Hi There 👋,

Fucking hell this was worth wasting the time to read this instead of doing the pile of assignments calling my name. 😭😭💔

So I saw that your requests were open and just wanted to request a little something. Idk why this came to mind but could you make something angsty between hospital friend! Viktor x fem!reader. When they first meet it’s purely by coincidence and as they grow older they get closer, but reader’s health deteriorates more and more due to their diagnosis. By the time they both were going to confess it was too late. This can be set in a modern AU or not. Thank you!!

(God im such a whore for angst 😭😭)

oh man oh man oh man. How I love angst. But lowkey think I’m bad at writing it so I’m sorry if I did this dirty😭

Arcane Imagines- Viktor

Twisted Fate

[arcane] [main page]

prompt: in which fate is against you.

“Mom, please.” You roll your eyes, standing up from the hospital bed. “I just wanted to make sure!” She puts her hands up in defense as you just shake your head. “I can get up on my own.” You laugh, picking up your laptop, putting on slippers as you head out of the room. 

“I’ll be in the lounge if the nurses look for me.” You tell her and she nods her head, already tidying up your bed since you left it. You sigh at the clean freak that is your mother, walking down the hallway of the large building. It’s currently 10 pm so you’re hoping nobody’s in the patient lounge so you can do your school work in peace. It’s your senior year of high school. 

You turn the corner and into the comfortable warm colored lights that you say every room should have these types of lights instead of the bright annoying ones. You stop in your tracks though when you see a guy sitting there. He doesn’t pay any mind to you but you frown nonetheless. Wondering if you should head back to your room. 

If you did you’d have to deal with your worry filled mother. In here you’d have one strange guy who’s your age and obviously doesn’t seem like he’s going to bother you. 

You go sit down at the other side of the table that he’s already sitting at. Opening the lid of the laptop and getting started on your homework. 

As the time slowly passes you catch yourself looking at the boy, he was handsome that was for sure. “For someone also in the hospital for a reason you sure stare like an outsider.” He finally speaks up, your breathing hitches. Not expecting him to call you out. His accent also caught you off guard. It was really pretty. “Sorry.” You quickly apologize. 

“Is there something on my face?” He glances up to you with a raised eyebrow, putting down his rubix cube. “No, you just… remind me of someone.” You lie straight through your teeth. 

“Are they hot?” He asks and you smile. “Ehh, not really.” You joke and he places a hand on his heart. “Wow, way to bruise a guy's ego as he’s already clearly down.” He motions to the building the two of you are in and you snicker. 

“What kind do you have?” He inquires, you give him a confused expression. “Cancer, what kind?” He repeats and your mouth goes into an ‘o’ shape. 

“Acute Leukemia.” You answer curtly, pressing your lips together for a moment. “You?” You close your laptop, seeming as you weren’t going to be able to pay attention now. “Same actually.” He puts his hand up and you both pretend to high five one another in the air. “Twins.” You chuckle. 

“I’ve been sick since I was a child, so it’s only my luck that I get diagnosed with Cancer right before I turn 18.” You dramatically huff, leaning back in the chair. “Hah, we really are like medical twins. I had a really poor immune system as a kid. Diagnosed two years ago though. This is hopefully my last.” He crosses his fingers and then you do as well. 

“I hope so as well.” You nod your head. 

And as time passes the two of you grew close, almost inseparable. You two were the only ones who truly understood what the other was going through. Growing up sick as children, having worry warts of mothers. Then to get diagnosed with cancer, the same one might I add. You were grateful for each other. 

You were glad you had someone to warn you about what’s to come, who won’t soften the details like the nurses and doctors. And he would come to the hospital whenever you had to go back. Visiting you until the hours were over. You did the same for him as well. 

Your phone buzzes, you look at the screen hurriedly. It was the day that Viktor gets told if he’s cancer free or not. Today is important. You immediately answer, smashing the ear to your phone. “So!??” You pace back and forth in your bedroom. Antsy and impatient. 

“I uh…am…” He sounds sad and your heart drops. “Cancer freee!!” He excitedly says into the phone and you squeal out. “Yes!!! Congratulations!!!” You scream, laughing loudly. Your mom runs to the bedroom. “It’s gone?” She questions with wide eyes and a curious expression. You nod your head and she cheers, pulling you into a hug. Taking the phone from your hand. “That’s amazing, sweetheart! I’m so so so happy for you!” She tells your best friend and you scrunch your nose, smiling at her. 

Your mom and his had gotten close over the past 9 months since you had befriended Viktor. Now the two might be as close as their kids are. “I need to call your mom. We so need to celebrate this.” Your mom says and you over hear Viktor laugh, agreeing with the woman. She hands the phone back to you. 

“Sorry, she snatched my phone from me like I was some peasant.” You sit on your bed. “Well, it’s not like a peasant if you are one.” He tells you and your jaw drops. “Rude! I’m telling your mom when we go out to Hibachi grill later.” You threaten causing him to let out a snort of a laugh. 

“Hibachi grill?” He asks and you can already see the face he’s making. “Your favorite, of course we’ll be going there.” You scoff, he says a small “true.”

 “I have to go, you were the first call I made. My mom’s forcing me to call my whole family now. “ He groans. “Cancer free but at what cost.” He whines out, you chuckle. “I feel special, see you later.” You say with a smile. “See you.” He hangs up the phone and you stand up, going out to the kitchen. 

“Alright, Hibachi grill at 7, I’ll make a little reservation now.” You hear your mom speak and you bite the inside of your cheeks trying not to laugh. You called it. You knew them too well by now. You open the fridge, pulling out a water. You pinch the cap between your pointer and thumb, attempting to unscrew it but your hand feels too fragile. 

You frown, glaring at the white plastic. Trying it again. Your body was weakening from the first round of chemotherapy. You begged them to wait until after you graduated and now that you had, they set the appointment up and here you are.  You squeeze your eyes shut, throwing the bottle to the ground. “I have to go, I’ll see you at the restaurant.” You hear your mom say in the other room. Her feet heading your way. You look up at her. 

She sees the bottle that’s still rolling across the kitchen. “What happened?” She asked and you shrug your shoulders, going over and grabbing the stupid water filled plastic. “Can you open this?” You hand it over to her. “Of course.” She gets it with ease, your jaw tightens at the sight. Wanting to punch something. 

“So Hibachi at 7?” You change the energy of the room to something lighter, not wanting to hear the whole spiel of getting weaker and how it’s okay to ask for help. “Yeah, but do you need to cancel? I’m sure they’d understand.” She places a hand on your shoulder and you wiggle away. “No, mom. We’re going to celebrate my friend for being cancer free.” You spit out, walking back into your room. Upset that she would even offer that to you. 

It had been a year since Viktor was told his good news and now you’re walking into the hospital together for his appointment to check if that’s still the case with his body. You were bundled in a beanie, scarf and a large puffy jacket. It’s only 40 degrees outside but it was freezing to you. 

Viktor’s mom was supposed to be there but he told you she got caught up with something at work. You questioned it because his mom would never miss something like this. He shrugged his shoulders at your words. 

Secretly he had pleaded with his mom to just go to work so that you’d go with him instead. She knew how he felt towards you so it didn’t end up being a huge fight. Except she didn’t go to work. She stayed home due to her nerves being amped up. Not knowing if her son was going to have cancer again or not. 

The two of you are taken into a room to get the news. He had done all the blood work a few weeks ago. He didn’t want to find out over the phone so here you two are. 

He sits on top of a medical exam bed as you sit in a chair, shivering from still being cold. “You okay?” He asks you and you wave it off. “I’m fine, Vik.” You smile, your teeth chattering as you do so causing him to snicker. “Here.” He takes off his jacket, putting it on your lap. “Extra layer.” He says and you quietly thank him. 

The doctor walks in with a clipboard. “Heyy, Viktor. Long time no see. And you [Name]. Good to see you.” He grins at the both of you and you force a polite smile in return. “You too.” You puff out, holding yourself tightly. 

“So, Viktor. You are still cancer free. No signs of any abnormalities.” He tells Viktor who lets out a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding and you clap your hands excitedly. “I only need one last test from you and then you are good to go. And hopefully I will never see you again unless it’s with [name] for the time being.” He motions over to you and you giggle. Every one of the staff knows the two of you are attached at the hip. If one’s there it’s most likely the other one is as well. “Okay.” Viktor stands up, leaving you alone in the room after they walk out. 

You sit there, leaning your head back tiredly. Using the hood of the coat as a pillow. You then feel something warm cover you, you shoot your head up, confused. “Sorry, Viktor told us you were cold.” The nurse awkwardly tells you and you thank her.

The room grows silent once again and you smile, snuggling into the heated up blanket. Grateful for your best friend. Your chest tightens at the thought of him. You were growing feelings for the boy as you spent every day with him. 

And two years later you’re standing there with your mom, Viktor and his mom ringing the cancer free bell. Weakly smiling as Nurses surround you, cheering. Viktor pulls you into his side and you grin up at him. “Now we’re both cancerless!” He squeezes you and you snicker. “Woo!” You rasp out. You currently had a cold so you weren’t all the way there but still excited nonetheless. Your tireless fight is now over. 

“Chinese food tonight!” Your mom joins the hug, Viktor’s mom following along. “Yay!” You beam. 

It didn’t last long though. You got a call about a month later from the doctor. “[Name] [Last Name]?” The lady over the phone asks and you smile. “That’s me!” You say as you were cleaning up in the kitchen. Viktor was currently in the living room with your mom. Getting ready to leave.

“I have some unfortunate news regarding your x-ray results. We have your appointment already set up on Friday for your physical if you want to hear it then unless you’d like to hear it now over the phone.” She speaks and your heart drops, palpitating a few times at her words. “I’d like to hear it now.” Your voice breaks. 

You leaned over the counter using it as support. “Um,” She was hesitant to tell you the news.

 “You have a malignant tumor in your brain, cancerous, it has spread to a point where you’d need surgery and treatment as soon as possible.” She informs you and your shoulders tense up. “The percentage of me living through this?” You quiet your voice as you ask, not wanting to alarm your mother or best friend in the other room. 

“10 percent.” She breathes out and you bite your bottom lip. “How long if I don’t get the treatment?” You vaguely ask but she immediately understands what you’re asking. 

“6 months with treatment and it failing, 3 months without it all together.” She answers your question and a tear slips down your cheek. “I’m not doing it.” You say sternly. “There’s a chance you’d live a long life if you get the surgery-” 

“I will go to my appointment this Friday to speak with my doctor. Have a good night.” You cut her off, hanging up the phone. You hunch over the sink, taking in the information you were just told. 

You’re not going through it again. You’re not making your body suffer more than it has to for only 10 percent. 10 percent!? 

“[Name], I’m heading out now.” A voice speaks behind you and you lift yourself up, forcing a smile. “Okay! Text me when you get home. Love you.” You give him a short hug, knowing if it was a longer embrace you’d break down in his arms.

“Love you too.” He says, leaving the house. Once his car is out of your driveway you collapse to the ground, letting out a loud sob. 

“[Name]!? [Name], what happened!?” Your mom falls beside you, pulling you into her arms. “Three months!” You wail, hiding your face in her neck. “I have three!” Your body shakes and she shushes you, not understanding what you’re talking about.

“Honey, breathe. Breathe.” She pets your hair and you hyperventilate harder, not able to calm down. 

“I- I got a call! From the office!” You shout out, having no other way to get it out due to struggling to breathe. 

She pulls away from you with scared eyes, staring at your face. “[Name], what are you saying?” She questions, gripping your arms. You breathe in through your nose, soothing yourself before speaking. 

“Malignant tumor in my brain. Only ten percent chance with the surgery and therapy. 3 months to live without it, 6 months if it doesn’t work but still do it.” You explain and tears build in your mothers eyes. You squeeze your eyes shut, you think this has to be a dream. There’s no way this is real. 

“You’re  getting the surgery right?” She asks automatically and you put your head down in shame.

“Right, [Name]!? You’re getting the surgery, right?” She cries out and tears spill down your face as you don’t answer her. “You just got the news, you can change your mind. It’s okay!” She talks, mainly to herself. 

She stands up, not knowing what to do with herself. “Don’t… tell anyone. Please.” You look up at her from the ground. She avoids eye contact with you but nods her head. 

On Friday your mom is gripping onto your hand, tears already threatening to fall from her eyes as you sit straight up. Your Doctor doing two knocks before entering. “[Name].” He solemnly nods his head, you do the same in return. “What would you like to go forward with?” He gets straight to the point and you glance over to your mom. She breaks down, looking away from you but not letting you go. 

“I’m not doing the surgery.” You tell him, heart thumping loudly in your chest. His face seems to flicker a sad expression before he takes a loud breath. “Alright, let’s talk about that decision then.” He begins. 

You sit with Viktor, staring at him from across the booth. Taking in all of his features with a small smile. Appreciating his presence. “What?” He chuckles and you shrug your shoulders.

“You just have an interesting looking face.” You say simply and he cocks his head to the side. “What a compliment.” He rolls his eyes playfully and you grin. 

“So, what’d the doctors say about this little sickness you have?” He points to your figure that’s very clearly ill. “Just my body having a weird effect from the medicines I’m still taking.” You lie. 

You hadn’t told him of the death sentence you had received. Or the cancer in your brain. You didn’t want anyone beside your mother to know. She told Viktor’s mom who promised not to tell him. You swore to do it before the third month. 

It’s already been one, the two of you still hanging out frequently, almost everyday. “Ah, so weird. You’re so prone to weird diseases.” He takes a bite of his food and you let out a dry laugh. If only he knew. 

You wanted to tell him how you felt before you were gone. Get it out. It’s been forever of yearning for him. The least you could get is a confession out. Maybe even a kiss from the man you’ve loved for over three years. 

Every single time you go to do it, something stops you. An interruption. Fate screaming at you not to do it. 

And in the second month, you were now in and out of the hospital, growing too weak to where Viktor couldn’t not notice something was truly up that you weren’t telling him. Even his mother seemed secretive.

He didn’t like this. 

You lay in the hospital bed, eyes closed as you rest. Your mom watches your breathing as she sits on the couch in the corner of the room. “Viktor will be here in ten minutes.” She tells you and you hum out.

“Good, I have something to tell him.” You smile softly. You were going to confess. You knew you weren’t going to make it through the week.

Viktor presses the button of the elevator, waiting in silence as it goes up to your floor. Holding flowers and your favorite chocolate. He was going to confess. 

The elevator doors open and he steps out, he limps a little more than usual, not having his cane with him. He was trying to walk without it in front of you. Show he’s getting stronger like he’s been saying. He heads to your room 143-V. 

As he gets closer, suddenly nurses and doctors are rushing into your room, he furrowed his eyebrows, picking up his pace to the best of his abilities. “What’s happening!?” He shouts, asking one of the nurses in passing. “I don’t know.” She sadly responds in a panic as she follows after the nurses.

He hears your moms voice, screaming. 

“No! No, no no! She was supposed to have another month!” She pleaded, getting pushed out of the room. Viktor grabs onto her.

“What’s happening!?” He asks, repeating the same question he asked before. “Oh, Viktor.” She cries, pulling him into a hug, crushing the flowers that he held. 

“Wha- what’s going on?” He shakily questions. “She never told you.” She curses you, frowning at the stupid choice that you made. 

A nurse comes out to say they’re working with you, leading them to a private waiting room. The two sit down and your mom explains everything.

Viktor sat there, stunned. Not believing this. Not believing that you wouldn’t tell him this. 

An hour passes and a nurse comes into the room. She looks like she’s trying to hide the fact that she’s about to cry. Her chin quivering. She’s been your nurse since the beginning. Since you first got diagnosed. 

“I’m sorry.” Her head bows and your mother screams out a cry. Viktor’s ears ring. His vision was blurred. 

“You can see her.” She says and your mom goes out but he stays planted in the spot. Not able to move. Not able to register what’s happening. You two were just planning to watch a movie together. To hang out and try this dessert you’ve never had.

The door creaks open and your mom is standing, her face stained with tears. “Go see her before you can’t.” She tells Viktor who nods, getting up from his seat. Shuffling his feet underneath him. Clutching onto the stupid flowers. And the stupid chocolate. He enters your room. Throwing the stuff at your feet.

“How could you!?” He shouts angrily. 

“How could you do this to me!? How could you leave me!?” He falls down to the side of your bed, grabbing onto your lifeless body. His own body finally letting him cry. 

“I was going to confess my love for you! And you die?! What the fuck!?” His voice breaks with every word, it was high pitched and hurting.

The nurses that pass by, lowering their heads. Everyone that knew you in the hospital was heartbroken. They truly didn’t think this was going to happen to you. You were good.

“And you don’t tell me you were dying? I should’ve known something was up, you were so sick! I’m such a terrible friend! I fucking suck, you… You fucking suck.” He bawls, punching the bed repeatedly. 

Your mom goes to him, pulling him into a hug and he clings onto her immediately. “I’m sorry!” He says. “I’m sorry!” He weeps and she shushes him. “It’s okay, it’s okay I promise.” She cries with him. 

Such a twisted, sick fate life had gifted upon you. 

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Okay here’s a little early morning (who tf am I kidding I’ve been awake since 3:30 today) writing of a concept I’ve been thinking of…

— — — — — —

The halls were quiet. Not a single sound left the confines of the doors sealed shut with extra security. It smelled of nothing in particular. No scent of rubbing alcohol, food, cleaning products, nothing rancid either. Halls repeating one after another, it’s a little unsettling, but he makes it to one room. He slides the keycard into the reader and waits for it to unlock before taking it out.

The first door opens with a light noise, then the second and the third. A booth being the only thing separating the room. The glass shatterproof. Three holes are carved into the middle of it to allow conversations between the two. Behind the glass sat a woman. Hair dark and long as ever, her skin pale as it hasn’t been hit by UV rays, just the artificial light from the bulbs in the room. She looks worn out, her trays of food sat at the exchange chute. She probably only took a few bites of it before she abandoned it. She looks up at him. Eyes sunken in, face a bit hollow, and hair tucked behind her ears.

He sat down at the booth.

“May I help you, dove?” Her voice smoothed over the nickname with indifference. She stood up from her spot on the floor and made her way to the chair they so kindly provided for her.

“There’s been a recent attack (blah blah blah)” (I haven’t thought about what to really write just yet)

“Mhm. So you came here because they share attack patterns similar to mine?”

He stays quiet.

“Go on, it’s not kind to keep a lady waiting, you know.”

“(Insert date and place of attacks and more info)”

“Seems like they’re pretty young or inexperienced. This usually happens after someone’s been sent on their first mission. It’s either to prove themselves worthy to be accepted into a space, or they just recently started hunting on their own.”

“You see ghouls don’t have the privilege to live life with family members. They either die when you’re really young or you never meet them. Some are lucky enough to have loved their whole life and watch their families grow for generations.”

“What I’m trying to say is that they probably lost their care giver. The one that hunts and puts food on the table so in place they’re stepping up. They’re being messy and aren’t thinking about their tracks. They’re desperate. It’s quite easy to figure this out, you look like a smart guy. Humor me, why did you come here for my help?”

— — — — — —

This was written when I was half asleep, there’s bound to be errors n shit. I apologize for that 😭 but that’s the concept. I’ll refine it when I have the time but yeah as of right now this is it. Character has been undecided, I’m thinking about one of the boys in the Quinx squad. But yeah that’s all :p oh also reader is supposed to be a foreigner, not Japanese.

The fucking angst is angsty 💔

What Could’ve Been [Viktor x GN!Reader]

Plot Summary: In which you find yourself in a world so similar yet so different to your own and are simply too tired of life knocking you down again and again to still play the selfless hero.

