Not mentally frustrated. If the frustration was within his brain, it would've been about his work, and he would've been in the lab in an attempt to fix it. Of course, he would've ended up ignoring every signal from his body in the process, forgoing food and sleep in order to hunt down whatever equation or design flaw was nagging at him, until it left him with some peace. Viktor knows it's an exceptionally bad habit of his, ignoring the physical for the mental.

But, he would not be hobbling through his sparse academy apartment, slowly pacing through the open plan design of his living space and kitchen, if he was ignoring the physical strain on his body this time around. He was attempting some kind of forethought for once, trying to stretch out the muscles in his leg, while waiting for his pain relief to kick in.

Because he's sexually frustrated, instead. He wouldn't have taken the extra dose of his medication if he wasn't planning on fucking himself through this frustration, and he had learned enough about himself over the years to not just follow his arousal blindly without some form of preparation. If he just fucked himself open on a toy in the spur of the moment, the position he preferred would strain every muscle from his hip down to his ankle. He'd end up in worse shape the next day, and considering Jayce's cycle, that meant he would miss the man returning to the lab.

All of this frustration was Jayce's fault, too. Despite the fact that Jayce had extremely regular rut cycles, the alpha just never recognized when his pre-rut was forming. He'd stumble into the lab every time, assuming that he's just under the weather but still sharp enough to work, and stink up the place for half the day. He would only leave after Viktor purposefully spent some time cozied up next to him, calmly explaining to him that he was in no condition to be there, and that he should be preparing for his rut in his own space. Jayce would look at him with so much surprise and be so apologetic, that Viktor would forgive him every time, but the man's inability to look at a calendar left Viktor exposed to his outpouring hormones far too frequently.

And the lab would still smell like him, for days after. Viktor likes to think that he can be civil and polite for Piltover standards, but surely no one could fault him for being hot and bothered after such exposure. Spending almost 72 hours straight, choking on the pre-rut scent of Piltover's most prominent alpha, would have any omega begging for some random alpha to take them and satisfy their urges.

So, he will fuck himself full on a toy for the night, to work through the state Jayce left him in. He'd satisfy the hormonal cocktail pumping through his system, and then he will have fun poking at Jayce for the notes he left when he got back to the lab. There was honestly nothing better than having the man groaning in embarrassment, while Viktor points out how every previously elegant 'two' in their equations had somehow turned into love hearts while Jayce was in pre-rut.

Viktor chuckles to himself about Jayce's notes while he stops his pacing, grabbing himself a glass of water while he feels the ebb of pain in his calf slow to nearly nothing. There's a knock at his door as he's in the middle of swallowing, and Viktor lets his eyes roll as huffs into his half-empty glass. There's no insisting knocking, so its a good sign that it isn't an emergency, and because of that he doesn't rush. He gets the annoyance out of his system first however, while he hobbles to the door empty handed, just so he can maintain some level of pleasantries with whoever it is on the other side.

He opens his door just a smidge to check who it is, and it's Jayce. Viktor automatically opens it wider, confused to see him but not against it.

Jayce isn't in his usual uniform. He's wearing his large coat jacket, but the jacket itself is just hanging off of his broad shoulders while his arms are held close to his own chest, out of the sleeves. He's not wearing a shirt either; just a plain white undershirt for modesty. Considering Piltover standards for dress however, Viktor doesn't believe it's that particularly modest, if Jayce was this exposed during the walk to academy grounds from his apartment. At least two to three layers was appropriate for topsider society, even during the hottest part of summer, and Viktor had never seen Jayce stray from that over the years that he's known him. Viktor has to lean back slightly to see that Jayce is at least wearing pants though, the pattern very close to the work pants they both wear, but this pair is loose and thin like typical sleep pants. The assumption of them being as such isn't helped by the fact that Jayce is wearing enclosed house slippers, that the pants partially cover.

Jayce is also holding a small, thin blanket in both of his hands, that's a plain red colour with a thick gold coloured ribbon around the edge. It seems to be a simple throw blanket in Jayce's house colours, though rumpled by just how much of the fabric Jayce is holding onto with his fingers, to keep it off the ground.

The man is also not looking at him. He's staring at his own hands, clutching onto his blanket tightly, and fiddling with the fabric as he stands at Viktor's door.

