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Jayce doesn't know why his past self agreed to do this on New Year’s Eve.
Sure, he owes Vi a favor after she helped him renovate his – very heavy and full of splinters – shelves for the lab. But still, assembling bookshelves on New Year’s Eve is a high cost to pay, in his opinion.
Fortunately, Jayce exists in a world where there’s coffee, and drinking his still steaming cup makes him think there are worse ways to start his day. He’s seated in the kitchen, facing the window. It’s been snowing all night, and the sunlight is dancing on the white blanket covering the city, so bright that it’s hard to look at but so pretty it’s even harder to look away. Who would have thought that one day he would delight in watching the snow?
Probably Viktor, Jayce thinks as he hears the familiar tap of his best friend’s cane on the tiled floor. Jayce turns his head to watch him enter the kitchen, his eyes half open and his hair a dishevelled mess. He’s wearing old flannel pajama bottoms with a hole at the seam, and one of Jayce’s sweatshirts, thick and made of scratchy wool, but the only thing that can keep Viktor warm, in his own words.
“Coffee?” Jayce asks as he pours him a cup, without waiting for the nod that doesn’t take long to follow.
Viktor sits down next to him, bringing his head close to the cup to inhale the liquid’s scent, a satisfied expression appearing on his face. There's a strand of hair sticking to his forehead because of the water steam, and perhaps Jayce would love nothing more than to brush it away. And kiss the warm skin underneath, and perhaps the mole under his right eye too, because it makes Viktor look both charming and sensual, and the combination is quite irresistible.
But Jayce does resist it, looking away as he would from the sparkling snow before it’d burned his eyes.
“It’s good,” Viktor says after taking a sip. “Thank you. Wanna bounce some ideas for Piltover’s research and innovation programme this morning? We should get started if we wanna send the proposal in time.”
“Can’t,” Jayce groans. “I promised Vi I’d help her with Cait’s bookshelves.”
“Right.” Viktor closes his hands around the cup, warming them. “Well, it’s not that urgent anyway, I can start by myself.”
“It’s the last day of the year, V,” he says, smiling at Viktor’s eagerness to start a new project. “You should rest, start that book you’ve been wanting to read for ages.”
“It’s too late. It was a Christmas thriller, I’ll read it next year.”
Jayce snorts. “You do know you can still read it, right?”
“Absolutely not. The vibes would be totally off.” Viktor’s face looks stern, eyebrows raised in a serious expression, but there’s something playful in his eyes, a joyful, roguish glint that Jayce absolutely adores.
Truthfully, there’s not much that Jayce doesn't adore about this man. He doesn’t name it often, the way he feels about Viktor. It was cute in college, but now it’s a little bit sad, a little bit pathetic, the way he’s been pining after his best friend for almost a decade. He’s lucky, though. They’ve been living together for about eight years, in a nice and bright apartment, and Viktor hasn’t hinted at moving out yet. So Jayce gets to make him coffee every morning, lend him his clothes to keep him warm and tell him about his day every evening, when they eat together at the small kitchen table.
It could be worse.
Jayce shakes his head fondly before his eyes land on the clock. “Fuck, I’m gonna be late,” he exclaims as he stands from the chair, rushing to the bathroom.
It takes him about ten minutes to shower and dress comfortably enough to spend the day doing furniture assembly. He also packs a nicer outfit for tonight’s New Year’s Eve party, which they’ll all spend at Mel’s place. Grabbing his phone, Jayce checks the time again. 10:06 AM. He’ll only be twenty minutes late if he leaves now.
“Here,” Viktor says as he hands him a thermos, probably full of the coffee Jayce hasn’t had time to finish.
“Oh my god,” Jayce says, delighted. “V, thank you so much! I could kiss you right now,” he exclaims, putting the thermos in his backpack and mentally checking he hasn’t forgotten anything. There are a change of clothes, his phone, his wallet, his keys, and the thermos, thanks to Viktor, and–
The words he’s just uttered register in his brain, and Jayce raises his head, a look of horror written all over his face. He can’t have just said that. There’s no way. After hiding his – tiny, little, practically insignificant – crush on Viktor for almost a decade, there’s no way he’s just blurted out…those words.
