He's been attempting the whole sleeping thing. It's not like he's been on a hyper focused bender and hasn't left the lab in all that time. By about 10 pm he's in his bed, laying under the covers, and staring at either the ceiling or the wall, trying to sleep. He's not uncomfortable while he's there either. His heater cranks out enough heat that Jayce never even feels a sliver of cold, and he only needs one blanket to cover him so he doesn't feel suffocated.

But it's still late at night, and all Jayce has is the gentle moonlight filtering through the clouds, blanketing his room in a dim grey. Shadows from falling snowflakes outside mottle his walls as he lies there, a steady stream of dark blots that he can't hide from. He can't even close his eyes without seeing those same shadows, the ghosts of snowflakes turning into real ones right behind his eyelids. It's only moments from when he closes his eyes that he feels the same cold in his bones again, the same heaviness in his limbs, and his stomach drops the exact same way as he remembers, when his body recognizes the danger.

So Jayce keeps his eyes open, his brain running on less and less sleep as he fights off the memories. Eventually, Jayce starts to see images in the tiny silhouettes moving across his room.

He should probably crash during the day. The snowfall had been letting up when the sun was up, the storm starting and stopping on a whim, and at least Jayce wouldn't be plagued by soft shadows if the sun was coming through his window instead. But, sometimes Jayce thinks he sees equations or builds in the shadows during the night, and he hates feeling useless. So he hauls himself to the lab every morning, as soon as there's a hint of sunlight filtering through the snowfall.

Possibly the worst thing out of all of this though, is that Jayce knows Viktor wont be there.

It's totally reasonable for the man to not be there, and Jayce had been the one pushing for Viktor to skip coming into the lab, whenever any level of snow storm hit. Not every street in Piltover got shoveled after snowfall, and that included a fair few on Viktor's route to and from the lab. He had even seen Viktor struggle with ice and slurry before, the footrest in his brace having very little tread, and his crutch could only do so much when Viktor just didn't have the strength in his leg to begin with. Stability was key to surviving icy conditions on something like cobblestones, and Viktor could at least agree that he would like to avoid falling on his ass every two minutes when he just wanted to go up the street.

Jayce misses him though. The heater wasn't as good in the lab as his one at home, but the place always seemed warmer when Viktor was in, silently roaming around the lab and gently muttering to himself as he worked through equations. Jayce would get to talk to him whenever he wanted, joke with him whenever he saw Viktor get too tense with tools in his hands. Viktor would throw crumpled up pieces of paper at him, rejected designs or glaring mistakes Viktor didn't want to deal with anymore, and Jayce would play with them like a ball, kicking them around or doing tricks with them, when he was frustrated and bored with the work himself. They both distracted each other as much as they helped each other, but really deep down, Jayce just loved spending time with Viktor.

That's whats fueling Jayce's feet when he walks into the lab that morning, far too early for anyone else in the academy to be walking around and working. He sits in Viktor's chair instead of his regular one without thinking, sinking into a seat that was definitely molded for a smaller frame, but Jayce is too tired to care about how his ass doesn't fit.

It had been pretty cold before the storm had hit Piltover. Jayce remembers Viktor complaining about his joints in the lead up to the snow storm, the two of them deploying a blanket and a hot water bottle when the heater wasn't doing enough for Viktor specifically. Jayce can tell it affected what Viktor was working on too, as there isn't any half-finished builds or prototypes left abandoned on Viktor's side of the lab. His workstation is covered in papers instead, designs and equations strewn across his desk in a pattern that Jayce knows makes sense in Viktor's head. Jayce is just the same; someone may see a complete mess, but the layers and placement on a flat surface held organizational clues for projects and their mental folders.

Jayce fiddles with Viktor's pencils and tools as he sits there, lazily scanning Viktor's workstation. He's doing it just to touch his stuff, really, before a piece of paper catches his eye. Jayce pulls it from underneath a sizable layer of other blueprints, assess the design as he lays it out front and center on the desk.

They're both pretty open with their individual projects. It might take a few weeks before one of them presented it to the other officially, with something concrete like a design document or theoretical modeling, but the details wouldn't stay secret for too long. Sometimes they would even present with a physical model or prototype, if that's what was easier for their idea to get across to the other, and that meant even less secrecy between them. But, they're both the other's first bounce board for their ideas, when they're just thoughts sparking to life in their minds.

Jayce deosn't recognize this one, though. Viktor hadn't bothered to even name it, nor are there any notes in the margins that explains what it's meant to do in terms of function. Viktor liked to keep all that information together in one spot, just so he could stay on task when he modified anything. It was different from Jayce's own method, of keeping a separate journal to jot down all his functioning notes, but it worked for Viktor. This blueprint was all technical specs and drawings at this stage, the empty space looking wrong to Jayce even though it was all clearly done with Viktor's hand.

He looks back to where he found it on Viktor's desk, lifting some other designs that he did recognize, to find a few more papers that match with the visual Jayce has in front of him. The different iterations are all still blank from written information, like the one Jayce first found, but Jayce can follow Viktor's line of thinking as he skims over the papers. There's a very clear design proof Viktor was aiming for, reworking certain sections in order to hit his intended target.

Jayce looks up from the papers to look over at his own desk, the small pile of prototypes and designs looking lifeless. He really didn't have the brain power to work on his main projects, he could feel it with how he used his hands and how slow he was to blink. Everything he was working on used the hex gemstones, harnessing an amount of energy that was dangerous; he knew he was running on way too little sleep to consider himself safe behind his tools.

But, he could do this for Viktor. He was always better with fail safes and protective designs, and even with just his quick skimming, Jayce could tell that hadn't changed with this unknown project. Jayce could make a prototype or model for his friend, and rock up to his place later with it in tow to surprise him. For a treat, Viktor could even tell him all about what he built, and they could work on it together at his place!

With something of a good plan in Jayce's mind, he gets started, pulling materials from where they stockpile them around the lab and rereading the designs in hand.

Jayce was really glad Viktor stayed home, actually. He had finished building the prototypes by around lunch, had packed them in a box that was just big enough to be a hassle for him to carry, and then had walked down to Viktor's apartment with it in his arms while it just barely obscured his vision. It would've been safer for his back if Viktor had been at the lab, but Jayce felt like he was rocking up to Viktor's place with a giant gift, and that was doing wonders to abide the level of fatigue holding onto his bones.

Even by midday however, the snow hadn't melted much at all. At best, what had melted had either refroze into ice or stayed a crunchy slurry, and it left nothing good to walk on. Jayce nearly slipped when he was walking down a street that he knew Viktor used often, but thankfully some snow shovelers had just gotten to it, and the guys escorted him through the snow piles and ice before he ended up on his ass.

