[ jayce keeps his word, passing by the lab from his place in under a few minutes. it's— more jayce's need to get a little closer, a little more intimate under the pretense of an experiment. maybe he should be honest . . . ? it's not like they haven't had weird encounters in the lab that they never spoke of again, right? right . . .
the lab is as dim as they like it, a singular window to light up their desks with outside luminescence, like the moon or the street lights. jayce brings with him through the door a bag of bread rolls and wine&mdah; the usual midnight snack. nothing too fancy. ]
[ Viktor looks like he normally does — like he hasn't slept or showered in a couple of days but hardly notices, the dark circles under his eyes in contrast to the way he's still very much engaged in the scribbling he's doing in his notebook. At the sound of his name, he doesn't look up immediately, still scrawling away until he finishes his thought. Then, and only then, does he turn to face Jayce. ]
You didn't need to bring anything.
[ His stomach growls. In truth, he doesn't quite remember the last time he ate. Time has a way of slipping away from him when he's in the lab. ]
Then again, hunger might be a... confounding variable.
[ His delivery is so flat that it's difficult to tell if he's entirely serious or tongue-in-cheek. ]
[ as if he didn't know them. jayce sets the goods down on an empty spot at their desk for easy access, taking one of their available corkscrew and tossing it in the air in a quick spin only to catch it, point with it and say: ]
If you can tell me the last time you ate, [ he screws in the cork, adjusts his grip, presses his thumb to the nozzle and adds: ] I'll put it away.
[ but jayce is confident he won't— he applies pressure and with a sharp pop from the bottle, he holds a glass to viktor for him to take and pours some finger's worth of drink for them bith. the lab smells like freshly baked goods, now. irresistible bread loafs with sugar glazed, crunchy exteriors and fluffy cream filled insides. ]
There could be so many of your favorite sweet buns, just for me . . .
[ jayce lifts his brows, and is one to laugh at his own stupid little joke. of course he wouldn't. unless? nah . . . unless?? ]
covers timestamp i've been here all along actually
[ Smack. Viktor's crutch raps against Jayce's calves. ]
I did not say to put it away.
[ Especially because the smell of fresh food is reminding him that he is, in fact, a human being that needs to eat to survive, and not a robot that can run on caffeine alone. (Yet.) Besides, it would be ridiculous to waste food just because he doesn't want to be a bother. There's so little of it to go around in so many places.
He withdraws, then, crutch returning to its place by his side. Holding up the glass, he inspects the fizzy liquid inside. ]
You know, the safety committee would have your head for drinking in the lab. [ And a lot of other things. Tongue-in-cheek: ] You are lucky I don't report you.
[ As if Viktor isn't responsible for the majority of safety violations in here. ]
puts my hand over your hand... we don't need no timestamps
[ he could feel a smile peeling to give way to his teeth at the smack of the meat of his legs. jayce gets what he wants, and lets those perfect buns be. ]
Yeah? [ jayce's brows lift. he senses a whimsical danger here and retaliates, rolling his weight around the balls of his feet and heels. coffee, sandwiches, pizza . . . roast beef, wine, tea, just to name a few because clearly if they had a choice they'd live in this dimly lit container for the rest of their lives. ] You sure you want to do that when you're an accomplice?
[ Although his stomach grumbles at the smell of baked goods, he doesn't reach for the bag in Jayce's hand. The last thing he wants is to look like some starving urchin with no manners. Jayce wouldn't judge the entirety of the Undercity by him, he thinks, but-- just in case.
Instead, he leans against his work table, casual. ]
I will tell them it was all your dastardly idea. That I warned you of the dangers, but you only laughed maniacally.
[ oh? says the raise of a single brow and the mock surrender befitting him. oh, you know what? then it's totally on. he'll fall in. ]
You caught me. It was my dastardly idea. [ jayce pulls out a pastry from the bag in his hands, analyzing it like he would some kind of metal disk put into the buffers of a massive bolt. but even that is exaggerated for the occasion. ] I thought: How can I make Zaun's most brilliant mind drop his guard?
[ he really does mean viktor is as brilliant as he says, in earnest, but that's not the point. jayce likes to do things with his hands. little tricks. he spins the damn pastry between his fingers and holds it out, within viktor's reach. ]
[ Viktor watches the pastry twirl with a raised eyebrow. Showboat. One of these days, Jayce is going to drop something. Probably something that explodes, given their luck. When that day comes, he'll say 'I told you so', even though he sort of enjoys the performance. Long hours in the lab can be exhausting, but Jayce has a way of making even the little things 'fun'. He's the golden boy for a reason.