There might be a small chance that Viktor hasn’t heard him, Jayce thinks, because he needs to calm his racing heart before it jumps out of his chest. But Viktor’s standing right in front of him, watching him with a careful, calculating expression that lets Jayce know he has.
Viktor doesn’t look disgusted though, his brain feels the need to point out, as if it could somehow make things better – Jayce guesses it does, actually, because the thought of Viktor looking repulsed by the idea of kissing him is enough to make him shiver in desperation.
Jayce hasn't moved yet, his body still frozen. If he’s ever wondered what he’d do in a moment of panic, here’s his answer. He’d fucking freeze.
And Viktor’s still looking at him, eyebrows slightly furrowed in focus, like he’s trying to decipher a very complicated enigma. For all the times Jayce has witnessed this face, he’s never wished Viktor would resolve whatever’s on his mind so quickly.
But then Viktor leans forward, craning his neck, and their lips meet for the briefest moment.
It’s not even a kiss. Not really. Viktor’s lips are gone before Jayce can even register what they taste like, leaving him with the faintest hint of coffee and his heart pounding like hail on the pavement, so deafening that he struggles to think.
“Have fun with the bookshelves,” Viktor says as he leaves the kitchen, heading to his bedroom.
Jayce has half a mind to follow him, call his name or even shout in frustration, but his phone vibrates in his back pocket, and Vi is probably already annoyed – which is pretty ironic, because she’s never on time – and he doesn’t even know what he’d say to Viktor. So he leaves.
He arrives at Vi’s place twenty-five minutes late, only five more than the twenty he had anticipated. Strange how much of a difference five minutes can make. Like a decade-old friendship overturned by a kiss, for example.
₊˚ ❆
Assembling bookshelves is proving to be a lot less stimulating than Jayce had thought it’d be. He gets why Vi needed help, because the shelves are massive, and it’s a lot of tightening screws and hammering nails, and Vi would never have been able to finish by Caitlyn’s return from her mother/daughter annual trip between Christmas and New Year.
The bookshelves were supposed to be Caitlyn's Christmas present. But the delivery was delayed, and Vi was unable to surprise her on Christmas Day as she had planned, so she promised Caitlyn that her present would be ready when she returned. Of course, the few days between Christmas and New Year's Eve had disappeared like champagne at a fundraising party, filled with a few walks in the snow with Viktor, cosy afternoons spent reading books while drinking sweet milk on their sofa, and a day at the spa to relieve Viktor's joints and...well, they were mostly occupied with Viktor. At least, until Vi called him, indignant, telling him that he would be responsible if Caitlyn left her because she couldn't keep her promise to assemble the bookshelves in time.
So here Jayce finds himself on New Year’s Eve, aligning oak wood panels, and definitely not thinking about Viktor’s lips on his. He still can’t make sense of what happened. Was it a mistake? Or just…an expression of Viktor’s appreciation for their long-term friendship? Or a way to thank him for making coffee every morning? Or perhaps Viktor simply lost his balance and Jayce’s lips just happened to help him regain stability. Who knows.
“Okay, what’s on your mind?” Vi asks him early in the afternoon, after Jayce has fixed them something to eat – grilled cheese sandwiches, because that’s pretty much all he could make with what was left in Vi’s cupboards. It’s about time that Caitlyn comes back before she starves to death.
“Nothing,” Jayce quickly answers. Too quickly.
“No one says ‘nothing’ that fast when they indeed have nothing in mind. Plus, you’ve been hammering this nail for three minutes now. I’m sure it’s well in place,” she points out, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
“Right. Well, it was a very– hard nail to get in.” Jayce shrugs, grabbing the back panel to slide it in.
“C’mon Talis. Quit stalling.”
Jayce sighs. He knows Vi won’t let him off the hook before he tells her what’s going on – and he could use a second opinion, too.
“So. Hypothetically, what would you think it’d mean if Viktor kissed you?”
“Viktor?” She frowns. “Hum– Probably that he’s lost a bet, why?”
Jayce’s eyes widen. Is that what happened? Did Viktor lose a bet? With whom? And why was the forfeit kissing Jayce, of all people?
“Okay, seems like that's not the answer you wanted to hear.” Vi tilts her head. “What happened?”
“Viktor may have…possibly..kissed me?”
