Chapter Text
“You want us to what?”
Mel had her hands folded elegantly over her waist as she stood before the two scientists.
“The calendar would both promote Hextech and offer additional revenue,” she explained.
Viktor scoffed from his chair.
When Mel Medarda walked in, he was expecting her to whisk Jayce away for another one of their private meetings, not ask them to participate in a cheap marketing tactic. He felt rather insulted that Mel would even consider wasting time in asking both of them when she was only here for Jayce. Either it was polite formalities or subtle humiliation, and Viktor was hedging his bets on the latter.
“You mean what’s left over, considering the calendars even sell enough to make up for their cost of production,” Viktor said.
Mel’s eyes moved from Viktor to Jayce.
“I have no doubts the calendars will sell. We have other scientists who have agreed to participate as models, but your participation would be most vital to its success.”
Jayce, who was standing between Viktor and Mel, responded with a shrug.
“I don’t see why not? Viktor?”
Viktor turned around in his chair, returning to his work. He waved a hand over his shoulder as a silent gesture that they were good to leave.
“Do what you must, Jayce.”
“You’re not going to model?”
Viktor gave him a sharp look, insulted that Jayce dared to even inquire him on the subject.
“Obviously not.”
“Why not? It could bring more attention and money to Hextech.”
Viktor ignored him, pulling his goggles down over his eyes, so Jayce stepped over and placed a heavy hand on his shoulder.
“I know it’s not your type of thing, putting yourself out in the public eye, but it could fun and it would be nice to have your face out there instead of just mine.”
Viktor threw off his goggles and spun around to face Jayce, throwing the hand off his shoulder.
“Jayce, the people of Piltover are not interested in seeing a sickly Zaunite in their calendar. Mel is here to recruit you; I am only a formality.”
Jayce’s mouth tightened. He hated when Viktor spoke of himself this way. He couldn’t fathom anyone seeing Viktor in such a light, let alone himself.
“Actually,” Mel spoke up, her heels clacking against the floor as she stepped closer. “While yes, we predict the overall success of the calendar is dependent on Jayce.”
Jayce beamed from Mel’s words and Viktor rolled his eyes.
“The calendar even existing is entirely hinged on Viktor’s participation.”
“…What?” Viktor said with a heavy accent.
“The photographer is originally from the Undercity. She has asked for the inclusion of Zaunites and specifically asked for you.”
“Why?”
“She is disabled herself, deaf to be exact, and is eager for the representation, especially for a calendar of this nature.”
“I do not wish to have my disability fetishized in a sexy calendar.”
“The focus will not be on your disability, merely an inclusion. It could be a true inspiration for others. And yes, it is a sexy calendar, but that does mean the inclusion of a disabled person means they are being fetishized. Disabled people are allowed to be sexy, Viktor.”
Mel turned to Jayce.
“Wouldn’t you agree Jayce?”
Jayce snapped his gaze from Viktor to Mel. A slight flush formed on his cheeks.
“Huh, oh, yeah, of course!”
Viktor felt something twist in his stomach.
“Fine, I’ll do it.”
Jayce whipped his head back to Viktor.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Jayce reached over and squeezed Viktor’s shoulder, giving it a little shake.
“You won’t regret it! It’ll be fun and great for Hextech!”
Mel spoke up, bringing their attention back to her.
“There will be test shoots first. I will inform you of when the dates are finalized. You will be paid for your time."
“Where will they take place?” Viktor asked.
“They will come to you here in the lab. They want them to be personalized for each model, a place that represents an aspect of themselves, though Jayce’s shoot may take place at his forge.”
“Of course,” he said.
“It was nice seeing you Viktor,” Mel said bringing their conversation to an end. “Jayce, will you accompany me?”
“Oh! Yeah! Of course!”
Jayce removed his hand from Viktor’s shoulder as he chased after Mel. Viktor quickly spun his chair around so they couldn’t see the clear irritation on his face.
“I’ll be right back Viktor,” Jayce called out as the lab doors closed after him.
