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Chapter Text

The Piltover Academy of Science and Discovery.

Heralded for its diversity and opportunity, welcoming to all hybrids. Eager to accept them, even. The Academy held 4 dozen vampires, 6 dozen humans, 3 dozen satyrs, and 8 dozen werewolves. Acceptable forms of magic were limited to the shifting qualities of werewolves and vampires alike, it being common knowledge that it wasn't something some of them could control. But that was where the line had been drawn for as long as anyone in Piltover could remember. 

Then came Jayce Talis.

A headstrong, ambitious young werewolf with a curiosity for the strange and an insatiable hunger for knowledge. Someone who was involved with magic far beyond himself. He had conducted his research in silence until it had blown up in the public eye, leaving him with his tail between his legs in front of a gathering of the most powerful creatures in Piltover. He barely escaped expulsion. He barely escaped banishment. He barely escaped. It wasn't until three weeks later, when Piltover and Zaun began to see the consequences of the explosion that had consumed his apartment. 

It wasn't until three weeks later that the first bodies started to show up. 

It wasn't until four weeks that they caught the killer.

Unheard of. Unheard of and impossible. With no way to dispose of it and no real experience with how to handle it, the responsibility was passed to the Academy. They accepted all species, after all. 

The Academy held 4 dozen vampires, 6 dozen humans, 3 dozen satyrs and 8 dozen werewolves...

and one Fae.

There were new rules that had to be enforced. New protocols put into place for a creature no one had ever met before, but had only read about in textbooks and stories. It was not to be put in any classes with other students. No one had even seen it for longer than a second. Despite the Academy keeping it separate, every student was more than aware that there was something ancient walking among them. Well... did it even walk? None of the students were sure. The professors kept their mouths shut. One of the dorm buildings had three floors sectioned off. Only the middle of the three was occupied and only one room, at that. 

No one was to say their names around it.

There were incidents, of course. Someone said the name of their friend a bit too loud. A lack of awareness that would lead to that friend later being found dead. Limbs strewn, blood shed, and head missing. The head was always found somewhere in the Academy. A storage closet or a freezer in the kitchen. First name, last name, it never mattered. Once it heard the name, it would take everything that came with it. During full moons, when its behavior became more animalistic, the Academy would release it into the roaming grounds above Zaun, typically reserved for werewolves. Werewolves couldn't speak during the full moon and it would not take anyone it didn't have the name of. 

A year passed, in which every student was painfully aware of the Fae in their midst. But none of them ever saw it. Not until-

Crunch, crunch, snap!

Jayce huffed to himself as he plodded through the woods, sticks breaking beneath him. His tail was lashing behind himself and his ears were in a lowered position. To put it simply, he was annoyed. He always considered full moons his worst night. A night where he couldn't get anything done because his body insisted on such a drastic transformation. He should've been studying for his presentation, not stuck pacing in the middle of nowhere on four legs! His breath billowed out in front of him as he let out a frustrated growl.

He finally sat down and agitatedly pawed at his muzzle. While his instincts were quite pleased with being out in the woods, Jayce was not. Jayce wanted nothing more than to just go back to his mother's house and sleep in his own bed. His ear pricked as he heard the distant howl of another werewolf. He didn't bother answering. He didn't want anyone coming to find him. He was in no mood to chase. No mood to hunt. No mood to play. He just wanted the night to be over already. 

Tch!

Jayce nearly jumped out of his damn skin as he heard the click of a tongue nearby. He nearly fell over with how fast he whipped around, but he didn't see anyone. He took on a defensive position, wanting to make it very clear to any other wolves that he did not want company. His ears were pricked as he listened. Nothing but the rustling of leaves. Nothing but the sound of wind. He had sat himself down in a small clearing at the bottom of a hill. 

Tch!

Another click of a tongue. Jayce hesitated as a strange feeling began to creep through the air. It made all of his fur stand up and his tail was slipping between his legs before he could help it. Something was not right. Something was... dangerous. Jayce slowly crouched to the ground. He wasn't small. He wasn't small by any means. If anything, he was probably one of the largest werewolves at the Academy when he was shifted. But this? This felt... Jayce froze up.

Tch!

A silhouette started to cross the top of the hill, outlined against the full moon. For just a moment, Jayce could only think of one word to describe it. Beautiful. The limbs and body were slender. Delicate. Graceful. The fur shone like snow. It stared down at Jayce, tipping its head. It was the most beautiful thing Jayce had ever seen. But...

it wasn't... right.

Tch!

A click of a tongue emitted from it. When Jayce really took a moment to look at it, everything started to stand out. The muzzle was too long. It was nearly twice the length of his own. Despite the direct light, the eyes remained dark. Almost pitch-black. It did not blink. It did not move. It only stared. Jayce lowered his head almost instantly in submission. Normally, he would die before he ever bowed his head to a stranger, but this? This thing felt wrong. This thing wasn't a wolf at all. It felt like the world had gone silent and Jayce's ears completely flattened against his head. If he ran, would it chase?? Those eyes hadn't changed. Black, unending pools. It still wouldn't blink. 

Tch!

With another click of its tongue, the head turned away and the eyes followed. The muzzle hung downwards near the end, the length of it causing it to droop. Despite perfectly clean, white fur, Jayce could see the shine of drool streaming from its muzzle. It was opalescent and Jayce felt a gut repulsion at the sight. Jayce felt like he was in danger. The tail hadn't moved once, stuck out behind it like it wasn't sure what to do with it. When it walked, Jayce took note of the way one of its back legs dragged behind it. It didn't move like it was injured though. It moved like it was used to it. It moved like it could feel its own skin. Just the thought chilled Jayce to the bone and he tucked himself into a flattened ball as it picked its way down the hill. 

The path it chose was nonsensical and serpentine. All he could hear was the snapping of twigs and the dragging of leaves as the lame leg caught on them. When the first paw stepped into his view, Jayce found it wasn't a paw at all. The ends of the slender legs held a pure white, five-fingered hand that was curled into a fist. It walked on the palm. It didn't even have fur on them, just smooth white skin. The closer he looked, the worse it became. The teeth in that elongated muzzle were human. White and straight across. Jayce didn't hear any breathing. He didn't know if it was bleeding. The curled fists stopped directly in front of him. Jayce kept his head down. 

Even if he didn't hear breathing, he felt it on the top of his head. It only became audible as he felt a nose push against one of his ears. Soft snuffling followed it. Jayce's heart was pounding and his body was completely locked up. He watched as it sat down in front of him, its lame leg splayed awkwardly to the side. The fingers were curling and uncurling in the dirt. Its tail flicked into view and it was far too long. The snuffling stopped, but Jayce could still feel the nose against his head. 

Tch!

Jayce flinched as he felt that tongue click right against his head. He froze up as the pure white hands in front of him suddenly unfurled and reached up, brushing along the underside of his muzzle. Jayce's ears were so flat against his head that it hurt. Something ripped through his body. Internal. Metaphorical. Yet it burned like he'd actually been carved open. He let out a pained noise and his bones began to shift. He was halfway through the process before it struck him that he was being forced out of his wolf form, despite the full moon being far from over. Panic erupted inside him. 

Jayce wanted to rip himself backwards, away from the hands, but he also didn't want to risk the ire of whatever was holding him. In that part of his brain unravaged by fear, he knew what this was, but it wouldn't come to him right then. He was finally left with only his flat ears and trembling tail. Jayce was normally proud of his muscled physique and even a little cheeky about it if he shifted back while he was still in the woods, but he kept himself frozen. Whatever this was, he was left cold and naked in front of it. Those hands were cupping his jaw now. 

Jayce slowly followed them, only to find that the canine visage had fully disappeared. There was a man in front of him with ivory skin and slender limbs. He was naked as well, but his eyes were... Jayce could only stare into those pools of pitch-black. They seemed to stare right back, piercing into his very core. All Jayce could picture were those news articles. The front page pictures of limbs covered in fabric, scattered across a twelve-foot-radius. He swore he could already feel his head disconnecting from his body. He briefly wondered where they would find it.

Jayce blinked and those pools of black were gone. He couldn't help but jerk back in shock as amber eyes searched him over. They were almost crystalline, but they lacked depth. Simply a mask and nothing more. Jayce didn't remember it having a head of curly-tipped brown hair. Elongated, white-furred ears poked up, one visibly longer than the other. Crooked. Deformed. There was a white tail behind him, but it laid so flat to the ground that it looked like it would peel upwards if the man moved it. But he didn't move it. It didn't move. Jayce didn't realize how hard he was breathing until he felt his head spin. 

The man's eyes drifted down to his lips. He was completely silent for a few moments before he opened his own mouth. He started to breathe with him. Jayce's breath hitched for a moment and he yanked back, coughing and turning away. His tail curled around himself and he hunched down defensively. The man's hands remained outstretched and he stared forward, not even seeming to acknowledge that Jayce had moved. He continued his careful breathing. Jayce finally curled up on his side, his instincts alight with panic at being in this form during a full moon. How would he run?? How would he chase?? How would he roam? Tears were already welling in his eyes and he hiccuped, a whimper pulling itself from his throat. 

Hands suddenly grabbed his jaw again and Jayce yelped as he was yanked face-to-face with the man. His gaze was piercing. Finally, an emotion crept in. One that Jayce recognized. Fascination. He leaned forward and Jayce downright shivered as he felt a soft tongue lick the tears from beneath his eye. The man finally blinked as he seemed to mull over the taste. Jayce felt like he was about to pass out. It took everything in him to speak. "Please let me go." He whispered, his voice the weakest he'd ever heard it. If he weren't so terrified, his pride would have been damaged. Those amber eyes instantly flicked up to meet his. 

Jayce started to push himself backwards and, to his horror, the man started to crawl forward in response. Every push backwards that Jayce gave, the man would move so the distance between them never changed. Jayce hiccuped and more tears escaped him. He felt like a pup, cornered and shaking. His back suddenly hit the trunk of a tree and loud whimpers began to escape him as the man's crawling didn't stop. The man slinked up right to Jayce's chest, his hands squeezing his legs as he leaned in to look at him closer. Jayce squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head to the side, pressing his cheek to the bark. 

The hands moved. With a jolt of terror, Jayce realized that they were exploring him. But not in a way he'd ever felt before. Each touch was ghostly and curious. The touch of something that had never seen anything like him before. At least, not up close. One of the hands moved to his own and Jayce couldn't help but look as the man lifted it. He seemed slightly taken back as he pressed his palm to Jayce's, seeming to take note of the difference in their hand sizes. His other hand moved up and he held Jayce's hand with both of his own. He began to carefully examine each of his fingers and Jayce could only let him. It didn't matter if this creature had a lame leg. This was something that could catch him if he ran. 

Tch!

The man seemed to absentmindedly click his tongue. The side of his lips twitched and Jayce felt the blood drain from his face as the skin began to split, the line stretching all the way to the man's temple. All he could see inside were teeth. The ones at the front were straight, but there was an abrupt shift to needle-like protrusions before the skin seemed to seal up again, leaving the man looking normal. He reached out and Jayce jolted as he felt his fingers push into his mouth. He didn't dare move as the man seemed to study his teeth. 

His own jaws parted and Jayce trembled as the tips of his canines appeared, now sharpened. He pulled his hand back to hold Jayce's again. He seemed to scan Jayce over and Jayce flinched as the man pushed himself up on his knees. He kept his eyes squeezed shut. He couldn't help the way his ears shot up as he felt the gentle lick applied to his cheek. For a moment, his mind went blank, unsure of how to even react. 

Tch!

Thump, thump, thump.

The man's tongue click was followed by a noise Jayce recognized. Confusion and exhaustion gripped his body as his eyes moved to the wagging tail behind the other man. It was wagging so furiously that it hit against the ground. Jayce's eyes moved back to the man's face. He blinked. His features were sharp and he had a mole beneath his eye and above his lip. When had he gotten those?? Jayce's heart was still pounding as the man stared at him expectedly. What did he want?? What did it want?? Jayce pulled his hand away, pushing himself back just a little more against the tree. 

No. 

No, he knew what it wanted. 

"...No." He whispered, the man seeming to pause in response. The ever so slight smile that had teased his lips dropped and the wagging of his tail stopped abruptly. Jayce swallowed heavily. "I-I won't give you my name." That only seemed to displease the man more. "I won't do it." The man furrowed his brow and Jayce tried to control his breathing. He flinched as the man suddenly moved and he heard a crunch of bone. He didn't feel any pain and he opened his eyes. The man's arm was rigid and disappeared off to his side. Jayce hesitated before glancing over. 

A snake. The man had killed a snake right next to him. He lifted the limp body and opened his mouth. Jayce squeezed his eyes shut as there was a loud crunching. When he opened his eyes, the man had blood running down his chin as he chewed right through the scales and skeleton. He'd turned away slightly, hunching over his meal. Jayce hesitated before slowly positioning his hands against the ground. Maybe he could get up while the man was distracted. Maybe- The man's head abruptly lifted and snapped in his direction. Jayce froze. Maybe not. 

The man offered him the half-eaten body of the snake and Jayce nearly choked before forcing a smile and shaking his head. "N-No, I, uh... I already ate. Thank you." He whispered. The man pulled it back before continuing to eat. His jaws seemed far too loose when he chewed. Jayce could only stare. 

Was he the only student to encounter the Fae and live? 

They all knew that a Fae had been enrolled. No one was allowed to interact with it. No one was allowed to see it. It was a mystery. An ancient entity. A predator. A killer.

Tch!

Jayce jerked back at the tongue click, nearly hitting his head as the man crawled towards him, seeming to have finished the snake. His slender hands left bloodstains on Jayce as he curled against him, resting his cheek against his shoulder. Jayce was completely frozen as the man closed his eyes. Despite open jaws, he heard no breathing. The man's mouth and hands were still bloody as he remained curled up against Jayce, right in his lap. He was cold. He didn't hold the warmth of a living body, even when they were both naked. 

When the man didn't move, Jayce finally took a moment to process what was happening. This was the Fae. It had found him. It had approached him. It had changed him. It seemed like it was trying to mimic him. It had tried to feed him. And now it was resting against him. What did it want?? He'd even denied it his name and it seemed unbothered. It hadn't even tried to hurt him. 

Thump, thump, thump.

The tail was wagging again. Jayce could feel it bumping against his thigh. His mind was coming up blank. He didn't know what to do. He could only lay back and stare up at the moon like it would give him any sort of insight into the creature he had in his lap.

The moon did not answer.

Chapter Text

Someone snapped their fingers.

Jayce's ears shot up and his eyes opened, only for him to squeeze them shut at a sudden brightness. "Wha-" 

"Don't move, my boy." Heimerdinger's voice was hushed and tense. Jayce had never heard the Yordle sound like that and he instantly shut his mouth. He blinked open his eyes once more. It was dark and cloudy, but clearly daytime. Jayce wondered how long he'd been asleep. There were... six Enforcers accompanying Heimerdinger and two of them had flashlights trained on him. What the hell was happening?? Jayce finally became aware of a pressure on his chest and in his lap. He glanced down and froze up. Right. Right.

Tch!

The click of a tongue. His ears went flat immediately. The man from last night. The Fae. He was curled up against Jayce, but his eyes were wide open, only showing those shining black pools again. The rest of his body was completely relaxed and he didn't seem like he was breathing. Jayce glanced up at Heimerdinger. The Yordle blew out a slow breath before speaking again. "Viktor." 

The man's head snapped to the side, causing some of the Enforcers to jerk back. Those malformed ears twitched before very slowly flattening to the man's head. Heimerdinger's own ears were lowered. "Viktor. How are you?" He asked gently, his voice softening. The man was quiet for a moment. Finally, he spoke, though his voice wasn't anything like how Jayce expected. Accented, smooth and deep. 

"I am well this morning, Professor. Have I done something wrong?" Viktor only stared forward with those pitch-black eyes, his dried, bloody fingers still curled against Jayce's chest. The man was white as ivory, but Jayce swore he could see the faintest tint of pink. The faintest hint of something alive. Heimerdinger cleared his throat. 

"It appears you approached one of the students last night, Viktor. And you have yet to let him go." The Yordle prompted very gently. Jayce's heart was pounding. He could see how tense Heimerdinger was and, even though it had been universally understood that the enrolled Fae was beyond dangerous, this truly cemented it in Jayce's head. Professor Cecil B. Heimerdinger, who was over three centuries old, was terrified for him. 

"I do not want to let him go, Professor." Viktor's answer was calm and Jayce felt his heart drop. He was going to be eaten, wasn't he?? He was going to be killed. He'd barely escaped banishment not even two years ago and now he was going to be eaten alive?? He almost wanted to cry again. Heimerdinger seemed taken back by Viktor's words before his ears lowered as the man spoke again. "What is his name, Professor?" 

"You know as well as I do that I cannot give you that information." Heimerdinger replied, his furry brow knitting together in quiet disapproval. "Please let the student go, Viktor. You're scaring him, not to mention I am sure he is freezing with his state of undress." Despite how embarrassing it was, Heimerdinger was right. Jayce hadn't even realized he was shivering at first. His toes and fingertips felt numb. Viktor gave a slow blink and he shifted around to face Jayce. His eyes had become that crystalline amber again and he reached out, scooping one of Jayce's hands into both of his own. When he felt his fingertips, Viktor's brows seemed to shoot up. "Viktor, please get off of him so we can tend to him before he gets sick." Heimerdinger requested. Viktor didn't move for a moment. 

Tch!

He seemed to absentmindedly click his tongue before scooting backwards. Jayce instantly shifted so his tail would cover himself, his shoulders scrunching in shame and slight terror. Instantly, one of the Enforcers approached with a blanket and Jayce quickly took it, wrapping it around himself. His hands and feet were quickly wrapped up as well and he squeezed his eyes shut. He was shaking and he paused as he heard Viktor speak again. 

"I didn't hurt him." 

"Viktor, this is someone's pup that could have never returned home to them. He could have frozen to death out here!" Heimerdinger was scolding him, Viktor now covered with a blanket himself. 

"I would not have let him die." There was absolutely nothing reassuring about Viktor's calm statement. Heimerdinger let out a heavy sigh of exasperation, putting his head in his hand. Jayce glanced up as another Enforcer knelt down with a thermos of warm stew. He took it gratefully. It warmed his hands and his cramped stomach. He hadn't realized just how bad he'd gotten. The other werewolves that were tending to him had their ears flattened and Jayce knew that he was letting off such a terrible fear-scent. It was humiliating. He lowered his head as he ate the stew, his fingers trembling as they held the spoon. "I want to know his name." 

"No! It is nonnegotiable, Viktor. You know what happens when you learn a name! You know what you do!" Heimerdinger was outright berating him now. Viktor's misshaped ears lowered again, his eyes drifting to the side. "You are to go back to the Academy with the Sheriff while the student is tended to." Viktor seemed to pause at that before his eyes drifted back over to Jayce. "Viktor!" His eyes snapped back to Heimerdinger. The Sheriff, a vampire, moved forward, stiffly offering Viktor a cane. Viktor took it and leaned on it. His eyes kept moving back to Jayce. 

Tch!

Viktor clicked his tongue softly again. Jayce hesitantly met his gaze and he jumped a little as Viktor's furry, rat-like tail started to wag behind him again. He didn't understand. He really didn't understand. One of the Enforcers started to check Jayce over and when she carefully took his hand, pale fingers suddenly closed around her wrist so fast that both her and Jayce seemed like they were going to have heart attacks. Jayce wasn't sure anyone had seen Viktor move, based on the collective looks of shock. The Enforcer didn't move, keeping herself still. Viktor finally released her wrist and Jayce could see the bruises forming. Her tail was between her legs and her ears were flat. 

Viktor didn't say a word, only standing and watching. He seemed to be supervising as the Enforcer slowly started to check over Jayce again. "Viktor. He does not belong to you! Let the Enforcer do her job!" Heimerdinger said firmly, causing Viktor to jump and snap his head in the Yordle's direction. His eyes had become pools of black once more. Jayce trembled as he watched Viktor limp towards Heimerdinger. His attention was pulled away as the Enforcer continued to tend to him and Viktor was being led away through the trees when he looked up again.

Jayce had been transferred to the Academy Infirmary Wing, placed in a private room with controlled temperature. It was warm and he kept his eyes squeezed shut. He was shirtless and wore thin scrub pants. The tips of his fingers and his toes were an angry red as the temperature poured back into them. He was already panting, his tongue ever so slightly hanging from his mouth. At the very least, his heart had calmed just a little. 

He'd lived.

Good gods, he'd met the Fae and lived.

Jayce couldn't quite believe it. What a beautiful creature. Now that he didn't feel like he was in immediate danger, Jayce had time to ponder over the creature he'd spent the night beside. The Fae had certainly been trying to mimic him, but it had fallen short each attempt. Something had always been a little off. The muzzle too long. The fur too shiny. The hands. Too perfect. Too porcelain. Jayce paused as there was a loud hiss and the vents were heard stopping. The heat had been turned off for now. He didn't want to even imagine how heavily it smelled in here because of him. He had no doubt his scent was everywhere in the room now. Sweat rolled down his forehead. He kept his eyes shut. 

Tch!

Jayce felt momentarily blinded by how hard he jolted and he came to holding into the bed for dear life. His breathing was rapid and so was his heartbeat. He glanced around the room. It was sealed. There was no one here. There shouldn't have been anyone here. No one but him. Jayce furrowed his brow and his ears flattened. He lowered his head to look down at the bed. His fingers were nearly tearing the sheets with how tightly they were curled, but hey, at least they weren't frozen anymore. Jayce glanced up at the door to the room, letting his ears prick up so he could listen. 

Tch!

Jayce's ears flattened again and he hunched up, his heart nearly stopping in horror as he heard the click of a tongue from beneath his bed. He reached out to the Call button as fast as he could, but those white hands were faster. Slender fingers closed around his wrist in such a crushing grip that it caused a yelp and whimper to erupt from Jayce's throat. He yanked his arm back and held it against himself, tears welling in his eyes. Despite what had just happened, he still didn't see anyone. "...Stop. What did I do to you to deserve this??" Jayce couldn't help the defeat that crept into his voice, his tail limp behind him. "If I offended you in any way, I-I'm sorry..." He didn't know what to do. 

The first of pale fingers slipped from beneath the bed in order to grip the edge. There was still blood beneath the fingernails. Then came Viktor's voice. "You didn't. I am not offended." Jayce's heart only sank more, his shoulders following suit. He flinched as something was tossed haphazardly across the floor with a loud clack and a flutter of papers. Tears were welling in his eyes before he knew it. That... That was his chart. The clipboard with all his information from the foot of his bed.

