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Viktor sits in the lab bright and early, as usual. Things are different now though. Very different. He finds himself reminiscing of fleeting moments spent in this very room with his lab partner Jayce only yesterday. He still finds it surreal.
~
They had shared their first kiss as a warm orange sunset bled through their tall windowpane. He vividly remembers the way the light casted off Jayce’s skin, giving it a warm glow, his eyelashes defined where the rays caught them, blinking and half-lidded as he gazed longingly into Viktor’s eyes. It was a gaze so powerful, so enrapturing, that Viktor thought it would swallow him whole.
They had engaged in some sort of foreplay—if it could even be called that—through Jayce measuring Viktor’s inner leg brace. He then proceeded to kiss along Viktor’s leg, and taught him that he is particularly sensitive on his toes. Viktor had been embarrassed, but the feeling was washed away through Jayce’s unbridled adoration.
After Viktor reciprocated in getting him off, they had walked down to the campus baths. No one ever went there, which made things especially convenient for the two. Primarily because Jayce was so mad with longing that he couldn’t keep his hands off of Viktor the entire time they got undressed. Not in a ravenous, animalistic way that a person behaves when they want to get into someone’s pants, but anchoring, supportive, soothing touches. Viktor had grown used to the feeling of Jayce’s hand on the small of his back or on his shoulder. But now that Jayce knew they shared feelings for each other, he was now holding him at the hips as they walked through the bathroom door. He was brushing hair behind Viktor’s ear and cradling the shell of it. Lingering, just as he had when he was doing all those measurements.
Viktor had thought the man’s affectionate touches were a lot before they made their feelings clear to each other, but this? Viktor had no idea what he was signing himself up for.
If the caress of his leg had truly been Jayce’s way of showing his affection as much as it had been a silent question of ‘do you want me too? ’, Viktor believes it would have worked a lot faster on someone else. For him, being on the receiving end of such love was scary and surreal, like he didn’t deserve it. How could he ever feel deserving of this when Jayce is the first one who’s ever treated him this way?
Jayce remained respectful of Viktor’s boundaries as they stepped under the stream of steamy water next to each other. As Viktor wetted his hair, Jayce stared at him with a look of awe. “I didn’t know what you looked like with your hair wet yet,” was his sheepish response to Viktor’s incredulous look. Viktor couldn’t help but smile. It was such a random observation, but it was brimming with love.
They scrubbed each other's backs with chaste touches, aside from the occasional peck of Jayce’s lips on Viktor’s shoulder and neck, dotting his moles. Jayce had told Viktor he found himself constantly thinking of Viktor’s moles. If his plan was to kiss them, well, Viktor needs to get used to the feeling of being that revered. It still makes absolutely no sense to him.
“Can I wash your hair?” Jayce had asked softly. His voice, half an octave lower than usual, echoing off the shower walls. It made a shiver go up Viktor’s spine and goosebumps bloom across his skin.
“Yes,” he had replied, peeved by the strangled sound of his own voice.
And the feeling of Jayce’s large, warm hands against his scalp was pure bliss. His fingers pressed firmly and gently as they scraped back and forth, lathering the shampoo into Viktor’s chestnut locks. When he rinsed, he combed through with careful attention to the ringlets behind Viktor’s ears. Viktor found himself lolling his head back and closing his eyes at the domestic feel of it all.
Viktor attempted to wash Jayce’s hair but felt a soreness in his back after about a minute. The rest of the shower involved Viktor offering to reciprocate and Jayce feverishly declining with waving hands as to not allow Viktor to injure himself.
When they had dried off, Jayce wrapped the large towel around Viktor’s back and massaged his skin through the fabric, leaving more kisses on his forehead. Viktor stumbled into Jayce, feeling dizzy from the intensity, and then Jayce began apologizing profusely for endangering him, trying to hold him steady. They had parted ways with a soft peck of their lips and a squeeze of Jayce’s hand on Viktor’s shoulder.
~
Viktor still can’t believe it’s real. Jayce Talis. Jayce Talis being in love with him. And they’re already lab partners, working together on technology to better mankind. How will this have an effect on everything? Will it enhance their work? Hinder it?
He’s distracted from his thoughts when he hears the lab door click open and a jangle of keys. He turns to face the man he had just been daydreaming about and smiles.
“Jayce, good morning.”
“Good morning, Viktor,” Jayce replies, smiling ear to ear. Jayce always smiles big and bright when he greets him, but this morning Viktor wonders if his jaw will get sore later.
He walks—or rather skips —up to the lab table, carrying a roll of blueprint and drafting papers under his arm and a couple of paper bags in that same hand. As he leans over to place them down, he gazes into Viktor’s eyes.
“I’ve been excited to kiss you all morning.”
And he does, leaning into Viktor and sighing into his lips the way a craving is satisfied. He breathes heavily through his nose as Viktor moans a little into the kiss.
When they part, Jayce makes a face that shocks Viktor to his core. It’s the kind of face of a person that can barely contain their excitement and is ready to bounce off the walls. And he lets out this tiny sound through his throat akin to a soft squeal. He… vibrates in place and then actually spins around, laughing. Releasing the tension of longing that had been likely brimming beneath the surface ever since he woke up and thought of Viktor.
And Viktor is completely smitten at the sight.
Jayce getting this excited… over him .
