EDIT: the content creator au is becoming a full fic which you can read here!
content creator au!
the basics: they're in their early 30's. in this, piltover is a massive city whereas zaun is a small town. the two are separated by a river, big enough that one can only barely see the towering buildings of piltover's downtown area off in the distance. viktor lives in a quaint trailer park. jayce lives in a high-rise on the 21st floor.
viktor: on his main channel - a paint-with-me called portraythemachine, 100k+ subscribers - viktor has a focus for art, preferring to spin the mundane into elaborate, mechanical/cyberpunk-inspired pieces. he never shows his face as he works, only his hands. for the most part, he plays music, only adding in commentary every so often to explain his thought-process. he lives in a motor-home, so his studio is squished in alongside his living room.
on spicecore, a site dedicated to adult material, viktor has a decent following - name being heftyherald, 650+ subscribers. the site is subscription based so there is a fee to see his work, but followers can donate more if they want to commission him to do specific things - if they're on his approved list, that is. he does stuffing, role-play, asmr.
viktor allows his body to be shown, but he always wears a mask when not eating - metal, intimating, his voice distorted by a modulator. he is not actively gaining, but if it happens, he certainly doesn't mind the extra weight. his second bedroom is specifically for filming his work. when not in use, the door is always shut.
jayce: jayce's channel is called manofcuisine, 5 million+ subscribers. he shot to popularity basically overnight when one of his videos went viral - busting various cooking 'hacks'. [happened after a year of low views]. now that he's found his footing, he dabbles in a variety of methods. debunking food myths, recreating food from popular media, cooking challenges, ranking things, etc. he has guests join him often. he has his own hard seltzer line, too: atlas, with its electric blue can and specialty flavours of pomegranate, lemon-lime, apricot and blueberry. he also hosts a lot of live-streams, always eager to engage with his audience.
jayce has been watching viktor's spicecore content for at least nine years. [around the time he created manofcuisine, while viktor had already had heftyherald for a year at that point.] jayce lurks, having never donated extra before [doesn't want to appear on heftyherald's radar.]
aaand the plot:
it begins when jayce hits five million followers on his channel, a huge milestone he never thought he would hit. to celebrate, after filming his five-hour thank you stream, he goes out for drinks with his team. he does drink a little more than he intended to, but why not? he's been so focused on his work that he hasn't had the time to take a moment and really treat himself. the party continues well into the night, right up until the bar closes.
he has to take a cab home, stumbling in through the door with his body feeling pleasantly fuzzy. and how else to end a great night than with some personal time? he collapses into bed and opens his laptop, opening up an incognito tab to one of his favourite adult creators, heftyherald.
the video he chooses is an easy pick. it's a funnel feeding video, one where viktor had first shown off his elevated feeding system. it's a crude design, a holding container connected to a thick tube, but it does exactly what viktor wants it to. a shutter is attached to the receiving end, allowing liquid to either flow or be stopped.
instead of cropping out his face he usually did during the stuffing sections, he wears his mask. he tips it up, only for a moment, so that he can stick the tube between his lips before switching open the shutter, determined to drink under the holding container is empty.
viktor gulps, gulps, moans, gripping the funnel with both hands as he fills himself with cream. his stomach fills so much faster with the help of the funnel system, and the editing is downright mouthwatering, cutting to close-ups of his throat as he swallows, cutting to different shots of his stomach to take in all angles of growth, to hear the splash of cream entering his stomach. as the video goes on, viktor's moans grow more desperate as he begins to run out of room - but still he drinks, he drinks until every drop has been funnelled down his greedy gullet.
jayce finishes embarrassingly fast but continues to pleasure himself until the video is finished. until the text pops up to remind subscribers that, for an added donation, he can fulfill something they specifically want to see if they choose to ask for it.
why not, jayce thinks again. in his haze, thinking of those thin, pink lips only just peeking out from beneath the mask, does jayce click onto the donation page: 'read my tos before you inquire.' and he has, dozens of times - ever since viktor had first added it a few years prior.
an electric pleasure thrums, delectably gratifying. he could help make heftyherald huge. logical thinking is all but thrown out the window as he inputs 250 and presses send.
the next morning, jayce wakes to a pounding in his head and a sudden mount of disgust upon taking in the sight of himself, sticky and cold. what the hell did he do...?