He was finally at Viktor's door now, well and truly safe from unseen snow piles trying to assassinate him, and the massive box was getting in his way. It took a lot of shuffling, trying to get the box on top of just one arm, and Jayce cringed whenever the loose bits hit metal and the sound rang in the air around him. On one particularly loud ring, Jayce had a moment where his eyes went cross eyed, and he felt as though the world was still moving while he stood still at Viktor's door. A bone deep anxiety about landing in heavy snow racked through his frame, and Jayce had to breath through it before his eyes regained focus and he felt more stable.

He stood still to recover, telling himself that it was just his lack of sleep getting to him. A deeper part of him knew that wasn't exactly the case, that he always struggled with strange vertigo after walking on snow, as though his body was still haunted by his childhood legs straining against ice and wind.

Despite his body working against him, Jayce eventually wrangles the box enough for him to knock, and he lightly raps on Viktor's door.

The door opens pretty quickly, as though Viktor was just on the other side waiting for him, and Jayce manages to catch a quick look at him before he has to scramble the box back in both hands. Viktor looked like he was still in his pajamas, a blanket wrapped over his shoulders like a cape, and his eyes had definitely been squinting at Jayce.

Jayce laughs from behind the protective barrier of his box, "Did I wake you?"

"I could hear you, with the clattering," Viktor mutters at him.

"Sorry, Vik," And the box makes more noise as Jayce adjusts his grip. "Can I come in though?"

"Hmm. No." He answers, but Viktor shuffles out of the way and opens the door wider for Jayce, and Jayce for his part tries to not catch the cardboard on Viktor's door frame as he waddles through.

He's been at Viktor's apartment enough times to know where the kitchen table is, so Jayce takes reasonably sure steps until his hips hit wood, and then places the massive box on there. Jayce rushes back to the doorway to deposit his dirty shoes though, mindful of the mess he's making. Viktor shuffles past him, towards the box, as Jayce fights with his laces, and he settles in a chair where a glass already sits.

"What is this?" Viktor asks him.

"Well, I was in the lab and I went over some designs, and I figured I'd build some prototypes for you to review." Jayce explains as he toes off his boots, walking over to Viktor in his socks.

Viktor tsks, very loudly, "Jayce, didn't we agree the lab was safer? In case of another incident, like your apartment?"

"No! This one is okay!" Jayce defends himself, because he has to, "The gemstones are stable, and these are your designs anyway. I really can't see anything going wrong with these ones, they're really solid."

"My designs?" Viktor questions him, and Jayce watches how Viktor's head tilts and his eyebrows scrunch as he thinks on what it would be.

Jayce just huffs out a '*Yeah*' in response, distracted as he starts opening the box, and collects the papers that he left on top to hand to Viktor. Leaving him to remind himself of his own work, Jayce scoops out the builds to place them on the table. When he's collected the three versions, and dumped the leftover parts and tools he threw in in case Viktor wanted to fiddle, Jayce places the box on the floor and stretches his arms out to present his work.

Viktor looks horrified. His eyes are wide, his mouth is open in shock, and his free hand doesn't even make it to his jaw to cover the horrified expression while the designs are held loosely in his other hand. He's not even looking at Jayce, it's like he can't peel his eyes away from the machines placed in front of him.

That's not the reaction Jayce expected, at all.

"Where did you find these?" Viktor eventually asks. It's not accusatory, it's not concerned, Viktor just asks it in a hushed whisper as though they'll both get in trouble if someone heard him.

Jayce is so confused. He turns to look at the builds, then at Viktor, then at the builds, then back to Viktor, before he answers, "They were on your desk? Why are you looking at them like that?"

"Like what?" Viktor deadpans.

"Like they're a bomb, Viktor?!" Jayce sputters, "I know they're not, I built them!"

Viktor's face steels at the accusation, his mouth finally shutting into a concerned frown instead, "I'm not looking at them like that."

Jayce sputters again, feeling like he's about to go mad trying to find out why Viktor is looking at his own work like that. "Yes, you are! Why?"

Viktor doesn't make a move to answer, but Jayce waits, refusing to give in and give him some kind of out. The two of them just stand there, in Viktor's kitchen, waiting for Viktor to explain himself.

"These were... for private use," Viktor eventually answers.

That just leaves Jayce with more questions, confused how that could possibly explain why Viktor is looking at his own realized work like it's going to explode on them both. So, Jayce asks, "What does that mean?"

Viktor takes his time again, to come up with an answer. In the end, he doesn't say anything at all to Jayce. Viktor just leans over and flicks a switch that Jayce had installed on one of the builds, because Viktor forgot to include one in his drafts, and the prototype Viktor picked to demonstrate fires up to life.

It's moving. Jayce knows it's meant to do that. It's reminiscent of a piston, though instead of in a contained cylinder it's held within a boxy frame. The frame itself is shuffling a little with the movement of the main body, and Jayce regrets not putting a rubber stopper on the feet portion, but at least it's not at threat of falling off the table any time soon. It's also surprisingly quiet, which Jayce had been pretty impressed by when he was assembling the casing and interlocking the axles into the frame. He had even taken note of it for some future projects, intending to use the internal barrel design to reduce noise levels.

He still doesn't get why Viktor is horrified, though. It's almost exactly as he had designed it; an open piston, thrusting at a 90 degree angle, at a slow speed but with force, and it was exceptionally quiet. Admittedly, Jayce hadn't figured out what the use case was for them while he was building them, but they all seemed like pretty self contained machines. The frames made them all individual units, and Jayce couldn't see how they would fit in a far larger mechanism. There was a unique interlocking mechanism though, in the internal barrel of the main body, that had taken Jayce the most time to replicate according to the designs. Whatever was meant to attach there, Jayce didn't have, but the machine was ready to install whatever it was that the machine would push and thrust for Viktor's prototype.

The demonstration really doesn't give Jayce any answer. He has to rack his brain with more questions, trying to puzzle what the other man is trying to tell him. What kind of private use would Viktor need for these machines? What was the interlocking mechanism that wasn't on any of the plans? Why did he show off the thrusting movem-

Oh.

Oh, Jayce is so mortified that he actually turns around, unable to look at the machine or at Viktor. He hears Viktor turn it off, and the two of them stand in silence while a blush crawls all over Jayce's face and ears.

It's too much, this is all too much for the poor state Jayce is in. He can't stand the silence any longer as the two of them just stand there, in Viktor's kitchen, so he has to ask. "Why? Why were these on your desk?"