Word Count: 3,9k

Warnings: spoilers for Arcane Season 2, talk about character death and illness, suicidal thoughts, slightly suggestive at the end

A/N: I saw that alternate timeline and went ‘Ekko’s a stronger man than I am’ and went with that; actually wanted to write sth fluffy and happy, and this is wholesome-ish, but with some very bleak undertones so I might have to write some actual fluff to compensate. Also, the religious imagery wasn’t planned from the get go but it kinda happened and it is on brand for this man, I just decided to turn it on its head a little 🤷

“Interesting. When I told you about this last, you advised the exact opposite.”

You freeze mid movement, plate hovering an inch or so over the table you were setting. “Well I… I suppose I’ve changed my mind.”

The soft tap of a cane against the floor alerts you to him crossing the room, appearing in your peripheral as you put down the porcelain with shaky fingers. “A rather… hm, siginificant change in such a short time, wouldn’t you agree? Not to mention you acted like I was telling you for the first time.” He doesn’t receive an answer, so he keeps going. “I’ve had a theory for a while. I don’t believe I’ve told you about it, because really, it’s only a pipe dream at this point, but entertaining for the duller moments nonetheless: alternate timelines. The possibility of several different realities, all co-existing with each other simultaneously. Some would call the mere idea preposterous, I’m fully aware, but then again, how would we know for certain? How could we know? Unless one or more of said timelines happened to… overlap.” The silence that follows is deafening and heavy; a precursor of what’s to come. “You’re not originally from this world, are you?”

While he knows this is a conversation that needs to be had, the way you curl into yourself and seem to wither and grow small before his eyes makes him wish he could take it all back. He tries to catch your gaze, but you purposely avoid his as you drag yourself over to the couch. Body heavy and tired, you all but slump down into worn cushions, blankly staring into space as you weakly reply with “No. I’m not.”

He doesn’t move, nor does he speak, cause while he’d been expecting your answer to a degree, now that it’s out in the open he’s… unsure what to even do with it. It isn’t a worry for long, though, as you continue speaking, slow and weary. Like you had been expecting, dreading, this moment just as much as him.

“It wasn’t a… conscious choice. To come here, I mean. It was an accident really, I didn’t even know what had happened at first.” A weak chuckle. “This was a shock to me as much as it must’ve been for you.”

And what a shock it had been for you. To have been standing with your friends in the bowels of the Hexgates one minute and to wake up in an unfamiliar bed the next. Dizzily traipsing through a space that had felt familiar yet foreign all at once; pictures and mementos from times you couldn’t remember staring at you from every surface. And to have had Viktor come through the door, bag of baked goods under one arm, to find you in the living room of what should’ve been your home, looking every bit as lost as you felt. It had been a miracle you’d stayed standing then and there, with the way he’d looked: same lanky figure supported by a cane, same messy chestnut locks, same two beauty marks against the pale skin of his sharp face, same concern in his honey colored irises when he took in your state. But no dark circles borderlining bruises under his eyes, no hollowed, sunken in cheeks, no blood on his lips to betray another attack. And no Hexcore devouring him whole. Your downfall had come in the form of slender fingers gingerly wrapping around your forearm to try and steady you; a silent question and a gentle offer of help. One of those fingers wearing the very same ring you usually kept on a chain around your neck, because you’d always been too busy or too in your own head to just ask him. To offer him your heart, your life, your everything, if only he wanted it. Always too terrified of rejection, of losing him to his illness; too scared of fucking something until it was too late. And when your hand had come up in search for said necklace, a nervous habit that had developed at some point, and you’d found a matching ring on your own finger instead, you’d finally dissolved into a wailing, sobbing mess against his chest, never wanting to let go again.

And what a shock it had been for him. To have talked to you, not twenty minutes prior, an exchange of sleepy, lazy kisses and quiet murmurs, telling you he’d go get breakfast and be right back, watching as you’d curled back up under the blankets with a content sigh. To come through the door, expecting you still in bed and instead finding you in the middle of your living room, looking utterly lost and misplaced in your own home, an almost manic look in your eyes, staring at him like you’d seen a ghost. He’d approached you, carefully, like one would a wild caged animal, and then a simple touch of his had sent you into a meltdown. And at an absolute loss, he’d simply held you. Let you cry yourself to utter exhaustion in his arms, the both of you a heap on the floor, propped up against the back of the sofa. When you had finally, finally calmed down, you’d played it off as the aftershocks of a nightmare. The kind that makes you believe they’re real and keeps you trapped in them for what could feel like a lifetime. And Gods you’d looked like you had aged a lifetime while he was gone. And ever since that night you’d been… different. Getting lost in your own head more often than not. Suffering from nightmares almost every night. Migraines and something akin to epileptic seizures every once in a good while. He had let it go on, assuring you that if you needed anything he would be there for you, and in the following months, you’d seemed to settle and things had gone back to normal. Relatively. But it had been the memory loss that had made him suspicious. Or more so the fact that while some things remained, others seemed to have happened differently for you and some had never happened at all. Never having been able to leave well enough alone, he’d started digging for explanations. And now, at the end of his research, his most impossible theory proven right - he’s yet again at a loss of what to do. How to help you.

“I didn’t know how I got here, much less how to get back. From what I do understand about all of this, and it ain’t much, the thing that sent me to this world doesn’t even exist here. So at first I didn’t have much of a choice but to just… live. To pretend like everything was normal and I belonged here. But eventually I realized that even if I got the chance to go back, I didn’t want to. I wanted to be selfish, I wanted—“ Your voice cracks, thick with emotion and he watches your head drop forward like a doll’s whose strings have been cut, eyes downcast at your trembling hands. “I wanted to be happy again. And for once in my damn life I wanted it to last. It just never fucking lasts…”

Stride over to you and hold you tight, kiss you and tell you that everything would be alright, that you would figure this out together, like always. That’s what he should be doing. Every bone in his body tells him to, but just like so many other times in the past, his oh so brilliant mind prevents him. Tells him that there is no ‘together, like always’ because the person in front of him isn’t the person he’s known his whole life. Isn’t the person he married. Everything’s an ugly mess and he doesn’t mean for his next words to come across as cruel, doesn’t perceive them that way; blissfully unaware of the implications, he’s simply, truly curious.

“What would you do if you were to go back home?”

An inelegant snort leaves you and you wipe the back of your hand over your eyes in a desperate and vain attempt to stop the tears from flowing.

23 seconds.

You were counting, just to give you something to occupy your spiraling mind with, really.

23 seconds.

That’s how long it had taken him to no longer refer to this world, this apartment, him as your home. To prioritize whatever might be going in your other life. And you know it’s not fair, to be this upset with him, this version of him that you’ve been deceiving from the start; even though he has never wronged you. But you can’t help it. Guilt and regret would soon be all you’d have left again, so might as well leave him with some, too.

“Well… if I hadn’t gotten sucked into this mess, I would’ve killed myself by now. I guess I’d be getting back to that.”

The breath that escapes him sounds like you actually just sucker punched him in the gut and immediately makes you feel terrible about how casual and bitter you’d made it sound, but he’d wanted the truth and that was it. Limbs heavy und unsteady, you rise from your position on the couch and make your way over to the front door. “I’ll go take a walk or… you know, go do… whatever. Give you some space, time to think.” Your hand’s already on the door handle, but you pause and somehow find it in yourself to turn around and at least give him the courtesy of looking at him for what you’re about to say. “For what it’s worth, I never meant to let it go this far. It just became so… easy to pretend like things had always been like this. You made it easy. And while I’m sorry that I lied to you, tricked you, intentional or not, I got the chance to fall in love with you all over again. And I could never be sorry about that.”

You’re fairly certain you’ve never seen him move as fast as he does now and before you know it, you’re wrapped in a hug almost too tight, his cane landing on the carpeted floor next to you with a dull thump. “You cannot say things like that and expect me to just let you walk out of that door, I-“

Readjusting his hold on you, he cradles your head against his shoulder and loops his other arm around your middle, continuing in a hushed, gentle tone. “I can’t bear the thought of harm befalling you. Even worse, you harming yourself. In any timeline. Please, just stay. No matter what might happen in the future, just… stay with me. Right here.”

He means for it to be reassuring, comforting, loving, you know that. It’s not his fault that it has the exact opposite effect.

Wincing, a new wave of tears springs to your eyes and you remove yourself from his hold, but can’t bring yourself to let go completely; hands now linked between the two of you. “Viktor, I stole the body and life of a person you actually love. I don’t want you to force yourself to try and love me out of pity.”

“And why are you so certain that’s what this is?!” It surprises you, how genuinely upset he sounds, and a gasp is forced out of your throat when he wrenches his hands out of your grasp and his palms find your face, to force your gaze onto him and keep it there, wether you want to or not. The expression he’s wearing almost scares you; thick brows furrowed in anger and lips curled back in what could nearly be a snarl, but as soon as gold eyes find yours, red and puffy and so very desperate and grieving, whatever fire seemed to have been burning him up inside goes out all at once.

His shoulders drop and he rests his forehead against yours with a sigh, warm breath fanning over your face. “I’m sorry, moje láska, please forgive me. I’m not angry with you, I just… I can not comprehend why you are so ready and willing to accept rejection, but will not even entertain the possibility that loving you comes as easy to me as your affections for me do to you. Why can you love every version of me, but I’m not allowed the same with every version of you?” He watches you blink owlishly, your mouth opening and closing several times and he’s not sure wether it’s endearing or heartbreaking, how clear it is that this possibility never even crossed your mind. “You act like this entire situation only penalizes me, when in reality, I’m not actually your Viktor, either, am I?”

He expects this to help, to give you a new perspective. To make it clear to you that you are both the same; you are not a villain in his story. And there is a smile on your lips, but it’s so small and sad that his stomach drops at the sight. “No, you’re not. You couldn’t be. My Viktor is gone.”

And all of a sudden, it makes so much sense. How sometimes you’d stare at him with the most haunted look in your eyes, like he was a dead man walking, ready to collapse at any given moment. How you’d grow frantic when he came back late from the academy. How you’d insisted on tagging along on the most mundane of tasks, always under the guise of wanting to spend more time with him, but really just keeping a close eye on him at all times. Though he suspects the former to be true; the chance to spend even a few more precious hours with a loved one you’d thought lost, who wouldn’t jump at that chance?

His world would simply seize spinning if you were no longer in it, he can’t even begin to imagine how you feel. How tormenting it must’ve been to see him everyday, a second chance dangling right in front of you, but never certain if you were to wake up back in a world where he was gone.

You’re in his arms again in a heartbeat, one hand carding through your hair, the other rubbing soothing patterns into your back; whispering sweet little nothings into your ear as you bury your face into the crook of his neck and sob. All so much like the day you arrived and saw him for the first time, and yet… softer. More intimate.

You stay like this until your bawling dies down to whimpers and sniffles at which point he gingerly coaxes you to look at him.

“Miláček, listen to me. As it stands now, you have no way of going back to your original world.” He doesn’t call it your home anymore, you notice. “You did not ask for this, you did not choose this; you had it thrust upon you while going through enough pain and grief you considered taking your own life. For the love of everything, you needn’t feel guilty for wanting to use this chance to find happiness again. And you shouldn’t feel guilty if you continue to do so.” Still sniffling you gently caress his face, thumbs running over his chiseled cheekbones and heart stuttering when he leans into your touch. But then you catch sight of the ring on your finger again.

“I’m not… I’m not the person you married, Vik.” Unknowingly, you parrot his own thoughts back to him, but surprisingly enough, he finds he doesn’t much care anymore. He’s flabbergasted how he could ever even doubt for a second that it would matter which timeline you were originally from. Because it’s still you. Damn it all, it’s still you. “Maybe so. But I’ve seen the same kindness in you in those past few months that I’ve always known. The same wit. The same ambition and passion. All the things that made me love you in the first place. You said this gave you the chance to fall in love with me again; would you allow me the chance to do the same?”

The truth is, while you want to try and build a life here, you feel guilty. Guilty about the friends you left fighting a war. Guilty about taking over the life and joy of someone else, even if they are a different version of you. Guilty about forcing the man you love into a relationship with a person he technically doesn’t even know. All these months, you’d only ever reciprocated his affections, never initiated them, had barely let him touch you at all, because you’d always felt like somehow you were coercing him into cheating on someone he actually loved. But here he is now, telling you that he wants you, this version of you, all of you. Could you really do it? Leave behind everything and everyone you’ve ever known, for a chance at happiness, a fresh start? You had no guarantee that things would go smoothly in this universe either, after all. Wouldn’t you just be playing pretend for the rest of your life?

“So what, we’ll just… pretend like it’s the first time then?” you ask, a quiet breathless laugh accompanying your question. He shrugs and smiles at you. “Something like that. Falling in love with you again and again and again? I could imagine a worse fate.”

So could you. Much, much worse, in fact.

Your expression shifts somewhat without you even realizing and he immediately recognizes that he must’ve triggered some form of painful memory. He places tiny little kisses all over your face, murmuring apologies all the while and when you sigh in contentment it finally dawns on him that this is very much the first time you’ve let yourself enjoy being close with him since you got here. He doesn’t blame you; the moral dilemma that was forced on you would put anyone on edge and make them anxious about what they could allow themselves to experience without some form of consequences. He would prove to you that there would be none, he’d make sure of that; singlehandedly destroy them if they did decide to raise their ugly heads. That you didn’t always need to give and give and ask for nothing in return. That you could take what you wanted and not be punished for it. You’d taught him that after all.

“Moje světlo…?”

Gods have mercy on your soul, you never could say no to him when he used those damn pet names on you.

You crash your lips to his, desperate and practically starved; in direct contrast to all the sweet promises and gentle reassurances you just shared, there’s nothing romantic about it. It’s all tongues and teeth and absolutely filthy and it’s exactly what you need right now. Your back makes contact with the door you’d been oh so insistent on walking out of not even fifteen minutes ago, that thought now the furthest thing from your mind as his hands are already under your shirt, leaving goosebumps in their wake.

Your head falls back against the worn wood with a thump as his lips find your neck, leaving marks and bruises for everyone to see and maybe the moan that escapes your throat with a broken version of his name coupled with how weak your knees already feel could’ve been embarrassing, but you don’t have it in yourself to care; it feels like it’s been years since he last kissed you like this. Touched you like this. The whine of protest as he pulls back is cut short when he drops to his knees in front of you, hands on your hips to keep you in place and placing on last kiss on your stomach before he puts some distance between you both, not more than a few inches really, but still too much for your liking. One hand goes to cover his own, while the other cups his face, trying to tug him closer again, but he refuses. Brows knitting together in confusion and frustration, you’re about to ask him what he thinks he’s doing, but he beats you to it.

“I won’t go further unless you tell me you want this.” You almost laugh, because he can not be serious. How much more obvious could you be? Your own body is doing half the talking for you, really. But of course that’s not exactly what he means. “I want you to admit to me, and more importantly to yourself, that you want this life. I want you to realize that it is perfectly alright for you to be selfish every now and again.”

His words trigger a memory from long ago, when you’d found him passed out on the desk in the lab one too many times. After you’d been done yelling at him, you’d told him that he couldn’t just always give and give and give until there was barely anything left of himself. That it was okay to be a little selfish and take things for himself every once in a while.

Take your own advice, liar.

A voice somewhere in the back of your head purrs bewitchingly and it’s right. You are still lying. Not to him though - to yourself. Telling yourself that you feel guilty for wanting to stay here, when in reality that’s how you should be feeling. But the truth, the real truth, is that you’re scared.

Scared of how little you actually care. About the friends you left fighting a war. About taking over the life and joy of someone else, even if they are a different version of you. About forcing the man you love into a relationship with a person he technically doesn’t even know. You haven’t truly cared about any of it from the get go; always too self righteous to admit it to yourself, though.

Practiced fingers slip from his cheek to the hair at the nape his neck and pull; he goes along willingly this time, head forced back and his eyes lock onto yours, right as fresh, hot tears start to travel down your face. But you’re done grieving; you are livid, plain and simple. “I want this…” you breathe out, so quiet he almost misses it. You don’t stay quiet, though, you can’t anymore, and your voice rises in volume with every sentence spoken. “I want to stay. I want a life with you. All blissful boredom and domesticity. It’s all I ever wanted. Why…? Why was even that too much to ask?!”

He doesn’t have the answer, but he does have the solution, delivered with a slight turn of his head and a kiss to your wrist.

“It wasn’t. It isn’t.”

Breaths heavy and irregular, you simply take in the sight of him: all disheveled hair and kiss swollen lips, pretty blush all the way down to his neck, eyes dark and pupils blown wide, only a thin ring of gold left, looking at you so longingly, on his knees for you and you alone; like a worshipper ready to commit any atrocity for the sake and love of their god.

“You can take what you want, anděl. No one will punish you for it. I won’t let them.”

Angel. Oh, the irony. Irony turned certainty. Certainty turned reality.

So take you would. And you wouldn’t bother looking back at the things you’d left behind.

AINT NO WAY THIS WAS POATED ON MY BIRTHDAY AND I DISNT FUCKING SEE IT 😭😭

Holy shit that was so fucking sad, I’m legitimately tearing up cause that just made me feel a bunch of things 🧍also I haven’t seen many paternal Viktor fics (in which I understand that people are pretty against wanting children [I am too], but I need that fluff rn so I can procrastinate on assignments and not have to think about school atm 💀) mind you spring semester has JUST started and I’m over professors assigning 15 assignments for one week worth of homework… yes that did just happen to me.

Turning Page

Summary: The man you once fell in love with has turned into someone, or something, almost unrecognizable.

Pairings: Herald!Viktor x F!Reader

Tags: Short n sad.

Words: 1.4k

A/N: His face card was so lethal it wasn't affected by the transformation at all.

Hoping to find a cure for Vander, you joined Jinx, Vi, and Isha on a journey to locate this infamous "Herald" deep within the heart of Zaun. You’d come across his name multiple times and had finally decided to give it a shot.

What could go wrong, right?

But the place was nothing like the dark, grotesque pit like it once was. No, it was quite the opposite. This was a sanctuary, a heaven in Runeterra.

Colorful and circular patterns spread across the whole area, as though resembling the process of cell division.

You couldn’t explain it, but something about the entire situation felt off.

In the center of the commune stood a massive circular shed. Its walls bore the same patterns that decorated everything around it, only larger. It was impossible to ignore that this was where the Herald resided—his place of authority.

You all made your way to it, waiting in silence for him to appear.

And he stepped out.

His figure was thin, a combination of metal in shades of purple and black covering his entirety. Yet, strangely, his face was the only part left untouched. He wore a blue robe that almost dragged along the ground with every step, his hair streaked with white at the ends brushing past his shoulders.

"Viktor...?" The name escaped your lips before you could stop it, and you froze.

The figure before you was someone—or something—you never thought you would see again. Your heart raced, unable to make sense of what your eyes were seeing.

Was this really him? The man you once knew now hidden beneath the skin of metal. His presence was familiar, yet he was someone entirely different.

It couldn’t be. No, there was no way this was him.

"It's good to see you again," he said, his voice devoid of expression. "State your purpose."

Your heart sank at his words and the tone of his voice, your mouth slightly fell agape. You hated how it lacked acknowledgment, how he couldn’t even bother to say your name.

It was clear he didn’t care about seeing you again, and right now, you were nothing more than a visitor.

Before he met you, Viktor’s dreams revolved solely around science, the progress of the city, and leaving a legacy. But with you, his ambitions became something simpler. Something human.

He began to dream of things he once thought were beyond him. Like marriage and the idea of creating a family to call his own. But those dreams remained unspoken. He was too afraid to voice them, fearing they might scare you, or worse, shatter the perfect balance between you two.

After all, the thought terrified him just as much as it might have you.

Yet words had never been necessary. You were inseparable, bound by something unsaid but undeniable. To anyone who saw you together, the conclusion was always the same: You were more than friends.

Two souls so intertwined that the line between had blurred, connected by strings purely from the veins that built the two of you. You were practically lovers, just too afraid to admit it even to yourselves.