his phone is pinging - caitlyn, asking how he is. vi, sending photos from the night prior [he doesn't think he can stomach the second-hand embarrassment right now.] and then he checks his email. along with an invite to guest-star in a fellow creator's food channel, there's a receipt for /2,500/ spent on heftyherald and a message on-site from heftyherald himself.
jayce nearly passes out.
fuck. he couldn't just request a charge-back; it would be cruel to dangle such a large sum only to yank it back, especially when that money was sent to a content creator that he's admired for so long. 2,500 was a pretty amount of money, but with steady sales, it barely even made a dent in his monthly-earnings. on all accounts he paid the hefty price for a life lesson - not to impulse buy after a night of drinking. he could at least delete the message, act as if it was donation-only - he hadn't put something in the prompt box, had he? if he didn't, he could wash his hands of it. maybe this was his sign to unsubscribe and -
it takes him three days to crack and check his messenger.
he hunches over his phone, face burning in shame as he confronts the consequences of his own actions.
heftyherald: hello. heftyherald: was that a mistake? heftyherald: hello.
mercuryhammer: yes, i pressed an extra zero, it wasn't supposed to be that much, i sent it while i was mercuryhammer: hey! it wasn't a mistake! i've been watching you for a really long time so i wanted to give back in a bigger way! :) heftyherald: okay. heftyherald: would you like to discuss what you want? you left the prompt blank. mercuryhammer: that was intentional! just treat yourself with the donation! my treat!
really, viktor thinks. all that money and you want nothing in return?
heftyherald: okay. the gesture is very much appreciated.
it takes a brisk jog around the block to calm jayce's racing mind.
he's fine at first, up until he passes an advertisement for a fast food joint that makes his mind wander once more. heftyherald will be using his money to buy food - he could even splurge on some new toys -
jayce has to run home.
viktor loves doing what he does. he earns a steady source of income. he lives comfortably without worry. when he'd first moved to piltover, he struggled finding a job. he sold his art, but it wasn't enough to make a living. it was only when he dipped a toe into the kink community that he felt he belonged somewhere, uploading that first, nerve-wracking post introducing himself.
now, he's no stranger to generous donations. even going by base-price, heftyherald earns double of what portraythemachine makes per month. still, 2,500 is nothing to scoff at.
it's an easy choice to decide where he would spend it. for as long as he's been earning so well, he's wrangled with the guilt of actually spending his earned money on himself - he couldn't think to keep such a large sum when others were in need. so as usual, a large chunk goes to various charities under an anonymous name. and than, and only then, does he spoil himself with he remainder - some food, yes, but clothes, too, kink and non-kink alike.
and he needs to think of a new video. even if the donator insisted the prompt remain empty, viktor couldn't not give them something in return.
jayce has a tight schedule to upkeep - the need to always be posting, to make sure he doesn't lose his audience is a heavy burden to bear. he also has a convention to prepare for in five months. to make sure he stays focused, he bans himself from spicecore.
it takes him two weeks to see a new upload from heftyherald, one dedicated to 'a generous donation'. jayce immediately clicks in. in the video, viktor lounges, looking all but spoiled in a cute panty set - one that jayce hasn't seen before. there's a box of a dozen, cutesy-looking donuts - heart-shaped, sprinkled and drizzled with cream. but that isn't what catches jayce's attention. what catches his attention is the collar around viktor's neck. there's a leash attached that's been pulled up at an angle, making it seem as through the 'person behind the camera' is holding it. viktor gluts himself on every single donut, whining, panting. he tries not to make a sound, even when his stomach sounds so angry, protesting the influx of dough with a loud, churning 'grrggl'
he wants to kiss the mole to the left of viktor's navel so badly.
the video ends with a slap to the stomach, so full that it barely wobbles. jayce remembers when he struggled to fit in six donuts let alone twelve.
twelve? why not twenty?
what jayce wouldn't do to hear heftyherald moan out his name as he stuffs his pretty mouth full.
jayce pulls up the messenger, skin prickling with the aftershocks of pleasure.
mercuryhammer: hey there! me again :) mercuryhammer: i know i said i didn't want to commission anything on top of my donation, but is it too late to change my mind heftyherald: not at all. you have read over my tos, yes mercuryhammer: all the way through! heftyherald: then proceed. mercuryhammer: can you show your face? [it's in the 'no' tier.] mercuryhammer: can you boss me around like all i'm good for is keeping you fed? mercuryhammer: jockstrap? mercuryhammer: can i hear you talk? like without the modulator?