Viktor sputters, and Jayce turns around to finally look at him. Viktor's sputtering gains traction, like an engine, when he's confronted face to face with Jayce. He makes a warbled noise from his throat, clearly strained and surprised, until he has access to speech again. "My shot was several weeks ago! My hormones are at a high plateau, and I've been distracted! I can't - I can't take care of it on my own! There's nothing that can keep up!"

"Why at the lab though?!" Jayce pleads with him.

"Where else do I spend every waking hour, Jayce?" Viktor spits at him, horror turning into annoyance the longer this goes on, "It is a hair trigger, I cannot control where I get horny!"

Jayce's blush grows further at the admission, and he's sure it's about to reach his belly button with how embarrassed he's become. The idea of Viktor being aroused while they're together in the lab, frustrated or distracted enough that he's designing sex machines while he's behind him, it does something to his poor tired brain that Jayce doesn't want to identify.

The reality hits him again, suddenly, and Jayce has to hide his face in his hands. He built sex machines. He built Viktor's sex machines, that he designed. Designs he was presumably going to build himself, and use while alone. Jayce can't stop himself from groaning in embarrassment. He's really unable to think of how he's going to walk away from this, at all. Maybe he can jump, again.

"They're... they're well built" Viktor interrupts Jayce's groaning, trying to comfort him.

Jayce peaks his eyes through his fingers at the compliment, needing to see the other man. Viktor is grimacing in social pain, his face pinched so severely that Jayce laughs in embarrassed mania at the sight. Both of them were mortified, both of them were embarrassed, Jayce feels insane when he throws back at him with, "They were good designs."

Viktor's body shakes for a moment, and then he laughs too. They laugh together at the situation until they can't breathe, Jayce having to go over to him and hit Viktor in the back when the poor man starts wheezing and coughing. Jayce leaves his hand on his shoulder while they devolve into giggles and strained whimpers, the two of them looking over the prototypes like they're proud dads, while the giggles taper off.

"This is mortifying for me," Viktor admits.

Jayce's free hand comes up to wipe at his own face, trying to tamper down the lingering giggles threatening to bubble up as they stand over the builds. "How do you think I feel? I built them without knowing that they were sex machines."

"I'm so sorry Jayce." Viktor apologizes, but then adds, "Please, do not go through my desk again."

Jayce does laugh at that, but more in disbelief than in embarrassment. "Oh? You're not gonna promise to not design sex machines at your desk?"

Viktor just huffs at him, unwilling to look at him as he pouts, "I am a grown man, and I do not control when I get horny."

"Are you horny now?" Jayce blurts out automatically, and then he covers his mouth with his hand.

That wasn't even an inside thought that had somehow made it passed his lips. That was more of a passing thought, barely there in his brain and that should've left nearly instantly, instead of telling his mouth to say it out loud without his input.

Viktor turns from looking at the prototypes, to looking at Jayce in the eye. Jayce can't look away from him, mortification keeping him stock still as Viktor assesses just how badly Jayce fucked up by speaking. It's not the first time they've been in this position, because Jayce sometimes runs his mouth and he doesn't realize he's offended Viktor, but this is probably the most clear cut and horrifying time he's ever done it.

"I shouldn't ha-" Jayce starts, but then is cut off by Viktor's hand, raised to stop him talking. So he follows the silent order and shuts his mouth up tight.

"Why did you ask that?" He asks him.

"Viktor, I'm so sorry I'm so tired I haven't slept in 3 days because of the snow and -" Jayce's rambling apology is cut short by the same hand signal, and he huffs at being interrupted again, but he knows he fucked up.

"No, try again," Viktor orders him, face unreadable as he watches Jayce.

"I'm... curious? Um. I want to... see it?" Jayce doesn't expand on what he's admitted to. He figures he should say the truth, but he doesn't know what exactly he wants to see; whether it's Viktor being horny, Viktor using the machines, or if he just wants to see the machines in action, whether it was Viktor or not on the other end.

Viktor disengages from Jayce at his answer, grabbing onto the machine that he had used to demonstrate earlier, and then he heads to his bedroom. Jayce is a little shocked from the conversation, not comprehending how Viktor hasn't hit him with his crutch for what he's both said and done. When Viktor reaches the door to his bedroom however, he knocks his head towards the inside, and Jayce follows the silent command to follow him.

Jayce had seen Viktor's bedroom a couple of times by now. He'd taken sneak peaks when he had been over and Viktor had left the door ajar. Once or twice Jayce had waited in the doorway while Viktor finished putting on his shoes or his brace, or when Viktor had needed a certain medication and his supply in the bathroom was empty, needing to steal a dose from his bed stash.

It's a standard bedroom, really. Viktor likes darker bedsheets and his pillows to match, and he has one standing closet in the corner, that Jayce vaguely remembers Viktor telling him that it came with the apartment. He keeps two canes in the space between the stand up closet and his dresser, the stick graveyard as he called it once, where Viktor keeps the canes he doesn't use anymore. There's a bedside table of either side of his bed, but only on the side of the bed that Viktor sleeps on does the table have anything on it, with a lamp and trinkets littering the space.

Viktor also has an ottoman that sits at the foot of his bed. tt's level and flush with the mattress, so it looks like a seamless extension, but Jayce knows Viktor only uses it when he needs to sit down with some stability. It was harder to put on shoes or secure his brace if he was sinking into the material of his own sheets.

Viktor places the machine on the ottoman, and picks at the sides of the cushions until he pulls up straps, securing the machine into place. Jayce has to wonder how long, or just how thorough, Viktor must have been thinking about his prototypes if he already has straps installed in his furniture for them.

The blush he had sporting had faded as Jayce was watching Viktor, but after that line of thought, it creeps back onto Jayce's face. He can't really believe that he's there, in Viktor's bedroom, in the same room as a sex machine.

Viktor sits on his bed when he's done, right next to where the machine is secured. Viktor mirrors how Jayce had presented it earlier, stretching out an arm to showcase the machine, looking right at Jayce like this is any one of his regular projects he would present to him in the lab.

"My body isn't uniform. When my hormones are low, it may take only 10 minutes to get off, but those periods only last 2 or 3 weeks. When they are at the high plateau, it can sometimes take me hours to finish." Viktor explains.

"Hours?!" Jayce interrupts, flabbergasted at the time. Jayce had maybe been in bed with someone for a couple hours before, but that included things like kissing and flirting and just touching one another. Jayce couldn't fathom needing that long to just to jerk off, and he feels a strong pang of sympathy for Viktor at that admission.

