena, I love your son. He makes me a better man just for knowing him, and I will do everything to make him happy for the rest of his life. Can I have your blessing to court Jayce?”
Jayce felt his heart squeeze at Viktor’s words, positive that the look on his face was adoring and full of love. Even though Viktor was always so obvious with his love in his actions and the way he was around Jayce, there was something about hearing it aloud, especially when Viktor didn’t know he was listening, that made it all the more pleasing.
Ximena smiled brighter than Jayce could ever really remember seeing her smile in his whole life. “Of course I will give you my blessing, Viktor. You are the first person to make Jayce shine as brightly as he deserves to shine, and you saw him for who he is even when I could not. But,” Her pause made Viktor take a sharp inhale. “You know that it’s not me who you need permission from. Jayce, will you come in here please?”
Jayce waited a moment before walking out of the hall, joining Viktor on the couch. He gave the alpha an apologetic smile and took his hand.
“... Were you listening the whole time? You told me you would wait.” Viktor huffed, his annoyance betrayed by the way he pressed his knee against Jayce’s.
“The whole time. In my defense, you did tell me what your plans were, so how was I supposed to resist?” Jayce leaned onto Viktor and pressed a kiss to the crown of his head.
“I’m leaving you outside like a dog next time I need to have serious conversations…” Viktor grumbled but didn’t pull away.
There was a small laugh, pulling both of their attentions to Ximena. She was looking at both of them with her eyes full of affection. “Sorry, it’s just… Jayce’s father and I used to bicker like that.”
Jayce’s heart squeezed at that, a bittersweet smile finding its way to his lips. His mother didn’t talk much about his father, and when she did, it was misted in so much sadness that Jayce had stopped asking about him when he was thirteen. Hearing his mother sound so happy at his memory…
“He would have liked you, Viktor.” She smiled and took a deep breath. Ximena looked at Jayce as she changed the topic. “Well, Jayce, you have heard what Viktor said. You should give the man an answer.”
Jayce smiled at his mother before turning to Viktor. He knew his face was sappy as he leaned in. “Viktor, I would be the happiest man in the world if you courted me.”
—
Viktor had lived in Piltover for a not insignificant part of his life, and while he thought that he had adjusted pretty well to most of the cultural shifts, one he never bothered to learn about was courting rituals. In his defense, it wasn’t like Viktor had expected or believed that he would ever be courting someone, let alone someone from a Piltovian House.
Even though Jayce had said their courtship didn’t need to match the usual customs, Viktor could see how happy Jayce would get whenever Viktor would say he wanted to respect Jayce’s traditions. He knew he could go to a bookstore and pick up a book on courting practices, but Viktor figured going to someone who was closer to Jayce would give Viktor a better idea of how the omega would want to be courted.
That was how he found himself sitting in one of the many rooms of the Kiramann’s estate with a view of the gardens. A small table was set up with a tiered tray lined with all kinds of small cakes and tiny sandwiches, and a pot of fresh tea that came in a teapot so nice Viktor felt wrong just looking at it.
Caitlyn sat opposite to him with an apologetic smile, her legs crossed under the table as she leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. She had truly grown into her status as the Kiramann alpha heir, the frills of her clothes when she was a teenager replaced by sleek and simple shirts and pants, her hair worn up and out of her face. Her presence commanded respect.
“You didn’t have to go to all this trouble for me…” Viktor said, his fingers wrapped around the teacup and fidgeting with the edge of it as he stared down into it. “I’ve known you for almost a decade, you don’t need to go so fancy with it. I’m not anyone special.”
“You’re special to Jayce, which makes you special to me.” Caitlyn’s smile went from apologetic to warm. “If it makes you feel better, most of this was prepared by Vi. She’ll be joining us soon, I hope. I don’t know if cooking is a sign of nesting, or maybe to do with cravings, but she’s been driving the chef mad.”
“I have not been driving him mad!” Vi spoke loudly as she entered, talking over Caitlyn. She set down a tray of fresh fruit on the table before taking her seat beside Caitlyn. Viktor looked over at her, dressed in comfortable clothes that stretched over her slightly larger belly. “He tells me I’m a delight. I just have been enjoying cooking more lately. Sue me. Also, hello V, it’s great to have you.”