[viktor takes a moment to respond.]
heftyherald: normally, i would decline, but you have been very charitable to me. we can arrange a private video if you are comfortable with the idea.
[jayce panics. has to will himself to press send.]
mercuryhammer: sounds good! :)
heftyherald: okay. let me know if there is anything else you would like me to do.
what's gotten into him? now that he's gotten heftyherald's attention, he wants to keep it.
but, viktor emphasizes, the video is meant for jayce and jayce only. if he's caught sharing it, he risks being banned from viktor's spicecore. that isn't a problem, jayce reassures - as if he would ever.
it takes a week for the video to be sent. it pops up in messenger near dinnertime. it takes jayce an hour before he can bring himself to open the file, holed-up in his bedroom with the door shut and locked - almost too wound up to even think about being turned on. it's different this time. he's never struggled to open a heftyherald video before, but those videos weren't addressed to him, with something he requested.
he presses play.
"you finally arrived." spoken so tenderly without the distortion of the modulator, accompanied with a come-hither gesture of the hand. "it is good to see you." on the table is the food jayce had requested viktor buy with the donation - take-away from one of the more prestigious restaurants in town, a full spread. he's wearing a suit, too. form-fitting, hugging his body in all the right places. "socializing? eh, in time. for now, i would much rather, how you say, grab a bite to eat. i have not eaten since morning. work, yes."
"that is quite a selection. i simply do not know where to start." a curious hum, white teeth nibbling into pink lips as jayce can hear the audible growl of hunger that wails from viktor's stomach.
"i cannot just glut myself at the party. what if people see?"
heftyherald plays his part of the roleplay perfectly. the way he moves is sure to draw the eye. delicate fingers grasping his plate as he loads himself up. the subtle brush of a palm against the buttons of his waistcoat, perfectly framing his profile so that jayce has something to compare from before to after.
"is my stomach really that loud? that is embarrassing..."
"fine, if you insist that i eat, i will eat. hah, perhaps you are the insatiable one, wanting me to indulge myself so publicly."
"you will rub my belly after we are finished here, yes?"
jayce nearly slams the laptop shut, arousal surging hard and fast.
he is fucked.
another donation sent, a month after the first one, though this time sent with a sound mind - and only 250 this time; no accidentally pressed zeroes.
prompt: happy new year! could i request another video? i was thinking along the lines of you trying on old clothes and reacting to playful teasing from the watcher. cheers!
jayce feels on top of the world. 5 millions subscribers and a new year to bring new concepts to the table. his various subgenres of content are already popular but he has so much he wants to do. maybe he could even host a cooking competition of his own? something unique that differs from the preexisting ones.
at a get-together, jayce finds himself politely declining the advances of someone coming onto him. while he's entertained the idea before - before he started actually engaging with heftyherald - now, he finds he just isn't interested in those around him. his standards might be set a little too high, now, because all he can think about when a potential partner approaches is the video where viktor's leash disappears off-camera. thinks about himself as being the one to hold it.
mel approaches after watching as jayce lets the woman down easy. the engagement ring on her finger catches the light as she raises her champagne glass in greeting. "quite the heart-breaker these days, aren't you, golden boy?"
they had dated in the past, before their paths taken a natural divergence. currently, she owns a high-end fashion line, built from the ground up - she had moved to piltover after becoming estranged from her mother.
"i'd just rather focus on more important things." and it's not a lie.
yet another donation sent another month after that. 250.
prompt: hope you're doing well! how about another chugging video? but maybe this time you can sit at the table so that you can feel yourself expand into the edge of it. navel play is also welcome. cheers!
p.s would love if you burped into the camera.
using jayce's donations separate from his usual earnings - letting himself finally indulge in the smaller pleasures - viktor splurges on art supplies, things he'd always talked himself out of buying - some paints, but notebooks, too, and a 24-count set of pastels with a price-tag that made him wince.
a new canvas takes to the easel.
a self-portrait, sketched in the moment. inspiration budding, blooming. his body wider, plush and fat, yet crafted from metal and wire. behind him, an alleyway shrouded in fog. a figure that shapes a lonely silhouette, but it is anything but. it's private, meant for his eyes only. in the background on his phone, manofcuisine tries out various 1-star cooking products.