Viktor just waves off his interruption, "Yes. That period can last 10 weeks, where on an extremely good session, I can be finished in 40 minutes." Viktor huffs, "My body cannot keep up with that, Jayce. My hands cramp, my wrist get tired, my legs twinge when I tense for too long."

Viktor peels his eyes away from the other man when he continues, a blush of his own forming with his confession. "I prefer... penetration. It can speed up the process, but I hit the same roadblocks. There are toys that thrust-"

"There are?" Jayce interrupts with a joke this time, hoping to coax Viktor out of the shyness he's exhibiting. Jayce knows Viktor to be quiet, letting him do all the talking, or stewing in whatever emotion he's feeling instead of reveling in an outburst. Viktor had explained it to him once that he couldn't afford to be as outlandish as the Pilties around him, who he was afforded him less leeway in being a person in the room than if he was down in the Lanes.

He had tried to include Viktor as much as possible since he had told him that, even if he wasn't in the room with him, Viktor's name crossed his lips at least once. In the vein of that effort, and the fact that Viktor's voice was lulling his tired body into some kind of trance, Jayce settles on the floor in front of Viktor, kneeling on the hardwood.

"Yes." Viktor deadpans, playing into Jayce's banter, which makes Viktor's one man audience giggle before he continues his presentation. "I had to go the red light district in Zaun, there is a woman down there who I think has made it her life mission to make adult toys. It's honestly very impressive. There are thrusting toys on the market. However, I provide too much resistance to these, and many toys stall."

"I burnt the inside of my thigh on one once," Viktor admits, patting an area on his inner thigh to indicate where the injury had been.

"I needed more... torque. And, when I was designing improvements for the small scale torque generation, I went further and designed a chassis. For complete independence from the toy." Viktor finishes.

They're both looking at the prototype, now that Viktor's done with his presentation. Jayce can't get the visual out of his head; of Viktor sprawled out on his sheets, groaning and squirming in pleasure as he hunts for the edge, fucking himself with his fingers or a toy. Unfortunately, that line of thinking continued in Jayce's mind's eye, morphing to that of Viktor flat on his back, knees up and legs spread, the toy that Jayce built thrusting into Viktor.

Jayce is hard, he knows it. His pants are way too tight around his crotch, and he's tired enough that he thinks he can even feel the blood flowing straight from his brain down to his groin. He doesn't feel as embarrassed about it as he had felt earlier, when he was in the kitchen regretting every life choice that led to him revealing sex machines to his partner. Viktor's apartment was warm, he was resting his legs by kneeling on the floor, and more importantly, he was right next to Viktor. Maybe he just on the right side of sleep deprived delirium that he didn't care as much anymore.

Jayce leans forward from where he's kneeling when he realizes that, however, and he lands face first in the mattress. He doesn't care that he's that embarrassed, but he does care about some level of decorum, and he wishes he could be buried in Viktor's blankets in an attempt to save himself.

The darkness doesn't save him though, Jayce just keeps running images of Viktor in the lab. He said it was a hair trigger. What triggered his arousal then? Was it when he was working with Viktor? Did he just happen to think about sex while he was working away? Did Viktor use a tool like a saw or a drill, and was reminded of the act? Did he ever see Jayce across the room, and then get horny?

Viktor never answered him, from when he asked before. He, very correctly, jumped on the chance to ask Jayce why he had asked, but Viktor never answered him in turn. The question was burning on his tongue, so he asked it again, mumbling it into Viktor's bed, "Are you.. are you horny, now?"

"Jayce, you were carrying a very big box. Yes, I am." Viktor answers him.

"Am I - Do I do that, to you? In the lab?" Jayce desperately asks, nearly biting Viktor's sheets with how forceful he presses into his bed.

Viktor doesn't hesitate to flirt with him, "You are always bending over, so much. "

Jayce lifts his head and giggles at Viktor. He knows it's a playful joke, but he figures it's true too, and now he has to assess if he really bends over that much. Maybe he does? It's not like he's doing it on purpose. Much like how he doesn't do much of anything social on purpose, he just automatically darts his attention to Viktor's crotch, as though he's bound to see a matching bulge like the one he's sporting right now.

"Can I..." and the request dies in Jayce's throat. He wants to do a lot. He wants to pin Viktor to the bed, he wants to hold him by the hips while the machine he built works him open, he wants to watch him stuff himself open. There's so much to ask for, and Jayce doesn't know what.

"Can I kiss you?" Viktor asks instead, and Jayce pushes up from his knees instantly, thankful that Viktor had enough of a working brain to know what he wants.

Jayce is a little forceful with their first kiss, eagerness and uncoordinated movement turning it more into a mushing of their mouths together. Viktor course corrects him, wrapping his hands on Jayce's jaw and tilting him the way Viktor wants him.

Jayce can't do anything but follow Viktor's direction. He shuffles on his knees so he can kneel in between Viktor's legs, and Viktor leans back slightly so he can accommodate Jayce's frame. They very quickly move on from fraught chaste kisses to opening their mouths against each other, Viktor's tongue exploring Jayce's mouth and Jayce whimpering down his throat as he gets overwhelmed with the sensation.

He has peel away to breath, hiding his face in the crook of Viktor's neck to calm down. He can feel fireworks sparking in his brain matter, arousal and satisfaction cascading down his spine in such a visceral manner that Jayce has to shiver. It has to be his lack of sleep that's making him feel like this, but Jayce doesn't want to take a nap to fix it.

Viktor tugs on his hair to get his attention, and Jayce follows the command pliantly, pulling away from his hiding spot in Viktor's neck. With the slight distance, Viktor uses the opening to push himself backwards on the bed, getting comfortable by his pillows.

Something stirs in Jayce as he watches Viktor, his eyes focusing on how Viktor drags his bad leg behind the rest of him across his sheets. He doesn't know how to identify it. He's concerned, of course. He knows Viktor tries to take breaks from his brace when it's snowing, something about his bones and the cold not agreeing with how structured the equipment is. But, Jayce does know that his brace provides Viktor with a lot of relief too, how having his leg in place stabilizes both the physical and mental aspects surrounding his body.

Jayce's thoughts race as he follows Viktor, crawling over his relaxed form, to dip his head and kiss him again. Viktor wraps his arms around Jayce to pull him down and use him like a blanket, while delving into his mouth.