“Wow. Really?” A sly grin appears on her face. “That’s clearly different.”
“He probably didn’t mean it,” Jayce hastens to say, lowering his head. He doesn’t want to get ideas. “Pass me the screwdriver, please.”
Vi hands it to him, checking the instructions. “I think we’re almost done with the assembling part. We’ll just need to anchor everything to the wall.”
“That’s the hardest part,” Jayce remarks.
“A bit of positivity would be welcome. Especially after you’ve been kissed by the guy you’ve been pining after for years.” Vi winks at him.
“That’s not–” He sighs again. “I said something stupid–”
“Like what?” Vi watches him curiously.
“I said, ‘I could kiss you right now’,” Jayce confesses while tightening the last screw. “I didn’t mean to, so I froze and he– he kissed me. Kinda. Then I left.”
“I have so many questions.” Vi deadpans. “But let’s take a break first.”
“Yeah, okay,” Jayce agrees, wincing as he stands up, his legs aching from being stuck in the same position for too long.
“Want something to drink?”
“Anything that’s not milk-based. Vik’s obsessed with sweetmilk, and I seriously can’t stand the smell of it anymore.”
“Aah Viktor and his sweetmilk…There’s the true love story if you ask me.” Vi laughs. “But sure, let me put you out of your misery. Tea, coffee ? There’s also beer if you don’t mind drinking something cold.”
“Tea’s perfect.”
A while later, Vi comes back with a cup of tea, a Christmas one created from a blend of black teas with fruity cherries, almonds and ginger that Jayce loves, and a beer for her.
“So what did you do? After Viktor kissed you,” she asks as she opens the glass bottle.
“Nothing. I– I left. I came here.”
She looks at him like that time he made an uneducated comment about Zaun, which earned him a thirty-minute lecture on Piltover’s involvement in Zaun’s lack of economic growth and Viktor giving him the cold shoulder for days.
“Look, I didn’t– think…I was late, and I didn’t know what to do, so…,” Jayce tries to explain.
Vi rolls her eyes. “Please remind me to never reach out to you in a crisis situation. But still, what’s the issue? You’ve wanted him to do that forever.”
“Yeah, but he probably didn’t mean to.” He shrugs. The cup of tea is warm between his hands and it reminds him of Viktor, this very morning, looking sleepy and comfortable, when Jayce had wanted to brush a strand of hair back from his forehead and press his lips to the damp skin. It scares him sometimes, this…urge he gets to be close to Viktor. “T’was probably just a– friendly sign of affection?”
“Yeah because that’s totally Viktor’s way of expressing affection.” Vi sighs, and takes a sip of her beer. “Has it ever crossed your mind that he may simply like you?”
Jayce shakes his head. “We’ve known each other for years. He’d have said something sooner.”
“You didn’t.”
“Because it’s…it’s Viktor. He’s the most brilliant, handsome…perfect man I’ve ever met. He could have anyone.”
“But what if he wants you?”
“I don’t know…”
“I think he just gave you enough reasons to at least ask.”
“Hmm…Yeah, you’re not wrong,” Jayce says. The conversation he needs to have with Viktor frightens him, because it could change so much between them. It could allow Jayce to finally hold Viktor in his arms for an entire night , kiss him long enough to remember the taste of his lips, and worship his body like the snow embracing the earth throughout the winter.
“I get that a lot,” Vi says, smirking. “Okay, let’s get back to my bookshelves. I’d like to avoid them falling on us.”
Securing the bookshelves takes almost the whole afternoon, and it’s already dark when Jayce gently shakes them to check their work. They do not budge at all.
“Great.” Vi grins proudly. “We’re done here.”
“Let’s go to Mel’s then,” Jayce says.
They both change into nicer clothes. There’s no one to impress but their close friends, but it’s New Year's Eve and that’s enough for Jayce to want to make an effort, if only for the scent of his own cologne filling his nostrils, the delicacy of cream-coloured cashmere against his skin and the feeling of confidence washing over him.
And for Viktor, too.