“Thank you for having me, Ms. Violet.” Viktor chuckled and with their prompting politely placed a few cakes and slices of fruit on his plate, nibbling lightly on a piece of melon while they dished up their own plates. “So, besides the, uh, cooking, your pregnancy has been going well?”
Vi beamed and nodded. “Yes! The book I’ve been reading says our little one is about the size of a rutabaga! And they’ve started moving. If they kick, do you want to feel it?” She sounded so excited, nearly bouncing in her chair.
Viktor had gotten to know Vi over the years and motherhood suited her. Even though the baby was a surprise, even the blind could see how happy the child made Caitlyn and Vi. He gave her a warm smile. “That sounds wonderful, thank you.”
Caitlyn looked at her mate affectionately, leaning on her cheek while she watched Vi speak. After a moment she raised her head and turned to Viktor. “So, what was it that you wanted to talk about? I’m surprised Jayce didn’t come with you.”
Viktor set down the little cake he had bitten into and finished the bite as fast as he could without choking. “That was intentional. I am sure Jayce has told you, but he and I are starting our courtship, and I wanted some advice.”
“Took you two long enough.” Vi laughed, her tone cheery and light as she teased Viktor.
Caitlyn rolled her eyes at Vi’s comment and then focused on Viktor. “What do you want advice on?”
Viktor rubbed his hands on his pants, similarly as nervous as he was in the Talis’ family home across from Ximena. “On Piltover’s courting traditions. I wasn’t raised here, and I’m not sure what things that are still done or not. Plus, you’re close to Jayce, I was hoping you knew some of the ways he would want to be courted…”
Caitlyn couldn’t stop the smile on her face as she saw how anxious Viktor was about impressing Jayce. It was a little ridiculous, because everyone who knew them knew that Jayce was so in love with Viktor that he would be happy if Viktor just gave him a random rock from the side of the road. But, Viktor was just as in love with Jayce and he wanted to show Jayce that.
“Alright, well, I suppose that I can certainly try to tell you some things. Piltover is pretty conservative all things considered. There’s a lot of focus on building up the romance without any physical affection, not that you should stop that with Jayce.” Caitlyn said quickly, pulling a grin to Viktor’s lips.
“I don’t think I could stop him from touching me if I tried.” Viktor chuckled, thinking of how unconscious Jayce was with his hands. His back, his knee, draping over Viktor while they’re squinting at equations trying to figure out where they dropped a sign or forgot to square something. He always needed something to be touching Viktor like he needed breathing.
“Big thing is that when alphas are trying to court an omega, it’s all about romance. It’s flowers and small gifts, going for walks together and spending time getting to know each other. Writing him poetry or even just a love letter, something that shows him how much you think of him. It might not apply to your situation, but typically the omega would show they’ve accepted the courtship by offering something with their scent on it.”
Viktor wished he had brought a notebook as he took in Caitlyn’s words. He had a few ideas of what he could do for it and it would have been nice to jot them down like he did whenever he had a breakthrough with Hextech. “Thank you, Caitlyn, this was really helpful.”
Caitlyn reached over to place her hand on top of Viktor’s. “And, don’t overthink it. Jayce loves you so much, he’s going to love anything you do for him.”
—
Jayce had left the Council Meeting feeling exhausted and frustrated. For as much progress they had made in recognizing Zaun and their people as being more than Piltover's shadow, there were still members who were resistant to any plans for improving the living conditions of the Undercity. He was managing to keep the frustrations silent, only sharing a look with Sevika towards the end of the meeting when progress was again halted.
He held any comments to himself as everyone began to leave the Council Room, Sevika being the first to step away frustrated and furious. Jayce couldn't blame her. He would have done the same if it wouldn't get him labeled as an overly-emotional omega. Mel approached Jayce as the last two to head out of the meeting, a comforting touch to his shoulder as they left.
“We'll figure out how to get them to understand how this benefits everyone, Jayce.” Mel offered a warm smile as she fell into step with him.