Viktor designed the machines, but he didn't design them for fun, or as a personal challenge. He designed them because of his leg, because of his hormones, because his body couldn't keep up with itself. How much different were the machines from his brace, then? Or the crutch Jayce had designed and built for him? He had done it as both an apology for his old cane being broken and as a celebratory gift for everything working out, but Jayce had spent so much of his time and brainpower making sure it was an aid that was actually useful for Viktor. Jayce knows the man in his arms had been complaining about his back too, the two of them had joked about posture because of it, but what if that led to Viktor needing another item to add to his collection of disability aids?

Jayce's hands follow the line of his thinking while his mouth is occupied, his large palms running down the side of Viktor's ribs, as though he's trying to feel for the bones under the layers of his pajamas. His fingers wrap around under his back, and Jayce stretches out his finger tips to run alongside what he can feel of Viktor's spine. Something deeply heady and possessive roils in Jayce's chest at the idea that he could make something for Viktor's back, so he doesn't have to feel the ache and pains there anymore either.

Viktor squirms under his touch, his hands moving from Jayce's hair to his shoulders, gently pushing against him for some distance, though not very far. He chases Jayce to give him a quick peck on his lips, before he orders, "Help me get out of these."

Jayce jumps at the command, mind clearing of all complex thought as he focuses entirely on undressing Viktor. Viktor wriggles out of his robe for him and Jayce chucks it off the bed. His hands go to his shirt next, pulling away Viktor's from the buttons so Jayce can do it himself, quickly pulling the buttons through their respective holes and showing off Viktor's chest to the cold room.

He can't help himself. Jayce reaches inside Viktor's open shirt, his large palms covering the twin set of thin scars that line Viktor's barely-there pecs. Viktor shivers at the touch, so Jayce uses his conveniently placed thumbs to feel up Viktor's nipples, the flesh of them unbelievably soft under Jayce's calloused hands.

Viktor shivers again, but he brings his hands up to Jayce's, interrupting his fondling. "Sorry Jayce, I don't feeling anything."

Jayce must make a confused noise, or maybe it just clearly shows that he's confused on his face, because Viktor looks at him with such placating fondness when he explains, "They remove them during surgery, and then they stick them back on. I don't have nerves connecting to my nipples anymore."

Jayce's mouth falls open in shock, his hands stilling instantly at that bombshell of a detail. And then Jayce's brain kicks back into gear, and his mouth shuts so unbelievable fast that he thinks Viktor heard his teeth clinking together on impact. Once again, he feels absolutely mortified, though this time for acting like that when Viktor was telling him something so personal.

Viktor just laughs at him, "Attachment isn't always guaranteed, Jayce. I'm just glad I still have them."

"Wait, you could've lost your nipples?!" Jayce exclaims with horror, and Viktor laughs at him again, even harder. His head knocks backwards, as his ribs stutter with the force of it, and Jayce can feel Viktor's laughter in his hands. It feels dangerous to Jayce, to have Viktor in his hold like this, because he doesn't want to let go. He wants to feel him laugh in the palm of his hands for forever.

Viktor devolves into giggles, as he reaches for Jayce's hands again. He only lowers Jayce's hands enough so that his thumbs land directly on his scars again, and Jayce automatically starts swiping his thumb along the uneven lines. That earns Jayce a genuine shiver from Viktor, that quickly dies down the lingering giggles into something breathy escaping Viktor's lips.

Jayce chases that noise with his mouth, the two of them falling into kissing again, as Jayce gets distracted by Viktor's bare torso. Running his thumbs along his scars, his fingers tracing the unseen moles he find on his back, lightly tracing his nails along Viktor's belly as his nails catch on the man's light happy trail.

His hands make it to the top of Viktor's pants, and Jayce tugs on it for permission. Viktor disrupts their kissing to lift his ass for him, but Jayce just follows his lips as he pulls Viktor's pants down past his hips. They have to disengage properly as Jayce finishes pulling them off though, Jayce needing more concentration so he's careful to not tug on Viktor's poor leg.

Now that he has him bare underneath him, Jayce runs his hands along both of Viktor's legs. He notes the dips and curves to his memory, but he pays particular attention to Viktor's poor leg. How the muscles are thinner and smaller, how Jayce can almost feel the string-like tendons under his skin, how soft he is until he can feel bone under his reverent touch. Viktor's limb feels fragile under his hand, and Viktor must be able to tell that's how Jayce is feeling, because Jayce can feel the muscles go taught when Viktor tires to pull away from him.

Jayce flicks his eyes to look at Viktor, and Viktor is staring him down. Apprehensive of all the touching, maybe a little mad at him for it. Jayce had been on the verbal end of rants from Viktor plenty of times, and only sometimes it had been because of Jayce's own actions. When Viktor got angry enough it sounded like he was dripping venom, and his accent got thicker. When Jayce wasn't the one at fault though, Viktor's rants were always about how people treated him because of his leg, because he had a brace and crutch, and walked as he did.

Jayce considers Viktor fragile too, but only in the way a Prince Rupert's drop was fragile. With the feel of Viktor's leg fresh in his palm, Jayce thinks he has a far better idea of what Viktor's body is capable of, and he moves his hands to grip his thighs, just above his knees. He pulls Viktor down into the middle of the bed, Viktor landing on his back from the sudden movement, and he gasps at Jayce. With seemingly approval over the move, Jayce continues, bending Viktor's knees for him and parting his legs open, opening him up for Jayce to see.

Jayce flicks his eyes back to Viktor's face, just in case he's actually done something wrong, and Viktor props his head up to look at him. All that previous apprehension and anger is gone from his features, his eyes wide, his lips open just enough for Viktor to wet them.

Jayce looks back down at what he opened up between Viktor's legs, and his astonishment at the sight bleeds into his hoarse whisper as he comments, "Fuck, you're so wet."

"I told you, I'm horny." Viktor deadpans him.

Jayce ignores Viktor's tone, still overwhelmed by having the man in front of him. Their earlier conversation bubbles up to Jayce's limited thoughts, and he asks, "Are you like this when you're at the lab?"

Viktor doesn't answer him, so Jayce looks up. Viktor is smiling sheepishly at him, showing too much of his teeth, his eyebrows creased in slight embarrassment at being caught. A disbelieving laugh escapes Jayce as he reassess the entire partnership between them. He has so many memories of Viktor stalking around the lab, sitting at his desk while working on designs or welding something together, and now all of them have the addition that Viktor is this wet in his underwear.

Jayce turns his attention back to the perfect picture in front of him. His fingers trace along Viktor's inner thighs, collecting slick that's soaked a little into his skin under his blunt nails. Viktor's muscles jump under the attention, and Jayce follows the movement, chasing the spike in pride at the proof of just how much he's affecting Viktor.