later, as viktor puts himself to bed, rio, his axolotl, watches him from her tank. her eyes are locked onto the newly-bought bedspread that viktor wraps himself up, the comforter thick and warm.
another month gone by. another donation. 500.
prompt: hey! i'd like to request an all day stuffing. let's say your feeder is away at work, so you want to surprise them when they get back. the clothes you wear will be up to you! let me know that's alright. cheers! p.s since you were asking about drink recommendations, i would say atlas black rose.
eventually, jayce finds a balance. he feels he's starting to get a bit too greedy with his requests and begins leaving the words 'dealer's choice' in the prompt box. he doesn't want to stop supporting viktor - after all, viktor has certainly helped loosen him up in times of high-stress.
he knows viktor is just doing his job, knows that the emotions displayed in his videos towards the watcher are only part of a script, but it makes him feel something - a connection.
at this point, viktor expects to see jayce's handle pop up in his notifs at the end of every month. he wonders what mercuryhammer looks like behind the screen, what they sound like. viktor has grown used to being spoiled by so many strangers, but he's never had a follower keep up with such a lofty donation streak.
he didn't like to play favourites, but he was intrigued.
heftyherald: could we perhaps just talk? i would like to get to know you.
no. just stay professional, viktor.
mercuryhammer: this might be too forward, but would it be possible to meet up? mercuryhammer: i'd like to meet up! i don't mind paying for the trip! mercuryhammer: have you ever thought about meeting up with a follower? is that too weird? haha
boundaries, talis.
the convention comes. jayce doesn't have much time for himself due to being stuck behind a table for the near-entire length - give or take a few hours to break for a long lunch - and that's not even mentioning the two different panels he'll be hosting. one on saturday being a game-show about showing pictures of dishes from shows and games and the audience needing to guess which media it came from. the other, on sunday, revolving around discussing food in media; something more laid back.
currently, as the friday brings in the con-goers, jayce sits himself down at his table, straightens his prints and plasters a smile on his face. he's ready to meet some fans.
meanwhile,
it takes viktor four tries to approach manofcuisine's autograph line. it's his first time going to a convention. jayce had announced he would be joining the internet celebrity list, and the convention center was only a few hours away, a trek manageable by train. he was the only reason viktor was going, but the thought of actually speaking to him is another story. he finally gathers the courage to join the line after it reopens when jayce returns from lunch. he's ushered into place with too many people, his cane gripped in a white-knuckled hand and butterflies swirling in his belly.
viktor has been watching him for quite some time. jayce has a great personality, works well off of banter, and his videos are long enough that viktor can put them on in the background as he paints - and it's only a matter of time before a collection of sketches depicting jayce's visage appear in his notebook off-screen. and in tougher times, too, does viktor turn to his videos, seeking out jayce's laugh, his voice a comfort.
oftentimes he found himself putting on 'take a seat at the table', a video podcast where jayce - along with a few guests - eat and chat, laughing along with them as he eats his own dinner. pathetic? maybe. viktor doesn't have many people close to him - by design.
does he have a crush on jayce? he tells himself that he doesn't, though it doesn't stop his mind from wandering, thinking about what it would be like if a connection formed during jayce's meet-and-greet, paving the way to a potential friendship - perhaps love, too. a silly fantasy.
viktor finds himself suddenly at the front of the line. a woman - jayce's handler - gestures for him to step forward. jayce is behind the table, currently in the middle of recording a shout-out for a fan whose friend had been unable to attend the convention.
he points to the print he wants - the photo jayce uses for his channel - chokes out his name for jayce to sign along with his autograph. he feels as though he is encased in molasses, his tongue thick in his mouth.
and then jayce's attention is on him, the barrier of another person gone as they walk away with their goods.
"hey -" jayce quickly pauses to read the name written on the sticky-note, "viktor! thanks for coming out!" he greets viktor with a tone that doesn't show the exhaustion he must be feeling several hours into the convention.
viktor can't speak. he nods along as jayce attempts to make conversation - to ensure viktor isn't left disappointed with his visit.