The explosion at the council had truly taken him from you, or at least the version of him you once knew. All that remained was this cold stranger, and the realization hurt you more than you would like to admit, leaving a void in your heart where love once bloomed.

Before you could gather your thoughts, Vi spoke up, explaining the reason for your visit. But you couldn’t tear your eyes away from him, memories from a year ago rushing back just before he vanished.

"Please... You've just been brought back to life. You have to stay with me, Viktor..." Your voice cracked as you added, "What about us?"

Viktor was momentarily stunned by your words, stopping in his tracks as soon as he heard them. He turned to face you, his eyes lacking their spark. Your anxiety rose under his gaze as he uttered words you never imagined would ever escape his lips.

"Was there ever an us?"

The sting of his question lingered in your chest. You couldn’t follow him, not after that. That’s when you let him go, and you never saw him again.

Without a word, you walked away, leaving them to their conversation. Jinx gave you a puzzled look but didn’t bother to follow. You could feel Viktor’s gaze following you as well, and it felt as though it was burning your skin.

You sat down by a fruit vendor, who offered you a piece after noticing the look on your face. "Thank you," you murmured.

Where you sat wasn’t too far from them. You could still see them, but their words were no longer audible.

You watched Viktor. He looked healthy now, but could he truly be considered healthy if he wasn’t even human anymore? Sure, the limp was gone, and the pain he once wore due to his illness was nowhere to be found.

But those were the details that made him human. Those imperfections were the ones you always found beautiful. They were what made Viktor, well, Viktor.

You were relieved he no longer had to suffer, but seeing him replaced by this almost emotionless being broke your heart.

You took a bite of the fruit, its sweetness doing little to ease the knot in your stomach. You watched them as a few more minutes passed. Then the sisters and Isha finally drifted away from Viktor, Vander following him toward a shed away from the others.

Jinx skipped over to you. "Ask for a miracle healer, get a metal fortune cookie," she quipped.

Vi rolled her eyes, her hands stuffed in her pockets as she ignored her sister's blabbering. "What’s going on? You know that guy?"

You exhaled, cheeks puffing up as you tried to find the words. "Honestly? I don’t think I do anymore." You shook your head, struggling to explain. "But we used to be... Uh... We were..."

Vi chuckled, sitting down next to you. "I think I know what you mean," she said with a cheeky smile. "Too bad we’ll probably have to stay here for a couple of days."

Indeed, days had passed. You spent them mingling with the members of the commune, listening to their stories and hearing them recall their life experiences. Every answer circled back to praise for Viktor, voices filled with devotion as they spoke of how he saved them.

You couldn’t help but smile at their words. This was what Viktor always dreamed of—to help the people of Zaun, to ease their endless suffering.

But in pursuing that dream, he had lost you. And perhaps himself.

You avoided interacting with him, focusing instead on Vander’s progress. Viktor was patient with the creature Vander had become, more patient than you expected.

At least that part of him remained intact. At least he was still the same caring Viktor in some way, you thought to yourself.

You let out a laugh as you scooped Isha into your arms, lifting her high into the air. Her giggles filled the commune as you tossed her upward and caught her again.

She clung to you between laughter, arms raised. The joy on her face was so contagious that you couldn’t help but laugh with her, your heart swelling with nothing but happiness.

Viktor lingered behind a wall, his frame half-hidden but still visible. Just watching.

He couldn’t tear his gaze away. Seeing you with Isha simply enchanted him, and it made him feel something he hadn’t in a long time.

Paternal.

He had once dreamed of moments like this. Though, they didn’t consume his thoughts fully, but they lingered as what-ifs.

There were days when he imagined you carrying a child you had created together, soft laughter and lullabies echoing through the living room of the home he built for you.

In those visions, he saw himself holding your child while standing by your side, mouthing words like, "Say, 'Papa,'" as if a two-month-old infant could already talk.

At that moment, those dreams seemed to mock him. As he observed you lovingly holding Isha, a part of that dream reignited in his heart. And for a moment, his lips curved into the smallest of smiles. It was so faint it almost wasn’t even there. It caught him off guard. That smile didn’t come from logic or the machine. It came from somewhere else. Some part of him that still felt... still longed.

A part of him that's you. His humanity.

He blinked, letting the feeling slip away. Whatever part of him that still hoped for that life wasn’t meant to exist here.

Not with what he’d become. Not ever.

He stepped back, retreating to his shed. He would leave things as they were.

For your sake. For his own.

Because some dreams were simply kinder left untouched.

Could you do a Diluc x reader (one sided on readers part) and she sees he falls out of love with her (inspired by La gata bajo la lluvia-Rocío Durcal) make it as angsty as you can!! 🥲🤲

𝓛𝓪 𝓰𝓪𝓽𝓪 𝓫𝓪𝓳𝓸 𝓵𝓪 𝓵𝓵𝓾𝓿𝓲𝓪

(Diluc x g/n reader angst Songfic)

Note: finally finished this. it feels maybe a little repetitive at the end but I'm still satisfied with it overall. the lyrics might be a bit off because I had to get the translation for it and that might not be totally accurate! Anyways enjoy and criticism and reblogs are appreciated!!!! requests are open!

TW: nothing much just angst no comfort, not proofread :<

“My love don't worry I wont bother you, and I know there's a torrent running through your mind”

He was different, ever since he had come back. You could feel the distance between you two. The words left unsaid, the late nights at the tavern, the times you woke up in the middle of the night and he wasn't in the bed, the way his smile strained when he looked at you. It had been quite some time since you guys went on any dates, or even just sat down to eat breakfast together. The distance between you two expanded every day and all you did is watch, watch as the love of your life drifted away from you.

“Don't fear there's no reason ,I don't blame you for the past.”

You watched him build his walls.. He quit the knights. He pushed Kaeya away too. When he had told you that he needed to go away from Monstadt to clear his mind, you had thought it would be fine, that he just needed space after his father's accident. And though you wanted to be there for him, if he wanted to mourn alone, you would respect that. “I'll be waiting for you when you come back, no matter how long it takes”, you had told him. It took months, and he returned but also not at the same time. It was as if he had aged decades in that time. He was no longer the Diluc you that had fallen for you. You had smiled and hugged him, tears falling from your eyes, and he had hugged you back too, but his embrace no longer felt warm. You had held hope, maybe things would get better, he just needed some time, things would return to normal. And now, as you sat in the empty room you and him shared, it finally hit you, things were never going to be the same. 

"Love, I know, honestly don't say anything. If you see any tears, I'm sorry I know that you didn't want to make an injured cat cry." 

You were going to end things with him. It wasn't because you didn't love him anymore. No, far from it, you loved him too much, and he, didn't love you enough. Not anymore. But you knew he didn't want the same hurt you. Even after everything you knew he was still that kind boy you had fallen for, the one who would rather stay with you even when he didn't have feelings for you anymore just so you won't get hurt. But you couldn't do that to him. To chain him down. Maybe this was your last gift to him, your last act of love. You were going to let him go, even if it would tear your soul apart to do so.

“Love, if one day , we see each other out there, invite me to a coffee and make me love”

You stood in front of your house, with your bags packed, the rain falling on you. It made your heart clench. The memories you had with him flooding your mind. You felt like a cat in the rain, left outside, with no purpose or home. Because that is what he was to you, home. You had left a letter on the table, breaking it off and telling him to not look for you. It had hurt so much to write those bitter words, but for him you'd do anything. You were going to leave Monstadt and go far away, so that you could not convince yourself to change your mind. Maybe one day you’d return, when both of you have grown and his wounds wouldn’t hurt so much anymore. Maybe he would finally let you nurse them. Let you in again. Maybe one day you would be home again.

Chapter 5: Let it Rain Blood—Refrain

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"This is the club where the Nutcracker has recently been spotted."

"It's kinda fun."

"The crowds making me sick”

"I think we- no- I think I'm outta place here."

"Nah, you look cute, Shirazu." Reina smacked his shoulder and winked.

Instead of taking the compliment to heart he just grumbled about how horrible he looked in feminine fashion. But she didn't blame him, he did look out of place—for the wrong reasons.

Shirazu had decided to wear a plain strapless bodycon dress, a cardigan thrown over top of it—with a zebra print scarf wrapped around his neck. His makeup looking all bright—clumps of mascara sticking to his eyelids. His hair brought up into a side drill ponytail.

Meanwhile the rest of them had worn calmer outfits, soft flowey dresses, soft makeup, modest clothing—nothing too out there. And yet here he was standing out like a sore thumb. Though he swore it was because of his height—it wasn't.

"The difference isn't your height. Now shut up, and focus on the mission at hand." Reina smacked his arm and left to talk with Haise.

"Hey."

"Hey.."

"I noticed you weren't paying attention during the briefing the first time around." She looked up at him worriedly, "what's on your mind?"

"It's.." he sighed.

"Promise you won't laugh at me?" He smiled down at her.

"You know I wouldn't, Haise." She grinned.

He chuckled and looked at the dance floor, his arms falling behind his back after tucking the white wig behind his ear.

"I took the rest of the squad to this amazing cafe, I mean it was filled with amazing decorations, books, it felt so... comforting.."

She looked at his face, his eyes reminiscing the warmth of the said café, his eyes sparkling under the vivid lights. His lips quirking up into a soft smile.

"We sat down and got served by this beautiful... stunning.. woman—"

"Hmm, someone's got a crush." She laughed at him.

"You promised you wouldn't laugh!" He whined embarrassedly.

"Too late for that, lover boy. Now what's she got to do with it?"

"She uhh.. she served us our coffee and when I took a sip of it—it—it... it felt so... familiar.. like I've always known this exact taste my whole life, but this was the first time I've ever visited... the place." His smile dropped into a frown, his eyebrows furrowed, hands balled up behind him.

"It felt like I was.. home for the first time since.."

"I know. It's been a long time since we both felt.. at home. Even with the so called 'home' we live in, it's just a prison we're bound to. Its nothing like—"

"Hey, Sassan!"

Both mentors turned to the boy calling out to his mentor.

"I think the Nutcracker's evaluating someone." He whispered, pointing at the corner she was seen talking to someone in.

Just then the girl stopped talking and pondered the idea.

"This isn't good.. that girl might go with the nut. If the nut gets to her, she may be taken to a different location."

...

"Sassan, Nana. About Saiko.. I think you're both too easy on her. Is.. there.. a reason?"

Looking up at the older man she waited for him to answer first. Haise looked down at the ground and thought back to old memories.

"Saiko's... mother left her father and took her and her brother with her. She opened up a bar with help from her boyfriend, but things didn't go well." He paused.

"..Saiko and her brother were sent to the CCG Junior Academy because tuition was cheap. She never wanted to become an investigator in the first place."

"When the time came to choose a career path, she still had no intention of becoming a ghoul investigator. Then the Junior cadets were given a Quinx aptitude test, of the six who passed, Saiko was by far the most suitable subject."

"When her mother found out there'd be compensation she immediately agreed to the procedure. The risk didn't seem matter to her mother—that's what I was told." He turned to look at the boy and acknowledged that he was her mentor for the squad, so that she could do her job, but he felt compelled to doing his job knowing that this wasn't what she wanted to do in life.

"I hesitate to lay more on her than I have to when she can't be motivated."

"Guess having parents doesn't mean being happy. She's the only one with either parent close by." He sighed.

"Both of Urie's are gone. Tooru's family was killed by ghouls. My dad's—my mom's around somewhere, but.. as long as we're in that house, I think we gotta do our jobs!! She's just bein' lazy!" He yelled frustrated that there was such a simple solution that was being overlooked.

"If she's hurting for money, she can work... she should cut ties with her mom."

"Maybe..."

"No, she should!!"

"I don't think it's that simple as you think it is, Shirazu." Reina whispered knowing he didn't hear anything over the loud music.

"H-hey, Sassan? If you regain your memory... are you.. going to quit the commission? You too, Nana... since you're both..."

"Since we're both what?"

"You know.." he brought his hands up and put his pointer fingers together, hinting that he thought they were dating.

"W-wait a second. Me and Haise aren't.. you think we're..!?" She screeched out horrified.

"Me and Reina aren't—"

"Wait really?! This whole time I thought the two of you were—"

"Oh, god, no! Not that there's anything wrong with Haise, but he's like a brother! Ew." She cringed as he just watched and laughed at her dramatics.

"To answer you question, Shirazu, I won't quit." Haise reassured the boy who looked at him with a wavering smile

Just then a loud laugh erupted from the other side of the club.

"I like your hair!! It's cute!" Mutsuki a voice rang out surprising the person he was talking to—which was none other than the Nutcracker.

"Is he drunk?" A pull at Haise's dress pulled him out of his thoughts as he looked down at Saiko.

"What is it, Saiko?"

"I think Mutsi had something to drink. He reeks of alcohol." She recalled the unpleasant smell on him.

"Looks like that'll be one hell of a hangover for him tomorrow." Reina laughed.

"He's coming over!"

Mutsuki ran over to the group and greeted them with a salute before announcing that he successfully earned a job from the Nutcracker. His words slurred as his eyes focused on Haises before blinking away from the older man's gaze, and turning to drag both Saiko and Shirazu with him to the dance floor leaving both mentors by the wall.

They watched as they shouted, complained, and enjoyed themselves without worrying about their jobs, and instead focusing on being the children they still were at the moment. Both Haise and Reina admired them from a far, their faces smiling sadly as they took in this innocent moment.

And now, there she was. Sitting in front of one of the members of the Washu clan. Matsuri Washu. She's always hated him ever since she first met him. To be honest, he gave her the creeps whenever they spoke. She couldn't explain it.

Joining her was Juuzou and Haise, running the meeting was the damned Washu man. So far she'd done nothing but pick at her nails and pretende to read over the so called documents he gave the trio. She didn't care for what he had to say, plus Haise was there. Surely he would fill her in.

She found it funny how one could be so proud of his lineage without knowing all the actual problematic things that happened under his very nose. He'd been so sheltered, that he was blind as to what was right in front of him.

“…have investigator Mutsuki attend the auction.” Matsuri said annoyed.

At that Reina perked up and looked at Haise who glanced at her quickly and asked if he heard him correctly.

“A-alone, sir?” He stuttered.

They both knew that even if Mutsuki did get the lead, he was in no way fit to go alone no matter the circumstance. If they could decide who to take to the auction, Reina would offer herself. She didn’t endure a year of torture for nothing.

“Of course. It’d be suspicious otherwise. It’s to avoid arousing suspicion, and so we can mount an attack from within.” His voice echoed throughout the room.

“He won’t be able to carry a quinque in with him if there’s a security check. And that is what the quinxes ability is for, no..?”

Haise panicked and blurted out the first thing that came to mind to protect the boy from any imminent danger, “But Investigator Mutsuki isn’t ready for such an important mission!!”

“What do you mean by ‘but,’ Investigator Sasaki?” Matsuri voice lowered by an octave, an almost animalistic—irritated growl came out from the man.

Haise cowered and just watched as Juuzou stepped in to save him from. Raising his hand, he asked for permission to speak before asking if he could join the auction too. His bubbly voice cutting through the tension between both guys.

“What if I pose as Investigator Mutsuki’s friend? Might be good to have one more on the inside if you want to mess things up from within.” He smiled innocently.

The discussion only lasted a few more minutes until the Washu man finally relented and allowed the boy with red stitches to attend and pose as an average citizen.

Just then there was a knock at the door, Investigators Hirako, Akira, and Shimoguchi entered the room. They stood tall as Matsuri addressed them a lot more formally than he did with Haise and Reina. She scoffed but covered it up as a cough and sat forward in her seat, her arms crossed across her chest, and leaned on the table. After that the meeting had officially commenced.

“Now let me explain the details of the operation auction sweep.”

As everyone left the room Juuzou caught up to mentors and chatted up a small conversation before Akira came over and spoke to the both of them as well.

“Reina, Haise. If Squad 2 is involved, it’s a big operation. That doesn’t happen often.” Her words struck them as she wasn’t holding back.

She wanted them to understand the severity of the operation and what it entailed.

“I know neither of you have any career ambitions here, but what you do here will go a long way. That of course applies to your squad too. But the bigger the reward…” she sighed looking away from them.

“The bigger the risk.” Reina muttered as Haise continued from where she left off.

“Thats what you were going to say, right..?”

“Yeah..”

Reina stayed silent as she stayed listening to the older woman. She knew that she hated her, and yet she still warned her—them— of the dangers that lurked in future operations whilst working at the CCG. A small fire erupted in the younger girls chest. Maybe it was because she thought they were finally getting along, that she was pushing their differences aside even. That feeling died down into nothing but wisps of smoke when she thought that it was all meant for Haise.

But why did she care? She was a human, nothing but food for her. She shook those thoughts away and hurried the feeling deep down. She’d deal with her feelings once they were ready to burst in the near future. As for now she’d just have to focus on her words.

“You need to be stronger, Haise. Be stronger and kill ghouls. Those with the least to lose… are the strongest.” And with that she left them. She didn’t even bother to spare the girl another glance either.

Once she was far enough away Reina turned to Haise and found a conflicted expression on his face. Grabbing his shoulder she rubbed it.

“Hey, if you really want to be stronger don’t listen to her words. Killing does nothing, it only feeds into the conflict you have between yourself. Instead, do what feels right to you, Haise. You’re your own person.” She smiled before grabbing his arm and dragging him to the car.

“Let’s go home now. We’ve got the rest of the squad to debrief.”

Once they both got home she left to her room and changed out of her clothes and into some shorts and an oversized shirt she’d stolen from one of the boys. Walking to the bathroom she shut herself in and started her nightly routine. Making sure to wash her face, and moisturize properly.

It had been getting a bit chillier as autumn was coming to fruition. The wind nipped at her skin everytime she left without a scarf, leaving her skin dry.

Leaving the bathroom she went back to her room and thought of the squad and their first mission. She wondered how they’d hold up. She remembered the first time she’d ever fought against an operation. The day the coffee shop became nothing but burnt bricks and ashes. Tragedy following moments later.

She sighed and sat on her bed. The blinds were open allowing her to see outside the big wall of windows that so generously came with the house. Her thoughts suddenly turned to a certain boy in the hospital.

“God, what the hell am I going to do with him. He doesn’t listen to either of us, now look at what happened. Turning himself into a little guinea pig.” She flopped her head on her pillows and tugged the sheets over her body shielding herself from the cool air circulating throughout the room.

She stretched her hand out above her head, reaching for the ceiling.

“What would Yoshimura do? What would dad do?”

Pulling her hand down she turned to reach over her nightstand and turned the lamp off before heading to bed. That would be a problem for the furture her. For now she’d rest for there were big days ahead of them leading up to the raid in November.

wc: 2.3k previous chapter  masterlist next chapter

a/n: hi! I’m back again but imma dip soon again due to my teachers giving excessive work. I hope you enjoy the next few chapters, I barley had time to proofread them so I apologize for any errors!!

Tag list:

Oh yeah we back AND BRICKED 🧱

*rubbing my hands together like an evil fly*

FINGERS. (meljayvik x reader)

please read! if this finds the right audience, yall may recognize this fic. its because this was posted before a few weeks ago and then suddenly disappeared. i deleted my account cus i lost commitment like a mf. and then one day i came across a post with replies MOURNING the fact i deleted this fic and i kinda felt bad, so here's me reuploading it

(this is LONGER than the original 2 separate parts i posted. this fic has both parts combined in one post, including part three, which i never released, in the end of this post)

warning, this fic IS unfinished. but jayce x reader do get to fuck in the end. if im feeling silly i might just wrap it up on another post if u guys find this

tags: mel x reader, jayce x reader, viktor x reader. scissoring, riding, hate sex, blood but in a sexual way? fingering, cunnilingus, nipple play? no actual foursome with all of them, but..., scene where viktor and jayce watch u make out w mel, jealousy, miscommunication that gets fixed, jayce is an asshole, reader feeds into it, not a lot of mentions of y/n, reader is AFAB, doggy, praise and degredation (idk if this is js me but i LOVE when mfs are mean as hell!!! so the sex scene between jayce n reader may not be 4 everyone)

18k words

-

Enchanting, you were. The youngest female councilor in PIltover. A sight for sore fucking eyes, and Mel Medardas closest friend.