“No, you won’t,” Viktor mumbled.
...
Jayce had decided to stop by the lab before heading home. The council meeting had wrapped up early giving him a bit of extra time to visit Viktor. Today was his test shoot, which as Mel predicted, took place in the lab. The shoot itself would likely be over by now, but he was curious to hear how it went. He smiled at the image of a grumpy Viktor bemoaning having to waste so much time. He wondered if Viktor had tried working during the shoot, getting distracted by unsolved equations on the blackboard only to be dragged away. Jayce chuckled at the thought as he opened the doors to the lab.
“Hey Viktor, how did the shoot go?”
“Horrible.”
Viktor was sitting hunched over the table with his back turned to Jayce. He was lacking his usual outfit including his iconic vest, wearing just a loose white collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up.
“They kept touching our tools and using them as props. They messed with our work,” Viktor gestured to the stacks of papers in front of him. “Thank goodness Miss Young was here, else I may have become violent.”
Jayce laughed. He knew more than anyone how much of a threat Viktor could be when he felt like it. He was not a man to underestimate.
“I believe it. You’ve nearly wiped me out a few times.”
“Nearly, being the key word.”
“What are you working on?”
Viktor sighed. What he wanted to say was, if you were here, you would have known, but instead he said,
“The numbers are coming out different. I was hoping to solve the issue before leaving, but the shoot took longer than expected.”
Jayce rolled up his chair next to Viktor.
“Let me take a look.”
As Viktor turned to look at him, he froze in stunned bewilderment.
“Are you… wearing makeup?”
Viktor lightly touched his face.
“Ah, yes. I forgot.”
“...It looks good.”
“Does it? They didn’t even bother covering my moles.”
“Why would they? They’re nice, like your cheek bones.”
“Oh… well, thank you.”
Viktor slightly turned his face away as Jayce continued to stare.
It was just the right amount of makeup to highlight Viktor’s natural features. His golden yellow irises contrasted beautifully with his dark eyelashes, and the slight pink on his cheeks heightened their natural sharpness, while his lips were given a bit more color and the deep shadows under his eyes were soften.
Looking up he noticed they had done his hair as well. It was swooped to the sides and slightly curled at the ends. It reminded Jayce of a younger Viktor who had more time and energy to put towards his appearance. Jayce lifted a lock a hair from Viktor’s head, feeling it’s softness between his hands.
“Your hair looks nice too.”
“Then stop touching it, you’ll mess it up.”
Jayce gave Viktor a mischievous smile.
“Jayce,” Viktor warned. “Don’t.”
Jayce slapped his hand down on Viktor’s head and tussled his hair, leaving it disheveled and messy. A lock of hair fell over Viktor’s forehead and Jayce lightly flicked it with his finger. Viktor grabbed his crutch and swung it at Jayce’s leg.
“Ow!” Jayce laughed. “That hurt!”
“Baby.”
Jayce stole one last look at Viktor before looking over the equation. His eyes grazed over the numbers hastily written out until he spotted the inaccuracy. He slid the paper over to Viktor and tapped it with his finger.
“I think you meant to write a four instead of a nine, and then forgot it was a four instead of a nine.”
Viktor quickly leaned down, staring at the number before throwing his head back to let out a groan.
“Gods! How did I not see that! I have been checking and rechecking for hours and never noticed!”
Viktor felt tempted to throw his crutch across the room.
“How did you manage to spot it so quickly?” he asked.
Jayce shrugged.
“When working with an equation for a long time, you become blind to it. Sometimes you need to look with a fresh pair of eyes to see what’s there, to see what you’ve been missing.”
“Hmm.”
Jayce patted Viktor on the back before placing a hand on his shoulder.
“Happens to me all the time. You get so familiar with your work that you start to think you fully understand it and there’s nothing more to see.”
Jayce gave another pat before removing his hand and standing up.
“You're heading out?” Viktor asked.
“Yeah. Got a big day tomorrow. You staying the night?”
“Most likely… goodnight Jayce.”