Jayce forced a smile on his face, offering Mel his arm as they walked. “I know, I'm just tired of the fact that the timeline for progress can be so long. If people could just see what's right in front of them…”
“You should be used to being patient, Jayce, after all, how long did it take you to see what was right in front of you?” Mel teased lightly, subtly changing the subject. Jayce knew what she was doing to try and cheer him up and the smile on his face felt a little more genuine as he took the bait.
“You know, I don't have any idea of what you might mean…” He played coy as he looked at her.
“I am surprised that you two are actually doing a whole courtship.” Mel squeezed his arm slightly as they turned the corner. “You two certainly haven't exactly had a conventional relationship… well, ever really.”
“I can't really argue with that.” Jayce shook his head at that. It was a fair thing to point out, especially with how they seemed to do everything out of order, but it still seemed to matter to the both of them that they did the courtship right. “I think that whole not conventional bit is why we care so much about making sure we do this part correctly. Plus, Viktor is secretly a lot more romantic than he appears.”
Mel smiled and nodded along. “Well, I am really happy for the both of you.”
Jayce returned her smile and then figured turn-about was fair play. “Now, speaking of convention… Have I heard rumors of you and Sevika having many private meetings?”
“I assure you that whatever you have heard is entirely innocent and simply has to do with working alongside Councilor Sevika for the betterment of Zaun.” Mel took her turn to play coy.
“Mhm, so everything remains untoward? I don’t have to step in to defend your honor, do I?”
Mel playfully swatted Jayce’s arm and they turned the corner to the doors to the lab. “... But truly, Jayce, we will get the others to understand that the prosperity of Zaun is the prosperity of Piltover.”
He sighed and nodded. “Of course, hopefully it won’t be too much longer.” Jayce hummed and made his way into the lab with a sigh, making his way to his workbench to try and distract himself by burying himself in work until Viktor was done working at the Hexgates. Jayce couldn’t wait to tell him the ridiculous comment that Salo made this time. He paused, a smile finding its way on his face as he found a bouquet of red chrysanthemums sitting there. Jayce lightly brushed the petals as he pulled out the small card tucked into them.
Hope these can brighten your day as much as you brighten my life. - V
Jayce almost snorted at the horrible line, but couldn’t help but appreciate the sentiment as he carefully picked up the flowers and went to go put them into a makeshift vase. They meant “deep love and passion”, but more importantly was the fact that they were specifically left for Jayce to find after his meeting, which Viktor knew Jayce had been leaving more and more frustrated over the last few weeks. Once the flowers were in water, Jayce made sure to put them in the corner of his desk right where they would still be able to be seen from the corner of his eye.
—
“... What rhymes with yellow?” Viktor asked out of the blue a week after the flowers, when it was just Ekko, Jinx, and him in the lab. Jayce was taking a longer lunch to meet with Sevika and Mel about how to convince the council members to focus on improving the social supports in Zaun.
“... Mellow? Bellow?” Jinx pushed back from her prototype, pushing her goggles up from her face. “... Wait, why are you even asking?”
“... No reason.” Viktor flushed for a moment, turning away from her and leaning back over his desk to cover the piece of paper he was writing on.
Ekko and Jinx looked at each, both of them sharing a mischievous look before they jumped into action. Jinx dragged Viktor’s stool away from the table while Ekko scooped up the paper before Viktor could react, the scientist squawking in protest as he tried to grab the papers from his student’s hands.
“Hexgems are blue, sunflowers are yellow, my love for you is…” Ekko read aloud while trying to push Viktor away from desperately clawing the paper from his hands, trailing off at the end of the unfinished sentence. “... Yo, Vik… Has anyone told you not t0 go into poetry?”
Viktor huffed and finally grabbed the papers, pulling them to his chest once they were securely in his grasp. “Well, it’s a great thing that I’m not asking you.” He snapped as his cheeks burned a bright red. After a few moments, he deflated. “... It’s ridiculous isn’t it?” He sighed as he crumbled the papers and leaned against the bench.
Ekko and Jinx once again shared a look, this one more sincere than the prior mischievous look.