Alone, everyone was calculating your every move, every huff of a breath or flimsy strand of hair. All eyes were on you. How could it not? You were enthralling, completely and utterly captivating. But with Mel, it was as if you two had the world in a sweet hypnosis. A brainwash anyone would sell their soul for.

At any event Mel attended, the rest automatically knew you would be there too. The idea of you came in a pair. Everyone had gotten used to the idea of Mel and Y/N, getting something from one, and expecting something from the other. 

With a long day of discussing material trade with leaders of other regions, your mind had felt heavy in your skull. Talking politics consistently everyday the moment the clock ticks dawn, it only mentally tires you little by little, day by day. Today had been particularly annoying, speaking with the leaders of Noxus, and of course, the one and only Ambessa Medarda.

With her constant demand and pushiness for the native tools of Piltover's sea-gates, the conversation, soon turned into an argument, had lasted a while. Yet, it seemed Ambessa had always had a soft spot for you over her own daughter, which felt unfair and bothersome. You had discussed your feelings about it to Mel, to which she responded with an elegant, unbothered shrug. 

"With a face like yours, I would too."  She grinned, tightening the band around her hair as she yawned. 

You sat up from your spot on her bed. "I'm not sure M. You're her daughter. I'm not. It feels unfair, truly horrible." You tucked a strand of your own hair behind your ear as the blanket slipped off you, revealing a buttoned pajama shirt.

It wasn't uncommon to sleep over in your best friend's room, rotating between each other's rooms and talking until it was required for you both to sleep, considering every tomorrow has something important ready for the two of you.

Mel sighs, turning from the mirror to you. "I'm her daughter, like you said. She expects the most from me, while you're not. So she's never really disappointed with you, since her standards were never grounded for you. Unlike me, Y/N/N. So don't get yourself worked up for it."

Your shoes click against the floors, announcing your presence to the beautifully empty hallways. Surprise surprise, you were on your way to see Mel. 

The meeting had ended and you were held behind by Salo as you watched her leave the meeting, wishing you had left with her. If there was anyone who could understand your irritation and dreadfulness of the day, it would be her.

Turning a corner, you recount the steps to her room you've memorized a thousand times before, hearing unusual faint chatter coming from her bedroom. Getting closer, you see her room slightly open as her mothers voice blends to your hearing. Stopping your approach to her room, you're far enough to see and hear them, but not enough for them to say the same about you.

"You're distracted, girl." Ambessa grabbed her chin and made her lookup as Mel shoved herself out of her grasp, her scowl undeniable.

"Mother," Mel voiced every syllable in the word, her accent present. "Do I look distracted?" She stared her mother down (or rather up, considering their height difference), and you swallowed. Her gaze seemed a blend of anger, hatred, yet somehow mixed with just as much respect for her mother. You couldn't understand it, truly.

"You are sloppy and confused. Yes, child, you are distracted." Ambessa grumbles, taking a step closer to her and making her seem smaller, inferior as she doesn't bother breaking eye contact with her only daughter. 

That statement puzzled you. Mel is possibly the most organized person you have ever had the pleasure of meeting.

Feeling as if you're overstepping a boundary, you twist your heel and begin walking the opposite direction, a feeling of small disappointment churning in your stomach, for you were hoping to talk with her as you stretched your limbs across her soft bed and undid your hair.

Her mother, to you, and possibly even her, will always be a case left open. A case no one can solve, or even bother working on. You suppose you have no choice but to enter your own private corridors, but you didn't want to. You wanted someone to complain to, someone who could understand your impatience with the day.

Besides Mel, no one came to your mind but one. Viktor.

-

"And Salo? Gods, Salo couldn't stop speaking. He just wouldn't shut up, Viktor." You sighed, holding both your shoes by the strings with one hand while the other ran through your scalp, messaging your temple as you did so.

You're pretty sure a few zaps of light and fire just bounced from the corner of your eye, but you couldn't care. You were seated at a neglected workbench with a few nuts and bolts scattered across its flat surface and a stool with a chair made to numb your ass if sat on for too long.

"I thank the gods," Viktor says before pausing, lowering a relatively loud machine down to the scraps of metal, which only had millions of zaps left flying everywhere, his goggles flickering to the light as Jayce stood a few feet away from him, watching his work. "that I wasn't put in a notoriously boring political meeting everyday." He finishes after placing the tool onto the table, taking off his thick gloves.

Jayce gives him a look of mild annoyance, but mostly confusion. "Aren't you going to finish that—"

"You finish it, Jayce." Viktor interrupts as he grasps tightly onto his crutch, making his way to you. "I'm exhausted enough just listening to Y/N's day." He says and you grin at him, catching his honey eyes with yours.

Unlike Mel, who is very keen to keep any relationship in the Academy strictly professional, you had a better time befriending them. But, after a night of too much wine with Mel, she let slip that she had been getting up close and personal with Jayce. Your lips have been sealed shut since, but she made it beyond clear that nothing serious is going on between them.

"Oh, you haven't even heard the half of it, Vik." You say, and he gives you a look. The beauty spot above his lips curve to the expression of his grimace. His thickly arched eyebrows furrow, a bothered look on his face that didn't reach the smile playing on his lips.

"I bet you," He sits himself down in the chair across from yours on the workbench, "that the "half of it" will be a longer rant on Salo."

You don't confirm nor deny, "He just won't get the hint, Viktor." You grumble, reaching down to massage your ankle as you rambled on about your own council, and Noxus's stubborn behavior.

Viktor didn't mind at all. You gave him a break from whatever he's been focusing on, to temporarily indulge into whatever you have been. You had a way of story telling that he was just a fan of, constantly mentioning that if you weren't a politician, you'd be a phenomenal storyteller, or even writer. You never took him seriously, brushing off the comment with a flattered smile.

While Jayce, let out a scoff neither of you heard. His expression was full of irritation as neither of you bothered to notice. He picked up the machine and blocked your voice out of his mind as he began slicing down the slabs of metal, a slight tinge of satisfaction when the screeching noise of the machine would interrupt you.

You never thought much of Jayce. While he thought of you a lot more than you'd expect. But not for the reasons of flattery, more of envy. When he'd think of you, he'd be annoyed. He didn't get why everyone was so fond of you other than your looks. Jayce was aware of your beauty, appreciating it at times when he'd forget how much you'd annoy him. But what he didn't get was why everyone preferred you over him.

He was a better scientist, he'd say. He was now somewhat in the political circle, too, with the announcement of his Hextech invention. Though you've been around longer than him, and still younger than him, he didn't get anything that had to do with you that didn't relate to your beauty.

It had got to a point that Jayce felt like Viktor preferred you over him.

Mel, he could understand. Sure, you two are childhood best friends, whatever. Though it hurt a little bit, he didn't mind. But Viktor? His partner, who so blatantly left their work together to go chat to you about your day?

It had become a routine. 3 times a week, Jayce had memorized, when you couldn't find Mel, you'd find Viktor. You'd pull Viktor away from their work together, Jayce was left being the only one working on it as he was forced to listen about your day yet again.

Jayce looks over at the two of you from his section of the lab, putting the goggles over his head as he watches your face scrunch up to the weight of the story you're telling, your hands flailing in the air as you describe a particularly crazy part of the story you're telling. He darts his eyes to Viktor, who was watching you with intent, his eyes practically gleaming at you as he listened to you.

Gods, he loathed you.

Putting his goggles back over his eyes and rolling his sleeves up, he turned the machine back on as it cut you off once more. A slight smile on his lips as you were quiet, waiting patiently for him to finish so you could continue.

-

Eventually, thankfully, as Jayce would say, you had to go. And Viktor watched you leave with a small smile, replaying your conversation with him that he didn't participate much in besides small comments and facial expressions.

Jayce turned to Viktor, who's been awake for far too long to be considered healthy, his eyebags sunken on his face as he gets up from the chair, spreading his shoulders from his posture and leaning on his crutch as he stands straight. "You planning on helping me out in the lab anytime soon, Viktor?" Jayce asked bitterly as he shoved off the goggles that were resting on his forehead.

Viktor only lets out a sigh, fixing the cuffs around his wrists as he catches Jayce's eyes with his killer ones. "I won't hold your annoyance against you, Jayce. It is only natural when someone you envy ruins your mood. I am heading off to bed, and I assume you will continue your engineering in the forge." He says patiently as he takes a step toward the exit before shooting one last look targeted at Jayce.

"Which is something you had the will to choose instead of staying and listening to our conversation." He spoke lightly, but the point whipping through fast. Jayce furrows his eyebrows. "Listening to what? I spent the entire time doing the work you were supposed to finish." He argued, leaning back onto a heavy table.

"A scientist often times referred to Progress, should have the brain to consider that a man with a cane shouldn't be the one working on the heavy metal and machinery. Jayce, consider the fact that I am not the one you are truly mad at."

With that, Viktor left him alone in the laboratory with a temper that is only rising.

He's right. Jayce thought. It's fucking her.

- 

Viktor had made it to his room a far long while ago. He was twisting and turning but his brain wouldn't shut off, no matter how tired he was.

He had no choice but to stare at the dark ceiling in complete darkness, letting his imagination run wild as he stayed patient for slumber. Every time he'd attempt to solve an equation for the current Hexproject he's working on with Jayce, your face wouldn't suddenly appear in the middle of it all.

He wasn't able to get your expressions out of his mind, you spoke with such passion that he couldn't help but feel that you should be the one presenting speeches, not Heimerdinger. You told a bright vivid story with such little material, he found himself hoping that when Jayce and him were done with their current project, you would be the one to announce it. Not Jayce, not Heimerdinger, and definitely not him.

He turned to his good side, thinking about how next time you come complaining to him, he'll interfere. He'll blabber and chatter with you for once, see what you think of his storytelling. Viktor was fairly quiet and introverted, a trait you adored in him, it made him a great listener, and yet he still felt the need to impress you, which felt foolish.

Viktor felt foolish for having a little baby crush on you. Especially since he was quite sure you were too occupied with Mel to even think of him.

Mel.

How he was sour when it came to Mel Medarda. She's got both you and Jayce wrapped around her little golden-painted fingers. He was no match against her, and he knew it. When you two are in a room together, it's as if you're both glowing. He couldn't compare to Mel's rich melanin body, accented with gold and a radiating energy to her, when he was pale and sickly. Not to mention your body.

Cripple scientist from the Undercity, with eyes on a girl who would never stop for a second to think of him.

He wished he hadn't fallen asleep to that thought.

-

Soft fingers threaded featherily over your cheekbones, sliding down to your jaw before tracing down your neck. The sensation tickled you, blinking your eyes open to see Mel, calculating your face accordingly, with a look of adoration playing on her usually-inexpressive features.

She was laying on your bed, her hair undone and her nightgown wrinkled. You don't remember her coming in last night, but you were more than happy to have her in your bedroom so early on.

"Sorry, did I wake you up?" She mutters, her warm breath fanning your face. You lashes flutter, adjusting yourself as you only slightly sit up, her fingers still softly lining your skin.

"I don't mind." You smile, which Mel visibly melts at, creating a little smile playing on her features too. "You okay?" You wonder, remembering the little instance of seeing her alone with her mother. Her smile slightly falters,

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Her voice is softly low, but you can see the hesitation behind it. You've known her far too long to be obliviously dumb.

You brush her undone hair behind her ear. "I saw you with your mom yesterday." You admit, seeing no purpose in lying about not seeing them.

She sighs, looking at you with her viridian eyes. "Yeah, my mother pointed out how she saw your shadow." Mel huffs, "Snarky, she is." She adds with a tinge of annoyance, probably recalling the conversation she's had with her.

You're glad you told the truth, since there would be no reason for you to have lied when Mel already knew. "How so? M, what did you two talk about?" You ask, studying her face as you share breaths, voices low considering how early it is.

"Just her disappointment in me, again." She says, closing her eyes as she lays her head on your shoulders. You can tell how much her mother stresses her, even when she isn't present in the room. You lean into her, you head over hers as you touch her arm, feeling the softness of her skin. It was impossible for the two of you to keep your hands to yourselves when you're together.

"She said—" Mel interrupts herself when she realizes how fast she spoke those two words, taking a deep breath. "She says you're distracting me."

Your movement on her arm goes still. That wasn't what you were expecting. You weren't fully expecting to be the topic of discussion when you found them together.

"I don't think so." You say lightly. "We've been with each other since we were still losing baby teeth. She should know we're only better when we're together." You go back to tracing her skin.

She hums, swiftly switching the topic of conversation as she would during a council meeting. "It's still early. I didn't find you when I was done with my mother. What were you up to?"

Your lips quirk upwards at the memory of last night, recalling Viktor making small remarks about his hatred for the council.

"Minus you, Y/N. You're tolerable. Very tolerable. Unlike…"

You cut him off, aware of the mutual dislike between Viktor and Mel. He mentally thanked you, he didn't want to talk about her when he's with you.

"Wait, wait." Mel lifts her head to look at you, stopping you before you could answer. "Were you in the lab? Again?"

You nod, your smile undeniable. Mel doesn't answer, she just looks at you. "You should know this by now, M. When I can't find you, I find Viktor. It's—it's my routine." You decide, considering that it is indeed a routine.

"Okay." She just said, and you frown, sitting fully up now.

"Look, M, I get you don't like Viktor for gods-know what reason, but I do. He's great to talk to." You sheepishly admit, fixing your shirt's hem-neckline more upward for decency not to show anything it's not meant to. Mel's eyes immediately dart there before back up to your face. You two are silent, and she visibly comes to a mental conclusion. You wished you could read her mind.

Laying on her stomach, she lifts her palm to her chin, her elbow holding her up. "He's cute.' She says after quiet seconds pass, almost like it hurts, but in an attempt to relate. "Do you like him?" 

You didn't answer immediately, processing her question. Thinking of his face, his demeanor, his hands. You loved his mind, his understanding, and how he's so much like you but how much he isn't. You liked him, and you'd be lying to not only Mel, but to yourself if you said you didn't.

"You do." She answered for you when you took too long. Mel saw the way your eyes had gone out of focus to ponder her question, your skin flushing as you thought about whatever you had been thinking about.

You nod. You go nonverbal when you're nervous, a habit Mel had gotten used to and definitely didn't go unnoticed now.

She pushed herself off your bed and stretched, not saying anything regarding the fact. "Long day ahead of us, love. I'll get ready here, is that all right?" She says, like your confession was nothing but a small gust of wind, like you hadn't said a word. You nod again, watching her strip out of her nightgown before you had even told her she could.

Getting up to do the same, you both change. Mel hummed like there wasn't a single thing on her mind.

She kept a spare change of clothes in your room from when she stayed over, and vice versa in her room. It was just easier that way.

Rummaging through your own wardrobe, you grab a few items of clothing that you loved on yourself, and so did Mel. She loved everything on you. Hooking your fingers around the bottom of your nightgown and slipping it off, you feel Mel's eyes brush past your figure, her eyes slipping down your legs and your hips, lingering on your chest and the slope of your waist before it was covered.

She goes back to paying attention to her own looks, her mind feeling like mush as she attempts to gather her thoughts.

You swallowed, watching her now that she looked away.

-

Mel kissed his lips, coating him glossy as she kissed her way down his chin, jaw, neck. Her hands cupped the side of Jayce's face as she devoured him. Their chests pressed up against each other as wild breathing and groaning could be heard throughout the empty room.

The grip he had on her naked hips tightened as she pressed  herself down on him, the moment her lips left his skin he caught it back with his mouth, the two slowly kissing the other. He sucked on her lower lip as she licked his, tongues grazed the others as Jayce moaned into her when she took all of him.

Her walls clenched around him as he rutted against her, her whimpering having him lose his mind as he slipped his hands down and gripped her ass. "Takin' me s'good," He grunted. She dipped her head to his shoulder in response, her forehead touching it as she lifted herself up and down against him, shaky breaths that turned into moans leaving her lips.

"Oh gods, Mel." Jayce moans, lifting a hand to cup her breasts and knead them, grazing a thumb over her nipple as she takes him in over and over again, coating him with her liquids.  "Mmm, cah—call me M." She mutters against him, kissing his shoulder before lifting her lips back to his.

Jayce, not thinking straight, moans into her mouth when she clenches around him, taking him faster as he thrusts into her harder. "M."

"Again," She pleads, yelping when she hits a particular spot that shoots with an overwhelming amount of pleasure, chasing that high as she grinds on him harder. "M," He sputtered, their tongues messily dancing against the others, "Feels s'good, M." He praises, gripping her harder, chasing his own orgasm after her and she finally breaks, reaching her peak as she finishes with a loud whimper, releasing and coating him with warmth that drips down his cock when he follows only shortly after.

It wasn't until she was knocked out beside him when Jayce realized he's never called her 'M' in his life, and that there was only one other person who did.

You.

-

After arrangements with the council and a discussion of plans, Mel and Jayce had stalked off together. You had your suspicions on what they were doing, and it seemed Viktor did too. That alone kept the two of you happily occupied.

Something was in the air today, though. After admitting your feelings to Mel only a few minutes prior, and being fully aware of them, you couldn't help but feel different around Viktor. You felt more drawn to him, yet more nervous. Scared, almost. You didn't realize how many doors coming to terms with your feelings had opened. Everything he did left a swift mark on your chest.

Like the way he was tinkering with the trinket in hand, adjusting and readjusting the screws with his lengthy, scrawny fingers as he listened to you talk. 

"I don't think it's a secret anymore." He responds, you watch his mouth and the way his accent rolled off his tongue. "I'm pretty sure all of Piltover's finest know, at this rate." Viktor says, lifting his eyes from the trinket back up to you, catching the way they were searching his lips. You blink away, which was partially hard considering his hunter-gaze, that makes it a challenge.

"They aren't quite slick with it, I'm afraid." You say, lowering your gaze to the knick-knack he's holding instead, which only just has you shift to his hands again. "I wonder what she sees in him. I've had a total of 5 conversations with him, and I'm under the impression that he wants me dead. I'm sure he has a kind heart though."

This makes Viktor chuckle, you feel a sense of accomplishment at the sound, finding a hidden dimple on the side of his cheek. "Jayce has never been able to hide his feelings well. Spending a few years as his partner proves that."

"So he doesn't like me." You coo at the confirmation. He shrugs, "Well, I do. I like you enough to make up for Jayce's dislike. Immature boy." Viktor clicks his tongue, tsking. Your ribcage screws around your heart tighter, perking up slightly.

"I guess I could say the same about you, regarding Mel." You say, picking the side of your nails as you avoided his gaze. You didn't know why you were acting like this. Like a teenager. All you could say was that you haven't been laid in ages. That was your only poor defense.

It's quiet, you could feel him looking at you before the sound of small metal clanking hits the desk. You look up to see the small robotic trinket moving around the table, waddling on what seems to be its legs before turning to you. You watch in awe as the robot shifts inside its copper, its metal moving to the side as it slowly transforms into a mechanical marionette, shaped like a miniature version of you.

You held her, studying it as you see he's gotten the smaller details of your features also correct. You look up to see Viktors Adam's apple bobbing in anticipation and nervousness, scanning your face to see just what you think of it.

You felt unbelieving. You couldn't wrap your mind around the fact that he spent time and effort on you.