“Night!” Jayce called out as the doors closed after him.
Viktor returned to his work as silence flooded the lab.
“Strange,” Viktor said, “The quiet feels heavier without Jayce here.”
He choose to not to dwell on it, letting his work consume his thoughts once more.
…
Jayce was still sweating from his shoot. Due to the heat of the forge, it barely took long at all, and the photographer got all the shots she wanted, mostly of him being shirtless. He kicked open the doors while drying his hair off with a towel. He didn’t bother putting on a shirt since it was late and no one apart from Viktor would still be in the building.
“Hey Viktor!” Jayce called out.
He heard a groan and drew his towel away from his face to see Viktor sitting at their worktable.
“Did you lose your shirt on your way here?”
Jayce smiled as he sat down next to Viktor, who remained transfixed on his work.
“They had me pose shirtless for most of my shoot. You might have to do the same.”
“Nobody wants to see that.”
Jayce’s smile shifted into a frown. He wanted to argue with Viktor but knew it would result in both of them being upset. He was always making disparaging comments about his own body, and while Jayce could understand Viktor’s frustrations, he still hated to hear it. He wanted to tell Viktor how there was beauty in his imperfections but felt it would be too much.
“So, when is your shoot?”
Viktor hummed as he spoke, his voice rumbling in his throat.
“Eh, tomorrow.”
“It’s gonna be here in the lab, right?”
“Hmm.”
Jayce grabbed a loose gear and fiddled around with it.
“Can I… come watch?”
“No.”
“What? Why not?”
“There will be enough people there, I don’t need you there as audience.”
“But I can help ward them off from touching our stuff!”
“Sky will be there.”
“Can I just pop in?”
“No. Your presence will be a distraction.”
His answer was in honesty. The thought of Jayce being there as Viktor was dolled up and put in various poses made his stomach uneasy.
“Fine. I’ll just swing by after.”
“If you have the time.”
…
Jayce knocked on the lab doors a bit louder as his first round of knocks had gone ignored. He was elated when the doors finally opened but quickly disappointed when Sky anxiously poked her head out, keeping the doors from opening any further.
“Sorry Jayce, but Viktor’s shoot is still going.”
“I figured as much.”
Jayce glanced at the sign that read, Do Not Disturb, Shoot in Session.
“It’s running pretty late, huh?”
“Yeah, they couldn’t quite decide on the pose and outfit for Viktor, and the photographer might be having too much fun with him.”
Sky nervously laughed as her cheeks tinged a darker shade. What was going on in there?
“Well, can I come in and say hello to Viktor?”
“Sorry Jayce, but Viktor strictly said not to let you in.”
“But… it’s my lab.”
“Sorry Jayce.”
Sky retreated back inside the lab and shut the doors. Jayce tried the handle but found it wouldn’t budge. He had been locked out.
He rubbed his hand across his face as he slowly drifted away. How could they have locked him out of his own lab? It was his lab! Granted he hadn’t been in the lab often for the past month or two, but it was still his lab. His and Viktor’s.
And why didn’t Viktor want him there? Was he embarrassed? He shouldn’t be. They were partners. Viktor had seen him shirtless countless of times. Though now that Jayce thought about it, he never saw Viktor without his vest, let alone his shirt.
Jayce moped back to his apartment. He would have to wait until the calendars came out.
…
“Viktor!”
Jayce kicked open the lab doors with a stack of newly printed freshly bought calendars in his arms. He rushed over to his parnter and dumped them out across their worktable.
“Jayce! What, why do you have so many?”
“I thought we could give them out to friends, maybe even sign them?”
“I am not gifting those to anyone, not even myself.”
“You don’t want one?”
“No.”
Jayce hummed for a bit as he stared down at one of many calendars. He snatched a pen and scribbled across the front before sliding it in front of Viktor.
“What is this?”
“A signed copy, a gift from me to you.”
“How generous of you.”
Jayce sat down next to him, his shoulder bumping into Viktor's.