Jayce instantly squeezed his eyes shut and he hunched over, burying his face in his arms. Poor Ximena. He hadn't even been able to see his mother one last time. She was going to lose both her husband and her pup. A soft sob was muffled into Jayce's arms. His ears were flat, his tail curled between his legs. "Why are you crying?" It sounded like Viktor was in front of him now. Jayce refused to look up at him. He lifted his head just enough to see those pale hands leaned on the edge of the hospital bed. 

"...I don't want Mama to hurt too much when I'm gone." Jayce managed in a weak voice. There was a moment of silence and one of the hands left the bed. Jayce startled as he felt fingers curl right at the base of one of his ears. It started to scratch it and he made a soft whimpering noise, tipping his head in that direction. Was this how Viktor lulled them? Maybe, if he were lucky, he wouldn't be awake when Viktor started to pull him apart. He let his eyes slip shut and pushed his head up as the other hand started to scratch the base of his other ear. It felt nice. He hiccuped softly. 

There was a soft creak and Jayce startled a little as he felt a tongue against his cheek again, one hand having slipped under his jaw in order to lift his head. Now that they were under fluorescent lighting, Jayce could most definitely see a pinker tint to Viktor's skin. Something that made him look a little less haunting. One of his white ears was gone, a human ear seen on that side of his head instead. His eyes were that crystalline amber and Jayce felt much better about that being the last thing he saw than those pools of black. For a moment, they both just stared at each other. 

Tch!

Viktor clicked his tongue and leaned in. He nosed at Jayce's neck before rubbing his cheek against the larger man's. Jayce trembled in slight confusion before ever so hesitantly nudging Viktor's cheek with his own. 

Thump, thump, thump!

The bed suddenly rattled with each hit and Jayce could see that shaggy, rat-like tail wagging again. What was he doing?? Jayce jumped as Viktor slid a leg up onto the bed, though he physically faltered as he tried to push himself up. Was it his lame leg? Jayce stared at him. If he shoved him off, he could grab the Call button. Enforcers were right outside. Jayce hesitated, his ears flat. Finally, he reached out and slipped his shaking fingers beneath Viktor's knee, the other hand steadying his waist as he helped him up into the bed. The moment he was up, Viktor was right back against him, curled against his chest so closely, it was like he wanted to be inside of it. Jayce didn't want to know if that was actually the case. His heart was pounding so hard that it hurt.

Tch!

That tongue click pierced through the room. Jayce swallowed quietly. What was happening?? What was going on?? Was he going to be killed?? Eaten?? What was happening? He froze up as Viktor spoke again, confirming his suspicion and igniting a primal terror inside him that he'd never experienced before. "It is nice to meet you, Jayce Talis."

Chapter Text

Jayce hadn't understood just how much power there was in a name until that day. Once he got out of the Infirmary, he was once again thrown into a turmoil of change. He was removed from his classes and put into one-on-one sessions. Occassionally, his only other classmate was Viktor. And Viktor had proven himself to be a problem. 

Viktor had brought him a man's severed hand two weeks after he'd learned his name. Jayce had later learned that Dmitri, a werewolf he'd shared his rut with only once, out of convenience, was found decapitated in the first floor men's bathroom in the Academy. Jayce was moved from his mother's house to the dorm building where Viktor lived. Jayce began to avoid what little friends he'd made since his explosive blunder, terrified that they'd get hurt. 

To put it simply, Jayce Talis felt more alone than he had in his entire life.

Jayce was curled up in his bed, his tail tucked around his legs and his ears lowered. He was down the hall from Viktor and the Fae had yet to try and enter his room. Even though Viktor remained polite, there was something barely controlled beneath his voice. The way he always stared was anything but calm. He had yet to get rid of his tail, which had only grown limp and rope-like behind him. The shaggy white fur remained, but his wolf ears had long disappeared.

Jayce's tail flicked quietly. It was his break between classes and the sky was cloudy. Everything was slow and sluggish. On days like this, Jayce would've gone to hang out with his friends. Before, he would've worked on his research. Now all he did was lie here. His tail fell still and it took a moment before the first tears ran down his face. He wanted to go home. At this point, he wasn't even sure if the Academy was worth it. His research had been taken. Everything had been destroyed. He was isolated from his friends. He glanced over as he heard the soft patter of rain. It began to paint the outside of his windows and Jayce squeezed his eyes shut, burying his face into the bed. 

Tch!

Jayce's eyes flicked over immediately at the click of a tongue. There was a shadow seen beneath his door. It seemed tonight was one of those nights. Sometimes Viktor would just stand outside. He never called out. He never tried to come in. He would just stand there and occasionally click his tongue. Jayce's tail curled tighter between his legs.

"Jayce, everything is alright!" 

In an instant, Jayce was sitting up, his ears pricked as he stared at the door. "Don't talk in her voice!" He didn't mean to speak with as much venom as he did, but the panic of knowing that Viktor had watched him and Caitlyn together was flooding his system. He didn't know what Viktor was supposed to gain by mimicking her voice. He felt chills go down his spine as his mother's voice drifted through the door.

"Is this one any better?" 

"No! No, that's worse!" Jayce was upset now, his legs drawing up to his chest as tears began to well in his eyes. His ears had flattened to his head again. He clenched his jaw before burying his face between his knees. "That's worse..." His voice was muffled. "...Why are you doing this to me??" He felt miserable. There was a moment of silence before Viktor's voice came through, finally just his own. 

"Doing what to you, Jayce?" Viktor had the ghost emotion of confusion in his voice. 

"Tormenting me?!" Jayce spat the words in frustration as he raised his teary eyes to the door. Another moment of silence. 

"...Is that what you think I am doing?"

"YES!!" Jayce finally yelled, his ears flat and his tail low. He was in disbelief as he stared at the door, watching the unmoving shadow beneath it. 

"...Oh." Viktor sounded taken back when he spoke again. For some reason, it only upset Jayce more and he finally broke down crying, burying his face in his hands and trying to stifle the noise. Viktor didn't say anything else, but there was a shuffling noise and the shadow grew, remaining in front of the door. It seemed like Viktor had curled up right outside his door. Jayce sucked in a breath of utter frustration. 

"Why won't you just eat me and be done with it?? That's what you've done with everyone you learned the name of! Just... put me out of my fucking misery." Jayce's voice broke a little and he hiccuped again. More silence. 

Tch!

A tongue click. "I do not wish to eat you, Jayce. I want to be good to you." Viktor sounded slightly disapproving as he spoke. Jayce couldn't stand it. Why?? Why was he being treated different?? Why was he always getting treated differently?? Jayce squeezed his eyes shut once more. Why couldn't he just...? Why couldn't he- "Jayce." Viktor's voice suddenly became strict and Jayce startled at that, glancing up. "Do not have such foolish thoughts." Jayce felt his skin prickle as he scrunched his shoulders up. Viktor knew what he was thinking too?? He bit back a growl and ended up with a whimper of frustration leaving him. "Jayce, I want to come inside now." 

"No." Jayce responded weakly. He could see those pale fingers already shoving their way under his door, gripping the wood. 

"Jayce, I want to make sure you do not do anything reckless." Viktor stated, sounding like his face was right at the bottom of the door. 

"No." Jayce felt like he was about to be sick. The pale fingers hesitated before slowly retreating back outside. Jayce's heart was pounding and it hurt. He curled up against the wall. It wasn't even five seconds before those fingers were right back under the door again, gripping the bottom of it so hard that the nails were splintering into the wood. "Viktor, stop." The other hand slunk under the door and Jayce flinched as Viktor began to rattle it violently, the doorframe shaking. "STOP!! VIKTOR, STOP!!" 

BANG BANG BANG BANG!

"Fuck!" Jayce forced the word out of a strangled throat and he gripped the sides of his head, his ears flat and his eyes teary. "Fuck, FINE!!" 

The door slammed open so hard that it cracked into the wall and Jayce flinched backwards, his breathing heavy and shaking. Viktor entered the room far too calmly for something that had been about to break the door off its hinges. His eyes were that crystalline amber, but they almost seemed to give off a haunting glow as he was silhouetted against the light from the hallway. The door slipped shut behind him and the world was plunged back into greys and blues. Except for those eyes. 

Tch!

Viktor clicked his tongue as he plodded across the carpet with bare feet, his cane helping him move along. Jayce could only give him a weak, tearful glare. Viktor didn't seem fazed by it, reaching the bed and sitting down in it, facing Jayce. "...Happy now that you almost broke my damn door down?" Jayce asked irritatedly, his eyes darting to the side. Viktor tipped his head at him. He started to lean in before pausing as Jayce very firmly leaned backwards to avoid him. That only seemed to confuse the Fae. 

"How can I calm your nerves, Jayce? I don't wish to eat you. It was not ever a consideration of mine." Viktor said, his brow furrowing. "How do I get you to relax around me?" Jayce almost snorted at that, mostly out of shock at the audacity. 

"Relax? You were banging at my door like a psychopath until I gave you permission to come in!! You must be out of your damn mind if you think I'll ever be comfortable around you!" Jayce exclaimed, staring at the other man like he had three heads. Viktor frowned at that before sitting back and clasping his hands in his lap. His cane was leaned against the bed. 

"I was worried you would hurt yourself. I panicked." Viktor told him in a voice that betrayed no emotions. Jayce stared at him doubtfully. That was Viktor panicking?? Good gods, how was this building going to survive? Jayce turned away and buried his cheek back against the wall. "Jayce." Viktor spoke quietly. Jayce shook his head in response. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Viktor's shoulders sink. "Jayce?" 

"Stop saying my name. I know, okay? You did it. You have my name and you have power over me now. Is that what you want to hear?!" Jayce snapped. Viktor stared at him blankly before speaking again. 

"...No." Jayce swore he could hear the slightest phantom of hurt in Viktor's voice. Wasn't Jayce supposed to be the one feeling hurt?? Instead, he watched as something started to gather in Viktor's eyes. Something dark. Something-

"Ugh." Jayce recoiled a little as blood began to stream down Viktor's face from his eyes. The Fae seemed startled by that, reaching up and touching at his own face before pulling back his stained fingertips. Viktor seemed to awkwardly clear his throat for a moment as Jayce fixed him with an untrusting look. Viktor gave a silent nod before turning and lying himself down, right at the end of the bed, his back facing Jayce. Jayce wished he knew what happening. 

Tch!

The click of a tongue. Jayce wished he knew how to escape it.

Chapter Text

Jayce had fallen asleep curled as tightly to the wall as he could go, but somehow he found himself waking up among soft pillows. He paused, not recognizing most of them. He was sure that he had only had two pillows on the bed, so why had he woken up with ten?? They were all tucked around him, soft blankets that he didn't recognize also laid atop him and bunched around his head. He was warm and he was comfortable. 

He didn't trust it. 

His ears flattened and he glanced around. He was still in his room, but when he glanced down, he froze up. Viktor was curled up against one of his legs, awkwardly draped over the wall of pillows. He had a pillow resting under his bad leg, but otherwise, he'd given Jayce all the blankets. His nose was lightly squished against Jayce's leg and his tail was gone. His skin remained a milky white in places, but he was starting to gain more color. His eyes had been cleaned. If the circumstances were different... Jayce would've found himself interested in something other than a werewolf for the first time. Viktor was still beautiful. Jayce just wished the rest of him was too. 

Was he actually sleeping? Did the Fae sleep? Jayce furrowed his brow and sat up, his tail still as the bed gave the softest creak beneath him. Viktor didn't seem to stir and Jayce stared quietly. What did Viktor actually look like?? Heimerdinger had heavily implied that how Viktor looked now was not how Viktor had looked before he met Jayce. He hadn't divulged much information, other than the fact that Viktor had not been anything recognizable before this. If Jayce looked closely, he could see the opalescent lines in Viktor's skin. Hair-thin, but they shone so briefly like silver wire. A line straight down the center of his forehead. 

Viktor always moved like could feel his own skin. And maybe that wasn't too farfetched of a theory.

Above all else, Jayce just wanted to know why he was still alive. Every other person that Viktor had learned the name of was in pieces. But not him. Viktor had stated it multiple times. He wasn't interested in eating or hurting or killing Jayce and all Jayce could wonder was why. Why was Viktor treating him like this?? Jayce could only stare at him. The other man didn't even seem like he was breathing. Jayce's tail weakly flicked around. Just because of this creature's fascination with him, Jayce was alone again. Just like before. His ears had lowered once again. 

Tch!

Jayce's eyes darted up at the click of a tongue to meet Viktor's crystalline gaze. Brilliant amber. Despite showing void-black eyes to everyone else, Viktor would only look at Jayce with amber. "...Where did all these pillows come from?" Jayce asked quietly. Viktor gave a few slow blinks. 

"I brought them from different rooms. I wished for you to be comfortable." He looked him over quietly. "You fell asleep curled against the wall. It is not good for your bones." The way he said it was unperturbed and matter-of-fact. Jayce's ears remained flat. He didn't dare pull his leg from Viktor, no matter how badly he wanted to. "I apologize for taking one of the pillows, but my leg was being uncooperative." Jayce paused and furrowed his brow. 

"Most of these pillows aren't even mine. You don't have to apologize for taking one." He said quietly. To his surprise, Viktor sat up before shaking his head with a shocking urgency. 

"You're supposed to have all the comforts! I am already failing!" Viktor insisted, his brow furrowing. He looked beyond troubled by it. Jayce was momentarily taken back, his ears twitching. 

"...Failing at what?" 

Viktor suddenly seemed to pause at that, staring at Jayce blankly before his shoulders sunk completely. "I am doing so poorly that you can't even tell?" It was the most emotion Jayce had heard in his voice and he sounded devastated. Jayce wasn't sure how to feel for a moment before his tail gave a weak lash. 

"Can you... stop fucking around??" The words escaped Jayce in a growl, each word becoming more furious. "You have done nothing but scare the absolute hell out of me for the past few weeks. If this is some kind of game, I don't want to play. If it's some kind of hunt, just catch me and kill me already." Jayce's voice strained and his ears flattened again. "...I don't think I can take it anymore." The admission was broken and weakened. Viktor seemed like he could only stare at Jayce with wide eyes. He looked dumbfounded by his words. 

"I don't want to scare you, Jayce." He spoke earnestly, though there was a subtle tremble beneath his words. Something urgent. Something desperate.

"Well, you're doing a shit job of that, huh??" Jayce snapped angrily, his tail giving another few lashes. Viktor actually seemed to shrink down at that, his slender fingers curling into the sheets beneath him. He finally began to shake his head, though he wouldn't say anything. When he squeezed his eyes shut, Jayce shivered as he saw the blood started to run down in streams from Viktor's eyes again. To his shock, Viktor turned away and began to shift, a white fox soon taking his place and hopping off the bed. Jayce heard the soft scrabbling of claws as Viktor slipped beneath the bed. It was quiet for a few moments, only Jayce's heavy heartbeat breaking the silence. 

Slowly, Jayce crept forward and peered over the side of the bed. A fluffy white tail tip was poking out from under the bed and he couldn't help but feel ever so slightly guilty. He was almost immediately angry at himself for it.

This thing had killed people.

This thing had killed someone just for interacting with him once. It wasn't like him. But when he saw the slight tremble in the tail tip that peeked out from under the bed, he couldn't help but groan a little. Jayce found himself reaching down already and he instantly stopped himself the moment he realized. What was he doing?? Was he really going to try and comfort this thing??

Jayce's fingers dangled just out of sight of where Viktor would be able to see them. Jayce had to bite back a sigh of defeat. Yes. Yes, he was going to try and comfort this thing. His fingers finally dipped lower and he brushed them through the white fur. It was unbelievably soft. Jayce watched as the tail flicked around beneath his fingers. It suddenly disappeared beneath the bed and Jayce paused, a chill going up his spine as he heard the shifting of skin and bones. 

Tch!

Those porcelain fingers stretched out from under the bed to hold Jayce's hand after that telltale click of the tongue. It was one of the rarer times Jayce had seen them unstained by red. Viktor gave his hand a small squeeze and Jayce wondered if he would regret it as he returned it. It was quiet before Viktor spoke again. "I don't want to scare you, Jayce. I just do not know what to do. Everything is messy and I am trying to sort it out best I can." Jayce had no idea what he was talking about, but he felt his heart drop at Viktor's next words. "This is not the world I left behind once. I do not recognize it... and that scares me. I don't know how to act." 

"...Killing people isn't the best first impression, I don't think." Jayce finally commented in a quiet voice. It was met by silence and the slight curl of Viktor's fingers. "I'm... sure the world you knew had societies with rules too. That hasn't changed. Only the rules have changed." Jayce tried to explain quietly. Viktor clicked his tongue softly again.

Tch!

"Now that the world has changed, I am restricted. Now that the world has changed, I now require permission to change it further?" Viktor sounded slightly scornful and bitter. "The rules were built around me as a pathway, not a cage. Am I no longer worthy of respect? Only fear?" Jayce furrowed his brow at his words. Well, at the very least, he could piece a few things together. Viktor was much older than any of them thought. Viktor had been in hibernation for quite some time. Viktor had been worshipped like a deity. Jayce wondered how jarring this new world's treatment had been so far. 

"...I grew up on these new rules, Viktor. The ones you’re still trying to follow scare me to death." Jayce admitted quietly. "If you aren't going to try and adapt to the new rules, can't you at least meet me halfway?" There was a considerate pause before Viktor spoke. 

"Are you expecting me to follow you?" He sounded slightly taken back and Jayce wondered if that was not already what he was doing. He didn't want to test his luck on it.

"I'm asking you to wait so I can catch up." Jayce tried, hoping that made some kind of sense to Viktor. What few conversations he managed to have with Viktor always felt like this. Nonsensical and nonlinear. He'd found Viktor was far more likely to understand if Jayce just spoke a sentence exactly how it came to mind, even if it sounded ridiculous. Viktor had fallen quiet once more. Jayce's ears were pricked, listening for any signs of movement. Viktor suddenly released his hand and his fingers disappeared back under the bed. Jayce's tail instantly stilled, his eyes wide as he hesitantly pulled his hand back. "Viktor?" 

There was no answer and Jayce frowned, his ears slightly flattening. It struck him that he should've been relieved that he was disappointed by Viktor's abrupt, apparent retreat rather than being afraid. It was an odd feeling, but Jayce... really didn't think Viktor was going to hurt him. The assumption was foolish and downright stupid, at best, but... Jayce sat up in the bed and held his hand to his chest, still able to feel where those ghostly fingers had held his own. All at once, Jayce suddenly felt the hair on the back of his neck raise.

Tch!

Jayce felt like he was going to have a heart attack as pale hands slid over his shoulders from behind, following the click of Viktor's tongue. He forced himself to relax as he felt the smaller man press his forehead to his back. Viktor's fingers weakly curled and uncurled, like he was pondering something. It was the cleanest that Jayce had seen those hands. The bed had yet to creak or give any indication of the second person in it. Jayce finally gathered his courage and turned in Viktor's grasp to face him. 

Those black pools met him from Viktor's eye sockets, but only for a moment. Viktor gave a slow blink and that amber returned. He stared at Jayce quietly, clearly at a loss. Jayce could only stare back. That's really all it was, wasn't it? The situations and circumstances were drastically different, but the results were the same for both of them. 

They were looked at in clinical fascination.

They were scrutinized by the public eye.

They were left isolated and alone.

Jayce felt a part of him was angry that he could only put so much of the blame on Viktor for his own isolation, but he knew that he'd been toeing the line on public opinion ever since his apartment had erupted in magic-based flames. He'd brought this on himself as well. Jayce looked Viktor over again before clenching his jaw quietly in thought. Finally, he leaned forward and he felt the Fae jump as he applied a small lick to his cheek, right along the bone.

Viktor seemed completely and utterly frozen when Jayce pulled back. His eyes were wide and stared right through him. Jayce hesitated once Viktor didn't move after a few more seconds. He raised one of his hands and waved it in front of Viktor's face, but there was still no reaction. And all he could do... was laugh. 

And, gods, it felt good to laugh again.

Chapter Text

The muzzle was too long. The limbs were too thin. The tail was too shaggy. The eyes were pools of black. And yet, the fur shone like snow in the moonlight.

A mimicry of himself painted in moonlight.

And yet, it remained

so

very

beautiful.

Something fell over with a loud clatter in the bathroom, followed by shuffling. Jayce was sitting up in his bed before he even had his eyes open, a growl already rattling his throat. His bleary eyes fixed on the closed door of the side room. Who was here?? He let out a furious, warning bark. He was one of the largest werewolves at the Academy. He wouldn't back down. The rattling and shuffling in the bathroom abruptly stopped as Jayce barked a second time, much louder. He was left panting, his ears completely flat. 

Processor Heimerdinger had gone on an expedition with Viktor three days prior, having the Fae lead him to the place that he'd allegedly awoken from. He couldn't have been back already, could he?? Jayce sniffed at the air quietly, but all he could smell was cold as he slipped out of the bed. His growling had yet to stop as he approached the bathroom door. At the door, Jayce barked again before his ears shot up as he heard the strained click of a tongue. 

Tch.

It was less of a click. It sounded much... wetter, like Viktor's tongue was stuck. Jayce hesitated. He flinched backwards as the door suddenly flung open. It was complete darkness inside. Even out in the bedroom, there was only light from a crescent moon. Jayce couldn't see a thing. His tail lowered between his legs. "...Viktor? What are you doing back already? Where is the Professor?" He asked. There was no answer and his tail slipped between his legs just a little. "...That is you, right?" There was a moment of silence before Viktor suddenly spoke in a wheezing, scratchy voice. 

"Close your eyes, Jayce." The other's voice was harsh and splintered. Jayce sucked in a sharp breath, taking a step back. His ears flattened completely and he nodded, saying he would. He shut his eyes. "No matter what happens, keep them closed." He nodded again. What was wrong with Viktor?? Why was he back? Why did he sound like that? He sounded like a man who hadn't found water in a decade. Jayce froze up and a soft tremble overtook his limbs as he heard small cracking noises from in front of him.

Something touched him and he jumped. Multiple smooth, soft... things began to touch him, lifting the back of his shirt as he whimpered. They felt like moving ropes in shape, but they were soft in texture. Like a much bigger, much more alive version of yarn. They began to tap and poke at his spine and shoulders and he leaned forward, shaking. He was already trying to squirm away from them. He could see light shifting in front of his closed eyelids. There was a brighter light than the moon somewhere around here. Maybe even multiple.

He shivered as he felt those strings slide along his back. Finally, a startled yelp escaped him as he felt one dip into the back of his sweatpants and start to pull them down, along with his underwear. "W-Wait!! Wait! Wha-What're you...?!" Jayce quickly grabbed at the waistband of his pants, his tail tucking between his legs. After a moment, slender hands that were much bigger than his own grabbed him but the waist and lifted him. Jayce's brain short-circuited as he tried to process that. He felt himself be laid on his back as his lower clothing garments were pulled off his legs.