"What do you think of it?" He asks, his accent thicker than usual. You've never seen him this nervous, his finger anxiously tapping against the table's flat surface. He was met with silence. Slowly, he watches you place the marionette down and stand up. His heart plummets, feeling like he's crossed the line of a professional relationship. Sure you were getting up to leave, he looked down at his lap, mentally cursing himself over and over, clutching his cane hard.

Confusion rang through him when soft, delicate hands palmed the side of his chiseled jaw and lifted his head to yours, pulling him in a kiss. A sweet kiss where he couldn't fight the urge to kiss you back. You left his lips pink and plump, swiping your tongue over your teeth, savoring every bit of it. A kiss that had the two of you thinking about it all night.

One where you couldn't help but tell Mel.

You and Viktor had to split, though neither of you wanted to. Your heart pumped hard against your chest, leaving him with one last look exchanged between the two of you, you hoped to see him again very, very soon. With him gone and you practically skipping through the hallways to find Mel, you turned a corner where you ran into a foreign chest. A really tall one at that.

There really was only one person like that in the building, being none other than Jayce Talis. "My apologies." You tell him, taking a few steps back as you try to walk around him, to which he quickly grabs your arm before you do so. His large hands wrap around the whole arm, and he uses his strength to push you back to him. You can tell he was trying to deal with you softly, but it seems the two of you have very different definitions of the word.

He smelt of sweat with a sharp bite of hot metal clung to him. His aroma is what got your attention first, before even processing it was him. Bitter traces of chemicals tangled with his scent, underneath it all was the scent of sprayed cologne that had worn out through-out the day, and a soft hint of leather. Blinking up at Jayce,  and attempting to snatch your wrist back with complete failure, you notice a faint trace of vanilla that lingered like an afterthought.

You furrow your eyebrows at him. "Sorry." He sighs, and you want to think he is, but something in his expression told you he isn't sorry for a single thing. You try and push your arm out of his grasp, but he only clutches harder.

"Just," He lets out a breath of impatience, perhaps. Something like that. "Just let me talk to you for a moment."

You recall back to when Viktor blatantly confirmed that Jayce didn't like a mere thing about you. You dart your eyes from his hazel ones down to the hand holding on to. "You make it very hard for me to want to do that with you right now." You say bluntly, he drops your arms from his grasp the moment you utter the sentence.

"Sorry." He repeated again, gritting only slightly as you catch sight of his canine teeth. You just blink at him, a look of mild annoyance as you run a hand over the part of your arm he previously held hardly on to.

"Excuse me." You say patiently as you attempt to excuse yourself and walk around him again, but considering his height and his fairly long legs, he manages to block you from your way again. "I just said I needed to speak with you." He touted, his eyes fluttering shut as his chest rose and fell, clearly trying to contain his temper.

You didn't know who this man was. Jayce was typically the carefree, kind scientist. The golden boy adored by the private and the public. You were never personal with him, but considering your workplace is in the same place as his, and the stories Mel would tell you, he seemed almost naïve. He seemed constantly looking for assurance and praise. He was supposed to be the boy without a temper, so seeing him like this was bizarre.

"I'm sorry, Jayce Talis, but I currently don't wish to speak with you." You tonelessly tell him, speaking oddly formal, signifying your bother with him. He stared down at you with a scowl, an upset yet irritated look playing his features. "But," You start, "I do wish for you to inform me where councilor Medarda is."

That seemed like a bad choice of words. He lifts a hand to lay on your shoulder, which doesn't even fully fit there. It almost seems like a comforting gesture. That was until both his hands were now clutching your shoulders, his grip tightening as he face came close to yours. "What do you want?" His voice low and gravelly, not wavering his eyes from yours.

"From you? Nothing, dear boy." You answer just as quietly, unblinking.

"From them." He hisses. It takes you a second to understand who he was talking about.

"Mel and Viktor?" You mutter, your grin slowly growing. Jayce watches your mouth curve, humoring yourself at him. His chest burned, but he decided to stay quiet, waiting for an explanation. 

"How pathetic." You purred, your tone sharp.

You shove yourself away from his grasp but stayed exactly where he held you. You can see the scandalized detestation on his face, lifting a palm to hold the side of his cheek, studying every part of his face. Much shorter than him, your intense gaze made him feel small, inferior. His jaw clenched, a muscle pushing against your hand. He felt like you could see right through him.

You gazed back to his eyes, deciding you studied him enough. "That is no way to treat a councilor, Talis." You tsk, seeing his eyes flash with a hint of shame, humiliation. "Especially one that holds the power of banishing you from stepping a foot on these grounds again." You brush a soft thumbpad over the peak of his cheekbone. You spoke lovingly, regarding the fact you gave him a very clear threat, one he can't miss.

"You can't." He dares, challenging you as you gave him a look of pity.

"Oh," You pout. Maybe he really was that naïve. "Dear boy, I can."

You tap his cheek with your palm before lifting the skirt of your dress and stalking off, leaving him flustered, angry, and an obvious dent in his pants you didn't notice.

PART 2

He tasted of black coffee, his tongue coated yours as you whimpered into his mouth. Viktor's teeth dug on your upper lip as you sucked on his lower one, his large hands roaming down your body as your back arched, your chest brushing over his, your legs forming a 'W' over him as he sat under you. 

Viktor slipped his large, cold hands under your cloth, feeling you bare as his hands slid softly over the curves of your waist and the spine of your back, feeling you whole as he breathed your scent in. His palms dip to touch the hump of your tits before gripping it. You shakily breathe into his mouth, your jaw slacked temporarily open as he toyed with your chest, thumb grazing over your nipple before pinching it. He took it as an opportunity to lick the the roof of your mouth messily with his tongue, making you kiss him back again.

You hadn't noticed yourself begin rocking back and forth on his bulge over his pants, riding his trouser-covered lap as you pleaded for any kind of friction to pleasure your dripping pussy. He tugs on your clothes with his free hand that isn't under your shirt, humming in annoyance into your mouth before pulling away, a thick string of saliva keeping you both connected.

"Need," He cuts himself off with a small groan at the feel of you rapidly pressing down on him, looking up at him with such pouty, pleading eyes. "Need this off." He tugs on your clothes again.

You shuffle the dress from under your legs and over your ass, Viktor's hands immediately go to grip them hard, leaving a print on your cheeks as you shove the dress from over your body, throwing it to the side of your bedroom floor. "Good girl." He praises, leaning in to kiss you again. While you were ready to eat him alive, he caught you off guard with a wet, short peck on your lips.

He kisses your cheek, down to your jaw, and down your neck. His mouth hovers above your collarbone, his hot breath providing you comfort as your eyes are shut, back arched and waiting for his touch. His grip on your ass held harder, palming your ass wider as he mildly spread them open as he licked your collarbone, sucking a love bite on your skin.

"Viktor." Your voice cracked as his mouth dipped to your breasts. He starts his tongue from the bottom of your breast, sliding it upward as it leaves a trail of spit behind. His tongue meets your nipple and your soft whimpers turn lewd and dirty, his hips bucking upward in response. Planting a kiss on your nipple, he pulls away from you, his hands leaving your ass and softly dragging to your hips.

You open your eyes, your body hot and burning, needy for every part of him. Viktor softly pushes you back on your bed, having you slide off his lap as you laid there, holding yourself up with your elbows as you looked at him. You squeeze your thighs together at the loss of contact, to which he only pries open.

He stares at your pretty underwear. "Such a shame it's all wet and ruined." Viktor blinks up at you, forcing his amber gaze to catch yours. "Do I truly get you this needy, darling?"

You nod, pathetically, desperately. Anything to get him to touch you. "So impatient." He mutters before hooking his fingers on your underwear and shoving it down. He was clearly enjoying himself, staring up at you as he lifted his two fingers to your mouth, making you swallow them with your pretty lips.

You drag your tongue down his long fingers, coating them with saliva and spit, taking more of it as you tighten your mouth around them, having the walls of your mouth gloss his fingers properly. You look down at him, seeing him bite his bottom lip to contain himself, letting out a small whimper. You pull away from his fingers, spit slipping down them and your lips.

"Go on." You order breathlessly, he obliges. He kisses your clit, rubbing his saliva-coated fingers down your folds as he uses his hand to keep your thighs spread apart. He kisses your plush thighs, slipping a finger inside you as you whine at the suddenness.

He swallows you whole, open-mouthed kisses and long wet licks against your folds to your clit. He adds the second finger in, and you moan, shamelessly riding them as you throw your head back.

You had gone so long without a lay, relying only on your fingers as your only form of pleasure that now, with Viktor's fingers now replacing them, you realize just how sad it was. Viktors fingers hit a point in you that you definitely couldn't have reached on your own, fucking yourself on them.

He pulls his mouth back from your pussy, using his thumb to rub your clit as you cry out such pretty, incoherent noises. He looks up at you in adoration, saving the memory in his mind, considering that this might be the most beautiful you might have ever looked.

"Pretty girl, you are." He whispers, sending a shrill up your thighs. The grip on his hair tightens, and he notices an expression on your face he's never seen before. You were close. Viktor dips his head, sucking on your bead, enjoying himself far too much. Your ankles lock around his head, threading your hands farther into his hair.

"You're so good, Viktor. S'good. Mmmf."

A particular stroke of his tongue has you yelp, your hand lifting up to clasp your mouth shut. Viktor repeats the stroke faster, matching the pace of his finger, shoving themselves in and out of you.

You gasp softly, reaching your orgasm as it spills down his fingers. His fingers slow, pulling out of you as he reaches down to lick your folds clean. The grip on his hair loosens and you brush his hair softly.

"Did such a good job taking care of me." You mutter softly, watching him shift.

Viktor moves beside you, looking out for his bad leg as he lays on your bed. "You do the praising I'm meant to tell you." He says, accent heavy on his tongue.

You also move, going to hover over him, straddling his hips as he lays flat on your bed, your pillow under his neck. This place smelt entirely of you, all the way down to the scent of your shampoo on your pillows and sheets. Viktor would say he's in heaven, and a particular someone would agree with him, despite them not agreeing on anything.

You kiss him softly, tenderly. "I can't help needing to make sure you know how much of a good boy you are for me. You say, kissing the moles on his face.

He sucks in a breath, and you remember that only you've reached your orgasm, and he was still painfully hard. He lifts his fingers, still coated with your cum to your mouth. 

That stunt you pulled with your mouth on his fingers was gonna take something more powerful than memory loss to make him forget. But you grab his hands before he could do so, a smirk playing on your lips as you slowly direct them to his mouth

"Enjoy the snack while I take care of you, Viktor." You say. "Poor you," You frown, "putting all the work into making me pleased, I selfishly neglected you." You palm his bulge, and he groans at the sudden contact of your hand after being left untouched for so long.

-

"She's busy." Mel tells Jayce, organizing a folder of files as he stands at the entrance of her office.

"Busy with what? Today is a day off for the two of you." Jayce responds, his eyebrows furrowing as his plans to properly speak with you this time are flushed down the drain.

Mel looks up at him from her desk, "There's no such thing as a day off, Jayce."

He huffs. Mel has begun to see an impatient, angry side of Jayce lately. Which had been weird for not only her, but himself too. "I get you two are protective of each other, or whatever, but I need to talk to her now."

Mel takes her time answering, recalling the memory of walking in on you a Viktor fucking only a mere hour or so ago. So into each other that neither of you noticed her key turning to enter your room, or shutting behind her as a feeling of odd, negative feeling hurled her stomach.

Sure, the two of you were obviously done by now, since Jayce had just been telling Mel on seeing him only a few minutes ago, but she felt weird. Was hurt the word she'd use? No, but it's definitely how she'd felt, if we don't consider how damp the area between her thighs had gotten when she'd left.

"Why do you need to speak with her, Jayce?" Mel decides to ask instead. Jayce stood in front of her, about to hesitantly answer when Mel's office door opened.

You entered, your hair messily down with your clothes hugging your curves beautifully. Mel's eyes narrowed at you. Gods. You pulled sex hair off greatly.

"Sorry I'm late, M." You apologize, a small, almost unnoticeable limp to your steps as you sit at the chair opposite to hers, a desk separating the two of you. Jayce resists the urge to clench his fists at you blatantly ignoring him and walking past him, and very much at the nickname you use for Mel.

"Perfectly all right. I had finished the paperwork myself." Mel says with an oddly positive voice you pick up on.

"Look, I'm sorry." You repeat in a more sincere tone. "It's meant to be a day off, M. I thought we'd be able to do it by around this hour, maybe even by night." Your voice was genuine, speaking nothing but the truth. Jayce studied Mel's body language, seeing something a little off between the two of you. He was almost happy for a moment.

"Yet you have disregarded our plans to finish it much earlier than this. I have done it all myself, thank you Y/N. You may be excused." She ordered, not even looking at you. She spent her time stacking the parchment above the other, using the desks to neatly have the sides of them in line before placing them back in the folders as you stared at her.

You reach your hands to softly graze over hers. "Are you okay, Mel?"

She pulls her hand back, even if it kills her. She loved your touch the most out of anything in the world. "I am perfectly fine."

Jayce, openly ignored, and wildly forgotten about in the corner of he room, was grinning. This fucking guy, was smiling.

No one had ever seen the two of you upset with the other. To Jayce, this was like witnessing an eclipse for the first time.

"Tell me what's wrong." You insisted, refusing to let her gesture upset you, though it did, and she saw that. Mel ignores your plea, stapling the papers together.

"You're acting weird—"

"You may be excused." She says louder, sharper. Mel was aware she was being childish, and frankly hypocritical. So what? She sleeps with Jayce more times than not. What was wrong with you sleeping with Viktor?

Mel was upset you chose Vikor over her.

She watches the hurt flash through your beautiful eyes, taking a second before lifting yourself from your chair and leaving, respecting her wishes. Jayce drops his smile before either of you could see, and you shoot him an angry, accusing look. He turns his head to watch you leave, noticing the faint limp on your legs as his eyes trails back up your body.

The door is softly closed behind you, and Jayce turns back to look at Mel, who's eyes were still watching the door you had just exited through. She's mad at you. Jayce comes to the conclusion.

Mel's eyes darted to the large figure still here. He stood there, studying her, his hands intertwined right in front of his hips.

"She's free now, you've gotten your wish. You may leave, Jayce. "

He didn't need to be told twice. Shooting Mel an apologetic grin she couldn't care about, Jayce leaves the room to catch up to you.

You were already somewhat far down the corridors, your shoes clicking on the ground in a harsh manner. Jayce didn't need to do so much as jog to catch up to you. You see and feel his presence beside you, but you choose to ignore it. He did something.

With a cocky smile playing on his lips, he begins talking. "I was going to—"

"What the fuck did you do?" You spit, refusing to look at him.

He scoffs, offended you would think he was behind all of this, even if he loved it. "What did I do? You're the one she's upset with."

"You did something, Jayce." You insist, passing by doors and turning a corner. He didn't know where you were going, yet he still followed. "Aren't you the one who showed up late? She needed your help with the files yet you neglected her." He said casually, like it wasn't his problem. Which it wasn't.

"Is it because Mel prefers me?" You press, stopping abruptly and turning to face him, consumed with the idea that he's done something. "That Viktor would rather spend his time away from you? Dreaming about the moment he gets to see me?

Jayces grin turned into a scowl, his eyebrows furrowed down. He was easy to irritate, knowing exactly what nerves to pull on. "You're talking out of your ass."

"Oh, but am I?" Your look of disgust said enough. "You're obsessed, Talis. You don't want to believe Viktor had scribbled the wrong answers on the chalkboard just so he could finish quickly and come see me. You don't want to believe that to him, you're nothing but an obstacle in the way."

"You're fucking stupid." He says, lowering his voice, aware that the two of you are publicly arguing in the hallways.

"Was I stupid when Viktor fucked me raw? When I watched him trying to eagerly get away from you to get to me instead?" You hissed, blinded by rage as Jayce watched you step closer to him, his chest falling up and down at your words.

"Or how about when Mel could only ever talk about me when she's with you? You will always hear my name leave her lips, when it's meant to be yours." You kept going, he had to get the hint, if the threat you gave him hadn't worked, then twisting an invisible knife in his chest should.

"Face it, Jayce." You step closer, your faces inches apart as you take in the loathing in his goldenrod eyes.  He had to dip his head to look at you, refusing to step back. "You don't hate me. You wished you were me."

-

A few days had passed. Mel was still avoiding you, she was stupidly aware of her behavior. Her intention wasn't to punish you, but rather herself. She was dumbly upset that you chose him.

The meetings with the council were stiff and awkward. At first, you had tried all in capacity to get her back on your side. Not really knowing why missing plans by a little bit had affected her this much. But her obvious demand for pushing you away was enough. You didn't want to bother her, she clearly didn't want you around. Whatever Mel wanted, you would do for her.

Maybe it was her mother. You considered.  She did have a private conversation with her about how much of a distraction you were. Maybe the brainwashing had worked, and Mel found truth in her mother. You didn't want to believe it.

The time you've spent away from Mel was dreadful, on top of all the council meetings and political conversations without her comfort. The only good thing you got out of it was more time with Viktor.

It was weird. While half your heart was rotting away, the other half was brightly crimson and pumping happily. Viktor had a lot more to offer than you had thought.

He was perfect. You'd end every night with him. Whether it was in your room or his, the night would either end with the sound of skin slapping against skin and passionate kissing, or the chatter and storytelling of the two of you talking until you fell into slumber.

Mel would've said you replaced her.

Jayce had finally got out of your way. You'd pass by him with mutual looks of hatred darted at one another. Or when you'd go to the lab to see Viktor after a long day with Jayce accompanying him, the two of you would ignore the other with looks that kill.

Viktor had caught on, he wasn't dumb.

"It seems like Jayce's dislike has turned mutual." He said, fluttering his eyes closed to the feel of your fingers in his thick hair, massaging his scalp.

"Yeah." You say, "I finally caught on. Safe to say neither of us like the other."

"Mmm." He hums. "Turns out you're just as expressive as he is, passionate too. Maybe the two of you are more alike than you think." He says, yawning at the feel of your fingers.

You wince. "Don't even say that." Viktor just lightly chuckles, sliding a hand under your shirt as the two of you lay there tiredly.

No to mention your long talks about Mel. Whether Viktor liked talking about her or not, he listened to you, and felt that without you two together, nothing was right. The two of you without the other was like a paper without its pen. He had said.

Today, however, Viktor was being taken by Heimerdinger for a long, private conversation. Heimerdinger is offering Viktor the option to choose a peculiar student from the Academy and possibly have them see the process of manufacturing Hextech. You already knew what his answer would be. No. Perhaps Jayce may do it instead.

Despite it all, you were all alone today. You had gone to Mel's room today, needing to get a shirt of yours that was still in her wardrobe.

She hadn't even let you in, she just closed the door on you and went to get the shirt for you herself. Reopening the door and handing it to you.

You had tried to use that excuse to fix whatever happened between you both, but clearly she wasn't buying it. So going to see Mel outside of the council today wasn't an option.

It was hard for you to spend your day without another person, especially when that only person was Jayce.

You really, really didn't want to go see Jayce.

Yet your feet were dragging you to the laboratory. It was either that or the forge. You refused to check on him in the forge. Not today.

Announcing your presence with 2 knocks on its door, you twist its knob open, allowing yourself in.

Jayce stands in front of the black chalkboard, clutching a small piece of white chalk in his hand as he stares up at the equations. He was standing at an angle where you saw mostly his back, and just a slice of the side of his face.

"I thought you wouldn't be done until tonight." Jayce says without turning to look at you, clearly thinking you're Viktor.

"And I thought Viktor didn't knock twice to enter." You say, Jayce whips his head to you, his clutch on the chalk tightening.

"What are you doing here?" He says, annoyance lacing his tone, yet still relaxed enough. "He's still with Heimerdinger." Jayce adds, like it means something. Which it does. You never really come into the lab unless Viktor is there.

But everything has been different lately.