₊˚ ❆
Vi parks her car in front of Mel’s building, and a quick look around tells Jayce they’re the last to arrive. Meaning Viktor is already there. Jayce’s palms are sweaty. Why is he getting sweaty palms at the thought of talking to Viktor? It’s Viktor, for fuck’s sake. He’s the one person Jayce has always felt like he could say anything to, his gorgeous golden eyes looking at him like he could read his very soul and understand everything he hid and concealed for fear of not being accepted.
“Chin up, Talis. You won’t find answers in this car,” Vi says in an uncharacteristically soft voice.
Mel’s place has been swamped by white and gold, sparkling garlands of paper stars and shiny numbers indicating the year to come – probably the work of Mel and Sky. Their entire friend group is there, Ekko and Mel chatting near the long table laden with golden tableware, Sky, standing next to them, pouring herself a glass of red wine, and Caitlyn opening her arms to welcome Vi’s hug, who rushed toward her as soon as she and Jayce walked through the door, as if she hadn’t seen her in months rather than mere days. And Viktor, sitting on the couch with Jinx, wearing brown corduroy pants and a green cardigan embroidered with golden thread.
Their eyes meet for a split second before Jayce looks away, unable to hold Viktor's gaze, for he is terrified of what he might find there. What if Viktor is disgusted? Angry? He doesn't know what he would do if Viktor's gaze failed to offer him his usual comfort and acceptance.
That's why Jayce walks over to the table, grabs a glass, and hands it to Sky, who is still holding the red wine bottle, so she can pour him a drink. He joins their conversation with his usual ease, Mel and Ekko moving slightly apart to make room for a fourth person in their little circle. And that's where he stays for about twenty minutes, trying to forget Viktor's gaze piercing through his back.
Ekko tells him about the progress he’s made at the shelter he founded to foster inclusion of disadvantaged youth through sport, and Mel and Sky fill him in on the latest work gossip – apparently, Dimitri asked Elora out without knowing that she was already dating Dimitri’s boss. He’ll have to tell Viktor, he thinks, before remembering that he has more pressing matters to discuss with him.
It’s been a while since they’ve all gotten together, as finding dates when they’re all available is becoming increasingly complicated as time goes by. Next thing Jayce knows, he’s discussing police violence with Caitlyn, arguing that it’s impossible to change the system from within – as much as Cait wants to believe it, he doesn’t think one can truly break a system that they help keep running. One hour passes like that, and it’s almost easy to convince himself he’s not actively trying to avoid Viktor.
At one point, Jayce finds himself alone with Vi in the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of water.
“So? How did it go?” She asks, her elbows resting on the table, her head in her hands.
“I haven’t brought up the subject yet.”
“So what, you’re casually talking about the weather? Bet Vik just loves that.” She smirks, ironic.
“I haven’t talked to him at all,” Jayce says, avoiding her eyes by sipping his water.
“Oh. So that’s why he looks like a grumpy cat.”
“What? He doesn’t.”
“Yeah, he does. Just look at him.” She tilts her head towards the living room.
From the kitchen, Jayce can see the couch from where Viktor hasn’t moved. Sky’s next to him this time, and they seem to be talking in hushed voices, their heads close together. Viktor’s brows are furrowed in that way that wrinkles his forehead, and Jayce wants nothing more than to smooth out the creases in his skin.
“Talk to him,” Vi repeats, a hint of exasperation in her voice.
Gulping his glass of water, Jayce fills another one before heading to the couch. “Thirsty?” he asks, sitting down on Viktor’s other side, interrupting his discussion with Sky.
Viktor looks up at him, unimpressed, fixing his gaze on him with the firmness with which you’d expose a little kid’s white lie. Jayce lowers his gaze, placing the glass on the coffee table, while Sky excuses herself, clearing her throat with a “Hum... I’m gonna let you guys talk.”
“I understand if I was out of line, but the least you could do is talk to me about it,” Viktor finally speaks, voice tight.
“You just– You caught me off guard this morning,” Jayce says. “No wait,” he adds as Viktor is about to say something. “I liked it. A lot.”
“You did?” Viktor asks, a hint of hope in his voice, with the fragility of someone who can't quite believe what he’s hearing. “But then why would you– avoid me like that?”
“I don’t know. I got in my head…told myself you might not mean it like that,” Jayce mumbles.
“Mmh.” Jayce looks up at Viktor, and sees his lips have curved in a smirk. “Like what, exactly?”