"let's get that photo." viktor hands off his phone to another handler - he'd made sure to change his lockscreen last-minute from a photo of jayce to a sunrise he'd taken on the train.
he is then face to face with the one and only jayce talis as he rounds the table to stand with him, broad-shouldered, smile bright and eyes kind, the charisma cranked to eleven. jayce, a man who has brought him comfort and company. viktor knows his birthday, his favourite shops, his favourite food. knows his family immigrated, a life built from scratch. viktor knows that jayce's father had passed when he was young - a subject he talked about that helped with the passing of viktor's own mother.
but, like everyone else in the line, jayce doesn't know anything about him. viktor is another face in the crowd. a vessel for money to be taken in exchange for a brief encounter.
everyone is looking at them.
jayce puts his hand on his shoulder, pulls him in close. viktor can smell his cologne, rich, spicy. he can only imagine he looks like a deer in headlights as his phone's shutter clicks.
a clap to the shoulder, a rehearsed line mentioning his game show on saturday, that he hopes he sees viktor there.
and then it's over. viktor stumbles away from the crowd, clutching jayce's autograph to his chest.
a silly fantasy, indeed.
it turns out viktor is not a fan of conventions, at least not one of this calibre. crowded, musty and loud. the panels are his own saving grace and while he was sure to make it to the front of the line, he sits near the back, content to listen and not participate.
on saturday night, he films a video for his spicecore in his hotel room, one addressed to the ever-generous mercuryhammer. after, he can no longer stop himself from jerking off to the thought of manofcuisine.
in another hotel, jayce calls in an early night and pleasures himself to viktor's all-day stuffing video. again.
five months after that accidental 2,500 donation that started it all, viktor messages jayce once more.
heftyherald: i do not know how to word this any other way, but i please ask you to stop sending in donations. mercuryhammer: did i do something wrong? heftyherald: no. you have just given far too much. i would rather you spend your money elsewhere. heftyherald: that being said, i will not say no if you have any further requests. mercuryhammer: really? heftyherald: i think you have earned it, yes. mercuryhammer: i mean, now that we're talking, i would like to ask you what you prefer doing. your favourite foods? drinks? heftyherald: you would like to pick my brain? well...
but they continue to talk.
heftyherald: so you like to tinker with things? mercuryhammer: yeah! not much anymore, but when i was younger, i would create loads of stuff. back then i had big dreams of being a world-renowned inventor. heftyherald: ah. and what would one of these world-renowned designs look like? mercuryhammer: i remember one of them being a collapsible tool line. if i'm remembering right, it was supposed to be made for a contest. heftyherald: did you win? mercuryhammer: i got second place! got dinged because the hammer's mechanisms got jammed. everything else went good! mercuryhammer: well i did wipe out going up the stairs to collect the reward. heftyherald: need to make an entrance no one forgets [said sarcastically] mercuryhammer: okay okay now it's your turn. you mentioned that you do art?
and talk.
heftyherald: you have spoiled me too much. i told you to stop spending money on me. mercury hammer: but i like spoiling you. heftyherald: i will be the size of a house at this rate. mercuryhammer: is that a bad thing?
please don't have overstepped. please don't have overstepped.
heftyherald: you would like that wouldn't you? mercuryhammer: ha ha :) heftyherald: ...would you though? mercuryhammer: gtg!
and talk.
heftyherald: we do not have many holidays. there is one, but it is more of a day of remembrance than of celebration. mercuryhammer: what is it? heftyherald: our lantern festival. a day to honour those who protected our city in dire times, because their integrity deserves to not be forgotten to time. heftyherald: what about you? mercuryhammer: we have the jubilee. it's like a big potluck to thank janna for a good harvest. heftyherald: interesting. and do you believe in this janna? mercuryhammer: sometimes i do. sometimes i don't. depends. mercuryhammer: it's hard to when you lose a parent. heftyherald: i see. heftyherald: i lost my mother. you are not alone in your grief.
and then,
heftyherald: i want to call you.
jayce is quick to rebuttal with weak excuse about his microphone being broken, but he was not going to fumble the olive branch offered to him.
mercuryhammer: but i still want to see you.
the first call starts casual. viktor speaks while jayce types, about anything that comes to mind. it's viktor's first time personally talking to a fan, but it feels natural to be speaking in this way. as it is, jayce no longer fits into the category of 'follower'. if anything, viktor sees him as an acquaintance. a friend, even.
the call lasts hours, until jayce announces that he has an early start tomorrow and has to head in early.
viktor is reluctant to let him go.
eventually, a new video pops up about viktor's weight update, titled progress day. it's a public video, meant for everyone to see. viktor has put on fifteen pounds in five months.
the comments pine for viktor, compliment him, express their desire to be with him. jayce can't help but feel a little possessive, but little do they know viktor had just recently sent him photos of himself after the buffet jayce had recommended him.
heftyherald: if only you were there with me. maybe i would have been able to eat another plate. mercuryhammer: just one? i would've packed you so full you'd be beached for at least half an hour. herftyherald: promise?
viktor stands before the camera, turning this way and that as he shows off to his audience.