"V-Viktor! Viktor, hey!" His face was burning and his voice strained in slight embarrassment. "I, uh... L-Let's talk about this! Please!" His body shivered once more as he reached out and grabbed something hard. It felt smooth and synthetic and he couldn’t fit his hand around it. A leg. A smooth, lanky leg. Jayce's breathing sped up. Whatever was holding him was much bigger than he was. Was this Viktor's true form?? 

"You are not ready to lay eyes on it yet." Viktor answered his unspoken question. "Don’t be scared... I do not wish to scare you." Viktor's raspy voice(s?) spoke from above him. Jayce felt the strings rubbing against the sides of his body, having pushed his shirt up. He shivered and squirmed. He felt so... hot. The strings were cold, but they left a rush of heat everywhere they touched. Worst of all, Jayce knew he was the hardest he'd ever been in his entire life. He felt like he was about to pop his knot right then and there despite no direct stimulation. "Everything will be alright soon... Just keep your eyes closed."

Jayce couldn't help the whimper that pulled from his throat as he felt himself be arched upwards by massive hands sliding beneath him. His cock was standing proud, he could feel it. He was shaking. All of a sudden, he heard a squelching and something wet spattered his lower body. "Fuck!" The swear escaped him before he could stop it. "Wh-What is that?? What is that?!" The panic in his voice was palpable, his hands now covering his burning face. He gasped as something began to rub against his cock. The liquid seemed to cool his skin. "AH!! Something h-hard is... rubbing! Oh... it's rubbing, Viktor!!" He almost wailed from the stimulation, his mind fuzzy. "Wh-What are you doing?!" He was shaking and panting heavily. The soft tracing and touches of the strings all over his bare body was driving him crazy. He figured it was that leg rubbing against him too. "Pl-please!!" What was he even begging for?? "A-Ah!!" 

It began to press harder and Jayce practically curled up with a shaking moan. It felt so... good. He gasped as he felt something rising up inside of him before his body jerked like he'd been electrified. His knot swelled, dragging a groan from him as he felt himself start to spew from his cock in heavy pumps. It was spilling everywhere, this amount meant to be pumped inside a mate to fertilize them, not to pool all over his own hips. He felt himself being laid back against the ground, still panting feverishly. He felt hands again and yelped as he heard panting that wasn’t his. "V-Viktor??" He whispered shakily.

Viktor was breathing.

He felt breathing on his shoulder and shivered. "Give me a moment..." The other man's voice had returned to normal. Viktor's breathing disappeared from his shoulder and Jayce suddenly felt his hands on both of his bare thighs. When Jayce felt the tongue, a shuddering noise escaped him. The tongue was long and tapered, curling in a full circle before pulling his release forward. It was followed by a loud gulp and Jayce's face had never been hotter. It did it again. It wasn't anywhere close to a blowjob. Viktor was eating his release. 

"Oh, fuck." Jayce whispered. "Wh-Why are you-" 

"You can open your eyes." Viktor sounded satisfied, but sluggish. Jayce did open his eyes and Viktor's crystalline ones shone in the darkness of the bathroom. "...I'm so very sorry, Jayce. When I learn a name, an unbearable hunger to consume it accompanies that knowledge. And I do not want to lose you from the taking of blood and flesh." Viktor's fingers weakly dug into his bare thighs. "I have been fighting it best I can, but it just became too much. I'm sorry." Viktor's voice strained and Jayce was momentarily speechless. 

So Viktor had felt urges to eat him this entire time. Viktor had just been fighting against them. Jayce jumped a little as Viktor tipped his head back, clicking his tongue again. 

Tch!

He was still naked. Jayce had the realization smack him in the face and he quickly pulled his shirt back down, his ears flat. Despite how shocking it had been... he hadn't exactly... hated it. He did, however, hate that thought. With Viktor ever so vaguely reflected in the dim moonlight, that treacherous word crept right back into Jayce's mind as he stared at him. 

Beautiful.

If Viktor heard it, he gave no sign of it, though his eyes drifted to the side. "...I truly am sorry for this, Jayce." Viktor managed quietly. And just looking at him, Jayce had no doubt he was telling the truth. For once, he could see shame on Viktor's face, though the other made no move to release his thighs from under his hands, nor move from between his legs. Jayce hesitated before finally propping himself up enough to sit up. 

"I, uh..." Jayce wasn't sure what to say and he finally fell quiet. He hadn't hated it. He wondered if Viktor could sense that. With the way Viktor's brows furrowed and he glanced over at him in slight doubt, Jayce could tell he heard him. "Did you, uh, come all the way back here by yourself? Is the Professor still out in the woods?" It was a genuine question, not to mention Jayce desperately wanted to changed the subject. He hesitated before carefully starting to pull his legs away from Viktor. The other man seemed to allow it and Jayce wrinkled his nose a little in displeasure as he worked the sweatpants back over his knot.

"I had to return. If I didn't, I would have surely done something I might have regretted." Jayce could hear that darker undertone. This wasn't a hypothetical, but a certainty. He hesitated again before nodding. They both sat in awkward silence for a moment before Viktor's vaguely glowing eyes flickered back over to him. "The professors have been teaching me of the new species. You are a werewolf, yes?" 

Jayce glanced up before nodding quietly. Viktor clicked his tongue in what seemed to be thought. 

Tch!

"I could taste it. You will be going into rut by the next week." Viktor stated matter-of-factly. And Jayce didn't doubt him one bit. However, his face turned so hot that he felt like he was going to burst into flames as he gave a small cough. 

"O-Oh, uh... thanks... for the heads up..."

Chapter Text

Tch!

Where was he?? He was... He was shifted and his fur was wet. Who had clicked their tongue?? Viktor. Viktor always clicked his tongue. Where was he?? Where were they? Jayce was only overwhelmed by question after question as he blinked a few times. Something was in his eyes. Something wet was dripping in his eyes. What the hell was he covered in?! His mind was still fuzzy and he stumbled backwards. His instincts were terrified and displeased. He felt hard carpet beneath his paws. He was panting. It was so fucking hot. Jayce shook his head out, a strained whimper dragging itself from him. 

Undoubtedly, he was still in rut, but something was wrong. Something was so very wrong. He was shifted. He was shifted and he could taste something metallic on his tongue. In his teeth. Down his throat. Jayce gave his head one more violent shake. It finally cleared his eyes and he froze at the sight before him. 

It didn't help that Viktor didn't exactly breathe. 

Tch!

It helped even less when he absentmindedly clicked his tongue, his eyes gazing to the side as the missing chunk of his neck spurted more blood from the ripped jugular vein. Jayce had locked up, all of his fur standing completely and utterly on end. Viktor looked like he'd been mauled, his torso and neck having taken the brunt of it. Jayce's heart felt like it had stopped, but he could feel it pounding in his body. He was still aching and throbbing, but it felt numbed by the sight in front of him. Viktor finally turned his eyes to look at him. 

Viktor didn't even look upset, much less scared. He only gave a slow blink at him. Jayce wasn't sure why that was the thing that ripped him out of his werewolf form, but his bones were already creaking before he knew it. After another moment, he was left sitting naked on his knees. His tail was trembling between his legs and he had blood up his arms and on his face. Jayce could feel the tears streaming down his cheeks. His body was still screaming that there was a threat in the room. That something was here and it was wrong. 

Jayce nearly screamed as Viktor sat up, his head awkwardly tipping to the side as more blood sprayed from the wound. Jayce made a retching noise, shoving himself backwards and eventually hitting the wall. He squeezed his eyes shut and buried his head in his hands, his knees pulling up to his chest. His ruts were already a source of discomfort and panic for him. His instincts went wild and his internal wires were crossed each time. Admittedly, yes, he'd attacked people before while he was like this. But never to this extent. Whimpers were flying out of his throat alongside his strangled breathing. 

Slender hands suddenly slipped under his jaw and Jayce let out a loud, terrified growl. Something was touching him while he was vulnerable. He was in danger, he was in danger, he was in danger. Viktor's glowing amber eyes suddenly appeared in front of him and they were so captivating that the growl abruptly died in Jayce's throat. He could only stare. Every time he blinked, something about Viktor would change. What was it?? What was changing? It wasn't until Viktor's hair was a gleaming snowy white that it clicked for Jayce. He could see those soft white ears. 

Thump, thump, thump!

Jayce could see a soft, fluffy white tail smacking the ground behind Viktor as the other man stared at him. His hair was purple-tipped. Vaguely. The blood was gone. The blood was gone?? The wound was gone?? Jayce didn't understand, his breathing beginning to speed up again. The blood was gone from Jayce's mouth. Instantly, Viktor leaned forward, starting to apply small licks to Jayce's cheeks and forehead. Jayce squeezed his eyes shut at that, a soft yelp of a surprise muffled in his throat. He squirmed quietly, trying to escape Viktor's hold. Nothing was quite registering in his head until he felt his back hit the floor. His train of thought came to a screeching halt. 

Instead, the wolf inside of him began to howl and snarl and writhe in complete and utter panic. Why was he the one on his back?? No. No, no, no! Jayce was up in an instant and there was a painful-sounding crack as he flipped them, Viktor's head ricocheting off the floor. Shock caused Jayce to freeze up, staring down as Viktor's eyes fuzzed and he squeezed them shut. Slowly, Jayce's gaze was pulled to a slowly-spreading red liquid seeping down from behind Viktor's head. Horror flooded his frame shortly after. He threw himself off of Viktor and made a break for the door. 

There was no one occupying the floor above or the floor below. Jayce could feel tears welling in his eyes as he crashed through the door, into the stairwell. He could see where a collection of thick oak boards cut them off from the floors below, but that wasn't his destination. He went up. Jayce shoved open the door to the top floor and made it a few steps into the hallway before collapsing on his knees, his tail curling around himself. The first shaking hiccup left him and a tear rolled down his burning face. What was wrong with him?? Jayce couldn't even bear to look at his hands, which still had red drying into a dark film over his skin. 

He wasn't a violent man. He wasn't. So why did his rut always end up hurting someone?? Jayce bit back a noise of frustration. He didn't care how small it was. He didn't even care if it was accidental. Someone always ended up hurt. Throwing the door open a little too hard and giving someone a bloody nose. Biting the fingers of a hand reaching out to him. This might've been the worst it had ever been. Jayce felt a sob flutter from his throat, his ears so flat that they were pressed to his head. He ached between his legs and along his spine. He ached in every joint and every bone. 

Tch!

Even if a part of him had been expecting the tongue click, the majority of him hadn't. Jayce nearly jumped out of his damn skin as pale arms wrapped around him from behind before trapping him in a loose hug. A forehead pressed to the back of his shoulder. He nearly panicked at the way he was restrained first. Then, he nearly panicked about the lack of breath against him. Finally, he stiffened as Viktor began to hum. It was something soft and forlorn. Deep and thrumming. The noise seemed to sink into Jayce's very core and he exhaled shakily, his shoulders sinking. The noise was impossibly beautiful. 

Something about the tone was unidentifiable before it struck Jayce that this was a song of yearning. A song of pleading for something one could never hope to obtain. Viktor was alive and he wanted, just as any living being did. It broke something in Jayce and more tears were streaming down his cheeks before he could stop himself. Viktor finally moved around into his vision and he was naked too. He didn't seem bothered in the least as he looked Jayce over. He showed no signs of injury. No blood and no wounds. On either of them. All the blood was gone. Jayce's hands were clean.

He continued to hum and Jayce blinked at him quietly. Viktor stared at him with wide, earnest eyes. Jayce's fuzzy head couldn't figure it out. More soft whimpers began to escape him and Viktor inched forward, his white tail still seen wagging furiously behind him. His expression was mostly neutral and unaffected as he nuzzled into Jayce's shoulder. Jayce finally felt a soft breath against his skin and he teared up again. Viktor moved closer and his humming became much more desperate as he rubbed his cheek against Jayce's shoulder. He moved up to his neck and Jayce inhaled shakily as Viktor's hand settled on his bare thigh. Finally, Viktor was nosing under his jaw, seeming to fall content. 

Tch!

Thump, thump, thump!

The clicking of his tongue, followed by the thud of his tail against the floor brought an unsettled warmth to Jayce's chest. Whatever Viktor was, he was happy to see Jayce. He was happy to be near him. 

Why??

Jayce didn't understand and he let out another muffled whimper. Viktor nuzzled into his collarbone at the noise. He was almost completely curled up against Jayce, but not an ounce of warmth radiated from him. If Jayce hadn't been watching him the whole time, he didn't even know if he would've processed Viktor as someone else rather than a piece of furniture. Jayce hesitated, his ears only slightly lifted. He shakily lifted his arms before wrapping them around Viktor. He felt the Fae freeze up before sinking against him. 

Viktor seemed to melt against him, that humming instantly returning to his throat. Yearning. Desperation. Want. What did Viktor want?? He could feel his hands roaming. Viktor's fingers paused over the places his body was warmest. His neck. His face. His thigh. Jayce felt his face flush even more. Viktor seemed more than delighted by the warmth and Jayce had the odd thought that maybe... Viktor just wanted to feel alive too. That he wanted to feel connected. That he wanted to feel mortal. 

Less like a deity, more like a friend. Less like something to be worshipped or feared, more like someone to sleep next to. Jayce hesitated. He wasn't sure if 'friend' was the right word. He didn't know why. All of this was making his heated mind hurt. He squeezed his eyes shut before a wounded noise escaped him as Viktor's hand shifted on his thigh. Jayce startled as Viktor's tail suddenly wrapped around his leg, giving it a squeeze in a prehensile way no wolf's tail ever should've been able to. He couldn't find it in himself to care right then, gasping softly as Viktor's fingers settled ever so lightly on his twitching cock. He didn't move them, the simple stimulation of them just being there already pushing Jayce towards his limit. 

One finger shifted and Jayce groaned, his arms tightening around Viktor. That hand finally wrapped around his cock in an act of mercy, Jayce nearly sobbing as Viktor started to stroke him over. Each touch made his vision fuzz and he felt like he was going to pass out. Viktor had stopped humming, but now he was doing something different. He was breathing. And Jayce could see the way he was staring as he did it. Viktor was watching, just so he could tell if the breathing affected Jayce. Good gods, it affected Jayce. Viktor's breathing was so controlled and calm compared to Jayce's clipped whimpers. 

When Jayce started to ever so slightly thrust his cock up into Viktor's hold, that seemed to fascinate the other man, his eyes going wide. Jayce's panting grew louder and he tightened his grip on Viktor as he felt something rushing up inside him like a tidal wave. When the orgasm finally crashed over him, Jayce was sure he passed out just for a moment. He came to, completely limp against Viktor. There was a soft, wet noise following the lave of Viktor's tongue over his own hand. His breathing was fast and excited now. Jayce's heart was racing when he heard it. 

Something like Viktor... Excited. Over this. Over him. Jayce couldn't believe it. Viktor clicked his tongue once more after giving a satisfied lick of his teeth.

Tch!

Chapter Text

Something sweet touched Jayce's tongue and he glanced over with weary eyes. He'd been curled up and panting for a little bit, but something had been placed right against his tongue. He hesitated as he focused in. He was on the tail-end of his rut now, the week having been full of hand jobs and uselessly humping pillows. To put it simply, Jayce and the wolf inside him felt humiliated. His ears were limp on his head. Viktor stared at him expectedly. Jayce wasn't sure what it was or if it would kill him, but he angled his tongue so Viktor could place whatever it was down. When he pulled it in and bit down, chocolate flooded his senses and he relaxed just a little. 

Tch!

Viktor seemed to let out a satisfied click of his tongue, beaming a little. Despite his smile, his eyes had already wandered away. He hadn't left Jayce's apartment the whole week and he was wearing one of Jayce's shirts, but nothing else and he didn't seem to mind it in the least. Jayce had been naked nearly the entire time. He was finally wearing pants, likely the ones that went with the shirt Viktor wore. Viktor's fluffy white tail wagged behind him, but it kept twisting and wriggling like it was a worm rather than a tail. Jayce curled his own tail against his leg uncomfortably at the sight. 

It suddenly went completely still and fell limp, Viktor turning abruptly to look at the door. His whole body had frozen and his eyes had become those pools of black again. Jayce glanced up at him before looking over at the door as well. He was already sniffing the air, but he didn't smell anything. "...Viktor? What's wrong?" Jayce asked weakly after another moment of tense silence. Viktor didn't answer and he tipped his head to the side. 

Tch.

It sounded wet again and Jayce hesitated as blood seemed to spill over his lips at the noise. There was a heavy feeling in the air. Something was wrong. Something was... 

Someone else was on the floor.

Jayce heard the stairwell door shut at the end of the hall and his fur instantly stood on end. Other students knew they weren't allowed into these floors. And not only that, but whoever it was had gone to the their floor. There were three floors blocked off just for Viktor. If this wasn't just a horrifyingly dangerous drunken dare... Jayce had a sinking feeling in his chest. He paused as there was a quick knock at the door and Heimerdinger's voice drifted through. "Jayce, my boy! I have something of urgent importance to share with you!" Jayce rolled his eyes and gave a heavy sigh of both exasperation and relief. "Now, I know you may still be... ahem... affected, but-" 

"Faigh a-mach às an seo!!" Viktor suddenly spat, the rest of his body twisting around to face the door. "Is ann leamsa a tha an tè seo!" Jayce startled at that, flinching backwards from Viktor. 

"Viktor!" Jayce exclaimed his name in shock, though he knew Viktor likely wouldn't care about this being the Dean of the Academy. Viktor didn't move and Jayce felt the fur on his tail start to bush out as an eerie silence followed from the door. Viktor moved forward and put his arm out in front of Jayce. He didn't have his cane and his leg gave a violent wobble when he tried to move, Jayce instinctively catching his arm to steady him. The voice that came grating from the other side of the door sent such a chill down Jayce's spine that he could barely move. 

"Ah, halò... Tha e cho math do fhaicinn a-rithist..." It sounded as if two people were speaking at the same time. A much older man and a young girl. The voices were so in tandem that they almost sounded as if they were one. Jayce kept his grip tight on Viktor's arm. "Cha... robh fios agam gur ann leatsa a bha e..." There was a smell creeping into the air that Jayce really didn't like. Something sharp and staticky. Just barely falling short of some familiar chemical combination. Viktor let out a quiet hiss, similar to that of a steam kettle. Despite that, his blank face had yet to change. "An do thagair thu a ainm? Carson nach d'ith thu e?" The double-edged voice rumbled in what sounded like fascination.

"Tha mi a’ dol gad fhàgail fuilteach." Jayce wasn't sure what Viktor said, but it sounded finite and threatening. It sounded like a deadly promise. There were two sets of intertwining laughter from the other side of the door. 

"...Mh, thoir an aire dha, a dhuine bhig. Tha... mi... arcach." The voices almost seemed to purr and Jayce's heart was pounding so hard that he felt like he was going to be sick. He could feel Viktor's fingers shaking. Viktor let out a long, high-pitched hiss again. He suddenly turned to Jayce and the werewolf yelped as the other buried himself into his arms with enough force to push him back onto the bed. 

"V-Viktor-"

"If you hear any knocking, do not open the door. Never open the door unless I am by your side." Viktor whispered furiously. Jayce hesitated before trying to sit up, but Viktor slammed him back onto the bed, his eyes wide with panic. He was struggling to keep them amber, based on the recurring blooms of black that kept appearing and disappearing again. "Jayce? Are you listening?? Tell me you understand. Even if it's in public. Even if there are other people around, do not open the doors. Do not answer any knocking. Do you understand?? Jayce??" Viktor only sounded more and more panicked as he spoke. 

"I-I understand! I understand!" Jayce instantly barked out, his eyes wide in shock. Viktor was straddling his chest and Jayce was doing his best not to stare. "Wh-What was that?? I-I thought it was the Professor." 

"It is not. It is not a Professor. It is a different thing. A Doctor." Viktor was almost muttering feverishly to himself but his eyes were locked onto Jayce's. "He calls himself a Doctor, but he is no such thing." Jayce furrowed his brow. 

"Is he like you?" 

"Yes." Viktor whispered, not having blinked yet. His fingers were curled into the bed on either side of Jayce's head and he could hear the fabric tearing. "Do not open the door, Jayce. He will take you. He will take you from me." Jayce finally reached up and Viktor startled, falling silent as Jayce cupped his cheeks. There was a moment of quiet before Jayce carefully exhaled. 

"Viktor, you have to calm yourself down." Jayce whispered quietly. He hesitated before his hand slid up and he guided Viktor down to his chest with a hand on the back of his head. Viktor didn't seem to know how to react at first before he curled up a little, huddling on Jayce's chest. Jayce furrowed his brow. "...I don't understand, Viktor. Why you’re attached to me." Jayce stated after another moment. "I'm not anyone remarkable. Not yet, at least." 

"You summoned me." Viktor said, his voice soft and monotone. "I was pulled from slumber by a snap of energy. It was as loud as thunder. When I saw you, you carried specks of that same energy in your fur. I recognized it. But you did not recognize me. It implies the summoning was unintentional, which meant you had nothing you wished to ask of me. But how could that be?? How could you wake something like me and not want a thing in return?? I can be anything. I already have your name. That's all I need for this exchange."

Viktor moved up so their noses were almost touching. "I can be your sun or your moon. I can be the perfect lover. I can be the perfect mate. I can be anything you want me to be, yet you do not ask." Jayce pressed himself back into the bed, his breathing a little shaky. He felt completely paralyzed. "I can be your savior, Jayce." Jayce trembled and his ears had gone flat. Viktor's eyes flicked up to them and he instantly sat up, pulling back from Jayce. To Jayce's shock, Viktor started to push himself backwards, heading on a crash course with the floor.

"Hey-!" Jayce quickly sat up and caught him, but Viktor only remained awkwardly leaned back, his hands tight around Jayce's wrists. "What are you doing??" His heart was still pounding. Jayce really didn't know what to make of this. There was a second Fae in their midst now. A 'doctor'. One that Viktor feared. And Viktor himself was desperately offering every piece of himself to Jayce on a silver platter, but Jayce just didn't understand why. Based on what he was saying, it was the explosion from his apartment that had woken Viktor. The Hex Crystals. 

"You are afraid. Your ears are back. I don't want you to be afraid of me." Viktor said, staring at Jayce with wide eyes. Jayce bit back a small retort about how it was hard not to be. He finally moved and guided Viktor to sit on the bed next to him. 