“V, c’mon…I– I like you.”
“You silly man…I like you too.” Viktor’s expression turns into a warm smile. “What else did you think me kissing you could mean?”
“I don't know!” Jayce shrugs, sheepish. “Kiss me again, please?”
So that’s what Viktor does. Pressing his mouth against Jayce’s, he tangles one hand in his hair as Jayce sighs against his lips, closing his eyes in delight. Viktor smells just like him. He doesn’t wear perfume often because he’s sensitive to scents, and has gotten the habit of stealing Jayce’s on rare occasions. It makes Jayce a little raw, a little possessive to smell himself on Viktor, and he opens his mouth to deepen the kiss, Viktor seizing the opportunity to regain control. It’s so good. Jayce grabs the fabric of his cardigan, holding tight, never wanting to let go.
When they part, Jayce thinks he hears Jinx whoop in the background, and a few of their friends clap, but he’s not sure because he’s let his head fall forward against Viktor’s chest, a bashful smile on his face. Viktor’s heart is thumping fast and loud, the most beautiful sound to Jayce’s ears, and he kisses the top of Jayce’s head several times, like he can’t help himself, can’t help but finally express his affection for Jayce in plain sight.
“I’ll take the water, actually,” Viktor says, his voice hoarse, fingers combing through Jayce’s hair.
After that, Jayce doesn't leave Viktor’s side for the rest of the evening. He knows they need to talk, but that can wait. For now, he’s just so happy. They all are, really – Vi winks at him, Mel congratulates them, telling them they deserve the best, and Jayce overhears Jinx saying to Viktor that she’s glad Jayce’s finally come to his senses. He can’t help but touch Viktor in some way, one hand on his lower back when they get up to talk to their friends, ignoring their smirks and knowing looks, on his thigh during most of dinner, and an arm around his shoulders when they’re back on the couch later in the evening, after dancing to a slow song that Jayce’s sure Mel put on purpose, swaying slowly in each other’s arms.
At midnight, Viktor kisses him again. Jayce can’t remember a better start to the year, for nothing can top the feeling of Viktor’s lips on his and holding the man he loves in his arms, without any hidden truth dividing them.
They leave not long after, because although Viktor hasn’t said anything, Jayce knows the way he’s been micro-adjusting his posture for the past fifteen minutes means he’s starting to struggle. Viktor drives them home, because as much as Jayce’s started to find beauty in the snow, driving in it is a whole other story.
It’s a little strange, entering their apartment. Nothing has changed, in the sense that they’ve come home together too many times to count, Jayce helping Viktor take off his shoes so he doesn't have to bend his back after a long night, but there’s something different, because Jayce can now drop kisses on his knees – and he does, as Viktor shakes his head in false annoyance.
“I should’ve taken the wheelchair tonight,” Viktor mentions while rubbing his lower back.
“Mmh, I was surprised to see you only had your cane.”
“The building isn’t eh– very wheelchair-friendly.” Viktor sighs. “You know, with the narrow doors and the tiny elevator.”
“I’d have helped you,” Jayce says with a frown. “Any of our friends would have helped you.”
“I know. I know, but…” He half-shrugs, sighing again. “Anyway, we’re sleeping together tonight, right?”
Jayce nods, a little frantic. “My room or yours?”
“Mine, I need all my pillows.”
They brush their teeth together, stealing glances at each other in the bathroom mirror, before Jayce goes to his own room to fetch his pyjamas. Then he knocks on Viktor’s door, a little shy – despite living together for years, they haven’t spent much time in each other’s rooms.
“Come in, Jayce,” Viktor says. “You don’t need to knock,” he adds once Jayce is in the room, smirking. He’s propped up against his ergonomic pillow, his right leg elevated by even more cushions.
“Sorry,” Jayce says while he climbs onto the bed. “I don’t know how to act around you anymore.”
“It’s just me.” Viktor’s face softens.
“Yeah, it’s you…V, I’ve liked you for years,” Jayce says in a choked-up voice.
“Come here.” Viktor opens his arms, inviting Jayce into his embrace with a tilt of the head.
Jayce doesn't need to be asked twice, taking care not to jostle Viktor or the heating pad placed against his right hip. He still manages to snuggle up against Viktor, resting his head on the other man's chest, where the fabric of the sweatshirt he is wearing feels rough against his skin.