"Are you okay, Jayce?" Viktor asks gently, but with concern. His friends looks disheveled and he smells like he's in some kind of distress. Viktor can't place the kind of distress he's under, but it's more than enough to have him worried about him.

"Yeah, um..." Jayce's voice is so thick and wobbly as he starts to speak, and he pauses, as though he's just heard himself and couldn't go on with how his voice sounds. He takes a deep breath instead, his lungs stuttering as he does so, like he was trying to calm down from a crying fit and struggling to get air past the sobs that Viktor hasn't heard yet. Eventually Jayce is able to mumble out something, "Can I- Can I just sit on your couch, please?"

Viktor doesn't know what to say, but without question he steps aside. Jayce shuffles in, heading straight for the couch Viktor owns.

He still smells in distress, but as he walks further from the door and into Viktor's domain, there's some comfort that filters through Jayce's scent. It lets Viktor calm down a little as he locks the door behind him.

Jayce also smells like he is, still, very much in rut.

There's an inkling of a rational thought that runs through Viktor's mind at that observation: he just let a rutting alpha into his apartment, and he's an omega. If it were anyone else, Viktor might have hit them with his cane while they stood at his door, rightfully cautious of any presumptuous alpha. He knows he's not defenseless, in fact he's probably done more damage with his cane and a good swing than most omegas, but that fact doesn't stop pre-rut alphas from getting too close because they think him fragile. Objectively, he's been exceptionally irrational letting Jayce in after he showed up uninvited.

However, he trusts Jayce beyond rational thought of the mind.

There's a more hormonally charged thought that creeps up on Viktor too, digging its claws into his brain as he stands by his front door: he wouldn't be against it if Jayce pulled a move on him. He's certainly worked up, and he could take the hit to his ego in order to play docile omega, if Jayce needed him to.

By the time Viktor has finished thinking about Jayce's condition and hobbled to the couch to follow him, Jayce has settled. He'd taken his slippers off and placed them squared up by the foot of the couch, hugging his knees to his chest and his feet planted on the couch cushions. He looks frighteningly sad as he sits in a ball in the far corner of the seat, his blanket stuffed and spilling out from the space formed between his knees and chest.

Jayce finally looks up at him as he gets close to the couch, and Viktor's heart twists in a particular way at the sight of him. It's very clear that he's been crying; his eyes red and his face a little puffy, with crusty little tracks running down his cheeks that clearly show the trail of previous tears. His eyes are even still wet, threatening to tumble more as his bottom lip trembles. Jayce looks away from him when he realizes he's been caught.

"Sorry. I'm always a bit of a cry baby, I'm okay," Jayce mumbles into his arm.

"Are you?" Viktor presses.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I just..." Jayce moves his hands to his face, using the heel of his palms to rub at his eyes for a moment as he continues. "I just needed to be around someone, who, you know, wouldn't judge?"

Jayce sounds so hopeful about the question, like a wounded animal expecting a gentle touch from someone they trust. The very possessive nature inside Viktor rears it's ugly head and he wants to growl into the room. It's unbecoming of an omega, he knows, but he doesn't like the idea of anyone judging Jayce for crying.

Viktor settles on the couch instead, on his preferred side, his bad leg being bracketed by the arm of the seat to give him some stability. Jayce appears to have curled into tighter a ball as Viktor sat down. Though, that only goes so far. Jayce has so much muscle from working in the forge and being so active, despite how much the two of them sit down while working in their shared lab. With his blanket adding to how much space he takes up on the opposite side of Viktor's couch, his feet don't even stay on the couch cushions, only his heels are making a connection to keep him taught in his ball.

"I will not judge you, Jayce." Viktor eventually reassures him.

Jayce loosens up a little at Viktor's promise, lifting up his head to talk to him now instead of hiding from him. "Yeah, yeah I know. Thanks Viktor." His eyes dart away from him when he continues however, "It's just um, you know. Omegas don't like it when alphas are... weak."

Viktor tuts at the sentiment, he can't help it, but he at least follows it up so Jayce doesn't think the disapproving noise is about him. "You aren't weak Jayce, c'mon now."

"I know!" And Jayce unfurls, raising his arms in casual exclamation. It reminds Viktor of when Jayce is ranting to him about an interaction he's had, during the many funding drives they send him off to. Where he just can't comprehend how the extremely rich don't understand the price of meat, or that they're not in charge of changing their own sheets, and Jayce needs to unload his flabbergasted response to someone who actually understands. "But I cry and I'm soft, and no one likes it and-" Jayce cuts himself off, returning his arms to his knees, and looking away from Viktor.