You walk in, touching their current projects softly with the tips of your fingers, holding a few of them. Jayce just watches you, catching on to the fact you weren't here for Viktor.

"Go find Mel, I'm sure she's waiting for you somewhere." He turns to his board, though he lost his track of thought on the equation because of you. He attempts to regain it.

You sigh, "You ruined that for me, remember?"

"Believe what you want. I'm tired of trying to explain that I had no say for how Mel feels about you now, even if it makes me the happiest man in the world." He crosses out a few numbers.

"The happiest man in the world?" You repeat. "So deplorable."

He lets out a breath. "Why are you still here?"

"Well, you successfully turned Mel against me, and Viktor is out. Salo is attempting to get a lay off from me, and Cassandra can't talk to me without mentioning how bad my shooting skills are."

"You suck."

"Fuck you very much."

"So, what? You're here because you're bored?"

"Ding ding ding."

You sit on a workbench, believing it's much more comfortable than whatever those stools are made of. They really did numb your ass. Swear it.

"After how angry you got me, how angry I got you? Gods." He scoffs, turning to look at you, an expression of irritated disbelief.

"At least then I wasn't bored." You consider. He looks at you like you've grown another eye. Jayce turns back, choosing that ignoring your presence would help him out. The sound of scribbling chalk being the only thing heard throughout the lab.

Jayce, the past few days, had only grown to hate you even more. You had successfully stolen his partner from him, and any plan that Viktor made with you, it would ruin his. Not to mention your last conversation together, he was sure he hated you all around. You don't think about him as much as he does of you, but you definitely do think about him more than you had before.

Jayce just being aware of your presence behind him made him angry on its own. You silently watched him, clearing your throat when he'd stop to think. It made him want to hurl the whole board over. It wasn't until the door was opened and the clicking of heels entered. You both mechanically turn at the same time, seeing Mel. Your heart skips a beat, leaping in your chest, getting off the workbench and anxiously watching her approach.

"Chums now, I see." Mel says lightly.

"Quite the opposite." You say, a small chuckle leaving your lips as Jayce gives you an annoyed look and you give him one back.

She doesn't acknowledge you, and your heart cracks. She speaks directly to Jayce. "I've come to inform you that Bolbok is hosting a private event tomorrow evening. It would be greatly appreciated if you showed up."

You mentally sigh, forgetting completely about the party tomorrow. "Yeah, I'll come. It'll be great advertising." Jayce poorly attempts a joke. Neither of you laugh.

"Hah." He murmurs.

"I'll see you then. Come as my date, seeing as Y/N already has hers." She states, and you suddenly feel horrible about everything you've ever done in the world. You stand there, watching dreadfully as Jayce accepts the offer, flattered and blushing. He attempts again at a joke, which was unbelievably bad, and she laughs. You hear her laugh for the first time in days, and you hate that it didn't come from you. She was laughing at Jayce's joke.

You clutch the side of your dress tightly, most likely wrinkling the fabric as she gives him a suggestive look before leaving. Mel looked beautiful, and it was directed all at him.

With her gone, you turned to look at Jayce. Who smiled at the look of hatred plastered across your expression. He turned back to his blackboard. "Something wrong, princess? Suddenly getting a taste of your own medicine?" He spoke up, too confident for your liking.

You knew this was a bad idea. You knew it. You knew you were going to leave furious. You were doing this to yourself.

Although you came here yourself, you begin to leave as if you had been forced to come here in the first place. "Stay the fuck away from me, Jayce." You breathe, aiming all your fury at him.

"Why do you even care? You have your date already." He says, turning to watch you leave.

"Are you dumb, by any chance? Aren't you perfectly aware of the state my relationship with Mel is currently in, because of you?" You twist your torso, your expression a look of mock-bewilderment. 

"Because of me!" He finally breaks, snapping at you as he takes a few steps toward you. "I would love to know where you got that information from, since your clinging to it like a fucking pacifier, Y/N."

"Don't act stupid, Jayce." You walk up to him, closing the distance between you two. "You're the one who's hated me since the beginning, wishing you were me. I noticed your excitement the very first time she treated me like shit. Gods, you were livid."

"Or," He spoke, jaw clenching, "she finally noticed how you're not worth it anymore." He said, lowly, differing the contrast between both your voices. Jayce raises a hand to your shoulder, and you think he's going to pull the same act he did the first time he interrogated you. Instead, his touch is soft, sliding slowly up your neck as you hold the weight of his eyes, sharing a look of mutual disgust.

His hands cup your jaw, a thumb brushing your cheek before traveling to your nape, bunching up your hair with his large hands. "What if she's finally noticed you're nothing but a pretty face." He pulls your hair down harshly, a small groan leaving your lips at the suddenness, cranking your neck to fully face him.

"If I fucked over your friendship with Mel," He stares you down, sharing breathes with you as the grip he had on your hair began to hurt your scalp. "Trust me, I'd be telling the whole fucking world."

"My threat still stands." You choke, voice breaking as he leaned closer to you. The loathing in his eyes was inexcusable, a mutual feature you shared. You watched his eyes flutter closed, tilting your pupils as you watched his head dunk lower. His breath was hot, fanning your wildly exposed neck as he brought his soft lips to press against your skin. A sharp trail of chills coating your body, his lips warm on your skin. The grip on your hair was gone, his hands dropped to his side as he approached his blackboard once more, his back to you as you made eye contact with his broad shoulders.

"Get the fuck out of my lab" He said, like the last few seconds hadn't existed in the universe. You stared at him, just as angry as you were seconds ago, but with confusion and emotion hurling in your body. Convinced you were imagining it all, the feel of Jayce's lips still on your neck, very intensely lingering, you sneered. "With pleasure."

-

The party was packed, especially for a private one. The elite of Piltover and even the elite of other countries came flooding in. Everyone dressed head to toe in riches and glamour, you were no exception. It took Viktor almost an hour to pry himself off of you before the party started, and since the man was no superfan of PDA, he had no choice but to hold himself for the night.

He looked like a snack. His hair was beautifully tasseled in the messy manner he prefers, his suit was a dull black, with a vest dark crimson that barely made a difference, his button up shirt just as dark and dull as both, the first few buttons left open to peek at his collarbones. His crutch was almost even decorative, matching his outfit perfectly. No one would take him for someone who didn't want to be here in the first place. Which he didn't. He only came for you.

You held your glass of wine and stared at him, wishing you were exclusive. Gods, was it hard for you to keep yourself off him too.

"Let's leave." Viktor insisted, eyeing you in your beautifully fit dress.

"We just got here." You say, sipping from your drink as you honestly wished you could leave, too. "I don't care, I want you all for myself. That's not too selfish, is it?" He moves closer to you, and you breathe his scent in, he smelt heavenly.

"Not selfish enough, I'm afraid." You bring the glass that was just on your lips to his. He takes a long, swift drink from it as a rich comes up to you.

"You look phenomenal this evening, Y/L/N." He praises, brushing back his thin hair. "How about a dance?" He offers the hand he had just used. You stare down at it, as does Viktor, burning a mental hole through it.

You blink back up at the middle-aged man, with a daughter your age also attending this party. "I'm afraid not today." You turn down, not bothering to offer him an apologetic smile.

The man uses the hand to smooth down his suit. "Why–why of course. No worries. Perhaps you can tell me where councilor Medarda is?" He stutters, attempting to ask instead. Of course, wherever you go, people just assume Mel is trailing somewhere not far behind. Surprising the man, you give him an unbothered shrug.

He takes your nonverbal answer and leaves. Viktor lets out a sigh, handing you the glass to finish. "You're aware this is the third person you've had to turn down? And the party's only just started." Viktor mentions, and you sigh right along, drinking from the glass.

You didn't need to say much, because Viktor fully understood. Lifting your gaze to the entrance, you see Mel and Jayce walking in. You take her all in, your clasp around the glass only tightening. She looked breathtaking, her dress black and the golden accents on her body popping. You longed for her back, right then and there for the millionth time. You lift your eyes to find her capturing them, holding your gaze, she slowly drifts her gaze lower, taking all of you in before you both switch your gazes to your dates.

As Viktor and Mel study one another, your eyes lock in with Jayce's. You definitely didn't forget about the misfortune about yesterday, when you left his lab with your body on fire. Both literally and figuratively. You had to peel your clothes off your body and you turned your shower on immediately, even then your mind not leaving the thought of him alone. Even now, the next day, just looking at him made you feel the linger of his lips on your neck.

Almost the same could be said about him. When you left, he stared at the blur of an equation until he couldn't ignore it anymore, palming his crotch through his pants as he almost silently moaned, leaving for his apartment as soon as Viktor arrived.

It was safe to say he looked as good as Viktor, his hair brushed back as a few messy strands leaned the other way, brushing his forehead. His suit was a dark navy, almost non-existent blue, tied with his white button up and belt with a golden buckle that matched perfectly with Mel.

You had to say, they looked amazing together, and you hated it. Imagining yourself in Jayce's shoes, you come to the conclusion that you'd look better with her. Not disregarding the fact that Viktor and you looked almost powerful when together.

"I hate them." You decide under your breath. Viktor smiled.

"You know that'll never truly be the case."

You both watched her greet everyone, Jayce right beside her like a dog, greeting everyone with her. You couldn't peel your eyes off her, and Viktor noticed. He slid a hand on your back. You leaned into him for comfort. "She looks beautiful." Viktor says, not even looking at her, but at you.

"She does."

Time ticks and you're forced into conversations and offers you wished you weren't. You hadn't noticed when Jayce peeled himself from Mel's side and approached the two of you. He eyed the hand on your waist before falling into conversation with Viktor. You heard him talk, completely and utterly ignoring you. Which doesn't say much, since you're ignoring him too, forcing yourself to look past him and watch whatever.

Of course, your sight only takes you to Mel. To your surprise, she was already looking at you. You blinked at one another. Your heart ached to see her, to be near her and just talk to her. You wanted to touch her and feel her and smell her. You've gone too long without her, and you're praying she feels the same.

When Jayce leaves for Mel again, the party moves forward, and Viktor and you have come to the agreement that neither of you are dancing. Bonding over your wanting to leave and your inability to dance, you decide that facing each other is best.

"Go talk to her." He says, out of seemingly nowhere. But somehow you were expecting it, already knowing what he's talking about. 

"So I've tried." You sigh.

He brushes a strand of hair behind your ear. "I'm not talking about previously. I'm talking about now, today. Talk to her, Y/N."

You want to listen, you truly do. But you can't. She's made it clear enough she wants nothing to do with you, even if it hurts and confuses you.

You stare up at Viktor, drowning in his amber eyes as you both lean. Comforted by his scent, you were about to consume yourself with his lips on yours before a throat being cleared interrupts you both, pulling away from each other. You turn to see Mel, the closest she's been to you the past few days, gazing at you and Viktor.

"How about a word in private, please?" She speaks, her voice sweet and your knees almost buckle right there. Your eyes dart from her to Jayce, he towers right behind her, like he doesn't have a mind of his own and does whatever she says. It's as if he could hear your thoughts, for his gaze hardens when you catch his eyes.

Caught off guard as anxiousness shoots through you, you try not to stutter, excited with the idea of Mel wanting to talk to you again.

Viktor squeezes your waist before letting go of it, silently urging you to go on. "Oh, uh." You swallow. "Yeah. Sure," You look at her again, as if scared she's magically disappeared before turning to look at Viktor. "He may come too." She assures. To which forms a confused look on Viktor's face.

"Great." You say, masking your voice to be cool, calm, and collected.

You follow her out of the party and out of the corridors. You walked in silence as the two boys trailed a little farther behind, chatting. You don't bother asking where you're going or what you're doing. You have only one statement to say.

"I missed you." You muttered, your voice cracking as you blinked ahead, continuing to walk as her head turned to look at you. You couldn't bring it in yourself to look at her. She turned her head to look back to wherever you're going.

"Gods, Y/N." Mel whispers as you begin to realize you're heading in the direction of her office. "I said I was gonna do this professionally." She voiced under her breath, fighting a mental war. "You're killing me."

Now, you couldn't help but look at her, but you were too late. You've already reached her office and she was quick to open her door for it, letting you, Jayce, and Viktor in.

Entering, Jayce comfortably sits on Mel's small sofa on the side of her office. While Viktor is first to talk. "What's all this for?" He asks, not exactly bothering to be nice to Mel, with how sad she's made you.

She gestures for you to sit on her small sofa, and you do, staring up at her as you feel Jayce's body heat radiating off him.

"Well, Jayce had spoken with me beforehand," She began, and you fought the urge to roll your eyes. Here we go. "and he convinced me that you," Mel looks at you directly, moving closer to you, "deserved none of this."

Your breath is caught in your throat, swallowing it down as you hold her gaze. She was so close, and so beautiful. She held your face with her hand, tilting your chin up to stare up at her. "I was dramatic, and angry." She tried to explain, her voice quieter, not speaking to the room, but to you. "I thought you had chosen Viktor, and that was it. I believed you made your choice so, so be it." The warmth of her hands leaves your face. You're barely processing what you're hearing.

Viktor perks up from the spot he's standing at with his name being mentioned, watching this scene play out with such attentiveness. "The way I dealt with the manner was childish." She admits, sitting by Jayce, who was now separating the two of you from sitting directly next to each other. "Jayce was right, and for that I'm sorry, Y/N." She finally says.

You were silent, turning to look at Jayce, who was so close to you now. The asshole gives you a petty shrug, his look of 'I-told-you-so' expressive. He's done you a favor, yet he still pissed you off. You look away from him before you could feel yourself getting annoyed.

You blink back at Mel, who is visibly so nervous, mentally begging for you to say something. She can only keep her composure for so long.

Deciding to completely ignore Jayce's presence, you lean over him. "You can stab me a hundred times, give me a million wounds, and I will come crawling back to you every time. No matter what, Mel." You say to her, and she copies your actions, lifting her knees to fold under her as she kneels over Jayce.

"I missed you, Y/N. I'm sorry." She pleads, darting her eyes from your mouth to your eyes, she was ready to melt into you.

You were both seated beside Jayce, yet your upper bodies and faces were right above him. He watches you guys as you two lean closer together. "I forgive you. And for the times again, and again, after this." You assure her, blinking over her shoulder at Viktor. Who nodded, a small smile musing his lip, 'Do it.' he mouthed. 

You filled in the distance between you, capturing her lips with yours, and she was quick to hold your face, kissing you back, harder and deprived, needier. You pull away, looking at her and gasping slightly, savoring her before slamming your lips back to hers. She makes a hum in your mouth when your tongue opens it. The kiss was messy and utterly wet. The two of you were away from each other for too long, some may say not that long, but it was long enough for you both to have you reunite like this.

Mel's hands tangle around your hair, unconsciously pulling it as she's completely consumed by your mouth. You lose balance, holding your position long enough before dropping your hand on Jayce's lap to hold you up. He sucks in a breath, the scene before him hard not to affect a human through a screen. Let alone up close, above him. Two of the most beautiful girls in Piltover making out right above him? He adored one, and loathed the other.

So enthralled with each other, you crawl over Jayce, insisting to get Mel closer, needing to feel her body on yours. He believed that you were going beyond heights to ignore him. You kick your shoes off, and so does she, laying on her back as your knees hover past his lap. He watches you arch your back, moaning into Mel's mouth. Jayce was borderline panicking, looking up to look for Viktor.

Viktor watches the two of you. It was like watching two goddesses together, he envied Jayce for getting the V.I.P seats. He darts his eyes to Jayce, who's own eyes were wide, the scene before him so much for a big guy like him.

Viktor gives him a look, saying 'We-should-leave-them-have-this-moment'.

How does he get out of here? You had him trapped, not that he minded, but Viktor was right, as much as he wanted to stay and watch. Viktor can see the mental struggle of Jayce trying to figure out how to leave without taking you out of the mood. Your knees between both his thighs as your feet rested on his farther one, your back curved over the other as you kissed Mel's neck.

Looking back at Viktor for help, he quietly said "Touch her." Both you and Mel could hear him, but you two were in your own little world to even notice, let alone care.

Jayce trusted Viktor for better judgement, after all, he would indeed hear you two fucking every time he'd walk past your doors late at night. Viktor should be an expert on how to not get you out of the mood as you make-out with your best friend. He should be?

Right.

Jayce lifts a large hand on the slope of your back, dragging it slowly down your waist and to your ass as he feels your skin over the thin material of your dress. "Taking care of her so well." He praises, even if he wishes he never did, lifting another hand to softly graze your waist before lightly gripping it. He watched the way you made her lose focus, her eyes rutting to the back of her head. You knew how to please her, and so did he. He never thought the two of you would have something in common. He wished you didn't

"She's moaning your name, Y/N. Do you hear that? 'Must be pleasing her so well." He leans to whisper in your ear, and you sigh to the feeling of Mel's knee digging inside your dress and between your legs, riding it as you feel Jayce's hands take up so much space on your hips. He slightly moves you, shifting under you as you're placed right back where you were, just with him gone from under it. He's standing up now, letting go of the grip on your hips by releasing it and having his palm slightly drag past your ass.

He can't look away, he just can't. Neither can Viktor, their eyes glued to both of you until they finally make it out, the last thing they see was both of you shoving yourselves out of your uncomfortable dresses.

Jayce does the punishment of closing the door on you both while Viktor couldn't bring himself to do it, and the two turn to look at one another. Both Viktor and Jayce release a sigh. "Let's quickly take care of ourselves before returning to the party. Can't let anyone be suspicious."

Viktor considers Jayce's words, not without a grimace though. He would more rather be in there with the two of you than at that fancy, lame party. Jayce couldn't help but agree wordlessly.

Meanwhile, you rode her knee like there was no tomorrow, naked and skin to skin, you licked your fingers and pressed them against her clit, your manicured-painted hands rubbing her pussy as you swashed saliva. You two kept pulling your mouths away from each other for air, but attaching it again after barely a second, unable to get enough from each other.

She moaned out your name as you almost harshly fingered her, sloshing your fingers up and down her pussy as you suddenly shoved them in her. "Serves you right, M." You mumbled shakily, dragging your tongue behind her ear, sucking and biting and kissing. All of it, you were doing. She pushes her knee farther against you in response, having you squeal.

You reposition yourself, straddling her thigh as you lowered your tongue down her body, reaching her stomach as you reached your hand to mold her breasts, dealing with them delicately as she arched her back to you. You watch your fingers slam in and out of her as she gasps, taking them completely out right as she's about to cum. She whines.

"Not just yet, M." You say, sitting up as the fingers you were previously using were hovering over her clit. You make her look into your eyes as you arch your back down to your hips. She slowly feels your pussy come in contact with hers, your leg sliding below her thigh as the other one stays over Mel's other thigh. You grind against her, and the feeling is beyond overwhelming, you both sputter out moans. You tenderly rub her clit as she motions her hips to grind further into you.

"So… good." She whimpers, half of it muffled because she shoved the side of her face into the sofa's cushioning.

"As good as you imagined? As good as you dreamed of?" You groan, picking up the speed in which you apply more friction to her pussy with your own, her moans growing louder. "Huh, M?"

"Better… better." Her tits brush up against yours as you lean over her, that's how much her back was arched and your speed was getting. Mel pushed herself against you rapidly, finding her soft spot and using you to reach it over and over. It wasn't until both your thighs were stickily plastered with liquids on each other did you slow down.

You both catch your breaths, stealing a moment of silence from each other. You give her tits another peck from your lips, and her eyes follow every move you pull. "I'm sorry."

"Mel, I forgave you long before I even entered this room. Drop it." You softly chuckle, going to kiss her lips again, which she takes advantage of. Holding your lips with hers for a while, savoring every bit of it before pulling back.

-

You felt on top of the world, that's for sure. You got two of the best ever, hypothetically seated right there on both your legs. 