Eventually, Jayce's fingers reach the apex of Viktor's thighs. Jayce wants to dip down and use his tongue to explore Viktor's cunt, but he refrains. Viktor did a whole presentation to explain that he likes penetration, so instead Jayce finally explores with his fingers. One hand immediately goes to his dick, Jayce stretching out his arm and leaning in so his forearm rests along Viktor's middle. It's the best position for him to gently hold Viktor's massive clit between his thumb and fingers, jacking him off with shallow movements. Viktor gasps at the touch, but Jayce gets a better idea, switching fingers around so he can still jerk off the meat of Viktor's dick while using a finger to rub circles on his head. Viktor bucks and lightly moans with the change in Jayce's technique, but Jayce knows it isn't enough.

His other hand circles the rim to Viktor's hole, teasing at his opening and gathering slick, before he gently enters him with just one finger. Viktor's cunt gushes with the intrusion, his warm and soft walls tightening around him, and Jayce is instantly reminded of his trapped cock. His dick pulses in tandem with Viktor, as he continuously clenches around his finger.

Jayce pulls out before going any further, jumping to two fingers, and going deeper with them than before. He crooks and curls his fingers this time, gently searching for the right areas, and Viktor nearly shouts when he finally hits the right spot. Jayce abuses it once he has it confirmed, letting up the stimulation on the poor man's dick so Viktor can focus on his fingers alone. With him no longer jacking off his clit, Jayce uses his other hand to spread Viktor open wider, which earns him a strangled moan.

Jayce pulls out again after a little bit, and then adds a third finger as he goes back to Viktor's cunt, stretching out his hole. Viktor's moan change pitch and length with the addition, his hips bucking minutely as he tries chasing the movement from Jayce.

Jayce knows he's developing a robust catalog of all the noises Viktor makes in his brain, as he continues to service him. He's going to be hearing them every time he jerks off when alone now, Jayce knows it deep in his bones.

One of Viktor's hands reaches out and grabs Jayce's wrist suddenly, and Jayce pauses everything. He's still three fingers deep into Viktor, but he watches as Viktor takes a breather. The man is still pulsing and tightening around Jayce's hand, but his moans turn into pants and he's looking at Jayce with very clear intent.

"Do you want to fuck me, Jayce?" Viktor asks.

It takes a moment for Jayce's brain to catch up with the question, but he nods, feverishly. And then a series of yeses and yeahs tumble from his lips as he starts fingering Viktor again, though this time more stretching him out for his cock than just seeking to get him off. He can't help himself from pushing forward to capture Viktor's mouth in a kiss, when he has to unfortunately pull his fingers out.

He has to pull away completely to get his clothes off, next. Jayce uses one hand to tackle his own buttons, while he uses his own mouth to clean up Viktor's slick from his fingers. The taste of Viktor flooding his system as Jayce frantically pushes buttons through holes and peels away his layers.

It's a relief when his dick is finally free, the cool air of Viktor's bedroom momentarily cooling him down as the rest of his clothes come off. Viktor's good leg comes up to pet at his side, hooking behind his back to pull him in when Viktor's calf has had enough of petting his hip, and Jayce gets the hint. He uses his hand to pet the leg holding him, his hand following the long line of it and curving around his hip until his palm ends up on Viktor's lower back, for leverage. Jayce uses his other hand to collect enough slick to coat his cock, pumping himself a few times to make sure he's properly lubed up, before he holds himself still and enters Viktor.

He's tight. Gods, Viktor is so tight around his cock, warm and wet and leaking as he pushes into him. Viktor stutters breathless moans as Jayce continues to push, until he finally bottoms out. Jayce takes a moment to just breath and adjust to his whole world being reduced to one point, and then Viktor bucks against him. The movement pushes them together even closer, and Jayce shakily moans as he feels slick from Viktor gush from around his cock and coat his crotch.

He starts thrusting then, Viktor clearly impatient for him. Jayce feels the mess from Viktor drip down his legs as he picks his pace, his slick following the channels his pelvis and Viktor's thighs make together. The noise coming from between them is obscene, and it goes to Jayce's head. The noise is going to haunt him late at night now, reminding him of just how wet and tight Viktor is, and Jayce's own arousal grows in his lower half as he soaks up the feeling. Jayce picks up the pace in response, his hips slamming into Viktor.

Jayce's hands wander on their own. He grips Viktor where he needs to, to hold him steady, to stabilize him so he doesn't jostle away from him. Eventually both of them ending up at his hips, hiking them up for leverage, supporting Viktor's back as Jayce slams into him. One of Viktor's hands lands on Jayce's arm where he can reach, just holding onto him, while his other hand flittered between Jayce's nape and shoulder.

Jayce isn't going to last long. He had been hard long before he got his pants off, and he wasn't going to deny that just kissing Viktor over and over again probably would've pushed him over the edge to begin with. And Viktor feels like heaven on his cock. Squeezing along his length as Jayce bottoms out with every thrust, the both of them chanting a string of yes under their breaths as Jayce's thrusts become frantic.

Jayce nearly collapses on top of Viktor when he cums. He slams deep into him, rutting and grinding into Viktor's cock as Jayce's balls rhythmically draw up to his body, Viktor tightening around him with the stimulation. Jayce just pants and grunts as he finishes inside him, his hands starting to roam again now that he doesn't need to hold up Viktor anymore.

Viktor starts touching him too, petting his shoulders and sides, while Jayce catches his breath. The man is still pulsing around him though, so Jayce pulls out to stop himself from being overwhelmed. Jayce feels fragile as he disconnects from Viktor. All his muscles feel like they've turned to dough, and his bones feel like molten glass. It doesn't help that exhaustion is turning into a very dense fog inside of his skull, making him feel heavier that he actually is..

Jayce doesn't go very far when he finally collapses properly. He's still halfway on top of Viktor,with an arm curled around his middle, just to keep hold of him. He does feel Viktor squirm though, wriggling out from underneath him, to then swing his good leg over Jayce's hip. He feels the wetness from Viktor's crotch slide against his side, and Jayce is definitely going to need a shower before he goes home from just that mess alone.

Viktor noses along his jaw with his new position, leaving small kisses on Jayce's neck, his cheek, before Jayce turns his head so Viktor can kiss him on the lips. There's only a couple of kisses between them where it's chaste, before Viktor seeks out more, and Jayce is too tired to resist opening his mouth and letting Viktor have his way with him again.

And oh, Viktor is aggressive with his kisses. He's clinging onto Jayce's side with his body, both of his hands on Jayce's jaw, keeping his mouth open with his thumbs as he practically devours him. All Jayce can really do is pet along his back as Viktor indulges in his hunger, his moans starting up again as he grinds into Jayce's hip.