"Jayce," is all Viktor can say. It's meant to be reassuring, and chastising. A single word that bundles telling him off for thinking as such about himself, and comforting him for the clear insecurity plaguing him.

"Can you just, play with my hair, maybe?" Jayce asks, in the smallest voice Viktor has ever heard from him.

Viktor beckons to him with one hand and Jayce stretches out, as much as he can on Viktor's small couch. He's still scrunched up, knees bent and feet tucked into the back cushion, but his head lands on Viktor's lap and he holds tight onto his blanket like a it's a soft plush.

It's so natural for Viktor to run his fingers through Jayce's hair. It's free from the styling oil Jayce uses, the evidence clear as day as Viktor's fingers come up clean after a cursory run through. He glides easily through the short crop on top of his head from then, using his short nails to gently scratch along the more shaven sections of his head as he starts a lazy pattern.

Jayce smells exceptionally good, distress bleeding from his scent with every pass through his hair, until it's completely gone. Were it any other alpha, Viktor would identify him as being in full blown rut by scent alone now, but Jayce's behavior doesn't match the standard profile of a man in rut. He's calm and docile under Viktor's hand, needing comfort and reassurance while accepting what he's been given. If he were any other alpha, he would instead be frantic and domineering at this stage, needing to prove himself as the dominant protector and the feral beast needing to breed. Jayce is, however, just a firm but gentle weight on his thigh, his scalp warm under his touch. He makes no moves to turn his head and bite Viktor's clothed thigh in frustration, or twist his form to pin Viktor to the couch to have his way with him.

And Viktor now understands why Jayce was blubbering about being soft. Piltover is full of unreasonable expectations, but even Viktor's childhood home in the undercity ran on biological assumptions. Alphas were seen as brutish and overbearing, feral beasts that couldn't control themselves during their ruts. Ultimately driven to have a tight hole on their knot, and to achieve that state for the whole week of their cycle. But then, on the other hand, that was a plus for the average omega. When you were overwhelmed with a heat, hormones crying for comfort and attention, there was an assumption that an omega couldn't feel settled until they had that protectiveness of an alpha to subside that need. Then, when arousal took over, an omega just wanted to be bent over and used until they were more than satisfied. There was a balance to it, even if Viktor had never needed it.

Jayce couldn't be showcasing more of an opposing profile of an alpha if he tried, however. He was in the presence of an aroused omega during his rut, one that just let him into their space and could be easily assessed as an easy target to satiate his needs. And yet, he was doing more than just keep his hands to himself; he was seeking gentle comfort, and essentially cuddles, during his most aroused state. Viktor could easily see how Jayce didn't match up to the image of alphas, and how that could end up being a disappointment for any omega Jayce went after.

The sheer thought of another omega looking at Jayce, or Jayce looking at another omega, makes Viktor want to bite something. He keeps his jealous growl in check as he continues to run his fingers through his hair, but the need seeps into his upper jaw and Viktor promises to himself to take it out on his pillow when he no longer has Jayce in his lap.

But Viktor understands. It was no doubt that he was an omega, but when he was younger, he often questioned whether he was meant to be an alpha instead and something went wrong. His heats never lasted long, nor did they come with any frequency, and he didn't become a needy thing looking for strong arms to hold him. When he used to attempt coupling for his heats, he would usually end up growling and tearing into the alphas he brought home, pissed at every little assumption the other made on his behalf. It felt so unnatural to him to be so angrily forceful, but he always felt pushed to his absolute limit over such simple things. Being manhandled into positions that hurt his spine, little things like food and medication being denied to him when he needed them, even being treated to complete opposite paces than what he needed, based wholly on the whims of an alpha. Viktor had wanted to tie down men so that he could take his fill and be satisfied at his own pace, but that was an impossibility that led to Viktor swearing off heat partners. If Jayce was the opposing profile of an alpha, Viktor was the opposing profile on an omega, and he could sympathize with the social loss that brought.

Viktor leans his head on his free hand as he refocuses back to the man in his lap, however. He turns his head to watch Jayce as he touches him, the sight of him more entertaining than spacing out in the direction of his darkening living room. There was no need for him to reminisce about bad cycles and poor encounters when he has the best smell in the city emanating from his lap, and for the mess starting to form in between his own legs, he would take care of it later.