If you were being honest, there was only one man you could thank for that, and you really, really didn't want to. A few weeks or less has passed since the day of the party Bolbok hosted, the day Mel wanted you back. Oh, what a lovely day that was.

It puts you where you are today, right between Viktor and Mel, on your bed, half naked. You were thrilled. They had begun to tolerate each other because of you, and it's been great. Of course, Mel has still been sleeping with Jayce as you have been with Viktor. But you were her little guilty pleasure, vice versa.

Sometimes, just like when Mel would wake up and find Viktor on your bed, you'd wake up in her room and find Jayce. Every time you look at him, whether in professional settings or not, you would always think 'This fucking guy.' 

Whether positive or negative, it was always 'This fucking guy.'

Today, however, was located in your bed, so no Jayce. You and Mel had woken up together, changing and talking, still keeping your voices down not to wake Viktor. Who shifted around in your bed and lazily blinked his eyes open, watching the two of you dress. The two of you barely notice, leaving the room as Viktor falls back asleep. He wakes up later than you two, but not too far from now.

You were sort of like Switzerland for Mel and Viktor, still disliking each other, but not as much as before. They didn't mind the others' presence, and you wouldn't mind if they kissed. This is a topic you bring up to them a lot. It would be really cool if they kissed. They just kind of pretend like they didn't hear you.

When the two of you approached the council, a good chunk of it was missing. When asked where everyone was, the remaining said that they had other important plans, so today was going to be a day off. However, councilor Shoola took Mel to the side and requested a private talk from her.

Just like many days before, you knocked on the laboratory door and opened it. Finding it empty. This time, you weren't going to find Jayce on your own free will, you were carrying a word from Hoskel to him. So you kind of have to find him.

The only other place you could think of was the forge, oh gods, the forge. You just couldn't do it. You weren't ready to enter it and immediately get sweaty and hot, trying to gather your thoughts as the heat turned your brain to mush. Also you couldn't face Jayce shirtless and oily. But you refused to even think about that.

You needed to stall. Where else could he be? You thought in the empty lab, slightly embarrassed it took you this long to consider his bedroom. You've never been there, but you knew where it was from the help of Mel a little while ago. You try to recall your steps as you search for his room.

Squeezing your brain dry, you try to remember if you made a right or a left to get to his little apartment. Turns out it was left, needing to go back after not finding it. Standing in front of his door, you knock twice. You wait a few, long seconds, grumbling before you reach your hand and twist it around the knob, the door being shoved open before you're able to do it yourself. 

You're met with Jayce and bedridden hair, messily sprayed across his forehead. He blinks down at you, tiredly yawning before shutting the door on your face. You scoff, "What the fuck?" blinking at the sight of the blank door for a second. "Open the door, Jayce." You say in a slightly loud voice.

"Stop opening the door before you're allowed in." He calls from directly behind it, the slab of wood being the only thing between you both. You genuinely roll your eyes this time.

"Gods, Talis. Open the door, you don't even have to let me in." You say, your idea of a negotiation. Jayce rubs his eyes behind the door, listening to your attempt at getting what you want so easily, something he hated. So, he decided to make you do the one thing he knew would hurt you.

"Say please."

This fucking guy.

He didn't think you'd actually do it, half expecting you to just walk away from the door, being his goal in the end. But when he hears you suck in an annoyed breath, he's fully awake now. "Please."

He was definitely not letting this fly past so easily, he had you right where he wanted you, and he wasn't going to let it go so quickly. "Please, what?"

You shut your eyes as your heart-rate picks up, attempting to hold your anger as you decided to be the bigger person. Slowly opening your mouth, your tongue forms the syllables. "Please, Jayce."

The door was twisted open, you pushed it open as you watched him approach his wardrobe, his back to you. You took a few steps inside. 

"Fuck you." You say, watching him wrap his fingers around the bottom of his wrinkled shirt.

"Thank you, you mean." He corrects, taking it off as you stare at his back, memorizing the amount of muscles he has.

"For what? I'm here to deliver you a message from Hoskel—"

"I did you a favor." Jayce cuts you off, turning to his side to get a good look at you, his expression furrowed, his eyes squinting in annoyance. It was obvious what he was talking about, and you couldn't tiptoe around it, shamelessly eyeing his shirtless torso.

"Is that what you're calling it now? Why are you still thinking about it?" You click your tongue, forcing your eyes to tear away from his biceps and to his face.

"Excuse me?" He starts, his voice still grumbly from being asleep. "Mel would have never forgiven you if it weren't for me. I convinced her to take you into that room and apologize. If it weren't for me, you would have never fucked her that night." He spit, taking off his sweats as he changed into his uniform ones. You tried to stay modest and look away, but you couldn't, just from his underwear, you could tell he was packing.

You stepped closer to him, but not too close. A habit the two of you did a lot when you were left alone together. "Do you always lie, Talis?" You wonder out loud, a tinge of satisfaction coating your chest at the look of offense on his face, calling him a liar. "I vividly remember your insults, you saying she realized my worth, that I'm nothing but a pretty face." You revise, telling him as he listens to you talk, nodding his head to everything you recalled. "All while convincing her to win me back? It all felt so real, Jayce."

"I couldn't stand your fucking whining anymore. If it makes you feel any better," He zips his pants up, you watch him do so. He sees your eyes linger down there before looking back up at him. "I meant every word.

"I thought you said I was stealing her from you?" You curve an eyebrow, "You complain and harass me, and then hand her right to me in the end." You state, he watches you look up to his ceiling as you pretend to remember. He doesn't say anything. You continue. "Now I've stolen your lab partner and your girlfriend, what next?" You ask, leaving the question to linger in the air for a moment. "You?"

He snorts. "See, that actually takes some effort" He reaches to grab his usual brown button-up, slipping it through an arm as you sighed, walking around his room, studying the place. He watched you, unsure where you're getting at. Even more unsure why he hasn't asked you to leave yet.

"Your problem, Jayce," You start softly, running your hand down his messy bed sheets, "is that you don't see that I've won you over long before I have ever won Viktor." You murmured, fixing his sheets after feeling them.  "You've been obsessed."

"Obsessed? Your confidence is unsettling. I merely disliked you, you don't matter to me as much as you think you do." You didn't believe a single word, and you don't think he does either. You force his eyes to catch yours. 

"Again with the lying, Jayce. When will it stop?"

"What do you want? To piss me off like you do all the fucking time already? Sorry, princess, I have other plans today." Jayce says, buttoning the first few buttons on the bottom together, watching you clean up his bed, keeping yourself occupied. The silence in the room was palpable, horribly thick.

"What do you want?" He repeats himself, not bothering to even wear an angry expression like you'd expect, he just waited for your answer.

"Nothing." You finally decide, you're wasting your time. Turning your back on him, you start reaching for the exit of his room. "Hoskel only wanted me to tell you about his—"

Jayce grabs your arm. "Oh my gods. Fuck Hoskel. I don't couldn't care less. What do you want?"

PART 3

You eyed the hand wrapped around your arm, lifting your eyes to his. "You like grabbing me a lot." You state, drifting your gaze to his unbuttoned chest. You hated him, he was a jealous asshole. A prick. But speaking to Mel privately, and getting her to forgive you had you dislike him a little less. You dreaded him for it.

You hated him, making you like him even just a centimeter more than before. You blamed it all on him, the good and the bad, it was all his fault even if it wasn't. You couldn't imagine yourself feeling a kind, nice instinct toward Jayce. The emotions the two have built your relationship on was far from positive adjectives like kind or nice.

He's never bothered to show you any form of patience or sweetness, so why should things change up now? Just because he put in a good word for you, doesn't mean you necessarily wanted to treat him like how Viktor perhaps would. Jayce wasn't your pal. You weren't planning on making him one, either.

You were used to what you both established, none of that lovey dovey sappy shit. What the two of you had was not built off a slow burn lie, a friendship blossoming. It was built with complete raw and exhilarating passion. Passionate fucking anger.

You didn't want to change that.

"What do you want?" Jayce repeats, the grip on your arm telling you a whole different story than the one on his face. You were reminded of when he first snapped with you. You weren't fully aware of his loathing to you until that night, after you'd kissed Viktor for the very first time, only wanting to tell Mel about it. He'd grabbed you by the arm, and you left him with a threat. You look back at the memory fondly. Now, it was almost the same. HIs grip was angry, but his eyes were pleading. He looked like a little boy, mentally urging you to say what he wants to hear.

This is the first time you'd ever seen an expression like that on his face. "Not a thing, Jayce. I have everything I could ever want." You answer, saying the sentence slowly, like he were a child being repeated a question on a pop quiz.

"Really?" He asks, his eyes narrowing and his hand slowly leaving your arm. "You're finally full?"

You stare up at him as all your senses fly to the side of your arm, right where he had held it as you considered his question. "What?"

He buttons up his shirt, covering up his chest as he looks at you like how the arrogant elite would at a beggar. "You kept biting off more than you can chew, and when you've finally swallowed it all down, you don't bother cleaning your plate."

You were confused, trying to roam your mind for everything this could apply to, going down to the basics. Jayce despises you because he was jealous, something you both came to the conclusion of. You manage to pry Mel and Viktor from his palm and into your own, that was the center goal on why he disliked you so much. So what was he saying? You bit off more than you could chew.

"Are you saying I'm out of their league, Jayce?" You inquire, not needing to mention their names for him to understand. "Like I planned it, because it was just so hard?" You watch him button up the very last button of his shirt, reaching the start of his neck. You weren't a fan of the look, reaching your own hand to slowly button it back down. To your surprise, he didn't stop you. "Let me remind you," You spoke softly, he watched your mouth, the way your tongue peaks out when you pronounce the 'L'. "Mel and Viktor came running to me the very moment they were allowed to."

"Your ego baffles me." Jayce spoke, watching you unbutton his shirt all the way down. "Do I truly have to mention how Mel still sinks on my cock like there's no tomorrow? Or how Viktor is still my partner, Y/N? Spending more hours in the day with me than with you." You run your hand down his chest, feeling it from the start of your fingers down the palm of your hands. His skin was hot and carved perfectly to your touch.

"That's your problem, Y/N." He murmurs to you, "You always talk about them like they're yours, but you forget who even started it all. Notice how you only paid attention to the first part of that sentence? You completely missed my point, and that just shows what kind of person you are."

You move your attention from his chest to his face. "You love pretending like you're smart. Like you've got me all figured out just because you did me a favour once. You will never get to know anything about me beside the fact I fucked your girlfriend and your lab partner with ease."

Jayce feels your hand softly slide from his chest to his shoulder, slipping the dress shirt off him. "You're a cocky whore." His mouth twitches, and your grin spreads. 

"And, what? You're not?" You hold the shirt up, smelling it as you locked eyes with him. It smelt like it had just come from the laundry, yet a faint scent of leather and vanilla wafts in your nose. You throw his shirt onto the bed behind him.

He ignores you, using his large hands to move your hair from your shoulders to expose that area, his fingertips brushing over your collarbones and to the section connecting your neck and shoulders. "So greedy, you are." Jayce tells you, using his hands to gently move the strap of your dress down. 

You eye his mouth. "It must feel good. Being the golden boy of Piltover, man of Progress." You praise as you watch his exposed chest fall up and down. "Yet still a little bitch behind the scenes." You rip any sort of flattery away, and his jaw ticks.

"Cute. Particularly ironic coming from the biggest slut in the council."

"What? Sad that only Mel and Viktor are getting all the action while you're left behind?"

"I want nothing to do with you." He spits, flashing you those teeth again. You can't help it, you push him onto his bed as you catch his mouth with yours.

To your surprise, he clutches a hand onto your hips immediately, kissing you as soon as you come in contact with him. The kiss hurt. It was messy, the way your tongues were immediately invading each other's personal space. More than messy, it was hard. He had a hand on your hips, holding you hard enough to bruise as his other hand was half on your jaw, and half tangled in your hair, tugging on it. 

You straddled his waist as both your hands held his face, trying to draw blood from his mouth. Jayce, completely aware of your intentions, groans into your mouth as he attempts to do the same to you. "I fucking hate you." You cried against his lips as a metallic taste of coins entered your mouth. Neither of you were sure who it belonged to, yet still kissed each other against it. 

"You don't mean it." He says, you pull away from him. Opening your eyes, you see the corner of his lips protruding with a hint of crimson. From his point of view, blood was splattered all inside your mouth, and slowly, you smiled. He caught sight of your fangs and he pressed against the walls of his mouth with his tongue, somewhere along where the front of his teeth were, he felt the flesh ripped and his tongue be met with more of the metallic taste. "Fucking bitch."

"I guess you can see just how much I mean it, don't you?" You grinned, sitting up on his waist. In a sudden movement, he grabbed the back of your nape and pushed your face into his in a kiss. Both your hands threw themselves around his head as one gripped his bedridden hair tightly. His other hand that wasn't keeping you in place bunched up your dress all the way up to your ass. He managed to move you in a position where he was on top now.

Jayce's teeth pulled on the side of your mouth, he wouldn't stop until  he drew blood too. "Come on, you could do better than tha—" He shut you up by pulling the flesh on your lips, which was now bleeding.

"Better than what?" He challenges and you narrow your eyes at him. Your eyes squinting into a glare as you're folding your bottom lip into your mouth, licking the new wound on your lips.

Your lips just meet again, grunts and groans leaving both your lips as Jayce squeezes your plush ass harshly. Your legs go to wrap around his naked torso as he drags his mouth down, his teeth sinking onto your neck as you feel him mark you with hickeys. You push your head further into the pillow behind your head as your neck felt like it was on fire. You tug on his hair harder, moaning as you wished you didn't. You couldn't fuel his ego like this.

"You always take this long to suck ah, a hickey, Tah..lis?" 

"You sound fucking pathetic right now." Jayce says, pulling his mouth away from where it was before licking it softly with his warm tongue, a big gentle contrast to how harshly he was devouring your neck and collarbones. "Shut the fuck up." He attaches his mouth to your bloody lip as he very unkindly shoved your dress off you. You were almost naked now, minus the lace panties that sunk between your ass and the thin matching pair that hugged your breasts with little to no decency.

They were practically useless, didn't do much to cover you as the lace did nothing but decorate your tits with its pattern. "You always wear a set like this? Hoping the next, lucky guy gets to unwrap it off you like a present, slut?"

"Mmmm." You hum, your eyes closed as he peels the bra off you. "Lucky guy? I'm flattered." You flutter your eyes back open to see him staring at you. You peck the tip of his nose with your bloody mouth.

"You're unbelievable. Completely revolting." He mutters, and you pout. "Doesn't seem like I'm that revolting, with your hands around my tits like they're about to run away."

"Gods, shut up." He practically begs, flipping you to your stomach. You forget Jayce's height and strength isn't just for show, he's genuinely really strong. He does it all so easily you barely have time to process before your head is pressed against the pillow, a small groan leaving your lips.

"You finally gonna fuck me, Talis?" You coo, using your knees and elbows to lift yourself up as you look back at him.

He cocks his head to the side, almost like a dog as he hooks a finger around the side of your underwear, feeling the material between his fingers before letting it snap back to your hips. "I need to find a way to shut you up, don't I?"

"Hurry up, then." You huff, "Or are you gonna keep feeling the underwear I put on for Viktor the whole time?"

His large hand presses your head down to the pillow again, pressing the side of your face against it as he slowly brings his mouth close to your ears. "Don't talk about him when you're with me, yeah?" His tone was condescending, practically almost threatening. You can't help but smile. All of Runeterra could be against him, but only you could rile him up like this.

"You're just so slow." You say boringly, despite your grin. All that was left was a yawn. But Jayce was already beyond ticked off, shoving the underwear down to your thighs as he gripped your ass harshley.  "Needy, arrogant girl." You could hear him bare his teeth as he held your head down.

You felt him behind you, lining himself at your entrance as your breath hitches. He gives you no time to brace before he slams into you, and you cry out a moan, his size a shock to you, spreading you as you instinctively clench around him. The side of your head pressed against your pillow as you tried to keep yourself from losing control over your knees holding you up.  "Looks like that shut you up." He breathes, slowly moving his hips against you.

Your chest burned with annoyance. "I just can't get him out of my head." You say, knowing exactly how to tick him off. His pace picks up faster, his hands gripping both sides of your waist. "I was…" You interrupt yourself at the sensation of him picking up his speed. "I was so ready to see him to..tuh-day." You kept going, his movements growing rigid and sloppy, yet only faster.

"Am I just a distraction in your way, huh?" He groans, grabbing your hair and pulling it up, your neck pops up as you stare at the walls. Your eyes flutter shut and you biting onto your bottom lip, fucking yourself back to him, following his gestures as you took all of him in, your ass slapping against his skin.

"Now you're catching on." You sigh as he's shoved in and out of you, the sounds of sin being heard throughout the room and it only makes you wetter on his cock.

Jayce drops your head from his grasp, making contact with his pillow again as he drops his mouth to kiss your shoulder blade.  "I'll show you a real fucking distraction."

-

God's, this was so much worse than it had to be.

You were seated in the council room with everyone as per usual, with your shirt's neckline abnormally high and all three of them staring at you. Cassandra and Shoola responded to the other as Heimerdinger perked up with a suggestion, but you weren't even listening to that.

Jayce and Viktor were accompanying you, Mel, and the rest of the council this meeting because the topic discusses their latest project. Mel stared right past you and at Jayce, narrowing her eyes at him and he tried his best to seem unfazed. The rest of the council would think it was because she was in thought for the topic of discussion, but all four of you knew that wasn't the case. She didn't hold herself back from commenting on the bruise that crept from under your hemline and behind your ear.

Leaving Jayce's room yesterday and avoiding everyone for the rest of that day was hard. You said you had a minor flu and you realized how you need to be alone for the day. Mel had seemed to believe it at first, offering to get you soup or even massage you. Given how sore you were from Jayce, you were genuinely considering her offer before declining.

You had entered your bathroom and saw just how much Jayce had marked you. Lovebites down your neck, behind your ears, collarbones and breasts. He left you colored and it all seemed like a blur. You could barely remember when he had sucked any of them. Not to mention your legs, which felt like noodles. He had rearranged your guts inside out, and the stupid look on his face in the council showed his odd cockiness of the day.

You were the only one who saw his rude, cocky side. The rest of the council, and simply anyone else, saw him as this kind inventor. You wanted to sucker-punch that look off his face. But you couldn't, you weren't even paying any attention to him now. Your eyes were locked on Viktors.

If it weren't for the clench of his jaw, you'd think he's unfazed. Like he wasn't aware of anything. But you weren't stupid, and neither was Jayce. You both had noticed his stiffness since the moment he looked between the two of you in the council. It seems Mel has too, for she was eyeing daggers at the taller man. Jayce hated rejection, or disappointment from anyone. He was the kind of man who needed reassurance. But now? His small grin places his lips as he refuses to look at any of you.

-

(a/n; anyway sorry guys for deleting it i lowkey wish i didnt cus it got a lot of likes last time but whatever fuck this shit here you go)

I’ll be posting on Friday!! I just need to format the chapters for tumblr and they’ll be on their way :) I apologize for the long wait, I’ll be going on hiatus again soon because of finals and AP exams :( but I’ll be back by late May/early June. Thank you so much for you patience

— Emmy <3

(Senior year kinda sucks 🥲)

Edit: I got caught up with work n shit, I’ll post at 12 or 1 tomorrow (for sure)!! (05.10.24)

Ho might be depressed 😔💔

This Love

Summary: A sudden shift in reality places you in a strange new world, where a different version of your lover resides. You were happy, but you both know this can't stay forever.

Pairing: Viktor Arcane x Female Reader, she/her pronouns

Warnings: Slight angst, soft makeout sesh at the end, implied smut, mentions of anxiety, overall down bad Viktor.