"look at what you did." his robotic monotone drifts from beneath his mask. his hands splay flat on his belly, now spilling further over the waistband of his little briefs - they're so tight, now. "this. all of this. is because of you."
because of me, jayce thinks.
the second call transitions to that of video, and the conversation that starts out fairly normal quickly evolves into something much spicier. viktor dutifully keeps his face out of frame - his mask discarded - though the rest of his body is fair game as he eats his way through a bag of take-out while he dryhumps one of the pillows in his filming room for jayce to watch.
mercuryhammer: want to feed you so badly mercuryhammer: please please please mercuryhammer: need you
viktor can barely take in the words appearing rapid-fire on the screen, but the live encouragement takes his arousal to an entirely new level.
it's so much different than acting out for a camera. mercuryhammer is watching him, live, making a voracious glutton of himself, desperate to stuff his gut with as much food as he can force into it.
and it feels so fucking good.
mercuryhammer: fuck you're getting so big "because you've - fuck - been so good at making sure i - aahn - am getting enough." viktor's voice hitches.
mercuryhammer: i'll do anything for you anything i'll give you anything you want
"i want you."
viktor moves in such a way that reveals just a little more of his face than he's ever showed in his videos. his parted lips are spit-shiny, a glob of sauce stubbornly clinging. he's panting, tongue near-lolling out as he whimpers and moans and he works himself to climax.
jayce finishes first.
the next morning,
mercuryhammer: do you want to meet?
please say yes.
they plan on meeting somewhere public, a coffee shop. it's large enough that it can fit quite an amount of people, the floor-plan vertical in length to give enough room for the counter to be on one side while the other is taken up by tables and chairs. as it was a saturday morning, it's bustling with people. a few people recognize him.
jayce seats himself at a quarter to noon, an entire hour earlier than planned - intentional, as he didn't want to risk missing viktor if he, too, decided to show up early. the back of the building held privacy - that and he knew he would be glancing out the ceiling-to-floor windows every two minutes if he had sat up front.
he opens his laptop to at least look busy, his foot tapping an impatient, anxious rhythm on the floor. this is it, he's finally going to be meeting viktor. he's fantasized about this moment for nearly half a decade.
he didn't know what to bring. flowers would feel too intimate - any gift would, really - but he also didn't want to purchase food preemptively, either. considering the reason they were here, it would feel like jayce was being too forward. their meeting was only supposed to be a casual chat, nothing more.
every time the door chimes, he forces himself to keep his head down.
one rolls around. and,
viktor steps through the door of the coffee shop, ducking his head as the bell announces his arrival.
mercuryhammer: i'll be on my laptop as far to the back as i can manage. look for the #manofcuisine decal. i know it's embarrassing, but my friend stuck it on and i couldn't get it off. heftyherald: oh? are you a fan of him? mercuryhammer: you could say that.
viktor spots the laptop. he spots the man typing away at it.
and his heart drops.
no. no no no no -
it's not going to be him of all people. viktor looks around again as he feels his heart-rate kick up, desperate to find anyone else who could meet the description given to him. but no one does. no one does, just the jayce talis, who is currently sitting only mere feet away.
h, viktor texts a single letter into messenger, just to see.
there is no audible sound, but jayce reacts the moment the text is sent, digging into his pocket to retrieve his phone.
and viktor bails.
he moves as swiftly as his leg will allow him to, nearly tripping over himself in his haste to escape to the nearby convenience store before jayce takes notice of him leaving mere seconds of arriving.
was he caught up in some elaborate prank? as much as he had admired jayce, he just couldn't accept someone like him was here to meet with viktor legitimately. there had to be a motive. in the end, jayce was an entertainer, and entertainers would do anything to get their clicks. so, as far as viktor was aware, he was on the chopping block for a series calling out strange fetishes. jayce was the lure and viktor had taken the bait.
fuck, his thoughts are spiralling. was he paranoid? without question. did he think jayce would stoop so low? he really doesn't know. no matter, he wasn't staying to find out.
he never would have agreed to meet up if jayce had just been honest.
as viktor makes his way back to the bus stop...