“I’m busy at the moment, Jayce.”
“Let’s look through the calendar together. It’ll only take a minute.”
Viktor gave Jayce an impatient look but was met with puppy dog eyes. He sighed and leaned back in his chair.
“Alright.”
Jayce pulled in closer, his knee now pressing into Viktor’s thigh. He lifted up the calendar and flipped to the first page. The two cringed at the sight of Dimitri wearing nothing but a loose tie, tight pants, and glasses. In his hands was a long wooden ruler, which along with the chalkboard standing behind him, made clear what the general theme of the shoot was.
“Wow, what a way to start off.”
“Hmm, yes, choices were certainly made.”
Jayce laughed and Viktor soon found himself joining in. The laughter continued as the pair flipped through pages, seeing their colleagues posed in sexy outfits and dramatic poses. Despite the silliness of it all, the photos were well shot and edited.
“Ooh! Here’s mine, look!”
Jayce lifted the calendar closer to Viktor. He was shirtless, the embers of his forge reflected off the sweat simmering down his smooth chest and firm stomach. He held a large hammer above him with the head laying across his shoulder, allowing the muscles in his arm to bulge in all the right ways. Jayce looked excitedly to see Viktor’s response but was met with a stoic gaze.
“What do you think?”
Viktor pulled his eyes away from the picture.
“I can see why the calendar’s success hinged on you.”
“O-oh?”
The room suddenly felt warm and stuffy.
“You are the only scientist with muscles. The rest of us are lacking in that department.”
“What? Are you saying my muscles are what draw people in? Not my pretty face?”
“Well, those are your words not mine, but I won’t disagree.”
Jayce flushed.
“Alright smart guy, let’s see yours now.”
From what Jayce heard, Viktor’s picture was right after his. He flipped the page, and like a dying machine, his mind stuttered and blanked. A strange heat climbed up his back and neck before reaching his face, now burning with a twinge of sweat breaking out across his forehead.
Viktor was sitting on a small, cushioned bench in front of their chalkboard. He was leaning to the side with his back facing the camera, displaying his back brace, which Jayce nearly mistook for a corset. A blanket, his blanket, was draped across Viktor’s lap and wrapped around his waist, drawing attention to how small Viktor’s waist was. His poor leg was stretched out, showcasing the entirety of his leg brace from his bare thigh to his slender foot. One hand floated in front of the chalkboard holding onto a small piece of chalk. No other article of clothing could be seen, implying Viktor was fully nude in the picture with only a blanket, his blanket, covering him.
Jayce’s eyes grazed across Viktor’s frame before settling onto his face. It was partially facing the camera with a sly smile that made Jayce’s stomach do flips. He had seen Viktor wear a mischievous smile many times, but this one was sultry. His hair was meticulously disheveled as though someone’s hand had ruffled their fingers through his hair just moments ago, a thought that made Jayce feel weirdly flustered. He had dark blue eyeshadow that made his golden eyes pop.
“Eh, I cannot believe they chose that one.”
Jayce was pulled from his trance.
“Oh, yeah?” he asked sounding as though he were winded.
“Yes. They had an entire outfit for me, and kept taking layer by layer off, shooting each time, only for them to choose the one where I’m practically, oh!”
Viktor looked up to meet Jayce’s eyes, and wow, he had such bright eyes. A beautiful shade of gold. Viktor was a very beautiful person. Was that a strange realization? It seemed obvious in hindsight. Jayce had always thought Viktor handsome, just never considered that beautiful applied as well.
“Jayce, did you hear me?”
“Hmm, oh, sorry, what did you say?”
Viktor tapped his finger against the picture of himself, drawing Jayce’s eyes back to the blanket wrapped around Viktor’s slender waist, now noticing the dark moles scattering down his backside.
“I was wearing shorts underneath the blanket, so you don’t have to worry about it touching eh, y’know… Sky had it washed after anyhow.”
Jayce nodded along, his face burning.
“Are you okay, Jayce?”