With the distress seemingly gone, Jayce doesn't appear to be holding the same tension in himself that he had at his front door anymore. He's periodically nuzzling his nose and forehead into what little meat Viktor has in his thigh, adjusting the pattern of Viktor's fingers on the fly as he gently sighs. It's so minute and gentle that Viktor believes he's doing it involuntary, instead of subtly asking for more physical affection. Then, Viktor watches as Jayce adjusts himself, fixing his shoulders and freeing up the curve of his spine to be more comfortable. It leaves Jayce's nose partially mushed into Viktor, his mouth forced open with his jaw no longer supported and his hot breath working through the thin layer of Viktor's own sleep pants, but Viktor really doesn't mind the change. His pain relief has kicked in, and the man is leaning on his good leg anyway.

The change in position does give Viktor a better view of his face however, and Viktor deviates his pattern to a new trail. Running a finger along what he can of Jayce's nose, rubbing at his forehead to smooth away any lines, before continuing along his scalp. He does that a few more times, as the lingering worry and stress from Jayce's face ebbs away and he looks peaceful in Viktor's lap. After watching him for a little while longer, Viktor thinks Jayce may have fallen asleep on him.

He doesn't stop the touching, but now with Jayce out cold, Viktor has the opportunity to think of a game plan. He's going to sacrifice a pillow and blanket for him, because he wont leave Jayce without some comfort while he sleeps, but Viktor wont be able to use that bedding again without noticing some inherent trace of Jayce in the coming months. The real trouble will be seeing if he can transfer himself out from underneath Jayce and settle him with the bedding, without disturbing him too much.

The decision making on what blanket he should sacrifice from his stash is interrupted by Jayce himself though, as little noises bubble up from him. Viktor's attention jumps back to the alpha in his lap, as he watches Jayce squirm slightly, hips moving faintly in tired haphazard bucks.

In his unconscious state, Jayce brings the blanket already held tight in his fists closer to his chest, as his thrusts become a little more forceful. Viktor doesn't stop his fingers from playing with his hair, but he does switch back to his earlier pattern, to avoid accidentally poking out a eye or entering a nostril with Jayce's new found energy. Jayce curls in on himself as Viktor makes the change, bucking abortively a few times into empty air, and the loudest whimper Jayce has made yet escapes his throat. He finally stills, panting into Viktor's leg, and he's seemingly still asleep.

Viktor is shameless as he leans over to look at Jayce's form completely, pointedly staring at the man's crotch. He tells himself it's for good reason that he's looking, needing to see if Jayce made a mess on his couch. But with no telltale dark spot, and the telltale bulge still prominent in his pants, Viktor concludes that he hasn't ruined his furniture. He's partially grateful that he doesn't have to wake Jayce up to get him to clean himself, as he would not let his friend stew in his own release to be all raw and chafed in the morning, but the idea of being front and center to Jayce's spend all over his bathroom makes his thighs clench. His moving thighs make such an extremely illicit and wet sound right next to Jayce's face that Viktor's face burns in embarrassment, even though Jayce makes no reaction, still sleeping soundly in his lap.

The embarrassment gives Viktor the resolve to get up and take care of himself. He's is still in charge of all his mental facilities, he's not going to pounce on the alpha in his living room, but there's no point in denying that he's been marinating in an alpha's rut pheromone for what feels like hours and it's getting to him. He needs his own release, and Jayce needs a proper pillow to replace his boney thigh under his cheek.

The smell of Jayce's rut is still there, in Viktor's bedroom, when he wakes. It's faded and a little stuffy, an old musty like smell that percolates in his brain like old coffee, but it still tastes as old. It's enough to kick his arousal back into gear however, and Viktor's hand wanders down to take care of himself. He's still slightly wet from the night prior, so it's easy for him to coax himself loose and cum on his fingers just to clear his system, again.

He tries to be as presentable as possible as he enters the main area of his apartment, just in case post-rut Jayce is still sleeping, or recovering from sleeping on his too small couch, but it's not needed. The blanket and pillow he valiantly tucked Jayce in with are folded and stacked in the corner of the couch, all signs pointing to Jayce being gone.

There is a note, however, on Viktor's small kitchen table.

"Sorry about that! I'll be in the lab later today!" It's signed with Jayce's name, like it could be from anyone else, and Viktor laughs at it.