Words: 4.4k

A/N: MY FIRST TIME WRITING FOR VIKTOR! This was inspired by S2E7. Not sure if this is a complete spoiler but read at your own risk! :) Forgive me, I think I got too carried away with the makeout part y'all. I hope you like it!

The quiet hum of Viktor’s lab was the soundtrack of your evenings. The faint aroma of tea and metal wafted in the air as Hextech crystals lit the room in their soft blue glow. You sat perched on a stool near his workbench, eyes tracing at each wrinkled skin as he adjusted the complexity of a new project.

He was so absorbed in his work that he hadn’t noticed you had been staring for the last few minutes. His honey eyes were sharp with focus, thoughts absent as his fingers moved with precision. The way his brow furrowed slightly when it didn’t do as he wanted made you smile.

“Viktor,” you finally said, your voice soft in an attempt not to startle him.

He paused, his head tilting slightly in acknowledgment before his eyes met yours. “Yes, my dear?” A small smile played on his lips, words dripping with accent you so adored.

“You’ve been at this for hours,” walking over to place a steaming cup of tea near his hand, you gently tuck the hair that were dangling in front of his eyes. He had been way too busy to even get a haircut. “Take a break before you become part of the machine.”

His soft laugh filled the room, and the tension in his shoulders eased. “You have a way of reminding me to be human,” he murmured, reaching for the cup.

“Because you are. And also, because I care about you more than your inventions,” you teased, leaning against the edge of the table.

“And I am grateful for it,” he replied, his voice tender. Viktor was often reserved, but in moments like this, he allowed his affection for you to shine through.

He sipped the tea and sighed. “Perfect, as always. Thank you.”

“You’re sooo predictable,” you said with a smirk. “If it’s not tea, it’s the late night problem-solving with no food or rest in between.”

“And yet, you choose to keep me company,” he countered, the side of his eyes creasing with amusement.

“Can you blame me? I'm a fool for brilliant minds,” you replied, sipping from your own cup of tea.

Viktor’s hand brushed against yours as he set the cup down, the touch lingering just long enough to send a warm sensation through your chest. “You’re too kind to me, dushen’ka,” he said, his tone softening as your heart flattered at the endearment. He never told you the meaning of it, nor have you asked. You just liked how it sounded and how it made you feel when it rolled off his tongue.

“And you’re too hard on yourself,” you shot back.

His lips twitched upward in a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. He looked at you as if he wanted to say more but held back. Instead, he shifted in his seat, patting his lap invitingly.

“Come here,” he said, his voice low but firm.

You hesitated for a moment, but the look in his eyes was impossible to resist. You slid onto his lap, his arms wrapping around you with a gentleness that made your heart ache.

“I want to remember this,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to your temple and letting it linger there as he subtly inhale the scent of your shampoo that never failed to calm his insides.

“What do you mean?” you asked, tilting your head to look at him.

“Just that little moments like this are rare,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “And precious.”

You rested your forehead against his, the warmth of his breath mingling with yours. “Then let’s make more of them.”

The other version of you in this world had grown weary of his devotion to his work. She felt as though he seemed to fade into his projects and leave so little of himself for her.

For months, Viktor had felt their relationship slipping through his fingers. He didn't want to speak loudly of it, but he loved her. So much. And the thought of being away from her for good genuinely scared him. But then again, he would rather spend these long and lonely nights hunched over his workbench than address it. Yet he is scared to lose her at the same time. He is one confusing man.

Then, one day, you came home, and everything was different.

He noticed it immediately, though he didn’t dare ask. There was a warmth in your smile that had been missing for so long. Almost as if you were about to cry. And when you ran into his arms like you’d been starving for his touch, he was too overwhelmed to even question it. Did she hit her head?

At that moment, he stood frozen, his mind struggling to catch up with the reality of you pressed against him, your arms wrapped tightly around his frame. Then his own hands found you, trembling as they held you close, as if he were afraid you might disappear again.

He didn’t know what had changed, but for the first time in what felt like forever, he allowed himself to stop thinking, to simply feel. To be human. And what he felt was the most alive he’d been in a long time.

He was just grateful. Grateful for the way you looked at him now, as though you saw him again, as though you wanted him again. And oh, how he’d craved this.

How he’d craved you.

But now you sat there, cradled in his arms, you couldn’t ignore the ache in your chest.

You didn’t belong in this world. And the knowledge of what you’d eventually have to do hung over you like a shadow.

୭ ˚.⁺⊹ .ᐟ

You woke in the middle of the night, the faint sound of Viktor’s tools clinking in the distance pulling you from sleep. The room you shared with him was small and sparse, a reflection of his humble lifestyle, but it had become a sanctuary for you. Your safe space.

Slipping out of bed, you padded quietly to the lab. Viktor was hunched over his workbench, his silhouette illuminated by the soft glow of a Hextech lamp. He didn’t notice you at first, too engrossed in whatever new device he was toying with.

“Vik,” you called gently, and he turned, surprised but pleased to see you.

“You should be resting,” he said, though his tone lacked lecture.

“So should you,” you countered, stepping closer. "The bed was cold when I woke up. Knew you'd be here."

He sighed, “I couldn’t sleep. My mind… it is always racing.”

You sat down beside him, your hand caressing his back while you placed the other on his tired knuckles, hoping for him to set down his tools and stop whatever he's working on even just for a minute. “What’s on your mind?”

His gaze dropped to the project in front of him. “The future,” he admitted. “There is so much to be done, so many things I wish to accomplish. But sometimes, I fear I am running out of time.”

You hesitated, heart clenching at his words. In your world, those very ambitions had been his undoing, and it traumatized you.

Stop it, stop it.

In every reality, was he always meant to lose himself? You really hoped not. No matter how much you wanted to avoid this thought, it somehow always manages to be brought up.

But does it matter? You know that the time will come where you have to go back where you really belong and leave this version of your Viktor.

The love that you also once had, but now could only dream of staying forever.

Although hard, you did your best to steady your breathing. You didn't want to overshadow Viktor's anxious thoughts.

“You’re not alone in this,” you said softly. “You don’t have to carry everything by yourself. I thought you said you wanted to remember the precious little moments. So, live in it. Stop worrying about the future.”

He looked at you, his eyes searching yours. “You always say the right thing.”

You forced a smile. “That’s because I know you better than anyone else.”

But the truth was, you didn’t just know him—you also knew this other version of him from your world, you knew what he could become. And it terrified you.

Days passed and the tension had been building up. Viktor noticed it every time your gaze lingered too long on him, or when you hesitated before answering his questions. He had given you space, knowing you would come to him when ready, but his patience was running thin. He was afraid you were growing distant again.

Tonight, you stood by the large window of his lab, staring out at the glittering lights of Piltover below. The night air was cool, or perhaps it just felt cooler for you as you stood there with no clothes and only a fine piece of blanket covering your body.

It was one of those intimate nights with Viktor. And it felt good. Every single time. It’s like witnessing a rare flower bloom, delicate and fleeting. His guarded walls would soften, revealing a tenderness he shows only to you. In bed with Viktor is an art itself—a gentle dance of patience and understanding where every glance, every touch, every sweat and spit that mingled together, or every whispered word carries the weight of his unspoken trust and love to you.

“Something troubles you,” Viktor said, his voice breaking the silence. He sat on your shared bed, picking up his cane that was resting against the bedside table. “You’ve been awfully quiet these past few days.”

"Viktor," You turned to face him, your heart pounding. “I… I don’t know how to tell you this.”

He stepped closer, eyes filled with worry. “You can tell me anything. You know that.” The lab was quiet except for the occasional clink of his cane.

You knew this moment would come. It had to. But even as the words danced on the edge of your tongue, fear rooted you in place.

You glanced at Viktor, his brow furrowed, the light from the night sky cast a soft glow on his features, making him look impossibly gentle. You loved him like this.

But that was why it was so hard.

What if this breaks him?

You had seen him push himself to the brink before, working tirelessly on problems that seemed insurmountable. And you didn't want to see it again. Not this Viktor. He was always a man who carried the weight of his failures like scars. If you told him the truth, would he see this as another problem to solve? Would he push himself too far, trying to find a way to keep you here?

You swallowed hard, anxiously biting the nail of your thumb. How do you tell someone you love that you don’t belong in their world? The rational part of you whispered that he would understand. Viktor valued logic and reason. He believed in the principles of the universe. It felt impossible to explain something that didn’t make sense, even to you. But you knew Viktor. He was a man of science, after all.

He’ll listen. He’ll understand.

But another part of you—the part that knew him on a level deeper than logic—feared what this truth would do to him. You’d seen what happened when he lost control, when the weight of his ambition threatened to crush him.

And now, I’ll be the one adding to that weight.

Your heart raced, panic warring within you. This was it—the moment you’d been dreading.

You took a shaky breath, hands trembling at your sides. “I’m not… from here, Viktor. Not from Piltover, not even from this version of it.”

He blinked, the weight of your words clearly hitting him. “What do you mean?”

There’s a quiet, almost overwhelming relief that washes over you after finally speaking the words you’ve held inside for so long.

“I come from another reality,” you began, “A version of this world where… where you’re different. Where Hextech consumed you. Where I lost you to your ambition. I lost you, Viktor.”

Viktor’s expression shifted from confusion to disbelief. You wanted to cry. You wanted to collapse and be wrapped around his arms to tell you that everything was okay.

"Please... Viktor, say something."

His expression faltered, his brows knitting together in something close to pain. “Lost me?”

To a guarded understanding, he sat back down to bed, fingers gripping the mattress as if to steady his thoughts. A part of him didn't believe you, but not in a sense that he thinks you were a liar, like this is just some sick joke you were making. No, he didn't want to believe you because he was in denial. He is aware of the possibility, but the thought of you two becoming gradually estranged again frightened him.

“And how did you find your way here?”

“I don’t know,” you admitted. “One day, I was there, and then… I wasn’t. I ended up in this world, where you became someone I didn’t recognize." A single tear rolled down your cheek. "You’re kind, and thoughtful, and everything I…” You trailed off, swallowing hard. “Everything I love.”

The words hung heavy in the air, and Viktor’s gaze dropped, his expression unreadable. You weren't sure if he was hurt or scared, but most likely both.

“I don’t know how or why. And I thought… I thought maybe this was a second chance. But I have been thinking about it, and i realize that I don’t belong in this world, Viktor.”

“But why not?” his gaze snapped back at you, voice sharp with sudden intensity. It bothered you. You are not used to seeing him react this way.

“Because this isn’t my life. This body, it isn't mine. It is my other self's,” you said, tears stinging your eyes. “I’m not part of this world. There are people back there who need me and I don’t know how long I can stay before things start to… unravel.”

“Unravel?” he repeated, his brow furrowing.

“Your life, your work. You have a purpose here, Viktor. A future. And I can’t take that from you. If I stay, we might change the directory of your path in ways we can’t control. I might hold you back.”

He shook his head, his jaw tightening. “You could never—”

“I could,” you interrupted, your voice breaking. “I could, Viktor. And I couldn’t live with myself if I did," your heart broke at the pain in his face, “I don’t want to go. But we both know I have to.” ୭ ˚.⁺⊹ .ᐟ

Nine months. Then a year.

The days blurred together, slipping into a pattern that felt both comforting and heavy. Viktor had promised to help you find your way back to your home, and for a time, you’d believed him. How could you not? You’d seen him throw himself into his work countless times before, solving impossible problems with the same determination that made him who he was.

At first, it seemed no different. Late nights in the lab, the sound of his pencil scratching against paper, his sharp muttering as he adjusted his calculations. You’d grown used to seeing his brilliance in action, to watching him work with a focus so intense it seemed the world around him didn’t exist.

But now, a year later, the key to returning you to the life you left behind was still unfinished.

It wasn’t a lack of progress; no, you’d seen the sketches, the prototypes, and the occasional tests of the machinery. But something about the way he worked felt off. The urgency that usually drove him seemed... dulled. His pace slower than it had ever been. He would linger over details, rechecking calculations he’d already solved perfectly, or pause to talk with you in the middle of his work, something he rarely allowed himself to do.

At first, you’d convinced yourself it was a good thing. Viktor, taking his time? Taking breaks? It felt like a small miracle. You’d even praised him for it once, calling it “progress.” He had chuckled at that, his gaze lingering on you longer than it should have.

But now, sitting across from him in the dim light of the lab, you couldn’t ignore the truth any longer.

He wasn’t taking his time because he needed to.

He was taking his time because he didn’t want to let you go.

The realization hit you like a wave, a mix of warmth and guilt that made your chest tighten. You couldn’t blame him for wanting to hold onto this. For wanting to hold onto you. You felt it too, every time he reached for your hand, or every time his eyes softened when he looked at you. The thought of leaving him felt like a wound that wouldn’t heal.

But the longer you stayed, the more your fears grew. What if my being here changes everything? you wondered. What if it disrupts his life, his work, his future? It is not impossible to happen and you weren't going to risk it.

You couldn’t ignore those questions, no matter how much you wanted to.

“Viktor,” you said softly, breaking the quiet hum of the lab.

He glanced up from his workbench, his eyes tired. “Yes, my love?”

You hesitated, your fingers curling against the fabric of your sleeves. His voice was so gentle, so trusting, that it made what you had to say feel even harder.

For a moment, you stared at him, taking in the sharp lines of his face. He looked exhausted but content, as though he were savoring a rare peace. And maybe he was. Maybe that peace came from you.

“You’ve been working on the portal for a while now,” you said carefully. “I just… I know you’re capable of finishing it. But... Is something holding you back?”

He stilled, his pencil hovering above the blueprint in front of him. His expression shifted and your stomach twisted, as did his. He thought you were never going to notice his dishonesties, let alone ask about it, but it has been a little over a year already, of course you would find out.

“I suppose,” he began quietly, torn between admitting it or not, and he did, “I am simply selfish.”

Your breath caught in your throat. “Selfish?”

He nodded slowly, his hands folding in his lap as he stared down at the table. “I know what I promised you. And I intend to keep that promise. But…” He exhaled shakily, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Every moment you are here, I feel as though I have been granted a gift I do not deserve. To finish the portal would be to let go of that gift. To let go of you.”

The rawness of his words struck you like a physical blow. You felt your eyes sting, tears threatening to spill, but you forced yourself to hold them back. Crossing the room, you knelt beside him, your hands trembling as they reached for his.

“Viktor... my love... Listen to me,” you said, voice thick with emotion. “You’re not selfish. You’re just… human.”

His eyes met the floor, and the vulnerability in them made your chest tighten. “But I don’t want to let you go,” he admitted, his voice barely audible.

“And I don’t want to leave,” you confessed, the words tumbling out before you could stop them.

The air between you felt heavy with a truth neither of you could deny. For a moment, he simply looked at you, his eyes searching yours as though trying to memorize every detail. Then he reached out, his fingers brushing against your cheek, so gentle it made your heart ache.

“But we both know,” you continued, your voice trembling, “that I can’t stay. Viktor… this isn’t my world. As much as I wish it could be, it’s not.”

He closed his eyes, his jaw tightening. “You think I care about that?”

“No,” you said softly, shaking your head with a little chuckle. “But I do. People in my world need me. And I care about what happens to you. About what happens to this version of you. You have so much ahead of you, Viktor. Your work, your future. It’s too important to risk.”

His hand fell away, and he turned his gaze back to the table, his expression shadowed. “Then I suppose I must stop stalling.”

“Keep your promise,” you said, your voice trembling.

His head tilted slightly, and he looked at you with quiet curiosity.

“When it is ready… you have to let me go.”

The silence that followed felt like it stretched on forever. Finally, he nodded, his shoulders slumping under the weight of the promise. “I promise,” he said, though his voice carried a pain that made your heart ache.

You barely had time to react as Viktor pulled you into his arms, his movements both sudden and careful. He held you like you were something fragile. Like the mere thought of letting you go would shatter him. He placed you onto his lap, his limp leg struggling but he couldn't care less. His fingers traced the curve of your back, his face buried in your shoulder as if he were trying to memorize the feel of you, the warmth of your skin.

The weight of his embrace made it hard to breathe, not because it was suffocating, but because it was overwhelming in its intensity. Viktor, who so often seemed distant and unreachable, was clinging to you.

“Please don’t go yet,” he whispered, voice breaking.

Tears slipped down your cheeks, hot and unrelenting. “I’m still here, Viktor,” you said, your hands clutching the fabric of his shirt. “I’m still here.”

His grip on you tightened for a moment before he pulled back, just enough to look at you. His amber eyes were glassy with unshed tears, lips slightly parted as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. You had seen him angry, frustrated, exhausted, but never like this.

Never this open, this vulnerable.

“Every second with you feels like a miracle,” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. “And yet, it is not enough. It will never be enough.”

You reached up to cup his face, your thumbs brushing against the sharp line of his cheekbones. “Viktor…”

He leaned into your touch, his eyes closing as he exhaled shakily. “Tell me this,” he said softly. “Tell me this is as difficult for you as it is for me.”

“It is,” you admitted, your voice trembling. “Every moment I spend with you makes it harder to imagine leaving. But I can’t—”

“I know,” he interrupted, his voice a near whisper. His hands moved to cradle your face, his long fingers trembling slightly against your skin. “I know. And yet, I cannot stop wanting you. Needing you.”

His words were raw and desperate. Before you could respond, he closed the distance between you, his lips brushing against yours with a gentleness that made your heart ache.

The kiss was reluctant at first, like he was afraid of overwhelming you. But when you responded, pressing closer with your hands tangling in his hair, it was as if something inside him broke. His restraint melted away, replaced by a deep, aching need that made your chest flutter.

His hands moved to your waist, pulling you closer until there was no space left between you. The kiss deepened, and you can feel him growing underneath you. You let out a muffled whine. The way he pressed his lips against yours made it almost impossible for you to make more sound.

His lips moving against yours with a desperation that was almost visible as soft groans and whimpers came out of his throat from here and there. You could feel the unspoken emotions pouring out of him. The fear, the longing, the love he couldn’t seem to put into words.

Tilting your head to deepen the kiss, you felt his warm exhale against your lips, the tension in his body giving way to something raw. His hands slid from your face down to your shoulders, to your waist, then to your ass where his fingers pressed firmly as though to anchor himself in the reality of you.

“Mmh…” Viktor murmured against your lips, the vibration sending a shiver down your spine. “I love you, moe serdtse. You make me… forget myself,” he murmured, his voice trembling.

You laughed softly, your own breath shaky. “You make it sound like a bad thing.”

His answering hum was deep and low, and the way his arms tightened around you spoke louder than words. “Perhaps it is not,” he admitted, his voice thick with feeling.

You pulled back just enough to look at him, your fingertips brushing against his cheekbones. He was flushed, his chest rising and falling as he struggled to steady his breathing. You leaned in again, letting your lips graze his, and he made another soft, needy sound, his hands moving to your back to pull you closer.

You pulled back for air, and his forehead rested against yours, breaths coming fast and uneven. His eyes still closed, and you knew if he opened it, it would be filled with nothing but the look of loving for you. “You make me weak,” he confessed, his voice barely audible. “I am not accustomed to this… to feeling so much, so deeply. Even until now, it terrifies me.”

You swallowed hard, your fingers brushing against the side of his face.

For a long moment, neither of you spoke. The lab was quiet, save for the faint hum of the machinery in the background. His hands lingered on your waist, his touch grounding you in a moment that felt fleeting.

“I will finish the portal,” he said finally, his voice steady despite the tears that glistened in his eyes. “I will keep my promise. But until then… let me have this. Let me have you.”

Your heart ached at the sincerity in his voice, the unspoken plea that hung between you. “You already have me,” you whispered, your voice cracking. “You always will.”

He kissed you again, slower this time, tasting you. It wasn’t a goodbye. It was a promise, one that neither of you could bring yourself to say aloud.

For now, you were here. Together. And though the future loomed uncertain and heavy, you knew this moment was yours.