“I can’t believe you’re wearing this thing to bed,” Jayce complains. “It’s so scratchy.”
“Good thing I stole it from you then, you don't have to wear it.”
Jayce chuckles. Viktor has started playing with his hair, and the soothing gestures are lulling him to sleep, but he doesn't want to doze off just yet. “Since when? Since when have you liked me?”
“That’s– embarrassing,” Viktor says, stopping his hand for a second.
“Tell me.”
“Years,” Viktor admits. “Back when we started working together on our first project.”
Jayce hums. “I think I’ve liked you since that day when you– well, you know, at the top of the science building.”
“You didn’t even know me.”
“Yeah…but it felt like I did.”
“Why didn't you ever say anything?” Viktor whispers, his voice laced with something akin to resignation.
“I thought I had no chance.” Jayce props himself up on one elbow to look at him. “We live together, V, and you've never been shy about speaking your mind, especially with me. I figured if you hadn't said anything until now, it was because there was nothing to say.”
Viktor nods, processing his words.
“Why didn’t you?” Jayce asks in return.
Viktor sighs. It's long and defeated, as if he can’t hold it in, as if it’s the only answer he can give to a question that seems to have been nagging at him for a long time. “I thought it was obvious.”
Jayce frowns.
“I mean, look at me.” Viktor chuckles dryly. “I can barely move without pain, let alone engage in any– eh sexual activity. Is that really how you imagined spending your first night with someone you’ve liked for years?”
“It is, actually.” Jayce retorts, reaching for his hand. “Viktor, it’s you I’ve liked for years, and it’s you I pictured. And we live together. Don’t you think I know your habits, your tells?
Viktor looks at him, brows furrowed.
“I know you. I know when you’re tired, when you’re hungry, or when you’re pushing through your pain. I know when you get annoyed when someone stops by the lab to make small talk, and I know when you’re really excited by a project. And I– I love you for that. All of that.”
“You love me?”
“Of course I do. You’re my best friend, my partner, and I’ve– fancied you for years. Of course I don’t just like you.” Jayce rolls his eyes playfully, both because the idea of merely liking Viktor when he’s been head over heels for him for years is ridiculous, and to hide how vulnerable he feels about letting him know.
Hiding his face with one hand, Viktor tugs at Jayce’s pyjama shirt with the other, urging him to get closer. Without resisting, Jayce lets himself fall against Viktor's chest, his head in the crook of his neck.
“I love you too,” Viktor whispers in his ear, so low, as if he were afraid that someone other than Jayce might hear him. “So much,” he adds.
And that’s how they fall asleep a few minutes later, Jayce’s head on Viktor’s chest, not quite believing it’s Viktor’s breathing that’s lulling him slowly.
When Jayce wakes up the next morning, he needs a few seconds to recall last night’s events. There’s the scratchy feeling of Viktor’s sweater against his cheek, and it’s so dark in the room that he has to fumble around for his phone to check the time and make sure it really is morning. Usually, Jayce sleeps with the shutters half-open so he can wake up with the first rays of sunlight, while Viktor's room is completely dark – he figures he'll just have to get used to it.
If the rhythm of his breathing is anything to go by, Viktor is still asleep. Jayce decides to let him, and gets up after kissing his forehead. The warm skin against his lips and the content hum escaping Viktor’s mouth makes Jayce’s heart flutter, like a sakura that’s just been shaken by a gust of tenderness so strong that hundreds of tiny petals of love are now encircling Jayce in their embrace.
The kitchen is bathed in sunlight, and Jayce starts making breakfast while whistling a tune that he can't remember the name of, even though it's been stuck in his head since he woke up. Viktor won’t be up for a while, and, while waiting for him, Jayce reads a gay hokey romance novel that makes him squeal with delight despite his ripe old age of thirty-five. Absorbed in his reading, he doesn't notice the time passing until he hears footsteps, about an hour and a half later.
Jayce turns on the kettle to prepare a hot water bottle as Viktor enters the kitchen. He’s leaning heavily on his cane and blinking slowly at Jayce, his undereyes still puffy from sleep. Jayce’s heart swells in his chest, and he opens his arms as Viktor leans against him.