He reaches out to take the offered pastry between his fingers, not bothering to argue the title of 'Zaun's most brilliant mind'. Maybe not the most brilliant, but he likes to think he's up there. ]
Something only Piltover's most brilliant mind would be able to discover, surely.
[ He has no problem complimenting Jayce's intelligence, the same way one comments about the weather. An indisputable fact. It's commenting on other things about him that feels a bit more exposing.
He takes a small bite of the pastry, trying not to look like he wants to devour it in a single gulp. ]
I assume you have a villainous plan for once my guard is down.
[ Zaunites never drop their guard, but that's unimportant. ]
[ be honest: you like it. jayce also knows how big his brain is and the recognition it deserves was well fought for, but he doesn't exactly bask in something that is just as earned, and to him, shared. hmm, he goes, a hum right through a knowing smile. with a hand slipping onto viktor's shoulder, he gives the bone there a squeeze and amicable jostle, maybe to urge him to eat a little than just pecking at it. or else!! ]
I'll start by getting you to tell me random and unimportant facts.
[ in other words. he's still waiting for this filrting experiment. but to be honest, jayce is already charmed. ]
[ It had felt inconsequential — a frivolous little experiment, yes, but only a joke — when Jayce wasn't in the room with him. Now that he's here in the flesh, smelling faintly of sugar and axle grease, Viktor imagines trying to charm him and having to listen to Jayce rate how attractive it is on a scale of zero (zero!) to ten. It sounds like a fucking nightmare. An exercise in humiliation.
He stuffs the pastry in his mouth, if only so that he doesn't have to speak right away. A moment stretches out, silent save for the sound of chewing. Then he swallows, and: ]
[ aoh!! the blasphemy! jayce leans into a look of mock betrayal, before clicking his tongue. he's insistent. he wants viktor to flirt at him for completely scientific purposes (not really)! ]
And I hypothesize it will. [ you what viktor can't so no? these big ass hazel cow eyes. one hit k.o. activated. ] Come on Vik, please.
[ Stupid big ass hazel cow eyes. It's not that they actually make him feel bad for Jayce in any way. It's that the fact that Jayce thinks they'll work is so oddly endearing. Nonsensical. Ridiculous. ]
You are oblivious to 'flirting'.
[ Not that he knows because he's ever tried. And, if he did, that was a long time ago, before he realized that an innovative scientific partnership was far more valuable than giving into the pesky urges he tries not to think about. Instead, he just microdoses on human intimacy by having Jayce touch his shoulder every once in a while. It's very fulfilling. He doesn't need anything more. ]
You do not even realize that you have a gaggle of admirers.
[ he trails off with that one; a gaggle sounds a little exaggerated. to him. little does jayce know the ladies and co don't look at him just becaause he's the public face of hextech (which bums him out, he'd really like viktor to join him but it's always a no). ]
[ A raised eyebrow. The fact that Jayce thinks he hasn't tried is just testament to his obliviousness. It should be irritating, but unfortunately, it's endearing. Dammit. ]
I am observant. [ And he observes half of Piltover being enamored with Jayce, while he hasn't the slightest clue.
A pause, and then finally: ] ...Fine. If you are so insistent. [ Subjecting himself to humiliation for Jayce's benefit does seem par for the course. ] You are going to be disappointed.
[ oh fine, says jayce's grin, but he's much happier to have landed viktor's flirting, for science. with a pastry for himself in hand, jayce takes a seat in front of viktor on his chair and snags a bite. he's ready to be engaged! ]
I sincerely doubt that.[ opening his arms in gesture, ] I'm yours to do your worst with.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
WELCOME BACK OOMF......
Good idea. See you there.
[ jayce keeps his word, passing by the lab from his place in under a few minutes. it's— more jayce's need to get a little closer, a little more intimate under the pretense of an experiment. maybe he should be honest . . . ? it's not like they haven't had weird encounters in the lab that they never spoke of again, right? right . . .
the lab is as dim as they like it, a singular window to light up their desks with outside luminescence, like the moon or the street lights. jayce brings with him through the door a bag of bread rolls and wine&mdah; the usual midnight snack. nothing too fancy. ]
Viktor?
no subject
You didn't need to bring anything.
[ His stomach growls. In truth, he doesn't quite remember the last time he ate. Time has a way of slipping away from him when he's in the lab. ]
Then again, hunger might be a... confounding variable.
[ His delivery is so flat that it's difficult to tell if he's entirely serious or tongue-in-cheek. ]
no subject
If you can tell me the last time you ate, [ he screws in the cork, adjusts his grip, presses his thumb to the nozzle and adds: ] I'll put it away.