"So... you're obsessed with me because I was the one who summoned you?" Jayce paused. "...Whether I meant to or not." Viktor stared at him and finally blinked, though his head gave a soft tip to the side. Jayce supposed that made some kind of sense, but there was a small, greedy, and bitter part inside of him that was wounded at the fact that it wasn't for a deeper reason. He wasn't sure why. "Viktor, I don't want to use you for anything or demand stuff from you. That wasn't supposed to be some kind of transaction." Jayce glanced aside as Viktor's shoulders sank. 

"What am I to do then?? I have your name. I have your name and that means I hold power over you. But in exchange for that, I'll give you anything you want if I hold no interest in consuming your flesh. So what can I do, Jayce??" Viktor's eyes searched his over quietly. "I can be your savior. The end to your strife." His tone was breathless and insistent. "You want company and you want closeness. I see it in you. You want intimacy. I can give that to you." Viktor finally stopped speaking and he stared for a moment before clicking his tongue.

Tch!

"I... I don't know what-" 

"But I know." Viktor stated, moving closer again. His fluffy white tail was wagging furiously behind him as he looked Jayce over. "And Jayce, if there is truly nothing to offer you, then I will consume you." He said it so casually that Jayce almost missed it, but it clicked in his mind just in time. His ears went flat and Viktor seemed to notice. He tried to soften his voice as he spoke again. "And I don't want to do that." 

The assurance did nothing to calm Jayce's heart.

Chapter Text

Jayce had asked Viktor to be a den companion. No one really called it that anymore, considering the mixing of species declared 'roommate' as a much more appropriate term, but he had seen the way Viktor perked at the old wording. Viktor's ears and tail had grown much more convincing, though his tail still did occasionally move like a worm when he became too distracted.

Asking for a den companion meant an understanding of protection and sharing of privacy. It also meant he was asking something of Viktor so the other didn't eat him.

When they attended their classes together, the teachers only watched Jayce in worry and concern. He would only be able to stare back at them, unable to cobble together anything close to an excuse. Especially when Viktor would complete a particularly difficult or impressive problem and look to Jayce with shining eyes, expecting his praise. And especially when Jayce would provide it by rubbing his cheek against Viktor's head. 

Students had started to go missing again, but to the disdain of local authorities, Viktor was only ever recorded being with Jayce. No pieces of the students were found. Not even a head. At least, not until the full moon.

Tch!

Viktor clicked his tongue and Jayce's ear flicked in his direction. He was curled up in a tight ball inside a tree trunk, watching the snow drift past outside. He was trembling, even in his hulking shifted form. Viktor's form had warped. It was longer than Jayce remembered and that furry body was wrapped around his own like a snake. Viktor had joined him on the walk to the hunting grounds, even when Jayce had warned him that he might not recognize him during some parts of the full moon.

Jayce hadn't been expecting the snow.

The moment it had started to fall, Jayce had exploded in a loud, whining mess of terror and howling, startling Viktor. The Fae had pulled him to a hollow tree trunk and they hadn't left it since. Jayce had fallen silent, his claws dug into the dry, brittle dirt beneath them. Viktor was quiet before he started to hum. It was that same song from before. Yearning and want. Slow and soft. Now that Viktor was wrapped around him, Jayce could feel each note vibrating through his body.

Viktor's muzzle wiggled into his view and the other's elongated face was lying on its side, watching Jayce quietly with one crystalline, amber eye. It gave a slow blink before a small, questioning rumble left Viktor's throat. He wriggled forward and nuzzled his head beneath Jayce's. As much as Jayce hated to admit it, Viktor's fur was impossibly warm and impossibly soft. It made him feel so much better. Against all of his instincts, Jayce finally relaxed enough to sink onto his side, revealing just a small bit of his soft underbelly. 

Instantly, Viktor seemed to perk up and his body shortened to a visually acceptable length. He shuffled around to lie in front of Jayce, rolling over and showing off his snow-white underbelly as well. 

Thump, thump, thump!

Viktor's tail smacked against the dirt and Jayce couldn't help but feel the tiniest rush of affection at how eager Viktor was to show Jayce his trust. He was baring his whole belly to him. Jayce hesitated before leaning forward. He pushed his muzzle against Viktor's belly and the smaller creature gave a small jump, his body curling to hold onto Jayce's head. His paws were tucked behind his neck and Jayce soon felt the soft snuffling along his head as Viktor sniffed at him curiously. He felt a tongue start to apply gentle licks.

Jayce almost melted. 

He squeezed his eyes shut, letting Viktor hold his head. Slowly, his own tail started to swish around behind him and he felt Viktor's licks pause for a moment before starting up again in earnest. Viktor had noticed. Viktor was excited. Jayce allowed small rumbles to escape him. A garbled noise of excitement that was very clearly not wolf-like escaped Viktor, but one of the other creature's back legs wiggled in delight. His other leg remained limp. Jayce opened his eyes and glanced down to it. He shuffled around and finally pressed his nose to Viktor's lame leg. 

Tch!

The click of Viktor's tongue was accompanied by a wounded noise, Viktor's tail coming to an abrupt stop. Jayce paused before resting his head on the ground, keeping the leg propped up on his muzzle. After a few moments of silence, Viktor's tail was heard starting to swish along the ground again. Another garbled noise escaped him. If anything, Jayce would've sworn that Viktor sounded relieved. What had happened? The snow had stopped falling outside, but Jayce could still see it along the ground. Viktor wiggled closer and Jayce blinked as he felt the gap between them close. This felt nice. 

It felt nice to be curled up so close to another. Especially one with soft fur. Viktor was breathing too. He was breathing just for Jayce. They were a tangled pile of limbs and fur, light and dark. Jayce felt warm and he felt protected. He felt like he was a protector too. Even knowing what Viktor actually was, the wolf inside Jayce knew that this creature was damaged. This creature needed his protection because it would be targeted by predators, due to a faulty leg. Right? Jayce rumbled softly and Viktor let out another sharp yip. He wiggled around so that he could lay on top of Jayce, almost weighing nothing at all. 

His tail swished the ground next to Jayce's head and the large wolf let out a small huff of amusement. He finally nipped at the leg next to his head and Viktor squeaked. The creature rolled off of Jayce and laid next to him, panting as his tail furiously whacked against the ground. 

Thump, thump, thump!

Jayce gave another small huff. He reached out and pawed at Viktor, dragging the smaller creature against himself before lying down again. Viktor seemed more than happy just being held. Jayce stared past him, watching as the newly uncovered moonlight crept across the snow. It made it glitter and Jayce could only think back to last month's full moon and how Viktor had looked just like it. His eyes moved down to meet curious, crystalline amber ones. Viktor tipped his head at him, causing his ears to flop to the side. 

Jayce rolled his eyes and reached out, putting a paw on Viktor's head. Viktor jumped a little before rolling over and pawing at it himself. Jayce's heart was calming, but it felt heavy, like this was something he shouldn't have been doing. This wasn't something he should've been entertaining. It wasn't something he should've been enjoying. Viktor was a murderer. A predator and a threat. Yet, ever since his attention had fallen to Jayce, only one person had been killed and no one else. 

Viktor's tail abruptly stopped as there were soft, crunching footsteps from outside. Jayce recognized them. Hooves. He glanced up as the first of four skinny legs appeared in front of the tree trunk's opening. Deer. Usually, Jayce would feel that itching compulsion to chase and catch. But his gaze lowered down to Viktor, who was buried tight against him. Was he afraid?? Jayce's ears slightly lowered and he leaned down, starting to apply careful licks to his ears. The crunching of snow suddenly stopped and Jayce glanced up. The deer was standing directly in front of the opening to the tree trunk, though he could only see it from the chest down. He wished he couldn't. 

Because it didn't have an ounce of fur on it. 

It was all skin. 

Even the white spots that decorated its flank were nothing more than the lightest patches. The hooves still held a pink polish, like one of the satyr girls that had gone missing earlier in the week. Everything was stitched and melted together. And when the 'deer' lowered its head, Jayce was met with the wide-eyed face of a missing human plastered onto the skull of a deer. He made a retching noise and Viktor suddenly reacted. The other creature twisted himself around and he was tackling the 'deer' out of sight in an instant. Jayce was left trying not to vomit. 

He pressed himself further back against the wall of the tree when there were soft footsteps. Cold blue feet came into view, but Jayce couldn't see above the knee. The person they belonged to was old and calloused. There was another pair of feet dangling from behind the first, facing in the opposite direction. A child's feet. The toes dangled just above the snow. There was a soft knocking and Jayce felt a chill go through him. The Doctor? The Doctor. That was what Viktor called it. Just beyond the legs, he could hear struggling as Viktor dragged the creature away through the undergrowth. 

Jayce knew that Viktor was likely going to eat it a little bit aways from him, since Jayce had expressed discomfort at Viktor's appetite. Right now, he was cursing the only boundary he'd set with the other man. That soft knocking caused him to back away into the wall once more as the smell of musk started to fill the small area. Jayce was sure that he would've been humiliated by his loss of bodily control if he weren't so fucking scared. That grating voice pierced right through the silence. "...madadh-allaidh mòr dona..." The phrase sounded vaguely mocking.

"A bheil eagal ort romham?"

That was most definitely mocking. Jayce's ears were flat and his jaws were parted as the knocking sounded again. "An do choinnich thu ri mo nighean? Tha i an seo cuideachd." The tone of the words had become light and casual, but Jayce still wouldn't answer. Viktor. He needed Viktor back. He needed Viktor back here now. "Freagair mi a nis, Jayce." 

Jayce needed Viktor to come back. The knocking sounded again. Jayce needed Viktor back now. Now. Now. He whimpered and it was only growing louder. When the last bit of his pride broke, Jayce was left howling and howling and howling. It became a weakened whine in his throat and tears had blurred his eyes before he exhaled shakily.

Tch.

Jayce clicked his tongue. The knocking didn't even get to finish this time.

Chapter Text

Jayce wasn't sure what happened after. Only that he was back in his room after some gentle herding from Viktor. They'd disappeared into the shadow of a tree and into the bedroom, where Viktor had then pushed Jayce out of his wolf form once more. His instincts screamed in protest, but when he finally gained control of himself again, they were both sitting face-to-face in a warm bathtub. He became aware through the soft click of Viktor's tongue.

Tch!

Jayce startled and his ears shot up as he focused on the pale man in front of him. Viktor was holding a washcloth, propped up on the side of the tub as he carefully washed under Jayce's jaw and around his neck. He reached up and carefully grasped Viktor's wrists. That amber came billowing into those blank eyes of black, Viktor's own white ears seeming to perk up. "...Jayce." Viktor whispered his name in soft relief, leaning forward and wrapping him in a hug. The bathroom was dark, with only the moonlight from the bedroom creeping in from the doorway. Jayce hesitated before his arm moved and wrapped Viktor in a hug as well. 

The full moon wasn't over, and yet here he was, out of his wolf form once again. Jayce felt like a failure. His tail was limp in the water. Jayce released Viktor and slumped back in the water, staring forward with wide, haunted eyes. What the fuck had that been?? A deer with a human face. The missing students? Two pairs of corpse-like feet? The Doctor. Something settled between his legs and Jayce barely managed to focus as Viktor started to apply soft licks to his cheeks and forehead. Viktor finally pulled back to look at him and he lowered his gaze. "...He was summoned as well. The blast of energy... it woke him." 

Jayce could only manage a weak nod in response. "...And he wants me too?" 

"He will not have you!" Viktor instantly insisted, his eyes wide as his fists curled against Jayce's shoulders. He stared at him for a moment before exhaling shakily. "He will not have you." Viktor pushed himself closer and curled against Jayce's chest. "He will not take anything else from me." Anything else? For something as powerful as he was, he only ever seemed to receive comfort by remaining as close to Jayce as possible. He rubbed his cheek against his chest. 

"W-We have to tell the Professor what's become of the missing students... E-Everyone thinks it's you who took them." Jayce whispered softly. Viktor paused and those amber eyes drifted up to meet Jayce's. He was quiet as he seemed to search him over before shaking his head.

"You are in distress. We will wait. It is the full moon and I do not doubt that others will encounter his creations in those woods. They are horrible, but they are harmless." Viktor mumbled. "The Professor will know soon enough." Jayce opened his mouth again, but Viktor shook his head. "You're close to having a panic attack, Jayce. Your heart rate is elevated, but your breathing does not match it. We must wait. You've seen something terrible tonight." Jayce could only manage the weakest scoff in response. 

"I feel like I see something terrible every night." Jayce whispered, squeezing his eyes shut as he leaned back against the tub. He could feel Viktor's fingers curl in displeasure against his shoulders. Viktor's cheek pressed against his collarbone and Jayce felt Viktor slowly start to breathe after giving his tongue a small click. 

Tch!

"...I'm sorry." Jayce said softly. Viktor slowly shook his head, but he didn't speak. He could only just sit and wonder how it had gotten here. After his research had been taken and destroyed, he had nothing. He had nothing, but little by little, had started to imagine having a barebones life. A partner. Pups. Likely taking over the family forge now that his only path through science had been dismantled. And yet, here he was. Sitting in a warm bathtub, naked, with a Fae. A Fae that had been woken from his Hex Crystals. 

Jayce didn't know what to think. He didn't even know if he wanted to. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw that deer. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw those cold, dead pairs of feet. Every time he closed his eyes... he saw his first glimpse of Viktor. 

Muzzle too long.

Eyes black like coal.

Fur soft and white as snow.

Beautiful.

Jayce didn't even realize he'd started crying until he felt Viktor's thumbs carefully wipe beneath his eyes. The other man was looking him over with a furrowed brow, his ears awkwardly shifted backwards to mimic Jayce's own flat ones. Jayce finally squeezed his eyes shut and the first soft sobbing noise left him. His shoulders sunk in defeat and he buried his face against Viktor's shoulder. Viktor's grip instantly seemed to tighten on him and he was felt rubbing his cheek against him. "I will protect you, Jayce. I will protect you. He will not touch you. I will not lose you." Viktor spoke in a feverish monotone voice, though there was something vaguely reassuring beneath the insistence. 

It didn't comfort Jayce at all.

Jayce had remained almost entirely silent for the next two hours and Viktor had been bustling about him. Cleaning him, getting him dressed, brushing him. Finally, they were both lying in bed, the moonlight spilling over them. 

Jayce had never felt more fragile, not being in his wolf form under the light of the full moon. 

He stared forward, his gaze slightly haunted and Viktor's amber eyes soon moved into view. His ears flicked worriedly as he clicked his tongue.

Tch!

Jayce could barely even focus on him. Viktor continued to stare at him before something finally seemed to click for him. He reached out and lightly pressed his fingers along Jayce's jaw. The forced shifting of his bones caused a pained yip to escape Jayce, but any discomfort was immediately drowned out by the absolute relief he felt from being in his wolf form again. He squeezed his eyes shut as Viktor pulled the clothes off of him. Slowly, his tail started to swish over the sheets. "Ah... Ah, I see. Why didn't you say so??" Viktor seemed to mumble aloud, but it didn't even look like he was talking to Jayce.  

Jayce hesitated and glanced over as Viktor slipped off the bed. He was holding the clothes and he started to awkwardly limp across the room towards the closet. Jayce pushed himself up, hopping off the bed and quickly following, pressing himself against Viktor's side. He came up to Viktor's chest in height and he felt the man carefully steady himself with a hand on his head. Why hadn't he said anything? Did he just not think Viktor would understand? He walked the other man to the closet. 

Viktor, to Jayce's surprise, sank to his knees and dropped the clothes, though his posture was slightly skewed to keep the weight off his bad leg. He had his eyes squeezed shut and red began to well at the corners. Jayce's ears flattened as Viktor's blood tears began to slowly stream down his face from his eyes. He tucked himself into a small sitting position before leaning down and nudging at Viktor with his muzzle. Viktor shook his head. Jayce nudged him again before jumping in shock as the air suddenly dropped several degrees and they were surrounded by rustling leaves. 

They were outside.

Outside?? Jayce flattened his ears and his hackles raised as he pressed closer to Viktor. Where even were they?? He didn't recognize this place. There was an odd, glittering webbing that surrounded them, illuminated by moonlight. It seemed to warp the very bark of the trees and even the shape of the leaves that still hung from the branches. Leaves that should have long shriveled and fallen away, but they remained evergreen. Jayce's breath came out in a shaky cloud. In front of them was what appeared to be a broken open orb of dried, pale green material. It resembled bone marrow and even seemed like it had the same texture. Despite having wide enough openings for light to enter, the inside of the broken orb was pitch-black. Jayce gave a small, involuntary shiver. 

He nearly had a heart attack as a hand grasped his fur, but he stopped once he saw Viktor's pale face. Viktor wasn't breathing again, only staring forward at the shell. It didn't take a genius to see that this was the cocoon that had once held his slumbering form, but Jayce had never seen such raw and violent fear before. Something bad had happened here. Something bad had happened to Viktor. Jayce swallowed before moving in front of Viktor and breaking his eye contact from the cocoon. 

Tch.

Viktor's tongue click sounded wounded and Jayce's tail lowered. "...Did you know darkness has a touch, Jayce?" Viktor asked the question in a breathy, strangled voice. "It is like someone wrapping you in a blanket... soft and squeezing. But that never goes away. And you do not move..." Viktor squeezed his eyes shut as more bloody tears ran down his face. "Eventually, it becomes choking. Like you are always just beneath the surface of water. Just within reach of air." Viktor leaned forward and Jayce didn't even flinch as Viktor buried his head against him. Jayce glanced over at the cocoon again. Then, his eyes roamed further and he felt his fur stand up. 

Weaved inside the undergrowth and even among the branches of the trees around them, he could see shapes. Silhouettes. Slender, vaguely human forms blended into the trees and the bushes and the ground. Faceless with vaguely gold adornments. But the shiny figures the adornments were attached to looked... empty. Like when a cicada left its empty shell behind. But the figures sported no openings. Whatever had been inside of them had rotted away. Had this been a community? The last of the Piltovian/Zaunite Fae?

Only one set of figures was cracked open like the orb in the center. And it looked like the shells of two figures had been fused back to back. Inside, it was pitch-black.

Jayce heard the wind rustle the leaves again. He heard it whistle through the branches and empty figures. The last of the Piltovian/Zaunite Fae. Jayce turned back to Viktor and moved in front of him, shielding his view. He ignored the metallic, buzzing tang as he started to furiously clean Viktor's face with his tongue. The man squirmed, but reached up and clung to Jayce, clearly not intending to let go. Jayce moved his licks to Viktor's hair and ears. Viktor's tail wriggled and thumped, trying to wag, but only looking like a frightened snake. 

Jayce finally leaned down and nudged at Viktor's knees. He stared at him expectedly when Viktor glanced up at him. Jayce nudged him again and jumped as he felt a paw be placed right on his lowered head. He blinked and two more paws had replaced Viktor's knees before that long muzzle bumped against the side of his head. Jayce blinked in surprise as Viktor suddenly slipped beneath him, the other's wiry white body fitting perfectly under him. He was hiding. He was scared. This place was scaring him. Jayce couldn't have that. 

He slightly backed up before leaning down. He picked up Viktor by the scruff of his neck, the other going limp in his hold. Jayce stepped carefully so Viktor was next to him before he started to drag him away from the empty shells and the broken orb. He would take him away from this place with misshapen, evergreen leaves. The place where something bad had happened. Jayce heard the wind rustle the leaves again, but Viktor still felt relaxed in his hold, simply letting Jayce pull him away.

Chapter Text

Jayce had never been so far into the woods. The hunting grounds were a contained area that he knew like the back of his hand. He didn't recognize this path. He didn't recognize these trees. He recognized the flowers, but they didn't grow around the hunting grounds. Ranunculuses were gathered around in bushels of burgundy, red and violet. That tightly coiled mimicry of a rose meant water and Jayce could feel his paws starting to sink into the dirt as he walked. He kept his ears pricked, wondering if he could hear a river. He was starting to smell mud and moss. 

Jayce glanced back. Viktor was following quietly behind him, his teeth clamped lightly on Jayce's tail as he stared at the ground with inky-black eyes. For a moment, Jayce was worried about taking a white-furred creature through this area, but Viktor had insisted they would arrive back at Piltover if they just kept walking north. Viktor had been silent since they'd left that clearing. Not even a click of his tongue. Jayce's ears lowered at that. His paw suddenly sank deep into mud and he startled, yanking it back and shaking it off. Viktor had come to a stop behind him.

Ahead of them, Jayce could see how dark the mud was, small puddles reflecting moonlight. This kind of mud would drag them down. Gnarled, massive trees surrounded them, visible roots snaking through the area. Jayce tipped his head, one of his ears flicking as he tried to pick out a path. He didn't exactly doubt Viktor's ability to move from place to place, but he was worried about his leg. And, in turn, his balance. Jayce turned to look back at Viktor, only to find him staring off into the bog next to them. 

Jayce quickly glanced over and the fur along his spine stood up. Another of the Doctor's creations was watching them from one of the small islands that poked above the murky water. Jayce didn't even know what it was supposed to be. Only that it was made of the same melted flesh and its eyes seemed bloodshot and bloated, bulging from its head. It sat eerily still, looking like something bipedal that had been forcibly constructed into a quadruped. Odd bumps and growths seemed to move under the skin. There was a musky scent in the air that was making Jayce nauseous. He could see it in the moonlight. The damn thing was sweating.

He was frozen. Viktor had let go of his tail, but Jayce could barely process it. This thing was almost as big as he was. Human hands flexed and relaxed in front of the creation. It did not blink. Jayce doubted it even could. Viktor had said the Doctor's creations were horrifying, but he'd also said they were harmless. Was it?? Jayce glanced back at Viktor again, only to nearly have a heart attack as he saw those black pools staring directly at him. 

Muzzle too long.

Body too wiry. 

Tail too thin.

Black eyes.

Jayce hesitated and he'd found that he had no battle with pride when it came to Viktor. He flattened his ears and lowered his head in quiet submission. He made a small questioning noise in the back of his throat. Nothing happened for a moment before Viktor's black eyes started to shift into that familiar, crystalline amber. Viktor shook his head, as if to clear his thoughts. He glanced at the creation again. "...The Doctor has grown clumsy in his creations." The way the human words spilled from a canine throat made Jayce shrink back a little. "Shall I chase it away?" Jayce really didn't like the way the muzzle moved to accommodate human words and he crouched down to the ground, his tail lowered.

Viktor finally seemed to notice the motion and he hesitated before realization crossed his eyes. He dipped his head in quiet apology and Jayce had to take a moment before he could relax again. He pushed himself back up and glanced over towards the creation. It only stared back. Jayce really couldn't even tell if it were actually alive or not. Could he even call what it was 'alive'?? He squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head away. He heard a sudden and violent splashing, turning back in time for teeth that resembled broken glass to close down inches from his face with a loud crunch. Jayce felt the spray of water a moment after.