Wait, shit. Jayce's eyes open in a moment of wakefulness, and he blearily sees Viktor through over stimulated tears. The other man's eyes are closed, but he looks hungry, and he lets out tiny little moans whenever he gets a hold of Jayce's tongue in his own. It's addicting, but Jayce closes his eyes and continues kissing him, putting in more effort for Viktor.

Of course Viktor hasn't cum yet, that's why he's grinding against Jayce's side, why he's kissing him like that'll push him over the edge. Viktor had a whole speech about how it takes him so long to coax an orgasm, even while fucking himself open on something, and Jayce had not fucked him on his fingers or his cock long enough for that to happen.

"Can we use the machine?" Jayce asks him, when Viktor finally lets him breathe.

Viktor doesn't give him a full worded response. It's just a series of '*fuck yes*' muttered under his breath, as he clings to Jayce even tighter. Jayce gives him a few more kisses to placate the man's hunger, trying to make each kiss less intense with each press before Jayce disengages completely.

As soon as Jayce pulls away, fatigue slowly creeps in on him again, and Jayce has to look around to piece together what he was planning on doing. Viktor on the other hand, stretches out to his bedside table, opening a drawer and rummaging around for what he needs.

It would probably make sense for Viktor to be on his knees, ass up, so that he has enough height for the machine. But, Jayce desperately wants to watch Viktor be fucked with his legs spread wide while he's on his back, so he can see. With either position, he'll need pillows, and the ones by Viktor's headboard look a little too thin to support him.

"Do you have more pillows?" Jayce asks, focusing on the one thing he probably can while his brain ticks over with so little sleep.

"Bedding is in the wardrobe, down the bottom," Viktor answers distractedly, his hand still deep in his drawer while he looks for whatever he needs.

Jayce makes his way around the bed, but his legs are weak and he falters, needing to catch himself with a hand against the mattress so he doesn't completely fall on his ass. He needs a moment to recover, but he manages to collect a small pile of throw pillows that Viktor must have amassed over the years, and brings them back to the bed.

Viktor is sitting up when he finds him again. Something circular that fits perfectly in the palm of his hand is in Viktor's grip, while something that was very clearly a toy was in his other hand.

Admittedly, Jayce doesn't have that much experience with toys. He never felt the need to get something for himself, and he had never been exposed to them on dates or hookups. He had seen them of course, once or twice in passing when he walked through certain districts of the undercity. And even Jayce couldn't avoid hushed talks amongst fellow boys when he had been a teenager, sniggering at anything related with sex.

Still, the toy in Viktor's hand doesn't look like what Jayce would consider a typical toy, something wooden carved to emulate the crude shapes dick tend to come in, and then polished and varnished to the point where no one was in danger of splinters. This material was shinier, squishier, and it came with a flared base. Jayce deposits the pillows next to Viktor, crawling over the pile he just made, so he can get a better look at what he's doing. Viktor silently obliges, turning towards Jayce so he can get a better look.

He has a wooden face plate in one palm, much like the ones they would use on the lathe in the lab. A large circular indent had been carved into the center, leaving a rim with a large well on the face. Jayce watches Viktor slot the flared base of the toy into the well, securing it onto the face plate, and turning it into a singular piece. Viktor's thumb runs along the outside of the faceplate, over notches carved into the base, and Jayce's face lights up in recognition.

Jayce knew the recesses he had chipped into the opening of the prototypes had to have been an interlocking mechanism when he was slaving away over it, but it was satisfying seeing his suspicions be correct. Jayce grabs the toy and base combo from Viktor, and he crawls to the machine to slot it into place, a little giddy about finally completing the design, wholly. The faceplate sinks and twists perfectly in the machine's recess, the mirroring notches fitting exactly as they should, and Jayce forgets how tired he is or what exactly he's doing when the pride of a build completed floods through his system.

When he looks behind him, Viktor is grinning at him, a mirroring pride in good work between the two of them. It makes genuine affection bubble up inside Jayce, but he hasn't forgotten why he's there in the first place. He grabs Viktor's ankles and pulls him down towards him, towards where he kneels next to the machine.

They're both grabbing at the pile of pillows, shoving pillows under Viktor's lower back until he's at the right height for the machine to align with his hole. Jayce is glad that Viktor seemingly has the same idea for what position to be in, because he has no idea how he was going to ask him to consider changing, just to show off for his pleasure, when this was for Viktor.

Though, Viktor lets Jayce do most of the arranging, letting him be concerned with the logistics. Viktor's more concerned with the physical, as one of his hands goes to his own cunt. He teases his own hole with his long fingers, showing no restraint as he enters himself with two. Jayce thinks his cock might make a valiant effort to get hard again as he watches, noticing Viktor essentially fingering his cum back into him. Now that he's far closer to the machine, Viktor sits up and slides his fingers out of himself, using the mix of fluids coated on them to lube up the toy attachment.

Jayce keeps a hand on Viktor's lower back as he lies back down, supporting him, as Viktor hooks his heels on the other side of the ottoman and pulls himself onto the toy. Jayce gasps as he watches, the fake cock entering Viktor with ease, sliding about halfway into him before Viktor stops and pants at the intrusion.

"Jayce? Jayce, can you?" Viktor begs.

Jayce feels overwhelmed at the sight, how the mix of his cum and Viktor's slick well where the toy enters him. But he understands what Viktor is asking of him, and he peels his eyes away so he can flick the switch on the machine.

It whirls to life, instantly, the noise far louder in the bedroom than what it had been in the kitchen. As though just knowing what purpose the noise had made it louder. Viktor's punched out moans join the noise from the machine then, as though he was another mechanical part.

It thrusts into him at a steady pace, displacing both his and Jayce's bodily fluids as it stretches Viktor's walls. Jayce can't look away, as he watches Viktor's body react. His hips move and buck, the muscles in his navel tighten and relax. He can see it under Viktor's skin, his thighs doing the same as his navel, as Viktor resists pulling himself into the thrusts of the machine.

Viktor starts to shake, a warble affecting his voice and noises, his breaths coming out stuttering when he isn't moaning into the room. His good thigh trembles, and Jayce feels one of Vikktor's hands grab onto his forearm for support, struggling to get a grip before he gets a good hold onto him. Jayce scoots closer to Viktor's form then, Viktor's hip digging into his belly, as he throws his free arm over his hips and secures him close. He pulls the arm that was under Viktor out from underneath him, so Viktor can slide his hand down from his forearm until Jayce catches it in his own, holding onto Viktor's hand as he supports him against the thrusting.