“This about the courtship with Chisel, huh?” Jinx rolled over to Viktor’s side, draping herself across his back.
“... yes. I just… I am probably one of the least romantic people in all of Runeterra and Piltover’s traditions are disgustingly romantic…” Viktor groaned, not even trying to push Jinx off of him.
Ekko leaned back against the table, tilting his head to one side with a slight pull of the corner of his lips. “... You’re not wrong, but I don’t personally think Jayce is looking for ‘Piltover romance’.”
Viktor looked up at Ekko, tilting his head curiously. “Eh, what do you mean by that? He is obsessed with those trashy romance rags.”
Jinx pulled back slightly, her arm not pulling away from Viktor so she was sort of hanging off of him. “Nah, I get what Ekko is saying. Sure, Chisel is a little obsessed with the idea of love and expressions of it, but it’s more about how those expressions are done. Like, he had both me and Ekko tell him all about our courting and was gushing over the whole thing, even though it was nowhere close to the romantic stories he likes. I mean, Ekko took me out on a hoverboard ride and then we designed a blimp.”
Viktor squinted at Jinx and held back a comment about how that did actually sound quite romantic courtship.
Ekko jumped in. “I think what Jinx is trying to get at is that Jayce likes it when the romance and romantic gestures come from the heart and knowing your partner. So, instead of trying to mimic Piltie traditions and poetry, you should do something that you know Jayce would like and something that only you could do.”
Viktor hummed as he took in their words and turned back to the work on his bench. “... I think I understand what you two are saying… Uh, you should take the afternoon off, if you’d like.”
Ekko and Jinx shared one more look, before gathering their things. “Good luck, Crook!” Jinx yelled as she and Ekko headed out for the day.
Viktor pulled over a couple chalkboards and began to work on his version of a poem for Jayce. He was at it for a few hours, lucky that the lunch meeting ended up going well into the evening. Jayce didn’t end up returning to the lab until the sun had just set and Viktor had finished the last of the details.
“... Sorry I’m back so late.” Jayce had a sigh in his voice as he entered the room, dropping his coat on one of the racks. He wasn’t far enough into the room to see Viktor’s work yet. “I think we are finally getting to a decent plan to get those bas- What’s this?”
Jayce paused a few feet away from Viktor and the chalkboards, furrowing his brows as he looked over the lines and lines of equations that Viktor had covered the boards in.
Viktor, for his part, was bashful and a little red as he coughed into his fist and stood awkwardly by the boards. “... It’s our love story.”
Jayce took a few steps closer and began to follow the work. “... Oh, this is when my apartment blew up…” He murmured as he pointed at the equation for concussive force Viktor had written. “And this is the graph you had drawn when you told me about the forced oscillations… And here is the sequence of runes that made the gravity reverse in Heimerdinger’s lab!” Jayce’s face split into a bright smile that made Viktor’s heart swell.
Viktor fell into step beside Jayce as the omega continued to piece together all the equations and each moment attached to them. The sequence that made the teleportation work, the chemical compound of the champagne they shared after the Council gave final approval for the first Hexgates. Jayce laughed and traced under the equations for gravitational attraction and orbital periods.
“... I set them to represent how quickly it took us to realize our feelings…” Viktor mumbled, unable to hide the blush anymore, nor could he stop the way his heart skipped a beat at the smile Jayce gave him.
Jayce continued on, only pausing at one of the last equations. He tilted his head, his tongue pressed against the small gap in his teeth as he tried to piece it together. Finally he turned to Viktor. “What’s this one?”
Viktor traced his own hand lightly over the variables and numbers, careful to not smudge the chalk lines. “... This one is the way that your love makes me feel…” He picked up a piece of chalk and put the last pieces on it. “If you take the limit of this one, you get infinity…”
He turned to look at Jayce when he heard a small sniffle. In the dim light of the room, Viktor could see the tears gathering in Jayce’s eyes.
“... Oh Viktor…” He said in a hushed voice. He turned to Viktor, reaching up to cup his face and pulled him a little closer. “This is wonderful.”