For a moment, he was in complete shock, staring into those bloated, bloodshot eyes. Even if the expression hadn't changed, the creation was shaking with the effort of just trying to get to him. The water was sopping off its body and the crunching noise had come from its crumbling 'teeth' as it tried to bite at him again. Jayce finally glanced past it. Viktor had the creation by the throat, yellowish liquid seeping from where he'd bitten in. His eyes were black again and Jayce paused as a low, muffled growl started in Viktor's throat. 

The creation was violently yanked backwards and it clawed at the dirt with human fingers as Viktor started to shake it around like a ragdoll. Jayce recognized the motion and his ears flattened. When werewolves became too engrossed in their instincts, they exhibited Feralness. Where they truly acted like animals and nothing more. It made him briefly wonder if Viktor's attempt at a wolf form actually affected his psyche. Viktor continued to let out muffled barks and snarls as the creation scrabbled beneath him. Viktor stumbled from the effort of balancing on three legs while holding it and, despite his disgust, Jayce moved forward and pressed himself to Viktor's side to steady him. 

As soon as Viktor had his footing, he jerked his head up and the snap that followed echoed, not only through the bog, but in Jayce's ears. He gave an involuntary tremble before jerking back as Viktor let the creation go. It was somehow still moving, its head awkwardly lolling to the side now that its neck was broken. It stumbled and turned, crashing back into the water and disappearing below the surface. Jayce could see awkward ripples moving away from them before the surface of the water stilled. He was panting. Viktor was panting too, that yellowish sludge dripping from his parted jaws. 

Tch!

Viktor clicked his tongue, though it sounded breathy. He limped forward and shook himself out, pawing at his muzzle. Jayce was a bit confused. He seemed fine now. No sign of Feralness. It finally occurred to Jayce that Viktor likely didn't have any instinctual habits of other species. He was a Fae. A Changeling. He learned through imitation. And if he was imitating a behavior, that meant there was a werewolf in Piltover that became Feral during the full moon, which very much had to be reported to authorities. Jayce's stomach churned unhappily at the thought. 

Jayce startled as a nose pressed into his side and he glanced over. Viktor had buried his head against him. Jayce blinked before turning and licking between his ears appreciatively. First and foremost, Viktor had just saved his life. Viktor's ears instantly perked and Jayce would've smiled if he could. He paused as he heard rustling off to his other side, turning and watching as more of those tightly wound flowers suddenly started to push up from the mud. A faint cracking noise and a change in the shape pressing into his side pulled his attention back again. 

Tch!

Viktor clicked his tongue as he gave a small sigh, reaching up and curling his fingers into Jayce's fur. Jayce made a worried noise in his throat. Viktor had turned into a human, with no sign of wolf ears or tail. He seemed tired, not to mention he was naked. Jayce curled his massive furry body around him best he could. Viktor was on his knees, mud already staining his legs. Jayce was doing his best not to look. His tail flicked around in worry. Why had Viktor changed after they'd just been attacked??

"I've not known any of his creations to ever be aggressive. I don't understand." Viktor mumbled into Jayce's fur. He sounded exhausted. Pieces of his pale body kept changing into a different texture. It was as if he were made of purple cable, adorned with pieces of tarnished gold. Likely a glimpse at his true form. Jayce nudged him quietly before nosing at his back. Viktor seemed to understand and he had to heavily lean on Jayce to push himself to his feet. Jayce knelt down and Viktor made a small noise of effort as he slipped his leg over him. Viktor was soon lying on Jayce's back and he stood back up before pausing.

He'd been expecting the awkwardness of Viktor's naked form against his back, but he didn't feel anything from between his legs. Viktor's hands lightly curled into his fur and when he spoke, Jayce was surprised to find that Viktor might've been embarrassed. "I assumed it would be unpleasant for you to have... that part of this body pressing against you... so I altered the form a little." His voice was soft. "Is this alright?" Jayce nodded and he felt Viktor's form relax against him. He turned to face the deep mud in front of them before jumping a little as something started to push up from the sludge. 

Ranunculuses bloomed in a straight, clumped pathway of color. Jayce blinked and his tail gave the smallest wag of both appreciation and amazement at the sight. He took a step forward, testing the path. It remained firm beneath his paws, the flowers too tightly bunched to let him sink. Jayce flicked his ears in weak delight before moving onto it. He remained aware and careful of the weight on his back. He remained alert of everything around him. Viktor had fallen completely silent and his grip had loosened. 

Jayce felt a slight warmth in his chest. Despite his dread and his prickling fur, none of his fear was towards Viktor. If anything... he was afraid for him. Despite Viktor's insistent pledge of protection that he hadn't even asked for, Jayce knew it would be dishonorable to not offer the same in return. Viktor was undoubtedly stronger, but Jayce surely had more stubbornness and pride. He would protect Viktor while the Fae rested. Determination settled in his bones and Jayce huffed in firm confirmation to himself as he continued forward, following the warm tones of the ranunculuses.

They were soft beneath his sore paws.

Chapter Text

"Tha an tè bheag a’ cadal...?"

Jayce's ears instantly perked as he heard the muttering nearby. That low, grating voice. Breathless and almost a hiss. He lowered himself to the ground and tipped Viktor off his back before slowly stepping over him. They were both hidden in the brush. Jayce watched as a pale shape went staggering past the leaves on the other side of the bush that sheltered them. He didn't even dare to breathe right then. It didn't seem as if the Doctor was paying attention to his surroundings, but Jayce wasn't taking any chances.

"An cluinn thu mi? Tha mi fhathast còmhla riut. Tha mi fhathast gad fheitheamh." The Doctor's voice was little more than a murmur and Jayce could tell he wasn't speaking to him. There was a moment of silence and he could see that misshapen silhouette through the thick leaves. "Dùisg, mas e do thoil e. Abair rudeigin, mas e do thoil e." Something in the Doctor's tone was much sadder, even if it was still in the same feverish mumble. Jayce shifted and froze up as he caught a glimpse of the girl the Doctor seemed to be carrying like a backpack. Head hung limp. Hair shiny and curly. Limbs dangling. Feet above the ground.

Jayce shrank down again. He was making sure that Viktor was completely hidden beneath him while simultaneously trying to keep the naked man warm. Jayce wasn't even sure he could try to wake Viktor. He was starting to recognize the trees, which meant they were close to the hunting grounds. Close to Piltover. They could both stay by the gate and go home as soon as the full moon ended. Jayce hesitated, wondering if 'home' was really the right word for the arrangement he had with Viktor. 

Jayce had encountered one other creation of the Doctor's, which seemed to be a rather sizable 'rabbit'. If rabbits were made of human flesh and its long ears were simply the stretched out ones of a human. It hadn't interacted with them and Jayce was sure it hadn't even seen him. He was sick to his stomach, trying to figure out how to tell Heimerdinger or the Sheriff that he knew where the missing students were. His tail remained low to the ground. He kept still as the Doctor's pale form paced in the opposite direction. Jayce still couldn't quite see him, but, in all honesty, that was fine by him.

He watched as the silhouette of the Doctor moved out of the clearing, the dangling limbs of the child he carried bouncing around like a ragdoll. They both disappeared and Jayce let out a small breath through his nose. His fur still wouldn't settle, neither would the prickling along his spine. He kept his ears perked and listening. The crunching footsteps had faded away. Jayce finally settled himself down all the way, sitting off slightly to the side of Viktor. The other was lying on one side, Jayce reaching out and pawing him closer. He tucked Viktor as close to himself as he could, lying his tail over him too. Even if he wasn't sure how Viktor felt temperature, he didn't want him cold. 

Jayce stared at him quietly. Viktor's eyes were shut and his mouth remained parted. His body had stopped showing those bits of metal, but Viktor hadn't woken up yet. Jayce's legs were tired and he figured he could use a break as well. He hesitated as the faint smell of blood touched his nose and he glanced back out towards the clearing. He reached out and pawed at the leaves of the bush hiding them. When he pulled enough aside, he instantly let them go at the sight of another shifted werewolf, though this one was very much dead. It looked as if its throat had been mauled, but its stomach was sliced open almost surgically. Jayce nudged the hole in the bush shut again, his ears flat. It seemed like he'd just missed the Doctor's dinner.

He turned his attention back to Viktor before leaning down and nosing his hair. Viktor smelled like frost and metal and there was a vague hint of something sweet as well. Jayce kept himself there for a moment, closing his eyes and just trying to process how fast his life had been uprooted and thrown into chaos. Even if he wasn't afraid of Viktor himself, he was still terrified of everything the Fae had brought. Everything that the Fae had done to others. Viktor had killed people. Viktor had eaten people. Jayce felt like it was borderline sacrilegious to have a good rapport with something like that. 

Viktor shifted around and Jayce blinked, his ears shooting up again. Viktor made a small, strained noise before his hand started to grasp for something as he rolled onto his back. Jayce instantly pushed his muzzle into Viktor's palm and the Fae relaxed. A smile pulled at his lips, though he still seemed too tired to open his eyes. "Halò, a chuilean. Tha e fuar a-muigh an-diugh..." That language sounded much better coming off of Viktor's tongue, even if Jayce didn't understand it. 

Thump, thump, thump.

Jayce startled, quickly trying to stop his tail as it smacked against Viktor's hip. The smaller man startled before letting out a soft laugh. It sounded genuine and surprised. He stroked his thumb over Jayce's muzzle. "...Are we almost home yet?" Viktor asked softly. Jayce paused before nodding into Viktor's palm. Home. Viktor also called it home? Something tugged at Jayce's heartstrings. Viktor winced as he seemed to try and move. Jayce made a small, worried noise. "...My body is sore. Everything is aching." Viktor finally seemed to admit. "I have never felt like this. I've never had the need to over exert myself."

A bit of guilt curled in Jayce's chest and Viktor shook his head. "It's for you, Jayce. I do not mind that." He said, his voice much quieter. Jayce paused and he pushed his muzzle into Viktor's hand more as he trapped his wiggling tail between his back legs. It felt so much less threatening now. So much more sincere when Viktor said things like this. Viktor's eyes finally managed to open just a little bit, that amber shine peeking through. "Could you make food when we get home?" A small huff of amusement left Jayce and he nodded against Viktor's palm. 

Viktor squeezed his eyes shut again. Jayce's tail, which had been wriggling furiously where he'd trapped it, finally stilled. Viktor really seemed like he was in pain. The Fae clicked his tongue in what sounded like quiet frustration. 

Tch!

"...If I were not so tired, I could have had us back by now." Viktor sounded dismayed and Jayce finally lowered his head enough to lick Viktor's cheek before nudging it with his nose. "...Do I scare you, Jayce?" The question was sudden and soft. Jayce paused and pulled back to look at those blank eyes, fixed on him. Jayce had to think about it for a moment. Viktor had scared him to death more times than he could remember. But Viktor had also shown him signs of trust that Jayce never could have imagined if Viktor did truly want to hurt him. 

Viktor had bared his belly to Jayce over and over. In a way, he was even doing it now, his human form naked and vulnerable yet fully relaxed. And, no matter how drastic, Viktor had done what he said. He'd protected Jayce, in all the ways he knew how, even if some of them had left the werewolf isolated and wary. Jayce could, at least, tell that Viktor was trying his hardest to be by his side. He glanced up to meet Viktor's eyes and, slowly, he saw the emotion creeping back into them. Jayce didn't need to say anything. Viktor broke out into a delighted smile, reaching up with both arms. Jayce allowed Viktor to pull his head down into his chest. He heard no heartbeat. No breathing. Viktor was still terrifying, but Jayce wasn't scared of him. 

Slowly, Jayce lowered himself onto his side, baring his soft underbelly to Viktor. The Fae's eyes widened and he turned over, inching to Jayce and burying himself against him. "A leithid de chuilean! Mo chuilean!" Viktor's voice was muffled in Jayce's fur. He sounded delighted and Jayce was starting to recognize a repeated word. He wondered what it meant. He huffed at the smaller man. Viktor's crystalline eyes immediately appeared from his fur. He pushed his head under Jayce's muzzle and Jayce closed his eyes. The head shape began to change and Jayce was momentarily worried that Viktor was straining himself. 

All his thoughts were knocked out of him as he was bowled over by a slender body. Jayce yelped, rolling over and pinning Viktor's white, canine-like form beneath him. Muzzle too long, legs too thin, but those amber eyes were alive and delighted. 

Thump, thump, thump!

Viktor's wiry tail was wagging furiously. Jayce leaned down and licked scoldingly between Viktor's ears, causing soft, garbled noises to escape the other as he wiggled around. Despite the cold air, Jayce felt warmth in his chest. Viktor suddenly pawed at him, biting playfully near his ear and Jayce scoffed, putting his full weight down on the smaller creature and making him let out a muffled yelp. Viktor rolled both of them over with a shocking amount of strength and Jayce nipped him scoldingly, causing more excited, garbled noises. Jayce finally stood back up and shook himself out. His tail was wagging, but he had to focus. They still had to get back to the hunting grounds and the Doctor's creations were still around. The Doctor was still around. 

Jayce jumped as Viktor butt his head into his shoulder and held it there, his tail still furiously swishing through the air behind him. Jayce softened and gave him one more lick between his ears. Despite just rolling around on the ground, Viktor's white fur remained soft and clean. Not an ounce of dirt. Jayce was almost a little jealous. Viktor butted his shoulder again and Jayce could almost sense what he was saying. 

Home. I want to go home. 

Jayce gently nudged him and started to walk forward, Viktor perking up and starting to eagerly limp after him. Jayce kept his pace slow for him. His paws were aching and he knew there wasn't a chance he was attending any of his classes for the next two days. He wasn't even sure if he'd be able to move his arms or legs the next day with how sore they were going to be. 

Jayce perked as he saw the telltale shine of the gates surrounding the hunting grounds through the trees. Here. They were here. He hesitated as he saw something. A hole melted through two of the pillars. Not wide. Just big enough for... a deer. Jayce's tail lowered as he walked. Well, it seemed like they had a way in, at least. It would be a tight squeeze for him, but he could do it.

One creation was roaming the hunting grounds. Two creations outside the gates. The Doctor himself could be in either place.

Jayce glanced back as Viktor nudged him. The other creature seemed excited they were even back at the gates. Jayce would've smiled if he were capable. His mid drifted, still wondering about that word Viktor kept using with him. 

Chuilean.

Jayce wondered what it meant.

Chapter Text

Thump, thump, thump.

Jayce woke up in his own bed, shifted out of his wolf form. His legs and arms ached so badly that a small noise of pain left his throat before he could stop it. The bed was shaking and, despite his pain, a rush of warmth went through Jayce as he focused on that wagging, wiry white tail. He glanced down to see Viktor's head buried against him, his white ears flicking around. Jayce gave a small sigh and crystalline amber eyes peeked up at him. Jayce still couldn't help but startle when Viktor moved closer. They were both naked. Jayce felt his face go hot and he felt himself pressed between Viktor's legs. "I-I think we need to, uh... We need to r-reposition." Jayce stuttered quietly. 

"Is this kind of proximity only comfortable in your shifted form?" Viktor sounded slightly disappointed by that as he squirmed backwards by a millimeter. Jayce shook his head, opening his mouth to respond before gasping and biting his tongue as Viktor pushed against him. His cock slipped between Viktor's thighs and he squeezed his eyes shut. Viktor watched him in quiet fascination. "...It feels good." Viktor sounded like he was having a realization and Jayce didn't even know if he could say anything in response. It did feel good. Jayce gasped again as Viktor started to rock against him. "Like this?? This feels good for you?" 

Viktor sounded so eager and earnest that Jayce almost felt bad for feeling ashamed. His face was burning and he cleared his throat. "Y-Yeah, but... hah..." Jayce had to bite back his groan as Viktor squeezed his legs together. "W-We don't have to-" All the blood was rushing south and Jayce's cock was soon left twitching madly between Viktor's legs. Viktor only seemed more intrigued. Jayce couldn't help himself, his hips moving before his brain could even catch up to what he was doing. He was rutting between Viktor's legs, his hands moving up to grasp the other man's shoulders. He was still so sore from the trek during the full moon and the pain must've been evident on his face. 

Viktor stopped him with one firm grab to his hips and Jayce jerked in shock, his eyes wide as he stared at him. He'd never had someone be able to stop his movements like that before. Viktor was staring at him closely before his ears flattened. "I don't understand. It feels good to you, but you are not enjoying it." Viktor blinked a couple times before his brow furrowed in slight frustration. "I'm doing something wrong. What is it?" Jayce stared at him before letting out a small, shaky sigh and turning his head away. 

"N-No, you’re not doing anything wrong. I... I just feel sore from everything th-that happened during the full moon." Jayce admitted. "It feels good, but I'm just-" He didn't even get to finish his sentence before he suddenly found himself pinned on his back, his eyes wide in shock. He'd never been manhandled. His face felt like it was burning now. Viktor was straddling him and a faint twitch of discomfort passed over his face before it was hidden. Jayce didn't miss it, grabbing at the blankets and bunching it under Viktor's leg. "V-Viktor, you don't have to-"

"Mo chuilean..." Viktor suddenly murmured the words and Jayce paused, his face flushing hot once more. He recognized the word again. He yelped weakly as Viktor pushed the blank space between his legs up against Jayce's sensitive cock. A shallow divot opened up, enough for Jayce's knot to rub into, but nothing more. The friction alone had Jayce throwing his head back and letting out a desperate whimper. "Mo chuilean, tha coltas gu bheil thu gu bhith a’ spreadhadh..." Viktor's voice became both breathless and affectionate. He rocked his hips up against Jayce and the werewolf dug his fingers into the bed as he arched his back. 

His cock was practically screaming to be inside of something, but he still didn't have the confidence to risk anything like that. He knew Viktor could give him any part he wanted, but he didn't even know what Viktor's preference was. He didn't even think Viktor knew that much about sex until him. Viktor gave a particularly deep grind and Jayce sucked in a breath of air. "Ciamar a tha seo a’ faireachdainn? A bheil e math? A bheil mi a’ cuideachadh?" Viktor sounded breathlessly eager again. "Mo chuilean, mo chuilean..."

Viktor leaned down and Jayce felt his elbows pressing in the bed on either side of his head. Something suddenly changed between his legs, but Jayce couldn't see it. He only felt as tendrils wrapped around his cock, massaging the head and mercilessly squeezing his inflating knot. "AH!! VIKTOR!! Ah, m-my... fuck!!" Jayce could only cry out in small bursts and Viktor clicked his tongue warmly.

Tch!

Even with the tendrils squeezing his cock, Viktor didn't stop rutting his hips against Jayce. Jayce barely opened his eyes to see Viktor's face right above him. The other man's eyes were closed and his mouth was parted, but no breath came out. Jayce could only stare for a moment and he wasn't sure what possessed him, but he reached up and pulled Viktor down into a desperate kiss. The other man's hips stopped for a moment and Jayce likely would've stopped too if he'd noticed Viktor's confusion at the action, but he was a little too lost. He deepened the kiss and his tongue overpowered Viktor's, letting him taste the sap-like sweetness that accompanied the Fae. 

After a moment, Viktor suddenly responded, surging forward and accepting the kiss greedily. His hands and arms wrapped Jayce's head, hugging it close as he dragged himself along his cock. Jayce groaned against his lips. Was this wrong?? He couldn't tell. He knew that he'd just taught Viktor something new, but he couldn't tell quite tell if he was going to regret it yet. Viktor was keeping up with the same amount of desperation and passion that Jayce's former rummages had always admonished him for. Apparently kissing was only supposed to be saved for exclusive relationships and there'd been many misunderstandings. 

But this? Jayce could feel himself approaching the edge so fast that it wasn't even funny. The tendrils retreated from his cock and Jayce swore softly as he felt a cock form against his own, hard and throbbing. Viktor was panting now and just the sound of him breathing was enough to send Jayce over. His knot swelled between them and Jayce nearly screamed as Viktor pressed down into it. The spray of cum that followed coated both their chests and a pleased, garbled noise of excitement left Viktor as Jayce felt his tongue lap whatever had made it to the underside of his jaw. 

Jayce could only lie there, his body shaking with aftershocks as Viktor slowly started to move down his body, feverishly lapping up Jayce's cum like he'd been starved of it. Jayce felt his hands sliding down after, tracing every bit of him like Viktor was worshipping him. Jayce felt a rush of something indescribable at the thought. Viktor pulled back and Jayce glanced down as Viktor sat back, cleaning his fingers. His cock was still throbbing between his legs and the skin suddenly shifted, as if he were going to pull it back in. 

"Wait." Jayce spoke before he could stop himself and Viktor jumped, glancing up at him. Jayce was quiet for a moment. "Have... Have you ever came before, Viktor?" Viktor stared at him blankly. l

"...Like you just did? Do you think I could?" Viktor asked, slightly taken back. "My... My pleasure has always been derived through different needs. My need to be revered, my need to serve, feum air itheadh." Viktor dipped back into his mother tongue, but Jayce felt a chill at the words nonetheless. Jayce hesitated before pushing himself up in a sitting position. He beckoned Viktor closer and helped him to sit between his legs. 

"When we were... rubbing together just now. D-Did you feel anything from that?" He asked quietly. Viktor blinked before glancing aside and shaking his head. 

"No, but there was a sort of... charge when I tasted you. Between our mouths." Viktor seemed to admit, looking as if he were pondering over it. Jayce paused before reaching out to him. He cupped his cheek and turned Viktor's head to face him. 

Thump, thump, thump!

Viktor's tail instantly went wild behind him and Jayce felt a small wave of embarrassment flush his face. Jayce leaned forward and he pressed a softer kiss to Viktor's lips. He felt the smaller man grab onto his arms, his fingers already quivering as he made a small noise against him. "I have you. Calm down." It felt strange to be whispering assurances to such a creature, but Jayce felt his heart squeeze as Viktor visibly relaxed. He pressed back against Jayce with another small noise. His grip was slowly tightening. Jayce paused before pushing his tongue into Viktor's mouth once more, tasting that sweetness. 

"HAH!" Viktor suddenly let out a loud gasp and there was a spray between them as his whole body seemed to quiver. Jayce's eyes were wide as he pulled back. Viktor was red-faced and trembling, covering his mouth as he looked down between them. Jayce hadn't even touched him yet. Had Viktor gone that long without any tenderness? 

Or he just want it from Jayce that badly?

Jayce swallowed, feeling his own tail start to swish across the blankets. Somehow, all the soreness in his body was gone. Not even a trace of it left behind. If anything, he felt twice as energized. "I, uh..." Jayce awkwardly turned his head away. "I think we should... see the Professor. Let him and the Sheriff know what's become of the missing students." He fumbled over the explanation and Viktor stared at him. 