“Hi,” Jayce murmurs to the crown of his head.
Viktor grunts to answer, a raspy sound that Jayce takes as a greeting and makes him chuckle lightly – at least until Viktor nuzzles his neck with his –very – cold nose.
“You’re frozen,” Jayce gasps.
“S’cold,” Viktor mumbles.
As he makes no indication of moving, Jayce winds his arms around his body, gently rubbing his back. “Slept well?” he asks, because Viktor seems to be falling back asleep on his feet.
“Mmh…but ‘feel stiff. Can you get me the wheelchair?”
“Of course.”
Tilting his head to look up at him, Viktor’s gaze quickly darts back and forth between Jayce’s eyes and lips, before he kisses him, melting against him as he grabs his shoulders. One of Jayce’s hands cups the back of his head, his fingers tangled in the long strands of thin hair, while the other wraps around Viktor’s waist. It’s a little sloppy, the way they languidly move their mouths together, like they have all the time in the world and nothing else really matters.
“We really shouldn’t be doing this while my knees are already so weak,” Viktor says as they part, hands strongly holding Jayce’s hoodie.
“I’d catch you,” Jayce replies without thinking, tightening his embrace around Viktor's waist.
Rolling his eyes, Viktor pretends to be retching. “I hope so,” he still grumbles.
After Jayce went to fetch the wheelchair, Viktor settles into it with a grimace of relief. Jayce hands him a blanket, which Viktor unfolds over his knees, and the hot water bottle, which he arranges against his right hip, before wheeling himself next to Jayce at their kitchen table.
They talk as they normally would, about gossip they gathered the night before from their friends, and work, because they’re a little obsessed with it and they have ambitious objectives they plan to achieve this year. It's not much different from the mornings they've spent together over the past eight years, after all.
But it is, in small but significant ways. Viktor is so close to Jayce that his arm brushes against his every time Viktor grabs his cup of coffee, and they exchange countless stolen glances and private smiles that weren’t there before. And when Jayce finally, finally kisses the mole under his right eye, Viktor only looks at him, shaking his head with feigned exasperation, but with a fond smile on his face.
It’s the best morning Jayce’s ever had.
Later, they go outside to the park next to their apartment. It hasn't snowed for at least a few days, so even though there is still snow on the lawn, the paths are clear. Viktor is bundled up in a thick coat, wearing a hat, scarf, and gloves, so much so that he is barely recognizable, except for his bumpy nose and the few strands of brown hair framing his face. His skin is slightly reddened by the frigid air, his rosy cheeks giving him a boyish look that makes Jayce's heart squeeze in his chest. They don't stay out long because the cold makes Viktor's joints stiffen and Jayce's anxiety rise, but they enjoy the half hour they spend people-watching, softly commenting on children running after one another and snowmen of all shapes.
And when they go home to the warmth of their house, they decide to transfer some of Jayce’s belongings to Viktor’s bedroom right away. Viktor stays there, trying to make room in the drawers for Jayce's clothes, while Jayce goes back and forth, trying to decide which items he needs most often. There is something domestic about seeing their underwear side by side, Jayce's socks and boxers neatly folded, while Viktor's side is what he calls “a perfectly organized mess.”
“So uh– We’re together now, right? You and I?” Jayce asks as he brings the last of his work shirts to the room, putting them on the bed to later place them on hangers.
He feels a little silly for asking, like a teenager who just kissed his crush a few times and is left wondering whether he’ll get more. Jayce wants it all with Viktor. He wants late-night talking in bed and arguing over what to watch on TV and grocery shopping on the weekend. He wants to make Viktor laugh, cook him his favourite dishes, and care for him when he’s in pain.
“Yes? I mean, you just moved half of your stuff in my room so…,” Viktor says as he wheels himself towards Jayce. “Unless that’s not what you–”
Jayce shakes his head, cutting him off. “Of course it is. I’m just– having a hard time believing I’m not dreaming.” He chuckles softly, sitting on the bed. “You don’t know how much I’ve wanted this…you.”
“I think I have an idea.” Viktor stops himself in front of him, their knees touching, and takes his hands in his – they’re cold, and Jayce wants nothing more than warming them up, but he lets Viktor be the one to hold him, his thumbs tenderly rubbing his knuckles.