...jayce waits. and he waits. he waits up until he accepts that he's been stood up. but he doesn't initially think it's on purpose. he more worries, hoping nothing happened to viktor on his way in.
earlier, a message had been sent by accident, but that was all to their daily conversation. no 'i'm here', 'or 'on my way', like jayce thought he would be getting.
when he's back in his car, he gets ready to open up their shared chat, but upon opening the app and clicking into his messenger, he finds that he can't access it. he's blocked, forcibly unsubscribed from viktor's page. jayce stares at the empty box where their chat used to be, not wanting to believe it.
he refreshes the page. blocked.
he refreshes again. still blocked.
fuck.
he has no way to contact viktor outside of spicecore to explain his side of things. was he blocked because viktor recognized him? he couldn't think of any other reason when they had been planning out a date only hours prior.
i'm sorry i didn't tell you.
stupid. so stupid.
jayce really tries to act as if he hasn't been broken up with because he hasn't, but the sting of rejection is still far too great for him to function as he usually does. it's embarrassing; he's a grown man; he needs to act like it. focus on his job that he gets paid for.
"jayce." caitlyn sounds exasperated, as she should be - this is maybe his fifth take. "you need to smile when you're opening the box - it's a sponsor for god's sake."
jayce drags a hand down his face. "i'm trying." the set-kitchen feels stifling - the air too humid, the lights too bright. he feels the sweat gathering under his arms.
"you're grimacing. they-" their sponsors "-don't want to see you acting like even looking at their food is disgusting to you."
maybe it is disgusting, jayce wants to say. he doesn't say it, though, because he knows he's in a bad mood. in actuality their mealplans are good. fine, even.
in the end, they take five. jayce needs some air.
viktor announces a month-long hiatus for heftyherald. he doesn't even want to think about creating content.
instead, he focuses on his art. messy, vulnerable.
a brain comprised of cogs, lungs comprised of silicone. painting so roughly that his hands are smeared with grey. the tarp below saves his carpet from stray splatter, but it doesn't save his socks.
he'd had to click through to the very first page of subscribers to find jayce's handle to block. subscribed for nine years, back before manofcuisine went viral. back before jayce even showed his face, using voice overs with a crappy mic and even crappier video quality.
a laser positioned at the shoulder separates the remaining flesh from the body, making way for something mighty, robust, a being made from steel. his desk is a mess - organized chaos - but he prefers it that way.
so jayce was serious, but that made things worse.
did he not realize the ramifications of publicly meeting an adult content creator? viktor is well aware of the ridicule his community went through just by existing. not only would jayce be put in the spotlight in an unflattering way, it would very much bring unwanted attention to viktor as well. all people would need is a photo, snapped during a date, leading to a name - his content would be found and leaked before the week was done.
viktor had carefully curated his space for years, keeping things private. he despised the thought of being in the spotlight. he feels betrayed in a way. someone he had admired for so long - someone he found comfort in, had lied to him on multiple occasions.
broken microphone indeed. he feels so foolish.
when he's not painting, he goes out to socialize. he drops in at a few different bars just to look for a connection, but every time he thinks he'll take the first step, he thinks of jayce, and what could have been.
back to the canvas.
jayce can't let it end like this. whenever he has a moment to himself, he searches through the many, many artists the platform hosts, trying to find the hands he can map out by memory alone. viktor had said he was an artist; there was a chance he might have his own channel. jayce prays that he does.
aha! easier than he expected.
manofcuisine: please don't block me i'm begging you. i'm so sorry for the way things ended. i want to make it up to you. manofcuisine: please. manofcuisine: it was selfish of me not to tell you. i didn't want to ruin things. manofcuisine: i really like you, viktor. manofcuisine: for years.
portraythemachine: how the hell did you find me?
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aaand that's all i have!! sorry about the cliffhanger T_T i got stuck at the part where they would actually talk but ofc they would get together in the end!!