Finally, those crystalline eyes flitted away and he gave a small nod. "Yes, eh... perhaps we should." He agreed softly.

Chapter Text

"Jayce! Bolts and gears, my boy, what are you doing?!" Heimerdinger's voice snapped Jayce out of his momentary stupor, him staring at the Sheriff with flat ears. He'd shoved himself between Marcus and Viktor when the former had started to approach the latter. He'd done it without even thinking. Jayce was baring his teeth at the Sheriff, who already had his hand hovering over the gun on his belt. "He just needs Viktor for questioning-" 

"He doesn't. Viktor has only been with me for the past few weeks! You've even come to check yourselves every time another student went missing! Every single time, Viktor was with me! A-And he was with me during the full moon too! The entirety of it!!" It felt downright embarrassing to admit that, but Jayce was too determined. "We're telling you that the explosion woke a second Fae. Viktor calls it the Doctor." Jayce insisted. "And I saw what he made-" 

"My men are scouring the entirety of the hunting grounds right now, Talis. At the crack of dawn, mind you." Marcus interrupted coldly, taking a step forward. "If they don't find anything and we discover it's just him again-"

Tch.

Marcus froze as Viktor's tongue clicked from over Jayce's shoulder. "Na tig faisg air mo chuilean mar sin, a dhuine bhig. Ithidh mi beò thu." Viktor hissed the words out and one of his arms was felt looping around Jayce's. He pressed his cheeks to his arm as Heimerdinger said his name scoldingly. Viktor glanced over at him. "Yes, Professor?" They were all in Heimerdinger's office, which had undergone a complete remodel ever since Viktor's enrollment. Every possible thing that held his name was gone. "I will not be going with you, Sheriff. Jayce tells the truth. I have not left his side." Viktor stated firmly to Marcus, his white ears flat against his head. 

"There are new laws now, Viktor." Heimerdinger spoke carefully. "New laws that you must follow."

"And if I do not? Last time I walked this land, we had no such things. What do you believe you are capable of doing to me?" Viktor instantly replied, his eyes having become those pools of black again. The tension in the room became thick and Jayce didn't like the quiet glance exchanged between Heimerdinger and Marcus. Jayce reached up and gently squeezed Viktor's arm. The Fae redirected his attention up to Jayce. After a few blinks, his eyes were amber again. "...I do not want to go with that man, Jayce." Viktor finally stated, his ears flat and his gaze averting. Jayce felt his heart sink a little. 

"Mr. Talis is not above law either, Viktor." Heimerdinger stated in warning. The air suddenly went cold. Viktor's grip tightened on Jayce and he spoke again. 

"He has the most power in this room, doesn't he?" Viktor asked softly. He turned to Heimerdinger with those black eyes. "Tha fios agam air an ainm aige mu thràth. Tha fios aige air an dà ainm agaibh, nach eil?" Jayce wasn't sure what Viktor said, but the way Heimerdinger's ears instantly lowered and his body language went stiff wasn't a good sign. Heimerdinger's eyes flicked to him and Jayce's ears lowered. 

"Jayce, come here, please." The Yordle sounded downright shaken and Jayce furrowed his brow. Firstly, he was a little shocked by the fact that Heimerdinger understood Viktor's language, but when he took a step forward, Viktor's cane clattered to the floor and Jayce yelped as Viktor dragged him backwards into a tight hug. "Viktor! Chan eil ann ach cuilean! Leig leis falbh!" To hear Viktor's mother tongue escape Heimerdinger was nothing short of startling, but Jayce figured he shouldn't be too surprised, considering how old the Yordle was. 

Viktor's loud, displeased hiss filled the room and Jayce felt the arms around him shift. The body against him thinned and lengthened. When Viktor spoke again, there was something reverberant and feverish beneath his voice. "Is leamsa an cuilean seo." Viktor's words were firm and harsh. Jayce wasn't sure how he was supposed to diffuse this situation, his tail between his legs. Heimerdinger's eyes were fixed on something well above his head. Jayce's heart was pounding. 

"The Doctor!" He blurted out. "W-We were, uh, we were talking about the Doctor!" At that, he felt Viktor's arms loosen and his body began to shrink again. "I-I saw him! I saw him while I was carrying Viktor back! I-"

"You did not look him in the eyes, did you??" Viktor suddenly spun him around, Jayce catching the tail end of the center of his forehead sealing up and covering the twisted purple wires beneath. "Did you see his face??" 

"No! No, he was pacing and muttering. I could only see him through the bush." Jayce tried to assure him. "I did see most of the little girl that he carries on his back-"

"Was she awake??" Viktor's question became urgent and, for the first time, Jayce heard him sound slightly terrified. Jayce quickly shook his head, remembering how all of her limbs had dangled loose and low. Her head had hung. Viktor seemed to relax at that and he pulled Jayce down into a tight hug. Jayce's ears shot up in surprise before he hugged him back. Viktor stepped back and turned to Heimerdinger. "The Doctor gave me a false name when I first met him. I don't even know if having his true name will aid me with how he's changeduuhhý himself."

His grip was tight on Jayce and Heimerdinger stared at them. "If is he from your time-"

"He introduced himself as 'Singed'." Viktor stated, the name seeming to have an immediate effect on Heimerdinger. "He woke me momentarily. He studied off of me. Experimented off of me." His voice shook a little and Jayce couldn't help but reach out, pulling Viktor back so he could lean against his chest. Heimerdinger had gone almost completely still. His ears were so low that they formed an arrow and his hands were curled into fists at his side. "He is a false Fae. One born of machine and mortal meddling." Viktor stared at Heimerdinger. "It is of my understanding that you may know him."

"...I do. But I never thought I would-"

"Cha robh dùil agad a-riamh gun coinnicheadh ​​tu ris an dia a bha e a' cumail na phrìosanach." Viktor stated, his eyes wide, black, and unblinking. Heimerdinger's fur seemed to stand up. 

"I-I thought he'd simply lost his way. All he could talk about was his experiment. His test subject." Heimerdinger replied, his ears twitching around. "About his-"

"Nighean." Viktor interrupted softly. For once, Jayce felt like he could piece together what that one meant. Dangling limbs and a hung head. The daughter. Heimerdinger squeezed his eyes shut and gave a small nod. Jayce hesitated before leaning down and nuzzling against Viktor's shoulder. The motion seemed to instantly soften the Fae, his eyes becoming amber as he turned to face Jayce. He tipped his head before his tail started to swish around as Jayce kicked between his ears. He knew it was a little too affectionate to be doing in front of other people, but he hoped they could understand how fast the motions calmed Viktor down. 

Marcus was certainly displeased by the display, his lip curled a little. He kept his mouth shut regardless. Heimerdinger seemed slightly put off and Jayce did manage to shoot him an apologetic look. The Yordle paused before glancing at Viktor, who had his eyes squeezed shut and his tail wagging in delight. Heimerdinger seemed to quickly understand and he motioned quietly to Jayce that it was alright. The Yordle still seemed slightly shaken as he turned to the side. "...Corin Reveck was my old science partner." He finally supplied. 

Viktor paused and turned to look at him. Heimerdinger continued, seeming cautious. "We worked together well over a century ago. He had a brilliant mind, though some of his methods proved risky, at best. When his daughter fell ill, he... became someone I didn't recognize. Turned to things that I couldn't have possibly imagined in order to save her. But he soon disappeared and all my efforts to find him bore no fruit." The Professor sounded slightly haunted as he spoke. 

"He was sealed away when he tried to put me back." Viktor said, his fingers slightly curling on Jayce. "The explosion that woke me has woken him as well. He is unused to his manmade Fae magic. He is taking anyone who answers his knocks. I have warned Jayce not to answer the door without me. Never to answer the door without me. His rules are different than mine." Viktor became slightly feverish for a moment and Jayce gave the smallest rumble against the side of his neck, trying to calm him down. There was a buzzing noise from Marcus' device and he turned away to answer. However, his device was soon clattering to the floor, his eyes wide and his hand over his mouth. 

"Your men have found the 'deer'. I'm sorry that you had to lay eyes upon it." Viktor didn't even turn to Marcus, speaking aloud. "But there will be more. His creations have never been aggressive, but one attacked us during the full moon. They are changing. New species wrapped together into one form." Viktor mumbled, his brow furrowed. Jayce squeezed his eyes shut. He was shaking again and Viktor's shoulders sank. "Tha e ceart gu leòr, mo chuilean. Cumaidh mi sàbhailte thu." Viktor spoke softly and comfortingly to him as he reached up, gently rubbing the bases of Jayce's ears with his thumbs. 

Instantly, Jayce's eyes slipped shut and the smallest whimper managed to escape him as he leaned into his hands. One of his hips twitched and he found himself tapping one of his feet, his head tipping into Viktor's hold. He suddenly remembered where they were and embarrassment flushed his whole body as he forced himself to stand upright, quickly grabbing Viktor's wrists and coughing awkwardly. "I-I wanted to let you know so that something could be done. An investigation of some kind so that the families can be told something. Attendance is dropping, Professor. I know it. But it's not Viktor's fault. He's been with me." 

"I will keep Jayce safe." Viktor insisted suddenly, moving and hugging the much larger man from behind again. "The other students no longer interest me." 

"Until you’re hungry again." Marcus commented flatly. Viktor turned to him with a look of blatant disregard.

"Jayce has been keeping me fed." He stated firmly. Jayce's ears went flat and his face went hot. He turned his head away quickly under Marcus' disgusted gaze. He didn't even want to look over at the Professor. Shame flooded his whole body and Viktor paused, seeming to sense it before turning to face him in confusion. Jayce could practically hear Viktor wondering why Jayce seemed upset, especially when the Fae took a wobbly step towards him and reached up, cupping his cheeks. All Jayce could do was hide his face in Viktor's palm. 

"...We will be instating a curfew. Any work that is able to be done remotely, that will be the priority." Heimerdinger finally stated. Jayce could only nod along to whatever he was saying. The rowdier of the Academy students wouldn't listen, but it was a start. He blinked as Viktor nuzzled into his chest, his ears flat and his tail limp. He was apologizing, even if he clearly didn't know why. Jayce felt a small warmth in his chest and he rested his head on top of Viktor's.

Chapter Text

"Have I upset you?" Viktor's voice was much softer and much more strained than Jayce had ever heard it. He shut the door to their shared dorm and stared at it for a moment after locking it. He finally shook his head and leaned against the door with a small sigh. "Are you certain?" Viktor asked, his brow furrowed. "You did not speak to me ever since we left that office. Was it because of how I snapped at the satyr that bumped into you? Was it what I said before??" He had come up behind Jayce now, reaching out and wrapping his arm around Jayce's tightly. 

"No, no." Jayce kept himself quiet too. Of course, he'd been more than humiliated at Viktor outright implying that Jayce was keeping him satisfied through likely sexual means, especially in front of the Dean and the Sheriff. But it wasn't his only concern. He gave a small sigh and reached into his pocket, pulling out the invitation that had been shoved into his hand by the satyr. Viktor stared at it quietly, seeming slightly taken back. He reached out to it before pausing and glancing up at Jayce. "So this is... There's a group of students here... that always host a yearly gathering, regardless of what's happening. It's a party that everyone looks forward to since it refuses to read the room. No matter what has happened, it's a party that will happen." 

"But the Doctor is about-" 

"And they still planned to throw it even when you were picking students off. Nothing gets in the way of it. It's an open-invitation, open-door party. The, uh, 'invitations' are just to give the location. Anyone. Everyone. They even bothered to invite me after my trial." Jayce said quietly. Viktor hesitated. He'd been beyond confused when Jayce had told him of the trial. Why the public wouldn't be fascinated with such magic. "They've invited me for two years and I've never gone." 

"And do you wish to go?" Viktor asked, moving around to stand in front of him. "This kind of... celebration sounds dangerous if they just allow anyone to walk in." Jayce nodded. 

"The Enforcers can't stop it from happening, so they always try to shut it down as soon as they can. The hosts have been getting much sneakier though. The letters have been getting a lot more discreet. No students dare to give up the location once they know it." Jayce snorted softly. "It's the one thing all of the species unanimously agree on. Getting to be in attendance. I assume it's at another estate. One of the rich, upper-class students. Moonshine, Nectar, vodka, Bloodbags... Any kind of alcohol for any kind of person. And Moonshine's been illegal for a long time now." Jayce paused as he realized he was sitting on the floor. When had they...?

"What are the benefits of such a gathering? It sounds reckless. Unnecessary." Viktor murmured, now sitting in front of him. His bad leg was lightly hooked over Jayce's knee and Jayce felt his ears twitch in amusement. He reached out and gently squeezed Viktor's leg, right above the knee. 

Thump, thump, thump.

Viktor's tail was instantly heard going wild. It caused a smile to pull at Jayce's lips. "People just want to socialize. One night out of the year to just let loose and be however they want. There are still loose guidelines in place. No weapons. No assault. If someone's uncomfortable with someone, get them away. All of that still applies... But there's no need for formalities. No need for... deadlines or anything. Just a celebration of life. Doesn't matter whose." Jayce explained softly, giving the lightest massage to Viktor's leg. He furrowed his brow. He... He had considered going before. But he just...

"Could I go?" 

"Viktor." Jayce's flat, unamused voice escaped him before he could even stop it. Viktor huffed and turned his head away, like he was simply being reminded that he wasn't liked instead of being a proficient murderer and cannibal. Like he was being reminded of anything except the fact that he was a Fae. Regardless, his tail came to a stop behind him. "You know your own rules." Jayce finally started, reaching out and turning Viktor's head to look at him. He kept his voice soft. "You know what happens when you learn anyone's name. They are not going to be careful of things like that there. If you follow your own rules, it'll..." Jayce felt goosebumps erupt along his skin. "It'll be a bloodbath." 

There was a moment of silence and Jayce glanced up. Viktor had his eyes squeezed shut, but he didn't seem like he was going to argue. Not in the least. Jayce thumbed at the invitation, including the purposely-shitty wax seal symbol on the front. It looked like they'd just chosen a square this year. He popped the paper open and looked it over. As he expected, it was simple. Two lines. One being the address and one being a reminder to burn the letter. But this one had handwriting on it. Bright red, scrawled pen. 

Bring the Fairy!

It was really his own fault, at this point. The night was quiet and Viktor was walking next to him. Jayce had him wrapped in a fur-lined coat and a scarf. Jayce's breath kept billowing out in front of him. The soft click of Viktor's cane was all he heard as they moved down the street. They were headed towards the estates. The grand homes of Piltover. Already, he could see the gates were open. He didn't see anyone else on the road. He couldn't even tell which house was hosting, at first glance. He'd told Viktor plainly that, if anyone revealed their names, they were leaving. They were leaving immediately and Jayce would try to get Viktor away as fast as he could. 

The hosts of this party were always thorough. If they wanted him to bring Viktor, that meant there should have been some kind of precaution in place. Jayce glanced over as Viktor's tail smacked against the back of his leg again. He was already staring around with wide, excited eyes and perked ears. It made Jayce want to smile, but it also made the worry in his chest twice as heavy. Viktor was so excited to attend a mortal gathering... He just hoped it didn't become his last one. 

When Jayce laid eyes on the house, however... he nearly choked. The Merdarda Estate. The Merdarda Estate. This was a Councilor's home. This was-

"Hey!" A woman had been standing at the end of the pathway, hurrying down to meet them. Jayce recognized her immediately. Elora, Councilor Merdarda's assistant. She'd called out to them in a hushed whisper. She was dressed much more casually than he was used to. Her eyes were that velvet red and her fangs showed when she smiled, but she held her hands out for him regardless. "Hello! I didn't think either of you would be coming!" 

Jayce could only stare at her, stunned speechless. Elora turned to Viktor and offered her hands to him instead. "Hello! It's nice to finally meet you. The Council has made you such a mysterious figure!" Viktor seemed surprised by her friendliness before taking her hands in response after hooking his cane over his arm. She gave his hands a squeeze and Viktor perked, his tail starting to wag. Jayce couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy at that. He pushed it down quickly. 

"Why have you invited me, Miss? Surely you know how dangerous it is. I cannot control myself if any names are learned." Viktor said, looking her over in quiet worry before his eyes shifted down to the ground. 

"The theme is 'masquerade'. It is a little corny, I admit, but it gets the point across. Everyone was more than aware that the Fae might make an appearance and everyone was more than aware what happens if the Fae learns their names." Elora assured Viktor gently. Jayce finally found his voice and cleared his throat, his eyes wide.

"Th-This is a Councilor's home-" 

"She is away for the week! She's gone to Noxus for personal business. I have made arrangements with the cleaning staff of two different companies to restore the house exactly to how it was before she left. She is a human, after all. She won't be able to smell anything amiss!" Elora insisted. Jayce was absolutely mortified at her boldness, knowing it was really only something a vampire could achieve. "Come on now! You both are guests of honor!" She reached into her pockets and pulled out three flimsy black, stick-on lacy face masks. Viktor was grinning ear to ear once Elora helped him put his on. 

She started to guide him towards the house, but Jayce found himself reaching out and grabbing Viktor by the arm. Both of them turned to look back at him and Jayce's face went hot. "Oh, uh... I... I think it would be better if Viktor stayed by me." He managed quietly. Elora blinked in surprise before hesitantly letting Viktor go. She shook off her confusion and smiled at Viktor. 

"Is that your chosen name, Fae? Viktor?" She asked curiously. Viktor nodded, suddenly returning her exact fanged grin at her, making her jump. "Oh!" Elora burst out in quiet laughter. "Right, right, a changeling, too." Viktor shifted his teeth back to normal and remained close to Jayce's side as they approached the house. His heart was pounding so hard that he felt like he was about to pass out. He was stressed. He was so stressed that he didn't even know what to do. What could he do?? 

Elora opened the doors for them and Jayce was instantly surrounded by a light, thrumming music as the doors closed again. He could smell alcohol, excitement, tobacco, and sex. He crept forward, finally emerging out into the foyer, where groups were talking and mingling. A good amount of people were dancing in the center of the room, mostly satyrs that led respective partners. Most of them already seemed intoxicated. Elora gave a bow and yelped as she was suddenly pulled away by a werewolf to go dance. Viktor was looking around the gold-gilded foyer curiously, but Jayce could feel the eyes on them. 

Everyone was wearing those lacy, cheap face masks. Jayce pressed closer to Viktor before tugging at him. "Kitchen." He mumbled aloud, Viktor furrowing his brow before following him. The kitchen was much less overwhelming. The staff had long made themselves scarce and Jayce stared at the kegs that were propped up on the counter. A group of werewolves, humans, and satyrs were keeping them company. Jayce knew half of these people weren't even students. He moved off to the side and sat down, burying his face in his hands. 

"It's the Fairy! Hey!" Jayce instantly jerked his head up, his eyes wide in shock as he watched a human and a satyr approach Viktor. He recognized them, both members of Piltover's recreational sports team. The team participated in new sports every two months. Viktor greeted them quietly, though he looked at them with neutral eyes and a low tail. It wasn't threatened, but simply hung limp. 

"Ah, you're mimicking Talis, right? Werewolf?" The human gestured to Viktor's ears with a grin. Viktor paused and tipped his head before looking back at Jayce. Jayce managed an encouraging grin in response, but he felt like he was about to vomit. Viktor hesitated before looking back and continuing a small conversation with them. His tail only tucked between his legs, though his ears remained alert. Jayce was trying to listen for any potential slip ups. Any signs that he had to take Viktor and get the hell out of there. A cup was suddenly pushed into his hand and he paused before glancing up. 

He recognized this werewolf. Sky Young, a biology major. She gave a small smile as she sat on the chair next to him. "You seem nervous." She finally said, fixing her glasses as her ears quivered. Jayce assumed it was some kind of anxiety disorder. He shook his head and glanced down at the cup. The liquid inside was a faintly-glowing, metallic blue. Moonshine. It smelled sweet and warm. Jayce grit his teeth before raising the cup and taking a few sips. Instantly, he felt himself relax, closing his eyes and letting out a soft breath. 

"Can you blame me? This is the first time Viktor's been in such a public area. The professors keep him isolated for a reason." Jayce's hand tightened around the cup. "Fuck, we never should have come-" He paused as Sky bumped his shoulder with her cheek to get his attention. A rather respectful motion between werewolves. He was momentarily surprised as he glanced over. She nodded towards Viktor and he followed her gaze. More people had approached him and Viktor's tail had raised, the Fae now seeming interested as he held more conversations. And it seemed people really had been trained on how to speak with him. 

'My friend'

'The professor'

'That bloodsucker'

'Little Miss'

Jayce had never heard so many nicknames tossed around. Anything and everything to avoid using real names. It was honestly impressive. It didn't do anything to soothe his anxiousness, but he supposed that was what the Moonshine was for. "Did you ask him to look like that? Or do you think he's naturally beautiful?" Sky asked him softly. Jayce paused, glancing at her before furrowing his brow as he focused on Viktor again. 

Beautiful.

"...I didn't ask him to take that form. But the Professor said that he only started to look like this after he met me." Jayce finally admitted. "So I'm..." Sky let out a small hum. 

"You're unsure if he looks like this because of some unconscious desires of yours then?" She questioned, causing Jayce to huff at her softly. They weren't friends in the slightest, but that's what this party was all about. Talking to strangers like they were friends. He and Sky could never talk again after this and that would just be how it was. "If it was because of you, I'd say you have good taste." Sky joked lightly.

Jayce couldn't help but snort at that, shooting her a look before taking another sip of Moonshine. "How, uh, how long has everyone been prepping to meet him?" 

"A good few months now. The hardest ones to train out of saying names were the vampires." Sky added, chuckling as a short tail wiggled behind her. "You surely can't blame us all for being curious. Yes, we know he's dangerous, but we also know he isn't actively malicious. It's similar to how we were viewed." She nudged Jayce's arm. "How we used to be treated during the full moon. Like we were animals? We... We all supposed it was unfair to judge without knowing all the rules. A good few students have died by his hand, but we know he didn't intend for it. Right?" Sky glanced at him and Jayce nodded. 

"It's just his rules. For... For some reason, I was exempt from them." Jayce said, his brow furrowing. Sky took a sip of her Moonshine. 

"Mm, a few other students and I have a theory it's because the research that exploded and released all that energy was under your name!" She supplied earnestly, her ears flicking. Jayce blinked in surprise and glanced over at her, his ears pricked. Sky seemed to take note of that and smiled. "Ah, not so farfetched then!" 

Chapter Text

Time blurred and Jayce soon found himself stumbling. Viktor had seemingly committed himself to staying by Jayce's side, no matter what. At least, Jayce hoped that was him. Even when Jayce wasn't quite capable of walking, Viktor would pull Jayce along next to him. Jayce wasn't quite sure when the empty cup had left his hand, but it hadn't come back. Moonshine was a powerful drink. Jayce found his hands full with something else. Viktor stood in front of him and his hands were intertwined with Jayce's, squeezing his palms. 