“It’s just…We’re not going too fast, right?” Jayce worries, because he doesn’t want to scare Viktor off. His tendency to be a little overbearing, a little too eager, had caused some friction between Viktor and him at the beginning of their partnership – Jayce happily devoting time and energy to help Viktor, be it to bring him coffee every morning or do his laundry for him when his arthritis was flaring, only to make his partner feel like a charity case.
“Remind me how long we’ve been living together?” Viktor nudges Jayce’s knee with his good one.
“About eight years.” Jayce shrugs, a tiny smile blooming on his lips.
“It’ll be nine next March,” Viktor replies. “And this,” he adds, pointing between the two of them, “this is not new, right? You– eh, we said so yesterday?”
“Yeah…It was long overdue,” Jayce says, leaning forward as Viktors brings his wrist to his lips, kissing the thin lines etched there, slightly paler than his brown skin, ghosts of past anxieties.
Viktor looks him in the eyes as he straightens his head, and whispers, “Just…don’t get tired of my old weak bones.”
“Never,” Jayce promises.
Jayce loves making people happy. It backfired on him more than once in his twenties, when he made too many promises to too many people and inevitably ended up disappointing some of them.
This one, though, Jayce can already safely bet that he’ll keep it.
Later in the afternoon, Viktor transfers himself from his chair to the couch, while Jayce makes him sweetmilk and tea for himself. He brings the two stimming mugs to the coffee table, and, instead of settling himself at the other end of the couch like he normally would, Jayce slips behind Viktor, entangling their hands on the latter’s stomach. There’s a thin layer of pudge there, perhaps due to the holidays, and it always reassures Jayce to see that Viktor’s body is able to store fat. It’s a more than welcome change from the concave aspect of his midsection a few years ago, when Viktor’s life had been endangered by sickness.
“This is nice,” Jayce murmurs. “I could get used to this.”
“Mmh.” Viktor grabs the cup of sweet milk, sipping a little of the warm liquid. “You know what’s missing?”
Jayce frowns, wondering what’s wrong with the drink – he’s made it to Viktor’s liking, just like he always does. “Tell me?”
“A cat.”
“A cat?” Jayce repeats, half-surprised, half-amused.
“Mmh.” Viktor puts down the cup and pulls the blanket up to his neck. “It could eh…curl up on our laps or nestle between our legs.”
Jayce can very well imagine the scene, the small animal purring against Viktor’s stomach after long days at the lab, while his partner would pet him. “What if he’s not cuddly?” He asks, just to tease Viktor.
“Eh…then it could just...be there.” Viktor shrugs against his chest. “Sleep on the carpet or play with a shoebox because it’ll favour it over whatever fancy toy we design…”
“You really thought this through." Jayce squeezes his hands. “Why didn’t you say so sooner?” he adds softly.
“I just thought… that perhaps I should wait until you move out,” Viktor admits. “You know, it would’ve been unfair to the cat to get him used to living with you, only for you to leave us shortly afterwards."
Jayce tightens his embrace. “I’d never have left Vik,” he tells him softly. “I was counting myself lucky that you stayed with me for that long.”
Viktor turns in his arms, wincing in pain as he forces his body to straighten up, so he can look Jayce in the eyes. “We’re idiots, uh?” he murmurs, the blanket falling from his shoulders
“Yeah, we are,” Jayce agrees, tucking a few strands of hair behind his ear. “Kissing me yesterday was the best decision you ever made.”
“Eh…I’d say it comes second to following you on top of the science building all these years ago.”
“Yeah, okay. I’ll give you that,” Jayce replies as Viktor kisses him softly, just a press of his lips against his mouth, before lying down against him again.
“So you agree? About the cat.”
“Yeah.” Jayce nods, his chin bumping lightly on Viktor’s head. “Yeah, let’s get a cat.”
Viktor hums, satisfied, and starts telling Jayce about the ideas he had for Piltover’s research and innovation programme. Jayce listens to him distractedly,, because they’ll have all the time tomorrow, at the lab, to think about it. Right now, he’s more interested in the moles dotting the side of Viktor’s nape and kissing them one by one, just because he can.
It’s the best start of the year Jayce could’ve ever wished for.