This is potentially the first of many (I am rotating them in my head - please talk to me lol)
Title: Late Nights
WC: 1027w
Summary: Viktor is being stubborn, and Jayce employs desperate measures.
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“V, it’s two in the morning. Surely we call it now.” Jayce wiped his forehead with his arm, dropping his spanner and looking over to his partner. Viktor didn’t even look up from his project.
“I’m sure I’m close to something. I just need a little more time…”
“You said that an hour ago. And then an hour before that. This will still be here in the morning.”
“It is the morning already, no? Therefore a new day has started, and I have even more time than anticipated.”
Jayce could hear the grin in Viktor’s voice - he loved to be pedantic about words. Sighing, he abandoned his post and walked over to Viktor’s chair. He observed him carefully manoeuvring instruments around the hexcore, intently focused. Jayce felt his mind wander as he felt the tiredness for the first time. His hand slipped off the back of the chair to Viktor’s crutch, knocking it to the ground and making him jump.
Viktor pushed his goggles to his forehead. “Jayce! That broke my concentration, I almost had it!”
“No you didn’t.”
“How do you know?”
Jayce yawned, leaning on the back of the chair. “When you’re actually close to figuring something out, you have a face for it. A figured-out face.”
Viktor sputtered. “What- no I don’t!”
Jayce just raised his eyebrows. “You do. So, are we calling it a day?”
Viktor narrowed his eyes, studying Jayce for a minute before going back to his work with an amused smile. “No. You may go, but I will stay.”
Jayce let his head fall to the side. He was fucking around now, and he was gonna find out.
“Well, if that’s how you’re gonna be, I’m going to have to resort to making you.”
Viktor scoffed. “Good luck- whoa!”
Jayce wrapped his arms around Viktor and pulled him up out of the chair, half dragging him away from his work. Viktor yelled and pushed at his arms in response, kicking out weakly.
“Jayce, this is madness and undignified!”
Jayce adjusted his grip and Viktor squirmed, making a choked noise and throwing himself to the side. An idea suddenly popped into his head.
“You want undignified? I’ll show you undignified.”
With that, Jayce took most of Viktor’s weight with one arm and used the other to prod at his side. Viktor let out a high pitched yelp and started thrashing with more vigour than Jayce thought possible. He didn’t laugh, not yet, but there was absolutely no doubt that his poking tickled pretty badly.
Jayce stopped dragging him, opting instead to kneel and pin Viktor to the floor, temporarily providing relief. Viktor’s chest heaved from trying to escape, but with his arms pinned all he could do was glare at Jayce.
“What the hell was that?” Viktor complained, flushed. Jayce laughed.
“Are you going to bed now? I think you know what will happen if you don’t.”
Viktor mumbled something foreign under his breath and struggled a little before giving up.
“This is cruel considering my condition, Jayce.”
Jayce loosened his grip, thinking he’d won, but the minute Viktor could move he used a hand to grab onto his rib cage and squeeze, making Jayce burst out laughing.
“Oh, you little shit I’m gonna get you now.”
Viktor’s self satisfied grin was lost when Jayce quickly pinned both his arms above his head with one hand, the other aiming to skitter up Viktor’s side. He had a moment to try and squirm away before the fingers touched down and all hope was lost.
“Oh no no no-!” Viktor repeated, immediately dissolving into cackles. Jayce laughed triumphantly, hand crawling up and down Viktor’s ribs like a spider. He nudged his fingers between the bones of his ribs and wiggled, and that made Viktor shriek.
“Ha! I had no idea you were this ticklish!” Jayce teased, counting up Viktor’s ribs until he was a giggly, squirmy mess.
“Plehease!” Viktor managed amidst laughter, arching his back which only made Jayce’s tickling worse.
Jayce released his arms and Viktor though he had freedom, but that other hand just slipped under his shirt to tickle him even more, fluttering over his stomach before scuttling up to his ribs to join the torture. Viktor’s freed arms could do absolutely nothing against Jayce, who he was quickly discovering was a force of nature when it came to tickling. He tried to resist as best he could, but it had been so long since someone had dared try this on him and he was not handling it well.
Recognising his defeat, he let his head fall back and laughed freely, giving up on his efforts to stop the curious hands.
“Ahallright! I will stop! Jahayce, it tickles!”
Jayce finally let up on his victim, drawing his hands over his bare tummy one last time to get a giggle out of him.
“Still alive?” Jayce asked, and Viktor glared at him.
“Alive? You just about killed me!”
Jayce grinned and cocked his head, teasing. “No. If I wanted to truly turn you into a puddle I could have held you still and blown raspberries on your tummy. I could still do that-“
Viktor quickly moved to protect his stomach, scooching out from under Jayce. “No! No, you have tormented me enough today.”
“Are you sure? There’s no shame in wanting more - it sounded like you were begging for it before.”
Viktor turned bright red, stammering on his words and sitting up. “I did not- what are you-“
Jayce chuckled and put a hand on Viktor’s shoulder. He flinched, but relaxed when he realised Jayce wasn’t going to tickle him again. The hand moved to cradle his cheek and Viktor unconsciously leaned into it, yawning. This time it was Jayce’s turn to blush, and he drew his hand away after a moment.
“Anyway. We should get some sleep.” Jayce stood and offered a hand to Viktor, which he took. “Is the heating in your apartment still broken?”
Viktor sighed. “Yes. My landlords are… useless, is the kindest word I could use.”
“My place?”
“Mhm. If I wake up to you cuddling in your sleep again, I’ll obliterate you.”