Tch!

Jayce flinched at the tongue click like it was a gunshot. His vision spun and he realized that he was leaning back against a wall. The last thing he recalled was a door slamming. Jayce's legs were shaking and he could barely stand up. Viktor's white ears were flat and he was sniffing at Jayce quietly. "Carson a tha thu a' fàileadh mar a h-uile duine? Chan eil mi dèidheil air sin..." Viktor was muttering to himself and Jayce could barely even process it. He glanced up and paused as he met Jayce's gaze. He pulled one of his hands back and waved it in front of him. "...Do you see me again?" 

"Have I not been?" Jayce answered quietly, his voice weak and breathless. Viktor hesitated before shaking his head and glancing aside. His tail was twisting and curling and lashing behind him like a worm. 

"Your gaze has not been focused. You smell only of other bodies and liquor." Viktor's shoulders were sunken. "I have had to come find you more than once. You keep wandering from me." He sounded slightly upset and Jayce paused. He didn't remember that. "You've had two cups of that liquid. You smell too sweet. Too many people keep trying to speak to you and dance with you. All they did was laugh when I hissed at them." Viktor's ears were flat. "So I took you into a room. I don't want to go back out there until you stop running away from me." 

"...Sorry." Jayce wasn't sure what else to say to that, staring at Viktor uselessly. His face was hotter now, knowing that Viktor must've made a big deal about being alone with him. Especially to drag him into a spare room. Lots of people usually ended up staying the night, but it was mostly couples or hookups. Jayce wasn't sure which one would be worse for them to be seen as. Jayce yelped as he was suddenly met with a cane to his knees, causing him to buckle and drop to the ground. Viktor still seemed upset as he moved backwards. "I-I'm sorry." Jayce tried again. His tail was between his legs and his own ears were flat. "I... I don't remember, I'm sorry..." 

Viktor's shoulders only sank further and he turned, limping towards the bed and grunting with effort as he crawled into it. He'd thrown his cane to the side and he curled himself up in the dark blue covers of the guest bed. Jayce stared at the lump quietly. What had he done?? Viktor seemed genuinely saddened. Had he said something? He didn't know. A soft knocking on the door caused his ear to perk. 

"Are you both okay?? You left the kitchen in a rush." Elora called out from the other side of the door and Jayce steadied himself on the wall before slowly pushing himself to his feet. She knocked again and Jayce glanced up before pausing. The door was next to him, but he could see the shadow beneath it. Two shadows, one for each foot, but when slightly turned, there were four. Jayce blinked and kept himself still. Was it the alcohol?? Slowly, he lowered his elbows back against the wall and slid back down it until he was sitting again. Even his liquor-numbed heart was starting to race again. The gears in his slowed brain were still turning. "Jayce?? Viktor?" 

Jayce turned to look back up at the bed and froze up. Viktor was perched right at the edge of the bed, his eyes black and his jaws parted. He was eerily still, seeming ready to leap at the door the second it opened. His body seemed wrong. His head was normal, but the rest was like a wolf's skeleton covered by human skin and limbs. Jayce turned away and became sick. His whole body shook from the effort and he nearly fell into it, only managing to collapse on his side at the last second. His back was to Viktor now and he could only try to focus on breathing. 

His senses were flooded with sick and sweet, his tail tucked between his legs and his ears so flat that they trembled. Jayce squeezed his eyes shut and small whimpers finally started to escape him. He could feel his bones shifting and starting to grow smaller. Finally, he was in his pup form, quivering and terrified. For a werewolf to be scared or intoxicated enough to revert to pup form would've had him shamed by the entire community if they knew. Only a coward would revert back to such a state. The werewolf's last line of defense against an enemy they couldn't possibly hope to defeat. Become small enough to run away or pathetic enough to overlook. 

He remained curled in a fluffed-up ball before he felt hands slip under him. His whimpers erupted from his throat, begging his captor not to eat him. Not to kill him. His whole body shook. "Jayce...?" Viktor sounded taken back and Jayce finally opened an eye to look at him. Viktor placed Jayce down in his lap, his amber eyes tired and worried. "Why have you become so small??" Of course they wouldn't have taught Viktor about that. It was so ostracized that Jayce wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't just done it. Viktor finally started to brush his thumbs over Jayce's head, smoothing his ears back with each swipe. Jayce hated to admit it, but it felt so nice.

Jayce closed his eyes, though he kept all his limbs firmly tucked in front of himself. He wouldn't show his belly and that seemed to dismay Viktor. Viktor finally pulled Jayce up to his chest and Jayce winced as the ground seemed to sink beneath them. Viktor laid Jayce back down and he realized they'd somehow gone from the floor to the bed. Jayce curled up on the covers. Viktor watched him and his ears remained flat. 

Tch!

That tongue click made Jayce flinch once more, but when he opened his eyes, he was met with the smallest version of Viktor's 'wolf' form he'd ever seen. Muzzle still too long. Limbs too wiry. Yet, that snow-colored fur shimmered. Viktor carefully stepped through the covers and he settled down next to Jayce, pressing their flanks together. For a moment, Jayce was worried about how Viktor would be shamed if he were caught in pup form too. But, on second thought, he really didn't know if he would be shamed. He was a Fae. 

A paw tapping at his muzzle got Jayce's attention and he barely managed to focus as he met Viktor's crystalline eyes. Viktor made his garbled little noise before showing off his belly to Jayce. Jayce blinked at him, his brain needing a moment to catch up. Why would Viktor expose his belly?? It was... trust. It was trust. Wasn't Viktor angry at him?? Jayce didn't understand and his ears lowered again. Viktor's ears lowered in response and he finally pushed himself up before crawling over and laying down right on top of Jayce. Jayce let out a small puff of surprise before he adjusted. Viktor barely weighed anything at all. Should he be worried about that?? Was Viktor not eating??

Viktor gave a stretch, laying out on top of Jayce. After another moment, Jayce finally started to relax. As messed up as he was, this was still his... What was he? Friend? Was...? Jayce buried his face a little further into the covers. Viktor was... part of his pack. Jayce's trusted group of people. But he just didn't know... which part of the pack he was. What were they? Jayce didn't know if his Moonshine-heavy brain could handle trying to take any guesses. He finally rolled over just a little and wrenched his paw out from under Viktor so he could put it over him. Viktor nosed at him gently and Jayce relaxed a little more. Was Viktor still mad at him? He let out a small, questioning whine and Viktor let out that garbled rumble in response. Jayce's eyes slipped shut. 

It didn't sound angry.

Jayce's head was killing him the next morning. The moment he opened his eyes, he squeezed them shut with a loud, wounded noise that he had to swallow back. It hurt so much. Jayce was shifted out of his wolf form, but he was naked again. He could hear freezing rain pattering against the windows outside and he whimpered softly. Somehow, the grey light from outside was already too much. His ears were flat. He was cold and he gave a small shiver. The blankets shifted and he felt warmth spread over his body. Funnily enough, he could recognize the rain tapping against the glass of his dorm room windows... but he didn't recognize these massive, puffy blankets surrounding him. 

They were far too nice to be dorm blankets, but Jayce didn't know if he could even process that. Someone was suddenly sliding up behind him in the bed. Viktor's slender fingers wrapped over his forehead and soft lips were pressed to the back of Jayce's shoulder as the pain suddenly started to sap out of his head. It felt like it was bleeding out of his ears, but there was nothing wet. What was happening?? Jayce furrowed his brow, but when he tried to open his eyes, he found himself wrenching them shut again as Viktor's other hand closed around his cock. "Ah!" He inhaled shakily, Viktor's fingers stimulating his uninflated knot. He seemed to know just where it was. "V-Viktor...!" 

"Shhh, mo chuilean..." Viktor murmured the words quietly and it sent a shiver down Jayce's frame. A whine dragged itself from his throat and he tipped his head back. Viktor seemed to be pulling pleasure and pain from him at the same time and Jayce didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to do. There were too many sensations spinning around his body and he could only let out a soft sob in response. He wasn't even crying. His cock had gone from soft to rearing so fast that it left him dizzy and the noise he made was downright unidentifiable as he bucked his hips forward and came.

The action nearly winded him and he was left boneless in the bed for a moment. Viktor's soaked hand pulled from his cock and his other hand pulled from Jayce's head. Jayce could hear Viktor licking his fingers and grumbling. "Tha blas ro mhilis air fhathast..." Jayce paused as he finally focused again. His head didn't hurt. All the pain was gone. They were back in the dorms. Viktor hadn't... hurt anyone?? Well, it was still too early to tell for that, but...

Something else clicked in Jayce's mind. "V-Viktor?? Are these... the blankets from the... estate?" He asked quietly. He could only imagine how Elora would try to explain that one to Councilor Merdarda.

Chapter Text

Jayce wasn't sure what he'd said during that party. For the past few days, Viktor was keeping him from leaving the room. Of course, Heimerdinger had been notified and Jayce had been assured that he wouldn't be penalized for it. Above all else, they were more worried about keeping him alive. Viktor barely even let Jayce leave the bed. He brought him food and drew warm baths for him, not to mention that Jayce's bed was covered in fluffy blankets and pillows. It was the most comfortable a dorm bed had ever felt for him, but Jayce just didn't know why Viktor was doing it. 

When Viktor wasn't hovering over him, he was staring. He was staring from the other side of the room, sitting rigid in the same chair. If he stared forward for too long, his eyes would be swallowed up into those black pools again. Every time Jayce moved, those eyes would snap to him. When Jayce had finally gathered the courage to ask why he wasn't allowed to leave the room, Viktor wouldn't answer.

Jayce watched quietly as the snow fell outside the window. He was completely curled up in the soft blankets, his body feeling locked up just from the sight of the small, white flakes. Well, at least he wasn't going outside any time soon. His eyes trailed over until they met that crystalline gaze. He was in that same chair. Just staring. Jayce's tail flicked around unhappily and his ears lowered. "What's wrong?" Viktor spoke almost instantly and it made Jayce startle. "Your ears are low." 

"I'm being held captive in my own room and you won't tell me why." Jayce answered quietly, turning his head away. 

"...It's to protect you." Viktor's words made his heart sink. Jayce let out a small, frustrated sigh, only curling up tighter. "Why are you upset??" 

"Because I'm trapped. A trapped wolf is a dead wolf." Jayce replied firmly. Viktor didn't answer and Jayce had to stifle a groan of irritation as he buried his face back into the blankets. Finally, he heard the chair squeak.

Tch!

There was the click of the tongue, followed by Viktor's cane scraping across the floor. Jayce jumped as Viktor's hand suddenly slammed into the bed next to him. "Then how do I stop it??" Viktor's voice was strained and Jayce looked up at him in shock. "Why do you only ever talk about dying?? Why do you say those things?" Viktor was starting to sound genuinely upset as he spoke. "I-I am trying my hardest to treat you well. I am trying my hardest to care for you. Keep you fed. Keep you warm." Viktor pulled at the blanket quietly, seeming to fix it into some unknown formation. 

Jayce finally sat up and turned to look at him with a furrowed brow, wondering if he was being serious. When Viktor only looked back at him in utter distress, Jayce's shoulders sank. "Viktor, you... you said you would eat me if I didn't need you for anything..." Jayce reminded him ever so softly. "And you don't have the best track record when it comes to... normal meals." Jayce wasn't sure how he could be polite about this. In all honesty, he didn't know what to do. "What... What are you expecting from me?"

"Nach eil cothrom sam bith agam dha-rìribh, mar a thuirt thu?! Gun chothrom san t-saoghal?!" Viktor suddenly blurted out the words and his fingers curled into the blankets. "Dìreach mar a thuirt thu! Aig a 'phàrtaidh... Nach eil mi ach mar mhurtair? Nach eil mi ach mar ainmhidh dhutsa?" Jayce watched as his bloody tears streamed down his face. His ears were flat and he found himself reaching out again, but Viktor shook his head. A strangled noise escaped him. "Th-Tha mi airson a bhith math! Tha mi airson a bhith math dhutsa, ach chan urrainn dhomh!"

This time, Jayce furrowed his brow and he reached out again, a new determination in him. "An urrainn dhut innse carson a tha mi air a bhith a’ dèanamh seo uile? Nach eil e fhathast follaiseach??" Viktor sounded desperate, his voice bordering feverish again. He flinched as Jayce's hands cupped his cheeks, but he didn't pull away, reaching up to hold onto his wrists. Viktor cried in silence for a few moments, a red stain gathered on the bed beneath him. "...Mo chuilean... Chan eil cothrom agam dha-rìribh, an e?"

Jayce reached out and hooked his hands under Viktor's arms. It spurred a shocked noise from the Fae as Jayce pulled him up onto the bed and into the pile of blankets. "Chan urrainn dhut sin a dhèanamh gun fhios agad dè tha e a’ ciallachadh!" Viktor sounded hushed and Jayce had a feeling he'd done something he didn't understand. He wrapped his arms around Viktor from behind and buried his face into his shoulder. It was quiet for a moment and Viktor finally spoke again. "Chuilean?"

"My language, please. I can't understand you... and I want to." Jayce managed weakly. "I don't remember what I said at the party... I was drunk off my ass on Moonshine and, if I said anything terrible about you, I'm sorry. I'm..." Jayce's shoulders sank. "...I accepted that you'll probably be the one that kills me. I'm sorry if that's upsetting, but I just... can't imagine any other outcome. One day, I just won't have anything left for you to do... so you'll consume me, like you said." He could feel Viktor's fingers curling tightly into his arms. 

"I don't want to kill you, Jayce. I want to keep being useful. I like you very much." Viktor said weakly, his voice strained. Jayce's ears lowered. 

"Why??" He just didn't understand and he felt Viktor shift around in his hold. He glanced up as he loosened it, allowing the other man to turn and face him. Viktor's crystalline, amber eyes were inches from his. They looked so... sad. Jayce felt his heart clench a little. 

"...I first saw you painted in shadows. I was so used to the glow of the moon. That kind of luminosity doesn't interest me anymore... But you were dappled in darkness, with golden eyes. I had never seen anything like it. Before I realized it was just a trick of the light, I was approaching you regardless." Viktor buried his face into Jayce's shoulder. "And I recognized the magic that dusted your fur. It was my magic. The very source I draw from. And I realized it was you who woke me... whether you intended to or not." Viktor's arms wrapped tightly around him. "I thought it... was destined. But it appears I was sorely mistaken." His fingers curled into Jayce's skin. 

"What-" 

"You hate me." Viktor's words were soft, but they sent a lightening bolt of shock straight through Jayce's body, leaving him feeling raw and shaky. "Maybe not consciously, but I see the way your body recoils when I am near. I heard what you said when the Moonshine stripped away your walls. 'Nothing is worse than living with a Fae', right?" Viktor's voice had weakened to little more than a breath. "You... 'might as well be dead'." Jayce felt something stab through his chest at that. It sounded like something he might have said as a joke or a deflection, but... Undoubtedly, those words would have hurt Viktor. 

Jayce found himself tearing up before he could stop it and he leaned down. He nudged at Viktor's face until the other man finally lifted his head. "I don't hate you." Jayce said softly, trying to meet his gaze. More bloody tears only fell down Viktor's cheeks. Viktor looked doubtful and Jayce gave a weak sigh through his nose. "Why do you keep bringing me things, Viktor? I've never had so much stuff on my bed before." Jayce glanced around and poked at the blankets he sat in. Viktor was hesitant before his face flushed a dark red and he avoided his gaze. Jayce paused. "...Are you..."

"Nest." Viktor interrupted quietly. He seemed like he was struggling not to stumble over his words. "A soft, warm nest. Make sure it is as comfortable as can be. They must be able to sleep without issue or terror." Viktor sounded like he was softly reciting something that he'd heard a very, very long time ago. "Give them a name. One only you can call them by..." 

"...Chuilean." Jayce said quietly. Viktor glanced up at him. 

"Mo chuilean." He seemed to clarify in quiet embarrassment. Jayce allowed his hands to fall until they were lightly holding Viktor's waist. The other man was sitting in his lap, facing him. He'd never seen Viktor look so disheveled. Viktor felt quiet for several long, awkward seconds and Jayce reached up, lightly tapping his cheek. 

"A nest. A name." He prompted. Viktor stared at him and squeezed his eyes shut, tears running down his face. "...Nevermind." Jayce wasn't stupid. His face was burning and he could barely keep his own eyes open from the embarrassment. "...Please just know I'm sorry for whatever bullshit came out of my mouth at that party... okay?" Jayce whispered softly. Viktor glanced up before nodding. "And... I think I know what this all means now." 

Jayce was in shambles at the moment. Mostly from the fact that he hadn't picked up on it until then. And even then, he was an internal mess trying to decide how he felt about it. This was a cannibal. A murderer. A Fae. Something far more ancient than he had ever imagined. But...

Viktor couldn't seem to say anything else. 

Jayce wouldn't force him to.

Chapter Text

Jayce was surprised to find that, in the entirety of the party, no one had alerted Viktor to their names. Other than Jayce not being able to shut his own drunken mouth, Viktor had been mingling and conversing with everyone like they were on equal levels. Like he wasn't a Fae. Like he was just... one of them.

Jayce only felt a deeper guilt carve into the pit of his stomach. He wouldn't look at Viktor, who was sitting a desk away from him in the otherwise empty lecture hall. The professor was at her desk, having put on a video for them about the history of violence between the modern species, caused most notably by humans. It was nice to finally get out of the room again, but Jayce wasn't sure if he could quite handle something like this. The statistics and the death count climbing higher and higher on the screen had his tail trembling low. It all just felt like too much. Something touched his foot and Jayce nearly jumped out of his skin. He glanced down to see Viktor's foot lightly pressed against his own. The other man was staring at him quietly, clearly wondering what was wrong. At that moment, the light from the video bathed him in red and Jayce's pen fell from his fingers. He buried his head in his arms and there was the scrape of a chair next to him as Viktor got up. 

The video stopped abruptly and the professor was heard yelping in shock. Jayce jerked up, but all she was doing was staring up at the projected white screen. The video had glitched and died. Jayce had a good few guesses why. Before he could meet Viktor's gaze, there was a knock that echoed around the lecture hall. That double-edged voice drifted from the speakers, slow and grating. It sent chills down Jayce's spine and his tail puffed up, something that was barely even possible with werewolves. 

"Madadh-allaidh mòr dona..."

The door leading to the hall suddenly illuminated in eerie shades of purple and green. There was a silhouette on the other side and it seemed to sway in place, one hand raised to the opaque glass of the door. Whenever it swayed a little too much, it looked as if the figure had two heads. One with curly, wild bobbed hair and the other bald. An old man and a young girl were speaking at the same time. In tandem. As one.

Jayce glanced down at the professor, but she looked... grey. She was grey and frozen in place, like she'd been stopped in time. Jayce's ears instantly flattened and he looked back up at Viktor. His fingers instantly scratched into the desk. Viktor's eyes were midway between amber and black, his head half-turned. He was frozen and grey too. Jayce shrank back and pushed himself away from the desk so hard, his chair fell backwards. However, what hit the ground was a ball of limp clothes and shaking fur. Reduced to pup form once again.

There was a rattle as Jayce backed into the leg of the desk trying to shake his own vest off his head before he moved forward and pushed at Viktor's legs with his paws. Viktor couldn't protect him like this. Viktor couldn't protect him. A flurry of whimpers erupted from Jayce's throat as he paced back and forth before crouching low to the ground. He pressed his small body against the Fae's legs. Jayce didn't understand how he'd gone from always being the biggest in the room to... pup form. What kind of wolf was he?? His father had to be rolling in his grave right then. 

Tch!

The click of the tongue was accompanied by what sounded like shattering glass. Viktor was suddenly in motion and Jayce felt him freeze up before Jayce pushed himself close again. Viktor's hands were scooping him up not even a moment later. "Chuilean... mo chuilean..." Viktor spoke quickly and shakily, though Jayce could tell he was trying to be soothing. Jayce finally gave in, choosing to hide himself against Viktor. Maybe right then, he didn't need to be... anything other than scared. "Mo chuilean... Chan fheum thu a bhith an-còmhnaidh mar an tè as motha... Chan fheum thu a bhith an-còmhnaidh mar an tè as treasa... Tha thu mar chuilean an aghaidh a h-uile càil. Tha e ceart gu leòr a bhith fo eagal..." Viktor fell quiet for a moment and he buried his face against Jayce's back. "...tha e ceart gu leòr a bhith fo eagal."

Even if Jayce didn't quite understand his words, he had a good feeling of what he was saying. Was Viktor scared too? As he thought the question, Viktor's slender fingers stroked through his fur and he let out a quiet, controlled breath. "...I have never had anyone able to overrun my senses like that... I don't understand. He is not a natural-born Fae. I am. Is there truly no respect for the one he once worshipped?" Viktor sounded both shaken and insulted as he muttered to himself. Jayce glanced up before reaching out and placing a paw on Viktor's cheek. 

Viktor's eyes instantly softened and those amber eyes fixed on him. He reached up and shuffled Jayce so he could hold him in one arm, pressing his lips to his paw. "I have you, puppy." He whispered, his eyes hardening as he looked back to the door with narrowed eyes. "He will not get you." 

Puppy.

Jayce's tail gave the smallest wag at the nickname and he pushed his muzzle into Viktor's shoulder. There was another knock and Viktor finally let out a low, threatening noise. It trilled up into words as he turned to the door. "Your audacity is to be admired, Doctor. I recall when you threw yourself at my feet for a chance to study my abilities." He called out, his voice carrying through the room. That double-edged voice almost didn't let him finish speaking. 

"And now the study has finished. Now I have no more need for you." The Doctor's older voice soon drowned out the young girl's. Viktor didn't even seem to grace him with a smile, though Jayce recognized the glint of hostile amusement. 

"You speak as if you will ever be rid of me. You... speak as if you will be walking away from me now that you have declared my usefulness null." Something in the air changed and Viktor turned to face the door, though he had to lean back against the desk. "...Corin." The knocking abruptly stopped. "Corin Reveck... What a strong name that is." The silhouette remained in front of the door. "Doctor Reveck... do we recall what happens to those who no longer have a use for me?" There was a soft, warning lilt to his voice. The Doctor didn't answer and Viktor clicked his tongue. 

Tch!

"Aon!" Viktor's normally soft voice became harsh. "Dhà!" He took a shaky step towards the door. "Trì!" The silhouette on the other side seemed to take a step back. "Ceithir!" The eerie glow disappeared from the hallway and Viktor's voice became thrumming, like the heavy toll of a bell. "...Còig." Viktor let his voice reverberate around the room as Jayce buried himself against him. The silhouette was gone from the door and the only thing they heard was the sizzling of the projector and the professor's heavy breathing. The professor' chair fell over with how fast she stood up and fled the room. Viktor watched her go with a seemingly impassive gaze. 