Viktor grinned and reached up to place his hands over Jayce’s. “We do have quite the love story, eh?”
“Yeah, we really do.” Jayce chuckled and leaned in to press his lips against Viktor’s.
—
Caitlyn and Violet were hosting a dinner, with seemingly everyone invited over. It had been a lovely night, with lots of laughter and overall pleasant conversation. As the night wore on and things settled down, Jayce found himself in a corner with Vi. They had been catching up, neither of them really having time to spend actual time with each other as of late. Jayce missed her, even though he was pretty sure Viktor would have a heart attack if they did anything without supervision. Which was completely unfair, not all of their hang-outs ended in disaster…
“How big is your baby now?” Jayce asked as Vi held his hand to her belly to feel the baby kick. He had heard from Viktor and Caitlyn how obsessed with the size and strength Vi was of their little one. Jayce couldn’t blame her after hearing from Viktor the number of miscarriages that happened in Zaun.
“My tiny one is now a grapefruit!” Vi was excited. “Plus, I have finally been feeling great and actually get to enjoy this whole thing, ya know?”
Jayce gave an amused chuckle, because he didn’t actually know but he was happy for Caitlyn and Vi. He remembered how panicked Caitlyn had been at the beginning, Jayce regularly having to comfort and remind her that they both were going to be amazing parents. “No more morning sickness?”
“Thank whatever higher power, no. Also, terrible and incorrect name for it. All the time sickness is a lot more accurate.” Vi snorted. “But, enough about me, how have you been? How’s the courting going?”
Jayce pulled his hand away as he turned to look out into the crowd, finding Viktor in some kind of healthy debate with Caitlyn and Mel, the liquid in his half finished wine glass sloshing as he gestured to make a point. “It’s been wonderful. He’s been wonderful. I just…” He couldn’t stop the little sigh that passed his lips.
“... Just what?” Vi leaned forward, equal parts looking ready to start a fight despite her condition and also like Jayce was about to share the juiciest piece of gossip she's ever heard.
“V has been so great at courting the Piltover way, and I just wish I knew what to do to return the favor. It feels kind of unbalanced and unfair, ya know? He’s compromising so much and I haven’t done anything to put in the same effort...” Jayce dropped his head into his hand, elbow resting on his knee as he watched the love of his life adoringly across the room. Viktor was doing everything to check every box from Jayce’s dreams and while he appreciated every second, something felt unsettled in his gut about the whole balance of the system.
“... I mean, there’s nothing wrong with you returning the courtship Zaun-style, is there?” Vi tilted her head with a slight smile.
“There isn’t, that’s true… I just don’t know the first thing about how you do a courtship in Zaun…” Jayce pursed his lips and stared ahead with a slight sigh.
“Well, it helps that you got some great resources! I can tell you all about it.” Her beaming smile was hard to resist and drew Jayce in.
“Alright, that sounds great…” Jayce turned back to her, leaning in to make sure he didn’t miss a detail.
“So, from what I’ve figured out, the alpha doing the majority of the work is similar between Piltover and Zaun, and the only major difference is how the omega responds.” She began, leaning in as well and catching the attention of Jinx, who broke off from Ekko to go join the pair. “Back in Zaun, the typical tradition is that the omega will show that they are responding to the courtship by doing something for the alpha. Cooking for ‘em is pretty common.”
Jayce hummed as he thought about what he could do for Viktor over. “... Okay, I think I understand what you are saying…”
“What are you guys being so sneaky about?” Jinx asked once she had gotten close enough.
“Jayce was wanting to know about courting rituals in Zaun. I was just telling him about the omega doing something for their alpha if they're pleased with the courtship.” Vi patted the spot next to her for Jinx to sit.
“... Oh, that’s kind of an old tradition…” Jinx made a cringing face as she plopped down next to Vi. “I mean, some people still do it, but it’s more common for the omega to make some kind of gift for the alpha to wear. Shows off that this one is taken, back off to the competition. I painted Ekko’s coat and his hoverboard during ours…”
Jayce tilted his head and leaned forward, elbow still resting on his knee. “Oh, it’s similar to a Piltovian tradition… It’s a little more subtle, but the omega will give the alpha something, a hankie or similar, that has been scented by the omega.”