“What? Yeah, no I’m fine. I’m all good… anyways, I should probably start handing these calendars out and, Oh! Actually, I promised Sky, I would give one signed by both of us.”
“Well, if it’s for Sky, I’ll make an exception.”
Viktor went to sign the calendar in front of him when Jayce slapped a hand over it.
“Nice try, Viktor, but you’re not getting rid of your gift that easy.”
“Jayce, you can just sign another one and give it to me.”
Jayce grabbed another calendar and signed it with a flourish before sliding it over to Viktor.
“Nope. That one is yours. Sign this one instead, please.”
Viktor huffed, but did as he was asked. Jayce was the only man Viktor would ever let boss him around, and only because he let him. Jayce took the signed copy and stack of calendars and promptly fled from the lab, throwing out a hasty goodbye to his partner. He then walked to his apartment, laid down in his bed, and stared at the picture of Viktor until falling asleep.
…
Jayce walked down the hall with the calendar in hand. The walls stretched up high to the ceiling as the lighting dimmed to an eerie darkness. He came upon the doors to the lab and saw a patch of shimmering blue light breaking through the gap. He wondered if Viktor was conducting an experiment without him, and he felt a deep sadness at the thought.
He missed the lab, but knowing Viktor was there brought comfort and security. When the council meetings were at their most mundane, Jayce imagined Viktor sitting in the lab working away on their shared dream. At any point he could leave and go see him, knowing Viktor would always be there.
And here he was now looking for his partner, and oh did he find him. Like a picture brought to life, Viktor was sitting on the fancy bench in front of their blackboard. His shirt and vest were thrown to the floor in a pile along with his pants. His old blanket carefully draped around his waist, exposing only his bare thigh as his leg stretched out. Jayce wondered if Viktor had anything on underneath the blanket as his eyes trailed down his backside, noting each and every mole he could find.
His back brace snugged tightly around his chest, his bare shoulders cloaked in blue light, messy brown locks cascading around face, those sharp cheeks bones drawing him in, that hypnotizing mole above his lips, his golden eyes. Dear Janna, those eyes.
Viktor was staring at him with that piercing gaze of his, the one that always captured Jayce’s attention. He watched feverishly as Viktor’s lips curled into a sultry mischievous smile.
“Jayce, it is good to see you,” Viktor said, his accent hot and heavy as he spoke. “Come here.”
Jayce walked over to Viktor, his eyes never leaving his partner. As he approached, Viktor turned his back to Jayce.
“Take it off for me.”
As Jayce’s hands reached out, Viktor’s back brace shifted into a red and gold corset. He grabbed the strings and pulled, loosening it. Viktor sighed as the corset came undone, falling away from his back like water. Jayce placed a shaking hand onto Viktor’s naked back, pressing his palm into the space between his shoulder blades.
“That feels good, Jayce,” Viktor cooed. “Rub my back, will you?”
Jayce’s heart was beating fast, but he complied and began rubbing his hands down his back. Viktor moaned in response making Jayce shutter. He moved his hands in rhythmic circles, rubbing his thumbs over each mole he came across.
“Oh, Jayce,” Viktor sighed. “I’ve been so lonely without you here.”
Jayce paused.
“You have?”
Viktor turned to look at Jayce, revealing tears running down his face. He had never seen Viktor cry before.
“I miss you. Will you ever come back to me?”
“I’m with you right now.”
“No. You aren’t.”
Jayce bolted upwards in his bed. His body was coated in sweat and he was breathing heavily. He looked down and was horrified to see an erection poking into his sheets, darkness pooling around the top. His head fell to his hands as shame overcame him.
He pulled on his blanket and brought it up to his sweaty face. The same blanket from the lab delivered to his room by Sky, the same blanket that was once wrapped tightly around Viktor’s waist. He reached out and picked up Viktor’s picture from his end table, ripped out from the calendar. After agonizing over his conflicting shame and lust, he eventually crumbled and slide a hand down in between his legs.
Jayce stroked himself to Viktor. It didn’t take long for him to finish.