The moment the door slammed shut, however, emotion flooded back into his eyes and he winced as he sat down right there on the floor, Jayce in his lap. "Oh, mo chuilean..." Viktor smoothed Jayce's ears back as he looked him over. He wasn't pitying or degrading. Viktor sounded worried sick. Jayce couldn't help but quiver in his arms and try to focus on the gentle touches he was given. His heart was beating so fast that he could barely breathe. Viktor furrowed his brow as he scanned Jayce over before starting to rub small circles beneath his ears. Any aches or soreness were being drained away and Jayce soon found himself going slack in Viktor's hold. He hesitated before he finally moved his paws and exposed his belly. 

The way Viktor's gaze instantly weakened did something to alleviate Jayce's heart. He let out a small, weak breath. That noise seemed to spark some hope in Viktor's eyes. "...A large wolf like you must've been told over and over and over how you would protect those smaller. How it is your job to be bigger and braver than those around you." Viktor's voice was calming, even if tears were stinging Jayce's eyes from his words. "But you should be allowed to bow your head without shame. You should be allowed to run and hide. It is you who decides how much you are able to handle. The idea of 'pride' and 'honor' pale in importance to one's preservation. A way to persist against all odds, no matter what." 

As Viktor spoke, he continued to card his fingers through Jayce's fur. Good gods, it felt so nice. Viktor's arm stretched to the side and it only took a blink before Jayce was suddenly startled by the sound of fabric. He was wrapped in a massive blanket, Viktor watching him warmly. It was a warmth he'd never even seen a family member direct at him and it only made him lower his head in shame. They hadn't discussed anything further once Jayce had put the pieces together that day. Viktor had just kept putting Jayce in his soft nest and bringing him sweets. He'd even started letting Jayce attend classes again, as long as they were practically joined at the hip. Jayce had thought it to be obsession. 

But there was still a lot about the Fae that anyone had to learn. And Jayce was starting to suspect that this kind of overwhelming doting was their way of caring. His bones creaked and Jayce felt himself shifting. He was soon left sitting on his knees in front of Viktor. He was naked, but the blanket made him feel warm and covered. Even when Viktor's pale hands pushed under it in order to cup his face. Jayce's cheeks were tearstained as he met Viktor's gaze. "He will not come back today. He'll be wary that I know his name." Viktor said softly. Jayce could only give a small nod in response. 

He felt weak next to Viktor. And Jayce had never felt weak next to anyone before. In a way, it was... liberating. Getting to have someone protect him for a change. Being the weaker one. Getting to show fear and terror and not being judged a single bit for it. He felt like his pride had been ripped open and, in a way, it felt so much easier to breathe like this. Getting to be small. Getting to be scared. Jayce had never taken it for a luxury before. Having someone wanting to protect him with a power he couldn't even fathom. He startled as his tail started to swish around under the blanket and his face went completely hot. Viktor paused, his white ears perking up. 

Thump, thump, thump.

Viktor's tail began to wag in response and a smile appeared on his face. His canines were sharpening and dulling in front of Jayce before they seemed to settle on dull again. "Thank you." Jayce's voice was whispery and Viktor paused, tipping his head. "For letting me feel weak. I mean it. I always... have to be the strong one. It feels... really nice not to be." More tears finally escaped him and he buried his face in his hand. Viktor's arms instantly wrapped around him and Jayce leaned into his touch.  "I'm sorry I haven't said anything about... us. I don't know what to do. I don't know how to... how to process anything..." Jayce swallowed and Viktor shook his head. 

"We have time. I can wait." Viktor's voice was gentle and Jayce felt it grab at his heartstrings. "Feitheamh mi cho fad 's a dh'fheumas tu mi." Viktor didn't pull his gaze away and Jayce's shoulders sank as his vision blurred with tears again. Viktor pulled him close, though Jayce trembled when he heard him clicking his tongue. It sounded absentminded, yet rhythmic. A soft clicking. A soft ticking. 

Tch.

Tch.

Tch.

Chapter Text

Jayce knew that they wouldn't be having any classes the moment he looked outside the window. Snow blanketed the ground and he could see volunteers shoveling the walkways for extra credit, but the snow was still coming down. Jayce could only stare. His ears were flat again and he had his fingers dug into his arm as he tried to calm his breathing. It was fine. It was fine. He wasn't going to be going outside. He wasn't going outside today. His tail was lashing behind him, flicking around unhappily. The soft touch to the back of his shoulder nearly sent him into cardiac arrest, but he didn't let it show as he turned to face Viktor. 

The other man looked him over quietly, his brow furrowing. He turned and pointed to the open bathroom door, looking back at Jayce pleadingly. "...When did you draw a bath??" Jayce managed a weak little laugh, which caused Viktor's wiry white tail to start wagging behind him. He started towards the bathroom without waiting for an answer because he really was just... cold. His breath wasn't billowing in front of his face, but he was certainly feeling a chill in his fingertips. He could hear the excited click of Viktor's cane following. 

Jayce had already stripped his clothes off and climbed into the tub by the time that cane entered the bathroom. The water felt perfect and Jayce let out a small groan as he sank into it before turning to face Viktor again. He paused. The clothes Viktor was wearing seemed to be leaving his body, turning into colorful mist and winding away as he approached the tub. Jayce blinked a few times in surprise before glancing up as Viktor stood in front of the tub quietly. He always did this. Jayce let out a small breath of exasperation through his nose before he reached up, offering his hands. 

Viktor perked up and he placed his cane to the side before reaching out and taking Jayce's hands. He carefully climbed into the tub, his brow furrowed. "Easy..." Jayce spoke the encouragement without even thinking and Viktor's ears flicked in what seemed to be quiet gratitude. However, Viktor didn't settle down like he usually did. He usually sat across from Jayce, just so he could look at him while he bathed. Jayce was used to it by now. What he wasn't used to, was Viktor turning and sitting so he was facing away from him. For a moment, Jayce's thoughts were only coming up blank. 

What had he done wrong?? Was Viktor upset with him? Why wasn't he facing him?? Did he not want to look at him anymore? Jayce's thoughts began to spiral. Was Viktor losing energy?? Was he sick? Was it even Viktor? What was happening?! Jayce's ears went flat and his tail was still before he startled as Viktor leaned back against him. Instantly, all of his thoughts disappeared again and he relaxed. Viktor's tail was swishing around in the water as Jayce's arms loosely wrapped around him. Viktor tipped his head back, rumbling as Jayce licked his forehead gently. The relief that flooded his systems was unmistakable and Viktor seemed to smile. "You were worrying...?" 

"You've never faced away from me." Jayce responded instantly, his eyes meeting Viktor's crystalline ones. He was so close to pouting. Viktor blinked at him before his hands positioned themselves on Jayce's thighs and he pushed himself up. He turned to face Jayce and moved forward again, Jayce's hands instantly finding his waist as Viktor straddled him. 

"Does this ease your worries?" Viktor asked, his eyes wide and his face close. Jayce's own cheeks became flushed hot and he nodded. Viktor seemed to perk up at that. Jayce wasn't sure what possessed him, but he finally leaned forward, one of his hands sliding up Viktor's body. Maybe it was because he craved warmth, but their lips connected and all traces of the cold left Jayce's body. Viktor eagerly pressed back into the kiss and Jayce couldn't help but whine against him. His hand finally moved all the way up and tangled itself in Viktor's hair. That excited, garbled noise left Viktor once again. When they pulled away from each other, Viktor's eyes met his quietly before he spoke and nearly caused Jayce to choke. "Would you mate me?" 

"Wh-Wha-" Jayce could only sputter, his ears flat and his face bright red. However, he was refusing to acknowledge the way his cock was already twitching in interest. He wanted to. He wanted to badly. Viktor's snow-white fur was so beautiful and it should belong to him. Jayce's hand was already absentmindedly stroking Viktor's ear, causing the Fae to tip his head into his hand. Jayce swallowed and his other arm pulled Viktor close so their bodies were pressed flush together. "...Yes." When Jayce didn't move, Viktor seemed confused before  seeming to realize something. 

"Will you mate me??" Viktor asked, a little more eager. "Now?" He pushed himself up against Jayce. "The body is willing..." Jayce swallowed heavily. "You are said of the cold,  Jayce. I can keep you warm. Viktor sounded insistent, though his gaze never wavered. "Please? I can give you anything you want." Jayce exhaled shakily as he felt a cock bump against his own, just as hard, if not more. However, it was replaced in an instant and Jayce felt folds cushion him instead. His throat had never felt so dry. He'd never been left so speechless. He didn't want to dictate Viktor. Outside of heats and ruts, the comfort of both were of utmost priority. Viktor paused again. "Both." He finally stated. 

"Yeah." Jayce could only weakly agree as he felt that cock bump against his own again, having taken the place of where a clit should've been. He startled as Viktor suddenly pushed himself forward. "W-Wait! Viktor! Th-The prep- oh, fuck..." Jayce trailed off in a whine, his body slumping against Viktor as his cock was suddenly enveloped by something soft and hot. He was left panting against his shoulders. 

"Preparations are unnecessary." Viktor stated matter-of-factly. "You have been feeling stressed since you woke. You need this and I can provide it for you." He sounded proud of himself as he started to move, Jayce gasping in slight shock. Viktor was so pliant and deep that he could already feel him wrapped around his uninflated knot. He would be able to take it without a single issue. Just the thought had Jayce's head spinning.  

"...Fuck." He whispered, Viktor's hand pushing him so he was leaned back on the tub. Viktor started to move himself and Jayce's fingers gripped the side of the tub for dear life as he squeezed his eyes shut. He was trying to control his breathing, but it kept erupting in whines as Viktor squeezed around him. His hips were starting to involuntarily thrust and he gasped. Viktor tipped his head back with a loud, shaky exhale. He started to roll his hips with a soft groan. 

"Mo chuilean... mo chuilean..." Viktor practically moaned the nickname and Jayce swore weakly. Viktor suddenly leaned down and Jayce shivered, even in the warm water. "You are very good to me, Jayce. Even when you are afraid of me. I like that you do not lie to me... and I like that you tell me when I've done something to upset you." Viktor suddenly squeezed around him and Jayce whined. "You... have no idea how... incredible-" Jayce nearly lost it right then and there with how hard Viktor sucked him in. "-it is to be treated as an equal instead of a deity. Thank you..."

"Y-Yeah- HAH!!" Jayce didn't know how Viktor was managing such calm conversation like this. He could feel his knot swelling and Viktor was taking it without a problem. "V-Viktor... oh, fuck, Viktor..." Jayce instantly broke down into loud whimpering and whining. Viktor cupped his cheeks before their lips met again. Jayce soon found himself popped comfortably inside of Viktor and just the ease of it was what sent him over. The noise he made was unintelligible as he came, feeling himself pumping into Viktor's warm, waiting body. 

Viktor's eyes slipped shut and Jayce shrieked, feeling like Viktor was milking him for all he had. When he finally came crashing down, they were knotted together and Viktor slowly laid himself down on top of Jayce. He tipped his head to the side, his crystalline eyes warm and satisfied. "You fill me so well, Jayce." Viktor stated softly, giving a slow blink as his white tail was seen swishing around in the water behind him. Viktor licked his forehead, a low rumble in his throat. "I like you very much. I mourn the fact that I did not meet you sooner..." 

Something warm burned in Jayce's heart, but he didn't know if he had the strength to say anything like that in return. His ears flattened and he glanced aside, his body quivering under Viktor's. He opened his mouth, but no words would come out. He didn't know what to do. Viktor watched him before his eyes drifted to the side as well. "...I..." Jayce choked on his words again. He really... didn't know. He really didn't know how he felt about this. He really didn't know if any of it was genuine. He didn't know what was real. Could he really call what this was... love? It didn't sound right. It didn't feel right either. 

But what else could he call that warmth in his chest? What else could he call that look in Viktor's eyes?? Jayce felt himself tear up a little and Viktor blinked. "Mo chuilean..." Viktor murmured quietly. He cupped his cheeks before finally leaning forward and pressing their foreheads together. Jayce startled at that, suddenly feeling a wave of relaxation sweep through his body. All the tension melted away and Jayce's eyes nearly slipped shut as his consciousness dipped up and down. Viktor finally opened his eyes and hummed. "...You found this underwhelming."

Jayce felt panic and embarrassment sear through his face, but Viktor shook his head, nosing under his jaw. "I understand. I was too eager. I did not let you do it the way you wanted to. I apologize." Viktor murmured. Jayce's heart was racing. As heavenly as Viktor's body felt around him, he'd wanted to do this properly. Preparation, hushed whispers, a soft bed. Jayce wondered if he was being too much of a stickler for romance. He teared up and nodded, Viktor humming in soft acknowledgment. "We can do this right. I'm sorry." 

"I-It's okay. You... You still feel incredible... I just... wanted it to be a little more tender." Jayce finally admitted. Viktor nodded and buried his face against his shoulder. 

"I did not mean to ruin it..." 

"You didn't! You didn't." Jayce quickly got Viktor to look at him, hoping he could see how serious he was about this. "W-We both got a little too excited. I-It's good that we're both eager, isn't it??" Jayce felt like his face was going to light on fire at Viktor's considerate click of his tongue. 

Tch!

"...Yes." Viktor finally seemed to admit. A smile pulled at his lips. "Yes, it is good." 

Chapter Text

Muzzle too long. Eyes pitch black. Limbs too skinny.

Staring.

Staring. 

Staring.

Jayce was freezing from head to toe as he sat up in the snow. He was naked, his eyes wide and his posture stiff. Why was he outside?? Why was he naked? Had he shifted? Why didn't he remember?? His breath came out in small clouds beneath the half-moon. He was terrified to move, knowing that just the feeling of snow crunching beneath his bare feet would send him into a fit so bad that he would pass out. If he passed out now, he would surely freeze to death. But if he remained paralyzed like this, he wouldn't last much longer either. His heart was pounding and he could barely feel his feet. 

He was in the hunting grounds again, but he didn't understand why. His heart was rocketing in his chest, but it felt like it was less from panic and more of what it felt like after he got done an intense sprint. Even worse, he was alone. He didn't see Viktor. He didn't hear him. He didn't even smell him. Jayce swallowed shakily. What happened?? Jayce had to get somewhere warmer. Or, he had to shift. His fur would keep him warm. He squeezed his eyes shut and he tried, but his body wouldn't respond. Why wouldn't his body respond??

Crack.

The snap of a dead branch caused his ears to shoot up and his tail tucked under his legs to hide himself. A heavy feeling had crept into the air and Jayce could hear someone slowly approaching the clearing. The footsteps were too light. They were too slow. Jayce shrank down as a scarred hand pushed aside some foliage, snow raining down on the figure that stepped through. The Doctor was a tall, lanky man with a murky white eye and marred skin. He had no hair and his clothes hung off his skeletal frame in rags. Jayce shrank back, his ears flattening. 

The little girl that was fused spine-to-spine with the Doctor did not move. She dangled behind him like a fleshy backpack, her limbs and head limb. The clothes they both wore seemed stuck between their fused flesh. The Doctor stared at Jayce and let out a low hum of interest. The little girl's limbs twitched and Jayce flinched backwards as her head jerked up with a crack, still facing away from him. "It is nice to meet you in person, Jayce." The Doctor's voice mingled with the little girl's, though the bottom half of his face was hidden beneath a scarf. "I am afraid we have always had an obstacle between us before."

Jayce bared his teeth, a growl tearing its way from his throat as he hunched down. A warning for the Doctor to stay away, though he was actively freezing. The Doctor tipped his head to one side as the little girl fused to his back tipped her head to the other side. He seemed more than eager to call Jayce's bluff. "You are freezing, big bad wolf. Your strength will fail you." The Doctor kept getting closer and Jayce finally found the strength to start shoving himself backwards. The snow was cold beneath him, but he unfortunately rathered that than whatever the hell the Doctor would do to him. 

Jayce could hear other things moving around them. Through the snow-covered bushes, he could see bits of flesh and hooves and fur. Skin stretched far too tight. Stumbling. Circling. Waiting. Jayce didn't understand. Wasn't the Doctor going to rip him apart?? Turn him into one of these? Or was he going to feed Jayce to them?? Jayce was trembling. Why couldn't he shift?? Tears of frustration were welling in his eyes. He began to look around, his ears perking frantically. Was there a way out?? Anything? Anything?? Jayce didn't realize the Doctor was right in front of him until he was already reaching out. Jayce jerked back and the breath was knocked out of him as he felt his back slam into a tree. Snow fell around them and, somehow, the false Fae's fingers were even colder.

When Jayce woke again, he couldn't feel anything. He was shaking and he slowly became aware of his limbs tangled together in front of him. When had he shifted?? His fur was covered in frost and he was inside of that same hollowed tree trunk that he'd first seen the Doctor from. He tried to sit up, the sunlight reflecting across the snow already hurting his eyes. Something else hurt too. He opened his jaws and flinched as blood suddenly spilled over. It wasn't just a little, but a whole pool of it that had been gathered. His teeth hurt. But not all of his teeth, just...

Jayce's tongue instinctively moved to lick at them and he froze up. All four of his canines were gone and all he could taste was metal. He couldn't even bring himself to whimper. His ears flattened, but he froze as something else proved to be missing. He glanced back and the first pained cry left him. His tail was gone too. It looked like it had been surgically removed, stitches in the stump. Jayce instantly broke out into whining and crying, his blood spreading through the snow at the front of the tree. His muzzle hurt so much and he finally just shoved it straight into the snow, his eyes squeezed shut. 

Why would the Doctor take those from him?? His tail?? His teeth??? Jayce hiccuped softly, the noise muffled by the snow. There was a loud crunch as something heavy landed in front of him. For a moment, all Jayce saw were slender purple legs, made of thick cable and jagged gold. His vision blurred and a horrifying pressure in his head caused his eyes to shut again. His ears suddenly popped and he heard a crunch of snow before hands were suddenly lifting his muzzle. "Mo chuilean... Tha mi cho duilich..." Viktor sounded like he was about to burst into tears. "Rug e orm. Ciamar a b’ urrainn dha mo ghlacadh?? Foill mar sin? Agus rinn e cron ort. Ciamar a rinn e seo?"

Viktor cut off his own feverish muttering by leaning down and pressing his lips to Jayce's head, right between his ears. "Tha mi cho duilich. Dh'fheuch mi ri faighinn thugad. Thoir maitheanas dhomh, a chuilean." Viktor inhaled shakily. "Damnadh e! Fuck!" It was the loudest Jayce had ever heard Viktor and his yell seemed to carry through the trees. Jayce trembled and Viktor quickly lifted his head again, placing it in his lap with no concern for the blood soaking into the fabric of his pants. "Let me see. Please let me see."

Jayce opened his mouth and whimpered as he felt Viktor's thumbs pressing into the empty spaces where his canines had once been. The feeling of his teeth growing back was one of the worst things Jayce had ever felt. Through his howling, he gnashed his remaining teeth down, feeling them crush through bone and slice through flesh. By the time Jayce had his teeth back, he was quivering as Viktor drew back his mauled hands. He stared at the bloody, mutilated flesh impassively. Jayce whimpered, only able to taste metal in his mouth and staining his muzzle. He pressed his nose to Viktor's leg with another whimper, his ears flat. Didn't it hurt?? Jayce could barely even look at the damage he'd done. 

After a minute, the feeling of those same hands, completely undamaged and smoothing his ears back was enough to shock him. "Your wounds are not inflicted upon me because of hatred. I don't mind them." Viktor spoke assuringly and Jayce could only whimper in response again. 

Tch!

Viktor clicked his tongue scoldingly and Jayce blinked as he felt those gentle lips between his ears again. "That bastard used my image to lure you in a fugue state. I can't believe he has done this to you. I do not understand. He is a false Fae." Viktor's voice was shaking with anger and frustration. "How could he do this?? How did he do this??" Viktor finally inhaled and his breathing was shaky. "...Jayce... I want to protect you. I just want you to be safe. I want you to be okay. I can do almost anything, but I cannot even do that??" Jayce quickly pulled himself forward, burying his head against Viktor's chest. 

Viktor instantly hugged around his neck. He stayed like that for a moment before he lifted his hands. Something warm suddenly fell over Jayce's back and he startled as he realized he was shrinking. He soon found himself in pup form again, but Viktor quickly wrapped him up in a blanket. Somehow, Jayce didn't feel ashamed like this. One look at Viktor told him that this form of his was a comforting one for the Fae. Jayce paused before butting his much tinier head against Viktor's chest again as the Fae wobbled to his feet. Viktor hugged Jayce to his chest. "I will take us home. I will take us home and we can clean you and I can warm you. Please forgive me for not coming sooner. I can't believe I was trapped like that-" 

Jayce smacked his paw against Viktor's chest and the Fae glanced down at him. Those bloody tears had already started streaming down his face, dark on Viktor's pale skin. Jayce whimpered and Viktor gaze weakened as he watched him. Jayce wasn't upset with him. Jayce knew more than anything that, if Viktor hadn't been trapped, he would've been by his side in an instant. He would've protected him. "I would have." Viktor affirmed, staring at Jayce. "Being kept away and knowing that you were hurting... that someone was hurting you... Bha e cho goirt." Viktor's voice choked up. His face was a bloody mess now. "How could I have failed this badly?? Stolen from the nest and disfigured by the hands of a fake." 

Jayce finally bit Viktor's shoulder ever so lightly, making the Fae jump and look down. Jayce didn't want to hear anymore. He wanted to go home with Viktor. He wanted to clean up and then he wanted to lie in their bed together. Viktor stared at him before nodding and guiding Jayce upwards, pressing his forehead to Jayce's. "Dhutsa, cha bhi a bhàs luath." Viktor muttered the words softly and Jayce pawed at his cheek. Viktor opened his eyes, just as amber and crystalline and beautiful as ever. "Jayce... my puppy... Will you hold me when we sleep?" Viktor gave a weak laugh. "I feel as if I am falling apart inside."

Jayce's shoulders sank and he butt his head against Viktor's shoulders. He would. He would hold him. He would keep him warm. And while Viktor slept, Jayce would wonder which abomination he would see his own teeth and tail on. "Jayce." Viktor's voice was weak and warning. Jayce made a small noise of apology in response, but he didn't know if that changed what was haunting him. "You will hold me and I can make sure you sleep without terrors. I can give that to you..." Viktor was quiet for a moment. "I can... I can, at least, protect you from those." There was a moment of silence. "Is urrainn dhomh rudeigin a dhèanamh ceart."