“Well, you could do something like that then.” Vi shrugged a shoulder and used Jayce’s shoulder to push off the couch. “Now, I’m really wanting some more of the cinnamon cakes if anyone wants to join me.”
Jayce did get up with Vi, though his mind was off on another plane, his mind racing with different ideas on what he could gift to return Viktor’s affections.
–
Things had gotten quite busy for Jayce and Viktor over the last couple of weeks, each of them busy with work and their own small side things. It wasn’t uncommon for one of them to get to one of their apartments late in the night and the other to leave before the sun had risen. While this wasn’t the first time their schedules looked like this, those times before weren’t when they were courting. The longing to see each other had gotten so unbearable that they did something unheard of for Jayce and Viktor: They decided to take some time off.
It was only one weekend, but it was planned and both of them had warned the people around them there would be hell if they didn’t actually get to enjoy it. Sky and Mel had taken their threats seriously, or maybe they just cared for their dear friends, and were making sure that all possible problems were dealt with so Jayce and Viktor could truly enjoy their weekend off.
Viktor walked into their apartment, tired from the long day but he had taken care of everything. For the next two days, it would just be him and Jayce, free to do whatever they pleased. He dropped his keys in the little dish they kept by the door and worked on getting his shoes off, debating whether they start with a bath or just napping in the nest. “Jayce, I’m home…”
“Welcome back, V!” Jayce called from the back of the apartment, making Viktor’s decision for him as he made his way to the bedroom. Jayce was tucked into their nest with a book, curled up as he finished the page and marked his place. “How are you?”
“Excited to have the next two days to ourselves.” Viktor shed his coat and then settled into the nest, tucking himself under Jayce’s arm and nuzzling close to his cedar scent.
Jayce let out a small chuckle, rubbing his wrist against Viktor and leaning over to press a kiss to his head. “Me too. I feel like it’s been so long since we got to spend time just the two of us…”
“Forty two days, eight hours, and thirty six minutes. But who is counting?” Viktor mumbled into Jayce’s skin, smiling slightly as Jayce began to laugh.
“You are ridiculous.”
“You’re the one who picked me.” Viktor hummed.
“I did…” Jayce’s voice was fond as he pulled Viktor closer, running his fingers through his hair. Viktor felt a rumble coming from his chest as Jayce lightly scratched his scalp, melting into his arms. He didn’t know how long they stayed like that, the two of them wrapped in each other’s scents.
“... Hey, V…” Jayce shifted slightly and Viktor turned to look up at Jayce. “I have something for you…”
“You didn’t have to get me anything.” Viktor began as he sat up, pushing himself into a more upright position as Jayce reached over to the side of their nest and pulled a box between them.
“No, this time I did…” Jayce set the box across Viktor’s lap. “Ekko and Jinx were telling me how in Zaun, when an omega accepted an alpha’s courtship by making the alpha some kind of gift that showed the alpha was claimed…”
Viktor felt his heart rate increase as he traced his fingers over the simple box. He carefully pulled the lid up and looked down at a cane. Unlike the other one that Jayce had made, after his original cane had been broken the night that they made magic for the first time, this one was predominantly red, with gold and white accents. The House Talis symbol was embossed on the end of the handle. The first one that Jayce made could be seen as a claim if one looked hard enough, but this one left no doubt what house Viktor was a part of.
“Oh, Jayce…” Viktor breathed out, tracing his fingers over the fine details and work. He looked up at his omega, watching Jayce look down and anxiously playing with his hands. Viktor carefully placed the box on the outside of their nest and moved closer to Jayce, cupping his face gently and rubbing his thumb across his cheekbones. “... It’s wonderful, moje lásko. You did a wonderful job.”
A warm smile slowly spread across Jayce’s face, reaching up and placing his hands over Viktor’s. “I’m glad you like it.”
“So, does that mean…?” Viktor asked, knowing that the question was almost superfluous but still wanted to hear Jayce say it.
“Viktor, will you mark me?”