Viktor has to laugh along. Jayce completely caught him off guard. It comes out gutsy and loud. Jayce turns to him, still smiling, but looking slightly confused.
“I’m not laughing at you, I’m laughing with you,” Viktor clarifies.
Jayce starts to laugh again, and Viktor mirrors him for another moment before they quiet down.
“I’m just so fucking happy, you have no idea,” Jayce breathes. “I just can’t believe it. You! You're beautiful! You’re amazing! You’re—”
“ Jayce ,” Viktor warns, flighting back a smile and a blush on his cheeks. “Please tone it down with all the praises. It’s new to me.”
“But… I can’t stop,” Jayce argues, closing in again. “Can I kiss you again?”
Viktor chuckles through his nose and gets up on his feet with the help of his cane. “Here, at equal height.”
And they kiss again. This time they wrap their arms around each other. Jayce resorts to slow, languid pecks that sound embarrassingly loud in their otherwise quiet lab. Viktor simply follows along until he pulls away to gaze at Viktor once more.
The look in his eyes takes Viktor’s breath away, making him feel wobbly in the knees. Then he cradles Viktor’s chin with both his large, warm hands. Jayce nuzzles into Viktor’s neck and starts leaving kisses there. He kisses the mole on the right side, and brushes his lips feather-light over the area as if in worship. His hands smooth down Viktor’s sides and settle on his hips, holding him firmly. Rubbing his thumbs tenderly back and forth a few times.
It becomes too overwhelming for Viktor very quickly.
“Jayce, stop, stop!”
And Jayce recoils. His smile wiped clean off his features, replaced with this horrible look of mortification. “Oh god, oh god oh god, I'm so sorry, Viktor.”
He slouches against the lab table and brings a hand to his face, squishing the area around his brows with his fist. He takes deep, meditative breaths as Viktor watches him. It almost looks like he’s fighting back the urge to cry.
“Jayce…”
“I'm sorry,” Jayce repeats, then pulls himself away from the table and rushes out the door, slamming it behind him.
It hits Viktor so hard. They were giddy and happy only a minute ago and the warmth faded so quickly. He reaches his hand to his lips. They still feel warm from Jayce’s kisses. So they were real. That did just happen.
Jayce didn't have to leave. Viktor wanted to say… well… he's not exactly sure what he was going to say. Jayce seemed to come to his own conclusion.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Viktor turns his attention to the two paper bags sitting on the table. One of them is labeled V and the other is labeled J with a black marker. Viktor opens the first bag to find a tasty looking breakfast bagel with a cup of sauce on the side. There's also a little pouch of hash browns. A bigger breakfast than Viktor is used to—that is, his usual breakfast is simply three cups of coffee—but the aroma rising from the bag is starting to make his mouth water.
He reaches in and pulls out a hash brown, popping it into his mouth. It's lukewarm, meaning Jayce probably trekked quite a bit from this takeout joint to get to the lab. But it's still deliciously salty and lightly seasoned with other spices. He hums happily at the taste and reaches in the bag for another.
The door to the lab opens slowly when he's on his third hash brown. Jayce awkwardly shuffles around the door and closes it. Viktor looks up at him, offering a weak smile.
“This is really good, Jayce, thank you.”
“I'm sorry,” Jayce says again as he walks towards him. His face is pained and sorrowful. Viktor makes out the telltale sheen of tears streaking down his cheeks. His eyes are also a little red and puffy. “I'm so so sorry,” he repeats when he stops in front of Viktor.
“Jayce, it's okay, I'm fine,” Viktor reassures him. He wishes he had the voice to say this before Jayce rushed out to cry his eyes out, but here they are after the fact. “Please, don't be upset. I just… got a little overwhelmed.”
“You got overwhelmed when I was working with your leg brace too,” Jayce notes, as he looks down at the floor with the saddest little pout Viktor has ever seen him make. Like a puppy in a timeout.
“Jayce, I thought I was going to pass out. If I hadn't felt like that, you were welcome to continue,” Viktor explains as he puts his hands on Jayce’s shoulders. “Unfortunately, it appears I'm just as smitten about you as you are about me.” He lets out a little chuckle through his nose.
Jayce looks up at him with a hopeful smile. “You're… not mad at me?”
“No! God, no, I just needed you to slow down before I lost my footing. That would have been really embarrassing,” Viktor replies.
“So… you liked it?”
“Yes, Jayce, I liked it, are we good?”
Jayce’s giant smile returns. Thank God, he was worried he had removed it for good. “Yes! Yes, we're good. Oh my god, I'm so relieved. I thought I fucked it all up…”
“Jayce,” Viktor says, trying to hold back a laugh. “I understand that your thing is physical touch, and that you're a very physical person. And that you're going to be a lot more overbearing. I just need you to try and control yourself. I've never had someone like this and I want to take this slow, okay?”
Jayce's eyes get big and glassy and he purses his lips at Viktor’s words. “You mean no one has held you and kissed you like this?”
“No,” Viktor answers. “Just you.”
“Well, I need to make up for all the years of no one cherishing you,” Jayce says as he leans in.
Viktor smiles into the kiss. It’s slow and languid. Jayce runs his tongue tentatively over Viktor’s lip, asking for permission. Viktor opens his mouth a tiny bit to allow his tongue inside. Jayce groans when their tongues touch.
As they break away from the kiss, Jayce looks down at him and smiles cheekily.
“So you liked the hash browns I got you?”