Viktor starts to whimper, the tensing in his muscle getting more and more frequent, that Jayce can now feel it against his own body. He even feels Viktor's ass tensing against his thigh, where Viktor just happens to be laying on him after Jayce brought him close. The hold Viktor has in his hand gets tighter, Viktor squeezing him as he chases the edge, and by the gods Jayce's dick is chubbing up again as he imagines just what Viktor cunt must feel like now, so close to the edge.

Viktor's trembling gets worse, his whimpers turning into open mouthed cries. His head is thrown back and his skull is digging into the mattress, Viktor's beautiful neck bared to Jayce. His back starts arching, as much as he can with his limited movement, the pillows and Jayce helping his form to bend even further than what he could've done on his own. Viktor's whole body tenses as his mouth shuts tight, a whiny keen trapped behind his teeth, and Viktor squeezes Jayce's hand hard enough that he might have bruises.

The machine whirrs, struggling against the resistance that's Viktor's cumming cunt, the noise increasing as Jayce hears the gears working extra hard. In the back of Jayce's head, he thinks that Viktor was right; he definitely needed the torque, as the machine is just barely able to power through and keep thrusting into him.

Then, Viktor relaxes. The hold in Jayce's hand loosens considerably, his body suddenly heavy on the pile of pillows, and his good leg practically falling open even further as the tension bleeds from him. The machine quiets down in response to the lose of resistance, almost as quiet has it had been in the kitchen, gently whirring and it continued to plow into Viktor.

Viktor hiccups, "Ja-yce," before Jayce realizes whats he's asking for, and he stretches out to flick the machine switch to off. Instantly the machine stops, though mid-thrust, deep inside Viktor.

They're both just breathing, letting the silence in the room blanket them both. Jayce has the chance to finally take in that he's cold now, his sweat and the cold air of Viktor's apartment had done their job of bringing down his body temperature. He's only warm where he holds Viktor's body, his fevered body heat transferring to him through their contact.

"Can you?" Viktor, croaks at him.

Jayce tightens his hold just a smidge more, and ever so gently drags Viktor off the toy. It makes an obscene sound, and it's a little startling having the machine with the toy attached just sit there, now that Jayce isn't horny anymore. The thing almost menacingly pointing at the bed with the toy. He ignores it by turning to Viktor instead, covering his body with his own, and kissing behind his ear. Viktor's hand goes to the nape of his neck, petting him, before his fingers find the creases in his skin and he collects the sticky, nearly dried, sweat on his neck.

Jayce knows exactly what Viktor is going to ask for next, so he says something before Viktor does, "Wait, let me get the bathroom ready."

Jayce needs to wash, but so does Viktor. It takes all his energy to peel away from him, and Viktor just closes his eyes when he's been left alone, his arm draping over his belly when there's no Jayce to fill the space. Jayce wobbles to Viktor's bathroom, his legs sore from the position he kept for a little too long, as he turns on the light and rummages through Viktor's cabinet for extra towels. That done, he goes back to the bedroom, and scoops up Viktor in his arms.

Viktor very quietly yells when he feels Jayce wobble on the way to his bathroom, but otherwise he doesn't make any protest. Which Jayce was a little surprised about, he was expecting some kind of protesting and needing to defend why he needed to carry Viktor the short distance from his bed to his bathroom. He's just thankful that the slotted wooden bench Viktor uses for showering never leaves it's spot at least, as Jayce gently puts him down and then starts the water for Viktor.

"Don't drown," Jayce adds as he leaves them there.

Jayce hears a series of thickly accented '*yeah yeah yeah*'s as he closes the curtain. Leaving Viktor to wash on his own, Jayce he tackles the bed.

They made a mess. There were two very clear wet stains visible on one side of the bed; one was closer to the middle, while the other was at the foot of the bed near the machine. Jayce pulls off one blanket, and the sigh of relief he lets out when he sees that the stain didn't go any further could have powered a windmill. The pillows they used and the soiled blanket go in one corner of Viktor's room, and he'll have to ask Viktor where he does his laundry if he doesn't have something in his apartment, but he promises himself to ask about that later. He goes back to where he found the pillows in the first place, and finds another pile of blankets. He ruffles through them until he gets hold of the thickest one, and he throws it over the bed to replace the one he chucked in the corner.

The machine is still menacingly looking at him from the ottoman, so Jayce tackles that next. He fiddles with the face plate the toy is attached to, but it's a little difficult with the sheer mess that Viktor made on it. Though, Jayce might have to include himself in the blame, as he's sure he can see strings of his cum mixed in with the mess. After a couple of slips, his fingers finally get a good hold of it, and he's able to twists the faceplate around until it releases and it falls into his palm.

He now has a dirty toy in his hand, and he panics for a moment before he decides to get up and crack the door open to the bathroom. He puts the toy and faceplate in the sink, quickly washing his own hands of the mess, and then shuts the door back closed behind him.

It's easy enough for Jayce to find the straps and get them undone, picking up the machine and putting it on the floor, shoving it under the ottoman so it isn't underfoot. The shower ends, and Jayce collects Viktor's crutch, cracking the door open again and shoving it handle-first into the bathroom for Viktor to grab. He hears a very small '*Thank You*' once he feels that Viktor has a grip on it, and a few moments later Viktor hobbles out of the bathroom on his own, in a towel like bathrobe.

Jayce slips behind him, for his turn. It's hard for him to keep awake as the hot water hits his back, so he keeps his shower quick, making it just long enough to get him clean and to smell like Viktor's soap. He didn't realize just how tense he had been for days, maybe even weeks, because Jayce can't remember when he last felt so loose and relaxed when he finally stops the water.

He walks out of the bathroom with the towel just wrapped around his hips, and he finds Viktor laying down already on his side of the bed on top of the blankets, in his bath towel robe.

Jayce has a moment where he think he should go. It's probably the strangest hook up he's ever had, but he and Viktor were friends, they were lab partners. Surely the two of them could agree that this was just experimenting? Testing out a project they had independently worked on together? It couldn't be more than that, if Viktor didn't want it?

Viktor grunts, interrupting the start of the spiral in Jayce's mind, and he crooks his fingers for Jayce to join him. He goes to the unoccupied side of the bed, body warm from the hot shower, and as soon as he's within reach Viktor grabs him with his hands and pulls him to his chest. Jayce barely has a moment before his body shuts down, the lack of sleep from the past several days catching up with him now that he's laying horizontal and clean, and he buries his face in the soft robe Viktor wears.