[ but jayce is confident he won't— he applies pressure and with a sharp pop from the bottle, he holds a glass to viktor for him to take and pours some finger's worth of drink for them bith. the lab smells like freshly baked goods, now. irresistible bread loafs with sugar glazed, crunchy exteriors and fluffy cream filled insides. ]
There could be so many of your favorite sweet buns, just for me . . .
[ jayce lifts his brows, and is one to laugh at his own stupid little joke. of course he wouldn't. unless? nah . . . unless?? ]
covers timestamp i've been here all along actually
I did not say to put it away.
[ Especially because the smell of fresh food is reminding him that he is, in fact, a human being that needs to eat to survive, and not a robot that can run on caffeine alone. (Yet.) Besides, it would be ridiculous to waste food just because he doesn't want to be a bother. There's so little of it to go around in so many places.
He withdraws, then, crutch returning to its place by his side. Holding up the glass, he inspects the fizzy liquid inside. ]
You know, the safety committee would have your head for drinking in the lab. [ And a lot of other things. Tongue-in-cheek: ] You are lucky I don't report you.
[ As if Viktor isn't responsible for the majority of safety violations in here. ]
puts my hand over your hand... we don't need no timestamps
Yeah? [ jayce's brows lift. he senses a whimsical danger here and retaliates, rolling his weight around the balls of his feet and heels. coffee, sandwiches, pizza . . . roast beef, wine, tea, just to name a few because clearly if they had a choice they'd live in this dimly lit container for the rest of their lives. ] You sure you want to do that when you're an accomplice?
no subject
Instead, he leans against his work table, casual. ]
I will tell them it was all your dastardly idea. That I warned you of the dangers, but you only laughed maniacally.
[ Very in character for Jayce. ]
no subject
You caught me. It was my dastardly idea. [ jayce pulls out a pastry from the bag in his hands, analyzing it like he would some kind of metal disk put into the buffers of a massive bolt. but even that is exaggerated for the occasion. ] I thought: How can I make Zaun's most brilliant mind drop his guard?
[ he really does mean viktor is as brilliant as he says, in earnest, but that's not the point. jayce likes to do things with his hands. little tricks. he spins the damn pastry between his fingers and holds it out, within viktor's reach. ]
Turns out, sugar.
no subject
He reaches out to take the offered pastry between his fingers, not bothering to argue the title of 'Zaun's most brilliant mind'. Maybe not the most brilliant, but he likes to think he's up there. ]
Something only Piltover's most brilliant mind would be able to discover, surely.
[ He has no problem complimenting Jayce's intelligence, the same way one comments about the weather. An indisputable fact. It's commenting on other things about him that feels a bit more exposing.
He takes a small bite of the pastry, trying not to look like he wants to devour it in a single gulp. ]
I assume you have a villainous plan for once my guard is down.
[ Zaunites never drop their guard, but that's unimportant. ]
no subject
I'll start by getting you to tell me random and unimportant facts.
[ in other words. he's still waiting for this filrting experiment. but to be honest, jayce is already charmed. ]
no subject
He stuffs the pastry in his mouth, if only so that he doesn't have to speak right away. A moment stretches out, silent save for the sound of chewing. Then he swallows, and: ]
It won't work on you.
no subject
[ aoh!! the blasphemy! jayce leans into a look of mock betrayal, before clicking his tongue. he's insistent. he wants viktor to flirt at him for completely scientific purposes (not really)! ]
And I hypothesize it will. [ you what viktor can't so no? these big ass hazel cow eyes. one hit k.o. activated. ] Come on Vik, please.
no subject
You are oblivious to 'flirting'.
[ Not that he knows because he's ever tried. And, if he did, that was a long time ago, before he realized that an innovative scientific partnership was far more valuable than giving into the pesky urges he tries not to think about. Instead, he just microdoses on human intimacy by having Jayce touch his shoulder every once in a while. It's very fulfilling. He doesn't need anything more. ]
You do not even realize that you have a gaggle of admirers.
no subject
[ he trails off with that one; a gaggle sounds a little exaggerated. to him. little does jayce know the ladies and co don't look at him just becaause he's the public face of hextech (which bums him out, he'd really like viktor to join him but it's always a no). ]
—Well, how would you know if you haven't tried?
no subject
I am observant. [ And he observes half of Piltover being enamored with Jayce, while he hasn't the slightest clue.
A pause, and then finally: ] ...Fine. If you are so insistent. [ Subjecting himself to humiliation for Jayce's benefit does seem par for the course. ] You are going to be disappointed.
no subject
I sincerely doubt that.[ opening his arms in gesture, ] I'm yours to do your worst with.